Zoo, by Anthony Browne is a story we studied for English  What is the role of zoo  and what is the relationship  between man and animals? Below is my recreation of an orangutan enclosure and diary entry from the POV of an orangutan entering it for the first time.

I stepped in  amazed by a beautiful place. I am filled with joy and I can start my life.

I stepped on the fresh warm grass. New scents cover my nostrils the air is muggy and hot. Broken twigs lay on the grass making crunching sound as my hairy feet stumble on them.

 

Last week, on Holy Thursday we re-enacted Stations of the Cross to show what Jesus went through on his way to his death. We dressed up as the people of Jerusalem following Jesus through the fourteen Stations. I felt very sad when Jesus was on the cross knowing he died for us.

At the end of the Stations we took a class photo to remember the day we displayed the important story about Jesus being crucified on the cross for our sins. 

Tuesday Room 8 spent the whole day sailing at Akarana Yacht Club.
Through the New Navigators Programme we were given the opportunity to sail a Quest and an Optimist in Okahu Bay. Even though the day was rainy and overcast we still had fun. Dressed in a rash shirt, waterproof jacket, life vest and helmet we were ready for any weather.

My favourite boat was the Quest. Nico, the coach, allowed me to steer the boat. It was the first time and it felt good being in control. We had a water gun on board which we used to squirt my classmate in other boats.

At the end of the day we jumped into the water from the pontoon. It was deep and my crocs fell off my feet. Luckily I had my life jacket on so I was able to float. I loved floating in the deep water.

It was a great day thanks to Rotary St Johns for sponsoring St Patrick’s School. Without their help we would not have had the opportunity

 

Pope Francis was born on 17 December 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We call him Pope Francis but his full name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Why doesn’t his name have Francis? He chose his name in honour of Saint Francis Of Assisi who lived a humble life and dedicated it to the poor.

 Pope Francis is 87 years old and is famous for his humility and concern for the poor.  Pope Francis also loves to communicate with younger children and one funny thing he does is that he likes to take selfies of himself. Before he became a Priest and then a Pope he was a seminary teacher and bouncer. He graduated studying German Technology. Pope Francis was also a janitor when he was a teenager.

Did you know that the leader of the Church may live in the magnificent Vatican City but he chooses not to. He has no possessions. His declaration of poverty deprives him of all material possessions.

Pope Francis encourages young and old people to restore hope and to be open to the future, to spread love just like how Jesus loves us. He spreads the word of God to both young and old.

On Tuesday we started our swimming lessons at CLM pools. We went there by  bus.  Our swimming coach was so nice and we learned very quickly. Some of our classmates didn’t want to go for a swim so they just sat and watched. Then we walked up the stairs and put our goggles on so we could see underwater.  It was fun on the first day.

 

The next day was the same. I was thinking that the girls could always go first but the boys went first this time. We had Room 6 girls with us and the Room 7 boys had Room 6 boys with them. Once we were in the pools,  I listened to the coach as she was teaching us new swimming skills.

 

Then on Thursday morning we went to Pakuranga Intermediate for Technicraft.  While waiting for the bus to come, we started to wear a mask so the bus driver couldn’t get sick. When we arrived there,  we said thank you to the bus driver.

 

 I was feeling excited to be back at school because of the swimming lessons. We quickly got changed into our swimming gear in room 8. After that, we ate our lunch at the bottom court then played for a while waiting for our bus to take us to the pools.

 

The last day of swimming lessons was so much fun because  we had to go on the rubber boats with five swimmers at a time. We sat on the edge of the boat with our life jacket on. The coach rocked the boat to make us feel as if we were going through a stormy sea. Then the  coach pushed us one by one  into the water. I felt a little bit scared  but after she pushed me backwards and I got out of the water fine, I felt okay. 

 

I’m looking forward to next year’s swimming lessons so I can improve my swimming skills.

 

By Franchesca Batac 2023

What did I do during the school holidays?  Hmm mm…. OK, I will share with you some of my adventures. 

First, my family and I went to Sylvia Park so we could have fun and buy nice things for our grandma to  send to the Philippines.  We walked around for a while but we couldn’t find anything for her.  Then we got on the escalator to get to the second floor. 

My mom said, “I’m gonna buy something that you like”. When she saw the store, she went inside to look for a good size for  me. She found a beautiful blue dress with butterflies then checked the price. It was on sale so she bought it for me. The dress was not my style and she knows that I don’t wear dresses!  Well, she bought it anyway so there’s nothing I can do about it. 

 

The next day we went for a walk. fresh air then I talk to my cousin if my cousin can come over to our houses but my mom doesn’t because we are. Naughty and loud when we were tired we went home so we could smell good after taking a bath. I got dressed because we are going to my aunt’s  house.

 

My best day ever this term

Because when I was born my. Family was so poor and our house is just made of wood and that’s when my dad. Decide to go to New Zealand then wait a few. Weeks  to go to New zealand after that he woke up at 1 am to go to the airport.

Then my father took his things to leave.

 

After he arranged his. Things, he took a shower

Then he got Dressed so we could leave

Then we got in the car. and then we brought some food so we wouldn’t be hungry.

 

After we were at the airport, after a last hug to dad, he walked away so he wouldn’t miss the flight.

Last year on 4 September 2022, my family and I arrived in New Zealand. We were all happy and excited!

 

When we came out from the airport it was night time and it was cold. We went straight to our car and drove to our home in New Zealand so we got there quickly. We were all tired so we went to sleep. Early in the morning we all woke up and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Then we got ready to the WareHouse to buy things we needed.

 

After we bought some things we went to McDonald’s  to eat lunch. Mcdonalds reminds me of Jollibee in the Philippines and I like the McDonald’s fries burger and chicken nuggets.

After eating lunch we went straight home then we watched a movie and It was so long so my mom decided to cook popcorn because the movie was so good. After that my aunt made dinner after cooking, we ate together as a family.

 

 

This is my life story. My name is  Francesca and I come from the Philippines. When I was a child, I was very naughty and my mother talked to me about not  being naughty and being a good sister to my brothers. I miss the Philippines and I miss the food there too!

 

I arrived in New Zealand last year with my whole family. I go to St Patrick’s School now. You know I like New Zealand better now because the teachers  here are so nice and they don’t give us homework. I also like that it’s cold here in New Zealand although I still like the weather in the Philippines. You know that it’s hot in the Philippines all year round.The food in the Philippines is delicious. My favourite food is bitter gourd. It’s bitter but I love it! 

 

Five years ago, my dad decided to come to New Zealand. We cried when we said goodbye to him at the airport. I felt very sad but I know that dad was going to New Zealand because we needed money for the family.

 

We would call my dad on the phone almost everyday. Luckily our grandmother and grandfather lived close to us so everyday we would visit them and bring them food  and eat with them. Then we would play with our cousins later on.

 

During weekdays our mom would take us to school and we just walked to get there and she would come back to pick us up in the afternoon.

School there was hard because we had to do homework  every night.

 

Then we heard good news that my dad could finally bring us to New Zealand. All of us felt very very happy. We started preparing to come to New Zealand. When we were on the aeroplane my mom and I were just sleeping because we felt dizzy while my dad and my brothers were just eating and watching movies all the way to New Zealand.

 

My family and I are happy here in New Zealand. I love my new life here.