From the Heads
Without doubt, one of the highlights of this academic year has been the involvement of our pupils (and their success) in the recent Thanet Speech and Drama Festival. Details are below, but in a snapshot, over 20 WHD children (with all year groups between year 4 and 8 represented) took part in this regional festival and they did so with enormous skill, pride and courage. All of them, without exception, performed brilliantly. Not only this but it was wonderful to watch the children encourage and congratulate each other and their peers. It is a reminder not just of the breadth of opportunities at WHD, but also of the encouragement (and, at times, stretch and challenge) for our pupils in activities outside of the day to day classroom environment. Our congratulations, of course, go to these children, and our thanks go to our team of staff who work passionately to provide such great support and leadership of our pupils.
Final preparations are underway for our PFA Easter Picnic event which will be held from 11.30am on the final day of term. We do hope that you will be able to join us in some family fun and of course be there to support our PFA. All proceeds raised from this event will fund future experiences for our children.
Mr Gavin Franklin and Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
PFA – Baby Gym
On Tuesday, our Sports Hall was transformed into a baby gym, with obstacle courses, balance boards, quiet zones and a fresh fruit and refreshment kiosk! We were delighted to welcome a number of families (existing WHD and new) for this sociable, fun and active opportunity to welcome all into our community. Special thanks go to Mrs Crompton for her oversight and the PFA for their support. Much fun was had by all.
Thanet Music and Drama Festival
No less than 23 WHD pupils from Year 4 to Year 8 (with all year groups represented) took part in the Thanet Music and Drama Festival at the Queen’s Road Baptist church and the Sarah Thorne theatre last week. Our children enjoyed some extraordinary success, across the board with some simply staggering results demonstrating the strength of our performing arts programme. Results are detailed below, but most impressive was the children’s willingness and confidence to be up on stage performing. Well done to them all.
No less than 23 WHD pupils from Year 4 to Year 8 (with all year groups represented) took part in the Thanet Music and Drama Festival at the Queen’s Road Baptist church and the Sarah Thorne theatre last week. Our children enjoyed some extraordinary success, across the board with some simply staggering results demonstrating the strength of our performing arts programme. Results are detailed below, but most impressive was the children’s willingness and confidence to be up on stage performing. Well done to them all.
Year 4
1st time entrants
2nd place (prose) – Juelle Simpson
3rd place (poem) – Juelle Simpson
Prose reading
2nd place – Pearl Dunbar-Brunton
3rd place – Emmy Dobbs
Year 5 & 6
Public Speaking
1st place – Olivia Dilkes
Mime
1st place – Gian Tarr
Acting
1st place – Gian Tarr
2nd place – Olivia Dilkes
3rd place – Francesca Forest
Poem (1st time entrant)
1st place – Suri Lear
Prose (1st time entrant)
2nd place – Suri Lear
Prose Reading 1st place – Gian Tarr
Poem
2nd place – Gian Tarr, Mabel Dunbar-Brunton and Raksiga Kumar
3rd place – Olivia Dilkes
Reading aloud at sight 1st place – Mabel Dunbar-Brunton
2nd place – Ava Harris
Original poem 3rd place – Gian Tarr and Mabel Dunbar-Brunton
Overall Cup
1st place – Gian Tarr
Year 7 & 8
Poem (1st time entrant)
2nd place – Georgie Carter
Poem
1st place – Luna Sarafoglou
2nd place – Raf Cable
3rd place – Kaspar Lear
Prose
1st place – Raf Cable
2nd place – Georgie Carter
3rd place – Tate Sheppard
Duologue (years 7 – 10)
1st place – Luna Sarafoglou & Lila Grady
Monologue
1st place – Georgie Carter
2nd place – Luna Sarafoglou
Gold Cup for drama
Winner – Raf Cable
Gold Cup for drama
Winner – Georgie Carter
The Vinson Cup for Speech (Years 7 – 10)
Winner – Raf Cable
Nutrition Workshops
On Friday, Mrs Foster-Troy visited a number of classes to share her expertise and knowledge on the importance of nutrition. The children thoroughly enjoyed the interactive workshops ranging from healthy eating to sports-specific nutrition advice, and included sampling a range of nutritious concoctions (the beetroot juice was met with mixed reviews!) It was a fantastic experience for our children and our thanks go to Mrs Foster Troy for giving her time and expertise to our children.
Prep-Prep Assembly – Time to Shine
Last week’s Pre-prep assembly climaxed in Elodie Doorey-Williams’ sensational performance of Castle on a Cloud from Les Misérables. The audience was wowed by Elodie’s courage and poise on stage and by her sensational musicality. Very well done, Elodie!
Six of the Best
Well done to two artists whose work has been selected by Mr Parfitt for display in Mrs Parpworth’s office. Both students are talented makers and both have consistently demonstrated a passion for the subject beyond timetabled lessons. They are regular attendees of the art club and also create many drawings and paintings in their own time.
Olivia Ross – Year 5: For her clay gargoyle model, inspired by Canterbury cathedral. It is brilliantly made with great attention to detail and bags of character. It is the first sculpture to be chosen for this award!
Marta Bilotserkovych – Year 4: For her Totem pole design. She works very hard in class and listens carefully to instruction and advice. Her classmates are always looking over her shoulder to see what she will make next, she is a real inspiration to them!
School This Week
World Book Day – Polly Dunbar (Author) Workshops
We are really looking forward to World Book Day on Thursday and our Author Workshop being delivered by Polly Dunbar. All details have been shared on Dojo but please remember that Thursday is ‘dressing up’ day as a famous character that has inspired you. Also on Thursday, we have The Classroom Bookshop from Westgate visiting us where every child will receive a free book. Thank you to Mrs Nicholass, Mrs Sabin-Dawson and Mrs Hodges for organising this.
