From the Head’s Study
This week was filled with moments of great delight and I am incredibly proud of what this school stands for and the opportunities it provides our children.
Having spoken to the sports teachers and watched some of the matches myself, I can’t help but feel inspired by the grit and determination demonstrated by our youngsters on the pitch. For our Year 8 boys, they experienced their final football match of the season, finishing with many cherished memories of their journey as a team. The girls played some very feisty hockey matches with excellent results – the U9 and U11 teams showcasing some real talent coming through and the U13 team finishing triumphantly.
On Thursday, we found out that we had won two awards for our work in nature conservation and the environment. My thanks to Mrs Sabin-Dawson for championing the environmental projects we are part of and to our pupils who are leading the way and taking action. To be nominated as the leading educational establishment for nature conservation in Kent is something I feel very passionate about and we have already begun plans to build on this great work.
We finished the week on an absolute high with the senior school production of ‘A Quest for Arthur’. The pupils’ performance was nothing short of exceptional, showcasing not only their talent but also their dedication and teamwork. The imaginative storyline, coupled with impressive acting, highly skilled direction and choreography, created a truly captivating experience for our school community to enjoy. I cannot express my gratitude highly enough to everyone, especially Ms Websper, who brought this magical production to life.
We are sad to announce that Mrs Williams will not return to WHD in January after her period of maternity leave. Mrs Williams will be moving onto pastures new as a maths teacher at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School. We thank her for her years of teaching, dedication and commitment to our school and wish her the very best for her future. Mr Martin will also leave at the end of this term to pursue a new career in education business management. We want to thank Mr Martin for his service to our school and his hard work and enthusiasm not only in the classroom but on the sports field too. From January, IT will be taught by our resident experts Mr Knights and Mr Spencer – they are both very excited about this opportunity.
Please note that assemblies will not run on Monday for the Seniors and Friday for the Pre-Preps as exams are taking place in the Old Hall. We wish everyone the very best of luck for their assessments next week and we will share the outcome of these within the end of term reports.
Finally, we received our Christmas trees on Friday, so we are very much looking forward to giving the school a festive makeover.
We hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
Year 5 Roman Day
Salve! This year’s Roman Day went very well and Mr Kearns was so pleased with the response of the children to the various activities that were on offer. We studied geography, maths, coding, life in the army and art. The children also got the chance to handle, observe and even smell Roman artefacts and replicas. However, it was the lunch which certainly finished the afternoon off in the right way with the catering staff having researched and prepared authentic Roman food. These foods were certainly more edible and enjoyable than the ‘bucellatum’ biscuits the children got to sample!
Kent Eco Awards
Three of our keen environmentalists, Hector (Year 5) and Brooke and Sophie (Year 6), accompanied Mrs Parpworth and Mrs Sabin-Dawson to a Green School Award Ceremony in Ashford this week to collect not one, but two Eco awards. There were some very impressive winning entries so Wellesley Haddon Dene were thrilled to be selected as a Green School winner, as well as the overall winners in Kent for the Nature Conservation category.
Senior School Show
A huge thank you to everyone involved in the senior school show – ‘A Quest for Arthur’, a gripping retelling of the Arthurian legend. The play tells a story of a boy called Raffy, growing up in care, on a quest to find out the truth of his parentage. Along with his friends, he enters another world and is confronted by knights, wizards, witches and mythical creatures in pursuit of the truth of his real identity – ‘King Arthur’. The play draws upon real life themes and issues, punctuated with humour, dance, uplifting songs and live music. It was a truly magnificent performance with opportunities for every child to shine. Year 7 and 8 absolutely smashed their performances and we are indebted to Ms Websper, Mr Redwood, Mr Spencer, Mr Barnes and Mr Pullman for their teamwork in creating this epic show.
Parents v Children Squash Fixture
A huge thank you to Tom Montgomery for organising this fun and high energy fixture. Fourteen squash matches were played on Saturday afternoon, with many close matches and tie breaks. On that note, a tot up shows that the children won by 4-3. It was a great afternoon with much fun had by all. Thank you to Mr Kearns for being a ‘stand in’ dad.
Boarding Experience
Every Sunday, our boarders enjoy an activity and this week, we brought the experience to school. WHD turned into a Laser Tag games zone where children used the corridors, rooms and outside spaces to compete against the opposing team. With battle themed music blaring, they commandeered the darkened corridors. Even Mrs Spencer and Mr Pullman joined in on the fun.
School This Week
Reception Christmas Outing – Monday 27th November
Reception have a really exciting Christmas trip to Manor House Forest School at Quex Park today. Reception will get to toast marshmallows over the fire and drink hot chocolate. They’ll have their photo taken in Santa’s sleigh and get to meet the real man himself! They’ll also follow a Christmas Trail and get to do special crafts. It is going to be a really lovely day for Reception.
Year 3 London Theatre Trip – Wednesday 29th November
In Year 3, we have been studying the geography, history and culture of the African continent. As part of our learning programme, we are terribly excited to be taking a trip to London to watch The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre in Covent Garden. An added bonus will be seeing the Christmas lights and decorations!
