My Highlights at Reremoana - Mathew

This year at Reremoana I really enjoyed camp because we made many memories and it was also a good experience to do many activities we wouldn't do like air rifles. I learnt many skills at camp from leadership to determination. I tried out for as many teams as I possibly could hoping to make it into every one I joined. The best outdoor experience for me was bike day because we actually could do courses and bike around wattle downs. Good luck for next year to all students moving onto high school and to those continuing Reremoana next year!

16,000 Blog Views (Almost 17,000

CONGRATULATIONS ROOM 11, For contributing to the blog so much!

Personal Inquiry - Questioning

My questions for my personal inquiry will be...

1. How do you use the Adobe after effects program?
The reason I asked this question is because to make an
edited video I will first of all need to know how to operate the program.

2. What sort of effects can you add into your videos?
The reason I asked this question is because I need to see
what the best effects are that I can use to make the video look
and feel a bit better.

Exposure - Mathew

What: For my 2013 personal inquiry I would really like to do something different for a change and edit videos as last year I challenged myself with photo effects. By the end of this inquiry I would like to create my own short film with effects.

Why: This something that I really wanted to do for many years as there were many inspiring clips on youtube with people editing and adding effects to it and I thought I could do that but I didn't have the resources.

Inspiriation: There are many short films that are edited but a few inspired me as they really drawed me into the video by the lighting, background music and the effects.

Resources: Adobe After Effects and Video Camera

2013 PSYV Camp - Mathew

Camp is a great opportunity for kids to challenge themselves in a variety of ways ; overcoming fears, trying new things and much more. The year 7 & 8s of the Reremoana Kereru team got the opportunity to attend the Peter snell youth village camp site for 4 days and 3 nights. A lot of planning went into this event happen. The total of 51 students went to PSYV.

We all got split up into separate camp groups all consisting of 2 leaders of the teachers choice. All the groups names were the cookie minions, stagnation, champions, mischief monkeys and the baby ducks. Every group made their own unique coat of arms on a given banner. Every group also had to make a special chant showing what their team is about.

When the year 7 & 8s finally arrived at Peter snell youth village we first of all familiarized ourselves with the camp site. Later on everyone had to go to their group activity rotation. The activities at PSYV were the initiative course which contained a lot of activities that require team work to accomplish, rock climbing, abseiling down a very high wooden wall, air rifles, archery and camp cooking on hobo stoves. The best activity in my opinion was the air rifles. It was just something you don't do everyday. During free time there was many fun activities for example ; the extremely long water slide down 2 long hills, the playground and much more

One of the camp nights 3 groups had to experience the true feeling of camp and sleep out in tents. The groups also had to cook up their own dinner. The ingredients given were ; pre cooked sausages, bread and tin cans to choose randomly from. Each team had to gather around the camp fire and plan what they all wanted to eat. After that they all had to cook the delicious food into a delight. They had to cook enough food to last them until breakfast which was 12 hours away at the time.

Thursday was a very special day for all the campers as they went to snow planet. They all either got the option to snow board or to ski. Most people went skiing and only a little amount of people went snow boarding. Unfortunately there were 2 minor accidents obtained by Callahan and Jansje. The accidents were a broken leg and a broken arm. We first before we could even snowboard/ski we had to learn about how to do it. After the lessons we could ride from whatever height we would like. It was always hard to get up the steep hill so there was a gondola that would easily take you up the hill effortlessly. Overall the whole camp and snow planet experience is outstanding. I really enjoyed camp at Peter Snell Youth village.

Well done

Well done to room 11 who has reached 500 posts

inspirational picture

You could also ask Mr Fourie!

YEAHHHHHH!

DESCRIBE SOMEONE - Mathew

His eyes are as brown as milk chocolate and are medium size. His hair colour is like no other combination of blonde and brown but do suit his tan skin color. There isn't a style for his hair just the casual look. Everywhere he goes he wears a stunning necklace that compels his culture of New Zealand.

He is a very sporty person that will take up any opportunity even if it's not his strength. He has recently showed potential as a leader and has taken up the opportunity as a student leader and a sport monitor. He has many cultures in his family. He is half South African, quarter maori and samoan. His only club sport is basketball but although he used to play league. His habit is to 
crack his arm and wrist.

This person can be funny at times but can also have not funny jokes as well. He is a very good guitar player but can play a wide range of songs from blues to rock. He excels in many of his school subjects and tries hard in everything. 

GUESS WHO?

Why animal abuse should STOP!

Put your eyes into another living beings situation where you had a child, nutritious food and a warm cosy home but in an instant that was all taken away from you. You child was fed wrong, abused taken for its fur or worstly tested. Well this is the reality of many animals living under abuse around the world.

Did you know that over 100 million innocent animals such as mice, rats, birds, dogs, cats and much more are killed for testings in U.S laboratories. This is seriously not ok because people like you and me around the world are harming innocent animals just to make your food taste great or for girls to put on their makeup. Are we ignoring the fact that an animal has died brutally just to test our medicine, cosmetics or food. The U.S government has passed a law that any animal testing is permitted no matter what. I believe that there should be another way for tests to proceed without any animals involved. Animals aren't made for that and some people haven't realized that yet.

Fur is one of the many resources that humans use and take for granted for hundreds of years. It may seem as harmless as can be but just to make a 40 inch fur coat it takes between 30 to 200 chinchilla or 60 mink, 40 raccoon, 35 rabbits, 20 foxes or 20 otters. But what is really sad is that 1 in 4 trapped animals will chew off their own limbs just to escape only to die later of blood loss or infection. The fur industry isn't just a threat to animals but also to the wildlife and environment and although it is not immediately obvious their contribution to the food chain balance will effect the world because if there is no predator for a particular species it will grow out of control and upset the ecological balance of the planet.

In many places around the world chickens are kept in battery farms to produce eggs. Chickens who are caged live a painful life only to see their children leave them. Up to 10 chickens have to inhabit a cage as small as 2.33 ft sq. That's smaller than half the size of an A4 piece of paper not even allowing chickens to extend their wings. The barb wire of their cages can also lead to excruciating life long blisters or feather loss. This will rapidly extinct chickens and although there is a lot everyday 23 million chickens are killed for food thats 269 chickens dead as we speak.

If we continue to treat the environment and animals like this we run the risk of ecological imbalances in our food chain, animal extinction could happen faster than we may think and who knows what lasting effects have on the human population. Do you realize thats us?

Wasted space - Mathew (Persuasive Writing)

Would you like to take your delicious lunch outside to a place where little children play with mud and make the place filthy having you lose your appetite? Nobody certainly wants that but what the year 7 & 8's (rooms 11 & 14) of the Kereru team need is new concrete tables at the unused are outside the 4 Kereru team classes. There are many opportunities with concrete tables for example; it can be turned into board games, children can enjoy their learning outside, it'll give children the opportunity just to chill out and socialize and also children can use the space for technology programs.

The concrete tables give a great option for children to learn outside instead of feeling as they are trapped at their desk. If we had concrete tables outside in the wasted area children would rather enjoy learning whilst getting fresh air and also would be able to focus more. It'll give children more space to learn as they won't have to always be cramped up in tiny spaces making it better for children. It's nice to peacefully do your work in a calm area (concrete tables) and it will mean children will be more focused then will work better.

Whenever children from the older classes come to eat at the area where little kids normally play around, it usually isn't that pleasant as it is dirty, muddy and overall just unhygenic. However if we had concrete tables in the area, children would enjoy eating in a clean area rather than being forced to eat in an area where year 7 & 8's do not like because little children throw rubbish, play in the mud and run around like headless chickens.

In conclusion to my argument I highly recommend we should do something about all this wasted space outside the kereru team classes. It will be better for children's learning, focus and socializing. It will also make happy children!

Over 8000 views

Congratulation Room 11 on over 8000 views on our blog!

