From the Headmaster Dear Parents, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good holiday and enjoyed the festivities. I don’t get to watch much television these days but the holidays are always a time to catch up on the Sky+ Planner and sit in front of the box for lengthy periods! As a boy, I always used to look forward to BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Des Lynam was a massive hero of mine and I found his wit and easy going nature so well suited to the format. There is a lot more razzmatazz about the current version but it was great to look back on such a brilliant year of sport for Great Britain and around the world generally. I must say though, that I was wholly disheartened when a group of sportsmen arrived on the stage to receive an award with hands in their pockets and chewing gum. It sets such an impoverished example of a ‘sense of occasion’, particularly to younger, more impressionable viewers? Many of you have been asking me about how I solved the gift conundrum for my two boys. I did actually use a number of your very helpful suggestions: Mr Patten, take a bow; the ‘Fighting Fantasy’ books went down a storm and we’ve now bought two more but the most successful present was a headset that they could plug into the PlayStation and chat to their friends whilst playing FIFA. I’m not a massive fan of the boys sitting in front of screens for too long but this is definitely the acceptable face of computer gaming in my book. Interacting socially, talking to one another, playing against one another in a private community seems like a great idea. I’d also argue that, having had Patrick and Joseph’s friends round on play dates, they seem to speak to each other more on the headset than they do in person! Progress of sorts then… Lots to look forward to this term, as always, but probably the most significant is the new playing surface at Wetherby Sports Ground. Parents who have been with us for some time will hopefully be rejoicing at the absence of mud in their cars and homes this term and our Games staff are extremely excited about how we can move the boys forward on such a brilliant ground. Sports Personalities of the future then. And these ones certainly won’t be chewing gum when they step up to receive their awards…
Have a good weekend,
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DIARY Monday 9th
Monday
Monday Clubs Basketball Cricket Film Review Football GSCE Art GCSE Graphic Design Performing Arts (Y7 & Y8) Quiz Club School Play YAD Fitness
OPRO Mouthguard fittings Activities begin
Tuesday 10th
….
Tuesday Clubs
PE Forum (Drama Studio)
16:00-18:00
Art and Design Bridge Club Climbing Fencing Football Junior Quiz Club MFL Cinema Club YAD Fitness
Wednesday 11th
Wednesday Clubs Duke of Edinburgh Award Performing Arts (Y9) Service
Thursday 12th ‘The Children’ matinee at The Royal Court (Year 10 GCSE Drama boys)
Thursday Clubs
14:30
Classics Club Junior Geographical Society Lego Club Table Tennis
Friday 13th HM Assembly - Hinde Street Methodist Church
15:00
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NOTICEBOARD The Barometer is now on Instagram! Want a preview of what is coming up this week? Keen to get hold of some of the images we publish each week? Here is an easy way of getting hold of them. Find us: wss_barometer
From the PTA: Mums’ Night Out On Thursday 19th, we will be holding Wetherby Senior School’s first Mums’ Night Out at The Marylebone on Marylebone High Street from 19:30. This is open to all mums at the Senior School and, indeed, staff. It promises to be a fun, enjoyable and convivial evening.
Italy Trip: Date Clarification If your son is going on the Classics-Geography trip to Italy, please note that the dates in the Calendar Card are incorrect. The correct running dates for the trip are 31st March to 4th April 2017. This is consistent with the letters that have gone out.
Planned Tube Strike Currently there is a strong possibility that there will be a strike on some tube lines on Monday. If your son usually uses the tube, it is strongly recommended that you check the TFL website on Sunday evening.
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CURRICULUM NEWS From the Geography Department Mrs Deedat writes...
Junior and Senior Geography Prizes This year, boys are invited to write a 5 minute speech on something geographical which they are passionate about or very interested in. Boys will present to the Senior (Years 9 & 10) or Junior (Years 7 & 8) Geography Forums, which will take place once per half term during a convenient lunchtime until July. They will present in front of Mrs Deedat and the other competitors. Plus anyone else who would like to come along. Here are some examples: My travels in Mongolia and the lives of its indigenous people The future of China’s one child policy The physical landscape of Iceland Have we reached peak oil? The formation of glaciers Are we saying goodbye to coral reefs? Why does Cuba have such a high life expectancy and how was this achieved? Photography of geographical landscapes using my drone To enter please email the title of your speech and at least three bullet points outlining the geographical themes it will cover. You will then be allocated a slot for presentation in due course. Email dena.deedat@wetherbysenior.co.uk
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CURRICULUM NEWS A reminder about Stationery A significant number of boys do not regularly bring in the correct equipment to school. Please be advised that the following equipment is deemed an essential minimum by staff in order to participate in all likely lesson activities: Ink pen to write with, either in blue or black Spare cartridges or pens as backup A pencil and sharpener A ruler A rubber/eraser A calculator (for Year 10) A red or green pen for corrections Boys are encouraged NOT to bring in scissors, ink erasers or tippex. All are unnecessary and prohibited in public exams, so there is no point in getting into the habit of using them. Should a boy find he is not equipped, then stationery is available to purchase from Mr Howse in the school office before Registration or during Break (10.55-11.10am) and Lunch (1.15-2.10pm).
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CURRICULUM NEWS From the Music Department Mr Martin (our new Director of Music - Ed.) writes... Year 7 and 8 boys have been enrolled in the new Wetherby Brass Academy. This musical activity enables boys to try out the trumpet and trombone during their Music lessons. This term I will be leading the boys through this exciting and demanding programme. Learning a new instrument is challenging; it calls for resilience, determination and hard work. Frejvid Gislev (right - playing in last year’s Spring Concert) has achieved something that we as a school are so proud of. Passing Grade VIII with distinction in guitar. This is a simply outstanding achievement. Well done!
