Let me tell you something.... By Kezia

  Let me tell you something. It all started when my family and I were sitting beside the toast warm fire at our crib in Omarama talking about how it was due to snow.

“I want to make a snowman!” Liam said

“I am staying inside drawing comics” Phoebe yelled from her bed. (Yes she was still in her bed at 10:00am.)

Then: 

“Look!” Liam shouted, and we all glanced out the window wondering what Liam was pointing at. And sure enough, little snow flurries, not sleet, not hail, were falling from the sky above. We watched it fall as it grew heavier, and the air grew colder outside. Within 10 minutes of staring out the window in shock, Phoebe, Liam and I were all outside all wrapped up in our winter woolies in springtime, throwing snowballs at each other, and screaming. My siblings made a little 30cm snowman that reached my knee height. (not even that) and we all were so happy to not be cooped up inside. My Mum took so many photos,that I thought her phone would burst. The snow kept falling, my siblings and I hurried  inside because our fingers were turning purple. We went in, threw our jackets on the floor and went to sit beside the fire. All was silent as we watched the snow fall in awe. It was now 11 in the morning and I was upstairs reading when Dad turned on the radio and the first thing we heard was:

“Extreme weather warning in place for South Canterbury New Zealand! I repeat Extreme weather warning in place! Heavy snow as high as 5 metres above ground! All residents are advised to stay where they are as long as this carries on for. Do not leave your home under any condition.” 

I looked at Mum. Mum looked at me. Phoebe looked at the next page of her comic book. We all broke into immediate panic. We were trapped.  

100 wc

 

100 wc 

By Kezia

It all started on an overcast, average Saturday when I was biking food over to my Nan´s house for her to put in her soup and salad. This consisted of apples, pumpkins and a few lemons. 

¨Don´t let any of them drop out Kezia, I know what you´re like!” my Mum instructed.

I sighed.

¨Don´t worry, I will be careful¨ and then, I set off on my journey. Around the block. On the way to my Nan´s, a particular hay bale caught my eye. I was sure I could see a $20 note. I parked my old rickety bike on the ground and stupidly, jumped into the hay bail, my legs stuck out and knocked over my bike. I realised that what I saw in the hay was just a dew drop from the night before. And that folks is how I ended up in a cast for 4 weeks. 

Novel study reflection

Reflection

 Today I finished my Novel study book called Whale Pot Bay by Des hunt. I would recommend this book to ages about 11+ Because there was 1 swear word and there are quite a few challenging words. I loved this book because the plot was so creative and It was relatable at times. This book was about a boy called Jake that lives in  a small New Zealand  town/village (yay) in the North island with his Dad. They have a really good father-son bond. Then one day his Dad´s friend and her daughter come to stay and him and Vicky ( the lady) could potentially get married. Stephanie ( The daughter) and Jake don't get along, but when a terrifying event occurs involving a whale and 2 very evil men, Jake, His Dad, Stephanie and Vicky have to band together to save a whale and her calf. If you are looking for a good read, not to hard not to easy, then this is the book for you. 

Let me know if you´ve read it and you live in New Zealand! Thanks for reading this post, Bye

~Kezia~

Why should we have homework? By Kezia

 

To Mrs Healy,

I strongly believe that there should be homework at Oamaru Intermediate School. Having been an OIS student for 1 and a half years, I feel it is now my duty to tell you that homework would benefit me and my peers with our learning. I hope to convince you that this is the right thing to do for your students, and that you begin re-negotiations to change this. What better way to prepare kids for High school?

Firstly, High school has a lot of homework and we need to be prepared for it. There will be kids that go to high school, and get overwhelmed by too much of it for every subject. This can result in low grades, flunking out, or worse- not achieving their dream job. If OIS had homework, we’d have a better reputation than we already have! Surely you want us to achieve better grades and learn with purpose like our school value states? Studies show that homework improves academic achievement with tests, assessments and the likelihood to attend University. 

Secondly, we don’t have a lot of time in class. Roughly, we only get around 3 hours learning a day. That’s about 12 hours a week, excluding Fridays, because then we have modules, PE and Assembly. That’s not much time in class. But if we had homework, we would be learning more every day. For example, the teacher could send out a google slide including all of our Homework for the week, just like we had in Lockdown. There could be a bit of Maths, Reading and Writing activities that we could choose from. Another good idea would be that classrooms have a self-checking system, where the teacher puts the answers on the wall at the back of the class and students could mark their own homework, so that there isn’t any added pressure on the teacher for extra books to mark. 

 

Lastly, there are many skills that are crucial for later on in life that students are learning from this, such as independence and time management. I know our teacher really wants us to be learning independently, and this is probably the best way to do so. We aren't around friends or distractions, and we are where we are usually most comfortable- home. This will be a great way to extend our knowledge and ability to manage our time and self. We will be managing our own time by prioritizing our homework getting finished, not playing video games instead. If there is a prize for those who finish homework, the others would learn to finish their homework so they get a prize as well. 

In summary, These are all the reasons why I truly believe that Oamaru Intermediate School should have homework, as it would prepare us for high school, extend daily learning time, and teach us useful skills for later on in life. Please consider the points I have made in this letter carefully. I look forward to hearing your response. 

Sincerely,

Kezia

100 word challenge (138 word challenge )

                           Water        Frozen      Striped       Rubber    Excited

¨Bye sweetie have a great day!¨ Mum said cheerfully.

¨Muumm!¨ Don't embarrass me¨" 12 year old Katie said as she slammed the car door.

It was a typical winter Tuesday morning in Oamaru,  the water in the gutter frozen and the sky overcast and grey. Katie walked to class alone, she didn't have many people to hangout with. Well, there was Emily in her class, but she didn't really count. Katie was happy by herself, as her Dad always said: 

¨It's better to have your own comfort¨ 

As she got closer to the gates, her only view was people in stripes, which is their school uniform. The rubber that Katie always fiddled with bounced against her lunchbox in her school bag. Katie was just busy trying to remember the date of cross country, when she saw it......

*Comment down below if you have to wear uniform at your school! *

How do humans get pimples? By Kezia

 How do humans get pimples? 

Almost 8 in 10 people have pimples, including some adults. Everyone at some point in their life gets them. The formation of pimples occur when oil glands become clogged. Your body sends blood-turning the bump red- and immune cells to the germs lurking in the blockage, sucking them all up. Pimples are natural, and they have their own cycle to complete. 

Firstly, pimples form due to the hair follicle in your skin that contains sebaceous glands. These glands make an oil called sebum, that liquid rises through to the surface and moisturises your hair and skin. Usually, the glands produce the correct amount of sebum, but as you hit puberty, your hormones stimulate the rate of sebum produced.

Secondly, the glands release sebum inside the pores, at the same time, new skin cells are also growing as well, shedding the outer layers of skin. Sometimes, these skin cells are not shed and block the pores, meaning that the extra amount of sebum is stuck inside. That then forms a bump around it. because the sebum provides food for bacteria, they start to build their colonies in it and start to multiply, causing an infection! 

Lastly, Our body quickly reacts by sending blood and immune cells to fight it. The blood turns the infected area red and the immune cells attack the bacteria, eliminating them. This all results in the swelling and formation of a pimple. There are ways to help reduce the amount of pimples that appear on your face such as washing your face day and night. An interesting fact is that the population of around 1200 kitavan islanders in Papua, New Guinea reported no pimples at all! And it was the same case in the Aiche tribe in Paraguay. Researchers think that this is because of their diet, which is entirely free from refined sugar, and processed foods. 

In conclusion, the cycle of the development of pimples happens naturally, and you shouldn't panic and try to pop them. I hope you have learnt more about how and why humans get pimples.  

By Kezia

How do plants transpire?- Kezia

How do plants transpire?

All plants, from the smallest weed to the tallest tree need water. They can transpire in 2 different ways. By being stiff with water pressure, the plants can transpire faster. They let out vapour by the opening on the special pores on the leaves. Transpiration plays a  crucial role in Earth's water cycle, by helping us survive and providing us with fresh air to breath in, and help us function.

The first step in the transpiration process is when water enters the roots from the soil. These roots work like when we are using a straw and our mouths suck up the water going against gravity. That is exactly like the roots. The water travels from the soil where the rainwater has soaked into, to the roots. In Autumn and Winter, plants don't have high transpiration rates due to the fact that there are less leaves on the tree than Summer and Spring. When there is more rain and moisture on earth's surface, some of it can soak into the ground while leftover water starts the water cycle. Roots that are growing underground in soil that is packed with too much open  water may die because they can't get the amount of oxygen they need to function normally. 

The next stage in the process is when the water molecules travel through the xylem tubes; long hollow tubes that are actually dead and empty. These tubes are actually located inside the tree or plant trunk. The xylem tubes are held up by complex organic large molecules or polymers. These molecules are called lignin. When the oxygen and water molecules are traveling upwards, they are actually going against gravity, attached to each other by a slight electric charge that helps them go that direction. A potometer measures the rate of transpiration and is an airtight seal between the plant and the water filled tubes. 

The last step is when the molecules reach the end of the tree, and exit the leaves’s surface through the stomata-microscopic pores that are almost identical to the ones we have on our faces. As soon as the water leaves the stomata, it evaporates into water vapour that will be removed by moving air. If the stomata is closed photosynthesis cannot happen and the plant could starve and die.

In conclusion, plants need water to survive, function and help us live. This amazing cycle is called transpiration and is the reason why we are all here today. I hope you have learnt more about this wonderful cycle.