For the past 18 months, students from the Junior Learning Community at Portarlington Primary School have welcomed a very special feathered visitor almost every day. Maggie the magpie could be seen enjoying a splash in the school birdbath and overseeing the children during play time. 

 The students grew fond of Maggie and began to care for the male magpie with a damaged wing – writing stories about him, researching magpie facts including how to tell males and females apart, what they eat and where they live. 

In the lead up to National Tree Day this year, the students came up with the thoughtful idea of building a garden to attract other birds and insects, giving Maggie some new friends when they weren’t at school.  

With support from Bellarine Secondary School, who delivered a science incursion on food webs and guidance from Bellarine Landcare, the students, staff members and families worked together to bring Maggie’s Garden to life. 

They rotated through activities like planting native trees and other plants, creating a collaborative fingerprint tree to symbolise community and exploring leaf art through rubbings and textures.   

In a peaceful yarning circle, students shared what they knew about Indigenous culture, created their own yarning sticks, explored artefacts and books on display and proudly presented their handmade bird habitats. 

The planting project was also celebrated in conjunction with NAIDOC Week, celebrating not just tree planting and nature, but also culture and community at school.