BAROMETER THE
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY APRIL 29th 2019 | WEEK 2
POSITIONING, ACTING & REACTING IN THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT
FROM THE HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, This term is moving quickly and we find ourselves already at the Bank Holiday weekend. I have not been moving so quickly since last Friday and the charity netball match. Both the training session and the match highlighted by lack of ‘match fitness’ and I was unable to help the dads’ team build on last year’s success. It was a fantastic evening and I am pleased that the generous donations of the participants has added another £400 to the pot for this year’s three chosen charities. There are match reports by the staff captains, Mr Underwood and Miss Hoskins, for those who would like the details. Unsurprisingly, there has been considerable focus over the last ten days on the final preparations for the GCSE examinations which started this week with Art and Graphic Design on Thursday and Friday. Exams follow quickly after the Bank Holiday weekend and continue through until
June. The boys, of course, will find themselves under pressure but, as I hope they have understood from the messages they have received from me and other staff, the school is here to support them. There is still much that can be done over the next few weeks to make sure that they are prepared and hard work, at any stage is always rewarded. The advice is not only aimed at the Year 11 boys but also at all boys in the school who will be sitting formal assessments before the end of the year. The advice is not ground breaking but will stand any boy in good stead who is preparing for exams. First, focus on your organisation – make sure you have all the materials you need (Firefly can provide a good number of them) and that you have planned your time, including breaks so that you are able to stay focussed. When revising, use different activities, don’t just endlessly re-read notes or the textbook, engage with the material, summarise it, do practice
questions, sit and explain the material to a friend or family member and, most importantly, speak to the relevant member of staff if there is something that you don’t understand. This week’s edition focusses on the work of the Drama department which many of you have seen first-hand at the excellent productions that have been put on in recent years. I am very excited that we have another play written by a member of staff and Mr Giles, ‘We Are United’, the Lower School Play, which will premiere at the end of June. I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. Best wishes,
WEEK A MONDAY
WEEKLY DIARY 06.05.19
May Day Bank Holiday - School Closed
TUESDAY
07.05.19
Year 11 Study Leave begins Field Day WPS Year 6 Science Day (tbc), WSS Year 12 to University of Reading or University of Cambridge, Year 10 to Kenilworth Castle with History Department or HMS Belfast and the Imperial War Museum with Physics Department, Year 9 to Brighton with Geography Department, Year 8 to King’s College London with MFL Department Year 7 to the National Portrait Gallery with Graphic Design and English Departments
WEDNESDAY
08.05.19 Visitor Morning 08:20-09:30 Cricket U12/13 WSS vs Hill House (H) 14:30
THURSDAY
09.06.19
GCSE Spanish Orals GCSE German Orals Karl Hopwood: e-safety workshops for Years 7 & 8 Careers: Meet the Expert - Artificial Intelligence (Lila Ibrahim, COO Deepmind) Years 10-12 17:15 Karl Hopwood: e-safety workshop for all parents, Hannah House 18:00
FRIDAY
10.06.19
SATURDAY
11.06.19
Friday Lunchtime Clubs Programme 13:40-14:25 Trib Assemblies: Effra (HH Hall), Fleet (Drama Studio 1),Ravensbourne (HH Library), Serpentine (Drama Studio 2), Tyburn (Old Year 10/11 Common Room),Walbrook (HS Methodist Church), Whitestone (BB2) GCSE PE Boys Table Tennis, Drama Studio 16:00-17:00 Silver Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition for Year 12 (until Sunday 12th May)
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition for Year 10 (until Sunday 12th May)
SUNDAY
12.06.19
Mr Sullivan writes... On 4th May 2019 I am competing in the Spartan South East Super Race in Kent to raise money for CALM. Being a volunteer for CALM and helping young adults is a massive passion of mine. Listening and communicating is the most important factor! I’m raising awareness and money throughout this year by competing in many half marathons and memorial rugby matches. It would be great if you could donate and share my page so I can raise as much as possible to help support the charity. If you would like to find out more about CALM please visit www.thecalmzone.net https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-sullivan21
IMPORTANT NOTICES
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Main: Peri-peri Chicken drumsticks
Main: Turkey and prawn stir-fry
Main: Breakfast for Lunch: bacon streaks, sausages, black pudding
Meat Free: Meat-free sausages
Meat Free: Smoked tofu stir-fry
Meat Free: Roasted mushroom and tomatoes, baked beans
To Go With: Mashed potatoes, tender stem broccoli, grilled mixed peppers, meat and veg gravy
To Go With: Sweet and sour green beans and peas, flat rice noodles, steamed pak choy and bean sprouts
To Go With: Scrambled eggs, hash browns, steamed spinach
Dessert: Raspberry Fool
Dessert: Brownie flapjack
Dessert: Strawberry jelly
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
EVERY DAY
Main: Beef lasagna
Main: Southern fried chicken strips
Meat Free: Spinach and ricott gnocchi To Go With: Baby carrots, garlic bread, herb and lemon red quinoa Dessert: Summer pudding
Meat Free: Spring/Summer vegetable pasta To Go With: Sweet potato chips, collard greens, sweetcorn, gravy
Homemade Bread Freshly made yogurt pots Fresh Fruit
Dessert: Chocolate rice krispie squares
MENU
GCSE DEVISING PROJECT Miss Twomey writes... For GCSE Drama, boys study a variety of different styles of theatre, such as Physical Theatre and Melodrama, in a History of Theatre module. They are then tasked with writing a full play in a style of their choosing. Max P, Robert B, Charlie R and Bijan S have chosen to write a play set on a submarine in the style of Theatre of the Absurd. The most famous play written in this style of theatre is Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. This style of theatre is known for its foolish lack of progression as characters repeat themselves and end the play back where they began. In this scene, Charlie and Max P are questioning the authority of the submarine’s captain over a game of scrabble. To contrast this, Max H, Misha, Sherif, Beau, Nico and Jacques have chosen Theatre of Cruelty as their chosen style. It is a form of ‘total theatre’ which emphasises the need for props, lights and sound, and actors are tasked with taking audience members out of their comfort zone and ‘awakening them from any deep rooted fears’. In this scene, the boys have been inspired by tribal drumming and ‘the haka’ as they interact with the audience.
LOWER SCHOOL LAMDA RECITAL Mr Giles writes... A few snaps of the boys at the Lower Years LAMDA Recital. A great opportunity to show the improvements they’ve all made this year in public speaking, poetic delivery and acting. Also very useful to try out their poems, extracts and performance pieces in front of an audience before exams this week!
COMING SOON: WE ARE UNITED Mr Giles writes... United were rubbish last season. And they’ll get worse if their captain Jack gets signed by Chelsea. A new boy joins the team and could well change their fortunes. Whatever happens, they’ll always be United... The boys are working hard on what will be both a funny and dramatic play, showing on the 27th and 28th June.
YEAR 8 ACTING Miss Twomey writes... Year 8 boys have created some excellent scenes in our lessons lately as they develop their knowledge of the ‘Three Rules of Script Work’ which include positioning, acting and reacting. In this scene, our protagonist, Link, hides behind the dustbin outside a potential murderer’s front door. Look at those excellent facial expressions!
YEAR 9: THE LYING KIND OF ACTING Miss Twomey writes... As we begin a new term, Year 9 have begun studying a new play, titled The Lying Kind by Anthony Neilson. The play is a comedy about two incompetent policeman, they have been tasked with giving sad news to members of the public but are too scared to actually ring the doorbell and say the words. These images show the excellent acting of boys in 9B taking on this scene, we can see Tamerlan and Stephan creating the comedy of the foolish policemen fighting over who should ring the doorbell. Well done to Amaan and Zachary who both achieved gold notes for their acting in this scene as they have made excellent progress with their drama targets.
YEAR 8: STONE COLD
Miss Twomey writes... Year 8 have been working on the play Stone Cold, based on the book by Robert Swindell. The play follows a young man who finds himself homeless for reasons out of his control. We have studied the potential reasons for homelessness in addition to understanding how it might feel to be in the position of the characters. Our study of this play has linked very well to our local school charity: the West London Mission. As part of the project, boys have imagined costumes for the characters, created fact files on homelessness and written diary entries from the perspectives of the characters!
Homelessness Fact File by Kwame D. Nearly 7,500 people sleep rough on the streets of London every year. They come from every walk of life, and many of them want to find work. Homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. • On average, homeless people die at just 47 years old.
• People sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. • Homeless people are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population. What causes homelessness? • People become homeless for lots of different reasons. There are social causes of homelessness, such as a lack of affordable housing, poverty and unemployment; and life events which cause individuals to become homeless. • People can become homeless when they leave prison, care or the army with no home to go to. Many homeless women have escaped a violent relationship. • Many people become homeless because they can no longer afford rent. • And for many, life events like a relationship breaking down, losing a job, mental or physical health problems, or drug problems can be the cause. Being homeless can make many of these problems even harder to resolve.
A diary entry for the villain of the play, Shelter, written by Dan R: Diary, I’m a genius. I’m a brilliant genius. These homeless fools think they can beat our country? I say otherwise! It’s easy leading them into traps. They've been reliant on feeding off others for so long that they are willing to follow someone who offers them food even if they have only talked to them for a moment! It’s foolproof! I’m sure I can’t use my apartment to hide them for longer, I’ll have to move my ‘base of operations’ to another, more... adequate location. This is starting to be fun! I've became so good at it that I do it without thinking. I must say, I have gone quite ahead of myself here. But it’s such an important part in making my country a better place that I may not stop! Will not stop! Well, I must head off now. I need to find some new ‘targets’ if you know what I mean. Also, Sappho must be very hungry by this hour. Cheers!
Homelessness Fact File by Andrew H. Definition: Homelessness is when a person does not have a place to stay. Main causes: • Lack of affordable housing • Low paying jobs • Addiction and lack of needed services • Unemployment • Social exclusion • Discrimination that lowers self-esteem • Poverty • Prison release and re-entry into society • Change and cuts in welfare • Natural disasters
James U
Additional facts: • There are 650,000 homeless people in America • Some groups are more likely to become homeless • A lot of army veterans are homeless • There are over 10,000 rough sleepers in the U.K
Costume design by Oscar T
YEAR 8: STONE COLD Homelessness Fact File by Andreas M There are around 250,000 homeless people in the UK and some think there are 150 million people homeless in the world. Everyday homeless people struggle with issues that you don’t have: where to find clean water, what will they eat, and where to sleep. A quarter of homeless people are children, who sleep and live on the streets, and tens of thousands of veterans, who have served our country, are homeless. The leading cause of homelessness for women is domestic violence, and many people cannot pay their rent, so they’re thrown out on the streets. Many of the causes for homelessness are lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty and low wages. Homelessness organisations: Single Homeless Project Shelter Crisis St Mungo’s Thames Reach These organisations help people get off the streets, and get healthy wages, a home and a hot meal.
Edward H, Year 8 writes... Homelessness is when someone does not have a place to live (primary) or when they are moving between temporary accommodation, staying in emergency accommodation or when they are staying with relatives or friends (secondary). Some causes of homelessness are: • Family breakups • An addiction such as gambling or alcohol • Social exclusion • Domestic violence • Lack of affordable housing • Natural disasters Challenges • Quiet • Place to sleep • Obtaining food • Medical healthcare In 2005, an estimated 100 million (1 in 65 at the time) people worldwide were homeless and as many as 1 billion people live as squatters, refugees or in temporary shelter, all lacking adequate housing.
Backstory When the story starts, Link’s Mum has just got a new boyfriend. The boyfriend does not like Link, and Link does not like the boyfriend. Just a few days later, Link is made homeless when he kets kicked out of his house. He makes friends with an undercover reporter but he does not know this. Dear Diary, Today has been eventful. I am scared for my safety. This man called ‘Shelter’ is onto us. I don’t know who he is, or what he is up to, but I know he has a grudge against homeless people. We started spying on him in the morning and then I got caught behind a dustbin. Shelter seems nice but I have a suspicion that he is not as he seems. Also, Gail keeps running off to the phone booth to call her sister. She is wasting her money. I am a bit suspicious, surely she must have memorised that number by now. Talk to you tomorrow, Link
A news report by Isaac E, Year 8: Detective Watkins 30 April 2019 Man suspected of multiple murders. Shelter. Age: 42 He is a military veteran and served 20 years in the Royal Marines as a Lieutenant. He lives in Camden in a block of flats. A man who goes by the name ‘Shelter’ is suspected of murdering multiple homeless men and women. He has not yet confessed but a journalist from Glasgow has confirmed suspicious behaviour and has been looking into it. She has been an undercover journalist posing as a rough sleeper and has seen Shelter talking to one of her friends. The man has been caught on CCTV taking in rough sleepers and one neighbour, who live next door has reported weird smells. A police officer has interviewed the man but in the interview he claims to not know a woman photographed at his house. This women goes by the name Tania and has been reported missing for 2 months. A boy who goes by the name of Link was in conversation with him when
he became ‘creepy’ and offered to take him inside. When Link said “no’’, Shelter insisted. Another key reason why I believe it is this man is because not only has everyone that has gone missing been sighted with this man but I have interviewed neighbours and all of them have overheard Shelter saying how much he hates homeless people. After being interviewed by a police officer, the officer dropped her pen after she had closed the door and claims she heard the man say “Magnificent! Absolutely bloody magnificent!”
A diary entry entry by Ramzi K. Dear reporter, It’s Day 6 now and I think I’m on to something. That “Shelter” guy you told me about, yeah, his dogooder smile makes me uncomfortable and I can see strange things through his house windows. He’s always with a different person in his house and they look like dossers to me. The thing is I don’t see them come out. And Link. Link has been acting strange around me for some reason and his clumsiness worries me at this point, but he knows places that not many do so I’ll stick with him for now. He has the weirdest friends too. Whenever his friend brings a dog with him or her,
they always bark frantically. It could either be his surprisingly unfriendly cat or it’s something smelly yet to be discovered. Something makes me think: who would grow up wanting to name their child “Shelter”? Maybe he changed it to suit his forebodingly happy tone as part of his act. If he was my apartment roommate, I’d pack my bags, the quickest you’ll ever see me pack, and leave without a goodbye. The homeless life isn’t too bad. The best part about it is the feeling of having no objective in the day. Obviously, I’m on the case but I do take some days off to blend in because people start moving away from you if you’re too busy in this place. It’s that relaxed, can you believe it? No work, no worries, no stress, just for the price of less privileges and luxury. One learns how stick together and gain strength in numbers while going learning how to be a lone wolf and how to stand up for yourself when no-one else will. The homeless life teaches you that when you feel put down or silenced is the time when you’re supposed to get loud. It teaches you social intelligence and communication when your entire life can depend on someone else. When the focus of work and academia is removed you focus on people, survival and selflessness. Anyway, I digress. I’ll report back to you when figure out what is going on with Mr Notso-goody-two-shoes here. Louise out.
PARENTS VS TEACHERS! Mr Underwood writes... On Friday 26th April, Wetherby hosted an inaugural event; Staff vs Parents Footaball. In a tense start to the game, both sides started well and created chances and kept possession well. With Mr Montgomery and Mr Pattison as a strike force, we were always a threat and so it proved moments into the game. Mr Montgomery timed his run perfectly in behind the parents’ defensive line, breaking free and playing the ball for Mr Fuller to tap into an empty net. The parents immediately hit back to equalise, with Mr Sullivan switching off from his defensive duties, allowing Mr Bektas to level the score. Further defensive mishaps from both teams resulted in two further goals, with the score evenly balanced at 2-2. As the game neared halftime, the staff team managed a quick-fire double, both courtesy of Mr Fuller – including a 30 yard screamer which we will never hear the end of - and we entered the break with a 4-2 lead. As the second half began, both teams again exchanged goals to make the score 5-3; Mr Pattison extended the lead for the staff and this was matched by a bullet header from the parents’ team. For the next 20 minutes, the parents bombarded the staff team but were met with a resilient Mr Murphy in
goal. As the parents pressed, there was space for the staff to exploit and Mr Fuller was released down the right wing. Having already obtained his hat-trick, he unselfishly set up Mr Pattison for his second goal, making it 6-3. As we neared
the final whistle, the staff kept the ball in possession and made sure of the first victory. We would like to thank Mr Bektas for organising the parents’ team and we look forward to a re-match next term.
Miss Hoskins, Captain of the Wethergirls writes... On Friday afternoon the formidable parents’ team, the ‘Wetherqueens’, took to the netball court at Ealing Trailfinders to defend their title against the staff ‘Wethergirls’. Captain of the Wetherqueens, Ed Monaghan, arrived with his team of athletes looking fully ready to dominate after a competitive training session earlier in the week. The game started with the ball in the Wethergirls’ possession, but quickly was turned over by Seth Bolderow (traitorously playing for the parents’ team) and was neatly converted by super-shooter Jeremy Drax. The staff team fought hard to stay in the game as the Wetherqueens took an early lead and held on
through the first quarter. Some excellent defending from Kate Eaves, Holly Webb and Tom Dawson kept the Wethergirls in contention during the start of the 2nd quarter and then enabling us to pull ahead to lead 7-2 at half-time. Some team swaps for the WG saw Poppy Hoskins move into the shooting circle for the 2nd half and this worked well with the excellent attacking skills of Tiggy Tooze to form a dynamic duo. Hannah Skinner and Dena Deedat fed fantastic balls consistently into the circle to ensure goals were converted. Keith DeCarlucci battled hard in centre court and forced numerous mistakes from the WG attackers and Ed Monaghan neatly popped the ball in the net down their end to bring the WQ back into contention. The game ended with a 20-11 win to the Wethergirls but the
glove has already been thrown down by the parents for a rematch in the not-so-distant future. Man of the match = Oli Meyer Most improved = Keith DeCarlucci Best dad = Ed Monaghan Best netball flair = Jeremy Drax A massive thank you to Ed Monaghan for organising such a fantastic event with excellent support from Jeremy Drax, Keith Decarlucci and their respective families. Thank you also to the superstar netballers from South Hampstead High school and Godolphin and Latymer who whipped the Wetherqueens into shape prior to the game and added some (much needed!?!) precision, skill and elegance to the squad.
SPORTS NEWS
Tennis Boys U15A vs UCS 19-21 Boys U14A vs UCS Lost
Cricket Boys U15A vs Westminster School Won by 7 wickets
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