Keep up the good work Room 11!

Maths Word Problem/ Kyle

Here is some word problems you can solve if you want. Made by Kyle, Mathew and Rayaan!

The Mission

First thing Jack hears in the morning is a chicken's cuckoo racing throughout the wasteland. His shack is an absolute mess. He doesn't let anything disturb him during his sleep. If anything did it would end up in a horrible ending. Being the evil man he is he would go out into the nearby village and rob any shop that had food supplies. There was no one stopping him because everybody fled even the town sheriff. He doesn't remember much about his life before he got shot in the head and luckily survived. He only remembered getting given a special mission.

Jack hopped on his horse and trotted all the way back to his shack only to see a neatly folded piece of paper on his door mat that said 'unwelcome'. It was addressed to him and reminded of his mission to eliminate the king for trading his people to another foreign country. He started to remember his family. The fact knowing that they were shipped off he was on it straight away. He knew instantly he needed to make his way on his horse and over the bridge to get to the castle. The castle wasn't too far away from where he lived just over the bridge. He finally makes it to the castle to only see a delightful sight! The king's daughter. Jack introduces himself and he is very attracted to her. Some time passed and he finally snapped out of it, he runs around the castle and looks for an entry point.

Even though he finds a secure entry point it may be difficult to find an extraction point. He rolls on one of the tower looks out and spots the king inside his room. He makes his way to the window but gets caught at the same time. The king noticed him earlier on and set a trap on him. The king is laughing maniacally as he explains his plan to Jack to get the worlds jewels if he trades Jack's people. Jack gets lowered into a crate by armored guards and push him on a boat. Jack's heart is racing hearing the screams of his brothers and sisters. His memory is starting to come back to him

Science Fair - Mathew

In Term 2 of 2013 all students of the Kereru team were expected to experiment and complete a science fair project. My topic was about optical illusions. I had to test 1 year 2, 1 year 5, 1 year 7 and 1 adult. I gave them each a set of 5 different optical illusions Physiological illusion, Cafe illusion, Ebbinghaus Illusion, Perceptual illusion and Ponzo illusion. Try and figure out these brain bending illusions!

Photography - Mathew

Photography is a great hobby or occupation. It involves many skills including; noticing the rule of thirds and using them, excellent editing skills and a great view of a good picture. To take pictures you will need the following; a camera and photo editor (such as iPhoto or Adobe Photoshop). Photography is rather expensive hobby to have for example paying for cameras or better photo editors but it can be very rewarding and addictive.

However before you could start talking pictures we had to learn on how to operate a camera. There were many functions on a camera that I learnt just by experimenting with it. We had 6 assignments all based around different types of photography. First of all the rule of thirds we had to take pictures of anything around the school car park positioning the camera where the lines meet. To give a better understanding of the rule of thirds here is a diagram.Basically the rule of thirds are general guidelines for taking an outstanding picture to represent each letter of the alphabet.

To take an excellent picture you will need to know the basic steps. First of all use the light to your advantage. If you want to capture a picture with a silhouette position yourself against the light and you will get the maximum benefit of the effect. If you want to have your object to be bright work with the light. Secondly make sure your main object in your picture is inside one of the meetings of the rule of thirds. So in this picture the bee's head is at the meetings of the rule of thirds. Make sure you are using the right effect for the right picture. 

Overall Photography is an excellent thing to do. You learn many outstanding skills that may also help you even if you aren't doing photography. I enjoyed doing photography this year for technology.

How Orienteering Works

Orienteering is a fun all year sport that will require a map, controls, and a good big area. It's played all over the world and the objective of it is to try and collect all the control stamps as fast as you can. The map gives you a lot of clues to help you get to your destination.

You will need a team of really fit people to help you do the job. Everyone in your team will be doing their own different courses. The map will be guided to the same area but different controls. First of all while you are in your course you always have to orientate your map the right way to ensure you can run to the correct controls. At each control there will be a place for you to stamp in your paper. You will have to stamp the controls in your paper to continue on to the next one. You will have to run hard to every control and orientate your map into the right direction.