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CURRICULUM NEWS
From the Chemistry Department Miss Hoskins writes... This week in Chemistry the Year 8 boys have been studying displacement reactions. They began the lesson by adding a spiral of copper wire to a boiling tube of silver nitrate solution. The copper displaced the silver and the boys enjoyed watching the crystals of silver form all over the wire. They then looked at other examples including copper sulphate and iron filings. Here the copper is displaced and the orange-brown metal is clearly visible in the bottom of the tube and the blue colour of the solution turns colourless. The final part of the lesson involved the boys’ use micro science techniques to investigate the reactivity of different metals on a worksheet coated by a plastic wallet. The results were fantastic and matched the boys’ predictions.
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CURRICULUM NEWS From the English Department
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SPORTING NEWS From the Games Department Mr Sullivan writes…
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! How did you get on with your Christmas conditioning plans? I would like to know! Please see below for some top tips on topping up your aerobic and anaerobic systems.
5 top training tips for a toned, healthy body Conditioning, not cardio: The best way to get your body working hard and burning fat is to do circuits of exercises at high intensity. It’s even better to choose movements that engage multiple muscle groups at once. Think 10 body weight reps of squats, lunges, or press ups, times by three sets, all executed with a challenging weight and performed without too much rest between them. Do the things you are not good at: If you do the same workout, week in, week out, for months on end, you will stop seeing results. This is because your body adapts to what you’re doing and no longer has to work as hard to perform the same exercise. You need to choose exercises that you find difficult, do them repeatedly, then switch to something else to keep the body guessing. Make it progressive: In order to lose fat and become functionally strong, you need to keep upping the difficulty of what you’re doing. Remember, adaptation is the enemy of fat loss. So if you’re squatting with no weight for four weeks, add some weight for a few weeks, or perhaps increase your reps, or both. See your fitness regime as a constantly evolving beast, changing it up in terms of both function and intensity for best results. Keep up the intensity: High intensity exercise not only burns calories while you’re doing it, it also elevates the metabolism, meaning that your body will burn more calories at rest for the next 24 hours. Think short, sharp, full-on bursts of effort with short rests in between. You do of course need a decent base of stability and strength before you get into this type of training. Embrace invisible training: Invisible training is all the things that you do outside the gym. Eating right, getting enough sleep, giving yourself time to recover after exercise, and staying hydrated with plenty of water are key to keeping you in top form so you can push yourself hard in your workouts, as well as increasing your energy levels in general and improving your overall health. It’s all pretty boring stuff, but it matters, which is why people keep labouring the point. If you would like updates on training tips, follow JS9Sports on Instagram or Twitter
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SPORTING NEWS Attire before, during and after games: It is essential that during the coming winter months the boys stay warm and continue looking smart in full school tracksuit top/hoodie and bottoms when arriving to school. When participating in games lessons, they will wear the Wetherby sports kit: black shirt, shorts, socks, base layer, wet top and leggings. That means at the end of the session the boys can put on their warm and clean tracksuits for the rest of the day. If the weather forecast shows cold conditions then boys will be able to wear black unbranded gloves and hats. Please be aware that in school fixtures the boys cannot wear hats, gloves, leggings or a wet top.
Games Kit Year 9/10 Football boys will require the following: Wetherby black shirt, shorts and socks
Wetherby hoodie, tracksuit top and bottoms
Wetherby wet top, base layer and leggings
Shin pads, soccer boots and trainers
Spare pants, swimming trunks and towel (pending a cold snap)
Year 7/8 Rugby boys will require the following: Wetherby black shirt, shorts and socks
Wetherby hoodie, tracksuit top and bottoms
Wetherby wet top, base layer and leggings
Mouthguard, rugby boots and trainers (OPRO mouthguard fitting is Monday 9th January)
Spare pants, swimming trunks and towel (pending a cold snap)
Sports Quote of the Week:
“There will always be someone that tells you that you can’t do something. Your mission is to prove them wrong” Follow us for results and updates on Twitter via @WetherbySSports #teamwetherby The Barometer - 06/01/2017 11
LIFE BEYOND WSS WSS Staff Netball: Victory to the Wethergirls! Miss Webb writes... Wetherby’s sporting triumphs are no longer limited to just the boys. This week, the Wetherby staff netball team, ‘The Wethergirls’, were victorious in their first ever netball match. For the majority of the team, it had been years since they had been on a netball court, so nerves were high. Would they remember the rules after all this time? Would any balls make it into the towering net? Most importantly – would they pivot? The fears soon proved to be unfounded, as the Wethergirls moved easily across the court. Despite having to start the match with only 4 players due to some stringent rules on fingernail length, Wetherby held their own and after some emergency filing, the team was back to full strength. The match was a close one, but strong defending from Miss Kirby and Miss Kirk, coupled with the astonishing speed of Mrs Skinner and Mrs Deedat effortlessly moved the ball up to the net. Team captain Miss ‘The Machine’ Hoskins scored goal after goal, racking up the points for Wetherby and earning Player of the Match. With only seconds to go, the score was tied at 20-20, and despite Miss Webb spending the entire final quarter tangled in her bib, the Wethergirls were able to make one final push and secure the winning goal.
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Staff Panto…..
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From the Editor On this week’s front cover: Year 7 tackle brass in Music On the back: Mr Martin shows off his skills in HM Assembly For all comments and feedback please email: henry.warner@wetherbysenior.co.uk
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk/