a touching insight - ark burlington danes academyburlingtondanes.org/sites/default/files/newsletter...

On Thursday the 27th of May, BurlingtonDanes Academy welcomed a Syrianrefugee by the name of Thaer Batal whocome speak to us and answer questionsabout his experiences escaping the terrorsof the Syrian Civil War, which till this day, isstill ongoing.

After his home was bombed, Thaer fledSyria searching for a safer life. What ensuedwas a terrifying journey across Europe, andmonths in the ‘Calais Jungle’, beforeeventually making it to the UK, where he iscurrently studying in search of a stablefuture.

His speech was moving, expressing to us(the pupils) his arduous and dangerousjourney, sailing across the sea on a 7-manboat, with over 20 passengers, his monthssurviving in the Calais Jungle, and hisattempts at Asylum, where he lived withfour other asylum seekers in a leaking housein Newcastle on 35 pounds a week.

He also went on to explain to us hisunderstanding of why the Civil War in Syriahad broken out, and his beliefs of how theissues could ultimately be resolved. Oncehis speech had been completed, we werepermitted to ask questions about Thaer’s

experiences in and out of the UK, andunderstand his perspective into why Syria iscurrently in a state of war.

He explained that Syria, once one of themore civil and peaceful of the middle-eastern countries, was placed under severedictatorship from the President Bashar Al-Asad. The peace that existed there was aresult of compliance with and to thegovernmental authority.

Those who would oppose legislation, orspeak out against the dictator, would swiftlybe ‘silenced’, and never heard of again. Infact, this was the case with Thaer’s father,who was imprisoned and tortured for over 2months, before eventually being releasedby the Syrian Liberation Army after theprison was overrun.

He expressed that after those months, ‘Icould hardly recognise my father’, referringto the aftermath of the torture he hadsuffered. Thaer went on to explain how thesecret police were the initial cause of theCivil War breaking out, after killing pupils forrising up against the government after theirprofessor was tortured.

5th May 2017

A TOUCHING INSIGHT: SYRIAN REFUGEE GIVES A MOVING TALK TO STUDENTS

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(Continued on page 4)

5 people you’d like to have

over for dinner:

• Yoda; small and smart, with great knowledge (a bit like me!)

• Muhammad Ali; an inspiration and fabulous wit!

• Neil Armstrong (astronaut.. so much to ask)

• My parents

• Mr Reid and Mr Prasad (we can eat.. A LOT.. and we do! You just have to pop by DP13 to see!)

4 books and films you’ll never

forget:

• Jane Eyre

• Gladiator

• 5 People You Meet in Heaven

• Star Wars!

3 foods you’d have for your

last meal:

• Ice Cream and Waffle

• Chicken Biriyani

• Nasi Goreng Kampong

2 places you’d love to visit:

• Japan; a country that combines history, tech, ancient traditions yet so advanced.

• India; it’s got palaces, amazing food, 22 languages, regional differences in customs and food, sunshine… so much to explore

1 day you’ll never forget:

• My first parachute jump, on a coldFebruary day (I’m scared of heights andhate the cold)

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GET TO KNOW OUR LITERACY & ENGLISH TEACHER… MS TINEY

Newsletter 5th May 2017

5 People you’d like to have over

for dinner:

•Jessica Lange (Actress)

•Sarah Paulson (Actress)

•Yabin Wang (Dancer)

•Tamara Rojo (Dancer)

•Sevdaliza (Singer)

4 books and films you’ll never forget:

•Inferno

•Don’t Breathe

•Zom-B

•Zombieland

3 foods you’d have for your last

meal:

•Pizza

•Chicken

•Avocado

2 of your favourite teachers:

•Ms Robson – she’s fun and understanding

•Ms Yates – she’s a barrel of laughs

1 day at school you’ll never

forget:

•First day of school

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MEET THE STUDENT… DANIEL OF 10 DAN


The peaceful protests that erupted as aresult, he claimed, ‘were manipulated bythe government’, supplying the peacefulprotestors with weaponry to “protectthemselves”, before deeming them terroristsand wiping them out. This acted as acatalyst to the anger within the peoplewhich led to the uprising on the 15th ofMarch 2011.

He went on to say the since then, the war

has developed greatly, with the inclusion ofChinese, Iranian, Russian and Americanforces within the war, to mention only afew. Their own national agendas are tobenefit from the war in some way, may itbe through the selling of weaponry, ortaking land, or even the spreading ofIdeological beliefs. Thaer claims that Syrianland was highly desirable due to itssustainable production, hence thisseemingly subtle invasion by manycountries and extremist groups.

Questions were also raised on hisexperiences on applying for asylum andcontinued education in the UK. For monthshe lived in a small flat, with a leakingceiling, along with four other asylumseekers, living on only 35 pounds a week.He explained the difficulties he had withunderstanding the accents and language,and how this placed him in a verydisadvantaged position. He was almostrefused the opportunity to continue

education due to failing a language test byonly 0.5 percent, but thankfully WestminsterUniversity gave him a place to studyComputer Science anyway.

Needless to say, the story we had heard,and images we had been shown, broughtsome of us to tears. However, it is importantto recognise that Thaer, all thingsconsidered, was one of the lucky ones, whowere capable of escaping, in comparison

to the over 470,000 that had died by April of2016, and the tens of thousands more thathave died since.

Despite all this, the horrors he hadexperienced in Syria, the difficulties ofarriving to the UK, the Calais Jungle, andmuch more, what was truly admirable andrather heart-rending, was that Thaerconcluded by saying that he wanted toreturn to Syria once the war was over, andhelp rebuild the country along with hisfamily and friends.

On the behalf on the School and on apersonal note, I would like to reach out andthank Thaer Batal for speaking to us andraising awareness about the crisis in Syria. Imyself am of Syrian heritage, Aleppo to beprecise, and therefore am endlessly gratefulto Thaer for his spreading of the word andwish him all the best in his futureendeavours.

By Muhammad Sabbagh of 12 Lancaster

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(Continued from page 1)


A TOUCHING INSIGHT: SYRIAN REFUGEE GIVES A MOVING TALK TO STUDENTS

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ART & TECHNOLOGY


Good afternoon everyone,

This week Tuesday, we took a team of year7s to compete in the CWIZZ literacycompetition. We competed alongside 12other teams from different schools andworked together to answer a series ofquestions on literature. We also got to meetsome amazingly talented authors and evengot to hear readings from some of theirbooks!

We did not get to take home the trophy thisyear, but we did win an author visit for theschool from the amazing Sara Grant! Sara isthe author of the Magic Trix series, theChasing Danger series, the YA novel DarkParties and a dark dystopian novel calledHalf Lives. So we would like to say a hugethank you and congratulations to thefollowing students in 7B for their amazingefforts and excellent team work:

• Fardowsa Hersi

• Yaseen Ahmed

• Nadira Sulub

• Dina Elawed

Book review: Crongton Knights by Alex Wheatle

Crongton Knights is the powerful sequel toLiccle Bit. The book is fast paced and funny,yet manages to deal with some toughtopics such as violence, grief and friendshipalongside the harsh reality of gangs.

Living on the South Crongton council estatehas its worries - and life for McKay has beeneven tougher since his mum died. His dadhas been working all hours to keep thebailiffs from their door and his brother isalways out riding the streets at night,tempting trouble.

Now, having strayed off his turf on a 'heroic'(if misguided) mission to help out a girl,McKay finds himself facing a friend's crazyex-boyfriend, some power-tripping hood-rats and a notoriously violent gangster witha vendetta which hits too close to home.He never asked for trouble… But during onemadcap night of adventure and danger,he will find out who his true friends are andwhat it means to stick with your family.

Ms Moore

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BOOK REVIEW

Here’s what we’re tweeting…

LIBRARY NEWS

WEEKLY UPDATE


Sport Opposition Year Date Time Location Staff

Athletics Various 7-10 08.05.179.00 –

16.00Away JEN

CricketHammersmith

Academy7 08.05.17 16.00 BDA PRS

Rugby 7’s Various 7/8 10.05.1711.00 –

15.00BDA THO

RoundersHammersmith

Academy7/8 10.05.17 16.00 BDA SHW

7

SPORTS

NEXT WEEK’S SPORTS FIXTURES

For more updates on sporting activities at the academy, visit our BDA sports twitter page: @BDASport

Here’s what we’re tweeting…


8

SPORTSPE ENRICHMENT: SPORTS AND CLUBS TO JOIN


9



10



11

PERFORMING ARTS

Hello, there is a lot happening in the music department

next week…

All music instrumental lessons and clubs have

started!

If you would like to learn how to play an instrument

and play in music groups with your friends come

along and see Miss Friar and Miss Botham in the

music office.

Students who are already have lessons need to

come to music to collect their timetable.

Choir practice every Tuesday 3.40pm in DP04!

All must attend to rehearse for our next

performance!!!

Lunch After School

DP04 DP02 DP Atrium DP04 DP02 Drama Studio

Mon Strings Group Steel Pan Musical

Tues Jazz Band/Brass Group BDA Choir

Weds Keyboard Club Intervention

Thurs Senior Choir LETMEPLAY

Fri Rock School Intervention


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Soup: Water Cress

Soup

Soup: Tomato with

Green Pesto

Soup: Gazpacho

served with Nacho’s

Soup: Chicken &

Mushroom

Soup: Creamy

Vegetable

Beef

Chilli Con Carne

Nacho’s

Turkish

Lamb Kofta in a

Wrap

Italian Day

Crispy

Pepperomi &

Chicken Pasta Bows

Cajun Chicken

Served with Jollof

Rice

Hearty Beef Burger

with crispy Onions

Quorn chilli &

Nacho’s

(V)

Turkish

Falafel & Mixed

Pepper Wrap

served with Hummus

(V)

Green Pesto

Pasta served with

Parmesan Cheese

(V)

Cajun Vegetable

Burrito

(V)

Fish Finger Burger

with Tartar Sauce or

Veggie Burger

(V)

Coriander Infused

Steam Rice

Roasted New

Potato Topped with

Salsa

Garlic Bread Jolloff Rice Chunky Chips

Jacket Potatoes

with a Selection of

Fillings

Jacket Potatoes

with a Selection of

Fillings

Jacket Potatoes

with a Selection of

Fillings

Jacket Potatoes

with a Selection of

Fillings

Jacket Potatoes

with a Selection of

Fillings

Pasta Selection Pasta Selection Pasta Selection Pasta Selection Pasta Selection

Freshly Filled Rolls

and Sandwiches


and Sandwiches


and Sandwiches


and Sandwiches


and Sandwiches

Grab and Go salad

Mixed Salad Garlic

String Beans

Grab and Go salad

Corn on the Cob &

Mixed Salad

Grab and Go salad

Mixed Salad with

Sweetcorn

Grab and Go salad

Mixed salad & Mix

Pepper Coleslaw

Salad

Grab and Go salad

Baked Beans

Chocolate Brownie

served with a

Chocolate Sauce

Selection of cold

Desserts

Eton Summer Fruit

Mess

Selection of cold

Desserts

Crème Caramel

Dessert

Selection of cold

Desserts

White Chocolate Cheese Cake

Selection of cold

Desserts

Chef’s Special

Selection of cold

Desserts

Bon Appétit

12

Ne

xt

we

ek o

n t

he

me

nu

:Newsletter 5th May 2017

ITEMS ON SALE PRICE

FUNNY FEET £1.00

CORNETTO £1.00

ORANGE TASTY £1.00

FRUIT PASTILLES £1.00

FAB £1.00

MINT FEAST £1.00

CALIPPO ORANGE £1.00

SLUSH PUPPIE 60P

Bon Appétit

13

Utopia now offers a wide range of ice-creams. Please see the list below for whatwe have on offer.

All ice-creams are £1.00 each and are

available to teachers and 6th formers during

school time, and to all students after school.

We are also selling Slush Puppies at lunchtimes only to all students at 60 pence.


Adjective

analogous or equivalent in character,

form, or function; comparable.

NEXT WEEK’S THEMEBELONGING

John 10:11-18

“I am the good shepherd; I know my

sheep and my sheep know me — 15 just

as the Father knows me and I know the

Father —and I lay down my life for the

sheep.”

THE WORLD AT BDA

14

WORD OF THE WEEKCORRESPONDING

08.5.15: World Red Cross and Red

Crescent Day

09.05.17: Europe Day/World Fair Trade

Day/World Migratory Bird Day

OUR TWEET OF THE WEEK!

“@ArkBDA Principal’s take on the

school’s journey from one of London’s

worst performing schools to one of its

best”

- Ark Schools

(@ArkSchools)


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NEXT WEEK’S DIARY


This week’s diary and examinations Staff

Monday

08.05.17

Y11 Rewards Assembly in the Sports Hall STO / CLE

Y9 GL Assessment English Periods 1 – 3

Y8 GL Assessment Maths Periods 6 – 7

Y7 Enrichment till 16.15 (Sports till 16.30)Various

staff

Oxbridge Project in F010 at 15.30 OHE

Tuesday

09.05.17

Y10 Year Assembly in the Potter Theatre CRA



Wednesday

10.05.17

Y12 Year Assembly in the Potter Theatre GOH

Y7 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall AKE



The Alpha Course for the Sixth Form 13.15 in 115 WAD

Thursday

11.05.17

Y8 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall FRT

KS5 Visiting Speaker programme Period 1 in 022 OHE

Friday

12.05.17

Y13 Year Assembly in the Potter Theatre JEN

Y9 Year Assembly in the Sports Hall BRI

PSHCE Drop Down session Periods 1 – 3 (Y11RE cram

session)AST

a touching insight - ark burlington danes academyburlingtondanes.org/sites/default/files/newsletter...

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