Vol. 19 No. 17 Downloadable version 3 February 2012
GUYS AND DOLLS TICKETS
It’s show time!!! There are just a few seats left now for the performances next week, so if you have not yet secured your tickets, or would like to book additional ones please email boxoffice@woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk. Emails will be dealt with on a first come, first served basis and please remember to include a contact telephone number as payment needs to be taken at the time of booking.
THE WSPA MAY BALL
WSPA Mardi Gras Ball, Saturday 5 May. With a bit of luck and good internet connections, you should all have received a Mardi Gras Ball ticket application form via email or post at the end of last week. Such has been the response, that half the Ball tickets have gone already! If you want to go, you’ll need to send your ticket application form to Mrs Sue Lelijveld as soon as possible. If you need another copy, please follow this link to the parent portal: http://www.woodbridge.suffolk.sch.uk/senior_school/Parents/LettersDocuments/tabid/439/Default.aspx
PAVLOS CARVALHO AND ANDREW QUARTERMAIN
Parents are warmly encouraged to send their musical children along to our Woodbridge Concerts – and, of course, to come themselves – as they are arranged principally for the benefit of our young musicians. There’s no substitute for hearing great music played live at a professional level; it’s an essential part of a musical education and, as on this occasion, great fun too.
Last week’s concert at the Seckford Theatre was enlivened by a last-minute change: the appearance of a guest artist, the French cellist Sarah Dubost-Hautefeuille, who joined Pavlos Carvalho in sparkling duets by the 18th century virtuosi Barrière and Vivaldi, as well as giving a poetic and subtle account of Fauré’s lovely Elégie. The other items in the first half were a splendid opportunity for Pavlos to show his own virtuosity in showpieces by the Argentinian Tango composer Ástor Piazolla and the 19th century David Popper. Pavlos gave informative and amusing introductions to all these pieces, establishing a delightfully informal atmosphere.
After the interval was one work: Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor, in a performance that gripped us throughout by its emotional intensity and endless progression of beautiful, flowing melodies. In this sonata, as in the rest of the concert, the piano playing of OW Andrew Quartermain enriched and inspired the performance through his range of colour and fine sense of ensemble. A concert to remember, and, of course, if you were a school-age student it was completely FREE! Don’t miss the next concert on Wednesday 21 March when the young professionals of the Aurora Wind Ensemble (including OW Fiona Mitchell) bring us a varied and fascinating mix of solos and chamber music.
COACH TRIP TO LONDON
Tickets are selling fast – there are under ten left for the WSPA’s next coach trip to London: 19 May 2012 is the date. As ever, the trip will depart from the Turning Circle at 8.30am for a drop-off at The Strand. After your day in London, the coach will collect you from The Strand at 6.30pm for your return journey. At only £11 per person (cash or cheques payable to Woodbridge School with booking plus mobile number/email address please, to either Catherine Reeves or Jan Rodgers at Senior School), this represents a real bargain.
CAMBRIDGE SCHOOLS DEBATING
What a delight to be in the hallowed surroundings of the Cambridge Union chamber for the semi finals of this high-profile competition. Isabel Stevens and Alex McNab (who rose impressively to the challenge of his last-minute call-up) distinguished themselves and genuinely looked the part. ‘This house would not allow parents to remove their children from sex education classes’; ‘This house believes that organized religion does more harm than good for mankind’. How would you do with a mere fifteen minutes to prepare and opponents baying down your neck? Well, our two may not have won overall, but they placed well up in the top three or four amongst the sixteen teams vying for the honours. Isabel was the exemplar of precision, clarity and logic; Alex offered relaxation and humour: the perfect counterbalance. Our feedback mostly concentrated on the minutiae of the format of the debate, something far more easily addressed than the ability to construct a powerful argument swiftly and vigorously. It all bodes well for the next time.
MUSIC
Congratulations to Alex Galley, who passed Grade 6 singing in the recent Associated Board music exam session.
RUGBY
Congratulations to Ben Felton who has been selected for the Eastern Counties under fourteen rugby squad.
NETBALL
Five out of seven wins against Copleston in the league: an excellent return on the investment in time and training. The four junior teams managed a clean sweep as part of that, scoring 83 goals between them. Top of the pops were the under sixteens with their 31-13 win (nicely palindromic…), closely followed by the under thirteen B team (26-5) whose impressive linking play and all-round court skills were ‘a pleasure to behold’. In the under fourteen regional competition our girls distinguished themselves, winning three out of six in a very tough event, despite not securing qualification for the next round.
HOCKEY
Many congratulations to the under sixteens, the fourth of our sides to qualify from their county finals. Despite an early reverse against Ipswich, they dismissed Framlingham thanks to an excellent top corner deflection from Josh Robertson, an acute strike from Harry Fox and a scorcher from Elliot Ashurst to secure a place in their regional finals alongside all our other age groups – unprecedented in Woodbridge history we think.
In school fixtures the highlights were the firsts’ victory over Norwich by 5-0 and a win for the under fifteens as well. Sadly, neither Matthew Judge’s two goals for the seconds nor Dominic Overy-Owen’s for the under fifteen Bs were quite enough to give our squads a hat trick of victories in the block fixture.
HOST FAMILIES REQUESTED
Mr Penny writes: Last year the Chamber Choir visited Ahrensburg near Hamburg to sing several concerts and were well looked after by pupils from the school. The Ahrensburg Choir is paying us a return visit over the first weekend at the start of next term: from Thursday 26 April leaving early on Tuesday 1 May. Their choir is 44 strong and larger than our Chamber Choir. I would be extremely grateful if any families with children who are studying German (or even if they are not!) were able to host a visitor for the five nights of their visit. The choir will be occupied for much of the time they are with us, although they will have some free time on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon for trips around the local area. They will be singing in Woodbridge on the final evening as well as in Cambridge and Bury during their stay and will be transported to these venues in their own coach. If any pupils and their parents are able to help I would be really grateful if they could get in touch with me direct and I can give more details.
PIANO COMPETITION
The piano competition and festival is this term on Friday 9 March. Many of our pupils learn the piano outside school and Mr Penny would be delighted to include as many of them in the festival as possible; the event is definitely not just for those who learn in school. All performers have to do is to play one piece of their choice. Please contact Mr Penny if you are interested.
SPANISH EXCHANGE
Roll up, roll up for the latest in what has been our long history of excellent Modern Language exchanges. It’s the turn of the Spaniards: provisional dates are 19-29 October in Spain, and 29 November-8 December in UK. The exchange is open to all students in Years 8 and above and is a fabulous opportunity to see Spain at its best: immerse yourself in family life, bask in glorious sunshine, sample tapas galore as part of the ‘Tapas challenge’, visit the architectural wonders of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, marvel at sharks and turtles underwater, speak lots of Spanish, and follow Mr Chandler in his re-enactment of his bull run in 2007, the second bloodiest since the run began. Grab a group of friends and sign up now! Further details from Mrs Chandler.
HOLIDAY CAMP
Owing to a lack of bookings KG Adventure has decided to cancel its planned Day Camps for the February half-term. The organisers were concerned that with so few children booked in they would not get a choice of activities and their overall experience would not be as enjoyable as the KG staff would always hope for. Everyone is very sorry for this unfortunate outcome but look forward to welcoming everyone at Easter and the summer for camp life in true KG style.