Dionne Zantua
The Head of Early Years
‘The only way to have a friend is to be one’
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
An alarming rate of children who are experiencing difficulty in school or are being referred for behavioural problems are those who have no friends or labelled as ‘loners’. In contrast, there have been numerous studies which support that
children who have friends are most likely to achieve higher academic levels in school, have higher self-esteem, are happier in school, exhibit few behaviour problems and have a better attendance record. The positive effects of friendship in children is one that cannot be ignored and should be fostered.
The Nest recently concluded our Friendship Week with the goal of promoting awareness on the importance of developing connections and interactions early on in life. One of the main purposes of attending school, apart from acquiring knowledge, is the development of social connections and interactions. Such connections are easier for young children to understand when we use the term ‘friends’ and for them, it is simply a peer or peers who they like to spend time with or share the same interests.

For our Friendship week, much of our time was spent learning about the characteristics of a good friend. As famously quoted by Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘The only way to have a friend is to be one’, we learnt that a precursor to having a friend is to become like one and as parents, we can also reinforce this at home through:
- Fostering positive social skills through interactions. Children learn the rules of communication such as turn-taking when having conversations as well as being sensitive and understanding each other’s point of view. Give plenty of opportunities for play so that sharing, taking someone else’s feelings into account and listening to each other can take place.
- Becoming a model of how friendships should be by demonstrating it to your child and letting them see how you behave with your own friends.
- Seeking out activities with other children with similar interests, such as through an after- school activity in sports, arts, language or drama. Remember that it is easier for children to connect and develop friendships based on similar and shared interests.
- Encouraging them to find new interests and hobbies as this will widen their pool of friendships as well as getting children out of their ‘comfort zones’.
- Giving them tools to start conversations such as icebreakers or role-play scenarios. This works well with children who may be feeling anxious or cautious as having a strategy in mind can help them feel more confident on how to approach a peer.

As educators, we are not only purveyors of knowledge but we want to ensure that each child develops healthy relationships with their peers which includes a set of friends they regularly interact with. With this in mind, may I also remind parents that
children must learn to navigate relationships on their own including conflicts. Conflict resolution is an important skill to learn and will impact children’s well-being and self-esteem in the long term. By learning these problem-solving skills, whilst they are young, will help set them to a happier and successful life ahead.

By instilling the value of friendship and the many joys it brings to our lives, we hope to foster an environment where
Friendship Week happens not just for one week but every day of the week.
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FROM MR FORSTER, MILEPOST 1 LEAD
A Trip to St. Joseph Cathedral and Pizza Making at the Westin Hotel
Year 1: 0830hrs - 1430hrs, Tuesday, 19th November
This term we have covered two IPC topics in Milepost 1, “Buildings” and “We are what we eat”. Our trip will cover both of these topics. First, we will visit the St. Joseph Cathedral in Heping District which was built between 1913 and 1916 and is a protected historical relic of Tianjin. From there we will continue on to the Westin Hotel where we will have a chance to use their 5-star facilities to create our pizzas. After that, we will of course have the chance to eat our own pizzas!
We will be able to put into practice all that we have learnt about buildings, the different food groups, and healthy eating. I know that the children in Milepost 1 are thoroughly looking forward to this trip and it promises to an exciting and educational day out.
French
Every Monday
8:45-10:00
MB125
Mrs Audrey Barthelemy
audrey.barthelemy18@gmail.com
Art
Every Friday
8:30-11:00
MB125
Mrs Markovic
ksenija.jakic@wellingtoncollege.cn
Mandarin
Every Tuesday
10:15-11:15
MB125
Mrs Yuan and Mrs Zhang
yizhang001@foxmail.com
EAL (Beginner level)
Every Tuesday of Week A
8:30-9:30
MB125
Mr Furse
David.Furse@wellingtoncollege.cn
EAL (Advanced level)
Every Thursday of Week B
8:30-9:30
MB125
Mr Furse
David.Furse@wellingtoncollege.cn
Pilates
Every Tuesday
8:45-10:00
Black Box
Mrs Stofkova
dstofkova@yahoo.com
How to use Chinese daily life Apps
Every Tuesday
13:00-14:00
MB113
Mrs Kim
donghong0904@naver.com
Pilates
Every Friday
8:45-10:00
Black Box
Mrs Stofkova
dstofkova@yahoo.com
Yoga
Every Wednesday
8:45-10:00
Black Box
Mrs Havlíková
havlikann@gmail.com
Yoga
Every Thursday
10:45-12:00
Black Box
Mrs Havlíková
havlikann@gmail.com
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Every Thursday
9:00-10:30
MB113
Mrs Markovic
ksenija.jakic@gmail.com
Notice: Any changes of time/date/venue please follow the notice according to the course organiser.


UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday 18 November 2019
All Day
Senior School assessment week: Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (AL Induction) (to 25th) (DP)
All Day
Junior School assessment window (to 29th) (RA)
All Day
Week 13 (A)
8:30AM - 2:30PM
Milepost 1 trip (Year 2) (MF)
8:45AM - 10:00AM
FOW: French class (LL) (MB 125)
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Senior School assembly (JMS) (Theatre)
Tuesday 19 November 2019
8:30AM - 9:30AM
FOW: English class (beginner level) (MB 234)
8:30AM - 2:30PM
Milepost 1 trip (Year 1) (MF)
8:45AM - 10:00AM
FOW: Pilates (LL) (Black Box)
10:15AM - 11:15AM
FOW: Mandarin class (LL) (MB 113)
1:00PM - 2:00PM
FOW: How to use Chinese daily life apps (LL) (MB 113)
Wednesday 20 November 2019
8:30AM - 3:00PM
Milepost 2 trip (AM)
8:45AM - 10:00AM
FOW: Yoga class (LL) (Black Box)
9:00AM - 10:15AM
Parent briefing: The arts in the Senior School curriculum (ES) (Main Building)
2:00PM
ISCOT Junior School Robotics tournament (@ IST) (GM)
3:05PM - 3:45PM
Junior School assembly (RA) (Theatre)
Thursday 21 November 2019
9:00AM - 10:30AM
FOW: TCM class (LL)
10:45AM - 12:00PM
FOW: Yoga class (LL) (Black Box)
2:00PM - 3:00PM
Meet the Master: Years 2-6 (ES) (Main Building)
5:30PM – 6:30 PM
Parent briefing: university applications (for parents of pupils in Years 7-9) (JMS) (Common Room)
Friday 22 November 2019
8:30AM - 11:00AM
FOW: Art class (LL)
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Pre-Nursery Class trip (DZ)
8:45AM - 10:00AM
FOW: Pilates (LL) (Black Box)
9:30AM - 12:30PM
Open Day: Nest (PR) (The Nest)
Saturday 23 November 2019
9:00AM
Saturday Activity Programme (SAP) (EvK)