For the past week we have been writing about a mythical creature called the lochness monster, that originated from Scotland. Then we made a picture on google drawing to go with our writing.

This is my writing:

The lochness monster

Its skin is as bumpy as the rocks on the ocean floor. It has sharp jagged teeth that can tear through human flesh. It has four long strong fins that helps the monster glide through the ocean waters and it has a pair of bright red eyes that glow. It’s twice the size of a blue whale and has a long tail that drags behind the monster when it swims. Its neck is three times the size of a giraffes and only comes out of the water at night.

What do you think?

How would you describe it?

For the last 2 weeks we have been doing school swimming. First before we started swimming we got split into four groups depending on how good we are at swimming. I got put in the second highest group in the deepest and coldest pool. In the first week of school swimming we did regular lessons, learning all the different strokes like Backstroke, Freestyle, Breaststroke and Butterfly. In the second week we did all sorts of stuff with life jackets and boats. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we practiced how to get on and off a boat in an emergency and how to keep warm when your stuck in the middle of the ocean. We also learnt about how to save someone that is drowning. Then on Friday we wore our PJ’s over our togs and swam in them.

Here are some photos:

My favorite part was when we got to swim in our PJ’s and my least favorite was the Boat.

What do you think?

Have you ever gone swimming with your class?

Today DJ Danny Ill (A New Zealand DJ) came to our school to teach us about himself. He taught us about different types of DJs, How he became a DJ, his favorite books when he was younger (One of them was the X-men comics) and a bit about Duffy role models. After the presentation some students were given duffy books followed by some Danny Ill stickers. Lastly we got to ask a few questions before the year 7/8s had a photo with him.

Here is a photo:

My favorite part was probably when he told us what his favorite books are.

What do you think?

What is your favorite book?

Last week we made our own photo collages of Camp 2025. We got sent a lot of photos of camp and we had to choose a few that would look good for the collage. I chose a couple photos of me, some with everyone in it and other random photos.

This is mine:

What do you think?

Which picture is your favorite?

On the 3rd of March 2025, the year 7/8s went to hanmer springs forest camp for 2 nights. It was so much fun and a bit challenging. We did really fun activities such as Tree climbing, Mountain biking, Orienteering and long walks.

Anyway, on the first day of camp after a spending a Hour and a half in a car with Pixie, Mackenzie and Mackenzies mum (Diane) we arrived at the campsite and unpacked our stuff in our cabins. I shared my cabin with Pixie, Willa, Summer and Aleigha. As soon as we finished unpacking we went on a 2 hour walk in the mountains which was very tiring (because it was mostly uphill). After those painful 2 hours on that walk we geared up to go to the hot pools down the road from our camp. They had amazing hydroslides that looked scary but were actually pretty cool once you went on them, especially the one called the Conical Thrill. The Purple and Orange slides were cool as well. I didn’t really spend any time in the pools itself because I was too busy going on all the hydroslides. After a long day of riding in a car, walking and swimming we had 2 quick games of spotlight, a game where you run and hide from the taggers with flashlights and if you get caught in the light, you’re in as well. Then finally to finish the day off we had dinner (which was pies) and a cookie for dessert.

On the second day of camp after a terrible night’s sleep, we did our first activity which was Orienteering. Orienteering is basically where people hide a piece of cardboard with a number on it and then they mark where they are on a map. We then use the map to find the numbers and each number is worth a different amount of points. The group that gets the most points wins! I was in a group with Summer, Willa, Pixie, Isa and James. We came 5th in the end which isn’t bad but we could have done better. After that was over we headed onto our next activity which was tree climbing. At first I thought I would be no good at climbing and I was very nervous but I unexpectedly made it to the top pretty quickly. I did it for a second time and made it again but I was a bit slower than the first time. I gave the harder one a go, but I got stuck half way through. After tree climbing we had a mini talent show which was really fun to watch, then we had dinner (Nachos) and that was the end of the second day.

On the third and final day we headed off to our final activity which was Mountain biking. As soon as we started to bike it poured down with rain which was kind of fun because it made the track muddy and slippery. I almost fell off my bike twice by going round sharp corners but I managed to stay on. There were also steep hills, roots all over the track, puddles and mud everywhere. It was still a lot of fun though. After we finished mountain biking we packed our bags, packed some lunch for the car and headed back to Christchurch. 

That was the end of Hanmer springs camp 2025.

What do you think?

Have you ever been on a school camp before?

DLO: We are learning to use keyboard shortcuts to make using a computer easier and quicker.

This week for cybersmart we have been working on a simple short animation of our choice. I chose to do an animation of a rocket ship taking off then someone throws a dynamite and explodes the rocket. I finished it pretty quickly but I still think it’s okay.

Here is my animation:

What do you think?

What would your animation be about?

Today the year 7/8’s got to drive down to South Brighton domain to do a mud run which is basically when you run for 2.7 km through a forest/domain full of trees and theres obsticals and wet activity’s you need to do on the way. As soon as my school left the starting line we already had our first activity which was climbing through a long pile of tires. I kept getting stuck but I soon made it through and started to run again. There was a lot more activity’s than that and some of them were, running through slippery mud filled with real minicher crabs, which scared me a bit and running through the shallow part of a lake. The other ones I could remember was also jumping over fences, crawling under nets, going through a bouncy castle, going on slip n slides and getting sprayed by a cold hose.

Here are some photos:

It was crazy with all the other schools running with us but it was still a lot of fun.

What do you think?

Have you ever done something like this?

Last week on Friday we had an A&P show where you bring a pet to school for the morning and then we go around classrooms and do different activities. I brought my dog (A golden retriever named Sonny) to school. It went better than I thought it would, because I thought he would go crazy cause he usually barks at other dogs but he stayed still and quiet. He also got a certificate for having the best cuddles and I’m happy that he got it. Anyway, after everyone went round giving all the animals hugs, my dog left and it was time for the rotations. We first went into the domain were the bouncy castles, a petting zoo, a tank, a fire truck and a cool car. Secondly, we went into room 4 and had a really fun time reliving our childhood (Year 1, 2 & 3). We played with playdough, we played with Lego, we did painting and some more playing. Thirdly we went to room 1 and made butter out of milk cream. All we had to do was each shake the bottle twice really hard and then boom, you have butter! The last thing we did was play minecraft in my classroom. Me and my friends built a farm with lots and lots of llama’s.

I think my favorite part was when we got to play for 45 mins in room 4.

What do you think?

Have you ever gone to a A&P show before?

Today I got 2 duffy books. They are called Scream and Baby-sitters club: Mary Anne’s bad luck mystery. I chose them because I like baby-sitters club and I like horror books. I would of chose The puppy who couldn’t sleep by Holly Webb, but I think I liked the sound of the books I chose better.

Here are picture of the books I chose:

My favourite book series is probably Harry potter.

Have you got a favourite series?