Eco-school

Citizens who are responsible, civic-minded and able to put themselves in the place of others. These are the values we want to transmit to our students. In this endeavour, we promote initiatives such as the project on disability. To this end, we shared a morning's work with the boys and girls from the CEDES Foundation. They have been our teachers. We have been their students. Not only have we learnt how to make a key ring, but they have also taught us that their abilities go beyond any disability.

Every Tuesday at 1.30 p.m. the pupils and staff volunteers gather around our school garden. Idoia coordinates the planting of vegetables and aromatic herbs and explains the process to the pupils. Mélanie organises the waste coming from the canteen for the compost bin, which then feeds the garden. Together, we were able to harvest borage, chard, cabbage... and taste them in the canteen. The circle closes and keeps on rolling!

We collaborated with the NGO Arapaz to donate second-hand school material in good condition to the projects to help refugees in Sahara and Mauritania. All the families of the school collaborated and the school contributed with tables and chairs. In total, we delivered 22 boxes of school supplies. In addition, we collected pens, markers, printer toner... to send them to the Spanish Association of Spastic Paraparesis (AEPEF).

To be civic-minded and show solidarity with our colleagues and with people with disabilities or without resources.

• Reuse paper: use both sides to work in the classroom.
• Recycle chemicals such as printer cartridges, toner, laboratory pollutants and special plastics.
• Reduce energy consumption: turn off lights and taps when not in use.
• Separate waste at recess and in classrooms.
• Pack lunch or snacks in reusable containers.
• Reduce noise in corridors and the dining room.
• Respect common areas.
• Use sustainable means of transport to get around the city and to school: bicycle, public transport.
• To be civic-minded and show solidarity with our colleagues and with people with disabilities or without resources.
• Consume local and organic products to avoid polluting as little as possible in their transport and the use of chemicals and pesticides in their preparation or preservation.

Our kitchen prepares a daily menu for more than 1,000 people. With the help of a nutritionist, balanced dishes are designed, with a predominance of vegetables and pulses.

Emotional intelligence. The well-being of our pupils is part of the school environment. We not only take care of a sustainable and balanced diet. We also focus on their mental balance by taking care of their emotional activity, for example, through art projects that help them to express their feelings. This work has a positive impact on the learning process. Emotional intelligence workshops.

Sustainable mobility. Zaragoza goes by bicycle. In fact, it is one of the cities in Spain where its use is most widespread. Following this dynamic, the school has set up a specific parking area for the bicycles of students and staff within the school grounds. In addition, one of the school's teachers has organised several talks to promote the safe and civic use of bicycles in the city.

Every year, the 3rd Year Primary pupils travel to Urrugne, in the French Basque Country, for an intense week dedicated to physical expression and recycling. After visiting a water purification centre (SMUN) and studying the impact of waste on the beaches of Hendaye, on their return to school they work on recycling through different subjects, including plastic arts.

Families involved. A father of a Primary 3 pupil visited us to explain how his company, which is dedicated to paper recovery, works. His message reached the pupils: "You decide how you recycle at home".

In December 2016 we held our first Christmas solidarity market. To make this great project a reality, we involved the entire educational community. Parents took part in numerous workshops in which they created, together with the children, the items that would later be sold at the market. The teachers contributed their creativity and effort to design the objects, organise the displays and organise the sale on the day of the market. The funds raised during this market were entirely donated to Unicef, an organisation with which we collaborate regularly and which last year named us a 'Friendly School'.

We are pioneers. We participate in the 'Naturalising schools' programme, an Intgarden initiative made possible thanks to a crowdfunding campaign. Thanks to it, we have learned how to clean the air in our spaces. After measuring the environmental pollution, plants have been installed and cuttings have been replanted in order to multiply the project. Students and teachers were able to take part in the idea.