Litter Angels Awards Ceremony
On Friday 3rd March Mr Parfitt will be attending the prize giving event for the ‘Litter Angels’ competition. Clara Montgomery will be representing the school and we look forward to sharing some of her artwork with you. Congratulations to Clara.
Team of the Week
Each week, Team of the Week is awarded to a group of children who have gone above and beyond to contribute positively to life at WHD. This week, for their extraordinary efforts at the Thanet Music and Drama Festival, Mr and Mrs Franklin will see all performers. They are: Pearl, Juelle, Emmy, Arabella (Year 4), Suri, Magnus, Gian and Nicholas (Year 5), Ava, Mabel, Raksiga, Francesca, Olivia, Zachary (Year 6), Luna, Lila, Platon, Kaspar, Tate (Year 7), Georgie and Raf (Year 8). Very well done to all – we are so proud of them.
Pre-Prep Values Awards
| Reception | Monty for always trying his best and making progress in phonics. Eva for putting in effort with her reading every day. |
| Year 1 | Ezra for his curiosity and interest in our new Science topic plants. Ezra has extended his own learning and it is brilliant to see! Reggie for his independence and teamwork in class. Such a kind friend! Coco for working really hard with her writing and maths in class recently. She is showing resilience to push herself to the next level. Well done. Mia for being such a wonderful young lady showing respect and kindness to everyone. She comes in with a smile on her face every day and spreads her happiness around. |
| Year 2 | Lucas Alifrangis for the outstanding effort he puts into all of his lessons and the positive attitude he displays. Ruben Evans for showing perseverance and determination when facing challenges in his lessons. |
| Year 3 | Theo, Sabrina, Amber and Langa for great team working in science. They worked in a group to investigate a question of their choice. They worked patiently together and produced learning of a high standard. |
Values Awards
| Year 4 | Aisha for trying her best in all subjects and for her positive attitude she shows towards everything. |
| Year 5 | Finn Murtagh for showing courage last week when he made a fabulous start in Year 5. |
| Year 6 | Henley Shaddick for the continual kindness he shows towards his friends and teachers. |
| Year 7 | Kaspar Lear for the continual kindness he shows towards his friends and teachers. |
| Year 8 | Teegan Pretzlik for her hard work. She pushes boundaries despite obstacles in her way and always does the right thing. |
PFA Easter Picnic – End of Term, Friday 24th March
A date for your diaries! As shared previously, our PFA team are organising a family picnic to celebrate the end of term. We welcome parents to arrive from 1130 onwards on the last day of term to enjoy a picnic on our grounds and experience the fun of a range of activities including but not limited to: garden games, petting zoo, easter egg hunt, tombola and daffodil picking. Refreshments (in the form of pimms!) and Felicity’s portable cafe will also be available. Full details are on Dojo – £5 entry per person, please email friendsofwhd@gmail.com to purchase tickets and tickets are open to all family members and friends not just limited to parents. Thank you for your support of this fundraising initiative!
Denne Hill – Saturday 18th March
We warmly welcome all families and children to this community event on Saturday 18th March. Thank you to those who have completed the google form with your attendance. If you have not yet done so, please do complete this brief form (please note there is no need for Year 7 & 8 to complete the form as they will all be in attendance anyway) . Thank you
Parents’ conferences
Please note various dates for parent / teacher meetings that are taking place this term, as per the electronic calendar. Class teachers and form tutors will liaise directly with parents, but in the meantime, please note the following:
Pre-prep, Year 3, 4 & 5 meetings – week commencing 13 March
Year 6 parents’ conference – Wednesday 22 March (pm) in the Old Hall
Year 7 parents’ conference – Wednesday 22 March (pm) in the Old Hall
Year 8 parents’ conference – Saturday 18th March (am) – online meetings
Year 5 & 6 – no Saturday School on 18th March
Please note, there will be no Saturday morning provision for Years 5 & 6 on Saturday 18th March as a result of the Year 8 parents’ conference.
School Calendar
Please click here and scroll through for the most up to date calendar of events for the term.
Matches This Week
2.15pm start unless otherwise stated
Tuesday, 28th February
Cross Country Northbourne Park: U12 (a) 2pm
Hockey v Kent College: Boys U9 A (a)
Hockey v Kent College: Boys U9 B (a)
Wednesday, 1st March
Hockey v Kent College: U11 A (a) 1:45pm
Hockey v Kent College: U11 B (a) 1:45pm
Netball V Duke of York U13 (a)
Netball v Junior King’s: U11 A Girls (h)
Netball v Junior King’s: U11 B Girls (h)
Rugby v Dover College: U13 A (h)
Thursday, 2nd March
Netball v St Faiths U9 A (a) 2pm
Netball v St Faiths U9 B (a) 2pm
Saturday, 4th March
Cross Country Yr3-Yr6 (a) 10am
Parents v Squash: 1st VII (h) 2pm
Netball v Junior King’s: U13 A (h) 2pm
Please always refer to the website calendar as it is the most up-to-date place to check for fixture changes and locations.
If your child has been selected for a fixture, we will communicate with you prior to the fixture with information regarding the recommended pick up time from Wellesley HD.
Matches Last Week
Hockey v St Edmund’s: U12 A Boys | Lost 7-1 |
Hockey v St Edmund’s: U12 B Boys | Lost 7-2 |
Netball v Northbourne Park: U11 A Girls | Lost 11-4 |
Netball v Northbourne Park: U9 A Girls | Won 7-1 |
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U9 A Boys | Lost 8 – 6 |
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U9 B Boys | Won 7 – 2 |
Hockey v SLC: U13 A Boys | Lost 5-0 |
Hockey v SLC: U13 B Boys | Lost 4-0 |
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