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Generosity
Oh my goodness. Your support for Home-Start (and of course for the energy-sapping endeavours of your kith and kin…) has trumped our wildest hopes. Well beyond £3,500 we have soared… and with Gift Aid included we are over £4,300!
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
And it will mean so much more to those who benefit.
So… are we allowed to celebrate our generosity? Is it ok to feel good about doing good. Altruism is such a strange concept: ‘selfless concern for the well-being of others’ – but it is that very ‘self’ that takes action.
My view? Making others happy (or happier!) is a blessing all of us can bestow, and there should be no constraint. So, yes, you are allowed to feel good about doing good, Mr Streat said so…
Just as long as you treat yourself and do it again...
And again...
And again!
And as for Home-Start: our appeal ends today!
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MelissaShanahan1.
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Some of the visual aids used for the ‘Public Speaking’ exams.
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Congratulations to our LAMDA students, who have achieved amazing results! This is testament to all their hard work and dedication, and also to the commitment of their LAMDA teachers Mrs Lockwood and Mrs Robinson.
“Despite the lockdown, and despite the disruption that it has caused, we have still managed to get exceptional results in exceptional circumstances,” said Mrs Lockwood. “23 Distinctions and 6 High Merits, across a variety of exams, from ‘Public Speaking’ to ‘Acting’ to ‘The Speaking of Verse and Prose’. What a truly talented cohort they all are!”
“These exams were meant to be taken in June but, because of lockdown, they were postponed to October. The students had to re-connect and re-focus after a long time away from School, but this didn’t faze them. They worked hard – some trying to juggle tests and some trying to overcome personal challenges – but they did it!
I am so proud of all of them. It just proves what talent we have in our School.”
And the results ('with distinction', unless indicated HM (high merit) or M (merit)):
Entry: Henry (HM)
Grade 1: Lily, Ollie
Grade 2: Matilda, Ruiying
Grade 3: Ariana, Charlotte, Lily, Molly, Poppy (HM), Grace
Grade 4: Georgia, Sasha, Havannah, Layo, Eveny
Grade 5: Sasha (HM), Khushi, Isla (M), Madeleine (HM)
Grade 6: Annie, Sukey (HM), Katie, Tabitha, Charlotte
Grade 7: Sophia
Grade 8: Arthur, Annabel, Tom.
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Many congratulations to Year 13 Maddie who has managed to complete her Gold Duke of Edinburgh's award while still at School! This is a rare feat for a student to achieve while still at school. Well done Maddie; I hope the Palace will reopen in time for your award ceremony.
Meanwhile, very well done to Ella and Harry who have just earned their Bronze awards: the happy culmination of their own first proud steps towards Gold, perhaps?
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Our New Trophy
The Medcalf Prize for Technology once again has a trophy bearing its name, thanks to Noah's wonderful design and build work. Where is the old one, you ask? Lost in the rubble of the old Sixth Form centre when it was cleared to make way for our lovely new one! It's a long story... but now has a happy ending.
Mr Harry Medcalf, son of the original benefactor, Mr Wilfred Medcalf, is our new benefactor, and we very much hope that he will be able to join us as our guest of honour at our postponed Speech Day in April next year.
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Lunchtime Live! #2
Glorious – and I was delighted to be able to attend at least the first half in person before switching to the really very good recording you can watch here: www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk/live-events/.
Of course it’s not quite the same in person – but as Mrs Kent says at the close of Annie’s rendition of Thiman’s setting of Wordsworth’s poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud [ed: pause for breath…], it had the ‘hairs on the back of my neck going’… and it did for me too, despite watching on my PC. So, congratulations to all the performers, and do, please, you the audience, take a moment to enjoy it too, via the link.
The concert started with the Year 7 and 8s: Margot’s Tequila Sunrise full of sumptuous clarity and rhythm; Eve’s singing of The Owl poignant and whimsical; Hans tremendously up tempo with his Surfboard Boogie; Henry poised and triumphal with his Russian Galop; Lily positively virtuosie playing Clementi’s Sonata No. 3; and Jack equally so with Burgmuller’s Arabesque.
