The Week Ahead

Saturday 12th September until Sunday 20th September

I hope that you have all "summered" well. Rain seems to have been the order of the day for this country but I am sure many of you will have managed to escape to sunnier climes. This term we welcome a record two hundred and seventy-five pupils to make the school the largest it has ever been at just on nine hundred and forty pupils. Term does get under way quickly - already we have had the new pupil induction, the College Carnival and a full school photo - and I trust that your sons and daughters are now feeling fully involved in the life of Wellington. It promises to be a busy and exciting term.

The Master's Voice

"You can be whatever you want to be in life".  This was the theme of my beginning of term address to pupils.  I explained how the wonderful thing about schools is that one can begin again in September, putting behind one any errors and self-limitations of the past, and one can spring forward into the new year with a real sense of reinventing oneself as one wants to be.  Had a reputation for not working very hard?  A bit too much of a lad or a ladette?  Didn't do very much beyond the classroom?  All this can be transformed.  But it will only happen if your sons and daughters will it to happen.  It is a wonderful time to be coming back to Wellington, with more facilities than ever, a stronger community, the St Paul's Cathedral service and The Queen's visit to look forward to, the Wellington Academy opening in Wiltshire, and the foundation stone being laid in Wellington College China, and so much more.  I quite extraordinarily anxious for all children to realise that they must seize the opportunities at Wellington with both hands.  This is a wonderful, passionate and extraordinary school, which has now reached the very top academic league in the country.  I feel very confident about the student body and their year which is just about to begin.

General Events

We hope that all of you will join us for the opening of the Monro Sports Pavilion on Saturday 12th September.  This will be a fantastic day celebrating Wellington Sports and a chance to see the new Pavilion.  If you would like to attend and haven't already done so, please follow the link to confirm your attendance.  A schedule of the day is included here. The programme is as follows:1:00 pm  OWRFC v Old Wimbledonians; 2:45 pm Official opening of the Monro Sports Pavilion; 3:00 pm   WCRFC v Whitgift and other rugby and hockey matches; 4.00 pm Special tea for all.

A reminder that Saturday 12th September is closed for L6th boarders as there is a dinner dance for all L6th boarders. Sunday 13th September is closed for those pupils who are new to the College this term and  there is a series of activities designed to help them get to know each other, the campus, and something of College history, better. If you have any queries, please do contact the Head of Year, Murray Fowler.

The Third Form will all be in this weekend. On the night of Saturday 12th September, between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm, they will be taking part in a prefect-led Wellington Quiz. On Sunday 13th September we leave at 9:00 am for Thorpe Park and we expect to return around 5:00 pm. Day pupils are welcome to both events. If you have any queries do contact the Head of Third Form, Sam Gutteridge.

Sunday 13th September sees our first Service of the Word of the academic year at 8:00 pm in the chapel at which the Master is the preacher. Parents of pupils in the Picton are warmly invited.

Informal concerts resume on the evening of Monday 14th September in Old Gym (6:15 pm to 7:00 pm) and rehearsals are back into full-swing as of this week. For further information about the Music Department or music events, please make contact with Katrina Butt (Music Administrator) via phone (01344 444201) or email.

A History of Art evening will be held on Thursday 17th September, as part of the ongoing celebrations to mark the 150th year of Wellington College. There will be a drinks reception from 6:00 pm onwards in the V&A, with an exhibition dedicated to the architecture and sculpture of the College. At 7:20 pm two distinguished guest speakers from The Royal Collection will talk in Great School: Jonathan Marsden, Surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art, on the sculpture commissioned by Prince Albert for Wellington, and Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures, on the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle.

The official start of the WCA year is the New Parents' Welcome Reception on Sunday 20th September, from 7:30 pm in Great School, but it's not just for new parents! Why not take the chance to turn the Sunday night drop off into something more exciting by coming along and meeting other parents for an informal chat over canapés and a glass (or two!) of wine - a great chance to get to know everyone, and get to know everyone better.  Please drop Denise Cook an email to register your interest.

On Sunday 20th September there is a Full School Eucharist at which the preacher is the Chaplain. Parents of the Orange are warmly invited.

Two course Saturday Lunches for £5!? Parents and their children are most welcome to have lunch in the main College Dining Room on Saturdays, Perhaps this provides a good opportunity to meet up in the warm with other families before going out to support the afternoon matches.? Do come any time between 12:45 pm and 1:30 pm. Please make yourself known to the Duty Manager who will ask for your payment and explain the servery lay out and menus to you. (It is probably best to avoid satruday 19th September and Saturday 10th October as these are terribly busy Visitors' days)

Likewise, parents are welcome to use the V & A café.  This is very much a facility for use by all members of the College community. The opening hours for the purchase of hot and cold drinks and snacks are Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 11:45 am and between 2:30 pm and 10:00 pm. It is also open on Saturday mornings between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm. It is advisable to avoid the morning break rush, 10:40 to 11:10. At lunchtime, 12:00 and 1:45, counter service is suspended for sales as this becomes an alternative to the Main Dining Hall for pupil and staff lunches. On Saturday afternoons and on Sundays, there is no counter service but the V & A is still open with flasks of tea and coffee available, free of charge.

For parents who had children at Wellington during the years 2001 - 2006 and these children are currently in High Education,  I remind you that applications for grants, for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies are welcomed by the Schools Competition Act Settlement Trust. Please refer to their website  for more information and for applications forms.

For parents who subscribe to the Schools' Fees Protection Insurance Scheme, offered through HBSC, we have recently been advised that in light of the current swine flu epidemic, with effect from 1 January 2010, there will be a 7 day excess applied to all claims for school closure. We certainly hope that our contingency plans will mean that we are not required to close, but we have been asked to draw this to parents' attention.

We produce a list of contacts for parents of other parents in your son or daughters year group and put it up on the intranet under a password that is only given out to those parents of the relevant year group.. The list includes a phone number, home town and e-mail addresses. We assume that everyone is happy to be included on this list unless they contact us so if you do not  wish your details to be put on this, please e-mail Nicole Hodge saying so. We shall assume, unless you tell us otherwise, that any parent who requested not to be on the list last year will remain off the list.

WANTED: Dynamic, friendly approachable and hard-working people to help advance the work and play of the WCA.  Duties include acting as a point of contact in your child's House, supporting school events as a WCA representative, communicating effectively with other parents and joining in the general frivolity of WCA life at Welly.
You need an excellent sense of humour, a desire for fun and a commitment to hard work and to Wellington.  For more information, contact Denise Cook, the WCA Chairman.

The Head of Educational Support is available for consultations on Saturdays from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm.  Please contact  Carole Blunden-Lee by e-mail if you would like to see her then.

Letters Home

To try and cut down on the amount of paper we send out and to try and not bombard parents with large numbers of posting, e-mails and information generally, we plan to use this section of the Week Ahead to include letters we would normally send out - either electronically or by post. If there are parents who would still rather receive everything on paper, please e-mail the College Secretary. We still anticipate sending out paper copies  of reports, bills and the Master's letters. To open some of these letters you will need to log on to the intranet as the page they are saved on is only viewable to those in the Wellington community. Do contact me if you need the password - details are further up  in this Week Ahead. All letters home of this sort are stored here . If for any reason you want to see a back copy of the Week Ahead they are all available on the internet.

Sport

The sporting season start before the dust at the start of term has settled.Saturday 12th September sees a big block fixutre in rugby against Whitgift (and other fixtures with Cranleigh, Mill Hill and Tonbridge) and hockey against St. Edward's.

Tuesday 15th September sees our lacrosse teams in action against Heathfield St Mary's, hockey teams playing the Perse, squash teams travelling to KCS Wimbledon and the golfers competing with Canford.

On Thursday 17th September the rackets team start their term welcoming Charterhouse and the golfers play Radley.

The block fixture on Saturday 19th September is rugby against Dulwich, with extra fixtures with Tonbridge, the golfers take on Millfield and the badminton players welcome the Oratory.

Further Ahead

The whole school will be taking part in the WOW weekend from lunch time from Friday 25th September. The details are managed by the Heads of Year who you should contact if you want further details. Some information can be found on the intranet.

The Third Form will be be away on the Saturday night. Further details will be sent out next week.
The Fourth Form are involved with the CCF and will be away all weekend.
The Fifth Form CCF are also away whilst those not in the CCF will be involved during the days in a full programme.
The Lower Sixth are busy planning all aspects of their camping/ walking trips for the WOW Weekend and will be away all weekend. We have made it clear to the pupils that their accommodation options are either tents, or, if they fancy a hint of luxury, a Youth Hostel! Last year several groups made use of holiday homes and so on - please do not say yes to such requests this year!
The Upper Sixth have a one day leadership programme and sessions on the UCAS University application process. They will be ffree on Sunday.

Join us as part of The Biggest Coffee Morning in the World. Wellington will be participating in this national event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief. The date is Friday 25th September and please come to the V & A any time between 9:00 am and 12:00  pm for coffee, delicious treats, a raffle, sale table and a chance to meet up with old friends and new parents.  Any offers of Home Baking for sale would be most welcome - please contact the Bursar, Susan Meikle, either by email  or telephone 01344 444020

The Music school would like to draw your attention to the following dates later in this term:

1. 7th October  - Ian Clarke (flautist) visit to Wellington College
   8th October - Roderick Williams (vocalist) visit to Wellington College
   9th October - London Mozart Players visit to Wellington College
   14th October - Chapel Choir sings Evensong
   15th October - Prep Schools' Orchestral Day at Wellington College

From the Archive

Contact us

This newsletter and past editions are on the Wellington College website as is a version of the school calendar with details of all activities going on at Wellington for the rest of this term.
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