From the Headmaster Dear Parents, What was already shaping up to be another busy week got even busier around 10am on Monday morning, when I received notice that the Prep School was to undergo a compliance inspection this week. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has a new inspection framework which comprises two categories of assessment: a regulatory compliance inspection, in addition to the more traditional educational quality inspection or ‘full inspection’, on a 3 or 4 year cycle. As our last full inspection, in 2012, was such positive one, we have had only scrutiny of our regulatory compliance this week which will ultimately result in a relatively basic report, without qualitative judgements, that will, I trust, reflect the ongoing commitment of governors and staff to comply with the 200 or so standards and requirements of the Independent School Standards Regulations. This report will be published in due course but, in the meantime, I would like to thank our brilliant staff, who rose to the occasion with such commitment and openness, and to our ever supportive parent body, who submitted questionnaires so effusively and in an unprecedented number. Staff at the Prep, in common with those at the Senior School during Ofsted last year, respond with such positive energy and teamwork as they are so proud of their School and want to be involved in all aspects of it. Whilst I am unable to anticipate the final outcome of such a rigorous inspection, it has nevertheless been a great week to experience and enjoy the true spirit of #teamwetherby… Despite being so hectic though, I did take time to enjoy old friend of the school, Tony Little’s, innovative comments at Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) this week. He spoke about the need to get parents more engaged with schools, so as to build more of a community feeling and suggested that, where necessary, some incentives, such as money off of air fares, might be one way of achieving it. "That is to say,” said Tony, “the amount of benefits you can derive, and by benefits I mean reduced flights on a particular airline, or whatever it might be…matches or exceeds, the fee that you are paying in the first place. When you want to create this big sense of community, one way to achieve that is to say thank you; thank you for being part of this particular community of schools, in the hope not only that they feel good about that, but they feel more connected to the community and would be, for example, more likely to come to parents' events, more likely to wish to be involved, give their time." You may (or may not!) be disappointed to hear that Alpha Plus are not planning on an air miles scheme or even launching a Wetherby Clubcard in the near future but I whole-heartedly agree with Tony about the tremendous value of parental involvement. We always say that being a Wetherby parent is just as important as being a Wetherby boy and that feeling of engagement, to the extent that school becomes so much a part of everyone’s life, is something we strive for at Wetherby. We may not be able to send you an air miles card then but I very much hope that the personal attention that our staff give you, our parent body, on a daily basis and the evident warmth between staff and parents at our schools serves as some measure of our thanks to you. At a fundamental level, ‘community’ is what has made our Schools the successes they are today. No surprise then that for our big social events this term, we have over 35 staff who have bought tickets for the Prep School Ball in a couple of weeks and 26 for the Senior School Dinner in June. I believe that the Prep School is now officially ‘Sold Out’ but a few tickets remain for the Senior School Dinner. We really look forward to seeing you all at these events and the opportunity to celebrate everything ‘Wetherby’.
Have a good weekend…
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DIARY Monday 1st BANK HOLIDAY
Tuesday 2nd LAMDA Recital Evening
18:30-19:30
Wednesday 3rd Cricket U13 WSS A-D vs Hill House (H)
14:30
Thursday 4th Cricket U14 WSS A/B vs UCS (H)
14:30
Cricket U15 WSS A vs Harrodian (A)
14:30
Year 7 trip for Foreign Language Spelling Bee Regional Final at the Cooper’s Company and Coburn School
16:00-18:00
Friday 5th Feeder Schools’ Performing Arts Day
09:00-15:00
HM Assembly at Hinde St Methodist Church
15:00
Saturday 6th
Sunday 7th
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NOTICEBOARD Open Day 13th May 11-2pm Our Summer Term Open Day is being held on 13th May between 11 and 2pm. We would like as many boys as possible to come and act as tour guides on the day – they are our best marketing! If your son can attend for one hour, two hours or all three hours, please do email me at nick.baker@wetherbysenior.co.uk Many thanks.
Headmaster’s Gala Tickets The Headmaster’s Gala Dinner promises to be a fantastic evening. Please order your tickets now to avoid disappointment! Details can be found on page 6.
Wetherby Pool Competition The Pool competition is underway and there have already been some close shootouts on the black ball as well as a few heroic comebacks! If you are yet to play your game then try to find your partner and arrange a time with them for the match. Ask a referee to watch your game (Tobias T is an additional option) and get your cue chalked up! Best of luck (unless you are playing me…).
