Maori Language Week Assembly.

IALT: Write about what I learnt from the Maori Language Week Assembly.

Today, in the first block the whole school gathered together to show respect for the Maori culture, as this week is Maori Language week. The hosts, Contance and Frances, were dressed in Maori clothing, to show their proudness for their culture. Anyways, the assembly was written in Maori, and then translated. I thought this was an awesome idea because as a Maori school, Tamaki Primary should embark on learning the Maori Language. 

As always, we start with the National Anthem of New Zealand, and then followed by our school Karakia. Then the hosts, took place. Each and every class went up to present something, excluding my class and another class. I was amazed at the different things the classes came up with because, as a pacific islander, I didn't know much about the Maori culture. 

I learnt three songs during assembly. All written in Maori. Two of them, I knew really well, and the last one I didn't. Because Ms. Kyla wrote the song herself. Which is amazing! She had written a song about Matariki, while she was away on Study Leave, learning more about the Maori culture. Something I learnt during the assembly, was the song about Matariki, and a Maori game.

I can't yet explain it but it seemed really fun, and funny. But it involved thinking, where you have to think of a move, and keep it in time with the beat. A challenge I found, was sometimes understanding the lyrics and memorizing them.

Feel free to leave a comment,

Many thanks :) 

St Pauls College Open Day

IALT: Reflect from my St Paul's College visit. 

Yesterday, I took a day off school, and missed Technology. Instead I went St Paul's College in Ponsonby because they had a open day. I tried to Pakuranga College, but was number 88 on the waiting list. So instead of waiting around, my mother and I decided that I would enroll at another college. At first I thought the college would be big. But when I was taken around the school by the head boy, Tevita, it was pretty small. 

Anyways the head boy of St Paul's , is an ex student from Tamaki Primary. And his little brother, Sifa, is a friend of mine. While I was taken around the school, and introduced to new people, I thought that the school suited me perfectly. I thought the school was going to be really big, but it was small for a college. Tevita, said that two new buildings would be made and if I went to St Paul's, I would be able to witness it. 

The thing that amazed me the most was the fact that St Paul's and Sacred Heart College were merged back in the day, but now, they have split and St Paul's in now located in Ponsonby, with Sacred Heart located in Glen Innes. Both schools, have the same Motto. "Confortare Esto Vir" "Take Courage, Be Strong" Something that I will strive to succeed if I get accepted into the college.

My visit to St Paul's was amazing, and I hope I can make it into the college, and find out more about the staff, college history and the students. My goal for my education, is to someday become head boy of whatever college I go too, I have made this challenge with some of my friends. 

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Many thanks :) 

Motat Trip Relfection

IALT:  Reflect on what I learnt from our Motat trip yesterday. 

Yesterday, both Rooms 9 and 10 went together on a trip to Motat, the Museum of Transport and Technology. For me I hadn't been there in a while, so I was looking forward to the new things they had opened in my absence. I already heard that some of the things had been removed, like the big black train and the mirror maze. I didn't understand why they would remove them, but it was probably a hazard to visitors. I was looking forward to seeing them again.

My group consisted of boys, me, Sene, Aumau, Mahara, Perenara and Kanye. Two year 8's and 4 year 7's. To be honest, I thought our group would've needed some extra supervision because most of the boys didn't quite listen properly in class, but our leader was Ms. Komor, so I didn't really care but always keeping a lookout.

 If I were to go back in time, I would've like to see the replacement of the mirror maze, a massive trampoline. My group didn't get a chance to go on it which was a downfall but it was fun hearing about it from my other peers. 

Feel free to leave a comment.

Many thanks:) 

Sevens star DJ Forbes hangs up his boots

IALA: Dj Forbes announcing his retirement from Rugby.

DJ Forbes, the most capped player in the world sevens history, has announced his retirement from the game. He started playing for the All Black Sevens 11 years ago in 2006, and since then he has appeared in 89 tournaments, and played in a record 512 World Series games, scoring 13 tries. 

He was on the winning side in 26 tournaments, and notched up six World Series victories. He also captained New Zealand to gold at a Commonwealth Games and the Sevens World Cup.

Forbes was named the International Sevens Player of the Year in 2008 and has been the recipient of the Richard Crawshaw Memorial Trophy for Sevens Player of the Year at the New Zealand Rugby Awards in 2007, 2008 and 2014 , the most wins by any player. Forbes said after 11 years in the game it was time to move onto other challenges.

"Sevens means you're on the road a lot. While I got to travel and represent my country, sacrifices were made at home. I want to thank my wife and kids and family and friends for their enormous support, and I am looking forward to being around a lot more" says Forbes. Indeed travelling a lot, does mean seeing little of your family, and always looking out for the things you can do to make them proud. 

For me , as a huge rugby fan I think this is good for me because I can watch his highlights, and pick up things that I can apply when I play in games. 512 is a massive number, and for a player to play in all those games, is a huge accomplishment. I don't know much about Dj Forbes but I have seen him represent New Zealand with pride and joy, although when losing he is humble and congratulates the other side. I also like his dream... To one day be able to coach a national team. 

Feel free to leave a comment,

Many thanks :) 

Tongan Language Week Reflection

IALT: Write about my experience during the celebration of the Tongan culture at my school.

Yesterday it wasn't a normal day, our routine was out of place and we had a whole school assembly in the last block. Along with some parents. But that didn't stop our class from learning, everyone was eager to witness what our staff and students had planned. We had our assembly to acknowledge the Tongan Language Week. As a proud Tongan and Samoan teenager, I was determined to show proudness in both cultures, and respect it. 

I hosted the assembly, and to be honest I felt very nervous because there was heaps of people. And I was scared I would've pronounced a word wrong. But in the end I didn't and I witnessed some impressive performances. I was amazed at how strong the performances was, and it seemed like it took a long time to finish. Even the teachers performed. 

As the host, I had to thank the performers and introduce the next. Every single class had something to share, and all the parents who came looked proud. Some of the parents came with traditional artifacts, and displayed them around the hall. 

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Many thanks :P 

Technology Reflection

IALT: Write about what I learnt and did during Technology. 

This week for Technology our group made Jam and Cinnamon Muffins. I thought  we were going to make Coconut Cookies, but I thought wrong. As usual, we always had to wash our hands to prevent any germs from getting onto our food. Me and Metui already had experience on where everything was, and how to use it. For the others , it was their first time so we decided to help them, sometimes some of the other people in my group annoyed me because they didn't listen to Mrs Tuipulotu, or were being rude to her. 

The equipment we used were: 

• Two Bowls
• Whisk
• Plastic Scraper
• Measuring Cups
• Muffin Tray
• Muffin Cups

But unfortunately the group before us didn't wash the dishes properly, and put the materials in the wrong place. So we had to tidy up for the next group, just to make it easier for them. We used two different types of ingredients, Dry and Wet. 

The ingredients we used were :

• Milk
• Sugar
• Self Raising Flour
• Oil
• 1 egg
• Cinnamon
• Jam

I'm not a big fan of Cinnamon, so I told Metui not to add in a lot . Although he liked Cinnamon. The part that I liked the most was when I had to put the batter into the Muffin Cups, although it was a bit challenging because sometimes it went out of the cup. The most challenging part for me was waiting for the muffins in the oven. I was thinking it would burn. But it didn't. 

I can't wait for next week's session when we make Honey Soy Chicken. 

Feel free to leave a comment.

Many thanks :) 

Ancestry Poem

IALT: Describe what I learnt while writing my Ancestor Poem. 

Today, during the middle block. My class had the opportunity to finish up on our ancestry poems. At first, I didn't really want to work on this, but in the end I really enjoyed writing one! This task challenged me to really think, and connect with my inner self.  I got some ideas from other poems, but the rest I thought of myself. 

I loved writing about my ancestors, because I know so little about them. So I have made a goal for myself, and that is to learn about my ancestors before I finish my time here on Earth. As a proud Tongan and Samoan child, I am lucky I can understand both languages, but I can't speak them which is a shame. 

But I will learn when I am growing older. Something challenging I found was when I had to write about my ancestors , something I enjoyed was using language features in my writing. 

Feel free to leave a comment.
Many thanks :)