From the Headmaster’s Study
There is no sense of this term “going gently into that good night” (to steal some words from Dylan Thomas) and we are all enjoying some fantastic end of term events. I have to mention the Friends of Wellesley quiz (although I will not mention the Franklins’ score…) as an evening of great camaraderie and merriment, with enormous thanks to the leadership of Anne Obee and her committee, as well as members of the home team, specifically Shahla, Monsieur Latteur and Claire for their organisational help. Thank you also to those parents who kindly donated gifts for the raffle and to all who took part.
We have also recently enjoyed the finals of the Wellesley Challenge (the Set general knowledge competition), the Wellesley equivalent of Denne Hill cross country that took place on Saturday and, just this morning, the middle and senior school finals of the poetry recitation competition – without doubt one of the highlights of our literary calendar. Aside from all of the usual curricular and extracurricular activities this week, our term will end on Wednesday with the enjoyment of a Friends of Wellesley Easter Egg Hunt, with all pupils searching for an egg with their name on it (literally) somewhere in the grounds of Wellesley Haddon Dene.
All that remains for me to say is thank you and well done to everyone – pupils, staff and parents – for the determination, flexibility and positivity that has been on display in abundance this term in the face of lockdown challenges. We wish you all a happy Easter.
Gavin Franklin
announcements
Wellesley Haddon Dene cricket kit – Girls and Boys from JL upwards
With the Summer Term fast approaching and the return of school sports we wanted to remind those with children in JL upwards how to purchase the school cricket whites.
The kit comprises of a Wellesley Haddon Dene branded short sleeve match shirt, Wellesley Haddon Dene branded cricket whites (trousers) and a Wellesley Haddon Dene branded short-sleeved slipover. On colder days children would be welcome to wear a white skin in addition to the above.
All of the above items are available to buy online from the Wellesley Haddon Dene school shop, which can be accessed at Martin Berrill Sports. Delivery for all parents is free of charge if sent direct to school and will be sent home with day pupils for naming and trouser length alteration. These items are available to order now and please expect a 14 day turnaround.
End of term timings
On Wednesday, pick up for Pre-prep pupils is 1pm and 1.30pm for all other ages. Please collect pupils from the usual bubble pick-up points. Thank you.
Forthcoming dates for the Pre-prep diary:
Wednesday 24th March – Pre-prep easter egg hunt.
End of term
Just a reminder that pick up time on the last day of term this Wednesday 24th March is 1pm for Pre-prep children. It would be very helpful if children could bring an extra bag in so that they can take muddy wellies and outdoor shoes home for the holidays – thank you!
Swimming
Next term, we are pleased to be able to offer private swimming lessons (for both pre-prep and prep age groups), on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
£14 (per child) for a half hour, group lesson (max of 4 children)
£28 (per child) for a 1-2-1 half hour lesson
£40 (per child) for a one hour private lesson
If you are interested in booking lessons, please contact Geraldine via hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net
Music Lessons
From Summer term, we will be changing the way music lessons are invoiced. Further details will be sent out shortly and if you have any questions, please contact the Bursar’s office via adamdebling@wellesleyhouse.net.
COVID-19
We thought that it would be valuable to share with parents our COVID-19 flow charts, which map out the necessary course of action, dependent on the situation for pupils and staff who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms in school.
Staff
Positive cases – children
Positive cases – boarders
Symptoms of COVID – children
School Last Week
Mark Reading
The third marks of term have been given and the standings are as follows:
| 1st | Saxons |
| 2nd | Danes |
| 3rd | Romans |
| 4th | Vikings |
Special mention goes to the following pupils who have achieved the highest set of marks for their year: India Ollivier, Freya Ralph, Grace Flowers, Stanislav Shatokhin, Reuben Okotie. The highest scoring tutor group was JL.
News From Pre-Prep
We have been enjoying lots of outdoor activities this week. All classes have been thinking about Spring and children have spotted lots of signs of Spring in our wonderful grounds. There has been some brilliant teamwork as children have made dens. We have also begun to learn about Easter and everyone is very excited about the egg hunt next week. On Friday all the Early Years children spent the afternoon at Forest School and made pizzas using the open fire.
Thank you to all Pre-prep children who participated in the sponsored swim for Comic Relief. It was a fun filled morning seeing how many times children could jump in the pool or how many laps of the pool they could swim. Sponsorship is still being collected but we have already raised over £200 for this very worthwhile cause.
We are delighted to announce the Pre-prep set captains for the summer term:
Vikings – Suri, Saxons – Algie, Danes – Stan, Romans – Sophie.
This week’s Pre-prep set point standings are:
1st Vikings, 2nd Saxons, 3rd Danes, 4th Romans
Just a reminder that pick up time on the last day of term this Wednesday 24th March is 1pm for Pre-prep children. It would be very helpful if children could bring an extra bag in so that they can take muddy wellies and outdoor shoes home for the holidays – thank you!
Friends of Wellesley Quiz
A brilliant evening was enjoyed by all those who could make the online quiz on Friday. Thanks go to the Friends of Wellesley for organising the event and donating the raffle prizes and Monsieur Latteur for his professional and charismatic leadership. Whilst some families may feel there is room for improvement in their scores (there is always next year!), congratulations go to the Beckett family for winning first prize, edging out some stiff competition!
Denne Hill @ Wellesley
On Saturday, all pupils from JL upwards took part in our intra-school cross-country event. Usually at Denne Hill Farm, but this year on the school grounds, competitors enthusiastically completed a 2.2km course. This year’s winner Reuben Okotie ran from the front, holding off a spirited challenge from William Franklin (2nd and Middle School Champion) and Reuben Carss (3rd). Gracie Lawton was the first girl home. In the set competition, Saxons were victorious, beating Romans, Vikings and then Danes. Well done all!
Wellesley Challenge
The finals of the senior rounds took place on Friday afternoon. In the first match, the Danes were up against the Saxons. One or two of them were new to this competition, so it took a little time to settle, but once confidence was gained, the competition grew in intensity. In the end, the Saxons were victorious, scoring 165 points to the Danes’ 65 points.
In the second match, two very confident teams, the Romans and the Vikings, met. The pace was a little quicker than in the first match and the scoring was neck and neck for most of the match. There was lots of huffing and puffing throughout the match, as many answers were known, but finger-reaction was a little slow. Quickness on the buzzer is the key! In the end the Vikings trumped the Romans, with the scores being 265 – 175. Well done to Archie (130) and Henry (110) for the high individual scores.
Vikings: Archie Bu, Reuben O & Olympia J
Romans: Henry B, Xandy L & Hector H
Saxons: Archie Br, Matthew McB & Stas S
Danes: Mia O, Margot G & Mimi R
School This Week
Poetry Recitation
The much anticipated Poetry Recital was held this Monday morning. Although we had really hoped that a mini heat wave would hit Broadstairs and we could hold this event on the outdoor stage, with the whole school together, it was not to be.
The Old Hall was abuzz with nerves, anticipation and excitement as our finalists took to the stage – in their bubbles – to perform the poems that they have committed to memory this term. We were very disappointed that we were not able to invite parents in to witness this traditional event on the Wellesley Calendar but we recorded the event and hope to share it with you very soon.
Congratulations to all of the pupils that worked so hard to learn their poems this term and well done to those who have reached the junior and senior finals.
Easter Egg Hunt
Huge thanks to the Friends of Wellesley for organising another brilliant Easter egg hunt for us all to enjoy on the last day of term.
Additional Lessons
Please note all additional Maths and English sessions will resume after the Easter holidays. If you would like your child to receive any additional sessions please contact Ms Moosuddee- AENCo
Gap students
Please do get in touch with the school office if you know of any enthusiastic 18 year olds that may be interested in working at Wellesley Haddon Dene during the Michaelmas term. We are able to offer accommodation and meals if needed.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 3.
Matches This Week
Please always refer to the website calendar as it is the most up-to-date place to check for fixture changes and locations.