From the Headmaster’s Study
We very much look forward to welcoming parents back into the school at various events this week that are outlined below in this edition of the Weekly. The Junior Concert, the Middle and Senior Poetry Recitation and the Lenten service are always key events in our calendar and we are delighted to have them all back after a 2 year hiatus.
A further date for your diaries is the Denne Hill cross country race taking place on the last Saturday afternoon of term – the 19th March – on the grounds of the Loder-Symonds family, long-standing friends of Wellesley. Whilst the race is for all pupils in Block 4 and above, we warmly welcome all Wellesley families to join us for the afternoon and further details will follow over the coming days.
Gavin Franklin
School Last Week
Mark Reading
The second marks of term have been given and the standings are as follows:
- 1st – Romans
- 2nd – Saxons
- 3rd – Vikings
- 4th – Danes
Special mention goes to the following pupils who have achieved the highest set of marks for their year: Suri Lear, Greta Grand, Tillie Spanton, Freya Ralph, Max Miller and Alejandra Deniz.
The most improved pupils in each year group were Reuben Young Gadd, Alex Sant, Luna Sarafoglou, Carlos Deniz, Max Miller and Alejandra Deniz while the highest scoring tutor group was JL. Well done.
Copies of industry reports are now available on the parent portal.
World Book Day
On Friday 4th March the pupils from Block 3 started our World Book Day celebrations with a fun assembly for the whole school. It was great to see so many pupils (and staff) dressed as one of their favourite book characters. During the morning we had lots of shared reading and a variety of book quizzes.
All pupils went home with a £1 book voucher that they can exchange in participating stores over the weekend.
Police liaison officer
As part of a Kent Police initiative, Wellesley Haddon Dene School, like many other schools in the county, will have a liaison officer who will come and talk to the children from time to time on different topics such as Internet Safety. The objective is to raise awareness in understanding that police officers are here to help communities and protect people. For this purpose, the children might see PC Claire from time to time in the corridors or on the sports field and are encouraged to go and say hi. PC Claire will also do a Q&A with the senior and middle schools, and come see the pre-prep very soon.
Pre Prep
On Thursday the children enjoyed celebrating World Book day; children brought in and shared favourite stories, thank you to the staff who participated in a masked reader which involved children guessing who was behind the mask. There were lots of brilliant costumes too! A really fun day highlighting the importance and enjoyment of reading.
This week we are looking forward to our musical presentation at 4pm on Friday. Parents are welcome and all children in Reception and Year 1,2,3 and 4 will be participating. Please complete this brief form to confirm your attendance. Thank you.
On Monday 21st March we will be holding our annual Junior House poetry recitation at 9am in the Old Hall. Parents are very welcome.
Upcoming events
Friday 18th March – Red Nose Day – Have a laugh with your class. Donate £1 to wear something that will make your classmates laugh! (home clothes)
Wednesday 23rd March – 11am whole school easter egg hunt
School This Week
Block 1 Study Sessions
Running Monday to Friday, from 6pm to 6.40pm, day pupils are invited to join boarders in study sessions straight after supper.
Team of the Week
This week’s team of the week is our Pre-prep class JK for all of their hard work this term and the brilliant progress they have made in their writing. They are going to join Mr and Mrs Franklin for squash and cookies in the Library on Friday morning.
Poetry Recitation
Pupils from Block 4 up to Block 1 have been busy learning a poem to recite in front of their peers during their English lessons and at our finals competition taking place on Thursday. If your son or daughter has been selected for the finals, you will have received notification from the office and we look forward to welcoming parents and family members in support. We are delighted to welcome an adjudicator from The King’s School, Canterbury. The event takes place in the Old Hall and begins at 6pm. Please complete this brief form to confirm your attendance if you have not already done so. Please access the Old Hall from the Cold Corridor and enjoy refreshments before listening to the poems and supporting the pupils.
Junior House and JL Music Concert
This week we are looking forward to our musical presentation at 4pm on Friday in the Old Hall. Parents are welcome and all children in Reception and Year 1,2,3 and 4 will be participating. Please complete this brief form to confirm your attendance. Thank you.
Wellesley Haddon Dene Honey
We are delighted to announce that we will be selling a limited number of Wellesley Haddon Dene’s very own jars of honey this week as we welcome parents back into school for the Prep school poetry recitation and the Junior House music concert. The honey will be available to buy at these two events. Please bring cash payment (£10 per jar). To ensure that as many families as possible have the opportunity to purchase the honey, each family will be limited to one jar.
Lenten Service
All parents are warmly invited to attend our annual Lenten Service, taking place in our Chapel on Saturday at midday. All pupils from Block 4 to Block 1 will be in attendance and we very much look forward to hearing from our guest preacher, Mr Mark Smiley, Housemaster of Carlyon at King’s School, Canterbury. Soup and sandwiches will be served for all visitors in the library after the Chapel service. If you plan to attend the Chapel service, please complete this very brief form. Thank you.
Parent/Teacher meeting
There will be a Block 1 parents conference on the morning of Saturday 12th March – this will happen remotely and parents will have received an engage notification today to book their slots.
Atom Learning
Atom Learning has a series of tea time online live lessons taking place for children in Years 3 – 6. With subjects such as creative writing exam prep on offer, for further information please contact Atom Learning.
Matches This Week
Monday, 7th March
Netball v St Lawrence: U13 A&B (a)
Wednesday, 9th March
Wellesley Netball Tournament: U11 1pm
Rugby v Northbourne: U9/U8 (h)
Rugby v Northbourne: U13 (a)
Rugby v Northbourne: U11 (h)
Saturday, 12th March
Hockey v Northbourne: U13A & B (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 |
Wainman Cup Cross Country | 6th Place |
Stevens Cup Cross Country | 4th overall. |
Netball v Northbourne: U11 | Drew 5-5 |
Squash v Holmewood House: 1st V | Lost |
Squash v Holmewood House: Colts V | Lost |
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