2016 Belvedere Spring Ezine

2016 spring

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The Reptile Man Visits

Top 100 UK Schools

Cathy Cassidy Visits

Murder Mystery

Y10 Netball Champs

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FEATURE STORIES

Ski Trip

Textiles Showcase

PE Dept News

World Book Day

Whodunnit? Murder Mystery Cathy Cassidy Visit Physics Outreach Winner Drama News Y10 Netball Champions Reptile Man Visits

What’s inside…

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

The Belvedere Academy Drama Department Proudly Presents

THE PLAY

Wednesday 29th June, 7.00pm Thursday 30th June, 7.30pm Friday 1st July, 7.00pm Tickets ÂŁ3, available from the Finance Office

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Belvedere in national top 100 We were delighted to receive a letter from Nick Gibb, MP, Minister of State for Schools congratulating us all for our excellent GCSE results last summer.

in the country - again! Well done to everyone, staff, parents, governors but of course most of all our students - you’re officially top of the class!!

These results place us in the top 100 non-selective schools

Mr McGarry.

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

THE RETURN OF THE

REPTILE MAN It was a delight to welcome Dylan Hicks and his wide selection of reptiles to the academy for British Science Week 2016.

Monday, 14th March 2016 was a day to remember for many girls who had the chance to see, and hold, a varied selection of reptiles.

It was a delight to see girls with boa constrictors around their shoulders or tarantulas crawling on hands. Many girls said how much they enjoyed their visits to the Biology laboratory.

“The reptiles were amazing! I held a milk snake and two different turtles… I enjoyed it so much and really hope they can come again soon.”

Isabel Gawne 6

The highlight for me was seeing Miss Palin with a large boa constrictor around her shoulders and also allowing a tarantula to crawl on my hand having not been brave enough to do it last time. I would like to thank the Science Faculty staff who helped throughout the day and Mr. Eric Graham, the Biology technician, who used his own experience to support Dylan throughout the day. The girls were very well behaved during their visits.

Mr P A Caulfield.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

“It was wonderful to see the girls so enthused and interested by the reptiles... real life Biology at its best!”

“I was delighted by the response to this day.

Holding a tarantula, that was a first for me” Mr. Caulfield

Miss Palin

“I really loved going to see the reptiles, my favourite part was holding the tortoise!”

Libby Baldwin

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Penelopé

By Siobhan Greenlees and Gabriella Edwards

UK Maths Challenge Reebots On Wednesday 16th March, four Year 8 pupils took part in the Regional Finals of the UK Maths Challenge at St. Edward’s College. 36 schools took part in the day’s events, with teams competing in 4 rounds of various maths challenges including a cross number challenge, shuttle questions and an exhilarating relay final in the afternoon.

After a tremendous effort, competing against older students from all across Merseyside, with the day being their first ever maths competition, the girls finished in the top third, which is an excellent

achievement. A fantastic, enjoyable and well deserved accomplishment by the girls!

The Maths Department welcome any girls who are interested in competing in such exciting events, so come along to Maths High Achievers!

This term Mrs Traynor’s class spent some time designing genetic marshmallow babies called Reebots. The session focused on looking at how characteristics are inherited and to illustrate one of the ways in which meiosis is responsible for the tremendous variation that exits in every sexual species. Meet the family...

Congratulations to Hannah Day-Evans, Keira Cullen, Jasmine O’Connell and Katie Barnes who took part, and good luck in future competitions!

Miss Cooper.

Aidan

By Nicole Gilbert and Esraa Abou-Elknwam

Belvedere takes part in Project Linus Girls from Year 9 and 10 have being making quilts every week with Mrs Garlick in an Enrichment activity for the organisation, Project Linus; whose aims are to provide sick or needy children with a handmade comfort quilt of their own. We have learnt how to piece and sew the coloured top and then add a backing and quilt it. The quilts that we have made in Belvedere, will be sent to either Alder Hey Children’s Hospital or to children in the Homeless Family Centre in Liverpool.

Over this time, I made three quilts for the project that were all brightly coloured

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and made with interesting fabrics which were kindly donated. These will now be labelled and sent to the children. On the 16th of March, Caroline Fogell, the North West organiser from the project visited Belvedere to collect our finished quilts.

She shared stories of where the quilts had gone to in the past and we had photos taken with our quilts.

If you would like to find out more about this amazing project visit the Project Linus UK website for more information.

Eve McCarten, Year 10.

Sidmund

By Laura Jones and Emily Grisewood

Sandra Kumar-Draper

By Jessica Draper and Eilidh Kumar

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

STEM Trip to Germany (2016) In February 2016 we had the amazing opportunity to visit Wildpoldsried, a small town in Bavaria, Germany, that is worldleading in the field of energy generation by renewable means. The trip was arranged by Sasie Training and funded by ERASMUS+. Over the two weeks we knew that we would be working hard to gain our Level 3 qualification in the ‘Rational Use of Renewable Energy’, but little did we know how much more we would gain by the time we returned home!

We travelled by coach with an overnight stop in Brussels. Long and tiring though the journey was, it gave us ample time to begin to get to know all the other girls on the trip as well as our tutors, Jill and James. We soon learned that Jill, from ST, was passionate about Fendt tractors and that James, from School Energy Efficiency, had visited Antarctica twice – facts that they reminded us of on an hourly basis.

Throughout our time in Bavaria, we were extremely fortunate to visit many places such as: • Kempten Waste Combustion plant, two thirds of which is committed to removing greenhouse gases produced by the furnace on site • One of Kempten’s Hydroelectric plants, capable of supplying 3000 households’ energy needs

© Wildpoldsried

• Manfred Guggenmos and his energy-efficient rotating home

ultra-

• Sonnen Batterie, world-leading in the storage of energy generated via renewable methods • Wildpoldsried biogas farm, combined heat and power plants, 250m tall wind turbines and much, much more!

