From the Second Master
Dear all,
I hope you had an enjoyable and restful Exeat.
WEEKEND ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOARDERS
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 14 March. Log in, select 'Interactive Forms' and 'Weekend Sign Out' to complete the form.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOARDERS
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 15 March. Regulations concerning our duty of care continue to change, such that we are required to hold more extensive information for certain pupils in particular circumstances: thank you therefore for the time you put into providing these details.
School goes down at 09:00 on Saturday 23 March. Pupils may be collected from their houses from 18:05 on Friday 22 March. Pupils may return to boarding houses from 18:00 on Tuesday 16 April.
Parent Survey
The closing date for the Parent Survey has been extended until Wednesday 13 March. For any parents who have yet to fill in a submission, you can still do so via the link below.
Events
What's On
Parents are welcome to join us for College events. Events taking place over the coming weeks are highlighted here, but please find the full schedule at the link below.
Tickets to the College's performance of My Fair Lady are still available. The Friday performance is nearly fully booked, but spaces are still available for the Thursday and Saturday performances. You can book tickets, free of charge here.
Sport
Girls Commoners v OTH
The College will see its first ever girls Winchester College Football game, as they take to the field on Saturday 16 March at 15:45.
The teams have been hard at work practising ahead of what will be a hotly contested game. Parents are warmly invited to join and watch from 15:30 onwards.
This week's sport report can be found at the link below.
Academic
VEX Robotics Competition
In February, Harvard (X) flew to Beijing to take part in the VEX Robotics Asia Open Finals.
An annual competition, it challenges teams to build robots and participate in head to head games against other teams. Every season, a game is released at the end of April, along with a manual describing how to play the game and the rules and methods of earning points.
In each game, there is a 15s autonomous period where the robot needs to be preprogrammed to earn points, followed by a period where the robot is operated by contestants. Finals competitions are held all around the world, with entrants fighting for a ticket to the World Championships in Dallas, USA.
Out of 117 competitors, Harvard's team came 19th in the qualification rounds with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, and progressed to the elimination round, where they reached the final. In a close run match, Harvard and his team narrowly lost by only two points, 138 - 140. This second place finish means that Harvard's team has qualified for the World Championships in Dallas in late April.
CCF
Exercise Minden – Section Competition 2024
In early March, the College CCF held the inaugural 2024 Section Competition.
Following a week of planning and preparation, six teams from the Army, Royal Marines and Navy sections took part in a series of challenges held on the College grounds, but also at Barton Stacey Training Area.
Held over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of March, the teams were treated to clear skies and sunshine, but the preceding rain still made for challenging conditions underfoot as the terrain was either muddy or waterlogged.
There were a number of activities, including section attacks, military knowledge exercises, and navigation and patrolling challenges, giving cadets the chance to put their skills to the test.
Marked on their attention to detail, administration, accuracy, high levels of knowledge and skill were displayed across the board, keeping scores close and making it hard to separate the teams.
At the end of the weekend, it was the Army section that managed to break free of the pack, securing the win.
Academic
International Competition of Young Debaters
On Saturday 2 March, eight Wykehamists travelled to the London School of Economics to participate in the International Competition of Young Debaters.
After an early start, upon arrival the pupils began the day by competing in pairs across four intense rounds, in which the motions ranged from climate change to whether all application processes should be anonymised.
In the opening round, Conor (B) and Max (F) stood out by winning their debate on whether or not, if it were possible, the state should build, own and allocate all housing in the country. The subsequent rounds saw debates on whether religious leaders should be barred from taking office and a critical discussion on climate change, which was expertly won by Abir (I) and Kai (H). The competition concluded with our pairing from Cook's, Adrian and Arthur, as well as the pair of Beloeites, Kirin and Raul, claiming victories.
Despite their commendable performances, none of the teams managed to qualify for the finals, with the top-performing team, Adrian and Arthur, narrowly missing out on finals qualification by a margin of just one point. Nevertheless, the competition proved to be a significant learning curve and a valuable experience, especially as it was the first time seven of the eight students participating had competed.
Community
Celebrating World Book Day
To celebrate World Book Day, Moberly Library asked the College community to tell them what they are currently reading, along with a short review.
The response was superb, with a broad and eclectic range of over sixty books and reviews submitted, covering topics including science, history, classics, politics, religion, and a broad range of fiction.
The display throughout the library will be in place until the end of term.
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