The Week Ahead 20th November 2020

Dear parents

It is a sobering reminder of the power of the coronavirus pandemic that our head nurse, Ms Candy Chang, has been required to issue a reminder of the key steps to staying safe during this special period. The school is committed to keeping safe our community of pupils, staff and families and thus, in line with best practice recommendations from the local health authorities, we continue to operate the school within the most stringent care. If you have any concerns or questions about the school’s health and safety procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Pupils are busy learning and rehearsing the words, music and movements of their forthcoming Christmas shows. Despite the restrictions in place, our programme of events marking the forthcoming Christmas season remains on schedule, and with our history of enviable quality productions in the past, these too will be memorable occasions. I am sure parents and grandparents will enjoy the varied repertoire on offer this year amongst the Nest show, the Winter Show in the Junior School and the finale – the Christmas Concert.

The learning that occurs in the preparation and production of such pupil performances is often as profound as any in the classroom. As Mrs Meyers makes clear in her piece on Drama Week (below), children work collaboratively in rehearsals, learning from one another and understanding more about how the language of the body complements the spoken and written word. Music and drama also help young people to challenge themselves by overcoming nerves to perform in front of an audience. In this way, they learn more about themselves than any number of 'conventional' lessons.

I have written many times about the power and importance of the role played by the performing arts; they remain one of the central tenets of a Wellington education as we seek to fulfil our vision of creating graduates ready to face the ever-changing globe of the 21st Century. The world they will emerge into needs resilient, self-assured and competent communicators, fluent in all forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Events such as Drama Week, and the Christmas shows which follow it, help pupils to learn more about themselves and the way they interact with others. I am sure that, when you as parents see the performances over the next few weeks, you will swell with pride at the sight of your child performing on stage. But at the same time, take a moment to reflect on how this experience will help them later in life: your child is not just there to entertain you, but to help you see how much they have developed a range of core life skills during the course of the rehearsals and performance.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER

I have been working with the staff team to redesign the curriculum to improve it even more. The focus for the curriculum will be 'core books' that fit around new themes that are exciting for children. This has meant I have spent time researching high quality books that will be used in the classes to make the new learning meaningful for all the children.

Having some time to really think about the best books to use and how much time we spend sharing books, reading aloud to children was wonderful. I was speaking to Miss Monica this morning as she was showing me her new book area. She said something that made me smile. "Reading opens a window to the world."

This is so true for everyone. As adults we read as part of our job, or for a practical reason at home, maybe a recipe or instructions to build something. However, we also read for pleasure. We can lose ourselves in a book or an e-book. We can let our imagination take us wherever the story goes. This is what we want for our children too. We want them to learn the joy of reading, to open the window to the world!

Reading is such a vital skill for all the children to learn. We must learn to read so we can read to learn. Reading is the key to future success, without reading, learning anything is difficult. So, Miss Monica is correct, reading really does open a window to the world!

If you ever want to do more with your children to support them to make progress at school, reading is the best thing you can do. Read stories to them for enjoyment. Share their favourite books with them. Read the stories you enjoyed when you were a child. Let them read to you or tell you stories from the pictures in the books they have brought home from school. The joy of reading should be never ending and be a wonderful time for you to spend together enjoying language and illustrations.

I would like to thank you for reading this. I hope it lets you all know how much I value reading for all your children. Happy reading everyone!

According to the updated requirement from the government, we will temporarily stop the salad bar service from next Monday 23rd November. We will keep you posted once we can resume the usage of the salad bar. Many thanks for your understanding.

In School Meeting
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
26th November

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 by Wednesday 25th November.

(emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn)

Christmas is just around the corner and it will soon be time to celebrate at our annual Charity Christmas Bazaar which will be held on Wednesday, 16th December 2020. If any parents would like to support by organising a stall or offering any other support for the event, please contact Ms Nina Lee.

nina.lee@wellingtoncollege.cn.

FROM THE HEAD SCHOOL NURSE

Reminder: how to shop safely in the wet market during the pandemic

In the midst of the pandemic, please be reminded to do the following things to ensure your safety when shopping in a wet market.

1. Temperature checking. Take your temperature at the entrance to the market; only those with normal body temperature will be allowed to enter.

2. Personal protection. In low-risk areas, you should carry a mask with you and wear it when shopping in crowded stalls, especially where it is difficult to maintain a distance of at least one metre. Customers in medium and high-risk areas should wear masks at all times in the market. Gloves are recommended when selecting products. Payment by scanning a QR code is preferred.

3. Enhance personal hygiene. Avoid touching your mouth, eyes or nose with your hands, and cover your mouth and nose with tissues or elbow when sneezing or coughing. Minimize touching door handles, shelves, stalls and other public surfaces. Hand cleaning should be done promptly after leaving the market. If possible, carry a quick-drying hand sanitizer with you.

Advice is based on the Notice on the Issuance of the Technical Guidelines on the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 in Agricultural Trade (Bazaar) Markets, No. 223 (2020) of the Integrated Prevention and Control Mechanism.

PARENT FIRST AID COURSE
Heartsaver ® First Aid CPR AED course

Wellington's Academy Programme is offering an American Heart Association (AHA) Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED course for parents and students. During a one-day training, the participants will learn more about the usage of CPR and AED to adults and children/infants. The training will also include basic first aid, how to act when one is choking and to deal with any opioid-associated life-threatening emergencies.

The training will be given by Wellington College Tianjin's Head Nurse Candy Chang, who is a certified AHA instructor. As the student-teacher ratio will not exceed 1:6, all participants will fully benefit from the course. Soft drinks, lunch and fruit will be provided during the training. After the successful conclusion of the training, the participant will receive a Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED course certificate, which is valid for two years.

Language: Chinese or English
Course time: 2020-11-28   / 2020-12-05
Incl.: Course material, an Official AHA course certificate, drinks/fruit and lunch
Costs and Sign Up: Please contact Eelco van Kuilenburg 186-2291-2362 or scan the QR code below