Word on the Street 134

Monday 12th May . Issue 134

Word on the Street The Newsletter of Bethnal Green Academy and Sixth Form

BGA Oscars Ceremony

Year 7 Day of Learning

Congratulations to all those students who were awarded a BGA Oscar for their contribution to Arts, Culture and Sports!!

On Friday, Year 7 students enjoyed something a little different from their usual Friday lessons. They were split into teams and given the task to create a chain reaction using recycled materials. They had to plan their designs carefully using a range of skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking,

analysis, collaboration, construction and many more. At the end of the day each group presented their chain reaction which were filmed so that they could watch all of them put together. There were some really innovative and creative solutions to the task set and the day was fun (and very messy)!

BGA in Berlin

...and gave free tickets to them and to their new German partners school so that the boys could watch the football together.

Here are some of the highlights:

Hertha Berlin offered the BGA team their training grounds...

A Royal Academy visit On Friday BGA was very pleased to welcome Dr. Charles Saumarez Smith, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts, to talk to Sixth Form students about the Royal Academy.

From the 2nd – 6th April, our 18 star footballer linguists travelled to Germany for a uniquely themed visit which fused football with German, and the opportunity to explore and savour the bewitching city of Berlin.

It is difficult to befittingly describe how magical the trip was, and indeed how this project has evolved and enabled our students to flourish.

On Thursday members of staff and parents/carers gathered in the Main Hall to celebrate the achievements of students who have shown talent, commitment and enthusiasm in Art, Drama, Music, Dance, Languages and Sport. We are all very proud of them and everyone enjoyed the first BGA Oscars evening. Look out for photos in the next Word on the Street.

The Royal Academy of Art was established in 1768 and is led by eminent artists and architects to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts.

Dr. Saumarez Smith gave an inspirational presentation followed by a discussion with Year 13 art students who also invited him to look at their paintings. They talked about their work very confidently and eloquently and enjoyed Dr. Saumarez Smith’s visit immensely.

They studied hard but there were lots of rewards. The team also learnt much about Berlin’s past and how it shapes us, and who we are today.

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Sports News from Bethnal Green Academy

BMX Club at BGA BMX club started with a bang this week with 15 students attending. The students developed some key skills and then were challenged to complete the Mile End BMX course. The students had a fantastic time and really impressed myself and the instructor. T’Neil Lewis –Allen was identified as a potential talent and has been asked to attend the BMX Youth Games trials!

Professional netball player Telissa Hayes coaches BGA netball team The PE department have formed a partnership with Professional Netball club, Surrey Storm. As a result, their assistant coach, ex-England international, Telissa Hayes, was in BGA this week coaching the girl’s netball club. The girls really enjoyed learning from an inspirational and experienced individual. Thank you to Julia Kengamu, our year 12 sports leader who supported the session.

BGA rock climbing club A huge well done to the students who completed their rock climbing course on Wednesday (23rd March). Over 6 sessions the students developed a new skill set and can now rock climb independently.

They represented the school superbly, supporting each other and developing key communication and social skills.

Mini Marathon 13th April

As the London Marathon took place, the best youth athletes from across the country and select guests from across the world ran the final 3 miles of the London Marathon course. Three students from BGA qualified to represent Tower Hamlets in what is a national event. Well done to the following students: Sakariya Hassan (65th) , Paulina Bezala (116th), Olayinka Sterlin Badmas (190th)

Staff football fundraiser!

BGA staff 3 - 4 Haggerston Staff A big thank you to all those who attended the staff football fundraiser that took place last week. While we couldn’t quite get a result for BGA we did raise over £100 for the student entitlement fund and the students who attended supported their school brilliantly. The ref said it was the best school crowd he’d ever come across!

Saturday London Schools Football League @ Hackney Marshes Year 9/10: U15 BGA 0-3 Petchy Academy (20th March) U15 BGA 2-3 Bishop Challanor (8th March)

U21 Arsenal match (25th March): A group of students who have excelled in PE this year were rewarded with a trip to see Arsenal U21 vs Shakhtar Donetsk U21.

Arsenal stadium (25th April): 15 of the 18 students who attended the Berlin trip were rewarded with a tour of the Arsenal stadium. Students received a rare insight into the history and facilities of Arsenal football club. The tour concluded with a video language lesson from one of Arsenal’s young stars - Serge Gnabry.

Arsenal training ground (2nd May): 10 students who excelled in the language/ football project which accumulated in the Berlin trip were invited by Steve Eadon to visit the Arsenal training ground. Students completed a language task and were then given a one off opportunity to play on the arsenal training ground and to meet premiership star – Per Mertesacker! Mertesacker played a language game with the students and talked to them about their trip to Berlin. He was impressed with both their language and football skills! An amazing experience for all involved.

E T A UPD

St Bon’s 7’s football tournament - 30th April

This was an invitational competition (10 teams per year group) to conclude the end of the school football season. We took two teams (year 7 & 8) to compete.

Each team was placed in a 5 team group with the top teams qualifying. BGA did extremely well with both teams qualifying to the knock out stages. The year 8’s got to the semi-final’s and the year 7’s made it all the way to the final where they narrowly missed out, losing 1-0 to St Martin’s College. A huge well done to all the students involved!

Arsenal Links

On the 1st and 2nd April 2014, the Student Council, along with Tower Hamlets Citizens, ran an onsite ‘Listening Campaign’ to explore the issues that may be affecting BGA students in the community. Students spoke to their peers and listened to their views, gathering responses through questionnaires. Over the two days, students demonstrated increasing confidence, determination and mobilising spirit as they began to take ownership of the campaign.

Following an analysis of results from the ‘Listening Campaign’, the students will be delivering an ‘Ask’ on the issue of street lighting at the London Citizens Mayoral Assembly at Queen Mary University on Thursday 8th May 2014. The ‘Ask’ is a proposal made to all mayoral candidates detailing the specific issue that a member would like to address. This will eventually become a negotiation between the people in power and local people. The intention is for the negotiation to lead to a meaningful resolution of a grassroots issue.

On Thursday 8th May 2014, Bethnal Green Academy attended the Tower Hamlets Citizens Mayoral Assembly at Queen Mary University of London. The mayoral candidates for Tower Hamlets joined each other on stage, in front of over 400 members of Tower Hamlets Citizens’ to respond to their people’s manifesto ‘asks’ ahead of the borough’s hotly contested election on May 22nd 2014.

Bethnal Green Academy, as part of the safety action group, delivered an ‘ask’ on street lighting. Nasrath Jahan Khanom ( Year 7), Theodore Gilbert (Year 9) and Shapla Choudhury ( Year 10) spoke passionately and articulately demanding for more and better street lighting particular in parks such as Ion Gardens in Bethnal Green.

Other BGA Students in attendance commented on the powerful stories they heard from members in the community facing dire issues from housing to pay day lending schemes. It was a truly eventful and inspiring evening, with BGA impressing all three mayoral candidates as they agreed to honor their ‘asks’.

The Student Council at Bethnal Green Academy will continue to work closely with Tower hamlets Citizens and monitor the progress of their campaign.

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