From the Heads
We couldn’t have asked for a better end to our week than our annual Speech and Sports Days. On Friday we welcomed Pre-Prep families to come together to celebrate the progress and achievements of all children. We thank everyone for their involvement and attendance at our annual Pre-Prep Prize Giving and Sports Day. It was a fantastic morning with a real feeling of community spirit. A special thanks must go to Mrs Spencer and her choir; Freddie Spencer, Amelia Foster, Raf Shoring, Amber Hutchinson, Oliver Eve and Kody Simpson for their musical performances; Aziza Foster-Troy, Langa Ngwenya-Robinson and Kody Simpson for their Elocution Cup recitals and Laura O’Dell for her PFA speech. Mrs Crompton and her team deserve high praise for running such a slick Sports Day; Mrs Crine for creating all the certificates and Mr Spencer for his behind the scenes technical expertise.
Every single child deserves recognition for their invaluable contribution to our school community. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the children compete in their races and much fun was had by all. Thank you to Mrs Smith for taking photographs and to our PFA for organising ice-lollies.
Speech Day on Saturday on our beautiful playing fields was also a great success. The weather was with us – just – and the sea breeze kept us from overheating. The pupil performances – speeches, poems, play extracts, piano, harp and choir – were nothing short of superb and all seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. It was such a pleasure to welcome Mr Ed Smith and we thank Ed for his inspirational address that chimed with children and adults alike. His five key pieces of advice are:
- Work Hard – nothing interesting or worth doing is easy – it will require constant hard work and dedication.
- Attend – whether this is in class, a rehearsal or sports practice – be present in the moment, avoid distractions and focus on getting 100% out of that opportunity.
- Develop – know that improvement isn’t always linear and that resilience will be required to avoid giving up
- Be Human – Artificial intelligence will take over many of the roles and functions completed by humans in the near future. To remain competitive and useful, humans must develop those aspects of oneself that are not easy to replicate by computers such as creativity and empathy.
- Luck – Look around at what you have and be grateful; always look to help others.
We congratulate prize winners, and indeed all children for their efforts throughout the year and on the day. Behaviour and conduct was exemplary throughout. Thank you to all who were able to support; we hope that you enjoyed the day as much as our staff did. The pupils conducted themselves superbly in the athletics events, with some extremely impressive individual performances and everyone, quite simply, getting stuck in. Our thanks go to all of the staff – teaching and non-teaching – who worked so hard to make it all happen.
Moving on to our final week, we are looking forward to our Leavers’ celebration suppers for Year 6 (Monday) and Year 8 (Thursday), an evening of literature on Tuesday evening and of course, the epic Junior School performances of Mary Poppins on Wednesday. On Friday we will hold our final assembly and Chapel Service.
As mentioned at Speech Day, we would like to take the opportunity of thanking all pupils, teachers and parents for their ongoing commitment and support for our school. This year has been monumental in terms of the respective schools’ histories. WHD’s new legacy is well underway and we have a strong and clear picture on the journey ahead. We feel excited about the future of this school and I thank you all for your continued support.
Thank you to you, Mr Franklin and your family for everything you have done for Wellesley during your tenure and for your tireless dedication and commitment to every single member of our school community. Amesbury School is extremely fortunate to have you and we wish you all the best for your futures.
We wish everyone the best summer holidays and hope that you all enjoy a well-deserved break. We look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday 5th September.
Mr Gavin Franklin and Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
Speech Day and Sports Day (LD – Year 3) Friday 30th June
It was wonderful to see our children take part in Sports Day, making memories which will last forever. From the classic egg and spoon race to relays and tug of war, the children showed resilience, teamwork and courage. First, second and third prizes were awarded on the day and the pre-decided events will be presented in our final assembly on Friday of this week.
All photos from Sports Day can be can be viewed at:
Please use the code – cromptonpe to view and purchase.
Speech Day and Sports Day (Year 4 – 8) – Saturday 1st July
On the afternoon of Speech Day, we hosted our House athletics competition. Aside from House relays (for both 100m and 300m), an open 800m and an open 300m, all pupils from Year 4 upwards followed a carousel of track and field events. It was a hugely inclusive sporting event and aside from seriously impressive individual performances, all pupils should be commended for their effort, conduct and sportsmanship throughout. Well done to Sam Reading and Ellie Uden (Year 4), Caitlin Milson, Nicholas Chhabra, Suri Lear, Theo Alifrangis and Reuben Young-Gadd (Year 5), Ava Harris and Joshua Eve (Year 6), Harriet Brooks (Year 7), Reuben Carss, Barnaby Williams and Teegan Pretzlik (Year 8) for being the highest point scorers in the overall year group competitions. Individual winners in the 100m 300m, 800m included Ava Harris and Joshua Eve (Year 6), Teegan Pretzlik and Harriet Brooks (Senior Girls) and William Franklin (Senior boys).
The House results were as follows:
1st – Viking
2nd – Joss
3rd – Stone
4th – Kingsgate
Year 7 Camping
Year 7 enjoyed a fantastic couple of days camping at Olantigh in Wye. They proved themselves to be able campers, erecting their own tents with minimal help from the teachers! They enjoyed exploring the beautiful estate and riverside, plenty of games of manhunt in the woodland, swimming, cricket, campfire songs, toasting marshmallows, and a few ghost stories after dark. A huge thank you to the Loudons for hosting us again this year, and to Claire Harland for the swimming. Also to Mr Parfitt and Miss Wallace for leading the camp. Much fun was had by all, and lasting memories were made.
