Tuesday 30 June 2015

Technology Reflection at Moerewa School 2015

Being a senior, I was given an extra subject called ‘technology’.  I would go to Moerewa School with the rest of my class almost every Friday.  There was two different classes, Mr Edwards was the teacher of Woodwork and Miss Bowles was the cooking teacher.

In woodwork I made a Maori Patu,  I also learnt that I had to always wear shoes, not jandals because it’s not safe.  There is a lot of heavy machinery and sharp tools, and you could get really hurt if something sharp or heavy fell on your feet.

In cooking I made a lot of food, But most of my food got thrown out because there was rules in the cooking class and if you broke them, Miss Bowles would throw it out.  I also learnt how to work a stove for the first time in my life, that’s a good thing because I will have to learn how to use one when I am an adult.

Maybe next year I could try and learn how to do what I am told, so I don’t miss out on learning new stuff.


By Iesha.


In our woodwork class the first lesson we had was about safety, the names of the machines and tools and how you used them. Listening to Mr E was very important as we had to follow his instructions so that we didn’t injure ourselves and others. This was the same in cooking because we had to know exactly what we had to use otherwise our recipe would a failure and this would be a waste of food.  


Cooking with Whaea Dot was fun. We were making lots of different foods. I learnt  a lot of life skills because now I can make my own dinner when I leave home, plus I won’t chop off my finger when I’m cutting or dicing up food.


I really liked technology because it’s where I can make things I like. I mostly liked woodwork because once I know what I want to make, I can just draw it and then I would show Mr E and I will ask him nicely for the materials and tools I need. Mr E would get the materials and then I would focus on my work projects until I have finished. I really enjoyed woodwork because I would just go into my own world; design my creations and build them.

My learning highlights, was when I made my wooden jet. I liked it because it was a challenge to make in four days. It was also a pleasure to have Whaea Dot and Mr E teaching me their different knowledge about food and creations because this subject helps me to problem solve.


By Ryan


In the first ten weeks of technology I attempted cooking with Whaea Dot and in the second ten weeks I built objects out of wood, and metal with Mr E. The learning that took place was using all the equipment and machinery and building different types of projects and cooking different types of food. Technology is one of the  best subjects that I enjoyed in my education curriculum.


The skills that had been taught to us are to prepare us for the future. We learnt to listen and respect our teachers and to act safely around tools and cooking equipment. These skills will be with me so I can use them as an adult. Another reason these skills are important  because I never listen to my family and siblings/sometime’s teachers and I need to use this important skill if I want to be employed.


I was happy with our last session of cooking and I was very happy with the final outcome because my lasagne tasted and smelt nice. Even my teacher wanted to eat it.

In the end I was glad we had an opportunity to go to technology at Moerewa School because at other schools, they don’t go to technology.

By Anihera



On Fridays, my class and I had technology in Moerewa.  My first class was woodwork and I spent ten weeks in that class, then swapping over to cooking for the last 10 weeks.


The first ten weeks in woodwork was good, I learnt how to use my imagination to create and I also I learnt how to think more and more which gave me great pieces of end work.


I had no idea that I could be so creative in cooking and in woodwork. Mr. E made us think, he made us create our own projects. I learnt that I could make anything that popped up in my head.  


But  then in cooking I also really enjoyed myself, because I loved the fact that Whaea Dot, sometimes made us complete test, for example, we needed to invent something that would taste nice, and also had a good range of nutrients. So in one of my tests I decided to make a sort of spaghetti pasta with bolognese and homemade sauces. Yummy! It turned out delicious.

So maybe if another day I get a chance to go to woodwork and cooking, I would definitely go and learn more about this subject. I really appreciated Mr. E and Whaea Dots time as they taught me new skills that I will need as an adult. As a matter of fact in life when you leave home you eventually cook for your family and you will always have to repair something too. So I really did enjoyed going to technology.


By Nicole


My first couple of weeks in woodwork and cooking with whaea Dot and Mr Edwards was marvellous! I appreciated the use of facilities and the opportunities I was given to use them. I am grateful that I had the learning facilities to help me to produce amazing work. I learnt that these classes would help me to become a more proactive person with these specific tools in my daily life.

Throughout woodwork and cooking I have learnt  how to build, measure  and even to cook! I think that going to technology is going to help me become a successful person because I have learnt the life skills that we need to know. I have evaluated what I need to know, also I have learnt how to use equipment properly and know the names of them.

I was very satisfied with the work that I produced, I didn't think that I could do this but with the determination from my teachers and myself, I had presented some really good artistic projects, like my breakfast tray, letters, chimes and the best food I made was homemade pasta from scratch. I was really proud that I could build or even produce something amazing and to me it was mind blowing. I was happy with the lessons that I got taught, even my mum was very proud of me and even said, ‘’did you really make that?”

In my last technology class, I had a few highlights they were, working as a team learning how to recraft old things to new. I learnt how to be careful and safe around equipment. Thank you Whaea Dot and Mr E, I've learnt so much using all the technology equipment and machines.


By Taimana


During the first ten weeks of Technology, we started off with Cooking classes and our teacher was Whaea Dot. In our second ten weeks of Technology, we went to woodwork classes, our teacher was Mr E/ Mr Edwards. We learnt how to cook and create amazing workshop projects. We learnt how to do this because it took a lot of skills in listening and working with equipment and machines. Having to learn these skills prepares us for the future.

In cooking classes and woodwork classes we learnt a lot of valuable life lessons such as, problem solving, cooking, safety, teamwork and understanding processes by following instructions and recipes. But there were three  life skills that stood out to me the most, and that was evaluating what I had created, listening and teamwork skills.

At the end of Technology I was very happy with my final lesson and the outcome of cooking lasagne and making a surfboard and a surfboard holder. By using my problem solving skill I was able to fix up some of the mistakes I had made during our cooking and woodwork classes.
In the last term of technology I had a few learning highlights, they were:
  • Learning new future focused skills.
  • Cooking food creatively.
  • Learning to work as a team.
  • Creating amazing wooden and plastic objects.

By Aquilla.

Friday 26 June 2015

Learning Goals





























Persuasive Writing

Future Focused Education is Best for all Students.

Do you want your student to be bright and bubbly and even running to school Or do you what a child that you have to drag to school because they don’t like being in the classroom. Hi, my name is Taimana, and I am here to get you to consider whether all New Zealand schools, should be Future Focused schools. I believe that schools should teach a future focused curriculum because every day the world is producing and inventing better and new technologies. This daily access to future focused learning will help all students to access up to date knowledge, and prepare us for our future career and it’s fun.

Firstly why are schools in New Zealand going digital, Schools are going digital because it helps children to ready themselves for the 21st century. Schools are basing their learning around inquiry where students must access their knowledge on the internet. Just imagine it, no more waiting for that elusive library book, children have access to worldwide knowledge through google, wikipedia, youtube and even Twitter. Teachers encourage their students to explore the internet to gain greater knowledge.

Secondly Apple and Google have created Apps for learning. In today’s world there are thousands of apps. These apps cover every aspect of the curriculum and are great for enhancing our learning. For example on the chromebook there is an app called booktrack where we can read a book that others are reading so we don’t need to reserve it in the library. There are so many apps to help us improve things like reading and writing, with the read and write app it reads our writing to so we can pick up on our own mistakes.
Thirdly, digital technologies help students to learn faster. Children can research and study interests that could not have been studied before due to the lack of library books covering that topic. As teachers and students use digital devices in the classroom learning challenges are becoming much easier  to cope with, this is because learning is now fun and interesting.

Lastly, I have always believed that technologies would help us for fill our potential no matter what devices we use. However we should not forget what we can still do with a pencil and a piece of paper as they also help to prompt our imaginations.

In conclusion, successful people have achieved so many great things with digital strategies and technologies. I believe the school I’m learning at will help me to become a successful person because I’m in a future focused classroom.

By Taimana

Persuasive Writing

Skateparks and Skateboards are the Best.

Kia ora koutou, my name is Dayton and I am here to explain why Skateparks and Skateboard are great, from my own perspective and experience. .

firstly A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboard, bmx, scooter, wheelchair,and inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter-pipes, spine transfers,handrails funboxes vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs,stairset,down rails,kinked rails, curved rails, down ledges,roll ins gaps to jump which most people like jumping it's also a big obstacles of ramps for BMX”s  Scooters wheelchairs and inline skaters to enjoy

Metro Nashville was built in July 1st 2004, it is famous for having three different types of skating terrain. The Metro is the largest free skatepark in California. The brand ‘etnies’ uses the skatepark  for tournaments. There are many many skateparks all over the world

