Category: Prep News
What a fantastic day Year 3 had at Ringsfield Eco Centre last Friday. They arrive to find ancient pendants hanging from the trees. After travelling back in time, through the vortex they were greeted by Ar and Om who had been expelled from their village after allowing the fire to go out.
Relieved to find a new tribe willing to help them they escorted us back to their home in the woods where they showed us how to blow on the embers to relight the fire. They taught ancient skills of weapon making, shelter building, making paints and cooking and foraging. Having ground flour from seeds we all made Stone Age bread and cooked it in the embers on green 5ticks.
After a hunting game and foraging for berries we returned, via the vortex, to 2017. Smelling of smoke and exhausted many children fell asleep on the coach dreaming of Ar and Om.
Pupil Oliver Laxton delighted an audience of Abbey staff and pupils last week as he and a number of other Year 6 pupils performed Oliver’s own play, “We’re History”. Oliver wrote the play himself, an outstanding achievement, and was delighted to see it brought to life by his friends.
Here Oliver describes this is his own words;
On Wednesday 15 March, a most spectacular event was held in the hall at 9.30!
Oliver Laxton and his merry cast of 15 had set to work a month earlier, to perform a historical play which Oliver himself had written! The play, appropriately named ‘We’re History’ was a 45 minute long portrayal of historical comedy, including make-shift meat, furry crowns, fat alcoholic kings and a battle axe/guitar, ending with a finale of Elvis Presley,David Bowie, and Michael Jackson, and finishing with ‘We are the Champions’ by Queen. The Cast were literal ‘starmen’. It was an absolute ‘thriller’ and we were left ‘doggedly’ begging for more!
Huge Congratulations to Oliver; To write a play whilst in Year 6 is a fantastic achievement, and even more special when it is brought to life on the stage.
Congratulations to our Abbey and Senior School pupils who have won an outstanding number of accolades at the Sudbury Festival of the performing arts. The results are as follows;
VERSE SPEAKING
Commended certificates were awarded to:-
Rosie Stennett, James Maggs, Polly Scoggins, Beatrice Liddy, Tilly Houchell, Nina Chapman, James Blackmore, Oliver Laxton, Isla Richardson, Evelyn Saunders, Caitlin Maggs, Alice Sharratt.
Distinction certificates were awarded to :-
Ruby Field, Amora Minhas, Chloe Macmillan, Amy Thornley, Eleanor Parsons, Imogen Melrose, Oliver Reid.
Outstanding certificates were awarded to :-
Sasha Reid, Alexander Sharratt.
Third Place in their age group – Ruby Field
Second Place in their age group – Chloe Macmillan, Eleanor Parsons, Oliver Reid
First Place in their age group – Sasha Reid, Amy Thornley, Imogen Melrose, Alexander Sharratt.
PROSE READING
Merit and Commended certificates were awarded to :-
Amora Minhas, Ruby Field, Evelyn Saunders, Caitlyn Maggs, Chloe Macmillan, Amy Thornley, Polly Scoggins, Beatrice Liddy, Eleanor Parsons, Alexander Sharratt, Oliver Reid.
Distinction Certificates were awarded to :-
Sasha Reid, Alice Sharratt,
Outstanding Certificates were awarded to :-
Oliver Laxton, Imogen Melrose.
Second Place in their age group – Alice Sharratt
First Place in their age group – Sasha Reid, Oliver Laxton, Imogen Melrose, Oliver Reid.
SOLO ACTING
Merit and Commended certificates were awarded to:-
Alexander Sharratt, James Blackmore, Polly Scoggins.
Distinction Certificates were awarded to:-
Sasha Reid, Caitlyn Maggs, Chloe Macmillan, Oliver Laxton, Alice Sharratt.
Third place in their age group – Oliver Laxton, Caitlyn Maggs
Second Place in their age group – Sasha Reid, Alice Sharratt, Chloe Macmillan.
DUOLOGUE ACTING
Tilly Houchell & Ruby Field – Merit
Lily Cook & Sasha Reid – 1st Place Distinction.
DUOLOGUE POEM
Fergus Gathorne-Hardy & James Blackmore – 3rd Place Commended.
Rose Jackson & Beatrice Liddy – Commended.
Amy Thornley & Polly Scoggins – 3rd Place Distinction.
Lily Cook & Sasha Reid – 1st Place Distinction.
SOLO MIME
Merit and Commended Certificates awarded to:-
Evelyn Saunders, Caitlyn Maggs, Chloe Macmillan.
Second Place in their age group – Chloe Macmillan.
SPEAKERS’ CORNER
James Maggs – 2nd Place Merit.
Evelyn Saunders – 1st Place Merit.
BIBLE READING
Isla Richardson – 3rd Place Commended
Alice Sharratt – 2nd Place Distinction
Oliver Laxton – !st Place Distinction.
Alexander Sharratt – 1st Place Commended.
SIGHT READING
Amy Thornley – 2nd Place Commended.
Alice Sharratt – 1st Place Distinction.
Alexander Sharratt – 1st Place Distinction.
SHAKESPEARE
Commended Certificates awarded to:-
James Maggs, Chloe Macmillan, Isla Richardson, Oliver Reid.
