From the Second Master
Happy New Year! I look forward to welcoming back all our pupils after the Christmas break. We start Common Time with a whole school service at Winchester Cathedral. You can watch the live stream, via the link below, from 09:30 tomorrow, Wednesday 11 January.
Pick-up and Drop-off Parking
We appreciate that there is very limited parking around the campus but request your help in maintaining good relations with our neighbours by keeping their driveways clear and not parking in residents-only bays. Please consider this when picking up and dropping off your children and use the public parking spaces available.
Weekend Arrangements for Boarders
Please use the link below to inform us of your child’s plans for this weekend. This link will take you to the Parent Portal: please log in and then select 'Interactive' and 'Weekend Sign-out' to complete the form. Guidance on Sign-out options available for boarders this weekend can be found here.
Sport
Following a successful Short Half, this term brings a number of major sporting events, with XVs on Saturday 4 February being one such highlight. Parents are welcome to come and show their support at matches and XVs will also be livestreamed.
Please check the Sports calendar for all the latest results and fixtures (link below). The password for team sheets remains the same: TeamWinColl
Rackets
Winchester sent 16 boys to the Rackets National Singles at Queen's where there were some strong performances. Bertie V (Chawker’s) justified his no 3 seed ranking in the elite Foster Cup, making the semi-final with impressive displays of court craft, where he lost to the eventual winner. The Under 15's also did well with some notable victories, gaining valuable experience for the future.
Fives
It has been a very happy New Year start for the Fives squad with a clean sweep of all four trophies at the Schools’ West of England championships. The strength in depth of the Winchester squad was underlined by the fact that three of the four finals were all-Winchester affairs.
Particular congratulations to Shiloh W (Freddie's), Chris L (Freddie's), Jeffrey C (Cook's), Anthony C B (Toye's), Zach G (Trant's), and Rory M (Trant's). A full report of the squad's achievements can be read via the link below, written by a very proud Dr McManus, MiC Fives.
Music
Glee Club (our College choral society) resumes this Saturday 14 January in Music School Hall. Scores @ £11 will be available in the foyer from 16:30.
Parents are warmly invited to join the club, and you can email the Director of Music, Sarah Baldock, via the link below, to join or ask any questions.
There are five Saturday rehearsals before the concert: 14 January 17:00-18:00, 21 January 17:00-18:00, 4 February 17:00-18:00, 25 February 17:00-18:00, Saturday 4 March 16:00-18:00. There is a final rehearsal on Sunday 5 March 15:00-17:00 in New Hall before the concert that evening.
Please add the concert to your diaries: 5 March at 19:00, where we will be performing Schubert’s Mass in Bb. Christopher L (College) will also be playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 3, in what promises to be an impressive event.
Bursary
Fee Payment Options
For those wishing to have peace of mind with regard to future fee payments, the fees in advance scheme offers an opportunity to pay an upfront contribution towards fees for 1 to 5 years. The discount rate and amounts payable for 2023/24 academic year onwards will be published following announcement of the fee rate for 2023/24 at the end of Common Time 23. Whilst this option provides a discount, it does not protect you from annual increases in future years.
A friendly reminder for those paying fees by direct debit that funds will be taken from your account for this term’s fees on Friday 13th January. For those with access to a UK bank account, wishing to benefit from the extended payment terms offered by direct debit, please contact fees@wincoll.ac.uk.
Social Events
Parents' Quiz Night
The Parents Quiz Night takes place on Friday 3 February, hosted by Yuriy Evdokimov, current parent. The evening offers a chance to test your general quiz knowledge with your fellow parents. Tickets are sold by table, which seat 10 people each, and the cost includes all your food and drink. If you would like to come but can't find a table to join, please let us know and we will match you with a table host.
The winning team will enjoy a hands-on experience in the Treasury, exploring everything from Greek vases to Medieval silver, guided by expert Dr Richard Foster, Fellows’ Librarian and Keeper of Collections.
Modern Foreign Languages
Trips
Spanish
On 9 December, 14 pupils, Mr Barnes and I caught a turbulent flight to Spain and were met on arrival in Seville by host families, all of whom looked after the pupils very well. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the famous Mezquita-Cathedral of Córdoba, where they learned about a period of history known as La Convivencia.
On Monday the languages classes began, which were great fun, led by locals María and Maca. The afternoons and evenings were a variety of tourist visits, selfie challenges (Seb won the exciting prize of a horse-drawn carriage ride round the city with his dons) and tapas. Sofia, Anders and Caden shopped until they dropped. Miles and Charlie ate their body weight in ice-cream and churros. Douglas immersed himself in the historical facts of the city. In short – something for everyone!
Jan Hepworth, Spanish don
French
Mr Mavor, Mr Marjot and I took 15 pupils from V Book and VI Book to Bordeaux for the first French Exchange trip to take place since 2019. Pupils spent the week living with their exchange families, attending French school and visiting some of the most interesting cultural sites in Europe. Highlights included an atmospheric excursion to a misty Saint-Émilion (see last photo).
James Livingstone, French don
Common Time
Talks
There are 14 expert talks to choose from this term ranging in subject matter from rewilding to war trials, delivered by politicians, scientists and academics.
This week we welcome back Nicholas Wilks (2M until Summer 2022), in conversation with Sarah Baldock, to discuss music making and please mark Studium II in your diaries, which takes place on 1 March. This afternoon of lectures will include author Harry Mount; the Chief Commercial Officer for the Financial Times, Mr. Jon Slade; the soldier and broadcaster Major General Alastair Bruce; and the international set and costume designer Nicky Shaw.
The Friends' Newsletter, available here, has full details of the upcoming events for the term and parents are welcome to attend any of them for free. You can book, via the link below, on the Winchester College Society website.
Short Half Report
CCF
The CCF Media Section records the miliary and adventure training activities that take place across the College, via photography, film and articles. The five pupils currently involved: Oscar D-P., Henry A., Victor E., Aaron R., and Ivan S., have compiled a bulletin about last term's highlights, which includes a film of the Remembrance Service, directed by Aaron.
Looking ahead, booking is open for the Easter Camp ( 25 - 30 March), which takes place at the Caerwent Training Area near Chepstow, South Wales and involves paintballing and blank firing exercises. Summer Camp (1 - 7 July) is a fun week of adventure training, to include hill walking, mountain biking and canoeing.
Exhibition
Views of Nature
Following a successful exhibition in London during the autumn, highlights from the College’s collection of watercolours and drawings will be on display in Treasury, from 12 January to 31 March. The Treasury is open daily, 2 - 4pm, and entry is free.
This is a rare opportunity to see so much of the collection on display together and includes highlights by Turner and Gainsborough, alongside thirty-five works, spanning four centuries.
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