Wellesley College Newsletter # 8 www.wellesley.school.nz

Year 1s on their adventure into the bush. Ollie and Y8 in construction mode.

Whale watching! The Y3s spotted a pod of whales and raced down to the boundary to view them. One of the joys of having our school between the bush and the sea.

Dear Parents We are delighted to confirm that in late September the construction of Wellesley's new multi purpose facility as shown in the above diagram will begin. Our current hall has served us extremely well but it is of an age and stage where it requires major work but that is only one of reasons for starting this new development. The main reason is to provide a 21st Century facility that will meet the boys’ needs. The current hall was built for a roll of around 200 boys and now the roll is 350. It is too small for a number of events. The new building (Gym/Hall/Chapel) will provide us with a gymnasium space considerably larger than what we have and will include a full sized basketball court and will also cater for a variety of indoor sports. This space will also provide seating for the whole school and their families at school events. The electronically controlled tiered seating will provide excellent viewing looking down to the floor and/or staging. The architectural dynamics of the venue, including

26 August 2013

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 2

high technology audio/visual specifications, ensures staging events such as drama and dance productions, conferences and concerts will be a pleasure. The design allows for significantly more natural light and a real feature of the facility is the Chapel which will look out over the gardens and bay. This beautiful and ‘spiritual’ outlook will be uplifting. Our architects are Dickson Lonegan who have designed all four stages of our capital works programme over the last 12 years. Maycroft Construction are our contractors. There is a lot of work (and fundraising) to be done but the Board, Parents’ Association and Staff are willing to ‘throw themselves’ at the task to make this a wonderful new addition to Wellesley. The boys are excited!We will keep you updated.

Year 7 Parent/Son House Breakfast

This will be the second of these as Selwyn and Wellington had theirs last term. A letter will be sent home soon to Marlborough and Croydon Houses. Please return the sheet as soon as possible. (date: Tuesday September 24th, 7.20am at the Pavilion) Our guest speakers are two old boy brothers who have carved out an amazing business in the food industry. Leonardo and Lorenzo Breslin are fun-loving successful entrepreneurs owning four restaurants including Scopa and Duke Carvells in the Cuba St area.

Y0s Aidan, Jack and Eilaan

Service

Our Enviro team got stuck in and cleaned up the dunes area out the front of the school. It’s remarkable how much junk gathers off the road and adjacent areas. Seven full bags of rubbish were collected plus an assortment of other junk including the wheel of a car.

LIFE EDUCATION VISIT

Life Education’s learning modules are closely linked to the New Zealand Curriculum within the learning area of Health and Physical Education. When selecting modules for our visit to Wellesley College, consideration was given to the current health focus, the needs of the students at each level and the relevance of the content. Two of the Junior classes selected modules from our Self-esteem strand titled ‘V.I.P.’ and ‘I’m Different’. These modules help students to build a positive personal image, with children looking at their own unique personality, realising they are special because they're unique and accepting the uniqueness of others. The Year 1 class took part in a module titled ‘Air to Live’ and learnt more about the respiratory system where the aim was to impart a sense of wonder and amazement at our bodies. The Year 4 classes selected a module from the Food and Nutrition strand called ‘Space Invaders’. This module helps students to develop healthy attitudes towards nutrition by looking closely at where our food comes from and how much sugar or fat is in the processed food we are eating. Learning more about the brain and nervous system was the focus for the Year 5 classes as they took part in the Body Systems module named ‘Brainy Bunch’. The learning outcomes for this module aim to help students consider ways to keep their brain and body healthy which includes managing stress and dealing positively with peer pressure. ‘Friends’ was the module chosen for the Year 6 classes which is from our Social-relationships strand and helps students to develop understandings, skills and attitudes that will enhance their interactions and relationships with others. The Year 7 & 8 students took part in a module entitled ‘From the Shadows’. In this module students explore the effects of legal and illegal drugs on the human body, particularly during puberty. Social consequences of drug use are also explored as well as looking at peer pressure and decision making. The teachers will be covering human development during puberty later this term. With every module we teach, we encourage the students to think about how they could apply their learning into their everyday lives to live a fulfilling and healthy life. Life Ed. Jo Mortimer

(B.Ed, Dip.Tch.)

