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BELLAHOUSTON ACADEMY

BELLAHOUSTON ACADEMY. Parent/Carer Newsletter. September 2014. Thumbs up from the Heedie …. Follow us on Twitter @BellahoustonAc.

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BELLAHOUSTON ACADEMY

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  1. BELLAHOUSTON ACADEMY Parent/Carer Newsletter September 2014 Thumbs up from the Heedie… Follow us on Twitter @BellahoustonAc Welcome to the first Bella Newsletter of the new Session. I’m pleased to say that everyone is up and running and that our new intake of 1st Year pupils are getting fully into the swing of things. You’ll be able to read about the huge variety of things happening in the school, a variety which makes Bella the type of school it is. Of course, the Commonwealth Games provided the platform for 12 of our current or former pupils to show just what they are made of and the haul of 2 Silver medals would have placed the Glasgow School of Sport 26th in the medal table. We were also the site for the full cast rehearsals for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as responsible for the number ‘3’ which appeared as part of the Games countdown and which was seen live by over a billion people. Inside you’ll be able to read about these events as well as many others, including plans which our Senior pupils have for whole-school initiatives, news from our Anti-Bullying Committee and much more. I hope that you enjoy this edition of our Newsletter.

  2. Hello everyone! The captaincy team have been pretty busy since we started in August. At the Senior Induction day we asked the seniors for ideas/changes they would like to see us action. We have started working through those. We are underway with the Prom Committee and this year we are looking at the possibility of a year book! We will keep you up to date with our progress in the bulletin, twitter and on the website! Captaincy Corner Zahrah, Sean and the team  • The Anti-Bullying Committee • Miss Kennedy and Mrs Kerr are working with our new members of the ABC. This year the team are aiming to: • Support all pupils • Host assemblies • Help build positive relationships throughout the school community Keep an eye on the daily bulletin on the school website for our ABC quote of the week: “Treat others as you want them to treat you”

  3. Senior Captaincy 2014 Boy CaptainSean Neil Girl CaptainZahrah Khan Vice CaptainsRebecca McIlroy & Ami Sheridan Head PrefectNathan Kevan Sport & Health CaptainConnor McKay Sport & Health Vice CaptainsEmma Mathison & Sharon Jakisa Zahrah Khan Sean Neil Humza Qadeer Bilal Ahmed Halima Ahmad Kainat Nisar Ammarah Tanveer Amina Yusuf Rabia Mohammed Meghan Mullan Sabah Sattar Shawnie Wright Laiqa Umar Saffron Dickson Bushra Ali Rabia Ali Prefect Team Fundraising Committee Saffron DicksonAlexandra Kontou Sana Sakander Callum Rennie Jack MurphyAbubaker MehrYasmin Sadiq Aisha AhmedJuneed KhanAmna EmtiazSofia Mohamad Laiqa UmarSofia Abdul RehmanAmina YusufAmmarah TanveerFraser WardKainat NisarHalima Ahmad Bilaal AhmedHumza Qadeer Ali Vasilica MateiLaeebah AliShawnie WrightYusra NasoorCara Kennedy Zubia AsifBilal MahmoodArza IzzadeenKyle MorrisonKaiser SaeedSabah SattarRabia AliBushra AliMeghan MullenRabia MohammedHira KhanKristina Waddell

  4. Commonwealth Countdown Artists A very talented group of first and second year pupils were invited by the organisers of the commonwealth Games (Jack Morton Worldwide) to create an artwork for the opening ceremony of the Games held in Glasgow this summer. The pupils designed and painted a mural of Glasgow old and new and had to incorporate the number Three. The company then came to the school to film the pupils in front of their mural. Not only did the pupils have to give up a lot of their spare time but also had to keep a big secret until the opening night. No easy task! The mural was to be used for the actual countdown to the opening ceremony. It was seen by at least a billion people around the world. It was a wonderful opportunity for our young people and as a reward they were given tickets to see the dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony. Faculty of Expressive Arts

  5. Panto Preparations Tickets have already been booked for this year’s whole school annual festive theatre trip: ‘Peter Pan’ at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow. As always the seats are the best in the house - and there will be free ice-cream! Tickets cost £12. You can pay for them in one go or in instalments - £1 being the minimum deposit. Tickets will go on sale after the October Holiday. A HUGE thank you to our friends at the Rotary Club of Govan who are helping us to invest in the Music department and enhance opportunities for the young people of Bellahouston  Thursday, 18th December

  6. What’s going on in Humanities? Seniors Quiz Referendum Reporter Evening Times and Herald reporter Hannah Rodgers came to Bellahouston on September 5th as part of a report she was writing about first time voters. She spoke to Sixth year pupils Cameron Bell, Scott Greig, Zahrah Tayyub and Hira Khan. She chatted with the pupils who will be voting in the referendum for the first time, and took photographs of the group. Hannah was interested in their views on what issues are important to them, if they felt they have been listened to, what aspects of the campaign they thought had been good, or not good, and generally what they thought of the referendum.   FREE MAPS! The Humanities Faculty subscribes to Digimaps which allows anyone at school or at home to look at and print OS maps for free. Give it a try! WEBSITE http://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/ Username           G415QE Password            lurfed20 (should be typed all in lowercase, last digit is 'zero') Cameron and Hira in action

  7. KELVINGROVE For the fifth consecutive year, all First year pupils at our school will be spending a day at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. Visits will take place between the 6th and 10th October. And the trip is free to pupils. Pupils will take part in a workshop entitled ‘What is Scottish?’, which places an emphasis on pupils gathering information and using museum objects and art to explore past and present concepts of Scotland’s identity. Pupils shall also visit ‘The Centre of New Enlightenment’ which uses new technology to help young people navigate the museum using computers, digital cameras and a variety of other IT resources. LOUGHBOROUGH Jonathan Duckett, a PhD Research Student in the Department of Geography at Loughborough University visited the school on September 4th. His research project is into how representations of Scotland presented at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games resonate with young people’s understandings of Scottish identity, particularly in the context of the upcoming independence referendum. He spoke to a variety of our Senior pupils and was impressed by their ability to express their views and opinions.

  8. WW1 Project In June 2014, 40 pupils and 5 members of staff visited the cemeteries and battlefields of Belgium and France. The entire trip was fully funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Glasgow, Bellahouston Bequest, Scottish Government and the Glasgow City Council International Office. Later this year a touring exhibition, funded by the Ministry of Defence Community Covenant scheme, based on the lives of ex-pupils and teachers of Bellahouston Academy who died in the Great War, will be launched at the school. The following stories are the experiences of two of our pupils… The journey to Belgium took almost 19 hours and we arrived straight into our first event. We participated at the Last Post Memorial Ceremony at the Menin Gate, Ypres. Afterwards we had a look at the names on the gate of soldiers whose bodies were never recovered. Then we got some free time and returned to the Salient School Hostel, Ypres. The next day we had an early start. We walked along to the In Flanders Museum which was very interesting. We got the bus along to Tyne Cot Commonwealth Memorial Cemetery and looked at graves. Our guide found a former pupil from our school! Then we hopped back onto the bus which took us to Langemark Military Cementary of German troops killed in the Great War. It was interesting to see the other side of the war, after all Germany had lost thousands of men too. Later, we went to a re-creation of the trenches where the soldiers lived and fought. Essex Farm cemetery was next and our guide told us stories of the war including one of a 15 year old soldier who died. We headed back to our accommodation for bowling and dinner  On day three we left with our packed bags and headed to France. We visited the Thiepval Memorial of the missing, an arch filled with names of soldiers. Then Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial were we walked through old trenches which have now been overgrown with grass. On our last night we met a German group of pupils who were also in Belgium to visit the war memorials. We had a game of football on a field next to where we stayed…Germany won. The trip was fantastic…I would definitely go again! Wiktoria Busko 4B

  9. In June 2014 a group of 40 Bellahouston Academy pupils travelled to Belgium and France as a part of the project to commemorate WW1 and those lost their lives. One place we visited was Ypres, where we went to the ‘Flanders  Field’ museum. Amongst the exhibits were photographs of men who died in the war. It was a sad experience to think of the number of young men who lost their lives especially as we knew that some ex-pupils of Bellahouston Academy had died. We visited the Menin Gate, which was next to our accommodation. We took part in the ‘Last Post’ ceremony. We visited trenches and saw what it was really like for men who fought in this war. Visiting the war graves gave us a lot to think about. We should never forget those who died and hope it never happens again. The hotels were great and we had very entertaining drivers. The teachers decided we needed a treat too and organised a bowling trip and we had a short trip out on the local area. We got feedback about our excellent behaviour and hope we did our school proud.    Alex McAlaney   3F

  10. YOUR CHANCE TO BE A DIGITAL CREATOR Following on from Bellahouston Academy being awarded the Prestigious Title of Lead School of Computing Science there are a number of exciting activities to look out for, encourage our young people to become Digital Creators. Computing Science staff are setting up a Minecraft Club, for all the young gamers out there interested in programming for computer games. In addition, out Computing Science staff will be involved in a project called Determined to Animate, in conjunction with staff in Art and Home Economics. For more information on either of these activities, please speak to Mr Brown, Mr Vanni, Mrs Wilkie or Ms McLaughlin. BECOME A RESPONSIBLE SAVER WITH BELLA’S CREDIT UNION Bella’s Credit Union is now up and running and it encourages our young people to be Future Savers. Pupils can join by collecting a form from Ms McLaughlin in room Bus Ed 1. Forthcoming Collection dates - Lunchtime in the Fuel Zone:  Friday 3rd October Friday 24TH October

  11. THE BREAKFAST CLUB – NEW MEMBERS WELCOME! This is a highly successful initiative putting the needs of our young people to the fore. Our ICT Breakfast Club has been running for just over 2 years and provides the opportunity for pupils to access computers every morning to complete homework, print off assignments, read the newspapers online and have the time to socialise with friends. Pupils are also provided with a Healthy Breakfast in order to help them get a good start to the day, and aid concentration in class. This helps our young people ‘be all they can be’. The club has been supervised by Technologies/ Health & Wellbeing/Science staff. Senior Prefects have had a great part to play in the organisation too. Please come along any morning at 8.15 am to access this facility and to ensure you are not hungry during the school day. Three of our senior pupils and Mr Coyle embraced the fantastic opportunity to attend the Global Entrepreneurial Leaders’ Summit held at the Headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. This summit was an inspiring way for our pupils to find out more about setting up in business. Our senior students were able to engage first-hand with the experiences of successful entrepreneurs. These pupils will now lead on a project to develop entrepreneurial spirit in some of our younger pupils.

  12. Commonwealth Games by Bella This summer, thousands of people from all around the globe headed to Glasgow for the 2014th Commonwealth Games, and what a summer it was. With lots of different events and sports going on, it was inevitable that Bellahouston Academy and Glasgow School of Sport had to get involved. Some of our pupils, and staff were rather busy during the holiday as many of them helped out at the various different activities. Bella stories… Kate Johnston of Bellahouston Academy was lead chaperone for part of the Legacy of the Commonwealth Games. She was in a group of 12 adults, only 4 of which were residential. They had to look after 72 children aged between 16 and 24 years old in the lead up to the opening ceremony. The children were part of the opening ceremony as they were flag bearers, each of them in turn took a flag from the flag bearer from each of the countries. It was a new experience to Kate, she was used to spending time with children due to her position in the school but this experience was highly different. All the children had come from different parts of the country and some had never been to the city before. There was even one child who hadn’t even been on the mainland before. It was a huge experience for them and for Kate as well. During the free time the children had Kate would take them to see tourist aspects of the city and would do some shopping with them. After finishing with the children she was wishing she was still doing it but she said that she is really proud of what she did and would do it anytime again. “It was a fantastic opportunity … I’m still talking about it whenever I see my friends.” Kate Johnston Formal Depute

  13. Ms Logan, as you may have seen, was a baton bearer for the Queen’s Baton Relay. We caught up with Ms Logan to get an insight into the Glasgow 2014 experience. She said “Some tremendous folk have taken that baton around the world so it was a tremendous honour being asked to be a baton bearer by the president of the Netball Association.” Ms Logan went onto to say “For the last forty years I’ve been involved in umpiring for netball, I’ve had great experiences myself as an international umpire and I’ve also had great satisfaction from being able to support young, aspiring umpires and see them develop into international umpires.” Ms Logan got a bit of a pleasant shock when she saw who she was giving the baton to. “I didn’t realise that I was passing the baton on to a former pupil of the school, Gary Hannah, so that was an extra special surprise!” Ms Logan’s involvement in Netball umpiring as an official is an outstanding achievement, “I went as a selector as part of the umpiring appointments panel, so it meant a lot of concentration and a lot of hard work, but to be able to support other umpires from other countries was a great experience.”  Overall our star teacher had a great time at the Games, “It was a tremendous atmosphere, and to have it on your home nation was great, and Scotland did exceptionally well. I’d love to do it again” Another former pupil, Jock Breckenridge took part in the ball patrol team at the National Hockey Centre at Glasgow Green. He told us, “I really enjoyed being part of the games! The whole atmosphere at the hockey was great, seeing the players and just getting the chance to be so close to the action. It was also great seeing all the well known hockey players and the level of hockey being played.” He told us that “being part of the volunteering programme was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m proud to say that I was part of such an exciting event!”

  14. Daniel Campbell of S4 was lucky enough to secure tickets for the closing ceremony. Here is Daniel’s experience… When I was at Hampden at the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, I experienced some amazing events like the fireworks and star appearances by Kylie Minogue and Lulu. It lasted for about two and a half hours and the time flew by. I went there with my Dad, my Aunt and my Grandmother. We all had a fantastic evening. When me and my Dad got back home, we both discussed what we liked the most. I said my favourite was Kylie Minogue and my Dad’s was Lulu. What an amazing end to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games!

  15. GSOS in the Media The Evening Times captured 1st year School of Sport pupils on their first day of training and interviewed several pupils about their sporting ambitions. Can you spot our pupils in Hello magazine’s feature below?

  16. Bella’s Annual Freshers’ Fair • S1 Freshers’ Fair was a great success. It was an opportunity for all our S1 pupils to join the various clubs and committees we have in school. So many different stalls were there to represent opportunities. Here are a few to give you a flavour of the afternoon: • Iona – a trip we run every year • Comenius – our links with Europe • Active Schools – all our sports clubs • Pupil Council – for pupils to have their say in the running of the school • Breakfast Clubs – where to go before school to meet friends and have breakfast in our Technologies Faculty • Music – learn to play an instrument • Merit Scheme – our positive behaviour incentive scheme • Buddies and Peer mediation – to help us get along with each other • Humanities – displaying all the wonderful work they do and the trips they take pupils on • Credit Union – a saving scheme run by the Council where every child gets £10 to start saving. This is organised by Technologies. • Remember to keep an eye on the S1 page on the website for all the updates and important information for S1. We also presented the awards for most merited pupils in S1 – we are very proud of you! The joint S1 boys prize goes to Rehan Kaleem and Tabish Yousaf, the S1 Girls prize to Zeenat Ahmed. Well Done!

  17. S4 WORK EXPERIENCE During week beginning 20th October, all of S4 should be out on work experience. This is a really exciting opportunity for them to be able to find out what it will be like in the ‘world of work’. This also enables them to add useful information when they begin completing CVs for jobs/further/higher education. If your son/daughter does not have a placement yet, please contact Mrs Patterson, or Miss Anderson at school on 582-0030. All pupils have been issued with usernames and passwords to access the WorkIt website to book the industry of their choice. Community Involvement The short course Community Involvement class have decided that their project for the year will be based around the idea of peace. They went to the Hidden Gardens at the Tramway looking for inspiration, and they found it… The class will be creating and maintaining a “Peace Garden” in the grounds of the school. This project is now underway! https://www.workit.info/

  18. Cricket Glory for our boys! On a glorious day for Cricket, the Sun shone as did the senior cricket team. Competing for only the second time in the Glasgow Schools Cricket Tournament, the Bellahouston team put on a thrilling display of individual excellence and determined team work. Having won the toss and batting 2nd they managed to dismiss Prestwick Academy, who had put up a magnificent batting display,  all out for 176 runs. Owais Shah, batting 1st scored 102 and had to retire under the rules of the game for breaking his century. He was replaced by Hassan Rafiq and partnered the team captain, Bilal Haider, who himself was on 70 runs at this point. Only 8 more runs were required for victory. Tensions were running high and the first bowl was a wide. Then on receiving his second bowl, with a majestic swing of his bat, Hassan found the boundary and his ecstatic team mates ran on to the pitch to celebrate. Congratulations to the whole team for a tremendous performance on the day. Special mention must be made of Owais Shah who was voted man of the match by the umpires and given the match ball. Bilal Haider (captain) 70 not out, 1 wicket Humza Qadeer 3 wickets/1catch Owais Shah 102 not out, 2 catches, man of the match Hussan Rafiq  8 not out, 1 wicket Hamza Amir Adeel Yaqub Zain Azhar Mazhar Ahmed Sheroz Mahmood (team manager) caught 14 wasps. Jack ‘Judo’ Murphy Jack is currently ranked number 1 in Britain. He is competing at the Sainsbury school games this month and is looking to improve on last year’s 3rd place. Good Luck Jack http://www.2014schoolgames.com/aboutus_galleries.php

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