MATHS

In Year 10 Maths we work from big, heavy textbooks that teach us all the required skills to pass our six common tests, scattered throughout the year, which prepare us for end of year exams. Most of it is skills that I learnt last year, but had forgotten. When learnt twice, I find I don't normally forget anything again, after that, though. It is unfortunate that Maths hasn't given me any paper back with Excellence on yet, but for the most part I am content with Merits in this subject, considering over my one and a half years at college I have received only Merits and Excellences. Upon reading my report a week ago, it was a shame to realize that my total Achieved grades for my time here has rocketed up to three; twice in Maths, showing I must work harder if I want to get Merit (and one in English!?!?).

In the beginning of the year we learnt things such as significant figures and rounding. Decimal places, followed by fractions; simplifying, multiplying and dividing them. Percentages is where I found new strength in knowing that to find one, I must divide the new amount by the old one and then multiply by 100%! A good exercise from this was to find GST tax, which is 12.5% of a figure.


There have been two algebra units this year. The first on manipulation - simplifying, factorizing and expanding, and we've just completed the bit on linear graphs etc. We wrote lines and lines of algebraic expressions; half I got all correct and half all incorrect, proving that sometimes it is the method that can be wrong. Last year I enjoyed factorizing very much, but excelled at solving expressions, and it was similar this year. Some skills on a Year 10 level were a little harder, but when it came to solving out expressions I found myself gliding through all the work quickly and accurately. :)

In between Algebra, we covered Measurement. I find it fairly easy to remember all the formulae, which aided me immensely in the common test.


Of course it was Geometry I anticipated most eagerly. Translating can be practiced, but I think I've mastered Rotation, Reflection and Enlargement. Here we learnt about mirror lines, and symmetry, and learnt how to construct acute angles, angle bisectors, perpendicular lines, perpendicular bisectors, 60˚ angles and equilateral triangles. I did not enjoy parallel line constructing, simply because my teacher taught us a method that differed from the one in our homework book, and differed again from the one in the textbooks, and a different one again was in our workbooks! Yet after much confusion I was on my way with a method taught through a video. It involves crossing the original line, marking a point and duplicating the angle it creates further up with a compass. This similar video shows the method I now use.



The second part of Algebra has just finished. We've learnt linear graphs and gradients, y and x intercepts. At first it didn't make sense but I think I have it sufficiently now!

Apart from two, all my grades so far have been Merits, about which I'm pleased. I got them in Algebra Manipulation, Number and Measurement.

I've just received back an Achieved on my Geometry test. I also got Achieved on our recent Algebra test. However, being Year 10, Achieved is all that matters because the Algebra test got me my very first two credits for NCEA Level One, just because I passed, regardless of the grade! My first two! This year I have the opportunity to earn 37, although it's all for next year, when I need 80 to pass Year 11.


I feel I redeemed myself after our unit on straight line graphs. I got an Excellence in the common test! Furthermore, I got nothing wrong, earning me a 100% Excellence! Perhaps this is the direction I should take in Maths?
A separate assessment was assigned to us on straight line graphs. My teacher wasted no time in telling me how impressed she was with it, and when my peer assessment came back with complete smiley faces I felt sure I had an Excellence in the bag. I am a little gutted I got a Merit ("sooo close to Excellence", according to my teacher).

Year 10's will soon have to undergo the Maths Exam so I hope revision will pay off and I do well regardless of my previous common test grades. From now until November I must digest everything I'm taught.

HEALTH

Year 10 Health is going well so far. Our first unit was about us and went quickly. In the next, we covered a huge unit on illegal drugs and in groups we presented our research. My group researched Anabolic Steroids and put together a power point which was peer assessed with an Excellence grade. The presentation went well, considering our improvisation!









My original research upon Heroin and Steroids:
We have just finished the smallest unit on Disability. For people at our school with a disability, we have a special unit that they learn in, yet they join mainstream students a couple of times a day. We visited these students and played games with them, and the following week we discussed our visit and were shown video clips of ballerina amputees.




Additionally, my homework was to write to our school principal regarding the advantages and disadvantages of facilities for disabled students in our school:

"Dear Sir,

I am writing to inform you of my opinions upon the facilities our school provides for students with physical and intellectual disabilities. It has come to my attention whilst learning about various disabilities in my Year 10 Health class recently, that, although our school provides many features to help more needy students, many overlooked cases cause the freedom of some students in the school to be limited.

