Christmas Alphabet

Our fun task for the day, was to list a word of each letter that relates to Christmas. Here are the words I came up with.

A - Angels - that shone brightly informing those of the birth of Jesus

B -Bethlehem - The birthplace

C - Christmas carols - going door step to doorstep singing christmas song

D - Decorations - hung around the house to show the christmas spirit

E - Eggnog - a popular Christmas beverage

F - Feliz navidad - Spanish phrase that means “merry christmas”

G - Gift giving - Giving gifts to others

H - Holy - The vibe felt by pagans who celebrate Christmas

I - Ice -

J - Jesus - Son of god who was born on Christmas day

K - Kings - the kings that gives gifts to Jesus on the day he was born

L - Little drum boy - a popular christmas song written by Kathrine Kennicott

M - Mistletoe - a plant hung around area, where people have to kiss, if they are underneath it

N - Northpole - the location of Santa’s workshop

O - Ornaments - that are hung on trees to show tradition & christmas spirit

P- Partridge - Medium sized, non migratory game birds. They are mentioned in a prominent song called, Twelve days of Christmas

Q - Quilts - given as gifts too for extra warmth in the winter holiday

R - Reindeer - santas transport

S - Snowman - creating a figure out of snow

T - Toys - a gift often given to children on Christmas day

U - Unity - being united with family & friends

V -  Vacation - going on a Christmas holiday

W - Winter Wonderland - the setting of Christmas in some countries

X -  Xmas - abbreviation for Christmas

Y - Yuletide -archaic term for Christmas

Z- Zoey -Rudolph, the red nosed reindeers, girlfriend in the original movie

Deforestation and it's effects on Bengal tigers

Bengal Tiger, a misunderstood species well known to man yet so neglected. They originate from India with a small population in countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, and Nepal. They are commonly called the Indian and Royal tiger. The Indian tiger is known for being the subspecies with the largest population. With a current population of over 2,500 Bengal’s in the wild. For centuries, the species population have dropped exceedingly. What was once a species with a population of 100,000 tigers, is now an endangered tiger breed.

The species is gradually dying out, primarily caused by deforestation. What exactly is deforestation? It’s the permanent destruction of forests in order to make space for other uses. Other reasons, are to use ingredients in the trees that are worth a lot, such as the oil from palm trees. More commonly, harvesting timber to make furniture, paper as well as houses but there are more efficient and Eco friendly ways to create all of these. This is an environmental issue for all animals living amongst forests. About half of the world's tropical forest have been cleared. The logging of forests is damaging the ecosystem and animals immensely.

Many animals, including the Bengal tiger, are affected by habitat degradation because of deforestation. This is the biggest negative impact being faced off by the Bengal tigers. The trees and plants, loggers are cutting down, are home to many animals. The habitat of the Bengal tiger is varied. From scrub forests, grasslands, to wet and dry forests. All places have something in common, every habitat contains a form of nature that is currently and have been for a long time being taken away from the tigers. As the amount of habitat decrease, the number of Bengal tigers will continue to decline. Over the years, the population of these animals have decreased significantly. Between 1900 and 1972, the Bengal tiger population dropped from 40,000-50,000 to under 2,000. In the course of time, it will lead to the extinction of these animals. Is it necessary for us humans to continuously take the homes of these misinterpreted animals? We who have so much should take this into consideration of the homes we are robbing the animals of. All of this, to create various forms of construction on land, humans don't deserve and need. The Bengal tigers, on the other hand, need their homes. Think of it like this, we are invading and destroying the homes of  the tigers. Who can blame them for protecting themselves, for protecting their environment.

Following the loss of the homes of the Bengal tiger, are their food source. Bengals have a pretty large diet, literally. They prefer to eat large Ungulates such as chital, antelopes, hog deer, water buffalos, etc. All these animals live in an environment where deforestation affects their homes. The animals then travel elsewhere seeking a new home. This means that the Bengal tigers have no food to eat. As a consequence of taking their prey away, the Indian tigers have no choice but to turn to a more available food source, humans. Also, with no food, the Bengals’ starve to death! If you put a stop to logging of forests, we will continue to live lives as humans and not food. Let’s say the tables were turned. Would you prefer to starve or to survive? The actions of the tigers are quite reasonable, it’s an act of survival.

