Season Fashion

Prayer

Oh God,

I can see your creation's through the image of the koru.
I can feel your love through the waves splashing on me. 
I can smell your presence through the blooming of the koru.
I can hear you talk when the koru rustles in the wind. 
I can taste your love from the dew that falls off the leaf of the koru.
We will always be connected like how the koru changes but is still connected. 

Thank you lord for your beautiful creations. For the ocean that we swim in. For the animals on earth that help us live and for the land we live on. 

  

Visitors

It was 12:00 in the morning, the moon shone brightly in the misty night sky. The night was quiet and all that I could hear was the noise of the wind. Suddenly I heard a whisper saying “Nita wake up, Nita come on get up sleepyhead.” I opened my eyes slowly. Right in front of me was my mother well dressed as if she was at a cool party. “What is it?” “ Dylan's back and he’s outside” At once I got out of bed and quickly dressed, without a word I ZOOMED out of the room and out to the fresh air. 

“Creepy” I thought to myself. All of a sudden I saw a face hiding in the shadows. I wanted to RUN away but my feet were glued to the ground. “Nita” I heard the shadow say. Oh, how frightened I was! As soon as I heard the voice, I realized it was   DYLAN! After a while Dark Vader came out of the darkness and showed a face that looked familiar to me.
We stared at each other for awhile. Then out came my mum. “ Get into the car” So we all went in the car and drove away ( we left Stella and my dad at home ) We  were nearly there and I was so anxious for a cookie so I said “Mum can I have a cookie, please.” And of course she said no. We finally arrived. I rushed up the steps and knocked on the door. I waited a while when suddenly the door opened with a rush of wind. We all stepped in with tired looks on our faces. I happily lay down for a rest. I could hear my mum and grandma talking. Then I heard a screech of wheels it sounded like a cat’s claws on a blackboard. I ran to see if everything was OK,  but it was just my papa coming in to say hi. Finally my mum came to the room and told me we were going. As we got into the car I felt the wind gently breathing in my face.  We were nearly home, I couldn't wait to go back to sleep and start dreaming again. 


By Maranita

My Personal Narrative - St Josaphat

Hi my name is Josaphat, I lived a long time ago. I was a monk in the Ukrainian Greek church. I was born in a little town called Volodymyr in Lithuania in 1580.

People said I had many good qualities so I was chosen to lead the people in the year 1617 when I was 37 years old. At the age of 24 in 1604 I decided to join the Basilian Monastery of the Trinity at Vilna. I became popular and I was visited often. In 1609 I became a priest after I was a deacon. On November the 12th I became the Bishop of Vitebsk.

I had a meeting to unite the Roman church with the Orthodox church. Some people were against the unity of the churches and a mob attacked me. I was killed in 1623 November 12th.

When I came to heaven I found out I was still popular. Eastern churches including the Ukrainian church celebrate my feast day by having a big mass.

Rapunzel

On Wednesday the 12th of November the New Zealand Auckland play house performed a spectacular show called Rap-punzel in the school hall of Christ the King. Rap-punzel is a musical version of real Rapunzel story. 

The most entertaining scene was when they pretended to be the real X-factor performers. The character Simon Cow was convincing. He made it seem as if he was the real Simon Cowell. One of the funniest parts was when the character Prince Rupert's pants fell down and the crowd started laughing. Their laughter filled the hall. However the kiss was what the audience thought was really shocking, especially the little children. The rap that Rapunzel and Prince Rupert sang was very clever. It was sad that they had to finish. It was a good performance.

If you like humor and music then this is the play for you. I recommend this to all ages especially the children because it is cheerful and fun to watch. The older people would like this because it has very sophisticated humor and good wordplay.

Mary Mackillop Centre

"What a beautiful view." I think to myself. I am having lunch with friends outside the Josephite sisters convent I can hear the birds chirping. The green grass is tickling my feet as I sit in the cooling shade of a tree. As I turn my head I see my school and think 'I am in a big school.' I stand up and the walk around the grass. The hot Friday sun is shining upon my face making me feel comfortable. 'What a great place to celebrate the school's 60th anniversary.' I think.

As I sit down I look across the splashing sea and see Mt. Rangitoto. It is as big as a giant. With it's big trees covering it everywhere like a blanket. Sailing the sea is a little boat with a white sail. The white sail is waving in the wind. "Hey Nita what are you looking at?" I hear my friend ask. I point to the little boat.

Whoosh, Whoosh, I hear the wind in my ears. I sit down in the cooling shade. As I devour my apple I taste the sweetness and juiciness.

My head turns and I see the nuns serving us drinks. ' They love being poor because they don't need to worry about their belongings'. Then I wonder 'Nuns are very lucky, I wonder if I will ever become a nun when I grow up?'

What is Matariki

Matariki

Matariki is the celebration of the Maori new year. In the Maori new year it is a time when plenty of crops are harvested and fish are caught and are cooked ready for dinner. The people gather together and tell each other stories. Every New year a cluster of stars is shown but in many stories there are 7 stars. We can only see 7 stars with our naked eye. Matariki is actually the name for the stars in the sky.

Cats

Cats are mammals. Mammals are animals that produce milk. A cat is also a carnivore. Their favourite food is meat (sometimes they eat fish.) Some of you may think there is one type of cat?... well you’re wrong. There are different type of cats all around the world. Even though they are all different from one another they belong to the same family, which is called the feline family.

Anyway, back to the question, if you think that all cats may be the same they aren’t. Cats have the same features like warm coats and long whiskers or sharp claws, furry paws. They also have a strong muscular form of body. Cats can be very different with each other. One minute their friendly the next they are a BEAST and they can be a hardcore predator. Once they have a prey, they stalk with their soft paws. They are experts at hunting. First they wait and then... 1...2...3 MEOW! It pounces for the prey.

People sometimes wonder where and when were cats tamed. Cats were tamed in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians were the first to tame cats, the African wild cat was the first ever cat to be domesticated ( domesticated means tamed too.) The reason why they tamed cats was because they thought that cats would be very useful for catching mice. In ancient Egypt cats were helpful for a lot of things like chasing mice away from their food. Their other theory was that if you take an orange cat and a black cat you will get orange and black baby cats which means more cats.

Cats are valuable to us. They have been with us for many years.

By Maranita.

What is a volcano?

A volcano is a mountain which opens down to hot lava. When the pressure builds then an eruption starts. In an eruption, gases and rocks shoot out and spill over and fill the air. People have little time to run before the gas kills them. Volcano eruptions can cause hot lava rivers, lateral blasts, ash flows, avalanches and many more problems. All eruptions are known to burn down a whole forest of trees. When there is an erupting volcano it can cause earthquakes and other natural disasters.

How are  volcanoes formed?

They are formed when magma from the upper earth’s mantle works its way to the surface of the earth. When it reaches the surface, it shoots out ash and gas, and hot lava flows down. Volcanoes can be dormant, active or extinct.

An active volcano

A dormant volcano

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

This book is about 4 kids who go off to an unknown place of adventure and lots of mysteries. The children are named Peter, Susan, Edward and little Lucy. They were sent to another home because of the war. Now they live at a professor's house which was very big. 

One of my favourite parts was when Lucy found a room with a wardrobe and went inside. That was when she discovered Narnia. Susan is my favourite character, not just because she is pretty but also because she is smart and funny and enthusiastic. 

This book is rated 5 stars.If you like adventure, you will love this book as much as I do.

By: Maranita

Nancy and the hidden staircase

The story of Nancy and the hidden staircase is about Nancy (a young detective) who helps her friend's great grandma at her mansion, called 'Twin Elms'. Mysterious happenings have been going on lately and Nancy is determined to solve the mystery. During the mystery Nancy's father decided to visit Nancy but what he didn't know was that he was going to be captured.

The cover of the book

What I like about this book is that I find it very interesting and amusing. I think that the author made it convincing, like I was really there. My favourite part was when the mystery was solved because she found her dad and everything was back to the way it was before. Nancy is my favourite character because she is fearless and takes up a challenge no matter what. 


I recommend this book to 8 yr olds and above. I think that anyone who likes mysteries will love this book as much as I do.

Review of George's Marverlous Medicine by Roald Dahl

George's Marvelous Medicine is a very funny, fictitious tale. George is a mischievous little boy, who plays a horrid trick on his grandma. He made a potion which made his grandma grow enormous but the trick soon became a problem.

The best part was when the wicked grandma fell for the prank and didn't realize what was happening to her. Another reason why I like this book is because the author made it humorous and believable. He also did a good job describing the characters, by giving details about each character. I especially like the part when George created the magnificent potion. I thought the plot was hilarious because George put anything and everything in the potion. 

The book

I recommend this book to 7 year olds and above because it is easy to read and understand. Anyone who loves humor will love this book.

By Maranita

Sina and the Eel

This is a legend from Samoa. The legend started with a girl named Sina. She was the most beautiful girl in the village. She had a kind heart, long black hair and smooth skin. Word of Sina's beauty reached the prince of Fiji and he turned himself into an eel and swam all the way to Samoa to find Sina. When he saw Sina he fell in love with her instantly. Everywhere Sina went, the eel would follow. She would try to escape but it was no use, the eel would always find her because he was deeply in love with her. 

Sina fled to another village to live, she looked behind her but the eel was not to be seen. One day Sina was going to fetch some water from the rock pool. As she was drawing water, beady eyes stared at her from beneath the water. The girl cried out and shouted for help. The chief and people heard this and ran over and captured the eel.

Before he was killed, the  eel asked Sina to accept his last gift as a token of his love, that when he died, she would plant his head in the ground. From his head, a tree will grow that Sina and her people could use. The trunk will be used to build houses and canoes, the leaves will be used to weave mats and baskets, the husks will be used for fire, and the fruits, for food and drink. The eel, with his dying breath, told Sina that she will remember him every time she drank from the fruit. 

Sina obeyed and planted the eel's head in the ground. Not long after, a tree began to grow from where Sina had buried the eel's head. This was the first coconut tree. As the eel had said, the trunk was used to build houses and canoes, its leaves were excellent for weaving baskets and sleeping mats, the husks for fire, and the fruits for food and drink. And every time Sina drank from the coconut, she saw the eel's face, as if she were kissing him. 

Eyes and mouth of the eel

The three holes represent the eel's two eyes and mouth. Now here is some history:
The rock pool where Sina saw the eel is a sacred pool in the village Safune, in Samoa. It is called ' Mata a le alelo' which means in English 'Eyes of the demon', the words Sina cried out when she was startled by the eel.

Mataalealelo rock pool in Safune, Savai'i in Samoa

The coconut tree, the eel

The coconut husk being used to start a fire for cooking.

Sheep

                                                                            Sheep
Sheep are mammals. They are also ungulates. Mammals are animals that produce milk and ungulates are animals that have hooves.

Sheep have wool. Some have long wool and some have short wool. They have black noses. It is important for them to smell. Their faces are narrow. most sheep have white and pure faces and others have black faces like the night sky. Even though their ears are small like piglets their sense of hearing are excellent. There are so many types of sheep like the Drysdale, Finn, Gotland Pelt and Hampshire.

All sheep live in herds. Their behaviour is different from each other. Most of the time lambs bounce excitedly and some behave obediently. People think that all sheep and lambs are gentle and nice but actually their right and wrong, not all sheep are nice and easy to hold some but.

Before humans tamed sheep they were like any wild animal. There were some animals that lived in the mountains. People believe that the ancestor sheep had very woolly coats that were very useful because up the mountains were very chilly. They also had longer and stronger horns than the sheep we have today. Today sheep have their horns debudded. We domesticated sheep for their warm and soft wool and also their milk.

Sheep have an interesting history. I think that sheep are unique and one of a kind.

By Maranita

A little lamb

A Drysdale sheep

Beauty and the beast

Beauty and the beast

Do you want to know where Christ the King School went to on Friday? We went to Manukau Vodafone Centre to see a live production. This production was put on by Sancta Maria college.

The play was about a young woman who fell in love with a hideous beast. It all started when Belle's father went to a convention and had been trapped by the beast. As soon as Belle found out her father had been trapped by someone she went immediately to find him. Once she had found her father the beast showed himself to Belle. She made a brave suggestion that she would stay with the beast in her father's place forever! While she stayed her love for the beast became stronger.

I thought that the play was very well made. The characters were also very convincing. It was heartbreaking when Gaston attacked the beast, but it was romantic when Belle admitted her love for the beast.

This production is very suitable for anyone of any age. It was so much fun to watch, everyone would love it!

By Maranita.

The actors of the scene