My Trip To Australia (I'm Living There)

It was a sad day for me as I boarded the plane. I was going to leave NZ, all my friends and my best school in the world so far (Pt England School). My eyes took a last look as the plane finally went up and surely we were more than 100 ft off the ground. We were going to Sydney, Australia because my Dad got a job there. I switched on a movie on the TV screen in front of me. It was awesome because there were different varieties of movies to choose from like e.g The Avengers and the new releases from 2012.

We were served food. I had a chicken smothered in a tangy tomato sauce with rice and veges. As I ate the food, this reminded me of the last day with my class having  a shared lunch. "Those were the good times" I said. I didn't know what I was going to do in Australia and what school I was going to go to. We approached our destination (Sydney,Australia) and the plane landed safely and then halted.

We departed from the plane. We were waiting in a long Que of people in front of us. As my family and I looked around, we saw our luggage and quickly grabbed it and put it on one of the trolleys. My uncle was waving at us to come. Our bags were put inside his big white van. We headed to our new home where my journey would begin.

Our Own Yr7/8 Mini Olympics

As the wild weather outside continued, our first Mini Olympic activity was just around the corner. "Put your shoes neatly in a line" said Mrs Flavell. The Yr 7/8 house captains hosted a Mini Olympics for Teams 4 and 5 so that our teachers could go to the Junior classes to analyse and see what they do for literacy. We assembled in the hall so that we could see who our leaders were and which activities we would be doing first. 

In our first activity, we were split up into two groups. One group had to either decorate a shell and the other had to put icing sugar onto 2 biscuits. Our group drew the Olympic rings on one of the shells and on the other shell, we wrote London 2012. I looked over my shoulder, only to see that the other group was more creative than us. Well to be fair, our group didn't want to do anything fancy."Time" said Mrs Flavell. We had finished our first activity and moved on to the second one. 

Our second rotation was with Mr Burt (our principal). We were doing relays. Our first challenge was to hold a tennis ball with our knees and jump to the finish line and drop the ball into the bucket without stopping. It was difficult because the ball kept on coming out. Nevertheless, our group finished and came 1st. We were awarded with 3 points. Our second activity was to try and score points by throwing 3 tennis balls into a bucket. Our group was doing really well. We kept getting 3 or 2 tennis balls in. Mr Burt said "Stop". We halted in our position and our group leader escorted us back to the hall so that we could watch PENN(Pt England News Network)

At the end of our session, we watched PENN (Our News Network) We counted all of our points in total and to my surprise, our group won! It was an awesome morning block. My definite highlight was when we were doing the relays. I hope we can do this again!

Making Right Decisions In Life (Smoking Not Our Future)

If you smoke, I want you to read this. Think of this as a wake up call to stop smoking. If you don’t believe me, our classroom (rm 21) have learnt all our information from the life education caravan. Our tutor who told us about making good decisions, is the life education teacher Lynn. Below are reasons why you should always make good choices.

Making good choices in life is very important because, everyone in this world decides their future, not others. To help you make the right decisions, you should always have supportive friends. If you don’t choose your friends carefully, you could be put under peer pressure, which could lead to you to doing things that you really don’t want to d e.g smoking. If you think smoking is still a very good thing to do, below are some consequences of smoking.

When you smoke, you breathe in the chemicals and they get attached to your lungs. If your lungs get smothered in the black stuff (tar) then you are putting your life on the line. It’s a risky attempt to keep on smoking because then, you can have problems with breathing and after a while you could lose your lungs.

Other reasons why people should stop smoking, is that it can damage your outside appearance. You can look very old even though you are young. It is also possible that if you smoke you are inhaling over 500 chemicals in that one smoke. Some of those chemicals are tar, tobacco and some other ones. If you love your legs and feet, you should stop smoking because you could lose them too! How are you going to walk if you don’t have legs? Think about it.

Please if you are reading this and you smoke, make a decision whether you are going to stop smoking or not. It’s mainly up to you because you have to make your own decisions. Think about the things that affects your body. It isn’t worth to keep on going because you won’t live much longer. We only live once in this lifetime and if we damage our bodies, we can’t just walk to the 2 dollar shop to repair ourselves! So please please it is very urgent for those of you who smoke to stop and think about the things that could affect your body. Make the right choice!

Rainbows End

(I am the one in  the front, my church friend is in the middle and my brother Abraham is at the back)

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”. My ears could hear echoing noises of people screaming when the fear fall went down in a blink of an eye. My body shivered in anticipation as I was waiting in the long queue full of people, ready to go on to the thriller ride, the fear fall. I gulped as the person who was in charge of the fear fall, sent me to a seat with my friend. If you don’t know already, My Aunty, some of my church friends and Brothers came along to NZ’s Premier Theme Park, Rainbows End. The lady instructed us to put on our seatbelts. She did a last inspection to see if our belts were tight enough. My body felt the machine going up. I opened my eyes and surely we were about more than 100 ft off the ground. “ZOOOOOOOOOOM”. The fear fall went straight down. I had no oxygen when we came down. My heart was beating faster and faster, until the fear fall stopped just metres of the ground. I let out a sigh of relief as we were finally of this daunting ride.

I walked off the fear fall dizzy. My attention was caught as I saw the scorpion karts racing. “WOW” I said. I stood in the que of people. After a minute or two I was finally on one of the karts.  The person in charge said “GO”. My car went zooming down the track. I was just behind this man who was leading the pack. My car was about to overtake him until he blocked my way. I adjusted my speed to the max , so that I could beat him. We went around the curve and up the track.The  final lap was coming to an end, and I won by an inch. We parked our cars in the driveway where the karts were meant to be parked. It was a good challenge for me because it really pushed me to GO FOR GOLD!

