My Understanding of Fractions DLO

Narrative Writing: A Monotonous Night

“Really?  Seriously? more singing”, Stanley said, having that irritated look painted across his face.

“This is so boring, why did I have to come”, I thought to myself.

Today was the first day I finally get to camp out in the woods. I feel like an older person. I feel free. But only one problem, I have a major fear of... the dark. “What if something ugly pops out”, or “What if Stanley turns into a monster”. The only thing that could possibly calm me down is my music, my instruments, but Stanley is not a fan.

We reached the perfect destination. The sun was down, and the glimmering stars were out. But it was dark. I couldn’t handle the silence, besides Stanley’s snoring. All the thoughts flash backed to my head. ‘What if something ugly pops out’, I shook myself out of it. I gazed at the stars.  I had to start singing, so I did. “Really seriously, more singing”, Stanley said suddenly, while having that irritated look painted across his face. “Yes, more singing..”, I glared at him for a moment. Stanley turned away and tucked his face into his blanket, before I could carry on with what I was saying. ‘Should I grab my ukulele’, I thought. ‘Well, Stanley needs to know how to relax’, I added. I grabbed my ukulele and strummed off. I backed away, bringing out my friends. Stanley looked angry and confused at the same time. I don’t think he knows that I have imaginary friends.

I scolded myself for wanting to turn back, and hesitantly walked towards Stanley. He took my ukulele, my face brightened up. Next thing I know, my ukulele is in flames. I bursted out with a pool full of tears. Stanley rolled his eyes and tucked himself into his blanket, while giving out the most biggest groan. I cried and cried. The ukulele was all I had. My life.

The Importance of Prayer (Prayer DLO)

I showed my understanding of Prayer in Religious Education, using Google Draw.

Activity 2 Day 7: Paralympic Games - Raising Funds

Activity 2: It is very expensive for each of the Paralympic athletes to fly from New Zealand to Rio de Janeiro to compete.  Most athletes have to fundraise in order to make the money that they need to go on the big trip. Recently, Harvey Norman announced that they will be helping to raise funds for the New Zealand Paralympic team. What could you do to help raise funds to support our amazing Paralympic athletes? On your blog, list 2 different ways in which you, your family or friends could raise money to support the athletes.

One thing I think my family or friends could participate in to help raise money is a bake sale. They could bake cakes, cupcakes, muffins etc. Another way that my family or friends could help to raise money is to hold a Garage Sale. I could sell a lot of the clothes I don't wear and the shoes that no longer fit me.

Activity 1 Day 7: Spirit in Motion - The Paralympic Games

Activity 1: At the first ever Paralympic Games in Rome, the athletes competed in eight sports. Cycling was one of them. For the cycling event, two people compete together as a team – one of the people has a disability and the other does not. Here is a picture of a para-cycling team from New Zealand:

At the moment the most famous para-cycling team in New Zealand is comprised of two female athletes – Emma Foy and Laura Thompson. Emma is blind but Laura is not. Together they work as an amazing team. Imagine that you were asked to compete in a tandem cycling event and you had to choose one person to compete with. Who would it be? On your blog, tell us who you would compete with and why. If it was me, I would choose my son, Aronui because he’s pretty fast and very funny. He would make me laugh as we biked along and would be very supportive and encouraging! I know that I could trust him to be a good teammate. Who would you choose?   

I would choose my older brother. I would choose him because he's pretty fast and he would make it a whole lot easier with his sense of humour. I would also choose him because he's really supportive towards others.

Day 6 Activity Bonus

Activity Bonus: Imagine that you are sitting in the crowd at the opening ceremonies for the Rio Olympics this August. The ceremony has just started and all of the Olympic athletes are parading around the stadium in their uniforms when all of a sudden…
In your blog, write an ending to this short story. It should be approximately 10-20 sentences long.

Everything shut down. The stadium panicked, all athletes stopped and questioned themselves. I looked down my row to see if anyone was hurt or scared. I gave myself one of those 'everything is fine' looks. 5 minutes passed, lights turned on, cameras began rolling and the crowd roared. One of the presenters apologised for what had happened, but didn't have the chance to explain how it happened. I was really curious. I was more focused on how the incident was caused, than the opening ceremony. Before I knew the ceremony was over. I was pretty surprised. "What happened, just before", I questioned a lady right beside me. She shrugged and turned away.

