A Tuesday in Wellington

On Tuesday in week 5 was the first full day in Wellington and also my favourite.  That day we went to Mount Victoria, Te Papa and the Zoo. First we drove up to Mt Vic which had an amazing view of the city. We were also able to just see the Wellington sign (we got a close up of the Wellington sign later on). After a while we went back to our vans and made our way to Te Papa. When we arrived we saw some really weird planet sculptures outside. We weren’t sure of their purpose but they were kinda cool. After everyone had arrived we split into groups. My group went into Te Taiao. This exhibit had glass jars filled with many interesting creatures and glass cases holding gigantic animals and interesting wildlife. Next we moved into the Gallipoli: Scale of war exhibit. As soon as we walked in their was a life sized statue was so lifelike. Everything from the hair to the perspiration on their foreheads to the blood on the deceased. It was very intriguing. As we went deeper into the exhibit we saw more life like statues and equipment that the Gallipoli soldiers used in the times of the war. This exhibition was most probably my favourite out of them all! After spending a good portion of the day in Te Papa we made our way to the Wellington Zoo. Our tour guide took us behind the scenes, showing us where the animals go if they get sick or hurt and where the animals food is made. After our tour we were able to explore the zoo freely. We saw orangutans, tarantulas, a bear, a red panda, cheetahs, chimpanzees and so much more! Finally, after a long time animal searching and exploring we made our way back to Te Herenga Waka (our Marae we were staying at). It had been a long day with lots of memories made and I hope we got to experience something like that again.  

Overall experience of our trip to Wellington!!

Last week the year 7&8’s had the opportunity to travel to Wellington via plane. This trip happens every 2 years for the year 7&8’s that choose to stay at Paihia School and it was organised by our principal, Mrs Lindsay. It was an amazing opportunity and we only had to pay $50! When we arrived in Wellington we made our way to Te Herenga Waka which is the Marae we stayed at for the whole week. During the week we went to some really cool places. We went to Te Papa, Wellington Zoo, going on the cable car and visiting the cable car museum, have a tour of Victoria University, Capital E and lots of other cool places. My favourite parts about Wellington was Te Papa because of the amazing life like statues in the Gallipoli exhibit, Weta workshop because of their craftsmanship on all the costumes and weapons and going to Capital E and learning how to use the different equipment to make a TV show. Also learning how to direct the location manager and floor manager so that they can cue when the actors start. I just want to say a big thank you to Mrs Lindsay for organising this trip so we can make new memories that we will remember for years to come. Also thank you for taking a week away from your family to spend with us. THANK YOU MRS LINDSAY!!

Ki o rahi Tournament

Yesterday a few year 5,6,7,8 went to a Ki O Rahi Tournament in Simpson Park, Moerewa. We played in quite unpleasant weather but we pushed on despite the cold. We played against  four teams, Taumarere, Taipa, Motatau and Moerewa. We got into the semi finals but lost to Taumarere. Even though we lost we felt really proud because, we got into the semi finals and we know that the other team have had heaps of practise. What I think we did well was working together as a team and sharing the ball. What I think my team and I could do better is listen to advice from the ref’s and our teachers on the sideline.

Ki O Rahi training

This week the two senior classes (Te Ngahere and Te Maunga) have started training for a Ki O Rahi tournament coming up for year 5,6,7,8’s next Wednesday. We have been trying to train everyday but due to bad weather we haven’t been able to get out and train much. What I find hard about Ki O Rahi is remembering the names of the positions. But what is really cool about the game is that once you know the basics it pretty easy but it requires a lot of practise. I hope we win most of our games but I also hope everyone will remember to show good sportsmanship to all the other teams. Unfortunately there are no photos of us training.

Tips on how to stay safe while on the water

Last week Whaea Tracey from swim safe came to talk to us about how to stay safe
when around the water, or on a boat this summer. First she she told us about different
types of flares. The first one was a parachute flare. This flare stays up in the air for
around about 60 minutes. The next one was called the orange cloud. As the name says,
it launches an orange cloud that hovers over the person but this flare is best used
during the day because you aren’t able to see the cloud at night. The last flare is quite
dangerous and it's called a rescue flare. This flare requires you to hold it and the flare
can get quite hot so you can get burns and it's also not waterproof. Next she talked
to us about beacons. There were two size variations but there were both called
EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). One was a large one that you put
on the boat and there is one that's a lot smaller that you can clip onto your life jacket.
She also told us some stories about people not wearing life jackets and the difference
between a life jacket and a vest.  

I learnt heaps of new things that will come in handy if I ever am in trouble during
the summer or if I get into trouble while I’m on a boat. I will use this knowledge and
tell others so that they don’t get into trouble during the summer. Here is my DLO:

Math DLO

This week Te Ngahere has been working hard to finish off their math DLO showing the new strategies that we have learnt. Me and a few other students have been learning how to convert fractions into decimals and then order them. This strategy was taught to us by Mr Lindsay. At the beginning when we first attended the workshop it was kinda hard because we had none or little knowledge about this strategy. Then once Mr Lindsay explained it more in depth we were all starting to get the hang of it. After that we were sent off to complete some worksheets. Now I fully understand this strategy and have I am confident that I could teach it to someone else. If you are struggling with this strategy here is my DLO which will show you the steps on how to convert fractions into decimals:

Kaikohe Cultural Festival

This week the Kapa Haka Roopu have been performing at the Kaikohe Cultural Festival. It has been an exciting experience and this is the first time in 18 years that Paihia School has been there. As soon as we got there our Kapa Haka tutors told us what was going to happen as it was different from our dress rehearsal. Once we knew what we were doing, we went into a room to wait to be called on stage. After a while we were called on stage and our Kaia called commands. We then walked on and the crowd was cheering. It was really scary but after a while we got the hang of it and we did very well. I think I did well with my facials (pukana and smiling). But I think I could work on my actions and keeping in time with my group.