I ran past the log flume, and the invader and set foot onto the roller coaster with my big brother. Just like the fear fall, the inspector made a last check to check whether our seatbelts were on tight. The roller coaster went slowly as we approached to the track when it curves around. “YEAH” I said in amazement. The ride went faster than I expected. My mind was thinking that we were going to fall off as we were coming closer to the loop. “Here we go! The ride looped upside down then went to the curve then again went upside down 3 times. Yet again, my head was dizzy.

I walked around Rainbows End, and I was surprised to see the Journey to the centre of the earth. Rumor has it that this ride wasn’t like any other ride. You watch a movie and then you sit down and the chair moves. The movie started and then ended at the bit where the family went through an old mine. A lady came and gave us 3D glasses and told us to walk to the chairs. Again the movie started but was viewed on a bigger screen just like the Hoyts cinemas screen at sylvia park. She told us to hold the bars. The movie played and the chairs started to rattle backwards and forwards. It was like I was in the movie. The chair kept rocking backwards unexpectedly and then moved to the sides. I couldn’t stop laughing. As my chaired kept moving, it finally halted when the movie stopped. To be honest I thought that the journey to the centre of the earth ride was going to be boring. I was wrong. 

It was 5pm in the afternoon and the premier park was closing. All of the rides I went on during my time at Rainbows End was the Roller-coaster, Invader, Log Flume, Scorpion and Family Karts, Fear Fall, Master Motion(Journey to the centre of the earth) Bumper Boats and Cars, Goldrush and the Pirate Ship. My favourite rides would have to be the fear fall and the rollercoaster. I had a great time, and hopefully if I am lucky, I can go there again!

Cross Country

“BOOM” went the clappers. My year group (The 12 year old boys) were jogging lightly down our school field. It was a sunny Friday, and our school had our annual event, the school Cross Country. Many people predicted it to be a wet and ugly Friday. But no, the sun was shining beautifully and there were no clouds in sight.

As I came around the corner of the field, I entered the muddy reserve. “Holy Moly” I said in shock. My shoes were smothered in the gooey mud. The heavy mud caused my feet to drag along the grass because it was weighing me down. My legs started to ache and then I started to lag behind the pack of 6 people who were in front of me.

I started running into the bush walk, and to my surprise, I saw a colourful wig being worn by my friend Aidan. He was a couple of metres away from me, so I decided to catch his tail. I almost reached him, but he was gone and was nowhere to be seen. The mud caused me to slip. I looked up and saw that I had only just missed a tree that could have hit my head. Although my legs were aching, I was determined to make it to the finish line. I hacked the pain and ran the final lap of the track.

The finish line wasn't too far off from where I was running. I sprinted up our school field and then I crossed the playground. I could barely breath because my throat was parched. I ran up to where I saw our school students cheering us on. As I crossed the finish line, I let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Phew, I’m glad that’s over”! I said. I had a long drink and then I washed my shoes which were covered in mud. My highlight of the race was definitely running through the bush walk, even though I slipped. I was thankful that I almost placed in the top 8 but just fell short. My goal was that I would stop only once, and I actually accomplished that. It was a long day for me, but I felt like I could do it all again!

Animators Apprentice

On Thursday last week, our Yr 7/8 had the privilege to go and experience how people use to make animations back in the 1900s. Many people think that is was made on computer. Its hard to believe but animations were made from something they call, a zeotrope. The artists from the workshop are Ali, Maka and Nils. I knew our time with them was going to be awesome!

The first activity we got into, was learning how to split the lines in a drawing. To do this, you must find the middle of 2 lines, and split it by drawing a line in the middle the exact same way the other two lines are. Ali and Maka's artistic advice played along very well for us, because they gave us soe really helpful tips for us to do this activity well. 

We had a final activity in the animators workshop. Our group had to split the lines on the jelly fish, and then number the lines. We then took the paper and Ali and Maka gave us strips of paper numbered from one to six. After we did this, we could put features in our jelly fish, to make them look cool. We were then instructed to go to Maka so that we could put our work on the zoetrope and see out work looking like an animation. It was very cool for me, because I never knew that you could actually make an animation by hand. I am really looking forward to what we will be doing next week!

Usain Bolt

“I am now a living legend” proclaimed Usain Bolt. He basks in glory, as he defended his title
two Games in a row. His arch nemesis Justin Gatlin, came short in the finals, losing to the man in Jamaican colours, Usain Bolt. Many people look at him to be seemingly invincible. A very inspirational runner he is. The crowd adores his talent as some of the world records have been broken in the running events, by the ‘Lightning Bolt’.

Some people become legends for a legendary feat. In this case, Usain Bolt is a legend for his super speed. Many describe him as the best runner, and the best there ever will be. He is compared to Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever, and he will always be the best.

In the 2012 Olympic games, Usain Bolt broke his Beijing Olympic record in the 100m sprints, and their Jamaican team broke the world record in the 400m relay. He raced in the 100m, 200m and the relay events.

The Olympic Message

Since the beginning of the Modern Olympic Games, the message has been: “The most important thing about the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part...just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle”. ( Baron Pierre De Coubertin)
                  
What the Olympic message is trying to say is, that people think that winning is the most important thing in life. In my opinion I think that the struggle is more important, because if you fail you can get back on your feet and strive forward as many times. Eventually all of your struggles in life will lead to success and triumph if you work hard to strive to succeed.

Many of the greatest athletes in the world have struggled in life and then excelled to become one of the greatest inspirations in the world. You may know Michael Jordan. He is the best basketball player who ever played the sport. He quotes in his inspirational speech “You may think that I would of made basketball look easy but my failure was my success and my pain was my motivation”. What Michael said really inspired me because when people put others down, they can advance to the next level of success because they can keep on developing on their weak areas in life.
 

I agree with the Olympic message because it is a really inspiring message. In parts of it, it that the olympics are not about winning but to take part. Athletes who strive for gold but don’t achieve their goal get really upset. It is good to aim high, but they should be proud of themselves for actually making it to the Olympic games to represent their country.

