General News Archives - Page 9 of 15

I wanted to write to you to say that I am thinking of you today on what would have been your last day with us before you departed for exams. A year ago when I spoke to the Leavers of 2019, I never for a moment imagined the situation we would find ourselves in today. Over your time with us, you will have absorbed not only information, knowledge and skills but most importantly Woodbridge School’s values, culture and history. Take that experience and use it to make a difference in the world. We have seen in the last few months since lockdown the need for real intelligent adaptability. My hope for you is that you will harness your education from Woodbridge, your creativity, your courage, your voice, to make a difference to the world you are about to step into.

As a year group, staff have always been struck by your unity – how cohesive and supportive you are of one another. You have been a real beacon to your peers in the younger years and there will be a void to fill with your departure. I wish I could have thanked you for being such a brilliant year group in person; as an alternative I have created a short clip below to add some thoughts instead.

You will forever be the class that forged a new way forward. In these uncertain times I have every faith in stepping out of these hard times because of you.

With all best wishes,

Miss Norman

Ensemble performance is impossible in the current lockdown, but with the expertise of Mr Shepherd and the editing skills of Mr Turner we have managed to combine Swing Band in to the toe-tapping jazz ensemble that we all know and love.

Mr Shepherd came up with the idea and developed the arrangement. He also meticulously contacted all members of the band helping them to perfect their parts and explaining how to go about producing a recording to a click track. Slowly but surely the parts started to come in and Mr Turner set to work!

The finished result is superb and is summed up perfectly in Mr Shepherd’s post to members of Swing Band: “You have all played your parts so well, resulting in a stunning performance and something to be proud of. I hope it will become a treasured memory for you all of this highly unusual situation.”

Let’s see what Paul Simon makes of it!

It is with sadness that we learned of the death of Margaret Tielman-Ward (formerly Margaret Woodrow); a popular teacher of Art and Textiles at Woodbridge School between 1975 and 1982. Former pupils will remember her as ‘Mrs. Woodrow’, working alongside Mr. Purvis in the Art Department. Her sons, James and Patrick, were pupils at Woodbridge at around the same time.

Margaret trained at Ipswich Art School under lecturer and renowned painter Colin Moss, and graduated in 1953 with a National Diploma in Design (NDD). She was recognised as a talented student, and went on to obtain her Art Teachers Diploma (ATD) in Brighton before embarking upon a career in teaching.

Margaret’s children fondly recall their living room floor being scattered with Woodbridge School pupils’ drawings and paintings, while she engaged in marathon marking sessions. It was at this time that she organised the creation of a huge classroom patchwork representing the life of St. Francis of Assisi. For this, she embroidered and appliqued a central panel depicting the saint, and her pupils embroidered individual squares decorated with birds, animals and flowers to place around him. The finished piece, in all its glory, was on display at the School for quite some time.

Margaret had a rich and varied life, of which teaching at Woodbridge was only a part. Married three times, her first husband, artist and lecturer Ian Woodrow, was father to her children, Katherine, James and Patrick. Marriage number two was to Geert Tielman, a Dutch ex-merchant navy man with whom she moved to Groningen in the north of Holland and lived on a houseboat. During this period she became a confident Dutch speaker and cook, and came close to living out a girlhood dream to live in a gypsy caravan (the houseboat providing a watery substitute). Her third marriage was to local stonemason John Green, whom she’d known at Ipswich Art School, though they later divorced.

In the 1990s, Margaret returned to the UK with Geert, and moved into a cottage in Bawdsey. After Geert’s death in 1995, Margaret kept busy teaching overseas students at Bawdsey Manor, and relocated to Alderton, where she created a lovely garden. During this time, she was delighted to welcome two grandchildren, Kathy’s twins Oliver and William.

Margaret was incredibly self-motivated, with a strong creative impetus. She drew, painted and worked with fabrics throughout her life, undeterred by pressures of motherhood or even the squeeze of life on a houseboat. An extremely gifted and sensitive portrait artist, Margaret also painted landscapes and street scenes depicting, for example, the kerbside encounters of folk in Alderton.

She was certainly enterprising, turning her paintings of ferryboats and crabbing on Bawdsey jetty into postcards, which were sold in the hut there. In later years, Margaret was also inspired by a vision of secure family and childhood, and this led her to design ‘Caring Cats’, a series of detailed black and white greetings cards which illustrated the warm hurly burly of family life as enacted by clothed cats.

She was undaunted by big brands, and when she created Toly’s Puzzle-Tex Teddy Collection, a series of teddy bear applique kits, for a Dutch manufacturer, she thought nothing of approaching John Lewis’ flagship Oxford Street store, where her handwritten letter, some samples and one interview were sufficient to persuade a lead buyer to stock and sell them. Her sincere belief in the benefits for children of stitching and gluing her applique pictures, and then enjoying stroking the soft, furry, dressed teddy characters, won her this contract over competition from seasoned, professional suppliers.

Margaret moved into Wilding Court in Woodbridge in 2004, where she continued to create and engaged happily in Court life. In the past year she was also a popular member of Seckford Day Club, which she very much enjoyed attending.

She died on 22^nd April 2020, at the grand old age of 87, with a message, by way of legacy, that you can express your gift at all times and not let life get in the way.

Her loss is deeply felt, while her life is celebrated.

Our LAMDA students received a staggering set of results from their March exams. 41/42 were awarded a Distinction. We couldn’t be more proud of all the students and Mrs Lockwood, Ms Franklin and Mrs Robinson.

Year 7-9

Phoebe, Zhou, Nancy, Mae, Archie, Esme, William, Milo, Ruiying, Charlotte, Rufus, Lala, Georgia, Justin, Indie, Jame, Charlotte, Oliver, Ariana, Caitlyn, Isobel, Oliver, Poppy, Sasha, Alexander, Eloise, Alice and Harry.

Year 10- 13

Kia, Lakisha, Sophie G, Sophie H, Bea, Ruben, Julia, Guy, Tom, Olly , Ella, Gaia, Luke and Emily

James Harper, (third from left, back row) with some Woodbridge Scouts

James joined Woodbridge School in 1968 and retired in 1992 as Deputy Head. He taught French and Latin, and in the 1980s he became Housemaster of the VI^thform boys’ house.

James was born in south London but was evacuated to Devon at the start of the war. For a time he attended Bideford Grammar School, and then returned to Bromley Grammar School before national service in the Royal Air Force. In retirement he employed his renowned mastery of detail by re-ordering the library at the RAF Club in Pall Mall. After leaving the RAF James worked as a civil servant reaching the rank of Principal (now Team Leader) before he felt a strong vocation to teach. During his time in the civil service he had been awarded a PhD in early French language and philosophy at Birkbeck University, and in 1966 was appointed by Woodbridge School Headmaster John Rolland to teach French.

James taught languages to a high level but equally enjoyed a strong commitment to School’s Scout Troop and a passion for photography. In his approach to school life James exemplified Scouting’s key values of integrity, respect, care and belief. Since his death many former pupils have spoken warmly of the support he gave them through the scouting movement, and the influence it had on their career choice.

Former teaching colleagues recall his insistence on punctuality and the high professional standards. Detail was important. He is remembered with great affection by those who knew him in his later years, not least for his charming conversation, his immaculate sartorial style and his love of classical music. Ros Kamaryc, who was appointed as a co-Deputy Head and who worked closely with James in his final years at Woodbridge commented that “James had a mischievous sense of humour as well as a sharp wit. His speech was crisp and precise, but this belied an inner warmth and genuine kindness. James was one of a kind and it was a privilege to work with him and to learn from him – I was very fond of him.”

James was a committed Christian with a strong faith. When he left Woodbridge School he was asked by the Archbishop of Papua New Guinea to work in education ministry in the country. After four years he returned to Woodbridge, was appointed an Elder and server at St Mary’s Church, and regularly led services for the residents of the (then) Seckford Almshouses.

James died on 15 April from Covid-19, after living with dementia for several years. Retired Headmaster Stephen Cole and former School House Housemaster Tony Waller, coincidentally both fellow Elders at St Mary’s, attended the very small funeral in Nacton. Stephen added “ Sadly the coronavirus that ended James’ life also prevented him having the funeral that he had wanted, and it is hoped that a memorial service/requiem will be held at St Mary’s when that is possible. I arrived a couple of years after James’ retirement, but his reputation as a meticulous deputy with high expectation was still legendary. Through his strong faith he recognised the concept of servant leadership, and Woodbridge pupils were richer for the loyal commitment he showed in his quarter of a century at the school.”

Following on from my letter of last week, the Government has now clarified the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.

That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend. As you know, staff have been extremely busy, and will remain so, providing education remotely for those children with us who are working from home.

As Head, I am asking for your assistance and help in adhering to the Government guidelines.

Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.

If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision. I have attached advice from the Government which outlines the categories for key workers:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Nicola Mitchell and I have already received some contact from parents who fall into the above categories for key workers. If you have not done so then please can you email me by 3pm today so that we can support those in our care. We will only be able to assist those who have made themselves known to us by this time.

Later on this afternoon, Mrs Mitchell and I will be in touch with those who have registered to confirm what support will be in place next week.

Further to the Government announcement concerning school closures I write to confirm that Woodbridge School will move fully to remote learning with effect from Monday 23 March until further notice. More detailed information will be issued by Mr Hayward-Bradley and Mrs Mitchell in the next 24 hours in relation to the specifics of how this will work for both the Senior and Prep schools.

If you are employed as a key worker, as defined by the Government, and will struggle to find childcare in order that you can attend work please contact me as soon as possible.

Senior School

Thursday 19 March will be our last teaching day in school with buses departing at 4.15pm.
Friday 20 March will be a dedicated planning and training day for all teaching staff. Students will be able to work from home to familiarise themselves with the remote learning platforms and bringing themselves up to date with any work outstanding.
Timetabled lessons for students will therefore commence online on Monday 23 March.

All public examinations have been cancelled in May and June 2020 and we will update you with further information relating to this as it comes through. I realise how distressing and unsettling this will be for our community who have been working so hard in preparation. I will ensure that I make it a priority to share with you information pertaining to this as it is made available to me.

Prep School

Thursday 19 March will be our last teaching day in School with buses departing at 4.15pm.
A separate communication will follow from Mrs Mitchell with regards to the detail of the remote learning arrangements.

As you can appreciate, the last four weeks have been a challenge and so I would like to thank personally the many families who have made contact to express their gratitude and support of our staff at this difficult time. We remain grateful for your ongoing support and I am highly proud of our community in its entirety. Pastoral care is at the heart of all that we do at Woodbridge School and I absolutely will be working with staff to ensure that this extends to remote learning.

If this tumultuous period has taught us anything it is that communities such as ours will come together in strength and face with courage and positivity whatever comes our way. The Woodbridge School virtual community is no different and will remain dedicated to educating our children until the real doors of the School can be opened again.

Ms Norman
Head

Since my last communication and the government announcement on Friday, a number of pupils and families have taken the precaution to self isolate following an assessment of their symptoms. We are dynamically risk assessing each case and the risk of exposure to our wider community and can confirm that to date there are no tested confirmed cases. As a community, we are sending our thoughts to those affected during this difficult time. I am most grateful indeed to all those who are using the parent portal to update us on their respective situations as this is an essential way for us to communicate, remain aware and inform our planning.

This week, both the Prep and the Senior School will be setting in motion a ‘Remote Learning Trial’. This is in preparation for any school closure, should this occur, and to therefore ensure continuity of education:

Senior School

On Tuesday (17 March), Year 12 will have a remote learning trial day, but this will take place in school. On Tuesday evening, there will be no after school activities and no prep. Instead, there will be a Senior School remote learning trial evening from 7:00pm – 8:30pm. More information will follow about this including detail of what is being shared with pupils today.

Prep School

Mrs Mitchell will be in contact with regards to plans.

May I also ask all parents to have a plan in place for the possibility of your child being sent home due to illness. If you are not able to collect your child in person then you must have somebody on standby (not aged 70 or above) who will be able to do this for you in your absence.

Please find attached an updated list of events that have been postponed and/or cancelled. As previously advised, all sporting fixtures have now been postponed for the remainder of the term. Individual emails will be issued with regards to events where payment is a factor.

I appreciate that this is a worrying time for everyone but please be assured that the School is being proactive in its approach for every eventuality and, as a community, will support you as much as we can. You are not alone. If you have any concerns or queries then please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.

I shall be in touch again this week with further updates as they come through.

Shona Norman
Head

It’s been a busy few weeks for the newly formed CCF Signals Section.

On 7 February nine cadets drawn from across all three sections took their Radio User Assessment: this required the cadets to take three online assessments in the space of 2½ hours, scoring at least 70% in each to pass… they all did!

After this, Cpl Edward went to the home of the Royal Signals at Blandford, Dorset to take a one week course to fully qualify himself as a signaller. At its conclusion it was announced that Edward was the top student on the course: many congratulations to him on this excellent result.

After this success, Edward went straight into teaching the team that had been selected to take part in the National Signals Competition, Exercise Rolling Thunder.

This competition is hotly contested by signals units from all over the UK, with sixteen teams coming from as far away as Scotland and Northern Ireland to compete.

Our team, consisting of Cpl Edward (*centre*), Cpl Toby, AB Josh, OC Tim and OC George

Our team, consisting of Cpl Edward, Cpl Toby, AB Josh, OC Tim and OC George, put their minds to the task with gusto and after a 5½ hour drive from school to Dorset they prepared themselves for a competition none had ever thought they would be in.

At the end of an exciting day Woodbridge School CCF came 5^th overall, beating teams with much more qualified cadets in them, and in the Teamwork section of the competition the boys were awarded Bronze Medals.

Overall the cadets have shown that Woodbridge School is a force to be reckoned with; the organizing staff have said they look forward to seeing us at the competition again next year!

I wanted to give you all an update on the situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus. We are following advice and guidance from Public Health England (PHE) and the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) as it is released to protect Woodbridge School as best as possible. At the moment, the Chief Medical Officer has described the risk to the UK as low.

As you are no doubt aware, the Government has updated its Coronavirus guidance which now includes Italy and the information can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

If you have returned from these specific areas since 19 February please make us immediately aware:

Iran
Specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy as designated by the Government of Italy (see attached map)
Special care zones in South Korea as designated by the Government of the Republic of South Korea
Hubei province (returned in the past 14 days)

We will discuss the next steps with you in terms of school attendance and the advice from the Government is that you should call NHS 111, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have symptoms.

If you have returned from the following areas since 19 February and develop symptoms, however mild, you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately and call NHS 111:

Northern Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini),
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Myanmar

If you have a cough, or fever or shortness of breath and have visited any of the following areas in the last 14 days

China
Thailand
Japan
Republic of Korea
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Singapore
Malaysia
Macau

Stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of your recent travel to the city.

As news of the virus continues to change dynamically I will keep you updated as to how it affects our school.

Woodbridge School has put in place some precautionary measures to minimise the potential spread of the infection:

We have postponed visits from prospective parents, agents and pupils from China and any affected countries until further notice.
All students from affected countries have been instructed not to travel over the February half term but stay with their local guardians and host families.
We have also placed restrictions on all other visits to and from affected areas, including those by staff.
If a parent or carer still decides to require their child to travel, anyone returning from China will be required to spend a period of 14 days in the UK before returning to school, and will self isolate during this time.

It is highly likely that restrictions will still be in place at Easter, and everyone must now plan for that eventuality. We will keep you informed of further developments and should the virus begin to spread within the UK, this guidance will be updated in accordance with the Chief Medical Officers’ requirements.

The whole of Woodbridge school community is being fully supportive of those with family and friends in affected areas and we are well aware of the significant burden of any restrictions that the School makes. Please be assured that the health and welfare of each and every member of our community is our primary concern.

I am extremely grateful for your ongoing support and engagement at this difficult time. I shall continue to update you as the situation develops.

Best wishes,

Miss Shona Norman

Head

Woodbridge School Prep pupils have helped to revive a centuries-old custom at St Mary’s Church – the distribution of loaves on Candlemas Day (2 February) in accordance with the Will of George Carlow.

So who was he?

Within the precincts of the Bull Hotel in Woodbridge there is a quiet garden with an ancient tomb. Here, George Carlow, a former owner of the Bull, was laid to rest two hundred years ago. He belonged to a Christian sect called the Separate Congregation, who kept the Sabbath on Saturday. Rather than be buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Carlow had a tomb built for himself in the hotel’s garden.

Carlow died on 2 March 1738, leaving a Will stipulating that the Rector and churchwardens of St Mary’s Parish Church ‘shall and do yearly and every year for ever after my decease give and distribute twenty shillings worth of good wheaten bread at, or upon, the said tomb on the second day of February, commonly called Candlemas, except when it is a Saturday …’ Similar instructions were also inscribed on his tomb, and were followed for many years. The custom was revived in 1867 and continued unbroken until recently, when the tomb became part of a private property.

The Revd Canon McCormack blessing the rolls

And so it was with great joy that on Candlemas Day this year, the Rector of St Mary’s, the Revd Canon Kevan McCormack, and his two churchwardens were able to reinstate Carlow’s Dole, thanks to the hospitality of the Bull’s current proprietors, David and Sarah Clarke. They allowed the ceremony to take place in what is known as ‘Carlow’s Room’, and a group of children from Woodbridge School Prep were invited to take part . After telling the story of Carlow’s Dole, the Rector blessed the loaves, and with the churchwardens distributed them to the children. ‘So how much would twenty shillings be worth now?’ asked the Rector. The children quickly rose to the challenge – it helped that many of them were from the Maths group – and correctly calculated the present-day value to around £200.

The loaves, donated by Peter Wright of The Cake Shop, were made even more appetising when Mr and Mrs Clarke generously provided butter and jam (or marmite) and glasses of orange juice. One of the children gave a heartfelt vote of thanks, followed by uproarious general applause.

May George Carlow’s tradition long continue!