General Events

World famous Harvard writer and academic, Tal Ben Shahar, spoke to 850 pupils in Chapel on Friday 18th January about the key findings of his work on student and adult happiness.  He told them about the importance of: accepting their humanness and their emotions, celebrating their relationships, showing appreciation, exercise having a bigger effect than anti-depressants, appreciating their good fortunes and feeling good and positive about all they do well.  This is top psychological sense, and they listened so clearly you could hear a pin drop.  Several parents came to hear Tal give his day lecture the day before on running successful corporations. Do please discuss with your sons and daughters what was said.

To all fathers who have an interest in Rugby, you might be keen to come to the Dinner on Saturday 19th January in aid of the Wellington College Rugby tour to South Africa. The guest speakers are Sean Fitzpatrick & Martin Bayfield. The evening will start at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are priced at £50. There will be auctions and raffles in aid of the tour. If you would like to come then please e-mail Gary MacManus .

Parents might be interested to know that Jonathan Smith's, new play, The Tennis Court, is being broadcast on Radio 4 at 2: 30 p.m. on Saturday 19th January. Jonathan is a regular visitor to Wellington as one of our writers in residence.

Saturday 19th January is a closed Saturday for the Fourth Form as they are going to a West End production.

On Sunday 20th January, there is a full school Service of the Word at which the preacher is the Chaplain. Parents of the Combermere are cordially invited. The Master is away preaching at Summerfields in Oxford.

Over the week, pupils in the Lower Sixth will be receiving information and advice about "What next after Wellington" from Dr Elaine Hood, our Careers Adviser.. Parents will also be getting information and we hope this will help inform conversations at home as well as at school.

On Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd January, the Drama Department will be visited by the renowned Midnite Youth Theatre Company, all the way from Australia.  They will be performing a brand new play called Premiere, about 'the cult of celebrity'.  The performances start at 7: 30 p.m. in the Theatre and tickets are free of charge.  Email jwb@wellingtoncollege.org.uk if you would like to reserve a ticket. 

On Wednesday 23rd January William Bruce will be working with the Wellington College 'cellists during the Sinfonia rehearsal from 4:30 - 6:15 p.m. in The Old Gym. There will then be a short Masterclass with performances by Steph Tress (O), Cornelius Riethdorf (H) and Imogen Halsey ((O) from 6:15 - 7:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The final session will be a 'cello ensemble workshop. William Bruce is a 'cellist with the English National Opera orchestra and Head of Strings at the Junior Guildhall School of Music.

Please note that unfortunately  the talk on Wednesday 23rd January  by Helena Kennedy QC has been postponed.

On Thursday 24th January at 6:00 pm there is an opportunity at Wellington College to hear Professor Richard Jolly of the London Business School talk on the management of change. His background is based in business but the relevance to the educational world is clear. Leaders are increasingly aware of the need to manage change and it is certainly considered in all new initiatives. An obvious example can be found in the Every Child Matters agenda. A short profile of Professor Richard Jolly can be found here. A ticket to attend the lecture will cost £20. If interested, please contact Tarla Woolhouse, Events Organiser at Wellington College or send a cheque made payable to Wellington College. Please also let us know name, title, school and email contact detail

Regular meetings to pray for the College,staff and pupils are starting. Are you interested? The first meeting is on Saturday 26th January from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Blucher Sitting Room (to the left after entering through the Porter's Lodge).  If you are interested in attending pelase contact either Tim and Lorna Lawson-Cruttenden (phone: 020 7352 9262  Gilly Wilcox (phone: 020 7603 3079).

The weekend of the 26th and 27th January is a Weekeend Leave. Pupils may leave after thier fixtures. We welcome them back by 9:15 p.m. on Sunday 27th Janaury.

Increasingly we are putting inofmration for parents on the school intranet set. In particular the handbook for pupils with information for both pupils and parents is now electronic and can be found under the section of the intranet called info@community. Some parents have had problems logging on to the intranet. You do need to click on the log -in link at the top right of the page. The general parents' username is COLLEGE\victoria (if you are offered three boxes COLLEGE is the domain and victoria is the username). The general parents' password is the name of the O.W. on the plaque by the Round Square noticeboard at Queen's Court and must be entered in capitals. Hopefully your son or daughter can supply that information. If not, then ask me! There is information on the intranet to help you and this can be found at http://intranet.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/login_help.htm

Sport

Saturday 19th January sees the netball teams playing Sevenoaks , the hockey teams taking on Charterhouse and the football teams playing the Oratory. On the same day, there is the Berkshire schools cross country competition, the shooting team compete with Epsom, the basketball team travel to Bradfield and the badminton team play Eton at Welington.

After the postponement of the Seniors from last week, the Junior Colts Rugby continue thier Daily Mail campaign at St. Peter's Gloucester on Tuesday 22nd January with a 12:45 p.m. kick off.

Thursday 24th January sees our football team travel to  Sevenoaks, the lacrosse team play Bradfield, our shooting team travel to Westminster and the basketball teams play Haileybury. Also in an addition to the calendar on Thursday  24th January, the golf A team take on Reading Bluecoat School at Goring and Streatley Golf Club in the I.,S.G.A. competition.

On Saturday 26th January, the hockey fixture is agianst Whitgift, the netball fixture is with Hurstpierpoint, the football teams play Haileybury and the cross-country team are in the Charterhouse Cup.

Sunday 27th January ends the sporting week with the U14 English Hockey Association competition starting.

Looking to the week ahead there is an uncalendared lacrosse fixture at Stowe on Thursday 31st January.

All results can be found onthe internet: Hockey; Netball; Football.

Further Ahead

On Wednesday 30th January in Great School, 7:30 for 8:00 p.m. , we welcome parents and the whole community to hear Sir Donald Sinden. A jovial, sometimes bombastic leading man, noted for his rich, plummy voice, he has been on stage since 1941 with Stratford and Bristol Old Vic season and made his film debut in 1948.  Some of his credits include The Cruel Sea, Doctor in the House, An Alligator Name Daisy and many more.  His latest television appearance include Judge John Deed and Midsomer Murders.

The Hollywood Ball on Saturday 9th February  is "a must not miss event" or you will be very sorry! Letters have gone out to all the parents and the tickets are selling fast. However a few are still available so act NOW and send in your completed form with your full payment. Although it seems a long way ahead, we need to get on with finalising details.  If you have lost the letter, an application form can be found here and full details can be found on the website.  Alternatively contact Reena Price , Ludford House, Canon Hill Drive, Bray, Berks SL6 2EU.  Tel: 01628 622355   Fax: 01628 632948. Mobile: 07778 205 112.

On Monday 25th February  in Great School, 7:30 for 8:00 p.m., we welcome Johnson Beharry, VC of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Johnson Beharry is a British soldier who, on 18th March 2005, was awarded the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for twice saving members of his unit from ambuses on 1st May and 11th June 2004 at Al-Amarah, Iraq.  He sustained serious head injuries in the  latter engagement.   His book, Barefoot Soldier, is in the School library.

The school musical Les Miserables school edition is on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th March at 7:30 p.m. in the Theatre.  Tickets for this performance cost £2.50 for students and £5.00 for adults and can be purchased in person at the Theatre office between 8: 00a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. Tickets for adults and those outside Wellington can be reserved by an email to jwb@wellingtoncollege.org.uk and then paid for by cheque. Please note that tickets must be paid for before the date of the performance.

Nick Diver would like to remind parents that places for the Third Form trip to the First World War Battlefields from 20th to 22nd March 2008 are going very quickly and are nearly over-subscribed.  Anybody who would like their son or daughter to go on the trip, or who would simply like more information, should email him as soon as possible.

There will be a Roman Catholic Confirmation in Crowthorne on Friday 6th June 2008  and classes will start in March. If you wish your child to be confirmed please e mail Dr Boscher. 

The Geography Department is running its 15th annual LVIth Field Trip to Serre Chevalier in the French Alps in the summer, from the 29th June to the 4th July. Please could parents of LVIth Geographers send back the relevant forms to Murray Fowler as soon as possible.