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Clubs & Food Clubs & Activities this week: Monday Bank Holiday
Tuesday Art and Design Bridge Club Climbing Club Fencing Football Parkour Quiz Club
Wednesday Actor Training & Physical Theatre Choir MFL Cinema Club
Thursday Fun Run Classics Club Junior Geographical Society
Biology in the News Rock School Duke of Edinburgh Award
Table Tennis
Community Service
YAD Fitness
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TICKETS SELLING FAST! Mrs Deedat writes… The Headmaster’s Gala Dinner, organised by the PTA, will take place on Friday June 16th, hosted by the Italian Ambassador and Signora Terraciano at their Residence, in aid of the Marcos, Will and Maria Bursary Appeal and the Italian Red Cross. This is a cause very close to our hearts following the Italian Earthquake last summer. Tickets include a three course dinner, prosecco, wine and limoncello (or non-alcoholic alternatives) and beautiful music, all in the glamorous Embassy rooms. As a huge Masterchef fan, I am looking forward to dinner, which will be provided by Embassy Head Chef, Danilo Cortellini, who I watched in the final in 2015. This will be a brilliant event and I hope to see lots of you there! Tickets: Cost £135 and are sold on a first come first served basis with limited availability. If you would like to purchase a ticket or a whole table (£1350) please email: nick.baker@wetherbysenior.co.uk OR Daniela.simpson@wetherbysenior.co.uk If you have any questions do not hesitate to email me: dena.deedat@wetherbysenior.co.uk or a PTA member from your son’s class. How else can you help? Mr Baker will be leading a silent auction during the evening. If you have a donation to pledge please email him: nick.baker@wetherbysenior.co.uk OR j_bektas@hotmail.com If you are unable to attend the event but would like to take part in the auction, please email one of the names above. 6
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Votes for Schools Mr Hartley writes…
This week’s Votes for Schools topic has been: Is space travel a waste of money? Year 7 Total YES NO
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Curriculum News From the Art & Graphic Design Department Mr Meyer writes...
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Sasha Ignacio
Luca Eli Gabriel
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Tyler
Antonio Nour Tobi
In the Spring Term, Year 9 learnt about sculptor Barbara Hepworth. An artist who achieved national and international acclaim throughout her life, her works can be seen more locally above Eat on George St. or on the side of John Lewis at the back of Oxford St. The boys developed a range of skills throughout this unit from learning about the past master, to using glaze for the first time at the Senior School.
Curriculum News
From the Biology Department Mrs Skinner writes... In Biology, the Year 10 boys have been studying Ecology. On Monday, we went to Paddington Street Gardens to learn field studies techniques, including the use of random and systematic sampling to estimate plant population sizes and diversity.
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Curriculum News
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Curriculum News From the Geography Department Miss Maroudi writes…. Year 10 searched all corners of the classroom for clues on the pros and cons of ‘Natural Gas’. Manuel C impressed all by finding clues behind the scissor block whilst Hamoud A-B found one under a chair. In the end, Nelson T and Armand S were the first to find all the clues! Did you know natural gas produces 45% less carbon than coal?
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Curriculum News From the Chemistry Department Miss Hoskins writes... The Year 9 boys this week have been investigating the reactivity of metals and how to extract them from their oxides. The boys mixed carbon powder with the metal oxide and heated strongly. They tipped the resulting mixture out and examined the contents for pieces of metal formed.
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Curriculum News Miss Hoskins writes... The Year 10 boys have continued their study of acids and bases this week by making their own indicators. They made solutions of raspberries, red cabbage and purple broccoli and then tested each with acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions and observed the colour it turned.
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Curriculum News Mrs Diamond writes… We learn a language so we can speak it, right? That’s what the boys in Year 8 and Year 9 did really well this week in our Year 9 “Hotel reception” and Year 8 “Au café” role plays. Well done, boys! I would definitely give you the job! ;-)
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Sporting News Mr Sullivan writes... The summer term means light evenings and (we hope) some lovely weather ahead! It also means Cricket is upon us. We are here to encourage and develop the boys’ knowledge and understanding about this amazing sport! Great start, boys, keep it up! Congratulations to Year 7/8 cricket players who participated in a tightly fought match against St Anthony’s.
Cricket attire Summer is here and I can certainly smell the
Attire:
In school: hoodie, white cricket shirt, clack
Cricket in the air!
tracksuit bottoms with white socks and white
The correct attire for participating in Wetherby
trainers
Senior Twenty20 Cricket this Summer is as follows:
Games Lessons/Training: white cricket shirt, black shorts or tracksuit bottoms with white
Cricket Shirt:
socks and white trainers
Matches: white cricket shirt, white cricket trousers with white socks and white trainers (if selected for the A team, boys must also bring their school blazer).
