The Buzz Magazine June 2017 This edition includes: Key Dates for Summer Term2017 Library News Poetry Live! The Wycombe Homeless Connection Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Food Ambassadors Summer Baking UK Maths Challenge Red Nose Day Eggstravaganza The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time Dominic Grieve MP Visit Ski Trip to the Snow Dome National Apprenticeship Show Ladies Indulgence Evening Games and Puzzles
Key Dates 2017 Summer Term Monday 26 June – SEN Transition day Monday 26 June – KS4 exams finish Tuesday 27 June – Scholastic Book Fair in the Library Tuesday 27 June – KS5 exams finish Wednesday 28 June – Year 7 and 8 internal exams begin Thursday 29 June – Year 11 Prom Monday 3 July – Year 7 and 8 external exams finish Monday 3 July – Year 6 Induction Evening for students and parents Monday 3 July – Year 10 Geography Field Trip to Chichester Tuesday 4 July – Year 6 Transition Day Wednesday 5 July – Year 12 History Trip to Winchester Wednesday 5 July – Sweeney Todd performance in the Drama studio 6.30pm Thursday 6 July – Taster Day for Year 5 – Performing a Musical in a Day Friday 7 July – PSHCE Day Saturday 8 July – BEA Summer Fete 12.00 – 4.00pm Monday 10 July – Senior Citizens’ Summer Tea Party 1.30 – 3.30pm Tuesday 11 July –Summer Art Show of student work 5.00 – 7.00pm Tuesday 11 July – Academic Celebration of Excellence 7.00 – 8.30pm Wednesday 12 July – Taster Day for Year 5 students – STEM day Friday 14 July – Sports Day at Marlow Track 9.00am – 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 - 10.00am in the Hall Thursday 24 August – Year 11 results day 9.00 – 11.00am in the Hall
Library News Books are my favourite and they might be yours too; they teach you all about the world, there’s so much they can do. Don’t read the blurb it spoils too much, but pick up a book and read it to you; Don’t just ignore this message, a book is a good tool, so read, read, read and read a book to you and you and you. Aleesa Natthan, Year 7
Poetry Live! The majority of Year 11 students went to Friends House in Euston, London for the Poetry Live that was being presented there. The venue was huge and I’m pretty sure I almost got lost twice, but at least we had very good seats. The poets present included: Simon Armitage (Remains), Maura Dooley (Letters from Yorkshire), John Agard (Checking Out Me History), Carol Ann Duffy (War Photographer, Before You Were Mine), Imtiaz Dharker (Tissue), Daljit Nagra (Singh Song!) and Owen Sheers (Winter Swans). Throughout the day, these seven poets read aloud these poems and more, and then answered our questions on what inspired them, why they used a certain word/phrase, or how these stories can inspire us. We also covered two poems and compared them, as if they were part of the unseen poetry syllabus, and had one of the winners of the Simon Powell Poetry Prize read his winning poem. I believe it was an eye-opening experience and very motivational for us all in Year 11 for our English GCSE examination, as well as truly inspirational for aspiring writers such as myself. I hope to use their feedback in the actual exam and in real life. If I could say one person who I thought was my favourite poet of that day, I’d have to say John Agard - I’m sure many other students would agree with me! He wasn’t just funny, but relatable, which is what makes him the very successful poet and author he is. Rebekah Blazey, Year 11
Helping the Wycombe Homeless Connection THANK YOU to all of you who sent in food to support our local charity the Wycombe Homeless, last half term. Aiysha Hussain in Year 12 co-ordinated the display in the foyer and the food can collection. She is seen here presenting the kind donations to Helen Speakman (representing the charity) and Rosie Kimber who helps during the winter months at the shelters in High Wycombe.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance On 2 March the Year 10 BTEC Dance class went on a trip to Trinity Laban, in London. The whole day was very interesting and we gained a lot of information. When we first arrived there we had a group talk about the courses they offer and what they all included; this made us all think about what it was we wanted to do with our performing skills once we have left school. Afterwards we had a tour of the building and sat in a third-year degree class where we were all amazed at the talent!
After a short break we took part in a Contemporary technique class for 2 hours where we learnt a number of different phrases and performed them in small groups. The style of Contemporary was different from what we are used to, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
After the technique class we then took part in a creative workshop, where we performed a series of choreography tasks to help build eventually into one larger routine. The end result was great! At the end of the day we took the taxibus back to school. After getting stuck in some London traffic, we eventually made it back. All of us had a great time and an amazing experience to motivate us, but the next day we were all aching a lot! Molly Fleming, Year 10
Food Ambassadors Before the Easter Holidays, the first meeting of the School Food Ambassadors was held. The ambassadors are: Sky McGuire, Anna Bellamy, Chloe Pays, Sam Battye, Libbi Foden, Olivia Arnold, Rose Saunders, George Sanders, Ella Anderson. Georgia Bragg, Naomi Lee, Millie Pusey and Isaac Kusi. We all met in the canteen after lunch, and were introduced to the Manager, Cliff. We had a tasting session where we tried some of the school food that is already on the school menu but also some new recipes. We tried southern fried chicken wraps, vegetarian burgers, onion bajees, vegetarian sausages, a stir-fry, fruit pots, carrot cake and chocolate brownie. We gave feedback on the food and the canteen. We loved the food, especially the stir-fry. People suggested that there should be a different checkout for cold and hot foods, and one for putting money on to decrease the amount of people in one line to pay. We also said that there should be taster stalls so you can try food and not be disappointed if you buy it. It has also been mentioned that there should be meal deals (e.g. a free drink when you buy a hot meal or when you spend over ÂŁ2). The feedback has been given to Cliff, JLT and SLT and is being taken into consideration. Anna Bellamy and Sky McGuire, Year 8
Summer Baking Do you want to surprise your family with an 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. Afternoon Tea Cupcakes PREP: 25 MINS
COOK: 30 MINS
MAKES: 16
Ingredients for the cupcakes: 60g plain flour
30g custard powder
60g self-rising flour
6 eggs
30g cornflour
125g caster sugar
Ingredients for topping and filling: 600ml double cream
2 ½ tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Punnet of fresh strawberries
Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC and line the trays with about 16 cupcake cases 2. Combine all the flours together and sift together three times 3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs for 1-2 mins using an electric mixer on medium speed, then turn up the speed and whisk for 10 mins. Add the caster sugar gradually, beating until the sugar has dissolved, then beat on high for a further 10 mins until the mixture is light and fluffy. 4. Fold the mixture into the flour until just combined then fill the cupcake cases to threequarters full and bake for around 15 mins depending on your oven. Test by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are done. Remove from the trays and cool on wire racks for 30 mins before cutting.
5. For the topping, add the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until it's thick
enough to pipe. Put 8 strawberries to one side and chop the rest into smallish pieces. Take half the cream mix and fold in the chopped strawberries, then spoon into the hole in the middle of the cakes. 6. Use the rest of the cream to pipe a swirl on the top and decorate with half a strawberry and any other decorations you wish to use.
UK Maths Challenge On the 27 April a number of pupils took part in the UK Maths Challenge, we were up against schools from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Island. It was an hour long and contained 25 different questions. From questions 16 – 25 you lost marks if you got a question wrong, so we played it safe, if we didn’t know the answer, we would skip the question! We all found that this test has helped up a lot and will help us to prepare for more exams in the future. We are keen to find out the results. Some students will be presented with Bronze, Silver or Gold certificates. Last year’s participants received 6 bronze and 1 silver. We have our fingers crossed for better results this year. Megan Hirst, Emily Auger and Harvey Dean, Year 8
Red Nose Day Friday 24 March was Red Nose Day, there were lots of activities going on throughout the day. At Lunch 2 the sixth formers arranged for groups of 4 – 6 people from different year groups to take part in a tug of war tournament. Throughout the half an hour of lunchtime, things got competitive, and excitement filled the gym. Because it was all being done to raise money for charity, each student wishing to complete had to pay a fee of 50p to take part. I think the reason everyone enjoyed the tug of war so much is because they were encouraged to join in, it was fun and lastly, anyone and everybody could join in. Devonte Sampson-Brooks Year 8
To raise money for Red Nose Day, the sixth form participated in a cake sale, in which the whole school contributed into buying and baking cakes. The overall outcome was a great success, and what a cake sell out! The atmosphere created in the hall was great as everyone came together to indulge in goodies and raise money for charity. Brittany Arthur, Year 13
Eggstravaganza The Easter Eggstravaganza was a great success, the show was full of talented and energetic students willing to perform for their peers and families. Students from Year 7 to Year 13 joined together to fill the show. The choir opened the show with an upbeat and cheerful song, which got everyone in the mood to sit back and enjoy. The show contained not only dancers singers and actresses but a new blues band who showcased the students’ musical talents and the many instruments BEA students can play such as trombone, trumpet, guitar and more. Our Head Girl Sarah Baverstock performed for the last time as she will leave in the summer after her A-Levels finish. For some of the Year 11s it was their last show as well, they showcased their coursework in Dance, Music and Drama. Year 10s also performed their newly finished coursework, with 3 drama monologues, singing trios, duos and a Year 10 dance group. We were all very happy with our performances and Mrs Smyth expressed how proud she was at the end of the show. Tilly La-Garde, Year 10
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time As part of GCSE Drama we are required to analyse a theatre production. As a class we went to London to watch The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It was a fun experience as a class and we got to enjoy an evening out in London as well as going to see a fantastic play. The play was about a boy with autism and it really opened my eyes to the challenges that people with autism have to face. When it came to our Year 10 exams in April I felt confident in answering the questions about the play. Overall, the trip was fun, educational and very enjoyable. I would recommend the play to everyone!
Tilly La-Garde, Year 10
Dominic Grieve MP Visit We were lucky enough to be visited by our local MP, Dominic Grieve and many students had questions they had prepared for him; some of which got put forward to Mr Grieve.
There was a wide range of topics bought up like education, health and money. As an unrelated question, Mr Grieve was asked about the events in London on 22 March. He described the experience, the sense of panic and what he had to do when he was inside Westminster Abbey.
I feel this was a great experience for us and a chance for us to put forward questions and discuss topics that some of us feel passionate about and some that we did not understand before the visit. Emily Auger, Year 8
Mr Grieve with Mrs Jacobson and students from Year 7
Ski Trip to the Snow Dome Did you know that the week of 23 April 2017 was National Snow Sports Week? We did!! As part of this initiative, Snow Sports UK were offering discounted taster skiing sessions to local school children across the country. GCSE PE students who are starting the course next year were taken to give them a taster of what may be in store for them as part of the GCSE PE course. 15 of us left BEA just after registration and travelled over to the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead. Once we figured out how to put the most painful boots in the world on and found a helmet that fitted our various sized heads we were ready to hit the slopes. We were shown how to put the skis on and had a go at one-legged skiing and most importantly, we learnt how to do a snowplough and stop at the bottom. There was lots of falling over (often quite comically) and then there is the long delay whilst we tried to figure out how to move and adjust our position on the floor whilst wearing skis that are 5 feet long!! By the end of the 1hr 20min session (we were only supposed to have an hour but as we were so quick at getting kitted up we got bonus time on the slope) we were all gliding down the slopes like professionals (not quite). We all loved it and can’t wait to hit the slopes again. Nyle Goldston, Year 9
National Apprenticeship Show Y13 students were dazzled by an apprenticeship event in Milton Keynes recently. The event attracted over 100 employers from industries as diverse as engineering, retail, the armed forces and health. Students were able to question employers on the best way to get the best apprenticeships and were given useful tips on applying. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to university or not," said one student, "I still want to go, but now I've found some employers that will pay for my degree." Mrs Bannister, Leader of Social Sciences
Ladies Indulgence Evening For the second year running we held another Ladies Indulgence Evening. It was a great success and very well attended. We made a profit of £1,410 which exceeded last year’s profit. transformed
and
had
atmosphere.
The
restaurant
treatment
room
where
a
all
The hall was real
buzzing
became enjoyed
the taster
treatments. Thank you to all of you who came and supported the evening.
Watch out for more PTA events and please save the date for the Summer Fete – Saturday 8 July.
Karen McKenzie, Chair of SBEA
Games corner
Summer Sudoku
Every row, column and mini grid must contain the letters F L O W E R B U D Try not to just guess!