BAROMETER THE
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY OCTOBER 8th 2018 | WEEK 6
FIELD DAY: FROM LONDON ZOO TO LSE!
FROM THE HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, As I am sure you are aware, it has been another busy half term at the School and all have quickly settled into the new routines. I particularly enjoyed recording the continued growth of the School in the photograph that was taken two weeks ago. The draft copy arrived in School yesterday and details on how to buy them and the individual portraits will be with you shortly. Last Saturday was the School’s Open Morning and I am very grateful to all the boys, mainly from Years 10 and 12, but also
from other year groups who gave up their time to support the School. They continue to be our best ambassadors and they coped well with the adverse weather conditions. I greatly appreciate the boys giving up their Saturday as do the visitors who so enjoyed the experience.
of course, the Staff Panto (the casting has been done and rehearsals will begin soon).
When we return after the two week break, much of the journey to and from school for all of us will be colder, darker and wetter. There is however much to look forward to in the second half of term – the official opening of the Sixth Form Centre, the Christmas Concert, Frankenstein and,
With best wishes,
I hope all of the boys and the staff off on the Classics & Geography trip to Greece have a great time. Indeed, I hope you all enjoy the two week break.
WEEK A MONDAY
WEEKLY DIARY 29.10.18
Term Starts Talk for Sixth Form boys and Sixth Form parents- Nick Ridley: To the End of the Earth: Travels and Climbs in the Arctic, Hannah House 15:00 Artist in Residence Event (Afternoon Club)
TUESDAY
30.10.18
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
31.10.18
01.11.18
Official Opening of the Sixth Form Centre, Marylebone Lane Building 18:30-20:30
FRIDAY
02.11.18
SATURDAY
03.11.17
SUNDAY
04.11.17
Year Group Assemblies 15:00-15:45 Wetherby Senior School PTA Charity Evening, Marylebone Hotel 19:00
OLLY’S HAIR RAISER FOR GOSH This weekend, Olly Gosling, 11 Walbrook will be doing something very “BALD” to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. If Olly manages to raise a huge £1,250, he has agreed to shave his entire head (what will Mr Lawrence say?!) for charity! Olly has organised this event because he wants to give something back to GOSH, who have done so much to support him in overcoming the challenges of having MPS, including helping him post-transplant when he lost all his hair. Olly is hugely grateful to all the staff and for all the facilities he has benefitted from at GOSH. This is his opportunity to help others who also need their support. If you can spare any money to help Olly to reach his fundraising target, then please donate on his Just Giving page, which can be found here: https://www.justgiving. com/fundraising/olly-gosling?utm_id=26
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WATER BOTTLE 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
Good Luck Olly!
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: Courgette
Soup: Minestrone
Soup: Tomato
Main: Roasted vegetable spaghetti sauce
Main: BBQ chicken drumsticks
Main: Pork/chicken sausages
Meat Free: Vegetable and cheese pizza
Meat Free: Warm cauliflower couscous
To Go With: Vegetable cous cous, sweetcorn, sweet potato wedges
To Go With: Caramelised onions, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, gravy
Dessert: Sticky toffee pudding
Dessert: Jelly bowls with whipped cream
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
EVERY DAY
Soup: Mushroom
Soup: Chicken Noodle
Main: Beef Lasagne
Main: Fish fingers (gluten free) or steamed fish with garlic & lemon
Meat Free: Baked potatoes To Go With: Garlic & parsley spaghetti pasta, courgette spirals, garlic bread, sweetcorn, tuna mayo, baked beans Dessert: Chocolate mousse
Meat Free: Tomato, courgette, aubergine lasagne
Meat Free: Farfalle pasta, grilled peppers & basil
To Go With: Grilled mixed vegetables, sautéed aubergine with salsa verde & goat’s cheese, carrot rounds
To Go With: Chips, garden peas, mushy peas, tartare sauce
Dessert: Eton Mess
Dessert: Chocolate fudge brownies
Freshly Made Bread Homemade Salads Vegetable Crudités With Hummus Sandwich & Wrap Selection Meat & Cheese Platters Fresh Fruit
MENU
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
YEAR 7 VISIT LONDON ZOO Miss Bennet writes... This term Year 7 spent field day visiting London Zoo in Regent’s Park. They attended an education session on “Wildlife under threat”, where the boys got the chance to see real life customs seizures! These revealed the devastating impact of hunting on animal populations and boys learnt that conservation and the work of ZSL can protect species from going extinct. At the end of the talk the zoo keeper let boys touch a live corn snake! This snake had been rescued from the pet trade. After the talk, we studied which animals around the zoo were listed as critically endangered or even extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red list. It was a great day out and we were lucky to see so many of the animals London Zoo had to offer.
