Tattoo Mini Project

This is a task that we were given by Mrs Tele'a. We had to create two tattoos. One that was cultural and one that had elements that represented you. Here is a presentation that includes my tattoos. They each have an explanation so you can understand the meaning behind them.

If the presentation isn't working for you, I have put the explanations here too. By the way, there is a LOT of writing.

My first tattoo is called the Fata ‘o Tu’i Tonga. It is a portrayal of the central beam in the King’s house. More specifically, of the sennit bindings that hold the central beam, which supports the thatched roof. So why did I choose this particular Tongan pattern as one of my two tattoos?

The Fata ‘o Tu’i Tonga symbolizes unity, strength and coming together. This was exactly the reason why I chose it. I thought it reminded me of family - distinctly, my family -. When I saw the Fata ‘o Tu’i Tonga and it’s the meaning behind it, it reminded me of all the times my extended family has given my parents and I a helping hand. It’s a pretty significant design since one of the many things I value is family.

In this slide, I have included my own tattoo design that I created. It is based off of the things I value the most; Friendship, Trust and Animals. These are more of symbols than they are patterns and drawings.

As you can see, one of the symbols are in a different language. When translated, it means trust. You may be wondering what this language is. It is Kanji. Kanji is used in the modern Japanese writing system. So why would I include Kanji in my tattoo? Another thing that I value is culture and language. I thought instead of using the Tongan language, I would use a language that was foreign to me and that I was fascinated with. And that was Japanese.

Behind the friendship symbol is a pawprint. The main reason why I used a dog pawprint to represent animals was because I absolutely love dogs. Another reason why was because I recently lost a close family member. Sisa. He was my dog that I grew up with in Tonga. I had received him when I was aged one and at the time Sisa was just a pup. So we were really close since we LITERALLY grew up together. This symbol really did mean a lot to me. I actually hope one day I will get this tattoo.

I would say this tattoo is also apart of my own design. It shows my religion, family and culture.

The flower is supposed to be a franjapaini. It represents where I was born: Tonga. Popping up behind it is a koru. This represents New Zealand. Overall, this shows where I was born and where I am currently living.

The stick figures may look a little out of place but they symbolize my parents. I used the cliche gender colours blue and pink to identify them.

They are big part of my life and although they may have problems in their relationship, they’re still making an effort for me.

I think doing this task and all the research about tattoos and symbolism we did has really helped me understand symbolism and my culture. Everything has a meaning behind it. Whether, it’s the symbol on your school uniform, the tattoo your uncle has or that tick on your Nike shoes.

My friends and I have talked a lot about tattoos and what we were going to get etched on our bodies when we were older. The past seven weeks have really broadened my mind on tattoos. They are a form of art on people’s bodies, especially when they have meaning behind them. That’s when they become symbolic and can be a constant reminder for you.

Year 8 Camp

Camp was full of so many fun activities! I had so much fun, I wish it lasted longer than it did. Going on the Year 8 Camp gave me the opportunity to get to know my peers outside my usual group of friends which was really awesome.

Out of the four days, I least enjoyed day 1 of the camp. After, taking a 1-2 hour bus ride, we arrived at Langs Beach where we began a tramp towards Waipu Cove. Ms Squires had planned for it to be a nice elegant walk but thanks to the weather, the track had become slippery and muddy. This lead to a number of falls.

Not only was it a very long walk but it was also a pretty dangerous one. We traveled up hills and jagged rocks that were rather narrow and some of us were very close to plunging to our deaths. Thankfully, we all survived. I, myself got a few battle scars but overall, I was fine.

When Day 3 came along, I was extremely excited. It was - for me - the most anticipated day. We were scheduled to do a bunch of activities varying from archery to toasting marshmallows to kayaking. Plus, that night was when had a campfire where we sang some songs.

Toasting marshmallows was my highlight of that day. I had never eaten roasted marshmallows prior to that experience so it was pretty special. My teammates and I gathered around the fire as we stuck our marshmallows on the tips of our sticks. One by one, we set them above the fire. Mine caught a blaze a few times but I didn’t really mind. In fact, I ended up really liking the burnt taste.

BAR Keys

Today is extension, we took a look at BAR keys. This was apart of a game/activity called the 20 Thinkers Key which includes 20 different puzzles to get us thinking. BAR keys is practicaly when you make something Bigger, Add something and Replace something. B A R. 

First thing we did was draw a house which we completed in 5-10 minutes. Then we rotated around the room so different people could make something Bigger, Add something and Replace something. Here are the three images I ended up with after we did this little activity. Hopefully, you can notice and read what the changes are.

The Little Old Lady - Writing Sample Term 2

This is a writing sample I wrote in 40 minutes. It was kinda like a test. It's very long but hopefully you enjoy it! :)

Alice stood still, keeping her eyes fixated on the house across the road. She watched as the stubby old lady sat comfortably in her rocking chair, calmly staring off into the distance. “Why do you always watch her?” Alice’s trance broke as she looked over at Sydney. Sydney smiled as her brown hair fell in front of her eyes. “There’s.....something up with that lady.” Alice said, wonder laced her words.

“You always say that about people.” Sydney joked.

“I do not! I am just.....strongly suspicious of people.”

Sydney let out a long laugh as she shook her head. “Do you really think there’s something wrong with that lady?”

“I don’t know. Only one way to find out I guess.” Alice started walking briskly across the road.

“Wait! What?! NO! Alice, don’t do that!” Sydney yelled desperately. But her shouts weren’t enough to stop Alice from reaching the old lady.

Sydney’s voice seemed to be muffled out by Alice’s curiosity. As she drew nearer to the house, she stopped right in front of the shabby looking porch steps. Very clearly, she could see the white paint peeling and the wood splinters poking out on the sides. “Uh, excuse me.” Alice spoke quietly. The old woman rocked slowly in her chair, not even looking at Alice. “Excuse me.” Alice said once more, this time more strongly. Immediately, the rocking chair stopped. Her body unmoving, the old lady’s head just turned towards Alice.

“May I help you dear?” the old lady spoke, hoarsely.

“My name’s Alice, I wanted to introduce myself.” The old lady’s face broke out into a wide smile, her wrinkles stretching out tightly. “Well, aren’t you polite. My name is Wanda. Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.”

Wanda lazily got up from her wooden chair, still watching Alice. She held out her hand beside her and looked intently at the door. All of a sudden, it flung open.

Alice’s eyes widened. This didn’t seem like a very good idea anymore. She wanted to turn around and run but that wouldn’t have been a very nice thing to do. Her feet moved carefully towards the ajar door. Wanda was still smiling at her.

Casually strolling inside, Alice studied her surroundings. Dusty little trinkets sat next to little china dolls on the shelves and pink bows were strewn across the floor. The only source of light seemed to be the fluorescent candles that shone in different colours. There was a red flame, a green flame and a bright yellow flame.

“Sorry for the mess deary. I don’t have a lot of company.” Wanda apoligised.

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

“Have a seat.”

Alice sat down on a plush arm chair, quite awkwardly. “You should have brought your pretty friend.” Wanda said, sitting down next to her.

“Sydney’s not quite a people person.”

“Well, she would have been tasty. She has such a pretty face....” Alice’s head snapped over at Wanda. Wanda’s eyes turned gleaming white and her wrinkles looked as if they were melting off her face. “But I guess, you will have to suffice.”  Wanda’s smile turned into a wicked smirk.

“My dolls have been wanting some more company.” Alice shuffled away from Wanda. “P-ple-please don’t....” Alice stuttered, trembling in fear. Wanda opened her mouth widely, sharp claw-like fangs sprung out. “Nighty night deary....”

Echolocation

Echolocation are sound waves used by many living beings to locate objects, communicate and navigate. Most sea mammals (such as the whale) use echolocation as a way to see. Like in murky waters.

Bats are one of the many beings that use echolocation. They send the sound waves mostly through their mouths although some use their noses. Using echolocation, bats can use it to find food and know what’s around them. How this works is, the sound reflects off the objects and is picked up by the bat’s sensitive ears. The frequencies sent out are so high that humans are unable to pick up the sound waves.

Like I said, most marine mammals use echolocation to see. They use it by detecting echoes of sounds and use them to produce 3-Dimensional information. Take dolphins for example, they make sounds by squeezing air through their nasal passages that’s under the blowhole. There is a fat filled area on the dolphin’s forehead that is like a lens which focuses on the sound waves ahead of the dolphin. The sound waves that are given then bounces off the objects and is received through the dolphin's lower jaw.

With bats and marine life, humans also use echolocation. Blind people have learned to use echolocation as well so they can interact with the environment and have used it to see. Humans use it by creating sounds. They may tap their canes, gently stomp their foot, snap their fingers or even make clicking noises. People who have learnt how to use echolocation can make out the sound waves that have been reflected off from nearby objects. This gives them a good idea of where they are.

The Present Podcast

Jorja And Gloria - The Present Podcast from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.
Here is a podcast that Jorja and I have made about a book I have been reading. Hope you enjoy and get the book for yourself. Thanks! :)

20 Hour Famine!

World Vision PES 20 hour famine team from SchoolTV on Vimeo.

Last week, on Friday, a group of kids volunteered to be involved in the 20 hour famine. During extension, we took the time to study about Malawi. This is where the money was going to be going to. We had already learnt a lot of about the famine before we participated. It was incredibly fun!

Some kids brought barley sugar and Just Juice but I had decided to try to go without it and just bring water. It was VERY difficult to not be tempted not to eat. Although, we did have many activities to distract us from the hunger.

Tyla and I were chosen to be team captains of Yellow. We were pretty competitive with Team Green. This movie shows you the awesome sleep over we had at school! Hope you like it!

The Scientific Method

This presentation shows the steps of the Scientific method. Hopefully, it is already explanatory enough. I used Sumo Paint to draw my pictures and edited my photos on PicMonkey. Special thanks to the kids of Class 14.

#BringBackOurGirls

The following is my opinion on the whole Bring Back Our Girls matter that's happening around the world. :)

The popular hashtag Bring Back Our Girls has attracted so much media attention with the whole travesty involving the missing 300 girls. Many people around the world have used the hashtag and have great Sympathy for the families in Nigeria. But is this hashtag really helping make a difference?

I think that the hashtag hasn't been very useful when trying to find the girls. Although it has brought the kidnapping to people’s awareness, it hasn’t done anything but set a new trend on social medias. Bring back our girls to me appears just to be another thing on the internet that everyone is interested in but will soon forget about later.

It is clear many people care about the 300 missing girls but this hashtag is doing absolutely nothing!

Water Safety

3 weeks ago, Class 1 have been going to the Glen Innes Aquatic Centre for swimming lessons. Here is a piece of writing that's kinda an advertisement about Water Safety. It explains how to stay water safe and what water safety is. Hope you enjoy! And a side note, DO NOT call the number that is provided in my writing. Thank you!

Should you wait til you’re drowning in water to finally learn how to swim? NO! Of course not! Well, NOW is YOUR chance to learn about water safety right in the comfort of your own home. So grab those swim trunks and goggles and let’s learn together!

Water Safety is more about smarts than fitness. Before going out swimming in the ocean, you should know of the conditions. This includes the weather, tide and surroundings. So make sure you have those things sussed.

If you’re in a situation in the ocean, a thing you need to remember is not to try to stand up. Once that is attempted, you’re sinking. Another thing to keep in mind is that you have to keep calm and not panic. Whatever your circumstances may be, one of the best ways to survive is keeping calm. This way, you will be able to preserve energy and you’ll have a lower chance of drowning.

If you have no idea how to swim, then when at beaches or at the pools you should keep to the shallow areas. Trying to swim in the deep ends without experience will result with death. You should probably wear a life-jacket or floaties.

Now, the best thing to ever do to better your understanding of water safety is LEARN how to swim. What you need to do is call 0800 WATER SAFE4LIFE now! Or visit the Aquatic Centre in Glen Innes for lessons. Don’t be a rock and sink! Be a tree log and FLOAT!

Malawi Compared to New Zealand

Here is a presentation showing what the differences are between New Zealand and Malawi, food wise. Hope you enjoy!

Term 1 Overview - Extension

Term 1 Overview - Extension from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.
Here is a movie ALL about what we did last term in Extension. It includes what we learnt and more. The past tense is a bit off since I made it in the end of last term and just finished now. Hopefully you enjoy! :)

Sound Facts

Fun facts from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Here are some facts about Sound that my friends and I found out and produced a movie for. Hopefully you can understand. :) Enjoy!

What does Inference mean?

In Reading, we looked at what Inference means. Here is a presentation about what it means. :)

Congruence and Corresponding Parts

During Maths time, I have been learning about congruence and corresponding parts. I don't know what this mean so I've been trying to figure it out.

Empathy DLO

empG101 7 from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.
Here is my Empathy DLO I created to show what I think Empathy is. I completed in just a short period of time so that's why its not so long :) Enjoy none the less!

Coyote the Werewolf

Here is yet another Writing Challenge. This time, we had to write a Six Sentence Story. We had to use the infamous Once upon a time line to start off the story. Jorja and I worked together to produce this piece of awesomeness. The ending is random buuuuut Enjoy none the less :)

Once upon a time, there lived a vicious werewolf named Coyote. He lived by himself in a dank cave on an isolated island that was in the middle of nowhere. Coyote’s razor sharp claws helped him run impossibly fast, faster than any living thing on earth. Weirdly enough, Coyote was the only werewolf ever that was vegetarian. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to digest any form of meat and he was dying. During the last minutes of his life, a unicorn appeared in his cave, it leaned down next to him, Coyote and the unicorn both exploded into bright golden statues.

Tiaki Taonga

During writing, Mrs Nua gave us a challenge called the Speed Writing Challenge. In just 10 minutes, we had to write something about Tiaki Taonga. Which is our school motto for the year. We were given 5 minutes to pair share then proof read it. Here's my peice of writing that I was able to complete in 10 minutes. Hope you like :)

Tiaki Taonga is most likely the most important korero I can think of. It’s all about caring. I think it’s one of the most noteworthy things to remember, not only at school but in and around different places. This helps as it reminds our kids on how to treat others and how to act the Pt England Way.

Why is this the most important korero to me? It has components that match many situations. Like Mr Burt says: our people, our success, our efforts, our school and our most treasured. A very good example of what Tiaki Taonga means.

Korero - Motto

The Aftermath of Cyclone Lusi

In class, we tried to write in different styles of writing. We were given a task to write a news report. So here it is.

John Campbell: In other news, Cyclone Lusi that started out in the South Pacific has finally passed from New Zealand. Kathy Stevens has more.

Kathy Stevens: What started out as a tropical storm, Cyclone Lusi produced many disasters around New Zealand. As you may know, many warnings were broadcasted around the country to prepare New Zealand for the worst. The weather caused several events like Polyfest to be canceled or postponed.

More than 2000 power outages were caused around New Zealand, Remuera being one of the unlucky places. There were many disasters due to the storm; fallen trees, flooded areas, rock falls and land slips. The worst of the storm was when it lashed out on Northern Auckland by the strong rain. But most of Auckland was less affected by the storm with less severe conditions.

John Campbell: Now, I understand that there was a report on a missing child out at sea during the cyclone. What happened there?

Kathy Stevens: Yes, well, the police were fairly pleased that no one was lost at sea after the report of the missing 11 year old boy. Out on Takapuna Beach, someone notified the police that the boy was taken by the sea. The police instantly launched a search with their helicopter but nothing was found. It turned out there was a misunderstanding so everything was fine. Kathy Stevens, Campbell Live.

Visual Mihi 2014

Here's my Visual Mihi for 2014, it holds the 4 symbols that represent me.

The very first symbol is my prefects badge, the reason why I put this as a symbol is because it represents my school and my role as a prefect.

The second symbol is of my hobbies. Now you may not see all of the things that I drew in the column, but in my spare time, I like to go on Youtube or read and write.

Thirdly is one of my favourites. This one, as you can probably tell is of my culture. I interputed it by drawing the flag, some patterns and the quote from the four of arms. "Ko e ʻOtua mo Tonga ko hoku Tofiʻa" which means in English: "God and Tonga are my inheritance"

The last symbol is my religion. I am Christian and it plays a big part in my life style and family. I drew the cross, the bible and the communion bread.

Also feel free to explore the other Extension students work by clicking the next button on my image. :)