How We Make an Impact:
Sustainability at Holland International School
At Holland International School, we take sustainability seriously. As an internationalprimary school, it is our goal to foster globally competent learners that are ready foran ever-changing world. To realise this, we are working hard to become a moresustainable school; teaching our children how to act sustainably by incorporatingthe UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into our IPC curriculum.
In this blog we’d like to tell you more about our various endeavours and approacheson how to be sustainable and instil a sense of global mindedness in our students.
Recently, our students have taken part in the SDG Take Action Weeks - in which theywent on field trips, experimented with different sustainable approaches, and learnedhow to act sustainably. The SDG Take Action Weeks were concluded on the 26th ofMarch, when our first Sustainability Fair took place, giving students an opportunity to showcase their learnings from the SDG Take Action Weeks to their parents, relatives,and our wider community.
Continue reading to find out more about our endeavours to become a sustainableschool, how we incorporate sustainability in the classroom, and sustainable activitiesour students took part in!
How Holland International School is working towards becoming asustainable school
It is not enough to ask children “What is sustainability and why is it important?” ordiscuss success stories about environmental sustainability projects for schools in the classroom. We have to act!
As an international school Singapore we are aware of our responsibility to set the right example, make an impact, and provide our students with opportunities toexperiment with sustainable solutions. We aim to inspire other international schools to become sustainable schools, share knowledge and ultimately, plant a seed so that our students will continue to make an impact for a more sustainable Singapore.
A few examples of how Holland International School makes this possible:
1. Empowering children to enact meaningful change
At Holland International School, we believe that education goes beyond gettinggood grades. We recognise the importance of educating the whole person, not justtheir academic abilities. As such, our teaching approaches ascertain that students are given ownership of their learning and the freedom to explore new ideas.
An important part of this approach is to explore new topics in a holistic manner. We don’t just tell our students, we challenge them to investigate new topics, exploredifferent perspectives, discuss & brainstorm various approaches, and come up withnew ways to take action.
In this way, we aim to foster children that think outside the box, are brave enough todo things differently, and have a structured approach toward achieving change.
2. Sustainability as an integrated part of the International Primary Curriculum
In September 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted a set of goals – theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – with the aim of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all. Education plays a significant role inachieving these goals through increased engagement with global issues fromleaders, teachers, children, and the community (International CurriculumAssociation, 2023). As such, the International Curriculum Association has made aconscious effort to incorporate all 17 SDGs into the different learning units of theInternational Early Years Curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum.
Learn More:
International Primary Curriculum atHolland International School
A few examples of how Holland International School has incorporated the Sustainable Development Goals into their IPC lessons:
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SDG 14 Life Below Water & IPC Unit Ocean Treasures: As partof the IPC Unit Ocean Treasures, our Nursery groups visitedthe Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum where they learned aboutplastic soup, the effects of global warming on turtle habitats,and the life cycles of turtles & tortoises. They got to feed theturtles as well. |
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SDG 3 Good Health & Well-being & IPC Unit We Are What We Eat: In this unit, Lower Primary students learned about healthy and not so healthy foods, how it impacts their bodies, and how food consumption affects global warming. Students learned about the effects of food waste and visited a local hawker center in Singapore to learn aboutlocal foods. |
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SDG 13 Climate Action & IPC Unit The Holiday Show: Our Upper Primary students designed and programmed their own dream holiday destinations in the shape of sustainable eco-friendly islands. By making use of QR codes and the programming software Makey Makey they were able to bring their 3D islands to life with sound effects. |
3. Teaching beyond the classroom
To strengthen our curriculum and provide our students with rich insights andexperiences, we are continuously strengthening our partnerships with the widercommunity. Currently, we are working together with various sustainable enterprisesthat provide our students with presentations and workshops on sustainability and/orwelcome our students for field trips and site visits. In this way, our students canimmediately begin applying their newly acquired knowledge, skills andunderstanding outside of the classroom. A few examples of what we have done so far:
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Precious Plastic: Our school has purchased a number of Precious Plastic shredder machines that give plastic waste a new life. Students can bring in caps and bottles and the machines turn them into reusable items such as building blocks, puzzles, drinking cups, coasters. |
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Threads of Courage Recycled Flags: together with Threads of Courage, we have recycled our old school uniforms into flags. All flags were handsewn by their volunteers. The organisation supports individuals that are unable to obtain secure employment. |
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Round Table with Melati Wijsen: on Friday 10 November, Melati Wijsen, a young change maker & co-founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags visited our school and gave an inspirational talk about “How to be a young changemaker”. Following her visit to the school a round table was hosted to discuss new ways to create a more sustainable environment in collaboration with our sustainable partners. |
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Sustainable Ambassadorship Programme: this platform was launched to actively engage with companies and collaborate on meaningful projects to promote corporate social responsibility and sustainable initiatives within our community. Through this programme, we aim to foster collaboration, share expertise, and amplify the impact of our sustainability projects. |
SDG Take Action Weeks
The culmination of all IPC learning units focused on sustainability took place duringthe SDG Take Action Weeks. During these 3 weeks, our students engaged in variousSDG challenges presented by sustainable enterprises within our community. Aligned with the IPC philosophy, they learned to transform their ideas into impactful actionsto improve conditions.
A few highlights from the SDG Take Action Weeks:
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Early Years Beach Clean Up at East Coast Park |
Lower Primary Solar Panel Presentation & Workshop by Flo Energy |
Upper Primary WASH Project at |
Sustainability Fair
The SDG Take Action Weeks were concluded during the Sustainability Fair on 26March 2024, giving our students an opportunity to showcase their learnings from theSDG Take Action Weeks. Parents, corporate partners, and our wider communityattended to take part and admire their projects. Furthermore, all of our currentsustainable partners were invited and received a personal tour from our StudentCouncil.A few highlights:
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Early Years Year 1/2 students showcasing how to recycle paper. |
Lower Primary Parent donating food to Group 3’s Food Donations Project.
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Upper Primary Group 7 student explaining their learnings to lower primary students
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Visit our Instagram
for more highlights of the
Take Action Weeks & Sustainability Fair!
What’s to come?
Holland International School is currently investigating opportunities to have solar panels installed. This would allow us to become a climate neutral school and reduce our carbon footprint tremendously. Furthermore, we are exploring vertical gardens to be installed in our school. This would give students an opportunity to take part inthe maintenance of the gardens and experience growing herbs, plants &vegetables first-hand. The first edition of the Sustainability Fair was a big success sowe aim to have an annual recurrence of the fair. Lastly, we continue to seek more sustainable partnerships with our community to increase our collective efforts towards sustainability.
During the past few weeks, our students have explored numerous ways to make a sustainable impact and we aim to continue to do so for the rest of their school career with us at Holland International School. Keep an eye on our website, Sign up for our monthly newsletter, or Book a tour to learn more about how we continue toincorporate sustainability at Holland International School.
About HIS
With over 100 years of experience, Holland International School offers excellenteducation for children aged 1.5 to 12 years old. Inspired by the International PrimaryCurriculum (IPC), we offer both a Dutch and English Stream to ensure children canlook forward to a rich and engaging learning environment. Our holistic approach tolearning empowers children to become the best versions of themselves throughownership, collaboration and critical thinking. Small by design, we make sure thateach child is given a voice and receives the individual support it needs. Ultimately,our highly engaged and competent staff is committed to fostering learners that arehappy, confident, and competent - ready to succeed in life.
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+65 6466 0662
65 Bukit Tinggi Road, 289757 Singapore