2015 Reflection

What a year! 2015 was one of the best years during my time in the lovely Point England School. I enjoyed every single part of this year and surely will miss it. The teachers were so good to us students. Mrs Tele’a would always tell us that we are family, and this year, every time I came to school, I would always feel like I was at home. Yes, 2015 was like a ride on a roller coaster. There were good times that go up but as well as the bad times that goes down.  All in all, it was a lot of fun !

I have learnt a lot from the teachers. We did not only learn about our work, but also how to be the best we can be and ‘SWALL’.  SWALL is the acronym of ‘Show What Awesome Looks Like’. Every time something goes wrong the teachers just say those easy words to us, to remind us of who we are and where we are from. We’ve continuously said this phrase ever since the year 8 leadership camp.

Looking back from the beginning of the year. I actually was not excited to come to school. But now, everyday, I would always wake up to another beautiful day at school. Every morning we have assembly in our senior block also known as ‘The Street’. This is where we do our mihi/himene and karakia to prepare for our day.

For this whole entire year I’d say that my highlights was everything. But, if I had to chose about 3 highlights, I would probably chose our year 8 leadership camp, going to Polyfest, and my favourite, when the year 7 left to Rainbows End and it was only the year 8s at school.

Why are those your highlights you may ask? Well year 8 camp was an amazing camp. We had learnt a lot of things about, well obviously, leadership and more. All year 8s had the chance to start connecting with each other and that was quite cool.

Polyfest was another highlight of mine because we (year 7&8 2015) were the first ever Point Englanders to go to Polyfest for a trip. We were chosen out of 20 schools to come and watch. I enjoyed watching many of their speeches and getting to go around the many workshops as well as shops. That was very exciting.

Lastly, and my most favourite highlight. I enjoyed that day when the yr 7s left because I just wanted to spend more time with the whole year 8 before we head off to college. Not many of us are going to the same school. Our year 8s are heading to schools such as, Tamaki College, Selwyn College, Auckland Girls Grammar and other more amazing schools.

The last day of school just keeps coming closer and closer and I keep on getting sad. My time here at Point England school has been such an amazing experience . The teachers here are so great and the students are all very intelligent. I just want to thank all the teachers that have taught me throughout my journey here at this lovely school. Thank you for teaching me how to do everything that I am able now to do. I am going to cherish and keep every single memory I have had here. I LOVE POINT ENGLAND !!!!

Extension Highlights

"Last year for extension" I sighed. Yr 7 and 8 Extension 2015 was a fun journey. I had a lot of fun learning new things every term. But I have to be honest, it was quite difficult. I have many highlights for the extension this year. But I have to main ones.

My first highlight was attending a session at the 'Te Oro' centre. It was very exciting going into a studio to record a song that we wrote our selves. That was actually my first time entering a one. Marcus and David taught us how to create some beats, using Garageband. We listened to some songs such as, Bruno Mars ‘Treasure’ and hearing the many beats in the music. Marcus brought out a whiteboard, so he could show us how we create a song.

My second highlight was working on our 'Bioengeneering' project. It was fun because Josephine and I had learnt a lot from it. First I had no clue what 'Bioengeneering' was, but then ever since we had worked on it, I have many facts and informations of what it is. Josephine and I had worked so hard to getting this presentation done that we thought we did very well.

Year 7 and 8 extension 2015 has been amazingly fun. I have learnt a lot from being in extension. I surely am going to miss having to go there every Monday and preparing to work on a new project. From what I learn this year I hope I take it and remember it for my journey in college. I just want to thank Mrs Lagitupu for being a lovely extension teacher as well as Mrs Tele'a who was also one too.

YEAR 7 AND 8 EXTENSION!!!!

Inuit People

Have you ever heard about the Inuit people ? Well Inuit people live in icy cold habitats. They hunt for food, make their own clothes and more. Men hunt for their families to provide them food. The Inuits people are in danger because the ice are melting, so they'll have to be very careful.

Writing Test

Avondale School were our first opposition team to play. We all walked on the court nervously getting ready for the game. If you didn’t know, our girls and boys volleyball team went to the Auckland Champions in Henderson. We made it in because we came first in our eastern zone competition.

