From the Headmaster’s Study
It has been a delight to welcome all Welleslians, including 32 new pupils, back this term and after a sustained period of relative quiet, the grounds, corridors, form rooms, dormitories and common rooms (and staff room / library!) are buzzing with energy, enthusiasm and a real sense of purpose. Our enormous thanks go to all parents for so quickly and respectfully adapting to any forced changes to drop off / pick up and entry in and out of school.
We continue to make positive adjustments and tweaks to our timetable and curriculum as we look towards providing an education that best supports your children in the dynamic and changing world of education. Amongst other things, this includes the introduction of DT (as well as Art) for our Block 1 pupils (joining all other year groups in that regard) and specific reading slots for the middle school, as well as tailored support in preparation for senior school entry processes. My staff and I could not be more excited about the year ahead and we look forward to supporting, encouraging, stretching and challenging our pupils in our secure, warm and friendly environment.
Gavin Franklin
Independent Schools of the Year Shortlist
Having been shortlisted for this prestigious award last term, we are delighted that we have recently received confirmation that we have been selected as a finalist in the “Pre-prep” category. The winner is announced later this term – we will keep you informed!
School Last week
General Knowledge
Our school General Knowledge paper was answered by Block 1 to JH on Thursday. Congratulations to the winners in each year group, who were as follows:
| Block 1 | Archie Butterfill |
| Block 2 | Margot Grand and Hector Hulme |
| Block 3 | Raf Cable |
| Block 4 | Felix Butterfill |
| JL | Ralph Wainman |
| JH | Malo Ollivier |
Prizes will be awarded to all these winners in the Final Assembly at the end of term.
Athletics on Saturday
Mr Longdon and our team of staff organised and officiated an action packed athletics afternoon in the sunshine on Saturday. All pupils from JL upwards enjoyed taking part in a carousel of 3 events – a track race (200m), the long jump and throwing a (soft and easy to sanitise) cricket ball. Participation, fresh air and some exercise were the main aims, but naturally there was a competitive element too as boys and girls enjoyed competing against peers and friends from within their bubble (and there were some hugely impressive individual performances). All results are being tallied up and will form part of the Set competition. Well done to all for taking part in such good spirit.
Team of the Week
The ‘Team of the Week’ will be announced at each Monday’s assembly. For making a super start to their first week at Wellesley, this week’s winners are the Nursery pupils. Well done. They will be rewarded with cookies and squash on the field during Friday’s break time.
Activities and Games
The programme of afternoon and evening activities kicks off in full this week. Thank you to Mr Kearns for his efforts in co-ordinating the wide range of pursuits. Due to the newly formed ‘Bubbles’, staffing and our efforts to maximise the best possible learning for your children there have been some changes to the activities available throughout the week. The Senior Bubble will have activities on Mondays and Tuesdays and then games on Thursdays and Fridays. The Middle and Junior Bubbles will have games on Mondays and Tuesdays and then activities on Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays and Saturdays remain games afternoons for all. Every effort has been made to ensure that children remain in their own bubble during these afternoons.
For those of you who wish to continue to pursue LAMDA, Mrs Sue Flory is continuing to teach online. You can arrange a time directly with her outside of school hours for a lesson. Her contact email is sue@sueflory.co.uk
Coffee morning
Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the start of term coffee morning. It was lovely to see so many of you at a safe social distance and we look forward to a successful and happy term.
Sunday Activity – Coastal Walk
On Sunday afternoon the boarders enjoyed a walk to Ramsgate (with an ice cream at the halfway point!) with Mrs Spencer and Mrs Franklin in glorious weather.
School This Week
Saturday Chapel
Due to current restrictions, we are sadly unable to welcome parents to our chapel services this term. We will still be holding services for pupils on Saturdays at 12.20pm (for Year 4 and above) and our first service will be held on Saturday 19th September. Please note that pupils will not need to wear best uniform.
Music
Music lessons start back up this week. We are currently offering drums, piano, woodwind, brass, guitar and strings. We are also very happy to be offering DJ and music technology lessons from the brand new Wellesley Haddon Dene music studio.
Team-Building
Children in Block 4 will be taking part in a Team-Building day on Friday led by Mr Longdon. This will include plenty of fun and solving various problems requiring the children to work together. We wish everyone a very enjoyable day.
Important information regarding pupil absence due to illness
If your child is off school due to illness, we will send you the following standard email as a matter of good practice in the current climate. We thank all families for their ongoing diligence and support as we look to do all that we can to protect those within our community:
“Thank you for your communication and for letting us know.
Please ensure that if your son / daughter is displaying / has displayed any symptoms of Covid-19 – high temperature, persistent or new cough or change or loss of sense of smell / taste – that you arrange for a test and await a clear negative result before returning them to school. Please do keep us informed.
For any pupil who has been absent from school through illness, we will be conducting a temperature check on their return. If your child is in the pre-prep, this will be undertaken at Junior House. If your child is in the middle or senior school, we ask that you drop them at the school office on their return so that their temperature can be checked by our school nurse.
Thank you for your assistance and understanding.”
Jeans for Genes Day
We will be supporting the Jeans for Genes charity again this year on Friday 18th September. The charity raises funds for projects that provide specialist nursing care, state of the art equipment and events that allow children affected by genetic disorders to play and make friends, transforming their confidence and self-esteem. It will be a non-uniform day for all but must include either a pair of jeans or something denim. £1 will be added to the school bill for all of those taking part.
On Saturday 19th September 2020 Ampleforth will be holding their first e-Open Morning. Click Matches This Week
Please always refer to the website calendar as it is the most up-to-date place to check for fixture changes and locations.