The Barometer Week 7

BAROMETER THE

WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY OCTOBER 30th 2017 | WEEK 7

The Art and Design Issue

HEADMASTER’S NEWSLETTER NEXT WEEK’S DIARY IMPORTANT NOTICES

FROM THE HEADMASTER

Dear Parents, I hope that you and your families had a restful half term break and you all took the chance to recuperate from a busy first half of term before the push to Christmas. The dark evenings now make for a very different feel at the end of the School day.

The bright and vibrant work that the boys produce in art and graphics lessons is impressive both in its variety and quality and I am looking forward to some of it going up on my office walls in due course. I fumbled my way through an Art GCSE and, with the benefit of some distance, I am able to see the benefits that come from it. Not only did it teach me to think creatively and problem solve (very important when technical skill is entirely absent) but it also taught perseverance and patience. It was my first experience of getting feedback from my peers on my work and taught how to take constructive criticism, as well as how to overcome the challenge of communicating

without words. These skills are all key to success in the modern world and the arts at Wetherby Senior School is one way in which we help the boys to develop them.

Other opportunities for the boys to express themselves are coming, with rehearsals for the Christmas Cabaret (7th & 8th December) and the Christmas Concert (11th December) getting underway this week.

Both events will help bring a suitably festive close to the longest term and set us up for the holiday.

Finally, a thank you to all those parents who came to the e-safety talk on Monday evening. The boys in Years 7 and 9 heard the talk earlier in the day and were a fantastic audience, asking questions and sharing their experiences of the pitfalls of social media.

This area of modern life is developing more quickly than most of us can keep up with and the apps of choice for young people can vary from school to school and age group to age group, which makes a one size fits all approach difficult. Maintaining respectful

relationships online and reminding boys of the potential consequences of thoughtless posting are key to making the most of the benefits social media can bring. Other talks on challenging areas of teenage life are being investigated for the Spring Term with an opportunity for parents to hear them in the evening.

More information will be sent in due course.

With best wishes,

WEEKLY DIARY MONDAY

06.11.17

TUESDAY

07.11.17 House of Illustration Trip - Year 10 Graphic Communication 12:00pm SLT Meeting Year 10 Parents’ Evening - Surnames (L-Z)

WEDNESDAY

08.11.17

Rugby U16 WSS A vs Latymer Upper School (A) 2:30pm Football U12 WSS A/B vs Eaton Square Prep School (A) 2:30pm

THURSDAY

09.11.17

FRIDAY

10.11.17

SATURDAY

11.11.17

French IGCSE Listening Drama GCSE performance exams Rugby U14 WSS A vs Latymer Upper School (A) 2:30pm

13+ 2018 late applicants assessment day 10:00am HM Assembly at Hinde Street Methodist Church 3:00pm

Football U13 Tournament at St. Thomas’, Clapham 10:00am - 3:00pm

SUNDAY

12.11.17

IMPORTANT NOTICES

WELCOME BACK! We hope you had a great half term.

Please read the attached letter from Mr Sullivan regarding mouthguard fittings for Year 7 & 8.

MONDAY

Soup: Leek & Potato Main: Lemon & Asparagus Risotto Meat Free: Baked Potatoes Served With: Baked Beans or Tuna & Sweetcorn or Bacon & Sour Cream or Mixed Grated Cheese To Go With: Sugar Snap Peas, Warm Chickpea, Tomato & Onion Cassoulet, Dessert: Apple & Forest Berry Crumble

THURSDAY

Soup: Roasted Butternut Squash

MENU

TUESDAY Soup: Cream of Broccoli Main: Bacon, Tomato & Basil Gnocchi

To Go With: Vegetable Kebabs, Roasted Vine Cherry Tomatoes, Vegetable Rice Dessert: Mango & Passion Fruit Yogurt Pots

Meat Free: Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry

Dessert: Black Cherry Fool

To Go With: Sautéed Potatoes With Thyme & Cumin, Roasted Carrots & Parsnip Sticks, Steamed Peas

Freshly Made Bread To Go With: Vegetable Frittata, Chips, Grilled Courgettes Dessert: Apple Pie

Homemade Salads Vegetable Crudités With Hummus Sandwich & Wrap Selection Meat & Cheese Platters Fresh Fruit Yogurt Pots

EVERY DAY

FRIDAY

Meat Free: Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Pitta Bread Pizza

Meat Free: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Dessert: Chocolate and Raspberry Roulade

Main: Beef Stir Fry

Main: Pepperoni & Bacon Pitta Bread Pizza

Soup: Roasted Cauliflower Main: Chicken & Leek Pie

Meat Free: Pesto, Rocket & Goat’s Cheese Gnocchi

To Go With: Egg Fried Rice, Grilled Bok Choi, Steamed Bean Sprouts, Spiced Savoy Cabbage

Soup: Roasted Pepper & Tomato

WEDNESDAY

ART & DESIGN: YEAR 11 HUMAN FORM Mr Meyer writes...

Before the summer break, Year 11 moved into their penultimate unit of the course: ‘Human Form’. Over the holiday, they were set the task of creating a series of observational drawings of different parts of their own bodies using oil pastels and compressed charcoal.

Alan A. Lachlan W.

Jack H-G.

Adin DeC. Manuel C.

Nizami A.

Nelson T.

J.P. C.

ART & DESIGN: YEAR 11 HUMAN FORM

Mr. Meyer writes…

The Year 11 GCSE Art, Craft and Design boys have been working through the experimental phase of their ‘Human Form’ coursework project and creating clay heads.

Once complete, they will create a rubber mould, before going on to produce a series of casts in a range of materials, including concrete and resin.

ART & DESIGN: SAMIR CERIC TALK

Mr. Meyer writes‌ On Wednesday 4th October, Samir Ceric, an art dealer and entrepreneur gave a talk in the Year 10 and 11 Common Room. Samir has a strong legacy within the creative industry, which includes award winning businesses, such as the Debut Contemporary Gallery and Wolf & Badger.

ART & DESIGN: YEAR 7 MONOPRINTING Mr. Meyer writes...

Year 7 have been creating self portraits using a two-stage mono-printing technique. Can you work out who’s who?

ART & DESIGN: PARENTS’ ART EVENING

Mr. Meyer writes…

The third annual Parents’ Art Evening took place at the end of the first half of the term. The workshop allowed parents to develop a practical understanding of how to create a coil pot, from adding & scoring clay to applying coloured slip.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS Miss Bradley writes...

London’s many galleries and museums are showing a number of excellent temporary exhibitions at the moment, alongside their fantastic permanent collections.

The Wellcome Collection has an excellent free exhibition: ‘Can Graphic Design Save Your Life’ which focuses on the relationship between graphic design and health (I thought this was so interesting I bought the book!)

Our local galleries and museums are an invaluable source of inspiration and I would always encourage the boys to visit them whenever they can. I have compiled a list of some of my favourites, as well as a few I am looking forward to visiting soon to give you some further ideas!

Recently reopened in Notting Hill, the Museum of Brands houses a huge range of artefacts from the history of domestic packaging.

At the V&A, ‘Opera: Passion, Power and Politics’ is a spectacular show, and you don’t need to be an opera fan! It brings together a fascinating range of paintings, manuscripts, costumes, stage and theatre designs, props, and posters from all around the world.

The Design Museum is now well established at its new location on High Street Kensington and the permanent collection is definitely worth a visit (look out for the graphic design challenges!)

The Royal Academy is currently exhibiting several iconic exhibitions: Jasper Johns, Dali/Duchamp and until 12th November- Matisse in the Studio. Well worth a visit for a exploration of several defining moments in art history!

The House of Illustration in Kings Cross is currently showing work by legendary political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, as well as Jacqueline Ayer and Quentin Blake. It also offers a range of fun and interesting short courses that are worth having a look at.

The National Portrait Gallery has an exhibition of Cezanne’s portraits. Usually known for his landscapes and still life work, Cezanne’s portraits are sensitively observed, beautiful, rich in character, and some of my favourite portraits of all time.

Tate Modern is showing a wide range of work by the Kabakovs, known mainly for their installations and fictional personas. Their work critiques convention and draws inspiration from the former Soviet Union, addressing ideas of utopia, fantasy, hope and fear.

Meanwhile, Tate Britain is currently exhibiting the work of Turner prize winner Rachel Whiteread.

Dulwich Picture Gallery has just opened a new exhibition of the work of Tove Jansson, well-known as the creator of the Moomins. Much of her wider output has never been seen before in the UK, and I cannot wait to visit it!

ICT: YEAR 9 ABSTRACT ART In ICT with Mr Avroutine, Year 9 boys have been learning how to create vector art using Microsoft PowerPoint. Here are some of the drawings they made, inspired by their Field Day art trip to Tate Britain.

Frejvid G.

George B-R

Ranulph G.

Stefano A.

Mischa D. Evan H.

Aryav L.

Killian M.

THEATRE TRIP: PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS Miss Twomey writes…

On Thursday 12th October, the boys studying GCSE drama had an exciting afternoon at the theatre watching People, Places and Things. The show premiered in London at the National Theatre in 2016, but when I heard it was being revived for a tour I knew it would be a fantastic play to see.

The play follows Emma (or is it Nina, or Sarah?) who is experiencing an identity crisis and must face her addictions. However, after checking herself into rehab, she’s not quite ready to tell the truth and can’t even be honest about her name.

The play was an incredible mix of brutally honest acting in Emma’s cold reality, combined with fastpaced, surreal movement sequences, flashing lights and projection mapping to represent the chaos going on in Emma’s head.

‘Very vibrant and loud. I thought it was spectacular.’ Monty C. ‘The acting was very realistic and I thought the character of Emma was very intriguing, what was her real name and why did she keep lying?’ - Alex G. ‘It was a very enjoyable play; we loved it.’ - Evangelos M.

DRAMA: ‘MOVEMENT AND MASK’ Miss Twomey writes…

In their recent drama lessons, Year 7 have been studying the topic: ‘Movement and Mask’. The topic focuses on developing the skills needed to tell a story without the use of words, and so the boys have become excellent mime artists in the process! The boys tried on a variety of masks, each expressing a different emotion, and explored the different movements they could make to communicate personalities to match each face.

Well done to Dan and Sam, who both received Gold Notes in this lesson for their fantastic mime skills. Can you identify them behind their masks?

Back cover artwork by Tommaso S. http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk