BAROMETER THE
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY OCTOBER 1st 2018 | WEEK 5
A WEEK OF ADVENTURES: FROM THE SUPREME COURT TO THE JUNGLE!
FROM THE HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, I greatly enjoyed my opportunity to speak with parents on Wednesday at the PTA’s AGM. The PTA is a growing organisation and I am grateful to all parents who are working hard to build the wider school community by hosting coffee mornings, arranging year group events, donating and selling second hand uniform and supporting at the School’s public occasions such as Open Day and the new Parents’ drinks. A particular thank you to the parents who organised the nearly new uniform sale which raised £1100 last week and also saved a few boys who had forgotten that it was the whole School photograph and turned up in sports kit. The fundraising this year has also started at School and the boys of Tyburn are to be congratulated on raising £290 over the course of a lunchtime by selling cakes. I know that some of you will have been behind the scenes baking on Thursday evening to provide the stock. The sum raised is testament both to the quality of cakes on offer but also the haggling abilities of the boys: when I tried to buy 6 cakes to take with me to a meeting, the starting price was £30. I was grateful that they were willing to negotiate. I look forward to seeing what other contributions to charity the tribs will be making over the rest of the year.
Tickets continue to sell well for Havana Nights on 2nd November and these can be bought through Parent Pay. We are also looking for lots for the auction that will take place on the evening. As ever, a number of parents have been very generous but, if you have something you can give, please contact Karen Gillingwater (kgillingwater@me.com). As someone who has enjoyed visiting ancient sites both alone
and with pupils in tow, I hope the boys will take up the challenge of visiting historical sites here and abroad. As inspiration (?), I offer my own histo-selfie from my days investigating the ancient tunnels that lay beneath a Somerset town... With best wishes,
WEEK B MONDAY
WEEKLY DIARY 08.10.18
Talk for Sixth Form boys and Sixth Form parents - Matt Parry, University of Loughborough 15:00 Artist in Residence Event (Afternoon Club) Year 9 Parents’ Evening (Surnames A-K), Hannah House 17:30-19:30 Football U15 WSS A vs Pricethorpe College (H) 15:30
TUESDAY
09.10.18 Rugby WSS U15s XV vs Latymer B/C (A) 14:30
WEDNESDAY
10.10.18
Year 9 Parents’ Evening (Surnames L-Z), Hannah House 17:30-19:30 Football U12/13 WSS A/B/C/Ds vs Durston House (H) 14:30 Rugby WSS 1st XV vs Latymer (H) 14:40
THURSDAY
11.10.18
Rugby WSS U14s XV vs Latymer B/C (A) 14:30 Parents’ Art Evening for Year 7-9, Art Room, Bulstrode Street 18:30-20:00
FRIDAY
12.10.18
SATURDAY
13.10.17
SUNDAY
14.10.17
HM Assembly at Hinde Street Methodist Church 15:15-15:45 BOYS BREAK UP FOR HALF TERM
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WATER BOTTLE
Please ensure all uniform, games kit and equipment is clearly named.
Help reduce our school's plastic consumption by using this personalised Active Bottle, emblazoned with the Wetherby Senior School logo and your own name. Made from highly durable materials, your Active Bottle is easy to open and close, won't leak and will keep your drinks hot or cold throughout the school day. Active Bottle supports our planet by donating 10% of all their proceeds to Clean Ocean and what's more, all remaining profits from selling the bottle will go straight to support your school's PTA and their selective charities. Can't get better! You can order online at: https://activebottle.co.uk/collections/wetherby
WSS Inaugural Fundraiser We are looking for prizes both for the silent and live auction and sponsorships for any part of the event. If you have any prizes you can donate or source, please contact Karen Gillingwater on kgillingwater@ me.com. If you believe you can contribute in any other way or know anyone who could, please contact the PTA Committee on pta@wetherbysenior.co.uk
IMPORTANT NOTICES
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Soup: Tomato and vegetable
Soup: Carrot
Soup: Pea and Ham
Main: Beef tacos
Main: Thai chicken curry
Main: Roasted British chicken
Meat Free: Bean burritos
Meat Free: Potato, cauliflower & chickpea curry
Meat Free: Mushroom wellington
To Go With: Cajun spiced potato wedges,vegetable rice, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, steamed broccoli Dessert: Carrot cake
To Go With: Lemon Rice, garlic & coriander naan, creamed spinach with paneer, raita yogurt Dessert: Pineapple coconut dream
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Soup: Beetroot
Soup: Sweet Potato
Main: Steamed fish fillets or fish cakes
Main: Beef or chicken burgers with a choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, jalapenos & gherkins
Meat Free: Macaroni with fresh tomato sauce & basil To Go With: Oven baked vegetables, curried fried potatoes, roasted tomatoes with chimichurri sauce Dessert: Strawberry cream jelly bowls
Meat Free: Falafel and spinach veggie burgers To Go With: Ratatouille,chips, steamed mixed vegetables Dessert: Vanilla sponge cake
To Go With: Roasted Potatoes, cauliflower cheese, yorkshire Pudding, spring greens, gravy Dessert: Rice Krispie squares
EVERY DAY Freshly Made Bread Homemade Salads Vegetable CruditĂŠs With Hummus Sandwich & Wrap Selection Meat & Cheese Platters Fresh Fruit
MENU
TYBURN BAKE SALE SUCCESS! Tommaso S, Year 10 writes... Cakes...cakes...cakes….that was the only thought in Tyburn’s mind at their Bake Sale last Friday. With brownies, Krispy Kremes and cupcakes on the table, it didn’t take long for crowds of students to flood into the games room to buy them. In total, they raised £290 for the Walkabout Foundation and West London Mission. Well done Tyburn for a really successful bake sale! We look forward to the other Tribs organising their own fundraising event to raise even more money for our school charities!
A TERM IN HISTORY Mr Warner writes... With the term now firmly under way, and my having returned to active duty after a bout of Paternity Leave, it was business as usual in the WSS History department this week. We are very excited to have commandeered the whole of the Bulstrode third floor, waving a fond adieu to
Geography after three years of sharing the fourth floor. Now rebranded as the History & Politics Department, we have three dedicated classrooms which we are slowly transforming into our historically themed home. So far this term England has been invaded by both Vikings, then Normans, the latter will by now have consolidated their control
of the country and founded a dynasty of kings whose qualities and flaws Year 7 will now be evaluating. Not far away in Year 8 Martin Luther has nailed 95 Theses to a door in Wittenberg, and now the reformation has spread to the court of Henry VIII. As if this weren’t enough, 100 years later religious strife contributes to all out civil war as Parliament and Charles I battle it out for control of the country. Leaving blood soaked Seventeenth Century England behind, Year 9 have set sail for West Africa and the Caribbean as they have explored the nature
of the Atlantic Slave trade which by now they should have successfully abolished with the help of William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano and macroeconomic forces. This leaves them a little lesson time to found an empire in India under the leadership of the East India Trading Company. Fast forwarding to the early twentieth century, Year 10 have managed to negotiate a settlement to the First World War, only, to see it dashed on the weakness of the newly founded League of Nations, compounded by an ugly economic slump in 1929 and the rise of a number of fascist dictators in Europe against whose belligerent tendencies Britain and France
offered only appeasement as a solution. With the shattering of peace in 1939, they will now have the challenge of evaluating what a number of historians have written on the causes of the Second World War. After a summer spent researching Kenilworth Castle, Year 11 are now trying to unravel the secrets of political power. Beginning with Anglo-Saxon kingship, they have now covered almost 500 years of British history as they try to spot patterns and themes in the way power is wielded, legitimised, passed on and challenged, most recently by looking at the game of thrones that was the Wars of the Roses.
What did Winston Churchill see in Edward VIII, and what was his problem with Indian independence? How was it that such an ageing old maverick has-been managed to become PM in 1940? These are just a few of the puzzles that our Year 12 boys have been wrestling with as part of their modern British module. For the other half of their lessons they can be found knee deep in American Civil Rights as they wade into the quagmire of post Civil War America with its Jim Crow laws and regular lynchings. The boys need to try to understand the various events and leaders who played a significant role in changing that brutal political landscape over the course of 100 years.
