Haka Waiata

Haka Waiata has been celebrated in Tamaki Intermediate for years! We have come together as houses and represented ourselves through song and dance. Magnificently, all the 2012 students competed in our first but final Haka Waiata ever.

Saturday 27th October 2012, excited children were getting ready, ready to perform our little hearts out. All across the school red, blue, green and yellow clad kids went into their designated costume areas, sweating from the days worth of sports. In Hard Materials, Calliope and Leander got ready for a performance of a lifetime. In the Food Tech room, Achilles got ready and next door in Room 14, Orpheus got ready.

Slowly as time dribbled by, everyone took their seats in the hall. Every person in the hall exuded enthusiasm and very slowly everyone was cloaked in silence.

Miss Waetford off this momentous occasion introducing the school and houses. Then our head girl Irasa got up and said the awesomest ending karakia! Finally Miss Waetford gladly introduced the first contestant, Calliope!

Calliope's performance was stupefying. With the girls and boys dances taking away our breaths and their Latin dance was simply awe inspiring. And to top it off Tatiana did the most astonishing solo dance.

Next to perform was Orpheus. And even with just one girl there, Sharon and her boys done magnificently. Sharon showed fierce determination when performing the girls and solo by herself then also doing the mixed. but luckily the Achilles girls got up and supported their friend.

After this was Leander. It was terrifying getting up and doing a karanga. But after things started to heat up we all got into th move of things. Backstage everyone was frantic, there were clothes and jewelery going everywhere but when we got back on stage we were stars.

Last to perform was Achilles. Their items were amazing. Everyone was smiling except of course in the haka. Tamika's solo was breathtaking and the boys were awesome. The girls danced and smiled their way into our hearts and stayed with us throughout the whole performance.

After all the acts were over and finished Miss Waetford excused the judges to collaborate and decide who our grand winner would be.

The judges came back in and everyone sat up in anticipation. There were many prizes to be given and every house got at least one. But finally the Haka Waiata winners are... Calliope! Every house clapped in appreciation and Calliope stood up screaming and shouting.

At the end of the evening when everyone was heading home, every Tamaki Intermediate student held their heads high and walked out the gate laughing, joking and smiling.

This Year

As the 2011 end of year holidays came to an end, I very excitedly prepared for the coming year of school.

When I came to school on the first day at the beginning of the year I was ecstatic. I rushed to my friends and gave them massive hugs. We hurriedly told each other what we got up to in the holidays before the bell rang. We rushed to the hall to have an assembly.

As we settled into our seats Miss Waetford talked to us. She gave us the usual talk and checked for broken body limbs then we were put into our classes.

I was put in Room 12. I was so happy to be in Room 12 because it is the extension class. And to make it better we were given two teachers per class. I was lucky enough to get Mrs Raj and Mrs Parker-Tofa! They are the best teachers in the school.

As the first term drew on, we did the usual tests and assessments. Then we started in our Swimming. The lessons were great, Miss Curran was a brilliant swimming instructor and she helped us to learn new and different techniques. Then to reward us for our brilliant efforts we had a swimming carnival. It was fabulous to compete in races, and we also got a free time.

Something else that was awesome was our school sleepover. We got to cook our own dinner and we also watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I had a lot of fun and everyone got closer as a school and as friends.

Term two was a blast! The best thing that I remember was the the DARE Programme. We all learnt ways to keep ourselves safe from Drugs and Alcohol. But in doing so we also had a lot of intriguing fun!

In Term three we did an amazing amount of fun things. But one thing that really caught my attention was our Olympics. Not only did we have an Opening Ceremony but we also had games. Over a series of weeks we got to compete and win our countries medals. Then at the end your class got to have the whole amount. Room 12 ended up with the most medals, ten in all.

Something we all had a lot of fun at was our Wellington trip. We all fundraised as classes to go to our capital city for a week. It was awesome to go and a lot of us had our first experience on a plane. We visited many places including Parliament, Te Papa and the Weta Cave.

