The Week Ahead 12 September 2019

From the Master Julian Jeffrey

Dear parents I wrote in my first week ahead piece of the year about the challenge for many pupils of starting a new school year, highlighting that, "acclimatising to a new environment can provoke feelings of anxiety among some children, and of course for many of our pupils, this will be their first days in school." Looking back over the past three weeks, I have seen how quickly the vast majority of them have settled into their new surroundings. A busy school almost inevitably drags its pupils along with it, encouraging them to try new things to enjoy, and it made me reflect on what it was in our school that helped to forge such a strong positive community spirit among our pupils, even within days of starting a new term. We have just completed our anti-bullying week in school, a project led by pupils, for pupils. Many of the most impactful sessions that we witnessed involved children talking about how they feel when they are in school, and how the behaviour of others can materially impact upon their sense of wellbeing. All meaningful life is lived communally; people must, after all, live and work together in order for a society to reach a harmonious state. This is often taken for granted in the adult world – perhaps the reason why harmony so frequently breaks down – and in many schools, this is no different. All too frequently, schools ignore the need to guide and educate their pupils in successful communal living, preferring an unequal emphasis on the individual at the expense of the greater whole. This is, in my view, a mistake. Schools have a moral purpose beyond the classroom. Having what it takes to lead a life in harmony with those around us is not easy and relies much on learned behaviour. Like all the best 'learning', the development of a child's social skills such as empathy, compassion, tolerance and understanding, come through the day-to-day interactions with others. In this way, the way we treat one another assumes a central part in an education; it is why Wellington cherishes values such as respect and integrity so highly. Part of this lies in an understanding that 'real' life, the bits of life which are hard to deal with, upset us or cause us anger and despair, has a habit of creeping up on us without warning. We are seldom prepared for bad news when it comes. This helps to explain why our responses to such setbacks are often excessively emotional and, at times, almost visceral. To prevent such overreactions is, of course, impossible – we would cease to be genuinely 'human' if all the emotion were bred out of us – but schools can help to foster the spirit of trust and community among its members. In this way, young people can be instilled with the core virtues of successful communal living. The best schools recognise this responsibility and build these into their programmes of study. The biggest lesson I was taught during anti-bullying week was how important it was to our pupils that they supported one another when someone needed help; that they listened when their friends wanted to talk; and that they treated all their peers, young and old, with respect. Pupils showed how much it meant to them to be part of this Wellington community and how committed they were to making it a more harmonious one for all. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey MASTER MEET THE MASTER AND BURSAR Duke of York's Room 1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday 19th September   This week's Meet the Master and Bursar slot is open to parents of pupils in all year groups. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 18th September. From Services Supervisor: Friday 20th September 1400hrs   A reminder about the food committee schedule: The first food committee for 2019-20 Academic Year on 20th September 2019 for Main Building which is from Junior School (including Year 1) to Senior School. The Nest food committee will be on 27th September 2019 which covers Eaglets to Reception. FROM THE HEAD OF EARLY YEARS Nest Parents' Evening 1700hrs, Tuesday and Thursday 17th and 19th September   Ongoing communication is essential between home and school in order to ensure a child's success in learning. This week, we invite Nest parents to our Parents' Evenings on Tuesday, 17th September and Thursday 19th September to discuss important milestones children have achieved since the beginning of term as well as set targets for the remainder of the year. There will be sign-up sheets available in the class and if you are unable to make the appointment, please contact your class teacher to arrange an alternate time. We hope to see you then! 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 MB234 Mr Furse David.Furse@wellingtoncollege.cn   EAL (Advanced level) Every Thursday of Week B 8:30-9:30 MB234 Mr Furse David.Furse@wellingtoncollege.cn   Pilates Every Tuesday 8:45-10:00 Black Box Mrs Stofkova dstofkova@yahoo.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 16 September 2019 All Day Week 5 (A)   11:00AM - 12:00PM Senior School assembly (JMS) (Theatre)   Tuesday 17 September 2019 8:45AM - 10:00AM FOW: Pilates (LL) (Black Box)   10:15AM - 11:15AM FOW: Mandarin class (LL)   4:00PM ISCOT League MS Boys and Girls Football vs TEDA (h) (RG) (Sports Centre)   5:00PM Senior School parents' evening: AL Induction Year Open House (DP) (Main Building)   5:00PM USAD and USAP Parent Briefing (LF) (CR)   5:00PM Nest: parents' evening (DZ) (The Nest)   Wednesday 18 September 2019 8:30AM - 12:30PM Mandarin trip: Year 11 and AL Induction Year (YZ)   8:45AM - 10:00AM FOW: Yoga class (LL) (Black Box)   3:05PM Junior School Assembly: Class 6A (RA) (Theatre)   4:00PM ISCOT League HS Boys and Girls Volleyball vs TIS (a) (RG)   Thursday 19 September 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 and Bursar: all year groups (ES) (DoY)   5:00PM Nest: parents' evening (DZ) (Main Building)   Friday 20 September 2019 8:30AM - 11:00AM FOW: Art class (LL)   8:30AM - 2:30PM Reception Class trip (DZ)   8:45AM - 10:00AM FOW: Pilates (LL) (Black Box)   1:25PM - 1:55PM Lunchtime concert (FG) (Black Box)   2:00PM - 3:00PM Food Committee meeting (Main Building) (LL) (Duke of York room)   3:45PM - 4:45PM H&S Committee meeting (VW) (FOW room)   4:00PM Charity sleepover (MR) (Black Box)   Saturday 21 September 2019 9:00AM Saturday Activity Programme (SAP) (EvK)   12:00PM ISCOT Tournament MS Boys and Girls Badminton (@ TEDA) (RG)