Netbook Reflection 2012

This generation our learning has been enhanced with better technology, and Pt England students were fortunate enough to be gifted with learning devices such as the Netbook. It worked magic for us then because it had easy access to the Internet and easily filed google docs.

Fast forward 2 years later and these little Internet devices are still working magic for us. This year, our netbook has helped us with our learning a lot. Since using this device, I have improved in Math and have even begun to enjoy learning about Maths with the learning application which we use to enhance our learning. Studyladder is also another application that helps me with my Maths and reading.

Going back to pencil and paper is probably the last thing on my mind right now, but I feel as if we kind of need to go back for a period of time during the day. Why? Well because I think that our handwriting is lagging. it looks as if it is not at the standard as it is meant to be, especially for our age. Probably half and hour a day would be an appropriate portion of time but that is not up to me.

So netbooks have helped us in a lot of learning areas and have helped us reach our learning intentions. These devices have helped us a lot in this past year. So this year of the netbook has been successful.

Welcoming the ... NINJA LEI!

Lei's are a popular island accessory, but when you are chosen to make it into a toy, THAT'S a different story. Pt England's year 7 & 8 extension group were told to choose a random number between 1 and 20 so we could be given an item to make into a toy. I chose the number 6, and I got given a lei. Now don't get me wrong, they are a lovely decoration, and if you were not to know what it is, you must have been living under a rock.

After a few days of researching,  I finally came to a conclusion: to make it into a Ninja Lei. It has super elasticity and it also has a lasso attached to the end. It is made for any ages from 8-13, because they have more fun with fun gadgets. The great thing about this is that you don't need to spend money on batteries because there is no need. Only one person can operate it at a time, and the aim of the toy is just to have fun, whether it's just grabbing things that are too far away or you just want to bring your dis-obeying brother back into your room when he's not listening to you. There are many things you can do with this amazing contraption!

History of the 'Slinky'.

“What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky...
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toy
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and a boy

That is the Slinky’s catchy advertisement jingle. Slinky is a contraption which was made by Naval engineer Richard James. The birth of this toy is pretty simple but amazing. Richard was working when a spring fell to the ground. He was fascinated by how the spring kept going, moving. He then had a wonderful idea for a toy and,  so that is how Slinky was born. The Slinky toy debuted at the Gimbel’s department store, during the 1945 Christmas season. Even though it held a simple concept, 400 were sold during the 90 minute Gimbel demonstration. After a while, Richard got a bit tired of going around, promoting his toy, so manufacturers made a Slinky dog, which was the birth of Slinky the dog (Toy Story).

The BAR concept, is when you make something bigger, add something and replace something. This is really hard seeing that my toy is just a simple contraption. I would make the whole body bigger, I would add human features like a face, legs and arms, and last but not least I would replace the material from metal to CHOCOLATE!

So the Slinky toy has a very funny way of coming to fame. It only took a simple spring to spark up a moment of inspiration, which just shows that a silly idea might even become a worldwide sensation.

Film Festival

Walking into the crowded dark theatre, I saw endless rows of red plush chairs waiting for us to sit on them. While I was walking up the lit stairs, I heard the crunch of the buttery popcorn under the soles of my shoes. Looking down a dimly lit aisle, I went and sunk into the chairs and got ready to enjoy the 5th annual Film Festival on the biggest movie screen in the southern hemisphere.

The bright light shone on the small stage. As the two college kids walked up, the whole crowd started cheering and whistling at these two courageous men. They recited their speech and walked off excitedly, probably eager to get off the stage. All I heard later was One Direction’s song ‘One thing’ and I immediately was screaming. If you haven’t noticed I am a fan of One Direction. As the movie wore on, the crowd erupted in laughter every five seconds because of the comedic creativity this movie had. As the movie faded off I awaited the arrival for my friends Toreka and Makerita, who were presenting a movie that the extension made.

Our movie is based around the everyday choices that an ordinary person makes. IT was a walk through of the day of a Pt England school child, who is faced by a series of tasks and if forced to make a good choice or a not so good choice. There are two paths but both of them have a mixture of good and bad decisions because no one is perfect, we all mistakes and that’s what makes us human. You can watch the movie at this link: http://talanoamai.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/pick-path.html

So as the Film Festival came to an end, everyone was instructed to exit the theatre. Everyone lazily got out of their seats and quickly made their way out of the movie theatre. We looked like a swarm of red ants, pushing and shoving each other. The experience was great, because we got to see how other schools in our Manaiakalani cluster work with cameras and how they do their movie making. So it was a great learning experience for all our schools to come together and learn from each other.

You can watch all the Film Festival entries by clicking on this link:
http://www.manaiakalani.org/film-festival/2011-film-festival/2012-film-festival

How to make Homemade Play Dough

How to make Homemade Play Dough

You will need:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of warm water
• 1 cup of salt
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• Food colouring
• Glitter- Silver, purple and blue

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it looks like mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides, and clumps in the middle, take it away from heat and leave to cool, enough to handle.

2. Place the dough on a silicone mat, or on a clean counter and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into equal proportions ready for colouring.

3. Make a little well in the middle of your dough and drop some food colouring in the center. Knead the dough so the food colouring can be evenly distributed.

4. Place in airtight containers if you are not playing with it.

The Enchanted forest

“COME ON JESSE!” I shouted. My friends and I were out on a walk. Jesse rejoined Tiffany and I, as we continued our quest for something to take a photo of for our University photography class. Walking along the path, we heard a scream. Jesse and I immediately looked around and there was no sign of Tiffany. “TIFFANY!” Jesse screamed in his low monotone voice. “Down here” she replied, her voice barely audible. We glanced at the concrete and saw a secret passageway. Bending over to investigate this trap, my foot slipped on a rock and I went tumbling down.

Landing on a dirt road, I glanced up, seeing nothing but pure black. Then all of a sudden I was hit by a large object. “OWW!” I screamed. “Sorry...” replied Jesse. Regaining my balance, I took out my flashlight. Maybe this will help with the light problem, but I was wrong. My light was swallowed up by the conquering darkness. My fingers traced the bumpy walls, as I navigated myself through this tunnel. Then I felt steps, walking up the steps I saw a bit of salvation. Opening the hatchet at the top of the staircase, It revealed a beautiful scenery. “Guys, up here!” I screamed down into the tunnel, I heard shuffling and footsteps then I saw the scared faces of Tiffany and Jesse.

Hopping out of the passageway, we saw nothing but forest. My companions and I were covered in cuts and bruises, with dirt smothered on our clothes. We stood up, examining our surroundings. We saw birds in a flock, flying overhead, dropping unwanted body fluids everywhere. We were snapped out of our daydream by a low growl. We cautiously twisted around and saw a bull. It’s eyes were bloodshot red and literally popping out of it’s head, it’s nostrils were huge, while steam was practically, shooting out of it’s ears. “RUN!” Tiffany squealed. We spun around and sprinted. We had no idea where we were going, just that a bull was chasing us. We swivelled around the trees, while thin branches kept whipping us in the face. Glancing back, I saw that the bull was no more, so I stopped. “Well, that was a great exercise!” I exclaimed, sarcastically. Tiffany and Jesse chuckled under their breath. We started walking for what felt like hours, until we came to a road.

A beautiful scenery greeted us. We saw lush forest, heard birds chirping and saw no sign of human interaction. The trees towered over the rest of the forest while, insects scuttled around on the forest bed. We started walking, while the gravel crackled under our feet, then to our amazement we came face to face with a beautiful misty city. The white transparent mist hugged the city, almost like a blanket, and faded off into the sky. “CLICK!” was the sound of the camera when we took a photo. We admired the scenery for a bit longer until we saw an old friend: The bull. He was staring angrily at Jesse, who was wearing a red shirt. “Oh no. Here we go again!” Tiffany said. The bull chased us all the way back to the passageway.

“FASTEN THE HATCHET!” Jesse screamed. Fastening it as fast as I could, we all were panting heavily. “Thank the lord we made it out alive!” Tiffany exclaimed. We retraced our steps back to where we came from, and happily made our way back home.  That was our University assignment complete.

Olympic reflection!

Term 3 has been another fun packed term filled with joy, schoolwork and A LOT of stress. We learnt about the amazing Olympics being held in the majestic city of London. The Olympics have been great to write about, because we are learning about great achievers who have accomplished great things in this worldwide competition.

Even though Term 3 was a great term, I am hoping that the last term of the year will end with a BANG! So get ready for a term full of learning and excitement as we get educated on the wonderful and majestic world of toys!

Brown Brother experience

Joshua Iosefa. He sent shockwaves through the media when his friend posted a video of him reciting a poem called ‘Brown Brother’. Our intermediate students were lucky enough to sit and watch him recite his poem about the life and troubles of an ordinary polynesian. He talked about teenage pregnancy and how someone can have so much potential but fall into the trap of pregnancy. In the poem, he says he is sick and tired of polynesians sticking to their stereotypical jobs, like being a garbage truck driver or a restaurant waiter . The thing that also irritates him is that polynesians think that they are at the bottom of the food chain. We asked a lot of questions afterwards. We found out that his inspirations are his parents and his grandparents. He said that he interviewed his grandparents about their journey from poverty to having a big family and being successful. He taught us a motto. Hook, anchor and launch. This means if you want to become a lawyer or a performer, you have to hook it. Anchor means you stay grounded and launch means you have to launch to your dream.

This experience was very inspirational and educational and we learnt the message of this very meaningful poem. It was that no matter what culture you are, what colour you skin is: You can make your dream come true, you just have to set your mind to it. He also said, and I quote: ‘We have to set high standards for future generations to come’.

Prefect Social!

As I walked into the hall, the sight that greeted me was amazing. The hall was smothered in black and white decorations varying from balloons to streamers. My shoes made a small clunk noise on the cold wooden floor as I walked to the stage. I was wearing a long black flowy dress with roman sandals topped off with a small checkered cardigan. “Have you done the playlist yet?” Samson asked. Then it hit me: I hadn’t even started it!

At that particular moment, my heart skipped a beat. I glanced at the clock and saw that there were only a few minutes to prepare. I know you might be thinking I’m pretty slack, but I had a lot on my mind..... and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT! I quickly, but carefully placed my netbook on the desk that was sitting in front of me. Turning it on, I scanned my music folder to see if I could just chuck a playlist together. This was pretty hard seeing that I only had a limit of songs to choose from. “Tick, tock, tick tock” was the sound of the clock AND it was also the sound indicating that time running out. As the stress piled up on my shoulders, I put the last song on the playlist. “YES!” I squealed. I rejoiced because I had finished the playlist just in time, as the first guests arrived.

Quarter way into the social, the hall was packed with people who were dancing, socializing or just chilling on the chairs. The different coloured lights were flickering all around the hall. And of course there was music, because what kind of social would this be if the music wasn’t loud enough to blow your eardrums right? Anyway, the lights were turned on to get ready for the first competition: The Dougie Battle. As I played the song, lot’s of courageous people entered the circle in hope of impressing the judges which were Mr Barks, Sylvia and Joe. In the end there was a battle between a boy and a girl: Mary and Nezinli. There were cheers from the crowd encouraging our two finalists but in the end Nezinli came out on top and won the competition. After, we just continued with the disco.

