What am I? No seriously!

Recently we've been learning about careers and occupations. We've had to find out what some of the adults in our family were and wanted to be. So today in extension, we played a little game called 'What am I?', where the whole class got sticky notes slapped on their foreheads. We all had to participate and walk around asking different people what we were. I just found out that I was a Minister of Parliament.

Here's a few things I found out about wanting to be or being a Minister of Parliament.

-You have to be very careful, accidental comments can end up on the front page of the newspaper.

- Everything you say and do if you're in charge counts. You don't want any bad publicity.

-You have to keep studying and working hard so you can become a Member, or Minister of Parliament.

Cosmology

Favourites

When I stand staring at my great grandmother’s grave, a great feeling of genuine love and warmth flows through me.
I love the aroma of sizzling sausages on the scorching sand of Wendahome.
I like lying on my bed in the pitch black staring out in to the starry sky.
I love the way my grandpa is constantly enthusiastic and makes us laugh by continually changing his favourite league team. He’s inspirational.
Yellow gives me a warm and happy feeling.
I love the taste of melting cheese squashed between warm and crispy bacon strips.
I love how L&P gives you a taste of New Zealand, as it dances on your tastebuds.
I love the bright and warm colours of the soft and gentle petals on a daffidoll.
I like the way netball players firmly pass the ball succeedingly up and down the court.
I love the way Micheal Jackson can motivate the world to change, with only a funky song or a groovy dance move.
Have you ever noticed how persuasive fashion can be. One day its pink and peach, the next its blue and green.

These are a few of my favourite things.

10 Fast Fingers

I have found this really neat website where you test your typing speed. The highest that I got to was 71. It wasn't easy though! Click on the picture and see if you can beat my score!




If it doesn't work, here is the link http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com/

The Test of Fitness

“The beep test will start in 5 seconds.” a computerized voice said. It was the beep test. My very first one to be sure. A beep test is one of the many methods that coaches or teachers use to measure the fitness progress of someone. At first I had absolutely no idea what a beep test was. It’s just like shuttles. 20 metre shuttles to be exact.

“BEEP” The speaker buzzed. We all jogged off to a good start. "Hey! This is pretty easy!" I said enthusiastically. Whoops! Spoke to soon! 5 minutes later, half of us were cheering from the sideline! I put one foot after the other once we got past Level 3. At Level 4, 1 I was exhausted. At Level 4 3 my mouth was dry. At Level 5, I was ready to give up! I slowly made my way to the line just before the beep went off. The next beep signaled for us to go. I couldn't continue. I collapsed on to the grass, trying so hard to catch my breath.
Oh well. I was the fifth girl to keep running. Level 4 - 5.
Hmm. Pretty good for my first beep test!

Flag of France

Now that our new topic for the term is "Keep your eye on the ball.", our intermediate divided all the teams that are participating in the *RWC*, so that our classes each have 4 teams and 4 countries to study. Our class has been given the countries : South Africa, Wales, Japan and Australia. At the moment, Room 20 are finding out all the countries that are involved and drawing their flags in Tux Paint. I have chosen France because, I did not know their flag was Red White and Blue. I know now that : White represents peace and honesty, Red shows hardness, bravery, and strength. Blue represents, vigilance, truth, loyalty, justice and perseverance and justice. Maybe that's why French people are so persistent!



*Rugby World Cup

Photoshop Elements

At the moment, I am learning how to create different types of Graphics on Photoshop Elements. It has been very fun and I once saw a movie like this so I decided to try and do it myself. I now know how I would look if I were an orange. I would like for other people to try this for them selves. I kept on laughing at the pictures I made but this was the funniest. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Colourful Korero

This Term at school, we are learning how to lead the way. Pt England's Korero is helping us do so. So, for our animation task, we had to show how to Lead The Way by following the korero that was chosen. My phrase, was Take Charge. In the movie above is my animation. Please enjoy!

A very VERY late update!!

So here's every that happened since my last blog post : I bought a necklace, my tooh fell out, the tooth fairy didn't come - Oh, and I almost forgot...this ALL happened in Fiji! I, went on a plane! An actual plane!!! It was my I was very excited. The resort we stayed in was called ' THE WESTIN' It is one beautiful resort. Their workers are very nice. They ALL say Bula to you. You feel very special there. I went to Fiji with my big beautiful family. The reason why we went is because earlier last year in October my parents went to Fiji for a wedding. When they came back they decided that we were all to go. This has been the first report of FIJI 2011. I PROMISE there will be more and maybe a movie. Over and out.

Strange Facts About Beautiful Butterflies

1.What does a male monarch butterfly do to attract the female monarch?

