From the Head’s Study
What a busy and productive week we have had, beginning with a whole school photography shoot. We started at 8am and finished at 6pm, capturing some excellent photos of the grounds and children in action. The photographer was blown away with the behaviour of our children and our facilities. We look forward to sharing some of the images with you very soon.
It was wonderful to see one of our first co-ed football matches take place on Wednesday during the U13 fixture against Dover College. The team was strong, inclusive and united. It just so happens that we had our first win of the season too! On Saturday, the U13 started their match against JKS with a lead of two goals, one of them scored by Teresa, being the first girl to score a goal in a co-ed U13 fixture! We look forward to watching the whole team go from strength to strength.
On Thursday, it was World Teacher Day and I want to take the opportunity to thank all the staff who are involved in the education of our children. They are truly remarkable, selfless, dedicated and above all, caring people. I personally feel indebted to them for their hard work, commitment and loyalty and I thank them for the strength they bring to the overall team and school.
We were delighted to welcome parents to our school for two Harvest services on Friday. It was wonderful to see the community come together and for all of us to hear valuable reminders about being grateful for what we have and being generous in what we give. The services were very special; the children and wider team created performances to be proud of. We thank everyone who was able to make a Harvest donation and we will make sure that all goods find their way safely to the GAP project at the Queen’s Road Baptist Church in Broadstairs.
We hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
Triumphant Year 2
Congratulations to Year 2 for their victory at the Thanet Multi-Sports Tournament which took place on Thursday. Playing a range of sports, the children had to work as a team competing with 6 other local primary schools. The children were voted as overall winners by the coaches present at the tournament for their teamwork, behaviour, sporting values and manners. This has made us all extremely proud indeed! Well done Year 2.
National Poetry Day
On Thursday, it was National Poetry Day. Children across the school created many different types of poems and we are delighted to share some with you in our newsletter. Year 4 ventured outdoors, surrounded by nature and tranquillity and were inspired to write some Haikus. These are a Japanese poetic form that consists of three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Sabrina and Amber’s work are featured. Year 1 were challenged to write some limericks and I am sure you’ll agree they are both humorous and brilliant:
There once was a child at school Who jumped in a very big pool He got very wet and made a big bet with a very big puddle of drool Hannah Nelson |  |
There once was a child at school Who was scared of a piranhary pool It nipped him on the toe and it wouldn’t let go So he was stuck in the piranhary pool Felcity O’Dell | There once was a child at school Who jumped in a very wide pool He wanted a pet But it might get wet If he jumped in a very wide pool Teddy Beattie |
Harvest Festival
On Friday, we enjoyed two Harvest Festival Services. In the morning, Pre-Prep entertained us with poetry and song and delivered decorated donation boxes to the Chapel, ready for collection. Ms Websper and Mr Redwood arranged a wonderful set of performances, showcasing the talents of our little ones. In the afternoon, we were joined by Reverend Matt Hodder, priest in charge at St Peter’s Church, who led the service alongside Mrs Spencer and the choir. Thank you to everyone for attending the services and for your kind donations. The retiring collection has been given to St Peter’s church and the food donations will make their way to the Thanet Food Bank today.
Reception Trip to Broadstairs Library
On Friday 6th October, Reception took a walk to Broadstairs library as part of National Libraries week and to learn more about our local area for our topic ‘All About Me’. We talked about what we could see on our walk there and back in the Autumn sunshine. The children were shown around and got to explore lots of different books including ones linked to our topic. Some children took books out and we took out a book for the whole class with lots of craft projects to try. We were then treated to a story by local author, Sue Heton. One story was about a naughty pumpkin using finger puppets and one was from a traditional book. The children were so well behaved. Well done!
Quex Park Cross Country
Years 3 – 6 enjoyed the sunshine on Saturday morning whilst taking part in the Thanet Primary Schools Cross Country at Quex Park. It was wonderful to see our school so well represented in each age group. Well done to all children who participated in the run. We had many top 30 places which is magnificent considering the amount of competitors in each age group. A special mention goes to Suri Lear (3rd place), Stanley Keel (4th place) and Ellie Uden (6th place).
Award Winning Latin Teacher
We are absolutely delighted to announce that Dr Gina May is the UK winner of Global Education Awards 2023 for the best Educational Platform of the Year in the UK! The judges were blown away by Gina’s commitment and enthusiasm for Latin teaching and her energy for inspiring youngsters. It goes without saying that we feel extremely proud and fortunate to have such an outstanding teacher at our school and we are excited for the future of Latin, Classics and Ancient Greek education at our school.
School This Week
Parent Consultation Meetings
Parent consultations will take place this week. Please do not hesitate to contact your class teacher/form tutor for more information 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. A voluntary donation of £2 has been loaded onto School Money. Refreshments and cakes will be served just outside the dining hall from 8.20am onwards, any donations will be greatly received.
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). See the flyer below for more details.
Future Events
Future Events for your diaries
WHD Swim academy
Following the successful launch of our swim academy, Mrs Crompton is running some additional sessions on Mondays between 4.30pm-5.30pm. These sessions are aimed at children who are Level 5 or above and are looking to prepare for competitive swimming. The sessions run from 06/11/23 until 04/12/23, costing £40 in total. Please contact Mrs Crompton on 07792080586 to book your child’s place.
Pre-school Swim Sessions
We are running some additional sessions for little ones outside of their nursery routine (parents to attend). They are running on Thursdays between 11.15am to 11.45am – open to all pre-school children so please do share this with your friends and family. The sessions are running between 02/11/23 until 30/11/23, costing £40 in total. Please contact Mrs Crompton on 07792080586 to book your child’s place.
