This is my song lyrics video of The NIghts by Avicii

The Lark poem

I created this video on You Tube Editor, it is by an unknown author. I hope you like it!

Term 4

So far this week, not a lot has happened. Last term I learnt that I got a high distinction for the English ICAS test, but we still haven't got our score and certificates. On Monday had assembly, which of course was boring, then we came back and did some easy work for the rest of the day. Tuesday we did social dance for the first time this year. We only did two songs: the waltz and the gay gordan which is my favorite. Today we did maths, which is on statistics, and went to the library and are about to have jump jam.

Bye!!!

Haiku poems

This term has been great. I competed in the gym festival, in the twisters category and I placed 5th, which meant I am going on to the Waikato gym festival. It was a great day, but there was so many people in our schools A.L.C, which was were it was held, it was very confusing as to where you were meant to be. So far I have got 4 badges on my arm this year; Symphonic band, Jazz band, football and production. I am also going to get gymnastics,  and hopefully cross-country, athletics, table tennis, and softball. I had my studentled conference this week (week four). It went well. I have improved a lot in maths and we have now started on algebra.

This is my speech for 2015

National geographic vs gossip magazines

Did you know that a dung beetle can drag 1,141 times its own weight? That’s like a human pulling six double decker buses! And, did you realise that your blood makes up only 8% of your total body weight? That’s crazy! I can guarantee that you would not learn these facts, or other informative information like this if you read gossip magazines, like Woman’s Weekly, Woman's Day, OK, New Idea, Girlfriend, and more. This is why I believe that children and adults alike should not be reading magazines that are all about celebrities life dramas, and the latest fashion accessories, but a magazine that is educational, from which you can gain lots of valuable knowledge. This magazine is National Geographic.

First of all, National Geographic is a lot more educational and informative than the average gossip mag. Instead of learning about who Katy Perry has broken up with, or if Kim Kardashian has been wearing the best clothes lately, you can learn about other, more important and interesting things. Some of the subjects that are in National Geographic magazines are the earth, space, global warming, endangered animals, and where we get our food from, but there are lots of others. Once, I read an article dedicated to Botox, how it can be used medically, whereas gossip magazines only teach you about the use of Botox for beauty. Another article I once read was about parasites, how they take over animals bodies! A single National Geographic magazine houses hundreds of facts and so much knowledge. It’s amazing what you can learn! Another great thing about their magazines is that unlike gossip mags that get old and out of date after a week or so, you can look at National Geographics at any time to find facts and knowledge about almost anything you can think of.

Secondly, gossip magazines are sending the wrong message, while National geographic is not. No one should make someone feel overweight, or not good enough, but this is what gossip magazines are doing to females, and males. They are constantly showing pictures of beautiful models and celebrities, with perfectly slim and curvy frames. People can become depressed, or end up starving themselves because they are made to feel bad about weight, all thanks to gossip magazines. Also, their self- esteem can lower. This is not how a magazine is meant to make you feel! After reading one, you should not feel worse, but you should have enjoyed what you read, and feel happier. You should not be reading something that makes you feel bad, or make you feel like you need to have a perfect Barbie Doll figure. They should read something completely different, something that makes you feel good. That is National Geographic.

Another reason why you should read National Geographic over gossip magazines is because by reading them, you learn to appreciate nature and the earth. You learn about all the exotic animals and plants nature has to offer, and really start to understand and respect all the other types of life around us. You learn about all the different lifestyles and types of people there are in the world. You learn about thousands of beautiful forests and places, that they are starting to disappear as humans are destroying the earth, and how it’s going to become even worse in the future. By reading National Geographic you can also be inspired to travel afar, to see new things and experience what the world has to offer. I know that I for one have already started a travel bucket list, thanks to reading their magazines.

In conclusion, I urge you to start reading National Geographic instead of gossip magazines now. They are a lot better, as they are educational, they teach you to appreciate the earth, and they do not send bad messages like gossip mags. Why get a magazine that is only about looks, the latest dramas and fashion styles, gossip, and celebrities? So, the next time you head to the store, and feel the need to buy a magazine, don't get a gossip one, buy National Geographic.

PRODUCTION MATINEE

Today at school we had our matinee for some of the school, and schools in TA. I was quite nervous, not of being on stage in front of people, but of worrying I was going to laugh while delivering my lines! It went good, from my perspective, but there was some microphone failures, and one girl sung a whole song without a mic! Tonight we are having our first real performance. I will post after I have done all three night performances :)

Week 7

This week we had a photographer come in and take photos of the band, and classrooms for our new school website. It was the queens birthday this weekend, so we had Monday off school (yay!!!). I learnt about the weather in french (how to talk and speak about the weather in french, that is!). We also went over weekdays and counting too 30. I don't know if this is the correct spelling, but here it goes: Lundi, mundi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. Those were the weekdays. Today, Wednesday, we had our first meeting for the people in  the gym festival. We had to do some skills that would determine what group we were put in. It was really easy stuff, even the highest group, twisters, was easy!! The hardest things to do in the twisters, (which I am in) is a handstand forward roll, backwards roll, and a round-off off the beam. We are doing jump jam today, which will be fun. I hope we do 'Like the ceiling can't hold us' song, which is one of my favourites. Tomorrow we are having student assembly, which I am sure will be a lot better than work!!! At tech arts I made nachos, which were REALLY YUM!!! I also made apricot danish For maths we have moved onto geometry, and have revised circumference of circles, shapes, area, and I have learnt about volume and how to find it. For writing I have finished my NZ roads persuasive, and have started my argument. I think I am going to do 'Is Traditional or Modern Medicine More Effective?'. I am quite passionate about plants and all the health benefits they have to offer, so I think it will be good. For reading, I read the book ' The Giver' and am starting to do a book analysis on it. It was a really good book, and I recommend it to anyone who is a competent reader. Here is the blurb I have writen.

The Giver is set in a tightly controlled society, told by a young teenage boy, Jonas. In this community, there is no war, hunger, suffering, music, colours, or memories from the past. All decisions in the town are made by ‘The Elders’, right down to who you marry, what job you do, and what children you will be given. Everyone is happy with this way of life, and they passively accept all the rules and customs. But, when Jonas turns twelve, the job he is given at the big Ceremony of Twelve, changes his whole aspect on life, and the community. He is given , is ‘The Receiver of Memory, which is the most respected job.

Week 6

This week we had WIMS Football up in Hamilton, on Tuesday, which sucked because we missed out on making bread or pizza. It was really fun though, but we didn't end up getting into the semi finals unfortunately. Our first game was good, 0-0. Our second game was worse, we lost 3-1. In that game Michele (our coach) put me in Striker instead of defence for the first half, because I have a really good kick. I don't like striker as much as defence though, because I always feel the urge to protect the goalie. Our 3rd game was alright, but the referee from the other team was really unfair and biased towards his team. He didn't even know the rules properly. We ended up losing 1-0. They got that goal when they were down on our side and the goalie kicked the ball away but it ended up hitting Nikyla (on of our team mates) in the face. We went to see if she was okay and they sneaked in a goal. It is mufti day today, and the theme was first response, but no one really dressed up!!! We had a volleyball session with Ashleigh again, which we spent working on our accuracy skills and teamwork. In maths we are starting on geometry. So far I have been working on area. BYE!!!

Reading task two: What makes a good mystery story

Explain what makes a good mystery story based on your understanding of:

‘The Red Room’ by H.G. Wells

‘Adventure of the Speckled Band’ by Arthur Conan Doyle

And ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens

To me, the setting of a mystery story is very important. It sets the scene, and can enhance a story a lot. A good setting for a mystery story can be set anywhere, but they are normally somewhere that sound either, frightening, bleak, creepy, haunted, or old. I found that all three stories had good settings. The Signalman was set by a lonely railway, with a big dark tunnel. Here is an extract describing the story. ‘His post was in as solitary and dismal a place as ever I saw.’ The place is described to be extremely bleak and isolated. The Red Room is set in an ancient castle, looked after by three very queer, and very old custodians. ‘The long, draughty subterranean passage was chilly and dusty, and my candle flared and made the shadows cower and quiver.’ The Adventure of the Speckled Band was set mainly in an old manor, called Stoke Moran. ‘The boards round and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak, so old and discoloured that it may have dated from the original building of the house.’

A good plot is also very important in mystery stories. A good mystery plot should keep you guessing, and doesn’t have an obvious ending, or answer to the mystery. It should keep you hanging, stumped, and waiting to read what comes next. You should not get bored. Building up tension, and suspense is very important as well. Throughout the story you should be wondering what's going to be happen, and the story needs to get its readers interested right from the start. There was suspense in The Signalman, and The Red Room. I found there was not much suspense at all in Adventure of the Speckled Band. There was also not much tension in the story, apart from a little at the end. The Red Room and The Signalman had quite a bit of tension throughout the story.

Good characters are essential to a good story. Dynamic, round, or protagonist characters are a lot more interesting to read about than flat, static, or protagonist characters. If the main characters is relatable to yourself, or if you feel for them, it can get the reader more involved in the story. Characters also need to be believable. The characters in the three short stories were all different, but were all enjoyable and added interest to the story, especially the signalman from The Signalman story. He was very quiet, dutiful and fearful, solitude man. The narrator in the story appeared to be very curious and practical minded. The main character in The Red Room was quite sure about himself, and was also practical minded. At the end he was extremely nervous and tense. In The Adventure of the Speckled Band the main character was Sherlock Holmes, who remained calm throughout the story, even when someone came in and threatened him. He was practical minded, and was VERY intelligent.

In all three stories, old english was used. I find that is more effective than writing normally in mystery stories, even though I normally dislike reading it. All writers were very descriptive, and set the scene right from the start, except from The Signalman. The stories all had a range of sentence starters, apart from The Red Room. They were all long or medium. There was hardly any short sentences, but there were lots of different sentence starters.

Overall, I believe that there are many things that make a good mystery story. You need an appropriate setting, good characters, a decent plot, suspense, tension, and good language and description.

One of my reading tasks

Learning Intention

To compare  and contrast some of the elements in two short stories

‘The Signalman By Charles Dickens

Lamb to the Slaughter By Roald Dahl

SETTING

The Signalman story is set in England, by a railway that goes into a tunnel. I believe it be around the 1860’s. Lamb to the Slaughter is not set around that time, because the speech mannerism is different, and the objects and everything included in the story seem modern. It was set in a town or village, because in one part of the story she walks down the corner to buy some groceries, which you can’t do in the country.

CHARACTERS

The main character in The Signalman is the narrator, who tells us the story from first person. The other main character is the Signalman. The Signalman seems to be very scared, and lonely. He is very vigilant and good at his work. The narrator is curious, intelligent and is very practical. I think this because whenever the Signalman says something supernatural, the narrator always thinks of a practical explanation for it. I think this also may also mean he is a doctor. In Lamb to the Slaughter, the main character is Mary Maloney, the wife. Mary is a round character. She changes after Mr Maloney talks to her, saying that he is moving, or cheating on her I believe. Mary goes on autopilot and seems to be in daze. She decides to cover up her crime because she feared for her unborn child. Mr Maloney seemed to be very solemn, and he didn’t seem to love his wife as much as Mary loved him. He might have been a little detached that night though because of what he had decided to tell his wife. There isn’t much description or information about him. I found that the characters in both stories were completely different.

OPENING

The openings in both stories were different. In Lamb to the slaughter the mood starts of being peaceful and calm and you don’t expect anything bad to happen. An example of why I think this is: The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight- hers and the one by the empty table chair opposite. This was the first sentence in the peace. It portrays everything being all peaceful. It starts to change when he has lots of whisky in his drink. In The Signalman the story starts off being sounding dreary when the narrator described what he saw, and what the Signalman looked like. An example is: So little sunlight ever found its way to this spot, that it had an earthy, deadly smell; and so much cold wind rushed through it, that it struck chill to me, as if I had left the natural world. I didn’t like the opening in The Signalman, because I found it hard to understand and get into. I also found the language was annoying, but it made the story better. The opening in Lamb to the Slaughter was more enjoyable, I found.

THEME

The theme of The Signalman is when the narrator (who is not described throughout the story), visits a man, who tells him he has been seeing a mysterious ghost. The narrator is told that after each sighting, a bad event followed. One day the ghost appears, trying to warn him about something. Later that day the signalman died. I think the point or what he was trying to get across was how ironic his death was, as the ghost had said the same words as what the train driver which had run him down had been trying to say. In Lamb to the slaughter the theme is about a husband and a wife (Mary). It is set their house, which is described to be lovely and homely. The husband returns from work, and tells his wife something. After he told her, she went to the freezer and got out a leg of lamb. She kills her husband with it, then sticks it in the oven. She then fakes being innocent, and fools the police, so she and her unborn child would not die. Lamb to the slaughter is also ironic, as the police are having a conversation which goes like this; “'That's the hell of a big club the guy must've used to hit poor Patrick,' one of them was saying.'The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer,' 'that's why it ought to be easy to find. 'Exactly what I say.' 'Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need.' One of them belched. 'Personally, I think it's right here on the premises.' 'Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?' They say this while eating the leg of lamb that Mary killed her husband with.

STYLE

The style that Roald Dahl uses in Lamb to the Slaughter is very descriptive, and he uses lots of adjectives. I like how he does that, because you can get a clear picture in your head of the story. It is written in third person, while The Signalman is written in first person. The Signalman isn’t as descriptive as Lamb to the Slaughter in my opinion, but Charles Dickens describes the scenery around lots, which is quite drab, dreary and dull, so I think he wanted it to sound like a very miserable place. He used quite a lot of direct speech, but it was easy to follow. He described the Signalman lots, and told us of his background and what he was like. There is nothing written physically about the narrator, but you can pick up on his personality.

SUSPENSE

There is suspense in both stories, though I found there to be more in The Signalman. This is because death followed when the ghost appeared the first two times, so you wonder what is going to happen when it appears the third time. It also keeps you wondering for longer than Lamb to the Slaughter, where there was only suspense when he had a lot more whisky in his drink than normal, and the part where he 'Sit down, 'just for a minute, sit down.' It ended once he had spoken what he wanted to say to Mary. The suspense in The Signalman ended when the narrator learnt of the Signalman's death.

PLOT

The plots of both stories are not very similar. Also, the setting and year are both completely different. The only way the characters are similar is that one of them die in each story. Another way the plots are similar is that they are both have irony in them, and something unexpected happens.

ENDING

Both stories have a twist at the end. In The Signalman, the twist is when the narrator finds out that the Signalman had died because a train had run him down, and the driver of the train had been shouting out “Below there, look out, look out!”, which is what the ghost had been saying when he had last appeared. The twist in Lamb to the Slaughter is when Mary Evans kills her husband, Mr Maloney. I didn’t expect her to be able to get away with the crime, which she did. I admire her for being so clever and smart about destroying the evidence. In both stories, I didn’t know what was going to happen in both stories, which is really great, as there is nothing worse than knowing what is going to happen at the end.

OVERALL

Overall I liked Lamb to the Slaughter the most, because it was funny, surprising and kept me interested the whole time.

Week 5

We have not done much this week. We had our second lot of HPV injection which hurt, but not as much as the first time, which is weird because the lady said they were the same!!! We had soccer practice today at lunchtime, and nearly all of my kicks result in the ball going up in the air, not along the ground like they used too. We had volleyball in the ALC, which was fun, and this year I can serve it over the net, and am good at digging it over. For science Amelia and I made green sherbet, which was really nice, but really sour!!! That lesson we also made bath fizz, which is like a bath bomb. You sprinkle the powder into the bath and it fizzes up!!! We have winter games this Friday, and I am doing socc (of course :) ). Next Tuesday we have WIMS soccer tournament, which will be in Hamilton.  am really excited about it, as I LOVE soccer. I will play defence, my normal position, but I am quite good at attack or goal so I might play those positions if there is blank spaces. For reading I did an book summary (essay really because it was really big) about the stories 'Lamb to the Slaughter'  by Charles Dickens and The Signalman' by Rohld Dahl. I also read the mystery stories 'The Red Room' and 'Adventure of the Speckled Band', which I will write a report on what makes a good mystery story. For maths I didn't learn much, but I did two tests, one about percentages, fractions and decimals, and the other on geometry which we will be starting on soon. I am reading some really good books lately, which I have got out from the library. So far I have read Exposure by Kathy Reichs, the Childs Elephant, Blood Red Road, and the Fear. They are all amazing books that I recomend you too read, though some of the are the 4th or 3rd in a series.

Week 4

Today I did a maths test, which five others in the class did also. It was really hard, and I took all of the given time, (which was an hour and a half) to do six questions. I got really frustrated them, because they were really hard!!! We have started doing soccer practices on Friday afternoons and Wednesday lunchtimes. We are also going to do soccer on Monday as well.
We made soap for mothers day on Monday, but some egghead spilled water on everyone's, so we had to redo them on Friday. It worked out better though, because Mrs Tyson cut out love hearts to put on top, they were a better colour, and they smelled REALLY good. Amelia (my best friend), Rain and I also did an experiment with blue salt water, a hot plate, two beakers and a tube. The experiment was too change the salt water into drinkable fresh water. To do that we put the salt water in the beaker, which we put on the hot-plate. We then attached the tube to the other beaker on the bench and turned the hot-plate on. How it worked was that the steam that rose went into the tube and condensated into fresh water. One of the things I really liked about it was that the fresh water wasn't blue like the salty water. On Monday we learnt about acids, bases, and neutrals. We did taste taste and smell tests on 6 different beakers filled with an unknown liquid. We had to guess what group it belonged to based on our senses.  We then confirmed our answers by getting some red and blue paper. You dip it into the liquid and it either stays the same or changes colour, which tells you what the liquid is, (acid, neutral or base). After that we got a yellow piece of paper, which, when dipped into he water changes colour to tell you what the pH level was.
 In the weekend we had a production overnight stay, which was really good. I'm still tiered four days later though!!! I spent most of my time with the band, practicing my pieces. Were actually starting to sound alright, even though all our music is REALLY hard!!! The food was nice too, and the sausages were too die for!!! The breakfast was the best I thought. We had spaghetti, toast, scrambled eggs, tinned fruit, cereal, and Milo. Everyone slept in the ALC, and the earliest anyone got to sleep was 10:30. I went to bed around midnight!! There was a movie option, big hero 6, but me and Amelia had both already watched it, so we stayed in the ALC and talked... most of the time. Ayway we are doing jump jam today, yay, and passion hour, double yay!!! So bye!!!

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Our bare feet leave emerald wounds on the grass as I race my sister across the field. The frigid air stings our skin as we run into the wind, making our bodies go red. Dew flicks up onto my  pale legs and togs. I reach our destination, the river, first as my tall willowy build allows me to go a lot faster than my younger sister.

“Come on slow poke! I yell. What’s holding you!”

I giggle hysterically as she angrily puts on a burst of speed, and slips over, falling face forward. A loud snort escapes my lips, and I double over as I hear her frustrated cries. After a while I straighten up and wipe tears from my face. Still smiling I walk towards the river. Arriving at the edge, I start to have doubts about having a swim this early. ‘I can’t back down now though,’ I decide, it was me who came up with idea

Dipping my foot into the water, I gasp. It’s freezing. Squaring my shoulders, I take a deep breath. I stare at the water, my emerald eyes set in a determined gaze. I dive. The cold hits me hard, snatching my breath away. My body goes numb instantly. I quickly swim back up to the surface. Gasping for breath, I shake my head, my long auburn hair flicking water everywhere. Suddenly, I see my sister standing on the bank, looking like she is unsure if she wants to hop in. A mischievous glint appears in my eyes.

“Come on, hop in, it’s not cold at all! I say, while straining to stop my teeth from chattering.

“I don’t think I will,” she says, “it looks awfully cold.”

“Does it?” I reply, “That’s weird because it’s actually very warm!”

“Okay then, I will hop in.”

I quickly suppress a smile, and am careful to keep my face straight.

I watch vividly as she looks at the water, then runs and jumps.

As soon as her feet leave the ground I squeal with laughter. I watch as she hit the water with a mighty splash, and comes up spluttering, a look of shock on her face.

“I am going to kill you,” she manages to stutter, paddling towards me. I just laugh harder, and swim to the bank. I hop out, and sprint home, giggling the whole way.

MY MEMOIR

Christchurch Earthquake

I toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. I feel uneasy, but I can’t understand why. I shake my head, close my eyes, and try to push the feeling away.

My eyes snap open, widening in fear as the bed starts to jump and buck about like a bull at a rodeo. I scream out. “Mum!!!” Tears start to flow down my face. What’s going on? I think. Why is this happening to me? I hear books falling from my bookshelf, and Monty meowing and hissing. I start to panic, fear overriding my senses. My mind shuts down and the only thing I can think of is finding Mum.

Throwing off my blankets, I stumble to the door, shivering in the night air. I can’t see anything. I grope around for the light switch and flick it on. Nothing happens. I try again and again, frantically willing it to turn on. The room stays dark. Why is this happening? Is this a dream? What is this? I walk out into the corridor, and see a dark shape coming towards me.

“Are you alright!?” Mum asks anxiously, pulling me into her arms. I give a small nod. “We’re going to be alright” she says soothingly.

“What's happening?” I ask, my voice wavering.

“It’s an earthquake, come on, let’s go into my bed”.

I manage a small smile.

We stumble clumsily across the floor, and clamber into her big bed, where we wait for the ground to stop shaking and the rumbling noise to subside. I listen to the groaning of the house, the smashing sound of fallen plates, and car alarms going off. I cuddle into mum, and as the earthquake stops, I fall asleep, shaken but glad to be alive.

NEW SHINE WALL!!!

First Week of Term Two

This week hasn't been that busy, in the academic area, but it has been very busy sporting and after school wise. We were in the soft ball semi finals against rm 13, and we unfortunately lost by 2 points. It was a close game though, and I did really good hits throughout the game. Even though we lost the chance to play off for 1st or 2nd place we still got to play for 3rd place. I wasn't in the team, because all the people who were normally/ALWAYS played got chosen!!! :(  We had a talk in science about atoms and molecules. I learnt how to draw them, and what they are made of (electrons, neutrons and protons). Next session on Friday we will be making slime!!! YAY!!! I have music camp next week, which is where other schools come down here, and we learn a bunch of songs to perform the parents at a concert two days later. I'm really excited, because I have learnt a lot more about the saxophone and can play it two times better now. We also have pubertal change, which I am definitely not as excited about!!! We had WIMS soccer trials on Tuesday. I forgot my boots so I had too run home and get them!!! It was really fun, and I am good enough to get in, but it actually depends on if the teachers see you playing or not. We learn the results in a few days. I really hope I get in, because I LOVE soccer and I'm not playing soccer this year, so it would be a good chance too verse other teams. For maths I revised adding and subtracting fractions. For writing/english I wrote a memoir about the Christchurch earthquake, which  I was in

My groups PLAY at ONTV

Wellington Camp

Wellington camp was the best camp I have ever been to. It was also probably the most full-on five days I have ever experienced. The only negative comments about Wellington Camp was the early mornings, seven hour bus rides, and not having much time to explore Te Papa. My favourite activity we did was snorkeling.

DAY ONE - MONDAY
Today we went to Zealandia (an Eco restoration project), Te Papa museum, National Library WW1 Exhibit, and H2OXtreme.
At Zealandia we had a guided tour and got to see some of NZ most rarest birds, insects, and reptiles living in their natural environments. Some of the amazing animals we saw included Hihi, Tuatara, Saddleback, Kaka, and Takahe.
At Te Papa we had an hour too explore the 5 stories in our groups(my group was with Amelia, Raiha, and Megan). One of my favourite exhibits was the giant squid.
At the National Library we looked at their gallery and watched a short film.
At H2OXtreme there was three hydro slides. One was pitch black, the other was blue, and the last one went straight down. There was also a whirl and a wave pool.

DAY TWO - TUESDAY
We went to Carter Observatory, Parliament, and ONTV and Media Studio.
At Carter Observatory we had a talk about the order of planets, and learnt about Extremophiles (an organism that live in extreme environments). We the went and had a look around their exhibits. There was rocks from outer space, a gigantic telescope, a room made to look like a space craft and heaps of other cool stuff. After we had good look at everything we went into a planetarium, which is a big room with a domed roof and seats. We then watched a movie called 'going to the moon for good", and had a look at the night sky and some constellations.
At Parliament we had a talk with Babara Krulger (the MP for Taranaki King Country). We then went into the house and watched the parties debate. It was really loud some times, when everyone was asking questions. It was really strict at Parliament with security. We then went to ONTV and Media where we split into groups. My group went to ONTV first. There we put on costumes and did a play, called 'Once Upon a Crime'.

DAY THREE - WEDNESDAY
Today we went to Wellington Zoo and Island Bay Marine Centre- Snorkeling and Viewing Marine Exhibits.
Wellington zoo was really cool. Not only did we get to see many amazing animals, we got to watch a blue penguin have an x ray and see a zoo keeper feed the tigers. Some of my favourite animals I saw was a Sun Bear, the Chimps, Red Panda and the Kiwi.
At Island Bay Marine Centre we were split into two groups, I was in the second group. Group One was snorkeling first and Group two was playing on the beach. On the beach we found four weights under the sand. They were really hard to pull up! When it was our turn to go into the water the wind had picked up and it was a lot colder. We got into our wetsuits, grabbed our mask, snorkel and flippers, and went down to the beach. We were put into pairs of two, with an adult. I was with Caitlin and here mum, Sharleen. The groups were then given a boogie board which they had to stay close to at all times. We then had a quick talk about signals from the person spotting on the beach and other safety issues. We then got into the water. It was amazing, because the reef started a metre from the shore, in water below your knees. We held onto the boogie board and kicked out towards the rocks on the left. All below us was plants, coral, fish, starfish and massive paua. I even saw an eel or sea snake. The water was cold when we first went in, then I warmed up a bit. When we got to the rocks we saw a Blue Loki. A blue Loki is a big blue fish. There was lots of other fish though. The most common type was a black and yellow striped one. There was also lots of sea weed plants, housing lots of marine life. We stopping kicking and floated for a while, and watched as the creatures darted in and out of the weed. It was around then that I decided to dive down. I was nervous, as my last and first snorkeling experience was horrible, as I swallowed a huge mouthful of salty water. As I dived down though, my fears were instantly forgotten. it was amazing. After a few dives, I learnt that you didn't have to blow out while you were under, which was what I was doing. Instead all you did was hold your breath. I was able to stay under the surface for a lot longer after that. We then started to go back to the shore, as Caitlin was cold. I was freezing too, as the temperature in the water had seemed to drop heaps, but I decided to go out again once we had dropped Caitlin off. When it was time to come in, even though my fingers were blue I didn't want to leave the water, and all the beauty it held. After we had gotten everyone had gotten changed we went to see their Marine exhibits. There we were able to pick up and have a look at some marine life like Anemones, Starfish, Kina, and Sea Cucumbers. It was really cool touching and feeling all their different textures. There was also some tanks with Seahorses, Squids, Sharks, Shark eggs, and Turtles. Once we had had a good look and feel of everything, a man there feed the squid. Before he did that, he asked if anyone wanted to touch it. Amelia and I rushed forward to the front, eager. When the squid grabbed my arm, it was amazing. It had so many suckers and was really strong. it was actually really hard to pull its tentacles off! Then he feed it a life crab. It was sad, but really cool watching his hunting technique.

DAY FOUR - THURSDAY
Today we went to the Holocaust Centre, Museum of Wellington City and Sea, and ONTV Media studio again.
At the Holocaust Centre we had a talk about what happened during the holocaust and had a lady called Vera who was a child-survivor talked to us about her ordeal. We then had a look around the room and read some books/diaries about it. We then went to a room which was filled with buttons. The ladies at the centre told us that a school had collected 1.5 million buttons to represent the 1.5 million children that died. I had always known and thought that 1.5 million was a lot, but when I saw all the buttons it was heart breaking. I will never understand how any man or human could kill people, children especially, in cold blood.
At the museum we had a look at an exhibition called 'through the ages' which had one item to represent each year from 1900 to 2000. then we went up to the Wahine Disaster floor, which happened in the Wellington harbour. We did a little talk/skit about the Wahine Ferry disaster.
At Capital E we went to the Media studio and made apps. The first app we made was one with a picture of a cat and when you tap it it meows. The second one we did was a drawing app. There was six colours to choose from and if you shake the phone it rubs out your drawing. The last app we made was called Magic 8 ball. You ask a question, tap the ball and it will come up with a random answer like yes or no. I really enjoyed it and it was one of my favourite things that we did at Wellington.

book reviews

Eragon

This is a story about a teenage boy, Eragon, who lives on a farm in the small village of Carvahall. One day he finds an 'stone', in the craggy mountains of the spine. The next day the 'stone' hatches and a dragon is born. When the evil King Galbatorix finds out about Eragon and his dragon, he sends his servants, the Ra'zac, after them in an effort to capture them. Eragon and Saphira are forced to flee from their hometown, and decide to search for the Varden, a group of rebels who want to see the downfall of Galbatorix.


Tomorrow when the war began

Seven teenagers from a small Australian town decide to go camping for a week, in a place called Hell. When they return, they find their homes empty, seemingly untouched for days When the teenagers notice most of their animals are dead, they realise something horrible had happened while they were camping. It doesn't take them long to realise their country has been invaded. This book (and the rest of the series) is about them fighting back, to try and stop the war.

I read a book last night, about children of the holocaust, who survived to tell their stories. All of the true tales I read about, had so much suffering and sadness in them it almost brought me to tears. Most of them lost their entire family, or only had a mum or dad left. I found it extremely sad and depressing. How could humans to that? I bet most of the soldiers who thought killing children who were Jews was funny, or good, had kids of their own at home. How could they go home each day, smiling as they sit down to a nice meal and a beer. I hope an event like the holocaust will NEVER happen again.

Me

C lever and creative
A dventurous and brave
S porty and fit
E nergetic and bubbly
Y oung and free

Some of my favourite things to do include gymnastics, soccer, BMX, swimming, and playing with animals. My favourite foods are pineapple, watermelon, fish pie, chocolate and ambrosia. My favourite colour is turquoise. I have a brother and a sister called Coby and Greer who are twins. They are seven. My dad lives in Australia along with his side of my family. I shifted up to the Waikato three years ago, from Methven (a little ski town) after the Christchurch earthquake. I am 12 years old.

Week 6

This week I finished my sweatshirt at tech arts. It is blue and grey, with a pocket, a hood and a 7 on the back. We had production auditions, and I got into the call backs. tomorrow I will sing 'Don't go breaking my heart' in front of the rest of the 30 or so people that got called back. I'm really proud that I got call back, and I hope to get a main part (preferably without singing)! The top writers have to do a report on either Gallipoli or the Holocaust. I chose to do it on the holocaust. We had mufti day on Wednesday, and we went for a swim on Tuesday which will most likely be our last for the term. I learnt about integers during maths. I learnt that when the signs (positive or negative) are the same the answer is positive. If the signs are different the answer is negative.

Holocaust facts

*11 million people were killed during the holocaust decade
*6 million of the dead were Jews
*It was from 1933 to 1945
*Nazis killed 2/3 of the Jews living in Europe
*Nazis killed 1/3 of all the Jews in the world
*The term "Holocaust," originally from the Greek word "holokauston" which means "sacrifice by   fire,"
*There was 3 types of camps. concentration, death, and transit
*Hitler never visited a single concentration camp
*

RIP

S oft uneven ears, one up one down
I  rresistably cuddly
D reamily fluffy pom-pom tail

RIP Sid- I love you

Week 5

We haven't done much this week. We had swimming sports on Friday, but that was the only big event of the week. I came 1st in non-champ breaststroke, 3rd in doggy paddle, and 2nd in freestyle. I did softball on Wednesday at lunchtime; our team won 18-6. I wrote student lead conference, and 3 portrait poems

Week 4

This week I have learnt and done a number of things. On Monday there was swimming heats, for those who were competent swimmers, to see who would be in the championship races on Friday. We have had lots of tests, around four so far.For maths I learnt about multiples, factors, primes and prime factors. I also learn about powers. it has been self managing, meaning we can choose some of the subjects we need to work on. We have not been given any reading tasks, but have had free writing a couple of times. We have been given lots of newsletters this week, mostly camp stuff, like a itinerary list and timetable. but there was a production letter. I can't wait until auditions start, then rehearsals. I haven't decided yet if I am going to join Jazz band, but I am leaning towards doing so. We had a fire drill on Wednesday afternoon, just as I was halfway through this actually!!! We got told that passion hour is going to continue next term. I think I will continue to do it about plants, or learn about what a doctor or vet does.