From the Headmaster Dear Parents, It was great to see so many mums at the Senior School’s ‘Mums’ Night Out’ last night. These Mums and Dads events are now firm fixtures in both Schools' calendars and do so much to promote our sense of fellowship, as one community. Lots of you were asking me about our new Senior School Head, joining us in September, Mr Seth Bolderow. Seth will be coming into School on the 1st and 2nd February and is looking forward to meeting the staff and the boys. I am sure that all will report back most effusively and I reiterate what I wrote at the start of this term: Mr Bolderow’s appointment is such a positive one. As much as I have enjoyed having had a hand in establishing a solid legacy for our Senior School, I now look forward to working alongside Seth and seeing for myself the ongoing developments that I know will be appreciated by all. I write this having just interviewed prospective 11+ candidates for the Senior School. The boys in front of me were all delightful and gave such good account of themselves. I was reminded, with every single one, that they are the same age and year group as my older son, Patrick. He has grown in confidence a lot in recent years but I could not help wondering how he would have fared in front of a strange person in a strange school; possibly not quite so instantly at ease, if I’m honest. A stressful time then for many boys (and girls) at this time of year, with examinations and interviews ongoing, but I can reassure myself that all the staff at the Senior and Prep Schools have assessed candidates fairly, fully and sympathetically, having taken into account all information offered by their current schools. It is humbling to be over-subscribed and that brings additional responsibility to invest generously in terms of time, effort and, most of all, thought in our admissions process – something that we have always taken great pride in. Have a good weekend,
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DIARY Monday 23rd
Monday
Rock Choir Chess Club
13:30
Tuesday 24th
….
Drama workshop with WPS Wetherby Brass Ensemble Year 7 & 8 English SPaG Clinic Football U15 WSS A/B/C vs City of London (H)
13:30
13:30 13:45-14:05 14:30
Wednesday 25th Year 10 English Intervention Rugby U12/13 WSS A/B/C vs Falcon Prep A/ B/C (H)
Basketball Cricket Film Review Football GSCE Art GCSE Graphic Design Performing Arts (Y7 & Y8) Quiz Club School Play YAD Fitness
Tuesday Clubs Art and Design Bridge Club Climbing Fencing Football Junior Quiz Club MFL Cinema Club YAD Fitness
Wednesday Clubs
07:55-08:30 14:40
Thursday 26th Football Year 9 WSS A/B vs Twyford School A/B (H) ‘Amadeus’ at The National (GCSE Music and Drama)
Monday Clubs
Duke of Edinburgh Award Performing Arts (Y9) Service
Thursday Clubs
15:00 19:30
Classics Club Junior Geographical Society Lego Club Table Tennis
Friday 27th Le Café - Interactive French Play (Y9 & 10) Big Band Guitar Ensemble HM Assembly - Hinde Street Methodist Church
13:30 13:30 15:00
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NOTICEBOARD Wetherby Senior School is now on Instagram! Keep abreast of all that is going on here at Wetherby Senior School by following us on Instagram: wetherbysenior
Year 10 English Intervention Parents of boys attending Year 10 English Intervention on Wednesday mornings, please be advised that in order to cover all material, the sessions shall now be beginning at 07:55. Please remind your son to be at school a few minutes before so that the sessions can begin on time.
Residential Consent Forms All parents of boys in Years 7, 8 & 9 should have received the residential letters and consent forms in the post. Please can consent forms be signed and returned to school by 31st January. If you have not received a form then please ask your son to collect one from Mr Dawson, or alternatively, contact him directly: tom.dawson@wetherbysenior.co.uk for an electronic copy.
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Y9 / Y10 French interactive play
Le cafĂŠ Friday 27th January 2017 10h55 -12h @WSS Studio Onatti Production The Barometer - 20/01/2017 5
CURRICULUM NEWS From the Art Department Mr Meyer writes… Exhibition season begins for the Art & Graphic Design Department following the Half Term break. Years 7 and 8 will exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery on Friday 24th March and Year 9 at the Debut Contemporary, Westbourne Grove on Wednesday 15th March. Both exhibitions will showcase work completed this year. Below provides you with a little flavour as to the type of work that will be on show from the Art & Graphic Design Department.
Year 7: ‘Looking at Alberto Giacometti’
Art & Design Club: ‘Coil Pots’
Year 9: ‘Looking at Barbara Hepworth’
Year 8: ‘Looking at Alexander Calder’s Mobiles’
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CURRICULUM NEWS
From the English Department: The Globe Players
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THE GLOBE PLAYERS A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Much Ado About Nothing (Years 7 & 8) Miss Ridley writes… Years 7 and 8 were immersed in the Globe Players’ final – and most comical - performance: an amalgamation of some of Shakespeare’s most famous scenes which included close focus on those from the texts each year group studied last term - A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. The way in which Shakespeare utilises humour was both enacted and explained to an animated audience of boys who were delighted to applaud their peers, Oscar and Jacques, for enjoying a few moments in the spotlight. However, desiring an even more interactive environment, the boys - so proud of their retained Shakespeare knowledge - eagerly whispered some Shakespearean lines simultaneously with the actors! Indeed, the Players were astounded by the boys’ engagement in, and understanding of, Shakespeare; two things which have been hopefully heightened, and are set for resurfacing next year.
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THE GLOBE PLAYERS
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THE GLOBE PLAYERS Romeo and Juliet (Year 9) Miss Kirk writes… Having immersed themselves in the fraught world of an ancient feud, chilling murders and of course, ‘star crossed lovers’ last term, Year 9 eagerly awaited the arrival of the ‘Globe Players’, who were to perform this ‘story of woe’ whilst pausing to educate them further about the play and its context. They did not disappoint. The boys were immediately transported to the lively streets of Verona to bear witness to the Capulet and Montague families’ servants biting their thumbs (quite the Elizabethan insult) at one another. Romeo (referring to his romantic character traits) bemoaned his unrequited love for Rosaline to Benvolio (his benevolent and gentle cousin) but our boys knew not to take this melancholy archetypal lover too seriously; in the next act he would meet Juliet! The boys gasped, sighed and giggled as the scenes oscillated from the tragic to the comedic. As put by a particularly sharp boy in Year 9, the play seems to focus around Romeo’s oxymoron: ‘O brawling love and loving hate’ (immediate Gold Note). I believe that through seeing the play in performance, the play’s main themeslove and conflict- could be better appreciated and understood. Whilst studying the play in our classrooms, the boys were very much aware that Romeo and Juliet is one of the world’s greatest love stories. However, thanks to the ‘Globe Players’, they are now aware that it is also one of the rudest! Hopefully, the knowledge that England’s ‘national treasure’ was as adept at innuendoes as he was sonnets will only further inspire them to pick up more Shakespeare at home!
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THE GLOBE PLAYERS Macbeth (Year 10) Mr Chidell writes... Year 10 were treated to a dramatic and powerful, hour-long rendering of their IGCSE drama text, Macbeth. The performance highlighted the fascinating and constantly shifting power dynamic between Lady Macbeth and her husband, while simultaneously drawing attention to the play’s primary theme – the perils of overreaching ambition. The players broke character occasionally to explain some of the finer details of the text and gave a particularly illuminating account of Act II Scene 3, the play’s only comic relief, in which a hungover porter talks about equivocation – the use of misleading, noncommittal language – another key idea within the play at a whole. The boys laughed at times, jumped at others and were generally hugely entertained and have hopefully further deepened their knowledge and understanding of one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays.
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THE GLOBE PLAYERS CURRICULUM NEWS
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CURRICULUM NEWS From the Biology Department
Mrs Skinner writes‌ There have been a lot of dissections in Biology this week! The Year 9 boys have been dissecting frogs in order to identify the different organs and systems. Meanwhile, the Year 10 boys have carried out their own kidney dissection as part of their unit on excretion.