Anti Bullying week
Join us for Anti-Bullying week 2023, which will take place from Monday 13th November – Friday 17th November and will kick off with Odd socks day on Monday 13th. Below is a Just Giving page if you would like to donate directly.
Anti-Bullying Alliance – JustGiving
Bonfire night
Join us for our Bonfire party at WHD on Friday 3rd November from 4.30pm onwards. We look forward to serving hotdogs, drinks whilst warming around the bonfire. This event is organised by the PFA and we do hope you are able to attend this seasonal fundraising event.
Parent/Teacher Quiz Night
Please join us on Friday 10th November for an adult quiz night in the Sports Hall. It is set to be a night of fun, laughter and good company. The ticket entry of £10 includes 2 bottles of wine per table. Please bring your own additional snacks and drinks. Ms Mohammed has kindly created a quiz for everyone to enjoy, which will be delivered by Mrs Parpworth who will be wearing her sparkliest of jackets. To enter please email: friendsofwhd@gmail.com.
Half Term Holiday Clubs
We are pleased to announce that we are running two options for holiday clubs. We will continue to run our own, exclusive, multi-activity club run by Mrs McBride’s team. The cost per day is £35. The links to book onto Holiday Club are:
Half Term:
https://forms.gle/jpPsgjpW5Lbw9iM47
Christmas:
https://forms.gle/j3QSUx3E5XwTfxEg6
Please note that Holiday Club charges must be paid in advance and no refunds will be issued should your child not attend for any reason. Children must be picked up promptly at the end of each session. An additional charge of £10.00 will be added if any child is picked up more than 15 minutes late.
We are also delighted to announce that we have also partnered with Total Sports Coaching and Ocean Swim School where we will be running a Multi Sports Camp open to all children in primary education during October Half Term. To book, please click here.
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. 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
We would like to reiterate the importance of arriving at school on time and not taking holiday during term time. It is essential that you write to Mrs Parpworth outlining the reasons for your child’s absence (medical or otherwise) so that this can be captured on record and discussed. Please do not underestimate the disruption that absences have on a child’s overall development and learning.
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.
Safeguarding Reminder
We are big animal lovers at WHD and we are no strangers to wildlife, animals and creatures on our vast site. However, we have concerns regarding dogs being brought on-site due to faeces being found on the school grounds. Whilst we appreciate that this may be foxes, there is a strong possibility this may be coming from dogs. We do a thorough H&S inspection every morning to check for hazards on our playing fields where we remove any problems we find. As a further measure, we would appreciate all dogs being kept on a tight lead where you can monitor the situation. This is for child safety. We will review the situation in the coming weeks. Thank you for your understanding.
School Values Award
School Values Award
Pre-Prep
Year 1 | Margot Watson – for being a mature and responsible member of the class who always puts in her best effort in lessons and loves to learn.
Tilda Hempstead – for her excellent progress in reading and phonics, alongside always showing off her lovely smile and having contagious enthusiasm. |
Year 2 | Joseph Wake- This week Joseph has impressed me all round! He has been working very hard in maths, in particular his own personal motivation to want to do better shines through and he is stretching himself to complete our maths challenges each day!
Mia Low- for her increased confidence in all areas of learning. Mia always has her hand up, ready to share her ideas and is never afraid to ask questions! Mia has made great progress with her reading and is reading every day at home!
Charlie Carey- Charlie is working really hard in all his lessons and has made great progress. We are particularly impressed with Charlie’s writing and the work he is completing in his Phonics lessons with Ms Mohammed.
Ezra Jeffrey- Ezra takes such a keen interest in all lessons and can always be relied upon to share his ideas, facts and opinions. He is an asset to our class. |
Year 3 | Emilia Foster – always presenting her learning to a high standard of accuracy and neatness with attention to detail.
Frank Lillis – working hard to improve his phonics skills and applying them in his written learning. |
Senior
Year 4 | Theo – shows great enthusiasm in his learning and is always trying his best in all lessons. He is a kind and helpful boy in the class. |
Year 5 | Arabella Chhabra – for her cheerful and positive attitude to school. |
Year 6 | Olivia Ross – for an amazing start for the year. Working with a great effort and enthusiasm in all areas of school life.
Daniel Dong – for settling positively into life at WHD over the past week, and making an effort to follow the values of respect and kindness.
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Seniors | Rocio Bravo – putting herself out of her comfort zone to be at her best. She always has a positive attitude and treats her peers with kindness and respect. |
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 have been nominated for being an amazing class, working hard and always trying their best.
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, 10 October
Squash v King’s: U13 A Boys (a) 2:30pm
Wednesday, 11 October
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U13 A Girls (a)
Football v St Edmund’s: U11 A Boys (h)
Football v St Edmund’s: U11 B Boys (h)
Football v St Edmund’s: U13 A Boys (h)
Hockey v Junior King’s: U11 A Girls (h)
Hockey v Junior King’s: U11 B Girls (h)
Football Thanet passport Yr1/2 (a) 3:45pm
Thursday 12 October
Hockey v Junior King’s: U9 A Girls (a) 1:45pm
Hockey v Junior King’s: U9 B Girls (a) 1:45pm
Football v Northbourne Park: U9 A Boys (a)
Football v Northbourne Park: U9 B Boys (a)
Saturday 14 October
Football v Kent College: 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
Hockey v Kent College: U9A Girls | Lost 0-4 and Lost 0-1 |
Hockey v Kent College: U9B Girls | Lost 0-1 and Drew 0-0 |
Football v Northbourne Park: U11 A Boys | Won 2-0 |
Football v Northbourne Park: U11 B Boys | Lost 2-0 |
Football v Dover College: U13 A Boys and Girls | Won 4-1 |
Football v Junior King’s: U13 A Boys | Lost 8-2 |
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