INDEPENDENT STUDY IS FINALLY WORDED!!!-GEORGE

Yes I have finished the post study work and am looking forward to the next year. The study was really hard because I (and I am sure a lot of you can relate to this...) didn't do anything really in term two. My topic was really interesting but I had some really boring activities that I couldn't do they were so boring (namely describe Aztec living conditions before and after the fall) but overall I think I did pretty well.

Independent Study: final final word - Marcus

Independent Study has been really fun. I have learnt a lot and the process of it has been great. I am also now prepared for the various papers I might need to do in highschool. Here are some of the things in my study that I know off the top of my head.

1. J.P. Morgan and James Stillman effectively saved the american economy.
2. There are 5 steps in minting coins: Blanking, Annealing, Upsetting, Striking and Inspecting.
3. The New Zealand Dollar is the 15th most valuable currency in the world.
4. There are 1.2 New Zealand Dollars in an American Dollar.
5. There are roughly NZ$1200 in a Bitcoin.
6. One of the cousins of the Bitcoin is the BBQcoin.

Researching was originally very difficult for me. This was mainly because I didn't know very much about the topic at the beginning of the year and there was a lot to be reaserched. Now, however, I am greatly interested in the topic and know more than ever. I hope that I can get at least highly commended in my study. That would make me very happy. If I get a placing then I would be over the moon. Many of the topics in our class seem very interesting as well. The Titanic, Herge and Captain James Cook seem quite interesting and The students doing those topics also seem to know lots about their topic.

Overall, this year at school has been amazing and I hope that life can be similar later on.

Ender's Game Book vs Movie - Watcher X

Hello all I am Watcher X and recently we (the class) have read the book and watched the movie of Ender's game and they were both great but I personally thought that like most of you that the book was better then the movie.

I was quite disappointed that they had missed out quite important parts of the book and that they pretty much focused on Ender for the whole movie which was fine but they could have gone into some of the other characters with more depth and they missed out the whole story of what was going on down on the earth which I was quite disappointed in.

But the movie wasn't that bad it gave us a good view of the main story line and in all it was pretty good but they should have added a lot more.

And remember JD I'm watching You 

I.S final final word - JD

It feels weird to know that I only have four days left of primary school, then college. I've enjoyed being in 78T, having all the privaleges of being in year eight without having to have done the work in year seven. The hardest part of my I.S, cramming it all into the last term! I probably learnt the most from Jesse or theo , because I knew nothing about power, and now I do. I was worried about my presentation at the start of the year, and I still don't know how mine was an hour long! If I could do another independent study I would do much more at the start of the year.

PS. I wish my consciousnesses would leave me alone...

Independent Study: Final Final Final Word Luke

Indeed, I have done my self-assessment and final word. I think this year was both easier and harder than last year at the same time. This year, I had something to beat and that made me work harder. On the other hand, I was more experienced and realistic. One of my favourite bits was the presentation, because once I got into my stride, it was really enjoyable getting everything out. It's a shame I couldn't do it to another class as well. I got little help from my paents, in fact, my mum was woried because she didn't know what was going on. Everything was fine. I'm proud to have completed my independent vstudy. Hopefully, there will be ind studies at Scots.

Independent Study Final Final Word - Campbell

I am finally nearing the end of my independent study and am looking to relax.

It has been hard working on one document for a whole year.  I one the hardest things to do is remain focused on what you want, the end product is so far away that you can loose sight of what you want to achieve which is a a good, professional Independent Study.

That could have been a challenge but likely, in my opinion I avoided it, and so now i have an independent study on the shelf that I am really proud of.

I think my Independent Study is better than it was last year mostly because it is longer and covers more things.  But the one thing I am most proud that I included in this years and last years independent study was my depth of thinking and the way the whole booklet follows the BSWQ.

The Independent Studies in my opinion will help me a lot in college.  While in Wellesley (before 7/8T) we had only done one inquiry (which I did not do) and that was considered a long project.  But in college it is normal to have assignments that last for weeks at a time.  If I hadn't done an Independent Study then this would be rather daunting but because of 7/8T I have done it all before and know how to manage my time.

I think my Independent Study this year was good and the whole idea of it is great.  I really have appreciated the chance to try something of this size before college.

Independent Study: final final word - Louis

My Independent Study this year has gone well. Despite all the things I missed, I feel like I have done well, and have done a lot more than I did in year 7. I feel that even  though it's all finished, I still have a lot more to go, before I am completely finished (I wonder why...?). Larger inquires will be done when I reach secondry school.

The hardest part in my Independent Study was probably comparing James Cook to other explorers. It required me to look deeply into 4 different explorers, (and Captain Cook) and after that, compare them and find out which one did greater things. Unfortunately, Cook didn't win, but it was still an activity worth doing.

My topic choice seemed like quite a great topic choice as it has relevance to New Zealand, and that it is a topic that most people know about, but also no one had done the topic yet. This was quite unexpected, as it seems like a topic that many people would've thought to do. It has been a difficult topic, but I feel I have learned a lot.

Despite me being very proud of my topic, I feel like there is a gap in it, and that my topic is missing something. When I compare my booklet to a couple of other people in the class, I realise that those people didn't have any gaps. Despite all this, I still am unable to find what might be missing.

Unlike how I thought last year, this year my presentation didn't cause me to stress. It didn't even feel remotely difficult. This would be because I have done this before, and that I knew that it wouldn't be any trouble. I have really enjoyed my Independent Study this year, and I am proud of how it turned out.

Independent Study: Final Final Final Word- Theo

Independent Study is an exciting but daunting task. There have been many good bits, and many bad bits.  But overall it's not that bad. I think the hardest part would've been when I was just starting my presentation, because I didn't know how to do it, even after looking at last year's presentation 'montage'. Eventually I knew how to do it though and was very easy after that. I'm really looking forward to showing my parents my booklet, because I am very proud of it. I don't think I would add or take away something, because I think the system works well. It has been a very enjoyable task and I'm looking forward to doing it next year.

Independent Study: final final word - Mr T

Good morning boys.  Most of you have completed your Independent Study.  You have probably completed you full Self-Assessment and 'Final Word'.  Here is a chance to fill in the gaps and write anything you like about this large assignment which has taken up a full school year.  Consider some 'angles' that have not been covered on my follow up sheets and take this opportunity to comment on your study this year.   Some points to consider: What was the hardest part?  How crucial was your topic choice?  Which classmate taught you the most?  How proud are you going to be when you show your parents?  What would you add or take away if you were to do another one next year?  Did you enjoy doing this?  How hard was the presentation part for you?

Ender's Game - Campbell

I think Ender's Game was a good movie and book.  However there were some very important differences with the book and the movie.  I think possibly the biggest difference between the book and the movie was the role that Peter played in the movie as well as the amount of political stuff like Loch and Demosthenes.

This was a very influential part in the book and the books afterwards.  Peter rules Earth in the book so Ender and Valentine leave.  Because the next book focuses around another Planet 3000 years later, if Ender and Valentine hadn't left Earth because of Peter then there would be no sequel to the book.

I can understand why they did this because with all that political stuff it would be a bit boring.  However the producers will have trouble creating a sequel because of this reason.

Despite that very minor issue i think Ender's Game was very good, the battle school and command school was very much like i imagined it would be as were the people, "Buggers" and costumes.

All in all I think Ender's Game was a very good book and movie and I hope to see more books and movies on it.

Ender's Game: Book vs Movie JD

I'll admit that the book was better than the movie, but everyone is looking at the negative bits of the movie. Think of how hard it was for the directors to fit a massive book into an hour and a half, and keep the futuristic theme of the book. I did like the war games, and the simulations of the real battles at the end, but fitting all the tactics into one battle didn't really work. And since when did Petra like Ender, and who said Bonso was a midget? Wasn't Ender Six when he beat up the bully at the start? Where did Locke and Demosthenes go? There are a lot of major details that the movie didn't add, or changed, but the book was massive and fitting all that into a movie must have been hard, but the book was much better than the movie.

Ender's Game: Book vs Movie- Theo

Reading Ender's Game has been a pleasure and I think the movie is equally good. The battle simulation at the end of the movie was done really well as well as the battles in the battle room.

The scenes that linked up with my imagination the most would probably be the bunk room where the launchees slept and the battle room. I imagined the stars would be orange, I don't know why! but they were still the same shape I imagined them.

I plan to see the movie again with my family.

To finish off with, I would like to see the Cherub series turned into movies.

Ender's Game: Book vs Movie - Louis

Ender's Game was clearly a great book. I enjoyed it a lot more than the other books the class read the year. One of the things that made it better than the other books in my opinion was that it seemed a lot more aimed at people of our age. Comparing it to the movie though is quite difficult however due to both the book and the movie being quite good.

My personal favourite of the two is the book though. This is usually the case when comparing book to movie not only with me, but with most others as well. Books are usually just plain better than movies, usually because the book is a brand new topic while the movie is just piggybacking off that topic, and in a book, your imagination can run wild whilst this is not the same as when watching movies.

There are some parts in the movie that they did a lot better than in other parts. For example, a good part that they did was how they represented and used the battle room on the movie. Another part they did well was how they created the battles that Ender fought. In my opinion, there wasn't any parts that they did really badly, and they kept the movie to a high standard.

The movie was quite good, but it wouldn't be the thing I would want to see again, purely because it is a movie I understand, as I only really watch movies again if they are really really good, or if I didn't understand the movie properly.

Ender's Game - Callum H

Before I start don'ttrust this post because I wasn't here for quite a lot of the book so I will just talk about the movie:
In my humble opinion both the book and the movie are great examples of the human imagination.
I reckon that in the movie they did a very good job of putting most things for the book into the movie apart from Lach and Demestheen. There was a big opertunity for more. Having said that the movie was still just short of two hours so they would have had to be very careful not to make to long and boring. Also Orson Scott Card must have been happy with it because I don't no if you noticed but he was on of the either directors or producers (I can't remeber).

Ender's Game: book versus movie - Marcus

In my humble, personal opinion, of which I greatly trust, the book was better than that modern, 21st century, wannabe movie. The book gives great moral reasons for every activity and it all has relevance to the highest degree. The movie, however, did not meet my reasonable standards and it missed out some exceptionally important things. As a simple example, Locke and Demosthenes were extremely important impersonation characters but they did not appear at all in that second-hand movie. In my second humble, personal opinion, of which I also greatly trust, if there was anything in that silly movie that they should do over, it would be the whole movie.

Sorry, some weird dude got into my blog. I do think that the book is better than the movie but not to the degree stated above. The movie was also very good but it was not as true to the book as I would have liked it to be.

enders game book vs movie

I have had lots of time blogging lately. Anyway the book was soooooooo much better than the movie. They skipped a lot, e.g rat army, Locke and Demosthenes, phoenix army and the whole speaker for the dead thing. I was quite disappointed by the way that the movie is overdramaticised and where did Petra being in love with ender and bonzo being a midget come from. The movie would be so much better if you have not read the book as the bugger demise was a good surprise that was ruined. I think the battles should have been explored in better detail as we only saw one that used all the tactics in one. Then we would have got the formations part. Formics were dumb and it should have been the buggers. Honestly, its already M just do it it isn't that bad a word! The movie I would most like would be … *dramatic music plays*  the silmarillion.

Ender's Game-Book vs Movie Luke

Personally, I thought the movie was better than the book. I found the book hard to understand and the book got quite boring. I'm glad the movie made it much more understandable. I liked Harrison Ford as an actor, though I'm not sure if he'll be good for the new Star Wars. My imagination likes to make things look like things in my own life, so where Stilton was killed was by the music store near Hutt Central. I'm not sure about the character Valentine, because I think that she was younger and a more vulnerable character in the book. They mised out on events on Earth, which I found a bit annoying as I wanted to see Peter, Hegemon of Earth!!!! Now, I think that maybe they should make a grand Asterix movie like the Tintin one(or does that already exist?) and I want the H.I.V.E. series to be movies.

Ender's Game: book vs movie - Mr T

Good morning boys.  It has been a while since we blogged.  I wonder why?  Yes, I think something called 'Independent Study' got in the way...well here is something we can write about now that we are on the 'home straight'.  We all saw the movie Ender's Game on Friday.  You have all had the book read to you.  Did you enjoy it?  Do you prefer the book or the movie (or is that like comparing apples with pears?)?  Is it possible to enjoy both seperately?  Which bits did they do well?  Which bits did they do poorly (if any)?  How did your imagination (through reading the book) match up with the visuals of the movie?  Which was your strongest character?  Best acting?  Most annoying part?  Would you go again?  If you had a chance, on which book would you choose to make a movie?

Independent Study - Campbell

We have started presentations now in 7/8T.  It is always a hard time but after the end of it everyone will be proud of there year.  So far everything has run smoothly.  Seven presentations have been successfully completed with not major problems.  As the sixth year eight I was envying the Year 7s but realise that it is easier than last year and to present now as a year 7 would have been difficult.

However now with both my speech and presentation completed I am free to work solely on my booklet.  This is great and I am happy with it.

I personally think the smart board system works well even though I personally cannot touch the screen to change slides.  I think it would have been hard to do this on the projector.

I think that rather than starting our presentations later we could finish the four prep stages earlier.  This would give us more time overall at the start and the end of the year.

Despite that I think we have to make a call sometimes about when to start and finis so I am very pleased with the way things have turned out.

I think this classroom is great and so is the way it operates.

So Far So Good? Jesse

I think the presentation system works well and I don't really have any ideas of how it could improve in future years. It is nice to be an audience several times before I actually present, but now that I have seen lots of presentations, I would be willing to go 1st next year. I think our class isn't exactly a 'good' audience but we've been improving since the first presentation.

The smartboard, in my opinion, is a vital part of presentations and I'm not sure what I would do without it. The assessment system is also a well oiled machine, and I think constructive criticism is very important. Personally, I enjoy historical presentations such as Luke's 'Rise of the Roman Empire', but that does not necessarily mean that I think they are better. If I could change anything about presentations.... well... I guess it would be cool to be able to put videos into PowerPoint, but that's not anything against  Mr. T's system.

I value these presentations quite highly, as I may not be interested in the topic to start with, but I certainly enjoy the presentation.

Ind. Study- So far so good

I am enjoying the Independent Study presentations, and I like how smoothly, the 'system' works, especially how the Year 8s go first, so the Year 7s can learn from them how the system rolls.
One negative comment, however, would be that there is way to much criticism for each person.

I don't really have a favourite presentation, but I really enjoyed topics such as 'Hergè' and 'Drugs in Sport'.
They were really interesting topics for an awesome year-long study.

IS so far so good Nicholas

I think that us year 7s are "pulling our heads in now" realising how much we have to do in a short period of time. The smartboard is good for the presentations, however the projector has weak colour if you know what I mean e.g. Hugh's speech with Sefton :). I think next year will be better work wise because I will spread out the work throughout the year. I'm looking forward to Callum H's IS on Le tour De France.  I think EVERY IS has been set to a high standard and the bench mark is very high. If I could change something it would me my position I'd change from 6th to 10th. Just a tip, I think diagrams really help with the presentation as it gives something to talk about and you get the picture.

Nicholas

P.S. Noah your speech was brave! :)

So far so Good? - William

So far so good for me? I'm sorry to say that so far not so good (Independent Study wise). I have put a lot of effort into travelling to various places for Dambusters related reasons and I haven't seem to be making alot of progress up until when I went to an exhibition in Christchurch which drastically raised the bar of progress for me.

Earlier this year I visited Les Munro to interview him as he is a member of 617 Squadron (The Dambusters). Very recently, I flew down to christchurch to visit a Dambusters exhibition at the Wigram Air Force Museum which was amazing. I have photos of every paragraph of information there was at the exhibition on my phone.

The exhibition was very small, just a room, smaller than a half of 7/8T and there was not truck-loads of information in it but it was the way they put it into words and sentences that stood out for me. It was easy to understand for even toddlers, there were many small children reading the information and playing with the interactive activites. This exhibition really helped me "get the ball rolling" for my Independent Study.

I have been blown away by the standard of the Presentations, and I hope I will keep the standard up aswell. . .

So far so Good Hugh

Yeah definitly, it is so far so good. I think it runs well and I think it is really good how the year 8's go first and show us how its done!! Yeah I am, but sometimes I drift off and get bored. I think the smart board doenst add much, I think it would be just as good with a projecter. I think the feedback it good, but I think its bad when people go overboard with the criticism! And so far I have really enjoyed The Story Of Money.

good, so far it is- George

So far I have really enjoyed the presentations. They have taught me many things about many things. My favorite has been Captain Cook because I never really knew anything about him and I have learned a lot of facts about him. The smartboard is really helpful and I can't believe that the ones a few years ago didn't have one! The presentations are really helpful for learning. The comments and criticism is really good for telling us what to work on.
So far so good? I think so!

Independent Study-So Far So Good-Harry W

I think that the system is pretty good and I think that it runs quite smoothly. Being an audience member is good because you get to learn a lot like how to present your presentation and your learn quite a bit about the topic. Being a good audience is hard as you have to sit in a chair for about an hour and listen to someone speaking which can get a bit monotonous at times unless you are interested in the topic. I think that without the smart board the presentations wouldn't be as good because you can read of it and look at pictures and YouTube videos. I think that as a year seven getting constructive and positive feedback is really good to take on board for next year. I thought that the presentation on antibiotics was probably the best so far for me as I found it really interesting. I am looking forward to The Hunting presentation as it is a topic I can sort of relate to and I also think it will be really interesting.

Independent Study- So far so good?- Theo

I think we are doing very well in the time we have for presentations and they have all been very informative, enjoyable and well set out. I think the system runs well, because the year 8's go first because have already gone through year 7 so they know what to do. Whereas we year 7's are only just learning so we need a little more time to get our presentations done.

I think a good audience is an audience that listens and doesn't talk except whispering to someone about the presentation. I think we are pretty good except we interrupt the speaker sometimes.

The constructive criticism is really important. For the year 8's it will help them in the future if they do something similar and for the year 7's it will help us for next year.

I'm not looking forward to anyone in particular's presentation. I just want to see all of them.

Anyway I think we are going so far so good.

So far so good? - Ben

I like the cue system for the presentations because it gives the year 7's a bit more time to sort themselves out as they haven't had a year of experience unlike the year 8's. I always enjoy being an audience to a presentation because I don't have to concentrate on anything. This means I can let all the information go through my brain very easily.

I think the Smartboard is great for presentations because it paints a good picture in the audiences heads of what your saying. Constructive criticism is a great way of giving people advice and it is important for not only year 7's but year 8's as they have college ahead of them. If I had to change something about the presentation progress I would change the set up of the presentation. Doing something like I.S before you go to college is a good idea because you learn tonnes about your topic but your general knowledge is widened just by listening to what other people have learned. I think that this is extremely important for college.

Independent Study - So far so good? - Marcus

My Independent Study is going very well this year. I have completed my presentation to a standard I am happy with and am at 21 pages in my booklet without so far, 5 more than last year with pictures. Now that there is almost nothing on my mind except my independent study booklet I can race through at a very good speed. I am hoping to get at least highly commended with my independent study this year because I have been working very hard at it and I am much more passionate about my topic this year than my topic last year. Some of the other independent study topics seem very interesting as well. Herge is hard in itself and the Big So What Question it has doesn't make the writer's life any easier. If I was to make a change to the presentation it would be to the software, not the system. I think that powerpoint should let you insert videos into the presentation. It's quite difficult to exit the powerpoint and then open the video. Overall, I am very confident I will finish my independent study on a good note.

Independent Study-So Far So Good?-JD

I am not looking forward to my presentation. I'm presenting on Monday, and only have 20 slides, or around 5 minutes at the most. Presentations are a good way for people to learn others topic, because I probably won't read the booklets, and if I do it will be a skim read. Presentations are really hard to do well, so all of them have been good, especially those ones who have gone now and been ready. Time is probably all I need, but as for so far so good- yeah right!

Independent study so far so good robd

So far so good hmmmm yes I think so. All the presentations so far have been top notch. I think the presentation system is running very smoothly. I love how everyone is having a lot of fun listening to these presentations they're really good. I think I would never get bored listening to presentations just because of the fact that you learn so much from them. I have learnt a lot from these presentation and I can't wait for another one. I think the smartboard acts as a giant cue card for the presenter and gives the audience a general idea about what he is going to talk about next. The pictures that you can show on the smartboard help as well. I think Mr fait assesses us well and fairly I bet we can all agree on that. I don't think it is to much I think it is just right. I think everything is crystal clear and so I don't think anyone is going to have trouble understanding. The constructive criticism is a great way for the presenter to understand everything. Campbell and Marcus's really made me understand what a real presentation is like. I am looking forward to Hugh's one on the GPS. I would not change anything ever.

I.S - So far so good - Jin

This year was such a great feeling being up infront of the class presenting. Well, at least the after the first five minutes. I also love being an audience because you can learn so much. Relating to the smartboard question, I could not imagine a presentation without them. Personally I like the assessment and am now used to it after being in this classroom for two years. So far I have really enjoyed all of them and  I look forward to the titanic and photography the most. Also I think that JDs trucks will be, umm, entertaining...

Independent Study - So far so good? - Matthew

So far so good? Yes. I think the presentation system runs well. I am really enjoying being an audience. I think the smartboard is a useful tool to convey information in an entertaining way. I think the assessment sheet is good. I am not sure whether it is too much or too little. Sometimes I do think it can be unclear. I think that critique is an important part of the system because we can all learn how to improve and to get an idea of what another kid might say from a similar age is interesting and beneficial to improve areas of weakness or strength.

Independant Study - So far so good? - Callumh

I think that the presentation system is a very good and smooth one. I don't think I have any favourites so far but if I had to choose one it would have to be the Roman Empire or the Vikings. I also really like being an audienc member because all of the topics are always sooooooo interesting.

The presentation I'm looking forward to the most would have to be either the titanic or the spitfire.

PS. Don't take it harshly everyone else I'm looking forward to all of them :)
PPS. Don't take it harshly people who have already presentated they've been really good as well. :)

Independent Study - So Far So Good? - Henry C

The seven Independent Study presentations that have been so far have been extremely good and all the seven presenters have been very much at ease and seemed to know there topic very well and that showed in the way they talked and the way their slide show was set up. The audience was mostly good and it really livened up when the presenters showed a video or some funny pictures. The good presentations have been the ones where the presenter was talking with ease and  were very patient when the audience didn't really get what they were saying and took the time to explain that.

Independent Study - So far so good? - Noah

I think Independent study presentations have gone really well. We've had some good, funny, interactive studies. Its been fun watching all of them, and I cant wait till I do mine. Watching the other presintations has given me some inspiration for what to do in  my presintation, and I'm looking forward to see the other great presintations. The smartboard is a great help for this perpouse, and it would be hard to think what it would be without that thing. ALL the topics are very interesting and can't wait to see the Titanic and The ancient Celts. 

Independent Study So Far So Good?-Luke E

The presentations have gone pretty well. I liked presenting and I'm glad that I've done that. The presentations are definitely of value, as it allows for an interaction between the presenter and the class about their topic. I liked Jin's presentation on Antibiotics and Rob's on the Vikings as my favourite. I think that maybe, if the presentations were more like long speeches(with props) it would show us the speaker's passion for their topic and be of more value. Though I'm not sure if that's practical. Do you think so? The presentations and the speeches turn out to be remarkably similar. Both use cue cards. Both rely a lot on the speaker's knowledge and memory. Also, people need to work to improve their voices while they're speaking, and not have a mumbling, boring or quiet voice.I think that if you are confident like I was and passionate, you can have a great, fun and valuable presentation.

Independent Study - So far so good? - Mr T

Good afternoon boys.  So far we have been treated to seven I.S. presentations.  So far so good?  How do you think the presentation 'system' runs?  Are you enjoying sitting back as an audience?  What does it take to be a 'good' audience?  How does the Smartboard help us get our messages across?  What are your thoughts on how you are assessed?  Is it too much?  Not enough?  Clear enough?  What is the best thing about the constructive criticism and feedback we give to each presentor?  Which presentation has really made you 'sit up'?  Which ones are you most looking forward to?  If you could change anything about Independent Study presentations (apart from allowing more time - the perennial request...) what would it be? How would you tweak it?  And, lastly, what value do these presentations have for you as a learner, as a person?

T4 Vision-henry b

Term 4 like last year will probably be the most stressful part of the year for me. But I still have confidence that I can finish my independent study earlier thans l ast year. If I was the teacher I would tell my self pick up the pace and get as much done as you can as fast as you can.

I'm not going to bad with my presentation I have got about 25 slides and I've prety much finished my speech which is by the way on the god particle.

this term I have a choice to sink or swim and if I get going I will swim. 

T4 Vision-Jesse

Term Four is definitely going to involve lots of work for me. I hope to get my Independent Study and my speech work done without leaving it to the last minute. Next year I can improve by getting work done on my Independent Study earlier on, so its easier in Terms Three and Four. By the end of the year I hope to have a decent length presentation and a booklet 20+ pages long. If I were my own teacher I'd tell myself that I need to do a lot more homework because I still have a lot to do in my presentation. I am really excited for the West Coast trip! I can't wait until it starts. I just hope I can get the last $200 I need before it begins.

But I am trying to think of more activities to do for my I.S, as I would prefer it my booklet were over 30 pages long and I feel as if I haven't delved deep enough into my topic. If you have anything you'd like to know about wind power, please comment below and I'll put it into my booklet.

T4 Vision-Harry W

My vision for this term is to complete everything on time and up to standard or even above standard. The area I think I will struggle with most would have to be putting together my booklet and my speech and they will be quite hard to make. I intend to meet my commitments by managing my time well and efficiently to meet deadlines. If I were a teacher I would tell me to sort my priorities out and try to get my work in early to leave more time for other activities. The West Coast will definitely be one of my highlights of Wellesley. I am really looking forward to it but I still need about $200 but I am doing a sausage sizzle so I will hopefully get that.

T4 Vision - Louis

This last term is going to be difficult, exactly like last year. The only difference is that I must perform my presentation earlier in the year, and that this is the true last term of Wellesley for me. During this term there will be a massive rush for getting all the work done, and soon enough, everything will be done. But between that time where everything is done and everything needs to be done, is the hardest part of the Independent Study. Presenting the booklet and powerpoint.

I intend to finish all my work earlier on in this term - so I don't have to stress at the end of the year. Chances are though, this will not be the case. As usual, I'll end up leaving everything until the last minute and then my work would be of bad quality. I will, of course, try to prevent this happening, as there is nothing worse than having the Independent Study only halfway through at the last week, so working on it early is essential.

Since I have been trying to do this, I have got most of my work done, and it doesn't mean I'llhave to be spending every minute I have on Independent Study, allowing me to handle other commitments without loosing any progress time. I hope for my Independent Study to be of a decent standard, so that it is perhaps seen as one of the better ones people have
 done, unlike the one I did last year.

T4 vision - written by Wizard Callum

When i look into my magic 'looking ball' and foresee what will happen in that hectic, frantic time my puny classmates call term 4, I foresee many great things. Firstly, I see the excitement of the Mighty West Coast trip, and the proudness (is that a word?) of getting my Ind Study printed. I sense that I will have to be organised for the term ahead, and that I will have to work pretty damn hard to get everything done.

But also when I look into my magic crystal ball I see pride, because I survived my first year in 7/8t.

T4 Vision- Nicholas

Wow the year has gone fast! I can't believe we are already in term 4. I really need to get cracking on my independent study and work on my speech. I see this term as a frantic 6 weeks and then it cooling down from there on. With all the stuff I've got on I have to make time for my IS. I am going to get my SOLO activities done by the end of this week and also have my presentation well on track. I will just work my way round the time I have. If I was my own teacher I would make some long term deadlines e.g. All SOLO activities done by term 3 week 7. (I have not done this stuff.)

I am really looking forward to the West Coast Trip and I have only $3 to go until I have reached $700.

Nicholas

Term 4 Vision-Luke E

Term 4 is the term that is devoted to Independent Study. Presentations are coming soon, but I personally am confident that I will make it through. As for my booklet, I have one activity and some edits to do but I'm mostly good. However, I have noticed some people are a bit behind on their I.S. If these people know theory topic, they can make it through. I myself have wasted some time, so I will try to curb that wastage. Also, we have speeches.My speech is on a day in the life of a schoolkid 100 years ago. I had a break in the holidays from schoolwork(though I worked on an I.S. activity) and now, I have re-entered Wellesley life and hope to have a great last term. It is strange, to realise that I only have 9 weeks left of my life at Wellesley. I am going to Scots College, personally. I expect a lot of people will be going to Col. There, we can move to a new stage of our lives and enter a new environment. It will be sad leaving this wonderful school, but we have a great future ahead of us, wherever that may be.

Term 4 Vision - William

I am really looking forward to the rest of Term 4. The fact that there are no Weekly Tasks this term and just Independent Study (and speech) all the way through to the end of the year really intrigues me. I am starting to think about possibly just doing the Independent Study and forgetting about my SOLO Activity List so I can just get on with it, the way I want to do it, rather than doing it the way my SOLO wants me to do it. Apart from thinking about that, this term is really going to get me going with my Independent Study and it's going to be great!

My speech is coming along very very well. I wanted to be ahead on the speech so I have a lot more time for Independent Study. All I have to do is make a few more inputs and then PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

T4 Vision (cool movie title?)

When I use the power of foresight it is sometimes accurate, remember what I said about the Americas cup "but I foresee there may be a cloud over our horizons." But now my vision is clouded by the Aztec gods who want me to be nervous and afraid (they think I will portray them badly). I know a lot about my topic but Just haven't got it all together for my presentation yet. The Aztecs had some funny ideas for the future and their sense of impending doom is arising in me...

Anyway, if I was a teacher I'd say to me, "be organised boy!" and I'm looking forwards to west coast trip. :>)

Term 4 vision - Campbell

I am really excited coming into this term.  Last year term 4 was really hard because I was  a year 7 and had not done many things like an independent study.  In fact I had done nothing like a Independent Study.

This year I am not so worried.  I am a year 8 and have already got a booklet and presentation under my belt and have done a lot of work on my presentation in the holidays.

Even though I have not done the same amount of work on my booklet I know I will be able to finish it on time when I have presented.

I am also really looking forward to the traditional Junior/Senior book.   I can remember doing it as a year 1/2/3 in Mr Bs classroom and can't wait to work with my own buddy Jackson.

It is really weird being in the final part of Wellesley.  Being here for eight years has gotten me really used to the way everything works.  College next year will be hard and probably fun.

I have really enjoyed all of my terms here and I am sure this one will be great as well.

T4 Vision Hugh

My vision is to have a good and productive term, but with with a little fun along the way and  a lot of fun in the last week!! I reckon I might struggle with the presentation in my slides and the amount of text on one page. I will try and meet my obligations by getting as much work done at home. I want to leave this year with the feeling that I have accomplished a lot but still had fun. Man I can't wait to the west coast trip!! Although I'm not looking forward to the driving!!  

T4 Vision - Marcus

Term 4 is the most frantic term of the year. It's a time when Independent Study takes over and we give our all. It is also a time when most of the year 7s realise that they need to stop gaming and start working on their Independent Study or their speech or whatever they need to do. My Independent Study is sort of on track. I'm confident about my presentation being on time and up to scratch and I am semi-confident that my booklet will be good and in when it is due. I'm not so confident about my speech. All I have done is written a quick introduction and bulleted the outline of my speech. I don't really know how I am going to do my speech in week 3. I have a couple of ideas on how to keep people listening in my presentation. One of them is to scatter quiz questions here and there to make sure people are listening. I will hand out chocolate coins to those who can answer a question correctly (this works well because my topic is 'The Story of Money'). I have also taken out most of the boring things such as mortgages and GST and reduced them to bullets. I intend to make the presentation as interesting and hooking as possible. Independent Study is a great way to build up your work ethic to the point where you can do a very good job, or just to give things a shot. I am enjoying my topic and I hope that college won't be to difficult.

T4 Vision - Henry C

From right now I don't think my independent study booklet and presentation are not going to be amazing but hopefully I will be able to pull it off and create a decent booklet and presentation. If I could give myself one piece of advice I would say that you probably should have worked a bit harder and get it in the format of the booklet earlier so I have more time to look at it a see were I can improve. I'm really excited for the West Coast trip and I hope that it as cool as the year eights say it is but I know that I won't be disappointed.

T4 Vison Robd

My vision for T4 is to keep my head down and to work. I am hoping to get everything done easily this term so that I will have nothing that keeps on niggling at me and leaving me stressed.

I think I have done well this year with all my work. I intend to approach T4 with some determination towards everything that comes at me. I think I might struggle a bit to get my work done as everyone is very loud and it is quite hard to focus on your presentation or speech as you are writing the whole time.

I think if I just spend my time well I will have no problems with any work ahead of me and I think I have learnt that throughout the past few years. I hope to leave a good impression in this classroom as I am leaving wellesley. If I wanted to leave a big impression in this classroom  for something I would hope it would be just getting everything done and making everything work.

Practice makes perfect is always a good thing to run by, or do it your self. I am pretty excited about moving to college as it will be a very big change and it will be hard to go through that big change. But once I make the change I think things will be different.

T4 Vision Thomas

The year is nearly over and now is where the hard work starts. Presentations and Booklets need to be completed soon and I am confident I will do better than last year. On top of Ind Study there is speech and other small activities. I am really motivated and have recently found a whole lot of information that I am about to add into my booklet.

If I was my own teacher I would be telling myself to get my head down and do the hard work to get my booklet done. This year I want to be proud of the work I have done and put all I can into it.

T4 Vision - Jin

It is sad to think that I will only have one more term of school here at Wellesley. I have enjoyed my time not just in the class but out. This term I will try to finish on a high.

My vision for this term is good. I feel that this term is going to be good, fun, and hard work. But it will all be worth it. It is going to be the last and most memorable term of of my life so far because it is the last term of primary school. A massive step in my life. To have gone from year one and being the small newbie, to standing where I am today: A year eight at the top of the school, is a great feeling to have achieved and to be there but now I go to college. I am no longer the big boy, but the newbie again.

If I don't stay on task this term it may still go pear shaped for me. Something I do not want to happen. My presentation is a mere week away and with my booklet, speech and now a maths assignment, I worry that my plate is overflowing. In saying that, From week fiveish, I have a clear run in to the end of the year.

T4 vision - Matthew

I have a good vision. I feel that this term is going to be really fun. Possibly the most memorable term for me is this  one - the last term of my primary school life, all the way from being the smallest in the school and looking up to those year 8's playing sport, to being that Y8.  If I don't stay on task I think I could find doing certain activities for my Independent Study a difficulty, because they are quite demanding and require some unique thought skills like imagining what the future will be. I think that I will be fine meeting family obligations and fitting in the rest of my life if I just plan. I think it's important to fit in family time and help around the house. I hope to leave on a strong note and open the doorway to college feeling I have the best I can.

T4 Vision - HarryC

My vision for term four is to complete my independent study and the rest of my work and then spend my last few weeks of Wellesley College having fun wharf jumping and playing sport.

The area that I think I might struggle at is completing my independent study without being up late every night, which means I will have to work really hard in all the spare time I have. The piece of advice I would give myself would be don't wait around to do your work start doing it as soon you get it.

I am really excited about going to college but I am also slightly nervous about going off to college because it will be a big step up.

T4 Vision-JD

It feels wierd to know that I have only 45 days left of primary school. I really need to do my I.S, I hated my presentation and deleted all my slides. My vision for the next term here, not embarrass myself too much in my I.S presesntation, and have fun. If I was my teacher, I would tell myself to not muck around and get onto it! At the start of the year I thought I had heaps of time to do a booklet and presentation, a whole year! Now I have to squash it into two weeks! And do a speech! Year 9 I'm sorta looking forward to, I'll know a lot of people, but be back at the bottom of the school, and I'll miss Wellesley.

T4 Vision - Callum H

My Vision for Term 4 is trying to finish two activities that I'm half way through as soon as possible so I can get on with: putting it in a word doccument, PROOF READING, practicing my presentation and finishing my speech. I hope to leave a bulky booklet on the famous shelves of 7/8T and have everyone one in this classroom knowing heaps about the Tour de France after I've finished my presentation.

T4 Vision - Ben

My holiday wasn't as relaxing as it would normaly be. This because I was preparing for term 4. From what I hear, term 4 in year 7 is one of the hardest terms you will ever endure. As I have only just got back to school I can't see whether these rumours are correct.

If I were my own teacher I would tell me to get things done as soon as they pop up and not wait for the last minute. I am very excited about the West Coast trip but I am also very worried that it could waste valuable time for my Independent Study.

T4 Vision - Noah

I would like to end this term with some acheviment, but... It's slim and I don't really think ill have that much to show for my study. But next year I'll be more active and hopefully I'll be on the better end of the study marking thing. This year has been a new thing to me and I'd like to end the this year well. 

This term will be stressful but at th end it will be nice to relax and enjoy going to Vietnam without any worries about my commitments, and not finishing them on time. It would've been nice or end the term with Ender's game but sadly it comes out on Boxing Day. This time next year it'll be sad that in nine weeks I wont be tort here any more and I'll look ford to visiting.

T4 Vision - Mr T

Good morning boys.  You are on the home straight.  Nine weeks remain for this school year and I can almost guarantee that it will rush by very quickly.  You will know that there is one major piece of work which will be taking up most of your energy, time, and headspace.  What is your vision for your last term here? How do you intend to approach it?  Name an area where you know that, without conscious effort, you might struggle a little?  How do you intend to meet your obligations with family, sporting, musical (plus other) commitments?  What impression do you hope to leave after your 2013 school year?  If you were your own teacher, what would be one piece of advice that (however hard it might be to hear it) you would give yourself?  Year 7s: How excited are you about the mighty West Coast trip?  Year 8s: How excited are you about moving on towards a 'different planet' that is Year 9?  

Being a Writer - Louis

I have (somewhat) enjoyed WNB this year. I wouldn't say I'm that good at writing. I would never consider myself a writer, but that doesn't mean I don't like to write. Probably the funnest WNB to write this year has to be "A Picture Tells a Thousand Words". It was fun to write, but little compared to "Where Would I be in 2033" where I seemingly took the mickey out of the whole thing.

My greatest challnege probably would have been "Nature is our Teacher", which probably explains why mine was a paragraph long and left it to the last minute... or it could've been been "Six Ways of Looking at ______", as I thought mine was good when it was done, but when I read other people's ones, mine seemed bad.

If I could design a WNB it would be a difficult decision, probably it would relate to some sort of animal... it would take me a while to think of an idea...
Overall WNB has been quite fun, but I would prefer if we could spend more time on I.S.

Being writer - Campbell

I have been really proud of my writing this year.  I have made a big step up from last years writing and I think this is mostly because I have given the writing more time than last year.  Because of this I have enjoyed writers notebook and am not dreading the prizes at the end of the year.

Literally the class probably are writer's but I don't consider myself to be a writer.  I think to be a writer we need to do it as a profession and not recreational.

The hardest peice of writing this year in my opinion was the six ways of looking at a.  I think this is because i found it hard to think of a topic that I could write about.  this was evident in my result which didn't make a highly commended.

My favourite peice of writing this year was possibly X marks the spot because it was my first WNB of the week and I really enjoyed writing about it.

All in all this has been a great year with Writer's Notebook and I have gotten it done early.  In fact the whole class seems to have gotten there WNBs done by the end of Term 3 in contrast to last year when the booklets were bound mainly in Term 4.

I have enjoyed this years WNB and hope I  could have done another one as last yeyars wasn't so good.

Being A Writer-Luke E

I myself do a lot of writing, in and outside of school. My Writer's Notebook this year was a huge success. My parents and grandparents loved it and I hope the other people who read it did too. I loved Nature as our Teacher and I loved displaying what makes dogs great and I also enjoyed getting my letter to the editor published and getting a letter from Mr Shearer. I'll recommend Callum Benfell's WNB because he made great humorous stories.

If I were in charge of 7/8T and made a WNB for us, that would be called 300 Word Stories. I loved 50 Word Stories but it might have more quantity to make it even better and humorous.

Writers R cool- George

Writing is really cool. We do it most days with writers notebook and other things. I like writing and like reading both mine and other peoples' writing. If I could make a writers notebook it would be A Day in the Life of A... Where you wrote a day in the life of anything you wanted.

Being A Writer-Nicholas

The writers notebooks look great on the shelf. I am pleased with how mine turned out. The hardest WNB task was x marks the spot and the most fun was fifty word stories. I like to read some of the stories, thou I have no particular favourite writer. My weekly WNB would be soldier for a day, you could choose a existing war or a made up war you cold choose what you would do in whatever fighting force you choose and you could design a uniform etc. I think that the writer's notebooks are high quality.

By: Nicholas

Not not Being a Writer - Noah

For me writing is not my favourite subject but its enjoyable if you have a set topic (Writer's Notebook.) My topic would be 'one week study' yes I know an one week study but... hey it could be fine. I think it would be nice if we put every pupil that has gone threw this class their writing into one big Writers Notebook.

Being a Writer Hugh M

It feels really good, I love to write (even though I'm not great!) But I do find I only right well when I like the topic!  No I don't consider myself a writer because I'm not great! Um... My favourite would properly be Home of The Week because it was really fun!!   I really admire Mathews writing because he is consistently really good. I would make it the sport of my life and then you would have to write about weird and cool sport, maybe one people don't know about.

Being an Author- Jesse

It feels great to be a writer, especially when all your work is put into one booklet. I think I am a fairly good writer and I would like to have that as a career option. I really enjoyed A Picture Tells A Thousand Words, 50 Word Stories and Something You Don't Know About Me, but I found the latter rather difficult to think of what to write. I like Matthew's writing, I think it just has everything a good piece of writing needs, I particularly liked his 50 Word Stories. If I could design a WNB challenge for a week, I would call it 'Guide to Surviving 7/8T'.

Being a Writer- JD

I have enjoyed Writer's Notebook much much more than I thought I would. At the start of the year I thought that it would be hard to produce a piece of writing a week, as well as other homework tasks, but when I look at the booklets on the shelf I feel proud. I now find writing more fun than I did, and think I have gotten better. If I could design a Writer's Notebook it would where would you see yourself in ... years.

Being a Writer - Callum H

I definitaly do not concider myself as a writer but I do enjoy the manor of the titles of the wnbs. If I designed a wnb it would be My past life (pretty self explanitory) you choose who you would have likedto been in your past life and write about them. Extra points if they died on your birthday.

I admire Campbell for his writing for getting either highly commended or 'of the week' for every single wnb apart from like three.

Being a Writer - Marcus

Writer's notebook was a real blast this year (and last year) and I have really enjoyed writing the very different pieces of writing over these two years. If I were to make a WNB I would call it 'How to Deal with 78D's Noise' (78D happen to be making noise as I am writing this). Mr. Tait has given us a widespread experience of different types of writing and thinking. Writer's Notebook is a door to our imagination.

Being a Writer - Henry C

At the start Writer's notebook was really really hard and I struggled to get a piece of writing out each week but over time it has really come together and it is quite easy to produce one piece of writing per week. I hope that next year the writing doesn't get harder because other wise it will be year seven all over again. Over all as the year went on writer's notebook got more and more fun and at the end it was quite enjoyable.

Being a writer-Robd

I feel really inspired by what I have done this year. It feels good to be a writer because you can use your ltr. No I did never consider myself as a writer. It just wasn't ment to be. I enjoyed something you don't know about me the most because it was good to let out a little secret. I admire campbells writing because he looks into it a lot and it  omes out really well. I would call it your invention.

Being a Writer - Jin

Writing this year has been really enjoyable and I felt like I when I was in full flow and focusing I could produce writing to a really high quality. In my mind though I am definitely not a natuarally gifted writer unlike some people I could name of the top of my head. There were so many enjoyable pieces of writing and topics this year. I enjoyed the letters to the editor and the 50 word stories especially and the greatest challenge for me was the something you don't know about me. For me, after reading and flicking through Edward's writing this year I was amazed by the originality and quality. To me, he is the best writer in the class. 

Being a writer - Mr T

Good morning boys.  By now you have all completed you WNB for 2013 (and they look fabulous on our shelf). I have thrown you many challenges over the last three terms (Year 8s... you will have completed approximately 40 separate pieces over your two years in 7/8T).  Setting, reading, and assessing your writing is a real pleasure for me because it opens a window into your life, your thinking, your state of mind, your perspective on the world.  Every week, without fail, several boys have blown me away with their insight, their 'angle', their turn of phrase, their vocab, their sheer originality.  How does it feel to be a writer? Did you ever consider yourself a writer?  Which piece did you enjoy writing the most?  Which one was the greatest challenge?  Who else do you admire in the classroom for their writing?  Why?  If you could design a Writer's Notebook challenge for one week what would you call it?

America's cup - Matthew

I like the America's cup. I think the reactions are good. It swells me with national pride. I think the technology is big. I do not think Dean Barker should receive a knighthood if they win.

America's Cup - Noah

I think the cup is a great way to celebrate New Zealands heroic victory over America. I don't enjoy watching sailing or any boat races so this is quite new to me. I think that New Zealand deserve to win they have persivered throughtout the races. I think the boats are amazing their sleek fast and well enginered. 

The Amercia's Cup - Marcus

I think we will win the America's Cup because New Zealand has always been world class in sea races. We also only need one more point to win while Oracle (The United States of America) need seven points to win. America wouldn't be that happy if they won because they are one of the most famous (and fattest) countries in the world. However, New Zealand would be delighted because the ratio of the popultion of America to New Zealand is 80-1. Just for the record, we were also the best in the 2012 Olympics by ratio.

America's Cup - Louis

Americas cup is big. In NZ that is. Since New Zealand is a small country, we hardly ever win things this big, so it seems quite great. Of course, to the Americans, it means hardly anything. So far I have barely been watching the races, as they seem quite boring. It would be nice to win, but I'm not interested. Nothing much has been going on from what I see. Since the last few races, it is plain to see that we have been winning, and chances are, we will win overall. Maybe then they should rename it 'New Zealand's Cup' because there aren't many of those around, unlike in America, where I'm sure there would be lots.

The reactions of the teams seem a little over dramatic, but I have no problem with that because they have done well to get this far, and they deserve it. It just seems a little over the top though. I don't really see why New Zealanders are too interested in this, they should just get the races done and then be off, not make some massive deal about what someone said or did.

The technology used on the boats is a bit far-fetched. A proper race should just have the traditional technology, not all this fancy stuff that makes it that the difference is the boat and not the people. If they downgraded the boats, I would probably be more interested, but at this time, what would be the point? The short race idea is good, but I think there should be a main endurance race also, which would truly bring out the best of us and America. It would be stupid if Dean Barker got knighted. In the old days, being knighted was done by doing things of much larger magnitude, not by merely winning a couple of races in a boat.

Overall it would be nice if we could win, but I am not too interested, and I wouldn't think it would matter too much if we didn't.

America's Cup- JD

I'm interested in America's cup, but not captivated by it. Obviously, I'm supporting NZ but to be honest, it's just two boats getting blown around. I am surprised by all the technology they have on the boats, but it's a bit unnecessary. Considering it is a short race, some of the stuff used to promote the race is unnecessary. And if we win then the Dean Barker and Grant Dalton will probably get knighted, like the rest of our sporting greats.

Americas Cup - Campbell

I have an interesting take on the America's Cup.  While some people are captivated by boat racing I myself do not share a huge interest in it, while I enjoy sailing and and enjoy watching the races I find that I don't follow it and don't stress over the results.

Despite this I have found that I am enjoying watching/following the Americas cup.  I think this is because it is a huge national sport and winning the America's Cup would be a great achievement for a small country like New Zealand.

Although it is great to see a great amount of success in New Zealand I do not think that the boats skipper or the team's coach should get a knighthood for one success.  I think this because there are many New Zealanders who have achieved similar awards/trophies who have not been given a knighthood.  Richie McCaw for exampled led the All Blacks to a rugby world cup win but didn't get knighthood.  Fairness aside I do not think it is an achievement that would merit knighthood yet.  If the team continues this winning streak then a knighthood should definitely be considered seriously.

I think sailing and the America's Cup is good sport for New Zealand and I think the Government should look at developing it more in children.

The America's goblet- George

The Americas Cup has been interesting even though I haven't been following it that much. I am a soothsayer (although I prefer the title seer a lot more) and I think that we will win but I foresee there may be a cloud over our horizons. I really agree t]with Ben that Dean doesn't deserve to be knighted, as winning a competition is hardly the same as slaying a dragon! (that doesn't mean I don't support him though!). To make you mundane classmates without the power of foresight happy, GO TEAM NZ!!!!!!!

America's Cup- Luke E

America's Cup

While I personally am not extremely interested in the cup, I still cheer Team NZ. I think Team NZ will beat Oracle, but I'm no soothsayer. I can say that this race will be very suspenseful and will likely be a narrow win. I heard someone say that we can't afford to have the cup in NZ but I think we could if we save up. What do you think? Whether or not a cup is worth it, I applaud Team NZ for their hard work and perseverance. Keep going all the way!!!!

America's Cup - Rob

I think the america's cup is a good race but not to many people know of it as you have heard on 3 news if you watch it. I haven't been watching America's cup to much so I don't find it all that exciting but  don't find it boring either so kind of half and half. I guess the America's cup is just a race with yachts in it but it is still ok.

I think the reactions of both teams through the media has been interesting. Like when James Spithill posted something on twitter and when they say they will some races. Kind of half half because I am not to interested in it but it is one of the few things that new zealand are good at and so I did sometimes watch it.

I think the technology on the boats is very well thought out and I think it works well but I do not know too much about it. I think everyone should deserve a knighthood because they all played a good part in this.

America's Cup Nicholas

I think the yachting is marvelous. It is a shame that I can'twatch some of the races because m ln the bus. I thik the yachting has a good spirit to it but it is too quick. I don't think the captain should get a knighthood just yet. What a shame that Oracle cheated. But in the end the Americas Cup is exciting.

By:nicholas

Americas Mug - Callum B

TEAM NEW ZEALAND'S BOAT

I really enjoyed the America's Cup, having watched about 6 races so far. It has been a bit frustrating, with some of the races being cancelled just as they were starting. It has been amazing to see how fast the boats go - they seem more plane than boat sometimes (at one point Team NZ reached a phenomenal 80 km/h).



I think that tomorrows race will be very close, but in my opinion Oracle may win the first race out of desperation (if NZ win, they take out the Cup). Though I think NZ will win the next race.

GO TEAM NZ!

America's Cup - Jin

I have actually really enjoyed the sailing recently. I haven't really been interested or haven't followed the yachting before and I have found it really cool and intruiging. If we win I think dean Barker deserves a knighthood.

America's Cup - Ben

I personally don't usually watch yachting but since it is a big thing at the moment I felt like it would be cool to watch something new. I think we deserve to be in the lead because we have a better boat, better sailers and a better heart.

For a small country like New Zealand to win something like the America's Cup, it would be a great achievement. There must be a lot of research that goes into creating the boats because of how fast they go without engines. They are completely wind powered.

If I was to be honest I would say that Dean Barker and Grant Dolton haven't accomplished a big enough achievement to get a knighthood. They have done well but being knighted is a VERY big thing. 

America's Cup- Jesse

At first I thought it would be quite boring, but the America's Cup has proved quite exciting. I watched it during French this morning yelling 'keep going!' in French. I'm quite proud to be part of a country which excels at so many things despite having a small population. Although Team NZ did a great job I don't think that the crew deserve a knighthood unless something extraordinary happens during the race tomorrow.

America's Cup - Henry C

For me the America's cup was a exciting tournament with very dramatic moments. At the start I wasn't very in tune with it but on about day two or three I started watching and I couldn't take my eyes off it. I saw in the paper a few days ago that 700,000 people were watching it on TV and 170,000 were watching the live coverage on stuff. I think that it is amazing how fast they go ( 40 knots average speed ) even with all the technology they have it is really hard for boats with out engines to go that fast. I don't know that much about the America's cup but if this is Dean Barker's first America's cup victory he shouldn't get a knighthood, he needs at least 5-10 wins to get a knighthood.  

America's Cup - Mr T

Good afternoon boys.  This morning, most of you watched what could be the penultimate race in America's Cup in San Francisco.  You will probably be aware that Team NZ are up 8-1 and, if the wind doesn't blow them off the water, the final race could be tomorrow morning at 8.10am.  What do you make of the America's Cup? Have you found it captivating or dead boring?  Why?  What do you think of the reactions of both teams through the media?  Is it something that swells you with national pride or deflates you like an old balloon?  What are your thoughts on the technology used on these boats?  The 'short race' (almost sprint-like) format?  If (and it hasn't happened yet) Team NZ win, will Skipper, Dean Barker (and/or Boss Grant Dalton) deserve a knighthood?

T.O.M. - Callum B

Tournament of Minds has been a great experience for me (it has been my 3rd time doing it.)
I really enjoy the amount of creativity you have to use for it, and being able to design a play for the 'Long Term Challenge.'
I think my group is really good at acting, but or biggest challenge will be not arguing during the Spontaneous Challenge.
The thing I probably 'bring to the table' for my group is that I am good at making things such as props, and I am OK at acting.

So, anyway, overall I am looking forward to T.O.M. and I hope we win!

T.O.M - Louis

T.O.M has been tough so far. This is probably due to the fact that half of the time our group is just messing around, and we are unable to settle for a while. The three by three square has proved difficult, as some of the moments in our script need to be more spread out, but the part of having four people on the script at the same time is probably even harder... Seeing as Campbell won't be there on the day, but helped by the fact that a few of the people in our group will be on the stage at the same time.

On saturday, I think we should do better than we have before. This is probably because from what I saw, when we were performing in front of other people we stopped being silly and actually did our script, and we did quite well. Ever since then, we have been more serious, and we have done overall better, and we will do even better than that on the day.

Our group's strengths are probably script writing. Our script seems quite good, it has it's mistakes, but overall it's good. There are some parts that could've been removed or changed, but we didn't have the time. The judges are more looking for teamwork, which is not a strong point for our group, and the creativity of the script, with seems more like us. I think the reason for T.O.M is to show that people who are younger can create things, and of all of it, it would be fun to do it again (in a couple of years perhaps).

T.O.M.- Theo

I have enjoyed practicing with my group for Tournament of Minds and I would like to do it again. The biggest challenge would be managing some of the sillier group members and getting them to calm down. I think Tournament of Minds exists to give children a chance to be creative and share their ideas. I think our group will do quite well because we know most of our lines off by heart.

I'm really looking forward to Saturday. I would be really cool if we could win!

T.O.M Callum H

Tom has been really fun but I reckon I enjoyed it more at my old school. Purely because we only did Tom we didn't have any other things to do like independent study. One of the hardest things this year was working with some, lets say difficult year eights.

T.O.M

Tournament of the Minds is a great idea. It helps children in a lot of different ways including their drama skills and their thinking skills. I think our group will do well. We have great potential but the combinations can sometimes cause friction (people can be silly). I think our strength is our actual acting. We also have very intelligent  kids in our group.

On Saturday I think we are going to do well and we have a slight chance of going to Canberra. I am a little bit nervous but excited at the same time.

T.O.M.

The tournament of the minds challenge will be good. I just need to practise my lines and make some more props but apart from that our group is pretty much done. I think the judges will be looking for teamwork, organisation and creativity. I would change the time rule so you could have no time limit when you are in the 3x3 cage. I wouldn't mind doing it again if it was less stress. I don't like the logo with the three heads because it looks weird.

By: Nicholas McDermott

The mind Tourney (medieval jousting tournament)

My group's T.O.M is very good and I think we will do well. My role is very fun to play (I am a miner with a drinking problem who gets really drunk!) and I like all the other little roles I have. It is really annoying how you can't use pre-made costumes as these would be very helpful. Lots of groups are in the same discipline as me (S.S) and I do not think we will go through...

Tom rob

I am very impressed with our tom script and what we have achieved. Our biggest task has been to stay on task and not goof around like headless chickens. I expect that we will do quite well on saturday if we focus and do what we do best. Our groups strengths are probably acting, talking and writing we have a really good script and I think we all act it out really well. I think the judges will be looking for creativity, originality and of course we have to look like we are having fun and not look like old men that are lazy. I think the point of tom is to have fun and be creative. I think I would be willing to to tom again. The rule that I would change is that Wellesley College is the only team that is aloud to win. I think our group brings enthusiasm to the table.

T.O.M - Henry C

I think that we might do ok on Saturday but it kind of depends because most of our group isn't the  most "on task" group ever. Hopefully we do well in the spontaneous challenge so we get a better score and might go to Australia ;) Our groups strengths are humor and originality and that can help a lot when you are writing the script and acting it out on stage. The judges might not like our script because it is quite short but it is very snappy and it gets to the point quickly and we have good scene changes. Overall I don't think that I would do T.O.M again but it was fun when we did it.

T.O.M Hugh M

Definitely focusing and being on task, not messing round, not speaking went not suposed to, especially when we are rehearsing, also we need everyone to help with the script!! I think it will go ok, but I think a lot of how we do will just depend on the day. A group strength is probably humer and mine is probably acting. If I could change a rule, I would say that that you can have more than four people on the stage.

TOM - Jin

The greatest challenge for our group was some of the year sevens muck in around. Some particular people did not collaborate well with each other. Also people goofing off and gaming. I did most of our script. Especially the last part when in one particular session I did a whole page while everyone else mucked around was being silly. On Saturday we have a really good chance IF the particular people can pull it together * cough year cough sevens *

T.O.M. - Marcus

Tournament of the Minds has been a very mind-blowing thing for me. The script-writing was definitely the hardest part of Tournament of the Minds but once we got it done most of us started to get focused. We still need to add some props such as a better version of a $100 note and something that defrentiates me from a pilot to a miner. We are going to be marked on humour and accents because our script is pretty funny and the accents also compliment the humour. A difficult task is to avoid laughing during the skit. I think this will look quite good on the day but I am not sure about the Spontaneous Challenge because we haven't had much preperation and some people refuse to cooperate sometimes. But I think that we will make it in the end... Hopefully.

T.O.M.- Luke E

 I am looking forward to TOM on Saturday. Last year, my group mucked about and we lost. That was really unfortunate that we failed to go to Australia. This year, that is my group's weakness. We are mucking about and the only response of sensible people is to attack those who muck about, not try to reason with them. Fortunately, we know our lines and have a humorous, high-quality script.  I enjoy my roles as an intercom,  a dead body and  a person who becomes a dead body.  I think we have   a better chance of getting to Australia, but  I won't count on it. The judges are looking for something they can enjoy watching, and  story with  a good, effective theme.

Tom-Tom

T.O.M. is an interesting event that is quite strict. A rule that I would change if I could would be being able to use any material for the props and more time on the script. The point of T.O.M. is to make primary school students think in a group and work together. It is a great opportunity pre college to build yourself and learn how to work together. The problem with most T.O.M. teams would be mucking around but I think our group held together quite well

T.O.M - Noah

T.O.M is going well for us... Like JD said we would be better of trying to get through a practice session without arguing or changing the script or anything like that. It would be nice to learn our lines so were not reading out of tablets or the script. I think we might have a chance to win if we try really hard. The spontaneous will be interesting to say the least, the spontaneous challenge I think we might loose marks on that but meh, it happens. It would be nice to come in the top ten maybe but its probably unlikely. 

Matthew- TOM

The greatest challenge for our group is probably just commiting to things and not arguing in the group. It's probably been a bad thing as there have been a few rivalries developing because of the interaction involved with TOM. I think we will do okay but we possibly could've done a lot better if we had more time.  We have good actors in our group so I think it will add to our groups strengths. I'm not too sure of what the judges are looking for as I haven't done this before. I think the point of TOM is to challenge your mind. I would be willing to do it again but maybe with another group.  I think I bring a good acting role to our play/ skit.

T.O.M-Harry W

The greatest challenge for our group would have to be distractions and we nearly fell behind but we managed to complete our script (surprise,surprise). On Saturday I think we should do quite well as our script is quite funny but it will be hard to not be silly about it. Our strengths would have to be our ability to change scenes quickly and speak clearly but I think that in some instances we should slow down the scene change. I think that the judges will be looking for good acting and always facing the audience and speaking clearly which shouldn't be to much of a problem for us. I think that the point of T.O.M is to improve cooperation skills and thinking skills. I'm not sure if I'll do it again as I haven't performed in front of the judges yet but it has still been a great experience.

T.O.M. JD

I think I'm looking forward to TOM. Our biggest problem as a group is probably not arguing during the spontaneous challenge. I reckon the point of TOM is to get people excited about problem solving and stuff. I'd definitely do it again, but I would change the rule about making props yourself out of allowable materials if I could.

T.O.M. - Mr T

Good morning boys.  In two days time you will be delivering your Long Term Challenge and Spontaneous Challenge for Tournament of Minds.  Over the last couple of days I have seen all four groups perform in our '3X3' box and I have been impressed by the scripts and collaboration that has led you to that point. What has been the greatest challenge for your T.O.M. group?   How well do you expect to do on Saturday? What are your group's strengths?  What do you think the judges are actually looking for?  What do you think the point of T.O.M. is?  Would you be willing to do it again?  What rule(s) would you change?  What do you think you 'bring to the table' for this competition?  

Art week -Noah

I found art week very enjoyable. Printmaking was fun and I wish I could do it on two years time but sadly I won't be here :(. I think we should drop production and and science fair and do art week every year.

Art Week - Jin

Art week was amazing. I was in the canvas abstract nature painting group with Mr Jorna. I enjoyed working with Josh McCardle because we were working on similar paintings and we could share ideas. In my abstract painting, I drew a section of a rock-hopper penguin.

Art Week - Henry C

I really enjoyed Art Week because of my teacher, fellow classmates and mainly the art. I enjoyed painting on canvas and using pastel to get a cool effect over the top of the paint. If I could change activities I would definitely not change except for maybe stop motion film. I really want to do another Art Week while I am at Wellesley do it again.

Art week - Matthew

I enjoyed working with Oliver F. , he was funny and nice. I did enjoy the "mix and mingle idea" but I could imagine how it could be a pain and my poiny was reinforced when. Harry C. Said his group was purely composed of juniors and that it got annoying. I learnt how to blend colours with my finger and draw personifications of trees with charcoal - Mr. Brown. The topic of Nature as nour teacher is intersesting and lead to some sustained conversations during Art. I will be making an effort to go to the exhibition. I can imagine a life as a full time artist.

Art Week Hugh

Canvis painting, it was awesome!! Probably Henry because I did all my work with him while I was painting.  Yes it was cool to mix and mingle because juniors are sooo cool! Not really, it kind of looks like a year three's work!! It's all right but I would of preferred to paint something else! Probably yes and no I can't! Lol

Art Week - Callum H

I was supposed to be in the stop motion film group with Mr Hampton but because was away I did the bird song art. I really enjoyed because I did a lot with younger boys. And the techers were really good.

Art week Nicholas

This years art week was really good, I did the spider webs. It was my third choice but I didn't really care because it turned out really well. The string was really hard to put on. The art will look nice when I is on display.

Nicholas

Art Week - Marcus

I did photography and it was really fun because I am relitavely good at it and there is no stress of getting it done because all you have to do is take two good photos, one black and one white, print them on photographic paper and name them. Mr. G did the printing for us. Art week this year was fun and easy.

Art Week - HarryC

I have had a great time this week at art week. I have been doing aboriginal art with ms Garland and have had an awesome time. I took a while to decide what to paint but I'm please with my finished work. The aboriginal art was supposed to be done on umbrellas but I decided not to paint on umbrellas and ended up painting on canvas paper.

My painting consisted of one big black circle and three smaller circles they were all black. I then painted white and red dots all over the black circles. I then made an earthy colour mixed with water and then painted that an a background.

I was having a bit of trouble deciding what to do for a background so on the last day I went and worked in the art room with the artist who was staying with us, Ben Timmins. He helped a lot and gave me lots of tips for my work which was really helpful.

Overall I had a great time this week and if I had the chance to do it again I would definitly do it.

By Harry C

Art Week-Harry W

For art week I did the aboriginal art on umbrellas and I am pretty proud of what I accomplished. I thought that I was a little pushed for time as I tried to but a lot of detail into it. I did find it pretty fun but I'm not sure if I'll paint on an umbrella again! I did learn a lot of the aboriginal signs and symbols and I thought that they were quite interesting and I definitely hope to use them again in another artwork. I think that it was quite fun to work with the younger kids and help them.

Overall I think that artwork was fun and I would love to do it again.

Art Week-JD

During art week I made abstract nature paintings on canvas. During art week I learnt that there are a lot more things nature teachers us than I thought.

I reckon it would be fun being a full time artist, but I can't see many people buying my paintings! Being an artist would mean you could work whenever you want, paint whatever you want, and it would be more fun than most other jobs (apart from driving a truck!).

Art Week - Louis

For Art Week I made a spider web. Making it was fun, as we had to do a series of tasks to finish it. Things like these can almost never be done at home, as in our house, we never have the correct materials to make things like that, so it was fun to actually make something for once. Working with random people from different classes probably made things a bit more difficult, as the younger boys constantly needed help and we weren't able to our own work until they were started off.

Im not particularly proud of my work, as it seems like quite an easy thing to do, and if I had more time, I would've been able to make it better. The items we used to make spider webs were quite frustrating at times because every time you try to hammer the nail you will either succeed, or you don't. When you do, its all fine, but on that chance that you either hit the nail wrong or you miss, it can be a nightmare. If you don't hit it right, it may bend and you must take the nail out and retry, but if you miss the nail completly, your hand may hurt for the next ten minutes...

I don't like the topic 'Nature is our Teacher' because, it seems a very cheesy topic. I read the WNBs, and almost all of them were on the same, cheesy thing. Honestly I think we should get a better theme next time. Even so, it brought some good ideas, and it was worth it. I don't know about the art exibition in two weeks, so it is likely I won't go because of this. It would be risky trying to be a full time artist, because you are either a complete success, the opposite of that.

Art Week - Callum B

My Artweek activity was pastel and poetry with Mr. Blanford. It was fun and I really enjoyed conveying a line of poetry through my work. I think that is great having boys of all classes and years in the same class for a few days. You get to know boys you wouldn't normally work with.

I also think that the topic 'nature as our teacher' is a good topic, as it opens your eyes to the sheer beauty and strength of nature, as well as teaching you about how nature is our teacher, and how we should learn from it.

I learnt a lot of different techniques to use with pastel, and I am looking forward to the Artweek exhibition. It was really awesome being able to do three days mainly on art, as I really enjoy art. 

I could definitely imagine life as a full time artist (mainly because my mum is one!) but to be honest, I don't think you'd get much money off just selling art. However, I think if you wanted to become a professional artist you'd definitely need to get a degree in marketing so you could set up decent exhibitions, and put yourself out there. I have met other artists that do not have a clue about marketing, and they really struggle selling art.

To be honest I would rather be a 'Llama Ffama' (llama farmer).

So anyway, Artweek has been awesome and I am looking forward to the exhibition.

By Callum B