The Week Ahead 19 November 2021

Dear parents

Winter is on its way, and in Tianjin, that inevitably means plunging temperatures. One obvious sign of the change in season is that trees shed their leaves after a brief but glorious explosion of golden autumnal colours. A second tell-tale sign is that winter coats begin to appear. Whilst the former always lifts the spirits, the latter is often accompanied, in school at least, by a sinking feeling. Pupils stepping from the bus or striding in through the security entrances, clad in a variety of idiosyncratic colours and styles, can only mean one thing: it is time to send out a reminder of the school uniform policy and our subsequent expectations. The guidance on uniform for all pupils is easily accessible on the school's website: https://tianjin.wellingtoncollege.cn/parent-resources/70/. The winter season sees our pupils at their most creative in terms of uniform, from boots and shoes to warm winter coats. While we encourage creativity in other parts of the school's education, our policy is characteristically clear regarding clothing, hair and make-up. We have a uniform policy, and pupils must adhere to its requirements.

We wear uniforms at Wellington for many reasons. It signals pride in a pupil's affiliation to a school. It bonds children in our school to those in others across the Wellington family in a way that renders location, ethnicity, mother tongue, and age meaningless: we are, quite simply, Wellington. Being a pupil in one of our schools should mean something, and the way we look as part of a community helps to reflect our high expectations. On a practical level, uniform means that all pupils and parents can be clear about the standards and expectations of their peers and teachers – the envy of ultra-expensive designer clothing is rightly mitigated by wearing a school uniform. Research suggests that wearing a uniform can raise a pupil's confidence, self-esteem and reduce incidents of bullying.

There is a major sweep across the school over the next three weeks aimed at reducing the number of uniform breaches. Do not be too surprised to find your child bringing home a letter reminding you of the appropriate clothing for each group. Parental support in this drive is essential, of course; we must be clear in the home-school relationship that personal choice of clothing for school days is not desirable. I expect all pupils to be correctly attired by the start of December.

If you would like to know more about our uniform and its availability, please contact the school shop on (022) 8758 7199 ext. 6013 or uniform.tianjin@wellingtoncollege.cn.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Senior School parents' evening: Years 11 & 13
Dining Hall
1700hrs – 1830hrs, Tuesday 23rd November

Senior School parents' evening: Years 8 & 9
Dining Hall
1700hrs – 1830hrs, Thursday 25th November

The Senior School is holding a series of formal parent evenings on Tuesday and Thursday. We encourage all parents to attend in person or arrange alternative times with the teachers to meet them online via TEAMS. We published your child's interim report on 22nd October, so please look at the teachers' comments and grades before the meetings. It is a valuable opportunity for you to discuss progress to date and how we can work together to support and challenge your child.

*Note: Before entering the campus, you will need to show your parent card, green Tianjin health code, and green travel code at the security entrance. If your travel card shows an *, indicating a visit to a high/medium risk city, a NAT test result must be shown within 48 hours of returning to Tianjin. You will also be required to wear a mask whilst in school.

Parent briefing: University applications for parents of pupils in years 7-9
FOW Room (MB238)
1700hrs, Wednesday
24th November

There will be a parent briefing on university applications for parents of all pupils in years 7-9 on Wednesday 24th November at 1700hrs in the FOW room. Please send any questions you may have beforehand to Miss Luyi (luyi.feng@wellingtoncollege.cn). We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

*Note: Before entering the campus, you will need to show your parent card, green Tianjin health code, and green travel code at the security entrance. If your travel card shows an *, indicating a visit to a high/medium risk city, a NAT test result must be shown within 48 hours of returning to Tianjin. You will also be required to wear a mask whilst in school.

Year 13 DT Trip to IKEA
0930hrs – 1330hrs, Monday
22nd November

As part of their major coursework project, the year 13s will take a short trip to Ikea, Tianjin. Pupils will look at modern furniture designs, sustainable production techniques and the growing popularity of self-assembly furniture. The school bus will leave school at 0930hrs and will return by 1330hrs. For any further enquiries, please contact me at michelle.ofosu@wellingtoncollege.cn.

Readers of the week

The English and ELA department is delighted to announce that the Readers of the Week are:

Wenxin, in year 7, was nominated by Mr Furse for independently reading Pride and Prejudice and making a book recommendation about it.

Iman, Sofie, Emilie, Jiyou and Ava, in year 7, were nominated by Mr Furse again for their consistent holiday reading of Northern Lights, Spy School and Wonder.

Huge congratulations to you all - what impressive achievements from the youngest year group in the Senior School! Well-done!

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 bonds as a Wellington Community, and we would love to welcome all of you to join us!