To celebrate the end of the year, we will be having a Class Party on Tuesday 15^th December. To help make this party a little more fun, I would like the party based around our science unit ‘Schoolyard Safari‘. So all, if possible, party food created needs to represent an animal/insect that exists in our local community.

To help ensure we have a variety of food and drink could you leave a comment letting everyone know what you are bringing. You can keep it a surprise just mention the Party Food Group – SWEET, SAVOURY, FRUIT, DRINK or OTHER.

IMPORTANT: Due to allergies, please do not provide food that contains nuts or traces of nuts.

CLASS PARTY UPDATE
15.12.09

The party was a great success with many students and parents going to great efforts with the thematic food, it was truly amazing. Well Done!!!!

Even more images are available in the Gallery

Congratulations to:

Lily for earning the Academic Achievement Award
Nic for earning the Most Improved Award
Bailey for earning the Class Citizen Award
Maia for earning the Marie Hunter Memorial Award for Citizenship (K-2)
Tyler for earning the Junior Chess Award

There are numerous students in 2NR who have worked really hard this year and were unfortunate to not receive their own medal. Even though you didn’t receive one you are still

FANTABULOUS!!

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Many people around the world celebrate Christmas, though not everyone does it the same way. In the Northern Hemisphere the temperature during Christmas can be cold enough for snow. In the Southern Hemisphere it is the middle of Summer and we can only have the illusion of snow, like our paper snowflakes.

Even in Australia every family has there own way of celebrating Christmas. How do you and your family celebrate Christmas?

Congratulations everyone, it was an absolutely fantastic performance. I was so impressed with everyone and the effort you put in to make our performance stand out. You make me feel like dancing.

Below are some low quality videos of the dance group’s ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’ and the Cotton Eye Joe dance. I would appreciate it if any parents could send in a few of your pictures or videos so I could upload to our gallery. I have also provided a video of  our last rehearsal as Amber was unable to attend the performance and I’m sure her parents would love to see her participating.

Pictures can be found in the Gallery

Australian cicadas are the loudest insects in the world. There are just under 2000 species of cicadas, around 220 species have been identified in Australia. They don’t bite, they aren’t regarded as a pest and they’re harmless to humans. But there’s a lot more to our shrill summertime visitors than meets the eye. Click Here for more information

The common names for cicadas vary widely around the world. In Australia, children were the first to coin the common name for many cicadas – names that have been passed down from generation to generation of cicada hunters.

1. Orange Drummers (Thopha colorata)
2. Double Drummer (Thopha saccata)
3. Emerging Double Drummers (Thopha saccata)
4. Another Double Drummer (Thopha saccata)
5. A Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae)
6. A box of Green Grocers (Cyclochila australasiae)
7. Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae)
8. A series of photos of a Green Grocer emerging into adulthood (Cyclochila australasiae)
9. rare green yellow Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae)
10. Top view of that rare green yellow Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae)
11. White Knight / Black Prince
12. Masked Devil cicada (Cyclochila australasiae)
13. White Drummer cicada (Arunta perulata)
14. Redeye cicada (Psaltoda moerens)
15. Cherry Nose cicada (Macrotristria angularis)
16. Blue Moon (Cyclochila australasiae)
17. Diemaniana euronotiana
18. Bagpipe cicada (Lembeja paradoxa)
19. A Floury Baker (Aleeta curvicosta)

CICADA HUNT: What kind of cicadas can you find in the school and local area?

The links above will show pictures to help you identify the ones you have found. It is important that when collecting these insects that they kept for no longer than 24 hours.

[UPDATE]: Within a short 30 minute walk in the primary playground we found a great deal of evidence that cicadas were in our school. The shrieking noise was our first clue, followed by at least 100 cicada shells (moulted skins). Soon students were finding live cicadas, as well as some half eaten ones, around the many trees.

The types of cicadas we found were:

• Floury Baker
• Black Prince
• Green Grocer
• Green Yellow Green Grocer
• Drummer (not sure had a W on back)

[UPDATE 2]:

• White Knight
• Yellow Monday

Life Cycle of a Cicada (Click here for another version)

Elf Yourself is wonderful website that lets you use photos and embed them into a Christmas animation that you can share with family and friends.

It is very easy to make your own as long as you have photos with people (or pets  ) looking straight at the camera. There is a maximum of 5 photos per animation.

To put your animation in the comments all you need to do is click the [email/share] button and where it says  ’embed code’  look for the copy button.  Once you have clicked the [copy] button it will change to [copied] and you can then come back here and right click and paste it into your comment.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com

Click here to see another animation.