Activity 2 Day 6: Entertaining the Crowd

Activity 2: The opening ceremonies for every Olympic Games must include formal speeches, a parade of athletes, songs and dances that showcase the culture of the host country. Follow this link to watch the highlights of opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.
In the opening ceremony for the London Olympics there were a number of famous English people including the Queen, the Spice Girls, David Bowie, U2, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Imagine that we were going to host the Olympics here in New Zealand in 2024 and you were invited to be on the committee that decides who is invited to participate in the opening ceremonies. As a member of the group you must choose one of the following people to be in the opening ceremony: Richie McCaw (rugby player), Lorde (singer), Kane Williamson (cricket player), Maria Tutaia (netball player), John Key (prime minister of New Zealand) or Shaun Johnson (league player). On your blog, tell us who you think is the best person to choose and explain why you think that they are the best choice!

I would choose Maria Tutaia. I would choose her because since Netball is not one of the Olympic sports, maybe it would be a good idea to have the best Netball player, from the best Netball Team, to be in the ceremony.

Activity 1 Day 6: Entertaining the Crowd

Activity 1: For all Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, the athletes from each country must wear a special uniform. The uniforms change each year. Look at the 3 pictures posted below. They are pictures of the uniforms that our New Zealand Olympic teams wore in 2012, 2008 and 2004. For this activity, you are asked to rank the uniforms from best (#1) to worst (#3). On your blog post your rankings and provide a brief explanation of why you ranked the uniforms in that order.

I would say this is the best uniform (#1). I say this because, its very unique and it looks like something no one would have the idea to wear or design, besides New Zealand. I also say this is the best, because the colours blend in and they have the silver fern icon attached with it. I would say it's very unique.

I would say that this uniform would come in second. I say this because they made the audience know that they were representing our country. Also, what makes it stand out is the lady dressed in Maori Patterns.

I think this wasn't the best uniform because, they look more like flight attendants more than Olympic athletes.

Day 5 Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: Jesse Owens was a black American athlete who participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He is considered to be one of the bravest and most inspirational Olympic athletes because he competed at a time when the leader of Germany (Adolf Hitler) did not want black men competing at the Olympic Games. Here is a picture of Jesse from the 1930s. Can you think of someone in your own life that inspires you? On your blog, tell us who your inspirational person is and why they inspire you.

My inspirations are my parents. I say this because, they have taught me so much about life in general. One thing, they would always say is 'What comes around, comes back around'. I think that this is an amazing saying, because in my opinion, I think it's telling me that I have so many opportunities ahead.

Activity 2 Day 5: Marjorie Gestring

Activity 2: In 1936, a 13 year old girl named Marjorie Gestring became the youngest person to ever win an Olympic gold medal. She won the gold medal in the springboard diving competition. Imagine that you were alive in 1936 and you had the chance to interview her. On your blog, post five questions that you would like to ask the Olympic champion (if you had the chance to meet her!).

If I had the chance to meet, Marjorie Gestring and I had the chance to interview her, I would ask her:
Q1: When did you realise that Springboard Diving was your passion?
Q2: Having to be told that you were going to the Olympics, as the youngest Athlete. What was going through your head that time?
Q3: How old were you when you first tried out Springboard Diving?
Q4: What was going through your mind, when you received the Gold Medal?
Q5: What was the biggest risk you've taken while doing Springboard Diving?

 

Activity 1 Day 5: Eddie the Eagle

Activity 1: Some Olympic athletes become famous not because they win but because they have an amazing attitude and great determination. They are sometimes called ‘underdogs.’ One of the most famous ‘underdogs’ in Olympic history was a man named Michael Edwards. He was a ski jumper from England who competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada. Although he came last in the event, he never gave up. Recently, a movie has been made about his life. It is called “Eddie the Eagle.”  For this activity, watch the trailer for Eddie the Eagle and then post a summary of the movie on your blog. What is the movie about?

Basically, from watching the trailer, the movie is based on a man named 'Michael Edwards', also known as 'Eddie the Eagle' or 'Eddie Edwards'. His dream was to always compete in the Olympics, but so many people would put him down, saying that he would never get there. One day he decides that if he cannot compete in the Summer Olympics, he would compete in the Winter Olympics. Where he would compete in Skiing. A character in the movie then comes along and helps him, with competing.The day of the competition comes.

(The trailer stopped where he was just about to jump off)

Day 4 Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: The New Zealand Olympic Team has created a video called #Be The Inspiration. They have posted it on the homepage of their website (on the left hand side). Watch the Be the Inspiration video and then post a critique of the video on your blog. In your critique tell us what you liked about the video and what you didn’t like. It is very common for movie reviewers to use stars to indicate how much they liked a movie. A rating of * = very bad movie, ** = bad movie, *** = okay movie, **** = good movie, and ***** = very good movie. At the end of your critique, please provide a rating for the Be The Inspiration movie.

In my opinion, I thought this video was a very good video (*****). The main thing I enjoyed about the 'Be the Inspiration' video was, how the narrator was saying that we should be the reason why the athletes train harder everyday. I like this part especially because it makes me think harder about how many athletes are doing this for there country and families.

Activity 2 Day 4: Be the Inspiration

Activity 2: Let’s imagine that you were able to meet one of the following three athletes competing for New Zealand at the Rio Olympics. In your blog tell us which one of these three athletes you would choose to meet and why.


The athlete I chose to meet was, Andrea Kilday. This year, will be her first time competing in the Olympics. The sport she will be competing in is, Taekwondo. I chose to meet her because, I've always wanted to learn much more about Taekwondo, especially from someone who will be competing in the Olympics. If I was to ask her one question, related to her experience in Taekwondo, it would be: What did you do to get to where you are now?

Activity 1 Day 4: Be the Inspiration

Activity 1: New Zealand will be sending approximately 76 athletes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August to compete in the Summer Olympic Games. To learn more about these amazing athletes you can read their biographies on the New Zealand Olympic team website. Each athlete has their own page dedicated to them. For this activity, please choose one of the athletes listed on the Rio Olympic Athletes page, read about them and then write a short description of them on your blog. In the blog please include their name, their sport, and three interesting facts about them.


Name: Valerie Adams
Sport: Athletics (Shot Put)
Valerie Adams is a New Zealand shot putter. She is a four-time World Champion, three time World Indoor Champion, two time Olympic champion and three time Commonwealth champion. She was born October 6th, 1984 in Rotorua, New Zealand. She is in a family of five. Three Siblings (Including herself) and her parents.
Facts:
1. Valerie has only been beaten twice, in Shot Put.
2. She is 1.93 metres, which makes her 6 foot 3.
3. Her former spouse was, Bertrand Vili, and were together for six years.

Day 3 Activity Bonus

Activity Bonus: This year two sports are being reintroduced into the Olympic Games. They are golf and sevens rugby. Imagine that you worked for TVNZ and you were paid to travel to Rio de Janeiro to attend the Olympic Games and report on the golf and/or the rugby competitions. On your blog, write a poem that describes how you would feel about travelling to Rio. Would you be excited? Would you be scared? How would you feel?

Poem: Reporting about either sport, I would be scared. It would make it even worse, if it was aired. Golf wouldn't be as bad, but if I embarrassed myself I would be sad. For me, reporting about Sevens Rugby would be a lot more scary.

Day 3 Activity 2: Sport Specifics

Activity 2: Take a picture of yourself playing one of the 28 Olympic sports and post it to your blog along with the name of the sport and a brief description of what you are doing in the picture. As an example, I have posted a picture of my son, Aronui, posing as an archery competitor. He made his bow out of a tree branch!

In this picture shows me sitting down getting ready for the 100 metre race. Before this day, I practised a lot with my running. I ran around my block everyday making progress in my running and also practising at school. I was really happy with myself. I came second.

Day 3 Activity 1: Sport Specifics

Activity 1: Visit the website for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Click on the name of the one of the sports that is listed on the main page. If possible, choose one that you have never heard of before and read about it. After reading about the sport, post a short description of it on your blog. The post must include:
- The name of the sport
- The aim of the sport
- Two rules of the sport

Name of the sport: Judo
Aim of the sport: Competitors must try to throw their opponent onto the ground with their back on the floor, immobilise them on the ground for 20 seconds or force a submission. 
Rule 1: In Judo, about five minutes last for men and four minutes for women.
Rule 2: Kicking or punching are not permitted, if the referee thinks that one of these blows was intended, or any other that might put the physical integrity of the opponent at risk, they can penalise or disqualify the athlete. 

Day 2 Bonus Activity

Bonus Activity: It is time to get creative! For this bonus activity you are asked to design a simple logo for the next Summer Olympic Games. They will be held in Tokyo, Japan in 2020. The Olympic committee in Japan has already created four possible options for the logo (see below) but I think that you can create something even more interesting and attractive!
To create a logo I would suggest that you use the Design Mantic website. Click on the Design Mantic link. It will bring you to the homepage for the site. Enter ‘Tokyo 2020’ into the ‘Company Name’ box and select ‘Sport & Fitness’ from the drop down menu in the  ‘Industry’ box. From there you can create your own logo. When your logo is finished, copy and paste it onto your blog along with a short explanation of your design.

This is the logo I designed using Design Mantic. The star represents winners. Everyone who competes in the OIympics are all winners. The logo in the middle represents all events. Events that involve balls and events like, track and field. 

Day 2 Activity 2: New Zealand Famous Landmarks

Activity 2: Rio de Janeiro, the host of Olympic Games this year, is a huge, vibrant and dynamic city. Perhaps the most famous landmark in the city is a large statue of Jesus called ‘Christ the Redeemer’ that sits on top of a hill overlooking Rio. Here is a picture of the statue: New Zealand is also known for many famous landmarks, including the SkyTower and the Harbour Bridge. In your blog list 3 famous landmarks in New Zealand. Along with the name of each landmark provide a brief description of it. Where is the landmark located? In your opinion, why is it famous?  

Landmark 1: Fiordland National Park.

Fiordland occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand. Most visitors or tourists usually visit Fiordland to go Fishing, Hiking or to even swim in lakes. The name Fiordland comes from the word Fiord. Fiord means a long narrow inlet of sea between high cliffs.

Landmark 2: Lake Taupo.

Lake Taupo is located in the North Island of New Zealand. This landmark is famous for Parachuting and for it's beautiful Volcano. 

Landmark 3: Huka Falls

Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls located in Taupo. This landmark is famous for it's footbridge over a powerful waterfall and it's blue waters. 

Day 2 Activity 1: Tom and Vinicius - 2016 Olympics in Rio

Tom and Vinicius Episode 1:

Activity 1 Day 2: The mascots for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are Vinicius and Tom. They can be found on all of the advertisements for the Olympic Games and they have also been featured in a number of videos. Click on the link below to watch one episode of the Tom and Vinicius show. After you have finished watching the video, post a summary of the episode on your blog. What do you think is happening in the video? Please make sure to include a title that tells us which episode you are summarising!

This episode was basically about Tom and Vinicius chasing, I guess, a flying gem. Right at the end of the episode, the gems they have been chasing after leads both Tom and Vinicius to the same exact place. I think the main thing, about this episode was that Tom and Vinicius were just beginning their journey into the Olympic Games of 2016. 

Day 1 Activity 2 Bonus

Activity Bonus: During the ancient Olympic Games, men were allowed to compete in the events but women were not. In fact, women were often forbidden from even watching the games. In your opinion, is this a fair rule? Why or why not? On your blog please tell us what you think about this interesting rule.

Response: I think this rule was a really unfair rule. I say this because, mothers love seeing their children competing in a lot of things, and for this rule to exist it would've have been the hardest thing for them to see their children competing.

Day 1 Activity 2: Milo of Kroton

Day 1 Activity 2: In the ancient Olympic Games the winner of each event was called the Olympionic. Instead of a gold medal, the winner had a palm leaf placed in their hands and a crown placed on their head to show that they were the winner. Arguably one of the most famous Olympionics was a man named ‘Milo of Kroton’ (see picture below). Use Google to research ‘Milo of Kroton’ and post three interesting facts about him on your blog.

Fact 1: Milo of Kroton was a 6th-century BC wrestler from the Magna Graecian city of Kroton.

Fact 2: He won the boys' wrestling and thereafter won five men's wrestling titles between 536 and 520 BCE.

Fact 3: Milo of Kroton was born in Crotone and died in Crotone.

Term 2 Reflection Video

This is my Term 2 Reflection Video, I created using 'WeVideo'. I hope you enjoy!

Day 1: Once Upon a Time in Olympia

Activity Day 1: Let’s imagine that you were alive 2792 years ago and invited to compete in the first ever ancient Olympic Games. Which of these events: running, wrestling, boxing, pankration, horse racing and pentathlon would you compete in? Click on the name of the sport and it will take you to a site that tells you about the sport. On your blog tell us which sport you would choose and why you chose it.

Answer: If I competed in the Olympic Games, 2792 years ago, I would have competed in the event of Running. I would participate in the middle distance because, it's in between short distance and long distance. 

