Elisabetta Dami: Book Week

This week we finally finished our book week project on Elisabetta Dami. We chose her as our author of the week because most of our class enjoyed reading her books. Take a look at what we created. 

What is Respectfulness?

Explanation:

To be respectful in class, you have to remember your keys to character. One of the most important ones are RESPECTFULNESS. You can be respectful by:

Being polite

Taking care of yourself and those around you

Valuing the opinions of other people

Listening

Speak to others as you would like to be treated

 When someone is talking, a teacher for example, you can respect them by letting them talk and wait for them to finish so you or others may have a turn talking. 

Good Manners

 First of all, what is Good Manners?

To have good manners means:

Speaking in a nice way

Looking at the person who is talking

Answering politely when a teacher asks a question and waiting properly for your turn to speak

Always using the magic words “Please, Thank you, Excuse me” and “Sorry”

Walking behind other people and not in front

Letting them go first

Sharing, being kind

Doing what the teacher says with a pleasant manner and being positive

Co-operating

Attitude

Controlling your attitude can sometimes be a struggle. There are two types of attitudes and only one is respectful. Being positive can include:

Having a smile on your face

Don’t talking back to the teachers

Thinking the right thing

Influencing others to do the right thing

Help others

Use appropriate language

Make others feel better

Your attitude can affect others and influence others to act like you. But when you influence, there are consequences. Consequences are the result of what you do. For example: You could help a lady cross the road and she might reward you with money as a reward OR if you steal from the shops, then you’ll get a ride with the cops. 

Listening

 Listening is one of the most important values of respect. If people listen to you, it’ll be best to do the same to others. Listening includes:

Eyes forward and toward the person speaking

Sitting still

Being quiet

Keeping hands still

Smiling

 Here I’ve created a list of steps of what to do to show respect:

Listen Harder

Be Considerate

Keep Your Promise

Be On Time

Have Manners

Encourage

Be Fair

Go Out Of Your Way

Preserve Dignity

Do NOT Assume

Assuming you have no absolute idea what respect is, respect is a possession that everyone will want. Because the more respect you have the more people will notice you. Respecting has many ways of showing itself such as, using your manners, listening quietly, being polite and speaking to others as you would like to be spoken to. 

You can be respectful in class by Communicating:

Use a respectful tone of voice

Do not tease others or call them names

Follow adult requests quickly and without complaint

Pay attention in class and get our assigned work done

  Showing Good attitude and behavior:

Be sure that you are choosing a Respectful Classroom behavior daily with other pupils at the start of class to the end of the day..

Showing a positive attitude and sharing positive comments to others

Being nice to classmates even if they are not being nice to you. Karma will deal with that

Watching your behaviour because they can become actions

  Being Helpful:

Making sure your area and class is clean and tidy

Keeping in mind of your responsibilities

Leading little students and everyone around you

Helping others when they are in need

Asking if people need help

By following this Explanation you can influence others to do the same. When everybody is respectful then everyone can have fun. Make sure you share these steps, tips and facts with your friends and family.

My Reading Test

Which answer is right? Re-Read, Re-Read.

On Monday, I attended a test postponed for me because I was absent. Mrs Golder and I where in the maths room. I had three Tests to do so I be in a good class the future. The reading comprehension test was to test my reading skills and answer the questions about the text.

First off, the test had started and I only had 45 minutes. By the time I got to the first question I was so worried even though it just started. So I tried to calm myself down, and with hope I was already on the second page. Some questions were easy and some were just too hard figure out. But all I had to do to solve the question was re-read.

When the last question was answered, the first thing I did was double-check it so I could see if I got any wrong. As soon as I was done checking it, I was so relieved. I finally got it over and done with. As she took my paper away, I hoped and hoped to get a great score. But we’ll soon find out…

You Can Teach Old Dogs New Tricks!

Last week, my teacher, Mrs Golder, was having trouble updating her Google Forms. It was so she could see if we were sending friendly comments to the other classes.

She asked me, being the IT guy and stuff, if I could help her. Eventually I did! She thanked me and I was awarded with a Principal's Award. You can check out what I did Here
-> (CLICK)

My Siblings' Place

Holiday Fun,  Not in the Sun…

Last week, I spent the holidays at my siblings’ two-bedroom apartment in Auckland city. It is very small but is good enough for my siblings. At one end of the apartment there is a sliding door to an open balcony. It has two beds and a sofa big enough to sleep on. The building was called Scotia Place. Outside was a beautiful scenery of central Auckland.

I stayed there for five days and my brother was in sole charge of me because my parents were working during the week. It’s pretty cool there and I really enjoy spending time with them. I couldn't wait to be with them.

My oldest brother has light-brown and curly hair. He wore his casual clothes. Usually he wears dark-coloured T-shirts and track-pants. He goes to university in central Auckland. Tui is his name and he is 10 years older than me.

When I'm bored with other games, I would ask to go on my older brother’s gaming laptop, and most of the time it was to play games such as League Of Legends. I never got time to go outside because my brother and sister were out at university. I went and looked to see what I could do. So I asked him if I could make some toast for breakfast. Tui replied “Help yourself to anything.”

The first thing I did was put on my brother’s console to play Call Of Duty. It’s a First Person Shooter about killing others. I played for hours and hours until it was midnight. As time flew by, I got even more tired. That was usually all I did there. My brother would always check if I ate breakfast every morning. TWEET TWEET was the sound of my alarm in the morning from outside.

I wish I could stay there forever. I still miss the place because it’s a fun place to waste time.

Music Can Drift You Anywhere!

Music has its ups and downs. But the most noticeable factor is the fame and fortune! Our school had welcomed a visitor to explain to us how music is the road to your future. The visitor is from our local area and his name came to fame when he was recorded on national T.V.! Tyrone Toka has won a few competitions. We hope to see him win the semi-finals on Homai Te Pakipaki! Good Luck Tyrone!

Your actions can get you rewards!

On Monday, at assembly, I was awarded a certificate for thinking before taking action. I am really proud of myself and hope to get more. I hope this will inspire you to think hard so you can get a reward just like I did! 

Daniel Carter: Profile [TOP SECRET]

During reading, one of our tasks was to pick our favourite All Black player and write a biography about him. Most of us thought this was an excellent idea since the Rugby World Cup has kicked off. Literally! Dan Carter is the player I chose. Here's what I wrote.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Player: Daniel Carter

Info: Carter plays for the Canterbury Crusaders and New Zealand's national team the All Blacks. He is the highest points scorer in Test match rugby, and is arguably the sport's greatest ever first-five eighth (fly-half).

Born: 05/03/1982

Height: 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)

Weight: 96 kg (15 st 2 lb)

Carter who is of Māori descent was born on 5 March 1982 in Southbridge, a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, to Neville and Bev Carter, and has one older sister, Sarah. From the age of 5, he played with Southbridge Rugby Club as a half back (scrum half). He attended Ellesmere College, and then Christchurch Boys High School, he was also a second-string first five-eighth (fly-half) to Brendon McCullough, who went on to become Black Caps captain in cricket, and has said he was a shy and quiet young man who kept grand aspirations to himself. His great uncle was Canterbury and New Zealand half back Bill Dalley, a member of the 1924–25 Invincible and later a Canterbury rugby administrator.

Daniel Carter is near faultless in every department: he can attack, make a break, kick tactically and accurately at goal, and be brave and unyielding on defence – and has shown repeatedly his ability to play with almost equal effectiveness in other positions, particularly the midfield. 

Cross Country!

In the morning, before class learning, we do our daily fitness. Our daily fitness, chosen by Mr Reid, is cross country. When we do cross country we line up before we start running, after that the teacher will tell us when to run. We run around our school and in our local area. Tomorrow we are doing 4 laps around our school.

Privileges and responsibilities of people living in NZ

Madd Messenger

“You can do anything to change yourself.” We heard these wise words from Petia Wilson. He hosted the show and encouraged us to make good choices and decisions that could change our lives.

The Water Cycle

Importance of Hygiene

Hygiene is important for everyone. It has been around for many centuries and lots have wondered; what can we do about it?

Hygiene is one of the most important factors about humans, if we don’t look after it the consequences will occur and could impact you and maybe your family.

Showering

Cleanliness is one of the ways we can protect ourselves from being affected from different germs. Showering can also help with removing dirt that has bacteria and germs.

Why:

We shower because we think we smell or look dirty. But really, when you shower most of the germs you have obtained during the day will be washed away into a drain. This is only one of the things that happen in a daily shower. Why is this so important? Because this is essential for all humans. Lack of showering will cause you to smell and make more germs on you.

Hand Washing

The bathroom. One of the best places to wash yourself. Every time you touch and interact with an object, germs will attach to you and you could spread it with others. There are many different ways to protect yourself from germs and most of the time you can get some great solutions to help you and your family. Many solutions like antibacterial soap. Palmolive is a well known company to sell these kinds of products.

Hydropower

Investigate how water is used to create energy, electricity and power

Awww Man!

A lot of the time my accidents aren’t that bad, until that day…

One Saturday, I woke up happy as I could be because my favourite cartoons were on T.V. I rushed out of bed to the lounge to sit down and watch my cartoons.

Suddenly I caught sight of my mum’s lighter she uses for some reason that I wouldn't know since I was a child. I saw what she does with though, so I curiously thought what would happen if I do what she does. I tried to flicker it all I could. Thinking to myself if I should play with it.

Finally, I had experienced the flash of fire. I saw it quickly flick brightly and then disappear like a magic trick. I wondered even more what it would be like if I were to touch the flame. This I knew I was doing something wrong but I couldn't resist finding out what would happen. I thought of nothing at all, all I concentrated on was doing what I had never done before.

I tried once more and the flame stayed stationary and was where I wanted it to be. I inched closer to it every second hoping to see an amazing reaction. As soon as I had made contact with it I jerked and backed as fast as I could. It had burnt me. The pain made me cry and scream like a two year old, wishing that I had never touched it in the first place. My parents rushed to my aid and shouted “Don’t play with the lighters ever AGAIN!!” I cried and cried. The pain had worsened every tear I shed. I calmed down while I had my finger in cold water. With relief I quietly wiped my tears and looked at what had hurt so bad. There was a huge lump that looked very scary to me.

From that day I still look at lighters and think “Why was I playing with it?” Don’t ever play with lighters and matches.

Injury Prevention: Electricity

It has put hundreds of people in hospital, injured thousands and scared millions. Electricity has been upgraded during the past few years but has not yet been proven to be safe. Can we help that?

Shocked? You could be if you weren't aware that your hair dryer was in contact with some liquid. What would you do in that scenario?

How could this happen? When, Where and Why?

Sometimes you will find out that something is broken and dangerous in your household and you won’t know what to do. There are some major side effects that could damage the brain, your muscles and your skin if the device is not handled properly.

You could get electrocuted if your electrical appliance is in contact with water. Electrocution can paralyse the muscles and brain. Many have known what it is to be paralysed and burnt. Some victims have been killed because they were not aware of their house not being safe for them or for anyone else or they did not know what to do.

To help stop your family from getting electrocuted or burnt please follow these steps:

• Use the right tools for the job.
• Lock out/tag out and ground before working on equipment.

• Treat deactivated electrical equipment and conductors as energized until lockout/tagout, test, and ground procedures are implemented.

• Wear protective clothing and equipment and use insulated tools in areas where there are possible electrical hazards.

• Make sure your child is always in sight and not playing with something they shouldn't.

Remember:

Safety First Avoid The Worst.

Waste Wise

This is my independent topic study. It is about Waste Wise. I am very proud of it. Did you know that every Sunday, more than 500,000 trees are used to produce 88% of newspapers that are never recycled? Read more to find out!

Illness Prevention

Icky, sticky, yucky, coughing, sneezing, and a few sore throats. No one wants to be sick, how do you stop it?

What will happen if you don’t stop these illnesses and how do you get sick? 
Usually people get sick because of a poor lifestyle, rubbing itching eyes, infrequently washing your  hands and  showering. All those will probably lead to illnesses that will stop you from doing the things you like to do. There are lots of things you can do to stop you from getting sick.

From well known remedies and methods to good hygiene. Great remedies include good rest, medicines, and many more steps. Drinking lots of fluids and blowing your nose into a tissue can help slow down the sickness. These steps can help stop some of the common illnesses we face today.

Most of these steps can be really helpful to stop the common influenza. The flu is able to be treated and cured but not in just two hours. You would at least have the flu for about three or four days or more. During seasons like winter or autumn, it is very likely you will become sick with the flu or the cold.

There are a lot of ways to stop illnesses. Most people go to their local doctors to see what they think about your sickness. Most of the time they are very wise.

And remember an apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Welcome To Yummy Land!

Save Yummy Land, make a plan.

On Monday Matt and Andy came along to show us the importance of wasting and recycling. They told a story of a land called Yummy Land. 

In Yummy Land there was a worm. His name was Worm. He was very hungry and was looking for food scraps that had been thrown away for worm to eat. But no food was put away for him. Instead the food was put into rubbish bins and the piles of rubbish bags had overgrown. 

Therefore Yummy Land was turned to Stinky Bag City. In the end Worm was saved by a human, Simon. He gave all his leftovers to Worm to eat, his rubbish piles shrunk and Yummy Land was saved.

Visual Arts : Water

My picture is about water, our topic for inquiry and writing. It says H2O which is the scientific word for water. I like my picture because the 2 in the H2O is a faucet. I hope you enjoy it.

The Landing of the Waka!

We are the children of the navigators!

First off I arrived at school and the senior classes were lined up ready to walk. Next we started our adventure with a short walk to the reserve. When Mr Reid said, "Lets Go!” we started our way there. On the way we saw a lot of schools.

Afterwards we got to the reserve and we sat on the bank of the beach. When it was silent we waited quietly for the waka to come. We sang our Maori waiatas and we heard some speeches from the visitors. We were as loud as a lion.

Soon after we high-fived the crew and it was entertaining. We walked back to school and our school was very happy hopefully.

P.E At St Kents

“He’s going around the team’s defence to score a goal… And… Its a goal!”

First of all we lined up ready to go to St Kents, all of us were excited. Next we were separated into nine groups and then we hopped onto the bus. Off we went as we looked forward to our P.E day.

Soon after the bus stopped at the carpark and we disembarked. We were as happy as a big sunflower. At last St Kents’ students came to guide us to the hall. Finally teams were waiting to be taken off to play their sports. Our team was then lead by (insert name here) We arrived at the field and we prepared for some practice drills for soccer. Firstly we set off by passing drills.

After a while we got to play soccer against group six. We lost but it was very fun. When the final score was set we packed the equipment and put it away in the shed. At the carpark we climbed on to the bus back to school.

Everyday Theatre

17.03.15

Dear Diary

Today my homework still isn’t done because stupid Becca won’t do it. At the carpark me and Jack talked about me sleeping over his place. He said it was cool. Brian came over to the basketball court to talk about “bonding”. What a weirdo! I was playing basketball with Jack. Jack saw my bruises getting worse. I hope it gets better. Mum still spends more time with Becca. She also doesn’t know about me going to the carpark with Jack. If dad finds out I’ll get more bruises. I wish dad would get a job and Brian would just move out. But Mum would say something like “No because I want him to stay, blah blah blah.”

She is so lame. By the time the bell rang to go home, I sped as fast as a bullet, at least I thought I did. My mind just blanked out and I was stuck in thought, I felt like everyone was looking at me even if they weren’t. Everyday I get more nervous and depressed. It’s like mum doesn’t care about me anymore. I don’t love my dad nor hate him. I am hoping my life will be wonderful than ever before.

ANZAC Letter

1915 March 29th

Dear Ma

How is it at home ma? Quiet? Safe? Comfortable? I really hope so because then I have nothing to look forward to at home! Anyway, I hope you've picked a good time to read this ma.

So it was just a windy sail to the beach and already some have gotten used to the sea and only I'm a bit sea sick. To get away from the rocking in my head I slept through the whole thing.

Sunrise came and we marched out onto the beach armed and ready to attack. After we set up our camps and tents we sat on the bay eating our breakfast. Gunshots were heard in the distance. We were under attack. Our boats had already gone and the trenches were dug out. My group thought fast and we went around the enemy to sneak an attack.

The plan was a success and our General was very surprised. Soon after that the soldiers were in place and ready, merged from the grass. The battlefield,  filled with shards and barb wire. The air, filled with the smell of gas and smoke. Gunshots took me out of my imaging session, instantly my sight suddenly went dark brown. My senses had disappeared and I was so scared about war, along with that screaming and shouting were all I heard.

I was up and surprisingly alive. My eyes were too dusty and I was struggling to breath. Screams, shouts and shots blocked my sense of hearing. I finally got all my senses back after a few hours. My gear was given to me while I walked outside to continue the battle. The General was giving everyone orders and he was furious. The sky was grey the field was grey and brown. Everything had gone wrong. My orders were given to me as fast as a bullet. I got to the trenches and our soldiers were too wounded to defend themselves. In the end we stayed in a concrete base with our general. Hopefully you get this letter ma. See you after.

From your loving son

Damien

Choose Your Character!

Who am I you ask? Well I am a proud 12 year old, student at Ruapotaka School. My name is (Take A Guess), a year eight prefect. Auckland, New Zealand is my home town. I have interest in creating new things and playing games. I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. They are all at university. Some day I want to go to university. My family's culture is Cook Island Maori. My parents are the best parents I could EVER have. When I grow up I want to be an amazing inventor. Inventing is my passion because it could help the world. Games might even be a great inspiration to me. I love to learn because learning is always great and who knows, it might help you in the future!