Dear parents

One of the more lingering effects of the pandemic on the school has been the restriction on international travel. Wellington is a school that takes great pride and institutional strength from our links with our sister schools in China and across the world. Our association with these schools is real and meaningful. We have teachers from other Wellingtons in our ranks, and we share common governance, values and identity for our pupils. We offer regular opportunities for visits and the sharing of resources, both for pupils and staff. Our year 13 graduates, just as with their peers in England, are eligible to join the Old Wellingtonian (OW) Society, giving them networking, social and sporting ties to other Wellingtonians worldwide.

Covid-19 has curtailed the offer of trips for the past 18 months, and there is no prospect of any physical interaction between our schools for the immediate future. In this new age of technological innovation, however, remote connection via Teams or Zoom means that we can maintain an effective working relationship with our sister schools and their pupils. One current example will be familiar to parents of children in years 5 and 6. These pupils have a new ASA run by Role Models, a British company that offers young people lessons in resilience, leadership, teamwork and character-building. An Old Wellingtonian runs Role Models, and the company has close links to the school. Many of its student trainers are former pupils, including three of our own Tianjin graduates from this summer, and thus they are well-used to our pupils' high expectations and bright intelligence. The work done with Role Models has focused on leadership in year 6 and collaboration for pupils in year 5. These build into transferable life skills and help young people manage themselves and their relationships more fully over time. I am so pleased that we can offer this programme, and it will be available to years 3 and 4 in the Lent term, with years 1 and 2 in the Summer term of 2022.

Our Wellington links are strong further up the school, too. Our Oxbridge and Ivy League applicants will once again be able to have mock interviews with colleagues from the Wellingtons in England and Shanghai. Access to such frequent, supportive and informed advice is a massive advantage for our pupils. Whilst unseen to pupils and parents, but equally influential on our work in Tianjin, is a thriving Wellington group team of university experts which meets each term to plot new projects for each new generation of university applicants. Once travel reopens, part of the work of colleagues from this team will once more include cross-group university tours of the UK and US, further strengthening the links among the world’s Wellingtonians.

I often write of the challenges schools faced during the pandemic. Supporting pupils, staff and families effectively during these times of uncertainty has placed a strain on all of us; no school has found its core businesses of keeping children safe and educating them to the best of their abilities straightforward. In this climate, sharing resources, ideas and good practice, even down to offering the proverbial shoulder to cry on when things seem overwhelming, is invaluable. Once we are again free to welcome visitors and take trips, I hope all parents will join me in thanking the pupils and staff of the Wellington family of schools for all their tireless championing of the school here in Tianjin. We will once again be able to meet in one another’s schools and celebrate a worldwide group that is bound together by a single message: We are Wellington.

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

This week we officially welcome Ms Davina Edwards to Sparrow class. She had been working with the staff team and children regularly online and now she is here, the children have made her very welcome. Her first full day was Monday when she joined reception for an educational visit to a farm. Such a busy day! The children had a wonderful time and learned a great deal about farming.

Now our baseline assessments are complete, the staff team will use Tapestry to record the learning process in observations and photographs. We have also updated the Week Ahead that comes to you from each year group. This will also include two photographs. These will be of learning opportunities that have been available in the year group during the week and will give a short explanation of what the children can learn through the activity. Please lookout for the new look Week Ahead.

It is very appropriate that the Nest children are moving to a new learning theme- ‘down on the farm’, as next week sees us celebrate the Mid-autumn festival. This festival dates back over 3000 years and began when the Emperor of China worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests. It is sometimes called the Moon Festival or even Mooncake Festival. In the coming two weeks the children will take part in a range of cultural activities planned by the Mandarin department and led by our Chinese staff team.

The Nest team hope you all enjoy next Tuesday as you celebrate the Mid-autumn holiday.

Managing your child’s screen time

As we start the new academic year, many parents will be recalibrating at home. Holidays are often a time when structures and routines are relaxed. Sometimes, re-establishing bedtimes, study expectations and so on can be challenging in the early weeks of a new academic year. One such expectation is around ‘screen time’ and ‘device usage’ at home. I’ve written an article outlining five principles for safe screen time that will help empower you in positive conversations with your child.

If you are having issues over screen time ‘creep’, firstly, don’t be disheartened – it’s a common problem; secondly, please read my article and be safe in the knowledge that another article titled “How to set up family agreements” is on its way.