From the Headmaster’s Study
We were delighted to welcome back the pupils in such good spirits (and glorious weather!) this week and to hear news from their half term holidays. We hope that you have had the opportunity to scan our new look website – www.wellesleyhouse.org. It’s designed to provide a snapshot of life at Wellesley and showcase our very special community. I hope that you feel the site captures the warm and inspiring atmosphere of the school, and that it highlights that the education we provide at Wellesley is much more than just what is learned in the classroom. We have also included a number of quick links to help you access useful pages such as the Wellesley Weekly, the Parent Portal, the calendar, term dates and Old Welleslian information more easily.
We have been grateful to all feedback that we have received so far, so please do let me know if you have any queries or comments about the new site.
Gavin Franklin
Notices
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
Friends of Wellesley Quiz Night
The annual Friends of Wellesley Quiz Night takes place at 7 pm on Saturday 23rd March this year. Further information will follow in due course but please save the date for this fun-filled evening.
School Last Week
Class Assembly
The second class assembly this term was given by 1L. They spoke about internet safety, to tie in with Safer Internet Day 2019 a few days previously.
Music Concert
The first informal music concert for this term took place in the Music School on the Tuesday before half-term. A large audience was treated to a wide range of excellent performances.
A well supported informal music concert at lunch today #music #broadstairstothestars pic.twitter.com/qFqIx0ueqC
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) February 12, 2019
Netball Tournament
The Wellesley Under 13 Netball tournament took place on the Wednesday before half-term, with eleven schools and a total of twelve teams taking part. Our team performed admirably in reaching the final, which they lost narrowly. Well done to the whole squad, and thank you also to Mrs. Gold and Miss Wallace for their organisation, and to all the staff who contributed in any way to the success of the tournament.
Rugby Tournament
Also on the Wednesday before half-term, the annual Foster Cup took place at Junior King’s. Our team won three of their five matches to finish in third place in the tournament.
School This Week
Coffee Morning
Do please join Mrs Franklin for her Coffee Morning in the Headmaster’s house (opposite the school office) after drop off this Friday 1st March. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing everyone who can make it.
Six of the Best
Congratulations to Raf Cable and Henry Obee, whose plaster cast mask, based on gargoyles, has been chosen to hang in the Headmaster’s study for this half of term. Well done, Raf and Henry.
Chapel
Our next weekend chapel service is this coming Saturday, at 12.10 p.m., and we very much look forward to listening to Mrs Ali Harber, who is Head of the Sixth Form, Head of Politics and Assistant Chaplain at Benenden School, as well as being a member of the Wellesley governing body. Parents and families are warmly invited to attend. Soup and sandwiches will be served after the service, so do please contact the office if you are planning to join us, so that we can make the necessary catering arrangements.
Scholarship Success
We are delighted to announce further Scholarship awards.
Mia Vaughan has been awarded an Academic Scholarship at St. Edmund’s, Canterbury.
Poppy Falcon has been awarded the inaugural All-Round Scholarship at Benenden, for her performances in the Academic, Drama and Sports assessments.
Poppy Brooke Turner has been awarded an Art Exhibition and the Choral Award at St. Edmund’s, Canterbury.
Congratulations to all these candidates on their awards. Further Scholarship assessments take place this week, with children travelling to their senior schools to compete for academic and sport awards. We wish each entrant success.
Netball Colours
Netball colours were awarded in Monday’s assembly to the following:
Elisa Kuang, for her excellent attacking play
Poppy Falcon, for her tight marking and defensive play
Tabitha Butterfill for much-improved shooting over the course of the term
Ella Yu, for her determined play as Goal Defence
Well done to all these team members.
Team of the Week
This week there are joint winners of ‘Team of the Week’. The members of the Under 13 Netball team and all those who performed in the informal music concert will each be rewarded with cookies and squash in the Headmaster’s drawing room during a morning break.
Thanet Music and Drama Festival
Several groups of children will be performing in the Thanet Music and Drama Festival later this week, between Wednesday and Sunday. Good luck to all who are taking part.
Junior House Poetry Recitations
The Junior House Poetry Recitations will take place on Friday and we are delighted that Mrs Hannah Brown, who will be Head of the new Pre-Prep from September, will be adjudicating. Please note that this is a school-only event. Winning poems are reprised in the Junior House Concert on Friday 15th March.
Sunday Outing
The outings for boarders this Sunday will be to the ice-skating rink in Gillingham.
Exams
Block 1 children are revising hard for their final set of examinations next week before Scholarships in late April and early May, and Common Entrance in early June. There will be a parent/teacher meeting for Block 1 parents on Saturday March 16th.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 1.
Matches Last Week
Tuesday 12th February | |
| Squash v Junior King’s: 1st V | Won 4 – 2 |
Wednesday 13th February | |
| Netball – Wellesley Haddon Dene Tournament: U13 | Runners-Up |
| Netball v St. Lawrence College: U11 | Lost 6 – 13 |
| Netball v St Faith’s: U11 | Lost 2 – 10 |
| Rugby – Foster Cup at Junior King’s: U13 | 3rd Place |
| Rugby v Spring Grove: U11/U10 | Won 8 – 0 |
| Contact Rugby v Spring Grove: U9/U8 | Lost 11 – 13 |
| Tag Rugby v Spring Grove: U9/U8 | Won 14 – 8 |
Thursday 14th February | |
| Netball – Kent College Festival: U9 |
Great fun for these boys @JuniorKingsSch today #rugby pic.twitter.com/ZxhkfDB807
— Wellesley Haddon Dene (@WellesleySchool) February 9, 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.
Wednesday 27th February | |
| Netball v Junior King’s: U13 A & B (h) | |
| Netball v Lorenden: U11 (a) | |
| Rugby v Dover College: U13/U12 (h) | |
| Rugby v Northbourne Park: U10/U9 (a) | |
Saturday 2nd March | |
| Squash v Parents | (Note: 2.00 p.m. start) |