Well+Done+to+our+Dandenong+Ranges+Network+Schools

=Excellence in Dandenong Ranges Schools =

Sherbrooke Community School wins Energy Smart School of the Year Award
Another first for the Dandenong Ranges network. The environment and sustainable living group at Sherbrooke has been very active in pursuing grants and in encouraging changes in school practices. They were awarded the habitat plan award last month from the Shire and this is been followed up with the resource smart award. These awards are great recognition for Science teacher Denise Dempsey, who is someone that we will need to put forward for regional and state awards in 2010.

In November 2009, Sherbrooke Community School was presented with the Energy Smart School of the Year Award at the Resource Smart School Award ceremony. The presentation was made in front of 40 school finalists, the Minister for the Environment, Gavin Jennings and the CEO from Sustainability Victoria, Anita Roper at the "Edge Theatre", at the City Square. Sherbrooke's award was in recognition of the schools commitment to reduce their carbon "footprint".

Some of the ideas are simple and may be of interest to other school in the DR network Some of the energy saving measures put in place at Sherbrooke have been 1.Solar panels and a solar hot water service installed using a $65,000 grant from the State & Commonwealth governments. 2. Audit of energy use in the school and setting a target (Sherbrooke halved its electricity use in 12 months) 3.Disconnection of hot water services where there is little or no use. 4.Timer on the staff urn so it only heats when needed 5.A shut down policy for computers, no standby usage over-night or at weekends. 6. New BST building project, specified extra insulation (not the minimum) in the walls and in the roof. Natural light used through window highlights and sky lights. 7. Stickers reminding staff and students to turn off lights when not needed 8. Energy saving bulbs and starters installed.

We will use our award money to install a large skylight in the foyer so that light use there will be kept to a minimum. An extraction fan will be put into the computer lab to utilise the heat generated in there to heat the foyer in winter

=== Macclesfield PS wins design award ===


 We are pleased to report that Macclesfield Primary School won a state-wide award in the 2009 School Design Awards. The award was for the Best School Project in the under $3m category. The Principal, John Chiswell and the project architect from Minx Architecture accepted the award at a ceremony at Docklands. The School Design Awards were introduced to recognise and promote innovation, leadership and cutting-edge design in schools. The new school building designs match the advances in education practices and allow for a more collaborative and flexible approach to teaching where students are more involved in what they learn, how they learn and where they learn. For students this means a stronger relationship with their teacher and a more personalised approach.