Leadership Speeches (Yr 5 & 7)
On Wednesday morning, Year 5 and Year 7 children delivered speeches to the whole school as part of their individual campaigns to become student leaders for the next academic year. We were overwhelmed with pride and emotion when listening to their words. We sat very proudly and listened to the children’s vision and ideas for our future and we felt buoyed with optimism listening to them. Every child has had the opportunity to vote for their preferred leadership team. The votes have been counted and positions will be announced in our final assembly on Friday.
Year 6 Surf Day
Year 6 were lucky enough to have a surf day on Thursday. The weather and calm seas meant the waves weren’t big enough to surf so they enjoyed some paddling boarding and kayaking instead and a near miss from having their ice creams stolen by the seagulls. A fabulous day was had by all. Well done to Mrs Crompton for organising.
Whole School Photo
Please click on the link provided on this voucher to place your order.
School This Week
Junior School Show 2pm & 6pm performances
We are filled with excitement and anticipation of our forthcoming Junior School Production of Mary Poppins. It is set to be a spectacular show highlighting the talents of all children in Years 3 to 6. In advance of the show we would like to especially thank Mrs Bournea and Mr Redwood for supporting the children to produce such a high quality production.
We wanted to provide you with some details which are as follows:
The Show: This will take place on Wednesday 5th July at 2pm and 6pm. It is anticipated that the duration of the show will be one hour and fifteen minutes. Refreshments will be served on the terrace after the 2pm performance. Children will be permitted to leave after the matinee performance and must return by 5.15pm (at the Junior House entrance) in full costume ready for the 6pm performance. Refreshments will be served on the terrace from 5.15pm for parents ahead of the evening performance.
Tickets/Seating: This event will not be ticketed. Due to capacity restrictions in the hall, parents of children in Years 3, 4 and 5 will be limited to 2 seats per child. Parents of children in Year 6 will be limited to 4 seats.
Parking: Parking will be available on the right hand-side field, through the yellow barrier
Year 7 & 8 – an Evening of Literature – Tuesday 4th July from 5.30pm
Parents are warmly invited to a (very relaxed) evening of literature within the stunning surrounds of the Orchard on Tuesday. Brief performances will begin at 5.30pm and the final curtain will be drawn at 6.15pm. Refreshments will be served and parents are invited to bring a rug, hat, sweater or waterproof (depending on the weather). If you plan on attending, please complete this brief google form. Thank you.
National Transition Day
On Thursday, children from Reception to Year 5 will spend time with their new teachers, preparing them for the academic year ahead. Year 6 will attend their new school on that day.
Sickness & Diarrhoea Bugs
Just a quick reminder that our school policy is that any child who has had diarrhoea or vomiting must stay at home for 48 hours after the last incident. We will send a child home again if they are sent into school prior to the 48 hour period.
Parent Testimonials
We would be really grateful to any parents who are willing to write a short testimonial recommending our school so that prospective parents may benefit from reading these when researching our new website (due to be published in the next few weeks). The majority of our registrations come from word or mouth so we would really appreciate your time on this. Written format or short videos would be really beneficial. If willing, please send these to headmistress@wellesleyhaddondene.co.uk. It may also be a good time to remind all parents that we offer a £500 Friends & Family loyalty bonus for new registrations based on recommendations (both the existing and new family will each receive £500).
Parent Suggestion Box
We are proud of our school community and the inclusive nature in which we value everyone’s voice. Having listened to some of our parents, we felt it would be useful to provide an additional platform for the sharing of ideas. We are fully committed to the continual improvement of our school and your ideas would be greatly appreciated. It is really important that this platform isn’t used to air any worries or concerns as these should continue to be addressed in 1:1 meetings with appropriate staff or via Dojo. We will review this virtual suggestion box throughout the school year and will give feedback on any improvement ideas we have been able to implement via our newsletter.
You can access the suggestion box here.
Mr Boyne’s Channel Swim
I am attempting to swim across the English channel next month in a team of 5 with hopes to raise funds for Aspire, a charity who supports those with spinal cord injuries.
Having competed at the highest level for a world #1 ranked hockey team, I thought this challenge would be a doddle…. How wrong I was! I have been pushed into hypothermia, self doubt and severe fatigue in my attempts to be ready for the swim next month. Unfortunately, we are now down to 5 as a member withdrew due to his severe reaction to the cold water training. There’s a clear reason that more people have climbed Mt Everest than do this swim! We will be navigating through the busiest shipping lane in the world avoiding tankers, ferries, and all that they drag along behind them.
If you are able to spare a pound or two, I am so close to reaching my target and would appreciate any help given!
Creative Writing Competition
Atom learning is launching the second annual Young Author Award to celebrate the generation’s upcoming young writers. With the chance to win incredible prizes (including a trip to Disneyland and free Chromebooks!)It’s time to pick up a pen and get ready for a summer celebration of creativity!
Click on this link to find out more.
School Calendar
Please click here and scroll through for the most up to date calendar of events for the term.
Matches This Week
2.00pm start unless otherwise stated
No 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.
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
Cricket v Marlborough House: 1st XI | Match tied |
Cricket v Spring Grove: Mixed U9 A | Won by 34 runs |
Cricket v Spring Grove: Mixed U9 B | Lost by 30 runs |
Cricket v Spring Grove: U11 A | Lost by 20 runs |
Cricket v St Edmund’s: Girls U13 A | Lost by 3 runs |
Cricket v Northbourne Park: Girls U11 A |
|
Cricket v Northbourne Park: Girls U11 B |
|
Cricket v Dulwich Cranbrook Festival: Boys U13 A | Cancelled |
Cricket v Sunningdale: 1st XI | Match drawn |