Cycling At 2012 London Olympics

As the fastest race course in olympic history began, team NZ were spotted in the bunch of cyclers getting ready to take off. The cyclers started pedaling down the track, and the turn was right around the corner. Many of the cyclers were speeding down the track, and then finally the leader of the pack was in sight. The cyclers came to the turn and ironically, the leader of the group fell off his bike! “Ohhhhhhhhhhhh” said the commentators. It was a tragedy for the cycler him because he about 20m in front of the cyclers.

The competitors raced around many of London’s phenomenal landmarks like The Mall and the buckingham palace. Colombian Rigoberto Uran was in front and just behind him was Alexander Vinokourov. Both of these riders were in front of the cyclers by 50m or so. They were both heading towards the finish line where Buckingham Palace was, and it was a thriller end. Colombian Rigoberto Uran looked to see who was behind him but then Alexander went the other way and sprinted to the finish line. It was a huge mistake from Rigoberto because he had this race for all money. Alexander crossed the finish line with excitement. He punched the air because he was filled with happy emotions.


Alexander won a gold medal for Kazakhstan and was congratulated by his teammates after the race. It was a very close race between Rigoberto and Alexander. Alexander was overwhelmed with joy because the smile on his face was as big as a straw being bent. It was a great race and I hope to see more of the cycling in the olympics this year!

Sweet Victory

1.The arena was filled with applause, as the soccer team won their game.


2.Many of the soccer players were overwhelmed with joy as the referee blew the whistle, and the game was over.

3.A lot of players from the team were stoked that they actually won.

4.Most of the team gathered together and celebrated their victory over their opponents.

5. You could see that the team were happy that they won, because of the expressions being shown on their face.

'Anaconda Choke'

1. With great difficulty the wrestler tries to lift his opponent off his back.

2. The exhausted wrestler is struggling to break out of the grapple.

3. The opponent is in perfect position to execute another grapple called the ‘Anaconda choke’.

4. With his veins popping out, it is obvious that the wrestler has been forced into a situation of having to tap out.

5. His opponent really has the grapple locked in tight, which could eventually lead to the other wrestler falling asleep.

The Focused Archer

                                                                        1. Full of concentration, the skilful archer raised his bow and arrow and aimed at his target.

2. As his heart almost stopped, his arms were as stiff as a tree trunk.

3. The archer took one last look at his target and soon after he released his arrow.

4. His eyes looked fearless as he aimed at the target in front of him.

5. With his eyes focussed at his target, he pulled back his right arm to determine how much speed and power his arrow would go.  

Olympics 2012

The video that we just saw was about the olympics. Not just about the summer Olympics but where the different events will be held in different venues in the majestic city. The Olympic games have been held in London 3 times which is the most games held in one country in history. London Park is where the sprints, relays, high jump and more events will be held. Some  other events will be held out of the city like the Triathlon, Tennis and the Marathon.

Many of the competitors will return to try and win medals for their countries like the man with lightning speed Usain Bolt. So far he holds the world record for the fastest time for the 100 and 200 metre sprints.Another great athlete is Michael Phelps. He is well known for the most medals won in a game. His talent is swimming and he will be back to show his skills at the Olympics in London and this time. Having won 8 gold medals in one game,  he hopes to make it 16 gold medals.

The reason why I really like the Olympics being held in London is because of the village. If you don’t know what that is, it is where the athletes from all around rest, train and eat. A true fact about the village, is that in the eating area, it can fit more than 500 people in it! It also has a gym
for the athletes to burn of the food they had just been eating. This building is a very large building.

My favourite athlete in this years Olympics would have to be the lighting bolt, Usain Bolt. The reason why I favour him in the racing events, is because he is going up against some of the fastest people in the world. Even though Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, earlier on this year he competed in a race to see who gets into the olympics. It was a thriller because he just won by a second or more. Despite what happened though, I reckon he will be ready to defend his title for the fastest time on both the 100m and 200m sprints.

Do You Know What An Equestrian Is?

So far in writing, we have been given a word and find out what the word means, and to draw a picture to show you know what the word means. If you don't know what an equestrian is, it is someone who trains a horse, or someone who trains a horse. I hope you like my graphic.

Brown Brother

This term in our learning, we have been learning about Brown Brother. IF you don't know yet, a prefect called Joshua Iosefa from Mt Roskill College, made a speech about himself a.k.a Brown Brother. He appeared on Campbell live and did a remake of his speech. It got famous because of his friend who actually filmed Joshua and then uploaded it on youtube.


Joshua Iosefa states a really good point in his poem. He tells Pacific Islanders to change their mindset and to achieve in life. This phrase is effective because my dad tells me that I can succeed in life and in school. If you haven't seen his clip yet, this is the url:http://www.3news.co.nz/Mt-Roskill-Grammar-prefects-inspiring-speech/tabid/367/articleID/260423/Default.aspx

My Special Place - Art Alive

(I painted this by the way)

My special place is my house. The reason why it is special is because well let’s just say I have everything I need there. I have a bedroom, a PS3, my own dvd player, food and other things.  My brothers and I wrestle in our house when we are bored. My fridge is filled with drinks and cold food that I can heat up in the microwave. I have food stored in my cupboard and a living room with an LED 3D TV. My house is full of excitement and my home is full of love shown by my parents.

Daniella Hulme is the artist whose style I am going to use in my painting. She likes to use bright bold colours. In her artwork you can see that she paints her artwork from light to dark. She also uses tropical patterns in her artwork. Blue, red  and purple are the colours that are mostly used in her paintings. Her influence in doing tropical patterns comes from her husband who is a Samoan.

Charles Frederick Goldie

The painting that you are looking at is the artwork created by a man who I have been influenced in art , Charles Frederick Goldie. it is called the ‘A Noble Northern Chief Atama Paparangi. This painting was painted back in 1912. Only using oil, he used this material to create a magnificent painting on a blank canvas. A small caption in this piece of art that grabs my attention, is the way he uses he manages to make his artwork go from light to dark. The reason why I chose this painting is because of the detail in the painting which challenges me to try and fit these details into mine.  I think Goldie was trying to fit in maori patterns because the theme of his artwork is based on a maori chief. To me , it also shows respect to the maori culture.

So far this term in extension, our teacher Mrs Tele'a has given us a task. The task is to pick a picture that has been painted by oil by Charles F. Goldie, and to reproduce the painting using hyperstudio. This was for our art exhibition being held this week at our school this week. The times will be from 9am-7pm from Tuesday til Friday.  I knew that this task was going to be challenging because this drawing had to look 3D and had to have to look spectacular. If you don't know who Charles Frederick Goldie is, here a couple of facts about him:

i.Full name: Charles Frederick Goldie

ii.DOB:20 October 1870
iii.Birthplace: Auckland, NZ
iv.Family - siblings? 8 Parents ? David Goldie, Maria Partington Home? Auckland Spouse?Olive Ethelwyn Cooper
v.4 interesting facts about the artist
1. He met a chief called ‘Ngati Mahuta’ in 1901 and painted him
2. Charles Goldie met Olive in Australia
3.He is the second oldest in his family.

We had to really analyse the picture very carefully so that we could copy the painting properly. It was hard at times for me, because the way that Goldie managed to blend the forehead with the face is so effective. I just kept going and going, and after a few weeks, I finally finished the painting using hyperstudio. To be honest, I think I will give myself a 9/10 because of the amount of effort I put in this drawing. If you look closely at the hair and the feathers, I think I did a pretty good job. The reason why I think I did, is because the colours on the hair and the green shading on the feathers look amazing. After I have seen the patterns in his artwork, it has really inspired me to go and find out why maori patterns are real special to put into a painting and why are moko's are really important to be added into a painting.

Term 2 Reflection

This term has flew by so fast. It is already half way of the year! Anyway, this term has been a great term for me. I have new goals that I want to master next term, and my number one goal, is to work hard and to get into the top 3 academic spots. In this term, I am in a rugby team. We have had 5 games and have won 4 of them and lost 1.

Our theme for this term, was Art Alive. Art Alive is all about children learning about different artists and their style. One artist that I have learned a lot about is the one and only Henri Matisse. Did you know that he is one of the world's greatest painters? Another true fact is that he didn't like painting when he was a young lad. Before he became an artist, he was a assistant lawyer.

I am also in the extension taught  by our ICT teacher, Mrs Tele'a. In my class we are taught by the lovely, Mrs Lagitupu. She helps us learn new strategies in maths, helps us improve our writing and really pushes us to do our best. Finally all I have to say is that I hope that this year, I get into the top 3 academic spots. I know I can do it!

Narrative That Will Spook You........

Once upon a time there lived a girl named Cruz and a boy named Dakota. They were young. Dakota was 10 years old with short, shaggy, auburn brown coloured hair. Cruz was 7 years old and had long hair with a blondish colour. They lived in a house that was built by their father before he died. After he was gone, the family were left with only a sparse amount of money to live on.

Unfortunately, because they only had a mother to take care of them, they were living below the poverty line. On good days their mother could get odd jobs to buy them food, but on bad days they starved.  Their mother couldn’t take it anymore because she was starving. As sly as a fox, an evil witch approached from the shadows and decided to cast an evil spell on her. The evil witch brainwashed the mother to think that her children could be food.

One day Dakota and Cruz quietly creeped into their mother‘s room and overheard her yelling out her terrible ideas. “Lets run away so she can’t kill us” Cruz whispered. “Ok lets escape fast”  Dakota replied. But their mother overheard them and threatened them. “Quickly, run! yelled Dakota. Dakota and Cruz escaped through the front door and ran through an enchanted forest. Once they looked back they saw a glimpse of their mothers wicked smile. They dashed down the footpath, and reached a gate where they would hide.Their hearts were pumping and they were flashing things in their mind of what their mother might do to them.

The mother (a.k.a. the witch), was just about to cast a spell on them, but luckily Dakota found a rock and regretfully threw it at her forehead. Their mother was knocked out cold. She laid unconscious until she finally awoke. Her memory was erased but she could only remember her children. It was a sad ending but at least their mother wouldn’t plan to eat them ever again. Or would she....................................?

A Static Image

Do you know what a static image is? For any of you who don't know what it is, it is an image that lacks movement. What I am saying is that the photo or object doesn't move. It is as still as a statue. A static image can be on anything. Like the photo above, a rugby ball, on a rugby field. and on an inflatable object like a basketball ball. The photo above is a static image because it is still. This sign indicates that people have to use the crossing and the cars have to give way to the people who are crossing. In our school one of our korero's are to 'Use The Crossing'. The effect on this photo is that it uses simple shapes and simple colours. The camera shot looks to be like a close up shot. If people don't they could end up dead. Many of you reading this post have now learnt what a static image is! Now you can fell free to tell someone else what a static image is.

My Fantastic Time At Wellington!

Last week on Thursday, my flight to Wellington was about to leave. My mum and I boarded onto the plane and awaited for the flight to take off.I was sitting on the seat 17 C. I was comfortable on the plane and finally the captain said “ Everyone please be seated , we are about to take off ,please sit down and have your seatbelt fastened”.Goosebumps were seen everywhere on my skin because I was nervous about the take off. I have been watching the plane crashes on Documentary Channel on Sky and I was thinking if the same were to happen on our flight. Praying for God’s protection, a sudden movement of the plane felt like it was going up. I was right, it was going up. The plane was at about 300 feet high. If you don’t believe me, ask the captain on our plane.

On Saturday night, my uncle’s wedding was beginning. It was being held at the old museum near Massey University in Wellington. The atmosphere was AMAZING!! The lights were awesome and the place looked fantastic. Junior (my uncle) awaited his bride to walk up the aisle with her dad. His bride soon to be his wife is called Leta. The couple were looking flash and magnificent when they were together at last. Our church pastor from Wellington was the minister for the wedding. I am a Christian and I was pleased to see our pastor do a great job in ministering the marriage. after about 15 minutes he said” You may now kiss the bride”. The couple were now called husband and wife. The museum was filled with applauding hands as the couple walked up the stairs to sign something.

The rest of us headed to the next floor to eat. We were asked to sit at different tables. I was on the VIP table (I was lucky). My mum was the MC (Master of Ceremony).  Our table was the first to go and get some food. I licked my lips when I was staring at the food. There were a different variety of food e.g BBQ Lamb and chicken, sweet and sour, KFC chicken and chips, chicken curry, chop-suey and more! I ate and couldn’t believe that I was full with just 2 BBQ chopped up lambs, sweet and sour and taro. I wanted to eat more but I couldn’t, i was too full.

Next up was desert. While we had it, we were entertained by people with items. My cousin Siaosi and his best friend Simi were amazing dancers (Well they go to Acel school in Auckland city which is a christian dance school). Their dance really related to what the event was. It was funny,cool and don’t miss out AWESOME! I really enjoyed their item. Next up was my uncle Junior who just got married and his brother with some of my other cousins. They were dancing to the song Azonto. Yet again, this item pulled off. It was just hilarious! We kept laughing and laughing. Soon after, the wedding came to end. We closed the event with a prayer.

I had an awesome time at Wellington. My flight flew back to Auckland after 2 days, and I wish time could go back to the wedding. It was amazing! To be honest my definite highlight was eating and maybe the entertainment. If you were there you would agree with me because I reckon that the night went smooth and fantastic. That is a night I remember and cherish for the rest of my life!

AFL

Plan

Para 1- 5 W’s how to kick
Para 2- How to pass
Para 3- A game
Para 4- Conclusion


On Thursday last week, we were learning the skills of becoming a skilled AFL player. Our Tutor was Sam. One of the key things to remember when you are attempting a kick, is to always keep ‘Laces away from faces’.  That’s one of the most reasons why AFL players do not have impact on their kick. I was so excited to learn about this game (for the second time) because I have seen AFL games and my favourite player is Israel Folau. Israel Folau is a former NRL back in the Brisbane Broncos.

Next we learnt strategies of passing the ball. This pass in AFL is called a handball. To learn how to do this type of pass, you have to flatten your hand like a plate and place the ball on. You then make a fist like an ice-cream being squashed in your hand. If you want to hit the ball accurately, you have to focus on hitting the cross on the tip of the ball at the end. My first hit was a success but the second time it was an epic fail. I sighed then said “Better luck next time”.

We then had a game to wrap up our session. The game was sort of like octopus. If you don’t know how to play octopus, the aim is to escape from your end of the court to the end without being tagged by your opponents. But there was a twist in the game. Sam (our AFL teacher. Also known as Samwhich) with our other teachers had to tag us with a ball using the skills we learnt. Heaps of people got out, especially me. I tried to step but I got caught with the ball.
I had a great time and I can’t wait until next week. The skills I have learnt have definitely improved my skills and has taken me to the next level of becoming a skilled AFL player. My highlight was playing the game at the end. I am looking forward to next week!

Pablo Picasso and Daniella Hulme

Pablo Picasso has a very unique style when he paints. His style of art is called ‘Cubism’. He likes to look at things from different perspectives and angles. That is the reason why he is famous. However, many people think that his style is very unusual. I can agree with them, but on the other hand it is very interesting at the same time. Daniella Hulme is another artist with a very unique style. For example she loves to use tropical backgrounds and patterns in her artwork. That is one of the reasons why she is famous. Having being married to a Samoan, this is where her tropical influence comes from. I think that her paintings are very appealing.

Looking at Pablo Picasso’s painting of the ‘Weeping Woman’ you can see that he uses many different styles of lines and patterns in his background. The reason why this painting is very unique is because he contrasts the colours from bright to dark. That really impacts his artwork because it shows he can use many different varieties of colours. There is a mysterious part in his painting which is whether the character in the artwork is holding a handkerchief or not. Maybe this is why the painting is called ‘The Weeping Woman’.

Daniella Hulme is very passionate about using tropical patterns in her artwork. Her influence comes from her husband because he is a Samoan. I am a Samoan and I can say that her artwork is fantastic. You can see that she also loves to use bright and bold vivid colours. She also contrasts her colours very well. The impact in her painting ‘Lazy Woman In Paradise’ is that you can see where the light is shining. What I am trying to say is that she makes the colours go from dark to light. Daniella painted a fan or what Samoans call a ‘ili’ (pronunciation ‘eeee-lee’ ). In many of Daniella’s paintings she paints the same eyes and nose.

Both of these artists are very inspirational to me. Pablo and Daniella have similarities in their paintings. For example Pablo Picasso loves to contrast his colours in his artwork. Daniella also loves to contrast her colours in her artwork from bright to dark. He likes to use different patterns. Daniella Hulme on the other hand also likes to use patterns in her paintings. However these two artists have some differences in their paintings. Daniella Hulme uses more bright colours than Pablo Picasso. Maybe that is because he was painting a woman crying and the colours are suppose to be dark because the character is sad.

Many people can agree with me when I say that Pablo Picasso has a very unique style, because this is the first time that I have ever seen anyone mix up their artwork by looking at different views and painting the different angles. Daniella Hulme on the other hand is an artist who I think is always happy. I get this idea from her paintings. She likes to use very bright colours such as e.g pink, yellow, blue and orange. These colours make me feel happy! I have been influenced by these two artists and I hope that I can take what I have learnt with me and try to create an artwork using different patterns and colours!

                                     

Henri Matisse and Vincent Van Gogh's Paintings.

Vincent Van Gogh is famous because of his style of art. Well to be fair, it was his sister-in law who made him famous. After he died, she went through the town and showcased his artwork to the people. The sad thing about Van Gogh's life was that he only sold one painting while he was alive. Henri Matisse on the other hand, didn't like painting when he was younger. He was always bored inside, so his mother gave him a box of paint and paintbrushes so that he could paint something. Before Henri Matisse became an artist, he was a lawyer.

In Vincent Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' painting, you can see that he uses more yellow than any other colour. Sunflowers are yellow and that colour is meant to make you feel like dancing. The painting doesn't make me feel like dancing because he also used a lot of brown. Some of the flowers are droopy. Some haven't fully bloomed. Maybe the artist felt sad when he painted it.  Van Gogh liked to use little brush strokes. You can easily spot his technique when you look at it. That is just the way he paints.

In Henri Matisse's paintings, he loves to use interesting backgrounds and patterns in his artwork. He also loves to use bright, bold, vivid colours. Henri Matisses artwork is fantastic. He believes that colours had healing effects on people. I think that is unusual for him to think that, but on the other hand, I respect it.

Vincent Van Gogh's sunflower painting and Henri Matisse's La Musique paintings have some similarities in their artwork. For example they have both used the colour yellow. They both have plants in the paintings. However there are more differences. If you analyse the picture closely, you can see the different techniques they use. Vincent Van Gogh uses little vertical strokes while Henri Matisse uses long brush strokes. Another difference between these two famous artists, is that Henri Matisse loves to use different patterns and lots of contrasting colours in his backgrounds. There are no contrasting colours in 'Sunflowers'.  


What I can conclude about these two very famous artists, is that they were very passionate about painting. Van Gogh for example, lived a miserable life and explained it through his artwork. His painting the ‘Sunflower’, sort of described his feelings. He used his technique to make impact on his artwork. It is a great way because it sort of tricks people in making it look bumpy.  Henri Matisse loved to paint. He believed that colours had healing power on people. I think that these two artists have been a great influence on people who want to be artists when they grow up. 

My Shaun Johnson Starmap Reflection

This week was the last bit of editing and finishing off our starmap movies in extension.This task was set by our COOL teacher, Mrs Tele'a. We had to do a project about a person we look up to and what obstacles they had to overcome ion their life. If you don't know already, I did a starmap on Shaun Johnson. He is one of the key players in the Warriors side and is a rookie halfback.

A number of kids in our group, displayed their movie while the rest of us watched and waited for our turn. To be honest, I thought that I did a pretty good job. But in order for me to say I was right, I have to get this comment from our AWESOME teacher, Mrs Tele'a. She is our extension tutor.

If we get another project, I will assure myself, I will try to do the best and to strive to succeed. Our starmap project was fantastic to me, but I want to extend my skills to prove that I don't PLAY around. Just kidding. I just want to show people that I am capable of doing a job and getting it done!

Art Alive!

Our theme for this term is ART ALIVE. As part of our learning, Team 5 have had immersion rotations. The rotations are for us to learn about different artists and their style of painting. Our first class we went to was Room 22. We studied and analysed Vincent Van Gogh’s style of art. His technique is using little brush strokes in his paintings. That is called ‘expressionism’. Our class carefully sketched a sunflower and painted it the same way as Van Gogh did. It was pretty difficult because the more I did little strokes it didn’t look anything near like his art. The reason was because I had to keep adding more paint and wait for it to dry before adding a new layer of paint.

Next we were off to Mr Barks’ class (Room 18). We were learning about Picasso. His style of art was looking at things in a different perspective (Cubism)). For example, if you drew a person looking at the front view, he would then move to the side to see a different perspective of the object he was drawing. We drew a face looking at the front and another looking at the other side. We added the little details e.g. the nose, the eyes. It’s amazing because his style is the most unusual because he thought to himself “I don’t like doing the same as the other paintings”. So he decided to change his perspective in order for him to be satisfied with his artwork.


For our next session, we went to Room 19. There we learnt and studied about Claude Monet. His style of art is called ‘Impressionism’. Impressionism painting takes more time than doing a normal painting. That is because you have to do little brush strokes instead of long strokes. A few quick facts about Claude Monet is that he was born in France in 1840 and died on the 5th of December 1926.

During our lesson, we got to choose what we wanted to paint. I decided to paint the NZ flag in the style of Monet. It took me a long time (I’ve already explained why) to paint it. I started off with painting a red cross, then colouring the background and finally after waiting for it to dry, I added the white to the cross and the stars. “That looks awesome!” I said in disbelief. Who would’ve ever thought that I could paint a great piece of art! I had a fantastic time in Room 19!
Well I am looking forward to what more our teachers have instored for us

Crusaders Ultimate Come Back!!!!

Well if you don't know already, my favourite team in the super rugby 15 competition is the Crusaders. Sofar they have made great team work in creating tries and have been contesting at the ruck too. I reckon that the Crusaders are a force to be reckoned with. The skills and composure they have been putting in their team is incredible. I mean the Crusaders team has been rehabilitated to a new team. They have been winning games after early losses to the Highlanders and the Waikato Chiefs.

Well I reckon that the Crusaders have the competition in their hands because no team I have seen has  been able to revive  themselves from an early sloppy performance. In saying this............GO THE CRUSADERS.

Eden Park, Here I Come!!!

