Poem : Darkness of Life

Our poem is about a family in darkness and poverty. They live in this abandoned home and fight for their survival. They have had to adapt to this awful lifestyle. 

Darkness of Life

Shattered glass across the floor

No one dares to open the door

Roof leaking

Drip drop drip drop

All you see is the mirror flop

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

All you see is the darkness thrive

The beds a mess

Nowhere to rest

Curtains closed almost there

Coldness seems to disappear

Warmness wraps the room like a teddy bear

With a life like there's

No one would dare

To even care

About this poor family in rags and rain

So help me now because there life is like a horror  

they need some means to fix their error

Our poem is about a family in darkness and poverty. They live in this abandoned home and fight for their survival. They have had to adapt to this awful lifestyle.

Amazing Race

Amazing race 2015  

“I wonder what we are doing after morning tea?” I said to myself dreamly. 1“RING RING RING” went the bell interrupting my thought. I shook my head as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep. I walked happily to Room 3 as I wanted find out what fun things we were doing this afternoon. I arrived at my class bay, seeing everyone sitting in two straight lines. I scattered into the girls line as Ms Misela was coming. I just got in the line and in a knick of time to. Ms Misela stood in front of us and we stood up knowing that he was waiting for us to stand up. We followed her inside in a two single file lines.

I jumped inside the class with enthusiasm as it was blazing hot outside and the class was nice and cool. I felt like I was in a cooler. I moved along as people were behind me. I sat on the mat, waiting patiently. Mrs Tele’a then told us that we had to get our P.E. gear on as some activities of our fun time may get a bit messy. I slowly walked to by bag to grab my fitness gear. I was thinking about what we may be doing. While thinking I wasn’t looking at where I was going leaving me to stub my toe on the table pole. My thoughts were interrupted again.

I continued on my way to get my P.E. gear. I grabbed my P.E. gear and went to the changing/green screen room. I threw on my gear and was out of the room in a flash. I made my way back to Room 3 and sat on the mat silently. The rest of the class came in and Ms Misela wrote on the whiteboard that we were doing an amazing race. I was so excited. She also wrote our teams up. I was in a team with Ariana, Melenoa, Taunese, April and Brooklyn.  I was so happy. Once everyone had found out their teams, each team received a pamphlet which had a sheet which had the activities and our team members.

Everyone then moved into the street where Mrs Tele’a would explain exactly what we were doing.  Class 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 were gathered in the street which was so stuffy and Mrs Tele’a announced that we were doing an amazing race. “YAHHHHHH” the senior block yelled.  Once the place was quiet Mrs Tele’a began to explain what we were doing. She included the station names. They were Photobooth which was placed in the street, Brainbusters in Room 1 & 2, Cookie face in the walkway, Pea pipes on the hard court and Fear factor in the breeze.

Everyone set off to their first stations. My group was in Brainbusters with Ms Fuamoto. We had 5 sheets of brain buster problems and we had to find the answer within 10 minutes. At the end of the given time my team came away with a win. We were so glad. We then realised that we had to move on to our next activity which was Photobooth with Mrs Tele’a. We walked silently as we wanted to earn more points for our arrival. We earned 20 points for our arrival. SCORE. We saw that the street had 4 other little sections. A boxing station, hats station, tutu station, and green screen props. I really wanted the hat station as I could really be creative with hats. “ Paige your group can be in the hat station”. “Thank you Mrs Tele’a”. I said happily. I darted over to the hat station as I wanted to get a headstart.  We grabbed an Ipad from the table and started taking photos. Our photos were so cool.  We finished our photos and came away with another win.

“Cookie face here we come” I said excitedly to the group. We raced over to the walkway where the activity was being held. We arrived and sat down. Mrs Flavelle demonstrated what we had to do. We all had heaps of fun trying to get a cookie from our forehead into our mouths. We finished  so quickly. The results were in and Room 4 came first. It didn’t matter that we didn’t win because it was really fun.

We headed off to Pea pipes which was right next to our last activity. We were told to sit behind a desk so we did that. We saw from the demonstration that we had to get a straw and inhale a pea from the white plastic bow and take it to the other side where another bowl for your team would be. I loved this activity as it was really funny especially when I would inhale a pea through the straw and then ran to the other bowl but my pea would fall out before I could make it. “ 3, 2, 1 and done. Time to pack up”. yelled Mrs Hockley. We all packed up and went back to class as it was home time. “ Thank you teachers” yelled all the students. “ Good bye have a great evening everyone” said Mrs Tele’a.

This was an amazing experience. I loved playing with my girls. They were so fun. we may not have won but this helped us come closer.

