24 Apr 2015 | Edited By Michael Streat | Vol 24 No 1 | online at www.woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk

Woodbridgian Weekly

After successfully winning a regional round at the start of the year, the Year 10 team consisting of Emily Barker, Kitty Chang Leung, Abigail Crane and Gabriella Zins were invited to the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge for the Year 10 Maths Feast, Final Celebration Day.

The group solved challenging problems on combination locks, the history of mathematics and origami as well as attending a lecture on set theory, of which there was a test about not long after!

As this was a celebration day of maths there was no overall winner but Woodbridge did beat all the other top schools to win the round on set theory and were presented with a book on numbers for this fantastic achievement.

In the morning Mr Trett arranged for a tour around the colleges of Cambridge and to see the Mathematical Bridge crossing the River Cam (the arrangement of timbers is a series of tangents that describe the arc of the bridge).

YEAR 10 MATHS FEAST

Our Sixth Form students Flora Douglas, Francesca Ottley and Dominic Crane are all playing important roles in The Young Wolsey Theatre Company’s production of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’.

Arthur Miller’s tale of religious hysteria in the infamous witch trials of 1692 is a masterpiece of social and political commentary, and a timely warning on how profound religious loyalty can be manipulated by those seeking to serve their own ends.

The production runs until this Saturday, 25 April. For details, please visit http://www.wolseytheatre.co.uk/shows/the-crucible/

THE CRUCIBLE

Congratulations to the following, who were successful in the recent ABRSM music examinations:

Grade 1: Joshua Bell, Guitar & Toby McNally, Alto Sax, both with Distinction; Grade 2: Dylan Nicholls, Guitar; Alfred Franklin, Trumpet; Toby McNally, Piano & Hal Ottley, Trombone, all with Merit; Grade 3: Katy Garnett & Amy Knight, Singing, both with Merit; Jemima Hill, Singing, with Distinction; Grade 4: Charlotte Bowers & Iona Murland, Flute, Nancy King, Singing; Alyssa Hedley, Natalia Reed & Emilia Vaes, Singing, all with Merit; Jonathan Ferguson, Percussion; Ianthe Hill, Violin & James Phelan, Trombone, all with Distinction; Grade 5: Charlotte Dinwiddy, Flute; Oliver Bacon, Trumpet; Brendan Bennett, Jemima Hill and Medomfo Owusu (with merit), Violin and Joanne Garnett, Clarinet, with Merit; Grade 6: Will Martin, Clarinet with Merit & Isabelle Cory, Clarinet with Distinction; Grade 7: Owen Butcher & Lewis Chinn, Trombone with Merit; Grade 8: Poppy Hill, Alto Sax; Ella Carter, Singing & Harrison Cole, Flute with Distinction.

There were also Grade 5 Music Theory successes from Medomfo Owusu (with distinction), Lydia Cook and Florence Gidney (who passed with Merit).

AND IN THE ASSOCIATED BOARD MUSIC EXAMINATIONS

Congratulations to the following who were successful in the recent Trinity Music examinations:

Initial: Laura Golding, piano with Distinction;Grade 1: Sam Betteridge, Snare Drum and Charles Tetley, Snare Drum with Merit; Grade 2: Freya Huxley, Orchestral Percussion with Merit and Derry Jay, Double Bass; Grade 3: Christine Evans, French Horn; Grade 4: Amy Knight, French Horn with Merit; Alfie Agar, Orchestral Percussion with Merit and Jonathan Ferguson, Drum Kit with Distinction; Grade 5: Francis Norman, Singing; Harrison Perkins, Singing with Merit; Grade 6: Ella Burdett, Singing; Isabelle Chater, Singing with Merit; Florence Gidney, Singing with Distinction; Ianthe Hill, Trumpet with Merit; Jonathan Kajoba, Pedal Harp with Merit and Josie Popay, Trombone with Merit; Grade 7: Grace Baker, Singing with Distinction; James Davis, Saxophone with Merit; Francis Norman, Euphonium with Merit and Harry Salter, Singing with Merit; Grade 8: Jonathan O’Grady, Singing with Distinction and Georgia Dawson, French Horn with Distinction.

SUCCESS IN THE TRINITY MUSIC EXAMINATIONS…

Emily Cook had a hugely successful Easter course with the National Youth Girls’ Choir culminating in a concert on Good Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre as part of their Chorus Festival.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Kajoba attended the National Children’s Orchestra course and performed a ‘magnificent concert’ (classic FM) at the Anvil in Basingstoke with Roger Clarkson (music director) conducting it. Jonny played a solo in ‘Les Preludes’ by Franz List, which was a great experience for him.

MORE MUSIC ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE EAS TER BREAK

Congratulations to our Year 11 pupils, Ben Crick and Katherine Townshend, who received their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze awards recently.

BRONZE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS

Sat around a table in an unfamiliar school, we all listened intently as Mr Edwards briefed us about what was coming in the next three days. He explained about the way in which the classes were taught and difficulties some of the students might have, but all the eloquence in the world could not fully prepare us for the journey on which we were about to embark.