On Friday the 13 of April, my family and I , approached the train station getting ready to go to Eden Park for the 8th round of the investic super rugby competition. To my surprise when we set foot on the train, it was crowded with people in it. " Move please" I said tying to cut through the que of people standing in the entrance. "Phew" I said relieved as I found a space where I could stand. " Next Stop Kingsland"


"Yay" I said as we finally got off the train! My legs were aching after standing up for 20 minutes and being squashed. Eden Park wasn't far away, so we walked there (Well everyone did). As we entered Eden Park, the game was about to start. The crowd roared as the Ryan Kankowski caught himself running down the sideline that started from an intercept. Luckily for the Blues, Gareth Anscombe was able to tackle him 5 metres from the line. The Blues regathered but were too late after a try was awarded. It was 5-0 and the Blues were trailing by 5. The Blues were down 15-0 but then hitback with an exceptionally well structured try and a penalty. By half-time the Blues were trailing by 5. 


Brrrrrrrr went the whistle. Straight away the Blues were the first to strike after bad  communication from the Sharks that turned into a try to the Blues. For the first time in the game, the Blues hit the lead with a 20-15 lead advantage.  But yet again the Sharks struck back again with a trick up their sleeve with a dummy pass from Ryan Kankowski. The Sharks roared back with another try (which was a knock on) and the crowd went "BOOOOOOO"! I said as well because the Sharks player knocked it on. The Blues had a penalty but were too late to win the game. 


Too many errors were made from the Blues which allowed them to slip away in this highly matched game. It was a great game and I definitely enjoyed it. Now you know what I did in the holidays. I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Warriors vs Sydney Roosters

After the Vodafone Warriors punished the Gold Coast Titans, they await for the Sydney Rooster as they take them on this week. The Warriors will be seeking their 3rd win this year after conceeding 2 early losses to Manly Sea-Eagles and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. This week the Warriors need to step up their game even though they thrashed the Titans last week. If their focus loses track, they could be going home empty-handed. But still the Warriors will win! In saying that......GO THE WARRIORS!

Warriors vs Sydney Roosters

After the Vodafone Warriors punished the Gold Coast Titans, they await for the Sydney Rooster as they take them on this week. The Warriors were seeking their 3rd win this year after conceeding 2 early losses to Manly Sea-Eagles and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. This week the Warriors need to step up their game even though they thrashed the Titans last week. If their focus loses track, they could be going home empty-handed. But still the Warriors will win! In saying that......GO THE WARRIORS!

Eggcellent Egg Challenge!!

On the second day of our "AWESOME" school camp, we were doing the amazing race. Mr Barks and assisted by Mrs Lagitupu were in charge of the activity. "We are now doing the egg challenge" Mr Barks said. We were given a map to search for the objects. The objective of this challenge was to search for the objects to make a fire and cook an egg.

I was with Aidan, Max, Silas and Hossanah. We collected all of the objects and then dashed down to where Mr Barks and Mrs Lagitupu were. "Light it up" I said out of breath! Our egg was cooking and we were in the lead and behind us were Tyla's group. "3,2.1....YAY! We finished first and Hossanah gulped our egg into his stomach!

It was a great challenge and it was very cool and it shows that team work really works, if we co-operate! To wrap it up I will say it was a very "EGGCELLENT EGG CHALLENGE!!!!

Camp Concert!

“YEAH”! cheered the crowd as our group set foot on the stage. It was our camp concert! Our school hall was filled with cheering and chanting as the beat came on and we started dancing. A Jump Jam song had to be included in our dance because that was one of the rules. Our group was dancing to the songs ‘Krokidil’ and ‘Hot, hot, hot’. “FOOT, FOOT, STOMP, CLAP” I said during our dance. That was the beat and tempo of our dance. “Yay” said the crowd as they applauded us off the stage. The hall was clearly full of talent as the other groups finished their items.

Many of the groups did a really good job with their dance, especially Lepa’s group (Lepa is a friend). It was time to reveal who won the competition and the hall was filled with anticipation. “In first place.......” The hall was silent.............R-RESPECT CREW! The hall filled with applause as the winners of the 2012 camp concert went to the RESPECT CREW! Some people were shocked and guttered to see them win. Others thought that they deserved it.


The 2012 camp concert was great! My definite highlight was dancing on the stage and having a great time. Our group did exceptionally well coming 5th! Well it was my last camp concert because next year I am heading to college. I had a blast with my crew “RESPECTABLEZ”!!!!

The Warriors Come To Panmure Pools!

Our last day at camp started with a huge day at SWIMARAMA. A big surprise came as the Vodafone Warriors entered the gates of the Panmure Pools. The big Manu Vatuvei a.k.a “THE BEAST” did a massive V Bomb into the water. Our school cheered and chanted “GO THE WARRIORS!”. Many TV reporters filmed the event and our school was surprised to see themselves on TV3 news last night.

A huge privilege awaited me as I was able (with Kayde who is a friend) to interview one of the Warriors best props, Ben Matulino. I was stoked because to get the opportunity to interview him was huge. We asked questions about the game plan the Warriors would use to defeat the Bulldogs who were topping the ladder in the NRL. The link ahead is where Kayde(a friend) and I interviewed the AWESOME Ben Matulino! :http://player.vimeo.com/video/38474047

An Experience To Remember

The inspiration I took from Ben Carson’s words were these, “it is your decision whether to work hard or not”. What he is saying here is that people give you advice and tell you what job to take and what to do. Instead of listening to them, take advice from good people and decide for yourself whether you want to push yourself to achieve or not. It’s your choice. The arena was filled with applause as Ben Carson said these words. Our school and other schools were at the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau on Tuesday.

Ben Carson told us about his life when he was young. His mother forced Ben and his brother to read two books or more every week, and to write a really good report about them. Ben Carson did not enjoy reading until he read more and more. His knowledge began to grow and not long after, he went from the bottom of the class to the top. Many admired his knowledge like his mother after his graduation. Some of the teachers were disappointed in the other kids because Ben came from a very poor background and amazingly shot up to the top of the class.