A lot was taken into consideration while the school was being built, for students in wheelchairs, because our Student Centre, Social Studies block, Languages block, Field prefabs block, Music block, ‘P’ and ‘N’ blocks, and our school gym are all equipped with ramps, so as not to hinder the accessibility for disabled students.

Many blocks in the school are two storey blocks, but for someone in a wheelchair, it makes no difference, for the English block has an elevator that is easy to use, and our old Science block apparently used to have an elevator too.

However, some top levels in the buildings are inaccessible for a not so mobile pupil. For example, neither storey in the Maths block is an option, and there is no excuse for this, especially as even the lower level has a step of about twenty centimetres. I also think that a closer look should be taken at the ‘A’ and ‘O’ Media Studies and Visual Art blocks, because, although only one storey each, the slight step at all the entrances could set back a wheelchair bound pupil.

It is an advantage for our college to have a Learning Centre, which greatly supports students of lower learning rates and mild learning disabilities as well as extending the competent. Our supported students have easy ramp access to the Disability unit, and I am in favour of the mixed amount of time that they spend supporting each other and learning in a kind environment, and joining mainstream students for various events or classes.

I think that for those students who have trouble with limb control or have mild forms of arthritis, doorhandles in the school could present problems, as the majority of classrooms open with spherical -twist-doorknobs. It is much easier for anyone to use a push down door handle, and so I implore you to consider making these slight changes for big differences around the school.

Some people unfortunately have skin disorders that force them to refrain from soaking up any Vitamin D, or merely to be in the sunshine at all. Other, autistic students require especially quiet or non-distracting environments to concentrate or function in. It is therefore ideal that we have the ‘P’ bock and the ‘N’ block as shaded areas, and furthermore, the library, which is generally a quiet place also. However, I strongly think that there ought to be more quiet, shaded places for students with developmental disorders to feel safe and happy in, perhaps with tranquil features or an especially beautiful garden.

Our college has far too many seemingly unnecessary poles in its walkways, which present hazards for visually impaired or ultimately, blind, students. I second this with intolerance of uneven paving around the school, and definitely more so behind P7. There are accidents waiting to happen back there. I, myself, have tripped slightly once or twice before, so you can imagine how much harder it would be for a visually impaired student to find their own way around the school, or to classes, can’t you?

Please consider underground wiring because the randomly scattered poles that hold up electrical wires should be removed. Next, I urge you to fix the paving around the school. Perhaps some blindfolded students could be used to test where paving should be smoothed out.

A specific danger to hearing impaired, or deaf, students in the school is the inability to hear when a car is behind them, for the driveway down the left of the college constantly has moving vehicles. Students generally hear the motors and are warned, but a deaf student would have no way of knowing when to move out of the way. A reflective mirror here could possibly aid these students in being aware.

It is pleasing to see that smoke detectors are fitted in various bathrooms around our college. These help to reduce the number of smokers around, but more importantly, should help out students with severe asthma. Therefore, I think that something else could also be done for asthmatics, regarding the excessive use of perfumes and sprays by everyone else after PE lessons. It would be wise to provide better ventilation in the PE changing rooms, as often students walk in and gag at the overpowering smell of Cool Charm, Lynx, or Impulse, or all three, and this could easily set off an asthmatic pupil with severe bouts of coughing. This would hinder breathing. If ventilation is not the answer then seclude a changing facility that isn’t exposed to such aromas.

Occasionally a student who is smaller than us enrols at the school, so I’d like to make a point that the tuckshop windows and door handle height, e.t.c, need to allow students like this to be safe and content at school, as well as having sufficient opportunity to use the school tuckshop, without craning their necks, or not being able to get themselves back out of the mob that surrounds the tuckshop at lunchtimes.

Lastly, I approve of how well the PE department caters for disabled students, both developmental and physical. Teachers are able to look after the students who need attention, efficiently, and are still able to ensure fairness and equality within any class.

All PE buildings and areas are very accessible and with such a wide range of lessons and games, all students are able to enjoy Physical Education at school.

