February Half Term 2013
Judging by the number of children – and staff – who have been suffering bouts of illness of
various descriptions, the half term break cannot come soon enough. It has been a pretty
miserable few weeks from the weather point of view and our games programme has been
severely disrupted as a result. However, the children do not seem to have minded too
much, if some recent photos of a girls’ run are anything to go by. The look of sheer delight
on their faces as they plodded their way, covered in mud, through the woods, was delightful
to behold.
We are still awaiting some pre-test results for the 4th form children. However, we have had
some good news on the Scholarship front. Daniel Kweon has won a Music Scholarship to
Epsom (emulating the feat of his sister last year); Myung Kyoo Lee and Sam Morris have
both won Music Scholarships to Charterhouse; Alex Evans has won an Art Scholarship to
Hampton. Jack Atherton – we have just heard this news – has won a Cowdrey Sports
Scholarship to Tonbridge. Our congratulations go to all of them.
I hope you all have a wonderful break over the next week. Let’s hope for a massive
improvement in the weather over the second half of term.
With best wishes
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Trip to Wayneflete Tower.
4W were this week extremely fortunate to be offered a glimpse behind the doors of
Wayneflete Tower, one of Esher’s oldest and most significant buildings.
Originally constructed during the 15th Century by William Wayneflete it has at various times
expanded to the proportions of a palace, before these additions were demolished to leave
just the original Gatehouse – which is now a painstakingly and beautifully restored private
house. Previous owners and guests have included Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII , Queen
Mary, Lord Howard of Effingham and Richard Drake (who held Spanish Admirals hostage in
the tower) .
Our guide on Monday was the current owner, Mrs Penny Rainbow, who talked to us for
over an hour about the detail of the building and its famous inhabitants. Our thanks not only
to Mrs Rainbow but to the current tenants of the Tower for allowing us access. It was
fascinating.
The photograph shows pupils of 4W receiving a signed copy of Penny Rainbow’s book about
the property ‘The Tower of Esher’. For the full and fascinating story of this historical local
building visit www.waynefletetower.co.uk.
Here are some of the pupils’ comments:
‘WaynefleteTower is named after the man who commissioned it – William Wayneflete, Bishop of
Winchester. It has a beautiful back garden leading down to the river.’ Tommaso
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‘I loved the spiral staircase that wound round and round. Henry VIII stayed at the Tower during an
epidemic of sweating sickness (similar to the plague).’ Sophie
‘I really enjoyed this visit because I learned a lot about the Tower. Did you know it was the subject
of a ‘Time Team’ television programme investigation a few years ago? They dug trenches around
the tower looking for the walls and evidence of other original buildings – which they found.’
Emanuele
‘I liked the fact that we found out so much about the tower.’ Dylan
‘Famous visitors to Wayneflete Tower have included Queen Elizabeth I, Prime Minister Henry
Pelham and now of course the pupils of 4W.’ Anon
SC
Farm Boy by Michael Morpurgo.
On 4th February 2013, our class, 4W, went to the theatre to see the play Farm Boy. Farm
Boy is a novel written by Michael Morpurgo.
The stage set was very simple with few props for the actors to use. The character of the
grandfather occasionally had flashbacks which were represented by a change of lights. It was
really clever how the actors used a chair as a plough because it was really simple and it let
us imagine what the plough looked like, particularly in the tense farming race.
The actors played different parts at different times. For example the actor who played the
grandson also acted as his own mother, which was very amusing. The fact that the story was
told in conversation was clever because you could picture everything the actors said in your
head.
The acting was superb. Every movement that the grandfather made was slow and limited,
whereas the grandson’s was lively and funny. It was a very clever contrast. The play
opened and closed with the same line, so the story came full circle – almost like the wheels
of a tractor.
Review by Ben Collier, 4W.
1R Assembly
Thursday’s assembly this week saw 1R reading extracts of their favourite books to the
school without revealing the title or author and asking a specially selected panel of ‘experts’,
(Quentin Duff, Margherita Forni and Timmy Lee!) to identify which text the extract was
from.
1R enjoyed choosing their books and it made them think about what makes a book
memorable. Despite their initial stage fright, all of the children read very well and Lia
Tzouves commented, ‘I was nervous but I felt proud when I had said my piece!’ Well done
1R!
NR
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Art and ICT "Shoes Exhibition" at Williams in Claygate
The Art and ICT departments together with 'Williams of Claygate’ are proud to announce
the third "Shoe Exhibition" is currently on display in the village. Please do drop in over Half
Term to see some of the children's latest art works including pieces by U6, L6B, 3B, 2S, 2G,
1S and 1R. The prize winners for this exhibition will be announced in assembly after Half
Term.
Well done to all those artists who have been selected this time!
