From the Heads
The Lent term is finishing in some style with a plethora of wonderful events for pupils, parents and staff to enjoy. Last week we enjoyed a superb junior Elocution Cup for Year 1 to Year 4 children and a wonderful music evening for our middle and senior school pupils, which, aside from showcasing the talent of our brilliant pupils, also highlighted the inclusivity at WHD, evidenced by the diversity of the performances on show – for which our thanks go to our team of music staff. On Saturday, we headed to Denne Hill for our school cross country run. Of course the fun and frolics of a good hard race were enjoyable, however, it was the opportunity for our community to be together, thanks to the superb generosity and hosting of the Loder-Symonds family, that was and always has been the main purpose of the event. Aside from the determination and athleticism on display from pupils from Year 3 to Year 8, another highlight was the quite extraordinary quality of the tea, with thanks to the Year 8 parents. At the same time, our Year 6 swim team was triumphant at the Kent Primary School Swimming Championships meaning we have qualified for the Regionals in May. We really are proud of the resilience and teamwork displayed by all our pupils.
We look forward to seeing parents at a range of school events this week (detailed below) and would like to take this opportunity to wish all members of the WHD community a very happy Easter.
Mr Gavin Franklin and Mrs Jo Parpworth
School Last Week
Science Week
We enjoyed an action packed science week in conjunction with British science week. The week kicked off with a talk from the University of Kent on conservation and sustainable development. On Tuesday, some Year 5 pupils took part in the ‘Thanet Science and Engineering Challenge’ at St.Lawrence College. Wednesday saw a series of quizzes, puzzles and scavenger hunts take place in school. On Thursday Year 4 visited Discovery Planet for a workshop on plastics and biodegradable materials. The highlight of the week was undoubtedly the science fair that took place on Friday. There were a fantastic array of projects on display and they were testament to the children’s creativity and hard work. Much fun was had by the visitors and the entrees enjoyed the opportunity to present their projects to their peers. Huge congratulations to all of the entrants and the winners. Many thanks to the parents who supported their children with the projects at home.
WHD Joins the Great British Spring Clean Challenge
Our school has pledged to collect 40 bags of litter before April as part of our commitment to the community and the environment. Work is already well underway with children using their break times to collect rubbish which has blown onto our fields and grounds. Each class has timetabled a session to collect litter at local beaches and parks. Some families have added to our tally by conducting their own litter picks at the weekends. Our tally currently stands at 10 bags. We would be very grateful for any help you can give as every bag counts. Thank you for your support!
Elocution Cup Years 1-4
On Wednesday, we were absolutely blown away by the confidence and strength of each child’s performance at the Elocution Cup. Every single child participated with not a tear in sight. They stood on stage in front of a packed audience and recalled their poems with accuracy and technique. It was wonderful to see so much support and encouragement for one another throughout the morning. We are proud of everyone for participating so fully.
We are especially grateful to Mrs Bourne and Mr Wheatley-Ward for their expertise and time in judging the competition. A special mention must go to the following children:
Year 1&2 Prep Cup:
3rd Place
Joseph Wake
Felicity O’Dell
Indigo Gaspa
2nd Place
Arabella Dolan-Cowley
Emilia Foster
1st Place
Aziza Foster-Troy
Year 3&4 Junior Cup
Highly Commended:
Lucy Bird
3rd Place
Pearl Dunbar-Brunton
Auben Shaddick
Elodie Doorey-Williams
Lucio Corbani
2nd Place
Oliver Eve
Florence Smith
Theordore Hempstead
1st Place
Langa Ngwenya Robinson
Kody Simpson
Langa, Kody and Aziza will perform their poems again at our Speech Day in the summer.
Year 1 trip to Powell-Cotton museum
On Thursday Year 1 went to the Powell-Cotton Museum in Quex Park, Birchington. The children learnt so much about the explorer Percy Powell-Cotton and his travels around the world. We learned about how times and opinions have changed over the years so what was deemed ‘acceptable’ over 100 years ago isn’t necessarily the same now. The children were shown around the vast array of animals, other objects taken on his travels and created a story map of what happened to Powell-Cotton in Africa involving a lion.
The Museum Education team were very thorough and knowledgeable when answering questions from the children and praised the children for their behaviour during the visit.
Comic Relief
On Friday, we had a non-uniform day to raise money for Comic Relief and children took part in class activities to celebrate the event. The Pre-Prep held an assembly explaining to the children the meaning behind Red Nose Day and about some of the charities where the money raised can help. During the assembly, we watched a video called “George’s Story” to highlight the importance of the charity. You can watch the video below.