Next the Year 9 and 10s: Charlotte’s Solitare was hauntingly charming with an excellent sense of line and purpose; Abigail’s playing of Wedgwood’s The Next Time lyrical and compelling; Phoebe’s Week-end joyful and relaxed (as it should be!); Florence’s Dance of the Mirlitons beautifully judged with wonderful pauses; Sophie’s Waltz Mystique oven-ready for Strictly; Katarina’s Petite Valse full of glide (well done Mr Di Blasio who was composer of this piece!); Evelyn’s evocation of The Water is Wide was tremendously well suited to her harp; Violetta showed Oasis a thing or two – ukulele and voice: captivating; Jasmine rejoiced in a little bit of Uptown Blues; Amelie took us to Paris with On My Own from Les Mis; and Ben’s punchy drums backing En Vogue’s Don’t Let Go offered a stirring finale.
The Year 11 to 13s brought the concert to a glorious close – first Julia melodiously singing Pushkin’s The Fountain Statue at Tsarskoye Selo: proper Russian poetry set to music quite beautifully by Cui; then Tilly taking on the complex and jazz-influenced Sonatina by Kaputin with tremendous flair; Taro brilliant and so poised with Fiocco’s Allegro; Asmee’s wonderfully rich and heartfelt Adagio from de Beriot’s Concerto in A minor; and then Annie, lonely as a cloud…
Wonderful!
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Bridge building competition
This week we became bridge designers! Our young engineers were given £50,000 to spend on materials to create a bridge that would look pretty, allow a marble to run across it, achieve a 20cm span, and hold the largest mass. Careful consideration went into each piece of material purchased which ranged from £2000 for a pair of paperclips to £1000 for an art straw. The strongest bridge was constructed by Alex, Oscar and Arlo, which met all criteria and finally collapsed after it had been subjected to 1500g of iron masses. What’s more, it only cost £26,000 to make! A real bargain!
Challenge - what type of bridge is the Orwell bridge?
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SMC and BMO
My apologies to Molly for my vowel-howler last week - for it was she who earned a silver award in the senior maths challenge! Well done to her!
Meanwhile Saif and Asmee took on the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 on Thursday. If I were to write 'fiendish', I'd barely have given a hint... We wish their solutions well!
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Basketball and End Ball
The Year 9s and 10s took part in inter house Basketball and End Ball competitions. Each house split into a dedicated team for each sport. The Year 10 Basketball competition was something worthy of the NBA. It was clear to see that Willard and Seckford were vying for the trophy after a draw in the first round, showing some impressive skills on the court. It went down to points difference after both houses won their remaining two games, Willard coming out on top. The Year 9 competition was a masterclass of defending from Seckford who didn’t concede a single point on their way to the trophy.
In the End Ball competition, playing rules encourage a fast paced and exciting flowing game. The Year 10 competition saw all games until the last round being won by the odd one or two points, the result of some incredible last-second scores to break the opponents’ hearts. It was another competition which went to points difference, and again Willard took the cup, thanks to one more point scored! The Year 9 competition was another opportunity for Willard to take the plaudits, this time without points difference being a factor, as they won outright.
Well done to all involved in two fantastic, competitive and exciting afternoons of sport.
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Basketball
Year 10
1st Willard
2nd Seckford
3rd Burwell
4th Annott
Year 9
1st Seckford
2nd Burwell
3rd Annott
4th Willard
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End Ball
Year 10
1st Willard
2nd Burwell
3rd Annott
4th Seckford
Year 9
1st Willard
2nd Burwell
3rd Seckford
4th Annott
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Cross Country Trophy for Inters
Woodbridge School Inter Cross Country athletes (Years 10 and 11) won their first silverware of the winter.
With there being very few actual events available due to the pandemic, Suffolk Schools Games put on a virtual cross country competition for all schools, embracing athletes from Year 1 to Year 13.
We understand that over 140 Suffolk schools took part in the competition with over 15,000 runners.
At this stage only the district team results have been published, with trophies presented at this level. Our district is Ipswich and South Suffolk.
Our athletes did us proud and were competitive throughout the age groups. Team results were based on the top five female and top five male combined times.
At senior school level we are please to report we were second in the Year 7 category, second again in Year 8/9 category, and overall team winners in the Year 10/11 category. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that very few Year 11 athletes took part, so the victory was largely secured by athletes a year young.
Congratulations to all age groups and in particular to the winning team:
Inters 4400m:
Henry, Ruby, Jonny, Obi, Edward, Rufus, Isobel, Ada and Lucy all of Year 10, and Amy of Year 11.
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