TB
House Charities
House Competition standings at half-term:
Points
Top scorers this term so far
Blue House
6063
Josh Huxtable, William Enskat, Seoho Ahn
Green House
5579
Emma Lea, Dylan Dejahang, Hadley Rousseau
Amber House
5331
Ben Pethybridge, Diya Dhawan, Jeremy Mariani
Red House
4976
Kasper Lootens, Aryan Solanki, Angelina Kim
PDA
Shabbat
Year 1 learnt about the importance of Shabbat last Friday, the seventh day of
the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. The children enjoyed sipping
grape juice and tasting Challah bread in a candle lit atmosphere with music and
songs in the background. Video clips gave an insight into the traditions
associated with this holy day and its importance as a time to talk and celebrate
with the family. The children made connections with their own experiences and how they
spend their Sundays. Sunday roasts together and time with family and friends were the most
popular responses as well as visits to church or to see relatives.
We also invited Ben from Year 2 and his Mummy, Mrs Clarke, to our classroom on Monday
morning to speak with us. Ben brought in some props such as, the Torah, Kiddush cup, and
a Mother figure in traditional dress welcoming in the Shabbat. The children listened closely,
showed their knowledge and asked some good questions. Thanks to Ben and Mrs Clarke for
sharing their expertise.
SJ
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Creativity in the Classroom
In the Pre-Prep we are always using props on a daily basis as an essential teaching tool and
Year 1 has been learning different ways to generate story ideas over the past weeks. They
have become particularly good at ‘story circles’ and playing ‘story dice’. The children really
enjoy using props which fire their imaginations. This week we used an extremely effective
prop, ‘magic spectacles’, to create a story. Afterwards the children worked in pairs to
create their own storyboards. Following on from these activities they designed and made
their own magic spectacles. Using props not only makes lessons stimulating to the eye and
mind but more memorable.
SJ
Rugby
1st XV
The 1st XV have played in two fixtures this term against Chinthurst and Ripley Court. The
first match was Chinthurst, which was a tough encounter, and we narrowly lost the game
after earning a commanding lead, with Jack Atherton scoring five fabulous solo efforts.
Chinthurst to their credit came back at Milbourne in the second half and deservedly scored
in the last minute of the game to win the match. Both players and coaches were
disappointed with the final performance and the amount of tackles missed. Final score,
Milbourne 35, Chinthurst 38.
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Next up was Ripley Court. Milbourne started off rather slowly and found themselves a try
down very quickly but they managed to regroup and after some good team play they set
Jack Atherton up to score a couple of quick tries, leaving a host of defenders in his trail.
The second half was a much more all-round team effort with Hamish Coleman and George
Montorio-Veronese getting on the score sheet and with Milbourne starting to build phases
of play, keeping and using the ball far better. Milbourne ran out winners 40–19. A special
mention must go to Edward Read and Daniel Kweon who both worked tirelessly
throughout the match.
Looking ahead to after half term there is a lot to improve on, but there has definitely been
some progress. We look forward to competing in the upcoming 7s tournaments where you
never know what might happen if the boys continue to improve and commit.
RK
U10’s
Prior to half term, the U10A's have played three matches and pleasingly remain unbeaten.
The first of these was away against the Hall School, Wimbledon and here we prevailed 40-0
with Luke Markham doing particularly well. Then we travelled to Rokeby and came away
with a highly creditable 15-15 draw, Benji Tozer and Anton McGroarty scoring the tries.
Our final match saw us host Ripley Court in pretty chilly conditions. The 40-15 score line
reflected another good performance, typified by the efforts of Harry Finlay-Brothers and
debutant Ella Nigrelli.
All in all, the age group is progressing nicely and can look forward with optimism to the
fixtures after half term.
JS
After a somewhat woeful display on Tuesday at Rokeby, the U10B rugby team was
transformed overnight by Mr Smalley into an organized, cohesive and determined unit who
were able to see off the challenge of Ripley Court by 20-15, Arvind Panesar and Nathaniel
Reilly among the try scorers. A meteoric rise in the standard of their play which bodes well
for the future.
PDA
U9’s
The U9 team have managed to squeeze in a couple of rugby matches this term around the
snow and waterlogged pitches. First up was Danes Hill. The boys fought valiantly and
scored a couple of great tries but unfortunately lost the match 6–2. Rocco Frame made
some fantastic tackles and Nat Woolaghan scored a couple of lovely running tries. Next up
were Ripley Court and again the boys put tremendous amounts of effort into the game but
unfortunately were on the wrong end of a 5–1 score line. The match was a lot closer than
the score line suggests and there were good performances from Dylan Trinkler and Sam
Baker. The ‘B’ teams have also played well in both matches, most recently against Ripley
Court narrowly losing 6–7, with Sam Irving playing particularly well.
