Howdy There,

For the past 2 weeks I have been working towards making a DLO about Sir “Bom” Gillies. Sir “Bom” Gillies was an adventurous gentleman who battled in with the Maori Battalion. This group of soldiers was known for being strong, brave, and loyal. Sir Bom cared deeply about his fellow soldiers and helped lead them during hard times in the war. He was proud to fight for his country, Aoteroa, New Zealand, and for his people, the Māori. After the war, Sir Bom became a respected leader in his community. Many people looked up to him for his courage and kindness. For his brave work, Sir Bom won many medals. Some were made from bronze and silver. One special badge was decorated with shiny gold thread. These medals showed how much he had done for his country and his people.

Here is my DLO:

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

This week I have been focusing on getting a DLO for Matariki that has passed. If you don’t know what Matariki is it is a cluster of stars that appear in the sky every year, it is also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. It is a time to reflect and make a new start, Matariki celebrates on a new year and a time to remember those who have passed. People use this time to remember loved ones who have passed away, to spend time with family, and to plan for the future. Matariki is a time of hope, remembrance, and new beginnings for everyone.

Here is my DLO:

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

Here is a recap for reading, in the last 2 weeks, RM9 watched a short film called Beyond the Lines. It’s about two little boys who find a letter in their basement. The letter was written by their grandfather back when he was in the war, and he sent it to their grandma. As the boys read it, they start imagining what their grandpa went through during that time. The whole story shows what he saw and felt during the war, but through the eyes of the kids as they picture it in their heads.

Here is my story that I wrote:

Beyond The Lines

As me and my brother, Toby ran on the battleground full of fear we hid amongst the soldiers trying to run for our lives then I looked back at lots of innocent people dieing. Toby and I got hit by a grenade but luckily we outran it before it exploded. I saw my grandfather. We ran for our lives to him then he looked at us like we were going to die, one of his friends got shot. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to get revenge.

Finally, the war was over and we made it home safe. Toby and I went up in the attic to look at all the stuff grandpa took to war. There we lots of stuff I seen on the battleground like TV, sirens, toy truck, and a radio that was talking to us loudly it was like he was telling us to stand up, stick together, and stay strong when we were in the attic Toby picked a metal helmet, and I had a letter in my hand as I was reading I seen that the war that he served in was in 1994 which was WW2.

Grandpa and grandma came into the attic to see what we were doing. Grandpa had a sad face because we took his stuff and it made him feel sad because all the troops that had died in the war.

Howdy There,

Today, I just finished doing a DLO about New Zealand At War I had fun learning

Did you know that over 100 years ago, New Zealand was part of a huge war called World War One? It started in 1914 and lasted until 1918. Even though New Zealand was a small country with just over one million people, around 103,000 men went overseas to help fight. Most of them were soldiers.

That’s about 10 out of every 100 people in the whole country! It was a really big deal. Sadly, more than half of those brave people were hurt or died during the war.

Almost every family in New Zealand was affected. Some women lost their husbands. Some kids lost their dads. And many of the soldiers who came back home were never the same. They had seen very hard things.

Even though it was a long time ago, we still remember their bravery and how much they gave to help others.

Here is my DLO

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

We learned how to do CPR using special mannequins that look like real people. We practiced pushing down on the chest 30 times, just like in real CPR. It was harder than we thought, but it showed us that anyone can help save a life no matter how big or small the person is!

Sue from St John in Schools came to teach us some very important skills that could help us save someone in the future. She showed us the steps of DRSABCD, which is what we do when someone is unconscious.

We also learned how to use a defibrillator, a machine that helps restart the heart.

WALT: How to help someone if they are unconscious – using DRS ABCD.

Here is my DLO showing what DRS ABCD means and how CPR works.

Here is my DLO

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

For writing, Whaea Lorraine gave us an ice cube to hold and explore using our senses. The moment I held it, it felt freezing cold and made my hand go numb and sore. I could feel the chill going down my spine, and I even heard the water moving inside the cube. When I moved it away from my ear, the coldness still stayed with me. It looked just like a normal ice cube, but it was melting really fast, which made it more fun to watch. Then we did a smell test, but I couldn’t smell anything except plain water it just smelled like a regular ice cube. Last, we did the eat test. When I put it in my mouth, it tasted like a normal ice cube, but a little melted. I felt it slowly melting and bumping against my teeth. It was a fun way to write using all our senses

Here is my writing for example:

Ice is something cold and hard. It is made when water freezes and turns solid. Ice is usually clear, but sometimes it looks white or cloudy. If you hold it up to the light, it can shine and sparkle like glass or a crystal. Ice can come in different shapes, like cubes, round pieces, or even big chunks. Sometimes it looks smooth, and other times it has tiny cracks inside, like little frozen lines.

When we were touching the ice, it felt very cold. It can even feel wet because it starts to melt when our warm hands touch it. If you hold it too long, your fingers might feel numb or tingly. That’s because ice is so cold it takes away the heat from your skin. People use ice to cool down drinks, to keep food cold, or to help when they get a bump or bruise.

Ice doesn’t have a strong taste, but if you put it in your mouth, it tastes like very cold water. Some people like to chew ice, but it can be hard and might hurt your teeth. It can feel fun and fresh in your mouth on a hot day. The taste is clean and plain, like fresh water.

