The Week Ahead
Saturday 10th May until Sunday 18th May
General Events
From Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May there is the WCA Parents Trenches Trip to First World War sites. Dennis Silk, former warden of Radley and President of the MCC, will be accompanying the tour, and will be talking in particular about the literary aspects of the First World War. Dennis was an old friend of Siegfried Sassoon, and knows much about the poetry and prose of the war, and where it was written. Also accompanying him will by Gerry Long, Adjutant - Wellington College, who has done much research in OW soldiering in the first world war -and will be pointing out various battlefield cemeteries and memorials where old Wellingtonians fought.
Sunday 11th May sees a full school Eucharist at 8:00 p.m. at which the preacher is Dr Paul Boscher, HM of the Talbot. Talbot parents are cordially invited.
On Monday 12th May we are hosting a conference on "Habits of Mind - Effective Learning for the 21st Century" from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This conference is aimed not only at teachers but also at adults who recognise the need for independent learning, developing intelligent behaviours and skilful thinking. Habits of Mind are a set of 16 intelligent behaviours that will give delegates pathways to lead their own learning and help them become independent reflective students. The keynote speaker is Arthur L Costa Ed.D., an Emeritus Professor of Education at California State University, Sacramento and Co-director of the Institute for Intelligent Behaviour in El Dorado Hills, California. This will be a unique opportunity to hear one of the worlds leading educators in the field of independent learning. Parents are invited to attend at a discounted rate of £50 to include coffee, lunch and tea. If you are interested in attending please email Tarla Woolhouse. You can download details and a booking form from the website by clicking here.
Also on Monday 12th May, there is a meeting of the Parents' Forum. Details of contacts for that can be found here. This is a chance for any parent to raise any issues with the Master and the management team of the school.
On Tuesday 13th May at 6:00 p.m. in the Driver Lecture Room we have a talk about Gap Year possibilities with Raleigh International. Ed Dimmock will be coming and bringing one or two O.W.'s. Parents and friends are all welcome.
Parents of pupils in the 4th Form should note that the Parents' conference is on Wednesday 14th May and will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel followed by appointments from 6:00 p.m. Please direct any queries to the Head of the 4th Form, Jonathan White.
Finally Sunday 18th May sees a full school Service of the Word at 8:00 p.m. at which the preacher is the Reverend John Caperon, Director of the Bloxham Project.. Stanley parents are cordially invited.
Exam leave starts for some pupils next week. You should have received a seperate e-mail with details about that if your son or daughter is an external exam candidate. A copy of what was sent can be found here.
You should all have received a letter about Speech day - a copy of which can be found here. There has been a little confusion over tickets and I will take this opportunity to explain. In the week beginning Monday May 12th, every pupil (including those with siblings) will be issued with a ticket for themselves and two for their parents. If you want more tickets then we will try and help by using returned tickets. There is a form to fill in and return with the letter if you want more tickets. If you don't want to use either one or both of the two parental tickets, then either please contact Tarla Woolhouse as soon as possible to say you don't or get your son or daughter to pass them back to her as soon as possible. Those tickets are the ones we will be able to pass on to the parents who want more than two. I hope this clarifies the situation. A lot of parents have requested extra tickets, we will process the returns and inform those parents who will be sent tickets by Tuesday 20th May. We do not wish to disappoint anyone but the capacity in the Sports Hall is limited to 1500, and we have to abide by Health and Safety standards.
Strawberries and cream, as well as Krispy Kreme donuts, can now be pre-ordered for on Speech day. To guarantee your supplies, please e-mail byrdch@wellingtoncollege.org.uk by Monday 19th May and specify the quantity required. These can then be picked up and paid for on Speech Day. Prices for Donuts: £8.60 for 12; £4.40 for 6; Strawberries and Crème: £4 for 2 portions; £9 for 10 portions. This summer six 5th formers are cycling 1000 miles in twelve days, to raise money for Cancer Research. Some of the proceeds collected will go towards their grand total, and help them to reach their fundraising goals. The rest will go to a school in South Sudan. The south of Sudan has four teachers per 800 students with only 1% of girls receiving even a basic education. While celebrating Wellington's impressive year, it seems very timely to raise money to build a local secondary school for people returning to their homes after a brutal civil war. The project, run by HART, is in a region with no secondary school.
Something that leavers might be interested in for their GAP year is taking the opportunity to spend some time on a tall ship. The ship TS Pelican provides such an opportunity and more information can be found on their website - www.adventureundersail.com . The ship arrives back from Bermuda at the beginning of June, after its highly successful maiden voyage to the Caribbean and will be in Weymouth where it can be inspected, before it starts on the Tall Ship races in July. Rear Admiral Sir Richard Burn is head of the land-based partnership that owns the ship. There are also still four shares in the ship available if any Wellington parent is interested. They cost less than a year's school fees, and they would help keep the ship's programme on its intended course.
A French family have contacted a colleague asking if he was aware of a family who might wish to host their 15-year-old grandson to spend a couple of weeks in August to brush up his English. They are more than happy to pay their way and it would provide an ideal opportunity for a Fourth former to brush up his French too! If anyone is interested could they please contact Bruce Roth who has more details.
From time to time we receive requests for UVIth Formers, who have passed their driving test, to have permission to drive cars to Wellington. We have a very strict line on this; our policy is that permission will only be granted if parents can show that it is a necessity for their child to have a car here. We cannot give permission on the basis of mere convenience. We would also take into account the behaviour and performance of the pupil concerned. We take this strict line because we wish to keep our campus and pupils safe. In the past years 6th Formers have been involved in some nasty car accidents; two years ago in the holidays a group of senior pupils were lucky to escape from a car with only minor injuries. If you wish your son or daughter to be able to drive a car at Wellington you should write to the Second Master, Robin Dyer, making clear why you think it is a necessity for this permission to be given. He will consult with the relevant Housemaster or Housemistress before a decision is taken. Under no circumstances must pupils drive to Wellington, keep cars here or in Crowthorne, without written permission from the Second Master.
Increasingly we are putting information 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
We are in the process of switching databases and for next term we will be using the new database to produce our mailing list. If you stop receiving the Week Ahead next term then please do contact me and I'll will try to sort it out. Apologies if this does happen - the whole process is quite a complex one!
Sport
Saturday 10th May sees our block fixture at cricket with Harrow and the unbeaten girls athletics team go to Marlborough for a big meeting with Cheltenham Ladies, Downe House, Dean Close, Kingswood, St Mary's Calne and Marlborough whilst the boys, who were second at Marlborough last week, go to the Thames Valley Athletics Centre for the Lord Derby event taking on Eton, Tonbridge, St Pauls, RGS Guildford, Epsom, Pangbourne and Radley. The tennis teams are in action this Saturday too with the girls competing against Heathfield St. Mary's and the boys with Winchester. Finally to end a busy day, the sailors are entered in the Southern Regatta at Portsmouth and the shooting team are entered in the Surrey Schools' Meeting. Match teas will be in the Master's Lodge garden as usual. The Master is very sorry that he will not be there himself as he will be away leading the parents' Trenches Trip to the Somme and Ypres.
The shooting team are in action again on Sunday 11th May in the CCF target rifle competition and the polo team compete in a three way tournament at the Longdole Polo Club
On Tuesday 13th May, the golf team compete with Whitgift.
Thursday 15th May sees a block cricket fixture with Winchester, the 2nd XI playing the Stragglers of Asia and the girls cricket taking on Charterhouse. The boys athletics team competes at the Radley 6 schools meeting, the swimming team travel to Harrow, the golf team take on Tonbridge and the sailing team compete at home against Radley.
Saturday 17th May sees the cricket teams taking on Cranleigh, the athletes in the Dukes trophy triathlon, the girls tennis play Sevenoaks, the boys tennis compete in their leagues at a variety of schools, the swimmers travel to Charterhouse, the sailing team compete with Sherborne and finally the polo team take on the RMA Sandhurst - quite a day! Sunday 18th May sees the shooting team in action in the Berkshire Open and the polo team take on Stowe.
Cricket results are on the internet, all other results can be found on the internet.
Further Ahead
Why not start off your Speech Day weekend on Friday 23rd May with an evening of jazz and popular music provided by The Big Band (with Ben Greenslade-Stanton, jazz musician-in-residence) and the Concert Band (directed by Jeff Oakes) from 7:30 p.m. in the Combermere Quad. Excellent fish and chips will be on sale in Dining Hall and there will be a licensed bar. Bring some garden chairs or a rug and enjoy the music in the company of friends as everyone looks forward to the Speech Day events and the forthcoming half-term break.
On Friday 23rd May - the Eve of Speech Day - from 7:30pm - 1:00am is one of the social events of the year not to be missed - the WCA Summer Ball. Following the tremendous success of previous years' Summer Balls, the WCA is once again organising a Summer Ball This is a superb evening, an event not to be missed before Speech Day, for parents, friends and OWs to enjoy excellent food and wine, first class musical entertainment, guest speaker, a busy bar and vibrant DJ music until a late hour. Individual tickets cost £98.00. Tables of 10 or 12. Parents are invited to put a table together, if you are not able to get a table together, do not be put off. We can assure you of a warm welcome and a great night. Booking form and further details from: Reena Price, Tel: 01628 622355 Mobile: 07778 205 112 Email: reena_price@hotmail.com or Tarla Woolhouse at the College, Tel: 01344 444085 or tw@wellingtoncollege.org.uk
There is a proposed Art trip to Paris and Giverny from Friday 12th September to Sunday 14th September for parents. This is a fantastic chance to sample the cultural delights of Paris and Monet's stunning gardens in Giverny. It is envisaged that the price for the trip will be around £350 and include flights, 3* accommodation, breakfast and evening meals and the 24 hour services of a tour director. For more information contact Mr Laurence Hedges Director of Art.
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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