WSS HISTORY SENIOR HISTORICAL ESSAY COMPETITION Mr Warner writes… In c.1450 Johannes Guttenberg invented the printing press. In 1989 Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web. Both of these inventions revolutionised the way in which humans communicated and changed the course of history. This term the History department is launching its Historical Essay Competition. The aim of this competition is to allow the boys to explore an area of history outside of their current classroom studies and to develop their extended writing skills. For this year’s Senior History Essay Competition, boys in Year 10 and above are invited to submit an essay of up to 2000 words that outlines what they believe to be the most significant invention or scientific discovery between 1500 and 1980. This year’s title is: What was the most significant invention or scientific discovery during the period 1500-1980? You can pick any invention or scientific discovery that emerged during the set period from any part of the world. Essays should be no more than 2000 words long and should be handed in to your history teacher by the 8th January. Good luck!
HISTOSELFIES Mr Warner writes... One of my great pleasures in life is visiting historical sites, the more remote the better because, agreeing with Alan Bennet on the matter, people spoil things! A number of years ago I found myself in North Wales with both time and a Land Rover at my disposal and I managed to visit 15 castles in the space of three days, roaming from Flint to Harlech. At the time the concept of the selfie was very much in its infancy, and I was armed with a rather basic digital camera. With the advent of smart phones, even historians have fallen prey to the selfie craze and now, as I drag my daughters around various historical sites (they are still far too young to resist) I have added the Histoselfie to the standard catalogue of castle pictures that I usually emerge with. Having inherited a bountiful number of display boards from the languages department this year, I have been dreaming up ways to fill them up. What I would like is to begin a WSS Histoselfie board in which boys who have visited a historical site send in a selfie of themselves in front of it. In doing so we can build up a fun display that celebrates the wide variety of places that the boys end up in during their holidays.
Entries should either be printed out and handed in to the History Office, or emailed to me at henry. warner@wetherbysenior. co.uk.
To give you an idea, here are a few I made earlier (in some cases, much earlier!)
POLITICS STUDENTS VISIT THE SUPREME COURT Miss Webb writes... On Tuesday 2nd October, the Y12 Politics students visited the Supreme Court in Westminster. Despite the fact that most people we spoke to
at school beforehand did not even know we had a Supreme Court, this is actually the highest court in the land and deals with some of the most important and controversial legal issues affecting the UK.
The boys looked around the exhibits detailing the history and function of the Supreme Court, and then visited the courtrooms. Unfortunately, the court was not in session at the time of our visit, so we were not able to watch a live court case, but this did mean that the boys had the opportunity to sit in the famous chairs and act as justices themselves! Here are a few words from the boys themselves: ‘Exhilarating, fascinating and unique: the trip to the Supreme Court not only clarified what we’ve been taught in class but also allowed us to visualise key and vital concepts needed to grasp the Politics A Level.’ Salem ‘It was great to see what we’ve been learning in class in action in the real world. It made me really appreciate the central London location of the school, as it was so easy to go and visit.’ Matthew ‘It showed me how frequently Politics is changing – two of the Supreme Court justices were only sworn in the day before we visited, so it was a great opportunity to keep my knowledge up to date.’ Sam ‘I really liked the activity that allowed us to become Supreme Court justices, as it helped me grasp some of the decisions justices are expected to make.’ Ben
THE JUNGLE Miss Twomey writes... On Tuesday 25th September, the GCSE Drama boys enjoyed a unique theatre trip at The Playhouse Theatre as they watched The Jungle. The play is set in the refugee camp in Calais, which was in use from January 2015 to October 2016, known colloquially as ‘The Calais Jungle’. As you can see from the images, the production featured an extremely interesting audience layout, with guests positioned literally within the camp and zoned into different countries, titled after all those who lived temporarily in the camp. Some boys were seated in the ‘Sudan’ area of the camp, some in ‘Egypt’, and the rest in ‘Afghanistan’, ‘Iran’, ‘Syria’ and ‘Oman’. The play uncovers the struggle of those desperate to find a home in a safe country away from their war torn homes. Upon entering the theatre, boys were shown to their seats as if they themselves had arrived as refugees, with an aid worker holding a checklist and a drink of water in a polystyrene cup. Throughout the play, actors sold them food from the ‘Afghan Restaurant’, asked to sit with them and hid amongst them. As Michael Billington explains, the play is ‘a vivid recreation of lived experience’
as we see the contrast of hope and desperation from those in the camp. Furthermore, despite the characters urge to escape and exclamations that they are in purgatory, they find acceptance and a sense of belonging in The Jungle. The play is an example of superb storytelling. We hear stories through dance, riots, monologues and recreations of bulldozer evictions. The boys posed questions of migration and morality; if I had been born in a middleeastern family or location, could that have been me? Without forcing guilt upon the audience, the play helps us see a new perspective and travel with the characters on their quest to find home.
WETHERGIRLS VS WEATHERQUEENS NETBALL On Friday 21st September the WSS ‘Wethergirls’ (aka staff netball team) took to the court in Regents Park to take on ‘The Wetherqueens’, Mr Drax’s super-squad. This was a true battle of agility, power and fancy-footwork and provided great entertainment for the bench of supporters. The match comprised of 4 x 15 minute quarters and this allowed the Wetherqueens to settle into their rhythm and find their best combinations. The defensive Dad-daughter Drax duo were formidable and kept shooters Miss Sharp, Miss Twomey and Miss Hoskins working hard for every ball. Despite an early lead by the Wethergirls, the Wetherqueens soon pulled level. The centre court was dominated by Mr Meyer and this proved a good opponent for Mrs Skinner, whose fitness and agility was put to the test. Miss Maroudi, Mrs Deedat and Miss Webb were our nifty wings and they had the likes of Mr Connolly and Mr DeCarlucci as opponents. Both dads showed off with their diagonal drives, front cuts and dodges and were amongst the best in terms of their footwork and sticking to the rule book. This pressure rattled the calm and collected Wethergirls and started to create cracks in their game play. A few balls thrown away and some impressive interceptions gave the Wetherqueens their first glimpse of being ahead. Miss Kirby and Miss Kirk in defence were superb but
the lack of height gave the Wetherqueens some easyrebounds and free shots at goal when they missed. Their defensive pressure though was excellent and they even took the ball off lastminute substitute, Matthew Monaghan, a few times (much to his disappointment). This addition to the Wetherqueens was an excellent choice and his basketball skills translated across fantastically onto the netball court. Tension rose during the final few minutes of the final quarter. The fading light meant the WG had a few dropped balls and the WQ took advantage and scored off our centre-passes. They pulled ahead and won by 2 goals at the final whistle. The South Hampstead ‘ringers’ (Jeremy’s daughter and friends) were an absolute superb addition to the game and were genuinely class players. They played fierce netball and I thoroughly enjoyed playing against Jeremy’s daughter in particular. These girls have got a very bright future ahead of them netball-wise and they really put us through our paces. What a fun night of netball and I was delighted that the whole game was played in highspirits with just a small bit (!!) of competitiveness from both teams. I hope that next year we can involve some more teams of parents and raise even more money for such a fantastic cause!
SIXTH FORM LECTURE SERIES
Mrs Deedat writes... Our Sixth Form Lecture this week was dedicated to careers. We were absolutely delighted to have Emma Rosen come to share her story with our boys and girls. Dissatisfied with her 9 to 5 office government job, she quit to try out 25 careers in one year before the age of 25 ranging from archaeologist to alpaca farmer, movie extra to investigative journalist, and police dog officer to blogger. Emma engaged our students and opened their eyes to how
creative a job in farming could be. She got them thinking about what skills they possess and need, what they want to get out of work and the ideal working environment for them. She encouraged them to think outside the box and explore less mainstream jobs. Finally, she shared some valuable tips and suggested they seek work experience taking advantage of the wonderful alumni net that FHS offers for instance. A truly inspiring role model for our students.
DEBATING “Humanity should fear advances in Artificial Intelligence.�
This week Year 9 have been tackling the motion above in Debating. Although currently in the research phase, we have already encountered some difficult ethical and technological arguments for both sides of the debate and have enjoyed thinking through these together. The students have been researching recent news articles and events (including the ongoing discussion about driverless cars from Google, computer-generated art work and the rise of Alexa and Siri) and collating evidence for their case. The eventual debate will be chaired with questions received from the floor before we decide on the eventual winning team.
SPORTS NEWS
Football U16A WSS vs Ibstock Place 0-1 Man of the Match: Seb P U13A WSS vs Falcons 1-3 U13B WSS vs Falcons 0-3
Historical Fiction Writing Competition 2018—9 After the success of last year’s Historical Fiction Writing competition, the History Department is happy to announce that it is back for another year!
The competition is open to all Years 7, 8 and 9.
Write a story of about 1500 words max
The theme this year is “In the Dead of Winter”
It can be any genre you want.
Hand in your work to Miss Mendes in the History office or email to gillian.mendes@wetherbysenior.co.uk
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk