Belvedere Summer 2 Ezine 2012.pdf - The Belvedere Academy

BELVEDEREACADEMYSummerJuly-August2012WelcomeTo The Belvedere AcademyEZINE

Outstanding Exam Results 2012Fantastic GCSE results for first non-selectivecohort of students at The Belvedere Academy98% of the students gain at least five A*-Cgrades including English and MathematicsAs the first independent school to become an academy weare delighted with the success of our students.98% of the students who joined The Belvedere Academy in Year 7 in2007, when it first became an academy, gained at least five A*-C gradesincluding English and maths. This achievement compares very favourablywith the assessments carried out when they started at The Belvedere,which predicted that 70% would attain this standard.98% of allstudents achieved5x A*- CG.C.S.E.98% A*- CincludingEnglish & MathsOnce again, Belvedere students haveexcelled in their external examinationsat A level. Our results show that 66%of all grades at A level were A*-B, anincrease from last year of 5% and 89%were at A*- C, an increase of 6%. Theexcellent results mean that last year’sYear 13 girls can confidently take theirfirst choice university places, three ofwhich are Oxbridge entries.100%of A-Levelstudents passed82% A-Levelgrades at A*-CPrincipal, Mr Kennedy said:“The examination results achieved this year by both our A level and GCSEstudents have been outstanding. Staff, parents, governors and, of course,the girls themselves are thrilled with these results which is somethingwe have all worked very hard to achieve since the Belvedere Academystarted in 2007.91% of all GCSEgrades at A*- C11.6%Grades at A*We are extremely proud of every single one of our Belvedere girls whoare maintaining the extremely high standards long associated with thisoutstanding school.”37% A*- Agrades30%Grades atA*’- ACongratulations A2 andG.C.S.E. Students

National Sports WeekTug of War (students)Many teams signed up, but only one could win. Students had to use all of their strength to rise tothe top. Each match was very close and all of the girls whom took part agreed it brought out theircompetitive sides!Tug of War (teachers)With the student Tug of War being a great success, the teachers had a lot to live up to. Splitting in half,the teachers battled it out and gave a very impressive fight. The teachers became very competitiveand after the initial teacher battle was over Mr Wright and Mr Austin decided to have their very ownTug of War. Again, it was a very close battle with Mr Wright eventually pulling to success.By Olivia Rowley, Ceállach Bennett and Chloe Moran , Year 8On Monday 25th June 2012 during National Sports Week, our PE department organized an array ofactivities for both pupils and staff to take part in to celebrate the event. Each day of the week, wasjam-packed with fun and traditional activities that everybody could participate in.ZumbathonFull of dance, the Zumbathon proved a big hit. Many signed up and danced Monday lunchtime awayto a variety of energetic songs.HulahoopathonLots of the girls brought out their inner-child by taking part in the hula-hooping extravaganza. Eventhe teachers got involved, showcasing their amazing hula-hoop skills!Tag Rugby ChallengeA lot of teams entered the one-off competitive match. It was a nail biting tournament and we sawsome amazing tag-rugby talent. It was a fun, fast and action packed.Young LeadersThe Belvedere Academy has 7 young leaders who are committed to a Leadership Club on Thursdaylunchtimes. They receive training and work as a team to develop their skills. The leaders are currentlyvolunteering in primary schools, secondary schools and their local community sports clubs. Theydemonstrate their skills through leading warm ups, officiating at sports clubs, competitions andorganising various sporting events. They have attended a young leaders conference which enhancedtheir confidence and self esteem. Well done girls and keep up the good work.LSSP Sports ChallengeOn Tuesday 19th June, Year 9 pupils attended the LSSP Sports Challenge morning session. Theytook part in Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball and Badminton. The Volleyball team were delighted to becrowned Volleyball champions beating Bellerive in a close final. The pupils really enjoyed the day.

On Thursday 28th June 2012, Belvedere’s English and Media Department held astar-studded media showcase. GCSE and A-Level students showcased their Oscarworthywork to an audience of fellow students, teachers and parents.Most of the students who took part received awards such as, ‘most likely to send a chill downa teacher’s spine.’ Another award went to the winners of the 10 second film competition,where we had to condense our favourite film to only 10 seconds. Many students enteredthis competition and the standard was really high. The winning film was ‘Charlie and theChocolate Factory’ edited by Rosie Bell and Francesca Bennett, who won Odeon cinemavouchers.Some of Hollywood’s biggest names, such as, Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Depp and Arnie Swarcheneggerattended the red-carpet event ... well, their cardboard cut outs did anyway!We were entertained by a wonderful band called Boy Story 4, which included Belvedere’s very own MrWoolley. They played old time movie classics such as Ghostbusters and Footloose, and a show stoppingfinale performance of My Girl. The whole event was full of laughs, cheers and smiles. Well done to theEnglish and Media department for pulling off this fantastic showcase, and a huge well done, to thestudents who had their work showcased. Each and every one of their films was truly excellent.By Kiera Finn-Oluonye and Amy Higham

School of Rock 2Salters CompetitionIt’s amazing whatyou can see througha microscopeFriday 18th June saw the Geography and ScienceTeams join forces to provide Year 8 with a fun,interactive day about Rocks! We began withan assembly by Miss Palin and then everyonedescended into Science in form groups to betaught five different rock-themed lessons:igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, weatheringand erosion, the rock cycle, and dinosaurs. Theday ended with a plenary and ‘rock star’ awardsassembly.Our Year 8 Chemistry Team (Aminah Masood, Anna Nicholson-Krackiewicz, Lydia Kinman-Carroll andKatie Lou Holland) won the overall first prize at the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry at the University ofLiverpool on Wednesday 13th June 2012.They competed against 16 other schools from across the country including Wirral Grammar for Girlsand Liverpool College on Merseyside. One of the lecturers mentioned that their ‘fool-proof’ chemistrymethod was something he had never seen before and was so good that they would put him out of ajob!I lovedcreating crystalsLiverpool Science Challenge DayEarlier this year, twelve gifted and talented girls from Year 8 and 9 attended the Liverpool ScienceChallenge Day at Liverpool Hope University.I’d love more dayslearning about rocksusing chocolateThe girls were presented with a challenging range of problems to solve including building a bridgeto span a gap, designing a robot to complete an obstacle course and solving crimes using forensicscience. The Belvedere teams solved some tricky problems and had the best designed bridge and oneof the fastest racing cars. The girls had a good time understanding science, university life and gainedan important insight into scientific careers.Green DayCongratulations to Head Girl Eleanor Moubraywho received a Physicist of the Year awardat Liverpool University. She was formallypresented with this award at an eveningfunction held on Wednesday 4th July.Congrats!On Friday 22nd June 2012, STEM club organised anddeveloped an activity as part of Green Day. Studentshad the chance to create their very own ECO Superhero.Green day is an event for schools about climate changeand the environment. As a School we are in the processof following a seven-step process to achieve a Green FlagAward. The Green Flag Award symbolises excellence inthe field of environmental activity. Green day helped toraise awareness of being environmentally friendly andwill thus contribute to our school gaining this award.

The Belvedere Bake-OffThe Belvedere Bake-Off challenge was to create cupcakes with eitheran Olympic or Jubilee theme. With two prizes of £20 there was alot at stake and there were nearly 60 entries. The competition wasopen to Key Stage 3 and took place in the library. The cakes weremarked by a team of judges who were looking at the flavour textureand appearance of the cakes. Teachers were then able to buy them,which raised £62.01 for Marie Curie and £62.01 for our MoroccanCharity. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and tension asthe contestants came to see if their cakes had won. No matter theresult it was a fun and delicious day. The Jubilee and Olympic prizeswere won by Rebekah O’Neill and Alina Carrasco Toft.By Amina Masood and Lydia Kinman-CarrollTall Ships ...Ten days to sail from the top of England to the bottom with your friends sounds like the perfect startto summer. Living a sailor’s life in the big blue sea is not an opportunity that comes around everyday. When hearing that the ship had to be thoroughly cleaned everyday and we would be sleepingin tiny hammocks, I questioned if the experience would be the best for me, but I decided I was goingto go for it.The first few days seemed like an eternity, waking up at 4am to be ‘on watch’ even though we couldsee nothing but sky and water for miles on end. Everybody’s sleeping pattern was messed up andevery hour of the day there would be a random body curled up in their hammock. Once I had foundmy ‘sea legs’ and had stopped vomiting over the side of the ship the journey became much better.All of the students on board were allowed to climb up the masts to set the sails, which was boththrilling and frightening at the same time. By the fifth day the sun was shining and the ship haddocked in Belgium and we were allowed to venture into the town and buy some famous Belgianchocolate, as well as a challenge to find the tackiest souvenir!By the tenth day, I did not want to leave the Stavros S. Niarchos and the close friendships I had made.Meeting new people from all around the country doing activities I never thought I would do mademe realise how important it is to try new things that might even scare you - they might change yourlife! The experience helped me to appreciate some things I had taken for granted and I made someunforgettable friendships.By Elle Battle KennedyBelvedere Academy has helped sponsor ‘Teaching Liverpool to Cook’ with its 100 day campaign.It was set up to get the whole city cooking again and start a ‘Cookery Revolution’. Other sponsorsinclude Il Forno, Sapporo, The Home Quarter and Liverpool Hope University. The sponsorship enablesus to send 20 pupils to a Can cook session at Il Forno and Sapporo which is happening next week. Theproject is designed to try and tackle obesity and encourage families who rely on convenience foodsto learn to cook wholesome foods on a budget.

MoroccoMr Kennedy was invited by the BritishMoroccan Society to visit a school called theTalatast Rural Centre which is situated in theAtlas Mountains near Marrakech, Morrocco.The school (or learning centre) is for Berberchildren and women.History Trip toConway CastleBefore the learning centre was openedthere was no school at all in the village and children were unable to receive any education.The learning centre has now become the focal point of the village with children waiting patientlyoutside for their opportunity to use its only classroom. In the evening the centre is attended byyoung women, most of whom have never been to school.In some of the photographs you will see the children wearing surplus items of school uniformdonated by Belvedere Preparatory School who are supporting this school. We at Belvedere Academyare also supporting this community and on the last day of term Belvedere girls were asked to bringin any unwanted school uniform which was boxed up and will be shipped in a huge container tothese children at the end of each term or academic year.Sixty students and seven staff enjoyed a day out at Conwy Castle in Wales on 26th June. We arrived inthe town of Conwy just before our guided tour of the magnificent castle which dominates the skylineof the town of Conwy. The castle was commissioned by the English King Edward I in 1283 in an effortto keep the Welsh under control. He built or repaired 17 castles between the border of England andWales and also around the coast of Wales.The girls were taken around by our two very experienced guides, Mr Hilton and Mr Groom, whoexplained about the strengths of this type of castle and how the King could escape if they came underattack. We looked at features such as the Great Hall, the Chapel and the King’s Private Quarters.After the tour, the girls were then led on a short walk along a section of the Conwy town walls bytheir History teachers. The walls are 3/4 mile long andoriginally contained the whole of the town of Conwy.Our original plan was to have lunch in the park butunfortunately poor weather meant we had to go backto the coach to eat. After lunchtime the girls had anopportunity to visit the two excellent gift shops by thecastle and buy an ice cream before we returned to school.Both of our guides complimented the girls on theirexcellent behaviour throughout their time at Conwy. Thegirls themselves described the day as “adventurous”,“fun” and “exciting.” Many of the girls said they wouldrecommend it to the next Year 7 students noting that “ifyou go you’ll have a ball” and that it was “one of the besttrips ever.”By H Batterton

On Friday 15th June all of the students in Year 7 took part in a sponsored walk around Princes Park.The students did as many laps as they could. Mrs Marshall and Miss Marley organised the event,which was to raise money for Marie Curie. For this fantastic cause walkers, joggers and runners andeven some teachers managed to raise an impressive £750. The rain stayed off and it was a veryrelaxing end to the week.By Mercy Opawole 8J and Beth Roberts 7WKPMG Competition WinnersVisit to a Local MosqueCharity WalkYr 12 win KPMG competition. The 6th formteam consisting of Chloe Carter, Emily Rankin,Georgina Partington and Roisin Vanes beat severalother teams from Merseyside schools to win theinaugural KPMG Entrepreneurial Challenge.Their business idea in support of the Oliver KingFoundation, was viewed as an outstanding projectand was even acknowledged by other schools thebest! They displayed all the qualities of BelvedereGirls in winning the competitionBy Mr LucasCongrats!On Thursday 28th June a group of Year 12Sociology students visited the Al Rahma Mosquein Toxteth to learn about different religious beliefsand practices in preparation for their study ofBeliefs in Society as part of their A2 studies.The girls had a guided tour of the Mosque andlearnt about the key beliefs and practices of theIslamic faith. They had the opportunity to listento daily prayers delivered in Arabic, ‘read’ theQur’an and ask questions about Islamic beliefs,practices and culture.Reward LunchAs a reward for all our hard work and dedicationto being a Belvedere Girl, we were invited to arewards lunch in Princes Park. The rewards lunchwas a fun treat; it felt great to be rewarded forall of our hard work this year. We loved havingthe chance to mix with other girls from differentforms who we might not usually get to spendtime with outside of lessons. Mrs Marshall andMiss Marley organised some great games and thesun was shining out in Princes Park so we couldrelax and enjoy our lunch together.Advertising In The BelvedereAcademy News EzineThe Belvedere Academy News Ezine is published fivetimes a year, in September, November, January, Apriland June. 1500 electronic copies are widely distributedamong parents, local businesses, nurseries, churches andprimary schools. Advertising with us will reach a largetarget audience throughout Liverpool.All revenue is put back into the production of themagazine.The advertising rates and advert dimensions are:• FULL PAGE COLOUR £250Inside front/back cover 180x265mm• FULL PAGE A4 BLACK & WHITE £200180X265mm• ½ PAGE COLOUR OR BLACK & WHITE £60(landscape) 180x130mm• ¼ PAGE COLOUR OR BLACK & WHITE £40(portrait) 90x130mmTo place an advertisement, please contact Abi Cox on 0151471 1845. Advertisements should be submitted as JPEG orPDF files on CD or emailed to a.cox@belvedereacademy.netCheques should be made payable to GDST Academy Trust.All copies and payments need to be received one monthbefore publication.Congratulations to the News Team from Belvedere’stalented Journalism Enrichment. They are:Keira Finn, Amy Higham, Abigail Stevens, Ceallach Bennett,Maia Gaynor, Chloe Moran, Kalisha Mello, Nicole Gilbert,Amy McDonald, Mercy Opawole and Olivia Rowley, MissKeating & Mrs Cox.Many thanks to teaching staff who have also contributedarticles and photographs. For more news please visitwww.belvedereacademy.netIf you have any comments or suggestions for themagazine then please contact Mr Peter Dykeaylen:p.dykeaylen@belvedereacademy.netThe Belvedere Academy17 Belvedere RoadPrinces ParkLiverpoolL8 3TF0151 727 1284Email: info@belvedereacademy.netWebsite: www.belvedereacademy.net