The Buzz Magazine July 2017 This edition includes: Key Dates Geography News Year 10 Street Dance UCAS Convention Water Aid Cheerleading Competition Summer Baking Healthy Eating Week London Olympic Velodrome District Athletics Year 11 Prom Year 6 Transition to BEA Year 12 History Trip Sweeny Todd Games Corner Send My Friend To School
Key Dates Summer Term Friday 14 July – Sports Day at Marlow Track for whole school and parent spectators - 9.00am to 3.00pm Monday 17 July – Activity Day Thursday 20 July – Rewards Day Friday 21 July – Summer Term ends: 1.00pm Thursday 17 August – Sixth Form Results Day: 9.00 to 11.00am in the Hall Thursday 24 August – Year 11 Results Day: 9.00 to 11.00am in the Hall
Autumn Term – September 2017 Wednesday 6 September – School opens for students – 8.30am start Friday 15 September – School photograph morning Monday 18 September – School closes at 1.30pm for Open Evening Monday 18 September – Open Evening 5.30 – 8.00pm Tuesday 19 September – Open Morning 9.15 – 10.45am Friday 22 September – Year 7 Induction Day to Longridge Tuesday 26 September – Welcome Evening for Year 12 in the Library 6.00 – 7.00pm Wednesday 27 September – Welcome and Meet the Tutors Evening for Year 7 parents and students, including a Growth Mindset event – 6.00pm Thursday 28 September – Macmillan National Coffee Morning event in the Hall at Lunch 1 Friday 29 September – School closed to students for INSET Day
Geography News Year 7 Geography A highlight of Year 7 Geography has been studying ‘Fairtrade’. It’s a topic that asks us to consider the source of so many everyday products in our homes and schools; who made our coffee, even our footballs? Fairtrade ensures that farmers and producers get a fair price for their products and in that way they can improve their quality of life. This topic has helped our students to develop compassion and empathy for others who are less fortunate and has made them consider the web of connections that spread all across the world each time they eat a bar of chocolate. The photo shows our students playing ‘The String Game’. Each person represents one step in the cocoa chain and the string shows who is connected to who. This visual and kinaesthetic learning was a real hit! Ms Gilligan-Quinn
Year 8 Geography What was your favourite topic in Geography this year and why? One of our favourite topics this year was ‘favelas’. Favelas are a unique type of housing in Brazil where homes are built out of corrugated iron and other scrap products like wood and plastic. The homes are stacked on top of one another in quite a dangerous way. They are often built on hills because this land is cheaper and more accessible to the poor people of Brazil. For a number of weeks we studied this topic in lessons, meanwhile we were collecting products at home to make our own ‘favelas’. We wanted to build a model of Favela Rochina in our classroom. We worked in teams to build lots of individual shacks and then arranged them altogether in our room to make it look like a real favela. As part of this project we each had to do a presentation to the class explaining our design features and why we used the type of waste we did.
We were really impressed with everybody’s creativity and the roofs of their shacks and their imagination. Some people used old detergent cups as water tanks and for our design we cut up old fabric into tiny clothes items to show a washing line on the roof!
Why do you think it’s important to learn about favelas? It’s important to study a topic like this so that you learn how other people around the world live and how different their lives can be compared to ours. We learn more about the world we are in! By finding out more about a problem like this then we can start to think about helping to support it, for example, it encourages us to find out more about charities that help people living in developing countries. Some people in our class might even choose to work for charities like this in the future or might want to do more research into issues like this. Emma Hancock and Chloe Pays
GCSE Geography Earlier this year 75 Year 11 Geographers took off to Epping Forest for the day where they completed a river study of Loughton Brook. They were investigating the role geomorphic processes play in shaping the river channel. The fieldwork the students carried out helped them to write up their controlled assessment report which accounts for 25% of their GCSE grade. There’s no better way to learn about a river than to stand in one- especially a dry one! Loughton Brook is a seasonal river and on the day we visited there was very little water in sight. Ms Gilligan Quinn and Mr Cooper were delighted with this for two reasons, firstly they didn’t have to worry about anyone falling in and secondly the students could see the work of erosion and deposition all along the river bed. We were able to identify bank caving and potholes among other features, this will hopefully have helped students to write up some really high quality work and we hope our Geographers see some great grades in August as a result! On 3 July our Year 10s have just visited Chichester to complete a field study along the coast. There was lots of sunshine, and after a long day of studying the coastal defences, and processes of erosion and deposition, students earnt some chill-out time on the beach! Ms Gilligan-Quinn
Year 10 Street Dance On Friday 16 June, Year 10 BTEC students took part in a Street Dance/Commercial Dance workshop for the day. The workshop was part of our GCSE course and what we learnt on the day would be our final assessment pieces. Throughout the day we learnt a total of 6 dances. It was hard work and we worked at a fast pace all day to make sure we were able to learn everything needed. I feel this was a great opportunity for us; it really gave us an insight into how much hard work and dedication is involved in training as a professional dancer. We all really enjoyed the day but by the time 3.10 came, we were all very tired! Mentally and physically. I think I can speak on behalf of us all that we really ached the next day, but had thoroughly enjoyed it all! Molly Fleming, Year 10
UCAS Convention All Year 12 students were given the opportunity to visit Bedfordshire University for a Sixth Form UCAS convention day last month. The event had over 150 universities present, and as well as being able to visit their stands and ask university staff about life at their universities, students also had an opportunity to attend seminars and lectures on a range of different degrees, studying in Scotland and applying through UCAS. The event was held during the recent heat wave and luckily there were plenty of open spaces to cool off. Live bands contributed to the 'festival theme' the organisers had envisaged. Mrs Bannister and Sixth Form students
Water Aid Charity This half term we have been supporting Water Aid and have considered how lucky we are to be able to turn on a tap and drink the water! This was led by the Sixth Form students who sold cakes to our students at lunch breaks. Particular credit to Aiysha in Year 12 for doing excellent and relentless work in selling ice cream and lollies to the students at break times in the heat, enlisting help from the younger years too. We have now collected approximately £170 to date and we are spending it on drinking aids. There are drinking aids for countries with no running water, and are called ‘Lifestraws’. They come in single person use (£10) or family ones (£40). Basically they enable people, including children, to use dirty water and filter it through the straws to become clean and drinkable. It reduces the intake of further bacteria and disease and, incredibly, they last for months. We work with an initiative called the Wye Valley Zambia Project at times, who support sending aid to schools in parts of Zambia where they have very little. They currently have a school they are supporting called Kabwata that only has one standpipe, no running water for toilets, for washing or drinking, and we are therefore going to send our water Lifestraws to them for the children. The project is setting up a pre-school room to add to the school, and these straws could even go to support the very young children there. If any parent would like to send in any further donations or find out how to support this work, please could they contact Mrs Kimber in the school office. We will inform you all of how many Lifestraws we purchase on our website. Mrs Mattingley, Director of School Operations
Cheerleading Competition On Tuesday 27 June the Bourne End Academy cheerleading squad, The Bourne End Bullets, made up of 20 students in Years 7 and 8, went to the Wycombe Swan Theatre to perform in the Kobika Starlites Cheerleading competition. We entered the competition after only six weeks of training, we had a good routine with lots of impressive stunts. After making the decision to enter the competition, we knew the hard work would immediately start and that we would have to work together as a team to ensure we were competition ready. We therefore started an afterschool training programme. After we had performed in the competition, against three other local schools, we were full of adrenaline and just happy to be there and taking part, no matter what the outcome was. It turned out that after just six weeks training, when all the other teams had worked together for 6 months, we won our category: The Secondary School Level 1 Group! We were very proud. As performers we were all very surprised, but Miss Herbert and our coach Katie had been our support and believed in us every step of the way. Even the host said how impressed he was about how much work we had put in with such little time. Mia Carvell, Year 8
Summer Baking Do you want to surprise your family with a Summer Afternoon Tea and delight them with some cupcakes 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. Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 – 30 mins
Makes: 12
Ingredients for the cupcakes: 200g butter
200g plain chocolate
200g light, soft brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g self-raising flour
Smarties, sweets and sprinkles, to decorate Ingredients for the icing: 200g plain chocolate
100ml double cream, not fridge cold
50g icing sugar Method: 1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. Gently melt the butter, chocolate, sugar and 100ml hot water together in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool a little while you weigh the other ingredients.
2. Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Spoon into cases until just over threequarters full (you may have a little mixture leftover), then set aside for 5 mins before putting on a low shelf in the oven and baking for 20-22 mins. Leave to cool.
3. For the icing, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, turn off the heat, stir in the double cream and sift in the icing sugar. When spreadable, top each cake with some and decorate with your favourite sprinkles and sweets.
Healthy Eating Week Healthy eating week was held from 19 -23 June. Students were invited to complete the five Health Challenges: -
Have a healthy breakfast every day
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Have at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day
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Have at least 6 – 8 drinks every day
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Get active for at least 60 minutes every day - move more, sit less
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Try something new related to healthy eating and drinking, cooking, where food comes from or physical activity
The prize was a breakfast at Lee’s Bakery in Bourne End. Activities were run in the canteen at Lunch 2 all week.
Students made their own fresh juices and tasted smoothies, unusual fruit and vegetables and took part in quizzes. Smoothie shots - winners were Megan Hirst, Charlie Hicks, George Sanders and Mrs Nelson. The winners of the unusual taste competition were Vlad Gheorghiescu, Rosie Higham, Devonte Sampson-Brooks and Miss Brammall. The winners of the Guess the Fibre competition were George Bidmead and Alice Levitt. The winner of the “Have Breakfast and Eat Well Quiz” and therefore the Breakfast at Lee’s Bakery was George Sanders. Well done! Runners up were Barteck Domagala, Peter Carr, Georgia Bragg and Mrs Upton. A big thank you to our supporters, Lee’s Bakery. Thank you to Mrs Tigano for lending us her juicing machine. Mrs Wilcock, Subject Leader Food Technology
London Olympic Velodrome On Tuesday 14 June a group of Year 9 and 10 students visited the London Olympic Velodrome. The group were coached by part of the British Cycling Coaching Team using the banked bends and specialist racing bikes. The group had a fantastic time using the most advanced sports equipment available and using the same facilities and equipment as the elite cyclists such as Sarah Storey, Chris Hoy, Laura Kenny and Bradley Wiggins. The focus of the session was looking at the use of safety equipment and clothing as well as looking at the impact of ergogenic aids on sporting performance. Mr Bannon, Assistant Head teacher
District Athletics On 24 May we took our Year 9 and 10 athletics squads to the Little Marlow track for the 2017 District Athletics. The students conducted themselves well on the day, they supported each other, cheered one another on and tried their very best during the competition. Performances to note include: Nyle Goldston who came 2nd in the Discus with a throw of 22.42m and Max Barratt who not only jumped 5.02m in the Long Jump, placing him in 4th, Max also won the High Jump competition with a height of 1.60m. On the 14th June it was the turn of our Year 7 and 8 athletes. For most of them it was their first time competing in their events. They did the school proud, looking smart and professional and giving the best they could. Performances to note include: Brooke Sanders sprinted her way in timed heats to a 4th place overall in the 100m and also came 4th in High Jump with a height of 1.20m. Elijah Layman ran the 200m in 28.70 seconds. It was a pleasure to take them to this event and we look forward to training and building our athletics squads for next year. Mrs Kirk, Teacher of Physical Education
Year 11 Prom Year 11 turned out in force and in style for their prom on Thursday 29 June. The group graced the Holiday Inn in Maidenhead with their incredible outfits and modes of transport (the horse and carriage being my personal highlight!) The event was enjoyed by all and was a wonderful way to celebrate all of the hard work the students have put in to study for their GCSE exams. The students continued their hard work on to the dance floor, with the disco being well received (particularly the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide!) After a close vote, we were delighted to announce that our Prom King and Queen were Travis Wyllie and Patience Cocks. They were both deserving winners! Our blackjack and roulette table had visitors throughout the night and the lucky winner on the blackjack table was Theo Taylor. Thank you to you all for being such a wonderful year group and I look forward to welcoming many of you back to the Sixth Form in September! Miss Witts, Head of Year 10 and 11
Year 6 Transition to BEA BEA welcomed our new students and parents on Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 July. Monday evening saw a packed hall with new students and their parents who were presented with speeches from Mrs Jacobson, Frankie Hitchens (Y10), Mason Madzimbamuto (Y7), Alex Hazell (Y7), Mr Kalyan, Mrs Mattingley and the chair of our Parents’ Association (SBEA) Mrs McKenzie. Our new students and parents were presented with all the good things that BEA has to offer and on what we expect from students. Towards the end of the evening, our new students and parents were introduced to their Form Tutors. On Tuesday, the Year 6 students experienced a day at BEA being introduced to teachers and experiencing learning in Art, History, Food Technology, Product Design, Music, Dance, Science and Maths. The day was enjoyed by all and the Year 6s are all prepared and excited to start with us in September and to learn how to do things the BEA way – BELIEVE ENGAGE ASPIRE!
