The Week Ahead
Saturday 28th November until Sunday 6th December
The Master's Voice
| Royal Wellington. Wellington has a unique relationship with the Royal Family. Founded by Queen Victoria, it has had a Royal Visitor ever since, with The Queen just about to make her fifth visit. The school has also had a Royal President since its origins, originally HRH Prince Albert, then the 14th Earl of Derby, thrice Prime Minister, as an interim before the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, became President in 1864 until 1901. He was succeeded by Queen Victoria's youngest son, the Duke of Connaught, godson of the first Duke of Wellington, who in turn was succeeded by HRH the Duke of Gloucester in 1942. Finally, HRH the Duke of Kent succeeded in 1970, and has been a magnificent support to us over the forty years. This year has been particularly busy for the Duke, with four Wellington engagements within six months (Speech Day, the St Paul's service, the 150th concert on Wednesday, and the visit of Her Majesty next Tuesday). Below are various photographs of earlier Royal visits, including one from the concert on Wednesday, judged by those with long experience to be the finest at Wellington for many years. HRH is a very keen musician, and we are looking forward to another concert in his honour next year. The school is eagerly anticipating the visit of Her Majesty on Tuesday, during which the focus of the visit will be squarely on the pupils, not adults. There is a palpable sense of pride amongst the school community in our Royal heritage and in our sense of history. It does not make our community arrogant, but it does make us conscious of the traditions and the responsibilities placed upon us. |
Tuesday December 1st sees a brief visit from Her Majesty the Queen to formally open the Modern Languages Institute. The Palace has requested that it be a pupil-centred occasion and therefore with regret there will not be the opportuntiy for parental involvement other than for those parents whose children are performing for Her Majesty. Those parents will receive a separate e-mail inviting them to attend.
Last week I used images from the previous visits of the Queen, this week there are images of visits by previous monarchs. All the monarchs on the throne since the opening of Wellington, bar Edward VIII, have visited the College at some time - an enviable record. Amongst the images is a photo and a print of Victoria's visit for "the opening of the Wellington College" (the boy to the right of her was the then Prince of Wales who also features in the next images), four images from King Edward's visit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the school (including one of the then Prince of Wales who went on to become George V) and one from a visit during the war from George VI with his daughter, now Queen Elizabeth, when the Master's Lodge had been destroyed and the then Master killed. The image at the bottom right is from 1909 when a commemorative stone was unveiled to celebrate the King's visit of 1909. A similar stone was put in place for the centenary visit of 1959 by the Queen and one is now in place by the Porter's Lodge for the Queen's visit on our 150th anniversary.
The last image is from the Duke of Kent's visit last Wednesday when he attended an excellent concert in Old Hall.
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General Events
We look forward to welcoming your children back to Wellington by 9:15 pm on Sunday 29th November in the case of boarders and for lessons on Monday 30th November for day pupils.
On Saturday 28 November in the Wellington College Chapel at 7.30pm, Crowthorne Choral Society is to perform Haydn's Great Organ Mass, Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer,Finzi's Lo the Full final Sacrifice and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus for BBC Children in Need. Tickets are £10 for adults and £2 for students and can be purchased in advance from 01344 778185.
The Wellington Squared debate is taking place on Sunday 29th November. The motion is that "atheism is the new fundamentalism"; speaking for the motion is Charles Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator, and Richard Harries (OW), former Bishop of Oxford. Speaking against the motion is Professor A C Grayling and Professor Richard Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion". It will be chaired by the Master, Anthony Seldon. The event is now sold out, but you can watch the debate live over the internet at 6.45pm: This site should give you access to it: http://www.intelligencesquared.com/live. You will also be able to pose questions and make comments to the panel on Twitter by clicking here. Any further questions about this please email Dr David James
The online auction auction closes Tuesday 1st December. Be sure to get your final bids in NOW - www.wellington150auction.org.uk There are still some fantastic barganis to bid for - so far the grand total raised is just on £7000.
Also on Tuesday 1st December is the Inter-House Karaoke Final at 9:00 pm in the V&A. This is a first so is your chance to be there when history was made! The finalists are Max Gumpert - Hill, George Turley - Picton, Molly Critchley - Orange, Harry Penrose - Anglesey, Ji Park - Apsley and Hugo Bennett - Beresford.
You will have read that Hope and Homes for Children is the charity we are supporting for our 150th celebrations. They host a Carol Concert annually and this year have written the following "Our Carol Concert is a very important annual event as it gives us great pleasure to be able to thank you personally for your support and look back on all that we have achieved together over the last year. Without you, our work to transform the lives of vulnerable children simply would not be possible. Each year we try to give the concert a slightly different flavour, but we know how difficult it is to please everyone. However, we are confident that this year we will! You will be greeted on arrival by a brass ensemble from The Royal College of Music and twenty young children from the famous London Suzuki group will be performing during the concert. Dame Eileen Atkins gave a hilarious reading last year and we are thrilled that she has agreed to read again this year. Wellington College was founded by Queen Victoria for orphans of war 150 years ago. As a truly remarkable act of celebration the College is seeking to raise £150,000 for our work with orphans of war today. Dr Anthony Seldon, the Master, has kindly agreed to talk during the concert and the College choir will lead us in singing some traditional carols.This year an enthusiastic volunteer committee has worked hard to assist us make the 2009 concert even more special." The event is on Wednesday 2nd December at 7:00 pm in St. Mary Abbots Church, Kensington. If you are interested in attending, an application form can be found here. The image shows the steeple of St Mary's with a statue of Queen Victoria in the foreground - an apt juxtaposition in this our 150th year!
The next meeting of the business networking group The Business Forum will be on Thursday 3rd December at 7:15 am in the Wellesley Dining Room. The theme for the December event will be on class action lawsuits "Is your pension fund claiming money owed to you?" and the talk will be given by Pauline Vahey of International Class Actions Management. Every year settlements worth billions of dollars are reached in Securities Class Action lawsuits in the US. Recent surveys have revealed that less than 30% of institutional investors regularly file claim forms to participate in these settlements. For the large institutional investor this could mean millions of dollars per year in un-recovered assets that are ultimately due to their shareholders. Pauline will explain more about how this is all changing in the UK. The Business Forum combines a relaxed informal gathering for business networking with a forum for discussing key business topics. It meets once a month on the first Thursday of each month at 7.15am, finishing by 9.15am. The cost is £18 and includes a full English breakfast. For more information and a booking form please go to the website on www.thebusinessforum.biz or contact Sue Viney on sue@vineycommunications.co.uk or 07774 267280.
The WCA AGM is on Thursday 3rd December, in the Driver Lecture Room. 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, followed by cheese and wine - all are welcome. Please let Denise Cook know if you wish to attend.
The next golfing event for the parents will be held on Saturday 5th December. Meet at the Wellington Course at 8:30 am for a round of the course and then this is followed by an invitation from the Master to join him at the Lodge at 1:00pm for Christmas drinks.
Building on the support and success of the Macmillan Coffee Mornings, we will be holding a Christmas Fair in the V & A on Saturday 5th December. Doors open from 10:00 am to 5;00 pm, we have a variety of stalls that promise to deliver unique and different gifts for those special Christmas presents. All welcome, family and friends, please come and support the event and we hope, purchase a few gifts. There will be something for everyone and it is a wonderful way to meet other members of the College community in comfortable surroundings. Perhaps this could be linked into having a pre-match lunch in school? Proceeds will be divided between Hope & Homes and The Angels Charity. If you want any more information, please contact Steve Blosse.
There is the Advent Procession with Carols on Sunday 6th December. This service is for pupils in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Forms and all their parents are welcome.
Traffic has increased steadily at Wellington over the years and we are all too aware of the danger that cars and lorries pose to our pupils and staff. We are looking to close vehicle access to some areas of the campus to help make it a safer environment for our pupils and staff. Before however rushing into permanent solutions, we feel it important to trial the potential plans and this we shall be doing with effect from Monday 7th December for the rest of this term. There are two main proposals. The first is that the road that runs from the Wellesley and the Master's lodge to the Porter's lodge will be closed to vehicles on the corner by the Driver rooms with the road that runs from that corner by the Driver Rooms to the Kilometre being made one way with traffic only able to go down from the College to the Kilometre. The second affects the road that runs between the Orange and the main College buildings and more particularly the Combermere. This road will be closed to traffic at the end close to the Wind Annexe just at the Eastern end of the main college buildings. Temporary barriers will be erected in both these spots to enforce these changes whilst we assess the impact and benefit of them. If you have views on these changes then please e-mail them to this e-mail address: wellingtontraffic@wellingtoncollege.org.uk. We hope the proposals will make the College a safer place for your children and indeed for all for all those who live and use the campus.
A calendar addition - Extraordinary public lecture for parents and friends. On Tuesday 8th December, the Master, will be giving a charity lecture for parents and friends on the subject of 'trust', at which he will be signing copies of his books 'Trust' and 'Blair Unbound' (which covers the Iraq War in great detail, and which is based on interviews with all key participants). In 2006 and 2007 he gave similar pre-Christmas lectures about his books on Number 10 and on Prime Ministers. His book on trust has been discussed across the media, and contains many ideas on how corporations, individuals and society can build trust. 'High trust' corporations are far more successful economically, and 'high trust' individuals are both far happier and healthier. Do come to this final WCA lecture of 2009, to solve Christmas present problems, and help charity at the same time (Dr Seldon gives all profits from all his writing to charity). Please let Paula Maynard know if you are coming, and how many books you would like at £10 each.
Director of the Sunday Times annual Education Festival (honorary). Thank you for the excellent responses that have already flowed into Lucy Pearson. The deadline for applications is next Tuesday 1st December, so please do contact Lucy.
Positive Psychology Movement. Early next year, in association with Lord Layard of LSE and Geoff Mulgan of The Young Foundation (latterly Number 10), we are helping launch the UK's "Happiness Movement", to promote well-being by government, industry and among individuals. If your company would be interested in providing sponsorship for this body, can you please contact me. Wellington College has been leading the debate on well-being in schools and, as many parents acknowledge, the principles have a much wider application.
There are a number of pupils who have bad colds or flu like symptoms at present. The school is doing all it can to minimise the spread of illness, but it would be a great help if children who are ill can be kept at home until they are clear of all symptoms.
Commissioned in Wellington's 150th year to celebrate the opening of the new Sports Pavilion, and to help raise funds for further Wellington developments, "Bigside" is available as a limited edition fine art print of 350. Playing downhill, Wellington are poised to score. In the distance, College proudly looks on, surrounded by glorious golden colours of autumn. The artist Sophie Collier OW says "My aim was to paint something that Wellingtononian's everywhere could instantly connect to: a bright, cold November afternoon on Bigside seemed the perfect emblem I was looking for. " The prints are fine art quality, A1 in size and available unframed (£195) and framed (£450). 50% of any profits made will go to Wellington College Foundation. The original oil painting is available to view in the new Pavilion, where it was recently unveiled, and an example of the framed print can be seen in the College Shop. Sophie was a member of the Apsley from '96-'98, and it was during this time that her love of painting took hold. Upon leaving the school she studied Fine Art at Oxford University (St. Catherine's College), and after graduating immediately took up a post teaching in the Wellington Art Schools. Pretty soon afterwards she married Beresford Housemaster and English teacher Tim Head. Subsequent success in her art business has meant that Sophie no longer teaches, but works full time from a studio on the College campus. Prints are available for immediate collection or postal dispatch. To purchase, please send a cheque made payable to "Wellington College" for £195 (unframed) or £450 (framed) to Sophie Head, Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7PU. Please also include contact details. If you'd like your print to be posted please add £5 for P&P. Prints are also available from the College Shop, and from the College website . Any questions should be directed to Sophie.
The Head of Educational Support is available for consultations on Saturdays from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm. Please contact Carole Blunden-Lee if you would like to see her then.
The scheme whereby childcare vouchers can be set against the cost of boarding fees is still operating For further information, please contact our Fees Supervisor, Mrs Sally Clark, on 01344 444026 or email sjc@wellingtoncollege.org.uk. Please note that this is applicable only to pupils up to and including the summer term in which they celebrate his or her 15th birthday.
Sport.
Thursday 3rd December sees rugby teams in action against Sedbergh - at Wellington you'll be relieved to hear when you have worked out where Sedbergh is! The U14A hockey welcome Kingston on the same day and the fencing team travel to Charterhouse.
Saturday 5th December is the day for our big rugby block fixture with twenty-two teams playing Tonbridge and not to be outdone eleven hockey teams play against Epsom.
Details of the matches can be found on the intranet.
Further Ahead
In the coming weeks, the following events are scheduled by the Music Department. For further information about the Music Department or music events, please make contact with Katrina Butt (Music Administrator) via phone (01344 444201) or email.
Sunday13th December, 8:00 pm: Community Carols in the Chapel
Tuesday 15th December, 7:30 pm: Christmas Jazz Concert in the V&A
We have our two Christmas Carol Services on Friday 18th December. The Junior Carol Service for pupils in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Forms and their parents will start at 5:00 pm. The Senior Carol Service for pupils in the LVIth and UVIth and their parents will start at 3:00 pm. all tickets for these events have now gone. Successful applicants should have received an email confirming their status and tickets for the event will be given to your son or daughter via their HM. If you have not received a reply from Tarla, then I am sorr ybut you will not be on the list of successful applicants. If you are unsuccessful do please consider attending the Community Carol Service on Sunday 13th December at 8:00 pm as there are always spaces available at that occasion.
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 try to use 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.. 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 here.
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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