Reflection for 2017

END OF THE YEAR

reflection for 2017 

Being a student at Pt England School for 8 years now really taught me a lot. Now that my time here has almost come to an end I've learnt and been taught different things. 

One thing i'm most proud of was just finishing school off and getting to the end. When I started school I was really slack and I slept in classes too, I hardly came to school to start off with and if I did I would probably arrive after morning tea. So just me finishing school off as 3rd = Academic in year 8 is something i'm really proud of. 

An important lesson I've learnt is "Achieve your personal best"! What it means to me is carrying on with work or goals in college even when your friends or others are telling you to stop. It means focusing when your friends are playing games or it means keep playing even if the score isn't what you wanted. It basically means carrying on even when you feel like you really can't. 

I hope next year my attitude towards teachers change. I hope to stop taking reading and maths lessons for granted and trying to get out of class. Me being in intermediate I usually found every excuse to get out of class or if teachers were watching I'd do my work but as soon as they turned their back I was probably talking away. So I hope next year this all changes. 

I know college isn't easy but when times get rough I'll always remember the saying "Never give up"! It means a lot to me because it was here ever since I started primary, so me taking it to college makes me think I can achieve more even when I think I can't. 

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Overall my time at Pt England has been a great experience. I've had ups and downs with students and teachers but I'm thankful for everyone that has helped me get through it all. Including some of my closest friends Lani, Suli, Rose, Venetia, Lia and heaps more. One of the teachers that has helped me the most is Mrs Tele'a, shes helped me get on with work and focus when I needed too and she believes that all of her students had potential. Lastly I have my family, who have and always will be right by my side to talk whenever I need. I wish the best for all the year 8's moving to college and for the year 7's who are next to lead the school!  

Child tooth Decay

Here is my reading presentation on Dental Decay in New Zealand and the struggle not only kids go through but surgeons too. Children are having to wait in long waiting lists and surgeons are now stressing out. 3 articles talk on the same subject and have their different opinions. Read my presentation to find out whats happening around New Zealand with tooth decay.

Math Problems - BEDMAS

Here is my maths problems presentation for this week. We had to solve word problems that had to do with BEDMAS, Addition squares and also coding maths. A problem I faced was figuring out how to show our working with most of the BEDMAS problems. Go through my presentation to find out what else I learnt during this weeks maths. 

Meet Koko: A female gorilla who knows how to use sign language! Or does she?

Here is a presentation about a debate between skeptics and Dr. Patterson. A Dr who defied the odds and taught a Female gorilla Koko how to sign. Did she really you ask? Well, some argue that their just complex tricks but here in my presentation is what I thought about all of this. The story of Koko a female Gorilla who can use sign language to communicate!

Our own band!

Last term for extension we were focusing on using Makey makey kits and scratch where we learnt how to code our own instruments using conductive tape and wiring. There were 3 different projects one a “game show” two a “controller” for people with disabilities and the last a “band”.  I was put into a group of 3 with Venetia and Cameo. Our project was to make a band with an instrument each which we had to code to actually play notes.

During the process we had to experiment using materials that could help us convert code from scratch to our instruments using tin foil or conductive tape. I chose to make a piano because I thought it would be an easy task. It actually wasn’t easy but I did manage to finish my piano. I used cardboard to make the actual keyboard and I used cut up pieces of cardboard that I covered in conductive tape so that when I connected the makey makey to my piano it played the notes that I coded on scratch.

Overall my piano was the only completed instrument in my group but I think a whole team effort was put into making my one instrument. This task set me a challenge that I think I completed which was to finish a project using my own skills and not depending on my group to do it for me. It was a great experience and I also enjoyed working together with my group.

Mr Jacobson's hidden talents!

This terms topic is "Music madness" and this morning our school got the chance to experience and watch Mr J perform one of his hidden talents. He had 4 different wind instruments behind him which he taught us how to use and what they were used for. Also where they were made and invented. 

My favourite wind instrument he showed us was the Shofar. They were made by cutting off the horns of rams and cutting holes off the end. When they were blown they made a deep sound that was used to communicate with people and other things too.      

Word Problems

In maths class we started up with a word problems presentation. We had to answer ratio and decimal word problems. Go through my presentation to find out what else I learnt.  

LAST Immersion assembly for 2017

It’s Term 4, the last term for all the year 8 students and school just started up again today. Walking through the red school gates I noticed all the teachers wearing really bright clothes. I remembered that we had Immersion assembly this morning, something to look forward to. Here are my thoughts about my last Immersion assembly at Pt England School.

I found team 5’s item the most entertaining because of the sense of humour that all the teachers were putting into their items. Even the way the characters were grouped as a family. Also because if the facial expressions they showed everytime the song changed. Everytime they changed songs they would also change the way they felt, their emotions and I found it funny the way they did change. One last thing was the popcorn throwing, there was popcorn everywhere and for a little they even threw it at each other.

The most informative was team 3’s item because they played a movie showing an example of what they were specifically doing this term. A movie showing how to tell stories using songs, I found the movie interesting and funny too. It definitely is a smart way to show the focus of the terms topic.

This was my last time watching our schools immersion assembly, I am a year 8 and my time at Pt England has almost come to an end. Something i’m looking forward to the most is just seeing our school making music, music videos or even instruments and spending the term with my friends and teachers before I go to college.