The next morning whilst waiting nervously at the secondary school reception, the students began to arrive, ready and refreshed after their holidays. Having been greeted by Sam, a student who made sure that we were all stood up straight with our arms by our sides, the trepidation was palpable. The Head, Eleanor, quickly whisked us away to our classes for the morning, anxious glances and wishes of good luck being exchanged all the way.

Entering Purple 3, a sixth form class, any worries I had previously harboured were quickly squashed by the warm hug that enveloped me. Sitting down with the girl, we began with the morning routine of greeting everyone, using both sign language and vocal communications, before completing a fire safety workbook. Next I was directed to cooking class and the rest, as they say, is history…

Meeting for lunch each day the 10 of us chatted excitedly, each eager to share the morning’s tales and find out about how things differed between the primary and secondary schools. Whilst everyone’s stories varied - from dance, painting or cooking, to swimming, ICT or forest school – an overall feeling was shared. We were all inspired by both the students and the staff at the Bridge School.

Finding more similarities than differences between ourselves and the students, we made not only memories but also friends, making us wish that the trip had been longer. Exhausted but extremely content, the bus journey home enlightened me to the fact that working at the Bridge School was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences I have ever had, and I would love to go back and do it all again.

Thank you to Mr Edwards, Miss Tattoo and The Bridge School staff for making such an amazing trip possible.

Maddy Chan

THREE DAYS AT THE BRIDGE SCHOOL

We are delighted to announce that our Cantabile Choir will be performing at the Junior Concert (Friday 8 May, 4.30pm in St Mary’s Church).

This performance will take the place of the originally planned lunchtime Cantabile Concert on Tuesday 19 May.

CANTABILE

Chris Silovsky’s father has been saving lives as a volunteer doctor for Suffolk AccidentRescue Service (SARS) for over 20 years.

Chris has the hugest respect for what his father and other volunteers have been doing. To show his respect he had his head completely shaved and raised more than £1,700, including bucket collection and on-line donations, for SARS! If you want to support Chris, please visit: http://m.localgiving.com/fundraising/acloseshaveforchris

A CLOSE SHAVE - RAISING OVER £1700

On 27 March we had our last Careers Assembly for the Lent Term.

Mr Graham Kill talked to us about the importance of taking risks and how in doing so, he had moved from a mining engineer in a declining field to a CEO for Irdeto, a world-renowned technology media company. The other main message was learning to be adaptable – it is Darwin’s survival of the fittest; those most willing to change and adapt to their environment will survive the best. Thanks for the fascinating talk, Mr Kill – and for the warning about downloading illegally! Remember, you never know who is watching you!

CAREERS ASSEMBLY

Laura Silovsky, Alice Verrill and Will Loftus all attended to receive their D of E Gold Awards at St James’s Palace recently. HRH Duke of Edinburgh was in attendance and was on top form, chatting freely to the young people and cracking jokes.

Awards were presented by Jim Rosenthal, the sports commentator, who read from his own Gold Expedition record book from FIFTY years ago. He spoke of the trials they overcame, the crucial teamwork, camaraderie and commitment needed to complete the trip, and of the enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence that some of his group acquired after battling through such brutal weather conditions together. That, in particular, resonated with Alice and Laura as they had trudged in such bitter Lake District weather themselves!

OWs RECEIVE GOLD DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS

This week our very own Seckford Theatre Company have announced their dates, time and venue for their show ‘Father Time’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

To share their exciting news six of the cast members, Ella Carter, Don Crane, Flora Douglas, George Williams, Fran Ottley and Abi Dolan, presented three assemblies to explain to the wider school community what the Edinburgh Festival is all about, what this year’s show will be and the fantastic opportunity it affords our students.

Shortly the tickets for their production will be available via the Edinburgh Fringe website, in the meantime follow their progress on Twitter (@SeckfordTC) and Facebook (Seckford Theatre Company).

EDINBURGH FES TIVAL 2015

SPORT

Our Sports Leaders were excellent ambassadors for Woodbridge School in the Inclusive Tennis Festival held in Ipswich at the end of last term.

They behaved impeccably and ran a very well-organised festival. They were understandably a little nervous at the start but once things got underway, they got really involved, and ensured that the guests had a great time. We were very proud of them, and the organisers were so impressed they have asked us back. Well done Imogen Craig, Jake Henry, Seb How, Darcie Moggridge, Fraser McKee, Ellisse Morey, Fiona Mulcahy, Bertie Nicholson, Dominic Overy-Owen, Alice Pertwee and Tess Bryson.

SPORTS LEADERS INCLUSIVE TENNIS EVENT

James Brown and his horse, One Way, came an outstanding 3rd at Burnham Market International Horse trails in the U18s novice section, a section in which many riders had already ridden for the British junior eventing team last year.

