Team Foundation News
Foundation Wildlife Xposure Incursion
On Wednesday 21st of May, Foundation students had a wild adventure meeting all creatures big, small, hairy, feathery and scaly! Brandon from the company Wildlife Xposure visited our school with many of his native animals.
To begin, Brandon introduced the grade to a Bettong. A Bettong is a small marsupial. These small, nocturnal (sleeps during the day and is active at night) animals are only found in Australia and were once widespread. Also known as rat kangaroos, Bettongs belong to the same family as potoroos. A Bettong is about the size of a rabbit. This gorgeous creature has long legs, similar to a kangaroo. It survives by digging large burrows and sleeping inside these holes during the day.
Next we met a sweet sugar glider. This creature is a small possum that is also nocturnal, which has the remarkable ability to glide from tree to tree using a gliding membrane located under its arms. Sugar gliders live in the hollows of trees. These hollows take hundreds of years to form, without these hollows these creatures find it difficult to survive.
We then met a slow moving creature called a Shingle-back skink. Another name for this creature is a Stumpy tail lizard. This creature has a very large head, a short blunt tail and large rough scales. The tail almost looks like another head and Stumpy lizards use this feature to confuse predators (animals that try and eat them).
Next we met a fast moving lizard called a Lace Monitor or a tree goanna. Named for the beautiful lace-like markings on their skin, each individual has a unique pattern which helps camouflage them in their sun-dappled habitat. This lizard can run very fast on its back legs if it is feeling threatened.
The Eastern Snake-necked turtle was the next native animal that Brandon shared with us. This turtle lives in freshwater and feeds on creatures such as tadpoles and small fish. This turtle has a long neck, which is usually half the length of its shell. It has webbed feet used for swimming and digging. When this turtle feels unsafe it can hide in its hard shell and not get harmed.
We then met two Australian pythons. An Australian diamond python and a very long, long, long olive python!
The diamond python is a non-venomous snake. It lives in bushland areas close to the ocean. During the day, Diamond pythons can be seen resting in the branches of trees. This creature lays eggs and wraps itself around the eggs to keep them warm. Once the eggs hatch they do not take care of the young. The diamond python sheds its skin throughout its life. Look how much skin this python has shed!
The Olive python is an extremely long Australian python. Olive Pythons live on the ground, are non-venomous and harmless to humans. They are generally nocturnal predators feeding on mammals, birds and other reptiles.
Lastly we met a baby freshwater crocodile. Brandon wrapped a hair tie around its snout so that we would be safe. Wrapping up the snout does not hurt the crocodile. This native crocodile lives in freshwater in the northern parts of Australia. It can move on land by lifting its tail and belly up into the air and walking on its feet.
The main purpose of this incursion was to support the learning of our Term 2 Sustainability Unit:- Where we live. Students discovered the unique features of these native Australian animals, discovered how these creatures use these features to survive in their habitat, learnt how to care for the different habitats of these animals and understood what makes the different habitats of the amazing creatures so special.
Thank you Brandon and the Wildlife Xposure team for this wonderful, educational experience!
Echi Echidna Adventures
In Week 5 Kayla shared her exciting adventures with Echi with FKJ. To begin Echi's adventures, Kayla took Echi to her gymnastic class. Kayla showed Echi how to do gymnastic moves such as: back bridge, handstands and walk the balance beam. Echi was so impressed! Kayla then introduced Echi to her uncle's Swiss Shepherd dog. Her name was 'Aurora' and they became the best of friends! Kayla then took Echi to the Melbourne Museum and Echi saw dinosaur bones, sparkly crystals and fascinating insects. Other fun activities were: visiting the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary where Echi saw many interesting native animals! Echi also visited Bunnings Warehouse and got his portrait drawn by an artist called Nick. Thank you so much Kayla for looking after Echi, sharing your life with him and sharing your adventures with your class!
At the beginning of Week 6 Noah shared his fun adventures with Echi. To begin these adventures Noah and Echi went on a fun bike ride to a local park. Noah showed the fun playground to Echi and he asked Noah if he could go on the swing. They had a lovely time in the fresh air! Next Noah took Echi to a local cafe and they shared a delicious peach soda drink. It was so tasty! Afterward Noah took Echi to his Saturday swimming lessons. Echi was so impressed to see how well Noah could swim. Noah looked like a dolphin in the water! The last adventure was to visit the Queen Victoria Market and Noah bought a bag of sweet, jam-filled donuts. Echi thought these were amazing! Thank you so much Noah for sharing this fun week with your classmates! It was lovely to hear all the exciting things you did with Echi!
We look forward to hearing more Echi adventures in the future! You're such a lucky echidna Echi!
Team Foundation Teacher
Kirstin Jones