I can’t speak for the Bengal tigers, but I know if I had my home and food taken away from me, I'd feel aggrieved, malcontent and fed up being maltreated. All can be prevented by making an end to deforestation. Bengal tigers are only 1 out of a billion animals affected by deforestation. A simple blog post, adopting a tiger or even supporting a charity, like World Wildlife Funds, could save acres of animal homes from being destroyed as well as the Bengal tigers.

If deforestation continues, it will lead to global desertification. Plants, trees, animals, alongside humans will eventually become extinct. Is this what you want to happen? Save our earth along with the beautiful things inside. Start with the Bengal tigers.

Revision math work 3

Sina walked 9.49 km for week one of her training. She walked 3.43 km in the second week. She added three weeks total and got 17.98 km. How many kilometres did she walk in week 3?

5.06

9.49 + 3.43= 12.92

12.92 + 5.06 =

Logan's Diner offers its clients a choice of regular and diet soda. Last night, the diner served 60 sodas in all, 25% of which were regular. How many regular sodas did the diner serve?

15

25% of 60 =

25% = ¼ of 60 = 15

At a company meeting, there were 20 people in attendance. 25% of them were managers. How many managers were in the meeting?

5

25% of 20 =

25% = ¼ - of 20 = 5

Simon took out a loan from a shop. The amount he borrowed was $550. He had to pay back 50% interest. How much did he pay back altogether?

50% - ½

550 + 275= 825

30 students went on camp. 3/6 of them forgot their sleeping bags. How many students had sleeping bags at the camp?

3/6 of 30= 15

30 divided by 6=5

5 x 3=15

30/1 x 3/6 = 90/6

( 6 x 15 = 90 - 90 = 0 (15)

A team were saving for their transportation each week. There were 7 in the team with 4 subs. Each person put in $4.50 per week. How much will they have after 6 months of saving?

7 + 4 = 11

11 x $4.50 = 49.50

$49.50 x 26 = $1287

Bengal Tigers & WWF

Reading - W.A.L.T: to make judgments about what we read

These are the questions associated with my reading work about Bengal Tigers. Want to read more about Bengal tigers and World Wild life charity visit - https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bengal-tiger

What does it mean by Bengal tigers are the most numerous in numbers? It means that there are a great amount of the bengal tigers. The Bengal tiger is the most common tiger specie. Where can the tigers be found? Bengal tigers are commonly found in India with a small population found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. Which country has the most population? There is a massive population of bengal tigers in India. Why are the Bengal tigers endangered? They are endangered due to nearby villagers killing them and because of their habitat being destroyed due to deforestation. Where does the name Bengal come from? The name Bengal comes from a state in India which is called, Bengal. What is WWF’s mission for the Bengal tiger? WWF’s mission for the bengal tigers, is to double the amount of wild tigers. What are some actions WWF are taking to increase the number of Bengal tigers? WWF are strengthening anti poaching efforts, empowering communities and stopping illegal wildlife trade. What does this mean “This tiger subspecies is at the top of the food chain in the wild”? This means that the tiger has no predator of it’s own whatsoever though the sub specie does indeed have prey. Who would disagree with the work WWF is doing for the tigers? People who are frightened of these tigers will definitely discourage the work of WWF for they have no interest in saving an animal whom they see as dangerous and treacherous. How can we in NZ help to support the mission of WWF? We can encourage the act of strengthening anti poaching efforts, empowering communities and stop illegal wildlife trade on our blogs or take it to the press and express our opinions on the endangerment of the specie.

Back to the WALT What is your opinion about the work of WWF? I think that the work of WWF needs to be recognized and acknowledged globally. They’re not only fighting for tiger rights but are also saving many other wildlife too. Why does this charity exist? This charity exists so it can help revive endangered wildlife species or wildlife species in need of help.

Placement test at future highschool!

Today, four of my peers and I attended the AGGS placement test to determine what class we will be in for English and Mathematics.

There were numerous girls in the auditorium, they were quite intimidating. We went through the subjects we were going to take and made a few changes to the languages we were going to learn. Afterwards we were split into three large groups. My group was first to do the mathematics test. I've got to admit, I was quite nervous and I know the other girls were too! I soon realized that the test was like the P.A.T maths test we had at school, which impacted on how I felt towards the test, confident.

Forty-five minutes later, the girls and I were escorted to the cafeteria to have a bite to eat before leaving to do our final test. The English test was simple, we had to write a description about one of the 6 prompts that we were given. At first, it was nerve wracking but like any amazing author, great ideas just came flowing out of my mind. I was astonished at how much I had written about the Great Manor in thirty minutes. I did my best and hope I get selected to be in a high standard class where my writing can accelerate and gradually become better.