I was really scared. All teams looked amazingly talented. Our girls team walked on the court and into our positions. The whistle blew and the ball had been served. We all started hitting, settling and getting the ball over the net. “Come on girls!” shouted Timmy (coach). Our team was doing really well. But we were winning by not that much.

It was my turn to serve. I had the ball in my hands and was ready to hit it over the net. The ball was slippery because my palms were sweating real hard. “Breeeb!” As soon as the whistle blew, the ball left my hand and it flew into the air. “Nice serve Jordenne” said Timmy. The ball kept on going back and forth, and back and forth, until the siren blew.

Both teams ran up to the scorekeeper to see who had won. “The score was 24 - 27 to…” We all crossed our fingers hoping that we would win. “Point England!” Our whole team jumped up and down filled with joy and victory as we walked off the court. “Phew!” I wiped the sweat off my forehead and said. “First game done and dusted”.

Maths Work

This week we have been learning about Algebra. On this presentation there will only be one slide that you will see me answer the question. Most of these slides are only examples and sites to how we can work out the answers.
Enjoy:)

Bioengineering Superhuman Movie

Jordennes and Josephines Superhuman from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Here is a movie as part of our project for bioengineering.
Jordennes and Josephines Superhuman from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Manaikalani Film Festival

The Manaiakalani Film Festival was held at the Hoyts Cinemas on Wednesday 11th of Novemeber.. This was the time of year I was excited about, because I love seeing movies from other schools, because of the talent they have with recording movies. I pushed my way through the line, trying to look for my partner Katalinah. We finally have arrived in the cinemas.

Listening and silence were our first priority during the films. We didn’t get to watch many movies, because we were in the same session with Ruapotoka. So we only had the chance to watch theirs and our movies. This year it was Ruapotoka Schools first time making films for the Manaiakalani. Even though this was their first time, they’re movies were still cool.

All films were fantastic and really enjoyable to watch ! But, my favourite film was “Antboy” by room 9 and 10 from our school Pt England. Have you ever wiped out, killed or had stood on an ant ? Don’t you think maybe they have feelings too ?. Their movie was created based on a trailer for a film that would never be seen. Their camera shots were so good it actually looked like a real trailer for a movie.

It was about ants getting squashed by kids at school. But then one day, as Noah slipped on his shoes, he suddenly shrunk and had turn into an ant. The camera shots were amazing. They made it as if the camera was Noah’s eyes. Since he was an ant, there were antennas hanging from the top of the camera. Wasn’t that such a smart idea ? Well I thought that was very smart.

At the end of the day I enjoyed every movie. But it was sad, because this year was the last Manaiakalani Film Festival for most of year 8s before we head to college.

Bok Choy

Last week for reading, we read the journal 'Bok Choy'. I really enjoyed working on this. On this presentation we had to read the statements and come up with a reason why you agree or disagree. For the last slide I will be posting up another post for that slide. Enjoy:)

Yanomami

For the past few weeks, for inquiry, we had been learning about Yanomami people. My partner Ana and I have been working together trying to finish this off. It was really interesting learning about other kind of people, and how they live. I hope you can learn more about Yanomami people.

Bioengeneering

This term , the extension group have been focusing on Bioengineering as part of our school topic 'Survivors'. We have learnt a whole lot from it and even had some discussions about the ethical and untethical uses of Bioengineering. Here is a presentation about Bioengineering followed by a movie at the end to guide you on what we have been doing and learning as part of this task,

Coyote and Turtle

The journal we read was 'Coyote and Turtle'. It was about a turtle who was forced to sing and teach the song to the coyote. But, it wasn't a song, it was the poor turtle crying loudly. Here are some questions Miss Clark gave to us.

Maths Work

This presentation was given to us by Miss Misela on Week 5. I didn't really have time to finish it off and now I have. I have learnt a lot from this presentation. Having to use a formula to solve the problems was very challenging and fun at the same time. I hope you can learn too !

Term 4 Animation

This term we were given a task to create our own animal/insect with your imagination and then put it in a movie. I have created a insect called a 'Bag Bug' also known as 'B-Bug'. It lives in your school bag and will eat your lunch. Doesn't that just sound like an ordinary bug ? Well it isn't. Every time someone opens their bag, the 'B-Bug' will straight away camouflage and will go back into its hiding place so it does not get caught. Stop reading and start watching ! Enjoy :)!

Preparation Talk

Preparation Talk

Straight after the morning tea bell rang, all yr 8s arrived in the street and sat down. Andrew Patterson came to lecture us students about college. He advised us to ‘Pace Ourselves’ while we are there. “College is not a Marathon” he said.

In College there are way more different options to contribute in. There are, social studies, science (biology, physics and chemistry), languages and more. “Time Management” Andrew Peterson informed us to take care of our time, because it is so precious it cannot go backwards, it can only go forward. So that means we have to manage our time because we cannot finish everything in such a small amount.

Afterwards he showed us a video, and in that video it had ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’. Of course we had no idea what they were. So, we had to try and and remember them as we watch through. There was ‘Be Proactive’, ‘Begin with end in mind’, ‘Put first things First’, ‘Think Win-win’, ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood’, ‘Synergize’ and ‘Sharpen the Saw’. These habits were all helpful for us in the future.

Lastly Andrew Patterson begun showing us a another video of a boy name Iavana Seualas speech. It was about ‘How to be the best we can be’. Iavana started speaking when he was young. Now he is yr 10, and he gets paid $1,500 every time he does a speech. Isn’t that amazing ! He has inspired not only me but many other student to ‘Be the Best We Can Be!!’

A Trip To Nikau Cave

'A Trip To Nikau Cave' is what we have been reading this week. It is quite similar to 'The Secret Underground', but it is not only about cave weta. It is about more cave dwellers, such as glow worms. What I found interesting while working on this presentation were the 'Stalactites', 'Stalagmites' and a 'Column'. If you want to know what those are. Here is the presentation where you can find out ^. Enjoy:)

The day when my brother went missing

I was overwhelmed with fear when hearing that my little brother was missing around the park. About two to three years ago, on a bright day on Saturday, I remember having a good time at a massive playground for a picnic, far away from home. I was having a lot fun spending time with my family. Laughter were around, and smiles on each and everyone faces.

We were all having a time that we would never forget, until we had realised, that my brother Ryan, was missing. We searched everywhere trying to look for him, but we couldn’t. It was really difficult for us to locate where he was. The park that we were at was huge, and there were a lot of kids running around. So, we were all very concerned. The only thing that was going through my mind was, if he was hurt, and, if we were ever going to find him.

Looking through the bushes, I nearly gave up from the exhaustion I had in me. Instead I didn’t because he was my little brother. So we all kept looking and it took us about 1 hour. My aunty called us to go back to where our things were, while my uncle was still searching. We sat there on the green grass looking around worried. I was eating really slowly because I was focused on trying to find my brother.

Suddenly cutting the silence, shouted my aunty “Yay!”. We all looked around and saw my younger brother on top of my uncle's shoulders. My brother wiped his tears and smiled. “Where was he?” We all asked suspiciously. “He was at the car park looking for us. Checking every inside of car through the windows”. My uncle answered. I was so happy that my brother was back, so I ran up to him and tightly hugged him like I was never going to let go. So, after that tragic. We all went back to being normal and started to play like nothing happened.

History of Superman

Todays inquiry we have been learning about Superman. We watched a video to find out information about him. Our class especially looked at how he adapted from being a normal to a superhero. Here are the questions that was given to us.

History of Superman... 

• man of steel...red underwear or blue underwear? Why did it change? When man of steal first started he had red underwear. But then DC wanted to change it to blue because they thought it would be better.
• Krypton - what is it? Krypton is where Superman was from.
• Why was it important to Superman? Because the Queen and King of Krypton sent superman to earth right after the plant exploded. So to honor his birth parents he created a statue of them holding the globe.
• What part did Superman's parents have in his survival? They sent him to earth with a homemade spaceship.
• Original powers? Did he fly in the beginning? He was not able to fly in the beginning. His original powers were that he could only jump 1/8 of a mile, and run fast enough to pass the express train. Superman was not as strong as he is now.
• What changed in term of his super powers? He became from not being able to fly from flying. Superman has more strength.
• Daily planet - his workplace...how does he adapt between his human workplace and being a superhero? In his normal life he acts natural, looks natural and talks like a normal person.

