From the Second Master
WEEKEND ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOARDERS (2 & 3 December 2023)
Details for this weekend can be found here. Please access the Parent Portal via the link below to inform us of your child’s plans for this weekend by 23:00 on Thursday 30 November. Log in, select 'Interactive' and 'Weekend Sign-out' to complete the form.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOARDERS (9 December 2023 – 9 January 2024)
In preparation for the end of term, all parents of boarders should complete the School Holiday Arrangements form, which is also accessed via the same route on the Parent Portal; under ‘School Holiday Arrangements'. Please complete the form by 13:00 on Friday 1 December.
School goes down at 09:00 on Saturday 9 December. Pupils may be collected after Illuminā on Friday 8th December with the agreement of their Housemasters. Pupils may return to boarding houses from 18:00 on Tuesday 9 January.
MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH & WELLBEING CENTRE
GP registration
Pupils at Winchester College are registered with the School Doctor at St Paul’s GP Practice. The GPs and Advanced Nurse Practitioners at St Paul’s Practice can often help with issues remotely. Should there be a medical need over the holiday, please contact the St Paul’s Practice for help in the first instance (Phone Number: 01962 853599) or fill in a remote consultation request on the St Paul’s website.
Your son or daughter does not need to register with another GP Practice during the holidays. Registering your son or daughter as a permanent patient at your home address sets in motion a series of automatic actions that mean they will be de-registered from the St Paul’s Practice.
If your son or daughter needs to be seen in person by a clinician during the holidays, then your local GP practice should be able to see them as a Temporary Patient - please state this when you speak to them to book an appointment.
Medication and repeat prescriptions
Please note that the Health and Wellbeing Centre will not be ordering extra medication for pupils for the Christmas holidays. Parents may request repeat prescriptions through the St Paul’s website by following the steps below:
- Go online to Repeat Prescription Request – St Paul’s Surgery (stpaulssurgery-winchester.nhs.uk)
- Fill in the details for your child and which medications they need a prescription for
- In the box titled “Special Medication Request” – please state the patient is a Winchester College pupil and the name, address and postcode of the pharmacy you would like the script sent to. (This is important otherwise the prescription will be sent to a pharmacy in Winchester)
'Thank you' Gifts
As we approach the end of term, and at this festive time of year, we understand that parents may wish to show their gratitude to staff through thank you gifts.
From the school’s perspective, we would like to emphasise that there is no obligation or expectation of gifts in any circumstances.
If you are organising a collection for a joint gift, please be mindful that parents have a wide range of financial circumstances and not everyone will be able to afford to participate or wish to contribute.
Please also note that our internal policies do not permit staff to accept gifts of cash or vouchers of any amount and staff will donate these to the College or the College’s nominated charity.
On Sunday, the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra gave electrifying performances of Brahms, Toldra, Stevie Wonder and Freddie Hubbard.
Below, you can watch Alex (I) playing Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra.
Academic
Arkwright Scholarships
Earlier this year, six Wykehamists entered the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship programme; a prestigious programme that helps aspiring engineers access financial support, mentoring and career development opportunities.
All entrants were successful in reaching the interview stage, an accolade in itself, and Darsh (F) and Lucas (B) were ultimately awarded an Arkwright Scholarship, sponsored by the RAF and Stannah Lifts respectively.
Darsh is developing a reliable, portable, and sustainable system of transferring wasted thermal energy; and Lucas created a 1950s Remote Control Formula 3 racing car.
Community
Cathedral Carol Service
The College will be holding its annual Carol Service in Winchester Cathedral on Monday 4 December at 9.30am.
Parents are warmly invited to join the service and sing some festive favourites.
If you would like to attend, please fill in the form via the link below.
Art
Drew Jug
This Saturday 2 December, the annual Drew Jug competition will take place.
The theme for this year’s sculpture-based competition is the theme of ‘home from home’ and entrants have been encouraged to take inspiration from improvised dens as a starting point.
Parents are invited to attend the exhibition, and enjoy some hot chocolate, outside Art School from 4pm onwards, with adjudication taking place at 4.30pm.
Raising Awareness for our Climate Emergency
This summer, Nico (X) kayaked 67km from Cambridge to the North Sea, raising awareness and funds to protect children’s rights from the impacts of our global climate emergency. His three-day ‘Paddle to the Sea’ down the River Cam, the Great Ouse and into the Wash raised £4,200.
Back on dry land, Nico prepared a submission about climate justice for the UN Rights of the Child Convention in 2023, "I’m determined to try my hardest to make a difference, hopefully inspiring others. In light of the COP 28 Global Stocktake, we urgently need all decision-makers to stop backsliding and tackle the climate emergency on a massive scale right away."
Later this week, Nico will speak at two events during the COP 28 Conference, which you can read more about via the link below.
Talks & Lectures
Studium for parents
This Saturday 2 December the College is holding its latest instalment of Studium for Parents, where parents can return to the classroom for lessons with dons.
Parents are invited to spend a morning attending a lesson on a variety of subjects, including Div, English, History of Art, Biology, Classics, History, Modern Languages, Music and Art.
Please fill in the form below by Wednesday evening to join the other 175 guests for a fantastic morning of learning.
Charities
Winchester College Charity Calendar
Over the past few weeks, members of the College’s Photography Society and wider members of the College community have been submitting photos for the 2024 Charity Calendar.
The calendars are ready to print and will be available for purchase at Illumina for £15 each.
The money raised from the calendar will be divided among three charities: SolarAid, Young Lives vs Cancer, and WinACC (Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis).
The Makyth Ventures Design & Enterprise
The Makyth Ventures Design & Enterprise project was thrilled to host a guest Q&A featuring Winchester College alumnus, Freddie Blackett, who shared valuable insights into his entrepreneurial journey as founder of Patch Plants. Freddie, who graduated from Morshead’s in 2006, founded Patch in 2016 and has since sold over 2 million plants to 600,000 customers, establishing Patch as a pioneering player in the plant e-commerce industry.
The Q&A session was filled with engaging discussions and thought-provoking questions from the students on topics such as persevering with a business idea in the face of competition and the guerilla marketing techniques Patch employed to gain their initial customers. Freddie also highlighted how significant his Div teacher, Dr. Chambers, and the curiosity that is fostered at the College was to his entrepreneurial success.
The students left with newfound perspectives as they continue to develop their own business ideas and we look forward to seeing their progress as they present their projects at The Mill in January.
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