Week Four, Day 2, Activity 2: Sporting Heroes

Yulia Lipnitskaya

Yulia Vyacheslavovna Lipnitskaya is a former competitive Russian figure skater. When Yulia was 16 she competed at the 2014 winter Olympic games. Yulia is the youngest Russian skater to ever win gold in her first ever team event at the Sochi winter Olympic games. A team event is when you get to compete for your country with other skaters. Unfortunately the Russian skater retired at age 19 due to Anorexia which is a eating disorder when a person who is underweight constantly thinks of themselves as overweight.

Week Four, Day 2, Activity 1: Chasing Great

Richie McCaw

1. Richie McCaw was one of only twenty players who have won two rugby union world cups.

2. Richie McCaw's full name is Richard Hugh McCaw.

3. His birth date is the 31st December 1980

Week Four, Day 1, Activity 2: Lord of the Rings

If I had $300,000,000 that I could spend on whatever I wanted I would give $200,000,000 to different charities and that would leave me with $100,000,000. The next thing that I would spend my money on would be 1 year worth of ice skating passes so that I could skate every day, that would be amazing. All the rest of the money I would probably save in my bank account so that when I get older I might run a large business and buy a house. I am already very grateful for what I have and having that much money added on would be very nice but I think I will survive whether or whether not I have that money.
This is just my honest opinion.

Week Four: Day 1: Turn of the Century, Activity 1: Celebrating a Win

Birthdays is always a special time in our family. With my mum side of the family, we always gathered at Nana and Papa's house because they are very old. They are both well into their eighties. Depending on who's birthday, if it's for my cousin who are in their late teens, we will have a pizza night and we will always have a family prayer led by Papa.
But for my birthday, we have very big birthday parties. My mum, dad and my sisters always make my birthdays very special. Twice we celebrated at the Paradise Skate.  I am very grateful.
When someone has a special birthday, like the 18yrs old, we go to the restaurant or bar.  Twice we were at Speight Bar at Stonefield for cousin Toni and mum's 50th.
Nana and Papa's birthday is always special and we always get together at their home or we come to my house because it is bigger.  Family Prayer is always part of our birthday celebration.

This was my 8th birthday.

Week 3, Day 5, Bonus Activity: You Have to Pay to Play

I think we should pay to go to university. Graduating from universities opens up ones horizon of opportunities in life. It is a life changing opportunity if you graduate. However, it should not be that expensive. We need to pay but can be half of what people are paying now. My brother and sister are struggling to pay their student loan before they even complete their degree.  My sister said that getting a degree gives her a debt for life. I don't think that is fair. But if I don't graduate I will get job that is not great and I don't want to do that. 
Therefore in my opinion I think that you should pay to go to university, because it is worth a lot, BUT  not as expensive.

Week 3, Day 5, Activity 2: Leading New Zealand

Leading New Zealand

Name of Prime Minister: Jenny Shipley

Date of Birth: 4 February 1952

Political Party: National

Number of Years as Prime Minister: 2 years (8 December 1997 – 5 December 1999)

Three interesting facts about my chosen Prime Minister:

1. Jenny Shipley was the first female to run the National Party.

2. She was not only the first female to run the National Party she was also the first female prime minister.

3.Jenny Shipley is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Week 3, Day 5, Activity 1: Hiking Tongariro

Tongariro Hiking Bag
1. Rope
2. Water 
3. Good Walking Shoes
4. Snack
5. Extra Clothing (e.g. jacket if cold etc)

Week 4, Day 4, Bonus Activity: The 4 O’Clock News

Adelina Sotnikova (Russian figure skater)

Question 1: What is your daily routine as a professional figure skater?

Question 2: What did it feel like being the first Russian to win the gold medal, ladies single at the winter olympics?

Question 3: Do you spent all your time at skating or are there other things you do?

Week 4, Day 4, Activity 2: The Big ‘OE’

Los Llanos, Venezuela (South America)

1. I would visit Los Llanos because of wildlife. It is fascinating seeing that a huge amount of wildlife is in Venezuela. I am a big fan on researching about birds and the varieties of bird species is astonishing.

2. I would also like to go there because almost everything in Los Llanos is green. That obviously means that the environment is very healthy and clean. People around Los Llanos do there best to keep it clean for wildlife to survive.

3. Lastly, I would like to go there because of the essential oils in the plants that surround Venezuela. I would like to extract oils from the plants and experiment with different smells and make a variety of different scents and fragrances from the oils and sell them.

I am definitely never going to live in Venezuela but I would love to visit.

Day 3, Bonus Activity: A Bilingual Schooling System

Dear Mrs Donally

I am writing to request your consideration to let our school be part
of the summer holiday blogging.  This is a programme that is run by
Rachel from the University of Auckland. She sets weekly activities for
children to complete during the holidays. The activities are fun and it helps
children like myself keep reading and writing over the holiday period.
Children can still learn even in the holidays. Doing the Summer Blogging
helps retain children's learning during the summer break.

I look forward to your favourable response.

Yours Sincerely, Sam

Day 3, Activity 1: Ready to Roll

(1) Ray Columbus and The Invaders "She's The Mod" song is quite catchy and it has a good beat. I also really like the name of the music group. I felt like dancing when I heard this song.

(2) Golden Harvest "I Need Your Love" has lovely background music and a moving beat.

(3) New Zealand Underdogs "Sitting In The Rain" in my opinion is not the catchiest song out of the three. It was not as moving and I think the song itself is quite plain and boring.

Week 3: Day 3: Activity 2: Bell Bottom Pants

 FASHION OF 1970S

What I like about this fashion of 1970s
i. I like the flare pants. It is trendy.
ii. I like the high cut mini skirt.


What don't like about the 1970s fashion.
 i. I don't like the printed pants
ii.  I don't like the button up shirt of the men.

Bonus Activity: The Three Rs - Rugby, Racing and Running

Peter Snell by Sam

Week 3: Day 1 -Bonus Activity: Snail Mail

My postcard is about New Zealand a mountainous country. This is a picture on One Tree Hill and it has sheep on the mountain.    On the right side is Mt Everest with the New Zealand flag. I chose to put it there because in 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary reached the top of the highest mountain in the world.  Hillary was with the other guy.  New Zealand is a very green place and it would be lovely for people to know. 
I really struggled to do this activity.

Week 3: Day 2: Activity 1: The Dawn of Television

My favourite TV programme is Family Feud in TV 3.
It is hosted by Dia Henwood. Each night two families compete to win cash and prizes.  If a team wins for 5 nights they get a new car.
They have to guess the most popular responses to a survey of 100 New Zealanders.

One of my Christmas presents is a Family Feud game and my family enjoyed playing it during this holiday.  

Week 3: Activity 2: What’s in a Name?

Popular Names at my school

Girls - Amelia with different spelling but same pronunciation. We have over 5 Amelia's.

Boys - Max - we have 4 boys but through out the years we always have more than 3 Maxes.

My name used to be the most popular name in MT Carmel but as the years went by they started leaving school.

WEEK 3

Day 1: White Picket Fences (The 1950s) -

Activity 1: Meat and Three Veg


‘meat and three veg’ rule

WHAT A HEALTHY MEAL
I would like to keep to this meal rule because it's very healthy. I know it will be difficult at this time because there are so many fast food around.

If my is strick enough, I can do it.

Returning to the Rink

Hooray! I back to the rink. I am finally able to go to the ice today after almost 3 weeks.  Such a great feeling.  I am worried if I can still able to do my moves.  It is upsetting to think that I will have to go back and start again.  I will let you know I will do. 

Bonus Activity: Women at Work

WEEK 2

Bonus Activity: Women at Work

Both men and women served in World War II. Many women chose to enlist as nurses and

be stationed overseas caring for wounded soldiers. My nana was one of those nurses.

She (Dorothy) spent much of World War II working on a large Red Cross ship that was

stationed off the coast of Cairo, Egypt.   
For this activity, you are going to imagine that you are just like Dorothy and that you

are working as a nurse on a large medical ship. Complete the story.

One day you are walking along the deck of the ship when you hear a loud bang. You start to run as you see smoke coming from the far end of the ship. You run towards the room where your patients are waiting to receive treatment from the doctor. Just as you arrive at the door to their room you hear another loud bang and you…

I froze.  Ice ran down my spine. What could have happened I wondered. I moved in
slow motion, not knowing what to expect from these wounded and desperate soldiers.
As I carefully pushed myself into room, the moaning and groaning chorused in agony.
 I looked around and saw the faces of the nurses that were there, all looking at the same
direction.  My gaze followed theirs and saw two of my patients. They were friends.
Their wounds was life threatening. They talked about their families and how much
they missed them.  Waiting for the doctors took a long while and they complained
as they might not get to see their family.  

Their pain might have been overwhelming and they decided to take their lives.
A double wham. Shot. Shot.

Tears flooded my eyes as I remembered their stories about their families and how
much they longed to be with them.  

I hate war. I hate war, I repeated in my head.  I love to help but not enough.  

That day we were told to check every patients and ensure they do not have any
weapons with them.

Activity 2: Making a Fashion Statement

1940s
Most of the women's fashions during the 1940s were designed with the same squared shoulders, small waist, and skirt above the knee. Hats were part of their outfit. High heels is

NOW 

Mini skirts with hair let out and dressing jewellery and flat shoes with glasses. This is a meshed up time as there are different taste and style.

In the next 65 years, people will recycle the style. They might go back to the 1940s,  With fashion and style, it is a cycle. 

I also think about the weather, if the global warming is getting worse, people will be wearing something that will cover themselves to protect them from the sun. 

Bonus Activity: Sweet Tooth

My Favourite Sweet Recipe is a Tongan desert called faikakai topai.  I really love this desert but my aunty only made it for very special occasion because it is very time consuming.

There are 3 parts for this desert.

Part 1, Preparing the syrup.
Depending on how much you need.
2kg of  brown sugar
4 tins of coconut milk.

Melt the brown sugar on a low heat stove.
Pour  in the coconut milk slowly.
Stir as you pour. The melted sugar will be harden but keep stirring and it will dissolve.
When all the coconut is mixed with the melted sugar, keep stirring until the mixture become  thick.

Part 2: Preparing the dough
1.5kg of self-raising flour
Mix flour with water to make a dough
boil a pot of water and spoon the dough in the pot.
Once the dough is cooked. Remove from the boiling pot and leave to cool down.

Part 3: Mix the syrup with the dough.
Cut the dough into dice size.
Pour the syrup over the diced dough.

Day 5: Coming to an End

My family VE Day

There is no celebration without food and drink. However, the war has
taken everything. Food was minimal and our house was hardly has any goodies.

The first thing we will did was gathering our close families and we pray.
This was very emotional. We thanks for our lives but we prayed for
those who have passed because of the horrible war. We prayed for other
families and all leaders of the countries to be able to talk rather than fight.
We had a BBQ, mum made potato salad, my favourite with sausages.  

We sang songs and us kids played outside while the adults drank wine
and beer.

Soon it was night time and we all went to sleep, not having to worry about hiding.

Activity 2: A Call to Arms

 VICTORIA CROSS MEDAL AWARD

Second Lieutenant Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, 28th (Maori) Battalion, 2NZEF

Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Ngārimu was the first Māori soldier to win the VC. A second lieutenant in the 28th (Maori) Battalion’s C Company, he took part in the assault at Tebaga Gap, Tunisia, in March 1943. The battalion’s objective was a strategically important hill known as Point 209. The first task was to take high ground below the summit. Ngārimu led his platoon up one of these lower hills on 26 March, personally knocking out several machine-gun posts. After capturing the crest, his men repelled a number of fierce German counter-attacks during the night. Despite wounds to his shoulder and leg, Ngārimu refused to leave his position. He was killed the next morning fighting off another enemy attack. 

His VC was presented to his parents at a hui at Ruatōria on 6 October 1943. He was born at Wharepango, on the East Coast, Gisborne area, on 7 April 1919.  

I have to paste this here. RIP Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu. His bravery and determination has earned him the VC medal. This must be very difficult his family but the memories live on. 

Activity 1: Day 4: Another World War (1939-1945)

Allies Declare War On Nazi Germany

Choose two key events and find out some more information about what happened on those days. On your blog, write a short summary of two events, including the names of people involved and where the event happened.