The Secret Underground

This presentation is the about the differences between cave wetas and other wetas. Reading this article about wetas made me learm much more. I am really surprised that wetas are ancient. Did you know that wetas were here when dinasours were still walking on earth? I really enjoyed working on this. At the end of this presentation you will see my own insect. It is called a Bag Bug also known as B - Bug.  Enjoy

Immersion Assembly

‘Survivor’ is the topic for our school this term. As always on the first day back we have an Immersion Assembly in the morning. Mr Burt was dressed as a parrot that has been extinct. There was one word that he said many times while speaking. It was Adaption. Most animals had been extinct because they have not been adapting. Adapting is where you have to change overtime.

For an example, if an animal had moved somewhere else to live. To stay there they have to adapt or to get use to the place. But if I was to refer as for a human to adapt, an example for that would be they will have to be wearing warm clothes if it was a cold day. So they are adapting meaning changing into suitable clothes for a freezing weather.

Team 1 started off the assembly. “For this term we will be learning about zoo keepers” said Miss George excitedly. “We will be attending a session at the zoo”. All the kids cheered and were very happy. For their skit they had people up on the stage to do a karaoke. Marika had won the karaoke competition and was invited to go with team 1 to the trip at the zoo.

Next up was team 2 and 3, they will be learning about dinosaurs. But they will be doing different things. Team 2 will be exploring and researching more about dinosaurs. What they ate? How did they become extinct? And many types of other dinosaurs. (e.g Tyrannosaurus, argentinosaurus). Team 3 though will be creating and designing their own dinosaurs.

Team 4. Last term the teachers made a movie asking the kids where they were. They were in the green screen, but the teachers were pretending to be in the safari and travelling to many habitats around the world. None of the kids knew what was happening or what this terms topic will be, so they showed the result of what the kids answers were, and it was hilarious! This term team 4 will be learning about different kind of animals around the world.

“It’s time for Team 5!” shouted Mr Burt. As everyone cheered the teachers of team 5 walked up on the stage with a plate of noodles each, with chopsticks. Their performance was about ‘Survivor’ the TV Programme. Mr Wiseman was the host, and the other five were contestants. Their challenge was to eat the plate of noodles with the chopsticks.

“Ready, Set, Go” said Mr Wiseman. Each teacher ate as fast as they could. Miss Peato and Miss Misela quickly sat down eating. Miss Clark was eating real fast, she was beating everyone. But Miss Ingrim and Miss Hockly ate like they didn't wanted to win. “Done!” shouted Miss Clark raising her hands up. Mr Wiseman passed the microphone to her and she said. “That was easy! Because as you know I am from Asia.” She turned around facing the chopsticks in her hair to the crowd.

She then gave the mic to Miss Hockly. “Well I actually moved to Japan. And every time I see them eat, they will always eat it with chopsticks. So, I had to adapt and try to learn how to eat with it as well. Because if I didn’t I would’ve starved”. Everyone agreed. So after they were talking to us about how people and animals should adapt they have ended their skit by showing us drawing. The drawings were of some super heroes. There was ‘The FLash’, ‘Superman’, ‘Thor’ and more.

That was the end of our Assembly. I really enjoyed all teams performances and movies, and I cannot wait to learn about ‘Survivor’ for our last term in Pt England!

Thinking Blocks

For the past few weeks we have been working on a new site that Mrs Tele'a showed us called 'Thinking Blocks'. Thinking Blocks is where you learn about ratios. In this presentation it will show you the proof of my work on the site, and next to that is just me working it out. This site really helped me learn about ratios, because before I knew nothing about it, but now, I know a lot more than I though I would. Enjoy:)!