Victorian Schools Garden Program

Every school a garden, every garden a classroom.

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Awards Entries Closing Soon – Enter Now!

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The Victorian Schools Garden Awards program recognises, rewards and celebrates the gardening achievements of schools, their students and community in existing and newly established school gardens, while also providing another opportunity for schools to receive funds or products for their school gardens.

The Awards are not necessarily rewarded to the biggest or most beautiful gardens but practical student grown gardens that incorporate learning, community and well-being into their school yards.

▪ There are $44,500 worth of prizes to be won.
▪ Enter one or more of the 11 categories available.
▪ All entries automatically qualify for Regional Awards, and the State and Kevin Heinze Perpetual Awards.
▪ To enter, submit a PowerPoint or video presentation on your garden.

For more information, please visit the Award website menu.  

Entries close Friday 8th September 2023 at 5pm 

Record Grant Entries Received

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This year, the Victorian Schools Garden Program (VSGP) broke the record for both the number of schools/kindergartens applying for a Grant and the number of applications entered, receiving 540 grant entries from 270 schools/kindergartens across the state of Victoria.

The VSGP Committee were busy during the month of May accessing the applications and were extremely impressed by the remarkable garden projects proposed by schools/kindergartens.  Choosing the recipients was not an easy task with many great applications missing out by just a few points. Due to this fact, the VGSP has included an additional 8 Merit Grants to schools who scored extremely well yet were unsuccessful.

The VSGP Committee appreciate the time and effort taken by schools/kindergartens to enter a grant application/s and wish every garden project could be granted.

Click here to see the 2023 VSGP Grants Result

Entries for the 2023 Awards are now open and offer another opportunity for schools to receive vouchers or products for their gardens with $44,000 worth of prizes available to be won.  Awards are not necessarily given to the biggest or most beautiful school gardens, but practical gardens that incorporate learning, community and well-being.  For more information on the Awards, please visit the VSGP Awards Program section for more information.

Branch Out

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Engaging Secondary School Students in the World of Horticulture

Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria have worked closely with experienced consultants to develop immersive educational experiences that encourage students to Branch Out and learn about the thriving and dynamic world of horticulture.

Branch Out is designed for students in years 7–10 and offers rich learning opportunities, giving students a hand-on, real-world experience of horticulture. Participating schools will be provided with engaging, Victorian-curriculum aligned units of learning that contain everything required to teach students the basics of botany, give them an insight into the world of photosynthesis or encourage them to examine the biodiversity in their local area over the course of several weeks. Teachers will be provided with dedicated support during the planning and delivery of these units of learning.

The centrepiece of the Branch Out educational experience is an incursion, facilitated and funded through the SSAF, that will immerse students in different areas of horticultural study, while it all culminates in a fully funded excursion to learn about some of the incredible work being done in the industry.

Branch Out is currently only currently available to Victorian Government schools. We are currently accepting expressions of interest in the program. 3.  Express your interest here in participating in Branch Out or contact NGIV for further information.

This project is supported by the Secondary Schools Agriculture Fund, which is funded by Agriculture Victoria as part of the four-year $50 million Agriculture College Modernisation Fund.

 

Sustainable Scarecrow School Competition Results

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Congratulations to our Sustainable Scarecrow School competition winners for ‘Best use of Recycled Materials’, announced by Education Minister Natalie Hutchins, on Wednesday at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

Croxton School came 1st with their creation Tee-aL-Cee, Point Cook P-9 College came 2nd with their entry Thor God of Thunder and in 3rd place was Yarra Primary School with Handy Harold.

1st place

Croxton School 

Tee-aL-Cee

2nd

Point Cook P-9 College

Thor God of Thunder

3rd

Yarra Primary School

Handy Harold

The People’s Choice winner went to Springside Primary School for their Kitchen Garden Goddess scarecrow entry, which was awarded by Craig Taberner – VSGP Chairman, on Sunday at 2pm when the voting closed.

People’s Choice

Springside Primary School

The Kitchen Garden Goddess

The schools’ scarecrows made a great inclusion to the Home Grown Patch at the show, receiving many positive comments and motivating some to create their own scarecrow for inclusion in their school, community or personal gardens.

Free School Excursions to Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show

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Wednesday 29 March–Friday 31 March 2023

Victorian Schools Garden Program are delighted to welcome school-aged children and their teachers to enjoy a free suite of gardening activities to encourage the use of outdoor spaces at schools, and educate and inspire the next generation of green thumbs.

Come along and visit:

Bug and Bloom Garden (Kid’s Zone) presented by the Victorian Schools Garden Program

Celebrating the biodiverse world of mini-beasts and pollinating bees. Biodiversity has a direct impact on the world of beneficial insects and bees. Learn more about this microcosm and the fascinating mini-beasts who inhabit it. Get your young green thumbs growing and explore the vital role of bees for food through an immersive pollinator garden. Perfect for schools and young families.

Home Grown Patch presented by Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria

Enter into an abundant and productive garden, the ultimate Home Grown Patch. Share the journey of where food comes from, and the delight and satisfaction gardeners experience growing their food in a vibrant display of summer vegetable crops and their fragrant and flowering companion plants. This learning patch will encourage children and parents alike to grow food gardens from home, in the community and at our schools through an inviting garden of beautiful and productive plants.

Educational activities will be linked to the precinct and other areas throughout the show from:

– Wheen Bee Foundation

– Agriculture Victoria

– Beyond Blue

– With more activities to be announced shortly

Grow your Future: Careers Hub

Explore how you can grow your future with a career in horticulture. ‘Grow your future’ showcases the innovation and technology in the horticultural industry in partnership with educational and training organisations and leaders in industry technology, Power Plants. Transform your passion for plants into a rewarding and innovative vocation.

The schools’ program is open to all Victorian schools and international students. You can register below for free and attend the Show across one of the three free student days.
Register your school’s attendance

Contact us

Tania Karamitos
Program Co-ordinator
Victorian Schools Garden Awards
Phone: 03 9576 0599
Fax: 03 9576 0431
Email: vsgp@ngiv.com.au