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 3

Mrs van Beynen and I took the Year 1s on an adventure one afternoon and the boys loved it. We didn’t find any bears though! The bush and the sea are such precious resources for the boys.

ICAS Computer Skills 2013

131 Wellesley boys sat the 2013 International Computer Skills Competition. Special congratulations Matt Bevan, Tim Harris and Samuel Paviour-Smith who scored High Distinction. (top 1%). 3 boys scored High Distinction, 21 boys achieved Distinction and 39 achieved Credit. Boys achieving Distinction (top 10%) were: Oliver Fletcher, Marcus Millad, Edward Twomey, Liam Thompson, Dominic Coffin, Dougal Colquhoun, William Durkin, Theo Hertzig, Nicholas McDermott, Ben Ross, Max Abbot, George Parker, Jackson Reilly, Dinuk Samarasinghe, Ben Stirling, Marshall Wilson, Tom Adams, William Chandler, Gabriel Giller, Jack Holland, Ned Lutyens.

Staffing News

Jamie Paris, our new GAPPER, has started off really well. He is clearly enjoying the role and we in turn appreciate his input. (Jamie introduces himself below) This term Jamie is staying with old family friends but next term he will stay with a Wellesley family. We are always looking for other host families going forward.

The GAP year scheme provides short-term job placements for school leavers who wish to have a ‘gap year’ between their secondary and tertiary studies. Successful applicants work in schools or in outdoor education centres assisting as teacher aides in the classroom, coaching sport, music etc. This hosting could be on a 10 week term basis or longer if it suited you. Hopefully this would be a two-way cultural adventure. If you have any interest in being involved, please ring me or Steve Girvan to discuss the matter without any pressure of commitment. We can give you the names of past host families if you wish to discuss their experiences.

A Little About Me

Hi all, my name is James Paris, but I prefer to be called Jamie. I have come from Wiltshire however, due to my father being in the British Army, I

travel abroad a lot. I have spent 9 years in Germany, 6 years in England, 2 years in New Zealand and 1 year travelling. For the last 7 years I have been at a Boarding School called Dauntsey’s as a full time boarder, which is also in Wiltshire. As mentioned earlier, I was in New Zealand in 2003 – 2005 and I went to Wellesley where I had Mr Mexted and Miss Green (Mrs Stevens now) as my teachers. I have to come back to NZ mainly because this is the country out of many countries, that I have been to, that I feel most relaxed/comfortable in and socially I feel that I fit in very well due to rugby etc. I also wanted to have a year of ‘fun and adventure’ before I go and join the RAF (hopefully) in October 2014. Rugby is my main sport and I also play hockey, water polo, tennis and occasional football. At the moment I am playing for Upper Hutt colts team and I am the starting open-side flanker. I am really enjoying Wellesley, certainly keeping me very busy and it very nice to be back again and to see familiar faces. I still can’t quite believe that this is your winter over here! Honestly this weather would match our summer. When I return to the UK, I would like to be a pilot in the RAF but if that doesn’t happen then I will go to either Loughborough university or Bath University to do mechanical engineering or train as a commercial pilot. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Jamie

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 4

Year 4 Hamish Simcock shaved his head in support of Child Cancer raising over $3000 in sponsorship money for this wonderful cause. Congratulations Hamish!

Dental Therapist Mandy McMaster is working at Wellesley until all the boys’ dental health is assessed and follow ups planned.

Y1 Aidan with a bird’s nest. The boys studied how the nests were constructed

and drew them and the birds they thought might live in them.

