From the Head’s Study
It has been a wonderful second week back at school where the children have enjoyed meeting with friends, old and new. There is certainly a buzz around the school and a renewed sense of enthusiasm. Clubs started last week and there has been a hive of activity after school with children trying new experiences. It is so clear from the smiles on faces to the abundant energy in classrooms, corridors, boarding house and fields that our children are thriving and are very happy to be back at school. We are delighted to hear of children who are already confident enough to try flexi-boarding and the speed at which they have tried new things.
Sports fixtures commenced last week with away tournaments at Kent College and Junior King’s. These opportunities provide a feeling of camaraderie, and instil vital life skills such as teamwork, communication and resilience. Learning to fail, training hard, improving one’s personal best and developing team etiquette are just a few of the benefits of our sports programme here at WHD.
On Friday, we will support the first of many charities we champion – Jeans for Genes. Children can wear their own clothes (including jeans/denim) and we are grateful for any donations you are able to provide on School Money.
We strive to uphold the highest standards with regards to uniform and we have high expectations that all our children come to school with the right equipment for sports lessons. Children should not be coming into school with trainers unless instructed to do so by the class teacher. Accessories such as bracelets and necklaces should not be worn. It is really important that children have the right socks for PE and safety equipment such as gum shields and shin pads. For swimming, children should have appropriate footwear to wear to and from the pool, goggles and swim hats. Please refer to our uniform policy for more information. We thank you for your support.
Finally, please do not forget that it is Exeat this weekend and the whole school will close at 3.30pm.
We hope you have a great week ahead.
Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
Dr Gina May
We are so proud of Dr May who has been awarded the title of ‘Most Dedicated Classics Education Provider 2023 – South East England’ at the Private Education Awards. We are very fortunate to have Dr May on our teaching team – she is someone who is skilled, knowledgeable and passionate about her subject. Above all, she is dedicated to making her lessons fun and memorable. Well done Dr May!
Extra-Curricular Clubs and Choir
Our clubs programme commenced last week and It has been wonderful to see so many different and varied opportunities available to our children from examining Roman coins in Classics Club, to making rockets in Science Club to producing delicious recipes in Baking Club – it is great to see so many children getting involved. Mrs Spencer held auditions for our school choir and we have been inundated with children wanting to take part. We are looking forward to performing to you all in the near future.
Curriculum Meetings
We held several curriculum meetings last week in Pre-Prep outlining the educational plans for the year ahead. If you were unable to attend any of these meetings, please contact your class teacher who will be happy to share a copy of the presentation and plans with you.
School This Week
Curriculum Meetings
Curriculum meetings in Year 4, 5 and 6 continue this week on Tuesday 19th September at 4.30pm. Reception parents are invited to join us on Thursday 21st September at 3.30pm. These meetings are important in terms of understanding your child’s curriculum journey ahead and any important assessments such as the 11+, Common Pre-test and SATs. Please see your class Dojo pages for more details on location for these meetings
Jeans for Genes Day
We are fundraising for this very important charity on Friday 22nd September where children will be permitted to wear non-school uniform for the day (to include denim items). Jeans for Genes supports countless people raising awareness of the daily challenges faced by those living with a genetic condition. They fund projects that make a tangible difference to the lives of those affected. We do hope that you are able to support this special cause; a voluntary donation will be loaded onto School Money.
Reading Coaching with Alice Henry for Years 6 – 8
At WHD, we want to motivate and inspire our children to develop reading habits for life. With imminent exams and transitions to senior schools not far away, we want to ensure everyone has embedded a passion for reading and that they have widened their repertoire of genres. In the same way that we offer additional opportunities to develop music, sports and drama talents through peripatetic teaching, we want to provide access to high quality reading coaching in the same vein.
We are excited to announce that we are able to offer our children (in Year 6/7/8) the opportunity to work with Alice Henry, who has spent her 20+ year career focused on improving student outcomes in English at schools across the UK, the US and Asia. She has had a wealth of experience, ranging from many years as a dedicated English teacher to heading English departments and designing and writing curricula. Most recently she spent several years as a teacher coach, helping colleagues to refine their craft and develop their classroom skills.
Time and again, Alice has seen how empowering it is for young people to develop a passion for reading and she has had huge success helping young people to develop strong reading habits. At the last school she taught at, she grew the school’s independent reading programme by introducing protocols around goal setting, conferring with pupils about their reading, creating exciting, stimulating classroom libraries and building a strong reading community in a school of 800 students. She is incredibly excited to bring this experience to WHD and to help continue to develop the school’s reading culture.
If you are interested in signing your child up to reading coaching, please contact Linzi Crine at lac@wellesleyhaddondene.co.uk. The price per term is £100.
We do hope that you are interested in pursuing this additional opportunity to strengthen your child’s passion for reading.
Exeat
Please note that school will finish at 3.30pm on Friday 22nd September in preparation for Exeat weekend. We look forward to welcoming our boarders back on the evening of Sunday 24th September.
Future Events
Wine Tasting
Following on from our successful wine tasting last term, we are excited to announce we will be holding another session in a few weeks’ time to celebrate autumnal flavours and good company. Please join us on Tuesday 26th September between 6-9pm for an Autumnal Classics Wine Tasting.Everyone is welcome. For more information and to book visit:https://www.oscarroadwine.co.uk/products/autumnal-classics-wine-tasting-in-the-gardens-of-wellesley-haddon-dene
MacMillan Coffee Morning
Join us for our coffee morning on the 29th September from 8.20am onwards on the terrace (next to the swimming pool) where we will be selling refreshments and cakes in aid of MacMillan. We would be grateful for any cake donations to be handed into the Office (the day before) remembering that we are a nut free school.
Harvest Festival
On Friday 6th October, we will be holding two Harvest Festival services. Pre-Prep families (Years 1 – 3) are invited to join our 9am service and Prep (Years 4-8) are invited at 4pm. We will write to you closer to the time to ask for food donations.
Quex Park Cross Country
Years 3 – 6 are invited to take part in the annual Quex Cross Country on Saturday 7th October. Mrs Crompton will be in touch with more details.
School Photographs
On Monday 9th October, we will be taking class and individual photographs. Please ensure that children are in their smartest uniform for this day.
Parent Consultation Meetings
We are holding a series of Parent Consultations so that you are able to discuss how your child has settled in their new class and to ask any questions you may have.
Reception to Year 3 will take place on either Monday 9th or Tuesday 10th October and class teachers will communicate time slots available on Dojo.
Years 7 and 8 Monday 9th October at 3pm in the Library with the opportunity to meet academic subject teachers.
Years 4, 5 & 6 Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th 3pm – 4.30pm with form teachers. Booking for these will take place on the Portal and you will receive an email nearer the time with instructions on how to book your slot.
Wear it Yellow Day
On the 10th October, we will be wearing non-school uniform in aid of World Mental Health Day.
PFA Halloween Disco
On Friday 13th (spooky) we will be holding two Halloween discos, kindly organised by our PFA. R-3
(3.30pm) and 4-8 (5.30pm). More details to follow.
End of Term
Half term ends at 3.30pm on Wednesday 18th October.
Open Day
We will be holding an Open Day on Saturday 4th November with a Fireworks Theme from Year 1 to 8. We would like children to attend school on that day between 10 and 1pm. There will be a variety of activities to enjoy and delicious food too. More details will follow but please put this date in your diary and we would be grateful if you could share with any prospective families you know.
Reminders
PSHE
Please review this letter regarding our PSHE curriculum. Please contact Ms Elliott to discuss your rights to ‘opt out’ or to discuss any concerns you may have.
Safeguarding Reminder
Please do not park in front of the white railings at Junior House at pick-up time. It is very difficult for our staff to dismiss children safely with cars parked so close to the gate exit. Please use the new car park facility opposite the main school or by the musc/science block.
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 of 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 Feedback
We are proud of our school community and the inclusive nature in which we value everyone’s voice. We are fully committed to the continual improvement of our school and your ideas would be greatly appreciated. If you have time, please complete the survey. We will aim to give feedback on any suggestions we have implemented.
School Values Award
Pre-Prep
Year 1 | Leika Weymouth for her wonderful attitudes in class and helpfulness towards others. Leika has also amazed us with her historical knowledge this week when learning about life in the 1950s.
David Walters for coming into school every day with a huge smile on his face and having a fantastic attitude to learning, wanting to do the very best he can in every lesson. |
Year 2 | Rez Gardner for a super start to Year 2. He is focused, polite and working really well.
Coco Smith for her participation in our class topics. She is a fountain of knowledge and regularly shares her interesting facts and stories with the class.
Teddy Beattie- for being a brilliant role model, always doing the right thing and being ready to help anyone that needs it!
Zayd Khan- for his fantastic contributions in class and always challenging himself to go further! |
Year 3 | Cooper Webb – resilience and tenacity in maths challenging himself to finish a particularly tricky word problem.
Claudia Flockheart – for producing learning of a high standard across all subjects and consistently completing set challenges with a positive attitude. |
Senior
Year 4 | Prince Zhang – Showing courage and getting involved in all aspects of school life with a smile. |
Year 5 | Pearl Dunbar Brunton – for her kindness towards others. |
Year 6 | Olivia Ross – For trying exceptionally hard in English, focusing in lessons and being an absolute joy to teach. |
Seniors | Thara Aravindakshan – she has been courageous this term settling into a new form, putting herself forward for each challenge, whether it is in her school work or in the hockey goals.
Felix Worthington – for being super helpful and proactive in the boarding house and lunch hall. |
Team of the Week
Every week, a team or group of pupils are nominated for a special treat with Mrs Parpworth. This week, Year 4 has been chosen for their efforts in games and PE.
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
Tuesday 19 September
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U9 A Mixed (h) 2:15pm
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U9 B Mixed (h) 2:15pm
Wednesday 20 September
Football v Northbourne Park: U13 A Boys (h) 2:15pm
Football v St Faith’s: U11 A Boys (h) 2:15pm
Football v St Faith’s: U11 B Boys (h) 2:15pm
Football v St Faith’s: U11 C Boys (h) 2:15pm
Hockey v St Lawrence: U11 A Girls (a) 2:15pm
Hockey v St Lawrence: U11 B Girls (a) 2:15pm
Thursday 21 September
Football v St Faith’s: U9 A Boys (a) 2pm
Football v St Faith’s: U9 B Boys (a) 2pm
Football v St Faith’s: U9 C Boys (a) 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
Football v Kent College: U11A | Lost 0-7 |
Football v Kent College: U11B | Lost 0-5 |
Football v Junior King’s: U13 A Boys | Lost 6-0 |
Hockey v Junior King’s: U13 A Girls | Lost 3-0 |
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