30 kms to Tonga?

Fine, Samantha and Shantay collaborated to create this awesome i-movie that shows why learning maths at school is so important. They used comedy to get a very important message across. Great work girls!

Inclined planes by Yvette, Fine, Sajiha and Zeba

This is the google poster my group and I created based around the inclined plane. This ties in with the work we will be doing in science at our technology. This prepares us for the work we will be doing and builds our knowledge on simple machinery. Our task was to write in 25 words what an inclined plane is and how it works.  

Congratulations Fine and Sajiha!

Well done girls a superb effort in this years ICAS Maths exam. Room 5 are very proud of you both!

Teach the Teacher!

Fine, Yvette and Tim stepped up to the challenge yesterday to take a ukulele lesson for all of Room 5 including me! We learnt the chords C, G, G7 and A. Some of us found it really challenging to change chords quickly but our 'teachers' were very patient. We started off in small groups work then took our learning back and strummed along to 'Islands'. Fabulous teaching and a treat to be the learner!

Story Swap: Fine and Manu

Today in Writing we did a 'story swap' in pairs to write a collaborative recount that made sense. It was a bit challenging because we could only write one sentence at a time, we weren't able to talk to each other and we had to make sure our ideas flowed even though we weren't thinking the same thing. I learned that if you read your story out loud you can hear if the tense is wrong.

I stared into the cracked windows of the abandoned house trying to discover its secrets. I had to walk in. I felt scared but I still had to do it. The house had stuff I hadn’t ever seen before. I was at least five steps away from the broken door when it slammed behind me. I went into a room and all I could see was an empty space. everything looked shut down. I felt someone watching me as I looked out a window. I turned around but there only the sound of a piano being played to trace. I followed the sound and it took me somewhere where there was a picture of an old scary looking lady. I walked up to it, examining her. Was the music coming from a place behind the picture. I lifted the picture up and took a little look. I saw who was playing the piano. The lady in the picture sat on the seat playing a fast rhythm. When I lifted the picture up more she stopped and focused her action on me. I had this feeling that she was going to come closer but she just sat there and looked at me. I heard breathing. I quickly turned around and saw her there. Confused at why I was here but i just kept staring back. I didn’t know what to do. I blanked out. When I woke up I was outside on the grass.

ICAS English Celebrations!

Thomas and Menchung (R6) 

Distinction

Fine

Merit

Sajiha, Yvette, Sebastian

Participation

PBS Speech Champs!

Huge congratulations to Fine (who placed1st) and Yvette (who placed 2nd) for their outstanding speeches! Both girls chose very real topics and use their knowledge of persuasive language features to keep their audience hooked in. Room 5 is extremely proud of you both!

PBS Cross Country Champs!

Huge congratulations to Fine and Dontalian (1st Year 8), Evelyn and Zahn (1st Year 7), Paige (2nd Year 7 girls) and San Tat (2nd Year 8 boys), Yvette (3rd Year 8 girls) and Oh S'Mar (3rd Year 8 boys). A superb effort in cross country!

Fine's Speech

Good Morning students and teachers,

Think about a time where you’ve been in public. Alone. Vulnerable. Prey to the many spectators that are quick to assume the flaws you possess. Strangers, expecting you to be someone you are not. You've done absolutely nothing, yet the only thing that fills their minds are the assumptions of the terrible person you are. These thoughts, purely fueled by your appearance.

Why can’t they tell us the thoughts they have in their heads, about our culture, about our heritage, about the flaws our people have.  Just because I am brown, it does not mean I am violent. Just because I am brown,  it does not mean I don’t eat breakfast in the mornings. Just because I am brown, it does not give you the right to act like I am any different from you.  After all we're different races not a different species. And yet, the uncertainty in their voices, proves the lack of understanding, they have when they attempt to belittle our people and our ways.  

So tell me. When will we ever become more than a label?  

Yes, we see the outer shell of one's character but have we thought about the content inside? We assume the truth, just because that is what we've learnt. The opinions of one’s race is taught to a child like the rules of a classroom, handed down like the clothes of a sibling, and is as common as a mother's love for her child.  

Now, I can not just let this problem be overlooked, like it has been! This is more important than a lot of the things we claim as “Relevant” in the lives we live today. How does this not come up in a conversation you have with a friend, yet the most pointless things do?

Because of stereotypical labels, believe it or not people have died. How many times on the news have you heard of the innocent person who ended up dead on the street? The policeman who thought he had a weapon on him, just because the colour of his skin was a sign that he was threatening. Is it a coincidence that 94% of these victims are coloured?

“I love you too” Sean Bell’s last words before he died. Shot 50 times on his wedding day. Police thought he had a firearm yet the weapon is still not found. They thought. They assumed. They used the colour of his skin to back up their assumptions. Because of this his fiance is unwed, his to be child unborn, his life that was once planned out, now abandoned , like the rest of them.

I am Tired, disgusted, hurt and angry, yet prepared, committed, dedicated and impatient for a change.

We can't stop the thoughts we have about people. We can't stop ourselves from having an opinion. What we can stop, is assuming who people are. Expecting them to be one thing, when they are the other. We should ask not assume. Start a conversation not a rumor. Be normal not sympathetic. For then, and only then, will our true individuality reach its full meaning.

Stop closing your eyes to the things that matter. We must at least make an effort to see beyond race, because if we don’t, who will?

Cook Island Language Week

Samantha and Fine's outstanding presentation to celebrate Cook Island Language Week. 

Persuasive Writing: Fine

Should New Zealand change their flag?

We grow up in a generation where a flag defines a country’s importance, stereotyped label, past and future. New Zealand already has a flag that shows our importance and what kind of a multicultural country we are. It acknowledges our past and will contain our futures memories. So I ask you this question, how does changing the flag respect our countries milestones and hardships? I feel that if we changed our flag, we would be being disrespectful to many. If we redesigned our flag, will our coming generation be able to respect the soldiers that have died for it? Will they be able to see through the stars and appreciate our ancestors that navigated all day and night to find our homeland? Will they be able to see the small amount of red that resembles the blood of our tiny nation? Will they be able to appreciate the navy blue that surrounds and protects our shores? No. They won’t, because the most important representations of our country won't be acknowledged.

We need to know that the designer of our new flag will be able to include essential icons of our nation. We need to know that he/she will produce a flag that is instantly recognized as ours, and our current flag has accomplished that quite well already. How can we put so much trust into one person? Although many people feed off pressure and use it as a fuel to drive them towards their goals, we can’t expect the designer to produce a flag as good and honourable as the current flag.

The cost for changing the flag, is an estimated 25.7 million dollars! Money the wrecked homes in Canterbury have been overlooked for 3-4 years could well use. How can New Zealand be able to use all this money on the changing of a flag, when we have citizens who have no homes. The money should be going to the families who are struggling and the people who actually need help. This is a waste of money, that New Zealand can’t afford!

The soldiers who have fought for us in wars, used the flag as a motivation to fight and bear through the heartache, loss and pain. They used the flag to represent themselves whether an individual or crowd. They used the flag as a symbol of hope to return home. They used it as a promise, to fight for the freedom of their families. Why do the people who have probably never even held a gun in the defence of their country, get to decide whether their connections with the flag are taken away?

We can not change the flag of New Zealand! We can not take away history and memories! We can not take away the opportunity of the coming generations to grow up with the proud flag we all have grown up with! We have to make a stand and remain with the same flag that our ancestors have fought for, our athletes have been represented with, and the same flag that has brought our country pride. New Zealand’s history needs to remain intact!

Thinking Group Strategies: Kiwi Group

Today's task was to choose the best strategy to solve the problem. The Silver Ferns and Kiwi groups have created DLOs to share their thinking around this problem.

Galileo Homework Challenges

Below is a selection of the fabulous homework presentations about Galileo Galilei. Last week Miss Donaldson used our homework Choose-o-meter to randomly select Galileo as our topic. 


Fine

Saruja

Latham

Tim

Congratulations Evelyn, Shantay, Fine and Oh S'Mar!

                                               
 PBS Netball Player of the Day

           

         Room 5 Certificate

       

Congratulations Evelyn, Shantay and Fine! Three 'Player of the Day' certificates for Room 5 students. Congratulations Oh S'Mar! A certificate for participating and contributing. Well done to all of you!

Congratulations Samantha and Fine!

Congratulations Samantha! Voted 'Player of the Day' in this week's AMI netball match. Congratulations Fine! A certificate for thinking about your learning. Well done to you both!

Rangitoto Photo Essay

This is Fine's Photo Essay on the year 7 and 8's trip to Rangitoto. It is sequenced and has a caption to describe what we did. 

National Young Leaders Day

This is Fine's presentation about what a few of the school head leaders from Panmure Bridge School did at the National Young Leaders Day at Manukau Vodafone Telecom Centre. We were very inspired to become better leaders and to make a difference in our lives for the better. 

Fine's Photo Essay

This is my photo essay about Camp at Kokako Lodge. The link below is an interactive version of my scrapbook. The scrapbook includes a variety of pictures that highlight my time at Camp. You can also make your own Scrap Book online. 

Camp Scrap Book

Key Competencies on Camp

This is a collaborative presentation created by Zeba, Nesi, and Yvette. It includes their predictions on how they might use the key competencies during camp, and how they actually used them during camp. You can see the comparisons before and after. 

This is Fine's Key Competencies Presentation that shows what I thought she needed to do before and after camp. We used these Key Competencies to stay safe,  follow our instructions correctly and make the wise choices.

Before camp Sajiha and Saruja did a presentation to predict which Key Competencies they might use at camp then reflect on what they actually used to help them follow the instructors rules and to follow the right track. 

Celebrating New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL)

Fine explored the achievements of a famous hearing impaired/deaf person.

June created an information poster with links to help you explore NZSL further.

Juanita and Zeba have explained what NZSL is.

Yvette has explored the history behind NZSL