A huge thanks to all staff and students involved in supporting with the day and a particular mention to the new Year 9 mentors (Lexi Bennett, Ryan Isaac, Elise Pisani, Ben McKenzie, Charlotte Webb, Aimee Cooper, Luke Kempton, Henry Hunt, Freya Chaloner and Nathan Fletcher) who supported our new students and will continue to do so in September. Mr Kalyan, Teacher of Science and Head of Year 7
Year 12 History Trip On Wednesday 5 July, Year 12 History students went to Winchester with Mr Sheehan. We went as it ties in with our unit England 1035-1107 which we study at A-level. We visited Winchester Cathedral, which has the longest nave in Europe! Several figures from our period of History were buried there including William II, Cnut, Emma of Normandy and Harthacnut. We also went to see how architecture had changed as a result of the Norman Conquest. Churches were built in a grand Romanesque style out of stone to reflect Norman power.
We also went to the remains of Winchester Castle and the Great Hall which acted as a shire court.
The Hall was where the primacy dispute between the Archbishops of York and Canterbury was temporarily resolved at the council of 1076. The Hall also contained what was believed to have been King Arthur’s round table which was repainted by Henry VIII to show off a Tudor Rose. We stopped off in the Cathedral refectory for their signature sausage rolls and then moved onto the remains of Hyde Abbey and last known burial place of Alfred the Great, who is considered to be the founder of England. The abbey was destroyed during the Reformation, but the location of Alfred’s grave is marked out in the park. It is unknown whether Alfred is still there or not. We had great weather and it was an excellent day out. By Alex Pelling and Adam Bailey, Year 12
Sweeny Todd On the evening of Wednesday 5 July, the summer production of Sweeney Todd was performed to a small and intimate audience in the Drama Studio. The show was a great success, with audience members enjoying every aspect of the story. The 15 students involved from Year 8 to 10 were dedicated and focused and gave up countless nights over the four month rehearsal process to ensure that the production was excellently performed by all. The support from staff was excellent; Mrs Jacobson thoroughly enjoyed the performance, stating that it was ‘a superb and polished performance and fantastically cast’. Each member of the cast said that they loved performing in the show and, though they were sad to see the end of their dedication and time put in to make the show an outstanding one, they each left with a sense of accomplishment when the production ended. Each student involved in Sweeney Todd has made Mrs Stephenson, Miss Withington and myself extremely proud and they have been an absolute credit to us, with some students helping until 6pm on rehearsal nights to paint set, rig lighting and sort props. A member of the audience said that ‘the cast were well drilled and took the responsibility of their task very seriously’. Overall, the production was said to have been a brilliant piece of theatre, with the audience enjoying free pies from Mrs Lovett herself! A massive thank you to both staff and students alike who helped to turn this small production a large reality. Mr Price, Producer of the Show
Games Corner
Every row, column and mini-grid must contain the letters: SUNBATHER Don’t guess – use logic.
All the staff at BEA wish our students a fabulous, safe summer holiday. Thank you for all your hard work, applying a growth mindset and being willing to be stretched and challenged. Looking forward to seeing you in September.
BELIEVE
ENGAGE
ASPIRE