The Week Ahead 23 November 2017

Dear Parents It is perhaps inevitable that, with November drawing to a close, thoughts turn to the end of the term. It is a temptation, certainly, but the final weeks of any term offer perhaps some of the richest moments in a school year. There is the validation of an assessment period that rewards the progress and attainment made across the term; the time and energy given to rehearsals for the Christmas concerts are concluded with spectacularly enjoyable performances; and there is a chance for pupils to look back and reflect on their individual learning journeys. Of course, uppermost in the minds of many, if not most, of our community is the thought that December offers an extended holiday break. I have written before about the research on the benefits of such vacations; all the convincing evidence suggests that a genuine break of between 8 and 10 days is absolutely essential in restoring energy levels. I expect the children to have such a break over the coming holiday, but for many of those in our examination year groups, a period of relaxation must be tempered with rigorous, focused revision. Public examinations for all these groups are now only a matter of weeks away, and the mocks that start on 4th January will be used to set the final predictions for universities. I expect all our young people to work hard and prepare as thoroughly as if these were the final examinations in May and June. Those falling short of our expectations will be called back in for extra school on 27th and 28th January, during which time they will have a chance to retake their examinations. Our school is determined to achieve the finest grades at IB, A level and IGCSE this summer. The life chances of those taking such examinations will be improved beyond recognition by a clutch of top grades, and I expect each one of our exam candidates to focus on achieving (and indeed, surpassing) the ambitious target grades they have. I would ask that all parents support our campaign by helping their children to revise diligently and to maintain a rigid focus on examination preparation. I feel that there have been occasions in the past when we as a school have been guilty of not communicating clearly enough about the necessity for an early start to revision. This year, with parents, staff and pupils working in harmony, and with a collective will to become the best that we can be, I am confident that our candidates will prosper in the summer. Therefore, the pleasure of reflecting on a term of all-round achievement is but a fleeting one at this stage of the year; the job is only half done. The real time for reflection and contemplation is July and August, when the results for this generation of Wellingtonians arrive, and the community can look back in admiration at their achievements. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey Master MEET THE MASTER Master’s Office 1400hrs-1515hrs Thursday 30th November This week, the Meet the Master slot is aimed at parents of pupils in Years 12 and 13. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 29th November. DEALING WITH TEENAGERS Black Box 0900hrs-1000hrs Wednesday 29th November Every Wednesday morning from 0900hrs, parents will have the chance to engage with the school in sessions that cover all aspects of your child’s education, from the Early Years to A Levels and university admissions. The venue will vary according to the anticipated audience, and for next week’s meeting, Mr Jonathan Lewis, the Deputy Head (Pastoral), will give a lecture on dealing with teenagers. Once your child becomes a teenager, you might find you clash more often. It’s normal for people to disagree, but it’s also important to find ways of dealing with conflicts. By using conflict management strategies, you can help your child learn these important life skills. In our Parent Briefing on Wednesday we will be looking at the following areas:

• Conflict management skills
• Tips for dealing with conflicts
• Tips for talking
• Tips for dealing with conflict aftermath
• Handling anger in conflict management