The placement test was my first whiff of college. Making new friends, exams, periods and the teachers. I'm very nervous to go to college therefore I know I will have five adventurous years attending Auckland Girls Grammar School.

What is Kelly Tarlton Underworld?

W.A.L.T; make our writing succinct

Kelly Tarlton Underworld is a prominent, underground aquatic museum, located around east Auckland, New Zealand.

The aquarium was founded and named after an eminent man called Kelvin (Kelly) Tarlton. He is a renowned marine archaeologist, treasure hunter, diver, inventor and conservationist. Kelly’s driving passion, was looking for a unique way of displaying his foundings throughout his underwater experiences. He also wanted to showcase his love for the ocean with others. Kelly dedicated the last years of his life towards designing the innovative place out of grimy, disused sewage tanks on Aucklands waterfront. His work was obviously successful but unfortunately at 40 years of age, he died seven weeks before the opening of the aquarium. Fortunately for Kelly, the opening of the aquatic museum, on the 25th of January 1985, was an instant success. Within the first hour, 200 people attended. Even now to this very day, the attendance of tourists and visitors have ranged an extraordinary amount.

A sea life aquarium can’t be complete without sea life. At Kelly Tarltons you’ll see everything from crayfish, lobsters, moray eels, to spiny sea dragons(seahorses) and stingrays. The most common sea creatures are fish. There are various tropical fish displays, where colour and beauty is exceptional and odd fish is known as clown. There are also other peculiar yet intriguing fish species such as Puffer fish, Butterfly fish, Clownfish, Lionfish and abnormal sized jellyfish(not really a fish specie but contains “fish” in its name”.) There are individual tanks full of a variety of fish species where you get a close-up view of the alluring colours of the fish and their distinctive characteristics which make them unique.

The Antarctic Ice adventure facility at Kelly Tarlton's home to New Zealand's only colony of Antarctic penguins. The display, gives visitors an up close, rare opportunity to see the birds closely in their Antarctic like habitat. There are two species of penguins in the aquarium, Gentoo penguins and King Penguins. The Antarctic ice adventure is one of the most successful breeding programs in the planet as well as the world's largest display of antarctic penguins. Occasionally, the aquarium allows visitors to encounter with the stunning penguins.

Not only do you get a visual view of the marvelous sea animals, but there are also interactive facilities. The rockpool area, the shark cage and shark dive. At the rockpool, you get the chance to touch the hand sized starfish. In a separate tank, the other rock pool animals rest peacefully, undisturbed. If you want some more hands on action, the underwater world has you covered with the shark cage and for the more interactive activity, the shark dive. Aquariums gets you close to aquatic animals but these experiences get you even closer. It’s an exclusive opportunity to get you eye to eye with the incredible sea animals.

There are several other Kelly Tarlton facilities such as the seahorse kingdom, Scott Base, the shark tunnel, NIWA southern oceans and shipwreck discovery which are all informative and captivating. There is one particular zone in the aquarium that will forsure intrigue you, The Amazing Creations. The Amazing creations, sponsored by Crayola, is the new addition to the aquarium, where you can design your own fish and watch it swim digitally. Your creation will project in a tank in front of you, before joining the other beautiful creations on a huge interactive projection wall. While you’re in the zone, you’ll learn more about why the unique features of sea animals exist in nature. Also, you’ll find more about the issues facing coral reefs and how it affects vibrant sea animals.

Kelly Tarltons contains the most unique of displays and projects originality through the sea animals and aquarium facilities. It is a place of wonders and showcases a brilliant image of the creators invention. You’ll see the upmost enthralling sea animals and learn about the antarctic history of New Zealand.

Neuroplasticity lesson with Mrs.Turner

Today, during the middle block, Mrs.Turner payed our class a visit to teach us about neauroplasticity. 

Neauroplasticity is the change and growth that your brain goes through in an individuals life.  We also learnt about Neurons. There are about 80 billion to 100 billion neurons in our brains. Neurons is an electric brain cell that receives, transmits and processes messages through our body. For neurons to grow and expand, it feeds on "challenges." We also got the opportunity to replicate the neurons using play dough. All of the neurons were different shapes and colours.

I learnt a lot about our brain and learnt a new and complicated word, neauroplasticity.