From the Headmaster’s Study
We have been heartened by the spirit that all Welleslians have shown this term as we have tried to provide a safe, secure and positive environment at a time of such uncertainty and complication. Trust remains a fundamental ingredient in the success of any team or organisation and we are grateful for the trust that you, as parents, have demonstrated to our team at Wellesley – thank you.
Time with the pupils remains the highlight of my week – through team of the week gatherings, senior school preparations, impromptu socially distanced conversations in the corridors, informal discussions on the games fields and observing lessons and games. I never cease to be amazed by their infectious enthusiasm, creativity and positivity – lifelong attributes that we harness successfully as part of the Wellesley education.
Gavin Franklin
Future events
Harvest Boxes – Please bring in this week
Please remember to bring in your Harvest boxes this week. The harvest boxes tend to be shoe boxes/small cardboard boxes made to look like small hampers which contain non-perishable / dried goods. Sometimes they also include toiletries like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes etc. As the boxes may not be distributed for a week or so, please note that they should not contain any perishable items such as fresh fruit or vegetables.
The Pre-prep will be celebrating the Harvest festival on Friday 2nd October where we welcome Major Richard Oliver from the Salvation Army to tell us all about their good work.
The prep school Harvest Festival will be in chapel this week.
The Pre-prep harvest assembly on Friday will be live streamed. A password to access it will be made available later in the week.
School Last week
Senior School Preparation
Pupils in Block 3, plus a few pupils from Blocks 2 and 1, had the opportunity to meet Henry Faber and Walter Kerr, directors of Oppidan Education (https://www.oppidaneducation.com) on Thursday. Oppidan believes that an engaging mentor is the route to an engaged child. They put pro-social and interview skills at the heart of all their mentoring work, challenging students to discuss, learn, fail and succeed.
Following an introductory talk to all of Block 3, some pupils had individual sessions with either Mr Faber or Mr Kerr. The pupils will be given written feedback from their sessions. Learning how to get the best out of their interactions with adults is a valuable exercise and it forms an important part of their preparation for senior school entry. It was an incredibly stimulating and, at times, challenging experience for the pupils who enjoyed the day very much. The feedback from Mr Faber and Mr Kerr was overwhelmingly positive about our pupils.
Jeans for Genes Day
On Friday 18th September we took part in Jeans for Genes Day, which raises money to help transform the lives of children affected by genetic disorders. The children, and staff, supported this very worthwhile cause by wearing either a pair of jeans or another denim item into school. Thank you for your donations.
News from the Pre-Prep
The children in Nursery have settled really well and are now very much at home in their indoor and outdoor classrooms. There has been lots of chat about different members of their families including much loved pets!
As part of their Autumn topic the children in JR went on a walk to find seeds and leaves. They also prepared a delicious smelling vegetable soup which was eaten with much enthusiasm.
In JH the children have produced some excellent English using speech bubbles. They are now very used to moving around school to visit the art, science, music and ICT blocks.
Well done Vikings who were awarded the most good marks in Pre-prep this week!
Set Orienteering competition
All pupils from JL-Block 1 took part with great enthusiasm in a team orienteering challenge on Wednesday. 20 points were hidden on the school grounds with map reading skills required to find them. The results were as follows:
1st Romans
2nd Danes
3rd Saxons
4th Vikings
Boarders’ Walk
At 10am on Saturday morning, our nine exeat residents wrapped-up warm and set off in cars with Mrs Spencer and Mme Laurans (and Charlie the dog) to the village of Bridge, just outside Canterbury. There they started on their walk, a two-hour loop taking in the villages of Bridge and Bishopsbourne. The walk took them through fields, orchards and woodland, crossing the Nailbourne river and passing the stunning Bourne Park, an eighteenth century country house. They finished with a hot chocolate at The Independent Pedaler coffee shop in Bridge, and headed home to cosy-up with a film before ordering pizza for their supper!
School This Week
Mark Reading
For new parents, Mark Readings take place every 3 – 4 weeks where the pupils receive marks from their teachers for their levels of effort and industry in lessons and with preps.
The first marks of term have been given and the standings (taking into consideration all industry and good and bad marks) are as follows:
| 1st | Saxons |
| 2nd | Romans |
| 3rd | Danes |
| 4th | Vikings |
Special mention goes to the following pupils who have achieved the highest set of marks for their year: Joel Goncalves, Freya Ralph, Angus Solley, Grace Flowers, Hector Hulme, Scarlett Newman-Cousins, Bonnie Dong.
Team of the Week
‘Team of the Week’ are the Middle and Senior Saxons for their outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship in the recent heptathlon and biathlon sessions.
They will be rewarded with cookies and squash on Monday morning break.
Monday Music
We were delighted to hear our first Monday Music performance of the new academic year from a Block 1 pupil. Bonnie played a piece by J.S. Bach on the piano via live stream to all pupils during Headmaster’s Assembly – very well done, Bonnie.
Birthday Cakes and Ice Creams
Due to Covid restrictions we are sadly no longer able to accept cakes or ice creams that have been brought in from home for birthdays. Please fill in the updated birthday cake form which is available on the parent portal if you wish your child to have something on their birthday in school.
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.”
Senior School News
Benenden is hosting a series of online Prospective Parent Open Mornings, please click here for dates and further information.
On Saturday 3rd October at 10am, The King’s School, Canterbury is hosting a virtual Open Morning. Booking is essential and please click here to book your place.
Tonbridge School is hosting two virtual Meet the Headmaster sessions where James Priory will speak live and respond to your questions. The sessions are at 10am on Saturday 17th September and Saturday 3rd October. Please click here to book your place.
St Edmund’s, Canterbury is hosting a virtual Open Morning on Saturday 3rd October at 9.30am. Please click here to book your place.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 1
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.