The Week Ahead 31 August 2017

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Dear Parents I wrote last week of the school’s delight at the record results for our public examination candidates over the summer. Our final set of results arrived last week, and I am now able to give you all more details of the successes of our young people. I am so pleased that all pupils from our graduating class have been successful in gaining admission to universities of their choice. These results, including recent A Level results that are the best in the school’s history by a record margin, mean our young people have opportunities that will change their lives forever. Our graduates now go on to some of the world’s leading universities – LSE, Warwick, Parsons, Bond, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Central St Martins and others in the UK, US, Korea and Australia. To place their achievements in context, our graduates scored 37% at the top grades (A*-A), against a UK average of 26%, an overall A*-C average of 86% - far exceeding their targets - and 100% pass rate. In terms of IGCSE successes, once again our pupils excelled themselves, with an A*-A rate, the benchmark grading for such examinations, at 40% (20% in the UK) and an overall A*-C average of 86%. These results will mean that, by the time these children apply for universities, they will have an enviable level of proven, internationally accredited public examination results to support their applications. These results place Wellington among the top performing schools in the UK, China and internationally. Pupils now entering Year 12 and the A Level programme can harbour genuine expectations of the highest grades and the finest universities by the time they graduate in 2019. Those in Years 10 and 11 are equally aiming for the sort of ambitious results we demand from our young people. Throughout the school, children and their teachers are working towards targets that will stretch our most able as well as allow all our learners to take ownership of their own educational goals. My core message for the community is that the school is centred on pupil achievement, and with the dedication of our skilled staff, the support of parents and the application of our pupils, we will continue to celebrate record-breaking results for our public examination candidates. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey Master

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MEET THE MASTER Master’s Office 1400hrs Thursday 7th September This week, the Meet the Master slot is aimed at parents of pupils in Years 2- 6. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi  (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn)  by Wednesday 6th September.

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MEET THE BURSAR Bursar’s Office 1400hrs-1500hrs Monday 4th September The first Meet the Bursar will be on Monday 4th September. Please send Ms Lisa Liu a message if you are planning to attend and if you have any specific topics you would like to raise (lisa.liu@wellingtoncollege.cn). This will help us to ensure we have enough space and refreshments. For this meeting, I will plan to review the facility changes and other works that we completed during the summer break. To assist with this, I will have our Operations Manager and Facility Manager join us; it will be a good opportunity for you to meet them and to get to know the key people in the non-academic team. Please remember to get your new parent badges, if you have not done so yet, and to register your car licence plates if you plan to use the car park.  I would also like to ask you to help us by encouraging all parents to wear their ID badges while on campus, and always use those badges to register entry and exit from the school. School early closures A reminder that due to road closures related to Tianjin's hosting of the 13th National Games' events, we will dismiss pupils from 1415hrs on the following dates: Wednesday 6th September and Friday 8th September.

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TUTORING AND THE HOUSE SYSTEM Common Room 0900hrs-1000hrs Wednesday 6th September 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 Johnathan Lewis, the Deputy Head (Pastoral) will introduce the Tutoring and House System at Wellington.

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WCIT PASTORAL  W stands for Wellbeing. This first in this occasional series of pastoral notes for the Week Ahead focuses on wellbeing. A comprehensive current study by the Australian government recently stated that, “differences in children’s development emerge early and are evident by the time they reach school. Children who enter school when they are not ready for this type of educational setting have low levels of wellbeing support, have lower levels of academic achievement and are at an increased risk of teenage parenthood, mental health problems, getting into trouble with the law and poorer job outcomes.” In New Zealand, many students do not complete their courses and qualifications successfully – around 25 percent of New Zealand University students do not complete their qualifications (Scott, 2009). This is directly linked to poor wellbeing. Previous research has shown that wellbeing is linked to better academic outcomes (El Ansari & Stock, 2010). For example, students who use their strengths more, report more engagement with their learning and intrinsic motivation to learn (Louis, 2009), and growth mindsets improve both well being and learning outcomes (Dweck, 2006). Research has also demonstrated that wellbeing is largely related to engagement: higher well-being leads to higher engagement, and this in turn leads to better academic outcomes. Provide your child with responsive care. It can be hard. It takes time to slow down, carefully look at, or observe, what your child is doing, and to learn what their behaviours might really mean. Be affectionate and nurturing. Loving behaviour and encouraging words send messages to your child, reassuring them that they are somebody special. And when they feel they are loved for who they are, they learn how to love others that way, too. Help your child learn to resolve conflicts in a healthy, appropriate way Let them explore what they are capable of and also let them know you are there to support their efforts.

