FIRST WEEK OF TERM RECAP 😎

Hello and welcome back to Term 3!
This term is bound to be very exciting for a few reasons:
One, our timetable got switched, and we have been introduced to a bunch of new classes. 
And two, we finally were able to move into our new buildings!

I still remember what Hornby High School looked like before the 18 months of construction started, and it's hard to believe I stand where the old library was everyday. But the new buildings look fantastic, and the classes we've had in there have been great. My favourite part about the new building is probably how modern everything looks: it's a real upgrade from what Hornby High School used to be (i.e the buildings that have been here for around 50 years - the ones my Mum was in when she was a kid!)

This term I have already taken some opportunities. First of all I joined a Minecraft competition (for clarification: I only play Minecraft now at 3am when I'm totally bored but I used to when I was ten so I said why not) where we have to build a sustainable eco-house. 

I'm going to do it individually as opposed to a team because I feel like I've been doing so much group work lately. I also prefer working individually anyway.

The second opportunity that I took was a spot as a student librarian! You can catch me now lurking in the library shelves 😎 Okay but for real I'm super excited to start as student librarian because I love reading and I love taking opportunities that can grow my roles within the school community.

I'm super excited for what this term can bring. The new classes I'm taking are Japanese, Maori, Digital Tech (I love all of them by the way) 

😎

2018 ART 🎨🖌️

This year in art I have been working towards completing two projects: an art nouveau/Kowhaiwhai style wood cutting piece and an art nouveau/Kowhaiwhai style painting. 

What did I find most challenging about the print design process?
Learning to feature negative space in my drawings to provide a woodcut including both inked and negative areas, as well as cutting the wood with gouges as it was such a complex drawing I created. 

What did you find the most challenging about the painting composition process?
I think the most challenging part was finding the right skin tone out of all things, surprisingly. I found that mixing yellow and white wasn't effective enough so I included a tiny bit of magenta to provide some pink undertones to the colour to resemble skin more realistically. The other thing I found difficult was painting the most detailed features, such as the eyes, eyebrows, nose, and lips. I used the smallest paintbrushes available to do these parts and I found that using tiny strokes was the most effective technique to use.

What mistake did you make that taught you something?
For woodcutting: I definitely should have used a less complex design. I found carving around tiny lines and etching textures was not really possible with the woodcutting tools. 
For painting: Again, I really should have used a less complex design, and tried not to include many detailed features like those you find on a face. Next time I would have done a design that was something other than a human, and would have focused more on patterns and physical objects such as flowers.

What was the most successful about your work?
I'd say the most successful thing about my finished woodcut was how I used my negative space to create the design. It was something I definitely struggled with but in the end I was super proud of. I was able to create a complex hair texture and background just by using negative space.
The most successful thing about my painting was probably the mixing of colours and tones. It's something I enjoy and was able to do effectively. I understood undertones well (I have experience with using pigments and paints before this) and was able to mix the right colours to suit the paintings and go with others. 

What could you do to improve your work?
For my woodcutting, I feel like using a less complex design and creating new ideas rather than just using the first one would have been a lot more beneficial towards the final design. I found I was making just a few designs and in the end I would have gone back and taken a bit more time to perfect these as well as take time to create more. 
For painting, I should have given myself more time. I had to finish the painting at home with little time and I believe I could have completed a much better artwork if I had more time on my hands. Next time I could work on how I used my preparation time prior to beginning the painting.

Overall I could have more resilient and given it a better try in art this year. I am really excited to get another chance by planning to take it again soon. Thank you to Ms Keene and Mr Collins for putting up with me this year no matter how many times I nearly gave up. 

:)

TERM TWO RECAP 🎓

Meeting Chloe Swarsbrick at the World Vision Youth conference!

Tomorrow marks the end of my second term as a Year Nine at Hornby. It feels like only yesterday I was starting school as a nervous Year Eight so right now everything is so surreal.

This term I was part of the 40 Hour Famine committee and took part in planning and organising the event. We did projects such as a rice-eating competition, mufti day, and fundraising for World Vision. I participated in events such as the World Vision Youth conference and learned leadership skills I use up to this day.

Another thing I was a part of was the 2018 Reader's Cup. Me and a few of my friends have been reading lots of books leading up to the event next term. Along the way I discovered possibly my new favourite book of all time, One by Sarah Crossan, as well as learning a new poetry style for me to work on. A struggle I face while doing this is having to read books I don't particularly like or enjoy such as Legend and Skulduggery Pleasant.

Working hard at the Gap Filler project in town!

Overall this term the biggest thing for me is keeping going when things get tough. Personal issues kept me out of school and in hospital for weeks and I've been struggling to attend meetings and catch up with work. Next term my goal is to be more resilient with my work, and keep doing despite any personal issues outside or even inside of school. 

Last term recap I said I was going to focus on aiming higher for Maths, Technology P.E. I can successfully say I got a better report in P.E, Tech, Home Economics, and Maths. However, I think I let myself down in Music, Art, and Science which I'm really gutted about. My second goal next term is to bring myself back up to an exceeded in Science as well as in Japanese and Drama. 


Thank you to all the teachers and students who have helped me along the way! See you next term!  

MATARIKI FINAL PERFORMANCE ✨

Yesterday we finally were able to perform Stan Walker's Aotearoa to a number of Year 8/9 classes in the auditorium! We spent the term choreographing the dance, learning the lyrics, and perfecting our routine before the big day.

For my costume I wore a black and white traditional Maori skirt and a Maori patterned headband, along with Poi. I liked my costume and I think it well with the culture of the performance.

The performance went really well! The only thing I could have done better is my Poi - I messed up a tiny bit at the very beginning before I got into sync with the others. Other than that, I'm proud of my singing and footwork, and I was actually feeling very confident in my performing.

Here are some photos from rehearsal!

Although I can't grab any photos of the actual performance right now, I will add some if any are available soon!

:)