Green Team News
Next Term is Biktober!
Walk it, Wheel it, Win It!
Join the fun and help us win $1000 worth of sports equipment for our school! The competition runs from 6th October - 31st October. I wonder which class will top the leaderboard and win the golden boot trophy each week? All you have to do is ride your bike or walk to school as many times as you can during the month of October and record your trips each day on your class tracker. A great way to stay active, healthy and live sustainably.
School Sustainability Festival
A group of dedicated and passionate students from the Year 5 Green Team participated in the 20th School Sustainability Festival organised by the Port Phillip EcoCentre last week. It was a great opportunity to celebrate our environmental achievements and encourage student leadership within our community.
They participated in workshops about environmental sustainability including learning about our local Marine Life in Port Phillip Bay, Endangered species, Upcycled Art and the importance of being Plastic Free. Students also learnt about the 6 Indigenous Seasons, took a closer look at plants under the microscope in the brand-new Citizen Science Lab at the Port Phillip EcoCentre and studied the calls of fabulous frogs.
The students worked hard to deliver their own workshop “Busy Buzzy Bees,’ to other schools showcasing our recent pollinator hotel project. It included a game of Bee Bingo and a True or False Quiz about native bees. Try the quiz below and check out the Green Team notice board for more photos and facts. Well done Green Team, you should be so proud of your efforts and achievements!
TRUE OR FALSE Quiz
1. There are more than 1,500 species of Australian pollinating insects. TRUE - Australia actually has more than 2,000 species of native bees.
2. The Metallic Carpenter bee has bands of metallic blue fur across their black abdomens. FALSE - The Blue Banded bee has bands of metallic blue fur across their black abdomens. Carpenter bees are green in colour.
3. The Blue banded be is 7mm long. FALSE - They are actually 11mm long
- 4. Blue Banded bees can perform a special type of pollination called ‘buzz pollination’. TRUE – Buzz pollination basically involves creating a vibration in the flower of the plant so that it will release its pollen. The blue-banded bee is one of these buzz pollinators.
5.Many native bees and insects do not live in hives but nest and lay their young in hollow logs, twigs, old plant stems or cracks in the wall. TRUE
6. All native bees make honey called ‘sugarbag’ honey. FALSE – Only some native Australian bees make a type of honey called "sugarbag" honey. There are 11 species of native stingless bees that produce honey out of 2,000. This unique, tangy sugarbag honey has been used by Indigenous peoples for its medicinal properties.
7. The cuckoo wasp is similar to the cuckoo bird by taking advantage of others' nests to lay their larvae. TRUE
8. The leaf cutter bee cuts holes in plants to eat. FALSE – A female leafcutter bee uses her strong jaws to cut precise shapes from soft-leaved plants and then carries the leaf pieces back to her nest to construct a cell and lay eggs. The cell is then sealed off with more leaf pieces.
9. The cuckoo wasps are only found in the east coast of Australia. FALSE - They are actually found Australia wide.
10. Insect hotels are a great way to encourage solitary bees and insect pollinators back into our environment? TRUE
From the students:
“We went to a fabulous and exhilarating festival! We not only participated in a workshop, but we held our own! I liked how upbeat it was and how we got good feedback from the participating students. It was a wonderful experience to learn new stuff about the environment and the earth! We were the first ever students to go into the brand-new Citizen Science Lab at the new EcoCentre! There were many miraculous wonders, things like plants and shark eggs. We got to examine each plant very carefully under the microscope. We also got to see magical creatures such as blue tongue lizards and shingleback lizards up close. It was a fantastic day!” Neta
“I liked the feedback we received from all the others school, it was very positive.” Erin
“We found out lots of new facts like 2.1 billion containers have been recycled since the Victorian container deposit scheme has started.” Molly
“I liked how the other students listened when we did our presentation. They came up to us after and said it was really good.” Layla
“I really liked how we got to go into the citizen science lab at the eco centre and see all the flowers up close.” Domi
“I enjoyed the other workshops. My favourite workshop was making a magpie artwork out of nature.” Chihiro
“I really enjoyed all students coming together and making these fantastic workshops with all the amazing facts.” Elia