Wellesley Weekly 10th May 2021

announcements

Update on school fixtures and spectators

Whilst we are optimistic about the term ahead and the return to normality, we are still operating under a number of Covid-19 restrictions and necessary safety measures. We are absolutely delighted to have re-introduced competitive fixtures into our programme, however, under the government guidance that we are obliged to follow, we cannot yet welcome spectators (i.e. parents) to watch school fixtures and our parents are not allowed on other school grounds. We hope that we will have more flexibility after the 17th May (the government review date). All schools are following the same line on this. Therefore, on match days at pick up from Wellesley, can we please ask that you wait by your cars for your children? Likewise, if our cricketers have been playing away from Wellesley, we will bring the pupils back to Wellesley for collection. We will endeavour to provide as accurate a time as possible for pick ups. Thank you very much for your understanding and respect of this. If you have any questions, please do contact the office.

SAVE THE DATE – SATURDAY 26TH JUNE

The Friends of Wellesley are hosting a Summer Party on Saturday 26th June in the Dining Hall at Wellesley.  An invitation to purchase tickets will be sent out at the end of this week.   The cost of a ticket is £60 to include a 3 course meal, cheese and biscuits, coffee and petit fours.  The Friends of Wellesley will generously offer welcome drinks on arrival.   Wine for each table can be pre-ordered in advance.   Raffle tickets will be on sale on the night for some fabulous prizes and a game of Heads and Tails will precede the dinner so plenty of cash is needed! We are very much looking forward to getting as many of our community together to raise some funds for the school but most importantly to enjoy a fun evening together.

Swimming

This term, we are pleased to be able to offer private swimming lessons (for both pre-prep and prep age groups), on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.
£14 (per child) for a half hour, group lesson (max of 4 children)
£28 (per child) for a 1-2-1 half hour lesson
£40 (per child) for a one hour private lesson
If you are interested in booking lessons, please contact Geraldine via hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net

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
Positive cases – boarders
Symptoms of COVID – children

School Last Week

Royal St George’s Invitational Golf

We were privileged to yet again have the opportunity to compete for the Wellesley Haddon Dene parents and pupils trophy at the world famous Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich on Sunday.  Parents, family friends and pupils all made the most of the renowned hospitality from the Club and whilst obviously challenging, all players enjoyed the experience of a round of golf on an Open Championship course.  The day was made even more exciting knowing that in two months time, the best golfers in the world will descend on Sandwich for the most famous golf competition of all.  The icing on the cake for the Wellesley golfing party was when our Chairman of Governors and a past captain of RSG brought the Claret Jug (the silver trophy awarded to the Champion Golfer of the year) for us to hold and for photo opportunities.  It is perhaps only slightly more valuable than the golf club that is hanging proudly in a frame in our Wellesley Haddon Dene dining room, which is engraved with the names of the winners of the Wellesley Haddon Dene parents and pupils competition!  This year, the trophy was won by the Headmaster and his son, William who narrowly pipped Archie Brown and his Uncle by the smallest of margins – 1 point.  Congratulations go to all competitors.

Pre-Prep

The children have enjoyed another busy week in Pre-prep. The nursery children are carefully watching their caterpillars to see when they become chrysalises. The rest of Pre-prep have been busy with Mr Parfitt in the art room designing postage stamps for a very exciting competition. We welcomed more families to Stay and Play last Friday and there is much anticipation for the first U9 cricket matches this Thursday afternoon.

Boarders’ trip to Chatham Ski Centre

15 boarders, accompanied by Mr Waldie and Mr Longdon, headed to the Chatham ski centre and took part in tobogganing. It was a brilliantly enjoyable afternoon and displaying exceptional pace down the Cresta Run (the longest run in the UK) were Anita Kheidorova, Gonzala Duran, Alejandra Novela, Hank Huang and Arthur Huang. Well done to all who took part.

Maths Challenge

Block 4 pupils enjoyed taking part in an online Ashford Maths Competition last week. Wellesley came 3rd out of a number of different schools in Kent – a superb achievement from our team. Well done to Felix Butterfill, Freya Ralph, Tate Sheppard and Freddie Southorn for displaying such mathematical skill and ability.

Middle School Swimming Gala

As part of the wet weather programme on Saturday afternoon, Mr Longdon and Ms Chiaramello organised a Middle School swimming gala for all pupils in JL, Block 4 and Block 3. Pupils were separated into teams of 6 (these were not Set-related) and all enjoyed taking part in a range of freestyle events and relay races. Much fun was had by all and the staff were especially impressed by the pupils’ willingness to be involved and the energy and enthusiasm displayed by all. In a close fought contest, the Pirates won the overall competition. Their team consisted of William Franklin, Jacky Xu, Anaia Beckett, Angus Solly and Pip Viner. Well done to all who took part!

School This Week

Music

It has been brilliant to see all the music pupils back in the music department this last week. We currently have over 60 music lessons happening. For more information please contact jhb@wellesleyhouse.net.

Block 4 Parent Conference

On Saturday 15th May from 10.00am to 12.30pm, we will be holding the Block 4 parent/teacher meetings. Later this week, parents/guardians will be invited to book their remote appointments via the parent portal. Once appointments have been booked, an appointment schedule will be sent to parents/guardians which will also include the necessary links to join the meetings. Prior to Saturday, if you have any questions, please contact Mrs Baird via hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net.

Team of the Week

Congratulations to Block 3 for their brilliant conduct and teamwork during their French trip into Broadstairs. Madame Laurans described them “as a credit to our school”. They will enjoy cookies and squash in the Headmaster’s study during a break time this week.

Pre Prep Pyjamarama for Book Trust Charity

This Friday children in Nursery and Pre-prep can come to school in pyjamas or casual clothes. A £1 donation to the Book Trust Charity will help support children who are not easily able to access books. At Wellesley we will have a fun filled day incorporating lots of book activities and would encourage children to bring in a favourite book to share with their class and teacher.

Block 3 Trip to Wildwood

In Biology this term, Block 3 are studying the topic ‘Evolution and Inheritance’. As part of our learning, we will be visiting Wildwood animal park in Herne Bay to take part in some workshops on evolution. The children will take part in two workshops with expert zoologists and behavioural scientists, and have the opportunity to explore the park and see adaptation in a real life setting.

French Trip

Last Thursday, the Block 3s went for a treasure hunt to Broadstairs with Mrs Williams and Mme Laurans. The directions were all in French and they went around in groups to complete the worksheet questions in French as well. In addition, they had to find solutions to maths problems at each location. This was a lovely outing with our pupils determined to get it right and come first. They carried the values of Wellesley wonderfully: respect of others’ opinions, courage by not giving up in front of difficulty, enjoyment especially when succeeding, teamwork in teams of mixed skills, and kindness to each other. They were also very polite, caring, and considerate around people in the town. Needless to say, they did us proud!

Stay and Play

We look forward to hosting our third Stay and Play session on Friday afternoon. Younger visitors will be able to take full advantage of our Outdoor Classroom whilst parents have the opportunity to meet with our lovely Pre-prep team and see for themselves all Wellesley has to offer. As we are limiting numbers, we ask parents to pre-book. Held on Friday afternoons from 2pm to 3.15pm, we have a few places available on 21st May and 11th June. If you, friends or family have children under 5 and would like to book a place please contact admissions@wellesleyhouse.net.

Gap students

Please do get in touch with the school office if you know of any enthusiastic 18 year olds that may be interested in working at Wellesley Haddon Dene during the Michaelmas term. We are able to offer accommodation and meals if needed.

Menu

This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 1.

Senior School News

For boys seeking entry to Tonbridge School in 2024, you may now book a visit from Tuesday 27th April until Thursday 13th May 2021. In addition a virtual open morning is being held on Saturday 15th May and an ’in person’ Open Morning on Saturday 26th June.  For further information please contact admissions@tonbridge-school.org 

Uppingham is inviting families with children for 2021 and 2022 entry to contact them to book visits (admissions@uppingham.co.uk).  Whilst observing Covid protocols, tours of houses are also available.  At the moment, whilst visits for Year 7s & 8s are being prioritised, Year 6s (with pre-tests next term) are encouraged to explore Uppingtham via their programme of Virtual Visiting Days – 6th May at 6.00pm, 22nd May at 10.30am and 12th June at 10.30am. These are live Zoom events, last 90 minutes and serve to offer a useful introduction to the School through the medium of videos, live interviews and presentations. 

Benenden is hosting a series of online Prospective Parent Open Mornings, please click here for dates and further information.

Wellington College very much hopes to be able to welcome visitors soon, however, in the interim please view their Virtual Visitors Day via this link.

Inspirational talks for pupils, families and staff

Wellington College continues with its programme of Fireside Talks …

Mon 17th May 8pm: Natalie Haynes ‘Pandora’s Jar’
Please click here to join the talk

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