Carrying our crosses

This trip we took was fascinating and fun at the same time!

St. Patrick’s School - the oldest school in Auckland, is situated in the heart of the suburb of Panmure in Auckland. It’s surrounding area offers many opportunities to learn about the past - together with numerous chances for family outings.

One key feature of Panmure is the Panmure bridge. But the bridge that stands today is not the original! Auckland Provincial Council in February 1857 for a bridge to get across to the other side, without having to rely on boats and boatmen, or crossing at Otahuhu. In 1864-65, the first bridge was constructed of stones, imported from Melbourne and iron from Sydney.

Every Thursday, room 8 would walk outside the school and find information about the original Panmure bridge built in 1864-65. We call it E.O.T.C. (Education outside the classroom). During one of our walks, we found an alleyway, not far from the panmure library. In it, was a mural, which is a painting wall. It was a mural of history in Panmure during 1920. We all read the the writing that was authorized on the wall and started taking notes.

The History of Panmure:

A volcano caused the Panmure basin to sync. Mt Wellington was created by an eruption in 9,300 BC. We also found out that volcano soil is very fertile. The Maori, Tamaki area is possibly the largest Maori town in the 1,800’s. The first arrival of the Europeans was in 1820, Samuel Marsden. Aboard the ship was 79 families, 71 of them were catholic. Then, the catholic built St Patrick’s School in 1840, St Mathias was built in 1865 and Panmure district was established in 1875 and the Anglican school stopped enduring. St Patrick’s School is still a flourishing school, meaning it is still developing rapidly and successfully. Sadly, none of the original buildings are in existence, meaning it does not exist anymore. The mural was painted by Billy McQueen in July 1997.

Facts about the Original Panmure bridge:
Between 1864 and 1865 the first bridge over the Tamaki River was built here. The bridge was officially opened on October 20th 1065 by Robert Graham. The first bridge was constructed of stones imported from Melbourne and iron from Sydney. The first panmure bridge was designed by William Collett and William Weaver supervised the construction. The original panmure bridge was 195 meters long and 6 meters wide.

After all of us were done taking notes and reading it to make sure they haven’t missed anything, then we all walked back to St. Patrick’s school the same way we came here at the alleyway. Then, we had to write a report of what we have seen today. Some of us wrote in their notes they took during the walk. Others looked up information on their chromebooks. After a few minutes, our teacher, Ms Dines asked some of us to share their report about the walk.

Today was a very exciting day. I have learnt a lot during our walk. It was also good exercise. I hope something like today happens again soon!

This game was a real challenge to get through!!

“Students don’t learn much playing this
game called Astria – Countdown to Impact:
Their time could be better spent doing other things”.

After playing the 'Astria - Countdown to Impact' game,
My partner and I learned to stay focus and concentrate
on the important information in the text we read in the 
game. It was really challenging for my partner and I, 
but we managed to get through it and finish the game.
We had some struggles on what the text was trying to
say, but we had to read it again, and again and again
until the sentence sounded right to us. I disagree on how
students don't learn much by playing this Astria - Countdown
to Impact and that their time should be spent on better things.

Now I know a strategy to finding out how many days there are in all the months of the year!

Today, Summer and I learnt a new rhyme which reminds us of how many days are there in each month. We were wondering how many days there were in November because we were trying to figure out which day the 1st of December would be on. The cause of this was because St Patrick's School was preparing for a party on the 1st of December. We were going to probably play ukuleles during singing carols in front of a HUGE crowd. Summer was saying there was 30 days in November and I kept assuming there was 31 days. So Summer searched up if there was 31 days in November. It didn't really help us when we saw the results, so she searched up 'Month rhymes'. The results was really interesting, so we memorized the rhyme so that we would always know how many days there was in every month of the year. Here is how the rhyme went:

30 days has September, April, June and November. When short February's done. All the rest has 31..

There was also another month rhyme, but we didn't memorize it. If your curious about what this rhyme sounded like here it is:

Thirty days hath September, April, June and November, all the rest have 31. February has twenty-eight, but leap year coming one in four.

If you don't understand what the last part of the rhyme meant, it means that usually, February has 28 days, but after every four years, there will be 29 days. It was really fun saying the rhyme! Our teacher Mrs Dines suggested to blog the rhyme and what you were arguing about, instead of saying it out loud so much. We figured it was a good idea, and started blogging. It wasn't something the whole class was talking about, it was something that just came to mind. I guess I was wrong about November having 31 days. Now I know...

My 10th birthday celebration was a special time I spent with my friends and family!!

On Saturday the 18th of November, my family,

friends, next door neighbors family, my friends

from church and I celebrated my tenth birthday

at Grace International church.

First, we all woke up with excitement to celebrate

my birthday. It was going to be a really big party

because loads of friends and family were invited,

like my grandparents, my cousins, the next door

neighbor's family, my best friends from church:

Elizaly, Jackson, Eden and Lily and my best friends from

St. Patrick’s School: Anamaria, Angelina and Summer.

Next, we got dressed in our most finest clothes.

We didn’t wear dresses or high hills or earrings

though. We were wearing nice casual clothes,

like jeans, shorts, tops, jackets, sports shoes and

sandals. After that we all gathered around the table

and started to eat breakfast. Then, my mum and I

drove to pak’n’save to buy the cake, the balloons

and the party bags. After that we drove to Grace

International church.

My mum and my Sunday school teacher, Cecilia

helped sort out the room we were going to use for

my birthday party. While the party was getting arranged,

two Chinese men started to pump up a bouncy castle

outside of the room. It was so huge that it nearly touched the roof!

After the bouncy castle was pumped up, my friends

that lived inside the church played inside until my

family and my friends from school arrived. The first

to arrive was my grandparents and my two cousins

who came along, Fano and Margret.  I happily greeted

them and hugged them. They put there presents they

bought for me in the room on a small table in the left corner.

A while later, my friend from school, Summer arrived,

then Anamaria and then Angelina. I introduced them

to my friends from church. We all played, talked and

laughed in the bouncy castle.

After a while, we were all called to come inside the room

because the party was starting. Firstly my dad gave a

speech. Then my grandpa said a prayer in Samoan and

in english for the food we were about to eat and for all of

the people that was in the rooms blessings. Then we all

sang happy birthday and ate the food that was spread

across the tables we were sitting at. There was chicken,

chocolate sticks and bluebird chips. Then we cut the cake

and served it out to everyone of people that were in the room.

After we all finished eating, my friends and I went out to

play in the bouncy castle, while some adults stayed in the

room to talk to each other. Then it was time for my friends

and family to go home. I handed out the party bags and

thanked everyone for coming to my birthday. My mum,

dad and Cecilia cleaned up the room while some adults

took some of the food home.

My favorite part of celebrating my tenth birthday, was

when all my friends and family came to celebrate it with me.

Also because of the yummy food my mum bought for us.

I can’t wait to celebrate my next birthday.

Should we treat the animals that are called pests with more respect?

The task that we did independently was based

around the idea that other groups, including the

Department of Conversation are working to take

action that NZ is predator-free by 2050.

Today, the whole class participated in a online based

about how I felt about the decision of a group called

Nature Watchers, who think that ‘animals that are called

“pests” by the predator free group should be treated with

more respect.’

I was asked to agree, disagree or express my thinking

based on the information provided and supporting

information I found online. I partly agreed.

I partly agree with the Nature Watchers group because feral cats eat the rats and mice. It is not their fault that

they kill some of NZ native birds. It is because they do

not have an owner to care for it, feed it, or train it in any

other way. I think cats should get more respect because

some of the cat owners around here do not fix their cats

because it is too much money, so they start to multiply, causing

most of them to make themselves feral cats, who roam around the

neighborhood.

I partly agree with the Nature Watcher group because

rabbits, who are so called ‘pests’, can be fixed at the pet

store so they can stop multiplying. It’s a lot of money, but

you can start saving. If you still don’t have enough money,

you could start being generous and give away some of the

young rabbits to your friends and neighbors. If they don’t

want them, you could give them up to the pet store. Rabbits

also have predators themselves, such as eagles, hawks, owls,

falcons and kestrels. It’s surprising that birds can also be a

predator to those who people call ‘pests’.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Soccer Tournament!

It's very important to play safely!

What is playing safe?

Playing safely is making sure that everyone, including myself, is safe when we are playing in the playground or having fun wherever you are.

It is important for us to play safely on the playground because no one wants to get hurt. We play safely because it is for our own good and we do not want to end up in the hospital and miss some schooling or homework. We could still go to school with a cast or a wheelchair, but we have still have missed a lot of learning throughout the past time you were away.

It is not hurting anyone or putting them down and saying things like, “HAHA! I'M BETTER THAN YOU! YOUR A KLUTZY LOSER! YOU’LL NEVER BE GOOD AS ME, UGLY,” But instead of saying mean things like that, we should try to encourage others to be good at it or comfort them. Playing safely is not getting hit by the ball, or accidentally get hit by the cricket bat on the stomach. Playing safely is very important so that we can be a safe school and be a good role model for our younger peers.

Playing safely is avoiding things that won’t harm you in anyway. If you don’t know how to play the game, and it’s not a very safe game for people to play, then it’s best to not get involved in it and watch them play, or persuade them to not play the game because it is not safe and someone might get injured badly. Then ask them if you want younger people crashing, bashing and beating each other up because they think it’s a ‘fun’ game? I don’t think so. Be aware about the young people watching you, because they all rely on you to be a good role model for them, and they’ll copy whatever you do. They may not do it straight away, but they will start playing it, sooner or later, depending on what they think about the game.

Finally, playing safe is not involving little children under 6 years old to play sports like soccer, softball, volleyball, non-stop cricket and long-ball. One example of that is not swinging bats around them in case they get hit in the head or if you pump into them without looking where you’re going. Instead of carrying the sports equipment  individually, we could carry them in a bucket or in a one pile so that we don’t have to injure little children. If it’s too much for one person to carry , you could give half of the equipment to another person.

Shellfish!

Learning Intention: walt - express an opinion.

Natural resources - wood!

😊😊YAY! The government is banning plastic bags!😊😊

Stop bullying! Make a change!

Learning Intention: recognise that we can improve the world by making wise choices.

My understanding of Sacraments!

The Earth's Systems!

The four spheres of the Earth are:

• Biosphere - The word Bio is Greek word for life; it relates to the living things.
• Geosphere - The Geosphere is like the skull of the earth; it is the non-living things.
• Atmosphere - Is the surrounding of the earth; relates to air.
• Hydrosphere - Links to water and all its other forms, ice, sea, lakes and rivers.

Definition:

The four spheres (Geosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere)
work together to create ecosystems.

Ecosystems are:

A combination of the four spheres in one place/working together.

This picture is a ecosystem because it has a mixture of the four spheres. The biosphere (Trees, grass, plants), geosphere (rocks, mountains nonliving things), the hydrosphere (the pond and the water in the clouds) and the atmosphere (the sky, clouds, the air).

Pick up your rubbish! Don't litter!

Learning Intention: Walt - discuss and plan ways to encourage students to help our environment.

Mary's Timeline!

The Assumption

This is my life

Mary

Mary Had Parents	Anne & Joachim
The Annunciation	The angels visited Mary and told her she was going to bear the son of God.
The Visitation	Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was already going to bear John the Baptist.
Mary gets married	Towards Joseph.
The birth of Jesus	Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem and Jesus was born in the stable.
The finding of Jesus in the Temple	Jesus stayed at the Temple of Bethlehem and Jesus' parents found him there after 3 days.
The first miracle of Jesus	He turned water into wine at the wedding of Canaan.
The Crucifixion of Jesus	Mary walked with Jesus, who was carrying the cross all the way to Mount Calvary to get crucified.

During Morning Tea Time!

Today, at morning tea time, the year sixes from room 7 and 8 (and one year 5 from

room 6) played a thrilling and excellent game of soccer.

We were split in uneven teams and played like crazy cats furiously

chasing mice. We weren’t playing a proper soccer game because some

people were hand balling, others were still kicking the ball

even when it was passed the line (which was very near to the goal),

and they had to switch places with each other, including myself,

for example defender and the goalie.

It was a fun game, though, because everyone was smiling and

laughing and having a good time. Small problems didn’t become

bigger and people weren’t fussing over small things, like we usually

would during the soccer game. Both teams kicked the ball in each

others goal with pride and their team celebrated for a while and

then focused on the game again. My team scored three goals and

the other team scored four.

Before one of my teammates would score a goal, the bell rang

very loudly. People started to run back to their class and slapping

their hands on their classes sign by their classes door. During that

time, people who played at the soccer game congratulated and said

good game to each other. Then we waited patiently for our teacher to come.

The Church!

L.I: W.A.L.T explore our prior knowledge about the Church.

The Holy Spirit!

Learning Intentions: We are learning to summarise what we have been learning about the Holy Spirit in Term 2.

Glitter Rainbow Pizza?!

Learning Intention: We are learning to write a report about a kiwi kids news article in our own words.

Fancy a glitter pizza!

A restaurant in America has started serving glitter rainbow pizza. So far it has proved popular with those who tried it. The ingredients are listed as unicorn puke but it’s actually special edible glitter. The owner of the pizzeria in Los Angeles, Mark Peters says he has noticed everyone from kids who like 2 years old losing their minds over it to people that are in their 70's ordering these pizzas. This happened in July the 4th, 2018.

Swimming with Sea Lions!

Learning Intention: Walt write a summary about a ten-year-old girls adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

Focusing on the game!

Learning Intention:

Walt - explain how I was focused playing the board game Time Travel.

How I was focused on playing our game:

Today, I was playing a board game called Time Travel. We played in groups of 2. I know that I was focused because I wasn’t talking to anyone else but my partner and played by the rules and didn’t cheat. I also was interacting appropriately towards my partner while I shared my ideas. I learned that when you spin the arrow and it said 3 back and you're already in the yesterday colom, you keep moving your counter forward and not go backwards 3 times because it would mean that you are moving towards the tomorrow colom instead of reaching the end of the yesterday colom.

Legs in a barn!

Learning Intention: We are learning how to solve problems involving fractions of whole numbers.

Jesus goes to pray at a quiet place!

Learning Intention:
Walt - make a human statue video to express the scripture reference, Mark chapter 1 verse 35.

To Mum and Papa!

Walht: write a structure of a

letter to thank someone.

Room 8

5 Church Crescent

Panmure

Auckland 1072

Dear mum and papa,

This is my ‘Thank you’ letter to you! It is to show you

how grateful I am for all that you have done for me.

Thank you for looking after me. I am very grateful

that you can look after me at all times,

even if you don’t have time to.

I like it when you spend time with me

even if I have my sisters with me, but it is

even more fun when we are together as a family.

Thank you for your generosity towards me.

It has shown me that you really care and love

me with all your heart. I’ll return the love and

try not to take whatever you have done

for me for granted, even when

it’s supposed to cheer me up sometimes.

Thank you for your kindness.

I really like that you are kind towards me,

and sometimes when I don’t deserve it.

I’ll try and be more responsible so I

could not cause any trouble and

make you very angry. I also thank you

for letting me eat some sweets when I’m not allowed to.

Lastly, I thank you for your teachings

and your guidance. Your teachings have

taught me a lot about the world and has

been very handy. I have always kept it in

mind and will never let it slip out of my

other ear. Your guidance is very important

to me and I listen to every word. I sometimes

take them for granted, then when I need it, I

don’t know what to do. So I’ll make

sure I listen to you every time.

I hope you like what I have said

about you in my thank you letter to

you. I love you and wish you the

happiest year of your lives.

Your 1# daughter, Roneeza

Comparing Open and Closed questions!

Learning Intention:

W.A.L.T - Identify effective questions for an Interview

An Interview with Patricia Grace

Open questions	Closed question
What is your favourite food?	Do you have a nickname if so what is it?
What was your most embarrassing moment?	Do you have a special place where you write your books?
How do you relax?
Who inspired you when you were little?
What were you like at school?
What was your Favourite/most hated subject at school?
What was the book you most loved as a child?
Which person from the past would you most like to meet?
Who is your favourite author/children’s author?
Why did you want to be a writer?
What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a writer?
If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I think these questions are the most effective questions
because you find out good information about the
writer and that when you gather all the
information together, you know what kind of person he/she is.