The Buzz Magazine March 2017 This edition includes: Key dates for 2017 Easter Eggstravaganza Library News Year 10 Parent Power Evening OAP Christmas Lunch Food Technology Club Rewards Trip Bucks New University Trip Sports News Global Rock Challenge Easter Bake-off Easter Prize Draw Ladies Indulgence Evening Advert
Key dates 2017 Spring Term Fri 3 March – Open Morning 1 for Year 6 families, 9.15-10.45am Mon 6 March – Year 8 parent/subject evening, 4.30-7.00pm Tue 7 March – Open Morning 2 for Year 6 families, 9.15-10.45am Thurs 9 March – Open Morning 3 for Year 6 families, 9.15-10.45am Mon 13 March – Mock examinations for Years 11, 12 &13 (until Fri 17 March) Mon 13 March – Accelerated Reader assessments for Year 7-9 begin Wed 15 March – Year 11 Science ISA day Fri 17 March – Parents’ Association Ladies Indulgence Evening Mon 20 March – Open Morning 4 for Year 6 families, 9.15-10.45am Tue 21 March – Year 10 parent/subject evening, 4.30-7.00pm Wed 22 March – Open Morning 5 for Year 6 families, 9.15-10.45am Thurs 23 March – Sporting Celebration of Excellence Evening, 7.00pm Tues 28 March – Years 11, 12 and 13 parent/subject evening, 4.00-7.00pm Wed 29 March – Easter Eggstravaganza Show, 7.00pm Fri 31 March – School closes at 1.00pm for the Easter holidays
Summer Term Tues 18 April – School closed to students – Inset Day Wed 19 April – Summer Term starts for students Mon 24 April – Start of Year 10 exam week Thurs 27 April – Junior Maths Challenge for Years 7 & 8 Thurs 4 May – Year 9 GCSE launch evening Mon 8 May - Year 8 HPV vaccinations Mon 8 May – Start of Year 9 exam week Mon 15 May - Summer exam season starts for Years 11, 12 & 13 Fri 26 May - Break for half term, 3:10pm Mon 5 June – Return from half term
Tues 27 June – Scholastic Book Fair all week in the Library Tues 27 June – Summer exam season ends for Year 11, 12 & 13 Wed 28 June – Start of Year 7 & 8 exam week Thurs 29 June – Year 11 Prom Mon 3 July – Year 6 Induction Evening Tues 4 July – Year 6 Induction Transition Day Wed 5 July – Summer Production Thurs 6 July – Year 5 Taster Day 1 Fri 7 July – PSHCE Day, changed timetable Sat 8 July – BEA Summer Fete Tues 11 July – Summer Art Show, 6.00pm Tues 11 July – Academic Celebration of Excellence Evening, 7.00pm Wed 12 July – Year 5 Taster Day 2 Fri 14 July – Sports Day Mon 17 July - Activity Day, changed timetable Thur 20 July – Reward Trip Fri 21 July – School closes at 1.00pm for the summer holidays
Buzz Editors Calling all students who love English! If you are interested in becoming a student editor for The Buzz magazine, please see Miss Herbert before we break up for the Easter holiday.
Easter Eggstravaganza Save the date - Wednesday 29 March at 7pm This is a fantastic evening of entertainment showcasing the Performing Arts department of students. The Global Rock piece of work will be performed in full and you will get a chance to see the BEA choir in action again. There will be new music and dance ensembles performing, as well as work from current GCSE students with some original arrangements of well-known pieces. As always this will be the last show for some of the Year 11 students so please come along and support these students whilst having a fabulous evening too. Mrs Smyth, Head of Visual and Performing Arts
Library News The library has recruited new Library Prefects this term. Now there are 10 of us and it has made a huge difference because the new prefects have already started helping in the library at lunch breaks. As the Library is growing in popularity, we are getting really busy – students you will see us on the door at breaks, where we monitor what students want to do in the Library and how we may help them. We will do our best to help you if you have questions or problems, for example with the computer (printing, going on Show My Homework etc) or looking for a particular book. If you have any suggestions for books you would like to see in the library, let us know! Jack Winterbourne, Year 7
Year 10 Parent Power Evening On Tuesday 7 February we had our Year 10 Parent Power evening. All Year 10 parents and students were invited to hear information and useful tips about their GCSE studies. We first had a speech from Miss Witts about attendance and the importance of it. Next, we had a talk from Mr Bromham about the GCSE Science syllabus, and how we can work towards the top grades. Miss Wright then spoke to us about the books we are studying in English, the types of exam questions we will be asked to answer and how parents can support students at home. Up next was Mr Jaumbocus, who spoke about Maths exams and the importance of purchasing and using the correct mathematical equipment. We then moved on to hear about the Sixth Form at Bourne End Academy. Mr Craigie provided lots of useful information about the courses on offer and the enrichment activities the sixth formers are involved in. Last but not least, Mrs Bannister spoke to us about some excellent resources we can use to research post-16 opportunities and future careers. Thank you to all of the staff for such an informative evening. 10 Adlington & Miss Witts
OAP Christmas Lunch At the end of last term, in December, Bourne End Academy hosted their annual OAP Christmas Lunch. This was successfully executed with the help of the Bourne End and Chesham’s Rotary Club, Ms Sheehy’s Business class, the Sixth Form and a group of Year 8 students. The day was thoroughly enjoyable for helpers and pensioners alike. A special mention to Mrs Kimber for her hard work before the event in ensuring all the planning is coordinated and that all the food is ordered, presents prepared and Christmas floral decorations are on all the tables. She also supports collecting some of our visitors in the school minibus. The afternoon began when the minibuses started coming with the guests. The OAPs were given a warm welcome by Sixth Form students who also assisted in finding everyone their desired seats. Some of the event’s volunteers went so far as to escort the elderly out from the minibus and up to the entrance. The carers and the elderly people felt there was a ‘great relationship between guests and students’. They left us with a lovely thank you card to show this. The lunch prepared by Bourne End Academy restaurant staff includes a main course of turkey lunch with all the Christmas trimmings, followed by a delicious custard & meringue dessert. The OAPs thoroughly enjoyed this lunch and the services provided by the staff and students of Bourne End Academy and the volunteers of the Rotary Club. They said the lunch was ‘splendid’! The stage was occupied with talented singers who created a terrific Christmas atmosphere. They were also accompanied by dancers who also kept the Rotary Club entertained. We would like to thank all of these students for their support. As the organisation group, we would really like to thank all staff and students who helped on the day in making this another memorable occasion for the elderly guests and provided us with many hands to make lighter work of the big clear-up at the end! Aiysha Hussain, Year 12
Food Technology Club At Bourne End Academy we have a wide variety of clubs. The club I enjoy going to the most is Food Club, run by Mrs Wilcock on a Wednesday after school. The reason I like this club is that it teaches us new skills such as cutting using the claw and bridge method; skills I had never heard of before the club. We also get to cook loads of different foods to enjoy! I feel this club will help benefit me in the future as I am already cooking more complex foods at home. We get to cook a variety of mouth-watering recipes which so far include fish cakes, fruit discs, cheesecake and mushroom & bacon risotto. The recipe I liked the best was the risotto, as it was challenging to cook and delicious to eat! Millie Pusey, Year 8
Rewards Trip For the rewards trip at the end of the Autumn Term we went ice skating. I have never been before so I was really excited to go. When we first arrived to the ice rink, I felt a little nervous about falling over, but once we got on the ice it was fine! I had such a good time and got to spend it with my friends, as a lot of them also went on the rewards trip, we often helped each other when one of us fell over! Not only did we have help from our friends but a member of staff that worked at the ice rink would also come over to see if we were okay! Hopefully I will be able to go to the next rewards trip! Brianna Baker, Year 9
Bucks New University Trip A group of Year 10 students visited Bucks New University on Friday 10 February. We had a taster of some university courses, and also developed our own study skills. The day was extremely enjoyable. We worked in designated teams for some of the activities, and with others we were allowed to choose who we worked with. This provided us with an excellent opportunity to get to know people who we don’t usually work with and enhance our team-working skills. Some of us particularly liked the more practical activities, especially the Operating Practitioner session where we learnt what it might be like to work in an operating theatre. We had the chance to practise our lifesaving skills, and even had a go at keyhole surgery (not on a real person though, we promise!) The Policing session was fascinating; we had the opportunity to work alongside a real police officer & had to use the clues she gave us to solve a crime. Lastly, we participated in a Law taster session where we used professional language to debate some topical issues. Our only criticism is that we would have liked to have spent more time there, as we had such an enjoyable and informative time! Mia Harris, Year 10
Sports News Bourne End Academy's Year 10 football team reached the quarter final of the Buckinghamshire County Cup: beating The Grange 3-1 in Round 1 and Chiltern Hills Academy 5-3 in Round 2, before coming up against a very strong John Hampden Grammar School in the quarter final. BEA were beaten 10-0 by the favourites for the competition. However, the boys did themselves and the school proud and kept playing right until the last minute. We were unlucky not to at least score a goal. Quarter final man of the match – Ben Sinfield. Upcoming football fixtures (confirmed): Thurs 2 March Year 8 v Highcrest (H) Wed 8 March Year 9 v Cressex (A) Tues 14 March Year 7 v Sir William Borlase (A) Wed 15 March Year 7 v Highcrest (A) Wed 22 March Year 8 v Cressex (H) Thurs 23 March Sixth Form v Highcrest (H) Wed 29 March Year 9 v Highcrest (H) A special mention to the Year 7 and 8 boys who continually show up in vast numbers to football training on a Wednesday after school. Your commitment to Bourne End Academy has been recognised! Keep it up. Boys football Wednesday 3:10-4:10pm - All years welcome Girls Football Tuesday 3:10-4:10pm - All years welcome
High Wycombe District Badminton League 2016-2017 Each year we enter a Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 team into the High Wycombe Badminton League, where we compete against other local Wycombe schools between November and February. This season we have experienced huge success in both the KS3 and KS4 league, completing the season as winners in the KS3 competition and runners up in the KS4 competition. Due to these successes both teams were selected to represent the Wycombe area in the County Championships at Stoke Mandeville on Tuesday 7 February. Although this was a much higher challenge with players who have competed in regional and national events involved, the boys still represented the school and area well. Our congratulations go to the following students: KS3 Team: Nyle Goldston, Ben McKenzie, Max Barrett, Luke Johnson, Henry Hunt, Nathan Fletcher KS4 Team: Max Alderman, Rowan Glover, Isaiah Wise, George Snapes
Global Rock Challenge On Wednesday 22 February 50 students, from Years 7 -13 and 5 members of staff set off at 7am to Stevenage Leisure Centre to compete in the Global Rock Challenge. All students, performers and set team have worked very hard in the build-up and dedicated preparation for the performance, and on the day the students excelled themselves and were professional throughout. A special thank you to the hard work on set-building by Becky Campbell’s granddad. The performance was highly acclaimed and we are proud to share that we won the following awards: Video Performance, Lighting, Entertainment, Stage Crew, Choreography, Performance Skill, Costuming, Character and Visual Enhancement. The piece, centred around the terrorist attack in July 2005 in London, was chilling and created stirring emotions within the crowds who watched it, both in the dress rehearsals and on the night. All students were an absolute credit to the school and themselves. Below is what Anya read out to the audience, prior to the dance beginning:
“On the 7th July 2005 terror struck the city of London. Innocent people trapped and burnt, held firm. One inhumane event caused destruction of lives, yet many moments of humanity were overseen. Today we remember those whose instinct it was to run towards the tube station and not away from it.” Miss Herbert, Teacher of Dance
Easter Bake-off It’s that time of year when everything is about chocolate… Do you want to surprise your family and delight them with a chocolate treat you have baked for them?
If so then read on and if you DO make one yourself, please take a photo and send it to Miss Herbert where we can have a Bake-off photo show in the next magazine.
Easter Chocolate Truffle Cake PREP: 45 MINS
COOK: 40 MINS plus cooling SERVES 10 – 12
Ingredients for the cake: 150ml sunflower oil (plus extra for greasing)
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g self-rising flour (plus extra for dusting)
140g golden caster sugar
4tbsp cocoa powder
2tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
150ml full-fat milk
Ingredients for the icing and filling: 125ml double cream
1tbsp soft butter
140g dark chocolate
4tbsp raspberry jam
Ingredients for the truffles: 100g milk chocolate, broken into chunks
1tsp soft butter
50g digestive biscuits
2 – 3tbsp chocolate sprinkles
Method: 1 - Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease two 20cm cake tins and dust with flour. Tip all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat well with an electric hand whisk or wooden spoon to give a smooth, thick batter consistency.
2 - Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until it springs back to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. 3 - Meanwhile, make the truffles. In a bowl, gently melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the butter. Put the biscuits in a sandwich bag and crush them to fine crumbs by bashing with a rolling pin. Mix into the chocolate and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. When chilled, roll into 11 even-sized balls with your hands. Coat in sprinkles and set aside. 4 - For the icing, pour the cream into a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once hot, stir in the butter until melted. Break the chocolate into small pieces, tip into a medium bowl and pour over the hot cream mixture. Stir well until the chocolate melts into the cream. Cool for about 30 minutes. 5 - Once the cake is completely cool, sandwich the two sponges together with the jam in the middle. Spread the top and sides with the icing. Finish by placing the truffles around the outside of the cake.
Easter Prize Draw If you are in Year 7 or younger and like a puzzle, please complete this word-search and answer the following question, then send them both into the school office by Monday 26 March, with your name and contact details on, to be entered into our Easter prize draw. QUESTION - your answer in 100 words maximum: At Easter time, it makes me think ‌?