It is already four weeks into the very short Lent Term; we all got through dry January, some of us better than others and, apart from the odd temperature and sniffle, we are currently bug free. We welcome two new Matrons to the team, since the departure of Miss Chelsea and Miss Holly at Christmas.

Miss Isobel from Durban and Miss Kate from Canberra. Both are doing extremely well in getting stuck into daily life at Woodcote and getting to know all the boys. They are fully fledged members of our National Insurance system, after an interesting trip to the Job Centre in Woking, and are now looking forward to their first pay packet before destination number one in their European adventure…..the notorious Irish Paddy Wagon Tour, during February half term.

We have some new and very exciting hobbies and evening activities for the boys this term run by various members of staff. Mr. Monk & Mrs. Edgerley’s cookery club is proving popular, as is Mr. Knight’s Scalextric happy hour and Mr. Ramage’s Airfix Modelling club, to mention just a few.

The first Sunday outing of term was an old favourite, Gravity Force, to which all boarders attended, leaving an unusually quiet school behind for the afternoon.

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Trampolining….

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????

The second Sunday of term the boys were treated to a rather strange hybrid sport known as Foot Golf. This involves kicking an inflated football into a large hole and apparently the World Championships took place last month in Argentina. Whatever next?! Elbow Tennis? Shoulder Hockey?

The dormitories were particularly busy over the weekend as we welcomed the annual Geneva Convention. 15 boys from the Geneva English School arrived in time for Sunday roast, along with their female counterparts, which made for a change of scene in the Dining Room. Back field was the venue for the afternoon’s entertainment and the matches were well supported by local and visiting parents. Our Colts battled to victory in very chilly and windy conditions.

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The Tour Match….

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Offside…?

The girls disappeared to their digs to rest before their netball match against Coworth Flexlands and all the boys enjoyed tuck and films before experiencing a night’s boarding at Woodcote.

Last night saw the boarders enjoy our Chinese New Year themed supper.

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Decorations in Red Lane

The Dining Room was adorned with dragons and chopsticks and we had a marvellous spread of spring rolls, stir fried chicken, egg fried rice, lychees and fortune cookies.

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The boarders get stuck in….

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Pretty handy with the chopsticks….

It is definitely a favourite amongst the boys of all the themed suppers and it appears we have 20 ‘monkeys’ in the school, according to the Chinese zodiac! I’m sure at times the Woodcote staff would claim there were many more…..

Happy Half Term everyone!