For these coming holidays some students will be selected to look after the Burrowing Cockroaches, beetles and Stick Insects at home. To be selected you must have permission from your parents. If you are going away for longer than 3 days then it is advisable that you either have someone look after them or you will not be allowed to take them home.

Stick Insects

For the Stick Insects I will provide the small plastic or mesh terrariums, container for the leaves and water and a spray bottle. Euycalyptus leaves will need to be replaced every 3 days so you will need to have a local supply. You will also need to spray the enclosure 3 times per day, more if it is very hot. Your mum or dad will need to come and help if you are taking the hexagonal mesh terrariums home.

1. Jenna – 2 Titans and  1 Goliath Stick Insect with Hexagonal mesh terrarium/ spray bottle.
2. Loulou - 3 Ten Inch Stick Insects with Hexagonal mesh terrarium/ spray bottle.
3. Bailey - 3 Spiny Stick Insects with plastic container/ spray bottle.
4. Talija - 3 Spiny Stick Insects with plastic container/ spray bottle.
5. ZoeB – 3 Spiny Stick Insects with mesh terrarium/ spray bottle.
6. JasmineBr - 2 Spiny Nymphs and 1 Childrenii Nymph with plastic container/ spray bottle

Giant Burrowing Cockroaches

Both the Male and Female Litter Bugs (Giant Burrowing Cockroaches) will be provided in a heavy glass terrarium that has a lot of sand and peat moss mixed in.You only need to provide dry/rotting eucalyptus leaves when there are not many left or if they are getting mouldy (Any mouldy leaves must be taken out). You can provide one or two thin slices of raw carrot once per week as a treat, if it is still there after 2 days then take it out and throw it in the bin. Change the balls of wet paper towel each week or when it has dried out and make sure that you spray when the peat moss looks like it is drying out.  They like high humidty so the terrarium needs to be moist but not wet. Mum or Dad will need to come and help take this terrarium home.

1. ZoeT – 2 Giant Burrowing Cockroaches with glass terrarium and spray bottle.

Fiddler Beetles

The Fiddler Beetles are provided in a small plastic container that has plenty of soil, leaf litter and bark chips. The soil and litter is to create a place for eggs to be laid and the larvae to eat.  If the beetle is turned upside down the bark will help it turn itself the right way.

A piece of apple should be placed in the enclosure every two days and the old piece of apple is to be removed. Spray every morning and wet the sponge under a tap so that it is almost dripping. The sponge needs to be wet enough so they can drink. If you start seeing mould (white stuff) grow then remove the mould and spray less water. You can also feed banana peel, though you will need to remove it the very next day. Mum or Dad will need to help you take them home.

1. Max - Fiddler Beetles with plastic terrarium and spray bottle.

We were lucky enough to have a visit today by Michelle Jacobs (our new principal) and Jane Simmons (Northern Sydney Regional Director). They came to see our class pets and how knowledgeable the students of 2NR are. The visit was a great success, though everyone was still eagerly awaiting another special guest. Skye Blackburn, an entomologist from Butterflyskye.com.au was coming to show us some of her insect, arachnid and bug collection.

Skye arrived in the classroom with a cart full of creatures as well as a big portable mesh cage. We sat in a circle and Skye started to talk about different creatures she has and then brought out two huge rainforest snails and passed them around the circle. The snails foot was very slimy and although the snails were huge they still had a lot of growing to do.

The circle was soon abuzz with dead and alive rainforest and desert scorpions, bird eating spiders, millipedes, stick insects, rhinoceros beetle grubs and one huge cool looking cockroach (better known as a litter bug). Skye introduced each creature and gave us some interesting facts just before a huge wave of hands would go up ready to ask questions.

Can you leave a comment and tell me:

1. One thing you learnt during the incursion?
2. What was your favourite creature in Skye’s collection?

On the 19th of November William, Tyler and I (Maia) went to a chess tournament at our school. Tyler, William and I were in a team and Zoe, Max and Lily were in another. Our team won the first game and because of that we then played a harder team. I lost that game but Tyler and William won so then we had to play our school A team!  All of our team lost then! But then we were back on track, Tyler and I won the 4th game but William wasn’t so lucky because he lost.

Newport won the whole competition but  Mona Vale PS came second and third. It was a great day and we had a lot of fun. My favourite part was when all our team won.

[EDIT] by Mr. Rees : A fantastic effort especially considering these students are only in Year 2 and were competing against students who were much older. Maia’s team came 12th out of 80 teams and was the top ranked K-3 team. Zoe’s team also did very well and came 54th.
I can’t wait to see how well they do when they are in primary.  Well done everyone!!