Mangahigh

This week we had no set tasks for Mangahigh. We had to pick 6 tasks, achieve a medal on all of the them, and post the results on our blog. This is what I got...

I got two medals of each level. I think the hardest one was Addition VI. I am really proud of myself for getting two golds.

Weekly Reflection

Today we played a game called Kiorahi. It is a game played with two teams. One team scores points by hitting the ball on the posts. For each time they hit the ball on a post they get one point. There are seven posts. But to put their points in their point pot the have to go into the inner circle (which is heavily guarded) to score a try. For the other team to get points they have to pass the ball to the three people in the inner circle. Then they have to through the ball at a target which is guarded by two people.

Weekly Reflection

This week was the first week of swimming. We swam at the Ngatea Public pool. First we had to do 4 lengths of our own choice. After we did that we waited until everyone was finished and the we were aloud free play. The other thing that was on this week was the Thames Valley Athletics. I didn't go but my friend Dylan did and he did really good. So apart from those whew things this week was pretty normal.

IE Workshop Reflection

This week a group of Marama students (including me) went to Whetu to talk about our IE's. I made a kahoot quiz. But the bad thing was I only had one student. So I teamed up with my friend Daniel, who too had one student. Our students names were Hunter and Reegan. First we did my quiz on blood and the I explained a bit more about my topic. Then he shared his quiz an 1080, talked about his topic and then it was time to go back to Marama. Overall I think the day was a great success.

My IE

My IE Reflection

My IE Self Reflection
What was the most important thing you learned?	What was your favourite thing about this project?
I learned that we have multiple cells. At first I thought it was one big red cell but I was wrong. It is made up of multiple cells that float around in Plasma. They are called Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Platelets.	Picking a topic that didn’t have big long words. In my last project I picked had long words like Homosapien and Homoerectus. Luckily this time it only had one or two big words.
What changes did you make along the way?	What was the toughest part?  How could you improve this the next time?
I was going to do my presentation on Emaze but I switched to Powtoon. I switched because I forgot how to use Emaze.	The toughest part was thinking up a creation. I spent hours thinking and thinking. I went to uncle google and he didn’t help. Then I went to Pintrest and it solved all of my problems.
What are your next steps or new ideas for next time?
I think next time I will make a video instead of a presentation. I think speaking in front of people is way too daunting. A video would be better. I don’t quite know what I am doing next.

Weekly Reflection

On Wednesday afternoon was the HPC Arts Festival at the college. When we got there we sat on the ground and Mr O'Neill spoke to us. After his talk the Kapa Haka group did some routines. Then some bands played their music and we danced to it. After they sang their songs some dance groups danced to us then we got to roam around and participate in all of the activities. There was face painting, drawing, badge making and Maori activities. I mostly did drawing. The festival went from 12:40-2:00.  

Labour Weekend

On Labour Weekend I went to the Central North Island Champs with the Thames Swim Club. We left on Friday 20th of October. The club came down in three vans. One for the boys, one for the girls and one for the parents. When we got to Rotorua we drove to the Oasis Hostel where we were staying for the whole weekend. The Oasis Hostel is not far from the pool we were competing at.

On Friday night I had two Races and they were 50 Freestyle and 50 Breaststroke. In my 50 Free I came 12th overall for 11 year old boys and in my 50 Breast I came 9th overall for 11 year old boys.They were both timed finals which means that there was no heats.

On Saturday morning I had 2 heats and one timed final. They were 200 Im, 100 Breast and the timed final 100 Free. I made finals for both of my heats and got a little PB for my timed final. The finals would be swum that night.

When we got back to the hostel after the morning session we had lasagna for lunch and it was delicious. After our delicious lunch we had to either sleep or rest for an hour and a half. When the time was up and we were fully rested we had get changed into our togs, pack our bags and walk down to the pool.

When we got to the pool we did dry land stretches and then did our pool warm up. In my 200 IM Final I came 8th overall and in my 100 Breast I came 5th overall.

On Sunday morning I was in one heat and one timed final. They were 200 Breast (heat) and 100 IM (final). In my 200 I was coming dead last,, but then in my last 50 I went from last to third! And that last 50 was faster than my first 50 which had a dive! In my 100 IM I swam like a fish trying to get away from a hungry shark in the middle of the ocean. From start to finish I was first all the way. I came 5th overall and got a 5 second PB.

After I swam I got changed and started the long drive home with my Mum. O the way home we stopped of at Mcdonalds for dinner.

Weekly reflection

This week was great because I finished My IE creation and presentation. My IE topic is on blood. I am doing my presentation on Powtoon. My creation is a mixture of canola oil, red kidney beans, mini marshmallows and white seeds. It is all mixed together in an old jar. Also I finally got seen by the dentist. I usually hate going to the dentist but the lady that looked at my teeth was very nice. She said I had two more teeth to come out and that my teeth were wonderful.

Holiday Recount

This is my cousin Emma.She has brown/black hair and hazel eyes.

She is from Ireland and is now living in New Plymouth. She is staying in New Zealand for three years. She is a veterinarian at Energy Vets in New Plymouth.

End of term 3 Reflection

My three favourite thing for this term are Volleyball, Learning in the Making and Pet day.I liked Volleyball because I got to learn a sport I had never attempted before and it turns out I a pretty good at it. Learning in the Making was fun because it was the first time I have run a workshop. I enjoyed Pet day because I got to spend time with my pet bunny. This term I have learnt how to play Volleyball and I am really good at serving. Honestly I wouldn't change anything from this term. My goal for next term is to focus on my milestones.

My Pet

This is my pet bunny Hugo. Surprisingly she is a girl. I thought of a name one night and gave it to her. Her favourite food is carrots and silver beet. She lives in a big cage in the back yard.

Volleyball Reflection

Today was our last day playing volleyball at the college. We played a round robin tournament and won 3-4 out of seven games.The players in my team were Daniel C, Olivia, Murphy, Ayisha, Valentino, Emma and I. At the end of tournament our coaches handed out our certificates. Olivia got Most Enthusiastic, Daniel got Best Set, Valentino got Best Serve, Emma and Ayisha got Most Improved and I got Most Valuable Player.

Weekly Reflection

This week was normal. We walked down to the college and played volleyball. Last week we saw that we needed to work on our digs and we have improved this week. We won both of our games and I got a lot of points from serving. Next week there is a round robin tournament and our team name is The A Team.

My Life Story, So Far....

Birth:

It all started when my dad got the phone call from Holles Street hospital in Dublin. They rang and said “Hello Mr Sargent your wife has just been rushed to the delivery room with your premature son”. So he rushed from Naas all the way to Dublin. But when he was just ten minutes away he got stopped by the police. The policeman asked where he was going as it was nearly midnight. So of course dad said mum was rushed into the delivery room with his baby boy. But the policeman didn’t believe him so he said he would follow him and see where he was going. So  dad had to stay dead on the speed limit with the policeman right behind him.

When he pulled into the hospital driveway he parked the car and rushed into reception and asked where they had taken Megan Sargent. The receptionist told him where mum was and asked a nurse to escort him to the delivery room.

A few hours later I was born. Most babies are born at 40 weeks but I was born at 31 weeks and 5 days. Because I was so early I wasn’t breathing so the midwife picked me up and as she walked across the room she showed me to mum. Then the curtain was pulled aside and there was 2 Intensive Care Doctors and 2 Intensive Care Nurses.  

I was taken to ICU 1 where the really sick babies go. It was 4 hours before my mum and dad got to see me. I had lots of tubes and monitors on me to make sure I didn’t stop breathing and that my heart was ok. They had to put a tube down my throat to give me oxygen. The nurses had to take my bloods everyday. I had brain scans and kidney scans regularly so they could see that my organs were working properly. I had to be fed through a Nasal Gastro tube that went through my nose, down my throat and into my belly. But I was a very naughty baby. Whenever the nurse had put the tube in I would get my little finger, tuck it under the tube and pull it out. I was in the incubator for about 2 weeks and 2 days. When I was born I weighed 4 pounds eight ounces. I also had Jaundice which is when your kidneys don’t work properly. I had to go under these special lights but I kept pulling my safety goggles off. Just another thing to annoy the nurses.

Baby sister:

Unlike me, my sister was born on time. Her name is Chloe. By the time she was born I was 4 years old. When she was born she weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces. The first person to hold her was dad. But while he was holding her, she  peed on  him. It was ok when she was a baby, apart from the yelling and screaming in the middle of the night, but it went a whole nother step up when she learned how to talk. The talking in general wasn’t bad but when she sang it was pretty ear aching.

My appendix:

I had just had my breakfast when my tummy started to feel really sore and yucky. It was unlike any stomach pain I had ever had. I had stayed at my uncles that night and he didn’t know what to do so he rang up my parents and they took me to the hospital. It turned out my appendix was about to explode so they rushed me to the operating table and a few hours later I is was in the kids ward. The had to keep me in for a couple of days just in case anything bad happened.         

