From the Headmaster’s Study
Our Remembrance Readings and Armistice Day gathering allowed all within our community to acknowledge and remember the Old Welleslians who fought in the wars. We reflected on our 3 war memorials – in the Old Hall, the library and in the Chapel – and we especially highlighted Mr Herbert Day, a member of staff who died in July 1916 and Lieutenant A.D Tweedie, an OW who died in Iraq in April 2003 at the age of 25. Serious reflection such as this, reminds us not just of the heritage of our school but the strength of the Wellesley community, past, present and future.
Gavin Franklin
Future events
Swimming lessons – We are running a course of 4 swimming lessons during the Friday afternoon activity slot for the remainder of term. If you have a child in JL, Block 3 or Block 4 and would like to sign up please let Mr Kearns know spk@wellesleyhouse.net
One of our qualified swimming instructors, Jasmin, will be running the course. The cost will be £25 for 4 sessions.
Please note that swimming will not be available this week (week commencing 16/11/2020) as Jasmin is isolating at home. She will be back with us on Wednesday 25th November.
‘The Next Step’ – Block 4 Parents – There will be a remote Zoom meeting on Friday 20th November for Block 4 parents to hear about the application process to senior schools. Parents in other year groups who may have missed previous talks may also attend. The remote session starts at 11am. Please confirm your attendance with Mrs Baird (hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net) by Wednesday 18th November. Thank you.
Christmas Fair
Although a little different to last year, we are very pleased to be able to confirm that we will be holding a pupil only Christmas Fair on Saturday 12th December (further information to follow). For parents missing the opportunity to browse and order from the usual array of stalls, we are delighted to announce our first Wellesley Haddon Dene Christmas Gift Guide. Do please take a moment to look at the lovely gifts and treats … there is something for everyone.
School Last week
Remembrance Readings
We were delighted to hold services of Remembrance in the Ridgeway Chapel. Whilst we were sorry not to be able to welcome parents, recordings of the brief (10 mins) services can be watched via the links below:
Middle School Remembrance Readings
Senior School Remembrance Readings
Team of the Week
This week’s Team of the Week award goes to JH for their superb teamwork. They will be treated to squash and cookies with Mr Franklin during a morning break. Well done, JH.
News from the Pre-Prep
“Of all the things to be, I choose kindness” The first lines of the latest John Lewis Christmas advert which we watched in our Pre-prep assembly on Friday. The children were quick to point out that one of our school values is kindness and more important than ever at the moment. One of the many pleasures we have in the Pre-prep department is watching children of all ages show such kindness to their peers whether at Beach school, during playtimes, in after school activities or during meals together.
It’s been another busy week in Junior House; JH have been researching “Space” and during History Mr Kearns challenged the class to place some historical space information in chronological order. JR have produced some wonderful paintings in the style of Van Gogh’s Night Sky, as well as exploring silhouettes and enjoying a disco with glow sticks! The children in Nursery have spent the week finding out about Diwali and have made diva lamps, rangoli patterns and made and eaten their very own chapatis.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming Miss Chloe Kingsland to the Pre-prep team, who will join Mrs Reed in Form JR.
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
Symptoms of COVID – children
School This Week
Monday Music
This week the Music Department is preparing for its very first ‘Winter Music Showcase’. This will be going out for all to see towards the end of term. Due to concerts and performances being unable to happen we still wanted to show what the children have been upto in their instrumental music lessons.
Old Welleslian news
We were saddened to hear the news of Graham Cowdrey’s death last week and our deepest sympathies goes to his family and friends. Wellesley has strong links with the Cowdrey family and please click here to read more of this cricketing legend’s successes as written by our very own, Jonathan Mount, OW secretary.
Additional Support
We are able to offer bespoke 1:1 additional subject support for subjects such as English, Maths and French. All our peripatetic teachers are highly specialist in their subject fields, and can tailor the support whilst liaising closely with subject tutors. The 1/2 hr sessions can involve reinforcing skills being learned in class, discussing and re-visiting problems that may have occurred in lessons and provide opportunities for exam practice whilst building pupil confidence.
If you would like your child to receive any additional support, please contact Head of AEN Ms AH Moosuddee who will be happy to arrange this for you.
Securus chromebook monitoring
Internet safety is covered in ICT and PSHE. The children are taught about how to behave online and what to do if they experience bad behaviour or anything that makes them uncomfortable whilst using technology. They are encouraged to talk about their online lives both with teachers here and with parents at home. To help the staff keep pupils safe we have internet filters and procedures in place to minimise risk. No pupil would be given unsupervised access to the internet.
For the last few years we have also been using a product called Securus to monitor the computers in the ICT suite. Securus looks for keywords and takes screenshots on those machines that it thinks we might be concerned about. These captures are reviewed regularly and pupil use discussed with them when required. This technology has now extended to chromebooks. This means that any chromebook which is signed into with a Wellesley account will be monitored by Securus. At present this is either on or off and does not differentiate between locations. This means that Securus will monitor what Wellesley pupils do whilst logged into their home chromebooks if they are signed in with their Wellesley accounts. We are hoping that this can be altered in the future and will look to update you should this happen.
Marshside Wreaths and Garlands
With Christmas fast approaching, if you would like to tick one job off the list, please head to Marshside Wreaths to order your handmade Christmas wreath and garland. Available from 1st December, bespoke door wreaths and garlands are individually handcrafted by one of Marshside’s qualified florists. Each one is different and fabulous darling! Prices start at £25 (small), £30 (medium) and £35 (large) and to place an order, please contact: awakeling442@gmail.com
Senior School News
On Saturday 21st November 2020 Wellington College will be hosting a Virtual Visitors Day. If you would like to attend this event please contact the Admissions Department on +44 (0)1344 444013 or admissions@wellingtoncollege.org.uk.
Benenden is hosting a series of online Prospective Parent Open Mornings, please click here for dates and further information.
The King’s School, Canterbury is holding a live virtual Open Morning on Saturday 6th March 2021 and you can register and request a Digital Information Pack by clicking here.
On Tuesday 17th November at 18:30, St Edmund’s, Canterbury is holding a Virtual Year 9 entry information evening. For further information and to book, please click here.
Eton College has introduced a 45-minute webcast that they hope will serve as some form of a virtual visit; it includes an interview with the Head Master, a tour of the school given by a Y9 boy, an explanation of our admissions process for parents, and a broader video about the school. These are broadcast at specific times via Zoom, and interested parties are asked to email admissions@etoncollege.org.uk in order to book into a webcast. Their prospectus has now been significantly condensed into what they hope is a rather more user-friendly document (and certainly more geared towards Y5 boys and their parents). Do let us know if you would like hard copies of the new version, which is also viewable at www.etoncollege.com/admissions/entry-to-eton.
Ampleforth College will be holding an online event on Thursday 19 November at 7pm about Music Scholarships. Ampleforth is a co-educational school for 11-18 year olds with nine boarding houses, three for girls and five for boys. If you are interested please follow the link to the event registration page: MusicScholarshipEvening.
Wellbeing
If you would like more information about wellbeing and support systems, in addition to speaking with key personnel at school, you can access professional support and guidance through the following document.
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.