If I’m on your blogroll, you probably need to change my link to this new address. I look forward to seeing lots of new comments!

Goodbye edublogs!

“I know! I can’t stop!” Another nervous shiver passed through me as Mr McCabe walked into the room. He sat down in his chair at the head of the table and surveyed us all. The nervous talk around us stopped.

No, I was not sitting in the principal’s office for being in trouble, I was there along with the rest of Te Awamutu Intermediate’s Class Councillors and House Captains that had applied for job of Head Student. We had all undergone application letters and interviews the week before. It was at this meeting that Mr McCabe was going to announce his decision!

“Right guys, as soon as I say this, I’m going to leave the room. You are welcome to stay behind and chat.  I have decided that this year’s Head Students are…. Hayley and Nicole.” He then left the room. There was a stunned silence. Then, the room was full of whispers.

“Shot Hayley!”

“Congatulations Nicole!”

Nicole and I were very surprised and proud-I was so happy that I could not stop laughing! We all got up and hugged each other. I am looking forward to the rest of the year and what is now held in store for me!

What keeps me going? Well, when I’m sad, I would say hope that things will turn around. Hope for the future and being able to look forward to the future and the things you could do and experience in it.

The love I have for my friends and family and pets. Without them, it would be very difficult to keep going! Besides, if I ’stopped going’, I wouldn’t want them to experience the sadness they may feel if I wasn’t there. I wouldn’t want to cause them grief. If that makes sense.

Not knowing whats around the corner. Anything could happen next, and thats one single thing to keep going for. Curiosty is partly to blame for that, but I think waking up every day and not knowing whats going to happen in the time between then and when your head hits the pillow again is a great motivator.

For this post, I tag

Megan

Georgia

Nicky

and Alex.

But finally, Mr McCabe told us that we were about to hear the names of the House Captains. It turned out that my best friend Megan had gotten Puniu’s, and my other friend Georgia got Waipa’s! I was very happy for them! But then, Mr McCabe said that the councillors would get their badges next week, because they already knew who they were. I was very confused. I looked at Mrs Crowe but she gave me an expression saying ‘don’t worry, you’ll find out!’. So, after the assembly, she came up to us, and said, ‘this year’s Class Councillor is… Hayley!’ I was very happy- I had been hoping for that moment for weeks! I felt very proud as I went to join the other Class Councillors in the library for our first meeting. =]

I was very bored the other day so I went and had a look at www.funny.com. This picture was in the most popular pictures of all time! The picture is of a mural painted above a designated smoking area. Me not being a smoker, I found it quite funny, but I can imagine seeing someone who does smoke seeing it and feeling a bit guilty! (About what they may be doing to their body). What do you think about it? Comment please.

So far this year, I have signed up for these jobs:

Leader of the school magazine,
Cat monitor (feeding the school cats),
Staffroom monitor (cleaning the teachers’ dishes ),

And I have written my applications for Class Councillor and House Captain. I really hope to achieve one of those, and a role in the school production! (I personally think everyone’s a bit out of character in the run up to the decision of House Captain etc, if you know what I mean, so I can’t wait for the decisions to be made so we can get back to normal!) But anyway, so far this year has been pretty good; watching the year 7’s settle in, swimming in our school pool and doing lots of sport, catching up with everyone after the holidays, and lots more. I think that 2009 is going to be great!

Some of my goals next year are…

Getting a role in the school production,
hopefully achieving class councillor, then head student (or maybe house captain),
going on the Ski Trip again,
making the school magazine twice as good as this year (if that’s possible),
being a good role model to all the new year 7’s,
continuing my music lessons with the trombone,
continuing participating in school drama,
and maybe joining another cultural option like Jump Jam or dance.

Wish me luck!

“A Gisborne school is fighting to save an 11-year-old boy from a life of crime after his mother bragged he had already passed Mongrel Mob* initiation tests.

 The boy is said to already be running his own gang which includes some 18-year-olds.

But Awapuni School principal David Langford says he is being hampered by a lack of early intervention support for pupils with severe behavioural problems.

The boy was excluded from his first primary school in 2006, aged eight, after a series of violent incidents including bringing a baseball bat to school, crushing a pupil’s hand with a chair leg, and assaulting and injuring children.

That principal, who did not want to be named, said the boy had been behaving violently since his first day at the school as a five-year-old.

The principal also said the boy’s mother had recently boasted to educational professionals that her son had passed gang prospect tests.

“This is a child we are talking about who was encouraged to complete criminal acts,” she said. The boy, whose father had been a Mongrel Mob leader, is known to police.

The boy was described by a psychiatrist as a predatory assailant several years ago and is now believed to be running his own gang, which Langford said included some members who were aged 18.” – http://www.stuff.co.nz/4739968a11.html

I think this is a disgrace. I think there should be more done to support this boy and lead him away from the path he is straying down. Such as counselling, or maybe his parents just need to be more strict and keep a better eye on him. This story just goes to show how gang culture is affecting New Zealand’s children- I don’t think it’s fair to be exposed to crime and violence at such a young age. Especially in this case- the boy was obviously exposed to the world of gangs through his father, who was apparently a Mongrel Mob member. My opinion is that all gangs need to be cracked down on. You know that it is getting out of control when younger and younger people are getting involved. I don’t know that this boy is the youngest child to ever be involved in a gang, but I do know that the last thing New Zealand needs is another one.

* Mongrel Mob-a New Zealand gang.

I can do this by helping organize and collect the articles/pictures.

~ To learn and master my dance for jazz dancing before the end of year show.

I can do this by concentrating in lessons, and not continuing until I have mastered each step.

~ To try to the best of my ability in Athletics and hopefully make it into the interschools.

I can do this by training hard and trying out for the sports I am most able in.

~ To balance school and home work effectively and hand them in on time.

I can do this by prioritizing with due dates, and working hard.

~ To perform well with my drama group in the grandparent’s concert.

I can do this by rehearsing lots, and avoiding stage fright.