The Fault In our stars - John Green

I really enjoyed this book because it taught you about the challenges some people have to face daily.

Hazel has a terminal illness and to top it off she also has no friends (parents don't count). When a boy by the name off Augustus Waters befriends her she's happier then ever. Closer to death, but feeling more alive every day Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

By Emily

My Operation

On a Friday morning at about 9:30 my dad took me to the doctor in Lincoln. We wanted to know why I have been limping, so we went into the doctor and she said I had to get a x-ray. So we came back to school to pick up my bag then we went into town to get an x-ray. When we got there we had to wait about an hour and then the x-ray lady came. She came to get me and told me to put on a gown and then we went into the room to take my x-ray.  After my x-ray we had to wait 5 more minutes and then the lady told me that I had to go to the Accident & Emergency department at Christchurch hospital without saying anything more. I felt a bit nervous because I didn’t know what as going on.

So that’s when we knew that we should go get my mum and Tuala because we might be awhile and I might have had to stay the night. So we went back to Springston to get Mum and Tuala and then when we got to the hospital they told us that a joint slipped and that I could of died from it. They told us that the only way to stop it from slipping was they had to put a metal screw in it. Mum started to cry and she said she was fine with it. They told me that I had to stay the night and that they would do it in the morning but I couldn't eat anything until after my operation.

I got given a lot of painkillers to solve the pain but they weren’t really working so when I went to bed they gave me a codeine and that knocked me out. Then in the morning I woke up and saw Mum, Dad and Tuala walking into the room. So while we waited for the nurse to come and take me into theatre, Tuala and I played a game of checkers and that was fun.

Then about 2 hours later the nurse and a doctor came into the room and took me into the theatre,  but before we went the doctor asked me if I had eaten anything yet and I said no. So they took me down the hall and down the elevator and then we arrived into the theatre. Dad came with me just until the gas knocked me out and then he went to go and wait with mum and Tuala in the waiting room. When I came out of theatre I was I the recovery room where mum, dad and Tuala was waiting for me to wake up. When I woke up I felt a little bit dizzy and I asked mum how long my surgery took and she said 1 hour.

The nurse came into the room and told me that I had to stay another night and then dad said he’ll stay with me for the night. When we got back into the other room I was very tired and all I wanted to do was sleep but I didn't go to sleep, I had my lunch. The food was awful but I still ate it and then at bedtime I went straight to sleep. In the morning I asked the nurse if I could go but she said at lunch time they would be giving me a wheelchair and some crutches and that was when I could go home. I had to have a wheelchair and crutches but the wheelchair was for school and the crutches were for home  because I wasn’t allowed to put pressure on my leg for 6 weeks.Because they didn’t want me to get bumped over at school.   

At lunch time they gave me the crutches and a wheelchair and they also gave me some paracetamol just in case I get any pain. When I left to go home I said goodbye and thank you. By Sevao

Career Expo

As part of our focus on science this term, we have been looking at careers in science. 

Off to the CAREER EXPO we go!

Special thanks goes to our fantastic parent helpers.

Ellesmere College Roadshow

We were lucky enough to have Ellesmere College come to school today. They showed us some of the opportunities that they have to offer at their school and we were treated to some live music, science and a fantastic kapahaka performance.

Working Hard on the Farm

Today we took up the challenge of working on a farm. We got an opportunity to raise some funds by picking fodder beet. Everyone worked really hard and I was surprised at how many we managed to pick.

Thanks goes to James and Sarah for giving us this opprtunity and to Wendy for organising the day. We were also fortunate to have some fantastic parent helpers for the afternoon.

CO2 Fire Extinguisher

Today we mixed vinegar and baking soda to create carbon dioxide. In the container the carbon dioxide started rising and put out the flames of the lower candles. Why did it not put out the tallest candle?

CSI Investigators

This week our scientists have been identifying the different properties of substances by putting them through a variety tests. The teams of investigators have been using careful observation, methodical testing, accurate data recording to identify the mystery substance!

Half Bad - Sally Green

Stars: ****

Age: 12+

Now this book was interesting -  I’ve never read something quite like it. I thought it was original and I didn’t mind that it came from a boy’s (Nathan) point of view. In fact I found it more fascinating! The story pulled me in from the first three pages, by chapter three someone had to pull me away from the spine thrilling-heart throbbing story.

At one point or maybe two, the book had me running tears down my cheek. I found the book rather touching and relatable to others and myself, still I found some of the chapters mature and the book is definitely not for younger audiences.

I would recommend the book for twelve up, anyone younger and they would have to know what some things meant or that they might get the wrong idea/message. Otherwise I felt like I was in the book the whole time and would give the book four stars. Plus I can’t wait for Green’s sequel (Half Wild) to add on the excitement to Half Bad.   

By Anja

Awakening - Natalie King

Stars: ****

Age: 12+

I found this book quite strange at first but once it started making sense I enjoyed it a lot more. It was also based in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. Some of the themes in the book were quite mature but not so mature that it was too old for this age group.

King describes body language and thoughts really well which is what made me enjoy the characters even more but King’s first impression on the different personalities was amazing it’s what brought me into the book even more. The personalities were a range of things - weak, tough, oblivious, honest etc… I thought that involving something that interests teens these days was a really good idea.

The magical witching association was really surprising to me, witches with unique powers that were more than the average Harry Potter or Twilight Saga magic. The thing that made me keep reading was at the end of the book, “What happens next?”, the last two sentences really got me since it ended up being on going, romantic, action filled, tongue biting gripping adventure and hopefully King is writing the sequels.

I give it four stars and recommend the book for 12 year olds and upwards.

By Anja

Mad Science Day

On Friday we had a mad science day. Thanks Lucy for sharing your group photos so quickly. Hopefully next week we have some more reports about the different science experiments that the community groups got to participate in. Well done seniors on the great leadership through out the day!