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Term 3 Week 2

Hey everybody! This week has been pretty good. The school has definitely recovered from holiday mode, and is back to it's usual busy self. In flute lessons I was told that Competitions were on September 26th. I am doing a trio with my friends Oksana and Renee, and also a song by myself. Another thing coming up is band festival which I told you about in my last post. The whole band is going to be busy practicing. I also just got the notice for Murray's Bay and am super excited. It's in September though, I don't if I can wait that long. Anyway I have to go. See you next week!

Term 3 Week 1

Hey Guys! Welcome back! I can't believe I'm already back at school, the holidays went so fast. I haven't really done much, considering I just started two days ago, but it looks as though that won't last long. There is much going on this term including band festival. It's a competition for bands and last year the TAI band won. Another thing is the Murray's Bay visit. The MBIS symphonic band comes to our school and my school's band does a concert with them, and then we go up to their school, which is in Auckland, and do the same thing. the thing that I'm not looking froward to this term is cross country. We've already started practicing and I already hate it. Those are only some of the things that are happening this term. Overall I'm looking forward to most of the things that are happening this term, and I'm really glad to be back at school.

Term 2 Week 11

Hey Guys! I know I haven't been on in a while, but can believe it's the last week of term. I still have two more days, and this school  is just as busy as ever. Just yesterday I put on a cafe with the rest of my class at food technology, and last night I had a concert with the rest of the TAI Symphonic band and the Waikato Youth Symphonic band, Waikato Schools Symphonic band, and the TAC Symphonic band. We were joined by a guest conductor from America. It was really cool to work with a different conductor, and I really enjoyed listening to the other bands play, before we played a combined piece together. Overall it's been a great week so far, but I'm really looking forward to the holidays.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Term 2 Week 7

Hi Guys! Sorry I forgot to post something last week, but you haven't really missed anything. The last week or so hasn't been that busy. Well apart from production practice. Next week I have the whole week out of class just straight practicing. It will be okay, but the songs are pretty boring. I'm not just saying that. If you saw the music you would literally vomit. Okay I exaggerated, but you get the point. Next week is the last week of practice before the actual shows in week nine. I'm really excited, but kind of nervous at the same time. Another tech arts. Right now we're doing food, everybody's favourite right, and it is super fun. So far I have made mac 'n' cheese, butterfly cakes, foccacia bread, crispy cheese roll ups, dip sticks. On Friday I am making sushi with sweet chilli chicken. It's like one of my favourite foods, so I can't wait. Anyway

Week 5 Term 2

Hey Guys! This week has been pretty busy. I've done Japanese, which has been pretty interesting. It's cool to learn about another country's culture, and also pick up on bits of their language. Just yesterday I had my last lesson of science. I had to do a test on everything I've learned from all the lessons. I think I did pretty well. Last night I had production practice. There is only four weeks to go before the actual thing. I'm not on the actual cast. I am in the band, I play the flute, and have been practising like crazy. I just hope my hard work pays off.

I am looking forward to several things involving band. Of course there's production, but there is some other events coming up as well. First of all, there is music day. One person from each instrument will get chosen. I don't think it will be me, but you never know. People from other schools come too. They will have a day of practising, much like band camp, and will celebrate with a concert at the end. The other event coming up, involves other bands, including the college, as well. We play pieces separately and then play a combined piece as well. I imagine there will be a lot of preparation leading up to this. I have already been given one of the pieces to practice.

Overall I've enjoyed the week. See you soon!

Week 4 Term 2

Hi Guys! This week in tech arts I did science. I made soap for mother's day. The first soap I made was red and yellow, but someone spilled water all over it, so I had to make a new one. this one was better anyway. It was pink and white, and the science teacher cut stars and hearts out to put on the top. We also did an experiment with blue food colouring and salt water. We had to distill the salt water, which also had the food colouring in it, to make fresh water. The only equipment we were allowed to use, was two side arm flasks, a hot plate, and a tube. The science teacher began by pouring the coloured salt water into one of the flasks. We connected the two flasks using the piece of tube, and then sat the flask, with the liquid in it, on the hot plate, before turning the hot plate on. It took a while to begin to work, but soon enough the water vapour began to rise. He went down the tube and into the other flask. Afterwards we learnt why only the water particles found there way into the other flask. Well the way it works, is to do with particles and temperature. The water particles don't need as much heat, as the colouring and salt particles do. The heat turns the water into vapour and it rises up, and because the flask is sealed with a bung, the only place it can go is down the tube. The tube, of course, is not heated, so when the heat is taken away, the water particles turn back from vapour into fresh water, which then drips down the tube into the other flask. Another thing I did in science just yesterday was pH testing. I had to decide whether a liquid was an acid, neutral, or a base, judging by what I could taste, smell, and feel. I then created a hypothesis for each liquid. The pH testing was really interesting. I had to use a red cabbage indicator. This is basically just dipping red litmus and blue litmus into the liquid. If it is an acid, the blue litmus will turn red and the red litmus will pretty much stay the same. If the liquid is a base it will do the opposite thing, and if it is a neutral it will turn a purple colour. Then I actually had to test the pH levels in each liquid. To do this, I had to use a universal indicator. This was done with a yellow piece of paper (obviously you can't just use any yellow paper, it has to actually be special stuff). I dipped a piece into each liquid, and watched it change colour. You had to run over to the pH chart really quick, otherwise the colour could change. If it was 6.9 and below it was a acid, and if it was 7.1-14 it was a base. A straight 7 meant it was a neutral. All my hypothesis's turned out to be correct. Overall it's been a good week. See ya next week!

Memoir

I could smell last nights rain mingling with the sweet scent of the nearby pine trees. The damp ground felt soft underfoot and the breeze cool on my face. Shaky fingers reached out to take the helmet, before fastening it on my head. I walked towards the majestic beast, and courageously mounted its broad back. My thumb searched for the electric start button and found success, but putting it into gear was a different story. Mum approached and did it for me. I took a deep breath and placed my right hand on the throttle and my remaining hand on the brake. The drone of the motorbikes engine filled the air, as I gently eased the throttle back...

I was riding. Sure, I was going slow and my hand wouldn't leave the brake, but I was actually riding. Adrenaline buzzed through my veins, as I unconsciously pulled the throttle back further. I looked behind me and saw the mud fly out from under my back wheel, landing several metres away. I had never felt this free before. All my worries seemed to disappear, as I made it go faster still. My speed ate up the ground, and soon I was approaching the first corner. I slowed down, but only slightly. The corner came and went like it wasn't even there. I zipped along and it seemed too soon that the next corner was already upon me, and I could see my family up ahead. I rounded the last bend in the track and was disappointed to see that there was only twenty metres left. I never wanted this to end.

I pulled up beside my family, and shut the bike off. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes," I replied, surprised that my grin hadn't already given that away.

"Would you do it again?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Character Description

His body, clad in lime green protective gear, gumboots and helmet, makes him easy to spot on the horizon. I watch as he disappears round the corner and reappears just seconds later. Although I can't actually see his face, I know that a proud grin is most likely to be plastered across it. Around and around the track he goes, faster every time, until his speed is so great I can't keep up with him. He decides to change his route and zips down the hill, out of my sight. I expect him to come back up the other side straight away, but he doesn't. I tell myself not to worry. He's probably just found a bump that he can use as a jump. I let out a sigh of relief as I realise that this is probably what he's doing, but my relief obviously came too soon. The sound of the motor no longer fills the air.

I sprint down the track as fast as my boots will allow me. My heart starts to beat faster as I enter the paddock. Worst case scenarios run through my mind, but all the while I keep on running. I come over the brow of the hill and scream. His small body is half hidden by the bike, but the half you can see isn't moving. I start to run even faster and find myself stumbling down the last part of the hill. I wrench the bike off of him and sink to my knees. I pull off his helmet revealing his perfect round face, complete with big green eyes, a button nose and smooth peachy lips. His eyes are closed, long lashes brushing his cheeks. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and wet his short brown hair. I call his name but he's unresponsive...

I sit in the waiting room listening to the buzz of the hospital. I try to distract myself by thinking of other things, but the sound of his bubbly giggle won't leave my mind. I think of his quirky personality, and how he would never hesitate when it came to helping others. He loved doing anything outdoors, but his main passion was motocross. Now he'd gone and fallen off his bike. I leap to my feet as the doctor comes into view. "He's gone." ” What? No no no no no. He can't be dead.”  "At least he died doing the thing he loved." I collapse into a chair. My precious little brother who never did anything wrong. Gone? At only nine years old his life was taken. "Do you want to see him." What! No. I can't bear the thought of his pretty olive skin, looking white and lifeless. I somehow manage the words "No thanks." I suddenly can't hold it in any longer. Tears create waterfalls down my face, as I rush from the confines of the building.

Band Camp

 Hey guys sorry I haven't been on in a while. I can't believe it's already term two. I was really busy last week. I was participating in the annual band camp, held at our school. This involved symphonic band, jazz band, and choir students from not only our school, but from Matamata Intermediate and Cambridge Middle School as well. This was a really fun event. It lasted two days, in which practically did nothing but practice. I feel like my music skills have improved vastly. I got to celebrate my hard work with a concert performed in front of my friends and family. Overall it was a really fun, but productive event

Wellington Camp

Last week I was in Wellington with the rest of my class. I really enjoyed all of the activities and would love to do it again.

Parliament:
I loved going to visit Parliament. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, so I found that seeing lawyers in action really interested me. It was also really cool to see inside the beehive and parliament house. I learnt a lot there and would definitely recommend it to any one visiting wellington.

Holocaust Centre:
I found the Holocaust Centre really interesting. After doing report writing about it, I really wanted to learn more. I did learn more. There was even a woman there that had actually been a child during the Holocaust. She told us her story, which I found this sad, but informative. This is definitely a place I would recommend to anyone who wants to know more about the Holocaust.

ONTV:
This had to be one of my favourite parts of Wellington camp. We got to use a mini TV studio especially designed for the purpose of creating your own mini TV show. It was really interesting to see how the news and other talk shows are actually filmed. It was also just really fun to do the acting side of things. I really liked the fact, that we ended up with at least half decent results, and we got to watch the finished product at the end.

Media Lab:
This was another really fun thing. I got to create a 3D world with mountains, rivers, trees, bird flocks etc...
It was cool to see how they create 3D games or movies. I really enjoyed doing this and would strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in gaming or movies.

Te Papa:
This was really cool. Most of the exhibits were interactive, so it was fun to go around and see what they did. Anyone that visits Wellington has to go here.

Zealandia:
This is a nature reserve. It has lots of animals and plants that are native to New Zealand. We got to touch a Tuatara, then we had a guided tour around the reserve. We saw lots of birds, and it was cool, because we could actually get quite close to them. Not only was it fun, we also learnt quite a bit about wetlands and the different animals that we saw.

National Library:
Here, they had a WWII exhibition. I learnt a lot here, but still had fun. Anyone who wants to know more about this war should definitely go see this exhibition.

Snorkelling:
We did this at the island bay marine reserve. It was so much fun. I saw fish, crabs, anemones and so many more. Although it was cold, I was having to much fun to notice. While I was having fun, I also learnt a lot, so I am definitely going snorkelling again, and I would strongly recommend everyone else to try it as well.

Aquarium:
We went here after snorkelling, as it was in the same place. They had sea horses, an octopus, shark eggs and a lot more things that I had never seen before. It was pretty cool and again we learnt a bit.

Zoo:
Wellington Zoo was pretty fun. Again we got to touch a Tuatara and this other lizard. We saw heaps
of animals and actually learnt quite a lot. My favourite was the chimpanzees, because they were very entertaining and funny.

Pools:
We went to the pools on the Monday. It was more of a fun thing than an educational thing, so I don't really have much to say about it except it was fun, and I think everybody enjoyed it.

Carter Observatory:
This was pretty cool. We learnt about extremophiles. Which are practically tiny little microscopic creatures. There is lots of different types and they all live in different habitats. After we had finished the lesson, we got to look at the exhibits. A lot of them were interactive. After that we got to see the planetarium. It was really cool. We watched a movie about the moon, which was really informative. Overall it was really fun and anyone who loves space should definitely plan a visit.

Cable Car:
I don't think many people had ever been on a cable car before, so it was pretty cool and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Wellington Museum of City and Sea:
This was pretty interesting. We learnt about the Wahine disaster, which I didn't really know much about, so it was really cool to learn about it. I think a lot of other people enjoyed quite a bit as well.

Overall, it was a really great camp. I had never been to Wellington before, so I really enjoyed it. I think that it was a really great experience and I most certainly don't regret going, not even one little bit. I would definitely do it again.

This is the video we made at ONTV 

Holocaust

This week we have started some report writing about the holocaust. After researching this I believe that this is something that should never be forgotten. It is a very important part of the 20th centuries history and a subject that should not be taken lightly. I have read several times while doing my research, that the holocaust is one of the darkest and most terrible times ever recalled. The number of innocent lives that were spent is just horrendous.

Before researching this, I really had very little idea about what the holocaust was. I believe there is a lot of other people that still don't know what it is. I think that everybody should know what those people went through and why they went through it. Below is a brief summary of what the holocaust was.

It evolved slowly between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler decided that Jews could not be counted as Germans. The Nazi party sorted Jews into ghettos, specific parts of cities, often very run down. After a while, they began sending them to concentration camps, a thousand at a time. There they had to do hard, physical labour, a lot of them died of starvation, exhaustion, or disease.  After a while, extermination camps were set up. They were set up for the sole purpose of killing of Jews. By May 1945, approximately six million people had been killed.

The holocaust really is one of the darkest and most terrible times ever recalled in history. Don't let yourself forget what happened.

Portrait Poems

Brooke

Kind, caring, sibling, daughter

Lover of pineapples, animals, moustaches

Who feels strongly towards stopping animal abuse, war, child abuse

Who needs friends, family, love

Who gives kindness, love, happiness

Who fears failure, bugs, embarrassment

Who would like to see peace, laughter, smiles

Resident of Te Awamutu, New Zealand

I am Brooke

Brooke

intelligent, curious, kind, quirky

second born daughter of Jeffrey and Elwyn

likes pineapples, moustaches, animals, rainbows

feels happy, most of the time

afraid of the world ending

would like to see myself becoming a lawyer

I am Brooke

I am Brooke

Daughter of Elwyn

Who needs love, laughter, reeses pieces

Who loves her family, friends, animals

Who sees between the lines, what the worlds future looks like

Who hates ignorance, funerals, coriander

Who fears failure, bugs, disloyalty

Who dreams of success, becoming a lawyer

Who has found poems of sadness

Resident of Te Awamutu

I am Brooke

2015

Hi guys! I hope you had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. It is 2015 and I am now beginning my last year at Te Awamutu Intermediate School. I am excited to see what this year has in stall for me. I am really looking forward to camp. My class is going to Wellington. I think it will be a really fun experience. This year I really want to get involved in as much as possible. I am doing band again and am really looking forward to the camps that come with that. Last year was a great year, but I am determined to make 2015 even better. I want to learn more, get involved in loads and most of all have heaps of fun.