Zooplankton: Habitat/Enviroment

For the last two terms we've been doing our topic on water. This paticular activity we had to write about a marine animal and explain how they are suited to their paticular habitat/enviroment.

NZ Refugee Letter

Dear Whanau and Friends, At school this term my reading group has been reading the book Refugee. It focuses on three children in different times. 1938, Nazi Germany, Cuba in 1994 and Syria, 2015. Josef (Jewish), Isabel (Cuban), Mahmoud (Muslim). It is a very good book but there are some really sad bits. We’ve been reading it five chapters at a time, which is kind of annoying as I’m a fast reader. So I read it all in one day and then I have to wait another week, even though I really want to find out what happens next. In this writing activity I’m going to tell you about refugees, most of you will probably know more than me because I’m only eleven years old, but you may learn a thing or two about refugees. 

 In New Zealand we are really lucky, why? Well let me tell you. Unlike other countries there is no war (apart from politics, though that doesn’t really count because its all words. Oh, and the fight against plastic, but that’s different because millions of people don’t get blown up). It is all love, peace, flowers, sunshine, rainbows, etc. But in other countries they are not so lucky. People become refugees for lots of reasons, political or religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality or membership of a particular social group. The reason they leave to become refugees is nearly always war (or political coup). People’s opinions change and sometimes people get hurt. 

 Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia make up 54% of the worlds refugees source. During the war it might have been other countries (like I don’t know, Hitler and the Nazis, Stalin? Just taking a wild guess). 

 How can we help refugees? Well that is a very good question, but before I answer I want to tell you why we should help them. People may say“This is our country, it is for us.” that is what a truly horrible person would say. Others say “If people get hurt we should help. If people need help we should help.” that is what someone truly awesome would say. We are in New Zealand, we have awesome lives, lots of food, clean water, no political coups. Other countries aren’t so lucky, other people aren’t so lucky. Everyone has feelings, everyone has rights. And we are violating their rights if we do nothing. Besides refugees can also be really helpful. They are smart, clever, hardworking, honest people. We should be honoured to have them in our country, refugees have job skills that we may not have and that helps us and our economy. 

 Alright, back to the question: How can we help them? Well, first of all we need to treat like humans with feelings (because they are humans with feelings). Being mean is a terrible way to start, if we are mean and horrible we have failed our mission without even starting. Once we’ve got that covered we need to help them get jobs, homes, furnitures, educations, you know, all the stuff we are lucky enough to have. There are some great charities and government schemes that cover this, but kindness still goes a long way. 

 Whether you just chat to them (only talk about being refugees if they bring it up, as this can be offensive and we don’t want them being sad) or invite them over for a barbecue, this helps, this kindness we give to them, they appreciate being treated normally, just like we do. They may have lived far away, and may lead very different lives to us, but we’re all in this together. 

 Thank you for reading. And to anyone reading this who may be a refugee I just want to say thank you for being here, thank you for being your awesome self.

Week 8, Chapters 31-35

 Emotive Language    Think & Respond

As most of you know my reading group is reading the book Refugee this term. These are the activities I did this week (not including Extra for Experts). The first one we were given some sentences to make more interesting. The second activity we were given some questions relating to the text which we had to answer. 

Refugee is a really good story with twists and turns around every corner. Josef's father jumps off a boat. Isabel's mother goes into labour on their raft in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN! And Mahmoud's little sister, Hana has to be given away so she will live.

Refugee Vocabulary

This term my reading group has been reading the book Refugee, by Alan Gratz. This particular activity was all about vocabulary. (This was an activity I did a few weeks ago but I forgot to publish it until now.)

Polish Child Refugee Camp Story

As we sail into the harbour I cry. I miss my big sister Aurelia who disappeared one day. I miss Matka who died giving birth to my little brother Robert, who died soon after. But most of all I miss Beatcyrze, my little sister who died of pneumonia. If only one of us made it, I thought it would be her. She was brave and loving. I was the joker, the oldest, I was supposed to look after the others. It should have been me. 

The sound of laughter is everywhere. I hate it. They are all orphans, yet they can be happy, but I can’t. It’s not fair. I want to laugh and sing and be joyful. But ever since Beatrycze, my last family member died, I have been stripped of all happiness. No eleven year old girl should go through this. No one should go through this. 

Finally we dock in the harbour and Prime Minister Peter Fraser came aboard and gave an incredibly long speech. How he managed to write something that boring, I don’t know. Eventually I fell asleep. 

“Minnie, Minnie wake up!” an irritated voice yelled in my ear. “Matka?” I ask. She was the only person I knew that could be that grumpy. “No stupid, its time to go.” I recognised that voice instantly; it was that grumpy man in charge of me and the ten others in my group. I grudgingly push my brown hair out of my face and glare at him. He’s bald and has a big saggy nose, like a sack that was sewn onto his face. I poke my tongue out at him. “Minnie’s in trouble. Ohhhh '' the rest of my group chanted. I swore at them in German. Luckily Mr Nowak, or Kazimierz, destroyer of peace, as I like to call him, didn't understand me. So I did it again. I am half German but Matka was born in Poland as were Aurelia, Beatrycze and I. 

 I got up and started towards the exit, the others all pushed ahead of me shrieking with excitement and scrambling off the boat. Dragging my feet behind me I looked a sorry sight. A purple splotch around a foggy blue eye, hands and legs covered in scratches, walking with a limp. I was the original sob story. As bad as I felt, I was still amazed by this little country. There are fluffy white clouds in a clear blue sky. There are bushy green trees everywhere. The sea smells salty but in a nice way. I haven’t seen anywhere this beautiful in, well, I never have. A lady walks up to me. “Hello?” she said in an uncertain voice. Luckily Kazimierz made us learn basic English on the way. The only good thing he has ever done I reckon. 

“Hello, how are you?” I said as this was the politest thing I could think of. “Oh, hello dearie, how are you, weathers nice isn’t it, what's your name, I thought you couldn’t speak English…” she garbled on. I can’t understand that much English! “I can not understand you. I only know the basic basics.” I answered robotically. “Oh I’m so sorry.” she said practically bursting into tears. Why is she crying? The question I needed to ask her was not in my small list of vocabulary. This is a small list of what I understand. 

Hello 

Goodbye 

Thank you

How are you? 

I am good 

Right 

Left- In case we get lost 

I am lost. I am Polish refugee- so the locals know where to send us if we have to ask for directions

My name is Minnie 

I am very grateful to be in your wonderful country- I will NEVER say that. 

I can not understand you. I only know the basic basics- Kazimierz prepared us for this sort of situation.

 “How are you?” I repeat hoping she will stop her bawling. “I am fine, thank you sweetheart” she sniffs “Take these” she says as she thrust brightly wrapped sweets at me. I may not understand her but I know gifts when I see them. Besides, I haven’t had a lolly in years now. Beatrycze loved the pink ones, Aurelia loved the blue, but my favourite was always the yellow ones. “Thank you.” I say, then I grab them and run to catch up with my group. “Good luck” she calls after me. Hmm, I hope she wasn’t insulting me. 

 “What were you doing, Minnie?” Kazimierz growls at me. 

“Nothing” I mutter, glad to be able to speak in Polish again. 

“Open your hands.” 

“Why?” I reply hoping my cockiness will throw him off. No such luck. 

“NOW!!” he yells at me. I can’t lose these lollies. So I change tactic. 

“P-please, I haven’t had one in years, oh please Mr Nowak” I cry (I’m very good at acting). 

“NOW!!!” and he slaps me. Hard. 

“Oi, leave that little girl alone!” a lady in a black dress says fiercely. 

“Yeah, she hasn’t done nothing bad to you”!” says another, this time one in blue. The women swarm around him, yelling abuse and clouting him with their handbags. I haven’t been in New Zealand long but I’m enjoying it a lot so far. 

 Then the lady who gave me the lollies came over and said 

“I gave those to her. The rest of your group got lollies but you didn’t take the lollies of them, did you, hmm” she said sarcastically. 

“Who are you?” he asks, I’m scared he will hurt her. 

“My name is Janet, Janet Fraser. And who the dickens are you?” she replies. Kazimierz goes pale. 

“I’m s-so sorry, Mrs Fraser.” I’m very happy about this unexpected turn of events. You see Janet Fraser is… the prime minister's wife. “Scoot.” Janet Fraser says and Kazimierz fast walks off and the rest of my group follow him, like dogs going to bait. Pathetic. 

 “Thank you, my name is Minnie,” I say. Wait a minute. “German” I say pointing to my mouth. 

 “Ohh good!” she says suddenly speaking in German. On the boat one of our lessons was about her. Apparently she could speak German. And I guess that was true. 

“My name is Minnie, I speak German and Polish. Thank you for the sweets Mrs Fraser, I’m very grateful, I haven’t had one since my Matka died.” 

“Oh, that's sad.” 

“She died giving birth to Robert. Robert died soon after. My big sister Aurelia disappeared, she was probably murdered. And my little sister Beatrycze died of pneumonia.” I say sadly, opening my eyes as wide as possible. 

“Ohh.” I’ve shocked her. I always have that effect on people. 

 “And Papa ran away with a woman half his age.” I say to seal the deal. 

“Oh you poor thing, well, good luck.” she says briskly, shoves something in my pocket and hurries off. Finally, I was beginning to worry my plan wouldn’t work...

 You may be wondering why Kazimierz hates me. Is it because I am super awesome. Nope, Kazimierz does hate me for a reason though. You want to know why? His daughter was my best friend in the camp. Agata died of an unknown disease. Ever since then he has hated me as I remind him of her. 

I run to catch up with them and they board the train. Just before I hop on I check my pockets. Great, it's her purse! I check and it's stuffed with money! Yes. Phase 1 of my plan has succeeded. What’s that sound? “Meww?” It’s soft and sweet and pitiful. I look around, it's an adorable little kitten. She's a tabby with mossy green eyes. I was going to wait before I ran away but now I have a companion. I will call her Willow as she's unhealthily skinny and her eyes seem so forest-like. Rain starts to come down. At first a delicate mist that turns into raindrops pounding on the shelter above where I stand. Yet the birds are still singing their sweet song, if they can keep going even when times are tough, I know I can. So I scoop Willow up and jump on a different train. I’m not being a refugee.

In class we've been reading the book Refugee. For this weeks activity we wrote a story describing the experience the Polish children coming to New Zealand as refugees, in 1994. I based my story on my triple great grandmother. But she was not a refugee and she came over in the 1800s. But the Minnie in my story and real Minnie share the same determination, courage, sad beginning and survival instinct that is shown in my story.

Interest

In school we have been doing Financial Literacy. I worked in a group with my friends Lucy & Atawhai to create a slide on interest.

Water Cycle Summary

For the last two terms my class has been focusing on water-wai. This is a summary of what I have learnt with some of my classmates.