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=Welcome to Beyond the Fence wiki!= This wiki celebrates the work of the students and teachers involved in the Beyond the Fence project.

About the project
Beyond the Fence is conducted in partnership with the Department of Education and Training and is jointly funded by the NSW Government’s Sustainable Schools NSW Initiative and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The project aims to find ways in which students work together with the local community to value their environment and learn to create change in ways that matter. Schools have been supported to work with their community to collectively identify and investigate a locally relevant sustainability issue, and then develop and implement a plan to address the issue. The project provides a framework for schools and communities to investigate, make decisions and take actions towards a more sustainable future. The four learning communities and schools participating in the project during 2010 are:

· Glen Innes High School · Glen Innes Public School · Glen Innes West Infants School · Saint Joseph’s Catholic Primary School || // Liverpool // – · All Saints Catholic Primary School · St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School · St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School · St Therese Catholic Primary School || · Balgownie Public School · Coniston Public School · Fairy Meadow Demonstration School · Keira High School · Mt Ousley Public School · Pleasant Heights Public School · Wollongong Public School ||  // Wagga Wagga // – · Ashmont Public School · Mount Austin High School · Mount Austin Primary School · Tolland Primary School ||
 * // Glen Innes // –
 * // Keira // –

Each learning community has a co-ordinator based in one of the cluster schools who works with participating teachers, a project facilitator and curriculum support officers to assist schools and students with their investigations into local sustainability issues. An important component of the work done by learning community co-ordinators has been to establish links with organisations beyond the school fence such as local councils, Landcare, TAFE and community garden groups. Throughout the year students have been exploring ways to learn and respond to global sustainability issues in their local area, including climate change, sand dune erosion, air pollution, species loss and over consumption. Each learning community has held a local eco-forum where students, through song, drama, multi media presentations and hands-on workshops, have come together to present the results of their investigations. Having researched the issues and engaged their communities, the students are now putting their heads together to refine how they will put plans into action.

As a model for action based student learning that includes the local community, Beyond the Fence has made a positive contribution to learning for sustainability for both students and teachers and helped schools and their local community in making a commitment to ecological sustainability.