From the Headmaster’s Study
This Saturday, we look forward to celebrating the 50 year anniversary since our amalgamation with St Peter’s Court. To mark the occasion a Service of Thanksgiving is to be held in the Ridgeway Chapel at the school, followed by a buffet lunch in the Dining Hall. The Very Revd. Dr Robert Willis DL, Dean of Canterbury will be preaching at the Service, and a number of Old Welleslians, past governors and other invited guests will be attending. As current parents, we would be delighted if you would like to attend this special commemorative event.
The service will begin 12 noon, followed by lunch in the school dining room at 1pm. Pupils will be given a picnic lunch in the sports hall.
There is a wealth of fascinating information about our history and heritage that you can access here.
We very much look forward to what should be a memorable occasion.
Gavin Franklin
Dates for the diary
Parents Chess Match
The annual Parents v Pupils chess match will take place this year on Saturday 2nd November at 4.00 pm in the Library. It precedes the bonfire and fireworks in the evening so it makes the entire day an enjoyable occasion for all. If any parents would like to take part in the chess match or would like further details, please contact Mr Kearns, e-mail spk@wellesleyhouse.net week.
Christmas Fair
The Friends of Wellesley would like you to Save The Date for the Wellesley Haddon Dene Christmas Fair.
This will take place on Saturday 23rd November in the Old Hall, between 11.00 am and 2.30pm. Christmas Shopping, games, mince pies, music and more!
More information about the stalls that will be joining us at the Christmas Fair will be included in the Weekly after half term.
Half Term Camps
Following the success of our Easter Cricket Coaching Workshops and Half Term Activity Camps, we are delighted to be running further camps during the October half term:
Netball Coaching – Tuesday 22nd October – click here for booking form
School Last Week
Harvest Festival
Thank you to all who were able to join us at Saturday’s Harvest Festival service – what a wonderful turnout – and for the produce that was kindly given for distribution to local charities. Thank you to the lesson readers and to the two choirs – the Wellesley Young Voices and the Chapel Choir – who both sang beautifully. Pip Viner carried the harvest loaf to the altar to commence the service. Many thanks also to The Reverend Paul Worledge, from St Luke’s Church in Ramsgate, for his address: he spoke engagingly about the feeding of the 5000.
Some children in Block 4 will be accompanying Mrs Franklin and Mr Spencer to the Thanet foodlink in Margate on Tuesday morning to pass on all the produce donated.
Form Assembly
The first form assembly of the school year took place on Thursday 4th October. Form 2 presented an assembly about National Awareness Days and how they might reflect the Wellesley values. The students all performed with confidence and much humour and the song ‘It’s Raining Tacos’ was echoing around the schools for many days after!
School Council
The School Council held its first meeting of the school year on Friday. Among the topics discussed were catering and the choice of charities to support. The next meeting is on Friday 29th November.
Study Skills
Ms Moosuddee led Block 1 in a Study Skills session on Thursday morning, with the aim of helping each pupil to discover their own individual learning style and to identify the right techniques for them to perform at their best and succeed. She gave them tips and ideas which will benefit them as they progress towards the examinations they will be taking later in the year. At the end of the session pupils took part in a Mindfulness exercise where they focused on breathing techniques. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed a guided meditation followed by a Body Scan. Ms Moosuddee also showed some lucky pupils how to play a Tibetan Singing Bowl. Due to the popularity of the session, more will follow as the year progresses.
Travelling Book Fair
Last week, we hosted our annual Book Fair from ‘Travelling Books’ in the library. Some time was spent during English classes and breaktime to peruse the books available. It was very gratifying to watch the children exploring a world of possible purchases attracted by colourful dust jackets, while pouring over blurbs. Some secreted themselves away under library tables to compare new titles with a friend, while others learned how practical Maths skills enabled them to extract even more books from their allowance. A total of 117 books were bought, which will enable the purchase of some new titles for the school library. Happy reading!
Sunday Outing
The outing for boarders on Sunday was to Soar for an exhausting and entertaining afternoon of trampolining.
School This Week
Team of the Week
The ‘Team of the Week’ are the performers from the Informal Concert – well done to the 4 boys who demonstrated both courage and skill to play in front of their peers and staff in the music school. Also, the U13A hockey team for their fantastic victory away at JKS – well done, girls.
They will be rewarded with cookies and squash in the Headmaster’s drawing room during a morning break.
Governor Visit
We welcome Mr Johnnie Jackson to the school on Wednesday. He is a housemaster at Eton and will be in school looking at the boarding houses and talking with the boarders and boarding staff
Year 3 Trip to Canterbury Cathedral
Form JH will be visiting Canterbury Cathedral where they will experience life as a pilgrim as they are guided around the Cathedral. They will also have a workshop where they will learn about stonemasonry, calligraphy and stained glass windows.
Thanet Science and Engineering Challenge
On Wednesday, a group of Block 4 children will be heading to the annual Thanet Science and Engineering Challenge day, held at St. Lawrence College. The children will take part in a day of activities, challenges and competitions against other local schools. It will test their knowledge of science and help them to develop their higher order thinking, and leadership skills, whilst providing ample opportunities for great teamwork. Good luck to the team!
Old Welleslian & St Peter’s Court 50th Anniversary
This Saturday, we look forward to celebrating the 50 year anniversary since our amalgamation with St Peter’s Court. To mark the occasion a Service of Thanksgiving is to be held in the Ridgeway Chapel at the school, followed by a buffet lunch in the Dining Hall. The Very Revd. Dr Robert Willis DL, Dean of Canterbury will be preaching at the Service, and a number of Old Welleslians, past governors and other invited guests will be attending. As current parents, we would be delighted if you would like to attend this special commemorative event. Please let the office know of your intention to attend.
Music on Monday
Music on Monday was provided by Stas Shatokhin who played The Gravity Falls Theme Tune by Brad Breeck on the piano. Well done, Stas.
Change to the Calendar – Wellesley Music Evening
Please note the change of date for the Wellesley Music Evening, this has been moved from Thursday 31st October and will now be held on Tuesday 29th October. Further details will follow nearer the time.
Parent/Teacher meeting for Pre-Prep
Pre-Prep parent teacher meetings will be held on Tuesday 15th October from 4pm in the Old Hall. As well as meeting form teachers, this will also be an opportunity to meet specialist teachers between 4 and 5pm.
Stay and Play
The first of this term’s stay and play sessions was held on Friday in Junior House. We welcomed a number of new families who enjoyed playing in our outdoor area, exploring the classrooms and listening to The Gruffalo story.
The sessions are open to all and primarily aimed at children aged 0-4. Mrs Brown will be hosting these events in the Junior House and parents will remain with their children. All enquiries/bookings should be addressed to admissions@wellesleyhouse.net
Block 1 Paris Trip
Next week, a group of Block 1 pupils will head to Paris for a few days of cultural visits and much fun. We will leave on Tuesday 15th and come back in the evening of Friday 18th. We will sightsee many monuments such as the Eiffel Tower, and we will visit Montmatre, Le Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palace of Versailles, Montmatre, Disneyland Paris.
Cross-Country
Our teams will be travelling to Schools at Somerhill, near Tonbridge, to race in the regional IAPS cross-country event on Thursday. Good luck to all our competitors. Please note that this event starts at 2.00 p.m.
Sunday Outing
Senior boarders will be going paintballing at Quex Park this Sunday. Junior boarders will heading to Manston to enjoy a round of mini-golf.
Menu
This week the kitchen will be serving Menu 3.
Matches Last Week
| Wednesday 3rd October | |
| Hockey: U13A Kent Minis | 18th |
| Hockey v Northbourne: U9 | Drew 1-1 |
| Hockey v Northbourne: U11 | Lost 4-1 |
| Soccer – Shapira Cup: 1st VI | 3rd |
| Soccer – Spring Grove Tournament: Colts A | Quarter Finals |
| Thursday 4th October | |
| Soccer Spring Grove Tournament (U9) | Quarter Finals |
| Saturday 6th October | |
| Hockey v JKS: U13 A | Won 2-3 |
| Hockey v JKS: U13 B | Lost 2-0 |
| Hockey v JKS: U11 | Lost 6-1 |
| Soccer v Northbourne: Colts A | Drew 1-1 |
| Soccer v Northbourne: Colts B | Lost 1-2 |
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 9th October
Ashford School Soccer Tournament: U11 – Note 1.30pm start
Hockey v Dover College: U11 (a)
Thursday 10th October
Soccer v Ashford U9 (a) Note 1.00pm start
IAPS Cross Country @ Schools at Somerhill
Saturday 12th October
With the St Peter’s Court Service taking place at 12 noon and some tours being arranged for visiting families, the scheduled Set Matches have been postponed. Instead, there will be a full games programme for all pupils (JL to Block 1) after lunch which will finish by 3.00pm. We respectfully ask that all JL – Block 1 pupils are in school until that time – thank you.