Future Focused

Here is a poster we created to show what we think future focused learning is. To the left we have painted, 'The Present' and on the right is, 'The Future'. 
lol from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Mini Tattoo Project

For our task we were to create two tattoo designs. The first one being a cultural one and the second being one that represented yourself. The presentation above includes the tattoos and an explanation for each I created. 

Samoan Pe'a

In extension, we have been looking at symbols and the meanings and reasons behind the tattoos. But the very tattoo we have been researching and focusing on is the samoan Tatau, or, the Pe'a.

Recently, we were visited by Mr Tele'a, who was going to show us his very own Tatau. But before we could ask questions and find out more information about it, Mrs Tele'a pointed out some of the elements included in the tattoo such as the va'a (canoe).

The Va'a, is a 20-30 cm solid coloured strip that represents family. It wraps around the back and towards the front. In this case, the va'a wraps around and comes just under the ribcage. It also has an arrow point or a faaulutao at each end. 

Once we had done that, we started asking him questions we had prepared before. We asked about the designs, the meanings, how long it took, etc. He answered the questions with detail and explained things very well. One thing he said that I found quite interesting, was that if you unwrap the Pe'a from around your body and look it as if you were looking at it on a piece of paper, it'll look like a bat.

We are now working on creating and designing two of our very own symbols/tattoos. One of them had to include one aspect of our culture or heritage and the other, had to represent ourselves. Currently, I am working on designing the two tattoo's. 

Storyline Reflection

Last week the year 5, 6, 7 and 8 extension groups went along to The Storylines Festival out at the Vodafone Events Center. It was a pretty interesting and enjoyable day hearing from the different authors but overall, my favourite’s were probably, Juliette McIver and Jill McGregor, even though they both wrote children’s books.

These two authors were very entertaining, interacted with the audience and creative. Juliette had a really ‘out there’ kind of personality and seemed really excited. She was really into rhyming and also created her own words. She also read aloud one of her books called, Queen Alice’s Palaces. Jill, was more of an educational writer who spoke with a soft tone. She talked about her experiences in the islands and why she started writing.

If I presented at the festival, I would try to interact with the audience to get them more excited and interested. Maybe things like, getting some students on stage to act out parts of the story or getting them to read the speech bits in a voice that matched the character. That would be quite interesting.

Overall, I had a great time listening and learning about the different authors even though I did enjoy last year’s Storyline Festival more enjoyable and interesting.

Year 8 Camp!

A few weeks ago, the year 8’s were lucky enough to go and camp at the Marsden Bay Christian Camp in Ruakaka. It was so much fun, I wish it had lasted longer! Over the four days we spent there, I got to enjoy relaxing, many activities and more.

Day 1 wasn’t that bad but it surely wasn’t my favourite. After taking a 2 hour bus drive, we stopped at Langs Bay and started our hike towards Waipu Cove. Ms Squires had planned what was supposed to be an easy walk, but due to the weather it wasn’t so. The track was not only slippery but very narrow which made it harder for everyone to avoid plummeting to their deaths. But luckily, everyone made it to the end.

For me, my favourite day was day 3. We did many different activities such as a fire pit cooking challenge, archery, a confidence course, frisbee golf and kayaking! Then to finish the night off, we all gathered around a campfire and sang songs.

But overall, my highlight from camp was probably spending time together as a whole year 8 group (instead of just our team groups). Also, getting to know other people that I don’t usually hang out with.

Tangle Explanation

A celtic knot is a piece of art that has been interwoven to create the illusion that it has no beginning or end. Having that class 1 and class 5 have combined (Panuba), this particular style of art is great as a collaborative project, as everyone can contribute with their own design.

It’s a great idea to do some planning and researching before you start draft-sketching. Look at different designs, patterns, colours and symbols you could include in your piece. But remember to include something that represents you.

Choosing only a few colours that contrast each other would be better than using a lot. Bright and bold colours will also make your artwork stand out more.

Placing all the pieces in the right place of the tangle can be quite confusing, so it's a good idea to label them. This way, it'll be easier to assemble the celtic knot.

My Avatar

Self Management has been something we've focused on this year and in my class we have a Self Management Level Board. This board has three levels. Level 1; I need help to manage myself. Level 2; I am able to manage myself but I sometimes go off task. Level 3; I can manage myself well, inside and outside of the classroom. 

Above, is my avatar that I have created. I think that I can place myself at Level 3 as I can manage myself well away from the teacher and keep on task.

Day 1 Term 4

The first day of the last term had started and no one was expecting what we had just been informed about. Class 1 and Class 5 were being merged together. Now it was one large class with three teachers.

It was quite surprising to hear that our class would be changing again, and, in a different way. Along with my friends, we've been moved around the school in to other classes ever since last year. But to be merged, didn't bother me very much and it actually ended up being quite a good day.

They Don't Really Care About Us

For the year 7 and 8’s, self management is a big thing we are currently looking at to improve. So, our teacher, Mrs Nua, gave the class a task where we had to create a MTV. We were given a limited time frame and a few songs to choose from, all by Michael Jackson. Below is the finished result.

They Don't Really Care About US! from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Unique Games - Dandy Shandy

As part of our inquiry task, we are to find and research a unique and uncommon game that has originated from one of the countries participating in the Commonwealth Games. Tyla, my partner, and I have chosen a game called Dandy Shandy. We have struggled to find any real historic background, so therefore we assumed that it originated from Jamaica, having everything we came upon related back to it.

Storylines 2014

This Thursday, the extension group is heading to the Storyline's Festival at the Vodafone Events Centre. Similar to last year, we will be hearing from four New Zealand authors, Jill MacGregor, Juliette MacIver, Cath Mayo and Paula Green. Below is a short biography about each of the authors we will be seeing.

Jill MacGregor was born in Dunedin but currently lives on the Kapiti Coast. She was a VSA teacher in Tonga for two years. She has travelled throughout the Pacific Island exploring and experiencing the cultures and the village life. Her ‘Children Of The Pacific’ stories are based on her own experiences in the islands.

Juliette MacIver is an author of Children’s books, who grew up in Wellington and went to Victoria University. There, she completed a degree in linguistics then got a diploma in teaching English. When she was young, she always enjoyed writing but never really thought she would, ‘Be A Writer’.

Born in Auckland, Catherine Mayo writes novels for young adults. She is a musician and is apart of a band called Gentle Annie.

Paula Green lives with her husband on the West Coast of Auckland. She writes poets and Childrens stories. Including Flamingo Bendalingo and Macaroni Moon, she has published eight poetry collections.

My Mascot

During class, we were given the task to research and create our own mascot. We learnt about the past mascots, such as Shera the tiger from the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth. Then we had to draw our own mascot and write a background story. A mascot is something that is supposed to bring good luck to an event or organization. They can also be a representative for brands and other things. 

I have chosen to draw and make my mascot a sheep because of how common they are in New Zealand. His name is Waipounamu, meaning south. I have decided to name him this due to the popularity of sheep in the South Island of New Zealand. He has a silver fern going across his fluffy coat. 

Life Education Caravan - Marijuana

Being the age we are, our (Team 5's) visits to the Life Education Caravan were mainly focused on drugs and alcohol. We learnt about the effects it can have on people and listened to a few people who shared their own experience with drugs and alcohol. Many things were talked about and one of them was, Marijuana. I have decided to write a quick paragraph, highlighting some of the main things we learnt about it. 

Usually seen as a gateway drug, Marijuana can be easy to access, cheap and it can lead you into the web of addiction. ‘Once you start, its hard to stop.’ This drug is quite common and is referred to in a variety of ways, such as, weed, pot, herbs, tinnies, etc. The effect it can have on you, not only changes the way you think but also the way you look. It damages the brain and stops you from reaching your full potential.

Astria Countdown To Impact #2

Gloria and I, tried to play the game, Astria, everyday but it we found it quite difficult, especially when we were close to finishing. It would start glitching and freezing but soon, we found out it wasn't just ours. Soon we were told that every else was having the same problem and that there was a bug in the game.

Luckily, we recieved a new link and were able to finish the game. But we did do a few things on Wednesday and Thursday when we played. We figured out that we have finished all the areas, except for the part that involved the council. So we presented our chosen solution, which was Solar Sail, to the council and waited for their approval. There were a few reasons as to why we chose it such as how, this idea resulted in less deaths and the information that was given about this idea seemed more credible. 

Not long after explaining why we chose this option, out of the four, we continued on our journey to saving the planet. It ended up being quite an effective choice and we saved the planet and killed no one while doing so. 

Overall, the game didn't end up being very hard but it was pretty enjoyable. I do think if it had more activites and tasks, it would've been better. But the game was quite good.

Astria Countdown To Impact #1

The Extension group have been given the opportunity to trial a new game, which is designed to help improve literacy skills. It was designed and created by a group based at the Auckland University.

Gloria and I paired up and started the game. We acted as the Alpha Leader in the future, whose duty was to prevent an astroid from destroying many lives and their planet, Astria. There are different area's to the base that you can explore to try and find clues and information. 

The most difficult thing for me was finding the right people to talk to for the right information. Also, another thing I found hard was rating whether or not some of the pieces of information were very credible.

Today, I think Gloria and I did quite well for our first time. We achieved a lot more than we thought we would, especially in the time we were given.

Sarah Cowley

During the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth games, I will be following the kiwi athlete, Sarah Cowley. She was born in Rotorua on the 3rd of February 1984. In the games, she will be competing in the High Jump event. 

For Sarah, this will be her second time competing in the commonwealth games. In 2006 at the Melbourne games, she placed tenth in the heptathlon event. She has also competed at the 2012 London Olympics and placed 26th in the heptathlon event. 

Smart Footprint

Class 1 - Smart Foot-Print from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.
Here is a M.T.V we, Lisia, Jorja, Gloria, Tyla and I have created to the song, We Cant Stop by Miley Cyrus. The lyrics have been re-written to match our theme about having a smart footprint. Hope you enjoy!

20 Thinkers Keys : BAR Keys

For the last few weeks we have been looking at what the 20 Thinkers Keys. Each week we have been focusing on one of the 20 and have learnt more about it. Today we looked at the B.A.R Key. B.A.R stands for B : Bigger , A : Add , R : Replace. As an activity, we were given five minutes to draw a simple house. Here is the house, below, I drew.

Five minutes passed and now came the second part of the task. We rotated around the room, skipping a few computers, then made a change on the other persons house. With the first computer we stopped at, we had to make something Bigger, following the B.A.R. Key steps. We then rotated again but on the next computer we had to add something. Lastly we replaced something on the final house we stopped at. Here are the changes people have added to my house. (Below)

Sound Presentation

Here is yet another presentation. But this is all about sound.

The Scientific Method

Here is a presentation I have created showing the steps of the scientific method.

The Present

Here is a screenplay I have made with a few of my friends, Tyla and Lisia. We have taken a bit from our recent book, The Present and re done it.
Short land Street Material : The Present Screenplay from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

4 Things You Need To Remember About A Smart Footprint

Here's a few tips on how to have a Smart Footprint.

1. Be careful with what you search online.
2. You never know when someone's watching.
3. Be original! Do your own stuff.
4. If it's not kind, keep it in your mind!

Writing Sample

This is my writing sample for Term 2, 2014.

The sun shone brightly as Kisha rushes down the path, dragging her older sister, Kara, behind her. “HURRY UP!!!!” she yells as she runs towards the beach, leaving Kara behind.

“Aaaah!”. Kara jumped, surprised. She peered around, looking for her sister, but she was no longer in view. Kara ran to the edge of the beach and sighed camly, starting to giggle. Kisha had tripped and rolled down the sand dunes.

Laughing, Kara jumped down and helped her up. “I tripped over that stupid thing!” she said, pointing at a glassy object peeking out of the sand. It’s an hourglass. Kisha picked it up and flung it against a rock, annoyed.

The glass shattered and the sand slid down the sides of the rock. Suddenly the sand beneath them started to disappear and create a tunnel of a sort. Kara and Kisha sank into the deep hole quickly. “WHAT'S HAPPENING!?” they yelled as the slid down the everlasting seeming tunnel.

Finally, they hit a solid rock floor. The only light source was a flaming torch.

New Zealand Compared to Malawi

Recently in extension, we have been looking at what it's like to be living in Malawi. I have created a presentation showing the differences between a kid in New Zealand's day and menu , in this case mine, and a kid in Malawi's.

Swimming

To be safe in the water you don’t have to be the best at swimming, you just have to be able to keep yourself safe. Which means being able to float and swim away from any dangers if needed.

The easiest thing to do is the doggy-paddle, but this can use a lot of your energy. Backstroke and freestyle are another two style’s of strokes that are quite easy if you think about it. They’re basically floating, but adding the movement of your arms and feet. If you are in some sort of danger, it would probably easier to flip onto your back and swim away.

When moving your arms in backstroke, it’s like painting a big line across the ceiling or sky. And all you do with your feet is kick tiny kicks just under the surface of the water. So it doesn't create a huge splash.

Another thing to do is when you bring your arm under water, create the shape of a ‘S’ by swivelling your hand.

And finally, when swimming we have to keep in mind to have your eyes up. Try not to look around at our surroundings, it prevents you from sinking.

#BringBackOurGirls

This is my opinion on the Bring Back Our Girls tragedy.

#BringBackOurGirls has attracted a lot of attention from many people around the world. This popular hashtag has only really been making more and more people aware of the kidnapping. What is this hashtag actually supposed to do though?

Well, right now it’s doing nothing but showing they care. The whole point of #BringBackOurGirls is to bring them back. But it’s in no way helping the people in Nigeria find the kidnappers, Boko Haram, and the 300 girls with them.

#BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

Term 1 Reflection

 This movie is all about term 1 and what we learnt. Hope you enjoy.   
Kaycee - Term 1 Reflection from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Facts about Sounds

This term we are learning about sound and how it works. Along with a few of my friends, we made a short video that includes a few facts about sound.

Fun facts from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Inference

Here is a small presentation of what Inference means.

Six Sentence Story

Once upon a time there was a young ugly wolf. He lived in the shadows of the gloomy woods. The wolf was a professional master of disguise. One day, he was mistaken as a criminal due to his appearance and choice of disguise. He wanted people to think good of him though. So he finally gave up disguise’s and decided to not care about what others thought.

Speed Writing

This morning we completed a Speed Writing Challenge. In just 10 minutes we were expected to write about Tiaki Taonga. Then we were given 5 minutes to pair share and proof read. 

Tiaki Taonga basically means caring. Caring for our people, our school, our successes and our most treasured. And since Tiaki Taonga is our big idea for the year, we decided to dedicate one week to kindness. Because to be kind is great! We called it R.A.K. Week or Random Acts Of Kindness Week.

During the week quite a few kids complimented each other and introduced themselves to one another. But it wasn’t just the kids that showed that they cared. Teachers participated too.

To finish the week off a few kids stood at the entrance gates and welcomed kids to school.

They also handed out lollies, complimented people and wished them a great day.

Visual Mihi 2014

In extension, our task was to create a visual mihi and explain what they mean. These are the few graphics I drew representing me. 

The first one, in the top left, shows the Maori Flag. I drew this as I am Maori. 

The second one, in the top right, is the New Zealand Flag. Again I drew this because I am a New Zealander. 

The third picture, in the bottom left, shows a few music notes/symbols. These were drawn because I love basically everything to do with music! 

The last symbol shows a cross and the bible. This is because I believe in God. Anyway these are what my symbols mean. 

Here is a link to my classmates visual mihi's.

My Avatar

Here is my Avatar.

ANZAC

Here are just a few things Gloria and I knew before we started researching and learning more about it.

Boer War Diary

For the last few weeks we have been learning about the Boer Wars. We have created a graphic and written a Diary that a soldier in the war might have written. This is only the draft.

Bio Poem 2014

Kaycee

Child of Maata and Clinton, sister of Zane.

Who loves lightning and thunderstorms, festivals and events as well as music and laughing.

Who feels happy when she hears laughter and tired when people talk alot.

Who dislikes crying kids, mushrooms and tight spaces.  

Who wants to go back to London and someday visit Greece, Hawaii, Maldives and Japan.

Who wishes she could’ve met her great grandmother.

Who is scared of losing loved ones, falling, sharks but mostly snakes.

Who dreams of someday changing the world.

Who is determined to travel the world.

Who values friends, family and gifts.

Who is proud of where she comes from, herself and her achievements.

Who graduated from year seven to year eight.

Who lives in Bora Bora, French Polynesia but really....Auckland, New Zealand..

Kaycee

Statistics Maths D.L.O

Here is a short presentation showing just a few things I have learnt in these past weeks.

My Personal Goals - 2014

My achievement I was most proud of last year in the classroom was the movie my friends and I created for the Film Festival, ‘The Swap’. Because even though it took a few months to finish, it was definitely something I was quite proud of.

The thing I was most proud of last year outside of the classroom was Kapa Haka. I do think I got better at understanding maori and performing on stage in with my Kapa Haka group.

In reading my learning goal is to reach a higher level. To achieve this goal I need to read more books that will challenge and challenge me.

In writing my goal is to be able to write better and more interesting stories. To achieve this goal I need to use hooking vocabulary to intrigue my readers.

In maths my goal is to not only improve by one year but by two.

The learning area I think I need to improve in most is Reading and Writing.

My goal for this year around the classroom is to manage my time well and finish my work by the time it’s due.

My goal for this year around the school is to help out with more events and to be a great role model and a great prefect.

Empathy Explanation

Explaining what empathy looks like, feels like and sounds like can be quite difficult. But it is something that can be easily shown in many simple ways.

Empathy is basically putting yourself in the other the person’s shoes or looking at their troubles through their eyes. Showing that you care by asking a few questions and relating to their problem can help. And by saying “I'm here for you if you ever need me!” and meaning it, can be comforting for them to know.

Sympathy and empathy can be easily confused with each other. Sympathetic people feel sad and care but don’t do anything about it. It’s like saying, “Oh...I heard what happened...I hope you get over it soon”.

Basically, like I said before empathy is like looking at their troubles through their eyes. If everyone were to empathise anyone that needed it at any time, wouldn't the world be a happier place?

Writing Sample

During the holidays, the only things making me excited was the fact that it was the ‘holidays’ and that I would be enjoying a week up north. Thoughts came to mind about how much fun I would have, spending time with my family.

Hopping into the car, I tried to avoid sitting next to my menacing younger cousin. It would’ve been an even longer trip if I was sitting next to him. Lucky for me, I managed to get the entire back seat to myself.

I woke up uncertain of where I was as I  was no longer in a car full of people and bags. I jumped out of the car, still half asleep and walked inside.

“Hello?” I said, peering through the slightly opened front door. No one was to be seen and no one was to be heard. Suddenly, I heard whispers and quiet footsteps. “BOO!” yelled one of my cousin’s. I screamed as though the whole town could hear it. Quickly, my cousin covered my mouth, shutting me up.

I looked at him evilly, while wondering where everyone else is. “Where is everyone?” I asked quietly. He dragged me out to the yard and when we got there, everyone popped out from hiding. Along with everyone else he yelled “RAAAAR!!!!” I screamed for so long, it was hard to forgive them.

WALT

WALT: Adding detail to simple sentences.

Rolling out of bed, I yawned as I was feeling sleepy and tired.

I dragged my lazy and tired feeling self up and out of my room and into the kitchen.

Eager to start the day, I walked cheerfully out the door, ready for school as I was feel

Totara North

Here is a presentation of my Highlights from Totara North.