Category: Woodbridge News
Glorious weather and glorious entertainment! Everything came together perfectly on Open Day, with our pupils and staff at their charming best, and more guests than ever before with us to enjoy the buzz. Mad-cap experiments in science (all perfectly safe – but hugely entertaining); the Seckford Theatre alive with activity; the music school raising its rafters; classrooms and subjects entertaining through inspirational example; the CCF out in force to add excitement – from climbing to zipping, from paintballs to aquatics; sport in all its guises, from introductory fencing sessions to complex manoeuvres on the astro. All rounded off with a delightful afternoon tea. No wonder everyone looked so happy.
Thank you the pupils, and your parents, and the staff as well, for a great day in!
Two Woodbridge School riders have qualified from the Easton College JwS Arena Eventing which took place on Tuesday 27 September.
Ada Marson riding Rolly Rascal in the 70cms.
James Brown riding il Darco G in the 1.10m he was also 4th in the 1m qualifying him for the NSEA Plate Championships at Keysoe.
The course was incredibly long and very testing. In the 70cms, sadly not a single School team completed to qualify and only a few individuals jumped round. Woodbridge had a young team of Alex Ryder-Davies, Olivia Lubbock, Tess Walker and Zoe Newman. This was the Team’s first dip into this level, and despite not completing they all rode well and have learnt a lot for future competitions.
Ada Marson was an Individual as her pony had only just come back into work after injury time out. Ada jumped a clear round to claim her qualification place of 2nd place.
The course continued to cause problems in the 80cms and 90cms with few teams completing.
James Brown and his iL Darco G, who like Ada’s Rolly Rascal had been off some time with injury, came back with a good round in the 1m to take 4th place, and then an accomplished round in the 1.10m to claim 2nd place and his qualification for the Championships.
Again, the Woodbridge riders were able to produce the goods in a very tough competition.
The School now has a superb representation at the NSEA National Champs which take place from Friday 21 October to Monday 24 October, including:
The Dressage team, 80cms Show Jumping Team, Regional Points Show Jumping Team, and Ada Marson and James Brown as individuals in the JwS Arena Eventing.
Talented Suffolk Musician and OW Isabella Pincombe on her performance at Last Night of the Proms.
Pupils were inspired by British rower Simon Dennis MBE at Woodbridge School Speech Day held on Saturday 17 September 2016, when he spoke of the hard work and the pressures involved in elite sport, and how his gold medal represented all the low points and tough training sessions that he overcame along the way. His speech resonated with pupils who were later recognised for their hard work and determination in GCSE and A level exams this summer.
Woodbridge School will be holding its annual Careers Fair on
Saturday 18 November 2o17
10 am to 2pm
The Careers Fair will be open to all Year 10-13 pupils across Suffolk.
The event is free to attend, no registration necessary.
The event will be held at the School Sports Dome, and there will be plenty of free parking available on site.
This event provides an extraordinary opportunity to visit representatives from Higher Education, Trade Institutes, businesses, the Civil Service and organisations offering advice and apprenticeships all under one roof. It is a complete one-stop shop for information for all pupils considering which career path to follow or actively seeking ways in to higher education and employment.
Seminars
· Finance at university – from start to finish: Lincoln University
· Interview skills – from university and beyond: Leeds University
· The Apprenticeship route: Icanbea & The Mason Trust (SCC)
For more information, please visit the Careers Fair facebook page at @WoodbridgeCareersFair2017
Pupils, parents and teachers at Woodbridge School were joined by Olympic champion Simon Dennis MBE as they celebrated an outstanding year of achievements at the school’s annual Speech Day. British rower Simon Dennis MBE, who won a gold medal in the men’s eight at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, was guest of honour at Speech Day on Saturday 17 September.
Simon Dennis inspired pupils as he spoke about the importance of teamwork and how every team member brings something different to the boat. He also spoke of resilience and determination, and how his gold medal represents all the low points and tough training sessions that he had to overcome along the way.
Achievements in academic and extra-curricular activities were also recognised at the Speech Day, with pupils receiving prizes for their successes in drama, music and sports as well as activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Combined Cadet Force, Model United Nations and Young Enterprise. Over the past school year, pupils have participated in a range of drama productions, have performed in more than 60 music concerts and have represented the School at sports on a local, regional and national level.
The Headmaster spoke about creativity and its importance, not just in the classroom, but through sport and extra-curricular activities.
He said “Creativity is part of our defining ethos at Woodbridge School and something that we must continue to harness and cultivate. School is about helping young men and women prepare for life, with good academic results as well as essential skills and attributes like creativity.”
On Saturday, Woodbridge School took two teams to the NSEA Championships Showjumping Qualifier at Bury Farm, Buckinghamshire.
This was a huge experience for most of the riders; none had competed in an International Arena before over a full course of imposing fences.
The Team in the 70cms of Fleur Ludgrove, Perdi Ludgrove, Olivia Lubbock and Ada Marson just missed out on qualifying for the National Championships by coming 3rd overall. However, this did qualify them for the NSEA Plate Championship which takes place at Keysoe Equestrian Centre in Bedfordshire in December.
The 80cms Team of Fleur Ludgrove, Tabitha Wilson-Smith, Rowena Wilson-Smith and Farncesca Aitchison did exceptionally well, producing 4 clear rounds and finishing 2nd overall and qualifying for the Main National NSEA Champs at Addington Arena in October.
On Sunday we attended the Grass Roots Qualifiers at Tendring Hundred Riding Club in Essex.
Out of 5 height classes and teams in each class, Woodbridge gained two team 2nd places, two team Wins and one team 4th, as well as numerous individual placings.
Results of note were Zoe Newman and Rosie Hunter-Blair,who were both making their debut as team members. Both were placed individually, and both took 2nd place in their respective classes.
Overall, all riders rode consistent clear rounds with good times, resulting in our good team scores.
At one point, we had 9 Woodbridge riders walking the course in preparation for their class – quite a sight!
The girls’ hockey season has started with a bang. The Juniors already had a friendly tournament at Orwell Park which provided much to be excited about. Senior hockey matches also got underway this week, with the 1st and 2nd team playing against Langley.
A young 1st team took a while to get used to new structures in defence and applying key principles but eventually found their rhythm. It was an end to end encounter and unfortunately Langley took advantage of a few moments of ill disciple in zonal defence from Woodbridge and put two goals away. Georgia Harrold pulled one goal back for Woodbridge but the numerous other chances were just not too be. There were some very good performances, notably from debutants Mollie Biddle, Flora Johnston and India Lawson. Nicole Buckingham was her consistent self and was awarded Player of the Match. Very pleasing was the improvement and growth shown by every player throughout the match.
The 2nd team provided the highlight of the week when they beat Langley 2nd team convincingly 5-0. Flo Jackson is the early “top goal scorer” for the school, scoring twice from right midfield. Katie Garnett, Ella Jerman-Riddell and Rowena Wilson-Smith were the other scorers in this exciting match. Well done to umpire James Meakin for officiating. And Congratulations to Mr Brous and his team.
John Brett in the EADT Education special today talking about how parents can help their children to settle into the new school year.