I look forward to sharing this workshop with you. Anti-Bullying Week My sincerest thanks to everyone in our community who participated with such tremendous enthusiasm during the Anti-Bullying week. There are so many highlights from the week. I will never forget the dancing in the pre-nursery class, the drama presentation, the joint Junior and Senior anti-bullying action planning group or the whole of Key Stage 3 doing the values dance and the quality of the wellbeing TV news readers. The pupils in the Junior School did so many activities in class and together within their Mile Posts. We also have many posters and poems from Junior pupils that are of such impressive quality. I also look forward to seeing how the new Nest kindness tree grows this year. The message to be learned during the week was simple. Stop it! Live it! Live the Wellington Values: Be kind to others Have courage Show respect to everyone Have integrity Take responsibility for what you do The pupils were all given a clear explanation of what bullying is and how to stop it in our School. Bullying is: repetitive; intentional; hurtful; and about control If you have any concerns about bullying or would like to earn more about our school policy please contact jonathan.lewis@wellingtoncollege.cn. Korean Cultural Centre Trip in Beijing 0830hrs-1700hrs Wednesday 29th November The purpose of this trip is to have a glimpse of Korean culture and see a special exhibition of HaeNyeo (Women of the Sea) in Jeju Island. Students will also watch a movie about HaeNyeo’s lives (with English subtitles). The Nest Christmas Show Theatre 1400hrs  Thursday 30th November Prepare to be amazed as the Nest’s children delight you with their fun-filled nativity extravaganza on Thursday 30th November at 1400hrs in the Theatre. ‘It’s a baby!’ takes place in the little town of Bethlehem where all sorts of amazing things happen. Let Mary, Joseph, a host of angels, and many other characters tell the real story of Christmas. Dental Care Lecture Common Room 1400hrs-1500hrs Monday 4th December We are pleased to invite Arrail Dental to give a lecture on common dental diseases and treatments from 1400hrs to 1500hrs on Monday 4th December. The lecture is free and bilingual. It is open to all staff and parents. At same time, Arrail Dental will also provide dental vouchers to parents and teachers who participate. Vouchers include： A. Oral Examination, valued at 260RMB B.  Teeth cleaning, valued at 500RMB C.  Oral check for family, valued at 260RMB D. Travelling kit Please email the School Nurse, Ms Candy at candy.chang@wellingtoncollege.cn to reserve a place by 1st December. Art Class Junior Art Room 0830hrs-1100hrs every Friday  Christmas decorations that WCA Art Classes make for the Charity Bazaar will be exhibited in the music atrium as a prelude to Christmas time until the charity market. The Music Department will be the new home of our Christmas decorations before they find a final warm home to start celebrating Christmas. Wellington mums want to decorate the space for kids at school as well as for their hardworking teachers while they are diligently practising for plenty of Christmas concerts around the city, to support them in thriving in the final days of the Michaelmas term. Beside parents, students from the Art Recycling After School Activity will be involved in charity work as well, making various useful things. Please support our work and the charity by buying the artsy products we make for the Christmas Bazaar. We will continue with applying the decoupage technique on some new and useful home products on Friday. Feel free to contact me and join us in the Junior Art room. Lower Level EAL Class MB 235 0830hrs-0930hrs every Tuesday  This class is for beginner level learners who would like to improve their grammar, vocabulary and all-round language skills.   Higher Level EAL Class MB 231 1100hrs-1200hrs every Thursday  This class is for more confident learners who would like to extend their grammar and vocabulary and will have a focus on improving spoken fluency. Pilates 1100hrs-1200hrs every Tuesday Black Box 0930hrs-1030hrs every Friday Dance Studio Pilates is physical exercise system developed by Joseph Pilates. It is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit. Pilates focuses on core strength and balanced muscle development as well as flexibility and increased range of motion for the joints. So, don't hesitate, join our classes and feel better. You are warmly welcomed. Welcome back after a lovely few days’ break. The Junior School had a great Celebration Assembly to showcase some of the talents that we have in our school, which is a wonderful start to a blustery and cold Friday morning. The Assembly began with the wonderful ASA dancing group. All the children danced in time with each other and showed exceptional flexibility with some excellent gymnastic moves. Well done, girls. Ms. Fiona’s Year 3 and 4 Immersion groups have been using The Gruffalo story to help them with their writing alongside the Gruffalo song; our audience were very impressed with their singing and the actions to the Gruffalo song. We were then privileged to hear Vivian and Kira playing a duet on the piano. Zimo completed the musical ensembled with the ‘Minuet’ on the piano, which was another superb performance. Ms. Catherine’s Mandarin Magazine children, Jerry, Angelina and Sunny gave a presentation on the food saving scheme at school. Year 6 children had the least wastage of food over a week. Well done Year 6 – 1 House point has been awarded to you all. Compass will use this saved money to sell vegetables at the Christmas Bazar and all money raised will be donated to the charity Free Lunch. Reports will be published on the 15th December, please can you ensure that you have your Parent Portal log-in details. If you have any questions about it, please contact Ms Cissy Zhao (cissy.zhao@wellingtoncollege.cn). Also, if you do not receive your weekly class newsletter, please let Ms Cissy know, as the class letter identifies what your child will be learning in the following week, the vocabulary that will support their learning and any other information that the class teacher feels that you need to know. To further improve our communication with parents, if your child has an injury at school, they will be given a ‘injury sticker’ and a form to explain where and how the injury occurred, and the first aid procedure that the nurse carried out. Therefore, if you child comes home with an injury sticker, please look through your child’s bag to find the injury form. If the Nurse feels the injury is serious, she will contact you personally. Our next Open morning is Wednesday 29th November, please email my PA polly.zhang@wellingtoncollege.cn to book an appointment. Monday 27 November 2017 1500hrs - 1830hrs HS Basketball vs IST (a) (SC) Tuesday 28 November 2017 0830hrs - 0930hrs WCA English Class: beginners (PF) (MB 235) 0930hrs - 1000hrs WCA: Pilates (Black Box) 1500hrs - 1830hrs MS Volleyball vs IST (a) (SC) Wednesday 29 November 2017 0830hrs - 1100hrs Junior School Open Day (appointment only) (YT) 0900hrs - 1000hrs Parent Briefing: Dealing with Teenagers (SW/JL) (Black Box) 1900hrs School Choir Tianjin Tour: Westin Hotel (FG) Thursday 30 November 2017 1100hrs - 1200hrs WCA: English Class - Intermediate/Advanced (PF) (MB 231) 1400hrs - 1515hrs Meet the Master: Years 12-13 Parents (ES) (Master's Study) 1400hrs The Nest Christmas Show (DZ) (Theatre) 1900hrs School Choir Tianjin Tour: Hyatt Regency Hotel (FG) Friday 01 December 2017 0830hrs - 1100hrs WCA: Art Class (KM) (Junior Art Room) 0930hrs - 1000hrs WCA: Pilates (Dance Studio) 1900hrs School Choir Tianjin Tour: Wanda Vista Hotel (FG) Saturday 02 December 2017 0800hrs - 1500hrs ISCOT HS Basketball (Boys @ IST; Girls @ TEDA IS) (SC)