Summary On Woodwork

In my last class of Tech I made a box. I had some other decisions to choose from but the box is what  I wanted to make, I have to admit this project turned out really impressive for my first time.

The box took a few long weeks to make. I went from ruling lines, sawing, chiseling to assembling. The way everything happened felt really slow but I was one of the first ones to finish. If I didn't make the box I probably would've made a mirror.

Without Mr Grundy's help I don't think that I would've been able to make my box. He showed us how to use the tools and how to assemble everything together.

Air NZ Offering In Flight Exercises

Air New Zealand have teamed up with a fitness company to create some in flight exercises. This means that while the plane is in the air you will be able to work out. 

Around the beginning of this month, all Air New Zealand international passengers will have access to the stretchers, exercises and meditation. The passengers will be able to view the content in the planes entertainment. It has been selected so that passengers are able to have a good experience. 

In one of the statements from Les Mills ( fitness company ) they said "it's not about doing burpees and tuck jumps in the aisle but being able to do relaxation and stretching techniques in their seats".

In my opinion I think it's a great idea because it allows all passengers to be able to work out in mid air for free. It can also keep you fit instead of you just sitting down for hours.

Kiwi's May Be Fined Soon?

The New Zealand statistics have revealed that more than 50 people haven't been filling out the census. Filling out the census is required to be filled out but if it hasn't then you could be fined 500 dollars. 

The agency has tried their hardest to collect information by going to houses and knocking on their doors over the last couple of months. Last year the national population census reached 83.3 but was aiming for its target of 94 percent. The review also found out that just 68.2 percent of Maori have been filling the census out too.

Manakalani Film Festival

Yesterday the Maniakalani schools went to the Hoyts cinema. We were in the same cinema as people from Tamaki College, Stonefields, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori and Tamaki Primary.

Our film was about sign language, trying to encourage everybody to give it a go because it is really fun and not that difficult to learn. Overall I really like our film as it showcases that sign language is really important and shouldn't been forgotten.

In my opinion if I had to pick a favourite from the other schools it would probably have to be Tamaki College's film about Respect. Now days respect is something that people don't show towards each other and it just reminds us to respect people the way they are.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall Arrive In New Zealand

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have arrived for their 7 day tour in New Zealand. Their tour will be in the Northland, Christchurch and Kaikoura.

This has been the couples third trip to New Zealand. They visited in November 2012 and November 2015. During their visit they will meet up with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. One of the highlights of their trip will be going to the Waitangi Grounds on Wednesday.

It will be the first time a member of the Royal family has visited since the Prince of Wales visited 25 years ago.

New Zealand's Largest Waterslide

New Zealand's largest waterslide has opened in Hanmer Springs, North Canterbury. They have named the slide Conical Thrill and believe it or not it is 13.5 meters high. 

It includes a twisting hydro slide before a drop that is really steep. It was officially opened on Friday morning and five new pools were also opened.

They gave the honor to a class from Leithfield to have the first slide. The new features took up a lot of years of planning and constructing as well as spending a lot of money for people to enjoy. 

Smart Footprints

Did you know that whatever you search up online can be saved into your history forever? Well if you didn't you need to learn that you should only be using your devices for appropriate things, for example school work.  

You mustn't share all your private information like your password and all those important things. Learning the difference from private information and public information can help you figure out what you shouldn't be giving away. 

On your blog you can share content with people as long as you know your parents will be proud of and won't have them worried. Remember to never share private information!

Astronauts Attempting To Make Biscuits In Space

Some astronauts will try to attempt to make biscuits in space. Over the weekend they loaded a cargo craft up filled with scientific instruments like an oven and other supplies from Virginia on Saturday. 

The oven and the ingredients will be used to try and make chocolate chip cookies. They will then examine the the impact of its heat and zero gravity will be on the shape. 

The spacecraft is is carrying 3,700kg in cargo and is expected to land on Monday at 10:10pm.

Firefighters Using Virtual Headsets

Firefighters have been using a different method to train, with virtual headsets.

They will use the headsets more as it helps them to prepare for the more challenging unsafe and complex scenarios they might go through soon.

In Australia they have made protective clothing that is able to handle the heat from the flames. It means that the firefighters can stay in a big fight of flames and take the risk of burning buildings while still being safe with the gear.

England Beat All Blacks In World Cup Semi-Final

England has beaten the All Blacks in the semi-final for the world cup. Now they will have to compete against Wales for the place of 3rd and 4th. They won 17-9 but nobody blames the All Blacks because they were versing a very good team.

England started very strong with someone scoring a try within the first two minutes of the game. Then continued to dominate most of the first half and was leading 10-0 at half time.

Sky City Breaks Out Into Flames

A few days ago a major fire hit Auckland's Sky City.

Around 1 pm large flames started burning at the top of the convention centre. It caused the fire to spread from the seventh floor passing it down to the sixth. It has been very difficult for the firefighters to get inside the building and go all the way to the top.

St John has said that one person has been taken to Auckland City Hospital in a very serious condition. This has made all everybody evacuate the entire area making people leave the casino, hotels, restaurants and the offices.

Technicraft

Today at tech I was chizzling out my pieces. I also had to check to see if my piece would fit but it ended up being to small. Luckily Mr Grundy could fix it by trimming the side and making it a tiny bit larger. I now need to just saw and chizzle out the joint from the other piece of wood and get myself a lid.

Local Elections Take Place Around New Zealand

Different regions in New Zealand have completed voting for the Body Elections of 2019. This means the people of Aotearoa have to vote for their new mayor, city councillors and also the district health board.

The mayor for Auckland still is Phil Golf as he beat his challenger. Wellingtons mayor will be Andy Foster and Sir Tim Shadbolt Invercargill's mayor for the ninth time. Dunedin's mayor is 35 year old Aaron Hawkins and Fisher Wang was elected into Rotorua Lakes Council, as the youngest person to be ever voted into Government.

Sawing

This week I needed to saw my piece of wood and mark my joint. After sawing it in half I just straightened the sides out so they were even. I completed the two legs and the bottom piece of my box. Mr Grundy then made a mark for where my joint would be so again I had to saw it up to his mark and that is where my joint would go in. When I go back I will have to chisel it out carefully so that I don't make a big mistake. Sawing is quite challenging when you first try it but then you get used to it the more you do it over and over.

All Blacks Beat Canada

As you may know the Rugby World Cup has started and the All Blacks are off to a good start. Last week they beat Canada winning 63-0.

This year the Barrett brothers joined the All Blacks as a trio, they are the first siblings to trio in a World Cup playing for New Zealand, and to top it all off they all scored tries. Their victories over other teams have extended winning 16 World Cup matches. The last defeat the All Blacks had was in 2007 against France. 

Final Design

This week in woodwork I made a final decision of what I wanted to make. I would've made the M&M dispenser but because Mr Grundy told me that not many people have finished making the dispenser, I decided to go with something more easier and less advanced.  Since I have never made woodwork, I am going start off by making a box where I can hide my accessories and special things. I was going to make a box like this but mine has legs and not a flat bottom.

First Week In Woodwork

Our first day in woodwork with Mr Grundy was quite... interesting. He showed us some of the woodwork other students made while they were in his class and set a few simple rules, and not to forget he showed us how angry he gets when people interrupt him but it looked quite funny.

On a piece of paper we had to draw 8 different ideas we could make but had to pick only one. I really want to make the M&M Dispenser but it will take me a long time unless I work really hard each week.  This is an image of what I am trying to make, it will kind of look like this but more simple.

Netballl 2019!

Last week Wednesday some of the year 7 and 8 students went to the inter-school netball. It was held in the Auckland Netball Center.

Our first game was at 10:20 against St Pius. After that we then had some other games to play and a few short breaks. The position I played was Goal Keep but I played Goal Shoot once for the second half. Overall we ended up coming 13th out of 20 schools but we all played really well. We played 6 games, lost 3 drew 1 and won 2 games. My teammates were Nataaliyah, Madisyn, Kate, Konzay, Leaaepeni, Tristan, Leanah, Mary-Ruth and Kotipi.

Funding For Hamilton To Auckland Rail Service

A funding service has been given for the rail from Auckland to Hamilton. They will launch the funding next year but they have been approved $92 million for it.

The transporter minister announced this on Friday saying "most people like to travel between these two cities". Hamilton to Papakura will be where the train will run. Once reaching Papakura they will have to use the Auckland public transports.

The final mission is to get the train to go all the way to Britomart.

More Painting

This week at tech I had the chance to do more painting on my hearts. I had to apply another coat so the colour would pop out more. I spent about 15-20 minutes second coating and then I was finally done. This is how my hearts look but the red is lighter and the blue is more dark.

After my painting session Miss Ferguson made a wooden 35 x 35 square and then a platform for my shape to go in. I had to sand the wood so the sides would get smoother then I added some glue, stuck the platform and the part where the pieces go in together and left it to dry. You will see on the side is an example of how it looks. Next week I need to paint the platform and I'll be done.

New Sculpture In Wellington

Wellington has come out with a new sculpture. The sculpture has been made five meters tall.

The creation was made by the artist Ronnie van Hout. Quasi is what he decided to name the sculpture, the original piece was first on top of the Christchurch Art Gallery but has now been moved to Wellington's Gallery in the city.

Quite an amount of the people dislike it but some other people seem to like the new icon.

New Zealand's Fittest City

Wellington has been crowned for being the fittest city in all of New Zealand. They have been crowned because they don't use public transport as much as the other cities in the country.

Some researchers from Otago University looked at the cities in terms of the air pollution and how much public transport they have been using.

Smith says that all cities should begin walking and cycling more as vehicles are one of the main reasons why the air is polluting.

It is a much healthier choice for us all, as we can help save our planet but also be able to exercise and keep active at the same time.

Prime Minister On South Pacific Tour

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the moment is overseas, visiting Samoa and our territory of Tokelau.

This trip is apart of the New Zealand Government's Pacific strategy. No Prime Minister from New Zealand has been to Tokelau since Helen Clark in 2004.

Jacinda met up with leaders from Samoa and on Sunday morning she boarded her flight to Tokelau.

She will be visiting the capital city of Tokelau, Nukunonu. While Jacinda is there she's going to be meeting up with some of their village councils and the women committees.

Making My First Game

Yesterday in Graphics, with Miss Ferguson I made my first game on the Tinker Cad. I chose Naughts and Crosses to begin with because it was an easy option.

I first started to make platform for where the pieces would go. I had to make a large box and some smaller ones in them and grouped it altogether. At first it was a fail because the top two corner boxes but I'm not too sure why... Then, I asked Mrs Ferguson for help. She looked at it and tried to make it worked.

After that, I started to make my pieces for the game, I decided to go with red and blue hearts. The pieces were probably the easiest part because I just had to add in hearts and colour them.




At the end I just had to duplicate the hearts and add it into the squares. This is how it turned out.

Silver Ferns Win Netball World Championships

The silver ferns just recently beat Australia for the Netball World Championships.

It was a very  exciting match as you would expect it to be. The silver ferns were leading 28-25 by half time and then at the end of the 3rd quarter. In the final quarter Australia started to up their game more and scored 3 more points but New Zealand still had enough points to hang on. 

After the game the Silver Ferns captain Casey Kopua had a few words to say.
 ''It's all worth it when you have the belief that nothing can stop you. I am so glad that I came back. It feels so good, I can't believe we've done it. It's not just for us, it's for everyone in New Zealand".

In my opinion I think the Silver Ferns deserved to win because of how much work they put in to get to the finals, but Australia did an excellent job.

Fun At Sylvia Park

During the holidays I went to Sylvia Park and spent time with Limiteti, Liza and Storm.

Once we arrived we played some mini golf and it was a wonderful experience. On the last stage Limiteti took a shot and the golf ball landed outside the course! Then, Liza swung her club and missed the ball. In her second attempt she hit the ball and it accidentally hit the lady that was in front of us.


We had many snacks such as, sour lollies, churro and some Starbucks. The sour lollies I bought were TNT's and Warheads.

We were running around then we lost Limiteti and started searching the mall. I found her in H&M and then we both hid from Storm and Liza. They later found us and we all went to the arcade in Hoyts.

Tamaki Estuary Trip

Yesterday our school went to the Tamaki Estuary and did some a bit of a clean up.

In our special assembly before we were off Frazier, Hazel and Ashley first talked about how we need to fix our river. Then Frazier showed us a comparison of the Kelly Tarltons water and the river water, there was a massive difference.

When we arrived at the estuary everyone was split into groups and had a bucket to pick up rubbish they found lying around, I was with Lolo Limiteti and Madisyn. Lolo was the expert in our group because he'd already been there and Room 7 and Room 9 studied about it. Our group was probably one of the few ones that decided to take our time and found quite a lot of rubbish we thought others
would've picked up.

Wero Whitewater Trip

On Friday, my class had the chance to go to Wero Whitewater in Manukau.

First we watched two videos and split into our groups. Our instructor was Chris. We then had a small talk about the lake with another group and their instructor, JJ. She taught us how to cross the river.

Once we boarded the raft we rowed a few times then went on the course. Each group had some successful rounds but some people from the other groups fell in.

I enjoyed the part when we had the chance to jump in and flow down river, it was funny when a few people. I almost got pushed by the tide to the middle of the lake. Overall it was a fun trip and I would love to go back sometime.

Planning Our Games

This week with Miss Ferguson we were planning on how to make paper games into 3D. We had a piece of paper each and came up with our own ideas of turning games into 3D and customizing them ourselves.

So far the games I have thought of are Hearts and Hearts (naughts and crosses) and the Emoji Board. My favourite idea is probably the Emoji Chess Board because I was able to use any emoji of my liking. I have only figured out the emoji pieces but I am still customizing the game.

As for the hearts and hearts it will be a simple 3 by 4 with 6 red hearts and 6 blue hearts, the aim will be to get 3 in a row like the normal game but with hearts.

Super Rugby Review

Last week some teams had one last chance to make it into the playoffs because there was only one week left. The week started off with a draw of 24 between the Bulls and Highlanders.

Then the Blues lost to the Reds by 1 point so it was 28-29. After that the Crusaders thrashed the Reds as the result was 66-0, and the Brumbies beat the Waratahs 35-24.

The other matches included the Hurricanes beating the Lions, the Stormers quite ahead of the Sunwolves and the Jaguars smashing the Sharks.

In my own opinion I think that the Crusaders did an excellent job of scoring 66 points and that the Blues did a great job and could've beat the Reds.

Fungal Disease Killing Kakapo

A deadly disease has been killing the kakapo in the past few months, so far seven have died.

Nora 1-A was a 100 year old and was treated in the hospital because he was sick. He was treated at the New Zealand Centre Conservation Medicine at the Auckland Zoo.

There are now 35 kakapo in three hospitals around the country.

All sick birds are given their favourite plants to feed on and are given medicine two times a day.

Manawanui Navy Ship

Jacinda Ardern, has announced the new military boat, the Manawanui. The prime minister also took part in the ceremony at the Devonport Naval Base over the weekends.

The Manawanui, is the fourth ship of the Royal New Zealand Navy to have that name.

The earlier Manawanui boats had a long history of serving our country. The new Manawanui will be serving in the South Pacific.

Tornado Hits Northland

At Cooper's beach just north of Maungonui a massive amount of houses were destroyed, some houses with roofs that flew off. There has been no news of an injury but it was a frightening experience for those people.

Yesterday's weather had lot's thunderstorms and a big rush of wind. It was around Auckland, Wellington and Marlborough, the wind was blowing from 100 to 120 kilometers.

Queen's Birthday

Yesterday New Zealand remembered and celebrated a few legends this year for Queen Elizabeth's 93rd birthday. 

The list of legends this year includes about 183 marvelous New Zealanders who made our country how it is today. Around seven knights and dames were very lucky to be included in the list. 

A lot of people are on the list for either committing and volunteering themselves to communities or doing well in their work. 

Teachers Strike

Yesterday the secondary and the primary teachers went on strike for better pay.

A lot of teachers went protesting through the main streets of cities, asking for more money.

All together about 50,000 teachers went on strike, so around 750,000 students weren't taught.

The government is deciding whether the teachers will be payed more in the next 3 years. So far, the government has given the teachers a 3 percent raise. Most teachers believe that it isn't enough.

Mount Cook Visitors Hit 1 million

Each year a number of visitors have gone to see Aoraki, or as people like to call it, Mount Cook. This is the first time the visiting numbers have gone over 1 million. Eugenie Sage, the conservation minister, announced the record just last week.

Since 2010 the department of conservation has spent $16.5 million on making tracks, road repairing, building more toilets and creating a new visiting center.   

Samoan Language Week 2019

This week it is Samoan language week. A few events will be held all across New Zealand to celebrate the Samoan culture. Take the time this week to learn a bit of Samoan even if it is just a few words these are a few of the easy words you can say. Talofa Lava is hello, Fa'afetai is thank you, Leai means no, Fa'amalie atu is sorry and aulelei means beautiful. The theme that was selected for this year's Samoan language week is 'weaving an environment for a better future'.

Chocolate Muffins

For our last week of cooking we made chocolate muffins. The recipe was like the chocolate brownies but instead of using the brownie tray we used the muffin tray. My last partner for cooking was Limiteti. We each put in our own amount of the mix then added more if we had left overs. To tell the difference she used a different colored muffin cup. Limiteti's muffin cups were pink and orange and I had the green and purple muffin cups. On the left you                                                        have the steps and on the right is our finishing product.

Earthquakes Hit Whakaari

Whakaari also known as White Island has had a large number of earthquakes for the past few days. Whakaari is New Zealand's most active volcano at the moment.

There has been about 196 earthquakes around the area since Thursday. It has been said that as the earthquakes are getting stronger and it may cause Whakaari to collapse.

Twenty-two hours in the past twenty-four hours the size has lifted up to magnitude 3. The largest earthquake that hit has been measured to about 3.9. Some experts are are keeping watch of the island just encase another eruption happens again and the island actually does collapse.
 

Chicken Wraps

For the second to last week our cooking group made chicken wraps, and since barely anyone was there we each had our own stations to work in. We used varieties of vegetables, chicken, mayonnaise and added sweet chili sauce if we wanted to. It was kind of challenging to make it into a wrap but by the co-operation of Mrs Tuipulotu we were able to do it.

Cottage Pie

Last week for tech we made cottage pie. It was a very enjoyable meal and something I would cook at home. My opinion on this is it is very simple to make but taste even better.

 Participating in cooking class is exciting because every week we make something different but no matter difficult it is to make the taste is always delightful.

Potato Salad

At tech we made potato salad, the potato salad has been one of the effortless dishes I have made since my group started attending cooking class. I think that almost anybody can make potato salad because it is fast to prepare and can fill you up instantly.

Kiwi Can Week 1

Today our class had a lesson with Kiwi Can. Our class had a small introduction from the tutors, Miss Tuia and Mrs Mac and they  explained the rules to us.

First we discussed what the rules were and what the word integrity meant. Our topic for the next three weeks is honesty. So we will be focusing on telling the truth and not lying.

We then played three games: bang, changes and GKQ. GKQ is another way of saying General Knowledge Questions.

We ended with a small clap to say,  "Thank you." to the people who came and gave us a lesson.

Kiwi Can Website

Duffy Role Model Sam Verlinden

 Ruapotaka school had a Duffy role model visit our school. Since most of us couldn't pronounce Sam's last name he just recommended we call him Sammy V.

Sam displayed us one of his songs, JUMBLE.2. He was an excellent singer and has incredible vocals.

He is a solo artist and has traveled a lot around the world like to America, Canada and a few more countries because of how successful he has become. I think that more people can be given opportunities if the read everyday like Sam did.

Blog Checklist

Year 7's Assembly

Yesterday the year 7's in Room 12 led the senior syndicate throughout the assembly.

My job was working with Jamayne and Nurul, and we were responsible for hosting an activity. The activity we chose was to play Pictionary.

The songs we sang were "Over The Rainbow" by Israel and "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars. In my own opinion "Count On Me" was the most outstanding because the meaning had value.

Sweet And Sour Pork

Sweet and sour pork was on the menu for today.

This week Faye and I collaborated and prepared a small  but delicious dish. It was a very vibrant mix of vegetables and some juicy pork. 

The sauce  had some soy sauce to golden the colour and pineapple to sweeten it up a bit more.

Overall I think this dish was one of my favorites that we have made in cooking class.