Whitehorse City Council delivers fully subsidised environmental incursions through Chooktopia for 4-year-old kindergartens and primary schools and secondary schools located in the Whitehorse municipality. All school sessions align with the Victorian Curriculum and ResourceSmart Schools modules.
Incursion topics include:
- Composting and worm farming
- Recycling right
- Circular economy
- Litter and pollution
- Climate change
- Renewable energy
- Caring for our waterways
- Active transport (schools only).
How many incursion sessions can my school or kindergarten book in a financial year?
Due to limited Council funding, the following limits apply:
- 4-year-old kindergartens: up to two (2) sessions per financial year.
- Primary and secondary schools: up to four (4) sessions per financial year.
Please note that:
- All sessions booked must be delivered on a single day.
- A maximum of two (2) sessions may be booked for the following topics:
- climate change,
- renewable energy,
- biodiversity and
- active transport.
- Schools and kindergartens may choose to book additional incursion sessions beyond the limits stated above at their cost.
- All sessions are offered subject to availability and Council budget. Once allocations for the financial year are exhausted, schools or kindergartens may book incursion sessions directly with Chooktopia at their cost.
Where can I find out more information about the incursions?
To find out more about the incursions offered, visit the Chooktopia webpages below:
How do I book an incursion?
Complete the relevant Expression of Interest form on the Chooktopia website to indicate what sessions your school or kindergarten is interested in. Once received, the team at Chooktopia will contact you to confirm and arrange the booking.
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What other support is available for my school or kindergarten?
Council also offers excursions to Yarran Dheran or Blackburn Lake Sanctuary; Bush kinder programs; and other environmental resources through our Environmental Education Program.
We also support sustainability educators by providing professional development, opportunities to network with like-minded educators; workshops and the annual flagship Learning for Sustainability conference through the Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning (EASL). EASL is the official ResourceSmart Schools program provider for schools located in Eastern metropolitan Melbourne, including Whitehorse.
Our Waste Education can also present on topics including recycling, circular economy, waste and litter reduction or composting at your school or year level assembly or run a tailored staff professional development session on these topics. If you are interested in this, or have another waste education request, please contact Council’s Waste Education Officer via email at wasteteam@whitehorse.vic.gov.au.