From the Headmaster’s Study
Burns Night is one of the great annual fixtures in the Wellesley calendar, and it was wonderful to see pupils in JL and above fully immersing themselves in the Scottish Dancing, ably led by our very own Mrs Spencer. Aside from the delicious feast prepared by our catering team, I have to make special mention of Hector Hulme who addressed the haggis as if he were a seasoned pro. In related news, I am delighted to report that Hector has achieved our first scholarship of the season – a drama exhibition to The King’s School, Canterbury. Very well done to him, and all staff who have helped en route to this award.
In amongst the many notices in this edition of the Weekly, you will see that there is the opportunity for you to vote in the annual Kent teacher of the year awards for 2022. If you have both the time and inclination to consider any of the brilliant members of our team, please do submit your entry! Thank you.
Gavin Franklin
School Last Week
Burns Night
Pupils in JL and above enjoyed a delicious haggis supper last Tuesday followed by an evening of Scottish dancing, to celebrate Burns Night. Hector Hulme took on the responsibility of addressing the haggis and performed Robert Burns’ poem with great aplomb and a decent Scottish accent (far better than Mr Franklin’s). As always, the evening was tremendous fun, thanks to our fantastic catering staff and to Mrs Spencer and the teaching staff who taught and led the dancing.
Rugby success for Wellesley
Our senior rugby players enjoyed great success in the annual Foster Cup on Wednesday held at Junior King’s. In this prestigious Sevens competition, our squad of 11 players demonstrated great skill, teamwork and determination to win all 3 of their fixtures – against strong opposition from JKS and King’s Rochester. Very well done to Hector Hulme and his team.
On the same day, we hosted 4 schools for an informal Colts “come and play” festival and our boys enjoyed 2 victories (against Northbourne and St Lawrence) and a nail biting draw (against JKS) from their 3 fixtures. Our thanks to Mr Kearns for the tremendous organisation of the event and our ground staff for preparing such quality pitches. Very well done to our squad of players.
Exeat review
Some of our international boarders stayed with us for the weekend and enjoyed a fun and varied programme. On Friday afternoon, they enjoyed a trip to the cinema with Madame Laurans to see Sing 2. On Saturday – in glorious conditions – they enjoyed a hike through the Kentish countryside with Mrs Spencer and Mrs Franklin (and dogs!) before stopping for a hot chocolate at the Independent Pedalar. That evening they tucked into a well-deserved takeaway of their choice. Sunday morning was spent on the Wellesley grounds bird spotting for the Big Garden Birdwatch (with some football as well) before strolling down town to replenish their tuck boxes. The weekend finished off with a golfing trip to the driving range at Manston where they all enjoyed the top tracer technology, which tracked their longest drives (ranging from 111 yards to a whopping 157 yards!).
Pre Prep
News from Pre Prep
The nursery are looking forward to hearing about being a Dr in a busy hospital from Dr Kathy Marks. We are very grateful to her for taking time in her busy schedule to support the nursery ‘People who help us’ topic.
Last week Pre-prep marked Australia Day and this week we will learn about Chinese New Year. On Tuesday we will have the opportunity to taste some Chinese food.
After many months we are excited to welcome parents and toddlers to our first Friday afternoon Stay and Play session. If you know anyone who may be interested in visiting please ask them to get in touch with Geraldine via hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net
School This Week
Mark Reading
The first marks of term have been given and the standings are as follows:
1st – Vikings
2nd – Romans
3rd – Danes
4th – Saxons
Special mention goes to the following pupils who have achieved the highest set of marks for their year: Clara Montgomery and Suri Lear (JL), Tillie Spanton (Block 4), Freya Ralph (Block 3), Grace Flowers (Block 2) and Margot Grand (Block 1).
The most improved pupils in each year group were Stan Shoring, Algie Moore, Lila Grady, Barnaby Williams and Gracie Lawton while the highest scoring tutor group was JL. Well done.
Industry reports are now available to view on the parent portal.
Monday Music
This Monday we were treated to the stunning theme music from The Titanic. This was played by Georgie Carter and Teegan Pretzlik.
Team of the Week
This week’s team is the victorious squad from the Foster Cup. Mr Boyne’s squad of 11 demonstrated phenomenal skill and teamwork to overcome JKS A & B and a very strong King’s Rochester team. What we lacked in size, we made up for in spirit. The boys will enjoy juice and cakes with Mr and Mrs Franklin in the library later this week. Very well done, boys.
Kent Teacher of the Year Awards 2022
Nominations are now open for the Kent Teacher of the Year award. Anyone can nominate and it’s not just teachers who are recognised – these awards celebrate every role in schools from school secretaries to caretakers, heads and volunteers. To cast your vote, please click here.
Parking at Fixtures
May we kindly ask parents not to park on the lawn at the front of the school? The driveway should please remain clear for access purposes. If required, additional parking is available at the rear of the school, through the barrier. Thank you.
Chinese New Year
This year, our Block 2 pupils will tell us about the significance of the colour red and fireworks in their Chinese New Year assembly taking place in the Old Hall on Tuesday morning. We will also get to enjoy a Chinese themed lunch.
Parent/Teacher Meetings
We will be holding three remote parent/teacher meetings prior to half term:
Block 2 – Tuesday 1st February (6-8pm) and Friday 4th February (6-8pm)
Block 3 – Saturday 5th February (9.30-11.30am)
JL – Thursday 10th February (6-7pm)
Please make a note of these times and dates in your diary. Invitations for the Block 2 and Block 3 meetings were sent last week to parent portal accounts. The google meets will be hosted via your child’s Wellesley Haddon Dene email account and if you have any questions, please contact Mrs Baird via hmsecretary@wellesleyhouse.net.
Please note that the Block 1 remote meetings (Saturday 12th March, 9-11am) will take place after the mock exams (28th Feb – 3rd March).
Senior School News
On Saturday 26th February, Eastbourne College will be hosting a whole school Open Event. For further information and to book a place, please click here.
Throughout January and February, Lancing College will be hosting small group visits for those looking for Year 9 entry from 2022 onwards. If you would like further details on the programme, please click here.
Matches This Week
Tuesday 1st February
Squash v King’s, Canterbury: 1st V (a) 2:30pm
Wednesday 2nd February
Rugby v Dover College: U9/U8 (h)
Rugby v King’s Rochester: U13 (h)
Rugby Milner Cup: U11 (a)
Netball v Dover College: U13 (a)
Netball v Northbourne: U11 (a)
Saturday 5th February
Rugby v Northbourne: U13 (h)
Rugby v Northbourne: U11 (a)
Please always refer to the website calendar as it is the most up-to-date place to check for fixture changes and locations.
If your child has been selected for a fixture, we will email you each Tuesday morning with information regarding the recommended pick up time from Wellesley.
Matches Last Week
| Fixture | Result |
Rugby Foster Cup: U13 | Winners JKS A Won 4-1 King’s Rochester Won 4-2 JKS B Won 6-1 |
Rugby Come and Play Festival: U11 | Won 2 (Northbourne; SLC) Drew 1 (JKS) |
Rugby v Northbourne: U9/U8 | Won 5-3 and 6-3 |
Netball v Northbourne: U13 A | Lost 33-12 |
Netball v Northbourne: U13 B | Lost 13-12 |
Netball v Northbourne: U9 | Won 4-2 |
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