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Catch-up Session Sixth Form Study Room 1545hrs-1900hrs every Friday There will be a new work catch-up session running on Fridays from 1545hrs – 1900hrs for Sixth Form pupils who have not managed to complete their work during the week. This is not a punishment, but is designed to give our pupils the opportunity to keep up with their studies. If your child is required to attend, you will be notified by the end of the day on Thursday by email. Your cooperation in this matter is much appreciated. Getting ready for university and beyond We are encouraging all Year 13 pupils to get their applications completed by the beginning of the Christmas holidays. A timeline of key dates for UK and US university applications has been given out: All pupils will have to operate in a very competitive environment once they leave Wellington, so we advise that pupils from Year 11 onwards, or indeed, even earlier, should include an element of work experience or activity during most school vacations to assist in the development of some of the following important skills:

• Self-reliance - this can be developed by playing competitive sports or being part of a band or dramatic group.
• People skills - such as team-working, communication and leadership. These can be nurtured by having a weekend job, doing voluntary work or being a member of an orchestra or team. We are also running our Global Social Leaders (GSL) programme again this year, offering excellent opportunities for pupil leadership [see key dates above].
• General employment skills - at university, our pupils will inevitably be making decisions and choices alone, without their parents or teachers to advise them on the correct course of action. Their intelligence will need to have been awakened to the real and long-term issues involved when they are pressed to say “yes” or “no” to a particular course of action. Any kind of work experience will help them to be able to cope with in these situations.
• Service learning – our pupils should aim to do charity work, help others in the College and the wider community and undertake some forms of voluntary work.
• A knowledge of current affairs – pupils are encouraged to read a quality newspaper regularly.
• Reading skills - encourage your child to read. Studying at university will require them to have a more proactive and independent approach. They should do additional reading around their A-level or IB subjects and the subjects they plan to study at university
• Help your child to learn to keep to a budget. Learning to budget is a vital skill and will be essential when they get to university.
• Encourage them to get out of their comfort zone. They will be meeting a lot of new people and they will have to be able to communicate with them in an open and confident manner.
• Other specific skills that might be relevant to a pupil’s future career include learning to drive, first aid skills, cookery and web design – the list is almost endless!
• If you have any questions regarding life in the Sixth Form or university applications, please contact the Sixth Form Team on:jayne.sabio@wellingtoncollege.cn Head of Sixth Form edward.batey@wellingtoncollege.cn Deputy Head of Sixth Form stacey.liu@wellingtoncollege.cn University Liaison Officer, Chinese speaker hannah.kim@wellingtoncollege.cn Korean Liaison 

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Senior School ASA ASA in the Senior School will start this term from Monday 4th September.  Pupils will have chosen their ASA this week in the school and the parents are encouraged to speak to them about the ones they have chosen. There is a diverse range of ASA on offer for this term, as our teachers in the Senior School are highlighting their talents and expertise.  Please do email me (david.mackinnon@wellingtoncollege.cn) if you have any questions related to the ASA programme.

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Y12 Art Trip to Cuandixia Village 0650hrs-2000hrs Saturday 2nd September On Saturday 2nd September, the Year 12 Art pupils will be taking a trip to Cuandixia, a Ming dynasty village to the west of Beijing. The trip will be an immersive introduction to the A Level Art course where pupils will be given the opportunity to take photos of the beautiful surroundings and draw from first hand observation. The visual information recorded will be used to inspire their work this term. It's going to be an early start and Year 12 students will need to be at the gates at the front of school for 0650hrs ready to board the school bus. We intend to be back by 2000hrs and pupils have been given a list of things to bring but if there are any further queries please email me directly at madeline.churchill@wellingtoncolllege.cn.

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Charity Sleepover Black Box 1400hrs Friday 8th September We are very excited to announce an opportunity to support Jian Hua Orphanage with our annual sleepover on Friday 8th September. It will start at 1400hrs and it will be centred in the Black Box. Admission is 50 RMB and pupils should collect a sponsorship form in advance from Ms. Rogic in order to raise as much money as possible for this wonderful cause. All the money will be donated to Jian Hua Ltd.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL PARENTS’ EVENING Class Teachers’ rooms 1545hrs-1730hrs Thursday 7th September All parents (except those of Year 6) will have a Parents’ Evening on the 7th September from 1545hrs. The teachers will give an overview of the timetable, what children will be learning over the year, upcoming trips, homework project expectations and many other useful ideas to support your child at home. Please come along. During the meetings, your child will be in another classroom watching a video and supervised by a Teaching Assistant.

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Welcome back everybody, from your glorious summer holidays.  After speaking with many parents, our children have had the most exciting opportunities of travelling around the world: Australia, America, UK, Thailand, Hong Kong, Poland and the Czech Republic are just a few of the places that our families have visited. I’m sure you will all agree that our children have the most wonderful opportunities both at home with their parents and at our school. The Junior School team has arranged many exciting opportunities over the year which link into the children’s IPC projects. We have the Year 6 trip to UK in April (a letter has already gone home), a Year 5 camping trip in March and a new trip for Year 4 pupils in November; parents of children in Year 4 will have a meeting very soon to explain it. The Junior School has started as it means to go on, with Milepost 2’s entry point: On Monday afternoon, the Milepost 2 pupils kicked off their topic "Around the World" with something to delight the taste buds - all the Year 3 and Year 4 children brought in samples of food from around the world. A huge thank you to all the parents who provided all the food! The children shared their delicious offerings during their whistle-stop tour around the cuisine of the globe, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The children will start in China this week and then plot their trip of discovery "around the world". Mr Edward Philpott MP2 Lead Year 6 children have also voted for their Head Boy and Girl. The chosen pair's primary responsibility is to chair student council meetings, write articles for the Week Ahead and be ambassadors for the School when we have guests. Five boys and five girls put their names forward for the election. After giving speeches and answering questions from the audience about how they would go about the job if chosen, the rest of the year group completed a secret ballot to decide the representatives for the Junior School. In a strong showing by both, Mimi and Kai Yi were elected as Head Girl and Head Boy respectively. Congratulations to both, I'm sure they will do a great job! We will be celebrating these two children in our Celebration Assembly on Friday at 0830hrs. Year 6 also have 4 prefects to support Head Boy and Girl who are: Thomas, Julia, Seoyoon and Mia All parents are welcome to join our Assembly on Friday mornings at 0830hrs.  If your child has been awarded a certificate for an event out of school, please ask your child to bring it in, with a short explanation of what the certificate is for, and we will celebrate their achievements. The Junior School will also host another of our Open Mornings on Monday 9th October. It was an extremely popular event last year, therefore please register early as we ae limited to 50 parent places on the event.  Please email polly.zhang@wellingtoncollege.cn to register your place. Each week we will have workshops and lectures on various and colourful topics held by our school parents and friends. This is to enhance our bounds as a Wellington Community and we would love to welcome all of you to join us! Starting with new academic year, school parents Mrs. Daniela Stofkova opens the ‘Pilates’ session and Mrs. Ksenija Markovic holds “Art Class” for your mental relaxation and inspiration. In addition, we also have Professor Wei Wang from Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to explain how TCM can help with your family’s daily diet. Pilates Dance Studio 1100hrs-1200hrs Every Tuesday and Friday from 29th September 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. As Joseph Pilates said: In 10 sessions, you'll feel the difference in 20 sessions, you'll see the difference, and in 30 sessions, you'll have a new body. So, don't hesitate, join our classes and feel better. You are warmly welcomed. Art Class Junior Art Room 0830hrs-1100hrs Every Friday from 1st September After a long week of taking care of your beloved children it's time to think of yourself as well. A little oasis from everyday noise, ART classes can give you much needed relaxation. An excellent way to cope with your everyday stress routine, and to prepare yourself for the upcoming busy weekend. Painting, sculpture, drawing, acrylics, aquarelle, crayons won't be a mystery to you anymore. All the things you always wanted to try but didn't have time for, now in the most convenient time and place for you - when your kids are at school. Each month we will be focusing on something new that you might like to try. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): Food Therapy WCA Room 0900hrs-1030hrs Every Tuesday from 29th September Professor Wang is the Director of Clinical Teaching and Training Department in Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Every Tuesday morning 9:00am to 10:30am, I will demonstrate how to find out you and your family’s health issues and how traditional Chinese medicine help with your family diet, the balance of vegetables and fruits etc. I will also show you how to diagnose your body by looking at the colour of the tongue and your face. The last 15 minutes after the lesson, there will be a massage session which will be greatly helpful to maintain your health. The whole lesson is completely practical and instructed by cases, look forward to seeing you!

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Monday 04 September 2017 1400hrs - 1500hrs Meet the Bursar (LL) (Bursar's Office) Tuesday 05 September 2017 0900hrs - 1030hrs WCA: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (WCA Room) 1100hrs - 1200hrs WCA: Pilates (Dance Studio) Wednesday 06 September 2017 0900hrs - 1000hrs Parent Briefing: Tutoring & the House System (JL) (Black Box) Thursday 07 September 2017 1400hrs - 1515hrs Meet the Master: Years 2-6 Parents (ES) (Master's Office) 1545hrs - 1730hrs Junior School Parents' Evening: Welcome to our Class (YT) Friday 08 September 2017 0830hrs - 1100hrs WCA: Art Class (KM) (Junior Art Room) 1100hrs - 1200hrs WCA: Pilates (Dance Studio) 1400hrs Charity Sleepover in Aid of Jian Hua Orphanage (to 9th) (MR) Saturday 09 September 2017 0900hrs - 1230hrs Saturday Activity Programme (SAP) (EvK)