And finally this term, it has only just started but we have already had fun. A lot of our tests have started happening. But we got to participate in Haka Waiata. It was fun. All of our families came and for the afternoon we played sports games and Ziggy Marley. Calliope gladly won Haka Waiata but we all learnt that Leander is the best.

This year I had lots of fun. But to make things sad it is our last year. We are a legacy now that Tamaki Intermediate is closing. We have all had fun and now that school is nearly to an end we are all closer than family.

My Holidays By Maria

I enjoyed my holidays but the best thing that I did was go to Pukekohe. I went because I was going with my family to meet up with my other two sisters.

We went on the last Friday of the holidays and the day was hot. My family and I drove for ages. Then finally we got to the house.

We got out of the car and I ran straight to my little sister Darleen. I hugged her then hugged my Aunty Polly.

My mum was really happy because when my big sister Jessica arrived with her care giver, seven out of eight of her children were there.

I hugged my big sister Jessica, then we all started playing kicks. The baby Leonardo got hit in the face with a ball. And then he tackled my little brother Anaru.

Then we played a small game of Held. Jessica plays a lot of sports so when she accidentally tackled her care giver "Chonch" her shoulder dislocated.

After all this we had a feed then kept playing.

Going to Puke was a great day for me, not only is it hot but I learnt that nearly everyone has a dog.

Olympic Final by Maria

Olympic Final

Tense moments at Tamaki Intermediate School as everyone sat waiting for results. Earlier on in the day competitions had been held. And this is what happened.

The first contest final was Frisbee. The competing teams were, America, Jamaica and China. It was a nail biting much but in the end Jamaica won, China came second and America came third.

The next contest was egg and spoon- it was a close match. South Africa came out the champions.

Lastly a special surprise from the teachers. Sprints! It was crazy. Each country selected their fastest runners. Tamika, Huriana, Catalina, and every other girl and boys run their hardest it was a close match. But Tamika tied with Huriana for first place for the girls. And Jimmy won for the boys.

I would like to say thank you to all the teachers for their awesome organization and their work. I wish I could see that momentous event again. It was so fun and everyone was enjoying themselves so much. It was a fabulous moment for our school.

Synchronized Swimming by Maria

Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized Swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics and dance. It is a routine done by either a solo, duet, trio, combo or team. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater.

When performing routines or in practice swimmers wear nose clips to stop water from entering their noses. Some competitors wear ear plugs to help stop water from entering the ears. Hair is put in a bun and a type of gelatin is put over it called Knox to stop the hair from falling out. Competitors also wear costumes and head pieces that are custom made to reflect the music and swimming routine. The costume and head piece do not effect the judges score but if the head piece falls off during the routine points will be taken off. Heavy make up is often worn to help portray emotion in the dance. Underwater speakers are used so that the swimmers can hear the music and keep in sync with each other. These speakers are also used when the coach would need to communicate with the swimmers. Goggles are not usually worn in swimming but if the swimmer has a chlorine allergy then the judges will usually make an exception.

Basic skills you will need in Synchro Swimming is first Sculls. Sculls are used to help move the body around underwater. The most common scull used is the support scull. It is when a swimmer moves the arms back and forth to help keep the body able when up side down. It is used if you are doing leg movements above water with your body underwater. The eggbeater kick is also another important part of Synchro. It is when you are kicking the water underwater to keep your torso and arms above water. You usually use this when you are doing arm movements. And then there are lifts it is when a team will use egg beater kicks to help lift a fellow team member out of the water. There are also hundreds more positions that Synchro swimmers use to help there routine.

1. In a Synchronized Swimming contest one would first enter the arena and bow. Your face has to be smiling all the time and your body has to be straight and poised.

2. Then you take your position at the side of the pool and dive. You may get into your starting position or start straight from the dive.

3. As the music plays through you have to perform your routine perfectly and you must portray emotions extravagantly.

4. After your routine is finished you stay in your finishing pose for a while then you are free to get out of the pool.

5. The judges will then decide on a score.

Judges score out of 100%, with 50% being for artistry and 50% being for technicality. The judges will also deduct points if you mess up the routine or miss steps and if the performers aren't exactly in time.

