Castlepoint Camp

Castle point camp is by far the best wellesley camp. Sand duning was definitly the best part of camp for me. What were your best parts about camp. Kayaking with steve was awesome we did so much amazing surfing in the waves at the lagoon. Mataikona was really good as well the only bad bits were the food, they are all pasta! For me the sand dunes were a bit of a let down i just couldn't get any speed unlike the Castlepoint dunes. Overall it was an amazing camp.

Castlepoint Camp

I found Castlepoint camp really fun.  I personally think it was about the same as the West Coast trip. Though we didn't spend so much time in the water as we were led to believe.  We tot really tired but apart from that it was fun.

X Marks the spot

I think X marks the spot is an awesome topic because I already had heaps of ideas about what to do when we first heard about it and then then when I started typing I had a paragraph done within five minutes. I want to do better than I did last time because I didn't get a repeat but I had five errors and this time I want to make it slightly longer.

I kind of like this WNB more than The Journey I don't know why but I just do.

X Marks the spot George

I noticed a spray bottle in the corner. In our busy lives we are rushing to get things done and are missing those important things, because the smallest things make the big ones.

WNB

Sorry about before.
and before cause thomas took over the controls and selected a photo and then pressed publish.
I think X Marks the Spot is a great topic but I'm kinda nervous cause I had like OO mistakes last time so........ yeah.

Acting Before Thinking

I've been thinking that we humans act and don't think more often than we think before we act. That may not be true in our lives but what about overall? I'll be interested in your thoughts.

X Marks the spot Rob

I saw a piece of blue tack on the wall that I have never seen before. It is quite interesting seeing all that little stuff that we would never have run our eyes over so yes we do run our lives to fast that we forget to look, notice and appreciate. That camp was the best camp of Wellesley and I loved everything including kayaking, rock climbing, swimming and duning but not so much the dunes in mataikona. The rock climbing was quite surprising but fun. And the continental pasta had a very suprising first taste. Not really everyone seemed the same to me. I am so tired from camp. It is going to take me more than a week to recover.

Book Genre Survey

I thought it might be a good idea to have a book genre survey so we can see who likes what kind of books. Please post below one of the following:


Action
Fantasy
Adventure
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Time Travel
Mystery

My favourite type of book is Time Travel/Action/Adventure/Comedy.

X Marks the Spot

Boys I have already mentioned a book I am currently reading - The History of the World in 100 Objects.  It got me thinking about the mundane, 'run of the mill', potentially boring, uninspiring parts of the world and the VALUE that we place upon things.  One object that the book outlines is a 6000 year-old jade axe head  found in England.  It is, after all, just a bit of rock (albeit with beautiful form, colour and shape) but scientists have traced the exact source of this rock to a boulder (yes, a single boulder) in Italy.  That is extraordinary.  It is also very valuable because it is so old, man-made, and gives us clues about how humans used to live.  Which leads me to...this week's WNB topic: X Marks the Spot.  I know I often miss (but so often try) to see beauty everywhere.  When I am running in the hills, literally miles from anyone or anywhere I notice the small, the undiscovered, the seemingly unimportant and love that sense of discovery.  What do you notice in this classroom when you really look hard?  Do we run our lives so quickly that we forget to look, notice and appreciate?  On another note:  your thoughts on your camp last week?  What surprised you?  Did you appreciate someone better in a different environment?  How tired are you?

Book Choice

I have just finished a series and would like some recomendations for some good books please.

Thanks

HOW TO FILL THE GAPS

Being in the gap between books is annoying because I start reading comics and magazines and it it hard to start a book. So go to the library and get something out. This really helps.

castlepoint Camp

Are all the Year 8s looking forward to going to Castlepoint? Be honest, it's OK if you're not(though I think you will be).

Start of Year for Theo

I am enjoying the start of the year, I am trailing for Literature Quiz and starting to think about my TSM  lot now and thinking of two topics  Bacteria and The Steam Engine.

Gaps

Personally I strongly dislike the gaps between books.  I always race down to the library to get a book out so  can read another book straight away. I don't know why I don't like the gaps but I think it's because I Love to read and if I'm in a gap I can't read.

Topic

I'm thinking of doing The battle of britain for my independent  study does that sound good?

First week back

To walk into 7/8T as a year eight was pretty awesome. I felt like a teacher. I know what i'm doing now and everything seems so easy.  I have already put my name down and considered tennis, choir, lit quiz, house captain, and bus monitor.

I am really looking forward to the year. I have high expectations of myself and I think this will be a really good year.

The first stage of the independent study has started but I must admit I am a bit stumped for ideas. But So far so good and I already have the bulk of my graph done.

7/8T

7/8T was very scary on the first couple of days but I think I'm getting through it. The thing I'm most looking foward to is probibly the gold badges. Warf jumping is really fun! I'm really looking foward to the swimming sports (hopefully I can pick up a bage there.) My reading log is going alright at the momment I've nearl finished my book so I'm getting close to that annoying in between stage this time it's even worse because usually I'm in the middle of a series but this time it's the last book of the series.

Respond to "The Ball Is Rolling"

The Gap between book to book. this in my opinion is one thing which i dislike a lot. Half of the time I have another book at the ready for when I finish my first one, e.g. the next one in the series, but if the book isn't part of a series or I don't have the next one, it becomes a bit annoying. I find it sort-of like taking a brake from work, and if the next book hasn't come out yet, I usually change to another series for the time being, like when I finished the latest gone book, I spent a while looking for the next one until I realized it hasn't been realised yet. Sometimes I would just take a large brake altogether and stop reading books ad start doing other things.

Otherwise the year so far has been going well. Ive enjoyed wharf jumping, P.A, and im waiting for our first lesson of Art. The bus trips are average as usual, swimming is fun, even though I much prefer swimming in the sea rather then the pool. I hope the rest of the year goes as well as its going now.

Weekly Tasks

Has anyone finished their weekly tasks yet I haven't

Topic?

Has anyone got their topic for Indepedant Study yet?
What's a constructive idea for one?

75% Intravert

Hey guys. As in the title I think I am 75% intravert. The booklogs have kicked off great. Speaking of books here are the top 6 bestselling novels of all time. There are some great ones

1. A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens
2. The Lord of the Rings: J. R. R. Tolkien
3. The Little Prince: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
4. The Hobbit: J. R. R. Tolkien
5. Dream of the Red Chamber: Cao Xueqin
6. And then there were none: Agatha Christie

So far the class is going great. I don't think, though, that this blogging is a good idea. It's making the classes and school too modern. Comment YES if you agree or NO if you disagree. 

2013!

2013 is finally here and i'm so excited! I think I'm an extrovert but personaly I don't think that it matters because both are the have there pros and cons.

Independent study

I'm nervous about my independent study! Because I'm year 8 I am expected to do an almost hour long presentation and I don't have the experience other year 8s have. I'm also having trouble finding a topic because if mr tait doesn't like trucks, I won't have any other topics I'm hugely interested in. If you have some ideas on questions about trucks, sort of like peer questions please comment! Have you guys got any ideas for an independent study topic? Please post in the comments!

The start of my second year in 78t has been quite fun. Meeting new year 7s and catching up with friends as well. I am starting my tsm and I will probably be doing  geothermal power or nz maritime disasters. I am looking forward to doing a better Ind study than last year!

TSM

Has anyone decided on their topic yet 100%? I am pretty sure I am going to do Alternative Energy Sources. It will be an interesting topic and I am looking forward to working on my Independent Study.

I have had lots of fun in 7/8T so far. We have had tons of good weather and the wharf jumping is great and I even jumped without my goggles :)

I can't wait until Camp, but sadly we have to do maths afterwards.

I am an extrovert beacause I talk a lot but it is not all that bad being an extovert. It's just another way of sharing ideas.

The tramp and wharf-jumping was awsome!

Best Book Bonzana!

What do you guys think the best three books ever are?

What should i do

hey guy's what should i do on my inderpendent study
Elbert Einstein or King Richard III.

please comment on what i should do.

"gaps"

I personally hate "gaps" because I just want to have my head in a book,so I usually race down to the library to try and find a pretty long book, but isn't very boring so I might check the booklog or skim through titles and authors I know.

The ball is rolling...

The second week of the school year is underway and a few things have come to mind.  Firstly, it is reassuring to know that there are 24 inquisitive boys who are ready to take on the challenge of this classroom.  Having 12 boys who 'know the ropes' and 12 new boys who are about to serve their 'apprenticeship' in the classroom is always exciting.  What do you boys think of being in the same class for two years?  Does it (or do you think it will) 'add value' to your learning here at Wellesley.  Secondly, I have been thinking about reading.  Last night I was in that special place which is the gap between novels.  It is like taking a brief break from climbing a series of mountains.  So much choice.  What do I choose?  Do I have a stack from which to choose?  Do I have to wait until I get to a library?  Do I wait a day or two and read a magazine instead? Because I make regular trips to second hand bookshops (to be discussed in greater depth later in the year) and now and again use online stores such as The Book Depository, read reviews and 'keep an eye' on all things book-related, I have a stack which could easily prop up the four corners of my bed.  In this gap last night I decided to open two: A History of the World in 100 Objects (a beautiful gift from a pupil last year and one to dip in and out of, chapters in good bite-sized chunks) and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera (has been on the list of books to read for a long time, comes highly recommended).  Having two very different books on the go is, I think, healthy and makes life interesting.  What did you do in your last 'gap'.  Do you enjoy that time?  To me 'gaps' equal the anticipation felt as a seven year-old waiting for Xmas day to arrive.  When you know that something special is around the corner.

The night before...

The night before another school year and I am really fizzing to start.  Boys - you will walk through that door tomorrow morning and probably have a mix of emotions.  You might be a little frightened of that new teacher Mr Tait (all 5' 8", with shoes on) and you might also be excited by all the stuff we will be doing.  Rest assured that all of us (me included) will need to keep our eyes and ears peeled, be organised, communicate clearly, ask questions, and work very hard.  We will all make mistakes, we will all say daft things, none of us will have the 'rub of the green' all the time.  The two most important things, above academic performance, sporting prowess, or artistic talent, include being kind to one another and being brave when faced with problems.  Let's enjoy a cracking 2013.  A question:  Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert and how can we make sure that everyone has a say?