Sherbet Experiment

Today for science we got to make Sherbet. The ingredients were Icing Sugar, Baking Soda, Citric Acid and tartaric acid. Mrs Drummond made us taste each ingredients by itself and the only thing that tasted nice was the Icing Sugar but I still wouldn't go around eating Icing Sugar. It was hard to get it just right because my group all had different tastes they liked. I loved doing it and I can't wait to do another experiment. 

Graduation Mass

Yesterday the whole school had to go to mass because it was the Graduation mass. It was mainly about the year 6's but it was also about going to the next year level. The year 6's had a big part in it because they had to make a dance and some of they had to do special things in the mass. I liked it because the year 6's gave the year 5's a leadership candle. The candle was blue with a green ribbon on it. I can't wait for next year when i'm year 6 and get to do the dance.

Topic Passport

Over the term we have been learning about New Zealand bands. We had to do activities from a passport. The passport has 6 different categories and you have to do at least one activity from each category. The goal is to get 200 points and the activities you can do gives you 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50. Right now I have 165 and need to do 1 more category. If you're wondering why I have 165 not 160 or 170 it's because you can get bonus points if you work really hard on it but you can also get minus points if it's not a high enough standard. My favourite activity I did was the design your own album cover for a real album. I chose the album cool bananas by DD Smash. I have loved doing it and I can't wait to do it again next year.

  

Potato Gun Experiment

Today for science we tried to make potato guns. The things you need is strong straws, a potato and skewers.  The first step is to get the  straw then jab it in the potato and twist the straw while it's in the potato. Then you pull it out and hopefully you get some potato in the straw. After you do that you have to do it to the other side. Once you have done that you get the skewer and stick the blunt side of the skewer into one end of the straw and keep pushing the skewer to the other end the straw. If you did it correctly some of the potato should go flying. One of the reasons why it didn't work for some people is because the straw wasn't airtight. I was sad because my straw broke so I couldn't do it. 

Mary Anning's Treasures

Yesterday for reading my group learned about Mary Anning. Mary lived in Lyme Regis and she used help her dad collect fossils. When her dad died she carried on collecting fossils and kept the business running. With the help of her brother she found the Ichthyosaurus which is the ancestor of the dolphin. I enjoyed it and I would love to learn more about fossils.

Why PS4 is better than Xbox

W.A.L.T write a persuasive piece of writing.
Literally all of us want a Xbox or a PS4. Well I am here to tell you why to get a PS4 not a Xbox.

Firstly the price. The Xbox 1 X costs $500 and has 1 terabyte of storage but the PS4 Pro costs $400 and has 1 terabyte of storage. Now the price of Xbox Live and PS Plus. Xbox Live costs $40 for a year and you get free games each month, the network and free things in certain games. PS Plus costs $60 for a year and you get free games each month and free things in certain games. Your probably thinking I should get the Xbox because Xbox Live is cheaper than PS Plus. Still get a PS4 because literally everyone who owns a Xbox will get Xbox Live because they want to be able to play games that use the network but then on PS4 you can get the network free and then get the monthly subscriptions when one of the monthly games is one you want.

Secondly everyone wants to play multiplayer games. On Xbox you have to pay for the network (way to play multiplayer games) but on PS4 it is free. There is PS plus which is basically paying for free games each month and special discounts on games but Xbox Live is that but you also get the network. The PS4 is also better because if you wanted the network but not PS Plus you could but with Xbox you have to get both.

Lastly the controls on Xbox is so annoying. On PS4 the joysticks are in line with each other but on Xbox the joysticks are diagonal. The diagonal controls are bad because it is really uncomfortable. Something that is also annoying on Xbox is that the trigger buttons are really skinny so only your finger tip is on the button but for PS4 the trigger button is bigger so more of your finger can rest on it.

Now you know the price, facts and reasons you must take precaution and know to choose wisely because if you don’t you will regret it for as long as you're psn or Microsoft account lives. So get the PS4.

3D Shapes

Yesterday  for maths we made 3D shapes. The first thing we had to do was fill out a worksheet about the shapes then we got to make them. The shapes were a cube, a square based pyramid, a cone an a pentagonal prism. I made the square based pyramid and the pentagonal prism. This is my square based pyramid.

 I enjoyed making the shapes and can't wait to do it again.

World War 1 Project

Yesterday for reading, the class did a WW1 project. We got into pairs and each person got a souvenir to study. I paired up with Riley and we got a Marlborough High School Roll of Honour and a rugby team photo with dots to tell you what happened to the person. I found it really interesting and can't wait to do it again. The website we used is https://www.walkingwithananzac.co.nz

Bird Beak experiment

Today for science we got to do a bird beak experiment. We got into groups and my group was Setaita, Tupou, Molly H, Otis and me. The first thing We had to do was to predict what would be the easiest to pick up with the different tweezers. After you predicted you got to test the different tweezers with the different things. The things we had to pick up was Skittles, bits of gummy snakes and pieces of ripped up paper. I found it really fun and I can't wait for the next experiment.    

Athletics

Yesterday the whole school went to athletics. The seniors started with the running events and the juniors started with the field events. The first race was the 800 meters and I came 2nd for my age group. My favourite race was the 200 meters because it's not too  long and not too short. The field events for the seniors were Long Jump, Shot put and Discus. I can't wait for athletics next year.

Comics

Last week for writing Mr Drummond came in to teach us how to draw comics. Mr Drummond said not to use characters that are already made up but you could mix 2 together. My comic is called Super Dumpling and I still haven't finished it yet. I loved doing it and hope we can do it again sometime. 

T.I.M.S.S Test

This morning all the Year Fives had do to a text/ questionnaire. It took 3 hours and there was 3 parts to it. We were the first year 5's in the school to do it. The test was on maths and science.  The first 2 part were more of test questions and the 3rd part was more of normal questions. At the end it was cool because we got a free pencil, a free pen and a certificate for doing the test.  

Saint Poster

Last week My class did saint posters. I chose Saint Jerome. It used lots of research. I learned that Saint Jerome is the patron saint of translators, librarians and encylopedists. Some of the other things I learnt was that he was born in Stridon in the year 347 ad. 

Pedes

Over the week we learnt about Pedes. Pedes are our names for certain patterns. The Pedes have rules so you know how many legs you need to add. The picture at the bottom is the first three stages of the big headed pede. The picture on the right is my own creation of Pedes. I enjoyed it and hope I can do it again.     

Bike Safety

 This morning we did bike safety. Before we got on our bikes we had to do the four point check. The four point check is to check both your breaks, check your tires are pumped up, check if you have a rear reflector and check your wheels are not going to fall off.
I found it really fun and I can't wait to do it again. 

Paired Reading

Yesterday my friend Xavier and I did a paired Reading activity. You had to read the story then roll 2 6-sided dice and then answer the questions. I think they are good because it get your brain working. There are non-fiction and fiction so you can choose which one to do.

Kia Kaha Shield

For Kia Kaha we made shields. Kia Kaha is Maori for stay strong. We had to write things that made us unique and then things that made our class special. I enjoyed it because I got to think about me and the class. I hope we can do something like this again. 

NZ Bird Report

Yesterday I finished my New Zealand bird report. I chose the kingfisher because it reminds me of my gran. I enjoyed doing it because I liked doing the research. This is my piece. 

Do you know what New Zealand bird name sounds like a fish name? It’s the Kingfisher. The Kingfisher is one of the best known birds in New Zealand.

APPEARANCE

A Kingfisher is 23 centimeters long and weighs 55 grams. It’s back is a blue-green colour and it’s stomach is a shimmery yellow. The Kingfisher has a pointy beak so it has more of a chance of catching fish because when the beak enters the water it wouldn’t make a splash and skewer the fish. If it had a blunter beak it would make a splash and probably scare the fish away.

DIET

Kingfishers that live near coastal waters eat small crabs and fish. Those who live near freshwater eat tadpoles, crayfish and small fish. When on land with no water around they would eat earthworms, cicadas, weta, stick insects, dragonflies, beetles, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds. Kingfishers have to eat 60% of their body weight each day to survive.

HABITAT

Kingfishers live in a lot of different places. They like to live near water such as lakes and rivers but can also be found in forests. Humans using heavy machinery to smooth the river banks and drain the land can destroy Kingfisher nests on the lowland rivers.

THREATS

Only half the Kingfisher babies survive more than one week. Most Kingfishers die due to the cold or lack of food in a very cold winter. The main predators are cats and rats. Kingfishers also die when they fly into windows or collisions with cars. When humans disturb the nesting birds this can be a serious problem as the shy birds might not enter and the chicks become too weak to call for the parents who then think they are not hungry, so the chicks stave to death.

In conclusion now you know what a Kingfisher is I hope you will point them out or maybe even care for one if it is hurt. I hope they will make kingfishers a pet soon. I want them to become a pet because they are cute and they remind me of my gran.

Habitat Diorama

Today I finished my habitat diorama. I was proud of myself because I worked really hard on it. I chose to do the Oasis. An oasis is a source of water in the desert and around the desert there is some plants and maybe even a house if someone lives there. Animals don't live in oasis, they just stop there for some food and water. This is my diorama:

Crosses

Over the last few weeks we have been working on painting a cross. We did this because we would hang them over the school. I liked doing it because I really like painting. My design had the earth in the middle and some Good Shepherd School symbols around it.

Maungawhau visit

This morning some of Maungawhau school came to Good Shepherd to do some performances. They came because it was cultural language week. The performances were a Haka, a Pacific drumming and a Sasa. My favourite was the Sasa because I liked all the different sounds they used. The Sasa was amazing because they said they only had 2 or 3 practices. 

Author Visit

This morning we had an author visit. He was Raymond Huber
 His favourite book he has written was Peace Warriors. He talked about some of his books and at the end he said some writing tips. Some of his other books are Flight of the Honey Bees, Sting and Wings. I enjoyed it because I can use his writing tips in my writing.

Cross Country Inter-schools

Yesterday the people that came 1st, 2nd or 3rd from Year 3 and up went to the inter-schools cross country. It was at Monte Cecilia Park. The course was really hard because it was very hilly and there was a hill called Killer Hill because it was so hard. The day was pretty boring because your race would be around 15 minutes and the rest of the time you had to cheer and chill out. The Year Three and Fours had to do 2 laps and Year Five and Six had to do 3 laps. I liked it because I got to hang out with some of my friends. 

Maths fractions Pattern

On Monday the class did Maths fractions patterns. We had to pick 8 to 10 colours and colour it in. After we coloured it in we had to count the squares and write them in percentages, decimals and fractions. There was 100 squares and sadly we couldn't do 10 squares for each colour because it would have been to easy. I enjoyed it because I like colouring and it was very peaceful.   

Komodo dragon slide

 
For writing we have been doing information reports. We had to pick a reptile and write a slide about it. I chose the Komodo Dragon. I enjoyed it because I got to learn lots of facts that I didn't know.

Mini BB fair

Yesterday we had a mini BB fair. The BB stood for books and baking. I bought 1 book and around 5 things from the baking tables. The book I bought was The Golden Spark Plug of Awesomeness. I thought it was really fun because it was time off school. We did it to raise money so we can get a mural on the power box outside of the school and we raised $750. We got enough money to buy the mural. YAY YAY YAY

R.E Play

This morning we learnt about Abraham and Sarah from the Old Testament. Half the class made a slide and the other half did a play. I chose to do the play and I was one of the angels.  I thought the play was super fun and I would do something like it again.

Information report koala

Do you know what animal can run as fast as a rabbit? This is insane but it’s the Koala! The koala is a marsupial from Australia. Some of its relatives are the wombat, kangaroos, wallabies and possums.

Appearance

Koalas are normally grey but sometimes brown. Their noses are in an oval shape. An adult Koala is 60 to 85 centimetres. A southern adult koala weighs 7 to 13 kgs and an adult northern koala weighs 4 to 15 kgs. Their claws are sharp and long to climb and grip trees. Koalas live for 13-18 years in the wild. 

