BOARDING LIFE
Eleanor House
Mrs Simkins-Smith & Miss Bailey
Theboardershavehadafantasticstarttotheyearthisterm.Wewerethrilledtowelcomeallour newboarders,somefromtheUKandsomefromoverseas.IntrueLewestonspirittheboarders welcomedournewcomerswithopenarmsandeveryonesettledintoboardinglifeveryquickly.
Studentledactivities
TheEleanorgirlscontinuetoenjoyrunningboardingactivitiesintheevenings.Felicitykindly offeredcandlepaintingandjewellerymakingaswellasherusualletterwritingclub. Allthree activitiesprovedincrediblypopularandprovidedthegirlswithamomentofcreativityintheir busyweek.
Year11HouseDinner
InkeepingwithtraditiontheYear11girlsenjoyedtheirhousedinnerwithMrsSimkins-Smith andMissBailey. ThankyoutoTamburinoGoldinSherborneformakingtheeveningso special.Itwassolovelytocometogetherandshareamealbeforewesaidgoodbyeforthe Christmasholidays.
WellbeingWeekends
Wecontinuetoofferwellbeingweekendsovertheexeatbreak,givingtheboardersthe opportunitytofocusonselfcare,relaxation,exerciseandcomingtogetherasacommunity. Activitiesonofferoverthewellbeingweekendsincludedyoga,muralpainting,familydog walks,fashionshow,Christmascrafts,gamesnight,afternoonteaandmanymore.
WehavehadsuchfuninEleanorHousethisterm.Itistrulyheartwarmingtohearthehouse fulloflaughterandtoseethegirlsregularlycomingtotheofficeforachat.EleanorHousehasa reputationforbeingwarmandwelcominganditisthegirl’skindness,enthusiasm,energyand senseoffunmakeitsuchalovelyplacetolive.Iwouldliketotaketheopportunitytothankthe Eleanorgirlsformakingtheboardinghousesuchaspecialhomefromhome.
WishingyouallawonderfulChristmasandaHappyNewYear!Wecan’twaittowelcomeyou backinJanuary!
ANTONY HOUSE Antony House
Mr Cannon and Mr Purchase
DearAntonyHouseFamily,
Thisterm,weextendawarmwelcometoournewboarderswhohavejoinedusfromMexico, China,France,andGermany.Yourdiversebackgroundsandperspectiveswillundoubtedlyenrich ourcommunity,andwearethrilledtohaveyouwithus!
WelcomingOurNewBoarders
Toournewfriendsfromacrosstheglobe,wehopeyoufeelathomeinAntonyHouse.Whether you'resharingdelicioustraditionalrecipesonThursdaynightsHouseMenuorteachingusafew wordsfromyournativelanguages,welookforwardtocreatingwonderfulmemoriestogether throughoutthisyear.
LeadershipContributions
WearealsodelightedtointroduceournewHeadofHouse,ourInternationalRepresentative,and ourJuniorHeadofHouse.Theircontributionsinourrecenthousemeetingshavebeenthought provoking.Theirfreshideasandenthusiasmpromiseanexcitingyearahead!
ActiveParticipationinSports
Ourboyshavebeenactiveparticipantsinvarioussportsfixtureseachweek,someshowcasing remarkabletalentinRugbyandotherslearninganewsportanddevelopingtheirskills.Fromintense footballmatchesintheISFACup,tothrillingrugbygames,thespiritofcompetitionhasbeenalive andthrivinginAntonyHouse.Aspecialthankyoutoeveryoneforyourdedicationandteamwork!
Aswecontinuetogrowandlearnfromeachother,let’stakeeveryopportunitytosupportone anotherandmakeAntonyHouseaplacewhereeveryonefeelsvaluedandathome.
Martha and Cecilia
Miss Robinson
Aswewrapupthisterm,Iwantedtotakeamomenttoreflectonwhathasbeenatrulywonderfulfewmonthsin MarthaandCeciliaHouse.Ithasbeensuchapleasuretowelcomesomanynewfacesintoourcommunity.Eachand everyoneofthegirlshasbroughtsomethingspecial,andI’vebeensoimpressedbyhowwarmlyandwholeheartedly everyonehassupportedandencouragedoneanother.
Thishasbeenalongandbusyterm,buttheenergyandenthusiasmfromthegirlshavebeeninspiring.Whetherit’sbeen intheclassroom,duringactivities,orintheday-to-daymomentsofhouselife,theyhaveallshownsuchacommitment toengagingfullyandembracingthetrueLewestonspirit.
CelebratingBirthdaysandCreativity
Ahighlightofthistermhasbeencelebratingthebirthdaysofseveralofourgirls.Eachcelebrationwasfilledwithjoy, gifts,andheartfeltwishes.Thegirlsreallywenttheextramiletomakesureeachbirthdayfeltspecial,sharinglaughter, kindness,andasenseoftogethernessthatmakesourhousesuchawarmandwelcomingplace. Creativityhasalsobeenflowinginabundance.Thegirlshaveenjoyedmakingbeadedbracelets,pouringtheirenergy intocreatingbeautiful,colourfuldesigns.Thiscraftinghasnotonlybeenafunandrelaxingactivitybutalsoagreatway forthemtobond,exchangegifts,andexpresstheiruniquestyles.Thebeadedbraceletshavebecomesymbolsof friendshipandconnection,addinganextrasparkofjoytothehouse.
IntroducingWellnesstoHouseMeetings
Atthestartoftheterm,Iintroducedanewwellnessfocusinourweeklyhousemeetings,withthegoalofgivingthegirls thetoolstheyneedtoprioritisetheirmentalhealth,resilience,andoverallwell-being.Eachgirlwasgivenanotebook, andwe’vespenttimeeachweekexploringdifferenttopicssurroundingself-care,managingstress,andbuilding emotionalresilience.Thediscussionshavebeenthoughtfulandengaging,withtheboarderssharingtheirown experiences.They’veactivelyparticipatedinexercisesthatpromotemindfulness,gratitude,andemotionalawareness, andmanyofthemhavestartedjournalingtheirthoughtsandreflectionsintheirnotebooks.Thisfocusonwellnesshas beenwell-received,andIamexcitedtoseehowitcontinuestosupportthegirlsnotjustnow,butinthefutureasthey developtoolstonavigatelife'supsanddowns.
LookingAhead
Now,asweheadintothefestiveseason,there’sarealsenseofexcitementandanticipationintheair.Iknoweveryoneis eagerlyawaitingsomewell-earnedrestandtimewithfamily,butIamalreadylookingforwardwelcomingeveryoneback inthenewyear.Wehaveaccomplishedsomuchtogetheralready,andIcan’twaittocontinuebuildingonallthe positivemomentumwe’vecreated.
Wishingyouallahappyandpeacefulholidayseason!
MissRobinson
Welcome Back!!!
The boarding team were very excited to welcome all our boarders back for another fabulous year at Leweston. To start the term off with a bang the boarders had a busy first weekend. Starting off with a school wide scavenger hunt that encouraged all boarders to mingle, make new friends and familiarise themselves with the school campus. The annual mug painting workshop was a crowd favourite once again. Painting their own unique mug allows the boarders to have a special memento of Leweston as well as brightening up the boarding house kitchens! On Sunday the boarders took on Thorpe Park. They braved rollercoasters of all shapes and sizes and, no doubt, made some amazing memories.
Flip Out & Movie Nights
This term has seen the boarders develop various new talents ranging from movie critics to trampoline athletes. Movie nights are a fabulous opportunity for everyone to wind down after a busy weekend of activities and “bouncing off the walls”.
Wellbeing Weekend
Two wonderful exeat weekends have been enjoyed by the boarders this term. Better known as wellbeing weekends, our exeats are filled with a mix of activities ranging from relaxing yoga to intense interhouse football. They offer something for everyone!
WEEKENDS IN BOARDING
Escape Room
Wonderland, the Wild West, a Pirate Ship and Ancient Egypt. What do all these locations have in common? The boarders managed to escape them all! Working in teams the boarders solved puzzles and clues of all kinds and, in the end, every team managed to escape in under 60 minutes (even if only by 4 seconds).
Cinema
Its no secret that weekends in boarding are busy and usually high energy. However this particular weekend the boarders opted for a more relaxed weekend with the Cinema and Sherborne Market. They watched Paddington in Peru and many boarders had strong opinions about the massive plot twists throughout the film.
Go Karting
Mr Paget-Tomlinson had some fierce competition at Go-Karting this year. Some very quick times proved the boarders need for speed was quite the match for Mr P-T. Ultimately, the boarders came out on top with both Raphael and Georg taking the top spots.
The Festive Season begins!!!
In a break from the weekend activities Cecilia and Eleanor House boarders found some time to set up the boarding Christmas tree. Decorated with baubles painted by all the boarders!
Bath Christmas Markets
With the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter the festive season is beginning. The Bath Christmas market has become a tradition in boarding and this year was no exception. The majority of our full boarders went to the market and made the most of it by shopping for Christmas presents, exploring the stores or getting a much needed hot chocolate.
Festive Weekend
Despite storm Darragh taking ‘ringos’ out of our festive weekend plan the boarders didn't let this affect their spirit one bit. We had a lovely Christmas party in the dining room with help from the fabulous catering team. The boarders danced the night away and made some fabulous memories. On Sunday ice skating and a spot of Christmas shopping was on the cards.
EVENTS IN BOARDING
Bonfire Night
The boarders enjoyed a lovely autumn evening beside the bonfire. They spent time chatting, roasting marshmallows over fire pits and were wowed by Mr Dixon’s high energy poi display!
Thursday night extraveganzar
Thursday evenings are a hive of activity within all of our boarding houses. With Mr Cannon’s crazy sports hall games, Mr Enticknap’s board games and sixth former Felicity’s Letter Writing Club there is certainly something for everyone. This term Letter Writing Club has expanded and the boarders have been able to make various crafts as well as writing letters.
Día de los Muertos
- Day of the Dead
We are very lucky to have a wide range of cultures represented within the boarding community and enjoy celebrating various cultural events from around the globe. The beginning of November marks the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos. The boarders celebrated this by lighting candles in remembrance and face painting.
Year 7 Boarding Taster
In the second half of this term we welcomed ten Year 7 pupils for a taster evening in boarding. They had a fun filled evening beginning with gingerbread man decorating, resulting in everything from minion to slender man cookies. Finishing off with Sports Hall Games and a competitive few rounds of bench ball. We do hope the Year 7's enjoyed their evening and that we will see them in boarding again soon!
Snow day at Leweston
When the boarders woke up to it snowing outside there was excitement all round. The excitement only grew when it started to settle and it was announced that the school day would be cut short. Although the boarders still had prep to complete we couldn't pass up the opportunity to flood to the astro for an interhouse snowman making competition followed by a snowball fight.
Christingle Service
Another tradition at Leweston is the boarder’s Christingle service in the stunning Trinity Chapel. It is a wonderful opportunity for the boarding community to come together for a traditional event. Originating in Germany, Christingles have deep symbolism and overall represent the light of Christ and hope in darkness. Creating the Christingles and the service was enjoyed by all boarders.
House Events
At the end of term students from Antony, Eleanor and Martha houses had the opportunity to have a house event. Antony House went bowling to say goodbye to Mr Cannon, Eleanor went for dinner at Tamburinos and Martha House enjoyed gelato and a stroll through the Christmas lights in Sherborne.
St Nicholas Visit
Saint Nicholas paid the boarders a visit in the final weeks of term. As another of our favourite traditions in boarding its no surprise everyone was very excited when they woke up to find St Nicholas had left a little gift in their shoes. Among these was an ornament for Boarding 2024!
It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we said goodbye to Mr Cannon at the end of this term= Mr Cannon joined the Leweston family in 2019 as the first ever Housemaster at Leweston School= His genuine enthusiasm> dedication to the students and incredible sense of fun have helped to create a wonderful> supportive environment for the boarders in Antony House=
Mr Cannon will be greatly missed by students and staff= We wish him all the best for his new role as Assistant Head of Boarding at Sibford School=
We also said a fond farewell to our amazing Gap Assistants Miss Baker and Miss Roberts= The emotional farewells from the students were testament to the huge contribution they made to life at Leweston= They have worked incredibly hard this year in numerous areas of the school and we are grateful for all they have done= They will be sorely missed=
