Summer 2016
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05 07 09 06 13 14 Y13 Leavers’ Prom
Head Girl Message
EU Referendum
Sports Awards
Duke of Edinburgh Somme Service
Creative Arts Exhibition Blood Brothers
Barcelona
FEATURE STORIES
Exam Success
What’s inside…
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These are exceptional results for a non-selective intake with almost 50% of all grades at A* or A and over 93% of girls gaining 5 A*-C including English and Maths. We are extremely proud of our girls and of the staff who taught them.
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Once again, our Year 13 students have excelled themselves at A-Level. They secured an amazing 100% A*-E pass rate with over 80% of the grades being A*-B! As all of the nerves begin to settle, we wish all of our students the best of luck as they move onto university, apprenticeships and gap years. Congratulations to all of you and of course, hats off to the teachers and all of the proud parents!
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This year’s academy production played to a sell-out audience for three nights and a special matinee performance for Year 7s. Blood Brothers tells the story of the Johnston twins, Mickey and Eddie, separated at birth who become friends in their childhood, unaware of their relation to each other or of the consequences their relationship will bring about. The Belvedere cast of fifteen wowed audiences and the positive reviews
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are flooding in for both casts of this outstanding production. Not only was this production a success in terms of the acting, the Belvedere Student Tech Team challenged themselves designing, sourcing, and building the set – these talented girls grow in expertise and ability every year and we are extremely proud of them at Belvedere. Directors Mr Hill and Miss Blundell would like to thank everybody involved in this academy production.
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On 16th June, The Belvedere Academy hosted The Creative Arts Exhibition 2016. On show was the amazing work created by our extremely talented Art, Graphics and Textiles students. The exhibition showcased GCSE, AS and A2 students’ outstanding achievements, allowing the students to celebrate in style. The private view was a huge success, with over 300 guests attending; including students, friends, families, local gallery owners and Art lecturers from local universities. Guests were treated to tasty canapÊs (created by the Key Stage 3 and 4 Food Technology students), refreshments and music, to help celebrate in style. Alongside the professional graphic design and wonderful original art, the guests
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were treated to our very own ‘human mannequins’; a selection of students wearing the creative textile creations and truly bringing them to llfe! For the first time, selected pieces of work were available for sale, and proved to be very popular. Who knows, there may be someone out there who now owns a potential future ‘big name’ - the next Tracey Emin; that could be worth a small fortune in future years! Also on display this year were some fabulous photographic prints. These very impressive pieces formed part of the Graphics GCSE coursework, along with examples of animation from our creative Graphics students. All guests enjoyed what proved to be a truly fantastic evening; one which left guests in awe of the standard of the work exhibited.
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Write Inspired Workshops From 4th – 6th May, a select group of Year 7 and Year 8 girls were lucky enough to take part in creative writing workshops with a difference, run by Write Inspired. During intense sessions over three days, Phil and Laura encouraged the girls to use their imaginations and be creative in ways they had not imagined possible. Their inspirational, idea-generating techniques included model-making, painting, sounds and images, sketching, and singing. There was no pressure to produce a finished piece of work – just to enjoy being creative and to look at the world in a different light. The feedback from the girls was overwhelmingly positive. ‘My sessions have been amazing and I have changed person [sic] and I am now inspired to do more things with my life like writing a book, taking a risk and trying things I never thought about doing.’ ‘My favourite part was making the trees and then making stories about the shadows. The elevator pitch was fun too. I will certainly use this to make my writing more interesting. THANK YOU!!!’ ‘If I had to describe this workshop I would say: eccentric, educational, entertaining, informative, funny and useful.’ ‘I loved this new experience and I have made more friends and I’m more creative than I thought! At first I thought it was impossible, but I figured out that if you try hard you can succeed.’ ‘I loved that we were given such freedom to write whatever we wanted.’
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‘This opportunity inspired me to be myself and not do what everybody else is doing. It has also inspired me to write more and observe the world around me. I think that EVERYBODY should have the opportunity to participate in this workshop!!!’ ‘Since a very sad thing happened to me a couple of months ago I haven’t had very much fun but this is the most fun since and it has made me see the light again. I would 100% recommend this to someone else.’ ‘I came thinking this would be another ‘Here’s the task. AND BE CREATIVE!’ but it was so much more. I have learnt so much about myself…I have found I have a knack for poetry...’ ‘My confidence has improved amazingly… when I first started this workshop, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to share my work, and I would never have dreamed of singing about my tree during the improvisation session or sharing my acrylic & charcoal picture story…but I did.’ Laura Mae Brown, Director of Write Inspired, had this to say, ‘Write Inspired is an educational consultancy established in August 2014. Our mission is to empower teachers and inject creativity into the Writing Process by delivering projects and INSET days in the UK and worldwide. Write Inspired worked with students using a range of techniques to initiate creative writing and self-expression. The techniques included: divergent thinking, exploring the visual nature of sound, mindfulness, reflection, 100 word stories, poetry, creating machines out of modelling clay that would benefit the world around
us, making trees from sonic inspiration, movement, organisation of ideas and many more. It was joyous to see the journey of the girls’ learning. This was an unfamiliar way of working for them, which they embraced and took risks throughout. We encouraged autonomous note taking, reflections and sketching to record the process. We had a really rewarding and vibrant time at The Belvedere Academy and were moved by the heartfelt and honest testimonials from the girls. It was a genuine pleasure working with them all. Thank you also to all of the staff that supported the work.’ The Belvedere Academy would like to thank the GDST, whose generous funding made this opportunity possible.
