Our MMPS Diverse Outdoor Learning Environments!
At Mary’s Mount Primary School, we believe in the power of nature to inspire, calm and educate. Our outdoor learning environments are designed to provide students with unique and enriching experiences that foster a deep connection with the natural world.
HARMONY GARDEN – Building local Biodiversity
Our Harmony Garden including a yarning circle, is a vibrant space with over 200 thriving native plants, a frog pond and frog bog, lizard logs and drinking stations, a bird bath, a microbat habitat box, an insect and native bee hotel, and a First Nations people mural on the water tank. This garden is a sanctuary for increasing biodiversity and a place where students can connect with nature and learn about Indigenous culture.
SACRED SPACE – A Haven for Reflection and Connection
Our Sacred Space is a peaceful and inclusive sanctuary designed for prayer, quiet reflection, and meaningful community gatherings. Nestled in a natural setting, it offers students a calming retreat where they can pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves and others.
With the focus being on a beautiful centre piece statue of Mary, this serene natural environment nurtures spiritual growth, mindfulness, and a sense of belonging. Whether used for personal contemplation or shared moments of unity, the Sacred Space welcomes all with open arms—regardless of background or belief—fostering a culture of respect, compassion, and inner peace
LOQUAT GROVE – A Natural Playground for Adventurous Minds
Loquat Grove is our vibrant nature playground, thoughtfully designed to inspire exploration, collaboration, and creativity. In this dynamic outdoor space, students engage in a wide range of activities—teamwork, climbing, running, crawling, swinging, balancing, digging, creating, imagining, and even calculating safe risks. It’s a place where physical activity meets imaginative play and problem-solving.
The playground features a beautifully crafted mud kitchen, a slide, forts, a tyre tower, tunnels, sandpits, and a spider net—just to name a few. Each element encourages children to challenge themselves, work together, and connect with the natural world around them.
MICROBE CITY – A Hub for Sustainable Learning
Nestled beside Loquat Grove is Microbe City, a bustling eco-zone where sustainability comes to life. This area includes four compost bins and two worm farm fridges, managed by our enthusiastic Student Green Team. Here, students take an active role in processing the school’s food organics, learning first-hand about composting, recycling, and the importance of caring for our environment.
Together, Loquat Grove and Microbe City create a rich, hands-on learning environment that nurtures both the body and the mind—instilling values of resilience, creativity, and environmental stewardship.
FIREWISE GARDEN – Learning to Live Safely with Nature
Our FireWise Garden is a powerful outdoor learning space that educates both students and the wider community about the principles of bushfire safety and asset protection. Designed with resilience in mind, the garden demonstrates practical strategies for reducing fire risk while maintaining a thriving natural environment.
A standout feature of the garden is the use of gabions—rock-filled wire cages that not only serve as fire-resistant landscaping elements but also provide safe habitats for small skinks and lizards. A thoughtfully placed birdbath invites local birdlife, enriching the biodiversity of our school grounds and offering students a chance to observe nature up close.
This inspiring space was brought to life through the vision and dedication of our STEM students, in partnership with The Forever Project and with generous support from Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA). Thanks to this collaboration, the FireWise Garden has become a meaningful and engaging environment where students learn about sustainability, ecology, and fire preparedness in a hands-on, real-world context.
ADOPT-A-PATCH – Restoring Nature, Inspiring Stewardship
At Mary’s Mount Primary School, we are deeply committed to environmental restoration and sustainability. Our Adopt-A-Patch project is a shining example of this commitment, focused on revitalizing a once-neglected corridor of land at the rear of our school grounds. What began as a simple clean-up effort—led by the City of Kalamunda—soon turned into something extraordinary when a natural spring was discovered flowing through the area.
This exciting find sparked a wave of enthusiasm among students and staff, leading to a powerful partnership between the City of Kalamunda’s Natural Areas Team, Southeast Regional Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL), and the wider MMPS community. Together, we’ve embraced the mission of restoring this land to its former ecological richness.
With the ongoing support of the City of Kalamunda, all students regularly visit our Adopt-A-Patch to engage in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences. These include:
- Collecting litter and caring for the land
- Observing seasonal changes through the lens of the Noongar six seasons
- Planting native flora to support biodiversity
- Installing habitat boxes with ornithologist Simon Cherriman
- Monitoring and recording local wildlife, including frogs, invertebrates, and other native species
- Simply listening to the sounds of nature and learning to identify the growing chorus of local frogs
These immersive activities have not only deepened our students’ connection to the natural world but have also empowered them to become active stewards of the environment—today and into the future.
SPORTING OUTDOOR SPACES – Active Play, Every Day
Our school’s sporting outdoor spaces are designed to promote physical activity, teamwork, and a love for sport among students of all ages. The facilities include a spacious 200-metre green turf oval, perfect for running, team sports, and school events. Within our grounds are multi-purpose courts for netball, tennis, and basketball, offering students a variety of ways to stay active and engaged.
In the heart of the school, the central courtyard features clearly marked four-square lines, encouraging inclusive and energetic play during break times.
These well-maintained spaces are a daily highlight for students, especially during lunch and recess, where they come together to play, compete, and build friendships through sport. Whether it’s a casual game or a structured PE lesson, our outdoor facilities support healthy lifestyles and the development of essential social and physical skills.
