From the Headmaster’s Study
In amongst the excitement of the superb extra-curricular activities that we provide, such as the Junior House concert, Lenten Service and Denne Hill cross country that all happened last weekend, it is sometimes easy to forget the fundamentals of our focus on the importance of academic rigour at Wellesley. As you will have read in previous bulletins, we are delighted that some of our Block 1 pupils have been recognised with academic awards and scholarships to some of the top secondary schools – such as Harrow, Benenden and St Edmund’s Canterbury. We are proud of these, and indeed all of our pupils’ achievements and for all of the efforts that our teachers give in stretching, challenging and supporting our pupils. Academic success within a nurturing environment is one of Wellesley’s great strengths.
Gavin Franklin
Notices
Friends of Wellesley Quiz Night
We are all looking forward to the annual Wellesley Quiz this Saturday 23rd March. Please contact Belinda Wakeling at belindawakeling@hotmail.com for late additions to teams.
School Last Week
British Science Week 2019
A variety of activities took place last week for British Science Week including a daily quiz, for which the questions will continue to be on display around the school until Monday evening. The poster competition, on the theme of ‘Journeys’, will remain open until the end of this week. Thank you to Miss Wallace and Mr Waldie for coordinating all the activities, and to members of Hilderstone Radio Club who helped groups of children to build radio sets on Friday
Netball
On Wednesday we hosted our annual Under 11 tournament. Our team had some impressive victories and other close encounters, finishing 4th out of the 8 teams taking part. Thank you to Mrs Williams for her organisation of a very successful event.
Great fun today @WellesleySchool U11 netball tournament thank you to all participants for great displays of teamwork and skill @AshfordSchool @StFaithsPrepAsh @NorthbournePark @slcMain @JuniorKingsSch @DoverCollege @KingsRochSport #sportszone #StormGareth #TeamSpirit pic.twitter.com/puKA1OfBHM
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) March 13, 2019
Junior House Concert
We all thoroughly enjoyed the Junior House Concert on Friday evening. Thank you to the children for entertaining us with a wide variety of performances, including singing, strings, brass and wind instruments and poetry.
Some superb performances at the Junior House concert this evening in the Old Hall @WellesleySchool #BroadstairsToTheStars #MusicForAll pic.twitter.com/xX7uO9AyWO
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) March 15, 2019
Lenten Service
Thank you to everyone for supporting the Lenten Service on Saturday, and especially to the choir, for their magnificent singing, and to the readers for the part they played in the service. Thank you also to Stephen Cave from Queens Road Baptist Church in Broadstairs for addressing the school with his message of not just giving something up for Lent but giving something to other people and deserving causes.
Denne Hill
On Saturday afternoon we headed out for our annual cross-country race in the fine surroundings of Denne Hill Farm, courtesy of the Loder-Symonds family. Almost the entire school took part in windy conditions, either running competitively or taking the course at a more leisurely pace. Freddy Miles established himself at the front of the pack and finished as winner of the Fallon Trophy. William Norton came in 2nd, with Reuben Okotie finishing in 3rd place and winning the Chamberlain Cup for the highest Under 11 runner. Gigi Dunbar Johnson was 4th and winner of the Girls’ Cross-Country Shield. The set competition, The Loder-Symonds Cup, was won by Vikings. Well done to everyone who took part and particularly to the younger participants, many of whom finished high up the order. Many thanks also to the Block 1 parents for the outstanding array of refreshments enjoyed afterwards by runners and spectators alike.
Sunday Outings
On Sunday afternoon boarders had an outing to Margate to Lost Island Adventure Indoor Golf. Owing to the weather, the planned trip to Greenfields for a morning of clay-pigeon shooting was postponed, and we hope that it can take place next term.
School This Week
Thanet Music and Drama Festival
Congratulations to Ella Yu, who won all three of the classes she entered in the Pianoforte section of the Thanet Festival. As a result of her success she has been asked to perform her Grade 6 winning piece at the Gala Concert at which the trophies are presented on Friday 29th March.
Mark Reading
The third marks of term have been given and the standings are as follows:
1st Vikings
2nd Saxons
3rd Danes
4th Romans
Special mention goes to the following pupils who have achieved the highest set of marks for their year: Felix Butterfill, Freddie Southorn, William Franklin, Heath Voisey-Stovell, Margot Grand, Lilia Hunter, Everett Olson, Rohan Dhesi, Katie Baird and Catherine Ye.
The most improved pupils in each year group were Felix Butterfill, Freddie Southorn, Henry Obee, Lilia Hunter, Rohan Dhesi, Freddy Miles, James Felton and Matthew Gurung, while the highest scoring tutor group was JS.
Music on Monday
Music on Monday was provided by Tony Su, who played drums to ‘High Hopes’ by Panic! At The Disco. He was accompanied by Blessing Afolabi and Jansci Motsi, who took to the stage and gave us a dance showcase. Well done to all three performers.
Team of the Week
The ‘Team of the Week’ for this week are the Junior House musicians and poets who took part in the Junior House Concert on Friday. They will be rewarded with cookies and squash in the Headmaster’s drawing room during Tuesday morning’s break.
Informal Music Concert
The second informal music concert this term will take place on Tuesday after lunch. We look forward to hearing a range of performances.
Play Rehearsals
Final preparations are under way for the Middle School play. Further rehearsals take place throughout this week, with the Technical Rehearsal taking place on Thursday afternoon, and the Dress Rehearsal on Friday afternoon.
Wellesley Challenge
The final round of this year’s Wellesley Challenge takes place on Friday evening. Romans and Danes will compete in the 3rd place play-off and then Saxons and Vikings will battle it out in the final.
Rugby Sevens Tournament
Mr Longdon will be taking our top rugby players to Sherborne School to take part in the IAPS Small Schools Sevens Competition on Sunday. We wish them success in this tournament.
Sunday Outings
The boarders’ outings on Sunday for both Senior and Junior groups will be to the Vue cinema.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 1.
Matches Last Week
Wednesday 13th March
Netball Tournament at Wellesley: U11 – 4th out of 8 teams
Rugby v Dane Court: U13 – cancelled
Rugby v Dane Court: U12 – cancelled
Rugby v Dover College: U11 – won
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U10 – lost
Rugby v St Lawrence: U10 – lost
Tag Rugby v Dover College: U9 – lost
Thursday 14th March
Netball v Lorenden: U9 – lost
We enjoyed our brilliant annual trip to Denne Hill for #crosscountry. Well done to all competitors and supporters! #runningmotivation #Runtastic @kentlife @SchoolsTatler pic.twitter.com/UMHNYSdk6V
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) March 18, 2019
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.
Tuesday 19th March
Squash v Tonbridge: 1st V (a)
Wednesday 20th March
Netball v Dover College: U13 A & B (h)
Rugby v Northbourne Park: U13 & U12 (a)
Boys Hockey v Lorenden: U11 (h)
Easter Holiday Cricket Coaching
The Wellesley Haddon Dene Easter Holiday Cricket Coaching course will take place this year from Wednesday 17th to Thursday 18th April, under the guidance of Mr Franklin and Mr Burleigh. Full information and a booking form can be downloaded from this page. Any questions about the course should be addressed to the Headmaster’s PA, using e-mail hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net.
Easter Cricket Coaching Course Flyer
Science and Space afternoon at Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School celebrates the opening of the new Barton Science Centre with a Science and Space afternoon for families this Saturday 23rd March. The event includes activities for children (recommended ages 8-12) and the opportunity to hear a talk by two NASA astronauts in the school’s EM Forster Theatre. Please read the flyer for further details. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance with the Theatre.
Boarding Event – Tonbridge and Benenden Schools
On Monday 13th May, Tonbridge and Benenden will be holding a combined event in London which may be of interest to you. The occasion, entitled “Boarding: Meeting the Challenges of the Teenage Years” will be led by James Priory, the Headmaster at Tonbridge, and Mrs Samantha Price, the Headmistress at Benenden, with contributions from housemasters, housemistresses, parents and pupils from their two schools. Their hope is that the evening will help parents to understand better the ethos which allows pupils to flourish as boarders in their schools during their teenage years.
They would be very pleased to see you on Monday 13th May. If you are able to go please reply to Tonbrdge by signing up at: www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/modernboarding or call Mrs Veryan Larmour on 01732 304297. Alternatively reply to Benenden with your child’s name, year and prep school: email Dawn Bradford: dbr@benenden.kent.sch.uk.
Girls’ Schools Association
Benenden will also be represented at the GSA ‘Open Your Eyes to Boarding’ event on Thursday 2nd May at St Matthew’s Church, Bayswater, London W2 4LA.
This is an event which provides ‘an opportunity to discover what modern boarding has to offer your daughter.’ You will also be able to meet top girls’ school Heads and staff and to take part in a Q & A session with a panel of experts.
Further details and registration for the event can be seen on the Girls’ Schools Association website.