The Week Ahead 13 May 2020

From the Master 来自校长 마스터

Dear parents Since the turn of the year, headlines have been dominated by really only one thing: the pandemic caused by the coronavirus and the impact of Covid-19. Every good school has learnt some important lessons about the nature of teaching, communication in a virtual world and keeping a community that has been glued to a computer screen for three months engaged and positive. Valid questions remain around impact on the mental wellbeing of both pupil and teacher. Great schools, and those which aspire to greatness, will use these lessons and improve the education they offer their communities in the months and years to come. We spend a great deal of time at Wellington trying to foster a shared sense of our identity, through our values and the way we conduct ourselves around other people. Our pupils are taught that collaboration, cooperation, and respect for others are central to their lives as effective learners. As an international school with over 30 different nationalities and languages represented within our walls, we are an embodiment of toleration. Our communal lives here in the school are marked by an unspoken willingness to help one another, to offer service to those who need it and to seek help in times of distress. I have been lucky enough this week to spend some time with the staff of a school for children with very serious learning difficulties, close to the school in Hongqiao district. We were able to launch what I hope will be a long and fruitful collaboration with the school, donating 10 iPads with money raised during a recent charity event. I want our pupils to be able to spend time with their peers in the school, working with these disadvantaged young people and helping them to lead more fulfilling lives. If all we taught here was that our pupils were the lucky few, I think we would be doing them, and the world they will come to live and work in, a grave disservice. Julian Jeffrey MASTER MEET THE MASTER Online Meeting 1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday 21st May   The Meet the Master slot is held online and is open to 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 20th May. As ever, parents of children in other year groups are welcome to join the meeting. PARENT BRIEFING: WHAT IS INDEPENDENCE IN LEARNING, AND HOW DOES IT HELP CHILDREN SUCCEED?  Online Meeting 0800hrs – 0915hrs, Wednesday 20th May   Becoming independent learners is one of the key Wellington Identities in all Wellington schools throughout the world. This workshop will take parents on a journey where key speakers will share the philosophy of the development of independence within their part of the school from an educational perspective, and also through the use of eLearning. FROM THE JUNIOR SCHOOL MANDARIN COORDINATOR Mandarin Book Design Competition   Pupils in Junior School have been in a competition to create a picture book themed, "I read; I draw - What does Spring look like in your eyes?" This competition is held by Wawayaya which is a bilingual reading app. Children need to draw a picture book to introduce Spring in their eyes. Here we have a series of outstanding works from Mandarin non-native intermediate group to share with all of you.

Year 5 Joanne and Sarah

Year 6 Stacy

FROM MRS LEWIS, EAGLETS Fun Activities to Develop Young Children’s Fine Motor Skills   In Eaglets we have had some very exciting activities for our eLearning, developing our fine motors skills by being little chefs and cooking tasty things to eat. We have learned how to hold a knife and to cut fruit to make a fruit salad whilst being very safe when using a sharp knife. We also made a delicious jam sandwich, spreading the butter and jam and naming the shapes of our sandwiches as we made triangles and squares. We even learned how to mix ingredients to make a chocolate cake and best of all, we were all able to lick the spoon once we finished. All these fun cooking activities support the development of a child’s fine motor skills and links with other areas of development such as communication, language, as well as maths through counting, learning shapes and understanding measurement. Well done little chefs! FROM MRS PRENDI, YEAR 3 Cave Paintings   Year 3 pupils researched the international phenomenon of cave paintings this week! Extensive work culminated in some fabulous online presentations. It was particularly interesting to hear about famous cave paintings in China, Korea, France and Spain. FROM THE HEAD OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Readers of the Week The English Department is delighted to announce that this week’s Readers of the Week is: Grace in Year 8, whose comments on her classmates’ stories were constructive and demonstrated critical reading skills. Irene in Year 9, who read The Hunger Games chapters one and two. Adam in Year 9, who read David Copperfield and The Hunger Games chapter one. Dana in Year 9, who has recently read The City of Ember and We Were Liars.