Performing Arts

Four dancers from the Hip Hop Dance group ‘Pump’ came to Wellesley to work with Year 6 and 7 boys. What a great time the boys had! Wellesley has a long-standing connection with Pump as we use them to kick start the Year 6 Artsplash Dance choreography process and it’s a great opportunity for our Year 7 boys who are new to the school. They began with a demonstration of their amazing dance skills then worked with the boys teaching them a hip hop routine as part of this terms inquiry topic – ‘Is Nature our Greatest Teacher?’ Watching the boys create floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions was very exciting! Libby, who heads ‘Pump’, is also a dancer in the Hip Hop group Infinite. This adult dance crew are heading off to Serbia for the World Hip Hop championships in October so we wish them well and hope they will return with a gold medal. The Year 6 Artsplash Dance group are busily preparing for their item which will be performed at Michael Fowler Centre on Thursday 12 September at 7.45pm. Years 4 and 5 went to Muritai School recently for their choir cluster rehearsal along with students from San Antonio, St Bernards and Muritai. They are sounding great and busily learning their words ready for the concert at MFC on Tuesday 10

th September at 7.45pm.

Boys participating in these shows get tickets issued to them at school. Should you want extra tickets, there will be door sales on the night.

Visual Art

We are enjoying having Ben Timmins, our artist in residence in the art room. He works alongside the boys and they are able to see how an artist develops their work with patience and persistence. Please see Page 10 for details of being able to engage further with Ben at his opening exhibition at Wellesley.

I have taken boys to see the Shane Cotton exhibition at the City Gallery and once again the education officer commented on the honest expression and quality of the boys questions.

Another group visited the World Press Exhibition and they took their own photographs around the theme 'Submerged'.

With the boys I am exploring the theme of nature using a variety of medium- wire sculpture, ink, dry brush, collage and a great deal of observational drawing. Thank you to the parents who have contacted me with offers of help for our up coming Art Week. It is great to have your support.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 5

This piece of Ben’s won the NZ Art Show prize.

Ben talking to the boys. Refugee as Survivors (RAS) Art Exhibition.

Thank you for the financial contributions towards this charity. (RAS)

The band practicing. Hamish on drums, Dylan on bass and Callum on guitar.

The Choir work shopping with the All American Boys’ Choir and the Wellington College Choir.

Sports Report

There have been a large number of boys in a variety of different sporting and challenging activities. The boys who have represented Wellesley have also been large in number and they have gained a great sense of pride in doing so!

In the first week of term Wellesley’s senior teams travelled away to play Huntley School from Marton. There were two games in each of the three codes. Wellesley selected their 1

st

and 3rd

XI football teams to play Huntley and won both matches convincingly. Both hockey teams played in Palmerston North and played very well to win both their games. Huntley always provide a challenge in the rugby and this year was no different. They were convincing winners in both games. The following week Wellesley hosted Hadlow from Masterton. This fixture was rescheduled from Term 2 and the rain came back to try and spoil the games again. The 2

nd XI football team beat Hadlow’s

1st XI in a competitive game.

Hadlow were too strong in the hockey and a selected 7’s rugby team won one of their two short games. The third week signalled the highlight of the season for the three Senior 1

st teams. They flew to

Christchurch on Wednesday morning, picked up rental vans and played St Andrew’s before being billeted by them. The next morning the teams played Medbury School and then travelled to Ashburton where the hockey team played Waihi School. After the game they continued their journey to Waihi School where the boys were billeted again. The rugby and football games against Waihi were held on Friday morning and then it was back to Christchurch for the flight back to Wellington. The football team was unbeaten, the hockey team had two wins and the rugby boys one win. The boys remaining at school took part in an activity day at Wellesley, went to an Indoor Sports Centre and went to H2O Swimming Pool. Wellesley hosted HIBS last week. This is always a big fixture with a large number of teams involved. The Middle school sport continues on Tuesday afternoons. The Colts teams travelled up to Marton to play Huntley School. The Huntley teams included a number of Year 7 boys which helped make the games more competitive. Wellesley were convincing winners in the football,