We warmly welcome any donations towards Comic Relief on our JustGiving page. Our sincerest thanks to those who have already donated. We will share the total with you in our first newsletter back after the Easter holidays.
Music Evening
On Friday evening, we were treated to a medley of talent with children from Years 5 to 8 performing in our music soiree. We had songs from the choir alongside an orchestral extravaganza of performances from our gifted musicians. Evenings like this are so important as they provide a platform for our children to shine, showcasing the product of countless hours of practice and rehearsal time. It enables children to build confidence and it was wonderful to see children acting with resilience and humour when perhaps things did not go right the first time. It was equally lovely to see the encouragement displayed for one another before and after each performance. Thank you to Mr Redwood and Mrs Spencer who organised the event and to parents for coming to support the children. We hope to organise another soiree next term.
Kent Primary School Swimming Championships
Congratulations to our incredible swim team who have qualified for the Regional Championships following their astonishing performances on Saturday. Working as a team, they gained two silvers in the medley and freestyle relays meaning they go forward to compete amongst the best in the South East. Ava Harris gained a silver medal in the individual freestyle race and a fourth place in the backstroke whilst Rupert Russell gained two bronzes in the freestyle and breaststroke races. Thara Aravindakshan gained a 10th place in the breaststroke. We are so proud of them for representing our school at such a prestigious competition and for flying the flag for Thanet.
Denne Hill – Saturday 18th March
Over 60 WHD families from a range of year groups from Year 3 to Year 8 headed to Womenswold, near Canterbury for an afternoon of fresh air, activity and delicious tea! Following a thorough warm up, Mr Boyne, acting as the hare, showed our runners the cross country route, helped by members of staff who were acting as course marshals. The ground was soft underfoot as a result of recent rain, but otherwise, the conditions were near-perfect. All runners were cheered on by supportive parents and grandparents and on completion of the race, all runners and family members headed to the barn for the presentations and tea. Our thanks go to our Year 8 parents for providing the refreshments and to Caroline Loder-Symonds and her family for their typically warm, generous and kind hospitality. Prizes were awarded as follows (with overall race positions shown in brackets):
U9 girls: Pearl (39) and Langa (45)
U9 boys: Lucio (11) and Sammy (14)
U11 girls: Olivia (19), Mabel (25) and Tillie (34)
U11 boys: Ellis (4), Magnus (10) and Harley (20)
U13 girls: Harriet (7), Melody (18) and Grace (24)
U13 boys: Wilbur (1), William (2), Thomas (3)
The overall House standings based on the 8 fastest runners from each House were as follows:
1 Joss
2 Viking
3 Kingsgate
4 Stone
School This Week
Mark Reading
The latest mark reading grades are in and the results are as follows:
Set Standings
1st Stone
2nd Joss
3rd Kingsgate
4th Viking
Well done to the following pupils who came top in their year group: Pearl Dunbar-Brunton, Clara Montgomery, Theo Alifrangis, Ava Harris, Freya Ralph, Melody Flowers, Grace Flowers.
The form with the highest average was Mrs Sabin-Dawson’s form, 5S.
The latest Industry reports are now live on the Parent Portal for you to view.
PFA – Baby Gym
On Tuesday morning, we will be again welcoming existing and new families to WHD so that little ones under the age of 2 can experience life at our school. Please encourage any families with babies to look out for these events. It might be a timely reminder to state that we offer a £500 Friends & Family discount for any successful recommendation which leads to a registration.
Lenten Service
All parents are warmly invited to join us at our Lenten Service, taking place in the Ridgeway Chapel and Old Hall on Tuesday at 4pm. We look forward to welcoming current parent, Dr Foster, who will address the congregation and we also very much look forward to listening to our community choir – with staff and parents, under the tutelage of Mrs Spencer, joining the Chapel choir for the anthem. If needed, parking will be on the tarmac through the barrier – and please drive with care. Please ensure that all children are wearing their best uniform.
Elocution Cup / Poetry Recitation Finals (Year 5 – 8)
We look forward to the climax of the Elocution Cup with finalists from children in Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 performing their poems in the Old Hall on Thursday evening at 6pm. We are delighted to welcome Dr James Wilper from the King’s School, Canterbury as our guest adjudicator. Dr Wilper is Housemaster of Luxmoore (a girls’ boarding House), a member of the English department and the US university admissions coordinator. Parents of those children have been invited via dojo and email.