Diet

The koala diet is pretty crazy. They eat something that’s poisonous for other animals. That is the eucalyptus leaf. Commonly known as gum tree leaves. The gum tree is native to Australia. The adult koala eats between 200 to 500 grams of leaves a day. As the eucalyptus leaf is very toxic and low in nutrition it takes a lot of energy to digest so the Koala sleeps for 22 hours a day.

Habitat

Koalas are native to Australia and live in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria in eucalyptus forests. The koala’s habitat is being destroyed by humans clearing forests to build housing and farming. This causes loss of food that makes them stressed. When koalas are stressed are vulnerable to outbreaks of the disease chlamydia.

In conclusion, humans should know when to stop destroying the habitat so the native animals like koalas can survive and maybe become everyday pets.

Grandparents Day

On Friday my school had Grandparents Day. My grandparents came from Christchurch. We started with a mass. After the mass we had a bake sale. I bought 1 of my mum's cupcakes that were really good and 3 of her raspberry slice that was also really good. During lunch I showed my grandparents my class and after lunch there were performances. I really enjoyed it because I got to hang out with my grandparents and because the food was really good.

Maths Poster

On Wednesday me and my friend Otis Presented our maths poster. We chose addition. One of our questions was: I have 3 skill levels. Then I increase it by 8. How many skill levels do I have? We also wrote addition vocabulary words like increase. I enjoyed it because we got to help Room 8 with their maths by showing them our posters.

gymnastics

Yesterday Xavier RG, Xavier P, Otis, me and some girls went to the gymnastics zones. The boys events was bar, vault and floor. We came 1st as a team because we were the only team. Xavier P came 4th and I came 1st equal. When I won I felt super good but annoyed the I tied because I tied with someone who does gymnastics with me. It was super fun and we got to skip some of school. hehehehehe

The Eel and the Flounder

Today me and my friend Stanley presented our slide. Our slide was on the Eel and the Flounder myth. We did it because we where studying myths and we got to choose one of the myths we learnt about. The Eel and the Flounder is a Tuvaluan myth. I like this myth because it shows you not to be mean and not to argue.      

Science experiment

On Thursday the class did science. We got 4 containers and put green, yellow, red and blue dye in each container. We put the ends of wet paper towels in the dye and the end of dry paper towels. After lunch we came in and saw the dry paper towels had absorbed the dye and the 2 dyes they were in was touching each other. I thought it was really cool. 

Mary Mackillop

On Wednesday it was Mary MacKillop's feast day. We went to church for mass and after church we got to do fun activities. One of the activities was the dot art. Dot art is when you get a silhouette and make patterns with the dots. This was my one.  

Gymnastics Speech

On Tuesday I did my speech on Gymnastics. I was really nervous. Your time had to be 2.30 to 3.30. If you were under 2.30 or over 3.30 you would get points off. I was happy when I didn't get picked for semifinals because I didn't want to say it again because it was too much pressure. Even if I did get picked I would probably have said no. 

Animal Classification

Yesterday we learned about how animals are classified into groups. Animals are either vertebrates (which means they have a spine) or invertebrates ( which don't have a spine).

Invertebrates are animals like jellyfish, crabs, insects and octopus.

Vertebrates are put into 5 groups. they are mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians.
Mammals have fur or hair and give birth to live young. Birds have feathers and lay hard eggs. Reptiles are cold-blooded and lay soft eggs. Amphibians breathe through their skin and need to keep their skin moist. Fish breathe through gills and have fins.

Here are 5 examples of each type:

Mammals: dolphins, cows, gorillas, Llamas and bats.

Birds: penguins, toucans, swans, parrots and flamingos.

Reptiles: Snakes, alligators, chameleons, tortoise and turtles.

Amphibians: Frogs, salamanders, toad, newts and caecilians.

Fish: goldfish, sea horses, stingrays, sharks and eel.

Hansel and Gretel

In drama we have been learning to act out different sort of plays. They were mime, play and dance. We got split into groups and got starting lines to say. we had to use the starting lines but then we could make the rest up. I was Hansel, Xavier was Gretel and Jemima was the Wicked Witch. I hope you like the video.

Jesus's Saving Work

Today we have been learning about Jesus's saving work. We were split into groups and got given a bible reading. My group got the 10 lepers. We decided to act our bible reading as a mime. This was our mime:

My Ode Poem

Yesterday we made odes. They are a challenging type of poem and normally are about an everyday object. This is mine:

To iPad,
You are the best device
Your screen is as bright as my future
You are a door to new things
You help me to be not bored
Oh, iPad how I adore you!

Book Week

Last week was Book Week. This was the timetable:

Monday 18 June: Kids’ Lit Quiz - Connolly. 
Tuesday 19 June: Poet visit - Tamsin Flynn
Wednesday 20 June: Author Visit - Chris Gurney 
Thursday 21 June: Classroom Book Week activities.
 Friday 22 June: Literary Treasure Hunt - Find and answer the book clues around the school 2.00pm Book Character Parade - come to school dressed as your favourite book character.

My favourite day was Friday because it had the most things to do that day. For the treasure hunt my team came 2nd and we each got a $5.00 Book Fair voucher. I went as the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz for the Book Parade.

Suzanne Aubert

On the 19th of June it was Suzanne Aubert's birthday. Suzanne Aubert is in the progress of becoming a saint. She was born in France and moved to New Zealand. If she becomes a saint she will be the very first New Zealand saint.

cross counrty

 Yesterday we did cross country. I came third. At the end everybody was out of breath. We had to do two laps of the full course. I really enjoyed it because we got to skip some school and also got to go for a nice run.

Self Portrait

In Art Mrs Drummond took pictures of us and then used an app to turn it into a sketch. We then had to  colour them in. The main point in it was to learn how to blend the colours to look realistic. This is mine.

Country Study

In reading we have been studying a country. I chose Australia. I chose Australia because I was born in Melbourne which is in Australia and Australia has lots of cool things to do. I learnt that Thor's actor is Australian and Malcolm Turnbull was the Prime Minister.

In topic we learnt about what we should eat. So we made food a journal. I learned I needed to eat more fruit and veggies and drink more water. 

Roll An Answer

 

Today in maths we played a game called Roll an Answer. It tests the skills we have learned this year like rounding, place value, addition and subtraction. My group did a board about multiplication.

How A Microwave Works

W.A.L.T: Write an explanation of how a household object works.


Hi there, today I will be explaining how a microwave and how they work. Also, I will give you a tip with metal and microwaves.


Firstly there are 3 main components to a microwave. They are a magnetron, a waveguide and a safe chamber for food. They cook food faster than ovens so they use less energy. 


Secondly it heats food by sending UV rays to the water content so the water content heats the rest of the food. Microwaves heats food like the sun heats your face.


Fun fact: If you put metal in the microwave it will explode. The reason for this is anything except metal will absorb the radiation but metal heats up so much the microwave explodes! and parts of the metal gets burnt. 

Now you know what to put in and not to put in a microwave. I hoped you learnt something from my explanation.

oil

In R.E we have been learning about the Holy Spirit and its symbols. today we learnt about oil.

Intergalactic Space Problems

It was dark times. Everybody was getting cancer. NASA is going to launch a rocket and try get everyone without cancer to Nepstrius in the solar system Zorpox. But they don’t know that Nepstrius is ruled by powerful beings and it has a powerful force.

The sun gets more force and everyone who goes outside gets stage four cancer. Luckily Owen, Aiden and Destiny are grounded and just play yugi-oh which Destiny always wins because she has the best card in the game. When they check the news they finally know the sun is going to explode because the sun was so old and is really small.

They are pretty sure they have no cancer so they pack up their stuff and go to the spaceship. They have to do the spaceship simulator to learn how to drive the spaceship. The spaceship is called the Aror and it is made out of Mandalorian iron which is the strongest mineral ever. The ship also has kyber crystal bullets if it needs to destroy anything. The inside is really confusing because if someone loves cats there are cats. If someone wants to go to the movie theater it turns into a movie theater.

When they finally enter the spaceship they all suddenly see their parents. Their parents were one of the first to get cancer and they are in hospital. Soon they get used to it and forget about their parents and have lots of fun. Nasa says the have to wait a week before they can blast off because other people might be coming. ONE WEEK LATER. No one else came so Owen, Aiden and Destiny were happy to get the spaceship all to themselves. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,1 BLAST OFF. Destiny had to fly the spaceship out of the Earth's atmosphere because she was the one who was taught to do it. 2 WEEKS LATER. Owen, Aiden and Destiny still just play yu-gi-oh and for once Owen wins because he has a really good trap card. The Sun realises that they are still alive so he has a mission, to kill the humans. The sun starts to move at the speed of light and soon catches up to Owen, Aiden and Destiny. Destiny is the smartest and runs to the shooting simulator which actually shoots the bullets. Aiden does lots of maneuvers so the sun can't hit the ship and Owen is offending him so he has less accuracy. Finally Destiny kills the sun and they keep on traveling to Nepstrius.

5 years later.They make it to Nepstrius and get taken over by demons. Soon they become slaves. Owen looks after queen Dementra. Aiden looks after princess Dimonte and Destiny looks after king Dexter. The only time they see each other is when they are in prison or when they are in a meeting. On their twentieth night they decided to escape but half way through the plan they all fell asleep. In the morning they had to fight each other to the death because the king and queen died so the winner would become the king or queen. Owen and Aiden had to verse each other and Destiny and Dimonte had to verse each other. First up was Owen and Aiden. Owen chose captain america's shield and a sword and Aiden chose a normal shield and a sword. Owen won really easily because he knocked Aiden out first then finished him off. Next was Destiny and Dimonte. Destiny chose the same as Owen and Dimonte chose the same as Aiden. The same thing happened to Dimonte that happened to Aiden. So Owen and Destiny lived happily as king and queen.

My poem on the Storm

Today we wrote senses poems about the storm in Auckland.  

I see the trees jerking in the wind.
I hear the thunder scaring people.
I smell the macaroni for dinner.
I taste the cool sharp rain pour down my face.
I touch my cosy bed keeping me safe and warm.
The storm makes me feel scared and freezing cold.

Statistics

In room 6 maths class we have been doing statistical investigations. First we learnt about stem and leaf graphs and did fun investigations on sports. we also learnt how to make graphs on Excel. we learnt how to make pie graphs and different types of bar graph. below are some of the graphs I have made on Excel.

The Empty Tomb

This is my friends and I work. It is the empty tomb. We were displaying an event from the Easter stations of the cross.  Jesus was laid in a tomb when he was taken down from the cross.

My Memoir

The Gymnasium

The gymnasium was usual enough: it had P-bars, high bars, pommel horses, rings, vaults and a floor.

The group and I did what gymnasts do: dismounts, practiced giants, beat records for circles, flipped over blocks and did swings to handstands.

Doing things that we will remember.

Good Friday

This is my work of  good Friday. These things symbolise Good Friday. We had to do this for Good Friday because it was almost Good Friday.

My Mantra

You are braver than you believe. Stronger than you think and loved more than you’ll ever know.

This is my mantra I chose as it reminds me to be strong and believe in myself.

Reading poster

This is my friend's and my work. We read a book about living in the Stone Age  and then we had to make this. It has facts about the Stone Age.

All about me

We did our All About Me poster so people know more about us.

stuff about me

Hi, I am Liam.  I really enjoy sport and do it after school almost everyday.  I love to swim but unfortunately I can't at the moment because I broke my leg.  My favourite sport is gymnastics and my favourite apparatus is pommel horse.  I really like reading and maths at school.  My favourite food is fast food because it is fast and easy.  My best friends names are Otis and Finn. I really like playing roblox and watching YouTube.

My Pepeha

Ko Aotearoa tōku whenua
Ko Auckland tōku tāone
Ko Maungawhau tōku maunga
Ko Waitemata harbour tōku moana
Ko Bowles tōku waka
Ko Justine Clifford-Bowles tōku mama
Ko Ronan Bowles tōku papa
Ko Liam tōku ingoa