Mini Vinnies – Eco Team

CAFOD - 'Eyes of the World' Campaign

St. Bernadette’s children have been working very hard to maintain our recently awarded ‘Green Flag Award’ status this term. As a whole school eco-initiative, we have learnt about a variety of climate change issues in each year group to engage children in being proactive little citizens for the future of our planet.  Each child then produced an individual ‘eye’ as a creative art lesson, to symbolise that we are watching what is being done to resolve climate change issues, with a goal towards healing the world’s environmental problems.

All of the individual children’s eyes were made with different media, so we have an assortment of ‘stained glass effect’ to 3D origami versions amongst other colourful contributions. The eyes were then gathered together to create some displays in school. We now have an enormous eye. as a collaborative art work on display in our small hall behind the Chapel and also a fabulous pair of collaborative eyes on the glass window looking out towards people in the local community, to raise awareness and promote the CAFOD Campaign ‘Eyes of the World’ which links to the aims of the COP26 in the UK this year.

We are very proud of the children’s effort with this eco campaign and how they are fostering such a love and respect for God’s Creation, our common home and an appreciation of how it needs care and protection.

On Wednesday 29^th of September, the Eco Mini Vinnie team presented a special assembly to the whole school community.

The pupil-led assembly was focused upon a CAFOD Campaign called ‘Eyes of the World’ which is to raise awareness of climate change and how it has the greatest impact upon the most vulnerable people around our world and how we can all help as individuals to reduce the damage being done.

They showed us lots of information about Fatima and Florence and how climate change affects their lives and the communities they live within and how they face struggles.

We learnt about COP26 and how the leaders are having important talks about how each nation can help with the climate crisis. The Eco Mini Vinnies shared a wonderful art project we are going to do, to help support the message that we are all watching with keen eyes.

On Wednesday 29^th of September, the Eco Mini Vinnie team presented a special assembly to the whole school community.

The pupil-led assembly was focused upon a CAFOD Campaign called ‘Eyes of the World’ which is to raise awareness of climate change and how it has the greatest impact upon the most vulnerable people around our world and how we can all help as individuals to reduce the damage being done.

They showed us lots of information about Fatima and Florence and how climate change affects their lives and the communities they live within and how they face struggles.

We learnt about COP26 and how the leaders are having important talks about how each nation can help with the climate crisis. The Eco Mini Vinnies shared a wonderful art project we are going to do, to help support the message that we are all watching with keen eyes.

We are proud to announce that we are now participating in the local Eco-Warrior: MK scheme designed for us to recycle more and raise awareness of environmental issues, such as reducing single-use plastics. 

Each pupil in Year 3 - 6 has received an A5 activity booklet, which includes activities on recycling, learning about environmental issues, getting out and about, etc. and range from low to high levels of physical activity so there’s something for everyone to do.

There is also an A3 Eco Warrior Pledge poster that our Eco Mini-Vinnie Team members sign on behalf of our whole school community to display in school alongside the attached digital logo to show that we are an active ‘Eco Warrior School’.

Please have lots of fun completing your challenges at home! Enjoy...

Switch off Fortnight Campaign 

Our Eco Mini Vinnie Team will be running our school's effort to reduce our energy consumption...watch this space for further information this term!

The Eco Mini Vinnie Team

What do Mini Vinnies do?

1) Mini Vinnies puts the word of God into action.

2) Mini Vinnies use prayer as worship in all meetings and all that they do.

3) Mini Vinnies bear witness to the word of God by seeking and finding those in need.

4) Mini Vinnies is about welcoming those who are forgotten.

5) Mini Vinnies put the welfare of others as their priority.

Job Description

• To be a good role model showing excellent behaviour around school and when representing the school at outside events.
• To promote our Catholic ethos by living our school Mission-

‘Loving, Serving and Growing Together with Jesus’ and the values of St Bernadette’s.

• To promote the importance of looking after our school environment, the local environment and the wider world environment by being part of and leading Eco projects.
• To help support in the development and maintenance of the new school Prayer Garden.
• To help and support in the development and maintenance of our Forest area and the school grounds.

The Eco Mini Vinnie Team made up of fourteen pupils from Years Four to Six who are passionate about the environment and God’s creation. The main purpose of this team is to help to promote the importance of looking after our school environment, the local environment and the wider world environment by being part of and leading Eco projects. 

They also help to support in the development and maintenance of the new school Prayer Garden, our school Forest Environmental Area and the school grounds, always keeping in mind the wonder of God’s amazing creation and how we should enjoy and respect it.

This year we have run a ‘Switch Off Fortnight’ campaign where we encouraged the whole school community to save energy and ‘Switch it Off’ which proved very successful.

We are currently growing vegetables in our school allotment area and are planning an anti-litter campaign and community litter pick.

‘Loving, Caring and looking after God’s World’