Dear parents

I hope that you all had a restful national holiday with your families. It has been good to see your children back in school this week, refreshed and excited about their learning. It bodes very well for the next few weeks as we head towards the Christmas break in December.

There is much to get through before that holiday, though. Next week, for example, we are hosting a visit from our colleagues in Wellington's Institute of Learning (IOL). The IOL is a part of our Central Office and is focused on supporting the group's schools in all matters academic. The visit next week is a monitoring exercise concentrating on confirming the quality of teaching across the school. We provide data each term to our governors on the quality of teaching, and this biannual visit is designed to triangulate the judgements made by our school heads, the Annual Review team who came in March and the specialists from the IOL. This exercise provides further safeguards in quality assurance for our community. External moderation of the school's judgement is central to establishing a culture of tireless school improvement because it focuses on fundamental factors such as teaching and learning, the curriculum, school leadership and the achievements and progress of our pupils.

The following week (25th-29th October), we will take our first step towards reaccreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS). Long-standing parents will remember that CIS first accredited us in December 2016 through a process renowned for its rigour and engagement with all stakeholders in the Wellington community. The Preliminary Evaluation Visit (PEV) will help us focus on some critical areas of school development, primarily drawn from our existing development plans but with the added input of independent CIS evaluators. In turn, this will trigger the Self Study period, an intense 18-month long analysis of our strengths and areas for improvement, which precedes the final accreditation visit in early 2023.

CIS, the Wellington group Annual Review and the regular IOL visits are all part of the overall determination of the school to provide the best all-around education we can to our pupils and families. So much in the world of British and international education is unfamiliar to our community that any external health checks such as these can provide parents, pupils, staff and governors alike with an accurate and up-to-date assessment of the school you have chosen for your children. As parents, you too have a pivotal role to play in this, of course. The insights you provide through the survey data are invaluable. We use the results of the major Annual Review survey to drive improvement. Further anecdotal evidence, relayed through parent evenings, Meet the Master sessions and everyday home-school communications, all help to give us a rounded impression of the school's qualities and areas for further development. You can be assured that feedback from parents informs a very substantial part of our planning and improvement.

As we enter this long stretch of term before the winter break, please be aware of how important your voice as a parent is to our school. I would urge you to be proactive in communicating with the team here. It is by voicing your concerns and raising questions that the home-school partnership is strengthened further.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Duke of Wellington Room (MB109)
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
21st October

This week's Meet the Master slot is open to parents of pupils in the Nest and Junior School. If you would like to attend, please confirm via e-mail with Ms Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday, 20th October. This session will include a short tour of the new outdoor learning areas of the Nest and an explanation of the key goals of this part of the curriculum.

Junior & Senior Schools: Interim reports published
1700hrs, Friday
22nd October

We will be publishing interim reports for all Junior School and Senior School pupils. These reports ensure that parents are made aware of the content that has been covered, as well as your child's attainment and effort grades. Interim reports are an invaluable tool for both teachers and parents and can provide information that is helpful to support and challenge pupils. 

Please make sure you can log in to the parent portal so that you can access this resource, as well as previous reports for your child. If you have any issues, please contact Mrs Zhao directly via e-mail at cissy.zhao@wellingtoncollege.cn.

Digital Citizenship
18th-2nd October

Next week sees a point of focus on digital citizenship. I have written a number of articles recently that have brought aspects of parent responsibility around things virtual to the fore. The fact that we are now in an era where so much is possible online and that such influences have only accelerated due to the pandemic makes the need for careful guidance around balanced, informed and considerate citizenship online ever more pressing. Next week, we will explore with pupils in assemblies, registrations and tutorials what digital citizenship is and how we can transfer our offline values into the online world. The Junior School will also be exploring ways to keep themselves safe while navigating the internet. Pupils will be learning skills to protect their privacy and ways to ensure that they are leaving a minimal digital footprint. It is not always as simple as it seems, and being objective about our online behaviour and applying a values mindset to it can significantly enhance pupil safety and wellbeing. Later in the year, in the Lent Term, we will dig deeper into a range of digital citizenship topics and revisit those "e-values" that are the foundation of responsible citizenship online.

EPQ Marketplace
Black Box
1035hrs-1400hrs, Tuesday
19th October

Next Tuesday, we will hold our annual EPQ marketplace event where our year 13 pupils showcase the projects they have been working on for the last year. EPQ is an extended project qualification worth the same as an AS level. It helps prepare pupils for the rigours of university education. This year, our pupils will showcase projects that range from aeronautical engineering to computer game design and gene editing.

The event will run from 1035hrs – 1400hrs in the Black Box. If you are a parent or guardian and you would like to attend this event, please e-mail Ms Cui at agnes.cui@wellingtoncollege.cn so that we can register you.

Year 8 Chinese Culture trip: Tianjin Ancient Culture Street
0935hrs-1300hrs, Friday
22nd October 

To arouse our pupils' interest in exploring the richness of traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin Department is organising a cultural trip for year 8 to visit the Ancient Culture Street on Friday 22nd October (0935hrs-1300hrs). The visit is designed to inspire pupils through the many and varied Chinese traditional arts and crafts. Parent letters with more details will be sent to pupils soon. For any further enquiries, please contact with Mrs Jia, catherine.jia@wellingtoncollege.cn.

TIANMUN CONFERENCE
21st-23rd October

A group of Senior School pupils will attend an online conference for the Model United Nations from 21st-23rd Oct. This conference is a China-wide event, with 2021 is its 9th year. MUN is an educational and academic simulation of diplomatic decision making. During a MUN conference, our pupils learn about diplomacy, international relations, the operation of the United Nations, and other international organisations. Through MUN, the pupils, referred to as delegates, will gain experience in researching, public speaking, debating, writing, teamwork, and cultural empathy. If you have any questions, please feel free to send an e-mail to Ms Xie via bianca.xie@wellingtoncollege.cn

ISCOT Middle School Girls' Football tournament
0900hrs-1230hrs, Saturday
23rd October

On Saturday 23rd October, we will host the ISCOT Middle School Girls' Football tournament from 0900hrs. Staff and parents are welcome to watch and support the teams. I look forward to seeing many of you there!