This season the U9s, amongst other teams in the school, have had to learn quickly that if we
do not make our tackles we will lose matches no matter what we do with the ball.
However, there are lots of positives and much to work and improve upon.
RK
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U8’s
The U8 boys have enjoyed the most rugby fixtures of all the Milbourne teams this half of
term, the non contact version of the game being the only form able to be played during the
recent bout of inclement weather. They have played well and the results have reflected the
huge amount of commitment and enjoyment had by all. The results have all been close, only
being separated by at most two tries.
Lanesborough was a tough series of matches early in February. The ‘A’ team narrowly lost
to a strong opposition that subsequently qualified two days later for the national
competition. Well done to all the boys who fought hard to achieve such a fantastic result.
Last week two U8 teams hosted Ripley Court. Both teams showed great spirit on a cold
afternoon and ran out victorious in both games. The season closes after half term with an
away trip to St George’s, Windsor on the 22nd March.
DP
Hockey
U10’s
The U10 girls have had a challenging start to their Hockey season this term. After their
fantastic win against Claremont Fan Court in their first match, they faced some very tough
competition in their second match playing against CLFS. The girls worked hard in a
challenging game however they struggled to find the back of the goal and were unfortunately
defeated in their first match since joining the school.
Following this they played their first home match against Feltonfleet. The first half of the
game proved very demanding and the girls had to work hard to defend their end of the
pitch. Unfortunately by half time they were losing 3-0. After a quick talk and some tactical
changes their performance improved hugely. Despite losing the game 4-1 by the final
whistle, the girls learnt a few lessons in tactics and positioning which I hope they will apply
in their future matches.
U9’s
The U9 girls have taken to the hockey pitch with great enthusiasm and determination this
term. They have worked hard in training and had the chance to test their skills when they
played their first match against CLFS. All of the girls demonstrated their fantastic team work
as they earned themselves a much deserved first win, 8-1.
They played their second match against Feltonfleet in yet another exciting and fast moving
game, earning themselves another victory, 6-0. Their final game of this half term was played
against Ripley Court. Excited from their previous wins the girls departed for the match
positive and incredibly animated. The school mini bus danced as the girls sung their way to
Ripley Court and despite a broken stick (due to the enthusiastic playing of Emma Lea) and a
muddy pitch the Milbourne girls battled through to take another fantastic win 10-1. Well
done girls. A great half term and a wonderful total of twenty-four goals scored so far.
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U8’s
The U8 girls have also enjoyed a number of exciting matches this half term. Their regular
practice alongside the U9 and U10 girls has seen their confidence grow quickly. As a result
the girls have taken to their fixtures with great determination. The U8’s played their first
match against Feltonfleet and worked hard to earn themselves a 3-0 win. In their second
game of the season they played against CLFS. Working well and pushing themselves forward
with a strong attack they managed another win of 5-0. In their third match of the season
they played against Ripley Court in what proved to be another interesting and successful
game.
LC
Parking
Always a problem, but recently our neighbours across the road at The Church of the Holy
Name have had to complain a number of times. Their concern, quite rightly, is that if cars
park across the entrance to the church driveway it makes it extremely difficult for them to
safely exit their premises and it would also be virtually impossible for any emergency
services to access. Increasing number of parents are apparently driving into the church car
park, some even removing the chain to do so and, on a few occasions, have been verbally
abusive to church staff. Others are pulling into residents’ driveways and then reversing out
in a dangerous manner.
Thoughtless parking is not only dangerous for our children but it also damages
the school’s reputation with the local residents. Parents therefore must not
drive or park beyond the entrance to the church nor park on church premises at
any time.
Assurance of Food chain Traceability within Myers Catering Ltd
Following the recent controversy surrounding horse meat in processed food we contacted
our caterers for reassurances about the meat that they supply to us in the school lunches
and they have told us the following:
“I would like to assure the school and its parents that we have assurances from our suppliers
Hunt’s Food Service based in Sherborne, Dorset. All their beef products are purchased from UK
and Irish sources and arrive into their butchery in their primal form. Hunt’s do not purchase
processed meats for its butchery use. I do hope that this puts minds at rest amongst the ongoing
scandal currently in the news spotlight.”
Red Sweatshirts
As I’m sure you are already aware, red sweatshirts are being phased out as items of school
uniform. There are now only a handful of children wearing them and so it would be much
appreciated if these could be replaced with the regulation school grey jumper as soon as
possible. Thank you for your co-operation.
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Friday 15th February – Half Term (starts at end of normal school day)
Tuesday 26th March – L6A Parents’ Evening
Monday 4th to Thursday 7th March– M6 CE Mock Exams
Thursday 7th March – L6B Parents’ Evening
Thursday 21st March – Spring Concert, Holy Trinity Church, Claygate
Wednesday 27th March – End of Term
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