Senior Paris Trip – Saturday 2nd December to Tuesday 5th December
The seniors have a jam packed itinerary planned for their trip to Paris. They will take in the key tourist sites such as the Arc de Triomphe and to the Trocadero for a view of the Eiffel Tower by night. They will travel to the Christmas market at the Tuileries, visit the Louvre museum, Notre-Dame and they will be met by a guide who will give them a tour of the Quartier Latin. Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without a stop at Disneyland and a night cruise on the Seine after dinner. It is set to be a trip of a lifetime.
Future Events
Class Assemblies Dates
1st December – Year 2
Pre-Prep Nativity Performances – Wednesday 6th December and Thursday 7th December
Being one of most looked forward to events in the school calendar, we cannot wait to welcome our Nursery and Reception parents to WHD’s Nativity performance. More details to follow.
Year 1 -3 Christmas Celebration Performance – Thursday 7th December
We are very excited to welcome you to our festive programme of song, dance and poetry at our Christmas Service for Years 1 – 3 at 2.15pm. The children will take centre stage and will have their time to shine, filling our hearts with festive cheer.
Christmas Jumper Day – Friday 8th December
All children are invited to wear non-school uniform with a Christmas jumper.
Pre-Prep Christmas Lunch & Christmas Fair
We will provide a full Christmas banquet style lunch for our pre-prep children followed by a Christmas Fair and games in the afternoon.
Panto Trip Years 1 to 8 – Monday 11th December
We are looking forward to a trip to the Sarah Thorne Theatre where the children will enjoy the morning watching a pantomime. More details to follow on School Money.
Christmas Feast Y4 to 8 – Tuesday 12th December
Our infamous Christmas Feast will be held in the evening for Years 4 to 8 followed by parlour games in the Old Hall afterwards (5.15pm to 7pm).
Christmas Carol Service – Wednesday 13th December
Join us in the chapel at 11.30am for our traditional Christmas Service involving Years 4 – 8.
Term Ends – Wednesday 13th December at 12.30pm
Reminders
School Uniform Shop
We have a range of preloved uniform items available in our uniform shop. Please contact Liz Dilkes, Chair of the PFA, to arrange an appointment.
Correct Kit
Please ensure that children arrive at school with the correct kit. During the colder months, children should ideally have base layers and a hoodie. Please remember that shin pads are a necessity for hockey, football and rugby. Gum shields are a necessity for hockey and rugby. All children should be coming to school with a coat. We recommend plenty of layers in this colder weather.
School Values Awards
Pre-Prep
Reception | Monty Watson for always being kind, helpful and ready to tidy. |
Year 1 | Diruksha Thivakar – Diruksha has been putting in an excellent amount of effort with her work and is taking time with sounding out when writing independently. I have been impressed with her can-do attitude. Well done. Margot Watson – Margot is such a lovely member of the class who helps out and is a kind friend to everyone. She has also been working very hard lately, trying her best when it comes to challenges and never giving up. |
Year 2 | Hannah Nelson- She has been extremely helpful with the Christmas performance, supporting her peers and picking up the lines very quickly! Pixie Jarman- Pixie has demonstrated great resilience and maturity this week. Pixie has taken a natural lead in our year 2 assembly, supporting her peers to learn the lines and actions to the songs which has been incredibly helpful! Reggie Smith for his perseverance and determination to succeed in all lessons. Reggie always works really hard to achieve his very best work. Ezra Jeffrey for the extra details he adds to our lessons. Ezra makes a huge effort in all lessons but particularly enjoys Humanities and Science where he is always astounding us with his knowledge and providing us with supporting materials for use in our class displays. |
Year 3 | Frankie – Mae Wynn for concise investigative notions in our science this week when finding the strongest magnet and displaying her findings in a bar chart. Lucas Alifrangis for exhibiting resilience, huge effort and success in our ‘Treats’ this week… loosely disguised as assessments. |
Please note that there isn’t a senior school assembly this morning due to exams so the School Values Awards will resume next week for the upper school.
Team of the Week:
Reception for their hard work and effort in learning lines for the Nativity performance.
Year 7 and 8 for their smashing performance in ‘A Quest for Arthur’.
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
Wednesday
Football v Northbourne Park: U11 A Boys (h)
Football v Northbourne Park: U11 B Boys (h)
Hockey v St Edmund’s: U13 A Girls (a)
Thursday
Squash v King’s Canterbury: U13 A Boys (a)
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 Cliftonville: U11 A Boys (a) | Won 4-1 |
| Football v Dover College: U13 A Boys (h) | Drew 2-2 |
Football v St Edmund’s: U11 A Boys (a) Football v St Edmund’s: U11 B Boys (a) | Lost 0-3 Lost 1-3 |
Football v Northbourne Park: U9 A Boys (a) Football v Northbourne Park: U9 B Boys (a) | Lost 1-2 Lost 1-3 |
| Hockey v Dover College: U13 A Girls (a) | Won 6-3 |
Hockey v St Lawrence: U9 A Girls (h) Hockey v St Lawrence: U9 B Girls (h) Hockey v St Lawrence: U9 C Girls (h) | Drew 1-1 Won 1-0 Won 1-0 |