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 6

lost the rugby narrowly and lost the hockey. Jim Lockwood’s speech at the afternoon tea was very impressive and the boys were a credit to the school! The second fixture for the Colts teams was against Eastern Hutt School. Wellesley has entered nine basketball teams from years 5 to 8 in the Hutt Valley and Karori leagues. There is a mix of new teams and some that has continued from last term. The competitions finish in the last week of term. The Waterpolo teams have been getting up early on Wednesday mornings to get to Naenae Pool for training and then playing at the same pool after school. Although the season is long the boys have enjoyed this and have steadily improved. Both teams were playing semifinals last week in their respective competitions. A Senior Underwater Hockey team was entered in a tournament on Saturday 17 August. The majority of the team played in the last tournament. The silver medal won in that tournament was thought to be difficult to achieve again but they exceeded expectations to again win silver. Thank you to Anna Loughnan who managed and Emily Colquhoun who coached the team. The majority of the school has concluded a gymnastics unit recently. The highlight, for most, was the tramp and the big mats. The boys gained a large amount of confidence and satisfaction from using this apparatus. Darren Houston

Jack in control against Waihi

Photos: Soccer 2nd XI v St Marks 1st XI ; 1st XI Hockey v St Andrews; 1st XV Rugby v Waihi; 1stXV Team photo at Waihi; 1st XI Hockey Team photo (after Waihi game); 1st XI Soccer Team photo; 2nd XI Hockey v Huntley.

Later in the year we will have sports photos taken of all teams.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 7

ICAS Science Competition This year has once again produced very positive results for the 136 Year 4—8 students from Wellesley College who sat this exam. It is sat by almost half a million students from NZ, Australia and the Asia-Pacific regions. It assesses the students on a range of scientific skills including observing and measuring, interpreting data, inferring, predicting and concluding, investigating and reasoning and problem solving. We are delighted to acknowledge the achievements of 3 boys who scored exceptionally well by gaining a High Distinction, with another 20 receiving Distinction. The results are as follows: High Distinctions (top 2% and above nationally) were awarded to: Max Abbot, Matt Bevan, Jesse Richardson Distinctions (Above the top 10% nationally) were awarded to: Tom Adams, Hugo Blair, Hugo Lethbridge, Ethan Henry, Samuel Paviour-Smith, Ben Stirling, Edward Dunne, Charles Erasmus, Paul McDonald, Hugh Morrison, Ben Ross, Theo Tresidder, Campbell Benseman, Dalton Cameron, Harry Cook, Jin Dassanayake, James Dunne, Louis Gradwell, Matthew Sutcliffe, Thomas Watkins Another 44 students received Credit awards (top 30% and above nationally), while the rest gained a well deserved certificate in Participation. Kate Sinclair

Year 8 Science studying chemical change. Y1 on their bush walk adventure

Eve Owen with the boys at the Shane Cotton Refugee Art exhibition Ned with Harold from Life Education Trust Exhibition. (City Gallery)

Art is provocative!

Last year we hung a beautifully framed mirror in our foyer which is an art piece by Wayne Youle, celebrating his Wellesley art residency in 2011. It was kindly donated by art appreciator friends of Wellesley. It is entitled, ‘What little boys are made of’ and it elicits much of the essence of what it is to be a boy. Like any worthwhile art, it has provoked a lot of response from the boys and adults passing. I have once again shared a related poem from this site (www.poeticexpressions.co.uk) and adapted it to be more concise. (see over) Of course the commentary is very generic but it captures so much about boys. It is a bit extreme in places. Boys are our focus and to understand them is so important.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 8

Table Tennis Doubles Finalists, Daniel and Jin v Harry and Satchel (winners), Louis enjoying art and old boy Evan Brenton-Rule (Victoria University law and science student, Evan Brenton-Rule, took out the major honours in the 2013 Eureka! Sir Paul Callaghan Awards for Young Science Orators) taking Chapel for us.

Year 1 with Mrs van Beynen Saturday morning soccer visit. Year 3 whale watching.

I want to once again thank the contingent of parents who travelled to Christchurch and Winchester for the three day winter senior sports tour. Your support and good company was appreciated by the boys and the staff. I know parent help is happening in one way or another across the school and this is greatly appreciated. And finally from me, thank you again for all the emails and phone calls following our emergency procedures around the recent earthquakes. We continue to review and refine our procedures and it certainly helps having boys who listen and stay calm. Best wishes Warren Owen

What is a boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights and colours, but all boys have the same creed: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

Boys are found everywhere; on top of, underneath, inside, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping onto. A boy is truth with dirt on its face, beauty with a cut on its finger, wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket. When you are busy, a boy is an inconsiderate, bothersome, intruding jangle of noise. A boy is a composite; he has the appetite of a horse, the disposition of a sword-swallower, the energy of a pocket size atomic bomb, and the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of a Robin Hood, the shyness of a violet, the audacity of a steel trap, the enthusiasm of a fire cracker, and when he makes something he has five thumbs on each hand. He likes ice-cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, the boy across the street, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday school, company, school, books without pictures, music lessons, ties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults or bedtime. Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes . Nobody else can cram into one pocket a rusty knife, a half-eaten apple, 3 feet of string, 4 empty chippie packets, 2 gobstoppers, 15 marbles, a slingshot, a chunk of unknown sticky substance, and a genuine supersonic code ring with a secret compartment. A boy is a mystical creature; you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can't get him out of your mind. Might as well give up; he is your captor, your jailer, your boss, and your master. A freckle-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing bundle of noise. But when you come home at night with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words; 'hi dad!' or ‘hi mum!’

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 9

PUBLIC NOTICES Please note that notices posted in this section of the Principal’s Pen have not

necessarily been vetted by Wellesley College. We therefore advise that if you are interested in any of the services advertised that you check them out yourself.

Kids Cross Country Series The next event in the Kids Cross Country Series run by Athletics Wellington and local clubs is being

held at Trentham Memorial Park in Upper Hutt on Sunday 11 August. Open to year 2s through to year

10s. If they want to get a couple of friends together they have the option of entering a team of three. It

could be a school team or sports club team. The last event of the series is being held at Mt Victoria,

Wellington on Sunday 8 September. For more details go to www.athleticshub.co.nz or

email jo.athleticswellington@xtra.co.nz or phone 2329409.

“HEY! Are you 8-12 and want something fun to do these School Holidays? How about you come explore the wonderful world of Lego with us, it’s an awesome week away with so much fun and action to go round! It’s only $189.00 a child, we also have family tickets available, it goes from the 30

th of September

till the 4th

of October; you can register at www.elrancho.co.nz we look forward to blowing your mind with the awesome little block we call Lego at LEGO CAMP!!!”

"Play tennis this summer - Karori United Tennis Club opening day Sunday 1st September from 9am until

1pm for juniors, and Saturday 31st August from 1pm for seniors. Come and meet our coaches and other

players and enjoy drinks and a barbecue and spot prizes. A representative from Thump Sports will also

be there, offering the right sized racquets available at the lowest prices from a racquet expert on the

day. New members welcome. Details at www.karoritennis.co.nz."

Fun Spanish for children - would your child be interested in learning Spanish? We just need a small

group of children to start. LCF Fun Languages offers the opportunity to learn a new language for

children from pre-school to 12 years. A big variety of interactive and communicative activities – role

play, crafts, activity sheets, lively games, board games, songs and drama Other languages also

offered: French Mandarin, German, Italian-please inquire. For more information or to register please

contact Stefi Plimmer-Blattner on stefi@lcfclubs.co.nz, or phone 562 8211.

Visit the website www.lcfclubs.co.nz-

Wainuiomata BMX Open Day

Registration from 1pm - Racing from 2pm - Bring any bike & helmet Hugh Sinclair Park, The Strand, Wainuiomata www.facebook.comwainuiomata.bmx The Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society ball has become a sensational annual event.

This year we are hosting a Spring Fling ball, which is taking place on Saturday 31st August, join us in

saying goodbye to winter and welcome in the spring season in style at the Rydges Hotel. There will be

spectacular music by The Dufraines, the opportunity to take home wonderful auction and raffle prizes.

We are very fortunate to have fabulous fashion stylist Sally-Ann Moffat and More FM's Justin Rae

compering the evening for us. All money raised from tickets sales and prize donations are going to the

Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society to ensure we can continue offering services and support to people

with Multiple Sclerosis and their families in the Wellington region.

We look forward to seeing you there. Tickets are $65 from http://mswellington.org.nz/ball/

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 10