The Week Ahead
Saturday 7th June until Sunday 15th June
General Events
This Saturday 7th June the weather looks to be dry and sunny for The Wellington Summer Prom. Brilliant Music from the REME Band, join in with all the songs from "The Last Night of the Proms" and Spectacular Firework Finale with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.Bring a picnic or light refreshments and there is a bar on site. Tickets available in advance from reception till 12.00 noon on Saturday and on the gate from 18.00. Promenade tickets bought in advance are £20 for adults, £10 for children (under 5's go free) and £50 for a family ticket (2 + 2). Click www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/events for further details.
Sunday 8th June sees a full school Eucharist at 8:00 p.m. at which the preacher is Mark Sayer, HM of t Lynedoch. Lynedoch parents are cordially invited.
With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Brontë's innovative and enduring romantic writing continues to engage and provoke. Willis Hall's adaptation of the famous novel, Jane Eyre, will be performed on South Front from Wednesday 11th June until Friday 13th June at 7:30 p.m. directed by Amelia Morse and performed by 3rd Form students. Click here to book tickets.
On Friday 13th June in theTheatre at 7:30 for 8:15pm we welcome Michael Portillo talking on Leadership. Entry is by ticket only: Students - Free. Adults - £10. We envisage this to be a popular lecture so please book tickets early. They can be purchased from Reception and also can be reserved and then collected on the night at the door by emailing Tarla Woolhouse. Michael Portillo was born in North London in 1953 and has been described by an anonymous political pundit as "the best Tory leader of the last 25 years who never made it to the top (yet)". Former Member of Parliament, In 2003 he began the weekly political discussion programme This Week on BBC1 with fellow presenters Andrew Neil and Diane Abbott MP. Beginning in 2004 Michael became a frequent columnist on The Sunday Times and was the theatre critic of The New Statesman between 2004 and 2006. He is to chair the judges' panel for the Man Booker literature prize 2008. Further details at www.michaelportillo.co.uk/profile
There is the WCA Parents' garden party on Sunday 15 June from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Master's Lodge Gardens. This is open to the whole Wellington Community and is an enjoyable opportunity to meet a variety of other parents. There is champagne, strawberries and smoked salmon and tickets cost £10 a head. Please confirm your attendance by email to Tarla Woolhouse.
Sunday 15th June sees a full school School Service of The Word at 8:00 p.m. to which the Murray parents are cordially invited.
An extensive and mixed programme of academic and other activities has been organised for the Lower Sixth when they return from study leave, and all pupils are expected to participate fully in this, through to the end of term. An outline is in the calendar. Boarders should be back on the evening of Sunday 8th June, and day boys should be ready to be in early on Monday morning because some of that day's trips leave well before the usual start time. Particular attention is drawn to Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th June, when the whole Lower Sixth year group will be participating in a 25 mile overnight walk. This is a new venture, very similar in spirit to the "50 Mile March" at Charterhouse, albeit 25 miles shorter! We have asked the pupils not to arrange university open days in that two day period; there will be other chances to make such visits. Please direct any queries about the post-AS programme to the Head of the Lower Sixth, Murray Fowler.
Parents are requested to round up any College Library books they find at home and see that they are returned to school. One parent's response to the Librarian's plea for help in getting a very overdue book back, was to tell their child they would get no food until they did so. A bit harsh, but it had the desired effect!
The Wellingtonian end of year magazine will be accepting classified and display advertising again this year. If you would like more details please contact Denise Cook as soon as possible.
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
Sport
Saturday 7th June sees a cricket block fixture with Tonbridge, the tennis teams taking on Bradfield, the sailing team entering the Prism Trophy and the athletics team host the WCAC Homfray Davies Shield at Wellington (a change of venue from the calendar). Match teas (weather permitting) will take place in the Master's Lodge and garden as usual on this Saturday. The Master himself is giving prizes at Speech Day at Brambletye prep school so will only be watching matches at the beginning and end of the day. He wishes parents a very enjoyable afternoon, and eagerly anticipates good matches against his old schools.
On Tuesday 10th June the junior girls' cricket take on Epsom and the golf juniors take on Whitgift. Thursday 12th June sees the WCCC take on Doone School ("the Eton of India") and the girls' cricket play Pangbourne.
Saturday 14th June's cricket fixture is with Charterhouse, the athletes are in the County Championships, the tennis teams play Cranleigh and the shooting team compete with the OWTRC.
Cricket results are on the internet, all other results can be found on the school internet site .
Further Ahead
On Monday 16th June at 6:15 p.m. in the Concert Room there is a Junior Concert featuring performances from pupils in the 3rd and 4th forms. Ensembles will be brass, woodwind and strings with a selection of solos.
The Wellington College ArtsFest runs from Tuesday 24th June to Thursday 26th June. The purpose of the festival is to raise the profile of the Arts at Wellington through a combination of student productions and exhibitions, professional workshops and performances. On each of the three days there is at least one major event which parents, pupils, OWs, friends and the local community are able to attend, by applying for tickets. Other events, such as student productions are open to all and there is no need to claim a ticket. You should have received a copy of the ArtsFest programme by now in the post - an electronic copy can be found here.
On Friday 27th June we are having the Leavers' Service, Graduation Ceremony and Ball. All Upper VI parents were sent information about the above event in March. The absolute deadline for application is Monday 9th June. If you wish to attend the Ball please complete the letter, a copy of which can be found here. Last year's celebration was a fantastic occasion and we aim this year to make it even more special to mark the departure of what has been an exceptionally good Upper Sixth Form.
Although not a Wellington event, many pupils have come to us from Hall Grove prep school and I draw your attention to their event, Groove at the Grove, happening on Saturday 5th July. Live bands on a covered stage with a host of other events should make for an enjoyable evening. More inform and pre-booking tickets can be made via their website.
Wellington College have joined Wilderness Expertise to run a Leadership Course for young people aged between 15 and 18, based at Wellington College from Monday 11th August until Friday 15th August this Summer. The Wellington College Leadership Course will be a balance of practical activities, theory and discussion during which the participants will experience the challenges and rewards of leading a team and gain an understanding of what it means to lead across a range of contexts. During the five days the young people will be challenged with a variety of tasks such as 'Reach for the Skies', 'Wilderness survival' and hands on, realistic Incident Management scenarios. In addition, there will be guest speakers from military, business and religious sectors who will talk about their experiences of Leadership. The course will aim to develop leadership in talented and gifted young people from a variety of backgrounds and provide them with an action plan for the future. We believe that this course will fill a gap in the market by providing specific leadership training for young people at an age when it will be most beneficial. This course is in line with the College's aim to be at the forefront of providing Leadership opportunities for young people. For more information on the course, please visit: www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/leadership or email Katy Granville-Chapman.
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.