In orienteering you got to know how to follow the map because if you don't follow it you will get lost. It doesn't matter how fast you run but it all comes down on how well you can orientate your map. In a normal orienteering course there are around about 15 controls which run for 3.5 kilometers. On the bottom right of the map there is a legend which tells you what the obstacles are. The map is the most important part of orienteering and it gives you the answers, you just got to find it.

In my opinion I enjoy orienteering a lot because it offers a lot of orientation and running skills. You need to be really fit to play. Everyone should give it a go!

Volume Poster (Formula to work out Volume)

How Basketball Works

Basketball is a high intense game. The objective is to dribble a ball across the court then score into your goal but therefore trying to defend the oppositions. Basketball works best in a team and a lot of passing will be needed.

Basketball is played either indoor or outdoor with a clearly marked court with two hoops on each side. Each of the two teams will need to wear a special uniform for sports so the referee can tell them apart. A well pumped basketball is all that is needed to play this game. The subbing rotation for this game is quite different for this game as each time the coach wants to pull off a substitute he will have to tell the score keeper. The only time you can can sub off is when the ball goes out or if its a foul. When it is a goal subbing cannot be allowed.

The rules in basketball aren't as strict as most games you play as it is a contact sport. There are many types of rules that are simple to break for example double dribbling, you catch the ball then dribble after you dribbled, traveling take more than three steps after catching the ball, carry ball when you cary the ball while dribbling. Fouls are only if you hit someone on the arm while trying to get the ball. Every player as the maximum of five fouls however if the maximum fouls are reached you will be subbed off for the rest of the game.

The positions in basketball are very unique as they are not like any other sport because there are differently named. The positions are the following; point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and lastly center. Point guard moves freely all around the court they can also score. Shooting guard stays at the goal until halfway and is the shooter. Small forward is wing same as power forward. Center is as normal in the center.

Overall basketball is a very enjoyable sport that many people play it as a hobby or professionally (NBA). i really enjoy basketball because it keeps you fit and it improves your large ball skills.

Spy Crisis

It's a beautiful day out today. A perfect day for Michael and Angela to spend their 5th wedding anniversary. They both are very excited along with Jake and Rose their 2 children to go to the river bank. The rivers are calm and not too rough. Apparently its the best river in the world. Michael has felt pain on his arm for quite some time now but he is strong enough to handle it. Michael's family are taking a nice and easy cruise down their with their boat. Birds are chirping and cicadas are cicadaing and Michael is having having a wonderful time.

What his family doesn't know is that he was a spy who worked for Merces Letifer. He had a pretty good job there but someone from the agency revealed them to the government. Michael had to shut it down but he had bigger problems because now the FBI are hunting him down trying to kill him. Now Michael and his family are in danger ad they injected a micro chip in his left arm so they could track him wherever he went. The FBI are already sending their best troops to bring him back dead or alive.

What was unusual it that everyone except for Michael was wearing a life jacket. He only wore a red tie tuxedo.'Beep Beep Beep' went his left arm and he knew it meant something fishy. The family heard gun fires from the far bush and he got even more suspicious. When he saw the FBI troops he shouted to his family to jump off the water fall but they had no choice. He pushed them all off the boat and fell straight through the water. 'Boom' the gun fires continued to scare his family. He knew what happened and he was ready. They swam far away from the FBI to where they could no longer see them. The FBI associator John McNeil was there Michael's arch nemesis. He told his family to wait by the forest where it was safe. He was on the phone talking to Barrack Obama. Michael snuck up behind the van and got out his fibre wire and garroted him because he knew without him the FBI are nothing but dust. He hides the body in a nearby van and runs to his family stealthily.

It's children are scared and his wife is but he sees the red light in his arm and rips it directly out of his skin and squashes it. He tells his family to follow him as he knows that his work is done. What an anniversary!

Division Strategies: Known Facts