Recount Writing

My sister's birth

I have experienced many exciting things during my short lifetime such as bungee jumping it was an exhilarating experience, diving which was a frightening experience and many more . I have also missed out on things like going to Rainbows End, travelling out of New Zealand and many others, but one thing I’ve always been pleased about  was getting the opportunity to have a little sister. The moment that I saw her I knew that she was going to be an amazing little sister.

“Paige here is your new baby sister Mikyrah”. As my mum said that I felt joy jumping inside of me as if I had won the lottery!!!! I was given opportunity to hold my little sister who was sound asleep wrapped up in her silky white blanket. 5 minutes later mum took her off me and we had a family photo around her. After that we got to go home and enjoy Mikyrah for ourselves. Our journey home was bumpy as if we were driving  through a construction site which had large boulders. I looked out the tinted window to find that we were in fact driving on an uncompleted  road which was covered in rocks. I looked ahead to see a new smooth road. Within minutes we reached that new road. The rest of the ride home was peaceful as everybody had fallen asleep because the ride was long lasting.

2 hours later we finally reached our destination which was home. Our warm, cozy home. I jumped out of the back door of our black ford and darted to open the door as mum was holding baby. As I went to put the key in the door I was so unfocused had a liat I hit my head on the door is opened. I fell on the floor and my dad laughed which woke up Mikyrah.  She opened her big brown eyes and looked me straight in the eyes.

The next day we had thrown her a little party. Afterwards we left her to sleep. This experience was amazing

How to prevent yourself from contracting illness this winter

Nobody really likes being sick. I know I don’t because when I am sick I can’t do as many things as normal. Why do people get sick? How do people get sick? Where does sickness come from? Hopefully this explanation can provide you with some helpful tips on how to keep you well this Winter.

Getting sick can come in many different ways such as the flu, cold or sometimes it can be worse - a terminal illness. In cases of viruses travelling around your body you can be admitted to hospital as the virus can take over your body.  Contracting sickness mostly occurs during the season of winter as the temperature can drop to about 3 - 4 degrees celsius during the evening in Auckland.

To help keep yourself well you need to eat well. If your body has a balanced diet with all the nutrient that you're body needs  it will be unlikely that you would get sick. Also cut down on sugary treats like chocolate, ice cream, cake, cookies, and. Did you know that if kids don’t eat right for upto three months they will have to be admitted into hospital where they will be fed through a tube.

Another way to keep well this winter is to stay warm. As you may already know Winter can get super cold especially when it gets to the evening. During the night in Auckland the temperature can drop down to 3 - 4 degrees celsius.  Becoming cold in the night can lead to contracting a flu or a cold. To prevent this illness you can make sure that when you go to bed all the windows in the house are closed, you have warm clothes on and most importantly you cover up.

Also keeping yourself well can include making sure that you have had you're flu shot. Flu shots cause serum to develop in you're body about two weeks after your shot. This serum can provide protection against infection with the viruses that are in the vaccine. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season.

In conclusion, preventing yourself from catching illness simply means that you need too make sure that you stay warm, eat the right food, have your flu shot and give your body a good exercise when need. These undemanding steps can be the keys to your wellbeing this winter.

Ms Uninverse coming to Pt England School

Yesterday at 1pm Pt England School had very special visitors come. They were the 20 finalist for Miss Universe New Zealand. Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. We had these people come to our school because even though they are competing in a beauty pageant they are rasing money for kids that don't have everything that they need. Miss Universe contestants are helping out kiwi kids who are on the waiting list for a kiwi kids sponsership. 

They came with there manager who was Jack Yan. The visitors were escorted to the staffroom. I had the privellege of going with them and filming there visit. As the girls sat down I got to know some of them. They were really cool. Today they are travelling into Manila,Phillipines to compete. The girls finished there beverages and we moved out of the staffroom and into the Tusitala room where the year 6 ambassadors talked to to them. 

The year 6 ambassadors gave a mihimihi of welcome to our visitors. They then talked about things that we do at our school. They showed archives and recent movies from the Manaiakalani Film festival held at Sylvia park. After the year 6 ambassadors an amabassador from variety came and takled to the girls about what they are fundraising for. She showeed a movie that was made to tell people that the kiwi kids sponsership. 

When she finished talking we moved onto the senior block where 3 girls talked to our senior block about being entrepreneur. A entrepreneur person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.About 15 miutes later the girls split into groups of 3 - 4 and put themselves in a classroom to explain futher. 

At the end of the day, before the girls left they took photos with classes. 
This experience was truly ammazing as we were the first school that they had visited. I am so thankful for the things that they are doing as they are not just thinking about themselves they are thinking all about others that are in need. These girls are kind,giving, loving and pretty. A piece of wisdom that i would take away from this experience would have to be that "Be lose because when you are lose you are yourself". They inspied me to be the best me I can be.

2nd Pourquoi Story - Why Leopards have spots

Why Leopards have spots.

Once upon a time there lived an artist with the passion for animals. This artist knew that he wanted to be an artist from the day his dad took him to an art show. The name of this artist was Segers spotsndots. One day he was out looking for something to inspire him. He came across aan golden animal with eyes as bright as the sun. He stopped and sat down. He took out a camera from his pouch and quickly snapped a photo. Just then the animal darted away.

The artist went back and looked on the internet at animals trying to see which animal it was. He then saw that it was called a leopard. He looked at the picture that he took of the Leopard and he noticed that the animal looked plain and boring. The artist stared and stared at the majestic looking Leopard for hours until he decided that he would design something that would make this Leopard look even better.

He designed many many pieces of art but all the design that he made weren’t right for this breathtaking Leopard. After a few more hours he got super resentful and started flicking the brush at a canvas and then he noticed that he had created a perfect design for the golden animal. He stayed up all night figuring out how to put this artwork on the Leopards. As the clock was going on to 12:49 he suddenly thought of it.

He stated that he would make a freeze ray that would only freeze the worlds entire population of Leopards. He worked for days non stop thinking of ways to build this ray. Then... an plan struck him. He got working straight away. He gathered so many things that his house looked like a garage sale inside of a garage sale.  The next day he smiled in joy as he had finished his freeze ray. That very moment a leopard was walking past. Segers pushed a button and the leopard froze. All the leopards froze.

He switched some things around so that his freeze ray would also print spots onto every single leopard in the world. he pushed more button, in a pattern. The ray made funny noises BEEP, BAP, BOP, BA. The leopard that was prancing by disappeared for a few seconds and then appeared again but this time the animal had spots.

Til this very day Leopards have been known for their spots and  their bright eyes.

Why Pandas have black patches around their eyes.

This is my story about why pandas have black patches around their eyes.

In a land far far away, was a forest that was full of bamboo. A panda and a grasshopper were playing in the tall bamboo shoots. The grasshopper said to the panda “ Hey Panda, why do you have those black patches around your eyes”. “Here let me tell you a short story that comes from generations back about why I have these black patches” said Panda.

“Once upon a time in a far away land a white snowy animal was sleeping in an open space. Only a few rocks and trees were around. The snowy looking animal woke up and turned around to find a grasshopper right next to him. He jumped back, in surprise and hid behind a close by rock. He peeked out and the grasshopper was right on top off the rock. He squealed and then said “What are you doing here?” “I am just looking for a new home. My last home got damaged really badly.”

The grasshopper and ‘Polar Bear’ discussed places that the grasshopper could stay because the ‘Polar Bear’ didn’t want the grasshopper to stay. He didn’t want the grasshopper to stay because the one grasshopper might attract a whole swarm of grasshoppers. The ‘Polar Bear’ suggested that the grasshopper should stay over in the grass, but the grasshopper declined that suggestion because he wanted to stay in open spaces like the ‘Polar Bear’.

The grasshopper and ‘Polar Bear’ argued for twenty minutes until the grasshopper said “ I don’t want anymore of your suggestions as I’ve already made up my mind. I am staying right here because this is where I want to stay.” The ‘Polar Bear’ declared that the ‘Polar Bears’ and grasshoppers would fight for the area. They stated that the fight will take place the next day at 12:00 sharp. The ‘Polar Bear’ gathered all the fighters that he could. He gathered birds and lizards with a few tigers. While the grasshopper gathered lots of tigers and Bears.

The clock hit 12:00 and an Owl started the fight. The fight went on for 1 hour and then a grasshopper jumped up from behind a tiger and punched the ‘Polar Bear’ in the eyes. The fight had finished and all the animals that participated had been badly hurt. The ‘Polar Bear’ stood up and the grasshopper saw that the panda had black patches around his eyes.

The next day the ‘Polar Bear’ was sleeping and two hunters came along and saw that the animal was not a Polar bear and named it a Panda. The hunters realized all the badly hurt animals and rang animal hospitals to come and help them. The animals were ok once they were treated.”

“That is why pandas have black patches around their eyes.” said the Panda. “Thanks Panda, that was such a cool story. I am so happy that we can be friends.”

Pandas then moved to places with more bamboo. The population is now 1300 in the world excluding the pandas in the zoo.

Haunted Or Fake?

Haunted Or Fake?

$1 for a historic mansion may sound like a pretty good deal, but there is a catch…there are speculations that it may be haunted. The Ouerbacker-Clement House in Louisville Kentucky was built in the 1860s by Samuel Ouerbacker and was a magnificent building admired by many because the materials and the structure of the mansion. This mansion has been vacant for over 70 years because of the death of the owner . It has been used as a tax office before however  they decided to put the mansion up for sale.  It was then purchased by an architect, Scott Kremer. Ditching his plans to make this mansion  famous again he decided to leave it in ruins because it was to much work for him to do.

The real estate company were hoping that whoever was wanting to purchase the mansion would take the time and spend the money to restore its old features with the help of the tax company.  The Ouerbacker-Clement House is very ancient and was falling apart. There are speculations about the mansion and how it looks haunted because of the broken windows and parts of the floors are breaking and making holes.

Scott Kremer sold the mansion which was purchased by a company by the name of Oracle Design.  This company also bought many other properties from the neighborhood.  Oracle Design have had a plan for a while and when the mansion was getting auctioned they were hoping that they could get the mansion because it was a big part of their plan. Part of the plan is to tear down the mansion and make new apartment complex.   

They are still trying to figure out how they are going to make this mansion into an apartment complex and they still need to figure out the date and the length that this procedure will take.

~ Paige Te Tai

The Immersion Assemble For Term 4

It was the first day of the school term. We had an immersion assembly to talk about our theme for the term. Our theme was ART ATTACK. Each team did a little performance. Team 1 was studying what is in our environment that they can use a a piece of artwork.

Team 2 was learning about the primary colors and the color wheel. Team 3 was looking into the artist and the art they paint. Team 4 was choosing the best pieces of art.  Last of all Team 5 was painting portraits of Mr. Burt, Mr. J and Mrs. Jarman. 

The bit that i liked the best was Team 4's performance. I really like it because it was hilarious.  

Paige Life Ed Caravan Explanation

The Life Education Trust Association is a company which  helps children to make superior choices about their health , as well as  teaching them to respect themselves and others. The Trust also empowers children to make the right decision when  facing difficult scenarios and  learning  to appreciate their own uniqueness.

The topic for the Intermediate block for this occasion was Drugs and Alcohol.

One of the main topics that we learnt was drugs. We learnt What are Drugs?

A drug is any chemical substance, other than food, water or oxygen. Drugs are  substances that kill people. People can die from overdosing. When you overdose that means you take too much at one time. Drugs are something that make people feel better about themselves. Drugs are chemical substances that can cause the brain to function in a different way that isn’t normal. Drugs are something that people take for kicks. All medicines are drugs , but not all drugs are medicines.

We learnt that when you are in a situation facing drugs you need to make an ethical choice. A choice that you know will make yourself and people proud. Most people who sell or make drugs look for people who appear innocent, weak or willing to try anything. If people make the choice to put drugs in their body the consequence it that it can ruin the body flow and your brain will never fully develop especially if you take drugs during puberty.

Another main topic was Alcohol.

There are three types of Alcohol.  Beer ,Wine and Spirits.

If we take apart Beer and put it into layers according to the ingredients. Beer only has 5% Alcohol in a standard drink.

Wine has 14% Alcohol in a standard drink.

Spirits on the other hand has 46% in a standard drink.

If someone chooses to put alcohol in their body at a young age, then their body won’t function properly. A young teenager can only take a very small quantity of alcohol. In your body the liver separates the bad things from your bloodstream.  Alcohol if taken regularly from a teenager can affect the person’s  emotions and ability too function properly.

Lynn was talking about the Web Of Addiction. The web of addiction is when you are on drugs and you can’t stop taking them no matter how hard you try. First you start off liking it for a while. You have it once a week.  Then it comes to a point when you want it more. So you have it 3 times a week. Suddenly it turns into a problem when you need it more regularly. You will do anything to have it. Finally you CRAVE IT. You can’t go without it. You have to have it constantly.

Lastly Lynn taught us why people choose to use drugs and alcohol. Some of the  reasons were that others were doing it , they thought that it wouldn't harm them, they thought it was cool and they wanted to be part of the crowd. I asked my dad if he had ever done drugs or alcohol, he said yes. I asked dad why he did it and he told me that sometimes people do drugs and alcohol to hide the pain that they feel inside. Dad told me that sometimes life can get very hard and during those hard times people usually make the wrong decisions and as a result of the emotional trauma that is involved they take drugs and alcohol to numb the pain.

I think that drugs and alcohol are bad for you and your life. They don’t make all your problems go away, they just add to it. My decision is that I will not take drugs and alcohol  because they can ruin my life ahead of me and whats to come. Right now I am drug and alcohol free and I plan to keep it that way.

MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION!!