academy news - Ark Burlington Danes Academy

academy news - Ark Burlington Danes Academy

ACADEMY NEWS
www.burlingtondanes.org
28th November, 2013
Much Ado Take Two
Following BDA’s acclaimed performance of
Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at the
Shaw Theatre earlier this month, the cast and crew
took to the Dennis Potter Theatre for a final in-house
encore on Friday.
The team’s creative adaptation went down just as
well a second time as it did the first, with the
combination of dance, drama, musi c and comedy
proving as relentlessly entertaining as any show
you’re likely to see.
Testament to the initial performance’s excellent
reception, an exci ted audience of staff, parents,
students, governors and members of the ARK team
filled the auditorium.
We were also lucky enough to host Dom Fitch, the
artistic director of the Shakespeare Schools Festival,
who said: “The performance was a true
cel ebration of the performing arts... the cast were
not a group of students before us, but a company
of actors.”
Well done again to every member of the cast and
crew, all of whom played a significant part in
putting together a fantasti c production and
delivering it with originality and professionalism.
Special thanks must go to Mr Rowlands-Roberts
and the Performing Arts Department for yet
another excellent piece of work. We can’t wait for
the next!
BDA Christmas Concert: Our annual Christmas
Concert is to take place on Thursday 5t h December
in the Dennis Potter Theatre. The performance,
which will explore a range of musical styles, will
commence from 7pm.
If you need a little something to get that seasonal
spirit going, or just want to watch some of our
excellent and enthusiastic young musi cians at work,
please contact our music department for ticket
information.
Even more Shakespeare
Year 7 enjoyed a great start to this week, joining in
with a humorous and enlightening production of
William Shakespeare’s famous comedy Twelfth Night
on Monday morning.
Some students used the opportuni ty to test their
acting skills by taking on the role of Sir Topaz as he
taunts Malvolio in his cell, while others tried their
hands at directing – helping the actors interpret
scenes to mak e the performance even more
entertaining for the audience. The group particularly
liked Malvolio in his yellow stockings, Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew masked as trees, and Olivia’s love affair with
Cesario, who turned out to be Viola in disguise.
The workshop taught us all a little something about
one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays and
was the source of much laughter. Year 7s are now
even more excited about studying Twelfth Night in
the Spring term.
Rugby boys impress yet again
BDA’s rugby revolution is in full flow and was on
display for all to see this week as both Years 7 and 8
took on Holland Park on Wednesday evening.
Despite fero ciously cold conditions and the late
arrival of the opposition, the boys warmed up
extremely well and took to the field with an intensity,
structure and enthusiasm sure to put any opponent
on the back foot.
The Year 8s got off to a flying start with an opening
try scored straight from kick-off and converted
confidently by the seriously in-form Aston Solomon.
Mr Thornton, Mr Woodruff and Mr Cooke agreed that
the first five minutes produced some of the best
rugby that this team has played. The boys organised
themselves exceptionally well, rucked and tackled
with vigour and spread the ball wide at every
opportunity – it was a joy to behold.
Fantastic performances from the likes of Abeselom
Mebrahtu, Mohammed Tarzan, Kaelan Paul,
D’Shane Moise and Jamie Gardiner helped secure
an emphatic 63-7 victory.
The Year 7 game was a far closer affair. Holland Park
looked good on the ball with some strong runners
and quick hands, but BDA managed to heap on the
pressure, crossing the line four times before the halftime whistle. However, Holland Park turned on the
heat in what was a very physical second period and
drew the scores level at 35-35 by the end of the
game. Special mention must be made of man of
the match Marc Aboua and both Chevar McKenzie
and Zickiel Ogilvie, who were outstanding in
defence.
Ms Stone took some time out of her busy schedul e to
come and show support and was very impressed by
the progress, conduct and determination of the
players. Well done all and keep it up!
Current House Standings
Pic of the week!
A series of photographs on the BBC website
this week show some of Mexico’s poorest
rural schools in a startling light, detailing the
extent of the difficulties that many young
people face when it comes to accessing a
good standard of education.
Major reforms have recently taken place in
the country in efforts to improve its poor
education system. It makes us realise just
how fortunate we are.