Synchronized Swimming is a lot of hard work. Months of training go into one competition's performance and swimmers try their hardest all the time. Diets and training, costume fittings and worldwide competitions are all apart of a Synchronized Swimmer's regular day.

My moment of Excellence

Applause is all I could hear. Clapping, laughing, I was so happy. As I sat in my chair waiting for that one award. The Sharpe Cup! I had worked hard all year, aiming for the best in everything I done. The word for it was excellence.

As the awards rolled past, I began to ache with anticipation. There were so many other students who could have earned that award. Then the dreaded announcement, the winner for the 2011 Sharpe Cup is, Maria!!!

I rose to my feet, so excited, thrilled that I could be given the honor to receive this immaculate award. I worked and worked each day leading up to this momentous event, Prize-giving. As I walked up to the stage, I let out a sigh of relief, it had happened.

I shook the teacher's hands and faced the audience. I could see my parents faces beaming with pride. My little brothers and sisters jumping up and down. My photo was taken and I sat down I was so happy!

That day was brilliant not only did I receive an award but I also was given inspiration to go for School Dux and be the absolute best I can be. I will take this moment with for the rest of my life.

My Dream Car!!!

My Dream Car!!!!

Well, my dream car is a black Mustang Convertible, with lime green and gold graphics. The graphics will be hand painted by a professional artist. Then the final layer will be so clean and clear that the sun will sparkle off it.

My car's tyres and rims will be so flash that no one will know what hit them. My tyres will be lime green so that when you go full out you will see green smoke. The rims will be solid gold with five carat diamonds implanted in them.

Now something special about my car is that the exhaust pipe blows bubbles. This will surely surprise road users.

My special motor is awesome. It is more trustworthy then any other motor invented. It'll be able to rich speeds higher then any other motor on earth. It'll also be super light with more power. And an extra touch is that it will have chrome piping.

Next a cool feature? My grill will be able to come off and be replaced with another.

On the inside it will be black leather interior. Even the floor will be black leather.

But with the black it will be really hot. So I am installing a super charged air conditioner, by every seat.

Some of the extras in the car will be a 10 inch touch screen TV monitor in the front centre console. There will also be a flat screen in the back so that the family can watch DVD's. Also the sound system will be loud, actually so loud that the car will bounce. It'll be so loud, it will blow people's ear drums out.

The last important thing about my car is that the car will run on biofuel. It is fuel that is good for the enviroment.

This is my car. It wll be fun for my family and I but will also get us where we need to go.That is why this is my car.

By Maria

Year Recount

Year Recount

Oh my gosh, I can just remember my first day of intermediate at Tamaki Intermediate School. I was really, really excited but a little bit nervous because I just finished being the oldest in a primary school and now I was back to being the youngest. But I also realised that intermediate would open a whole lot of new opportunities and experiences!

During the first week I got to meet a lot of people, and who knew I was going to become good friends with them. Well on my first day which was one day late bcause I had a sore stomach, I walked into school feeling really shy but then who did I see, the one and only Shaye! I had all ready known Shaye from the year before so we ran to each and I was finally excited. Then we had to go to an assembly in the hall. I was put in Mrs Bailey's class, Room 5. It was the class for the students that preferred to be taught in Bilingual. During the days that I was in Room5 all we did was tests and played games that helped us get to know each other. The game that we played the most was Donut. On the day that we got our technology groups, it was really confusing. You see there was a mix up with Maria in Room 12 and myself. It turned out that from all the tests, Room 5 was split up into Room 2, 3 and 12.

The most boring thing about that whole term was tests, tests, tests, tests and more..... TESTS! One thing that I loved doing was swimming. We did this in Term One at the Panmure Swimming Pools. Everyone done this in Gender and Year. It was really fun.

Then we had Term 1 Holidays. That was a relief.

Then Term Two started. We all found out that we were going to be studying Unity in Diversity. We also found out that during the term we were going to do a Cultural Catwalk type thing. We would have to walk down the middle of the hall with a costume from our culture. Well before we done that we had to study different cultres and find differences and stuff that was the same. It was so interesting. We found out things like in Samoa and Tonga they have the same food as Maori. That was really interesting to find out.

Well when we did the cat walk it was really funny. You could see all these cultures and they were really cool to look at. When ever A different culture walked out a song from their culture played. That was a really fun day.

One more exhilarating thing that happened to Room 3 was, wait for it... We got our netbooks!!!!!

That term was as usual really, really educating and quite fun. Then as we had earned it, the holdays!!! YAYYYYY!!!!

Wow! Term Three all ready!

Well in Term 3 we learnt all about Rugby World Cup. At school we also held a Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony! This involved A series of games and a huge competition that with a huge effort Room 1 won.

Back to normal in class we were learning all about the Rugby World Cup and it's countries and history. It was very good information to learn because you never know when a Rugby World Cup TEST might come along.

Hmmmmmm, what else happened, oh yes, Room 3 was given a huge suprise when we found out that we were getting a student teacher, Mrs Soutar. With Mrs Soutar in class we all had a lot of fun because Mrs Parker was given a break and Mrs Soutar was really funny. She also introduced the Chance Box to Room 3.

One more really fun thing that we got to do in Term 3 was that we got to do the filming for the Manaiakalani Film Festival!!!!!! The whole class got to go to Sylvia Park to film for our short film doing a haka in front of absolute strangers. And another thing is that we got the opportunity to be on these absolute strangers phones! How brilliant! Not. But anyways it was really cool and we got an opportunity to represent our school in public.

Wow, what a term so I suppose that, that means we get a holiday! YAY, YAY, YAAAAAY!!!

Now, Term 4 what is in store for us this term, aha, don't tell me end of year tests! But also other stuff like EOTC. Oh my gosh I am so excited! And also the chance to send off our Year Eights to the big world and wish them well at college. So that also means Prize Giving. Well who wouldn't like that??? Certainly not me!!! I am so happy, happy, happy!

Now since I have explained the terms, let me quickly explain to you the extras.

Just so you know during this year Tamaki Intermediate has been told some bad news, that we will be shutting down at the end of 2012. But do you know what that means? It means next year we have to have the best year of our lives.

Something else is that Tamaki Intermediate and our awesomely athletic pupils have been doing really well at sports. With awesome coaches and students why wouldn't we be?

This year we have also had Choir and Kapa Haka. I am in both of these and I can say that Kapa Haka is working brilliantly at earning money for their trip and Choir has been practising so hard for our APPA Choir Show in Auckland City. I am so excited because I get to do the Karanga for the National Anthem!

Wow! what a year I am so glad I came to Tamaki Intermediate School for Year 7 because of brilliant friends, teachers and learning what else cold be better? Well, special thanks to everyone especially staff for making this year fantastic for not only myself but also everyone else too.

holidays

My Holidays

Well, well, well, what a lot of emotions that I have felt during the Term 3 Holidays! Some of the emotions I felt were relief, boredom, excitement, anger, happiness, sadness and of course panic! With this recount on my holidays you will get to experience some of the emotions that I went through, so here goes.

One of the very first emotions I had was relief. I felt this because of course after a long term of school work I got to have a two week holiday, and really, who wouldn't want that?

Then I started to boredom, why this was, was because the next few days were really, really, really boring. All I got to do as watch TV and play outside. How boring, boring, boring!

But then things started to liven up. My sister who I had only seen once ever in my life was coming to Auckland. And with this news I was over the moon excited! Before we got to see her though, my Dad, my Mum, my brother and I went to the Waikato River. It was really weird there the tide was so high if you stepped off the grass into the water it would be already up to your knees. My brother and I saw this house on an island in the middle of the river. It was run down and looked more like a playground but my dad told us a story about it. He said that a man once lived there and he used to put out traps to stop the police from coming to get him off the island. That was really funny. Anyways we ended up not doing anything because it was so deep, so we packed up and drove to my nan’s place.

When we went to my nan’s, I felt really delighted to get to see my sister. Over the next couple of days we all played games like Ninja, Tag, Soccer etc. But when it was time for her to go back to Martin I felt a little bit sad.

The last week of the holidays went by in a blurrrrrrrrrrrrr. But on the very last day of the holidays my family and I went to St Heliers and tried to build sandcastles. It was really fun.

I had an excellent holiday, it was fun with all the ups and downs of any regular holidays. So that was my Term 3, and I hope that you enjoyed reading about it.

By Maria

Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony by Maria

Tamaki Intermediate's Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony!

Wow! What a day, rugby, face paint and flags who wouldn't want that! Well if you want to know what I am talking about keep reading! Everything started on Friday 9th of September 2011. Tamaki Intermediate was having a RWC Opening Ceremony and the whole school was taking part. Every class had a country to support. Room 3 had New Zealand, Room 2 had Australia, Room 12 had France, Room 1 had South Africa, Room 7 had Fiji and Room 8 were staunch supporters of Tonga.

When it was late in the morning the school walked down to the courts outside of the hall and lined up. We were all busying ourselves by trying to be the very best supporter of each country. While this was happening the teachers took a lot of photos. Then it was time to go inside of the hall and be seated.

Our class went in first because we were hosting the real Rugby World Cup. While each country walked a song from their country played. It was really fun while this was happening because a lot of people were dancing and they were jumping up and down. Then it was time to settle down. Next, Mike said a speech, he started off in Samoan then went on in English. We all went quiet, then Mike, to officially start off the games, kicked a rugby ball balloon, and the games begun.

Everyone started to drift to the field and then every class got behind the seat that said their country name on and then we started!

There was a few games that were held. First there was Chip and Chase. The objective of this game was to chip the ball with your toes then chase it down the field. This was also played as a relay. A group of kids from our class did this, I think that they were excellent and they tried their hardest.

Then there was also a Chant Challenge, this was where each class represented their country by doing a chant. Our class did a Haka. We were really loud and were proud to have Lika and Vea represent us and be the leaders. In that challenge we were victorious!

Another activity was the Dan Carter Kick and Catch. The objective of this game was to have one person kick the ball and another catch. Vaolele and Jeffrey were dynamite, even though we dropped the ball a bit.

The last challenge was the Scrum. You had to be pretty strong to do this because it took a lot of pushing. I was really proud of our class because some people got hurt but they kept trying. With a lot of effort, Australia won this.

In the last few minutes a lot of suspense wasin the air. We were waiting, biting our nails, shaking in our skin, nervous.

Then the judges went off and counted up the scores. Now the moment we were waiting for, who will be declared Tamaki Intermediate's Rugby World Cup Champion? In third place... Australia! In second place, equal... France and... New Zealand! And in first place... The new World Champions, South Africa! Then the loudest shout in the history of World Cups arose from the students of Tamaki Intermediate.

On this day I had a lot of fun. It was great watching and taking part of the tournament. Playing the games was really fun, my favourite was the Chant Challenge. It was brilliant and I know that for Room 3 to come second with Room 12 would have taken a lot of effort. It was on outstanding experience and I wish that we could have it again. Maybe it will be the lucky year for New Zealand, to reclaim their cup!

Tamaki Intermediate's Rugby World Cup!!!

Tamaki Intermediate's Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony!

Wow! What a day, rugby, face paint and flags who wouldn't want that! Well if you want to know what I am talking about keep reading! Everything started on Friday 9th of September 2011. Tamaki Intermediate was having a RWC Opening Ceremony and the whole shool was taking part. Every class had a country to support. Room 3 had New Zealand, Room 2 had Australia, Room 12 had France, Room 1 had South Africa, Room 7 had Fiji and Room 8 was playing as Tonga.

When it was late in the morning the school walked down to the courts outside of the hall and lined up. We were all busying ourselves by trying to be the very best supporter of each country. While this was happening the teachers took a lot of photos. Then it was time to go inside of the hall and be seated.

Our class went in first because we were hosting the real Rugby World Cup. While each country walked into the hall a song from their country played. It was really fun when this was happening because a lot of people were dancing and they were jumping up and down. Then it was time to settle down. Next, Mike said an opening speech, he started off in Samoan then went on in English. We all went quiet, then Mike, to officially start off the games, kicked a rugby ball balloon, and the games begun!!!!

Everyone started to drift to the field and then every class got behind the seat that said their country name on and then we started!

There was a few games that were held. First there was Chip and Chase. The object of this game was to chip the ball with your toes then chase it down the field. This was also played as a relay. A group of kids from our class did this, I think that they were excellent and they tried their hardest.

Then there was also a Chant Challenge, this was where each class represented their country by doing a chant. Our class did a Haka. We were really loud and were proud to have Lika and Vea represent us and be the leaders. In that challenge we were victorious!

Another was the Dan Carter Kick and Catch. The object of this game was to have one person kick the ball and another catch. Vaolele and Jeffrey were dynamite, even though we dropped the ball a bit.

And the last challenge was the Scrum. You had to be pretty strong to do this because it took a lot of pushing. I was really proud of our class because some people got hurt but they kept trying. With a lot of effort, Australia won this activity.

Next the moment we were waiting for, the final last few minutes. But in these last few minutes a lot of suspense hang in the air. We were waiting, biting our nails, shaking in our skin, nervous.

While we waited the judges went off and counted up the scores. Now the moment we were waiting for, who will be declared Tamaki Intermediate's Rugby World Cup Champion? In third place... Australia! In second place, equal... France and... New Zealand! And in first place... The new World Champions, South Africa! Then the loudest shout in the history of World Cups arose from the students of Tamaki Intermediate.

On this day I had a lot of fun. It was great watching and taking part of the tournament. Playing the games was really fun, my favourite was the Chant Challenge. It was brilliant and I know that for Room 3 to come second with Room 12 would have taken a lot of effort. It was on outstanding experience and I wish that we could have it again. Maybe it will be the lucky year for New Zealand, to reclaim the World Cup!

My Favourite Subject

My Favourite Subject

My favourite subject is reading. Why it is reading is because I enjoy reading books and doing response activities. What I think is different about reading in other countries than in New Zealand, is that we do response activities. Response activities are questions that you answer after reading the story or book.

Career's Expo

Tamaki Intermediate’s Careers Expo

Over the last term Tamaki Intermediate has been studying different types of careers. We had to research about a specific career. There was a wide range of careers from primary teachers and doctors to receptionists and flight attendants.

We had all been put into different groups of three or four. The groups then had to decide upon a career to research. We also had to make a type of presentation to display at the Tamaki Intermediate Careers Expo.

In every class students spent their days researching in books, the internet, pamphlets and interviews. They had to find, write, edit, rewrite and finalise their research. Then display their work.

In Room3 everyone had been put into small groups. My group was Vea, Lika and I. We had decided on doing our presentation on Primary Teachers. We had to research what the salary was, the job description, education pathway, skills and photos; we also had to get an interview with someone who is a teacher.

It took a while to research because we had to get all the right websites and all the right books. But in the end we managed to get all our information and we had learnt some new things.

After researching had to get our cardboard and cover it in colour paper; our paper was a bright yellow. After covering our display we printed off all of our research and cut it out and glued it on to a different coloured paper, purple. We then blue tacked it on to our cardboard and showed Mrs. Parker-Tofa. When she gave us her approval we un- blue tacked it then glued it on properly. To make our display a bit more interesting we cello-taped pens, pencils and a highlighter to it. After seeing our finished product we knew it looked spectacular.

When everyone in the class had finished their displays we all took them down to the hall to set up for that night. Every class had their own corner or wall to set up by. Every single group from every single class had to have at least one presenter to explain to the audience what their display was about. In my group the presenters were Lika and me. Then we went back to class and all the presenters practiced what they were going to say.

When school finished for Wednesday the presenters went to the hall and everyone else went their own ways. It was very nerve wrecking to have to wait for your turn but when we said it, it was actually quite easy.

The Expo was really fun and I had heaps of fun doing it!!! I hope I get to do it again next year.

By Maria

My First Post

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Maria and I go to TIS.

Well just so you know a little bit about me, I'm twelve years old and I enjoy anything to do with dance, acting and singing, and of course Kapa Haka. When I grow up I want to be a singer or actress and I also would like to do something for the environment or animals.