But that wasn’t all, we also had leisure time to experience German culture; we attended a traditional German carnival and a ‘witch burning’, all in the same day! We visited Munich, and its amazing Deutsches Museum, as well as the stunning, but sadly only semi-completed, Neuschwanstein Castle (featured in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and was also Walt Disney’s inspiration for the Disney Castle.

In between all of the above, we somehow had time to attend lessons led by Jill on the assessed topics of the qualification, and workshops led by James focusing primarily on wider global issues and the amazing people who wish to combat them.

These included the founder of Barefoot College, Bunker Roy and the co-founders of 5 Gyres2, Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins.

Barefoot College is a voluntary organisation set up with the intention to educate and empower illiterate women from rural Indian villages, to become ‘solar engineers’.

These women take the skills they have learned back to their villages and literally ‘light up’ their towns.

25 Gyres is a community that fights ocean plastic pollution through education, science and activism. One of their most influential projects was “Ban the Micro-bead” - (microbeads are plastic microspheres widely used in cosmetics exfoliating agents, which cling to chemicals such as DDT and flame retardants, poisoning sea life and therefore us as humans too). This project has actually led to micro-bead banning being brought into American legislation and is currently to be implemented in the UK as of 2018.

We gained so much from this trip; the qualification, knowledge, skills, experience, and the chance to make friends with other young women from all over England.

We believe that this trip was important because we are both now so much more aware of how essential it is that we, as a generation, strive to change the direction we’re travelling in to save this planet.

This can range from goals as big as cutting out traditional energy production methods completely to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, down to simply not getting a plastic straw in your drink to help reduce our plastic consumption and avoid sea creatures dying by choking on those that make their way from landfills into our oceans. To us, it’s important that people are educated on these topics so we can start to change this world for the better.

Yasemin Year 12.

Dilek

and

Emmeline

Poole,

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Handling precious artefacts at the Athenaeum Girls from Belvedere’s Sixth Form were given the opportunity to visit one of the oldest establishments in the city, hear of its history and handle precious artefacts.

The Library trips to the Athenaeum, on the 8th and 22nd of March, included a tour of the building and a chance to see its resources.

The Athenaeum was set up as a gentleman’s club in 1797 in Church Street in Liverpool. Its original members included people such as William Roscoe, writer, philosopher, anti-slavery campaigner and MP; a self- made man whose ideas rocked the local establishment. The private collections of the original members often ended up in the library. They have over 60,000 rare books, collections of medieval manuscripts, rare maps, sea charts and

unusual individual items, including seven copies of Magna Carta.

experience to assist with school projects and studies in the future.

As part of an initiative set up by the Heritage Lottery Fund, schools are being invited to make use of the resources at the Athenaeum. Our party were shown around the news room, library, dining room and committee room, resplendent in wood panelling, scarlet and leather furnishings, antique fireplaces and portraiture of the Queen. Best of all, we were taken behind the scenes, amid shelves of ancient books and shown incredible things.

Miss Murphy.

The girls were allowed to hold the books and our guide, Vincent Roper, talked us through their history before revealing their worth – often making the girls nearly drop said item in shock.

We held a leather-bound book that once belonged to a king; a copy of the Magna Carta from 1200; novelist Monserrat’s typewriter; unique botany books worth a quarter of a million pounds; an original book by Florence Nightingale, signed by Florence herself and, most controversially, one of the Latin guides to blowing up Parliament, made infamous by Guy Fawkes.

Our students were inspired, finding their visit hugely enjoyable, and may use the

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As an English Literature student who loves reading and writing the trip to the Athenaeum was very insightful for me.

It was very exciting to be able to look at books and manuscripts by many famous people from history such as Florence Nightingale, William Roscoe and King Henry VIII and even see a copy of the Magna Carta from 1282. The information that we were told on the tours of different rooms was extremely interesting and the newsroom was exquisite, even being called some of the best neoclassic architecture in Europe.

I really enjoyed the trip and would love to visit the Athenaeum again. It was great that even girls who don’t take any essay subjects were able to thoroughly enjoy the trip as much as I did, and I would recommend the trip to anyone no matter what careers they have in mind, whether it be a historian, doctor, engineer, artist etc. as the trip is beneficial to all areas of knowledge.

Ceallach Bennett, Year 12.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Belvedere Academy pupils are Girls’ Day School Trust finalists in 3D Design Challenge for WaterAid On Thursday, 10 March, Year 8 and 9 students from Belvedere Academy took part in the final of the first ever Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) 3D Design Challenge.

Working in teams of no more than five, students were asked to design a 3D printable product to support the work of international charity, WaterAid. The charity works to improve access to clean water and improved sanitation in some of the world’s poorest countries, where many women and girls have no choice but to walk miles every day to collect water for their families, leaving little time for education.

Their prototype was based on the idea of a back-pack that would make it easier for everyone to carry water to their families; the water would be poured into a carbon filter through a hole in the top making the water safer straight away. The addition of a tap at the bottom allowed the water to be poured when necessary and be stored in the product for a period of time. The addition of a straw allows the person carrying the water to drink on the go - the prototype is called H2gO. For children, they thought of designing the back-packs

with patterns and vibrant colours to encourage them to carry water on their back in a comfortable position.

raise awareness of this global crisis as we work towards a world where everyone everywhere has access to these basic resources by 2030”.

The students presented their ideas to a distinguished panel of industry experts and innovators who judged the entries on the concept behind the technical design and the engineering element. The challenge helped students develop new skills, confidence and knowledge of the career options available within the broad field of computer-aided design and digital technology.

Helen Fraser, chief executive of the GDST, said, “The GDST 3D Design Challenge is an exciting, creative and collaborative opportunity for our students. The entries were of a very high standard and I want to thank everyone involved for their enthusiasm.”

Helen Seacombe from WaterAid said, “One in ten people lack access to clean water, while one in three have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. This injustice hits women and girls the hardest, affecting their health, dignity and life chances. WaterAid is grateful to the GDST for helping to

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Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 11 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Anticipation grew as the mysterious music floated through a star-lit Gym and Drama Studio. Three hundred and fifty members of the audience eagerly awaited Belvedere Academy’s “This Shining Night”.

With their usual professionalism and finesse, led by Mr Deakin, the Choir and Orchestra processed in, followed by the Chamber Choir and Mr O’Keeffe. Over one hundred and thirty students, joined by the Belvedere Preparatory School and Our Lady’s Bishop Eton School, took part in the Spring Music Concert.

Whetting the audience’s appetite even further, Mr Lamb produced an epic concert trailer, displaying moody musicians, intimidating orchestral clips, and even extracts from Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s famous poem, ‘Ode’, with the opening line reading, “We are the Music Makers”. It set the tone for what was to be a spectacular evening for all involved.

Opening the concert was a beautiful rendition of “When You Wish Upon a Star”

by Farah Bakkali (Year 7), followed by a spine tingling arrangement of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, executed beautifully by the outstanding Chamber Choir.

Newly crowned Open Choral Champions and Youth Choir Champions of the Wirral Music Festival two years in a row, the

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Chamber Choir delighted the audience with their complex four-part harmonies.

It is still hard to believe that they are a school choir, with some singers as young as eleven years old! The beautiful scene was now set in the vast, darkened gym, and as the dulcet tones of the Chamber Choir echoed mysteriously throughout the room, stars danced and flickered across the captivated audience. This was not going to be any ordinary concert, that’s for sure.

Wonderful performances ensued, all displaying a wonderful variety of talent.

Erin Murphy of Year 10 wowed the audience with her beautiful dancing to Bella’s Lullaby from Twilight, accompanied by her friend, Isabella Byrne, playing the clarinet to perfection. The Chamber Orchestra, led by Mr Deakin, then took to the stage with gusto and delivered a spell-binding rendition of Einaudi’s Divenire.

Unfazed by the large audience, the Belvedere Preparatory Chamber Choir and Our Lady’s Bishop Eton School Choir took to the atmospheric stage and blew people away with their professional and beautiful performances. The Belvlings charmed the audience once again with their version of Half the World Awa,y and after a thrilling performance of Heart of Courage by the Orchestra and Choirs, Amy Roberts (Year 9) held the audience in the palm of her

hand as she performed Eric Whitacre’s Goodnight Moon to an emotional animated video, based on a children’s bedtime story.

There was not a dry eye in the house. The interval arrived and the excited audience treated themselves to “midnight snacks”.

They were going to need their energy for the thrilling conclusion to This Shining Night!

The lights went down and once again we were all transported to a world of stars, moons, dreams and even nightmares! The curtains rose, revealing a sinister dark red glow and mist. Mysterious chords then started to emanate from Mr Deakin’s piano.

It was time for the epic, Force Awakens.

The huge Orchestra and Chamber Choir once again proved that they themselves are a force to be reckoned with! The force was definitely strong with this concert as the talent just kept on coming.

Eleanor Miley of Year 10 transfixed the audience with her performance of the beautiful Truman Sleeps, by minimalist composer Philip Glass, whilst Darci Shaw and Catriona Chandler danced their way into the audience’s heart with a captivating duet.

Brand new Enrichments took to the stage and radiated confidence. Heaven’s Melody, a newly formed Gospel outfit, led by the incredible and infectious Rebecca

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Bulayima of Year 11, entertained the audience with This Little Light of Mine.

Her confidence on stage inspired her singers to new found heights, and it was a truly show-stopping and heart-warming performance. The Ukuladies, directed by Eleanor Miley put a smile on everybody’s face with Dream a Little Dream of Me, before the audience were treated to the timeless, I Dreamed a Dream, performed exquisitely by Olivia Reynolds, Charlotte Flynn, Darci Shaw and Catriona Chandler.

performance of When You Believe stunned our guests, and before they could catch their breath, Our Lady’s Bishop Eton Choir had joined us on stage and in a moment of choral brilliance, the three choirs combined with the Orchestra and delivered once again a very fitting, When You Wish upon a Star. A sparkling performance and a fitting end to a fantastic concert.

The Orchestra and Choirs reunited once more as we approached the finale, much to the dismay of the audience. A thunderous

The Chamber Choir took to the stage for one final time and ended the Belvedere Academy Spring Concert with Lauridsen’s

However, did This Shining Night have one more trick up its sleeve?

Sure on this Shining Night. This fourpart contemporary choral masterpiece with sweeping melodies and crunching harmonies took the audience on one final emotional journey.

Mr Hill and his wonderful Tech Team completely transformed the gym and drama studio into a luxurious starry night.

However I think we can all agree that despite how magical the starry setting was, the true stars of the evening were on stage, and they sure did shine on This Shining Night.

Mr O’Keeffe, Subject Leader of Music.

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

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STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

CORRIE-FAIRHURST

PASSING

DEFENCE

GA

PASSING

10 6 8

8 7 7

STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

WA

PASSING

6 9 8

AMELIA

JESS

WOOD

GS

WING DEFENCE

SPEED

DEFENCE

6 9 8

GOAKKEEPER

AGILITY

10 6 8

MCCALDON

SHOOTING

ALEX

STRENGTH

GOAL DEFENCE

6 9 8

WING ATTACK

LAUREN

EVANS

GOAL ATTACK

MURPHY GRACE

ANISHA

SINGH

GOAL SHOOTER

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

PASSING

WONG

WD

CENTRE

SPEED

DEFENCE

6 7 8 16

8 8 9

STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

GD

PASSING

6 10 8

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

C

PASSING

6 7 8

8 7 8

STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

GK

PASSING

7 10 8

RACHEL

CLAUDIA STRENGTH

8 8 9 SMITH

AGILITY

6 8 8

WING DEFENCE

SHOOTING

WING ATTACK

STRENGTH

HANNAH

YATES

7 6 7

STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

WA

PASSING

7 8 8

8 7 7

STRENGTH

SHOOTING

AGILITY SPEED

DEFENCE

WD

PASSING

7 8 8

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

FOUR YEARS

ZERO DEFEATS # INVINCIBLES Since being formed in Year 7, our fabulous Y10 Netball team have been UNDEFEATED. Four years, all competitions, zero losses... # INVINCIBLES Merseyside Netball Champions On Thursday, 25th February, our Year 10 Netball Team were crowned U15 Merseyside Champions! They beat Merchant Taylors 9-0, St Marys 7-3, Sacred Heart 6-5 with Grace Murphy getting the winning goal in the last second of the game. They went on to beat Chesterfield in the semi-final and had to play Sacred Heart again in the final with the score of 7-1. This is always a very tough competition and a high standard of Netball displayed.

The girls played fantastically, showed great etiquette as always and were even mentioned by other staff members for their netball skills and lovely manners. The girls involved were: Anisha Singh, Grace Murphy, Hannah Yates, Lauren Evans, Amelia Corrie-Fairhurst, Claudia Wong, Rachel Smith, and Alex McCaldon.

The Year 10 Netball team went to a Merseyside County tournament in Southport where we got the opportunity to play different schools that were not just from Liverpool, so we were against schools we had never played before. We won all our matches in our pool and then went through to the semi-final, which we won, and then got through to the final. Anisha Singh, Goal Scorer.

The Year 10 Netball team got the opportunity to take part in the Merseyside

tournament. This was very a highly successful event as we won. It was a great afternoon as we got to play against other schools that we had never played before and it was a good chance to try out new things against new opponents even in the cold weather. We worked very well as a team and both defence and attack played extremely well. Now that we are classed as Merseyside champions we are excited to play at a higher level and to challenge ourselves. Alex McCaldon, Goalkeeper.

This was my first competitive Netball tournament and it was a really good experience. I learnt a lot about attacking and defending techniques. This experience has improved my Netball skills for the future. Rachel Smith, Wing Defence.

This was a tough competition as we played against the best schools in Merseyside.

Our team worked well together and showed great sportsmanship to the other schools.

We won our 3 matches against St Marys, Merchant Taylors and Sacred Heart, then went through to the semi-finals against Chesterfield. We beat them 6-3 and went through to the finals against Sacred Heart again. Both teams put in excellent effort for the win but overall our team won.

I couldn’t have asked for a better team who are consistently funny and help me improve on my techniques. Claudia Wong, Wing Attack.

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

S W E N A DRAM DEVISED PIECE January saw the Drama Studio turn into scenes reminiscent of a building site. The cause was that it was time for the Y13 Drama and Theatre Studies students to perform their Thematic Devised performance on ‘Human Rights and Human Wrongs’. The class produced three impressive performances that entailed a variety of performance styles and were influenced by the work of the likes of Artaud, Brecht, Frantic Assembly and more. The performances were hard hitting and wowed the Y11 audiences who enjoyed the gritty performances exploring Trafficking from every angle.

NOW FESTIVAL This year our Y10 Drama students were asked to devise their own performance with the theme: ‘Mental Health and Technology: Friend or Enemy?’ The girls worked hard, in their own Enrichment time, creating two hard-hitting and visceral performances that explored mental health issues. The girls took part in a range of workshops to ensure their performances were of the best quality, as well as being ethically informed, and there were performances to friends, schools, family and important people within the sector at The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. This was an amazing opportunity and both groups collected a Judges’ personal favourite award for their self-written performances. The girls then brought the performance back to school and performed it in front of Years 8 and 9 who filled out a questionnaire supporting its success.

PERFORMING ARTS EXAM March was a busy time for the GCSE Performing Arts girls who performed their Unit Two showcase performance to friends, family and an AQA examiner. They worked incredibly hard to create an excellent performance that was based on the theme of Feminism, with a focus on the dreams and aspirations of women. There were feminist monologues and spoken word, self-written songs, lyrical, ballet and contemporary dance performances, as well as songs from shows such as: Les Miserables and 9 to 5. Both audiences and examiners were wowed as the girls achieved 7 A*s and an A between them.

TRIPS It’s been another busy term for trips this half term in the Drama Department! We always aim to allow our girls to experience as much live theatre as possible and this was well achieved over the past couple of months with visits to see a modern retelling of Macbeth in Manchester, an excellent version of Lord of the Flies, and a Y11 trip to see Chicago.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with the celebrations and news of the Drama Department on a more regular basis, please follow our Twitter account @BelvedereDrama

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Emmeline beats the rest to win Physics Outreach Competition Congratulations to Emmeline Poole in Year 12, who recently entered a Physics Outreach competition, run by the Universities of Warwick and Liverpool.

She has won an all expenses paid place to visit the XMaS (X-ray MAgnet Scattering) experiment at the European Syncrotron Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, in July this year.

Emmeline will tour the XMaS and ESRF research facilities and meet the worldclass scientists who work there, gaining a flavour of what life might be like as an international research scientist, as well as exploring the beautiful city of Grenoble.

The contest was open to students across the country, so Emmeline has done extremely well to beat off the competition and win a place. We wish her a bon voyage for what should be an amazing experience!

Dr Moon.

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Recently hosted gigs: MOBO winners Mic Lowry, The Valentine 3. Events have included hosting over twenty of the top universities at the University Fair and a Kick Racism Out event

Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 19 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

A murder?

At Belvedere Mansions?

A week long murder mystery party.

Nick had come a long way. From the humble beginnings of a local chip

Most mysteriously, one of the guests revealed herself to be an

shop to his own exclusive restaurant and role as celebrity TV chef,

undercover private detective, hired to spy on Nick. But who hired

Nick, full of bravado, was on top of the world.

her? And why? The plot only thickened with the shocking murder of Demi during Act Two. The killer had struck again!

Little did he know he was headed for a spectacular fall.

Guests helped with the case, reviewing evidence found in the manor His birthday party, held at his stately manor, was the hottest ticket of

and questioned the suspects until, inch by inch, the truth was

the year, and sure enough, guests flocked from miles around.

revealed….

Nick’s critics (or those who were bitter they didn’t get an invitation)

The Library’s first murder mystery party was held to celebrate

might have said he was brash, extravagant and obnoxious – but not

detective fiction for, and in the run up to, World Book Day. Girls who

Nick! Bragging, dancing, showing off – the party was all about him

attended the party were given the same circumstances as readers

and he was having a great time – until he ate a slice of poisoned cake

of a crime novel – a closed circle of suspects, each with motive and

and keeled over.

opportunity; clues, hidden evidence and a final denouement, in which the crime was reconstructed and the culprit revealed.

The doors were locked! Guests were urged to remain calm! It appeared that the cake had been laced with nutmeg, which Nick was

The cast were played by Miss Speed, Ms Parker, Mr Hill, Miss Blundell,

severely allergic to. Someone who knew him intimately also wanted

Mrs Wise, Miss Sagar and Miss Murphy. Mr Kennedy and Mr McGarry

him dead. But who? An easier question to answer might have been

made special guest appearances during the final act, as the long arm

– who didn’t?

of the law.

Nick had been observed flirting with his head waitress, Demi,

A great time was had by all, not least the staff, some of whom have

all evening, much to the chagrin of his wife, Annette. Another

requested that the murder mystery party become an annual tradition.

waitress, Philippa, was also behaving shiftily, asking guests probing questions about the party food right up until the moment Nick was

The girls who successfully figured out ‘whodunit’ and why won a

poisoned. Emma, Nick’s long-suffering business partner, had clearly

prize and are no doubt considering a career in crime detection.

disapproved of his extravagant ways. But with Nick’s death, both she and the business were ruined, weren’t they? Could the murderer, in fact, be his ex-wife, Eleanor, who arrived at the party unexpectedly, raising a glass to mockingly toast, ‘her little nutmeg’, moments before he died?

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Miss Murphy, Librarian.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Bumps and falls; fun on the ski trip I’ve been on a lot of trips abroad with school and it’s safe to say the Ski Trip is always the most fun filled and enjoyable week. You make many memories that are sure to last a life time and also create lasting friendships with people from each year group. We left Belvedere at 7am on Saturday the 13th of February and began our coach journey to Passo Tonale in Italy.

We arrived in Italy on the Sunday afternoon and the snow was falling heavily.

We had some time to explore the little village where we would be staying over the next week and got ourselves some lunch.

Our hotel was right beside the main ski slopes so the views from the rooms were unbelievably beautiful. On the first day, we had an assessment morning and we all got sorted into our ability groups before

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setting off with our instructors to begin to ski. The majority of us spent most of the time trying not to fall but the falls are what leave the funniest memories. Our group leader was Gianni. We spent our time doing mostly red runs with one or two blacks towards the end of the week. Gianni also taught us lots of new Italian words.

The first entertainment night was a quiz with the hotel’s entertainment staff, which quickly grew competitive. This was followed by a disco, which was set out like a club, encouraging us to display some shocking dance moves. On another night we went ice skating on a frozen flooded tennis court; producing some quality go pro footage of people falling to the ground.

On our final night we had a ski award ceremony for the stand out moments

of the trip. Paige Garvin received ‘Best skiing outfit’, Jazmin Mooney got hers for ‘Best moves on the dance floor’, Georgia Hanratty was awarded ‘Ski diva’ for her Bond Girl style and Abigail Fantin got the most prestigious award of the night, ‘The girl everyone wants to be on the slopes’.

We skied up until two hours before we left for home, leaving time for another presentation with our instructors on the slopes. The ski certificates, which we received, indicated our skill level.

The coach home was enjoyable and could only be improved by the teachers not hiding the copy of ‘Hannah Montanna the Movie’!

Olivia Johnson, Year 11.

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Chamber Choir Champions Again!

The Chamber Choir go from strength to

scoring an ‘Outstanding’ grade of 90 points,

If you would like to audition for the Chamber

strength! They returned to Birkenhead High

the highest grade that the adjudicator had

Choir then please see Mr O’Keeffe. Auditions

School Academy in March to defend their

ever given at the festival!

will take place first week back in September.

prestigious crown as Youth Choir Champions of the Wirral Music Festival.

The their

Chamber beautiful

Choir

were

blend,

praised balance

for

Not only did they accomplish this, but they

professional execution of the complex four-

also won the Open Choral Championship,

part harmonies.

Chamber Choir Barcelona Tour 2016

Mr O’Keeffe, Subject Leader of Music.

and

Excitement is mounting as The Belvedere Academy Chamber Choir begin the preparations for their first ever international tour to Barcelona! This will be a week that the pupils will remember for the rest of their lives. The Chamber Choir will be singing in some of the most beautiful buildings in Europe including Barcelona Cathedral, Montserrat Monastery, and the incredible Sagrada Familia. For our amazing Year 13 pupils, their last ever concert with the Chamber Choir will be in the Sagrada Familia on Thursday 14th July. We couldn’t think of a more impressive place to perform your last concert.

Charlotte Flynn of Year 8 says, “Despite our different ages, we are all really good mates. I was really shy in Year 7 but the Chamber Choir has given me loads of confidence, I love it!” Olivia Reynolds of Year 9 says, “We are like a big family and we love singing together, it’s the best!”

Louise Graham of Year 13 says, “I cannot think of a better ending to my time at Belvedere. Our last ever concert will be very emotional but something that we will remember forever.”

Mr O’Keeffe, Subject Leader of Music.

Looking for rooms for conference hire?

Look no further...

Large rooms available for conference hire which include use of a 4.4m wide & 3.2m high projector screen, a large stage with PA microphone and sound system (and mixing desk) and lights. Why not impress your clients; you’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net

Thanks for hosting the Academy Gifted and Talented day at Belvedere.

There were 200 students in attendance... all of the schools who attended were deeply impressed with Belvedere and the conference facilities you provided. You may not be aware of the delicious lunch that your caterers provided for the staff, or of the swift response to provide lunches without warning for students who had forgotten to bring food with them. All very kind. The atmosphere was very special. Every good wish - and thanks again.

Julie Arliss, ACADEMY CONFERENCES.

Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 24 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre.

Samantha Abraham Yr 13 A2 coursework Harriet Maguire Yr 13 A2 coursework

Yr 11

GCS E

cou rse wor k-

Japa n

Charlotte Nelson Yr 11 GCSE coursework Costume for a monkey from the theatre production Wicked

Harriet Maguire Yr 13 A2 coursework ese S treet style g arment

Belvedere Ezine | Winter Spring Edition 2016 2015

rd wa Ste a elin Ang

Abbie Pettit Yr 12 AS coursework

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

PE DEPT. NEWS Interform Benchball Year 9: 1st 9OM, 2nd 9C, 3rd 9P, 9N, 9M Year 8: 1st 8D, 2nd 8C, 8O, 8L, 3rd 8H Year 7: 1st 7D, 2nd 7F, 7G, 3RD 7M 7J I really enjoyed the Interform Benchball Competition on Friday, 11th December. It was great fun with a strong competitive atmosphere. I’m delighted to say 8D won after a long nail biting final against our biggest rivals 8O. The morning started off well for 8D winning the first two matches against 8L and 8H but sadly just missed out winning the third against 8C. Luckily, the points gained in the first two matches were enough to put 8D through to the final.

It was the battle of the music forms! The final consisted of three matches. However, in the first round 8O were disqualified and

in the second round 8D were. The pressure was on in the final match - the girls were feeling tired but everyone was chanting the atmosphere was electric!

It was very tight but it came down to one last throw from Amaka and a catch from Hannah that helped win the final. Everyone had a brilliant time and can’t wait for next year. Katherine Moore, Year 8.

Liverpool City Netball Tournaments Our Netball Teams compete in the Liverpool City Netball Tournaments every year. This year they were held at St Edward’s College.

The standard of netball displayed is very high and usually played in cold conditions.

Teams involved are Bluecoat, St. Edwards, Arch Blanch, St Hildas etc.

Results: Year 10 1st place, Year 11 2nd place

Benchball was brilliant, exciting and fun!

We learnt how to work as a team. After half a day of shouting and running around, it was time for the points to be totted up and the winner to be announced. We won after all that hard work and it was the best sports day ever! Isabella O’Brien, Year 7.

Staff V Sixth Form Benchball On Monday, 7th December, the PE department held a Staff vs Sixth Form Benchball. £41 was raised for charity.

Northern Ireland Netball Team On Friday 22nd January, Belvedere were thrilled to host an afternoon of netball with Thornhill College, a visiting school from Derry, Northern Ireland. Thornhill College were on a school trip to Liverpool for three days and thoroughly enjoyed playing netball against Belvedere’s Year 9 and 10 Netball Teams.

Some of the staff involved were: Miss Pugh, Miss Scott, Mrs Beddard, Mrs McAnespy, Mr Wright, Mr Lamb, Mr Cassidy, Mrs Traynor and Mr Mason. As well as all these staff members, lots of Sixth Form also were involved. Overall, the winners were The Staff Team winning 2-1.

Jasmine Parry, Year 7.

Looking for rooms for community hire?

Look no further...

Weekends, evenings, summer holidays? We have successfully opened our doors and facilities to summer schools, church groups, dance companies and fitness groups; isn’t it time you thought of hiring our facilities to host your community event or club? You’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net

Belvidere Road Church has been running its services and holiday clubs at the academy for over three years now. We have been extremely impressed with the facilities available to us at the academy.

We comfortably host our Sunday Services, our Wednesday midweek meeting, and our Friday evening children’s and youth clubs.

And there’s plenty of room for the kids to play too! Why not pop along on a Friday evening (6:15) or Sunday morning (10:15) to see more?

Graeme Back, BELVIDERE ROAD CHURCH.

Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 26 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre.

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Junior Netball Tournament Louise Waterson, Year 12 AS PE pupil, made a special guest appearance assisting the Year 10 Netball Team to victory. It was a fantastic atmosphere, where pupils made new friends and fabulous netball talent was displayed by all. Miss Scott also welcomed her U19 Northern Ireland Netball coach Mrs Gillespie to Belvedere. Mrs Gillespie continues to coach the Northern Ireland Netball Open Squad today.

Results Year 9 – Thornhill won 25 – 10, Year 10 – Belvedere won 14-12 The match against the Northern Ireland school was a fun and exciting game for all. Both teams were supportive of each other, whilst the crowd screamed along every step of the way. Furthermore, it was a pleasure to meet such a kind and amazing school that showed their skills of great manners, determination and sportsmanship.

In January, I was fortunate enough to captain my club Netball Team; who had been asked by Everton FC’s community and charity group, Everton In the Community, to be their representative team in the Sky Sports Junior Netball Tournament. This was played at the Firefit Centre in Toxteth, and was a pre event ahead of the first Netball test between England Roses and Australian Diamonds that was taking place at the Echo Arena later that evening.

The tournament comprised of 10 representative teams from a number of professional football teams including the likes of Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City and United, Wolves and West Bromwich Albion. Although we played well, we were unfortunate to not progress to the knockout phase. What do you expect from an Everton team! The standard of Netball was very high throughout and the West Bromwich Albion representative team were the well deserved winners.

ex-England netballing legend, captain and star shooter Pamela Cookey. It was great to have her watch us play and she was on hand to offer tips and advice to all of the girls across the afternoon. The event concluded with all of the participants attending the England vs Australia game in the evening in the Echo Arena. Despite the best efforts of the Roses and the vociferous support of partisan home crowd, the Australian Diamonds were too strong and also went away deserved winners.

Grace Murphy, Year 10.

The highlight of the afternoon for me, however, was the opportunity to meet an

Rebecca Brown, Year 9.

Step Aerobics Our Year 11 GCSE PE class have worked hard over 8 weeks to choreograph and perform 3 Step Aerobics routines for their practical moderation. Pupils performed outstanding routines with lots of enthusiasm.

Well done, everyone!

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Busy Times for English Staff and Students This year the English department have been very busy reading, spelling and getting spooked in Liverpool City Centre!

World Book Day, The Spelling Bee and our very first Shiverpool trip are just some of the events English students have been lucky enough to get involved in.

Shiverpool 2015 was an afternoon Year 7 won’t be forgetting in a hurry! Unsuspecting Year 7s were escorted around Liverpool by ghosts and ghouls of the city. They tiptoed into the depths of hidden vaults, crept past spooky graveyards whilst hearing spinechilling folk tales that definitely gave them goosebumps. This was all in a bid to gain inspiration for their Ghost Story scheme of work; they’d definitely agree that they all got a lot more than they bargained for!

Thursday, 3rd March was a very busy day at Belvedere; it was World Book Day of course!

The day was kicked off with a very lively assembly taken by the English department who didn’t look like their usual selves; characters from Frankenstein’s monster to Katniss Everdeen graced the stage to get everyone excited for the day ahead!

Events included a ‘Staff Shelfie’ competition, a Potato Character Competition (where our favourite book characters were carved out of potatoes) and testimonials about books that changed our lives. World Book Day 2016 was definitely a day to remember!

The Spelling Bee was a nail biting event to say the least! Our Year 7 champion Daisy

Our 6th Formers have been keeping busy this year too! Earlier in the year our 6th Form Literature students were taken to Manchester to get a glimpse into a university style lecture and our Year 12

Norman and our Year 8 champion Georgia Travis managed to hold their nerve and defeat the other spellers in a gruelling test of their spelling prowess! The staff round was equally challenging with words such as ‘fluorescent’ causing no end of problems for our competitors!

Literature students travelled all the way to Birmingham to watch a performance of ‘Death of a Salesman’. More recently, some of our Year 13 students were visited by an external lecturer who taught them all about the French Revolution to help with one of the texts they are studying!

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Storyteller Evening with Ursula Holden Gill On Wednesday 24th February, from 6 – 8pm, the Library hosted a storytelling session with award winning actress, now professional storyteller, Ursula Holden Gill.

Girls and their parents were invited to wear their pyjamas and onesies if they wished. Many did! Miss Murphy took the opportunity to wear her white dressing gown and accidentally caused a minor sensation when she was spotted on the staircases by one of our cleaners, Mrs Roza, who thought she had seen a ghost!

With the lights low, Ursula treated us to an evening of stories and music, inspired

by Celtic folk tales, songs, and clog and Cotswold Morris Dances. ‘On this Island’

was first toured in the autumn of 2014 and has since proved extremely popular with teenage audiences across the UK. Ursula was mesmerising. Her stories were so gripping and well told that she had every single person enthralled.

It was widely agreed that the evening was suitable for people of all ages, from children to adults, with one parent describing her as ‘magical’.

The event was so successful that the library will definitely hold another in the future. A generous financial contribution from The Belvedere Academy Parents Association made this event possible.

Santa Dash Raises Cash In December, 7M held a fund raising event for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. We raised £45. The turnout included; Mr Lamb, Miss Scott, Mrs McAnespy, Mrs Beddard, Miss Jones and lots of girls from all years. It was a great success. From Santa hats to Santa suits, we had it all.

Jasmine Parry, Year 7.

During the period that the CSI Enrichment was on I learnt many interesting things such as how to take fingerprints and test if blood is real. During the crime scene event, which was our last session, we used all our knowledge to gather evidence and we even dressed like real CSI! It was really good test and I would highly recommend doing it next year.

I really enjoyed taking part in the CSI Enrichment. All the skills were really fascinating to learn and to watch. Some of the skills included: learning how to take blood samples, foot prints, finger prints, packaging dangerous weapons [fake ones] also disarming them, and listening to the investigations that Ms Edwards, our very own Crime Scene Investigator had been to.

Aamina Ho, Year 7.

Keira Hogg , Year 7.

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

comes to Belvedere

On Thursday, 11th February, Year 7 were visited by popular teen author, and Belvedere favourite, Cathy Cassidy, as part of her book tour.

With two books in the overall top ten most borrowed books from our library, Cathy is officially Belvedere’s most popular author.

She told the girls stories about what she was like at school (a daydreamer!) and what inspires her writing.

She read an extract from one of her novels, Fortune Cookie, which featured a Chinese restaurant, an unlucky boy and an overflowing bath tub. There was an interactive quiz to see which character from Cathy’s novels the girls were most like, which proved popular.

After a question and answer session at the end of her talk, girls were able to buy copies of Cathy’s books and have them signed; the perfect end to a great visit.

Miss L. Murphy, Librarian

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

Despite their injuries our caring students raise loads of money for Sport Relief In March, we took part in Belvedere’s Sport Relief Mile Challenge.

We had recently been in an accident and were injured, we couldn’t run around Princes Park with the rest of our school; so we brought our wheelchairs into school and went around the park completing 1 mile a day, 4 in total.

Our friends dressed up with lots of red accessories and face paint.

Grace raised £168 and Ella raised £187. Altogether the school raised £703.47! We had lots of fun, and all for a good cause.

Grace Harrison and Ella Waller, Year 7

Glitter Disco raises money for Charity The Year 7 glitter-themed disco was a fun – packed evening filled with party games and dancing.

We competed in teambuilding games as form groups and colour groups for the chance to win prizes. The games included; passing balloons along a line using only your knees; the ‘chubby bunny’ challenge and both singing and dancing competitions.

taken to capture memories of an incredible night that will stay with us forever.

We raised a total of £239.42 which will be split equally between the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Phoebe Jones and Betty Mooney, Year 7.

The amazing Tech Team encouraged everyone to get on the dancefloor with brilliant lighting and sound effects.

Mr Hill’s light up cubes doubled as chairs and were a big hit for taking a breather in between activities. Many selfies were

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Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

British Science Week 2016 began at Belvedere with a Staff vs Sixth Form Science quiz during the whole school assembly.

Mr Lamb (reigning staff champion after the 2014 Staff Quiz) captained the staff team; Miss Pugh, Mr Wright, Miss Cooper and Miss Murray. The Sixth Form students captained by Josephine Zuzan, were Eloise Morris, Sophie Galbraith, Anna Morris and Lucy Knight.

The questions were all about Science in the News and although the Sixth Formers knew many answers and tried to buzz in

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first, they just weren’t quite quick enough for the lightning pace of the extremely competitive staff team who were able to buzz first most times and then displayed a most impressive knowledge of Sciencebased current affairs.

The Science Faculty would like to offer congratulations to the staff on their 7-3 win, and to thank everyone for taking part!

REPTILE MAN:

Monday continued with a long awaited return visit from the Reptile Man and his many creatures – read more about this visit and view the photographs of the day on page 6.

DEMO DAY

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

PUB QUIZ:

More fun and excitement was had on Wednesday when Miss McCone hosted a British Science Week Pub Quiz.

Over 60 students, from Years 7-13, crammed into S84 to take part.

The quiz tested the girls on a range of scientific knowledge, from their ability to identify famous scientists to recognising if dead people could get goosebumps. The competition was fierce, with the top two teams scoring 43/52. The overall crowned champions were the Year 11 team.

DEMO DAY:

Thursday 17 March saw the return of Demo Day. This is an annual campaign during British Science Week that aims to inspire secondary school teachers and technicians to explore new concepts, provoke discussions and generate excitement through running science demonstrations.

Demo Day has run successfully for the last two years in hundreds of schools across the UK.

PUB QUIZ

Belvedere has taken part in Demo Day since its inception in 2014, with all sorts of flashes, bangs and excitement and this year was no exception.

For 2016, the Science Faculty at Belvedere decided to host a selection of Science demonstrations in the Gym where more students could watch and enjoy them. Mrs Everett, with her lilac flames (potassium manganite VII with glycerol) and whoosh bottles (igniting propanol vapour in a very large water bottle), was completely upstaged by a highly entertaining display of the wonders of circular motion by Mrs Young – there were plenty of laughs and water everywhere!

also how much we all rely on Science and Technology in our everyday lives.

DEMO DAY

DEMO DAY

The week drew to a close with a very informative assembly for the Sixth Form delivered by Mr Caulfield all about the rapid advancement of Science and Technology; the photographs of his first TV and mobile phone brought plenty of laughter and reminded us just how quickly the technological world is changing and

REPTILES

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The Belvedere Academy Year 7 Open Evening Thursday, 23rd June 2016, 4.00pm – 7.00pm

The Belvedere Academy Year 7 Open Day Thursday, 8th September 2016, 10am-12noon & 1.30-3.00pm The Belvedere Academy, 17 Belvidere Road, Princes Park, Liverpool L8 3TF. www.belvedereacademy.net 0151 727 1284

Belvedere Ezine | Spring Edition 2016

ousands... th by en se be d ul co rt ve ad Your from teens to parents to grandparents ...

...it makes sense to advertise your business or event in the Belvedere magazine.

The Belvedere Academy magazine is published four times a year, in September, January, April and June. 1500 electronic copies are widely distributed among parents, primary schools, local businesses, nurseries and churches. Advertising with us in the magazine will reach a large target audience throughout Liverpool.

All revenue is put back into the production of the magazine.

GREAT RATES! The advertising rates and advert dimensions are: • PRIME POSITION FULL PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £250 Position - back cover or on the inside front or back cover. 210mm x 297mm.

• FULL INSIDE PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £200 210mm x 297mm.

• 1/2 PAGE INSIDE PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £175 Landscape 210mm x 148mm or Portrait 148mm x 210mm.

Low cost, high coverage, wide audience range.

FORTHCOMING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY MAY

16 MAY

30 JUN

23 JUN

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Y12 Study Leave Starts

Y11 and Y13 Study Leave Starts

The Belvedere Academy Year 7 Open Evening, 4.00pm – 7.00pm

Year 6 Induction Evening 5.30pm

It’s easy to book your space: To place your advertisement, please contact Mr Peter Dykeaylen on 0151 727 1284. Advertisements should be submitted electronically as either high resolution JPEG files or as PDF files, either on CD or emailed to p.dykeaylen@belvedereacademy.net Cheques should be made payable to GDST Academy Trust.

All copies and payments must be received one month before publication.

The magazine is also published online at issuu.com, publicising both the school on a global level and also any potential advertisers.

Many thanks to teaching staff who have contributed articles and photographs. For more news please visit www.belvedereacademy.net If you have any comments or suggestions for the magazine then please contact Mr Peter Dykeaylen: p.dykeaylen@belvedereacademy.net The Belvedere Academy, 17 Belvedere Road, Princes Park, Liverpool, L8 3TF. 0151 727 1284 E: info@belvedereacademy.net www.belvedereacademy.net

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