Debate Tables – Next Week’s Motion:
“This House believes science is a threat to
humanity”
A photographer will be here today to take
Year 7 student portraits. Check next
week’s edition for information on how to
purchase the photo.
Latest news from the library
Good afternoon everyone, hope you’re enjoying
this slightly shorter week and taking advantage of
the extra day to finish reading your books. It’s also a
great chance to choose a new book to start over
this long weekend – and don’t forget to tak e a quiz
once you’ve finished it! There are always lots of
prizes to give out in the library, from free books, to
chocolate to mystery prizes; make sure you’re in the
library to win them. Of course, I’m afraid there won’t
be a Friday quiz this week – but after the popularity
of Doctor Who day in the library last Friday – we think
you can cope with a week without it. It’ll be back
next week with our Heroes and Villains quiz – all your
favourite superheroes, arch-nemeses and so on.
Remember, you get a prize just for attempting the
questions – as well as a bigger one for winning first
place.
Last week was incredibly busy, and I’d just like to say
how impressed I was with your attitude last week –
students were so sensible and really represented
BDA well. Also, we saw lots of you as part of Library
Week – I hope you enjoyed the research l essons –
we’ll be keeping an eye out for people assessing
their websites on the library co mputers from now on!
Myself, Mr Crowley and Ms Gardner were all really
impressed with how well you all answered questions
– and how quick you were to analyse the fake
websites – so we know we can expect amazing
research from you all.
So many students showed up for our special Doctor
Who screening after school on Friday – and it was
lovely to see how many of you are fans of this
brilliant show. There were lots of fantasti c
conversations overheard about the 50th anniversary
of Doctor Who, and a number of staff tried their
hand with our Friday Quiz. The winners of our big quiz
are Reece Healy-Elliman in 10B and Saleem Shah in
8B – congratulations! Please come to the library to
pick up your prizes.
Library Review: Skulduggery
Pleasant by Derek Landy
Mr Crowley: The Skulduggery Pleasant seri es is about
a crime-solving skeleton and his 12 year-old sidekick,
Valkyrie Cain. This book, the first in the series, tells the
story of how Valkyrie came to join Skulduggery and
the Sanctuary, which is like a magic Police Force.
The action moves really quickly and has some brilliant
fight scenes. They manage to co mbine martial arts,
magic and a lot of flame throwing! At the same time
the book is genuinely funny with Skulduggery having
all the best lines. It is a great combination and I
would compare i t to the Artemis Fowl books as both
create new worlds but do not take themselves too
seriously.
With the ninth and last book in the series set to come
out next year, this is a great time to get into these
books. They get better and better as the author
creates a whole world populated by magicians,
vampires and zombies.
BDA table tennis round-up
BDA’s table tennis team notched up yet another
fantastic set of results at the Schools Championship
last week.
With six titl es up for grabs, BDA’s superstars asserted
their dominance and secured four of the coveted
crowns. Coach Henry was extremely impressed with
the excellent performances of all the players
involved. The results are as follows:
Boys Under 19 Runners up
Igor Morais, Harry Trawley, Joshua Decairos, Thomas
Moran.
Boys Under 16 Champions
Daniel Ozokolie, Daniel Emmanuel, Nathaniel
Emmanuel, Yassin Seddik, Israel Awolaja.
Girls Under 16 champions
Demi reid, Starsky Waithe, Amira salihu, Nour El-Zein,
Laureen Agyeman.
Boys Under 13 champions
Cacherel Mirjah, Sudays Salihu, Anwar Osman,
Jamie Wright, Mathew Wilby.
Girls Under 13 Champions
Eman Buanani, Rikki Burkett, Serena Steward,
Amanda Bailey, Yassmine Al-Amire.
The team delivered ano ther very impressive
performance at the Horsham Spinners Two Stars
Championships last Saturday, dominating the two
events that took place.
The cadets ti tle was claimed by “ the BDA destroyer”
Daniel Ozokolie, who managed to fight off another
of BDA’s top attacking talents, Yassin Seddik, in the
final. Cacherel Mirjah did very well to come in third.
The excellent defence of Harry Trawley secured him
a place in the final of his event, but he narrowly lost
out Paul Carter, an attack er with an enormous
forehand.
Well done again to all involved. The success of tabl e
tennis at Burlington Danes Academy knows no limits
it seems.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Head of Geography Ms Cartlidge
recalls a day of birthday cake and bagpipes
in Africa…
5 people you’d love to have over for dinner:
-David Attenborough
-Tom Hardy
-Stephen Fry
-Caitlin Moran
-Usain Bolt
4 books and films you’ll never forget:
-Pride and Prejudice
-Harry Potter 1 to 7 (films and books)
-Anything by Philippa Gregory
-Shawshank Redemption
3 foods you’d have for your last meal:
-Green Thai curry
-Carbonara
-Steak
2 places you’d love to visit:
-Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis
-Sipidan in Borneo to dive with the Hammerhead
sharks
1 day you’ll never forget:
-The day we reached the summit of Kilimanjaro
and celebrated my best friends 30th with a birthday
cake and the bagpipes!
MR PRESTON’S NEWS QUIZ
1.Of which game has Magnus Carlsen become world champion at the
age of 22?
2.Which celebrity couple donated their ‘old’ clothes to a charity shop
to help to raise money for the Philippines?
3.Which comedy team are reuniting after 30 years?
4.Which rock star is to become a great-grandfather?
5.How many countries broadcast the Dr Who anniversary episode?
Answers to last week’s questions: What name is given to the people of northern and eastern Sri Lanka?
Tamils Which British author and Nobel Prize winner has died at the age of 94? Doris Lessing A painting by
which artist became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction fetching £89 million? Francis Bacon
Which long-running TV series began on the day after John F Kennedy was assassinated? Doctor Who
What is missing from veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby’s tattoo of a scorpion? a pair of legs
NEXT WEEK’S DIARY
Monday
02.12.13
Tuesday
03.12.13
Wednesday
04.12.13
Thursday
05.12.13
Friday
06.12.13
Y8, Y9 & Y10 Assessments
Y7 & 8 SLT Assembly in the Main Hall
Y11 Assembly in the Potter Theatre
House Staff/Students Cook Off
100 Club Meeting
Collecting for Hampers (all week)
Y12&13 SLT Assembly in the Potter Theatre
Y10 Year Assembly in the Main Hall
Y13 Mentor Meetings
Y9 SLT Assembly in the Main Hall
Y7 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall
Y12 Year Assembly in the Potter Theatre
PSHCE IS PERIOD 7 TODAY
Y13 Mentor Meetings
Y10 SLT Assembly in the Main Hall
Y8 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall
Christmas Concert All Day Rehearsals
Christmas Concert
Y13 Mentor Meetings
Y11 SLT Assembly in the Main Hall
Y9 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall
Y13 Year in the Potter Theatre
PE DEPARTMENT FIXTURES WEEK BEGINNING 02.12.13
Date
Sport
03.12.13
Football
04.12.13
Rugby
05.12.13
Football
Year
Opposition
Venue
Staff
Start
Chelsea Academy
BDA
Ms Butts
4pm
9
Haydon School
BDA
Mr Thornton
4pm
9
Cardinal Vaughan
BDA
Mr King
4pm
U13
CHRISTMAS MENU KEY DATES AT BDA
MENU: Turkey with all the trimmings /
Spinach and ricotta parcels / Seasonal veg,
stuffing, roast potatoes, honey glazed
parsnips, carrots & Brussels sprouts /
Chipolata sausage, Halal sausage /
Christmas pudding and custard / Fruit salad
and mince pies.
Friday 29th November, 2013: Staff
training day, no students in school
Thursday 5th December, 2013:
Christmas Concert
Monday 23rd December, 2013:
Christmas Holiday
WORD OF THE WEEK NEXT WEEK’S THEME
EXPRESSION
WATCHFULNESS
Noun
The action of making known one's
thoughts or feelings; the conveying of
feeling in a work of art or in the
performance of a piece of music; a look
on someone's face that conveys a
particular emotion
You do not know on what day your Lord is
coming. But understand this: If the owner of a house
had known when the robber was coming, he would
have watched. He would not have allowed his
house to have been broken into. You must be ready
also…
From Matthew 24: 36-44