Wellesley Weekly 2nd March 2020

Upcoming Events

NEXT STEPS: THE BOARDING OPTION

A chance to discover how modern independent schools
prepare young people to be the next business leaders
Saturday 21 March, 10.30am
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ,
King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
Info and booking: www.benenden.school/next 

Easter cricket course

After the huge success of last year’s course, we are delighted to announce the dates for our Easter Cricket course – Monday 20th April and Tuesday 21st April 2020. This follows the news that Wellesley has been recognised by the internationally renowned magazine, “The Cricketer”, as one of the top 50 cricket playing prep schools in the UK. The full article can be downloaded here. The course is for boys and girls of all levels, aged between 6 and 13, and will be led by Wellesley’s team of qualified and experienced coaches. Please click here for full details on the course.  The booking form can be found by clicking here.

The Friends of Wellesley Quiz

The Friends of Wellesley Quiz will be held on Friday 20th March at 7pm. Once again Jean Latteur and his team will host the evening, accompanied by delicious curry and fizz. Team tables can be organised for between 10-12 guests. Tickets are £20 per head. Please contact Belinda Wakeling, belindawakeling@hotmail.com, with your team name, details and money if you would like to take part.

School Last Week

Chapel

On Saturday, we were delighted to welcome Mr David Hopkins, Head of Prep School liaison at The King’s School, Canterbury. In Chapel, Mr Hopkins spoke of the importance of “not judging a book by its cover”, of tolerance and respect and really getting to know the character of each individual. Mr Hopkins then enjoyed lunch in the library and spoke with many of our parents about The King’s School, Canterbury. He was hugely impressed by our service- by both Chapel readers and our choir’s anthem – and thoroughly enjoyed his visit.

Block 4 study skills

Block 4 enjoyed discussing different ways in which they can improve their revision techniques and study skills with Ms Moosuddee on Tuesday. They were introduced to some new ways of recording key information and had a go at making their own mind maps. They will have further opportunities later in the year to develop these skills further. Parents, do keep an eye out for the Wellesley Revision guide which will be coming out soon with lots of practical ideas to support your child during exam time.

Thanet Music and Drama Festival

Well done to all of those who took part in the Thanet Festival! We have been hearing some great things and will publish results soon. We also wish good luck to the Wellesley Voices who will be performing at the Festival for the first time over the exeat.

Junior House Poetry Recitations

On Thursday, 27th February the Junior House Poetry Recitations took place. Twenty-eight contestants, aged from 3 to 9 took to the stage in front of an audience of teachers and peers to recite their pieces. The result was truly magical. One by one, children trooped onto the stage and delivered their poetry pieces with poise and purpose. Expressive performances abounded: the clarity of words; the driving rhythms and the reinforcing gestures made for an extremely entertaining hour. There they all stood, exhibiting: amazing feats of memory; blossoming confidence and melodious tones to convey their individual interpretations. It was a joy to adjudicate: to watch little legs clambering onto such a huge stage; eyes (some as large as dinner plates) used to underscore moments of pathos and the beaming smiles of contented children who felt a justified sense of achievement.

General Knowledge Match Rochester

On Tuesday a team of four U13 pupils headed to King’s, Rochester for a first round match in the National Schools Challenge General Knowledge competition. They played two matches, one each against King’s, Rochester A and B teams. The first match, against the A team was close and we won by 210 – 180 points. The second match was a little easier and we dominated, finally winning 240 – 110 points. We do not yet know for certain who our next match will be against.

Sunday Outing

The outing for boarders this Sunday was bowling at Bugsy’s in Margate. The children played two sessions and enjoyed some refreshments. Everybody had a lot of fun and Block 1 managed to relax before the exams. We had some high scores with the winners of each group being Elena, Mola, Kyle and Simon. Well done to them!

School This Week

World Book Day

 On Thursday 5th March we will be celebrating the 23rd World Book Day. This is a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) a celebration of reading.The main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading, something which we value highly at Wellesley Haddon Dene.

As part of our celebrations we would like to encourage pupils to attend school dressed as their favourite book character. They will also be asked to share some of the story that their character is in and tell their peers and teachers why they like this particular book/ character. There will be some fun book related activities during the afternoon and every child will be given a special book token.

Pre-Prep World Book Day
Thank you to all families who have already sent back pictures of children reading in unusual places, the display is looking great! This Thursday we have asked children to come to school as a character from a Julia Donaldson book and to bring any book to school that they would be prepared to swap with another child. We are also looking forward to visiting Ramsgate library on Tuesday morning, finding out about a local library and collecting our library cards.

A Service of Thanksgiving at the Canterbury Cathedral

Kent County Cricket Club is celebrating its 150th anniversary and a special programme of events is scheduled throughout 2020. The first is a Service of Thanksgiving at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday and Mr & Mrs Franklin, Mr Spencer and the Block 3 pupils will attend representing Wellesley Haddon Dene. Following the service, children will be invited to write a report on their visit and the piece favoured by the judging panel will feature on the Kent Cricket website.

Exams and Parent/Teacher Meeting

Block 1 children have their final set of practice examinations this 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 in the Sports Hall on Saturday 14th March at 10.15 am, prior to the Lenten Service in Chapel.

Young Voices at Thanet Music Festival 

On the morning of Saturday 7th March, despite it being an exeat, the Wellesley Young Voices will be performing and competing at the Thanet Music Festival. Parents of children involved should have had a detailed email regarding dress and timings, as well as other important information about the morning. If you have any queries about this please contact the Office or Mrs Spencer directly. The singers have been working exceptionally hard all term and are looking forward to performing and listening to other young choirs.

Team of the Week

The ‘Team of the Week’ for this week are the performers at the Thanet Music and Drama Festival. They will be rewarded with squash and cookies during Friday’s break. Well done to everyone who took part.

Exeat

Exeat begins at 1.30 pm on Friday and boarders return to school at 8.00 pm on Sunday evening, day pupils are to be in school by 8.20 am on Monday morning. Please would parents ensure they have informed the school secretary of their child’s travel/collection arrangements.

Everest in the Alps Ski Touring Challenge

Described as the toughest four days on skis, current Wellesley parents, Colin and Camilla Norton will be joining illustrious team members who have completed this monumental ascent and face the height of Everest for the ultimate winter endurance challenge. Fighting their way up 2200m vertical per day for four consecutive days they will be driven onward by the desire to raise funds for the Silas Pullen Fund and the Everest Centre, both of which work to raise awareness, fund and carry out research to find cures for brain tumours. Please click here for further information.

Photo galleries

 Parents are reminded that the most recent published photos of school life can be accessed under the ‘News & Events’ tab, or by clicking here.

Menu

This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 2.

Matches Last Week

On Social Media