Sunday, May 15, 2011

Friday the 13th

In this screegrab from a NASA video, the four planets align.Jupiter is lining up with Venus and Mercury early this morning in a celestial dance that was visible across Australia’s eastern skies from 5am today, just before sunrise.
The alignment of the four planets happens only once every 50-100 years, and very rarely on Friday the 13th.
The last time these planets were observed together was in October 1910.
Four planets align on Friday the 13th
World won’t end, great day for lovers
Some may fear four planets falling into line on Friday the 13th could herald the end of days.
However, a Cairns astrologer is assured the apocalypse is not upon us-rather it’s a good day for asking others out on a date.


"Don’t really believe it's an unlucky day. It’s been a lucky day for me. Did an awesome Google search and the teacher was proud of me". Bradley
"Some people have bad days, some have good days and some even have parties. I think it is a good day". Vanessa

"Does not really worry me. Just a normal day" Ashley
"I don’t believe in it. People say that if a black cat walks in front of you, you turn around and walk the other way". Vaegaau

"I don’t believe in it. It’s just a myth". Erika
"Another normal day I guess!" Apelu

"People say it’s the devil’s day". Toa
"Just an ordinary, normal day for me". Cherub

"Not a good day. My internet didn’t work today". Samuel
"Just like any other day". Moanarangi

"I don’t believe in it because nothing really bad happened to me". Page
"Normal school day for me". Yolenda

"I think it’s real because Lafiti kicked the ball at my head today". Quinton
"I don’t really care. Nothing bad happens to me". Picilla

"Just another normal Friday". Saitia
"I sort of believe it because I had bad luck". Ro June

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Dear Mrs Baker

My name is Saitia. I'm from room 1 and I am writing
this special letter to tell you about my mum and all
the things she does for me and my family.

First let me tell you about my mum. My mum's name is Ta'and she
is really cool because she is very loving she loves all my friends
when they come over. She even treats them like her own
kids. She is also supportive in everything I do in school
or at my games.


I like my mum because she looks after me and she buys all my
books and uniform for school and even my rugby gear.
My mum is a big influence in my life because she always teaches
me to be kind to everyone and always play fair and help
people that are in need.

I think my mum deserves to win because of everything she
does for me and I want to show her that I care for her and
I love her and that's why I am writing this letter.










Dear Mrs Baker

Dear Mrs Baker

Hello my name is Mowbray and I am writing to you about my amazing and very helpful Mum. She is a mother of 9 children and is a grandmother to 4 grandchildren.

The name of this beautiful and helpful mum is Hitelenisia. She is a Tongan woman who has short dark black hair, a generous personality, and a beautiful loving smile. My Mum is retired and now is a housewife.

This is why she is the best mum in the world because when she is at home she will often be looking after her grandson while his mother is at work. She would also always help me with my homework and when I come back from school, there’s always yummy food for me at home.

I love my Mum very much and I wish she would always be there for me.

Dear Mrs Baker


My name is Picilla and I'm in room 1. I'm writing to you to tell you how amazing my mother is. I am also doing this because I love my mum.
My mother is a loving person and she is caring. She looks after us in every way that she can. My mum feeds us like a mother should and she nurses us. She stays at home and looks after my little brother. She comes to the Tongan trip meeting and she told me that she would love to come but she can’t because she has to take care of my baby brother but I don't mind because I know that she still loves me.

My mum supports me in every way that she can and she also supports my other siblings too. She is a loving person. She is a talented musical person. My mum can play the guitar, ukulele, harmonica and more. She is a great person. After seeing her playing the guitar I am obsessed with music and now music is one of my hobbies. She is my role model and I take in all the advice that she gives me. My mum is the most important person to me.

I think my mum deserves this award because she loves me and the rest of my family and I love her too and always will.

Dear Mrs Baker

Hi my name is Ina Niu and I am from Tuvalu. I have just started at Tamaki Intermediate at the beginning of term 1.
I am writing to you to tell you about how special my mum is and hopefully to persuade you.

My mum’s name is Exeter Taafaki and she is also from Tuvalu. My mum is a great and lovely person. She always tries her best to make money to feed the whole family. She cares al lot for people. If we had a family member that had nowhere to live she would welcome them in with a beautiful smile. That’s how loyal she is to our family. If my sisters or I had a school situation she will find a way to solve the problem because she wants us to have a good education, a good job and a great life when we grow up.

My mum is a very busy lady but she always tries to find time to spend with us. If we had no food to eat she would go to the bank and withdraw money even if she hadn’t paid her bills. She will take the money out and make sure that we have delicious food to eat.

My mum has a lot of special qualities. She influences me in a lot of ways. She tells us that school is important and that we should never miss a day of school because it would ruin our life when we grow up. My mum also tells me to learn really hard in school because when I grow up I will have successful job.

I love my mum very much for what she does for our family. I hope I have convinced you what a special lady she is.
Thank you for reading about what I have to say about my special mum.

Dear Mrs Baker

Dear Mrs Baker
My name is Quinton. I am a Maori and I am

in room1. I am writing this letter to you

about my mother.

My mum's name is Linda Herbert.

She is tall and has long brown hair.

My mum works at a factory in Otahuhu.

She finishes work at 2:30pm

and makes it home at 3:00pm.

My mum is a helpful lady because she helps

me with my homework

and takes care of me when I'm sick.

My mum is a good role model to me and

my family she sets good examples.

I LOVE MY MUM VERY MUCH. SHE'S A GOOD LADY MRS BAKER




Dear Mrs Baker


My name is Venessa and I am 12 years old. I am writing this letter to you to tell you about my mum and why she deserves this book prize.
Tera is my mum and she is my height. She is a mother of four and she has a husband named Tony. She works at Auckland City Council on level 5. She wakes up at six thirty and wakes us up. We all have showers and get ourselves ready. Mum helps Shanelle and Mya (age 8 and 5) get ready and drive us down to my Nana’s house. My three sisters wait there until it’s time to go to school and while we wait she drives into work. She really likes her job and she finishes at five thirty.

She gives us a good education from the right schools and cares for us like no tomorrow. She comes to goal settings and parent meetings. She’s happy when we get certificates and win prizes. She gives me five dollars on Fridays for me to spend at the tuck shop for lunch. She cleans the house when she has time off, even after work and late at night. She doesn’t care about herself. She teaches me how to cook dinner like spaghetti, scrambled eggs and rice.


When I fell on the road I had a deep cut. I had a long sleep on the sofa and she was waiting until I was awake so she could take me to the hospital to get the dressing on it before it got infected. I still have the sore. She takes care of me whenever i need it. She makes me laugh sometimes. I love my mum and she loves me. She is the best mum in the whole universe.

That is why I think my mum should get this book for mother’s day because I love her.





Dear Mrs Baker


My name is Yolenda and I am in room1.

My mum attends the Auckland University, she is studying to get her masters and she is working so hard.
That's why my mum deserves to get a gift and I am so lucky to have her in her life

As a single parent she would do anything for their children.
She gives up anything to make us happy. When she was on her study break she took us to the Waitakere Ranges, Sky tower, Am bran Farm, and boat Cruz around the harbour. During the Christmas holidays she spent $200 on petrol and we went down to Taupo and Rotorua, at Rotorua we went on a jet boat ride. The prize was $120 but she still bought the ride and I had a lot of fun.


I am writing to you because I have the most amazing mother in the whole Universe. She deserves a gift because even though she is a single parent and doesn't have a job she always finds money to feed us and clothe us. She gives up her study time to spend with us even though her study work is due the next day.



Dear Mrs Baker

My name is Vai and I am writing this letter to you about my mum and the wonderful things she does for me and my family.


My mum’s name is Luti Tafea. She is a teacher at Tamaki Intermediate School. She does her best to teach her class and she also helps us with work at home. She is a generous, caring person. She also has a lovely smile that lights up the room. I just love it when she hugs me because it makes me feel safe. When I’m down she cheers me up. She is a passionate and loving person.


My mum cooks us delicious meals. She even takes us training every day. She plays games with us in her spare time. She is a cool mum!


I think my mum deserves the book prize for all the things we’ve been through together and the things she does for her family.









Friday, May 6, 2011

Dear Mrs Baker

My name is Sheralee and I am in room 1 extension class. I am Maori and European and I just adore my mum. The purpose of my writing this letter is to tell you why my mum deserves the Duffy book award that I would love to give to her! Well where do I begin?

Words alone cannot describe the feeling I have for my mum. My mum's name is Trudie Te Hemoata Cook and she is a passionate about her job which is a caregiver for Health Care New Zealand. She is also a generous, down to earth and talented woman. My mum means the world to me and I will never give her up or trade her for any other mother. Sadly when my mum was younger she never got to meet her mother and when she was eleven years of age her mum passed away. So my mum made sure that she provided my family and I with everything that we needed and she made sure that we got to know her properly even though she never knew her mother.When you look into my mum's light brown eyes you can see that she is also passionate and committed to being a mother. She also has long black hair and is hundred percent loving.

My mother has a lot of special qualities and to me she is the bread winner in the house! She works hard and makes sure that we have food in our tummies and that we will never attend school hungry. Personally I think that I am the luckiest girl in the world being able to have such a loving and caring mum like my mum even though we don't have any extravagant things. I will always love her! I wrote a poem for my mum and this is how it goes.

M is for: the Memories that we have share together.
O is for I Owe you one for bringing me into this world.
T is for Thanking you for being my mum.
H is for Helping me and supporting me when I really need it.
E is for Extending your love to the maximum
and R is for I will never put you in a Retirement home!

Like this poem the love we share has gone beyond the known!! Thank you Mrs Baker for reading my letter and I hope that you now know why my mum is the best mum ever!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Dear Mrs Baker

My name is Cherub, I'm a year 8 student and I'm in the extension class.
I am writing to you about my mum and why I think she deserves this award.

My mum’s name is Marjorie. Marjorie is an old French name, Middle English form of Margaret, which means pearl. My mum is a gem. My mum is a single mother that looks after 7 children. She has a glorious cheesy smile and always makes me laugh. My mum use to be a reliever teacher at many schools but she stopped when she had my little sisters. She always solves my problems and makes me a better person.

My mum is a challenging person, it’s like she’s unbeatable at sports. My mum is a great cook; one thing that will be challenging for any human being to beat is my mum’s divine homemade seafood chowder. I'm not a big fan of sea food but I'm a huge fan of my mum’s sea food chowder. My mum is my life. She’s like the atmosphere and has my life in her hands. I can feel my mum’s love even if she’s a thousand miles away.

I chose these words because this is the best way to describe my mum. Happy Mother’s Day mum. I love you.

So how do earthquakes happen?


earth


Earthquakes are the phenomena experienced during sudden movements of the Earth’s crust.
Under the Earth’s crust lies the asthenosphere, the upper part of the mantle composed of liquid rock. The plates of the Earth’s crust essentially “float” on top of this layer and can be forced to shift as the upwelling molten material below moves. As the plates shift an enormous amount of energy is released in the form of waves, although they can occur anywhere on the planet with little or no warning.

The most extreme earthquakes occur near plate boundaries, as the plates converge, diverge or shear. Moving rock and magma within volcanoes can also trigger earthquakes. In all of these causes, large sections of the crust can fracture and move to-and-fro to dissipate the released energy. This “shaking” is the sensation felt during an earthquake.


The energy released is often described in terms of “magnitude”, a logarithmic scale used to describe how energetic an earthquake was; a quake of magnitude 2 is hardly noticeable without special monitoring equipment, while quakes over magnitude 8 may actually cause the ground to visibly heave and roll. Since the scale is logarithmic, a magnitude 8 quake is not four times more energetic than a magnitude 2 quake, but one billion times more energetic!
New Zealand experiences thousands of earthquakes every year. Most are either very deep or centre well off shore. However, a severe earthquake can occur at anytime with devastating effects.
So what is a Tsunami?
A tsunami is a flood of water that can cause a huge destruction when it hits a coastline.

Tsunamis are caused from underwater earthquakes. Underwater earthquakes happen when the oceanic and continental templates push into each other and build up pressure. The pressure builds up until the oceanic templates slips under the continental plate releasing all of the pressure and energy.

If an underwater earthquake is large enough, the ocean floor will make destructive movements, therefore the water above the sea floor must move too.
The ocean water is pushed upward causing a large ripple that begins to travel through the ocean. This large ripple, which becomes the tsunami travels at a very fast speed of up to 600 miles per hour.

The tsunami that followed the earthquake in Japan caused massive destruction and loss of lives. Japan has moved 4 metres closes to South America as a result of the earthquake.

Cherub