Black shorts/tracksuit bottoms:
If your son is in the wrong attire for a fixture, they won’t be selected to play. You can purchase all the above, apart from the trainers, via the Perry Uniform website. Please click on the link: http://www.perryuniform.co.uk/
White socks, white cricket trousers and trainers:
index.php/find-your-school/schools-v-z/wetherbyschool/senior-school-marylebone-lane/sports-kit This term, we have a storage option for the heavy cricket bags. We ask that boys store their cricket bags in the storage cupboard in the courtyard
Water bottle and sun cream:
(below the basketball net to be precise). This storage area will be open from 8am - 9am in the mornings for boys to deposit their cricket equipment. This ensures that the corridors remain clear and bags are securely stored. The Barometer | week 27 | 28/04/2017
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Sporting News Upon arrival at school, it is important that boys continue to use the main school entrance (Bulstrode Street) and walk through the building to deposit their cricket equipment. This is in line with our Health and Safety Policy. These bags can then be collected as we depart the premises for Games lessons. Cricket equipment will not be permitted to remain on site overnight - unless previously authorised by the Games Department - as this will cause a storage nightmare for the Games lessons on the following day. If not, they will be sent to lost property as the policy mentions it will be given to charity if no one claims it by the end of the term. Most importantly, please name all your equipment and sports kit. Most of our lessons and matches will take place in Regent’s Park using The Hub. It is home to the largest outdoor sports facility in London and we cannot wait to hold our first home fixtures of the season. We will be using most of the adult cricket pitches and nets (pictured) to develop the boys’ understanding and skills in such a wonderful game. All of the RED circled numbers are the Regent’s Park Cricket pitches we will be using. If you 16
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intend to watch, please be aware that there is no parking onsite and please use the pre -paid parking bays outside the park. If you would like your son to depart/ be picked up after Tuesday/Wedneday/Thursday afternoon lessons or fixtures, please inform me by email: james.sullivan@wetherbysenior.co.uk and ryan.underwood@wetherbysenior.co.uk. The best time to collect your son: At 3:55pm. Please arrive 20 mins early as we cannot wait around for the safety of the other boys. Best place to pick up: Outer circle near Prince Albert Rd, London, NW8.
Sporting News Year 7/8 Cricket WSS As vs. St Anthony’s As Mr Underwood writes... Wednesday introduced the first fixture of the term as our U13A boys entertained St. Anthony's, with the usual mix of hail and rain on an interesting April afternoon. Put into bat, Finlay W. started strongly, dispatching the opening bowlers on his way to an impressive score of 29. He formed a formidable partnership with Jude B. and they took our score to 70/3. Atticus C. brought some stability to the order after the loss of these wickets, batting comfortably and assertively. He partnered Akshay B, who displayed a fine batting repertoire, scoring an unbeaten 23. Wetherby finished their innings and set a score of 112 to win. After a quick match tea and a light rain shower, St. Anthony's entered their batting innings to chase down the marker. Akshay B. opened the
bowling and got his debut wicket with his very first ball. Finlay W. bowled from the other end, also taking a wicket in his first over. Wetherby were in a promising position and continued to bowl with pace and precision from Alex PT. and Atticus C. However, the opposition batsman was equal to the task and took advantage when possible with a superb batting display. Good fielding from Oscar C. and Max H. ensured that vital runs were saved. The match entered the final over, with the opposition requiring 12 runs to win. With Wetherby bowling and fielding well, St. Anthony's only managed to score 11 runs, giving Wetherby a victory in a very tight opening game. A Man of the Match award goes to Finlay W., who topped the batting charts and took 2 wickets with the ball. A fantastic performance from the captain and we go on to next week against Hill House.
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Sporting News Year 9 Cricket WSS As vs. Westmister As Mr Underwood writes... Thursday afternoon saw the U14A team travel to Westminster. We lost the toss and were put into bat. Antonio dB. looked comfortable with the bat, hitting a tremendous 6 and forming a good partnership with Sacha R. After these wickets fell, Nour H. steadied the innings with a confident display, picking up single runs when possible and playing with little risk. As Westminster made their way through the batting order, Nour H. remained throughout and formed a speedy partnership with Anthony A. Both boys took advantage of loose bowling to edge the total runs higher, finishing on 62 all out. As Westminster started their innings, Wetherby bowled consistently and aggressively from opening bowlers Sacha R. and Yuvraj C. The boys fielded well, with highlights from AJ, and minimised the space on the field to ensure that Westminster had to play to their best to gain runs. Ethan E. brought a different pace to the bowling attack, with Antonio dB. taking the first wicket of the innings
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with a delightful in-swinger. Despite our best efforts, Wetherby ran out of time as Westminster maintained a solid, comfortable run rate for the win.
Sporting News them, leaked too many wides giving Westminster easy runs and extra balls. Luke controlled the middle overs with some low skiddy balls. The difference between the two sides was that Westminster had a few club players, which meant that they were still scoring even off our good balls. After more wet weather and some good ball striking by the opposition, Westminster ended up on 178 runs for 3 wickets after 20 overs.
A Man of the Match award is shared between Nour H. and Antonio dB. for a fine display with the bat, equaling the standards set when fielding and bowling respectively. A fantastic performance from these two and we go on to next week against UCS.
Year 10 Cricket WSS As vs. Westminster As Mr Fraser writes‌ There was a great energy amongst the team in the build up to the first match of the new cricket season. On arrival, the boys were proactive and started to warm themselves up. After a bit more warming up, we won the toss and chose to bowl. This was the first time the boys had used hard ball this season and in tricky weather conditions it was never going to be an easy task to control the 'rock'. The first few over were shared between Pip and Sean, both bowling consistent lengths. Matthew and Jack HG then took over and again were bowling in the correct areas, but like Pip and Sean before
It was our turn to bat and to really express ourselves. This was made much harder with it still raining, which meant the ball was going to skid off the wicket. It was a slow first few overs, with Pip and Ollie trying everything they could to score against Westminster's opening pair. There was some fantastic quick running between the wickets. Due to the fact we had such a big total to chase down, both batsman had to try and play some shots. This lead to some runs but inevitably wickets. This brought Sean to the wicket. He wasted no time in showing what he was made of, caressing a few shots through mid wicket for 4. Sean started to score quickly, bringing Wetherby back in to the game. Matthew and Sean both made significant contributions to the bat. Unfortunately, there were just not enough balls for us to get back in, enough to win it. After a few more wickets, we ended up on 85 runs for 5 wickets after 20 overs. Noteable performances were from Sean Madrid with both bat and ball, scoring the highest score of 31. Matthew Monaghan scored a well put together 15*. Pip and Luke both had great bowling figures of 4 overs for 29, with Pip getting a wicket as well. It was a great start to the season, with some great individual performances. Both the boys and myself know there is a lot to work on to reach the high standards we are both setting for each other.
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Sporting News defensively allowing his partner to keep the score board ticking over at the other end.
Year 10 Cricket WSS Bs vs. Westminster Bs Mr Meyer writes... Wetherby U15B 56 from 18 overs Westminster U15B 88 from 20 overs
vs
Ex-England Captain and now sports commentator, Michael Vaughan, posted an image on social media early week of a photo of Headingley covered in a blanket of snow. Snow, not rain, had stopped play for Yorkshire’s second county match of the season! Although not the fine weather we were experiencing during much of early and mid-April, the almost January type weather didn't stop play yesterday. Armand was made Captain for Wetherby's first cricketing fixture against Westminster. He won the toss and elected to field. William opened the bowling and got their opening batsman out third ball; he then got a second when Armand caught at mid-on. Jean-Paul and Nick Stick steadied the flow of runs by bowling with consistent line and length. As Westminster’s batting innings wore on, they started to come more into the game, with the middle order playing a range of ground strokes to both cover and fine leg. Sebastian was able to pick up a vital wicket towards the end of the first innings.
Under cold conditions, Wetherby fielded well and were unlucky not to pick up more wickets. The batting showed that work needs to be done in the nets as the boys ready themselves for their fixture. All in all, Wetherby can take a lot of heart away from this performance, with William bowling with consistent line and length and Rahul batting maturely, displaying a range of shots off his front and back foot.
Boys Sporting News: Virgin Mini London Marathon Massive congratulations to Anthony A who completed the Virgin Mini London Marathon in 19minutes 3seconds!
The second innings saw Armand and Rahul open. Rahul played superbly, scoring 24 runs not out. Rory Lawless also played some fine Well done Anthony! shots. Unfortunately, Wetherby’s middle order collapsed around Rahul, Sports Quote of the Week: however, tail ender Tom Burke was able to steady the Follow us for results and updates on Twitter via @WetherbySSports ship by playing
“Trust your coach, trust your team, trust yourself” #teamwetherby
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Clubs & Activities Parkour!
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Clubs & Activities
Senior Quiz Club This week's Senior Quiz saw a return to form for Year 10, who stormed into the lead early on and never looked back! Pictured are this week's winning team of Tom B, Niclas, and Tom T. Well done, boys!
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Clubs & Activities Physical Theatre Club Miss Twomey writes... This week, a selection of boys have had their first physical theatre activities session. After learning that physical theatre emphasised movement, choreography and physicality, we learnt two famous lifts from physical theatre pioneers, Frantic Assemblythe theatre company behind the West End show, the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. Here, we can see Antonio M and Anthony A in the Horseshoe lift. The weight is placed on the shoulders of ’The Rock’ at the head of the horseshoe, with the sides supporting the rest of the body.
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Clubs & Activities Fun Run
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Clubs & Activities Basketball Club
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Clubs & Activities Junior Geographical Society Miss Maroudi writes... Junior Geographical Society played "Maponimoes", "Who knows where?" and "Flags of the world" to practise their Geography trivia in preparation for next week’s quiz! Who knows where 'Mount Athos' is? Tomasso S. does!
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On the Hot Seat Hello and welcome to Week 20 of “On the Hot Seat”. Readers, it feels like it’s been forever! I can imagine life lost a bit of colour whilst we were away but you can wipe away those tears, open the curtains and let the light shine back in on your life; the “Hot Seat” is back! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter break? We certainly did, although suddenly having to cater for ourselves came as a bit of shock… Speaking of catering, whilst on the hunt for any leftover break-time biscuits we decided that this week we should interview our most magnificent Head Chef, Sam!
Having done one last quick nappy change, she left Dylan with family and all glammed up, off she went. On arrival, as one does, Sam greeted her hostesses with a kiss. As she pulled away, she noticed with horror that she had left a “deposit” on her hostess’s cheek. Dear readers, let’s just say it wasn’t chocolate mousse…. So, on that bombshell let us begin…
Readers, did you know that Sam’s repertoire of salads is second to none. From charred cauliflower, to broccoli with chilli and ricotta, to fennel and grapefruit - she throws the stereotypical school lunch right out of the window! She has used her skills in the kitchen as a passport to travel and see the world. The fact she has ended up at Wetherby Senior is a massive coup for us!
Sunrise
1) Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate 2) Introvert or extrovert? Extrovert 3) Sunrise or sunset?
4) Dancing or singing? Dancing 5) Wine or beer? Wine 6) Scrambled or fried? Fried
Readers, it would appear that Sam has led the dullest of lives: she has lived in the Bahamas, Brazil, Rome, Los Angeles, Bordeaux and Thailand. She has worked as an intern, owned a Bed and Breakfast, and been a private chef at the UN: #fancy. She has been whale watching, visited Niagara Falls and bungee jumped in Thailand: #shudder. She has even seen the Northern Lights, (the ones in Scandinavia, not the Blackpool Illuminations!) However, none of these experiences quite beats her time working in a zoo whilst at High School. It was there, readers, that she catered for her most prestigious guests: the animals. Elephants, monkeys, lions, hyenas, Year 7s: #jokes… you know the sort. It even earned her employee of the year, (and with a staff team of thousands this was no mean feat!). However, being a real softie at heart, we know that the most rewarding and challenging experience of her life is actually being a parent to her daughter, Dylan, (short pause here whilst Señor wipes away an emotional tear).
10) Fiction or non-fiction?
Sometimes even Head Chefs find themselves in embarrassing situations: #notjustusthen. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Sam was invited to a dinner party.
Meryl Streep. She is just SO great. I bet that she is so kind… (cue a conversation about the film Mamma Mia and some rather fabulous singing… #voulezvous)
7) Choux or shortcrust? PUFF 8) Fire or water? Fire 9) Truth or dare? Dare
Fiction 11) What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Probably scorpions and snake’s blood whilst in Thailand. (It was at this point, dear readers that Sam entertained us with an excellent tale, involving a bar in Newfoundland and a dead toe…) 12) If you could trade lives with anyone for a day who would it be and why?
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From the Editor On this week’s front cover: Ali relishes the moment, having run up a wall in Parkour Club On the back: Year 10 get down to some serious teamwork in Geography For all comments and feedback please email: henry.warner@wetherbysenior.co.uk
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk/