From the Headmaster’s Study
Building resilience in young people is a real buzz topic in education and indeed in society at the moment. At Wellesley, providing opportunities to challenge our pupils is something that is very much part of our philosophy. This, of course can be in a number of different ways. The Junior House poetry recitation was a highlight of last week – with all of our junior pupils performing on stage, in front of an audience of their peers and staff. Conducted in a supportive way, for all of our youngest pupils to have the challenge of dealing with nerves, anxiety and the other emotions associated with speaking publicly (without a script) is a real strength of our school.
Furthermore, a number of our LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) pupils have been performing (and competing) at the Thanet Music and Drama festival in Broadstairs alongside representatives from a host of local schools. Our Welleslians were a credit to this school and will have gained huge satisfaction and learning from their experiences of being “on the stage” in a public forum. We are very proud of them all and we will continue to give pupils opportunities to stretch and challenge themselves within a supportive and caring environment.
Gavin Franklin
Notices
Easter Holiday Cricket Coaching
The Wellesley Haddon Dene Easter Holiday Cricket Coaching course will take place this year from Wednesday 17th to Thursday 18th April, under the guidance of Mr Franklin and Mr Burleigh. Full information and a booking form can be downloaded from this page. Any questions about the course should be addressed to the Headmaster’s PA, using e-mail hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net.
Easter Cricket Coaching Course Flyer
Friends of Wellesley Quiz Night
The annual Friends of Wellesley Quiz Night takes place on Saturday 23rd March, from 7.00 p.m. Parents should have received an invitation; if you would like further information, please contact Belinda Wakeling at belindawakeling@hotmail.com.
Red Nose Day, Friday 15th March
As a school we will be supporting Comic Relief this year for Red Nose Day on the 15th March. Children are welcome to attend school in their home clothes for a donation of £1 which can be added to the school bill. Red noses and comic relief wristbands will be available to purchase on the day at a cost of £1.25 which can be added to the school bill. Please contact the school office if you would rather your child did not purchase a red nose or a wristband. Many thanks in advance for your support.
School Last Week
Chapel
We held our third Saturday chapel service of the term at the weekend, and we thank Mrs Ali Harber for addressing the school. She is Head of the Sixth Form, Head of Politics and Assistant Chaplain at Benenden School, as well as being a member of the Wellesley governing body. With the aid of Snoopy, she spoke about service to others, going out of our way to help, and of treating others as we would wish to be treated ourselves. The choir sang a beautiful rendition of The Lord’s my Shepherd set to the tune of Brother Jame’s Air which you can listen to here.
Thanet Music and Drama Festival
This year’s entrants into the Thanet Festival, whether previous competitors or participating for the first time, performed extremely well.
Junior House Poetry Recitations
The Junior House Poetry Recitation took place on Friday. Every child had learned a poem and our adjudicator Mrs Hannah Brown, who will be Head of the new Pre-Prep from September, congratulated them all on their performances. The winner in JH was Freddie Southorn and the runner up was Harriet Brooks. The JS winner was Georgie Carter and the runner up was William Franklin. The winning poems will be reprised in the Junior House Concert on Friday 15th March.
Superb Junior House poetry recital this morning. Great to hear all of the children reading out their poems in front of an audience. Some fantastic performances! #AWorldOfPossibilities #BroadstairsToTheStars
Posted by Wellesley Haddon Dene on Friday, March 1, 2019
The Big Bang
Block 1 headed to Discovery Park in Sandwich on Friday for a morning of activities organised by The STEM HUB (part of Canterbury Christ Church University), designed to ‘inspire a love for science, technology, engineering and maths’. During the morning they were able to take part in a range of ‘hands-on’ experiences including interactive exhibits and workshops, talks run by local companies and organisations. They also had the opportunity to speak to university graduates and academics about future careers in science and technology.
Sunday Outing
The outings for boarders this Sunday was an energetic trip to the ice-skating rink in Gillingham.
School This Week
Exams and Parent/Teacher Meeting
Block 1 children have their final set of practice examinations this week before scholarships in late April and early May, and Common Entrance in early June. There will be a parent/teacher meeting for Block 1 parents in the Sports Hall on Saturday 16th March at 9.10 am, prior to the Lenten Service and the Denne Hill Cross-Country event. Block 1 pupils are invited to join their parents for the meeting although some will need to leave slightly early for choir practice.
Team of the Week
The ‘Team of the Week’ for this week are all those who performed at the Thanet Music and Drama Festival. They will be rewarded with cookies and squash in the Headmaster’s drawing room during a morning break.
Science and Engineering Challenge
Four members of Block 4 will going to St Lawrence College on Wednesday for the Thanet Science and Engineering Challenge. This should be a highly enjoyable, as well as educational, day.
Exeat
Exeat begins at 1.30 pm on Friday and boarders return to school at 8.00 pm on Sunday evening or by 8.20 am on Monday morning. Please would parents ensure they have informed the school secretary of their child’s travel/collection arrangements.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 2.
Matches Last Week
Wednesday 27th February
Netball v Junior King’s: U13 A – lost 3 – 7
Netball v Junior King’s: U13 B – won 5 – 4
Netball v Lorenden: U11 – won 10 – 7
Rugby v Dover College: U13 – won 4 – 3
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U9/U8 – lost
Saturday 2nd March
Squash v Parents – lost 3 – 7
Delighted to welcome back some OWs for parents squash v the school. Well played all! @TonbridgeSport #ServeUp #DeliciousMatchTea pic.twitter.com/Wk6XaMm26H
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) March 2, 2019
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.
Tuesday 5th March
Cross-Country – Stevens Cup: U13 Boys (Note: At Northbourne Park; 2.00 pm start)
Cross-Country – Wainman Cup: U13 Girls (Note: At Northbourne Park; 2.00 pm start)
Wednesday 6th March
Hockey training session at St Lawrence College: U9 Boys
Netball v Sutton Valence: U13 A & B (a) (Note: 2.30 pm start)
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U13 (h)
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U11 (a)
Thursday 7th March
Netball v St Lawrence College: U9 (a) (Note: 2.30 p.m. start)