Headteacher Weekly Bulletin 13.01.17
Good afternoon
I shan’t dwell on the items featured on the website / in the parent email but a passing reference would perhaps be appropriate, particularly to congratulate the Year 7 netballers who join their Year 8 counterparts in the Trafford finals to be held here at Wellington on 1st February. Incidentally, both are against local rivals BTH. I do hope as many of you as possible can make it to cheer the girls on and create that ‘8th player’ type atmosphere (Fortress Wellington?!). Commiserations to the Year 9s for narrowly missing out, losing to Flixton in the semi. Hopefully they’ll secure third place though. With the continued success of the Year 10 team, we might even get a hat-trick of trophies this year. Good luck, ladies.
Of course, outdoor sport has taken a bit of a hammering this week with the weather but I hope we have more to report next week. Take a look at the PE bulletin under ‘This Week’ on the Home page of our website to see just how much is going on.
Can I also add a big thanks to Mrs Mackay and Mrs Taylor-Crooke for organising the Year 9 Careers Event on Wednesday and Thursday. Having spoken to staff, students and our visiting speakers, it would certainly seem that the event went extremely well and our young people gained a great deal from the experience; plenty of food for thought. I had to smile (and was rather smug, I have to say) the other evening when my wife announced very excitedly that my son’s school were hosting a careers’ event one evening for Years 8-11. I proceeded to then wax lyrical about the extensive provision at Wellington and how much better our students were catered for.
Of course, I am not the slightest bit jealous to read of the students honing their piste prowess at the Chill Factore this week ahead of the ski trip to Vermont at half term! Not that they need to venture so far for those wintry conditions given our current climate.
Last night saw our first parents’ evening of the season with Year 11 students and their parents coming along to eagerly find out their mock results and their latest GCSE predictions. The purpose of the evening is, of course, to help diagnose their current position and to set clear targets for the term ahead. There was a fantastic turn-out as always and I hope those in attendance profited from the evening. Mrs Beese, SENCo and 11.9 English teacher, was absent due to illness but will be in contact with parents in due course. It goes without saying, that parents must not hesitate to contact the School should they have any concerns over what will inevitably be rather challenging times ahead in the build-up to exams.
Next week, we have the Year 9 options evening, another not-to-be-missed event for parents. The process and indeed the syllabuses do change to a degree each year, so even if you’ve been through the process with older offspring, I would highly recommend that you come along and hear what Mr Fenwick and colleagues have to say. I extend my apologies as I will be on a train back from London at the time of the meeting.
Also next week, we are holding assemblies, as is customary at this time of year, to launch this year’s charity for the sponsored walk. The School Council voted unanimously for Kidscan, a children’s cancer research body based at Salford University. Once again, I think it is an inspired choice and our efforts will doubtless make a difference and ultimately save lives. Parents should all have received a letter on this matter from Mrs Copeland.
Looking further ahead, it is only 12 weeks until we depart for our first ever overseas sports’ tour; the netball, rugby and football tour to South Africa. We are very grateful to have received sponsorship from the companies of two of our parents but if anyone else would like to make a contribution to help enhance the experience further for the youngsters, then I would keen to have a chat. Training starts in earnest on Monday as we try to build a squad mentality and blend players from different year groups into structured teams. If nothing else, the boys and girls will be fitter than they’ve ever been when we fly out on 9th April.
And finally, from me; I mentioned in my ‘New Year message’ last week that a friend of my wife had sadly passed away on the 28th December aged only 46 following a two-year battle with cancer. We attended the funeral on Wednesday. It was a beautiful but difficult afternoon. Nadine was senior cabin crew for Virgin and the sea of 100+ colleagues donning their crimson uniforms among the 500 strong congregation will be one of the many images that will live long in the memory from the service. Nadine’s husband showed incredible emotional strength to deliver a superb eulogy and concluded with the very simple message; “If everyone could be a little bit more like Nadine, then the world would be a better place.” Indeed, she was an effortlessly ‘nice’ person, and I think nice is perhaps a very much overused word but an underrated characteristic. I came away questioning the justice of such an untimely and premature death and, indeed, the extent of my ‘niceness’. I don’t think it is at all morbid to reflect on what people might say about us when the time comes to leave this mortal coil; quite the contrary, it is crucial to have that level of emotional intelligence and be self-aware. Would we be happy with the eulogy delivered in our name? Certainly something to ponder and which has added focus to my New Year’s resolutions.
Have a great weekend.
Mr S P Beeley