YEAR 8 VISIT BLETCHLEY PARK Miss Smith writes... This Field Day, the Year 8 boys joined the Maths Department on a trip to Bletchley Park.
We began the day by exploring Bletchley and highlights included visiting the Mansion and seeing Alan Turing’s office, where he worked towards breaking the Enigma Code.
Following on from this, we received a guided tour of the site and were provided with some historical background of Bletchley Park. All of the Year 8’s asked extremely interesting
and insightful questions on topics ranging from spies at Bletchley to working conditions in the 1940’s! We concluded our day by having a go at deciphering
some of our own messages. To do this the boys used Morse Code, Caesar Shift Cipher and Rail Fence Cipher to name just
a few. One of the best parts was getting to have a go at using a real Enigma Machine!
YEAR 9 TATE Mr. Meyer writes… The Fourth Annual Year 9 Tate trip took place on Thursday 4th October as part of the first Field Day of the year. Split into two distinctive parts: boys enjoyed seeing the work of David Hockney and LS Lowery at Tate Britain before a short boat journey to Tate Modern where they had an altogether more interactive and immersive experience from Christian Marclay’s ‘The Clock at Tate’ to Tania Bruguera’s ‘10,143,210’ installation based on the migration crisis.
YEAR 10 DUKE OF EDINBURGH Mrs Skinner writes... On Field Day last Thursday, most of the Year 10 students went to Princes Risborough as part of their training for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
After a fairly gloomy start to the day weather wise, the sun came out soon after we arrived at Princes Risborough station, right in the middle of the beautiful Chilterns. The boys spent the day
walking in their groups, learning useful navigation skills that they will need to pass their qualifying expedition later in the year, including: map reading, learning how to use a compass and pacing. They showed
some great group work and the staff were really impressed with how much progress they made during the day. After a long day walking (running in some cases) and training with the staff at RAW
adventures, the boys are looking forward to putting everything they have learnt into practice when they go on their next practice expedition. The boys should by now have logged into their eDofE
accounts where they can upload pieces of evidence for their Skill, Physical and Volunteering sections. If they are still unsure of how to upload a goal or a piece of evidence, they should go to their DofE leader for help.Â
YEAR 10 COMMUNITY SERVICE Half of the Year 10 Community Service boys spent their Field Day at BeeUrban, a social enterprise in Kennington which aims to positively influence the urban environment. The boys took part in a number of activities such as harvesting lavender, planting, and creating candle-making kits which will be sold to the public to enable BeeUrban to raise funds for its ongoing projects. Although there was little bee activity to be witnessed earlier on in the day, by the afternoon the bees were positively swarming around their hives as they busily collected
pollen. The boys were given the chance to look inside the observation hive and even managed to identify the queen bee! All of the boys were fantastic during the day and got on with all the different tasks they were assigned with enthusiasm. It was also great to hear the boys asking so many questions to the staff at BeeUrban about the work that they do. In fact, the boys impressed the BeeUrban staff so much that they have been asked back! Barnaby Shaw said of the boys: “Thanks for all your help, your students worked really well! We were very impressed with what they achieved on the day.”
“BeeUrban was a great experience with great people and we got to experience things that we haven’t done before and I would BEE happy to go back!” - Syed H.
“It felt good to help!” Pierre-Alexandre Z.
Aryav L. writes…. On Thursday 4th October, 10 of the 19 Community Service boys in Year 10 went with Ms Woods to St. Mary’s Bryanston Square Primary School where we assisted the students for the day. We were grouped into pairs and assigned certain years. Bijan S. and I were assigned to Year 3. It was a rather challenging day, but the experience taught us patience and brought a sense of satisfaction, being able to help the students with certain things. Needless to say, I look forward to the next Field Trip.
“The day was tiring but very fun.” - Allan Z.
“I enjoyed it! I helped children develop academically and I feel proud of what I have achieved.” Aryan A.
YEAR 11 MUSEUM OF BRANDS On Field Day, the Year 11 Graphic Communication boys visited the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Ladbroke Grove to gain inspiration for their own packaging designs. The museum features over 12,000 items from the collection of Robert Opie, a consumer
historian who has been building his collection for over fifty years. The boys began with a brand history workshop during which they were able to discuss and analyse pieces of packaging and look carefully at how brands have evolved
over time. They then came up with their own ideas for how existing brands could be developed further to make them more relevant and useful to contemporary consumers. The boys then visited the museum’s ‘time tunnel’ which showcases packaging and
advertising from the Victorian era right up to today. They spent the afternoon looking at the vast array of examples and sketching their favourites to inspire the designs they are working on as part of their GCSE coursework.
YEAR 11 GLOBE Year 11 attended The Globe Theatre where, after they were given a tour, they attended workshops run by actors. In these, boys were able to understand more about how the Macbeths’ relationship can be both interpreted and portrayed in a variety of ways. After an interactive Elizabethan-dress workshop, boys had the opportunity to engage with the Globe Theatre exhibition and learn more about Elizabethan and Jacobean England.Â
LOWER SIXTH VISIT LSE The Lower Sixth went to The London School of Economics. The Extended Project Qualification is worth half an A Level and boys have chosen a wide range of topics including the Byzantium Empire, coral reef bleaching, emotional health of livestock and football injuries. Boys taking the Extended Project Qualification joined Professor
Challis for a talk on how to research, avoid plagiarism and also how to reference. They then undertook a treasure hunt to learn how the library works. All boys will have access to the LSE library for three months after their visit. Boys studying Further Mathematics had a talk from the Economics librarian about university options.Â
SIXTH FORM LECTURE SERIES Mrs Deedat writes... Monday’s lecture was from Matt Parry who visited from the University of Loughborough. He explained the UCAS university application process and particularly focused on how to write their personal
statements. The boys realised the importance of developing personal skills through broad academic and extra-curricular interests as well as work experience. He also discussed the application process and the difference between firm and insurance acceptances. Finally, Matt
told us about Loughborough’s academic offer and sporting credentials. It is the best university in the world for sport and would have come 17th in the world if it was a country: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/ rio2016/medals-table/
OPEN DAY 2018 Henry B, Year 10 writes... Last Saturday, the School had its first Open Day this year. This is, of course, a very exciting time for the School; we have had a fantastic first set of GCSE results and have opened the new Hannah House building and Sixth Form areas. What’s more, next year we will be a complete school, from Year 7-13. It was fabulous to see so many prospective parents who were shown around the School by our Year 10 and Year 12 boys (as well as some volunteers from Year 7-9). As always, the School looked magnificent and the effort that had been put into the preparation of classrooms and pupil work was evident throughout. In addition to the new building, parents were treated to an exclusive look at our brand new gym and Sixth Form canteen in the Bulstrode building. I was pleased to see so much enthusiasm among boys and teachers alike, despite the rain! Needless to say, the Open Day was indeed a tremendous success.
Book Review THE ROBERT LANGDON SERIES By Tommaso Savelli
Name of book: The Robert Langdon Series Author: Dan Brown Genre: Thriller, Adventure, Mystery, Conspiracy Summary: Robert Langdon, a symbolist professor at Harvard University is swallowed in a life he never believed was true. Away from his tweed clothes, British customs and homeland, he ventures into the far reaches of our world from the car-infested Washington DC to the picturesque and historical Florence, unmasking sects, ancient mysteries, blood-curling conspiracy theories and fabled relics. Accompanied by the occasional protégé or national army, Professor Langdon faces of against the tattooed sociopath Mal’akh, the Opus Dei follower Silas, the trans-humanism scientist Bertrand Zobrist and many more in the average adventure to save the world and human life as we know it. What was impossible is now possible thanks to Dan Brown’s Holy Grails which he shares with the world in 56 different languages and (as from 2012) 200 million sold copies with the occasional film reproduction. Overall Opinion: I loved it. There’s no other way to put it. It’s one of the best book series I’ve ever read. The way Dan Brown merges the mysterious world of science to the primal beliefs of civilisations is incredible. I would suggest this collection of intriguing novels for young readers aged 13+, who are passionate of myths and plot-thickening storylines. Just for a heads up, it does include complex logic and the occasional intertwining breakthrough but no worries: sometimes I had to read some scenes more than others to fully re-enter the feeling. Here’s something to keep you awake - another book of the Robert Langdon Series has been published; Origin, “The unveiling of a discovery that will change the face of science forever.” BUY IT. READ IT. DISCUSS IT
Ratings:
AGORA PRESENTS A TALK ABOUT TALKING
By Mr Sullivan When? Friday 2nd Nov @ 13.20 Where? Hannah House Hall
SPORTS NEWS
Football U15A WSS vs Princethorpe College 3-2 U13A vs Durston House 0-4 U13B vs Durston House 0-5 U13C vs Durston House 0-3 U13D vs Durston House 0-10
Rugby U15 A WSS vs Latymer Upper School 17-24 Man of the Match: Yermek A. U17 A WSS vs Latymer Upper School 12-30 Man of the Match: Antonio DeB.
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk