Wellesley College Newsletter # 3 www.wellesley.school.nz

1st XI v Huntley at Te Whiti —a good win with Tim Campbell making a century.

Year 4 with their beetle pictures after their art / science study Dear Parents The drought has broken in Wellington and just as well as everyone’s grounds and gardens have taken a hammering. It has been a great summer though and maybe this will be the pattern for a while. School life has been racing along and I want to commend all the staff and boys for keeping the pace up. We are certainly ‘match fit’ and well into the year. Our new parents have been pleasantly vocal about the range of activities on offer but also about the pace of life. As one parent said last year, “You start the year with a sprint on Day 1 and you are still sprinting for the finish line on the last day of school”. We do believe in keeping the boys actively engaged in ‘hard fun’ promoting it is ‘cool to learn’ and to do your ‘personal best’. This is the ethos of Wellesley. We want the boys to be passionate about chasing their personal goals but also help them develop resilience so they realise and accept that disappointments will be part of the journey. I have written a related piece for parents which is on Page 11. (also on my blog http://www.principalspenwellesley.blogspot.co.nz/)

Y1 Gethyn with his bread he made in class

Y1s Mason + Troy with the soon to be monarchs via the caterpillars

Oliver swimming beautifully

Information Evening/Open Day

These occasions once again gave new and current families a chance to find out more about Wellesley. We had a particularly good turn

3 April 2013

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out for Open Day and the Information Evening also went well.

Our Senior boy hosts did a very good job providing tours for the many visiting families.

Easter Service

Our Easter Service last Wednesday was an appropriate way to celebrate this key Christian ceremony. Thank you to Sarah Dahlberg and all the staff for helping to make this a special occasion. The boys will be actively involved either through the dramatisation of the Easter story or through the many songs we sing together. San Antonio school were invited to join us for the service.

Parents Association AGM

The evening went very well and another strong committee has been elected for this year. Thanks to outgoing Chairman, Phil Adamson, Secretary, Diana-Grace Morris and Treasurer, Brett Whyte who have all done a great job. Diana-Grace has very kindly stayed on the committee. Congratulations and thanks to the following officers and committee: Committee Officers: Lucy Ross (Chairperson), Allan Ransley (Treasurer) and Julie Batchelor (Secretary) Committee: Todd Jones, Chloe Bridgeman, Georgina Astwick, Sharyn Mitchel, Deon Wessels, Andrew McKenna, Lisa Bowker, Jo Healey, Bhakti Govind, Phillipa Paviour-Smith, Belinda James, Timberly Hughes, Diana-Grace Morris, Florence Lim, Teresa Read and David Crout. We are still confirming one or two others. It is not too late to join the Parents’ Association, so please consider doing so. Contact Phil Adamson on 4763345 if you are keen to be involved.

House Captains As in past years all boys in Y8 had the chance to apply for the position of House captain. All candidates were then interviewed by a panel comprising of Mr Girvan and three Y8 boys from the candidates. The candidates had to answer a range of questions and all were very impressive in their responses. In the end the panel ranked the candidates based on the interview. The candidates then gave a speech to their House outlining why they should be Captain. The boys then voted, based on what the candidates had said. The votes were tallied and the candidates ranked accordingly. The two rankings were then added together and a House captain and his two Deputies were chosen. The following decisions were made – congratulations to all involved. CROYDON: Noah Woolf, James Dunne & Tom McIntyre MARLBOROUGH: Ollie Fletcher, Jin Dassanayake & Satchel Benn SELWYN: Dillon Nickel, Ciaran Sim & Campbell Benseman WELLINGTON: Cameron Tyson, Harry Cook & Guy West

Old Boys

Old boy Sam Judd has been named the Young New Zealander of the year. Sam‘s work is listed below (from Young New Zealander Website) Sam is in his late 20s and when he was at Wellesley he was part of our national competition winning Future Problem Solving team that travelled to the USA representing NZ. Big congratulations to Sam! Sam contributes to and benefits New Zealand society at a local, national and international level through his work as co-founder and CEO of Sustainable Coastlines. A registered charity, Sustainable Coastlines informs, inspires and empowers individuals and communities, delivering practical education experiences and facilitating local and international projects designed to protect our coasts, oceans, rivers and the health of New Zealand society. Sam is passionate about educating the public about environmental, health, social and economic consequences of marine debris. The sheer scale of the events he has directed has exponentially raised awareness about coastline protection in communities, enhanced by the production of educational resources. By motivating people to take positive action, Sam directly contributes to New Zealand society by making sustaining and protecting our coastlines an enjoyable activity for everyone.

Sam Judd (left) and James Black, who is doing post doctoral science research at Cambridge University. James popped in recently when he was over visiting family.

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Student Goal-Setting Interviews

These are now complete. We have found them very helpful and staff are positive about the feedback they have received from parents. Please do remember though, that if you have any concerns or queries before the next round of formal interviews, make an appointment to see the teacher concerned. We are keen to keep the communication channels open.

Uniform Shop

With the cooler days creeping up on us, now is a good time to make sure that your boys have their warm clothing essentials for school. In the shop we have: Winter shirts made from brushed polycotton @ $46 - $51 Wellesley Beanies (always a good option for those frosty mornings) $15 Wellesley Scarves @ $36 Wellesley Jerseys @ $74 - $82 Canterbury Tracksuits are for sale at $172 in sizes ranging from 8 - 14. A smart option for winter sport time and compulsory for Years 7/8. Please note that slippers are required for Term 2 and Term 3. Any rubber soled slipper is ideal. Shop Hours: Tuesdays 8.30am -- 10.30am Thursdays 12.30pm -- 3.30pm If you wish to call and discuss I can be reached on 5628030 ext 808.

Fiona Donnelly As an extra to the uniform report, please check your son’s gear is named as this makes life a lot easier for all concerned. In addition, if your son accidentally ends up with someone else’s gear at home, please ask him to return it to the affected party or his teacher. Sometimes well named gear goes missing.

Year 7s Cameron and Felix boat building

Student Council

Early in March, an enthusiastic group of boys gathered together to eat their lunches while voting for their office-holders and discussing past achievements of the Council. Mrs Norton took the opportunity to

discuss the role and responsibility of class representatives. In addition, we reflected on some highlights of previous years’ Student Council initiatives. The most memorable from 2012 was the ‘Wellesley’s Got Talent’ competition held over two lunch-hours involving 30 students. The finalists then had to perform, in front of the full school, at a Friday assembly. The boys are looking forward to meeting with their classes and bringing forward more of their suggestions. This year’s class representatives are: Y2 Louis McArthur, George Woodman; Y3 Christopher Erasmus, Sebby Stewart; Y4C Duncan Mutch, James Frickleton; Y4T Felix Rees-Moore, Alexander Heine-Sheldrake ; Y5S William Chandler, James McDonnell; Y5P Fred Anderson, James Hoskin ; Y6S Jacob Edginton, Will Saunders; Y6O Charlie Plimmer, Josh Kemp-Whimp; Y6L Jim Lockwood, Angus Reid; Y7N Hamish Hutton, Joseph Hewson; Y7M Rahul Vijayasenan, Will Hausmann; Y7/8D Ben Wilkins, Oliver Fletcher, Paul Ireland; Y7/8T Harry Cook, Callum Benfell; Y8P Zack Scott-Howman, Maxwell Symonds; Y8B Xavier Aspell, Albie Humphries. The Council Representatives voted for the position of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. The result was Xavier Aspell Y8B was voted to the position of Chairperson and Oliver Fletcher Y7/8D was voted Vice Chairperson. We look forward to meeting and helping to implement the students’ ideas during this upcoming year.

Michelle Norton

Happy trampers

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Performing Arts The Capital E National Arts Festival was a great success and our boys thoroughly enjoyed the shows they saw. Years 1-3 went to three outstanding shows and had some interesting things to say about each! The first one was a performance based on a book called Duck, Death and The Tulip by Wolf Erlbuch which used masks and puppets. ‘It was happy, sad and comfy. It made me think about when I die. My granddad died and had his ashes put in the harbour, that’s what I want to happen to me.” Cam Shaw ‘The use of the tulip was clever, it told you that the duck was going to die’ Ari Bonar ‘When people die, you should put them somewhere where they’d like’ Elliot Luke The second show was called Down Beneath Below performed by Java Dance Company. Java Dance Co took us on an icy journey inspired by Our Far South, a Morgan Foundation project aimed at raising New Zealanders' awareness of the area south of Stewart Island. ‘I liked how they rapped, danced and did all the ninja stuff, it was epic! One of the guys looked like Justin Bieber’ Max Buist ‘It was clever how the guys danced on roller blades and had the karate fight with the sea lion and the albatross.’ Efe Karagedikli The third show, The Man The Sea Saw, was a work from the luminously inventive physical theatre playwright/performer Wolfe Bowart. Hailed as a modern day Chaplin, Bowart brings to the stage a sense of childlike wonder that resonates with audiences of all ages. His fantastical production weaves together comedy and pathos, stage illusion, puppetry, film and a touch of circus in a joyous theatrical experience. This show was also seen by the Middle and Senior boys. ‘It was funny how the dog puppet peed on everyone’ Gaurav

Navalkar Y3 ‘It was cool how he slept on Ms Familton and pretended to give her his phone number. He also pretended to smooch her’ Ari Bonar Y3 Year 7-8 also saw three shows and the favourite for the majority of the boys was ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ performed by Puppet State Theatre Company from Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a multi-sensory theatrical adaptation of an environmental novel written by Jean Giono and told the story of a shepherd who decides to restore a barren wasteland by single-handedly cultivating a forest, acorn by acorn, tree by tree. ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ was a great performance. It sent through a really good message about the environment and the two actors made the show interesting and exciting. They tied the audience in well by often stopping to explain things with smells (lavender oil) and physical things you could feel. They had obviously spent a lot of time creating the props as they were well crafted and striking. Overall, a great show. Tom Valentine Year 8 This was a magical performance about a man walking through a desolate part of France who finds a shepherd on a quest to repopulate trees in a desert. With WWI and WWII and a power mad government official, it has some great twists and is a great story. Matthew Johanson Year 8 It made me wonder that if one person could plant 100 seeds a day and make a forest, what if ten people did something like that? Cillian Butler Year 7

Year 7 Drama class William—- guitar tuition

Term 1 Citizenship Awards

All the children in the school anonymously voted for the two boys in their class whom they respected most for their integrity and caring behaviour towards their classmates. The following boys gained the most votes. Many were very close behind and over the year I am sure we will see a good cross-section of names.

Year 1 Caleb Mallett and Charlie Griffiths Year 2 Louis McArthur, and Tyler Hudig Year 3 Nikolai Krupski and Olly Philp Year 4 CJoey Edginton and James Frickleton. Year 4T Tom Bevan and Daniel Makowem Year 5P James Hoskin and Hugo Lethbridge Year 5S Judd Adamson and Flynn Ormsby Year 6L William Stevenson and Jim Lockwood Year 6O JT Penn, Ruaridh Ferguson and Charlie Plimmer Year 6S William Saunders and Ben Stirling Year 7N Hamish Hutton and Jack Healy Year 7M Fred Schwarz and Max Woodnorth Year 7/8D Paul McDonald and Ben Wilkins Year 7/8T Callum Benfell, Matthew Sutcliffe and Henry Chandler Year 8B Albie Humphries, Harry Hunter and James McKenna Year 8P Cameron Tyson and Noah Woolf

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Science

As was reported in the last newsletter, there has been lots of fun and interesting science happening so far this term. A recent highlight has been Year Five’s Stream Inquiry study. With lots of measuring, recording and wet feet, the boys learnt much about the life of a stream. Most exciting of all though, was the discovery of another big eel lurking right where a group of boys were doing their recording! Wellesley boys walk to raise money for a good cause. On the 3rd of March my family and I organised a fundraiser walk up Mt. Kaukau to raise money for a Capoeira programme for local refugee children. Oliver Hall helped me recruit Lachlan Bruce, Ben Morton, Cameron O'Brien, Toby Barlow, Jake Ross, Charlie Plimmer, Kyle Foo, Gus McKenzie and Luke Carpenter. (photo below)

Everybody had lots of fun on the walk and we all jumped in the pool afterwards. All the boys did such a great job and managed to get a lot of sponsors. Overall the Wellesley boys alone raised over $800 for the Capoeira programme. By Ruaridh Ferguson

EOTC, PE and Sport 2012

The boys swam very well at the four different school swimming sports. The following were the final individual and house results:

Year 4 1

st Cameron Pattison, 2

nd = Sam Plimmer and Harry

Zangouropoulos Year 5 1

st Archie Chandler, 2

nd = James Johnston and Archie

Treadwell Year 6 1

st James Wilson, 2

nd Kyle Foo, 3

rd Ben Stirling

Year 7/8 1st Thomas Watkins, 2

nd Callum Hancock (1

st Y7),

3rd

Christopher Bramley Year 4/5 Wellington Year 6 Wellington Year 7/8 Selwyn

The middle school swimming team competed in their Zone event last week and the senior team have their meet next week. The Year 7 and 8 Athletics team competed in the Zone event at the Hutt Recreational Ground. There were a lot of great performances and the boys enjoyed the meet. Several Old Boys have been in touch to inform us of their success in high profile secondary school athletics events recently so it’s pleasing to see these boys carrying on with athletics after leaving Wellesley. Wellesley was hosted by Hadlow School (Masterton) in week 5. Hadlow don’t have any cricket teams again this year so the Tennis VIII and Softball team made the trip over the hill. There were some very competitive tennis games with several matches decided in the third set but Wellesley won the majority of the matches. The softball team were too strong for Hadlow in both their games. HIBS were hosted in the second fixture of the term. The 1

st XI Cricket

lost a close game falling short of the HIBS total. The 2nd

XI batted well to post a good total and then bowled well to restrict the opposition. The

Photos: Y7s, Hamish and William working on their boat building. Y5s Tom and Hugo testing for stream water quality and clarity. Daniel and Flynn taking the water temperature.

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softball games were shared one apiece. The tennis VIII suffered its first loss in several years. HIBS had very strong players in their top four but the bottom four singles and doubles matches all went to the deciding third set super tie-breakers. Wellesley hosted Huntley School from Marton. The 1

st XI, 2

nd XI and

the Year 6 Colts Cricket teams played along with two Tennis VIIIs and the softball team. Wellesley was convincing winners in all games apart from the softball where the spoils were shared. A highlight was a century to 1

st XI

captain Tim Campbell. Thank you to the large number of parents, who helped with lunch, supported and provided transport. The Colts Cricket team played Scots last week. The Scots Year 7/8 teams were unable to play in the morning so a decision was made not to play these games last week. The following boys were appointed 1

st team captains:

Cricket – Tim Campbell Tennis – Rob Dickson Softball – Dillon Nickel

The Year 3 and 4 basketball teams have been competing in their competition. The Globetrotters had won all four of their games and the Breakers had a 2 win/3 loss record at the time of writing. Three boys were entered in the Wellington Triathlon Schools’ Championships. These boys compete in triathlons and were familiar with the Scorching Bay course. Callum Hancock won his section and then went on to win the Year 7 section at the Nationals in Canterbury. He was on track to take out the Open Water event as well on the following day but went off course which meant he finished second. Since the swimming finished the boys have been training for the Cross Country. The School event takes place on Thursday 18 April. All year groups start and finish on the school field. The start times are

as follows:

12.45pm Juniors

1.00pm Year 4

1.15pm Year 5

1.35pm Year 6

2.00pm Year 7

2.20pm Year 8

Three Senior classes are taking part in the Yachting New Zealand “Have a go” programme next week. The boys will spend half a day learning the basics of sailing in Yachting NZ boats at the Seaview Marina. The three other senior classes have their turn in Term 4. The Senior boys will be asked to indicate for which winter team or teams they want to trial. The trials will take place on the first three Thursdays of Term 2. The Year 5 and 6 boys will have the option of joining the hockey, football or rugby development squads which start training on the first Tuesday of next Term. Teams for any inter-school games will be chosen from these squads. The boys not in teams will be involved in other sport options. The uniform shop has school tracksuits for sale and they are a compulsory item for Senior boys. They will be well used in the winter months so contact Fiona Donnelly for more information if your son doesn’t have one. Both the old and new styles can be worn but please name them clearly! Wellesley has a large number of sporting teams over a wide range of sports. We are open to the idea of parents running other teams outside of school hours which don’t put more pressure on the already busy school programme. We require a parent to manage the Underwater Hockey which involves Senior boys in about six Saturday tournaments throughout the year. We have experienced teachers who manage our Senior waterpolo teams in the middle part of the year. If any parents are interested in managing basketball teams in any of the Year 5 to 8 year groups then let me know as well. I’m happy to discuss these and any other options. Wellesley has a lot of talented sportsmen and a huge number have made zone or club representative teams during the summer. The following boys have gone a step further:

Jin and Satchel with Huntley boys Callum after winning the triathlon

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Callum Hancock – Wellington and National Triathlon Champion, 2

nd

Open Water Swimming Nationals, Junior Swimming Nationals

Thomas Watkins – Junior Swimming Nationals

Isaac Becroft – Central Region Tennis Champion (U12)

William O’Connor – Trans Tasman Athletics

Jin Dassanayake – North Island Tennis Championships

Harry Cook – Colgate Athletics and Wellington Athletics

Lastly, congratulations to Rufus Rusholme Cobb (Y5) who competed in the Regional Athletics Championship and won the Grade 8 shot put, competing against athletes from Wellington City, Porirua, Kapiti, Hutt and the Wairarapa. He has set a new shot put record for the region (8.5m), breaking the existing record by 1m. Darren Houston.

Y8 Relay team-Dylan, Harry, Rob + Zak

.

Dougal West Coast Fundraising

PA Golf Tournament

Andrew McIntyre bunker shot. Father and sons (old boys) Tom + Jonny Eastwick and George and Tom Leckie.

The Biennial Wellesley Cup Golf Day - raises almost $10,000 for

scholarship fund

Amazing weather set the scene for a day and night of fundraising at Shandon Golf Club. Not only was there a serious (and not so serious) Ambrose competition, but the course had light hearted elements through the generosity of our sponsors and supporters.

The 70 or so players were a mixed bunch of current and former parents, some Wellesley Old Boys, sponsors, colleagues and friends, keeping the competition keen throughout the day.

Former parent Gordon Ritson fundraised for us with a great swindle on the 18th hole, with surprisingly few winners! There were also closest to the pin and longest drive competitions, plus the smartest golf attire. Development Manager Margie Beattie, Gap student Luke Jones and parent photographer Simon Woolf sped around on golf carts snapping candid images, shepherding wayward golfers, selling raffle tickets and ensuring the golfers were adequately hydrated.

Later on the golfers and their guests were treated to fabulous cuisine courtesy of Lisa Locke of the Canapé Company. The organising team, parents Steve Jones, Phil Hunter and Julie Batchelor, with help from Chloe Bridgeman, Erin Hunter and Vicki Jones created a wonderful ambience within the clubhouse, including images of the antics on the golf course for all to enjoy and see.

The top prize went to the Treadwells team of Mike Treadwell, Chris Morrison, Andrew Henderson and Andrew Morris. Many others also received prizes, thanks to the generosity of the prize donors.

Steve Jones kept the ball rolling brilliantly through the night as M.C. with assistance from James Porteous and his sidekick Tom Leckie during the auction. Warren Owen also spoke on the importance of the opportunity that scholarships provide and how transformational it is in those boys’ lives.

This fundraising event typified the magic of Wellesley College. It was diverse, competitive, friendly and innovative, with many generous benefactors. The money raised from generous sponsorship, auction prizes, raffles and donations, will support the Wellesley Foundation Scholarship Fund.

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Thank you for the generosity of our sponsors:

BCD Travel, Treadwells, Life Pharmacy Queensgate, Craigs Investment Partners, m-savvy, ANZ Bank, First NZ Capital, The Canapé Company, Takamatua Valley Vineyards, Woolf Photography, Armstrong Prestige and Peppers Parehua.

And thanks also for enthusiastic support from:

The Royal Wellington Golf Club, Techspace, Peter Taylor and Storm Uru and the anonymous parent donors of the golf round with Christian Cullen.

And a huge thank you to those parent volunteers who were the core organising team of Steve Jones, Phil Hunter and Julie Batchelor.

Margie Beattie, Development Manager

Thomas (Y8) and Y6 classroom (using appropriate tools for different tasks)

ICT at Wellesley For many years Wellesley has put a strong emphasis on the importance of using ICT tools as a support for learning. Since 1990s we have steadily increased the number of computers available in classrooms as a response to teacher need and our strongly learner centred philosophy. We also provided mobile trolleys of laptops which teachers could use to supplement their class computers. Ten years ago we initiated a school wide wireless network so that all classes had wireless access to school resources and the internet at all times. Over the years this network has been refined and improved so that all students, their personal devices and school computers can access this network. Five years ago we noticed that Internet connection speed was a becoming a barrier to learning. As a result we now have a cross harbour microwave link to the Wellington Schools Loop and Citylink which provides us with a 100Mb connection to the Internet. This arrangement has had the added benefit of increased opportunities for teacher professional learning with the Wellington Schools Loop. Another barrier to learning we identified was logon speeds and access to resources on our traditional domain based network. Teachers were finding this was a major impediment as wireless laptops all took time to authenticate at the beginning of a learning session. With our mobile trolleys, teachers could achieve 1 to 1 computing, but then the learning had to wait until everyone logged on through the wireless network. In response to this, the decision was made to initiate a student 1 to 1 programme in 2012. We wanted students to have a device which was always available to them, didn’t need to log on to anything and was able to instantly start up. We made the decision the from Year 6 to 8 students were going to use Android Tablets and base their work on Google Drive. This was a challenging transition as students and teachers were used to a more corporate Microsoft Office environment. We also had some technical difficulties with the chosen device. However the experience has been positive; students have access to their work areas from school and home, the learning management system supports their learning at all times, they read books borrowed from our library on their devices, they have instant access to web resources, and using a tablet gives them access to a range of learning, creative apps including digital video and still cameras.

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This year, after three terms of 1 to 1 with tablets in 2012, we have been less prescriptive with tablet selection. Boys can now choose between a range of tablets which meet our specifications. This has created some challenges but replicates the sort of BYOD environment our students are likely to meet at secondary school. We are again putting a great deal of effort into professional learning for teachers. This is being personalised and customised as far as possible and based on an individual inquiry model. We have provided Teacher Dashboard as an overlay to the student Google Drive accounts, Ultranet to act as a learning management System and intranet, and last year revamped our web page to provide easier navigation and access to information. Ross Hampton Head of e-Leaning

Board of Trustees - an updated summary is also enclosed on Page N

Development Office Report– Page 10 The amazing summer has been great for all of the outdoor education activities and for the boys to enjoy their lunchtimes outside. It has been a pleasure to get into classrooms, be out on school duty and generally mix with the boys during their various activities. Their behaviour and all-round attitude is supportive of each other and makes for a happy school. We realise life is ‘full on’ for families and do appreciate the time you give supporting your boys. The boys, parents and staff have packed in a lot and with only two and a half weeks of term to go there is still a lot to achieve. Parents, thank you so much for your help. We have been delighted with the support at school functions (and there have been more than a few) and at all the trips, camps and sporting events. In this world of ‘expect the unexpected’, keep strong and safe and be assured we will continue to work hard for your children so they can achieve their personal best. Kind regards Warren Owen Principal

Wellesley Board of Trustees 2013 Junior School visit from Chilton

NOTES FROM THE BOARD

Introducing our Board Members for 2013:

Appointed by the Diocese of Wellington for five year terms, the Wellesley College Board of Trustees meets once a month during term time, ensuring that the appropriate lines of governance are in place to support both staff and students.Within the group are specific responsibilities for areas such as Finance, Education Liaison, Health and Safety, Funding and Development, and Marketing.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 10

Murray Sim, our Board Chair, has one boy currently at Wellesley. He works as a policy consultant in the

government sector and has experience in organisational performance and in information and communications technology. Murray has postgraduate qualifications in science and management.

Chris Morrison, our Deputy Chair, has three children, two daughters and a son Hugh, who is in year 7 at

Wellesley. Chris works for Todd Capital, the investment arm of the Todd Corporation. Other than his interest in making Wellesley a great place for an education, he brings to the BoT experience in finance; strategy; and governance. Chris is also the Chair of the Finance and Remuneration committee.

The Bishop’s representative on the Board of Trustees is Rev. Dr Eleanor Sanderson, who has recently been

installed as vicar of St Albans church in Eastbourne.

Ian Miller modestly describes himself as “a semi retired accountant.” Ian and his family have lived in Days Bay

since arriving from the UK in 2005, with his skills being organisational, managerial and financial control. Lucas and Dominic left in 2008 & 9. Ian has previously held roles of Treasurer and Chair of the PA.

James Porteous is the Wellington Co-Manager of Craigs Investment Partners Limited Wellington, one of New

Zealand's largest Investment Advisory and Stock Broking firms, and is the committed father of son Charlie (who left Wellesley at the end of 2012) and daughter Eve. James chairs the school foundation, whose job is to attract capital reserves which are used to future proof the school and provide scholarships.

Grant Watkins has one son currently at Wellesley and is a Director of a local Quantity Surveying practice, and

brings with him construction management experience to assist our school through the last stage of our building redevelopment programme.

Matthew Mallett is a former old boy of the school and now has three sons attending. Matthew lives in

Eastbourne and is a partner in law firm Morrison Mallett. In addition to his Board role, he is also spearheading the alumni reconnection project

Helen Clarke has run her own occupational physiotherapy business but at present keeps herself busy helping

out at Wellesley and other organisations in a volunteer capacity. She is married to Ian and has sons Bryn, who is now at Wellington College, and Campbell who is in Year 8

Timberly Hughes has had her own accounting firm for 25 years, along with running a non-profit foundation in

San Francisco for 10 years, working with at-risk inner City children. She has owned and operated a winery in Akaroa as the Director and wine maker since 2000. Timberly owns and operate a pre-school in San Francisco which is tied into the non-profit.. Her son Jay is in Year 5.

Megan Richards is a partner and heads the Employment and Public Law team at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts in

Wellington. Megan's father, Garry Evans, is an old boy of Wellesley. Her sons Jack and Sam are in Years 7 and 1 respectively. Geof Shirtcliffe has also just been nominated as a Board member. Ex-officio members of the Board include Warren Owen(Principal), Yvonne Odinot(staff rep), Lucy Ross(Parent Association Rep) and Hilary Fiennes(Secretary).

Year 8 Castlepoint Camp

From the Development Office Welcome The recent informal welcome drinks and nibbles to new parents in the Old Library was a lively opportunity for teachers, staff, trustees and new parents to get to know each other and to put faces to names. Several teachers and staff have also been parents, and the trustees are all current or former parents; bringing with them a real understanding of the ‘journey’ that new parents make in their decision to entrust Wellesley with educating their boy(s). Thank you for giving Wellesley that trust. In turn, welcome to the wider Wellesley family.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S PEN Page 11

We Teach Boys Wellesley is a unique school, not only because of its unparalleled site between the bush and the sea in Days Bay (being probably every boys’ fantasy location), but because in Wellington’s short history, it is soon to celebrate a stupendous 100 years of teaching boys. From the early days of Gladys Sommerville’s classes in Hill St, Thorndon, to Hoppy Steven’s unique blend of discipline and teaching of traditional subjects (and boxing!), to Warren Owen and his team’s individual learning philosophy; encouraging curiosity and letting boys be boys. So SAVE THE DATE for the centenary celebrations- Labour Weekend 2014, as there will be something for everyone who has passed through Wellesley’s doors as a pupil, a family member or staff member. We Need Your Support in Offering the Opportunity to Others There is no doubt that education is transformative. We wish to encourage that transformation in boys’ lives by ensuring that every year boys who would otherwise not have the opportunity to come to Wellesley, can come through the Foundation Scholarship programme in Years 7 and 8. The biennial Golf Day held recently raised $10,000 (approx.) towards this and ARTBOURNE held biennially but in the alternate year, focuses on scholarships and raised $28,000 in 2012. Your support through monetary gifts is needed to make sure that the fund is continually topped up, providing this opportunity every year to new boys, who add diversity and a richness to the school with their experience and talents. Last year the Bowker family generously gifted a scholarship for five years. No amount is too small to gift, and it can be done in a lump sum or in timed payments- whatever suits your budget, with the added bonus that and you gain over 30% tax rebate for a gift. Donations over $1,200 can come with an engraved brick to cement your family’s legacy here. Consider the difference you could make to a boys future by giving him what your son is experiencing. Please click here for a brochure- A Gift for Wellesley’s future or contact Margie Beattie to discuss on 576 2274 or margie@wellesley.school.nz

On Children Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Recently a member of my extended family shared this poem with me. I remember as a young man in my early twenties reading Gibran’s work and somewhere at home I have his poetry book, ‘The Prophet’. As educators and parents, the poem ‘On Children’ challenges us to reflect on how we deal with our children. Gibran suggests through the poem, that a child's parents should not be controlling toward their child; rather, they should give their children the opportunity to succeed on their own. It is so normal and natural to model and impart your own values, thoughts and ideas to your children. In fact it would be impossible not to as children will end up ‘doing what we do rather than what we say’ as modelling is so very powerful. If we curse and swear around home, no end of cajoling our children not to swear will ‘wash’. They will of course speak to their friends with the same ‘lingo’ used around home. As parents it is so tempting to step in at every turn to try and influence your child’s decisions. A classic example of this comes around the time of making decisions about which subjects to choose at secondary school. Many parents will try and influence their children’s thinking based on their own dreams and hopes for their offspring. Parents often see the pitfalls and limitations of certain courses and actively try and steer their children in the direction of what they think will be best in the end.

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I remember being guilty of this myself. My son had just finished his science degree and was thinking about doing post graduate studies in micro biology. Knowing that the ‘risk / future financial reward’ factor here was not as good as many other post graduate routes, I suggested he do a parallel degree in law saying if science jobs were not available, maybe he could use a law degree within the science industry. He saw straight through me and said, “Dad, I’m not in this for the money, I’m passionate about science.” Yes, I was worried about his financial security. I didn’t push it, as deep down I knew he should follow his own dreams, not be influenced by the fear of his father. Isn’t it so true in life that we know what is right deep down in our hearts but fear of future security can sometimes get in the way of really ‘chasing our dreams’. Serious problems can arise when a child’s abilities or interests are out of sync with his/her parents’ dreams and aspirations for him/her. If the parents by deed or implication put pressure on their child it can impact very negatively and be extremely counter-productive, often ‘shutting down’ the child’s self- belief. Getting back to Gibran’s poem, the central point I take from it is to allow children to be individuals. In fact, foster and celebrate this individuality. In this way children will be more likely to blossom and realise their potential. If we do want to influence them, and of course we do, then maybe we should all aim to follow the wise monkey’s words: ‘Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil’. In this way, our children will see good people modelling good ethics and values. It is so important we allow our children to be comfortable in ‘their own skin’, and support them with their aspirations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys We are not going be around forever and we must help prepare them for being on their own, making their own decisions. It is their journey and the best thing we can do is be supportive of their dreams but also ensure they are ready to take the responsibility for their decisions as well. Part of all this is having high expectations of our children pitched at their personal best level and appropriate to their age and stage. A central part of supporting our children to be in a position to achieve their aspirations is to ensure they have the skills and values such as persistence, resilience, optimism and creativity. Life can be tough and we will be doing them a disservice unless we prepare our children accordingly.

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. LEARN TO PLAY TENNIS Holiday Programme For Primary School Children (Supported by HVTA)

Dates: Monday 29 April, Tuesday 30 April and Wednesday 1 May, 2013. (wet or fine) Venue: Mitchell Park (Mitchell Street, Lower Hutt) Timetable: 9.00am-10.00 am- Girls from 5-8 years old 10.00am-11.00 am- Boys from 5-8 years old 11.00am-12.00 noon- Girls from 9 years + 1.00pm-2.00 pm- Boys from 9 years + Cost: $32-00 for the 3 days. Money to be paid on the first day. Registration: Contact Gary Nelson –Ph. 5897178 or Email - a.nelson@xtra.co.nz by Monday 22 April, 2013. EARLY ENROLMENT is advised as this programme is very popular and the first 12 enrolments in each age group will be accepted.

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It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight Bosch School Holiday Program April 22 - 24 The It’s My Turn To Cook Tonight Bosch School Holiday Program is FREE, ONLINE, FUN and unique with great prizes. It is available ANY-WHERE there is Internet coverage. This means no travelling, no pick ups or drop offs – kids get food savvy and learn to cook in their own home, using their food, cooking their dinner. Find out more www.itsmyturntocooktonight.com.

Our internationally ac-

claimed programme for

children (5-18yrs)

encompasses a huge

body of developmental drama to enhance

Confidence and Creativity, Communica-

tion, Presentation Skills, Public speaking,

Performance skills CLASSES AR HELD IN: Khandallah, Lower Hutt, Whitby, Hataitai, Tawa MAKE THE CALL NOW, ON (04) 3889710 www.helenogrady.co.nz

ARE YOU IN NEED OF AFTER

SCHOOL CARE? provides an exciting

and supervised Out-of-School-Care pro-

gramme for children aged 5-10 years of

age, Mon – Fri, 3-6pm at HUIA POOL,

Lower Hutt. Your School bus passes our

location and makes it easy for you to ac-

cess our service. Swimming – Art/Craft –

Games – Sport – Homework make our Fun

Club a great place to be. For more infor-

mation please call Ph. 234-6440 or e-

mail afterschool.funclub@xtra.co.nz

Open to all school-age students a chance to perform in public. Secondary School Students Sunday 15 Septem-ber. School Years 1-8 Sunday 22 September. Entries close 13 August. Entry forms and details on our website

host.ourporirua.com/kmmta.

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