Welcoming new Western Sydney schools

The Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project is welcoming over 2000 new students to experience fun, hands-on food education through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program! 

Working with schools, early learning services and community on Dharug Country in Western Sydney, the Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project will fund 16 schools, over five years, to receive grants and support through generous philanthropic funding from TLE Electrical. 

We are thrilled to announce the first round of schools joining the Western Sydney movement! 

Learning Hub | Blackett Public School 

Blackett Public School emphasises “student welfare, student leadership and community participation.” They cater to a diverse community of students and families through their nurturing learning environment.  

We are collaborating with the school leadership team to develop a Learning Hub at the school to provide a tangible example of how the Kitchen Garden Program can be established and embedded in a Western Sydney community.  

The Learning Hub will grow into a central place of education and experiential learning for students, educators and the wider school community. As Melissa Smith, Teacher at Blackett Public School explains, “The Kitchen Garden Program will provide an additional stream for the students and community to become active, engaged, and confident citizens of our world." 

Recently, educators and students from Blackett Public School visited St Clair Public School, an established Kitchen Garden Program member in the nearby area, to see how they run their Kitchen Garden Program. They weren’t the only ones to visit that day! The team from Channel 7’s Better Homes & Gardens joined in on the action alongside Stephanie Alexander and legendary chef Kylie Kwong, who has been a long-time supporter of the Kitchen Garden Program in NSW. 

Together, children from Blackett and St Clair experienced the rush of cooking up a storm. On the menu were roasted carrots, which were pureed with fresh herbs and sundried tomatoes to make an incredible pasta sauce. The students then got stuck into rolling homemade pasta dough, assembling a simple garden salad with dressing, and kneading fragrant focaccias baked to perfection in the oven. 

Educators and students from Blackett Public School were energised and inspired by the experience and saw many ways they could kick-start the Learning Hub in their school. We look forward to supporting their journey and sharing the milestones with Western Sydney and beyond. 

Four more member schools 

The garden at Lethbridge Park Public School

As well as the Learning Hub at Blackett Public School, four more schools have been funded to join the Kitchen Garden Program across the Blacktown LGA. 

• Lethbridge Park Public School 
• St Joseph’s Primary School  
• Tregear Public School 
• Walters Road Public School 

Each school has received a two-year membership to the Kitchen Garden Program to support the use of their existing cooking or garden space to deliver essential health, nutrition, wellbeing and sustainability skills to their students.  

These new member schools will join our vibrant community of practice to learn from the experiences of educators in their local area, connecting with over 50 schools already delivering an impactful Kitchen Garden Program in the region of Western Sydney. 

Are you connected to a school in Western Sydney? Reach out to our local Project Lead, Rose Tilbury, to find out how you can get involved.