Exciting journey to the pool!!

It is now coming to the end of the Term and to celebrate. My school went on a trip to Waltham pool.

As you may have known it has been raining a lot these past few weeks. My school was fortunate enough to go to the pool both days when it was sunny. It wasn't exactly the warmest weather but it was sunny and I was grateful that we were able to go. I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends and having a whole day where we could just have fun. We were in the pool for majority of the time because it was so cold just standing outside the pool.

We also had a choice of going on the hydroslide. I went down it twice because standing in line was to cold for me. I thoroughly enjoyed our pool trip although I did get very sun burnt but whos fault was that. Mine

Have you ever been on a school trip, if so where??

Favourite memory of Primary school

I am Year 8 and I am now coming to an end of my primary school career. To share the exciting life we have had at primary school, we all created memoirs. Now memoirs are special memories of a special time you have had. We have all written our planners for our memoirs and have now finished our final piece. I hope you enjoy reading my memoir and I hope it really takes you back to my special time.

Being told that you were going to a new school the next year was really devastating for me.
I loved the school I was in and I didn’t want it to closed. But when I heard we were emerging with
another school and becoming one. I was interested because it meant that I was meeting new people.
I wasn’t the most social person back then, I only had the friends that I had made and had been with
since I was 5. It was a real struggle for me because I had no clue how to talk to people and how to
make a real conversation.

On the first day at St Francis I was really nervous because I was going into a school where I only
new half the people. The rest were complete strangers for me. I didn’t really talk to many other people
on the first day because I didn’t really know how. As the year went on I let my talent of music out, that
was when people started noticing me not just as a student in the same school but an actual person.
I still didn’t really talk to many people, I would just look and talk to myself. How am I gonna talk to these
people??

The next year I was in a completely different hub so even more new people. Uhhh this was a pain. I
wasn’t any good at talking to the people the year before how am I gonna do it now. The only way I
could try was to put myself out there and just do it. It started when we had our yr 7/8  camp. This was the
best part of 2017 I was able to talk to people, I got to know the people in my cabin and who they really
were. Not just a person in the distance but a person with a personality, a personality that became really
easy to talk to. Through this camp I started talking to new people but it was pretty hard because I really
was only limited to the people in my cabin and in my activity group. Any of the other times were at our
meal times. I definitely didn’t have the courage to just sit with random people.

This year it really has changed for me, I am now with the people I started with at the school so all the
faces were familiar. I have really gone out of my comfort zone and just talked to everyone. I have
become friends with so many people, this has been amazing. I have gotten to know people and who
they are. I have really enjoyed our trips that we have gone on because it all gave me an opportunity to
talk to different people. I am now coming to the end of my primary school journey and I am really looking
forward to high school because I will only know about 20 people there .

Whats your favourite memory??

The teachers strike again, will the government listen or will they ignore.....

Across New Zealand the teachers are battling between the government so they will listen to their needs. At the moment the teachers are struggling with the amount of children in their classes. I would be too because its a big jump from about 19 children to 30 children. I am one of those students and looking after me would be hard. 

It is pretty cool how the teachers are fighting for what they think is right. I too would want to do this if I become a teacher. Last strike the government chose to ignore them so they fought to strike again, it must be hard when you have needs that are unable to be fixed unless the government listens. 

What are your thoughts on the teacher strike??

The buzz you feel when you do creative writing

Through out the year the teachers have introduced the students to different ways of writing. From this we were given a story starter and we had to finish it. This was probably my favourite writing piece this year as I got to express my writing skills in the best way I could. My story ended up being very mysterious and interesting. I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope it hooks you in right from the start. 

"All was silent in the forest. Not a breath of wind could be felt or heard. The dew from the air was fogging up my glasses, struggling to move from tree to tree with only a glimpse to get you through. As I came to a clearing I saw a pair of boots neatly placed together, this was very peculiar? When is it that you see two boots together standing up straight perfectly. I slowly walked away as these boots were giving me chills but as I turned around I heard something move. I didn’t want to look behind me but the urge I had was taking over me. I looked behind and there they were, the boots had taken a step. This was really freaking me out, why is this happening and why to me?......

I started backing away from the boots but as I did I stumbled down a hill. As I rolled down the hill I passed the boots and they were running along side me. I closed my eyes but as I opened them I was rolling head straight into a tree…..I was knocked out for quite some time and by the time I woke up it was pitch black. It was still dark but I could still see the shadows of those boots in front of me. I woke up to blood dripping down my head and an inch deep cut on my leg. I was in so much pain but you can’t really do much when everything’s spinning around you. Dawn approached very slowly but as it did the boots became a lot more visible, they were indeed there right in front of me. I was freaking out, I could barely move and those boots were slowly taking steps towards me…..

I attempted to move but I was in so much pain I fell straight back on the ground. Those boots were about a few metres in my distance, I had to do something but I was only limited to what my hands could do. My head was spinning and I was losing control, my whole body was flipping out and I didn’t know what to do. I completely just lost it and fell…

I woke up hoping it was a dream, I was wrong. I was still in the forest but where were the boots?? This was worrying me because I had no idea where the boots were and what they would do to me. My leg was still in a lot of pain but I had been out in this forest for too long. I had to do something, I strapped my leg in the materials I could find around me. I then grabbed a stick to help me off the ground. I hadn’t eaten in a few days, I wasn’t sure how or where I would find food?? I started foraging around for food, there was nothing. Was I gonna die out here??

As I wandered along I found a hill, this may be the hill that I fell down but I wasn’t sure. I thought what the heck let’s just climb it. As I got further and further up the hill the area became more and more familiar but I still really wasn’t sure where I was going. Every step I took it was taking the very little energy out of me, this was all I had to get home. After a few hours I reached the top, the top was familiar but it was bringing back scary memories of those boots. From here onwards I wasn’t sure where I was going….

As I hobbled onwards I saw footprints, as it went through my mind I had no idea who’s they were. I decided to follow the footprints as it was all I had to keep me getting home. I had been moving for hours until end where I still was going nowhere. It was getting dark and I was losing hope of every finding home, I had no idea where I was going but I had to rest as my leg was honestly killing me. I really struggled to sleep as those boots kept haunting me in my dreams, dawn came too quickly as I had barely rested but I knew I had to start moving.

I unwrapped my leg, it was looking infected. This couldn’t be good, I may not only get home but I may die from this infection. Although I struggled getting up off the ground, I knew that somewhere in this forest was a way out. But where, I knew where I had been so moving forward was my only hope. I was really trippy on my feet but it was the only way of getting out of here. After an hour of hobbling on my leg I was done, I just wanted to go home to where I knew I had another day of living. My only option in this forest was to keep going. I wasn’t sure but in the distance I saw water, this may be a mirage but deep down in me it helped me to have hope. I carried on towards the water, it honestly wasn’t getting any closer but where else am I gonna go. As I kept walking I saw a few yards away...there the boots lay.

They weren’t moving and this interested me, I walked towards them not a thought in my mind that they could hurt me. I kept walking and what I thought were boots revealed a person.. Now this person was familiar, it was my dad. I ran as fast as my leg would let me and I started yelling his name, he couldn’t hear me. I started yelling as loud as I could, he turned around. Tears running down his eyes he started running towards me, words couldn’t describe how happy we were to see each other. We both hugged and cried as this was the moment where we both felt safe. This was the last thing I remembered before I was taken home. I was straight away taken to the hospital where the doctors checked my head and leg for anything serious. I was right because my leg was infected and I also have a minor head injury. As I went head first into that tree, it took skin on my head creating a shortage of blood in my head knocking me out.

Every night I still have nightmares of those boots. I still have the thought in my mind that those boots are still following me day after day. I still feel uneasy walking alone as being in the forest alone has scarred me for life. "

What is your favourite piece of writing and why??

Rock'in roll'in at the kids in town

In the middle of the year I put forward an idea to create a year 7/8 singing group. Most singing groups you don't get the choice of choosing your own music. In this group we were able to choose our own songs and create a mash up for our performance. 

We practised together as a group on Wednesday mornings, this was a time to be together and practise our mash up. These practises and songs were going towards our performance at kids in town. We worked really hard to get our song ready and it was time to perform. 

Last week on the 1st of November the singing group performed. I was so excited to perform, when we started singing I was honestly buzzing. I loved this trip we did together and I enjoyed hanging out with my mates.

Have you ever been on a trip like this?? 

Surprising yourself in athletics

Last week our school hosted our athletics, I personally love doing athletics although I'm not very good at it. When we did our athletics it started pouring with rain, I love the rain so I didn't mind getting wet and cold. 

The girls started with sprints and long distance, I came second in both my heats and I came sixth overall. We then went off to do our field events, I was really excited for them because they all didn't involve much running. In long jump I was jumping as far as I could and on my second jump i slid and landed on my bum. I was really surprised that I got 3.35 metres on my second because I fell over. In all my other events I tried my best but didn't do anything magnificent in them.

Overall I came second in the long jump and I'm pretty happy I did. I am really excited for zones and I can't wait to get better at long jump and practice.  

What's you best event in athletics??

Singing infront of thousands

My whole life I have had a passion of singing and music. Last week I was lucky enough to participate in the Lions Christchurch schools music festival. At the start of the year I auditioned to be a part of the senior special choir within the music festival, practising for my audition was very hard but i the end it was worth it.

I had a lot of fun in the senior choir and I made so many friends, I have been in this group for 3 years and I have enjoyed every bit of it. This year I was given the chance of being a compere, I took the offer up and auditioned for the part. I was chosen to be a compere, this was an amazing opportunity as I was representing my school and myself. The music festival was over 3 days, I went to all those days and each night I had an amazing time. 

I have loved being apart of the music festival and the opportunities I was given. I am looking forward to what music and singing will grant me in the future. 

Whats your passion and what do you love??