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:

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.

Reusing images DLO

This week we have been learning how to reuse pictures that are labeled for personal use. I found these tips really helpful because using photos from the internet, doesn’t mean we are free to use it for personal use. You could get in big trouble if the owners of the photo saw that you were using it, for whatever purpose, and didn’t give attribution to the owner. Attributions are acknowledging the person who took the image or created the image. Some sites require you to give proper attribution/credit. Others you can use for any purpose you desire without giving attribution. Of course, if it is your own work, you don’t need to give attribution. This was a big learning curve for us and we had to get used to giving proper attributions. An attribution should have where you got the image from (the link of the website), who took the photo (if the site provides that information). My reflection on this activity is that what we have learnt is a really important topic to learn about. The knowledge that we learnt from this topic can now be applied the next time we make a presentation and need a photo. Here is my DLO:

Paihia School Cross Country

On Friday the whole school participated in our annual cross country. This event was held at the Bledisloe Domain in Haruru. It was a great day with everyone supporting one another and trying their best. Our race was a very long and hard track. It was 1.5 km long. We had to run from the field into paddocks. Then from there we had to run up this big hill. It was quite steep. I found it a bit challenging running up the hill but I felt really proud when I finished. I came 6th. I think next time I need to push myself a bit more but what I think I did well was challenging my self and setting a new goal for my next cross country. Here of some photos of the event:

Far North Science and Technology fair

On Friday Jack, Imogen and I went to the Turner Center to receive our prizes for  winning the Far North Science and Technology fair. Imogen and I won the bronze award for our board titled ‘Water Quality’ and Jack won the special award for his board which is titled ‘Sea water salt ice vs Homemade salt ice’. Imogen and I got 25 dollars each and Jack gets to be skipper for the day. I think what was really cool was that kids who were homeschooled got to have the same opportunity that public school students get. I have taken a lot of notes from the science fair and if I do it next year I know what is coming. Here are some photos  from the event:

Far North Science and Technology fair

In week 5, 14 students went to the Turner Center in Kerikeri to compete in the Far North Science and Technology Fair. I was one of the 14 people. This was our first year attending the science fair and I think it's great that we got to have this opportunity. There were a lot of boards there. We knew we would be up against tough competition. Before we were judged we went to a show that was hosted by nanogirl (Dr Michelle Dickinson). It was a super cool show. Afterwards it was time for the scariest (in my opinion) part of the science fair. The judges asked very different questions from when Danielle and Mrs Lindsay asked us questions at our science fair. . But after it was over we had morning tea and made our way back to school. If I do this next year in high school I think I should maybe rehearse what I should say and know what I should do next time. What I think I did well was getting over my fear and answering the judges questions. Here are some photos from the science fair:

Science fair

These past 3 weeks we have been busy with our science fair projects. In my group it was me and Imogen. We have been working on our presentations with the information to stick on our science board.  We had to follow a certain success criteria and had examples of boards specifically made for the science fair. One of them was even a prize winner. What I think Imogen and I did well was working together to finish our presentation and get something on our board that we completed to a high standard. What I think we could do next time we do this is to maybe start earlier. Then, if we get this opportunity again, we can finish earlier and we won’t have to stress the week our science fair is on. Here is my presentation:

Cross country

This term, Te Ngahere has been training for our Cross Country. Everyday this term, we have been doing 2 laps around our course. When we do this course we have to run over the pump track once and then we do a lap around our court and run back to the starting line. When we first started I thought I would get a really low time and keep on increasing time, not decreasing but I tried my best and I gradually got faster. My times that I got were 8.52, 6.42, 6.21 and 5.49.  I think it is important that we train for cross country because then we are prepared for the real thing. Next time I think I could have a steady pace and try not to stop at all.

Science fair

These past 3 weeks we have been busy with our science fair projects.
In my group it was me and Imogen. We have been working on our presentations
with the information to stick on our science board.  We had to follow a certain
success criteria and had examples of boards specifically made for the science fair.
One of them was even a prize winner. What I think Imogen and I did well was working
together to finish our presentation and get something on our board that we completed
to a high standard. What I think we could do next time we do this is to maybe start
earlier. Then, if we get this opportunity again, we can finish earlier and we won’t have
to stress the week our science fair is on. Here is my presentation: 

DISCO!!!!!