EVENT 1 :

3 September 1939 - British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war against Germany for attaching and invading Poland. France, Australia and New Zealand were her allies. Hitler, leader of the Nazi Germans refused to talk and negotiate peace.

EVENT 2:  Victory in Europe (VE) Day

Germany surrendered on 7 May 1945. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the peace on the 9 of May, NZ time. NZ acting Prime Minister Mr Nash told country.

VE Day crowds at Parliament

Bonus Activity: Paying it Forward

If I were to travel back in time to the 1930s in New Zealand I would take tinned food because they would last longer. I would also take clothing. The type of clothing depends on the weather. lastly I would take some treats like chocolate and chippies.

Activity 2: Day 3: The Great Depression (The 1930s)

Three Ways To Fund Money For Families
1. Put on some sort of production or disco and everyone who comes can pay for a ticket
2. Create some sort of charity so that more fortunate schools and families can contribute to helping others.
3. Food fair. it seems basic but people gain a massive amount of money.

Activity 1: Day 3: The Great Depression (The 1930s)

When I feel stressed something I love doing to keep me relaxed or calm is singing. Singing always helps me cope with stress. No matter what song it is whether it is sad or cheerful it always calms me down. Another thing that helps me relax is skating. I recently posted of my figure skating and I think skating can always calm you down no matter what.

Sam's Tips for Dealing With Stress
1. Do something you enjoy and don't focus on anything else.
2. Close your eyes. It is quite simple but for me it helps a bunch.
3. Lay down and have a little rest. You should feel much better when you wake up
4. Have some time to yourself.
Stress is natural and it ought to happen some day in your life, especially when you get older and a bit more mature. Luckily there are ways to cope with stress and these are only a few of them.

Week 2: Day 2: Activity 2: Art Deco

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I give this painting 5 out of 5 stars because I think it is a very unique and beautiful picture. I, myself do not have the talent of art but I do possess a talent for fashion. I can contribute my ideas to make a perfect art but I cannot draw it out on a piece of paper. I think this painting has good tone and colour.

WEEK 2: Bonus Activity: Crossing the Tasman

A Diamante Poem

RELIEVED

THANKFULLY, SAFELY

NAVIGATING, ARRIVING, ACHIEVING

ACROSS THE TASMAN, FIERCE AND WILD

TALKING, LAUGHING, RESTING,

BRAVERY, HEROISM

LANDED

Week 2: Day 2: The Roaring 20’s (The 1920s)

The Lions Cage

In this movie, I think it is about how this man dealt with different situations or problems. However, he thought he can fool the lion but he was wrong. He is so lucky to make the narrow escape.

A pictorial story of the Catholic Cathedral in Auckland city -
St. Patrick and St Joseph. In January 29, 1943 a wooden church was built but
with the growing number in Auckland at the time a stone church was built and
opened on March 19 1848. Since then the church has been add on and renovated to
its present stage. It is a historical building.

1848	1884	1907	2005-07	2017

I sometimes go to this cathedral for mass on Sundays.

Bonus Activity: In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields

BY JOHN MCCRAE

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

 That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

This poem brings tears to my eyes. They fought for the country and now poppies always remind us of them. We love these men and women whom their lives were lost in wars. Wars should not be the way to make peace. RIP 

Activity 2: The Right to Vote

I do not think it’s fair for the Saudi Arabian women not to vote for parliament. Everyone should have equal right. Thanks to  King Abdullah  for allowing women to participate in the municipal elections. God created human being to be the same. We can see the women can do anything that men do or women do more. Women nurture children, boys and girls alike. Why do they have to be second class citizen?

Figure Skating

Figure skating

On the first few weeks of the holidays I juggled between blogging and figure skating,
however I spent more time skating. I went to Paradise Ice Skating,
Botany nearly everyday. I spent 4 hours there every time I go.
I met up with my skating friends and we worked on the skills that we learnt
at skate school. We had lots of fun.

For Christmas, I got the most amazing present - my figure skates!!!!!!
I am very thankful to my Mum and Dad.

On the 30th of December, a tragic ankle injury disabled me to get back on the ice.
But my ankle is getting better and I can’t wait to get back on the ice.

My Skates

the brand is Riedell Pearls

with Luna blades