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Safety online concert and assembly On 28th June, all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 were treated to a performance from an up and coming Irish Boy Band, Taken, who previously supported JLS on tour. The band consists of three members, Steven, Eoghan and Richie, and they were singing at the academy ahead of their national tour this summer. The Dublin based band were not just at school to take all of the girls out of Maths and English lessons; there was a very important message behind the performance, namely, to stay safe online and to understand the dangers of cyberbullying. The band spoke from their own personal experiences about online bullying and stressed to all of the students about being careful in terms of what they send and post on the Internet. The feedback from the girls was extremely positive. One Year 8 student said ‘It was really good. They talked about cyberbullying in a way that more people would listen and take notice.’ ‘I’m a rock and metal music listener, so I was not looking forward to a boyband coming in to sing, but they really got people on their feet and I really enjoyed the talk.’ Mrs. Mansfield, Key Stage 3 Manager, who helped Mr. Jamieson organise the event, said ‘The students really enjoyed themselves and were dancing and singing along with the band. It was great to see so many smiling faces, all having an enjoyable time.’ The band’s visit is part of the academy’s wider, ongoing programme of educating the girls in terms of the importance of staying safe online.
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belvedere Year 13 Leavers’ Prom Our Head Girl Team did an amazing job of organising the prom (with a little help from Mrs. C!), which took place at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre. The Year 13 girls were definitely the best dressed in the whole of Liverpool and to say they looked “glam” was an understatement! A fantastic evening was had by all and we hope it adds to their fond memories of Belvedere!
Leavers’ Assembly Our Year 13 Leavers’ Assembly took place on Wednesday 25th May and it was a lovely opportunity to see how the girls have developed so much over their time here. They are so ready for their next adventure and some new scenery! We had photographs showing the girls in Year 7 (so cute!) right through to Year 13. Form Tutors were thanked and presented with gifts, as were the Sixth Form Team; thank you ladies for your thoughtfulness. A particular highlight was a guest appearance by Jurgen Klopp (brilliant, Frances!). We hope they enjoyed the buffet and we hope they remember us as they drink out of their Belvedere mugs! It has been a privilege to work with such a lovely year group and we wish them well for their new adventures! Remember, once a Belvedere Girl, always a Belvedere Girl.
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A message from your new Head Girl Hello… I’m Lili, your Head Girl for 2016/17. I’ll be working together closely with the Head Girl Team, all students and staff to enhance life at the academy and maintain the prestigious reputation and high standards Belvedere sustains. Feel free to come and approach any member of our team, with any ideas you’d like to share with us, or just questions in general! Whether it be about lesson or friendship issues. If you ever have something on your mind, stop us in the corridor and we’ll always be willing to help.
From being at Belvedere for six years so far, I’ve been through the process and understand in school you have to overcome difficult obstacles at times, which is one of the reasons why the team and I love to consider ourselves mature Belvedere girls who have become immersed in the academy’s community. Time flies, so the best piece of advice I can give is to make the most of the time you have in Belvedere, as it’s an amazing school offering opportunities that won’t be offered elsewhere! So work hard and enjoy yourself, I hope to see many of you soon!
Looking for rooms for community hire? Look no further... Weekends, evenings, summer holidays? We have successfully opened our doors and facilities to summer schools, church groups, dance companies and fitness groups; isn’t it time you thought of hiring our facilities to host your community event or club? You’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net
Belvidere Road Church has been running its services and holiday clubs at the academy for over three years now. We have been extremely impressed with the facilities available to us at the academy. We comfortably host our Sunday Services, our Wednesday midweek meeting, and our Friday evening children’s and youth clubs. And there’s plenty of room for the kids to play too! Why not pop along on a Friday evening (6:15) or Sunday morning (10:15) to see more? Graeme Back, BELVIDERE ROAD CHURCH.
Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 14 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre. 14
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Chamber Choir Tour to Barcelona
Singing at Barcelona Cathedral, Montserrat Monastery and Sagrada Familia 41 girls and 5 staff met on the afternoon of July 10th to board a coach bound for Spain. Following an arduous journey, we were soon in the beautiful city of Barcelona where we had the first of many fine Spanish feasts, before checking into a lovely hotel. Little did we know that this was going to be one of the best weeks of our lives. We had never toured as a group before so we wanted the first experience to be special - some of our choristers had never even been abroad before in their lives. We knew that our first tour had to be as close to perfect as possible for our singers, their families and our concert attendees. “We are now a choir with an outstanding international reputation and long may this continue,” said Mr O’Keeffe. The choristers performed exquisitely at all three prestigious concert venues and were met with rapturous applause and even tears from the audiences. After stunning performances in Barcelona Cathedral and Montserrat Monastery, the week finally arrived at its climax with a concert at the Sagrada Familia, led by the newly crowned Head and Deputy Choristers; Amy Roberts and Olivia Reynolds (both of Year 10). To say it was an emotional performance would be an understatement. Personally for me, it symbolised the journey that the choir have been on over the last 3 years, and
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a testament to all of the hard work put in by the pupils. To start from very humble beginnings in S27 (Music Room) on a cold, rainy September afternoon in 2013 with the first rehearsal and just 19 choristers, to then arrive at such quality in just three years of singing, in arguably the most beautiful building in Europe, fills me with the utmost pride. It is easy to forget sometimes that this is a school choir! It really was a fitting end for our Year 13 choristers.
moment that I knew that this group of young people were no ordinary school choir. As soon as the choir began singing, their voices swept through the ancient monastery and the sublime acoustics took the performance to an other-worldly level. The audience, along with myself, Mr O’Keeffe, were transported to another world in a 15 minute master class by the young choristers. Alongside the performance at the Sagrada Familia it is without doubt the highlight of my teaching career to date.