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CURRICULUM NEWS FRENCH CHARITY
Mrs Diamond writes… On Wednesday morning the boys and staff enjoyed a fantastic French breakfast prepared with love and a great deal of hard work by Sam, our French speaking Canadian Chef, and thanks to your boys’ generous contributions we raised more than £200 for the Walkabout foundation. This is great news! £200 is the price of a full wheelchair that will be given to a person in need in a poor country, giving them a better future and their dignity back. I’m feeling very proud of our generous Wetherby boys and staff.
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Y BREAKFAST
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SPORTING NEWS From the Games Department Mr Sullivan writes…
Can you treat weekends like the rest of the week?
The Spring Term has started in earnest and the boys have prepared well for our first round of fixtures. Next week the boys will be tested on their fitness by participating in a few agility, speed and endurance tests. Good luck boys! Are you ready to change for 2017? A lot of the time people come to see me with similar goals. The vast majority of our boys want to change their body composition, whether it be to lose fat or add some muscle mass. And they often want quick results. But the truth is that sustainable results are not easily achieved. For the majority of us it's going to require doing things that we would not normally be comfortable with. "To do something you have never done, you have to try something you never did" Are you willing to get up 4 times a week at for a 7am session?
Or drag yourself in after a long day at school for an evening session?
Will you prepare and measure your foods each day?
Can you avoid temptation and commit yourself to the programme and say no to naughty foods and fizzy drinks when in a social situation, or go to bed hungry when craving that late night treat?
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These are all questions you have to ask yourself because you will at some points face these situations during your time in and out of school. What you do could be the difference between where you are now and the transformation you have been looking for. Could you do it? If you would like updates on training tips follow JS9Sports on Instagram or Twitter
SPORTING NEWS Coaches’ Corner Mr James Sullivan Height: 6’2 (I wish) Weight: 85kg Favourite food: PIZZA! (Fun Free) Sports Coached: Rugby, Football, Cricket, Hockey, Athletics, Weight Lifting, Gymnastics, Swimming, Snowboarding and Basketball Hobbies: Enjoy taking risks and trying new things – just started boxing to improve my movement and I may have signed up for a triathlon If you could be one player: Jonny Wilkinson Achievements: Ping Pong Champion 2006, Premiership Rugby Player (back in the day) with Saracens, Quins and London Irish and England Youth International. Most memorable moment working at WSS: Watching Mrs Deedat run rings round the Year 10 boys playing Basketball Which fellow staff member would make the best James Bond and why: Mr Baker!! What was the last film, book or TV show you cried at: Film called Trophy Kids (my worst nightmare) If you went on Mastermind what would your specialist subject be: Best striker in the world ever Robbie Fowler If you could witness any past, present or future moment what would it be: Watch the Rat Pack live in Las Vegas (Frankie, Sammy and Dean) What three guests (dead or alive) would you invite to a dinner party and why: Frank Sinatra, Michael Parkinson and Billy Connolly If you won the lottery what would be the first thing you’d buy: Wetherby Senior School Sports Ground
Sports Quote of the Week:
“If what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven’t done much today” Follow us for results and updates on Twitter via @WetherbySSports #teamwetherby The Barometer - 20/01/2017 17
CLUB NEWS Duke of Edinburgh Award Mr Dawson writes... Over the weekend the DofE staff team were out in Dorking doing the first day of our Lowland Leader course. The weather was brisk, but we learnt a lot and can’t wait to take the boys on their expedition in the Summer Term. The Year 10s preparing for their Bronze Award should now have set their three goals in Volunteering, Skills and Physical and should be regularly uploading their weekly evidence. Please do ask your son what he is doing and remind him to upload his evidence. The Award is fantastic for teaching boys how to be more self-reliant and take responsibility for organising their own affairs. However, even the most motivated and organised individuals need the occasional nudge!