Moving to New Zealand:

We moved to New Zealand when I was 7 years old. It was my first time on a big A380 airplane. From Ireland we had to fly all the way to Los Angeles. We spent about an hour there looking at the shops. When we came to this one shop I spotted a hat that I really liked. I asked mum if I could have it and they said yes. I still have it to this day. Then from Los Angeles we flew to Australia. We didn’t have long to wait there so shortly after the flight we hopped onto a smaller plane that took us to our final destination, New Zealand. The first person to greet us was Nana. Nana lives in Ngatea. At the time she lived on Bener Drive on the edge of Ngatea. She lived in a three bedroom house with little a dog named Charlie.

Three weeks went by until I joined the local school. When I walked into the Main office I was greeted by two office ladies named Kelly and Leanne. When I had got my stationery and book bag sorted we waited until my teacher was ready to meet me. When my new teacher walked in I had to look directly upward to be able to see her face, in other words she was very tall. Her name was Ms Williams and she was the head teacher of the High Fives. I don’t remember much of what happened that day but I do remember when we were sitting on the mat and I had to say who I was and tell them where I came from.

Thames Swim Club:

I started swimming at Thames Swim Club in 2016. There are five squads, Junior Development, Development, Bronze, Silver and Gold. I started in Junior Development. I quickly moved up through the squads and now I am in Bronze. I have been in Bronze for a while and don’t think I will move up any time soon. My coach Sophie has left the swimming club and has become a chef so now the head coach Paul is training my group. I have qualified for the Central North Island Junior Champs in October 2017. It is the same weekend as my 12th birthday.

Central North Island Junior Champs

I have qualified for the Central North Junior Champs. It is based in Rotorua and is on labour weekend. This will be my first time going to CNI Jr Champs, it will also be my last time because I turn 12 on the second day of the meet. It won't affect any a of my races because they take your age by the start of the meet. I qualified for it last year but I didn't go because it was only for one race. The meet is on for three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All of the Thames swimmers stay in a hotel just across from the pool. On Monday of Labour weekend the swimmers get to go on the Luge.

Weekly Reflection

This week was fun. On Wednesday and Thursday the whole Marama syndicate went to Hauraki Plains College to learn how to play volleyball. To serve you hold the ball in one hand and hit it on the bottom with the other. And then to carry on the game you do what is called a dig. So when someone serves you the ball you put your hands together and hit it. I think I am really good at serving the ball.

Weekly reflection

On Wednesday Moana Nui came to us for the day. I was in a group of three with Callum (big) and Shawn (small). The learning power we used was Connecting because we had to find a way to make him do his work. For instance when we were writing we had to turn around and not look for him to write.

Later on in the day we had to create a character and Shawn said he wanted to create Batman out of clay. The we had to write a character description. We used the learning power Creativity. Here is the story.

Batman

Batman has black skin and is 21 years old and his worst enemy is the Green Gorilla. Batman is 3001 cm tall and has a yellow utility belt. He is stronger than the Green Gorilla and he beats him in every fight. He had a fight with the Green Gorilla and then the Green Gorilla died. After the fight Green Gorilla came back alive. Batman turned green. And then Hulk Smash came alive. Batman and Hulk had a fight and Batman died. Hulk punched himself in the face and died for 2001 years. Then he became a superhero.

THE END

Batman

Batman has black skin and is 21 years old and his worst enemy is the Green Gorilla. Batman is 3001 cm tall and has a yellow utility belt. He is stronger than the Green Gorilla and he beats him in every fight. He had a fight with the Green Gorilla and then the Green Gorilla died. After the fight Green Gorilla came back alive. Batman turned green. And then Hulk Smash came alive. Batman and Hulk had a fight and Batman died. Hulk punched himself in the face and died for 2001 years. Then he became a superhero.

THE END

Weekly reflection

This week was pretty average. The main part of the week was cross country. The track for cross country is on South farm. This year it was supposed to be on Monday but it was postponed and moved to Tuesday because it was raining. My group was first up. This year I had to run up “killer hill.”It wasn’t so bad this year because we only had to run half way but there was a new part of the course that was just as tough if you did the whole thing. I think I came either 12th or 11th.

Brush your teeth Tim

It was a typical Monday morning. Tim got up, got dressed into his clean uniform and had breakfast. When he put his plate in the dishwasher his mum asked him to brush his teeth. So Tim went into the bathroom and closed the door. But instead of brushing his teeth he got out his phone and started play his favourite game. While he was playing his game he totally lost track of time and rushed out of the bathroom, but before he could even take two steps he got stopped in his tracks by his mum. “That took a while, your teeth must as good as new.”she said with a smile.

“What were you doing in there. I hope you weren’t playing on your phone.”

Tim's cheeks turned bright red.

“Hand it over Tim. You won’t be having this for the next three months. Now, why don’t you actually brush your teeth this time aye?”

Tim made his way back to the bathroom and brushed his teeth with a huge frown on his face.

Weekly reflection

This week was good. The part that stood out the most was when my learning team was in a PE season with Miss Coles and we were being chased by Whetu on the block run. Apart from that it was a pretty normal week. I am not looking forward to our school cross country next week because I am bad at running.

IE 2017

Questions to consider (individually)  Share as  blog post once this has been completed.
What is it I hope I will come to understand more deeply through this inquiry?	I  want to understand more about blood and how it works.
What knowledge might I need to help move towards this understanding?	I will need to know about the blood system and blood types.
What is it I hope to be able to do more competently?   What skills will I need to learn (skills)	The skills I will need  are to talk to experts, find information on google.
What learning powers will this inquiry help me practice and develop further?  (Explain this)	The learning powers I will need are Connecting, Resilience and Curiosity.

Word of the Week:Conspicuous

He had a very conspicuous Adam’s apple.

Meaning: You can clearly see it

Type of word:Adjective

Synonym:Visible

Antonym:Inconspicuous

Evil Blood

Prologue

Lying on the floor. My hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine and a lump came to my throat. It was him. Standing like a statue over me. I knew it, this was the end. The end of my life. Forever. “It’s over.” He said in his crazy toned, redneck voice. “There is nowhere to run or hide this time.” Suddenly a cold misty darkness enveloped me and I felt myself plummeting downwards.

Chapter 1, December 26th, 2012

“Thump!” As my head hit hard on the concrete floor. Blood poured out of my wound. I let out a groan of pain. Lifting my head was a struggle. Because I had lost a lot of blood I felt really dizzy. I tried getting up, but my leg jerked sharply, causing me to fall into a heap on the ground, blacking out as my head hit the ground for a second time.

Chapter 2, March 1st, 2013

I woke up in a hospital bed with my leg elevated and my head wrapped in bandages. People were sitting around me, not one of them looked familiar, except one, my son Jacob. When they realised I was awake they came rushing over to the bed. “Oh, thank god you are all right!” said a tall man with a small beard and round glasses. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it!”

“Jacob?”I said

“Yes Mum, what is it?”

“Who are these people, I don’t recognise them?”

“The doctor said you may have some memory loss. This is Mike your Husband, Abby your Daughter, Pauline your Mum, Ian your brother and judging by a few minutes ago you remember me.”

“What happened, why am I in hospital.”

“We don’t know what exactly happened but when the hospital rang us they said some men found you lying on the sidewalk a few blocks from the house.You have been in a coma ever since.” Said Mike

“The doctor said you would be able to come home this afternoon”   

Chapter 3

When I got home I wasn’t there for long. I was on my way to my bedroom, which was upstairs, when I tripped and fell. When I woke up I was in the hospital again, so I must have blacked out. My head felt dizzy and was wrapped up in bandages yet again. The doctor came in and said “I don’t think you will be going home anytime soon, you have lost a lot of blood.”

When my family walked in again I didn’t recognize anyone. When the doctor asked if I was ready to go home I said no. It didn’t feel safe going home and living with, what it felt like, complete strangers. So the doctor agreed to let me stay in hospital.

To Be Continued....

Word of the Week:Optimistic

Word of the Week:Optimistic

I was a little optimistic about the party this weekend.

Meaning:Happy about something

Type of word:Good over evil

Synonym:Positive

Antonym:Negative

Week 9 Reflection

This week Marama went to Hauraki Plains College for a give it a go afternoon. When we got there we were split of into four groups. The four groups were, group A, group B, group C and group D.

In total there were four sports, Basketball, Speedball, Netball and Rugby. But each group only played two sports. My group played Speedball and Basketball.

In Speedball the group was split up into two teams. My team won. In Basketball we were split again and the other team won by a lot.

When we were finished we had a sausage sizzle and then walked back to school.

Stranded

Main character:Toby Jones

Chapter One:  

Disaster

I was on my way to Hawaii for my birthday, with Mum and Dad. The flight attendant had just taken our meal trays away and not long after the seat-belt sign came on. The captain came on the intercom to say there was turbulence ahead. It started to get really bumpy. Then we started to fall...

I woke up in the ocean with my life jacket on, floating by the wreckage with oil all around me. Before I knew it fire was racing towards me so I dove underwater fighting against the life jacket. I can see the edge of the oil so I race up for a breath.

I can see an island in the distance, so I start swimming. While I am swimming I worry about Mum and Dad. When I reach the sand I rip off my life jacket and start yelling for my parents or anyone. No answer. I was alone…

Chapter Two:

Camp

The next morning I was looking in the pocket of my life jacket and found a pocket knife. I couldn’t believe it. And then I remembered, Dad bought me a pocket knife at the airport for my birthday present.

I knew I was going to be here for a while so I had to make a bed. It was hot so I had to find a big enough tree for shade and a little bit of shelter if it rained. I stumble across a massive tree a couple of feet from the river. Now I had to build a bed so I gather as many leaves as I can and lay them across the ground.

That night I was restless, the noise of the jungle was unbelievable, the squawking, the insects and especially the monkeys.

Tuesday 23rd May 2017, Stranded

The next day I go down the the river to have a drink when I see an Orangutan on the other side.

Chapter Three:

Orangutan

She was sitting in a tree eating a round fruit. I know I am a confident swimmer so I dive in and start to swim to the other side to get a closer look. The current is strong and it pulls me downstream a bit but I eventually get to the edge and crawl out.

When I get to the spot where I saw it, I realise it isn’t just one Orangutan, there is a whole troop of them. About 10 or 20. Just sitting there eating the round looking fruit.

I decide to climb a tree a few feet away. She doesn’t mind me being there, she just sits there eating, not bothered one bit. So I decide to move a bit closer, but still she ignored me.

Chapter four:

The Little Infant

I was sure they weren’t going to leave I tried some of the fruit they were eating. It tasted like a mix between a peach and a rock melon. I was sure I had eaten one before. And then I remembered, it was a pawpaw, I have had it once before in Rarotonga after we went snorkeling.

When they started to move I made sure I had my pocket knife and trailed behind them. While we were walking a small Orangutan split off from the group and came close to me, so close that I could touch it. I didn’t because I didn’t want to scare it away. A little while later he came even closer, and then he held my hand. I have never held a monkey's hand before. It felt incredibly like a human's hand, only softer.

I think I have been with the Orangutans for 3 days, it is hard to keep track in this place. It has been a blast. I've been swinging through the trees with the infants and relaxing with the parents. It was great until the apes bombarded the camp. That day was horrendous. There were Orangutans running everywhere.

Chapter Five:

The River

I wake up in the canopy of a tree, wet and cold. The only thing I remember is when a frightened infant ran to me and held onto my chest for dear life. It is early morning and I’m starving. I have hardly eaten since I got here. I need to find food. I walk to a pawpaw tree with the infant still clinging to my chest and feast on about five pawpaw’s.

I decide to head back to my camp, so I walk up to the stream and when I am about to step in the infant squeals and starts climbing all over me. I step back and it calms down so I try a second time but it just doesn’t want to go in.

Maybe it hasn’t been near water before so I decide to walk up stream and look for a log to climb across. I find one wedged between some rocks. I put one foot on the log to make sure it is sturdy. It doesn’t move so I start to walk across it slowly.

I’m past halfway and nearly there when the log starts to move. I start running, I leap and hope I’ve timed it correctly. I hit the ground relieved to not have fallen into the river and gotten swept away.

Chapter six:

A Sinking Feeling

                

After a good night's sleep, I feel energized and awake. I gather as much food as I can, wrap it up in a banana leaf and set off, in search of my parents. I decide to walk in the canopy of the jungle so I don’t get sunstroke.

While I am walking, I have a sinking feeling, and then I realize that I am sinking! I have walked into a swamp! I am going down slowly, and there are mosquitoes everywhere! The infant jumps up to a nearby branch and swings across to safety.

I throw my food to the other side and look for a vine to pull myself out with. I look up and find loads hanging down, low enough so I can reach them. I reach up and grab hold of it. I struggle to pull myself out, it takes a few attempts but I finally come free. I start to swing through the trees and land on the ground weak and cold...

Chapter Seven:

Hope

I wake up in the seat of a car with a blanket around me and someone's hand on my shoulder, the infant is by my chest sleeping. I look up to see my father sitting next to me. “Dad?”I say with a raspy voice. He looks down and hugs me tightly. “Oh Toby, I’ve missed you”.

“Where’s Mum”

“She is in the hospital in Indonesia, she got badly burnt”

When we get to the hospital mum is lying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages. The doctor said it would take a few months for her to heal and he recommended we don’t fly the rest of the way to Hawaii.

We weren’t planning on staying in Indonesia so we had to find a place to stay. We found a hotel on the waterfront not far from the hospital.

While mum was recovering I had the time of my life. I rode the elephants along the beach, went to the beach every day, sun bathing on the beach.

When mum was discharged from the hospital she said she wanted to live in Indonesia. Mum, Dad and I were excited to start a new life in a country we had never been to before.

And we lived happily ever after;)