Distinction Certificates awarded to:-
Oliver Laxton, Alexander Sharratt.
Third Place in their age group – Chloe Macmillan, Alexander Sharratt.
Second Place in their age group – Isla Richardson.
First place in their age group – Oliver Laxton.
MUSIC AND SINGING
Unaccompanied Folk song 1st place with Distinction – Chloe Macmillan
Set piece 2nd place Commended – Chloe Macmillan
Song from the shows Commended – Chloe Macmillan
Saxophone grade 1 2nd place Commended – Chloe Macmillan
AWARDS
Sudbury Newstalk award for Junior Prose Reading – Oliver Laxton.
Sudbury Newstalk award for Senior Prose Reading – Imogen Melrose.
Sheila Kiddy Award for Most Promising Junior – Alice Sharratt.
Wardale Williams Cup for Excellence – Alexander Sharratt.
Palmer Thomas Award for Bible Reading – Oliver Laxton.
Patricia Brindley Trophy for Duologue Verse Speaking – Sasha Reid & Lily Cook.
JUNIOR CHAMPION – SASHA REID
SENIOR CHAMPION – ALEXANDER SHARRATT
When we arrived at Framlingham College we were very excited. Our first match was against Langley Prep. The final score was 1 -1. It was a very exciting match as we were 1 – 0 down when the whistle blew, but luckily were awarded a short corner just as the whistle blew and had to take it. We scored to draw the match.
Our next match was against Beeston Hall. Although we lost 2 – 0 the whole team worked extremely hard and we felt that we were unlucky not to have got more from the game.
Our third match was against South Lee. We needed to beat them to have a chance of making it into the final of the tournament, but unfortunately after a very close match we lost 1 – 0.
Although we knew we couldn’t get into the final, we were determined to give a good performance in our final match, against Ipswich High School. With everybody working really hard, we came away with a 2 – 0 victory. It was a great way to end the tournament.
The whole team really enjoyed the experience and learned lots for the matches ahead.
By Charlotte Hattan
Woodbridge School hosted the East Anglian Preparatory Schools’ Cross Country Championships for the 3rd time keen to continue with their recent successes over recent years. The weather was far from kind but at least brightened up as we approached the later races.
The Under 10 races started proceedings with many of the runners in their first race for the school. Georgie Phillips (12th) finished as the top Woodbridge runner but consistent runs from Sophia Waterer (15th), Rosie Hunter Blair (16th) and Charlotte Hattan (24th) secured a runner up position to Kimbolton.
The Under 10 Boys highlight were three top 10 finishes with Henry Vincent claiming a gold medal with his win, Luca Di Paola finishing 5th and Jonjo Walker (10th). James Hattan (22nd) played a great supporting role as Woodbridge were pipped by 2 points to lose out to Kimbolton and therefore claim another team runner up position.
The Under 11 Girls’ event was a very competitive affair with a number of schools vying for the team award. Ruby Vinton blasted the competition away with a great victory and gold medal and after runs by Ada Marson (18th) and Maddie Buchanan (20th), Woodbridge were hoping for a top 3 finish. Unfortunately Kimbolton had secured the team win and both Norwich School and Town Close were close on their tail.
The Under 11 Boys had three Woodbridge top 10 finishes with Ed Buckingham having a great run to finish in silver position with great team support from George Na Nakhorn (7th), Tommy Burrows (8th) and Josh Turner. Their teamwork ended in a victory for the Under 11 Boys’ team with Norwich in 2nd place.
The Under 12 Boys and Girls had fantastic races and were both crowned team winners which was a great achievement. The boys narrowly pipped Ipswich School by 1 point and the girls Gresham’s by 2 points. Amy Goddard led from the start in the girls’ race and deservedly took gold with Anna Jackson (7th), Ella Pitt (13th) and Lucy Clare (15th) giving the team a great score. The boys had Henry Dinwiddy taking silver and Ed Rufford (4th), Tom Martin (11th) and Sam Bolus (19th ) combining to ensure an Under 12 team clean sweep.
The Under 13 Girls’ team performed very well with their altered team which showed great strength in depth after many runners were unavailable for selection due to other sporting interests. All three girls came in with top 10 finishes with Bea Thomas (5th), Emily Whyte (9th) and Cecily Royal-Dawson (10th). Unfortunately only a team 3rd despite their runs with St Felix and Ipswich pipping them by a few points.
The Under 13 Boys were the favourites at the start, following their win earlier in the year to become National Champions. The boys did not disappoint and left the opposition in their wake. All four athletes finished within the top 7 with Charlie Turner and George Wharam finishing joint first and Kit Evans Lombe right behind them to take the bronze medal. Tom Harper in 7th rounded off an excellent team performance and the end of the Championships.
These great results placed Woodbridge well throughout and showed how strong Cross Country is becoming at Woodbridge under Mark Goddard’s tutelage. With great plans ahead to develop upon this Woodbridge are keen to lay the foundations for the future years coming through. With 4 team wins, 2 second places, 1 third and 1 fourth finish Woodbridge regained the Overall girls’ trophy for the 3rd year running and the overall boys and Overall Championship Team award for the 4th year running.