2. What overlaps like tiles on a roof?

3. What does the tongue do when not being used?

4. What is the difference between a butterfly's eye and a human's eye?

5. Where does a male monarch keep the scent/perfume they use to impress the females?

Please leave your answers as a comment and let me know what you think. I promise the next post will be the answers. Thank you!

What an ambush!

“Toreka wake up!” my older brother yelled, “We’ll be late for Cross Country!” I opened my sleepy eyes to see him staring at me. “Okay, okay. No need to get all worked up. Gosh” I moaned, “ Anyway, the Cross Country is probably postponed today. I hope we don’t have to run. My netball shoes smell gross when they’re wet.” He walked out muttering, “Girls these days”

When I arrived at school I greeted Mr Burt with a Good Morning" - As usual. And he replied, good morning-As usual. But that morning he spoke with a sly grin. Hmm. Principals these days I thought in my mind. I walked in to class to see that everyone was whispering something that sounded like...”Cross Country today!” the speaker yelled. My jaw dropped. My heart sank. Cross Country?? What an ambush! Well, that was certainly unexpected. Maybe Mr.SlyGrin over there tried to capture everyone before they could get out the old “sick note”. I have to admit, teachers can be smart like that.

“Okay” Mr Barks signalled, “Bring in the 10 year old girls.” I panicked. We were going first? My confidence dropped even more. I dragged myself to the starting line. I sighed loudly. “Who cares Reka.” Sylvia said. “We’ll all run together” Mino smiled at me.

“Okay ladies” Mr Burt practically laughed, “ On your marks...” “Oh boy” I groaned. “Get set...” “Remember don’t sprint” Mino quickly said “ BANG” We were off. Most people kept sprinting past. Whereas, I was happily jogging with my friends.

Unfortunately, that little spark of happiness didn’t last for long. This thick icky gooey mud was sticking to my shoes. Great! Absolutely positively great. My shoes would be saturated by the time I finished a quarter of the way there. My shoes would stink, and I knew this would all happen eventually. I was NOT looking forward to the rest of this race. If I came anything other than 10th and upper, my brother would be teasing me the whole walk home. Plus, I’d be walking in my soaked netball shoes. Why does he get the bonus?

My heart skipped a beat when I noticed the race went longer than usual. Oh no. Daniel would be teasing me for sure. But the least I could do is try, even though I knew I was doomed with the curse of older brother’s insults. I loped past Miss Burne and my joy lifted. “Come on Toreka, you can do it!” I told myself as if I were a dog. It sounds ridiculous, but it was a huge help.

Side by side, Seini-Mino and I jogged past Ms Squires, then Miss Lavakula. I enjoyed doing this because they each had a bit of encouragement.

I squinted trying hard to see if any one had crossed the finish line. Sadly, someone had. So my hopes of coming 1st were crushed. I started to slow down because my heart couldn’t take the disappointment. I had to get used to being teased now.

I gathered momentum as I ran through the gates. As soon as I passed the playground I opened up the throttle and the crowd was cheering me on. I crossed the finish line with a boost of enthusiasm.

At the end of the day, I realised that I had survived the Cross Country. And, if you think about it, it wasn’t that bad. Plus, I came 8th, but I still had the smelly netball shoes to look forward to.

The Yellow Miracle

Many of us, think that a banana is nothing but a worthess fruit. But if you think about it, the banana is much more than just a yellow fruit.

First off, cartoon artists. Have you seen more than 5 cartoon series that don't include a banana? Slipping on the skin of a funny shaped fruit is one of the basics of humor.

Then, we have the fact that it is two things from Mother Nature. First of all, it is a delicious fruit, that we all know and love. Then there is the fact that it is a flower. Not many people look at a banana this way, we need to learn how to appreciate our surroundings, and not take them for granted. God has given us countless blessings, lets not waste them.

My Friend Roger Wagner

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Roger Wagner, the man who invented HyperStudio, for the lovely disc he sent. I am very grateful for this. I was very excited when I received this.

Thanks for your comments and feedback. It's exciting to think that my work might be used for examples of hyperstudio around the world. I never knew that the inventor of my favourite multimedia programme, would be watching my blog. Thank you Roger Wagner for the wonderful gift. I'm looking forward to learning more about using this fabulous programme!

A Feathery Friend

Pukeko

Graceful, peaceful

Wading, flapping, grazing

Elegant, swift, beautiful, unique

Pukeko

People Of Polynesia

Polynesians, were the first to inhabit New Zealand. Over 1000 years ago, early Maoris from East Polynesia came in their canoes. These vessels had : a double hull, or an outrigger , and woven sails. They were 15 - 25 metres long.

Sea swells gave the navigators directions by day, whilst the stars guided them by night. Sailors searched for signs, like birds feeding by the sea (This meant land was near). Many canoes set out to the vast ocean, but only a few managed to sail the empty, stormy seas, to reach Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Curse Of The Baby-Sitter...

Knock Knock. There it was again. That annoying sound. Knock Knock. I decided it was time to face him. My brother. My little brother.Knock Knock. Okay, it was time. I unlocked my bedroom door and stomped towards my little brother's room. Strange. He was asleep. And it couldn't have been my elder brother knocking because he was at a friend's for the night. It was dead silent. And it was dark. Very dark. The only place it wasn't either of those things, was in the living room.Brr. It was cold. But how could it be when it was in the middle of Summer? I was scared. I started to whisper to myself to create my own company. Shivers slithered up my spine. Who was here?

I tiptoed towards the living room, silent as a mouse. I peered over the sofa.I only saw mum and dad all dressed up fancy looking like they were going--- Uh oh. It couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. Not tonight. Any night but tonight. Mum and dad were going somewhere. Without me or Justus. This was no robbery, this meant Aunt Jen was here.

"Oh there you are sweetie!" mum said in a high voice. She turned around, holding a pizza box. That confirmed it. They were out for the night, without me or Justus. "Yawn!" my little brother walked slowly in to the living room stretching his arms out saying,"Mum? Where are you and daddy going?" Mum and dad looked at each other for a brief second."Ummm.......Well we're, we're.... going to school! Why? Do you want come with us?" Mum and dad smiled slyly. Here we go again. The same old excuse. But it only worked on Justus. He absolutely HATED school. " So where is she?" I said as I folded my arms. "Where is who?" Dad said trying to act as if he didn't know who she was. "You know who." I said firmly. "Oh, okay..... Aunt Jen is just outback getting a few things for your special surprise." Mum said slyly .Hmmm. What did "special surprise" mean?

I raced in to my room, bounced on to my bed and continued reading my book called : The Candy Crime:A Lost Licorice. I locked my door and lay in bed. I did NOT want to see Aunt Jen. I'd rather eat a ton of broccoli. "Toreka sweetie!" the evil voice sang,"It's dinner time!" Oh no. My stomach started doing flip flops. Aunt Jen is not the best of cooks, trust me. "Are you hungry sweetie?" she chirped, "I know you wanted my special broccoli pudding,(Yuck) but Mummy insisted on pizza!" "Gasp! Pizza!" I said in my mind sitting up. That's right! I ran to the dining table full of excitement. To my surprise, the pizza was half gone! (Aunt Jen and Justus weren't big fans of pizza-I guess they were hungry) I quickly sat down and got my self all the cheesy bits, (The pizza was called Double Cheese Extreme) When I finished, I did NOT say thank you. After all, Mum was the one who bought it, NOT Aunt Jen.

"Okay," said Aunt Jen rubbing her hands together,"Who wants to see the special surprise?" Only Justus jumped up and down. I couldn't care less. She pulled a colourful bag and whispered,"Take a peek." I didn't care what she had said, I just wanted to see the so called ," Special Surprise". I closed my eyes and reluctantly, ever so cautiously, reached in. To my surprise, I did NOT feel her pet mice, NOT her yuck broccoli pudding, NOT her boring brick collection, but it was something I actually liked. It was "The Candy Crime 2:Curse Of The Candy Cane" I smiled full of happiness. Where's Justus wasn't happy at all. He had gotten a yo-yo.(He's used to flash gizmos and gadgets ) And he was NOT happy about it. I poked my tongue out at Justus and skipped happily to my room. I stopped and turned around. There was Aunt Jen, staring at me. Oh boy. Here we go again. When would this nightmare end? "Thank you Aunt Jen" I muttered quietly as possible, making sure she couldn't hear me. Shockingly she replied,"You're welcome."

Curse Of The Baby Sitter...

Knock Knock. There it was again. That annoying sound. Knock Knock. I decided it was time to face him. My brother. My little brother.Knock Knock. Okay, it was time. I unlocked my bedroom door and stomped towards my little brother's room. Strange. He was asleep. And it couldn't have been my elder brother knocking because he was at a friend's for the night. It was dead silent. And it was dark. Very dark. The only place it wasn't either of those things, was in the living room. Brr. It was cold. But how could it be when it was in the middle of Summer? I was scared. I started to whisper to myself to create my own company. Shivers slithered up my spine. Who was here?

I tiptoed towards the living room, silent as a mouse. I peered over the sofa.I only saw mum and dad all dressed up fancy looking like they were going--- Uh oh. It couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. Not tonight. Any night but tonight. Mum and dad were going somewhere. Without me or Justus. This was no robbery, this meant Aunt Jen was here.

"Oh there you are sweetie!" mum said in a high voice. She turned around, holding a pizza box. That confirmed it. They were out for the night, without me or Justus. "Yawn!" my little brother walked slowly in to the living room stretching his arms out saying,"Mum? Where are you and daddy going?" Mum and dad looked at each other for a brief second."Ummm.......Well we're, we're.... going to school! Why? Do you want come with us?" Mum and dad smiled slyly. Here we go again. The same old excuse. But it only worked on Justus. He absolutely HATED school. " So where is she?" I said as I folded my arms. "Where is who?" Dad said trying to act as if he didn't know who she was. "You know who." I said firmly. "Oh, okay..... Aunt Jen is just outback getting a few things for your special surprise." Mum said slyly .Hmmm. What did "special surprise" mean?

I raced in to my room, bounced on to my bed and continued reading my book called : The Candy Crime:A Lost Licorice. I locked my door and lay in bed. I did NOT want to see Aunt Jen. I'd rather eat a ton of broccoli. "Toreka sweetie!" the evil voice sang,"It's dinner time!" Oh no. My stomach started doing flip flops. Aunt Jen is not the best of cooks, trust me. "Are you hungry sweetie?" she chirped, "I know you wanted my special broccoli pudding,(Yuck) but Mummy insisted on pizza!" "Gasp! Pizza!" I said in my mind sitting up. That's right! I ran to the dining table full of excitement. To my surprise, the pizza was half gone! (Aunt Jen and Justus weren't big fans of pizza-I guess they were hungry) I quickly sat down and got my self all the cheesy bits, (The pizza was called Double Cheese Extreme) When I finished, I did NOT say thank you. After all, Mum was the one who bought it, NOT Aunt Jen.

"Okay," said Aunt Jen rubbing her hands together,"Who wants to see the special surprise?" Only Justus jumped up and down. I couldn't care less. She pulled a colourful bag and whispered,"Take a peek." I didn't care what she had said, I just wanted to see the so called ," Special Surprise". I closed my eyes and reluctantly, ever so cautiously, reached in. To my surprise, I did NOT feel her pet mice, NOT her yuck broccoli pudding, NOT her boring brick collection, but it was something I actually liked. It was "The Candy Crime 2:Curse Of The Candy Cane" I smiled full of happiness. Where's Justus wasn't happy at all. He had gotten a yo-yo.(He's used to flash gizmos and gadgets ) And he was NOT happy about it. I poked my tongue out at Justus and skipped happily to my room. I stopped and turned around. There was Aunt Jen, staring at me. Oh boy. Here we go again. When would this nightmare end? "Thank you Aunt Jen" I muttered quietly as possible, making sure she couldn't hear me. Shockingly she replied,"You're welcome."

The Famous TP Club...

Judy Moody. My new favourite series is about an eleven year old girl named, Judy Moody. She is famous for all her different types of moods, but Judy doesn't approve of this because it's not "Newspaper Worthy" The recent book I have read about Judy is: JUDY MOODY GETS FAMOUS! It's when she tries to get more famous than her nemesis: Jessica Finch. Judy, is in a club for T.P. And no, it doesn't stand for Toilet paper, it stands for Toad Pee. You see, who ever held their mascot Toady, would've felt something warm and wet on their hands. I know. Weird. But I think that Megan McDonald and Peter Reynolds are the perfect combination that created the series of : JUDY MOODY

I Spy A PMI

Mt Tarawera is a New Zealand mountain. It is a very popular landmark in New Zealand. The Yr 5 & 6 extension team have been learning about this and have created a project as one of our challenges to go towards our marks in Academic at the end of the year in Prize Giving. Here is my thoughts on the words :Positive, Minus, and Interesting.

POSITIVE

-We found out lots of Aotearoa (NZ) history throught this project.

-We built up our camera and acting skills.

-Lots of people co-operated well together.

MINUS

-Not that many people in my group listened to me (only the girls did).

-I didn't get that much help from team mates.

-My script wasn't planned out.

INTERESTING

-No one knew much about Mt Tarawera so it was quite interesting.

-There are lots of Maori myths and legends.

-We all were focused and interested in this project.

(I drew the picture above)

A Sad Somalian Story

Hi everyone! As you can see in the title above, this is a sad Somalian story. My reading group "Moreporks" have read another interesting a book called Asli's Story by Adrienne Jansen. It is about a young girl named "Asli" she lives in the country of Somalia. But Somalia is a very dangerous country. Alsi then moves to Kenya, and then to New Zealand. But life gets harder for her as she tries to learn all the new languages and ways we live here in Aotearoa. Watch this movie I made using Hyperstudio...