Day 1: Once Upon a Time in Olympia

Activity Day 1: Let’s imagine that you were alive 2792 years ago and invited to compete in the first ever ancient Olympic Games. Which of these events: running, wrestling, boxing, pankration, horse racing and pentathlon would you compete in? Click on the name of the sport and it will take you to a site that tells you about the sport. On your blog tell us which sport you would choose and why you chose it.

Answer: If I competed in the Olympic Games, 2792 years ago, I would have competed in the event of Running. I would participate in the middle distance because, it's in between short distance and long distance. 

Artwork: Matariki

In Room 7, I've been learning a lot about Matariki. In the picture above, I painted the Matariki night sky. What I mainly used was, Black and Grey Pastels. 
Fact: Matariki is one of the star clusters that are the nearest to Earth.

Recount: Happy Children's Book Week!

Today at St Pius X Catholic School we had an event called, Book week. Book week is an event we started at school, where we dress up as our favourite book character.  I was amazed to see so many characters in books come alive.

We started our book day off with a Duffy Book Assembly, with our special guest, Mrs Josephine Bartley. “Welcome, Welcome, Welcome”, we started. During the assembly each class paraded around showing the school their costumes. Alecia and I got to ask several students in each class, to give the school more information about their character. Princesses, Pirates, Nerds, Little Red Riding Hoods even Harry Potter characters. There were also, Honors Badges given to our new leaders. It was pretty exciting.

At the end of the Duffy Assembly every class exited out of the hall following our special guest. Straight after the assembly, Joshua, Alecia and I packed up everything we unpacked in the beginning of the day. I would have to say, that today was an absolute good day. I say this because, I got to show others my costume and who I was.

Recount: Year 8 Retreat!

Alecia, Richie and I were getting dropped off to the ‘St Francis Retreat Centre’, along with the rest of the year eights. When we finally arrived at our destination we hopped out and unpacked our bags from the car.

Not long after we arrived at the Retreat Centre, Joshua and his ride arrived followed by the boys and Mrs Tui. We all scampered to the veranda, waiting for the Brother Philip to invite us in. “Hello”, a man in brown approached. It was Brother Philip.

We walked into the building after taking off our soaked shoes. We were all seated in what we called the ‘Fireplace room’. Brother Philip explained the rules in the rooms, in the chapel, and in the kitchen. “Should we take them to their rooms”, Brother Philip questioned Mrs Tui, “Yes, let’s go”, Mrs Tui replied. We all followed Mrs Tui up to our rooms. “Wow, this is the longest hallway”. “How many rooms are there”, everyone questioned.

One thing I really enjoyed at the retreat was, getting to make our own ark. I really liked creating my own ark because it's something I can do outside of school.

Te Oro Experience

It was an amazing experience to finally be in Te Oro for the first time. The first thing that caught my eye were these colourful leg statues. My favourite thing that I tried out in Te Oro was the ‘Fan Art’. I say this because, not only can we do it at Te Oro, we can try it at home.

Whole School Cathedral Trip

Audience: My Parents - To inform what happened on our trip to the Cathedral.

“Wow, this is humongous”, voices exclaimed, with surprise.

Last Friday was a big day. St Pius X School had the opportunity to be part of a mass, that was being held at the St Patrick Cathedral as part of a pilgrimage journey. St Pius, arrived in Auckland City around eleven in the morning. We hopped off the bus and scampered towards the Cathedral. About 10 minutes passed, and we were getting ourselves ready to enter the Cathedral.

My eyes widened, goosebumps everywhere. I was amazed. The Cathedral was humongous. “I’ve never seen anything like this”, I whispered to Sammy over my shoulder. We all walked into the Cathedral. I gripped tightly onto my soul friend’s hand leading her in my direction making sure she wouldn’t take off. Right after we all took our seats, a man dressed in white clothing walked up onto the altar and introduced himself. “Hello St Pius, my name is Father Larry”, he announced. “It’s an honour to have you guys here”, he added.

During the mass, we got the opportunity to sing one of the songs we all practised back at school. “Bread broken wine, shared Jesus”, we all sang. Just when the service finished, a old lady with a bold purple dress walked towards our class and explained how much she adored our singing and our uniform. As soon as the lady vanished off, we filed to the top of the altar, organising ourselves into lines, getting ready for a school photo, with Father Larry. ‘1, 2, 3,’. Before heading back to school, Father Larry talked about some sculptures and parts of the Cathedral and what they meant.  We then walked out of the Cathedral blessing ourselves with Holy Water.

I think that the best part of this trip was getting the opportunity to be in a Cathedral for this first time.