Westwood Boarders celebrate Thanksgiving thanks to Kingswood Catering

I hope the Westwood boarders tell you all how awesome food is at school is always. Well tonight was no exception! Chilli hot dogs, sweetcorn and chips followed by Marshfield's finest Clotted Cream Ice Cream with various toppings. There was little waste and hardly an seconds. Everyone has gone to bed on a full belly. Ishika kicked off our meal with a traditional Thanksgiving Grace reflecting the good things for which we are grateful -  friends and family. It was lovely to have Miss Rolfe, the Thatchers and Dukes in attendance. We were also thinking of Mrs Curtis in her absence. William did the prayer at the end of our meal to thank those who made the food for us and for those less fortunate. The photos below tell you we all had a 'swell time'. Sincere thanks to our official photographer, Connie, for the snaps. We had a great team of tidy-uppers, Rachel, Sarfina, Suruchi, Ayomikun and the prefects, Jaz and Sam.

 Excitement building!

 William looking aloof!

 Looks tasty!

 

 Arty shots

 Thatcher Clan also tucking in!

 Happiness!

 This is good!

 Friendship!

 Sam pleased to be on duty!

 Seconds!

An Outlet that became an Oasis - Week 9

Saturday was a particularly busy day for our boarders, who enthusiastically embraced the full breadth of sports fixtures and competitions. By the afternoon - although fatigued - spirits remained high, fuelled by the excitement of a Year 7 multi-birthday party which was celebrated at All Saints, Weston, Church Hall that evening. Whilst shimmer, style and socialising occupied Year 7s on that fatefully uplifting night, another fate awaited our Year 8s - Movie Night! Herein, our remaining boarders continued to immerse themselves in the epic journey that is the Marvel cinematic universe, enjoying their most recent offering: Spider-Man: Homecoming.

After recovering from this action-adventure masterpiece of film-making, Sunday brought it's usual allure of a trip out of school. This week, we travelled to the festively decorated Swindon Outlet Shopping Centre for the early afternoon; this was to become an Oasis water-park adventure later that afternoon. Kitted out and ready for a road trip, the journey to Swindon commenced!

An auspicious sign for a fun afternoon!

 

And upon arriving at the Swindon Outlet Shopping Centre...

"All I did was touch the tree; look what happened?!"

"All aboard the Polar Express!"

From the Outlet Centre we traversed a small distance to an Oasis of swim-filled fun and adventure!

The Oasis Centre water-slide: not for the faint-hearted...

Sasha and Sophie a.k.a. the faint-hearted, chilling with Vic and Kezzi...

Sudipti (barely conspicuous head to the left) preparing to take the plunge...

A farewell to the Outlet that became an Oasis.

Our new magical house Unicorn - Jeffuma Rainbowpatch - was born at 13:52 p.m. on the 19th November 2017 at the Swindon Outlet Shopping Centre. Mr. Duke warmly welcomes this new addition to the Westwood boarding team!

  
Our boarders look forward to another busy but hopefully fulfilling week, which will include a special Thanksgiving celebration meal on Thursday! Mr. Duke looks forward to hosting and Mr. Thatcher may make an unscheduled appearance, in support of the logistical cause, of course...

Week 7 Westwood goes Laser Tag mad!

Saturday in Westwood meant lots of rugby for the Year 8 boys. Some of the hockey was sadly cancelled by the opposition/ Those who stayed in the Westwood got involved in some very enthusiastic dancing and karaoke as shown by Ryan, Ayomikun and Suruchi. It was great to see the boarders enjoying 'downtime' and playing so nicely. I was also delighted that Monica and Sarafina went off to do some Orienteering with Mrs Hallett in a local competition. Mrs Hallett, a tutor in Westwood, represents England still in her age group! Good to learn from the best, girls! Last night's film was Despicable 3 with the beloved Minions, which went down well, as did the pizza.

After breakfast this morning, Mrs Duke worked with five girls on Christmas stockings which they personalised. Mrs Duke was very patient and supportive. The girls were delighted with their end products. Whilst this was happening the rest of the House was playing netball and indoor football. Ssaha did her best to umpire the crazy game of netball and the boys struggled with the rules. Unbelievably a 20 minute game end nil-nil! We at least had goals in the football. Brunch helped everyone recover quickly. We also did our 'Quiet Hour' and the ever popular shoe cleaning before departing!

 Watch your fingers, Noelina!

 Very focused work!

 We are getting there!

After 90 minutes! 

In the afternoon we headed by coach to 'Laser Fusion' in Bristol for two hours of Laser Tag. A chance to shoot friends and teachers dead! Our top shooters were Mr Manners from the Prep School, Tom aka 'Logan',  Nina and Rachel. Those boarders whose parents are involved in Her Majesty's Forces showed some real shooting prowess. Staff were cornered on a number of occasions by pupils who did not show much mercy! It was another successful joint venture with High Vinnalls, the Prep School boarding house. Check out these dangerous assassins!

 Nina getting in the zone to kill!

 Don't be fooled by these friendly faces!

 Ryan up for the challenge!

 We are ready!

 Guns loaded!

You'd better hide, Mr Duke! We are coming after you!

Eight boarders went swimming tonight. Breaking news the Robin which snuck into Westwood and resided in the Lounge having been encouraged downstairs by Mr Thatcher has been humanely released, thanks to Mrs Duke's nifty skills with a fishing net. You can just make it out on the table below with window wide open in attempt to set it free! Indeed Mrs Duke in addition to all these tasks has also baked 180 cakes for various birthdays (Vic, Monica and Angel) and for the tuck shop tomorrow. All in a day's work for Boarding Houseparents!

It has been another top weekend in Westwood. Hope you are well wherever you are reading this episode!

Episode VI - The Saga Continues...

As the half-term draws nearer, our boarders continue to immerse themselves fully in the weekly routine of school life. This past weekend, following another physically challenging but rewarding morning / afternoon of sports fixtures, our boarders traversed the cultured streets of Bath in pursuit of fine food and indulgent goods! Upon their return, the evening’s entertainment saw the swashbuckling prowess of Captain Jack Sparrow in action as we watched the final film of the pentalogy: Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge. 

Popcorn eased the occasionally darkened mood as the depths of sea-laden desolation were breached, dissipated only by the relief and rejoicing of beloved character reunions and an invariable ‘happily ever after’ ending.

Sunday was no exception to the boarder’s weekend adventures, with an all-day trip to Thorpe Park. Our boarders embraced the day with unsurprising enthusiasm and really enjoyed spending time with each other as they participated in an all altogether different kind of experience.

The beginning of an adventure...

'Samurai' - Not for the faint-hearted!

From giant water-slides...

...to fun-filled roller-coasters!

Angel, Hohona and Ryan planning what to do next!

Ryan very much enjoying his Burger King lunch, flanked by Monica and Vlad...

'Saw' - Facing your fears...

Mrs. Curtis putting the 'Sun' in Sunday!

(In contrast) Mr. Chua: "Is it time to go yet?"

'Stealth' by sunset...

Departing: A skyline to behold...

Mr. Duke was delighted with his Gold Medal Award from Thorpe Park, bringing the day to a close!

For our boarders, the hope of adventure became the path of adventure. As the final week unfolds, our students look forward to a well-deserved rest over the half-term holidays. We wish them all a safe trip home; may a time of recuperation and renewal follow, before Episode VII marks the next stage in their journey to a galaxy far, far away…