Ice usually doesn’t have a big smell, but if you smell it closely, it can have a little fresh, chilly scent. It might remind you of winter or snow. It’s a very clean smell, like the cold air outside on a snowy day.

Ice is all around us — in freezers, in drinks, and outside when it’s really cold. It is fun to play with, cool to look at.

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

Today, we baked Weet-Bix slices! Our teacher told us we were going to bake these yummy treats, but before we started, we had to go over some rules. First, we needed to make sure we had good behaviour and a positive attitude. Our teacher said if anyone was being naughty, she would put a finger down. If all five fingers were down, it meant we had to stop and clean up.

Here’s what we needed for the Weet-Bix slices:

4 pieces of Weet-Bix (crushed)

1 cup of flour

½ cup of white sugar

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

150 grams of butter

½ teaspoon of vanilla essence

First, we crushed the Weet-Bix into small pieces, either in a plastic bag or a bowl. Then, we added the dry ingredients into the bag or bowl. After that, we melted the butter in the microwave for about 1 minute or until it was completely melted.

Next, we made a little circle in the middle of the dry ingredients. Once the butter was melted, we poured it into the well, but if it was too hot, we had to wait for it to cool down a bit first. Then, we added the wet ingredients (like the vanilla essence) to the bag. We mixed everything up really well until everything was squished and combined.

After that, we put baking paper on the baking tray, then add the mixture and put it in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes but we left in for too long. After baking, we had a yummy, delicious Weet-Bix slice

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

This week in Food Tech, we had to line up with our group. I was in Group 2, and we walked to Papakura Intermediate School to do our work. When I walked into the Food Tech room, I could smell chocolate chip muffins, I was the sous chef. The sous chef’s job was to grab the ingredients, while the kitchen porter did the cooking and chopping. The kitchen hand washed the dirty plates, dried them, and put them back where they belonged.

Before we started, we filled the sink with warm water and dish washing liquid, washed our hands for 20 seconds, and dried them with tea towels. After that, we sat down and listened to what we had to do next. Once we heard the instructions, we got up, and the teacher called the sous chef to grab the ingredients. I grabbed a bowl and walked over to get the ingredients. I got one cup of flour, salt, and baking powder. The kitchen porter mixed everything together while I went to grab the other ingredients.

I got eggs, a cup of milk, and a chunk of butter, which I put in a cup and microwaved for 30 seconds. After that, we mixed everything together. When it was well-mixed, the teacher came around and gave us chocolate chips to add to the bowl. We mixed it all together until it was ready to put into the muffin tray. We baked the muffins for about 12 minutes. But we had to wait for everyone to be ready before putting them in the oven at the same time, so they would all be done at the same time.

When we finished baking, we cleaned our station (which was number 2). After cleaning, we sat down and wrote about the skills we used and any problems we faced. When the cleaning was done, we put away our aprons, pushed in our chairs, and lined up at the door. We waited for everyone else to finish, and when they were done, we said our prayer before leaving. Then we went home.

Enjoy!

Howdy There,

On Monday at Tech, our group got to make mac and cheese! It was a fun and interesting experience because, unlike other days, we didn’t have assigned roles. That meant we could do any job that needed to be done, like cleaning up, helping with the cooking, or making sure everything was running smoothly. It felt good to be able to jump in and help wherever we were needed.

Skills We Used
While cooking, we used lots of important skills:

Teamwork – We had to communicate and work together to make sure everything got done.
Following Instructions – We carefully followed the recipe to make sure our mac and cheese turned out delicious.
Cleaning As We Cooked – Instead of waiting until the end, we cleaned up as we worked, which made things a lot easier.
Fixing the Mac & Cheese Sauce
In the middle of cooking, something went wrong! One of my partners accidentally messed up the mac and cheese sauce, and it didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to. But don’t worry—I (yes, me!) managed to fix it. With the help of our food tech teacher, Whaea Leigh, we made the sauce even better than before.

We improved it by:

Adding more cheese to make it thicker and tastier.
Using a strainer to remove the clumpy flour, then breaking it apart so it mixed smoothly into the sauce.
After fixing the sauce, it was perfect—creamy, cheesy, and super delicious!

The Final Result
Once everything was ready, we scooped our mac and cheese into small tin trays, which were the perfect size for each of us to hold and eat from. The top had a nice crispy layer, but it wasn’t burnt—it looked golden and delicious.

Even though we faced some challenges while making the mac and cheese, we worked together, learned new skills, and in the end, it turned out amazing!

Howdy There,

When we walked into class, we started our usual Monday routine and put our bags away in a small cubby so they wouldn’t be in the way. Next, we wrote down everyone’s jobs on the whiteboard. The groups stayed the same, but the kitchen jobs rotated.

That day, I was the Kitchen Hand, which means I cleaned up after the Kitchen Porter (the person who baked). Because of that, I didn’t see all the ingredients used to make the pizza.

While making the pizza, we used different skills like kneading the dough, cleaning as we worked, measuring ingredients correctly, using the oven safely, and working as a team. We split the pizza dough into three parts so each of us could make our own pizza.

Now for the math part! Our food tech group has 15 students. Since 15 divided by 5 equals 3, that meant each station in the kitchen could have 3 people. Since there were 5 stations, everyone had a spot. That’s why we split our dough into three so each person in our group could have their own piece to work with. It was a fun activity, especially since I got to do it with my great friends!