Category: Senior School News
A chance to finish the season with a bang was given to the U13 A team on a freezing cold Wednesday afternoon. Woodbridge played a mixed game with some moments of magic and some rather more scrappy rugby but were comfortably good enough to win. George N produced a superb dummy and run to score a try; Fazil ran in another hat trick to add to his impressive tally for the season; Erwan scored a try but most impressively made numerous try saving tackles all game; and Theo used his impressive side-step to get himself over the line for a try. The squad finished off the season with a 30-10 win and are looking forward to a restful Christmas break. The team expressed their wishes to thank Mr Boyle for his hard work with his help this season.
The Junior 1st team finished their season on a high with a third consecutive win. The last match of the season was against Langley, and provided many reasons to celebrate. Frustrated by illness, regular GK Ruby was not available, and Lily stepped up to be rewarded for some good displays of goalkeeping, particularly over the last few weeks. Maggie and Charlotte also got their call ups from the second team after some consistently good performances in matches and trainings. A somewhat new look team didn’t take long to settle and played flowing passing hockey.
Maddy put the team ahead with a sharp finish after the goalkeeper made the initial save, and then quickly scored a second, before Georgie added a third. Meanwhile in defence Ada and Isabel were up to any challenge, showing great vigilance over any counterattacks.
Early in the second half, Lexie scored one of the goals of the season. Maddy drew the Langley defence to her, and with a sharp move beat one player and quickly played an excellent reverse stick shot towards the goal. Lexie at far post didn’t stand around and wait for the ball to arrive, but moved forward like any good forward to meet the ball early and do a perfect deflection past the unsuspecting goalkeeper. It was just brilliant! Then Libbie and Lexie scored one more goal each to make the final score 6-1: the perfect end to the season for this talented and committed group. As ever, picking a single player of the match was hard. A four way tie was the result of the team vote: Maggie, Maddy, Georgie and Ada sharing the honour.
Well done to every player for their efforts this term. Thanks to parents for their support. And well done to Steph and Maddy who were brilliant co-captains for the team.
The best of endings…
The Hockey first team put out a performance to remember in what was the last competitive hockey match of the girls’ hockey season. The match was special not only for a great 5-2 win over rivals from RHS, but because it was the last match for six of our Y13 students, who have contributed so much to the first team over the past 2-3 seasons.
Woodbridge started strongly and it looked like they would get on the scoreboard early. However a number of near chances went begging and it was RHS who opened the scoring in the 6th minute, against the run of play. Woodbridge bounced back through Ianthe who scored from a goalmouth scramble during a penalty corner. In the 20th minute it was Ianthe who put Woodbridge ahead with a good drag at another penalty corner. This joy was short lived as RHS came back a minute later to make it 2-2 going into half time.
At the half time, not many words had to be said. Woodbridge looked the stronger, more skilful and fitter side… The team knew the next goal would be crucial and put the scoring team in good stead for the rest of the match. Woodbridge did not have to wait long for this chance to go ahead, and it came along in the 3rd minute. They say fortune favours the brave. Woodbridge capitalised on a bit of good fortune when RHS players hesitated for a second expecting the whistle to go, but none was forthcoming. Woodbridge, reacting quickest, saw the ball end up in the back of the net from the stick of Sophie G. The very next minute Harriet scored a sharp chance to give Woodbridge some breathing space, taking full advantage of a now somewhat flustered RHS side. Woodbridge aimed to control the rest of the match but it was end to end. Joanne played a fantastic match at left back, and Eleanor was a solid as ever in defence, to add to her cracking runs up the right. Sophie L in goal had to make some important saves to make sure RHS don’t get a way back into the match. Mollie managed the centre of the pitch in professional style, always being in the way to stop anything RHS tried to put through the middle. Ianthe was in impressive form in any one-on-one and the opposition would have been best advised to avoid her area of the pitch. The forwards, led by co-captain Georgia did a sterling job in their press, varying their depth and dealing very well with one of RHS’s key players and floating centre back. Poppy, Kiya, Victoria, Harriet and Sophie G were outstanding in their attacking link ups in the second half and any number of goals could have been scored. Kiya and Georgia were denied numerous times in the match by great goalkeeping, and the goal post.
Ten minutes from the final whistle Harriet put the game out of reach for RHS, her goal taking the score to 5-2, the win making the perfect ending to a near perfect season for a great group of players.
Much more can be written about this memorable match in which Woodbridge were dominant, players showed off their skill and the team showed exactly what it means to be a team, with every player contributing to the positive outcome, but more importantly a great performance.
Well done to each player, and especially the Y13 leavers who played their last match. Chloe, Eleanor, Flora, Georgia, Mollie and Sophie L will be missed but they leave many memories with the team, and a legacy of growing the team and pushing it forward – through commitment, hard word, passion and pride. Well done and thank you to each of these players. They did what they set out to do!
A new qualification was announced in May 2018, it was the Duke of York – Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA). This is an international programme that is aimed at helping address the digital skills gap. The iDEA curriculum “has been curated to help inspire people all over the world to become Digital Citizens, Workers, Makers, Entrepreneurs and Gamers; to enhance their employability; and to help them become economically active”. It’s the digital and enterprise equivalent of The Duke of Edinburgh Award.
As a School, we have been delighted to sign up: it is open to anyone to get involved and complete the modules. In Years 7 and 8, students can earn some of the badges as part of their classwork, however to obtain the qualification the majority of the badges will have to be earned in their own time.
Congratulations to Abigail (Year 7) and Joshua (Year 8) who have both worked extremely hard to gain our first Silver Badges, building on the success of our bronze award winners announced earlier in the term. The qualification is so new we are still waiting to find out what students have to do to obtain the Gold Badges, so watch this space.
What a wonderful, feel good afternoon and a genuine showcase of what makes Woodbridge so special – its incredible warm community: a community which enthusiastically came together in the Dome on Saturday for its biggest ever whole school Christmas Fair. It was a fabulous family event with a true feel-good factor: children of all ages enjoyed everything from traditional games such as pin the nose on the reindeer and candy cane fishing, through to a bouncy obstacle course and snowball throwing, whilst many more had the excitement of meeting Santa in the winter wonderland grotto.
The Fair encapsulated everything that is Christmas, from the two brilliant carol singing choirs, Mr Streat and his merry band of pupils and staff, and Mrs Peel’s wonderful Woodbridge ladies choir, to the Christmas Market stalls selling Christmas presents of wonderful quality (including D.O.G., otherwise known as our very own Young Enterprise Team’s dog lead business!), and the fabulous Woodbridge Editions selling stunning prints at Christmas sale prices. Mention must also be made of the catering team’s rich hot chocolate and Bavarian hot dogs to keep happy fair goers sustained after all that bouncing and shopping. There was even a secret present wrapping area manned admirably by Mrs Robson and Mrs Latham, and their two daughters. I suspect all will be looking to others in their households to do their own present wrapping this year! Our Sixth Form pupils were also there in force (so who was in the pantomime Rudolph being so ably led by Lily?), handing out programmes and selling tickets with Mrs Brown; and our parents running the fun and games stalls delighted visitors with their warm, friendly smiles – in fact everyone seemed to be smiling.
Our thanks to all involved in the organisation the event – Mrs Latham, Mrs Field, Mrs Robson and our greatest thanks to Mrs Ihenacho who managed to pull such a remarkable event together in record time. Our thanks also to the parents who ran the stalls and to all the pupils who came in with bottles, chocolates, jam jars and presents.
What an event! The school community: celebrating Christmas and supporting Home Start to wonderful effect in truly spectacular Woodbridge fashion!
Good heavens above. What a stunning concert at St Mary’s – and how nice to see it so full – barely a seat to be had. Hundreds of happy Woodbridge friends and family were given an Advent treat to savour.
Seckford Sinfonia set the bar high from the start, with extraordinary poise for performers so relatively young and inexperienced. But they are of course the next generation and aspire to standards that were to unfold in front of them from then on. They are right to aspire, I should add, as their renderings of Susato, Ling and Williams were joyous and skilful.
The guitar ensemble, led by Mr Plackett and his excellent joke, were a delight. The soft sonority of classical guitar music is immensely beguiling, and our ensemble did Bach and Power proud with their beautiful mix of unison and harmony.
Jazz next, with a jaunty Let it Snow from the saxophone ensemble – we were properly in the mood now, one reinforced magnificently in the second half by the brass ensemble in their own jazz take on Go, tell it on the Mountain. Christmas is on the way and these two groups left us in no doubt! Sublime.
And sublime is the perfect word for the Chamber Orchestra’s astonishing English idyll. Elgar and Vaughan Williams – lyrical, magical, almost mystical in their embrace of our heritage. And the performances matched the music, with stunning precision in their floating melodies.
All change for the Concert Band – vitality, exuberance, panache and energy in wonderfully familiar Coates, and breathtakingly sophisticated Shostakovich. We all deserved our refreshments after that! Though not too many refreshments… the Swing Band swung us back into our seats with some blistering Bernstein before completing with Stolen Moments and Walk the dinosaur (Boom chakka…). Utterly brilliant with a series of solos earning well deserved applause. The Percussion ensemble kept us enthralled with a hypnotic take on Carl Orff; the Chamber Choir delighted with two gorgeous favourites – The long and winding road Flying us to the Moon and back… (do join us at one of our Carol Services to enjoy more of their repertoire, also being recorded next week!).
Cellisti calmed us all down again – beautiful, poised and poetic. And then the Symphony Orchestra to close with two fabulous overtures: Ruddigore and Nabucco. Great tunes, so Mr Milton assured us – and he was right. Magnificent, triumphant, Regal in their scope. What a finish. What a night!
Thanks so much to all of you who shared such an exceptional evening of music making; but most of all thank you to our young performers and to the host of music staff who have helped you achieve so wonderfully well.
The Girls’ First team continued their good run of form against Culford, delivering a very entertaining display to win 5-0.
Having weathered the early Culford storm well, Woodbridge started to build momentum, and it wasn’t long before they took the lead: a clinical finish at the far post by Victoria, perfectly set up by Georgia. A little later, Ianthe made it 2-0 from a penalty corner to give Woodbridge a good cushion at half time. This can be a dangerous score in sport and Woodbridge were determined to be the first team to score in the second half. A series of attacks resulted in a penalty corner and a great move was put away by a deflection from Harriet, who then doubled her tally five minutes later in similar fashion. Woodbridge played with flair, moving the ball around through the defenders and midfield and really working on maintaining possession, choosing the right time to go forward. The team played with speed and passion and deservedly ended on a high, a string of penalty corners on the final whistle seeing the whole team involved in trying to get one more goal, achieved at last by Sophie G.
Well done to each player on a near-perfect performance and good game by everyone. Player of the match went to two-time scorer, Harriet.
The Girls’ First team hosted Langley in a much anticipated “rematch”, after Langley’s last-minute equaliser last season. It couldn’t have started better: Ianthe scored a drag flick from the first corner of the match in the 7th minute; and Martha, making her first team debut in goal, defended Langley’s goal scoring chance and subsequent penalty corner early on. Thereafter Eleanor, Maud, Joanne and Annabel defended brilliantly allowing the rest of the team to press forward with confidence, with Eleanor also using her strength and speed brilliantly to attack up the right. Flora P added to this to make it very difficult for Langley to keep Woodbridge attacks under control. Annabel played a great match whether as defender or in midfield, tackling and distributing well and getting the better of her opposite number. As we have now come to expect, Ianthe and Mollie were towers of strength in midfield. With a smaller than usual squad due to mock exams and illness, the forwards led by Georgia had to work extra hard. Poppy was again instrumental in her work in the press to win possession and Kiya and Victoria’s movement up front made it easy for the midfield to find them. With the players riding the wave of support from the touchline a second goal seemed always on the cards, but it was not to be… and then… close to the end Langley contrived a “one-on-one”… not again?? Not if Martha had anything to do with it! Her match-winning save was quickly followed by the final whistle and the celebrations of a very happy team. This was a very well deserved and hard fought 1-0 victory. Well done to Annabel and Eleanor who were voted joint players of the match.
Science club got in the festive spirit this week making the annual ‘chemis-trees’. Pupils had a great time and they are now on display in C3 and then chemistry prep room!
Thanks to some U13 players and girls that don’t normally play we went to RHS on a rainy Saturday afternoon with a full compliment and it was worth it! We were under pressure for so much of the game but valiant goal keeping by Evie and defending by Asmee and Lucy H and Lucy C we held on to a draw. We had a few chances and there was some great play by Alexandra and Elizabeth attacking. Lily played really well in midfield as did Lara (Year 8) and Sophie (Year 8) who had not played on a full pitch before. An excellent end to the season and thanks to all the girls who have played, and I am pleased that some have enjoyed it more than they thought they would! Very well done.