Please remember my suggestions for needed improvements around the college, for I speak on behalf of some of the most special students in the school, and all because their voices are often drowned out by the crowd.

Yours Sincerely,

Nicola"

I'm grateful for all the things I've learnt in Health lessons because they have equipped me for different times in my life. I have under ten lessons left, so I suppose that concludes Health for the rest of my schooling!

P.E

This year I have started to look forward to P.E much more than ever before. I have a teacher I know well now and I have a lot of friends within our class so I'm able to flit from being able to work with one lot of people to another. Year 10 P.E started on Adventure Based Learning. We played some games on the field but as we have come to change units many times since and do more interesting things, I have come to anticipate P.E more eagerly than during ABL.

Swimming Sports came early on, in March, and I had a fun day with my best friend of similar swimming ability and the same age group as last year, because we are younger than most in our year group (and they competed with older swimmers this year). I am not a club swimmer although I'm fairly confident in the water and I came first in my heat of six for Breaststroke, and second in both Backstroke and Freestyle! My friend and I were actually asked to do the Junior relay for our house too! I swam the second lap, the best I could, although I was against club swimmers. For a laugh, and because virtually no-one volunteered for Butterfly, I did a length of that too. I came last by miles but worked hard and it was a really enjoyable day!


I also went out with our most competitive athletes this year to a stadium for athletics day. I did Long Jump and got through a couple of requirements there, and ran 100m, 1500m (in which I got a second placing card because I was one of two people in our age group in the race!), 200m and 400m. I had a small go at High Jump because we had done some in P.E a week previously but I found it quite hard.


Again we ran the Block Run this year. I ran the whole way and we were let out of the school in threes. We were released at the faster end of the middle-speed-group, which I was happy about, and my time was just over 13 minutes - less than twenty seconds slower than the tenth runner back.
We've just finished our chilly time in our heated school pool, because, of course, it is quite freezing getting out, first thing in the morning! I wasn't very impressed that we were split in to an average, supported and competitive group (I was in average although there wasn't much difference between them all) and were made to swim widths of the pool with the aid of flutterboards. We were categorised by a big race at the beginning of the unit. With no goggles (and a stitich in my leg!) I came in after the top eight, and so this was how we were sorted. However, a drastic positive change in my swimming occurred as soon as the stitch came out and I was my happy water self again. We got a lot of free time this year too, which was great. A few days we lined the mats up across the pool and raced across - it was so fun! I learnt how to straddle entry into a pool without letting my head get wet by straddling before I went under, and we did drills of holding our breaths and underwater swimming, which I had been practicing all summer in our pool!


There was a unit recently in which we did endurance tests and similar exercises. Our teacher made us run up the bank 20+ times, forwards, and backwards, and then lunging, and then high kicks, shuttling up and down, up and down, and the pain was so intense! We did sit-ups and push-ups and although I really struggled after a while, and our whole class started dying off, I liked the idea of doing endurance tests like that and didn't mind too much. This unit included the Beep Test too. I got to Level 8 something, and although I felt I could continue, my foot was just short of the line when the beep sounded (which probably didn't matter).

Surprisingly, the Striking and Catching unit we are on at the moment is turning out to be, perhaps, my favourite set of P.E lessons. We've had four sessions. We practiced throwing and catching, then played Softball. I manned Base 2, which is a change from how I used to be in P.E years ago! We've had two cricket lessons, and I've discovered I really love cricket. I bowled a little bit both times, and did some bowling in Rounders too; it's my goal to play a more important role in all our upcoming games and I'm proud of myself for stepping out to take on things like bowling, that I can do!


What I'm really keen for is the Circus unit. I'm teaching myself how to unicycle!! It is incredibly hard but within my four lessons so far (about two hours total at the moment) I have learnt to unicycle fast with one hand trailing the wall. It's very addictive and so will be one of my two tricks that I must learn. (I'll also perform some sort of trick on stilts, because I don't have any trouble with those.)

Our last unit before the holidays was Self Defense. I didn't enjoy it as much, but learnt how to throw a good punch and escape armlocks!
Next year I am forced to take only five subjects. Originally I was thinking I don't wish to give up PE yet, but as it won't help me in the future I will choose something else. Therefore, I have about ten last weeks of PE, which has taught me a heap for my life.

MY HOLIDAY

Over New Year 2010 my family and I went to Australia. It was my first time overseas! We went to all the theme parks on the Gold Coast, saw the Sunshine Coast, enjoyed the summer days, and then traveled to Sydney to be with family. We were over there for three weeks and I met cousins I had never met before! It was the ultimate holiday and we came home with tonnes of memories and photos!

WELCOME TO 2010

I am currently in Year 10, which is so much more fun than Year 9! I am finally updated, regarding this blog, at which I am surprised I am still keeping it going! I was thinking the other day that this was only a months worth experiment back in 2007 but I am finding it extremely useful, having information, a summary, photos and work from just about everything in my school life since Year 7! I like the idea of this, because, truth be told,we didn't do anything before Year 7, in school, anyway! This year I have continued with Visual Art and German, and I was accepted into a Year 11 Social Studies Course and a Year 11 Science Course, which means at the end of the year I will be sitting proper NCEA exams for seniors. NCEA focuses on certain numbers of credits, obtained from good work throughout the year, to get you into each following year, and then, eventually, university. I am still keen on becoming an Interior Designer and am taking all my subjects in my stride. Being a Year 10 is great!

WHAT I'VE LEARNT

One year of college gone and I am still missing Intermediate. I miss the access to internet and Web 2.0 tools! I was warned at Intermediate that college wouldn't use computers nearly as much, but it is still true. I often feel priveliged because I know about e-learning e.t.c now, after being at Intermediate, and a lot of my college peers don't know of such things. At my school we use PC computers, which is a change from Apples that I don't appreciate, and we use computer labs very rarely. I've hardly been on a computer at school all year! Just once or twice for each subject. Even then, internet is only used for access to Google or suchlike, and not to share our learning. I have forgotten many of the tools we used to use and so I am very grateful I blogged it all while it was in my mind last year. Anytime I can log back on to Blogger and refresh my memory of the Web 2.0 tools out there. A few Power Points have been made this year too, but that is about it, so I think that next year I may be able to arrange with my teachers to do any sort of presentation the technological way, so I don't entirely forget the internet, or perhaps swap a Power Point assignment for a Voki, Viddix or Wikispace! There is still a lot of time to use these, and I could boost my grades with some very creative Web 2.0 tools that my teachers, I am sure, wouldn't have even heard of yet! If I can change my learning to fit what I became used to at Intermediate, in the future my teachers may assign complete projects using tools I can teach them, and then, the way of learning really will change.

FOOD

Term 2 came and I was taking Food as well. We only cooked about once a week, which was a slight disappointment, but I still enjoyed learning about the theory things of food, and we all enjoyed hands-on cooking! I was in a really good group of four and we worked amazingly well on the days we had to cook, with a time limit pressing down too. Perhaps they were the best group I've ever worked with in terms of efficiency!


Our theme for our assessed cooks was the 2009 movie Monsters Vs Aliens, which we watched one afternoon at the cinema, then we planned individual recipes that we would cook as a group (so they had to be similar to the rest of our group's recipes). All the surrounding information was to be handed in in a booklet, which I did a couple of days late. Still, it came back with an impressed comment stating that my teacher thought it had perhaps been the best one in the class! I was elated, as I had made a rather fat book of information. All the pages are below, in order, so you can read my plans and reflections for yourself, but the weeks spent preparing for the three big cooks we did had us making wedges, scones, pizzas and some other delicious delicacies. Eating was the best part of the class!


I achieved a separate assessment with Merit, when I had to cook for my family at home. Apparently I had 'good use of my routines and recipes' and I was pleased with how I worked. I made packet creamy chicken soup, a bit of a cheat, but an entreé only, nevertheless, followed by sausage snails, easy and cute, with mounds of mashed potato for the shells. I put in a third course of one of my excellent little green salads, and that was before some potato wedges, spicy and seasoned to perfection. My best dish was my rice pudding for dessert, my first time making it, and eating it, since I was a baby! I cooked for my mum and dad, and they really enjoyed it. Mum gave me a lot of positive feedback!


Three of my favourite recipes were shortlisted by me as to what I'd cook that fitted the theme of the movie, and I ended up cooking just the one, three times (but due to sickness I only cooked twice). My little book got me Excellence.