As I was doing my job (Dj) I looked out into the energetic crowd but a small group of boys caught my eye. They were standing right in the middle cheering and requesting a song called ‘Gangnam Style’ by a Korean rapper called Psy. I was thinking for a while but then thought ‘Ehh, what do I have to lose?’  So as soon as the song played they were dancing ridiculously. They were also singing.....in KOREAN? Anyway, My friends and I were on the stage laughing hysterically at the boys. Well, I would rather clean up the whole hall than dance like that in front of everyone. That would be better right?

WRONG! As the social came to a close and everyone exited the premises, they left us a present: rubbish, rubbish and some more RUBBISH! I reluctantly grabbed a broom and started sweeping, with the help of Seini-Mino. Well I would have to admit that the social was a big success and it would be fun to do it again!

What if...... I had SUPERPOWERS?

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have Super powers. What if I had super powers? Well to be a superhero you have to have an awesome name. I go by Blaze but people call me Black ice.
I would probably fight for good and join the Avengers! I WOULD be as cold as ice!

Now for the fun part: Superpowers. Well you probably know that I am ice, but I have a few more elements in me. I could be able to water bend and produce icicles from my hands, and I would be able use it as a weapon. I would have long blue hair, brown eyes and I would have a Royal blue costume. When I am angry my eyes would turn dark blue and my hair would turn as white as snow. My nemesis would be Blazika also known as Reka Saunders (A.K.A Toreka) . She is fire. I would also be able to fly as fast as a eagle.

So superpower choices are endless, and even though it would be cool to have them, there would also be consequences. So these are the superpowers I want. What powers would you want? Would you be as strong as an ox or would you be as fast as a cheetah? You decide.

So this is MY perspective. If you want to read Blazika's perspective visit her blog: http://pestorekat.blogspot.co.nz/

What if......I was a BILLIONAIRE?

What if I was a I was a billionaire? Well I would buy a 2 storey cream coloured Mansion that is as wide as as my school. It will have 5 guest rooms, and 10 bedrooms, 5 en suites and a BIG family room. It would be surrounded by a beautiful garden, also a shimmering big pool out in the back. My house would be decorated with a 60 inch plasma screen TV, with working elevators and a HUGE kitchen. Also I would have a fridge dedicated to frozen chocolate treats. Cars get you places, so I would buy me a royal blue Ferrari and a lime green Mercedes Benz. Shopping would also be a daily activity for my family and I.

You might think all this money is going to me, but I will also donate money to help the children in Africa through this famine. Christchurch is also in need so I would donate money to them too, to help rebuild their unique city. I have also noticed that endangered species are becoming extinct so I would help by donating money to save them. 

Performing is a passion of mine so I would get special dancing tips from Mindless Behavior and singing tips from One Direction (Boy bands).  I would also have a dance studio as big as a normal sized house. I also like reading so I would have a have a study room that has a library and a desk and it would have to be peaceful in there. My brother and I are also big fans of rock music, classic songs and modern music so I will have a room dedicated to albums of inspiring artists. I will also have a recording studio and music room that has a piano guitars and other instruments. So this is what I would do if I was a billionaire, what would you?

Animators Apprentice!

Animations. Most of us grew up watching them, like The Lion King trilogy, Pocahontas and Disney Fairy tales, but over the years these animations have grown more advanced. Have you heard of the rated cartoon named Bro Town? Well last week on Thursday we were lucky enough to get to meet three of the artists.

At the beginning of the lesson they introduced themselves as Ali, Maka and Nils. To start the lesson off, they showed us a presentation which educated us on a brief history of Animations. We learnt that Mickey Mouse was the first moving animation but with sound. After an educational talk about history, we learnt how to split lines. How do you do this? Well you have to draw a line down the middle of whatever you are trying to split.

After a session of splitting lines, we were going to learn how to make a Zoetrope. This is a contraption made out of cardboard to create an illusion that makes an object seem like it’s moving but it actually is just a couple of still frames of an image which goes from one state of movement to another. We all started with something easy: A jellyfish.  After decorating our Jellyfish, we finished the session off with the joy that we have made our first ever comic strip for a Zoetrope!

NZ Goes for Gold!

Sitting on the edge of my seat, I was waiting anxiously to see who would win the Rowing: Men’s double sculls. I watched as they gracefully rowed over the dark shimmering water. The motion of their legs were in sync with their arms as they powered over the water. Crossing the finish line, my brother and I celebrated New Zealand’s first gold medal.

Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan won the nation's first gold medal at the London Olympics. Overwhelmed with joy Sullivan flung his arms up in the air, shook his partner’s hand before standing upright in the boat. The nation shared their joy as we were ecstatic at this win.

This is  the 7th gold medal that New Zealand has won in rowing, but it is the first time we have won it in the Men’s double sculls. This is a huge achievement for them, and for the country. “It was about staying composed and waiting for our moment” Cohen commented after the race.


You can read more on this NZ Herald article if you click on this link:


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10824241

Intense Archery

Title: Target Concentration
Brainstorm: Concentrated, Veins on arms, Focus, Target
Sentences:
1. Striding onto the platform, he felt the pressure of a thousand eyes observing his every move.
2. Nerves started to take over, as his heart pumped, and arms ached.
3. He proudly wore his country’s colours while keeping his eyes on the prize, which in this case was the target.
4. Pulling back the arrow, he whispered words of encouragement to himself. “I can do this, I can do this”.
5. Upon release, the arrow shot straight towards the target.....and achieved a direct hit.

Devonport!

Walking down these mysterious steps, I looked into the tunnel but it was pitch black. Using my senses, I ran my fingers over the rough walls. My niece Maya tried to use her phone as a light but, the light was drowned out by the conquering darkness. “We’re lost...” I moaned, then all of a sudden we caught a glimpse of what looked like light. we followed it and came across a contraption. Smothered in spider webs we studied it hard. It had all sorts of levers and spikes, which made it looks like a former contraption used for torture. We were so concentrated on it that we didn’t hear my sister calling us. “Lena, Maya, come lets go and eat!”. We reluctantly did as we told, and exited the tunnel. We were visiting the Devonport caves.

10 bruises and a scar later, we arrived at another set of steps. As we stepped onto the boardwalk, we were greeted with a stunning scenery. The sun hung gracefully in the sky, while it shimmered on the deep dark water. My feet ached like I had just run a marathon. Sitting down on the seats, I took out a packet of chocolate brownies. I bit into one, and it tasted like heaven on a platter. 5 brownies later, we packed up and were heading to the caves now.

On our way to the caves, we saw something interesting in the corner of my eye. We looked and saw a couple of people sliding down a hill on pieces of cardboard. It looked reckless, but what would be the harm just to go and check it out. We looked and saw that there were tracks where you slide down. “Hey Lena, If you go down I’ll give you 10 dollars!” My sister dared me. To be honest it didn’t look like the best thing in the world but, I looked fun. I searched for a piece of cardboard in good condition, and snatched it up. Calmly laying it down on the edge of the hill, I stared at the density of it. Sitting on it, I felt the pressure of my sister’s eyes on me. “1,2,3...GO!” She screamed. Riding down, It was a bumpy ride.....and when I say it I mean it. Pieces of long grass somehow landed in my hair. At the end of the hill, I looked up and saw my sister laughing hysterically. “Well I’d like to see you come and try it!” I screamed, But that was physically impossible...especially since she was pregnant. “Come Lena, We have to go home now.” Walking up the hill, I made my way to the car.

We finished the day off with a box full of steaming hot Pizza. While I bit into the Beef and onions, I reminisced on the day we had. It was full of scares, food and FUN with the family, But the downside...We were stuck in traffic, though this was the perfect time for a snooze. The day was awesome and hopefully we could come back again!

Brown Brother

Poems. They never really appealed to me until I saw a student form Mt Albert Grammar reciting a poem which had a really deep meaning. His name is Joseph Iosefa. He is a Samoan and Nuiean and is a Prefect at this school. It all started out as an ordinary assembly. It was compulsory that prefects give a speech, but his speech was a stand out and we wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for his close friend Rashard. It ended up on YouTube and this is where people started to know this poem "Brown Brother'. This poem speaks about what brown people have gone through and what people assume about us. He states: I am Brown. Brown like the bark on the palm tree which holds my heritage, Brown like the table that my family sits and eats upon, Brown like the paper bag which holds burgers and fries which my people consume, brown like the mud on the rugby field which my people play Brown like the coat of the guitar that my people strum. Brown like the sugar the crust the grain or the nut whatever ingredient that I mix up and around, brother I am Brown.

I can easily relate to this because, clearly I am brown, but because I understand what he means when he talks about all the difficulties our people have to go through when people assume that we are not worthy enough. His family members pop up a lot in the poem, when he compares them to people's issues. You should really listen to this poem because it has a deep and beautiful meaning to it.

Hinemoa, The Belle of Kainga

The extension group are focussing on a particular New Zealand artist who is well known for his detailed oil paintings which have influenced many artists today: Charles Frederick Goldie. We had to choose one of his paintings and we had to try to replicate it. Out of numerous paintings I chose to paint this one called 'Hinemoa, The Belle of Kainga'. 

Over a period of 2 weeks, I researched, observed and drew this fine work of art. While researching I found out that this painting was painted in 1913 which is about 99 years ago. This painting is one of Charles Goldie's few oil paintings, which make it hard to believe that it was a oil painting at all! You might be wondering why Charles Goldie only painted Maori people. Well the answer is quite simple: The culture was dying out. Especially the Maori tattoo called the Moko. It symbolises your family, and respect that you have for your culture.

The finished product is better than I expected, because as my friends know: I am not very fond of art. After this task, I have learnt the beauty of art and the power that it has to change the way people think. The thing I want people to notice about the extension groups artwork is the importance of Maori culture. Of the beauty and and respect that their Taonga bring to them, in this case the Taonga in this painting is the Tiki.

Hide and Seek.... (Narrative writing)

“This is boring!” moaned Jesse, while kicking rocks on the sidewalk. “Stop whining!” Sam growled. “If you want aunty to get better we have to take this soup to her!”. Walking along the track, Sam and Jesse were taking chicken soup to their ill aunty.

A few minutes later as the sun was setting over the horizon, they soon realised that they had to hurry. “Psst”. Jesse spun around, her long blond pigtails slapping her face. “Who’s there?” She quietly whispered. Sam was anxiously searching for anything weird in the forest. All he could hear were birds chirping, and the wind whistling through the trees. “Give me your basket, NOW!” a stranger screamed, with his low voice. “RUN!” Sam shouted. They started running through the forest. Loose twigs were scratching their legs, while they were swiveling through the maze of trees. Then in the distance they saw a tower. Sprinting to the tower, they grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut. They took refuge inside this tower. Getting back on their feet they made their way up the tower stairs.

“Come on we need to find somewhere to hide!” Sam screamed. His golden hair covered his dark blue eyes. Jesse was running out of breath. Her lungs were screaming for air, her legs were aching and for the first time in her life, her tongue might’ve been dry. She came to a stop. Sam came back and clutched her T-Shirt, pulling her up. “Come on” he said impatiently. Her blond hair covered her green eyes. “Fine” she said while getting up. “Come out, come out wherever you are” said the stranger. His spine chilling laugh echoed throughout the tower.

Jesse and Sam collapsed beside a huge maroon door. Jesse’s curiosity got the better of her. She stood up and examined the tower. It was rusty, spider webs filled every corner. As she walked around, the floorboards creaked under her feet. She ran her fingers around the interesting carvings engraved in the door. Sam joined her. They rested their palms on the hard surface of the door. “Open it slowly on the count of three” Sam said. “One, two...” The large doors creaked. They peered through the door and saw.....

The beauty of Static images

What is a static image? Well a static image is anything that is not moving or is not in motion. For instance, Signs, Posters, Paintings and Pamphlets are all examples of what static images are. Static images are all around us, we just need to pay close attention to our surroundings.

The thing that is so captivating about this static image is the background is blurry, which adds effect because then the camera focuses on the subject, which in this is case the Butterfly. It looks so delicate, while it’s poised on the plant. The colour of the butterfly’s wings are contrasted with the green in the background. The angle of this photo is effective because it looks as if you are also perched on the plant with this butterfly. The light focuses perfectly on the butterfly and the plant.

Tamaki Tech

Every Thursday the year 8 students of Pt England, make their way down to Tamaki College. we were usually in Food Tech, but today we were shifting to Japanese. Looking up, dark rain clouds blanketed the sky. As I entered Tamaki college, I saw a man standing, waiting for us. He looked Asian, his hair was brushed neatly, and he was holding a box that was jam-packed with papers, pencils and other things that could not be identified. We walked over to the Sylvia Fausset library.

As I stepped into this new environment, all that greeted me were shelves and shelves of stacked books. It was dead silent until we entered the premises. We made our way to the work area. Putting our chairs down all you could hear was the clank of the metal legs. While he our Teacher was getting ready, I looked out the window. The rain was falling in sheets, coating the ground  in water. “Trickle, trickle” was the sound of the rain trickling on the roof. He snatched our attention back with his loud voice “Hello class, My name is Mr Ishibahi”. Our Japanese lesson was about to begin.

Throughout that lesson we were learning interesting facts about Japan like these:
* Japan is made out of 5 main islands which are: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa. The main island is Honshu.
* Before Tokyo, the capital city of Japan was Kyoto.
*Japan has roughly 120 million people living there.
*Japan’s currency is Yen.
*Karate, Sumo wrestling and Judo are all very popular sports in Japan.

Struggling to fold the paper, I felt like pulling my hair out. Origami was really hard, especially when I was trying to make a samurai hat. The instructions didn't make any sense...well at least to me they didn't. Folding it right, left over the top and under, it didn't look anything like a hat. "YES!" I exclaimed. I had finally made a Samurai hat. This was a huge accomplishment, especially since this was the first ever time I had come to Japanese. Time was up, It was time to learn the Japanese language.

"Ohayou Gozaimasu, Ishibashi Sensei" I replied uncertainly. "That is correct" He said proudly. I was relieved because if that was wrong that would've been embarrassing. We learnt 3 phrases that day: Ohayou Gozaimasu, which means Good morning. Sayonara which mans, Goodbye and Arigato Gozaimasu, which means Thank you. The next week we came we had to greet him in Japanese.

Japanese class was an exciting experience. Learning about a foreign country, that exports goods to our country. I look forward to learning about this country that has temples, shrines, had an atomic bomb dropped on them and isolated themselves from the rest of the world. I can't wait to go to Tech now!

Prefects

“This is the time most of you have been waiting for” Mr Burt announced proudly. The whole hall fell silent. My heart was racing, while I was secretly hoping I would go up. He held a piece of paper in his hand. “ I would just like to say how proud I am of these people”. Then he read out the first name of the first prefect: Selena Hafoka. I stood up and a loud thunder of people clapping filled my ears. I felt like crying to be honest. Walking down the aisle, my legs were wobbling. I was greeted by Mrs Nua’s kind eyes, when she handed me my badge. Creaking was the noise that I heard when I made my way up the stairs. As I stared into the crowd, I saw my friends, Toreka, Sylvia and Seini-Mino making their way here to join me. Boys were soon announced, and they were: Joshua, Miracle, samson and Joe.  I couldn't believe that I was standing here, with 7 other people that were like me and were announced as Prefects. We were all waiting for this moment, because a term had passed and we were eagerly awaiting for the results and see who would come out on top. Why had we waited so long? Well because the teachers were waiting for the leaders to emerge, and apparently we were the people who stood out and they thought that now was the time to let us know. 

The first few weeks of being Prefect felt normal until all these responsibilities came popping up out of the blue. We needed to plan activities for the school but we also had to keep on top of our school work too which is tough especially if you have to juggle all of these at the same time. I didn't expect this much work, but I also didn't expect to just sit around and wait for things to happen, so I like being Prefect because it's a challenge, and challenges make you a stronger person. 

Comparing and Contrasting: Pablo Picasso and Daniella Hulme.

Room 21 have been expected to compare and contrast very famous artists: Pablo Picasso and Daniella Hulme .They  have two very different styles of art. Picasso’s style is Cubism, however Daniella has a different style named contemporary art which means modern day art.

Pablo Picasso is very famous for his art, because he focused different perspectives. His art style is very unique.  The artwork we are going to be focusing on today is named: ‘The Weeping Women’. This artwork is particularly fascinating because it looks jagged and edgy, almost like glass. It looks as if she is made purely out of a transparent substance.

Daniella Hulme is a dutch artist whose designs are based on Pacific Tapa cloth and etc . Her influence is her Samoan husband. The artwork of hers we are going to be focusing on today is called ‘A lazy day in paradise’. This artwork is distinctive because she uses bright colours. Looking at her painting I’ve noticed that she uses the same person in each painting.

Differences or similarities, let’s start with the similarities. Firstly they have a women in their paintings. Daniella’s painting you can tell it’s a women but Picasso, it’s kind of difficult to tell it’s a women. They also have used yellow in their painting.

Well there are numerous differences in these paintings. Picasso uses jagged and sharp edges, while Daniella uses smooth sides. Daniella uses island patterns, Picasso uses no island patterns otherwise. Even though they are very different, there is one thing that we can agree on: They have both made an impact on art history.

Jennifer Hudson

The year 7 & 8 extension class was assigned to make a 2-3 minute movie about someone who they think is inspirational. The person I chose was Jennifer Hudson. I chose her because she was a very determined person. Over a two month period we did our research, we took pictures and we made movies. My movie is a mixture of photos, animations and news. It was fun to watch but you were also learning something too.

Overall I am proud of my finished product. I think I could've done a bit better but in the end it's the finished product that matters.

Sunflowers or La Musique?

Room 21 have been asked to compare and contrast two very different artists: Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse, They have two very different styles of art. Van Gogh for instance, His painting style is called Expressionism. But on the other hand Henri Matisse has a whole different style which is called Fauvism. Le Fauves means 'Wild Beast' in french. Si I'm going to be talking about these two wacky and weird artists.

Vincent Van Gogh has an interesting way of painting. His brush strokes are little but bold. As I said his painting style is Expressionism which means that the colours that he used represents how he felt at the time. Most of his paintings are dull because he had a depressing life. The painting we are going to be focusing on is his famous painting named 'Sunflowers'. The colours mostly used are bright colours, like yellow and orange. Some colours are dark like brown and black. The most dominant colour is probably yellow. The significant thing about his paintings is that his brush strokes made his paintings look like they are moving in a way.

Henri Matisse painted a painting called 'La Musique'. In this painting he has used a lot of vibrant colours. Why did he use a lot of vibrant colours? Well because he believed that colours had healing powers. Once he even put colourful paintings around an ill friend, so his friend could get well from their healing glow, and guess what?  He [The friend] actually got better. His colours actually made each other stand out. This is because he used contrasting colours.

The similarities between these two artists are slim but significant. To me, the things that they have in common are that both have plants in their paintings. Also in both paintings the most dominant colours are yet again, yellow, orange and a bit of red. They are also know around the world.

Their differences are very inevitable. Van Gogh used dull colours, Matisse used bright colours. Van Gogh had a depressing life, Matisse had a fairly good life. Van Gogh died at a young age, Matisse at an old colours. But even though these two artists are VERY different they both have one thing in common: they produced some of the most beautiful but expensive paintings in the world.

MAGIC!

Music and Arts Glen Innes Centre, or MAGIC. The Auckland council held a competition. The competition was for anyone in Glen Innes to send in a 3 minute movie explaining why WE wanted a Music and Arts centre in G.I. The students of Room 21 spent 2 weeks making a movie that explained just that. We even made a rap to go with the movie. After we were proud of our final product we sent our movie in, and waited 3 excruciating weeks to find out if we had won and funnily enough we did. Two of the board members, Josephine and Alan came and awarded 8 of the main people a certificate and a few vouchers to honor us for working so hard on our movie. This is the certificate that was awarded to me.

Toreka's 12th Birthday Part 1

Staring up at the sign, I read it aloud. It read ‘Happy Days!’. Walking in with Toreka and Ray (Her Dad), I saw an arcade on 1 side and a restaurant on the other. Walking into the restaurant the aroma of delicious pancakes and mouthwatering meatballs filled my nostrils, “I can’t wait to dig in” I thought to myself.

Walking into the food area, my eyes lit up as I saw all of my options. There was a endless table of food. Pancakes, yogurt, apricots and much ,much more. I dashed straight to the pancakes snatched the tongs and chucked 3 pancakes on my plate. As I smeared the Golden Syrup onto my pancakes, it trickled down the pancakes. Grabbing the butter, I walked over to the meatballs. Putting the meatballs onto my plate it went splat! Since my plate was full I started walking over to my table.

Applying a dollop of butter onto my mountain of pancakes, my mouth was watering. The meatball sauce stained these golden beauties but i didn’t care, I still demolished those pancakes in an instant. Due to all of the food, I was really thirsty. Running to the water cooler, I gulped down a whole glass of juice in 1 go. Feeling the cold juice running down my throat. After that we had to leave.

“Thank you” Toreka and I said. “Ring, ring” rang the doorbell as we departed the premises. In my mind, I thought that, that was the end of the day, but little did I know...

To be continued...

Me, Myself and I!!

This is a short look into my life. This video shows what is important in my life and the things around me. This was pretty easy to make but the hard bit was to memorise a whole mihimihi and recite it in front of the class....in Maori!! This is the movie that goes with that mihi, So hope you enjoy a little sneak peek into MY life!

Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnomeo and Juliet is a Fun-Loving family movie. It is based around the tragic love story Romeo and Juliet originally written by William Shakespeare, but with a twist. It is about two neighbours who are at war. Both their garden are filled with Blue and Red gnomes. But little do the neighbours know that when they are away the Gnomes will play.

The Blue side have a Queen. She has a young son named Gnomeo who is an adventurous spirit who loves the outdoors. He loves exploring the outdoors and he loves finding new things. He falls in love with the daughter of the Red chief. Her name is Juliet.

This is a funny version of the tragic love story, and if I have to give it a rating out of 5 it would be 5. I recommend this to audiences who want a romantic film but at the same time want a laugh.

Box Fit!

Angry was the emotion I felt. Before this I was a happy, cheerful girl but someone made that all change. I punched the targets hard. I could feel sweat run down my face. I knew my left punches were weak but that didn't matter, I was taking my anger out on the targets. Feeling sorry for Athena I eased down on the punches because I had a strange feeling that I was hitting her. It was Tuesday, and my team were at Box Fit.

Concert time!!!

This was it. All of our hard work was finally leading up to this moment. As my team entered the hall, I could feel tension and nervousness in the air around me. Glancing around I saw campers anxiously waiting to perform. As I sat down, my heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. Camp Concert was about to begin.

Watching the other teams perform felt a little threatening because they were stunning . Suddenly Mr Barks announced the next crew “THE RESPECTRONICS!!”. My heart was pounding really fast. Walking onto the stage, I looked out into the audience and I heard cheering. The song began and we started grooving to the music.

During the performance, it was Tui’s and my turn to go down the middle of the line. Tui didn’t want to go, so I figured I would take one for the team. As I was halfway down the middle the music suddenly stopped. I was so embarrassed because the whole hall broke down in a fit of hysterical laughter. My cheeks went bright red and it felt like they were burning. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life....so far.

A little while later it was decision time. The whole hall went completely silent. Mr Barks was reading out the results. “In 6th place with a total of 100 points is the...._______! I was stunned. We didn’t see that coming! Then I was sure that my group was going to come 5th. “In 5th place with a total of 150 points are the...._____!” Now I was really happy. Surprisingly we didn’t come 4th either. Now these were the big results. “In 3rd place with a total of 250 points are the ...RESPECTORZ!!!” .To be honest I found that shocking, I thought we were going to come 3rd. Since Mr Barks didn’t see the point in announcing 2nd place, so they just moved right along to 1st place. “In 1st place with a total of 350 points is the...RESPECT CREW!!!” All you could see were the Respect Crew rejoicing in their win. “Well better than last” I said to myself.

Even though we didn’t win the ultimate prize Miracle and I were exceptionally proud of our group for displaying great facials and energy throughout our performance. At the start of Camp concert I was sure we were going to come last, but we ended up coming 2nd. That just goes to show: always have faith in your team.

Scones...Yummy!!

Surfing the net is hard work, especially when you have a limit to the things you need. What was I looking for? Well I was looking for a simple scone recipe. Why? Because at Camp, we have different activities, and I was at cooking!

“So 3 cups of flour...” said Elizabeth. Adding the flour was a messy job since everything was flying all over the place. I carried the bowl that contained the ingredients to a separate table, so I could mix the mixture. Mixing it was a sticky job. Lifting my hand up out of the bowl, it revealed a sticky substance stuck to my hand. “Time to roll out the dough!”.

Kneading the dough in the flour was hard, because the dough needed to be the right consistency. I grabbed the rolling pin, and started to roll the dough out to about 2 cm high. Grabbing the knife I started cutting the dough into fat pieces, and lay them out onto the tray. They are going into the oven now!

A few minutes later, I was running down to the hall kitchen in despair. Why? Well that is because the boys in my group warned me that my scones were burning, “ON NO!!!” I ran into the hall kitchen, and I felt a warm heatwave rush past me. In a hurry I opened the oven, when I saw the sight I was angry. “THEY WEREN’T EVEN BURNT!!!” I screamed. Steam ran out of my ears, I thought that I was going to punch something, but then I realised that they were perfectly cooked, so I took them back to the street.

I was smearing the butter and jam onto the scones. Watching the butter melt on them was making my mouth water. I took my first bite into it, and it was amazing, If I say so myself.

SWIMARAMA!!!!

“SPLASH!!!”. Dropping to the bottom of the pool, bubbles rose all around me. Rising to the top of the pool, I screamed out: “IT’S SOO COLD!!! I felt like I just dived into a pool of melted ice! My hair was dripping wet, which made it go frizzy. I dove back into the water and opened my eyes. The water was clear, but blurry at the same time. Feeling cold, I got out and made my way to the Hydroslide.

I was waiting impatiently in line. The cool breeze flew past me and sent a shiver down my spine. Goosebumps appeared on the surface of my skin. I was next in line. “Suck on Sauce!!” Seini-Mino screamed, as she slid down the slide. It was my turn. Sitting down on the platform, I awaited anxiously for the light to turn green. “GO SELENA!!” Athena shouted. I let go and slid down. Looking back, I saw Athena and the rest of the people disappear into blackness. I felt water rushing past me at a great speed. I was sliding in total darkness, then I saw a hint of light. Knowing that I was near the end, I braced myself for the wave that I was about to hit....”Splash!!” Water went all over my face. That was the most exciting hydroslide experience ever.

Coming out of the hydroslide, I was shivering. Grabbing my bags I made my way to the bathroom to take a nice shower. Turning on the shower, a huge gush of nice warm water covered my body. I’ve never been so relieved to have a shower in my life.

It was the end of Camp, and we spent our last day at Swimarama. It was a cool camp because I got to share the experience with my close friends, and also It’s our last year together so It was all worth while.

Beach Adventurer!!!

The sun was beaming down on us. Lucky the weather was good, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to go. If an aeroplane was flying above us, We would’ve been mistaken for a huge army of red ants. I looked up and saw a stunning scenery before me. The sun was making the water glisten, It looked beautiful. It was Friday the 24th, and the whole school was walking to the beach. It was Picnic day!

“Here, Let’s sit over here! Toreka said. Looking over, I saw her laying out her miniature mat out. I heard Seini-Mino ask her: “Are you sure we can all fit on it?”. “Well umm...Let’s just try to!” Toreka replied. As we put our bags down on the mat, Seini-Mino suggested “Should we play kicks?” “Ok!” I replied back enthusiastically.

Catching the ball, It was my turn to kick. Holding the ball in my hands, I gave it my full concentration. Counting down, 3, 2, 1...Kick!! I said to myself. The ball flew off into the distance. “LENA!!!” Mino screamed. “Woops?” I replied sympathetically. Suddenly I heard a grumble. Was it the clouds? No, Was it a dog? No, It was...my stomach. I just realised that I was craving for food.

Grabbing my lunch from my bag, I viciously ripped the packet off, and shoved the bar into my mouth. Adding to that I grabbed my drink and squeezed the cordial into my mouth. Feeling the yummy goodness slide down my throat was a great feeling. “Ahhh, that’s better!” I said. Then Mino, Toreka and I made our way back to the field to play kicks.

“ Aidan give it back!!!” I whined. “Nah, You have to play rugby with us!!” He replied. Mino, Toreka and I had a little conversation, then we came to a verdict. “Fine!” Mino screamed. As we made our way to play with the boys, I looked up, and saw that dark grey clouds were blanketing the sky.

My heart was pumping, My legs were aching, but I had to keep going. The try line was in sight, and I was nearly there. “Almost there, Keep going, and....TRY!!!” Falling to the ground, my heart was pumping but I was also relieved. I had gotten a try, It felt so good. Glancing to the left I saw Mr Harris packing up the poles. I knew we had to go.

While we were packing up our stuff, I was dying for a drink. For the first time in my life I think my tongue was dry. Then Mino saved me, She had a drink in her bag, and she was willing to share. I gulped down as much as I could drink, “Ahh” I breathed a sigh of relief.

I didn’t want that day to end. It was a good day to spend time with your Family and Friends. My highlight of the day was spending time with my big brother Sam before he went to Australia. This day was great, to bad this is my last year here at Pt England.

These are a few of my favourite things!!!

All I need to say about this photo is: Me. This photo shows symbols that explain me. The first symbol shows that I love fashion. When I go out with my family or friends. People would explain my fashion sense as a person who loves to wear anything that is Vintage. Performing is also 1 of my hobbies. Singing is a creative way of expressing how you feel. Dancing is also a creative way to express yourself with movement. Me and my big brother Sam both share a love for dancing. The symbol on the bottom left corner shows that I also have a love for sports. My favourite sports are Netball, Volleyball, touch and multiple other sports. Cameras are great. Why I hear you ask? Well it stores all of your important memories on it. Thanks to modern technology, we can do more things with cameras like uploading the photos onto the computer just by a click of a button.

So there you have it. I have told you 4 things that represent me. If you are interested in reading more you can click on this link and this will take you to my flickr page: These are a few of my favourite things!

Treaty of Waitangi

Once upon a time New Zealand was an uninhabited Island. Then the Maori arrived from Hawaiki. Later the traders, whalers, sealers and missionaries arrived. By the 1800’s there was a lot of lawlessness. There was conflict between the British settlers and the Maori, so to help this problem, the British set up a treaty to keep peace between these two people.

What are the main ideas of the treaty, I hear you ask? Well they were about the 3 P’s which stand for: Protection, Partnership and Participation. Protection meant that the British would help the Maori protect their land and their people. Partnership meant that the British would keep peace with the Maori. Last but not least, Participation meant that they would let the Maori participate in sports and other worldwide things.

Last week Room 21 watched a re-enactment of what really happened in the days leading up to the signing of the treaty of Waitangi. This is what I learnt from the movie:

“These people are filthy savages” James Busby whispered. It was February 1840 and James Busby was waiting outside of William Hobson’s room. William Hobson was the British Governor at the time, but unfortunately he was sick. James needed to see him urgently because it was a few days before the signing of the treaty. They hadn’t started the draft yet and only few chiefs supported the treaty, one of them named Hone Heke. He married the daughter of a legendary chief. Adding to that problem, if they hadn’t started the English version of the treaty, how could they finish the Maori version in time?

It’s the 4th of February 1840 and the British are rushing to draft the treaty. The scene was set in a little cottage in Waitangi. Arguments were forming, on what to write in the treaty. They would have to work it out soon, or they would let down The Queen Her Majesty.

It’s the 6th of February and the Treaty is being set up in front of James Busby’s house. Crowd’s of Maori and Pakeha were rolling in quickly. Amongst those people was Hone Heke. He was trying to persuade his people that the Treaty was good for them, and their land. The Maori looked up to see William Hobson, James Busby, Henry Williams and many other correspondents standing before them.

While William Hobson was reading the Treaty, Henry Williams was translating it for the Maori people. Who is Henry Williams I hear you ask? Well he is a missionary that arrived to Aotearoa to spread the word of God. While he was here, he became fluent in Maori. Back to the story, When William Hobson was finished, Hone Heke’s uncle Te Kemera Kaiteke stood up proudly, walked over to William Hobson and punched the table. He disagreed with the treaty and didn’t want to sign.

That is all we watched. By the end of the year, about 540 chiefs all over New Zealand signed the treaty and to this day we live under the treaty. Actually us, Pt Englanders go by the treaty at school. Protection means that we protect each other from bad stuff happening to one another. Partnership means that we have a good work relationship with other peers. Also if we get partnered up with different people, we try to work together nicely. Participation means to let people participate in games and sports.

So the treaty plays a big part in our everyday lives. We should be thankful that the treaty was signed.