He missed 2nd place by a mere 2 seconds on the cross country course which shows how close the competition was on the day. This was a great start to the season for James as it was a qualifier for the Eastern Region.

James’s goal is to be selected once again as part of the Eastern team for the U18 championships at Weston Park in October 2015. He’ll be hell bent on improving on last year’s team’s second place...

JAMES BROWN EXCELS AT BURNHAM INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRAILS

Many congratulations to Minnie Wayman who competed in the Suffolk County Swimming Championships last month and qualified for the ASA East Region Championships in 50m Backstroke.

She then competed at Newmarket in another qualifying meet and has gained a further two regional times in 200m Backstroke and 200m Butterfly. Best wishes to her when she enters another competition at the end of May:the ASA East Regional Championships at the University of East Anglia.

MINNIE WAYMAN ACHIEVES REGIONAL SWIMMING QUALIFYING TIMES

The Combat Cadet team experienced tremendous success over the Easter break. Over the past two terms an initial squad of over 20 cadets competed for a place in the team undergoing rigorous fitness and practical training combined with advanced theory lessons. As a result the team of 9 that was finally selected was in great shape and headed into the weekend’s competition. The first phase of competition at Thetford was a day long patrol where the groups faced a vast array of challenges including section attacks, ambushes and a casualty evacuation from a shot down helicopter. The day concluded with 8 Woodbridge cadets tasked with holding a hill top for almost an hour against far more numerous enemy forces and supplied with scarce ammunition. However this proved well within the capabilities of the cadets as they emerged from the day’s competition in a strong position to challenge for victory.

On Sunday morning the squad was faced with the daunting task of a 5km run in kit followed immediately by the assault course and finally a shoot. Despite extreme exhaustion the team was buoyed by the appearance of Lt Col Broaderwick and Capt. Richardson who pushed the team hard, which then went on to achieve second place at the end of phase two.

It was a great squad performance resulting in a third place finish overall and just 1 point off the best CCF team. A significant improvement from last year. There was even praise for Mr Stollery’s Bolognese!

Thanks must be given to all the officers who helped throughout the weekend and especially to those cadets not chosen this year but whose efforts in the build up to the competition were instrumental in the whole team’s success. Best of luck next year.

COMBINED CADET FORCE

It has been a very busy year for all the students in Y12 that took part in the Young Enterprise Programme, a national programme in which every school in the country has the opportunity to take part.

Our students appointed a board of directors, produced unique products from scratch and sold them at trade fairs in the county. This programme has given them an opportunity to learn about the real world of work, its frustrations and its successes! They have learned how to work as a team, how to make decisions and how to tackle disappointments. As a result they will have more to offer future employers in terms of skills and as we know from previous winners at Woodbridge School it will give them experiences to recount at interviews. Taking part in Young Enterprise really provides our students with a point of differentiation from their peers in the competitive world which they face.

The County final of Young Enterprise took place last Wednesday 15 April, ‘Re-Do’ Woodbridge School’s very own upcycling company put in a sterling performance walking away with more of the official Young Enterprise prizes than any other team competing. They were awarded the winning prize for the best company report and the best trade stand prize, and the prize for problem-solving and overcoming adversity. The overall winner on the night was given to Thomas Mills School by the narrowest of margins, with Re-Do being awarded runner up. A performance the team members can all be proud of.

The YE team has been coached by our two business advisors, Richard Walkling and Ed Blackmore and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their hard work and inspiration. We would also like to thank Janine Wright who manages the enterprise provision and who works tirelessly to ensure our students achieve their best.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE SUCCESS AT WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL

Get your shopping shoes on for the annual May Coach Trip to London on Saturday 16th May – leaving Woodbridge School at 08h30 and returning from London (near Aldwych) at approximately 18h00.

Tickets which can only be booked and paid for by contacting the school office Pat Smy on 01394 615008 or SchoolOffice@woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk and are £12 each (for the return trip) and are available on a first-come-first-served basis, cheques payable to “Woodbridge School” and seats only confirmed on receipt of payment.

What a perfect opportunity to nip into London for some last minute Summer Shopping!

WSPA LONDON COACH TRIP

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Friday 24 April

Mezzo and Viola ConcertSchool Hall

7.30pm

Tuesday 28 April

AS Lunchtime RecitalMusic School

1.40pm

Swing Band ConcertSeckford Almshouses

1.45pm

Wednesday 29 April

AS Lunchtime RecitalMusic School

1.40pm

Too Much Punch for JudySeckford Theatre

7.30pm

The next Coffee & Croissants morning will take place on Tuesday 28 April in the Tuckwell Room at 8.30am.

WOODBRIDGE SCHOOL PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION COFFEE & CROISSANTS

Wspa Alerts

The WSPA Midsummer’s night garden party will be held on Saturday 13 June 2015 starting at 6:30pm in the Abbey Hall.

For more details, visit wspanet.co.uk/summer-garden-party/

SAVE THE DATE! MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT GARDEN PARTY