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CLUB NEWS Senior Quiz Club Mr Hasthorpe writes... This week's Senior Quiz was one of the boys' less successful endeavours. Making a good start, the four teams showed promise, although some rapid (and wrong!) answers cost all teams some serious interruption points. The score just made it to the 100 point mark in the final moments, with winners Philip, Vadim and Gulliver pictured below. Certainly next week the boys will need to be very sure of the right answer before they buzz... but isn't that all part of the fun? Fancy yourself a quizzard? These stumped a few of the boys... have a go! Who was the Roman god or goddess of the following A) love and beauty? B) wisdom? C) the rainbow?
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CLUB NEWS Classics Club Miss Nash writes... A flurry of activity in Classics Club this week. Some boys worked on a Roman amphitheatre jigsaw puzzle whilst others put their artistic talents to good use by drawing their own mythical creatures.
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VOTES FOR SCHOOLS This week’s topic has been: Should politicians use Twitter more?
Blue: Yes Red: No
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ON THE HOT SEAT Hello and welcome to Week 12 of “On the Hot Seat”. The French Department hosted a wonderful charity breakfast on Wednesday morning and it was whilst Señor McFaul and I were desperately trying to avoid the seductive call of the pains au chocolat, (essentially the sirens of the breakfast pastry world) that we thought it would be appropriate for us to narrow our hunting ground this week and simply pop next door to the Head of French’s classroom! Did you know, dear readers, that Madame Diamond has a delightfully varied past! Like so many of our colleagues, she too has a taste for extreme sports and used to have a gliding pilot’s licence. For one glorious summer in her twenties she flew solo over the mountains in what was essentially a glorified cardboard box with two very long, thin wings on each side… #respect. Continuing in the sporting vein, Madame Diamond also loves skiing, horse riding and windsurfing, although she claims she cannot run or catch a ball of any kind! (Hmmmm, perhaps that’s why she chose not to join the staff netball team…). She used to live in Paris in a flat the size of a match box but which thankfully also happened to boast enviable views of the Eiffel Tower, (sigh… Paris is just so fabulous) and her favourite actor is Jean Reno, (if you aren’t sure who he is dear readers, check out the film Léon). She also had some interesting jobs in her youth. At university she worked in promotions, earning money, (and a large student body following) by handing out free Lindt chocolates, frozen McCain’s pizza, Häagen Dazs ice cream, Kellogg’s cereals, vodka… (the list goes on) in supermarkets, (we cannot help but think, dear readers, how dangerous it must have been to have had a friend at university who wielded so much temptation…) Her worst job ever, however, was promoting Frosties cereal dressed as Tony the Tiger. This outfit was so disgustingly hot and sweaty she resigned on the very same day that she started. So, on that bombshell let us begin… 1) Champagne or Prosecco? Champagne 2) Winter or Summer? Summer 3) Cinema or DVD? Cinema 4) Tarte au citron or tarte au chocolate? Tarte au citron 5) Manicure or pedicure? This is tough, can I have both? (Obviously dear readers, we replied with “Non!”) Manicure 6) Fruit or vegetable? Fruit 7) Dancing or singing? Singing 8) Scrambled or fried? Scrambled every time 9) Truth or dare? Truth 10) Silver or gold? Gold 11) Who would your 3 ideal celebrity dinner party guests be and why? Barack Obama, Albert Einstein and Isaac Asimov – purely because I think they would be super interesting to talk to! 12) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I’ve never been, so maybe I would end up hating it, but maybe California or Florida because they are hot and sunny, fun, young and dynamic. The Barometer - 20/01/2017 23
From the Editor On this week’s front cover: The Globe Players but on a great Shakespearean show for the boys On the back: Jack and Manuel (Y10) enjoy the French Charity Breakfast For all comments and feedback please email: henry.warner@wetherbysenior.co.uk
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk/