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WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY MARCH 4th 2019 | WEEK 8

HISTORY ESSAYS, SKETCHBOOKS AND SKIING!

FROM THE HEADMASTER Dear Parents, This week and next there are some challenging talks for the boys. In the programme shared with Francis Holland Regents Park, the Sixth Formers will have very contrasting talks arranged by Mrs Deedat. This week Simon Bucknall, a public speaker of real skill, talked to the boys about how to present yourself effectively and connect with those you are addressing. Next week Erwin James, the Guardian’s prison correspondent, will speak to the boys about his experiences. I have heard Simon and Erwin speak in the past and both have a powerful message for the boys. Mrs Deedat’s contribution to the programme is giving the boys an opportunity to prepare for life beyond Wetherby, but also to walk in other people’s shoes and broaden their horizons. The feedback from the boys on Simon’s presentation was very positive and I will be interested to hear what they have to say about Erwin’s talk. I should also remind you that Mrs Deedat will be talking about the university admissions process on Tuesday next week and, for those Year 12 parents unable to make it, there is a great deal of information available on Firefly.

There was a challenging talk for younger boys and their parents on Thursday:

Stranger Danger on and offline. There were many challenging moments to the talk and this is one of the many ways in which we teach the boys to be safe as they become more independent. Year 7 and 8 will have a talk on internet safety in May, the local police have visited the School to give advice and we hope they will visit again this year and during assembly, Mr Lawrence often advises the School community on how to keep themselves safe..

In my reading in the run up to World Book Day, I came across a phrase I had not learnt before: ‘book poverty’ and was shocked to learn of the number of children in the UK who do not own a single book.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but reading continues to be incredibly important to a young person’s development.

According to the OECD, reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success, more than family circumstance or their parents’ educational background or income.

The English department work hard to encourage the boys to read and I know that many of you encourage your sons at home and there have been events this week to support that – the book swap, the ‘drop everything and read’ on Thursday where boys were given ten minutes in

several lessons to read their own book, and Friday’s assembly where staff shared their favourite books from their childhood and boys from every year group will be sharing theirs with the School. The Hobbit was a book I read over and over in my final year of primary school and so fondly do I remember it, that I have not been able to watch the recent films. Cinematic renditions of the spider haunted wood or the slow crawl to the dragon’s cave will not match those from my childhood imagination.

The week started with an incredibly well attended event with books of a different kind – The Open Sketchbook event in the Art department provided an opportunity for the whole School to come and see the work of our GCSE and A Level artists. I had to leave the art studio such was the crush of boys who had come to see the work and, whilst I greatly enjoyed the variety of work on offer, it was also good to see the boys discussing the sketchbooks with their creators and sharing ideas.

My colleagues and I look forward to seeing the Year 10 parents at Bernadi’s next Wednesday. Have a good weekend.

WEEK B MONDAY

WEEKLY DIARY 11.03.19

Fourth Plinth Competition Deadline Talk for Sixth Form boys - Erwin James, Guardian Columnist - Francis Holland Regents Park 15:00

TUESDAY

12.03.19

WEDNESDAY

13.03.19

Rugby WSS 1st XV vs Harrodian (H) 14:40 Rugby WSS Years 7/8 vs Northbridge House Prep (H) 14:30 Football WSS U16 A vs John Lyon School (A) 14:30 Football WSS U17 A vs John Lyon School (A) 14:30

THURSDAY

14.03.19

Parent Information Evening: LA Drama and Art Trip - Drama Studio, Bulstrode Street 18:00-19:00 Football WSS U15 ABC vs Highgate (location TBC) 14:30

FRIDAY

15.03.19

SATURDAY

16.03.19

SUNDAY

17.03.19

Friday Lunchtime Clubs and Societies 13:40-14:25 Science Week Assembly at Hinde Street Methodist Church 15:15-15:45

On Friday 26th April, there will be a staff vs parents football match.

If you are interested in taking part, please contact Mr Serkan Bektas who will be organising the team of parents.

Thank you to everyone who donated books for the Charity Book Sale!

Year 10 Drinks and Canapes Wednesday 13th March, 7pm, Bernardi’s

IMPORTANT NOTICES

Year 12 UK University Applications Talk Tuesday 12th March, 18.30 Please RSVP to Mrs Deedat if you would like to attend.

There are a number of unnamed hoodies at Hannah House reception.

Please check there if you have lost one and name all your uniform and equipment.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Main: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Main: Steak and Mushroom Pie

Main: Chicken curry

Meat Free: Tortellini fromaggio with tomatoes, mushroom and spinach

Meat Free: Leek and Gruyere tart

Meat Free: Lentil Dhal

To Go With: Mashed swede, steamed florettes, parsley potatoes

To Go With: Chana masala, fennel seed rice, Kachumba salad, mini naan bread, rhaita yoghurt

To Go With: Tomato, red onion and boconcini salad, peas and beans, herbed diced potatoes

Dessert: Chocolate Brownie

Dessert: Orange Tart

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Main: Beef Stroganoff

Main: Beef or chicken burgers

Meat Free: Vegetarian pizzas

Meat Free: Falafel and spinach veggie burgers

To Go With: Pilau rice, French beans, Provencale tomatoes, garlic and parsley pasta Dessert: Orange jelly bowls

To Go With: Chips, oven roasted Mediterranean vegetables, calabrese with garlic and chili

Dessert: Chilled Spanish style rice pudding

EVERY DAY

Homemade Bread Freshly made yogurt pots Fresh Fruit

Dessert: Baked jam roll and custard sauce

MENU

HISTORICAL ROUND UP Mr Warner writes...

With clubs springing up around WSS like a flurry of daffodils, the History Department felt the need to chip in. On Thursday lunch times a small group of Y1112 boys have been discussing a variety of historical topics, ranging from Fernand Braudel’s Mediterranean World to select History of the World in 100 objects.

Meanwhile, on Friday lunch times History Club

has been examining the legend of Robin Hood whilst also visiting the Wallace Collection.

Do you know your Beaker Folk from your Huguenots?

If not, be sure to ask Year 7 as they are about to embark upon their thematic study of migration to Britain. In doing so they will explore how successive waves of migration have shaped Britain from c.2800BC up to the present day.

Have you heard of Elizabeth I? How about Akbar the Great? Whilst almost everyone in this country has heard of the Virgin Queen and her defeat of the Spanish Armada, far fewer are aware of her exact contemporary who governed a vast Indian empire. Happily, Year 8 have been studying the Mughals this term and should now be in a position to fill you in on the details.

How did the assassination of one man lead to a war that cost millions of lives? Ask Year 9.

They started the term looking at the origins of the Great War before moving on to exploring how it was fought. By now, they have moved on to World War II and are exploring how changes in technology and tactics made this a very different conflict.

experience of the German people from the Weimar Republic, through the Third Reich and onto the GDR and FRG. Now they have turned their attentions back to international relations and have been exploring the origins of the Cold War and subsequent super power show downs such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Year 10 have completed their depth study of Germany (1925-1955) tracing the

Naturally Year 11 are busily revising‌. Shhhh, don’t disturb them.

Year 12 have been studying the plight of Native Americans in their struggle for civil rights in the USA and are now moving on to the campaign

by American women for equal treatment. At the same time, in their British study, they have been studying the politics of consensus from Attlee to Callaghan (including another European referendum!) but as the Winter of Discontent looms they are about plunge into the Thatcher years.

HISTORICAL FICTION WRITING COMPETITION 2019 First place: Dan R, Year 8 for his highly imaginative story set in a post-apocalyptic near future.

Highly commended: Edward P, Year 9 for his moving portrayal of the last moments of Mozart’s life.

An extra from Dan R’s piece: SNOW by Dan R Prologue The giant metal figure of a spaceship was cruising over a distant planet. If ‘cruising’ was used to describe an outof-control vehicle that had its engines shooting geysers of flame that lit up the sky like a million stars. Well, it was less like cruising and more like crashing. The giant metal figure abomination

of a spaceship was cruising over crashing into a distant planet. That’s better.

Suddenly, a gigantic boom shocked through the atmosphere, resonating into the far corners of the galaxy.

Then, the back of the ship was no more. Completely pulverised into cosmic space dust. The ship gave a final screeeeech as it hurled itself (with the help of gravity) into the surface of the mysterious planet, turning into a tiny speck. Then it was no more.

Surprisingly, there were two survivors in two escape pods zooming towards the planet.

They were the only survivors of the crash.

This is their story.

Chapter One The first survivor noticed

immediately after he woke up that it was cold. A cold that seeped under his skin, made his insides shrivel up like a dead tree. He could feel his skin turning aqua blue. He knew he had to act fast. He stepped out from the metal encasing he had been stuck in. In the distance, he saw what was around; snow. A snow that took up the entire world. Ice dripped off the tree’s long oak branches, the leaves brilliant shades of red and purple. He saw a cabin up ahead and ran quickly towards it…

And if you want to know what happened next, you’ll have to come to the History Department where you can read Dan’s story in full!

Historical Fiction Writing Competition 2018—9 And the winners are….

First Place Dan Ricotta for his highly imaginative story set in a post-apocalyptic near-future.

Highly Commended Edward Piazza for his moving portrayal of the last moments of Mozart’s life.

Well done to everyone who took part and thank you very much for all the entries.

HISTORY ESSAY PRIZE Mr Warner writes…

Back in November we invited boys in Years 10-12 to enter this year’s History Essay Prize by addressing the following question: What was the most significant invention or scientific discovery during the period 1500-1980?

I am delighted to announce that this year’s winner is Dylan A whose winning entry you can see below:

WHY STUDY HISTORY AT UNIVERSITY? Miss Webb writes...

A History degree is the perfect opportunity to prepare for your future by learning lessons from our past. The brilliant thing about History is its breadth – art, science, music, sport, philosophy, politics, business and practically anything else that’s ever existed could be the focus of your degree. Your interests and passions determine the topics you want to study. Your degree will probably include compulsory elements, but even within that, there is so much freedom surrounding what you actually study. For example, in my first year of university I was told that I had to take one British History course covering a time period before 1900.

I chose 1688-1837 (largely because, as a modernist, it was the closest to the 20th century I could get) but within that course, I was presented with a huge array of optional topics, looking at anything from parliament to piracy.

The personalised, tailor-made approach of my degree seemed a lot more satisfying than the more rigid courses many of my friends were taking.

Moreover, History is not just an enjoyable, interesting degree: it provides you with vital skills for the workplace.

Historians are highly critical and analytical, so can thrive in the high-powered world of business. However, the cultural awareness and emotional intelligence that comes from studying so many different

human experiences also makes history graduates empathetic and willing to listen to different perspectives, which are qualities any employer would tell you are priceless.

I often hear the concern that ‘all you can do with a History degree is become a History teacher’. It will come as no surprise that I would argue that teaching History is an incredibly fulfilling career, but it might interest you to note that my former course-mates at university went on to become lawyers, bankers, consultants, diplomats, journalists, property developers, doctors, actors and almost everything else in between. There is no topic you cannot study as part of a History degree, and there is no career path that is closed off to you.

Current estimates suggest that more than 108 billion humans have lived on this planet. If you think that you could learn something from just a fraction of them, then History is the degree for you.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS Four boys attended Westminster School over half term for their Model United Nations Conference. They represented France and were debating some of the world’s most pressing problems – from poverty to gender equality to climate change – in a lively and engaging student-run environment. Tobi A sat on the economic and financial committee and debated issues of free trade, the economic effects of climate change and the issue of migrant redistribution. Salem N sat on the security council and discussed the issue of Security Council Reform and the ongoing issues in Kashmir.

Talal H discussed the issue of nuclear disarmament, prevention of an arms race in outer space and how best to prevent non-state actors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Finally, Oliver L sat on the social, cultural and humanitarian committee and debated the issue of data privacy in the age of social media, the issue of colonial repayment and expatriated cultural artefacts and the issue of ending conditional aid.

OPEN SKETCHBOOK EVENT Miss Bradley writes‌ On Monday the Art and Graphic Design Department held an Open Sketchbook Event over lunchtime which allowed boys from all year groups to come and view the work of our GCSE and A-Level artists and designers.

It was a valuable opportunity for boys who are currently considering their options to come and see what the subject is all about!

It was great to see current Year 10s, 11s and 12s discussing their work with their friends and teachers, and explaining to younger boys what a GCSE or A-Level in Art and Graphic Design entails and many of the boys received lovely comments about their work. I hope that the event has informed and inspired many of the boys who are thinking about continuing with it at the next Key Stage!

MARVEL VS DC MELEE! Tommaso S, 10 Walbrook writes...

Marvel and DC lovers, the final battle has begun! As Dr Strange and Dr Fate warm up, we will be looking which mystic practitioner can outwit the other. Bearing in mind, I am mainly referring to facts from comics rather than films but they are roughly the same so it shouldn’t create to many problems. Here is a brief origin of each character: Origin: Dr Stephen Strange was a brilliant but arrogant surgeon who was having a very successful career in New York until an unfortunate car accident severely damaged the nerves in his hands. As he suffers due to his injuries and career downfall, he starts searching the world for a cure. One day, he hears about a mystic healer called the Ancient One and learns that his place of healing is in the Himalayan Mountains called Kamar-Taj. When he arrives at the Ancient One’s humble abode, the mystic healer doesn’t wish to heal him but offers him the title of apprentice to mend his broken life which Strange obviously turns down. However, Strange spends a couple of days at Kamar-Taj and learns of the presence of magical forces which govern the universe.

He also meets the hot-headed Baron Mordo who is planning the destruction of his mystic

master by summoning Dormammu, an evil entity with the soul purpose of conquering all realities. As the Ancient One banishes Mordo from his home, Strange accepts the sorcerer’s offer and becomes his apprentice.

Thanks to the Ancient One’s teachings, he eventually excels in the mystic arts and becomes the Ancient One’s successor, the Sorcerer Supreme. He is now the great protector of Earth’s realm.

Dr Fate’s overall reasoning is quite the opposite compared to the Sorcerer Supreme’s; whilst there has always been one Dr Strange protecting the realms there have been many different people who have taken the mantle as Dr Fate. Kent Nelson is the original Dr Fate from the Golden Age of comics. When Kent is visiting an Egyptian temple with his father, he stumbles upon the sarcophagus of Naboo the Wise and accidentally releases him. The Lord of Order thanks Kent but whilst this happens Kent’s dad dies as he triggers a trap which releases poisonous gas.

Feeling sorry for Kent’s loss, Naboo offers to teach him the secrets of the universe. After years of teaching, Naboo hands over 3 relics and dons Kent the title of Dr Fate, the Lord of Order. Along with the Amulet of Anubis and the Cloak of Destiny, the Helmet of Fate is the vessel where Naboo’s soul resides within. Once worn, Naboo takes control of the wearer’s body and grants ultimate control over the

forces of order and chaos.

Regardless of that, Naboo is very unsympathetic toward his mortal hosts as he sees them as disposable hosts during battle as he gives up his physical form to bind his spiritual form to the helmet.

Abilities and Magical Paraphernalia: Both sorcerers, apart from having an extensive knowledge and control over the mystic arts, possess ancient relics which can be very useful in combat: Dr Fate -the Helmet of Fate (channels Naboo’s immense powers through the host) - the Amulet of Anubis (possesses a magical void which can imprison anyone and anything within it) - the Cloak of Destiny (grants super strength, flight and invulnerability)

Dr Stephen Strange - the Eye of Agamotto (acts as an all powerful conduit which can emit blasts of pure energy and even manipulate time) - the Cloak of Levitation (grants levitation) - the Orb of Agamotto (an inter- dimensional surveillance device) - the Book of the Vishanti (the complete almanac of magic and relics of the universe).

This is a very tough fight and due to the presence of magical forces, it is very challenging to come up with only one outcome but the deciding factor is that Naboo grants his hosts god-like powers which can outmatch eena sorcery fanatic like Dr Strange!

If any readers out there have a different outcome of the hypothesised fight between the Lord of Order and the Sorcerer Supreme, please inform me! I would love to hear news about two of my favourite heroes.

ACTIVITIES BULLETIN: DEBATING Miss Tooze writes...

Year 9 Debating have been honing their research, writing and oracy skills by tackling two debates simultaneously!

Last week the four teams were presented with a dossier folder of evidence and articles so they could tackle two current affairs topics: • “Western museums should agree to repatriate cultural artefacts.”

• “Tourism benefits the world.”

The teams had only an hour to read through all the evidence and compile their arguments, nominating a speaker, questioner and summariser for both sides of the motion.

The teams won’t know which side of the motion they are debating for until just 10 minutes before the start, making for an exciting afternoon of debate!

AIDAN U AT THE 2019 ENGLISH ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS Over the February half term, Aidan joined more than 400 competitors at the 2019 English Alpine Championships in Bormio, Italy. Aidan moved up to the U16 group this year and competed in two Super-G races coming 6th and 8th overall, and 1st in his Year of Birth in both races. In the giant slalom, Aidan made the podium wining silver in the U16 Boys GS. Racing at the Anglo-Scotish Championships in January, Aidan came 3rd in the slalom but was unlucky in Bormio where he skied out in the first run.

A highlight of the English Alpine Championships is the inter club parallel slalom, floodlight head to head racing.

Between runs the teams are transported back to the start crammed in a basket on the front of a large piste basher.

With his team, Kandahar, Aidan won silver in the parallel slalom.

In January, Aidan represented GB at an international race in Vratna, Slovakia where GB’s team of 6 competed with children from 18 countries.

Next will be a GB race in Val D’Isere and then the season finale, the GB Alpine Championships held in Tignes, France in April. @WetherbySenior @ WetherbySSports @ KandaharRacing @ SnowsportEng @GBSnowsport @HSRC_Hemel

Aidan U competing in the 2019 English Alpine Championships SuperG, Photo courtesy of @SnowsportEng

Rugby U15A vs St Benedict’s 14-60 U13A vs Westminster Cathedral Choir School 50-50 U13B vs Westminster Cathedral Choir School 35-55

SPORTS NEWS

Football U15A WSS vs Mill Hill and Belmont Schools 2-8 U15B WSS vs Mill Hill and Belmont Schools 1-3 U15C WSS vs Mill Hill and Belmont Schools 0-6 U14A vs Highgate School 1-4 U14B vs Highgate School 0-6

WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL SPRING CONCERT Wednesday 3rd April 2019 6:30pm-7:30pm

http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk