Program growing strong 10 years in at Teesdale PS

To celebrate the 10-year-anniversary of the Kitchen Garden Program at Teesdale Primary School, we are shining a light on the school’s Program history. Thanks to Teesdale’s Garden Specialist Deb Smith for collating the history this story is based on.

In the beginning

The seeds of the Kitchen Garden Program at Teesdale Primary School were planted in February 2007, under the direction of the Principal at the time, Brent Richards.

Brent, affectionately referred to as the ‘founding father’ of the Program at Teesdale, was well-regarded for his focus on building schools with strong community connections, a positive culture and a willingness to innovate.

When Brent discovered there was a parent at the school, Polly Musgrove, who was interested in gardening and was also a trained horticulturalist, he worked with the school council to create a position to start improving the school grounds. 

The school built a garden and got their Kitchen Garden Program off the ground thanks to funding from their local council and the Victorian Government. They were one of the initial 25 schools to implement a Kitchen Garden Program, through the Victorian Government’s Go for Your Life! initiative.

Teesdale built their kitchen and garden on a tight budget: renovating an existing mudbrick building to include kitchen stations and recruiting volunteers to help with building the kitchen and garden.

Parent involvement was critical in getting the program off the ground but, as many parents had work commitments, the school also looked to the wider community for support.

The school also drew on the Kitchen Garden Foundation for support, attending some of the Foundation’s professional development days and using its resources. They also visited the pioneering Kitchen Garden Programs at Nunawading Primary School and Collingwood College.

The school kicked off their Program with garden classes with the students, and worked their way up to kitchen classes when the cooking space was ready. They knew they were onto a winning Program after the very first cooking session– which the students absolutely loved!

Ongoing funding for the Program was initially a challenge. Thanks to sponsorships secured by the school and extremely frugal kitchen and garden specialists who made the most out of what they had, this was a challenge the school overcame.

The kitchen

Teesdale has had a number of kitchen specialists over the past 10 years. The first was Sarah Broadhead, followed by Richard Senftleben, a chef who later became a teacher at the school, and then Sue Dixon.

When Sue finished up, the school could not meet the costs of employing a kitchen specialist and several teachers took over running the kitchen classes.

The garden

The horticultural experience of the school’s first Garden Specialist, Polly Musgrove, was instrumental in establishing the garden at Teesdale. Polly helped to create the unique layout of the garden, which features lizard-shaped beds with thick concrete edging, an apple dome, a fruit tree orchard, a keyhole-shaped bed, chicken coop, a pergola for grapevines and raised star-shaped beds.

A new solution in 2015

When the demands of running kitchen classes became too much for the teaching staff, and following the resignation of long-time garden specialist Polly in 2014, a new solution was needed.

Ashley Dewhurst and Deb Smith, both parents with children at the school, put forward a proposal to run the Program. Ashley is qualified as a chef and both women have a mutual passion for the health and wellbeing of children, a combination which has breathed new life into the Program.

Ashley is now the school’s Kitchen Specialist, and Deb the Garden Specialist.

Since Deb took over as Garden Specialist, the garden has undergone some changes to tackle the challenges of the competing water needs from growing vegetable crops underneath and near fruit trees. Water-saving wicking beds were introduced in 2015 and have helped improve the garden’s productivity.

All the hard work the school has put into their kitchen garden paid off this year when they were honoured with a Victorian Schools Garden Award for Best Edible Garden.

The Mudbrick Cafe

Teesdale’s Mudbrick Cafe was established in 2016, under the direction of current Principal Mr Grant Rau, and provides a wonderful learning opportunity for students to experience a hospitality environment. Twice a term, the café is open to the whole community, providing an opportunity for the school to showcase the fresh, seasonal produce it grows.

A snapshot of the program today

In 2016 the Kitchen Garden Program at Teesdale was integrated into the school’s science curriculum. Year 5 and 6 students participate in the program in Terms 1 and 3, and Year 3 and 4 students in Terms 2 and 4. Each class is divided into three groups, that rotate between science, kitchen and garden sessions.

In addition to seasonal activities, kitchen and garden activities are designed with links to the science curriculum.

The successful integration of the Program into the science curriculum has been led by the school’s passionate Science Teacher, Merron Southall. Merron brings a wealth of experience living sustainably and eating fresh, seasonal food from growing up on her family’s farm.

The junior school has also been incorporated into the Program, with Years F–2 participating. The younger students participate mostly in activities in the garden – building insect habitats, writing observations in a garden journal, collecting and making rubbings of autumn leaves and creating observational drawings.

The future of the Program

Teesdale Principal Grant Rau said celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the school’s Kitchen Garden Program was a good chance to reflect on the school’s achievements, and the incredible amount of hard work that had gone into establishing and maintaining the Program.

“We are extremely proud of achieving this milestone and hope the Program continues for many years to come,” Grant said.

Scroll through the gallery of images above to see Teesdale Primary School’s fabulous garden, kitchen and 10-year celebrations.

• To find out how your school or centre can dig into pleasurable food education head to the Kitchen Garden Classroom membership page.

• If you are in Victoria, check out the Victorian Pleasurable Food Education Package, which is supported by the Victorian Department of Education and includes a bundle of discounted professional development, educational resources, membership and support.

Any questions? Call our friendly Support Team on 13000 SAKGF (13000 72543).