Academy News

1. Friday 19th September 2008 Academy News Around the Academy in Eighty Clubs Monday 22nd September signals the official launch of this year’s clubs and extended schools programme. With over 80 different clubs on offer there will clearly be an opportunity for every academy member to pursue further coaching in an area of interest to them. I would like to draw your attention to Ms Mataria’s Sunday club which is scheduled to be held on a monthly basis, details of which will be published in this newsletter. The club is designed as an opportunity for young people and parents to socialise together at different key attractions around the City of London. There has been a further addition to the Clubs programme this week: we are pleased to announce that we have secured coaches to run a Futsal club every Friday after school in the Sports Hall. This sport, a Brazilian variation of football, should prove to be a great success! Pupils who participate fully in school life are more likely to benefit from all the Academy has to offer.   Ms Mintey Vice Principal Sneak Preview - Next Week at a Glance Throughout the Week Assembly theme: Trust Lunchtime and after school clubs – check posters for details. Monday: Year 7 Assembly led by Mr Ribton in the Hall Tuesday: Year 8 Assembly led by Mr Ribton in the Hall Wednesday: Year 9 Assembly led by Mr Ribton in the Hall Year 7 Welcome Evening for parents, 5.45pm in the Hall. Thursday: Year 10 Assembly led by Mr Ribton in the Hall Friday: Year 11 Assembly led by Mr Ribton in the Hall

2. Year by Year Congratulations to all of you who achieved more merits than demerits last week, you have been working really hard and I am very proud of you. It is important that you maintain this and achieve more merits each lesson to ensure your credit balance never falls below 50. Enrichment clubs have started now, before school, during lunch and after school so make sure you sign yourselves up and go along each week as Advisors will be monitoring! Have a safe weekend and see you on Monday. Ms. Aitken I am delighted to announce that our Smartie prize for this week goes to Probus Agoba. Probus produced some pleasing work for Mr Pull in Graphics. In this week’s assembly Probus was awarded a tube of smarties and a letter of congratulations will be sent home. If you have a talent, use it - do not hide your light under a bushel! Remember all clubs start from Monday 22nd September. Mr Maslona and Miss Mintey are both keen to see your talents develop through the clubs programme. Enjoy your weekend and keep working hard. Mr Maslona Another good week for Year 9s! Particular mention must go to the students who attended the ‘Go For It’ programme on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Below is an extract from an email I received from the Coordinator of the programme, praising our students: Dear Mr. Benson - I just wanted to write a quick email to say how delightful the Burlington Danes group were that you sent today.  We have all really enjoyed working with them and all the staff have commented on how willing and they are to participate and how bright they are.  Well done for doing Burlington Danes proud! Another successful week in Year 10 has seen a rise in attendance, creeping closer to the 95% target, although there is still some way to go. I will be working closely with Advisors to meet this target in the coming weeks. Following our assembly on Thursday, Year 10 are currently leading the way in the singing stakes with an excellent first attempt at ‘I believe I can fly’! Well done to those students who are consistently receiving merits in lessons. I have posted another batch of letters to parents of students who achieve the highest number of credits. Mr Jerred  Again this week I am full of praise for year 11. I have been hearing good things about most of you in lessons and uniform continues to be near perfection, which is excellent. I must remind you that planners are to be signed by parents on a weekly basis and homework must be recorded in your planners. Also remember to have a book to read every Monday when we have our DEAR sessions. Careers interviews have begun in earnest with our Careers Advisor, Mr Moses. Make sure you check your date and time with your advisor or on the Year 11 notice board. Ms. Annan 11

3. Notice Board Number Crunching Ramadam September for our Muslim students has meant not just the start of a new school year, but also the annual month of Ramadam. This involves abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, while also practising the virtues of discipline, generosity, sacrifice, sympathy and spiritual reflection. Staff at Burlington Danes would like to recognise the efforts of our Muslim students, parents and teachers during this month. We are glad to say that it has not hampered progress in the classroom! ALL STUDENTS (KS3 and KS4) must have a scientific calculator for their Maths lessons. The preferred model is Casio fx-83ES. These can be bought from WHSmith, amongst other retailers, or from the Maths Department for £5. Mr Magezi, Head of Maths Drop Everything and Read Church Visits Visits to our local church, St Katherines, culminated on Thursday, with Advisory groups 7A and 7U attending a dedication service for their time in Year 7. Well done to the students for displaying excellent maturity and behaviour, and thank you to Rev Jim Tate and Mrs Tate, our school chaplain, for making this experience possible. As part of our Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) initiative, all students must bring a reading book to school every day. Below is a list of the Top 5 books for young people currently selling on amazon.co.uk: • The Tales of Beedle Bard by JK Rowling • Brisingr by Christopher Paolini • Nation by Terry Pratchet • The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne • The General, by Robert Muchamore

4. Last Words Principal’s Commendation for … Benevolence … This week’s commendation goes to Derice Reid in Yr 9 who found another student’s blazer, complete with Oyster Card and purse, in the playground. Derice personally delivered the blazer to his fellow student at the start of the next lesson. Word Search World’s 6 Biggest Cities (by population) Quotation of the Week “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.” Theodore Roosevelt 5 Facts you might not know about … The Philippines Your weekly guide to obscure facts and figures from the BDA community of countries, provided by Head of Learning Support Mr Preston. • The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world (after the USA and the UK). • The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that is flown differently during times of peace or war. A portion of the flag is blue, while the other is red. The blue portion is flown on top in time of peace and the red portion is flown in war time. • The Philippines is the largest Christian country in Asia. Some 83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% are Muslim. The rest are made up of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhists. • The yo-yo was invented in the Philippines. The original yo-yos were used as a weapon by hunters. • The Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, was the first European to visit the Philippines. Magellan was in the service of the King of Spain.