Week 7 Term 1

This week we started our first tech arts session for science, and we did a taste test.  Mrs Tyson, the science teacher, taught us about all the words you use when doing a science experiment because you can't use words like 'yuck, nice' and other words like that.  She gave us different things to try, and we had to say whether it was:

Sweet 

Sour

Salty

Spicy

Bitter

Bland

She gave us loads of different things to try like, beeswax which we all said was bland because it tasted like nothing.  She gave us icing sugar which was the only sweet thing.  She gave us this really spicy power, and I think it was curry powder.  She gave us something REALLY sour, and I asked her to only give me a few grains, and it was still REALLY sour, and bitter.  It was quite fun seeing all the different reactions, and it was a cool first session for science.

Next week on Tuesday the Makuhari students leave which is so sad, I'm going to miss them so much!

Week 6 Term 1

On Monday, at assembly, I got my second Respect band, and I'm quite close to getting my second Never Giving Up, and Honesty!  I think I'm about three or four signatures away.  I'm hoping to get my Silver, and maybe even my Gold Badge by the end of this year.

On Tuesday, we had Boating safety, and we learnt about how to be safe in the ocean, except we did it in the swimming pool.  We learnt about how to keep warm when we are lost at sea, so we don't get sick.  We learnt about the safety, and communication equipment we need to have with us, and when/how we should use it.  We learnt how to hop in a little boat correctly, and balancing our weight so that it didn't tip over.  We learnt how to stay safe if the boat did tip over as well, and we had to go underneath it when it was tipped upside down.  We also learnt how to save someone who was stranded in the water, by using a rope.

On Thursday, the Makuhari students arrived and it was so cool.  We had a powhiri to welcome them, and then they got a tour around the school.  After their tour, the people hosting them came to get them and take them home.  I got my Makuhari student, and he's really nice, but he doesn't speak very much English.

On Friday we had our second to last hard materials tech session, so we need to finish all our unfinished stuff in one day.  I still need to finish my speaker box and my first cell phone holder, some people have finished two or three.  I hope I can get it all done.

Week 5 Term 1

This week we had Swimming sports which is when the whole school comes over to the pool for swimming.  We had champs, and non-champs races, so everyone could get involved.  Sadly I didn't get into any champ races, but I did all of the non-champ ones.  For the non-champs races were:

One length freestyle
Three-Quarter length breath stroke
Half length doggy paddle race
Half length walking race
half length flutter board race

It was a really fun day, but we were all hoping our house would win.  Sadly, my house, Waikato, slipped from first, to third!  In the end, Waipa house came out on top, then Puniu house, then us, and then poor Mangapiko came last.  But overall, the the results didn't really matter because we all had a lot of fun, and the year 7's got to experience their first TAI Swimming Sports.

Week 4 Term 1

We had Swimming Heats this week on Friday.  Swimming heats is when the schools good swimmers, chosen by the teachers, go to the pools for most of the day to compete against each other to get into Wims Swimming, against other intermediate schools.  I was one of the students chosen, which was really exciting. When you get chosen for Swimming Heats, you get to choose which events you want to do.  I did one, and two lengths freestyle, and one length breath stroke.  I sadly didn't do any other events, but I should have done two lengths breath stroke.  It was a really exciting day, but I didn't get into Wims, but I tried my best, and other good swimmers got in anyway, so they'll probably get good places, and represent the school well.

Week 3 Term 1

This week has been really exciting for most year 8's.  We found out the new House Captains, and Class Councilors.  I didn't get house captain sadly, but I did get Deputy Class Councilor.  I'm really happy that I got the position, as now I can help out with all the school activities, which I really wanted to do.  Class Councilor went to Cheng-Yu.  Some of my friends also got roles as House Captains, Hadlee got House Captain for Puniu, and Caitlin got deputy.  I'm really excited to start getting involved in the opportunities available for the student council this year, as we get to organise things like disco's, mufti days, student assembly, and lots of other activities like that.