We Fish, We Care, We Share – Bass Valley PS

The students recorded interviews on the issue of catching undersized fish, and developed it into a podcast, with the help of the team at 3mFM.
They said people are overfishing and taking undersized fish, which is impacting on fish populations.
The students shared a fun fish fact with the audience. Fish can drown in water if there’s not any oxygen left.

Here and now – Newhaven PS

The students interviewed members of the Phillip Island Senior Citizens Club, about what life was like when they were 11 or 12. They said they wanted everyone to interact and talk more to elderly people about their past and present.
Liza Lee from the club said kids were absolutely amazing. “We loved having them with us.”

Orange Pride – Newhaven PS

Gender equality matters said the kids, and as part of the project created an orange door at their school and held a fun orange dress up day.
The group partnered with Gippsland Centre Against Sexual Assault and Bianca from GCASA said it was an “absolute pleasure” to be part of the project.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to talk to the whole school about what is important for the prevention of violence, and teaching everyone respect.”

Weird Flu Kids – Powlett River PS

The goal of the project was to help give kids a voice about their experiences with Covid. The students interviewed kids at their school about lockdown and displayed the interviews at the Historical Society.
“Kids voices should be heard, because they can have outstanding ideas … listen to kids please,” they asked the crowd.
Irene from the Historical Society said she’d seen the children grow throughout the project, and said they interviewed adults as well as children.
She highly commended the students’ keenness and the energy they put into their work.

The Cat Crew – Newhaven PS

The students worked with Anthony from Bass Coast Shire Council to educate people about the importance of cat containment.
“I was thrilled to work with such an enthusiastic and talented group of young people,” he said.
The students made a video about keeping cats inside and out of trouble which is available now on the council website.

Up Beat Cats – Disability – Bass Valley PS

The group focused on creative inclusivity and work with Chris, a creative art therapist, and members of Interchange to create mosaics.
They said finding a non-verbal way to express their thoughts was an “awesome experience” and urged everyone to “find ways to connect with people of all abilities to promote inclusivity.”

Read more: Kids as Catalyst Showcase

Koala Group – Newhaven PS

The group said it hoped to raise awareness of the potential starvation of koalas due to loss of trees.
They asked people to please plant gum trees, be careful when driving around the island and to only chop down trees when they were dead.
The students planted 80 trees at Forrest Caves.
Mike Cleeland worked with the students on the planting project, and said one of the reasons koala numbers were so down on the island was a lot of the trees had gone.
“These trees will be home to the next generation of koalas,” he said.

Flutterby Savers – Bass Valley PS

The group wanted to support butterflies by working with Landcare to create good butterfly habitats.
This involved putting together butterfly “plant packs” that could then be planted in the garden.
Lisa Wangman from Landcare said the students did an amazing job putting the packs together. They also planted seeds and hopefully the plants would be ready to sell by next year. Butterfly lovers can put their name on an EOI list and will be contacted when the plants are ready.

Millowl Makers – Newhaven PS

Supporting cultural diversity, the group created a yarning circle at the Koala Conservation Centre, working with Ewan from Phillip Island Nature Parks.
The circle included rocks moved from the school, to make way for the new Early Childhood Centre being built there.
“The students talked with Elders about creating a shared community space. It was a wonderful project,” Ewan said.

Kugerungmome Kids – Powlett River PS

These students partnered with West Gippsland CMA to support cultural diversity and clean up the Powlett River.
“If you see a piece of rubbish at the beach, pick it up,” the students said.
“The way we treat people is the way we should treat the land.”
“The kids did a fantastic job, and found most of the rubbish was microplastics,” said Mandy from WGCMA.

Handymen – Newhaven PS

The group worked with Free 3D Hands to make new assistive devices, including making a 3D silicon mould.
Mat Bowtell from Free 3D Hands said the organisation was really honoured to be involved in the Kids as Catalyst project for the second year.
“The kids decided to come up with a new device and we sent out the devices to three recipients. It’s a testament to the great idea you came up with.”

Flippin’ Fun Fishers – Bass Valley PS

The group’s focus was supporting animals and fish, and they handed out showbags to stop overfishing. The showbags had stickers the kids had made and information from Fish Care Victoria.
“Everyone, do not overfish. Measure what you catch and don’t take too many,” the kids said.
Fish Care Victoria said the students helped to deliver an important message about sustainable fishing.
Barb from the Corinella Foreshore Committee also worked with the team and said the students delivered about 50 bags to the community and got a great reception.

Let’s work with Interchange – Powlett River PS

Supporting people with disability, the group organised a concert for the rock band from Interchange.
The event was a big success, with the audience getting up and dancing. They raised money for Interchange through a gold coin donation.
“We want everyone to treat everyone with kindness and fairness,” the group said.

Kids rock – Bass Valley PS

The group wanted to support kids living in Kernot, who might feel isolated and partnered with the Kernot Kids Club.
They organised a treasure hunt for the kids, to bring them together through fun activities.
“We encourage you to go to a kids club near you. It is 10 times more fun and you make new friends.”
The Kernot Kids club said the students were amazing and took “total control of our kids club”. The prizes from the treasure hunt were plants to plant in the community garden.

Fly with Us – Newhaven PS

The students wanted to support endangered shore birds and partnered with the Westernport Biosphere Foundation.
Each student chose an endangered shore bird and then painted three copies.
Jess from WBF then took the paintings to an art exhibition at Altona called Wall of Wings. She said the kids were “absolutely beautiful”.
The students said they wanted the endangered shore birds to survive for years to come.