MAGS Blog!

Ms Hobbs' year 11 Social Studies class have been learning about the issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.They have heard all about the complex colonial history of the area, the lack of government control, the violence of the paramilitary groups, the horrific conditions in many of the mining areas - and how the booming electronics industry has fuelled this. Below are some of the student's reflections. “ In the Eastern part of DRC mines have been producing cassiterite (tin), wolframite (tungsten) and coltan for many years but more so now with the proliferation of electronic devices. However, it is only recently that the horrific conditions of the local Congolese miners have begun to be addressed. Their make shift huts provide very little or no shelter, the mines themselves are dark and dangerous. Children as young as 7 are exploited to work in these inhumane conditions and many women are raped. Money earned from mining these minerals “feed” the armed gangs.

1) A boy fell off a 1000 foot ladder, but did not get hurt, how is this possible? 2) One day a little boy named John told his parents that for his job, he wanted to shoot people and blow them up. His parents were very proud of his career choice. What does John want to do? 3) A farmer owns a massive pear tree, and he supplies fruit to a nearby grocery store. The grocer wants to buy some of his fruit, and wants to know how much is available for purchase. The farmer calculates that there are 24 branches, and each branch has 12 boughs, and each bough has twelve twigs. if each twig bears 1 fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to deliver? 4) Two sisters, one dark and one fair, dwell in twin towers. One is from the land, and one is from the sea. What are they? 5) What is one question that you can never truthfully answer to? 6) Two girls both sat down at a cafe and ordered iced tea. One girl ordered one glass, and in the time she drank it, the other girl had drank five. The

Rain washes away most things, but even floodwaters can't wash away pain. Nevertheless here I am sitting on this old wooden bench, in the rain. Each drop hitting the muddied puddles near my feet splashes me with tiny droplets of mud, but I don't care. If people could see all the mud inside me they'd never notice it on the outside, they never look anyway. Peculiar, isn't it? The way love has two lovers blind to all but each other, like those two sheltering under the tree a few meters ahead of me. Blissfully unaware of the melancholy girl watching on. “Excuse me,” a deep voice startles me, “Mind if I sit here?” Standing in front of me is the most handsome man I have ever seen, and my mind is blank. For the first time in my life I can't think of anything to say. “Oh! Uh…” think girl think! Those eyes are so distracting… no! This isn't like me! My chest feels like it's going to explode... “Um, sorry to have disturbed you…” He’s turning away, quick! “Wait!

On Monday 31st July, the English department celebrated Harry Potter's birthday in style. They gathered their scarves, wigs, and robes and transformed themselves into some of the best characters in the literary world. Teachers celebrated in various ways, but Ms Calvert gave her students a spectacular start to the week. Her students brought in different Harry Potter themed foods to create a shared lunch (breakfast)! From Harry's 11th birthday cake, to pumpkin juice and mandrake cupcakes - they had it all. Ms Calvert also tested her students on Harry Potter trivia, and sorted them into their rightful houses. Monday was a day full of glowing faces and quirky celebration!

Tips and things to do/use to help save the environment! Ethique - Environmentally friendly beauty/cleaning products This amazing company sells shampoos, conditioners, and other products in a solid, block form. They are very concentrated and contain only natural ingredients such as lavender, raspberries, coconut oil and ginger. All you have to do is add a little bit of water, and you have a very effective long-lasting product. But that isn't even the best bit! All products and wrappers are bio-degradable! This means that their company has prevented the waste of 150,000 plastic containers worldwide! I truly encourage everyone to start using these amazing products, as they will help us live in a clean, healthy world. Fidget Spinners Obviously these small coloured contraptions are quite popular at the moment. I personally admire the fact that people can focus their fidgeting in a controlled way, while having fun. One problem I have with these, is that it is a big