The impact on our group has been immeasurable. To step onto such a prestigious international stage and hold our own as a performance group is a bonding memory that will last a lifetime for each member.
In 5, 10 years even, that will still be hard to beat.
We have been home for two months now and the frequent question is “Where are we going next?” Well, the answer is Prague! The Belvedere Academy Chamber Choir has developed into not just choristers, but a close knit family of pupils of all ages and backgrounds, who use singing as a connection, not only with each other but to the heart and mind of the listener. There were countless remarkable moments, but a few stand out. The performance in Montserrat Monastery was simply sublime. I will cherish that 15-minute concert close to my heart forever. It was at that particular
It wasn’t all work and no play however! The girls enjoyed relaxing by the hotel pool every day, and then threw some dubious shapes at the hotel disco each night! On the Thursday after Sagrada Familia, the girls also had fun in what is said to be one of the best waterparks in the whole of Europe! There’s no doubt that the busy concert schedule, with the promise of touring and exotic sightseeing has been key to our recent recruitment and retention over the last 3 years. A huge thank you must go out to the ever-supportive parents and families of the choristers and the four other members of staff who helped make this tour so successful. Thank you, also, to Mr Deakin, Ms Speed, Mr Hill and Miss Murray.
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Barcelona was an amazing first tour for chamber choir. We went to such amazing places that we will remember forever. Throughout this tour, the sound we have created has been unbelieveable and I feel that this has been the best the choir has ever been. All of the preparations that we did for this tour were definitely worth it as this tour was incredible. Going to Barcelona has given us so many amazing opportunities and we are so glad
that we get to share it with each other as we are all really close. Although we went to Barcelona to sing, in our free time, we had so many enjoyable experiences and altogether this tour has made us a stronger choir. I know that we will all treasure this tour forever as not many people can say they have sung in Sagrada Famillia, Montserrat Monastry and Barcelona Cathedral. Amy Roberts, New Head Chorister, Year 10.
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belvedere This year sees a new pastoral structure in Belvedere. We have Mrs Beddard who is Head of Lower School, Mrs Mansfield who is Head of Upper School and Miss Palin who is Head of Sixth Form. We thought it would be a good idea to get to know a little more about them, but rather than doing a traditional interview where we grill them on their academic accolades and suitability for their new roles, we wanted to lighten the mood a little and reveal a few truths about our three Pastoral Leaders that you mightn’t already know. The game is 60 seconds, our three contestants have to answer a series of quick fire questions with limited thinking time…here are the results:
ld?
Too hot or too co
Tea or coffee?
Coffee
Tea
Tea
Too hot
Definitely dogs
Cats
ight owl?
Early riser or n
Night owl
Both!
Early riser these days
isps?
Chocolate or cr
Chocolate Chocolate
Both…er, chocolate!
Text
agram?
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Burger
Glamourous or
Casual
?
Pizza
Call…I’m a dinosaur!
Call
Facebook or Inst
casual?
Casual
Casual
Book or film?
Pizza or burger
Burger
Too hot
Call or text?
Dogs or cats?
Dogs
Too cold
Film
Book
Film
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Night in or nigh
Night in
Night out
Night out
Fry up or roast?
Roast
Roast
Fry up
x?
Cinema or Netfli
Cinema
Cinema
Cinema
s?
Heels or trainer
nders?
Corrie or Easte
Corrie
Neither!
Corrie rton?
Liverpool or Eve
Everton
Man United!!
Liverpool
h?
Maths or Englis
English
English
Maths, of course!
teacher, If you weren’t a do? what would you
Make-up artist!
Trainers
Trainers
Heels
Left or right?
Right
Left
Left, always turn left, dahling!
m?
Cake or ice crea
lsh
Be the physio to the We Rugby team
s me Something that take what, d in overseas, I don’t m on the rent out deck chairs or set beach, sell ice cream cy. en up my own travel ag
Why not take the test yourself? Who are you most compatible with? Cake
Cake
Ice-cream
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Graphics Trip to MMU Degree Show To help prepare for their Personal Investigation coursework in Year 13, Mr Dykeaylen was pleased to be able to take his AS Graphics students to the Manchester Art School Degree Show (Manchester Metropolitan University). With such an array of exciting, vibrant and experimental work, he was confident that the students would be inspired and also gain an appreciation of the wide range of subject disciplines and qualifications they could apply for going forward from their A Level Graphics course. The MMU show covered such a wide rangeof disciplines: Graphics, Fine Art, Film and Media Studies, Textiles, Architecture, Multimedia, Photography, Three Dimensional Design, and Interior Design. It’s often good to look outside your core subject and get inspiration from other design areas. The students also felt this...
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“The trip to MMU was very interesting as we got to see what university standard work looked like. The best part of the work was when they showed the development of how they did it. I think that this will help me with my personal investigation as it will show me different styles to do work in as well different ways to develop my work.” “It gave a real insight into the kind of work produced at university level and really helped me in my decision of what course and university to choose for myself” “It showed me the next level of graphic design work and how my work differed from this. it gave me many new ideas that I will now be able to incorporate into my work” “I think MMU showed that you don’t have to limit your options and there are a wide range of design degrees available.”