WELLNESS WALKWAY – Path of Joy and Connectedness
Our Wellness Walkway is one of the most heartwarming and welcoming features of our school grounds. Designed by the incredibly talented local artist Fiona Fisolo and brought to life through the collaborative efforts of our students, staff, and families, this 20-metre-long mural is a true celebration of community spirit.
The walkway showcases a vibrant, childlike mural that instantly captures the eye and uplifts the soul. At the commencement stands the Tree of Life, whose branches beautifully highlight our community’s core character strengths. Every brushstroke tells a story of unity, creativity, and shared purpose.
Whether you’re a visitor or a member of our school family, walking past this collaborative masterpiece brings a moment of joy and a reminder of the strength we find in togetherness.
EARLY YEARS PLAYGROUND– Nurturing Imagination and Sustainable Living
Our Early Years Playground is a vibrant, dynamic space designed to foster curiosity, creativity, and connection for our youngest learners. It offers flow between indoor and outdoor environments, giving our 3- and 4-year-old kindy students and young Pre-Primary students the freedom to explore, play, and grow at their own pace.
Children are encouraged to engage in a wide range of activities—from role-playing and constructing to climbing, riding, digging, and running—supporting their social, emotional, and physical development. The playground is thoughtfully designed to include opportunities for children to explore sustainable living through hands-on experiences.
With vegetable, herb and flower garden beds, a cozy cubby house, a shaded greenhouse, a worm farm, and a compost tumbler, students learn about nature, responsibility, and environmental care in meaningful ways. These features not only spark curiosity but also lay the foundation for lifelong habits of sustainability and respect for the earth.
SENIOR PLAYGROUND – A Space to Play, Grow and Connect
Our much loved and newly refurbished senior school playground offers a large circular swing, mud kitchen, two small flying foxes, slide, rope walk bridge, fitness circuit, monkey bars to name a few. After months of planning and renovation, the vibrant new space highlights the importance of play, creativity, and community.
The upgraded playground now features safer surfaces, and inclusive designs that cater to all students. Large, shaded play areas, natural wood features, and interactive zones, have transformed the space into a hub of fun and learning.
These wonderful outdoor learning environments enhance our students’ educational journey. Together, we are nurturing a love for nature, respect for diverse cultures, fostering a sense of harmony, and enhancing the interconnectedness of all life.
MMPS COMMUNITY RECYCLING HUB – A place to bring those hard to recycle waste items.
At Mary’s Mount Primary School, we believe that small actions can lead to big changes. Our Community Recycling Hub is a proud initiative that brings together students, families, and the wider Gooseberry Hill community to care for our common home, one item at a time.
Our hub is a dedicated space where families can drop off a variety of recyclable items that are often not accepted in regular curb side bins. We are currently collecting 12 waste streams that would otherwise end up in landfill. From bread tags and bottle tops to batteries and printer cartridges, we’re not only helping to reduce landfill but also give new life to everyday waste.
This initiative not only supports sustainability but also empowers our students to become environmental stewards. Through hands-on learning and active participation, our children are developing a deep respect for the planet and a strong sense of community responsibility.
Together, we’re creating a cleaner, greener future, starting right here at Mary’s Mount.
MMPS COMMUNITY KITCHEN – a place where sharing, sustainability, and community spirit come together!
At Mary’s Mount Primary School, we believe that food should never go to waste. Our Community Kitchen operates on a simple but powerful philosophy: “Take what you need, or leave what you can” Whether it’s fresh produce from your garden, surplus from your pantry, or ingredients we have excess of that we can’t use in our school cooking , everything is welcome here.
This initiative helps reduce food waste, supports families, and encourages a culture of generosity and care. Any excess produce from home or school gardens is made available to our school community, ensuring nothing goes to waste and everyone has access to fresh, healthy food.
We’re growing more than just food. We’re growing kindness, connection, and a stronger community.
CLASSROOM VEGE PODS AND RAISED VEGETABLES BEDS – outdoor classrooms where curiosity blooms and lifelong lessons take root.
Learning earning goes beyond the classroom walls at MMPS. Sometimes it grows right outside them! Our Classroom Vege Pods are living, growing spaces where students get hands-on experience with planting, nurturing, and harvesting their own fresh produce.
Classes take ownership of their veggie pods or raised vegetable beds, learning about the life cycle of plants, sustainable gardening practices, and the importance of healthy eating. From leafy greens to herbs and seasonal veggies, our students are discovering the joy of growing food and the value of caring for the environment.
The produce we grow is used in our class cooking sessions, shared through our Community Kitchen, or taken home by students, ensuring nothing goes to waste and every harvest has a purpose.
CLASSROOM INDIVIDUAL GRASSED AREAS – learning in the sunshine and fresh air.
We know that fresh air and sunshine can do wonders for young minds. That’s why our grassed areas outside the classrooms are more than just open spaces, they’re vibrant extensions of our learning environment.
These green spaces are used daily for group learning activities, brain breaks, and moments of quiet reflection. Whether students are collaborating on a project, enjoying a story under a shady tree, or simply stretching their legs between lessons, the outdoors offers a refreshing change of pace that supports both wellbeing and creativity.
Learning in the sunshine, surrounded by nature, helps our students stay engaged, energised, and connected to each other and to the world around them.
