Batteries blitzed and plants planted
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📸 Golden-headed Cisticola by Michael Hamel-Green via @birdlifephotographyaustralia
Make Casey cleaner and greener this term
Happy Aussie Bird Count day! Now you've settled back into a routine, here are some resources, grants and opportunities that will help you through this final push.
There's almost too much on offer at the moment! Competitions, quizzes, colouring pages and cash prizes up for grabs.
The school year ends in ...
Until then, scroll down to reveal funding opportunities, quizzes, lesson plans, local events, printable resources, competitions and professional development opportunities.
🍕 And the Winners of the Pizza Party are ...
🥇 1st Place: Clyde Primary School, Class 2B – 65.6 kg
🥈 2nd Place: Strathaird Primary School, Class 5A – 62.3 kg
🥉 3rd Place: Hampton Park Primary School, Junior School Council Class – 54.1 kg
Congratulations to every single entrant in the Battery Blitz this year!
This was our biggest competition yet, with 53 classes participating across 16 schools and over 1,900 students involved. Together, we collected an incredible 1,452.6kg of batteries for safe recycling! We have loved having you involved, and your students should be extremely proud of their efforts.
That's equivalent to avoiding the emissions of:
- 927 km driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle
- 115 kg of coal burned
- 18,379 smartphones charged
- 19.3 bags of material recycled rather than wasted
Young environmental leaders dive into coastal learning at Tooradin
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From spotting tiny traces of plastic in the sand to learning about local plants and Living Culture, 40 student ambassadors from Casey schools spent the day exploring the natural world at Tooradin Foreshore this September. The Dolphin Research Institute’s ‘I See I Care’ program helps students build environmental awareness, appreciation for nature, leadership skills and confidence in public speaking. |
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The ambassadors will finish the year with a Term 4 boat trip on the bay to see dolphins and other local wildlife. City of Casey provides funding support so local schools can take part, with each school contributing $300 in-kind for up to six students. This includes Botanic Ridge Primary, Harkaway Primary, Hillsmeade Primary, Lyndhurst Primary, Marnebek School, Pearcedale Primary, Rivercrest College, St Therese, Strathaird Primary and John Henry Primary Schools. If your school would like to join them in 2027, please reach out. |
Help us spread the word about the Youth Climate Action Committee 2027. Find out more and share the opportunity with students who may be interested.
Around 100 students from nine local secondary schools came together last month for the inaugural Youth Climate Summit. The event featured interactive workshops, discussions with industry experts, a tertiary education panel, an inspiring keynote speaker, and a range of hands-on activities focused on sustainability and climate action.
Delivered as a collaborative initiative between our Sustainability and Youth Services teams, the summit was led by members of the Youth Climate Action Committee in partnership with Casey Tech School.
Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with the event successfully inspiring young people across the City of Casey to explore how they can help create a more sustainable future.
Spotlight on dumping
Illegal dumping affects everyone. Parks, reserves, playgrounds and even areas around schools become dumping hotspots, creating safety risks, attracting pests and harming the local environment.
To help tackle the problem, we're trialling a new community awareness program across Casey. Households living near reported dumping hotspots may receive a postcard letting them know rubbish has been dumped nearby and encouraging them to report illegal dumping.
Together, we can help keep Casey's schools, playgrounds, parks and neighbourhoods clean, safe and litter-free.
Want greener play spaces for Casey?
We're planning for the future of play spaces across Casey and ESPECIALLY want to hear from you.
Play spaces are more than playgrounds. They can create greener neighbourhoods, support local wildlife, provide shade, connect people with nature and encourage healthy, active lifestyles.
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Pollination stations! Congratulations to both Hillsmeade Primary School and Myuna Farm for winning 2026 Trees for Bees Community Tree Grants. Watch this space to learn how and what they'll plant. |
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What did you plant? If your school or group were one of those involved in National Tree Day planting, we want to see how your plants are doing! Please share your photos at Green Living in Casey's Facebook page or email Enviroeducation@casey.vic.gov.au |
So, there are plenty of questions about the new glass bins.
Casey's recycling contractors are Cleanaway, but the glass is actually recycled at Visy. Here's how they do it!
Impactful Science Teaching (online)
🗓️ Wednesday 4 November, Tuesday 10 November, 2026
⏱️9:30 am - 12:00 pm
📍ONLINE
A professional learning program combining two half-day workshops with follow-up coaching. Explore practical approaches to identifying misconceptions, developing scientific vocabulary and supporting productive classroom discussion, with links to Victorian Curriculum 2.0 Science.
🗓️ Friday 4 December 2026 ⏱️8:00 AM - 4:00 PM 📍Northern College of the Arts & Technology, 62 Murray Rd, Preston Featuring an amazing keynote, a packed program of upskilling workshops and seminars, a buzzing trade exhibition and our Educators of the Year awards ceremony, it's the most unmissable day in the calendar for teachers of Design & Technologies, STEAM, VCE Product Design & Technologies and Systems Engineering! KEYNOTE PRESENTATION Advancing Biomaterials for a Sustainable Future with Compound: What if the materials we design with could regenerate ecosystems rather than deplete them? |
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The environmental impact of AI One of the most rapidly-evolving issues in teaching and beyond. If you want to get a head start, check out AI literacy for educators from cool.org And a little light further reading - Climateworks's submission to the inquiry into artificial intelligence.
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Birds in Schools
Available online through BirdLife Australia’s e-learning platform, Birds in Schools provides lesson plans and resources to enable teachers across Australia to deliver education and action for birds.
Action plans may include improving local habitats by planting native plants, installing nest boxes or bird baths and educating the local community on how to protect our urban birds.
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Discover Casey's Wildlife with our iNaturalist Guides Want to learn more about the plants and animals living in Casey? We've created a series of local iNaturalist guides to help you identify species found in our reserves, roadsides and natural areas. Whether you're spotting birds in your backyard, exploring local bushland or participating in community science projects, these guides make it easy to discover and record local biodiversity. Explore the guides, get outside and start discovering the amazing biodiversity around you. https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/guides Just type "City of Casey" in the search to bring up the 10 guides. |
Free National Recycling Week learning resources for K-12 from Planet Ark
Find school-wide guides, activities and games for students to help your school recycle right.
Here are some updated goodies we can offer you next year!
Aussie Bird Count 19-25 October 2026 - Australia-wide!
Hard-to-Recycle Items Drop-off Day Saurday 21 November, 9am - 2:30pm Casey Works Centre, 30 Vesper Drive, Narre Warren
Great Southern BioBlitz 27–30 November 2026
National Recycling Week 10-16 November 2026
Soil Week Australia 5-12 December 2026
DATTA Vic 2025 teachers' conference Friday 5 December
Make friends and connect with nature
Friends in Nature Casey is a free 8-week program for young adults aged 18–25 living in Casey. Through gentle walks, nature activities and shared outdoor experiences, participants can connect with others, explore local parks and wildlife, and enjoy the wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature.
Participants will also receive $100 compensation for taking part.
We especially encourage young people from diverse backgrounds and those seeking greater community connection to get involved.
Register your interest today.
Australian Photography magazine Landscape Awards 2027
Entries for 2027 open October 2026.
Australian Photography magazine is inviting photographers to showcase Australia through their lens. From wildlife and landscapes to fascinating fungi, every image has the potential to tell a unique Australian story.
Your school could win a cash prize to go towards your environmental project!
Did you know you can recycle beverage cartons across Australia through Container Deposit Schemes (CDS)? National Recycling Week is running 9 - 15 November this year, and Associate Sponsor, Tetra Pak, is giving schools the chance to win prizes to help fund environmental projects.
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Get creative without breaking the bank! The projects in this guide vary in difficulty and are suitable for students from preschool through to primary school. We encourage you to adapt and modify the activities to meet the interests, abilities and learning needs of your students. |
Fullaship program 2027 open
Applications are open for young First Nations people who hold a deep care for their community and mob, and are guided by the strength of culture, identity, and connection.
It is for those emerging as leaders in their own way, not defined by Western titles, but through their actions, relationships, and sense of responsibility to others.
Art and photography - pollination
Pollinators come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and now they can inspire your students' creativity too!
The 2026 School Pollinator Art Competition invites students from across Australia to celebrate the important role of bees, butterflies, birds, bats and other pollinators through original artwork. Entries can be submitted in any medium, including drawing, painting, digital art, collage and mixed media.
Artwork will be judged by the Wheen Bee Foundation, with prizes awarded to outstanding entries. Proudly sponsored by the Centre for Bee Education, the competition offers a fun and accessible way for students to learn about pollinators while expressing their creativity.
The art competition runs alongside the popular Pollinator Photography Competition, giving young nature lovers even more ways to get involved.
Entries are now open and close on Sunday 25 October at 5pm AEDT. Don't miss this opportunity to put pollinators in the spotlight and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
"Bee on honeycomb" by Steve N., Year 2 |
"Botanical Exploration" by Ellie Wright, Secondary School |
Quick Response Grants Always open
This grant now supports local connection activities that bring people together in new ways. Funding of up to $1,500 is available for community organisations to run small-scale events and activities that encourage participation from the wider community and build new connections between people and groups across Casey.
City of Casey Grants Toolkit
This new online toolkit includes simple tips, clear examples, templates, checklists, planning tools and other practical resources to help you develop stronger project ideas and write better applications. Whether you're new to grants or looking to improve your success rate, the toolkit can help you put your best application forward.
Visit the toolkit today: https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/grants-toolkit