Secondly, skate parks are good for kids, it keeps them occupied instead of getting into trouble and hanging around the streets getting upto no good. Skateparks give children the opportunity to learn how to skate, scooter, bmx,  learn wheelchair tricks, and inline skating.  

thirdly if you want try out skateboarding all you need is a standard or good quality deck reliable truck wheels and bearings and some where to skate. If you want to be a skater that likes ramps that type of skater is called a Vert Skater or Tranny Skater. If you like skating on flat ground, rails, ledges and curves that type of skater is called a Street Skater. There are two types of stances you can skate, they are Regular or Goofy. If you're a beginner you will need abec 5 bearings but if you are willing you can try out abec 7's or Bones. bones are the fastest bearing brand in the world. Bones was created from Tony Hawk's one of the most known skateboarder to ever live and other famous skaters are Lance Mountain, Mike Mcgill, Tommy Guerrero, Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Stacy Peralta, George  Powell they were all in a group called the bones brigade but they shorten it to boness Fastest bearings they have made are Bone Swiss bearings, they are super fast and go twice the speed as abec 7’s.

Thank you for listening to my speech I hope you liked it and learnt valuable facts about why skateparks and skateboards are great.

By Dayton

Persuasive Writing

Should schools participate sports

What if sport was not invented… Hmmm That will means The All Blacks are not invented either. We can’t have that. Hi my name is Alazhay and I'm here to explain why schools should always participate sports.

Firstly I believe schools should participate in sports so we can get healthy and fit. Sports is good for the body and because most sports are outside we students get plenty of fresh air. Sport is a good way to exercise your legs and arms. Sports is generally recognised as activities which are based on physical athleticism or physical dexterity. Schools need to promote sports so to build healthy and fit students.

Secondly sports helps us develop a healthy competitive lifestyle. We learn to win or lose through a physical activity which can happen through a casual game of sports or an organised game through a sports club.

Thirdly Hundreds of sports exist, from those requiring only one or two participants, through to those with hundreds of sports participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. Because there are so many different types of sports no one will miss out, so there is no excuse for a school not to have Sports in their curriculum.

Fourthly organizations, and generous corporate and individual donors to get much-needed funds to kids who need them. Sports can be undertaken on an amateur, professional or semi-professional basis, depending on whether participants are incentivised for participation usually through payment of a wage or salary.

Fifthly, the Football Association, also known as Soccer is the most popular sport in the World. Because Football is taught in schools around the world, the Football Association is the most popular sport in 320 Nations out of the total 345 Nations on the planet. It has more number of registered players than any other sport in the world. The revenue generated by Association Football is higher than any other sport in the world.

In conclusion, schools need to promote sports as it will help our nation to be healthy and fit, there are also spin offs where New Zealanders will compete in the world market and maybe get rich from it.

By Alazhay

Persuasive Writing

Chromebooks are mightier than Pen and Paper.
I believe the chromebook has the rightful place in a digital classroom,... am  I right?
I mean how many of you grow up with pen and paper? Every day from morning to night,  rushing to get all homework finished by the next day. My name is Nicole, and today I will be convincing you why we should use  the chromebook in our daily classroom learning.

Firstly technology is awesome. With a smartphone in your pocket and a laptop on your desk, you don’t have to worry about back problems. When you have textbooks and exercise books, you have to take them home, and then bring them back to school. That’s a lot of weight on your back. But think about it, with your chromebook it’s like having all your books and pencils weighing in at less than 500 grams. Chromebooks are definitely great for my posture.

Secondly, chromebooks have proven to be an extremely valuable tool for schools and teaching. It’s a great way to introduce the teacher and students to technology. You can use apps to help you to plan and create, for example: lucidchart, matific, spelling fun, typing club and sumo paint are just some of the great apps we use in class.

Chromebooks are connected to the internet, so it helps you, the student, to connect to the latest knowledge. So if you don’t know just google it.

Thirdly, it’s just as fast working with a chromebook than it is working with pen and paper. High school students have said, that they are realizing that with chromebooks, they are getting their work tasks completed much quicker, for example: if they need help with their learning because, they don't understand it, they can just search it up.

Forthly, you can write speeches much quicker, instead of writing for hours, trying to concentrate on organising your ideas and using up heaps of paper. When you use a chromebook, you have all your paper in just one electronic device. Plus the screen helps to see your ideas clearly because the typing is a lot neater than your handwriting.

Finally a chromebook does have a rightful place in a digital classroom. I'm enjoying it, and I think you will too.

By Nicole

Persuasive Writing.

Kiwi children shouldn’t be living in poverty.     

We have a problem and it’s growing right here in New Zealand. We have children in New Zealand that wake up everyday not knowing if they will be able to have breakfast, or wake up to warm clothes on their beds, or have shoes to walk in to school. Things need to change. My name is Aquilla, I am here today to to inform New Zealand, that Kiwi children should NOT be living in poverty. We need to prevent poverty from happening because these children are exposed to crowded homes, they are exposed to less life opportunities, and lastly poverty breeds poverty, we need to stop the cycle.

Firstly, Children who are living in poverty are exposed to more ill - health than children who do not live in poverty. Children that are born into poverty are more likely to be born prematurely, to have a low birth weight and to die before the age of one. Children in the lowest income families are three times more likely to get sick.

Secondly Kiwi kids who are living in poverty are considered to live in crowded homes, where one or more extra bedrooms are needed for the number of people living in the house. Also crowding can cause serious health problems in New Zealand, it has been linked to Meningococcal disease and rheumatic fever. Sixteen percent of kiwi children live in crowded homes. That is sixteen kiwis out of one hundred living in an environment that breeds diseases. On June 4th 2015 a coroner’s report into a toddler’s death, says the poor conditions of the state house in the South Auckland suburb of Otara was a contributing factor to Emma-Lita’s death. In other words this child died from a pneumonia-like illness because her parents could not afford to heat the cold damp house.

Thirdly Kiwi kids who are living in poverty are exposed to less life opportunities than kiwi kids who do not live in poverty. When a child grows up in poverty they miss out on joining sports club, trips and high decile schools. Mainly because they cost money to attend. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to have no education qualifications, which means missing out in getting a good job. Sadly this result can lead to a life of crime.

Forthly, the stress of growing up poor can hurt a child’s brain development starting before birth, research suggests that even very small differences or irregularity in income can have major effects on the brain, because the family is worrying about paying bills or finding more money to buy food..

Lastly poverty breeds poverty, for instance if you grew up living in poverty and have kids , they are more likely to be poor income adults, who in turn will bring up their kids in poverty. It’s  a vicious cycle.

In conclusion Poverty needs to STOP people like you and I can make a huge difference in our society. We can start lobbying our government to, upgrade all state housing to make them warm and re-price the basic food list so that they are more affordable and give low income families free health care. By doing this I believe we can make a better New Zealand for all of our people. Thank you for listening to my speech.

By Aquilla.

Thursday 18 June 2015

Te Rehia Theater Company.

Even though we woke up very early to see if we could spy the Mataariki cluster in our morning sky, sadly we couldn't see it due to clouds and fog. Paihia School finished an awesome Mataariki Celebration Day by watching a very humorous play performed by Te Rehia Theater Company.










Matariki Shared Lunch

A big thank you to all parents who helped out by bringing at plate of something to school. We really appreciate your aroha and manaakitanga.

Inventing in Technology

Today our Year 7 students had to make the ultimate back scratcher.
The Year 7 students had to look at the original back scratcher, plan their design and make their design.
The Year 8 students, were introduced to a few food items and they had to decide what to make with these items. The Year 8s were like Master Chef inventors. Let's see what they made.










Matariki

Dayton's Reflection.
Today we traveled to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to learn different knowledge about Matariki and to participate in Matariki activities with Kawakawa and Oromahoe School. We learnt how to make a rose out of harakeke its was a bit difficult for all students. My favourite activity was the games, we played maui, matou and hakariki. Then we made kites out of nikau leaves. We weaved the leaves so it formed a kite shape and we tied them onto a stick. Unfortunately we couldn't keep the stick to put your kites on. I learnt different knowledge about matariki and how to find it in the sky. It was a good experience at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Ryan's Reflection.
Today we went to Waitangi to tutor other schools and learn how to play games, weave flax and make kites. So first we started at weaving we had to make flowers then no one really got it except  Mikah and I. Miss Simeon asked us to tutor the other schools. So we accepted the challenge, said yes. The rest of our class moved on to the other activities, while Mikah and I stayed back with Whaea Priscilla. Then Kawakawa School arrived at our weaving activity, but only 3/4s of the group attempted to weave.  I enjoyed showing everyone how to weave.
Jordon's Reflection.
Today we all went for a walk to Waitangi to learn about traditional Matariki knowledge. We played Maori games, made flowers with flax and made kites with nikau palm. Then we all listen to stories that Matua Ngati Kawa told us. Throughout the day we rotated to each activities, played games listened to stories and made some cool kites. Then all of Paihia School boys started to play bull rush and tag but Ryan had to stay and make flowers with flax. When we made the kites we had to tie them on a stick but when we finished, we all had to give the sticks back.
Aquilla's Reflection.
Today my class traveled down to Waitangi, to celebrate Matariki week. I got the opportunity to tutor three different schools in kite making. (Oromahoe School, KawaKawa school, and Paihia School)
I learnt new tutoring skills when teaching student how to make a Kite, and I met a lot of new people. I really enjoyed today.
It would be better if we got time to play, eat and rest. 


Anihera's Reflection.
This morning, my class and I went to the Treaty Grounds to learn more about Matariki. We had six tutors from our school, Te Ariki, Aquilla, Taimana, Saffron, Mikah and Nicole
The First activity we did was weaving with Whaea Priscilla. We weaved a rose, it was complicated. The second activity we did was pick up sticks it was sort of hard because we had to try pick up a rakau without moving another rakau. After that, we got bored and played maui matau. Then the last activity was making kites. We learnt a lot more about Matariki then you would think you knew. In the end it was fun.
Taimana's Reflection.
Today I was a tutor at Waitangi because it’s Matariki Celebration Week. I was helping students make kites out of nikau palm. It was very fun. There were three schools; Paihia School, Oromahoe School and Kawakawa School. Some kids worked really well today at making the kites and didn't need so much help compared to other students who found it difficult to follow simple instructions. There were sports, kite making, storytelling and flax weaving. Today I learnt how to teach a group of children to make a kite. To be honest, it was a very long and a hard day with not many breaks but we still worked to the best of our ability. I think this has taught me a lot today and I am very proud of myself. I hope the students I tutored have learnt too today because we put a lot of work into this day.
Andrew's Reflection.
Today all of room 8 went to Waitangi for Matariki Celebrations. We completed heaps of activities like kite making, flax weaving, games and stories telling us about Matariki. The other schools who were there were Oromahoe and Kawakawa. In weaving, I learnt how to fold and make patterns with the flax, it was hard because I didn't know what side to use. because Whaea Priscilla was standing opposite to me. and I didnt hear her. Today I enjoyed what I learned and what I made.
Alazhay's Reflection.
Today we went to Waitangi, Treaty Grounds to learn Maori activities. We went there to celebrate Matariki and to learn how to do traditional Maori activities. There were three Schools; Oromahoe, Kawakawa and Paihia. We made kites, roses, listened to stories and to play games. I liked the kite making because it was easy and fun to make and to fly around. I enjoyed this day because there were lots of people and we had a lot of fun and we also learnt  when and how to see the Matariki Stars.
Nicole's Reflection.
Today my class and I traveled to Waitangi Treaty Grounds to celebrate the beginning of Matariki Week. We made roses out of flax, and learnt Maori games. Then we made some kites, there we learnt to weave our kites out of nikau. Lastly we moved onto storytelling. Today was a special day for me because, this is the first time for me to be in a Matariki Week. So I had a great day at the Treaty Grounds today. The only thing I would change Is the next time we could have a longer time for having morning tea and lunch.


TeAriki Nui's Reflection.
Today we went to Waitangi to celebrate Matariki tradition. We made kites, played games, made flowers out of flax and listen to stories.Then all the schools went around in circle just doing  all the things that we had ready.
My favourite  thing was the games, my favourite game was pick up sticks, and matau, maui. I enjoyed this day because it was traditional Maori activities. When we were there, my friends and I played bull rush and tag. We caught the van back to school and we did some maths and we were supposed to do sports but we didn't.


Mikah's Reflection.
Today Room 8 and other schools went to Waitangi to learn about traditional Matariki activities. Ryan, TeAriki, Taimana, Saphron, Aquilla and I taught Maori games, weaving and kite making. I was teaching how to weave a rosebud out of flax. We learnt to be gentle with the flax and nikau palm when weaving. I've learnt a lot about Matariki. In the end it was a fun day and I think all the kids enjoyed it.