Sam’s School/Educational/Learning Blog

Last Saturday the Reds played their last game of the season. We were playing Southwell who are 3rd on the table and we are 4th. Coming off a close game the week before, we were motivated and wanted to win. Just before the game we realised we were missing three players. Apparently they had gone to Southwell school but we were playing at TA. This meant we had no subs. Luckily we started well and defended a few of their attacks. That mainly invlolved the wings which was how they like to play. After a defending period from us we finally had some ball. We ran it up field but didn’t manage to score. This was the story for most of the first half. At half time our three missing players showed up and we put them on the field. They made a big impact and we mangaed to score a goal, making it 1-0. Andrenailne flowing from the last goal we held them off to win. We were all proud of each other, especially because lots of us were at sports camp that week and were tired.

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Aliens. Don’t go raising your eyebrows just yet. Many of you out there would consider aliens to be a fictional character, and would never believe them to be real. Having existed for centuries in myths and stories, they are something that we laugh at. But it seems that governments all over the world are not laughing at these fictional beings and instead, funding the research of them. The US Government alone spends 17 billion dollars a year funding NASA and approximately 5.3 billion of it is aimed at space exploration, which is basically researching asteroids and looking out for signs of life near earth. I feel that it is a waste of time and money and here’s why.

Firstly, the universe has been around for millions of years and the only place that we know life having formed on is Earth. Scientists estimate that the chance of life forming again is 1 in a number with 57,800 zeros, so big that it would take 11 A4 sheets of paper for me to type. Surely this alone is enough reason to say that 5.3 billion dollars is a ridiculous amount to spend on space exploration. I mean so far what have they done? Realised there are asteroids near earth and taken a bunch of blurry pictures that they claim to be interesting.

Say alien life has managed miraculously to form. It is still highly unlikely that it is  intelligent life. The chance of life forming is so low and the chance of it evolving or being intelligent is even lower. What’s an even lower chance than that is alien life being where near Earth, Mainly because the universe is constantly expanding. And even if some life was formed and over millions of years it evolved and became more intelligent than humans what does it matter? They would be miles away and virtually impossible to communicate with. NASA should put more money into inventing new technology that allows them to dwell deeper into space.

On the other hand even though the possibility of life forming is extremely low it is still a possibility. For all we know life could of formed already across the other side of the galaxy. Billions of kilometres away. Also, who’s to say that the research isn’t beneficial. For example if we hadn’t researched space exploration before man may have never made it to the moon. And if NASA decides to hold of on space exploration for a while who knows what they might miss out on.

Finally, I see no reason for NASA to spend so much money on space exploration. 5.3 billion may not seem like much compared to how much they are funded, obviously they don’t have much faith in space exploration either. But it could still buy you 662 Searay Yachts, 5300 Ferrari enzo’s, 1 325 000 50’ plasma TV’s or 21 200 000 Gucci sunglasses. See what I mean? NASA should put money into more important things, and things that we get more out of researching. The likelihood of extra-terrestrial life forming, communicating with us or being intelligent is just too low for my liking. They should hold off on the spending until some new technology is invented that allows them to see further into the galaxy. Just imagine opening your eyes underwater in the middle of the ocean. How far can you see? Not very, just like NASA.

By Sam

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The most eagerly anticipated movie of the year, the first of the historic Simpson TV series. But does it live up to all its expectations?

It all starts when the band “Green Day” come to play in
Springfield on a floating barge in the lake, and the pollution dissolves the whole band. Lisa and her new friend (Colin) decide the time is now to act for pollution and start a petition to get it cleaned up. Eventually the whole town gets on board with the idea and it is cleaned up. Unfortunately Homer is not so thrilled with the idea and dumps a silo full of pig “waste” into the lake, polluting it all over again. Because of
Springfield recent increase in pollution the
US government decides to shut off
Springfield from the rest of the world by placing it in a giant dome. When the town’s people learn that it was Homers fault they respond angrily, driving the Simpson’s out of town. The Simpson’s move to
Alaska and after some time they return to
Springfield to find that the
US government is planning to blow it up and create a new
Grand Canyon.

To put it simply the Simpson’s movie is practically an hour and a half long Simpson’s episode with a few funny bits in between. But don’t get me wrong, the movie is just what you’d expect. The plot feels right at home with the Simpson’s, it’s strange but not to such an extent that has you wondering what’s happening. It does drag on in some parts but it still keeps you interested because something new comes up every so often.
Springfield is rich and vibrant full of colours. The Simpsons in the movie look better than their TV counterparts and the voice work is much better. One thing I noticed during the movie was that unlike on TV there is music always playing in the background. It always suited the mood and felt at home.

Overall it is a great movie that you must see if you are a fan of the series, or even a fan of Family Guy etc. The best movie I’ve seen all year and it puts a whole new spin on the series.

Written By Sam

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Last Saturday the Te Awamutu Reds went to Glenview Park to play Peachgrove in a knock-out cup game. If we won we would progress to the semi-finals. As we played a very good Peachgrove side that morning we were expecting a big challenge. But our fears went unfounded as they weren’t a very strong side. We started off poorly not managing to score mainly because all of their players were defending. But eventually we put a few in. At half time we got a yelling and were told to pick up our game but Peachgrove managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth. By full time we managed only to put in 7 goals. Peachgrove defended valiantly and held us off. We were disappointed with this effort and it goes to show that as long as you have the right attitude you can do anything.

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2 weeks ago around 80 students from TAI went up to Belmount for the sports exchange. I went up with the soccer team which consisted of Me, Gareth, Liam, Jayden B, Jayden H, Stanley, James, Isaac, Richard, Brian and Lorne. Between our schools we have never won against Belmount. So obviously the Belmount team are good and we knew we would have to put up a fight if we were to beat them. We started well but they managed to score early, 1-0. Luckily we had some tricks up our sleeves and managed to come back 1-1. But just before the second half they scored again 2-1. We started the second half all a little tired and let in a goal to make it 3-1. With the final whistle about to go we managed to score again to make the final score 3-2. We were all tired by the end and disappointed with final result but glad that we put up a fight.

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Long, long ago on a nice friendly island not far off the coast of
Mexico there lived an old chef. Life was good for the chef. He had retired with his wife and moved to this nice quiet island. But his baking days were far from over. This old chef had a dream. He wanted to create a life-like man made out of wheat bread. And he did just that. He started by putting wheat into a pot. After that he added some spices and a little bit of love……..You get the idea. 3 ½ hours later he was done. As simple as that. He opened the oven door to see his masterpiece. To his own amazement he was perfect. He looked exactly like a person, except 1/8th the size. Ok so he looked more like an elf, an elf made of wheat-bread. But we’ll just pretend he’s a man. “Hello?” the old chef asked the Wheatbreadman. Wheatbreadman looked up into the old chefs eyes. They sat there for a minute gazing deeply into each others eyes. Then out of nowhere Wheatbreadman much to the shock of the chef he leaped out the oven, kicked the chef in the shin and sprinted out the door. You see the thing is that the old man thoughtlessly and foolishly added essence of pure evil into the mix. Wheatbreadman was evil. He ran around town infuriating all the residents.

First he bumped into the old chef’s wife who was happily working away in the garden. The old lady turned around “Why hello there little guy. You startled me”. Wheatbreadman started growling and baring his teeth. “What’s the matter little fella?” the old wife asked nicely. Wheatbreadman pushed her out of the way and started attacking the garden ferociously. Flowers and leaves were flying everywhere. Wheatbreadman pushed the lady over again with one final push and fled off down the road. The old wife sat there on the ground, covered in dust and dirt completely and utterly devastated.

Next he bumped into two cows grazing happily in a field. They both looked up at him. “Mmmm he looks nice James” said one cow to another. “Do you think we can eat him?” asked the second. “I don’t know but I’m gonna try”. The first cow jumped at Wheatbreadman. He jumped to the side and kicked him in the leg. Luckily the second cow was a black belt in karate. He came flying at Wheatbreadman narrowly missing his head with a side kick. Wheatbreadman did not like this. He grabbed the cows udder and pulled. The cow stumbled and fell over the other cow, who was lying down and enjoying the fight. Wheatbreadman took advantage of this and ran off. “We’ve got to get him” said the first cow. “We?” asked the second cow. “You just sat there and watched!”

Meanwhile, Wheatbreadman was off at the kindergarten. He stormed in through the front door. One of the teachers approached him. “Hello sir, are you here to see one of the children or are you just visiting?” she asked. “Just so you know some of these kids are orphans and you can take them for a minimal wage”. Wheatbreadman ignored her and walked in anyway. To his left he noticed a little room with children in cages, apparently all for sale. He walked over to the mat which was fenced off so the kids couldn’t escape. In this cage there were little bowls of water with each kids name on them. There was a sign on it that read “Bargain Bin. High quality kids for a low quality price”. The children were writing on a poor quality blackboard. He went straight for a red-head kid and picked him up. He headed out the door. The teacher followed. “Sir, are you going to pay for that?” Wheatbreadman pulled one dollar and ninety-nine cents out of his “pants” and threw it to her. Even Wheatbreadman had to agree that it was a great price, he’d seen cheap kids before but this was exceptional. He started walking off. “Mr Bread” asked the kid politely. “Where are you taking me?” “You look funny” “Can I eat you?” “What are you made of?” “Do you have friends” “How old are you” Wheatbreadman started getting agitated. “Why do you look angry?” “Why didn’t I cost much money to buy” “You’re holding me too tightly” “You’re kind of fat” That was it. Wheatbreadman couldn’t take anymore of this cruel, cruel punishment. He threw the kid in a river. A fox who was swimming past noticed the boy. “Hey” it said “I think you dropped your kid” Wheatbreadman ignored him as he does most people. “Do you want it back?” “Hey! You threw him in here on purpose didn’t you?” Wheatbreadman stopped and looked at the fox. Then he noticed something over the other side of the river. It was a bakery. Ever since his birth Wheatbreadman had dreamed of being in a bakery. His bread brothers and sisters were off having fun at a bakery while he was stuck stealing kids and whatnot. He needed to get over there.

“Hey fox” for the first time in his life Wheatbreadman talked “Get me across the river”. The fox realised Wheatbreadmans desperate situation and thought maybe it could take advantage. “Sure buddy just come here and hop on my back”. Wheatbreadman had no idea what sort of danger he was in. As he walked over a large hoof was placed on his shoulder holding him back. He turned around and realised he was face to face with the black belt cow again. Wheatbreadman took no chances and jumped straight onto the fox’s back. “Step on it foxy!” The fox swam as fast as its little paws would take it but it was no use. The cow jumped into the water and landed on both of them. Wheatbreadman was forced under. “Nooooo I’m shrinking!” screamed Wheatbreadman, but he screams were masked by the churning waters. It was true he was getting smaller and smaller by the second. He desperately needed out of the water. He pathetically “swam” (it looked more like he was having a heart attack) his way to the waters edge. He clambered ashore and started coughing up water. By now he was only the size of a small book. “You!” he opened his eyes and saw the old chef’s wife staring straight at him. “You wrecked my garden!” Wheatbreadman noticed a stick lying next to him. “My only passion, the one thing in my life I actually enjoyed”. Wheatbreadman thought to himself “if only I could get that stick to defend myself with”. The old chef’s wife continued “You wrecked it and now you’ll pay”. Sensing a real danger Wheatbreadman reached for the stick he thought he could pull off some of his crouching tiger, hidden dragon moves that he learnt from a video this one time. Unfortunately it was too late. The old lady stood on him……

At the funeral there were great celebrations. The kindergarten children had been let out of their cages and onto leashes for the day and decorated the streets with drawings. The old chef had been up all night baking a huge purple cake. The old chef’s wife had scattered flowers all over the roads. There was a marching band and acrobats. The red-head kid had been returned to the kindergarten and his price had been upped a little due to his experiences. Even the circus rolled into town. The elephants marched past and one of them tripped on the cake and crushed the coffin. Nobody seemed to care.

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This term I am going to……

-Not get distracted by others and stay focused on class work.
-Use a thesaurus alot more than last term in my english.
-Look for quality not speed in work.
-Put more effort into perfecting my work.
-In maths check that I have made no errors and rule off everyday.
-Work well with my partner/group in inquiry or visual language.
-Proof read everything that I write thoroughly and effectively.

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This Term I am going to……

-Spend more time perfecting the base of my work not the “frills”.
-Spend more time at home completing work and not leaving it do last second at school.
-Work well with my partner at inquiry.
-Do more to help my group in Future Problem Solving.
-Complete all of my maths without error.
-Read criteria sheets more carefully so that I have a good idea on what is expected from my work.
-Take more risks with my english work instead of playing it safe.

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Jumping at every movement, Disappointment was always a sensitive child. Though quite intelligent he was not into physical contact or taking risks, he liked playing it safe. At school he sat at the back of the class, paying attention but not getting involved. He occasionally felt like saying something but didn’t have the confidence to. His parents Expectant and Harsh try to help him gain confidence but its no use. His friends were Shyness and Mellow. They got on well with each other, even if they didn’t quite understand each other. Disappointment never got into trouble because he was very careful and thought ahead. If he did happen get into trouble he would be severely punished by his father.

Skinny and short, Disappointment was hardly noticed. Most people you ask wouldn’t know who he was, until you show them a picture and they recognise his messy blonde hair, and brow eyes. His family was quite wealthy so he had good clothes. He didn’t care much for clothes because he is one of those people who believed what’s on the inside counts the most. He was treated well as a child, he got what he wanted when he wanted. And in return his parents expected big from him.

Growing up his parents paid for him to go to University to study law. It was his life dream ever since being a kid to be a doctor. But his parents wanted him to continue in the family business. His professors didn’t see any talent in him and he went to graduate with low self esteem. He managed to get a job in a lawyers firm and he was never confident enough in his abilities. Eventually his lack of confidence lost him his job.

Within months he was in too much debt and his house was sold against his will, along with all his stuff. He had lost contact with his parents. As an unemployed adult with no real life skills, friends or self esteem he was bankrupt and alone. He has no home no friends and no life all because he had no self esteem or confidence, and didn’t follow his dreams.

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I decided to read this book to catch me up with Harry Potter because the newest book in the series is being released in the near future.

This book is the 6th in the series of Harry Potter. This one is based around the death eaters who have been wreaking havoc all over Britain. Harry discovers the pensieve (A device that stores the user’s memories) in Professor Dumbledore’s office and travels back in time through Dumbledore’s memories. It was this part of the book that had me confused me the most. The rest of the book is about Harry trying to discover a few mysteries that pop up in the plot. For example to find out who the Half-Blood Prince is.

The size of the book was a real put off. I had my doubts wondering if it was going to drag on and on. Luckily my doubts were silenced. The book was captivating and just managed to keep me holding on right until the end. With most books I find them really hard to get into but this one started really strongly (I won’t spoil it by telling you). The characters as always in the series are very lifelike and realistic in everything they do. This book has some quite advanced language and had me reaching for the dictionary.
The plot did get quite confusing in some parts because Harry kept going back in time and you wouldn’t understand it if you hadn’t read the books before it. It gets really interesting near the end with betrayals and the death of a main character.

Overall I found this book a good read and if had a read the Book before it closer to the time this one was released I would of understood it better. I recommend this book to people aged 10+ because of the plot that requires thought and the language is quite advanced.

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