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textiles showcase #1
Looking for rooms for conference hire? Look no further... Large rooms available for conference hire which include use of a 4.4m wide & 3.2m high projector screen, a large stage with PA microphone and sound system (and mixing desk) and lights. Why not impress your clients; you’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net
Thanks for hosting the Academy Gifted and Talented day at Belvedere. There were 200 students in attendance... all of the schools who attended were deeply impressed with Belvedere and the conference facilities you provided. You may not be aware of the delicious lunch that your caterers provided for the staff, or of the swift response to provide lunches without warning for students who had forgotten to bring food with them. All very kind. The atmosphere was very special. Every good wish - and thanks again. Julie Arliss, ACADEMY CONFERENCES.
Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, 20 Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre. 20
Summer Edition 2016
belvedere The 1st July 2016 saw the one hundred year commemoration of the Battle of the Somme of the First World War 1914-1918. National commemorations were held in Westminster Abbey, London and a vigil kept to mark the eve of the battle. At 7.30 am on 1st July 2016 whistles were blown, as they had been one hundred years earlier to mark the commencement of the battle. In France at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, there was a further ceremony. The Battle of the Somme continued for 141 days. On the first day of the battle Britain suffered 60,000 casualties and over 19,000 fatalities. In Belvedere a small and poignant ceremony was also held outside the school with an Act of Remembrance and a two minute silence with representative Head Girls and Deputy Head Girls present. Members of the Belvedere choir sang the
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Benedictus from Karl Jenkins “The Armed Man”, and Marilyn Chu and Serena Evans laid a British Legion wreath on behalf of the whole Belvedere Academy community. Scarlett Shone read a prayer of St Ignatius Loyola and Lily-Mae Murphy read “On the Somme” by Ivor Gurney a Private with the Gloucestershire Regiment who was wounded in the Somme and later suffered terribly from the shell shock after the war. Lydia Shurie concluded by reading “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen was born in Shropshire but educated at Birkenhead Institute. After school he became a teaching assistant and in 1913 went to France for two years to work as language tutor. He began writing poetry as a teenager. He was killed a week before the end of the war in 1918.
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textiles showcase #2
Looking for rooms for fairs or concert hire?
Look no further... Large rooms available for concert hire or for arts fairs which can easily accommodate over 550 people. Great location for any event plus stage also available. Why not host your event at Belvedere; you’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net
Recently hosted gigs: MOBO winners Mic Lowry, The Valentine 3. Events have included hosting over twenty of the top universities at the University Fair and a Kick Racism Out event
Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre. 22
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Duke of Edinburgh Events Buckingham Palace In May, Mr Cassidy was invited down to Buckingham Palace to receive a plaque on behalf of the school. The Textiles Department kindly made a dazzling school crest for display in the Duke of Edinburgh Head Office and this was exchanged for a plaque recognising Belvedere’s commitment to providing Duke of Edinburgh awards. Mr Cassidy got to meet the Countess of Wessex, Sarah Willingham (Dragons’ Den) and a host of other famous faces. Pictured, you can see some of our Silver girls with the crest and the plaque, which will now be displayed in school.
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DofE Mystery Raffle Next year, Mr Cassidy and the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh girls will be running a weekly fundraising competition that will give students the chance to win mystery prizes! For a small entrance fee, which goes straight to charity, you can win anything from Liverpool One vouchers to a Ferrari*. Keep an eye on your Enrichment noticeboard for further information.
Practice Expedition In April, some 60 girls took part in their Silver and Bronze practice expeditions in Ormskirk and the weather was challenging to say the least!
Assessed Expedition In June, the assessed expeditions for both Bronze and Silver took place and the weather was much better than April. The girls showed fantastic tenacity, determination and humour along their routes and everybody managed to complete the expedition successfully. On Saturday, the Silver girls contended with a hard day walking over hilly terrain but made it to the ‘deluxe’ campsite complete with actual working showers! Staff were then on hand to help with the consumption of toasted marshmallows.
The girls walked around 20K in two days in rain, snow and the occasional burst of cloud and sun.
Volunteering This year, our Duke of Edinburgh girls have volunteered with charities all across Liverpool helping out with animal care, charity shops, the elderly, the local community and in a range of other ways. They have also provided refreshments and tuck shop amenities at a number of academy events where they have shown their commitment to providing a service for others.
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textiles showcase #3
Looking for great sporting facilities hire? Look no further... Great sporting facilties to host your tournament or sports and fitness clubs. A huge 610m2 sports hall, a fully equipped gym plus outdoor courts. We have hosted an array of clubs and sporting events. Why not host yours at Belvedere; you’ll be suprised how little it costs, so call us on 0151 727 1284 or email facilities@belvedereacademy.net Olympic gymnast Rebecca Tunney using our facilities, including our fully equipped gym and great indoor and outdoor hall and courts for hire.
Great facilities available: Sports Hall, Multi-use Hall with stage, Dance and Drama Studios and Lecture Theatre. 24
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EU RERERENDUM 2016
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“Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union” In readiness for the June 23rd vote, concerning Britain’s membership of the European Union, Belvedere’s Politics students highlighted the arguments through holding a debate in the Drama Studio, inviting sixth formers and staff to listen to a distinguished panel of speakers’ different perspectives on this issue. Our visitors included our local MP Louise Ellman, Member of Parliament for Riverside, Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of UKIP and North West MEP, as well as two local politicians Nick Small, Assistant Mayor and Liberal Councillor Steven Radford. The audience also were able to listen to an academic expert Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg who is Head of Politics at the University of Liverpool who amongst other things has written widely on matters relating to UK politics and democracy with reference to UK membership of the EU.
Louise Ellman, Member of Parliament for Riverside
Nick Small, Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member
Paul Nuttall, Deputy Leader of UKIP and MEP
Dr Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Head of Politics at the University of Liverpool
The event was chaired by Dr Rob Busby, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Liverpool Hope University. The debate proved to be a lively affair, with many probing questions, Erin Chamberlain, now going on to study at The School of African Studies, London, in particular confidently challenging Paul Nuttall with evidence that she put forward. The debate, which lasted for over an hour certainly highlighted the strong feelings on both sides, as reflected in the country as a whole. The afternoon was an opportunity to discuss freely a critical decision that will have a unique impact on the future direction of this country. Our guests were highly complementary of the manner in which the girls approached the event and in demonstrating that young people are highly motivated and engaged in the political, social and economic issues that face the world today.
The Result for Liverpool: Remain 118,453 Turnout 64.1 %
Leave
85,101
Electorate 317,924
The Result for the UK: Remain 16,141,241 (48.1%) Total Electorate 46,500.001 Rejected ballots 25,359
Leave Turnout
17,410,742 (51.9%) 72.2%
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Sky Sports Living for Sport Project As part of Sky Sports Living for Sport Project, Belvedere had a visit from ex professional boxer Courtney Fry on Tuesday 14th June. He came along to work with the Wellbeing Team who will be involved in organising future events to promote the social, mental and physical benefits of sport and physical activity.
Courtney worked with students from across year groups 7-10. He involved them in some fantastic team building activities that encouraged communication, trust, confidence and leadership. He also gave a boxing taster session for the students involved. Courtney will be returning for future visits to the school and will continue to work with the Wellbeing team as well as other students who will also get a taste for boxing.
Athletics 2016 Year 7 Team: Rebecca Collier, Tess Cato, Megan Wan, Sofia Rowley, Mia Morrisroe. Year 8 Team: Freya Leisk, Melanie Griffiths, Leah Galbraith, Olivia Isama, Amaia Hemmings, Hannah Hagan Year 9 Team: Rebecca Brown, Rebecca Quinn, Katana Rumble, Mirian Otus Nwaoha, Calli Fitzgibbon, Kaitlyn Hog Year 10 Team: Alex McCaldon, Aliya Edwards, Emily Hagan, Ruby WilsonJenks, Eve Richings, Claudia Wong, Amelia Corrie-Fairhurst Year 10 Young Leaders: Anisha Singh, Grace Murphy, Hanna Yates, Lauren Evans, Georgia McCrystal, Rachel Smith, Jess Wood, Amelia Johnson Year 7 Mia Morrisroe - 1st 75m Sofia Rowley – 4th High Jump Rebecca Collier – 5th 800m Year 7 Relay Team – Mia Morrisroe, Tess Cato, Megan Wan, Sofia Rowley – 6th
Senior Rounders Champions Congratulations to the Senior Rounders Team who were crowned Liverpool City Champions beating Liverpool College, Birkenhead High School and St Edwards. They displayed some outstanding batting and fielding skills and represented Belvedere very well.
Year 7 Sport Award Congratulations to Rebecca Collier who was awarded with a Year 7 Sports Award for her excellent performances and dedication to Belvedere Sports Enrichments.
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Year 8 Freya Leisk – 2nd 100m Olivia Isama – 3rd Shot Putt Amaia Hemmings – 6th 200m Melanie Griffiths – 6th 1500m Leah Galbraith – 6th 800m Year 8 Relay Team – Freya Leisk, Hannah Hagan, Olivia Isama, Leah Galbraith – 3rd Year 9 Rebecca Brown – 2nd Shot Putt Rebecca Quinn – 4th 1500m Year 10 Amelia Corrie Fairhurst – 2nd Javelin, 2nd Shot Putt, 4th 800m Alex McCaldon – 1st 100m, 5th Long Jump Emily Hagan – 7th 800m Eve Richings – 4th 1500m
Interform Netball 1st 7D, 2nd 7F, 3rd 7M, 4th 7G, 5th 7J 1st 8C, 2nd 8L, 3rd 80, 4th 8H, 5th 8D 1st 9OM, 2nd 9P, 3rd 9C, 4th 9N, 5th 9M
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Spanish Students Visit from Valencia
Form 7F’s Fabulous Year 7’s End of Year Fundraising Feat Trip to Greenwood
On the 28th of April, 26 Spanish students from the school Helios, from Valencia, came to The Belvedere Academy for one day to experience what it is like being an English student.
As a form, 7F have raised over £145 for the Alzheimer’s UK charity. We did two cake sales and raised £41.65 on the first one and £55.25 on the second one making a total of £96.90.
The Belvedere girls became “Buddies” for one day so they could help and practise their Spanish with their new Spanish friends. This is the experience lived by one of our students, Lisa Dube Y8L:
We also ran a guess the name of the teddy bear which raised £21.60 and the winner was Dominique Harper in the Sixth Form.
“All in all I believe that the day went really well and I especially enjoyed getting to know our Spanish visitors. I think the best parts of the day were at the start of the day when we did some ‘get to know each other’ activities, which really helped me work on using Spanish more. I also really enjoyed the students as I was able to interact with all different characters even with the language barrier.
Mr. Deakin and Olivia Lewis-Shaw very kindly dressed up in Elmo and Gorilla costumes who girls and teachers paid a donation to have their pictures taken with; this raised £12.70. We let people bring their teddy into school for a donation; this raised £15. We also collected some loose change, which brought our grand total to £146.66.
On Thursday, 7th July 2016 all of Year 7 went to Greenwood Forest Park in North Wales for our reward trip. Throughout the day we had time to around the park and explore. My personal favourite was either the green dragon rollercoaster or the solar splash ride because they were both really exciting. However they were all small enough for everyone to enjoy themselves whilst not being too scary! My view of the day was that it was fun and gave us a bit of freedom. A huge thank you to all of the Year 7 tutors for organising such a great day! Georgia McDermott, Year 7.
To advertise our fundraising events, we used our form assembly as an opportunity and also talked to the rest of year 7 about our experiences with Alzheimer’s.
It was a really fun day and a really new experience for me; even though it was nerve-wracking I really appreciate the whole experience.”
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The Belvedere Sports Awards, 2016 On July 5th, the PE Department hosted the annual Sports Awards here at the academy. This was an occasion to recognise and reward sporting achievements, successes and commitment to Enrichment over the last academic year. Students were welcomed to the evening with a drinks reception, some delicious canapes provided by Miss Sloan and her GCSE students Courtney Woods and Aliya Griffin. The PE Department presented a variety of awards to students in Years 7-13. There was then a brief appearance from Bianca Walkden who is European and World Heavy Weight Taekwondo Champion and who won a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Following a successful presentation there was a fabulous buffet and an exciting disco hosted by Mr Hill and Miss Blundell. All the students who attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were a credit to the academy.
Awards Commitment to PE enrichment Orla McGarry, Libby Baldwin, Olivia Isama, Emily Turner, Molly Jenkinson, Claudia Wong, Tai Morris, Jazmin Mooney, Louise Waterson Stand-out performances Trampolining Molly Jenkinson and Ellie Tierney Badminton Amy Siu Table Tennis Yasmin Al Zuhari Tennis Eloise and Tia Morris Cheerleading Amanda Hawley Dance Eva Cox Gymnastics Kyla Wilson and Eva Cox Football Louise Waterson Rounders Lauren Evans and Rachel Smith Netball Phoebe Rhodes Athletics Amelia Corrie Fairhurst, Mia Morrisroe, Alex McCaldon, Swimming Katana Rumble and Rebecca Quinn Kick Boxing Jess Cheng Cross Country Sofia Rowley Outstanding Achievement in Sport outside of School Melanie Griffiths for Tennis Sports coaching and officiating award of the year Charlie Davies, Natasha Collins, Emily Hagan
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Sports leadership awards Yasmin Al Zuharia, Claudia Wong Netball player of the year Y7 Isabella Morgan , Y8 Olivia Isama, Y9 Anna Jope, Y10 Grace Murphy, Y11 Katie Russell, Senior Louise Waterson Rounders player of the year 4 cast medals Y7 Keira Kavannagh, Y8 Katie Barnes, Y9 Kaitlyn Larkin, Y10 Anisha Singh Athlete of the year Y7 Mia Morrisroe, Y8 Olivia Isama, Y9 Rebecca Quinn, Y10 Amelia Corrie Fairhurst, Y11 Jazmin Mooney, Senior Louise Waterson GCSE PE student of the year 10 Anisha Singh GCSE PE Student of the Year 11 Phoebe Rhodes AS – level student of the Year Louise Waterson A-level student of the year Amy Siu Commitment to PE studies Louise McDonald Team of the year Year 10 Netball Sports women of the year Sophie Williams
Summer Edition 2016
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Goodbye Mrs Garlick This July, we bid a fond farewell to our Art teacher, Mrs Garlick. As well as being a former pupil at Belvedere, Mrs Garlick also spent fifteen years as a teacher here. To mark her new venture into retirement, staff members and previous staff arranged a farewell tea at Leaf - with a hidden agenda! As everyone bid farewell to Hilary, and left her at Leaf, little did she know that they were all on their way to The Magnet to join additional people for Hilary’s surprise party! Hilary seemed oblivious to the whole scheming, which had led to whispers in the staff room for weeks, and she was clearly moved by seeing everyone in The Magnet. “Thank you all so much for the party in Leaf and then the surprise party at Magnet. How did you manage to keep it all a secret! It was a wonderful send off and a brilliant idea. Thank you all so much for your kind words, messages, flowers, cards and presents. I feel totally overwhelmed with the lovely send off you have given me today and on Friday at Leaf and at The Magnet. My form have made a great little video that did have me in tears this morning.”
Rounders Enrichment The very popular rounders Enrichment takes place each week with over 70 pupils attending. Pupils really enjoy this Enrichment whilst developing their rounders skills, teamwork, communication and much more. Keep up the good work girls!
As part of the leaving speeches, quite a few secrets of Mrs Garlick’s past came to light: revelations such as she used to be signed to a major record label in the ‘70s as part of an edgy punk quartet or that when she started at university in the ‘60s she used to live in a squat... it’s amazing what you don’t know about people’s life outside of school!!
Swimming Champions Congratulations to the KS3 Swimming Team who won the Liverpool City Swimming Gala.
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Summer Edition 2016
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Inspiring more women to get into Tech Pupils from The Belvedere Academy travelled to South Hampstead High, London, in January to take part in the second Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) Digital Leaders’ Conference with Miss Foster and Mrs Huyton. The event, attended by nearly 200 girls from schools across the GDST network, involved teams competing to devise a campaign to encourage more women to pursue careers in technology. This could be an event, a website, a competition or a new product for which they devised a marketing strategy. According to a new report from business advisory firm, Deloitte1, in the UK, the percentage of women in digital jobs increased from 17 percent to just 18 percent between 2010 and 2015. In 2013, only 17.1% of the UK’s Computer Science students were women, down from the previous year. Supported by industry mentors from companies including the British Red Cross, Big White Wall, Acorn Aspirations and Code Kingdoms, each team had to produce a video and website to promote their idea. ‘Team Belvedere’ came up with the idea to launch a hybrid website and gaming
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app, which would allow girls and boys from across the county to join up and compete in teams on Computer Science coding challenges through gaming. The prizes were donated from proposed local sponsors like Jaguar and revenue could be made from advertising on the website. The web app was called ‘codeopug’ aptly named after the team’s mascot, which was a birthday cake to celebrate one of the team members’ 16th birthday. Also speaking at the event was Emma Mulqueeny, CEO of Elbi Digital, founder of Rewired and Young Rewired State and a member of the Government’s Commission on Digital Democracy. She said, “Women are still massively under-represented in the technology sector but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Events like the GDST’s Digital Leaders’ Conference encourage girls to think about the opportunities and challenges they will face when they enter the job market. These students are the trailblazers of the future and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.” Head of ICT & Computing Miss Foster hopes that the event will have inspired more girls to consider careers in Technology.
She said, “I was most impressed with the eight students’ preparation and pitch on the day. They designed from scratch an animation, video and mock web pages as part of their proposal. One of the judges commented on the team’s creativity describing their pitch and idea as ‘amazing.’ Students even featured a 3D image of their mascot ‘codeopug’ in their video. It was inspirational to hear from such high profile female speakers on the day and students came away enthusiastic about their future and prospective careers in the IT Tech Industry.” It was a compliment that ‘The People’s Choice Award’ went to Sydenham Junior School and their concept was similar to ours. During the course of the day students also had the opportunity to program a BBC microbit and use 3D Photography. All students had a fabulous time and Ms Foster looks forward to welcoming our second ever GCSE Computer Science class in September 2016.
Summer Edition 2016
belvedere Belvedere now has its very own Little Free Library!
his front garden with a sign that said FREE BOOKS.
A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. In its most basic form, it’s a wooden box of books where anyone may pick up a book or two, or bring a book to share.
His neighbours loved it and soon he was building more Little Free Libraries. There are now thousands worldwide.
Pupils and staff can share their favourite books with their school community. The Library itself is a piece of art, designed and painted by Emma Tracy, 9M, who won a competition to design our Little Free Library. The Little Free Library movement began in America. In 2009 Todd Bol from Wisconsin, built a model of a one-room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who loved reading. He filled it with books and put it on a post in
to officially open our Library, which she did with style and a great speech. Now, any pupil can borrow a book, return a book or donate a book to our Little Free Library, open all year round and here to stay!
The reasons why we have one at Belvedere are to promote literacy and a love of reading; to encourage sharing and trust and to be a part of a worldwide community. Our twin school for this project is Pine Grove Elementary School in Alabama, America. We hope to swap book parcels with them some day. On June 8th, popular local author Cathy Cassidy came
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Summer Edition 2016
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DRAMA TRIP TO LONDON The highly anticipated and always enjoyed London Trip happened this year in the summer half term. Mr Hill, Miss Blundell, Miss Scott, Miss Cooper and Miss Murray had the pleasure of taking 50 Belvedere girls to London for three nights for a theatre packed experience. Pupils enjoyed workshops with industry professionals at Pineapple Dance Studios. Each day we hit the West End and had the pleasure of seeing Matilda, Wicked and The Lion King. This was an excellent few days spliced with shopping and sightseeing in the capital.
BIKEABILITY KS3 pupils completed their Level 3 Bikeability certificate. They enjoyed the day and feel much more confident cycling on various roads. Well done, girls!
MATHS INSPIRATION SHOW A group of Year 10 girls visited the Everyman Theatre to watch the Maths Inspiration show, which gave an insight into how Maths is used in the real world. Guest speakers, including the BBC’s Hannah Fry and the author and comedian Matt Parker, explained how Maths can be used to catch serial killers, to make protective clothing for skateboarders, to perform magic tricks and to build Olympic stadia.
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Summer Edition 2016
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History Trip to Conwy Castle
On Tuesday 21st June, half of Year 7 went on a History trip to Conwy Castle in Wales. In the morning, we set off from school on the coach at around 9am. As soon as we arrived at the castle, we began our tour around the magnificent building. Every girl was given a booklet filled with questions about the castle and its history to fill in as our guide told us all about the castle, its defences and who lived in it. First of all, we learned about all of the clever defences the castle had, such as masonry covers, several portcullis gates (these were huge gates with spiked ends that could slide down and close very fast to keep enemies out), arrow slits, a huge ditch all around and the fact that the castle was built on a colossal rock, so no one could tunnel underneath it. Next, we looked around lots of different areas of the castle, such as the chapel with its beautiful stained glass windows, the main bedroom, the multifunctional great hall (this could be used as sleeping quarters for the king’s company, eating, socialising and storage), the king’s quarters, and most importantly: the 90ft deep well in the centre of the castle. The well was most important because if the castle was under siege, then the people inside would die of dehydration without its precious water. The castle itself was beautiful, so we were allowed to take pictures at certain times throughout the tour. After that, we walked along the castle walls, that surrounded the town, for a while, until we got to the park where we ate our packed lunches. There, we played in the play park and ate our lunches for half an hour, until it was time to head back to the castle. When we arrived back at the castle we were given permission to go in the gift shop for souvenirs, and buy ice cream! The ice cream was delicious and huge; they were worth it despite standing in the long queue of Belvedere Year Sevens for ages to get into the shop! I personally loved this trip, and I’m sure everyone else who went thoroughly enjoyed it too. I’d also like to give a big thank you to all the staff who put lots of time and effort into organising this trip for us; it was amazing! Daisy Norman, Year 7.
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Summer Edition 2016
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Belvedere Graphics helps set national standard There are new curriculum reforms for the Graphic Communication GCSE; this means that from September 2016 the WJEC Eduqas GCSE will have a new grading system with 1-9 introduced, where 9 is the top grade (and this replaces current A* to G). So how do students now achieve the very top marks in the very top grading band? Mr Dykeaylen, Subject Leader of Graphics is pleased to announce that work from Belvedere Graphics students has been selected as an exemplar of work that meets the top band, and that would classify as Grade 9 work (above the existing A* grade). This work has been selected from students and schools nationwide as an example of outstanding design and teaching practice. Teachers across the country will be downloading packs from the Eduqas website and seeing our work as examples of where
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to take their students’ projects in order to achieve Band 5 (the top tier) marking. Not only was Belvedere Graphics work selected to show how to get top band in Graphics ‘Portfolio’ (the coursework element - see Claire Foulkes’ work, below left) but it was also used to show how to get the top band in the ‘Externally Set Assignment’ (the exam work element - see Amber Garcia’s work, below right). Amber’s written work was also used as an example of how to complete the ‘Creative Statement’. Well done to Claire and Amber, let’s hope you continue this, and that your A Level Graphics work will feature in future exemplars! There were many girls from the same cohort whose work could have been featured to highlight top band design! Mr Dykeaylen hopes to keep Graphics as an exciting, pioneering subject which will
prepare the girls for the buoyant Creative Industries; these are a British success story. In 2013 one in twelve jobs in the United Kingdom was in the creative economy. The sector grew by 66,000 jobs between 2012 and 2013. Between 1997 and 2013, employment in the creative economy increased from 1.81m jobs to 2.62m jobs – roughly a four times greater increase than in the UK economy as a whole. The Gross Value Added (GVA) of the creative industries was £76.9bn in 2013 – five per cent of the UK economy. In 2013, for the third year running, the creative industries proportion of total UK GVA was higher than the year before, and at 5.0 per cent is now as high as has ever been recorded – and it was higher than any other individual sector.1 1
DCMS, Creative Industries Economic Estimates January 2015 – Key Findings.
ousands... th by en se be d ul co rt ve ad Your from teens to parents to grandparents ...
...it makes sense to advertise your business or event in the Belvedere magazine. The Belvedere Academy magazine is published several times a year, with 1500 electronic copies being widely distributed among parents, primary schools, local businesses, nurseries and churches. Advertising with us in the magazine will reach a large target audience throughout Liverpool. The magazine is also published on issuu.com - offering global exposure to your brand. The magazine is designed by Mr Dykeaylen and articles are contributed from both pupils and staff.
GREAT RATES! The advertising rates and advert dimensions are: • PRIME POSITION FULL PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £250 Position - back cover or on the inside front or back cover. 210mm x 297mm.
• FULL INSIDE PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £200 210mm x 297mm.
• 1/2 PAGE INSIDE PAGE COLOUR ADVERTISEMENT ONLY £175 Landscape 210mm x 148mm or Portrait 148mm x 210mm.
All revenue is put back into the production of the magazine.
Low cost, high coverage, wide audience range. FORTHCOMING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY SEP
26 OCT
07 OCT
26 NOV
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Y6 Assessment Morning
It’s easy to book your space: To place your advertisement, please contact Mr Peter Dykeaylen on 0151 727 1284. Advertisements should be submitted electronically as either high resolution JPEG files or as PDF files, either on CD or emailed to p.dykeaylen@belvedereacademy.net Cheques should be made payable to GDST Academy Trust. All copies and payments must be received one month before publication.
Y7 Pastoral Afternoon, 2.30-5.00pm
Half-term holiday until 4th November
The magazine is also published online at issuu.com, publicising both the school on a global level and also any potential advertisers.
Many thanks to teaching staff who have contributed articles and photographs. For more news please visit www.belvedereacademy.net If you have any comments or suggestions for the magazine then please contact Mr Peter Dykeaylen: p.dykeaylen@belvedereacademy.net
Prize Giving 1.00pm, Liverpool Cathedral
The Belvedere Academy, 17 Belvedere Road, Princes Park, Liverpool, L8 3TF. 0151 727 1284 E: info@belvedereacademy.net www.belvedereacademy.net
This year’s Graphics GCSE cohort have done exceptionally well in their two year course. Over half the students gained an A* and a fantastic 76% gained either an A* or A grade. Mr Dykeaylen, Subject Leader of Graphics is extremely proud of the girls and some of their excellent projects are showcased here. A special mention must also go out for A Level Graphics. This was, again, successful with 75% of the grades being A*-B and 50% being A*.
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GRAPHICS GCSE SHOWCASE
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Summer Edition 2016
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