Yesterday the whole school had a disco. This disco was organised by the PTA. The junior’s had their disco first. After the junior’s we had ours. When I arrived I saw that all my friends were there including some people who used to come to Paihia School. When I went inside the disco mostly everyone was wearing  glow in the dark paint. It looked really cool and glowed really well under the blacklight. I had lots of fun with my friends and it was a really cool night! Thank you PTA!!

Scientific method

This week in Te Ngahere we have been learning about the scientific method. The scientific method is a procedure in which a problem is identified, data or information is gathered, a hypothesis/guess is formulated from your research and your guess/hypothesis is tested. I think our group got a bit confused about what to do but we got the hang of it. I think it will help us in the future when we have our science fair.

Kawakawa Cultural Festival

Last week on Friday, the Kapahaka Roopu performed at the Kawakawa Schools Cultural Festival. We watched other groups perform and played some games. Some people were selected to do a dance challenge. Vanya and Jade (2 people in our Kapahaka group) were 2 out of 4 contestants. The 4 contestants had to do a dance for 10 seconds. Most of them did funny dances like either Fortnite or Tik Tok dances. Then at the end, all of the participants got an ice block. After a while, we went outside to get ready for our performance. I was really nervous to perform because my nana and grandad were in the crowd. The different transitions and facial expressions probably  made it look cool. Everyone cheered after our performances and we all felt proud. After our performance I felt really happy and proud and my nana and grandad were proud of me too.

Kapahaka Roopu training

The Kapahaka Roopu have been practicing hard to perform at the cultural festival which is being held at Kawakawa Primary. This event is this Friday. I am very excited to go to this event since it’s my first time. We have been rehearsing every morning tea and lunch for these last 2 weeks. I really need to work on smiling on happy songs, holding my pukana and my action until we are given the next instruction by our leader.

Kupe DLO

In Te Ngahere we have been learning about how explorers (Kupe, Nukutawhiti, James Cook and Abel Tasman) journeyed to Aotearoa and the significance of their journeys. My group have started a DLO (Digital learning object) about Kupe. We had to include the following questions: How they got here, why they came to New Zealand, what footprint/impact did they leave behind, interesting facts and anything else you want find out about. I think we did well on researching and finding out facts to finish a draft. What we could do better is to talk more and collaborate better.

The Great Marble Challenge

In Te Ngahere we have been doing a activity called STEAM (an abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). Our task is to create a ramp (made with classroom objects) for a marble to roll down. It might seem easy but the challenge is for the marble to stop at exactly 110 cm (1.1m) and we aren’t able to put anything in front of the 110 mark to stop the marble. We were able to select our groups for this project. My partner was Anyah. This activity is super fun!  I think we did well working together and communicating but what we need to work on is not changing variables (a variable is when a modification is made, which changes your result/outcome) all the time.

Day 4 of week 2 (I also missed out on this one):

Activity 1: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Arguably, one of the most dramatic and spectacular (beautiful) places to visit in New Zealand is Milford Sound. It has been referred to as the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’ It is a beautiful fiord (steep valley) that was formed when big pieces of ice (glaciers) melted. The melted glaciers created a beautiful river that is surrounded by dramatic cliffs and snow-capped mountains. People who visit Milford Sound are able to take a boat cruise through the middle of the fiord, walk around the area on the Milford Track or fly above the fiord as part of a private helicopter tour.

Let’s imagine that you had the chance to visit Milford Sound by boat, foot (walking) or air (helicopter). Which option would you prefer?

On your blog tell us which of the three options you would take to explore Milford Sound. Be sure to tell us why you have chosen this option.

By boat because you might see dolphins during the journey (and I love dolphins), I love travelling by water, birds in the forest when the boat stops and you get to go close up looks at islands and mountains.