Once again we need to thank Mark Goddard for all that he has helped the athletes achieve, and also with his time in planning the event with Mr Lubbock, Miss Sanders and Mrs Richardson. The Woodbridge staff were once again incredibly hospitable and worked hard behind the scenes with car parking, marshalling and scoring. Many Year 9 & 10 Cross Country athletes supported as marshals giving their time freely on a Sunday as did a number of Sports Leaders. The end of another successful championship and again a great result for Team Woodbridge.
We are delighted to be able to welcome so many schools to Woodbridge for the East Anglian Prep Schools Cross Country Championships on Sunday 5 March. We hope you enjoy the day and best of luck to all of those participating in the event.
Registration opens at 10.30am, with the first race starting at 11.30am
Refreshments will be available all day, and at 2.15pm there will be a tea followed by the awards presentation.
The A team arrived at Orwell Park, very excited for the day ahead.
Our first match was against Framlingham College, we started slowly and the opposition had quite a few chances at goal. Finding our stride in the second half, we created some good opportunities and had some very near misses ourselves. One being the ball rolling along the goal line, but it just didn’t go in! In the end we finished the match with a 0-0 draw.
Our next opponent was Kings College. It was a nail biting game, we were evenly matched at 1-1, until we scored a thrilling goal in the final minutes of the game, taking us to a 2-1 win.
We played Witham Hall next, they had a strong team with a particularly good right wing player, sadly we lost 3-0.
After lunch, we played Stephen Perse with lots of energy. We were evenly matched and ended the game with a disappointing 0-0 draw.
We then played Kingshott, they were very good and we did well to defend and end the match with a 0-0 draw.
We were delighted to find out that we were through to the quarterfinals, where we played Norwich School, but lost 4-1. This sadly marked the end of our tournament.
We had such a wonderful day, we played well as a team and everyone enjoyed it.
By Georgie Phillips
On Wednesday 1 February , Years 3 and 4 transported their audience to the Southern State of Missouri beside the banks of the Mississippi River. Set against the colourful backdrop of a steamboat, the cast performed a lively musical play that told the story of a young, mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer, who lives with his Aunt Polly in the sleepy village of St Petersburg. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn have many adventures together, but their lives are changed one night when they visit the graveyard and witness a murder.
Mark Twain’s original novel was written over 100 years ago and the talented young cast faithfully retold the story through song, dance and acting.
Last weekend Rowan Kent won the Under 8 South of England Chess Championship. He played six games and won them all!
This is now trophy number fifteen. We wish Rowan luck for the next tournament, coming up this month and suggest he builds another shelf for his growing collection of trophies.
On Thursday 12th January, Woodbridge School hosted the County Schools’ cross country race. This race was the final competition for the County to select their cross country team for the Anglian Championships. After finishing in the top 50 at RHS in October and top 40 at Culford in December, this competition was going to be tough – however, having the home advantage gave each Woodbridge School runner the incentive, confidence and determination to do well. Coming in the top 12 would gain a place in the county team, so the competition was on!
37 runners made it through to this final round from Culford, but due to injuries and illnesses, only 30 ran – which was still a phenomenal number. 12 out of the 30 runners gained a top 12 place, which was just superb, and is evidence of the depth and level of performer we have at Woodbridge. The top 12 in each race will be selected for the County team to compete at the Anglian Schools’ and if a top 8 place is gained there, then the athletes will go on to represent the County at England Schools’ in March. Good luck to all!!
Special mention and congratulations must go to the following runners who all gained medals; Nathan Goddard, Sarah Barker, Amy Graham, Charlie Turner & Ruby Vinton. These athletes did the most amazing job gaining a top 3 place in their race, especially as they were all running a year up in their respective races. Well done to all the runners in what was an excellent and successful day.
Results:
Minor Girls: Ruby Vinton 1st, Amy Goddard 4th & Anna Jackson 32nd
Minor Boys: Edward Rufford 5th, Edward Buckingham 7th, Tommy Burrows 17th, George Na Nakhorn 29th & Tom Martin 41st.
Junior Girls: Bea Thomas 7th, Molly Marshall 8th, Sophie Graham 17th, Issy Eaton 22nd, Jess Elmer 24th, Emily Whyte 35th, Victoria Burrows 37th.
Junior Boys: Charlie Turner 3rd, Kit Evans Lombe 6th, Thomas Harper 19th, Nathaniel Gunn 20th, Will Franklin 26th, Tom Turner 33rd, Mauricio Corfe 38th & Billy Zhu 45th.
Inter Girls: Sarah Barker 2nd, Amy Graham 3rd & Milly Buckingham 12th.
Inter Boys: Nathan Goddard 1st, George Rufford 17th, Alex Evans Lombe 21st & Daniel Davies 22nd.
The event was brilliantly organised (a comment from the Suffolk Association Chairman), and the course was challenging and perfectly set out. Such a fantastic event could not happen without the help of so many people, so our thanks go to the following:
Mark Goddard, parents and volunteers on the day (and in preparation for the event – taping the course etc.), grounds staff for excellent organisation of the course, and all our staff for marshalling.
