June 2014
Our Careers Advisor, Alison Phillips
is in school throughout the
holidays. Please email her in
advance if you would like an
appointment through the holidays.
Alison.phillips@sds.co.uk
There’s certainly plenty of news to report this month as we moved
towards the end of term. The SQA exams ran very smoothly, the Chief
Invigilator commenting upon the exemplary behaviour and attitude of
all pupils.
Alison can help with applications,
college
information,
careers
advice, interview preparations etc.
Remember
to
also
access
http://www.myworldofwork.co.uk
Successful trips returned from Paris, the Belgian battlefields of World
War One and Iona, the latter now in its 26th year.
Our New Intake pupils enjoyed a full day in school at the end of May, as
did current P6 pupils.
At the start of June, we began our new timetable and all of the
complicated arrangements came together very effectively.
Our day-long Sports and Health Day took place in glorious sunshine on
the 18th of June, with the whole school coming together for a day of
activities.
Finally, our new Captaincy Team of Zahrah Khan and Sean Neil as
Girls’ and Boys’ Captains, with Rebecca McIlroy and Ami Sheridan, as
Vice-Captains and Nathan Kevan as Lead Prefect was appointed and I
have high expectations of them.
SCHOOL RETURNS AT 8.50 a.m. ON WEDNESDAY 13TH AUGUST
I hope that all parents and carers have a relaxing summer holiday.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
concerned citizens can change world” –
Margaret Mead
A number of Bellahouston pupils
took part in the Respectme AntiBullying focus group meeting this
week. Pupils were asked about a
number
of
scenarios
and
highlighted the excellent work the
ABC committee have been doing
this year to tackle bullying related
issues in Bella. Well done to:
Craig Stewart 2H
Sukhmani Kaur 2H
Chivonne Davidson 2E
Rokas Venskus 2E
Megan Pennie 3A
Louise Bain 3H
Taylor McVicor 4D
Sueryia Aziz 4D
Zoya Khan 4H
Rebecca McIlroy 6H
Nathan Kevan 6D
www.respectme.org.uk
Seniors complete Brookfield Project
A group of our senior pupils took part in the
Brookfield Project that was set up by Brookfield
Multiplex.
Brookfield are responsible for the design and
construction of the New South Glasgow Hospital. Our
pupils were given the task of comparing Brookfield
Multiplex, who managed to save £20 million in
building the new Southern General Hospital, with
other construction companies across the globe. The
group carried out their research and worked closely
with different members of staff within Brookfield
Multiplex and then presented their findings to a
panel of judges at Pollok Country House. They were
fortunate enough to visit the site of the New Hospital
before its grand opening in 2015 and have learned
lots about the projects.
The group gave an excellent presentation and
represented the school exceptionally well. We are
very proud of each of them for taking advantage of
this opportunity and giving it their best.
Pictured with one of the judges Gordon Strachan are
Abdul Rafiq, Victoria Cruickshank, Sheroz Mahmood,
Khalil Khan, Fatima Aftab, Zubda Asif and Gbemisola
Adesanya pictured with judge, Gordon Strachan.
On Thursday 27th March pupils in the S4 Media class were among 30,000 across the UK who took part in the
BBC News School Report day. The Commonwealth Games, exam stress and the school prom were just some of
the stories they tackled as part of their TV news round up. Some of the pupils also worked with the BBC L.A.B.
project to create a sports bulletin about the Glasgow School of Sport which is available online and also featured
on the BBC News School Report TV channel on the day itself.
In addition to this, some of the pupils worked with L.A.B. Scotland to make an audio slideshow about the
Commonwealth Games venues while others interviewed organisers of the Commonwealth Games. Well done to
all the pupils in the S4 Media class!
For more information check out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/24459723
This summer Bellahouston Academy pupils Saffron Dickson, Shawnie Wright, Gary Hannah and Morgan
McKinnon will be taking part in Glasgow Life’s Future News project.
Following their participation in a conference at the Mitchell Library in April students are being prepared to help
take on a number of reporting opportunities, many of which will focus on this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Glasgow Life’s Gary Condie has provided many fantastic opportunities for our young people which they have
been keen to take up.
The Radio Clyde Determined to Report project gave Morgan McKinnon, Rahma Mohammed, Liam Dixon,
Shannon Moore and Shawnie Wright the chance to work with journalists, presenters and producers. The
feedback we received suggested that they had greatly impressed all those they had encountered.
Miss Douglas’ class’ efforts on this year’s BBC School Report can be seen on our school website’s News and
Events section.
We hope Bellahouston Academy pupils are as keen in this coming year to grab these opportunities when they
become available.
With so many Media production companies in our local area this is a great way of gaining experience that will
help with future job applications.
https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11157 for more details.
Sports Leaders have been busy this year with weekly
placements at our local Primary schools. The group
worked hard all year learning how to deliver PE
lessons to the various year groups they were
working with and had a great experience.
In June, the Primary 6 and 7 pupils then visited
Bellahouston Academy for their transition visits. In
the afternoon, they had a chance to put their
training to the test in the Commonwealth Challenge.
Well done to our winners pictured with their new
year group Head, Mr Keatings, and their Pastoral
Care teacher Ms Anderson. Many thanks to all who
were involved in making this a success!.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
It has been a jam packed year for the S3 Duke of Edinburgh class filled
with new skills to learn and tough challenges to overcome. The Duke
of Edinburgh Award is not fornthe faint hearted. As well as
fundraising and beginning their physical and volunteering sections the
class have spent their year learning about campcraft, firstaid and
survival skills. All of these things meant that the pupils were finally
ready for the daunting challenge of their practice expedition just a
few weeks ago. The pupils successfully overcame a tough hike in the
forests and hills near Aberfoyle. They completed their overnight camp
nd awoke to another hike n the second day while all the time carrying
a rucksack nearly the same size as themselves. Through wind and rain
they powered on keeping a positive attitude from beginning to end.
An amazing end to a successful year for the S3 Bronze DofE class.
Well done to all!
At the beginning of the year, the PE department restructured
the PE course in an attempt to make a bigger impact on the
Health and Fitness of all the pupils in the school.
In the new structure, each pupil still received 3 periods of PE a week but the focus of the
lessons varied – one period would focus on fitness for the entire year and the other two
would be activity based. Pupils have tried new fitness activities such
as “FitHooping” and Metafit style interval training and gave them a big
Every pupil carried out fitness testing at the beginning of the year. The aspects of fitness
tested were:
•Cardio Respiratory Endurance
•Agility
•Strength
•Power
•Muscular Endurance
•Flexibility
Having just carried out our end of year fitness testing we can report that the majority of
pupils in the school have improved in at least four aspects of fitness with some making
significant improvements.
Well done to all the pupils who worked hard throughout the year!
Mrs McErlean has helped pupils
develop their skills in cake
decorating this year. Pupils put their
creative hats on at the after school
club and worked over 6 weeks to
create a range of cake designs from
handbags to animals, to pieces of
fruit. This club has been a great
success. Pupils have had so much
fun designing the cakes that the
Faculty of HWB are now looking at
the possibility of teaching Cake
Decorating in the curriculum…
Keep your eyes peeled for more info!
In April, 24 S3-S6 pupils and 4 members of staff spent 4 days in Paris. During
the trip the pupils took part in many different educational and cultural
activities. On the first day they visited a school in the 8th district of Paris and
had the opportunity to speak to students of their own age in French as well
as attend a class given in French. Despite the pupils being initially a little
nervous about meeting the French students, everyone got involved and
really enjoyed the whole experience. Many friendships were made and
many of the pupils are still in contact with the French students.
The pupils and staff also visited the Sacré Cœur and Montmartre and despite the climb up to the top everyone
agreed that the view was worthwhile.
On the 2nd day Gillian Edgar, a former pupil of Bellahouston Academy, who
is living and working in France, joined us all for the day. The pupils and staff
visited a chocolate museum and factory, where they watched a
demonstration in French about how different types of chocolate are made
and were given samples of the chocolates to try. They then visited Notre
Dame and went to the Latin Quarter.
Many of the pupils also bought love padlocks to put on the bridge and threw their keys into Seine, in the hope
of finding eternal love. Our route then took us from the Louvre, through the Jardin des Tuilières and along to
Place de la Concorde.
After dinner, the staff had
booked a bowling night for the
pupils in the 11th district of Paris.
Again everyone joined in and a
great night was had by all.
On the final day the pupils and staff enjoyed a river boat cruise on the Seine. The weather was beautiful and
everyone had the opportunity to take many photos of the famous sights in Paris. After the boat trip the pupils
visited the Eiffel Tower and many decided to go to the top from which they had a magnificent view of the whole
city. The pupils and staff then walked from there to the Arc de Triomphe and then down the Champs Elysées
where they were able to buy presents for family and friends.
In the evening the staff put on a wee “soirée” with a
power point presentation of some of the photos which
had been taken during the trip and each pupil was
presented with a souvenir to remind them of their time in
Paris. Harry Speake was given a special mention for his
expert navigating skills and helping the staff to get
everyone around Paris by metro.
All the pupils were “fantastique”, full of enthusiasm and fun. They all embraced the culture with open arms and
many used their French in the shops, cafes and at the school. The trip was a great success mainly because of the
impeccable behaviour and mature attitude from all 24 pupils. The teachers too had a fantastic time and will
certainly continue with annual trips abroad. Merci à tous et vivement notre prochain voyage scolaire.
CREDIT UNION
Bella’s Credit Union is now up and running and it
encourages all our young people to be Future
Savers.
The Next Collection Date is Friday 15th August.
Pupils can still join by collecting a form from Ms
McLaughlin in room Bus Ed 1.
THUMBS UP FOR THE BREAKFAST CLUB
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.
The club has been supervised by Technologies/
Mathematics/Science staff. Senior Prefects have
had a great part to play in the organisation too.
DEVELOPING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING SKILLS
IN BELLAHOUSTON ACADEMY PUPILS
Bellahouston Academy has been awarded the Prestigious
Title of Lead School of Computing Science in a
nationwide initiative called Plan C.
With
the
government
placing
increasing
emphasis on Scotland’s
Digital Future, Plan C has
been put in place to
encourage
our
young
people to become Digital
Creators.
Please look out for the
certificate awarded to the
school
to
mark
this
achievement, on display at
Bellahouston Academy’s
Reception area.
RETIRAL IN BUSINESS
EDUCATION
Mrs
Mackenzie
from
Business
Education is leaving Bellahouston
Academy’s Technologies Faculty at
the summer holidays.
I am sure all pupils, staff and parents
will appreciate the many years of
service that she has given to the
Bellahouston Academy community,
and the hard work and effort that Mrs
Mackenzie has put in over the years.
We wish her a very happy retirement!
10 of our S4 pupils recently took part
in the ‘Really Small Science’ Project
with students from Strathclyde
University.
Strathclyde
and
Bellahouston have been working
together through the MUSE project
and this was another opportunity for
our pupils to work on schooluniversity projects.
http://www.strath.ac.uk/publicengag
ement/muse/
If you would like to find out more.
Thank you for your support!
A small reminder to advise parents/carers that the summer break
is the ideal time for pupils to have personal jewellery piercings.
This break can allow wounds to heal which then allows the
jewellery to be removed for activities such as physical education
or play.
http://www.goglasgow.org.uk/content/UserGenerated/file/GO%20
Health%20Safety/PE_Safety_File_LR-2013.pdf>
'Personal effects (e.g. jewellery, body piercings, items of religious
significance, watches, hair slides and belts constitute a hazard
and may cause injury if worn whist participating in Physical
Education and must be removed.'
As a school we are very proud and lucky indeed to have Ms Logan in our PE department and as
part of our Pastoral Care team. Ms Logan has been involved in sport for many years and is one of
the main voices in the world for Netball development. She has played and umpired at the highest
levels and is now involved in the training of world class coaches and umpires.
Ms Logan is taking part in this year’s Commonwealth Games, but what is it she’s actually doing?
“As part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, I will be working as a member of the
International Umpire Appointments Panel for netball. This involves me selecting umpires for all
international matches throughout the tournament. I’ll watch their performances every day, score,
rank and allocate them future games, based on their skills. I will be working with another 2
panellists, one from Jamaica and the other from New Zealand, all the way through the
tournament. To prepare for the Games, I will go down to Newcastle for a 5 day camp, preCommonwealth Games. We will prepare the umpires on how to deal with pressures of umpiring
at this elite level, the psychology of umpiring, the mental and physical fitness expectations and
rules interpretation. All umpires will have to complete fitness-testing throughout their time in the
camp.”
What does this tremendous opportunity mean to you?
“As a former international umpire, it’s a great opportunity for me to stay involved as I understand
the pressures of umpiring at this level, it’s a great privilege to be asked to do this. I will be
coaching umpires from Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, Trinidad and all around the world, which
is really interesting. The buzz will be absolutely electrifying and the support too.”
Are you involved in any other sporting events within the Games?
“Due to my involvement, (umpired in 4 world tournaments, 2 commonwealth games, coaching,
tutoring and developing umpiring in Scotland and Europe), I was nominated to be a baton bearer,
and I’m delighted to say I will be carrying the baton on Tuesday 22nd July at Bellahouston Park at
12:40. It’s a great award for all of the volunteering I’ve done in the past. I’ve already got my
uniform.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Scotland playing. It will be my third Commonwealth Games
attendance. I’m also looking forward to seeing other events being played, I know a couple of our
former pupils (Michael Jamieson and Kirsty Gilmour) will be competing in the Games.”
Record Number of Glasgow School of Sport Pupils to Represent Team Scotland
Glasgow School of Sport at Bellahouston Academy has announced its largest ever representation for Team
Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Eight women and four men will represent the host nation
in badminton, gymnastics, hockey, swimming and triathlon.
Returning competitors, including swimmer Michael Jamieson, badminton player Kirsty Gilmour, gymnast Amy
Regan and hockey players Kenny Bain, Amy Gibson and William Marshall will be aiming for further
commonwealth success. While Gymnasts Cara Kennedy and Carly Smith, badminton players Caitlin Pringle and
Rebekka Findlay, triathlete David McNamee and hockey player Susan McGilveray are all making their
Commonwealth Games debut.
This is the largest and strongest representation from Glasgow School of Sport and the school is very proud of its
pupils. Angela Porter, Director of Glasgow School of Sport, said: “We’re delighted to have played a part in the
journey of these twelve young people to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. “They have worked
tirelessly to achieve their success. All are committed and determined to make Scotland proud. I am thrilled for
them."
Ian Anderson, Head Teacher at Glasgow School of Sport, said: “Their selection is a tribute to not only the athletes
themselves but to the coaches and staff at the Glasgow School of Sport and Bellahouston Academy.”
Leading achievements of graduates include Michael Jamieson Olympic and Commonwealth silver medalist, Kirsty
Gilmour the No.1 British Women’s Singles player ranked 18th in the world, hockey players William Marshall with
over 100 caps for his country and prolific goal scorer Kenny Bain.
Gymnasts Cara Kennedy and Carly Smith are in their final year at school and faced the challenges of competing
with each other for a place in the team. Gymnast Cara Kennedy, said: “Thankfully, we’ve both been selected. It’s
been tough but the School of Sport has supported us well. I’ve been able to balance my school-work with all the
extra training and preparation. The School of Sport coach, Sandra Walsh, has been with us every step of the way,
and that’s a huge help."
Archie Graham, Chair of Glasgow Life and Executive Committee Member for the Commonwealth Games,
said “This National Centre of Excellence has helped develop and nurture some of Scotland's top young athletes
and sports stars, such as Michael Jamieson. “We wish all 12 athletes every success at the Games. They will be an
inspiration to the next generation of young sporting stars as they have shown that with a lot of hard work and
determination you can achieve your sporting aspirations.”
Team Scotland’s Chef de Mission, Jon Doig, congratulated the 12 pupils and graduates, saying: "The school of
sport has been supporting young talented athletes since 1999 and the record number representing Team
Scotland in the XX Commonwealth Games really shows the value of these types of programmes. “A significant
number of the Glasgow School of Sport pupils have competed at Commonwealth Youth level. Seven of the
school's athletes debuted in the full Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 and the experience they have gained
since then bodes well for Glasgow 2014. They will be joined by a further six athletes from the school making
their debut on home soil.”