Baking, matches, and Wookey Hole

Whilst a good number of Westwood boarders were involved in hockey (Nina, Noelina, Sudipti, Sophie, Olivia, Rachel, Connie, Yuma and Ishikia) and rugby matches (Kenneth, William, Thomas, Vic and Perry), the remainder of the Westwood Squad embarked on Millionaire Shortbread. Ryan, Hohona, Surichi, Angel, Ayomikun, Dawn, Preasha, Monica and, Sarafina  made delicious shortbread, coated it with gooey toffee and topped it with melted chocolate; it tasted GOOOOD!  We all enjoyed a slice last night with pizza whilst watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the company of our prefects, Dominic and Ema.

After some games of basketball, indoor football and badminton we all enjoyed brunch before departing by coach. High Vinnalls boarders joined our trip to the spooky caves of Wookey Hole. It is great to build links with the younger boarders. We had to keep our heads low as the roof of the cave was very low in places and we even needed to wear hard hats!

 

  Are they real?

 Where's the famed Wookey Hole Witch?

 Cheddar cheese being matured in the caves!

 Can you see any bats?

 Nice photo, Mrs Duke!

 Very fetching, Yuma and Rachel!

 Impressive rock face!

 Behave, Mr Duke!

 New Wookey Hole Witches!!

For more information about Wookey Hole: http://www.wookey.co.uk/

A good number of boarders enjoyed an ice cream in September sunshine once above ground.

Each Sunday evening we hold a meeting to discuss the week and it is great to hear the pupils reflecting on the enjoyment of boarding life. They also get to raise concerns and we follow these up!

Just before lights out tonight, Callum returned to Westwood, having come second in his go-karting competition. He drives at speeds of 70 MPH!!

Hope you are well wherever you are reading the blog!  Another top weekend in Westwood!

Westwood Boarders enjoy their second week

We have thoroughly enjoyed the company of our Westwood Boarders this week; it has been a busy and successful one. After some fine Saturday sporting performances and a trip to town with Mrs. Curtis, we enjoyed a relaxing evening in-house watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This was accompanied by pizza and popcorn, with the efficient and selfless support of our prefects, Lucy and Tom. Sunday brought a fresh and interactive challenge as we travelled to Hidden Woods, enjoying an afternoon of camaraderie and outdoor survival challenges!

Meet and Greet at Base Camp.

 

Briefing at Beech Camp. An afternoon of shelter building and fire making awaits...

Shelter building. Gathering raw materials.

The work begins...

"And on this spot we shall build our shelter!"

Excellent teamwork on show from Isabella, Kenneth and Connie!

"Break time! Anyone for Coffee?"

 

Heads up! Vladislav and William overseeing progress.

 

Ryan, Rachel, Katya and Suruchi celebrate a job well done!

Part 2 - Fire making.

 

Success!

Time for roasting marshmallows before departure.

 

Thank-yous and goodbyes. A challenging yet rewarding afternoon was had by all. We are delighted with the progress our boarders are making together and look forward to week three!

Westwood Boarders first weekend in Bath

 Westwood boarders have had an excellent first weekend. It has been great to have so much positive feedback from the pupils and yourselves. A good number were involved in swimming, hockey and rugby matches/training yesterday. The teams were largely successful. We all headed to town in the afternoon and all made it back safely on the number 31 bus. The pupils had support from our prefects Michael and Joanna yesterday. The Saturday night movie was 'Sing' and this led to much laughter. The pizza was also a hit! The boarders have been very cooperative at night time handing in their devices and going to sleep quickly.

 After breakfast on Sunday (in the House), the wonderfully creative Mrs Duke had all the boarders doing déco-patch initials to enhance the dormitories. The 3D creations were really good and you can see the process below!

 Nearly finished!

 Lots of focus!

 Downtime in Westwood - action photo!

 Some of the finished letters

 After the morning activity and brunch, we enjoyed crazy golf in Victoria Park, spitting distance from Bath's famed Royal Crescent. Mr Duke took a large supply of spare balls, but only needed to hand out two! Connie got a hole in one.

 Dab!

 Golfing skills on view!

 Unusual style!

 Dead-eye Marco

 The bus back up the hill!

 The pupils embraced the new show cleaning initiative and then headed to supper!

It was great that nine pupils went for an evening swim. It has been a packed weekend, but one enjoyed by everyone. In our evening meeting we discuss what has gone well and waht we might improve. It was really encouraging to hear from the pupils that they feel at home, well supported and are making friends - community building!! Hope this finds you well wherever you are reading it!