![](https://retns.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG_3815.jpg)
Thanks to those who brought a rock into school for the pond.
Well 4th class along with Alex B. 5th class (Water Ambassador) have been working hard on re-building the pond. The old pond was full of dead leaves and very smelly water.
For a pond to work you need to 1: have a pump cleaning and filtering the water or 2: use oxygenating plants to clean and filter the pond. This is the method 4th want to use to set up the correct eco-system in our pond. Last week 4th class children put aqua soil in the cleaned out pond and they planted marginal plants on the sides, a water-lily in the deeper part of the pond and some oxygenating plants dripping down from the marginal areas into the deeper part of the pond.
In order to anchor the soil at the marginal level and allow the plants to flourish there, we needed rocks! Some kids brought a rock to school for the pond and we also had children find rocks in the Community Garden where they are a nuisance! Anne got some of her groups to bring rocks from the Community Garden around to the pond. Marley Park also gave us some.
Last Friday Alex B along with Claire, Ruby and Sarah from 6th class put all the rocks in place and Dennis put the wire grid back on top. We just need to fill the pond with water now and hope the plants start their work to oxygenate the water! Darren
![Active Homework](https://retns.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG_3813.jpg)