PFA Easter Bonnet Workshop – Monday 20th March
Thank you very much to our generous PFA for giving up their time today to support the Pre-Prep children in making their Easter bonnets in readiness for our end of term picnic. The bonnets look absolutely brilliant adorned with bunnies, eggs, feathers and chicks. The Pre-Prep children will parade at 11.45am on Friday 24th March on the left-hand side field. Parents are welcome to park on the right-hand side field from 11.30am onwards.
PFA Easter Picnic – End of Term, Friday 24th March
We are crossing all fingers for fair weather on our last day of term so that we can fully enjoy all the hard work and effort which has gone into organising our Easter picnic celebrations by our PFA.
The plan is as follows:
11.30am: Parents are allowed on-site to park on the right side field nearest to the art studio.
11.45am: Pre-Prep children will parade their Easter Bonnets on the left side field. If the weather is torrential, we will move this parade to the Sports Hall. After the parade, children will go back to class to collect their belongings.
12.00pm: Children will be dismissed to parents at this time and we kindly ask that they remain fully supervised by you at all times. Please note the following dismissal locations for the day:
Nursery from the rear gate adjacent to the field.
Reception from the rear gate near the Forest School.
Year 1 from the rear cloakroom steps
Year 2 will be from the Old Hall rear exit into the courtyard.
All other classes will dismiss from normal locations.
12.00pm onwards: The Old hall, Courtyard and Dining Hall will be available for people to eat their picnics inside if the weather is not fair. There will be an Easter Egg hunt, a petting zoo outside, garden games (weather permitting) and daffodil picking.
Parents’ conferences
Parents of children in Years 6 and 7 are welcome to join us in the Old Hall from 1.30pm on Wednesday for the opportunity to meet all subject teachers. Written subject reports for these year groups will be done at the end of the summer term, so this is the ideal opportunity for parents to hear from the teachers regarding their child’s progress. Refreshments will be available and there is no need to book time slots.
Reading volunteers
We are currently looking for reading volunteers to work with a chosen class for weekly reading sessions. We are very lucky to have a number of parents and retired staff who work with us on a voluntary basis to boost daily reading. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Mrs Parpworth or Mrs Murray to discuss this further.
Pre-Prep Values Awards
Reception | Leika for outstanding general knowledge and a curiosity in our science lessons. Bea for effort, imagination and progress in phonics and literacy. |
Year 1 | Roland Dilkes for his impressive improvement in his writing. He is taking more pride with his work and is making great progress. He never shies away from a challenge to push his learning further.
Catalina Marsh-Gonzalez for excellent effort and concentration in class. Catalina has worked hard to push her maths understanding forward and regularly completes tricky reasoning challenges. Catalina also showed lots of courage when performing her poem in the Elocution Cup despite having lots of nerves.
Arabella for her courage for learning and performing her poem in the Elocution Cup
Herb for his kindness to his friends and his consistency in producing work of a high standard in all subjects
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Year 2 | Raf Shoring for his positive attitude and his concerted effort to improve his presentation.
Margot Owen for her improved focus in lessons and her polite and caring attitude. |
Year 3 | Bella Perks for working hard to improve vocabulary choice in her written work to interest the reader. Florian Young Gadd for resilience in learning a poem (written by his Mother) to perform for the elocution cup. |
Values Awards
Year 4 | Marta for her positive outlook. She has made fantastic progress since she joined Wellesley Haddon Dene and has become a good friend to many children in the school. |
Year 5 | Genevieve for her teamwork at the SLC Science Challenge. |
Year 6 | Tillie Spanton – for continuing to demonstrate all the values in all areas of her life. |
Year 7 | Luna for her commitment, resilience and ambition in the performing arts. |
Year 8 | Jacky for his calming positivity during times of stress, always willing to do his best. |
School Calendar
Please click here and scroll through for the most up to date calendar of events for the term.
Matches This Week
2.15pm start unless otherwise stated
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
Rugby 7’s v Eltham Tournament: U13 Boys | 3rd Pool 3 |
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U13 A Boys | Drew 1-1 |
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U13 B Boys | Lost 0-1 |
Hockey v Northbourne Park: U9 A Boys | Drew 2 – 2 |
Netball v Dover College U11 A | Won 14-1 |
Netball v SLC: U13 A | Lost 24 -9 |
Netball v SLC U9 A | Lost 1-0 |
Netball v SLC U9 B | Won 4-3 |