The reason why Ben Carson is famous is because he split the Siamese twins who were joined by the head. Before he split the twins, he requested that he should lay a big layer of skin on the twins head and wait for a while so they can wait for the skin to grow before separating them. The pressure was too much to bear for Ben because one mistake could kill the twins. He cautiously started to sepearate the twins. After 28 hours, the operation was complete. Everyone was proud of him especially his mother who had supported Ben Carson when he was little.

When our time at the Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre was finished, we got a free Up and Go, plus an apple to nibble on the way back. Ben Carson’s story was a huge inspiration to` me because it shows that reading can really take you a long way!

Sea-Eagles Doge A Bullet!

!WARRIORS VS THE SEA-EAGLES!
As the whistle blew for the first half, the Vodafone Warriors kicked off for the first time for 2012. Manly had possession as they ran up the guts and straight into the Warriors defence line. After a few minutes, the Warriors found themselves in a good spot to strike first, but the pass was to high and the Warriors missed a golden opportunity. After regaining momentum, the sea eagles favourite son, came back to hurt them. With David Williams scoring in the corner, it lead the Warriors trailing by four. But yet again, David Williams raced down the track and kicked the ball, which found Daly Cherry Evans under the post. The Warriors were down by 16-0 with Steve Matai, scoring again and found them leading the Warriors.

Though the scoreboards weren’t looking too good, the Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei returned to hurt them after Shaun Johnson magical feet, stepped his way through the defence took down the so called “WOLFMAN” David Williams, and passed to Manu and in just a blink of an eye the Warriors were on the score board. Shaun Johnson’s twinkle toes, put the Warriors to 10 after a outstanding footwork which lead to a try. The Warriors left the field trailing by 16-10.

With the teams coming back for their break, the manly sea-eagles struck straight away with the man they call”T-REX” Tony Williams crossed over for his first try of the year. But yet again, the Warriors player”Lewis Brown” was off and Matt Ballin went a little far by holding him too long and then found the Warriors under the post through the so called “BEAST” Manu Vatuvei after Shaun Johnson’s Benji Marshall long pass. The Warriors found themselves only trailing by 20-22 after 69 minutes had gone. But yet again errors ran through the Warriors team after Kevin Locke couldn’t regather after the kick by the sea eagles which found Glenn Stewart over the line. This put the sea eagles to a 26-20 lead. The Warriors through everything at them but it was too late. Next week the Warriors will take on the Parramatta Eels and the Warriors will seek vengeance after a disappointing performance. But still....GO THE WARRIORS!!!!!

A Picnic Day At Our Reserve

On a cold Friday morning on the 24th of February, Pt England headed to their destination, the reserve. The reason for this is that our school was going to have an amazing picnic at our very own reserve! As we approached the area, we could see the magnificent view of our new beach reconstructed by the workers sent by the council. Mr Burt quickly told us the safety rules. “ Pt England, you are not allowed past Mrs Nua when you have a swim and you are not allowed to go on the Point” Mr Burt said.

Well, after all the chit chat, we raced down on to the beach, where my adventure would begin. As my feet sank in the sand dunes, I watched as the beach quickly looked like a sandcastle competition. Many students gathered the sand and piled it on their creation. “Hmmmm, I should give it a try too” I said proudly. I grabbed a hand full of sand and smothered it on my sandcastle. The cool breeze rushed through my invention and carried some of the sand off. “Ohh man” I said disappointingly. After busting down my sandcastle, the wind suddenly drifted away into the sky.

As I stood up, my eyes were focused on the game that was being played by the year 8 boys. “Impressive” I said. Well if you don’t know, I have very high potential in sport, so I dashed up the stairs and saw the year 8 boys playing softball. I joined in with them. “Batter up” said the upmire(Toko was our umpire). Many people kept and eye on the ball as Joe(One of our good friends) smashed the ball down the field. Courageously, I went after the ball, threw it to Matthew Ryan(Another friend) who was on first base, caught the ball and “OUT” said the umpire. We jumped up and punched the air with victory on our side! I had a great time.

As the crow flew by, we had to pack up and go. Ending our day, we said a Karakia(A prayer) thanking God for keeping the rain off our heads(which he did) and for keeping us safe. Well a definite highlight for me was playing softball with the year 8 boys. Well as I sluggishly walked down the reserve reluctantly with our class, we finally got back to school. “What a day and what a picnic! I said exhaustively. We had played on our netbooks for a while until the bell rang. It was a great day for me and I had a great time at our picnic down at our VERY OWN RESERVE!!!

Who Am I?

So far in extension in term 1, we have been playing some exciting games. One of them happened today. This game was to guess what kind of career you had and stick it on your forehead and ask people questions to guess what career you had. me for example, had a rough time guessing ine because I was a teacher but not just any ordinary teacher. If you look on the left, you will see me with a sticker that says ENGLISH TEACHER!

I found out some interesting facts about how to become an english teacher. First of all you need to look online to see if you can find employment as an english teacher. Secondly you need a degree in english to become an english teacher. After that, you need to look for school to enrol as an english teacher. Finally, when you pass, you need to earn a master's degree in english to become a college english teacher. Hmmmm after all of this, I think I might become an english teacher. What you have been reading is what we have been doing in extension, term 1!

What Symbolises Me!

In extension so far, our lovely teacher Mrs Tele'a has given us a task which is to draw 4 symbols that represent me.

As you can see on the left, I have drawn 4 symbols that represent me. The first is NRL. I love watching NRL and when I grow up I want to play for the Vodafine Warriors. Secondly, I am a Samoan. I come from Apia and Savaii. Thirdly I love music. It helps me to relax. I like gospel, R&B, Hip hop and soul music. Finally, I am a christian. It is the most important part of my life. When I was 5, I excepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

If you want to visit my mihimihi on Flickr, here is the link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/extpes/6919113111/

So know you know what represent me!