12th January 2021
Winchester Weekly
Guest editor
The Foundations of Winchester
The College campus and its environs are a privilege for both the boys and staff who live and work here. There is the conventional beauty of the Boarding Houses and their formal gardens, through to the water meadows reaching the foot of St Catherine’s Hill. Such beauty does not always occur naturally, but is the result of critical eyes and dedicated, skilled teams. I am indebted to our 12-strong grounds, gardens and river staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to protect the school’s formal and natural beauty (not forgetting our sports pitches!) against the rigours of use and time.
I am also blessed with the support of a great in-house Works Department, a team of 25 men and women, who apply their knowledge, skill and empathy in maintaining and enhancing our diverse range of buildings. Over the past year, they have continued to offer a 24 hr, 365 day-a-year service to keep our 150+ buildings shipshape. The Sports Centre will be a new jewel in our crown, complementing our outdoor sports provision with a state-of-the-art indoor complex. We are looking forward to seeing the building soon emerge from the excavations like an architectural phoenix.
Simeon Cox, Estate Bursar
Academic Announcements
Remote Learning
We all look forward to welcoming boys back to Winchester as soon as it is safe and practicable to do so. In the interim we move, once again, to our virtual offering and the updated remote learning guide that was circulated to all boys over last weekend can be found here. Boys encountering technical issues should contact IT for assistance. Please contact me directly for more general questions relating to the College’s remote provision.
Public Examinations
We await further guidance from the Government, OFQUAL and the exam boards regarding public examinations. CAIE has indicated that we will be updated regarding their approach to Pre-U and IGCSE exams by the middle of February at the earliest. Until that stage, there is no practical purpose in speculating on how exams will be assessed, the method that the school will employ, or the final grades awarded to individuals. Dons have been asked not to do so with boys. As soon as there is certainty all members of the school community will be told simultaneously. A full summary of the current position and the school’s approach in supporting boys in V Book and VI Book 1 can be found here.
Parents’ Evenings
In light of the uncertainty surrounding exams, and pending further guidance from the Government, OFQUAL and the exam boards, the decision has been made to postpone Parents’ Evening 5 (for VI Book 1 and scheduled for Sunday 24 January) and Parents’ Evening 3 (for V Book and scheduled for Sunday 31 January) until after Leave-out.
Dr Tom Thomas, Director of Studies
COVID tests - understanding the differences
Dr John Cullerne is Undermaster at Winchester College and is in charge of the school's response to the pandemic. In this video, Dr Cullerne explains how the testing put in place by the Government works alongside the school's own testing capacity.
(5 min 44 secs)
Collections
A 15th century Arabic manuscript for the Fellows’ Library
The College is grateful to the Friends of the National Libraries and the Friends of Winchester College, with whose generous grants the Fellows’ Library has recently been able to acquire a late 15th-century copy of the Shareh Mulakhas Al-Jaghmini fī al-Hay'a (Commentary on the Compendium of Cosmology): an Arabic textbook of medieval astronomy. In addition to complementing the Library’s rich holdings in the history of science, the manuscript broadens the scope of the collection to include early non-Western material, supporting the diversification of Winchester’s curriculum.
Charity calendar
The Charities Committee is a group of Sixth Form boys led by don in charge, Mr Dominic Rowland. Typically, the boys carry out numerous fundraising initiatives, including fun runs, sponsored events, as well as collections after plays and concerts. The money raised is donated to three nominated charities, all of which support the education and development of young people.
This year the committee has produced a calendar which is available to purchase for £15 at the link below.
Epiphany
The 6th January marked the Feast of the Epiphany. Following the 12th day of Christmas, the feast commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The Dean of Chapel, The Reverend Justin White has prepared a video about this celebration which you can find at the link below.
An Epiphany custom is the ‘chalking of the door’ – the use of blessed chalk to write the letters “CMB” and the calendar year on the lintel above the main doorway of your home. This once rare tradition has apparently made something of a comeback this year. In honour of this tradition, the Chaplaincy provided all dons with some chalk to have a go at chalking their own doors!
Welcome to a new member of the Governing Body
At the end of last term, we welcomed Laura Sanderson as a Fellow of Winchester College. Laura is a Managing Director of Russell Reynolds Associates, the international executive search firm. She specialises in advising on the appointment of chairs, chief executives and non-executive directors to the boards of large companies, both publicly listed and privately owned. Mrs Sanderson has particular interest and expertise in a range of topics related to leadership: effective governance, individual performance and development, and remuneration structures.
Mrs Sanderson graduated and subsequently achieved her second degree in medieval and renaissance literature at the University of Cambridge. She was a Senior Scholar of Trinity College, and was also awarded a scholarship by the Modern Humanities and Research Association. Her husband is Headmaster of Eltham College, and they have three teenage daughters.
And finally...
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