The Week Ahead 19 October 2018

Dear Parents, I am writing to you from the UK, where I have come on a 10-day recruitment drive for academic staff joining Wellington in August 2019. We have become a school with a low turnover of staff in the recent past, but we are expecting a few new faces for next year, and this is our first major step in the recruitment process. I recognise that Wellington produces highly capable teachers, much sought after by other schools across the world, and thus some turnover is both inevitable and desirable – new staff bring with them fresh ideas and experiences which help to enrich the lessons for our pupils.  However, I am also conscious that too much turnover can be disruptive, so creating stability among the staff is one of my key goals each year. As a result, I am travelling with my colleagues, the Executive Masters of the schools in Hangzhou and Shanghai, as we seek to us this recruitment trip as a genuine opportunity to showcase all that our international and Hiba schools in China offer to UK-based teachers. I wrote last week about the ways in which we as a school and a group seek to recruit, retain and develop the very best teachers. This venture, so early in the academic year, is designed both to raise the profile of the Wellington group in China, but more importantly, to begin to attract the caliber of ambitious, highly skilled and employable professionals we want for our schools. The trip has taken in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester, some of Britain’s major cities and home to some of the finest schools and universities. In each venue, we deliver extensive presentations on the nature of the schools we have in China, as well as details of the enviable resources each school enjoys. In addition, my colleagues and I have been interviewing those candidates we believe already stand out from the hundreds of applicants we received. By recruiting at this stage of the year, it allows for a smooth transition between teachers and gives pupils and parents greater peace of mind for the start of a new year. I look forward to writing to you all again later in the year to outline the progress in adding a new generation of wonderful teachers to the team here at Wellington. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey MASTER MEET THE MASTER  Duke of York Room 1400hrs-1515hrs Thursday 25th October This week, the Meet the Master slot is aimed at parents of pupils in Years 7 to 11. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn)  by Wednesday 24th October. PARENTS’ BRIEFING ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMME Common Room 0900hrs-1015hrs Wednesday 24th October Every Wednesday morning from 0900-1015hrs, 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 this week’s meeting, Mr Jonathan Lewis, the Deputy Head (Pastoral) will explore the anti-bullying strategies that we employ in school and how we promote a positive community. FROM THE HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL Junior School Parent Evening Classrooms 1530hrs-1800hrs Tuesday and Thursday 23rd and 25th October This is an ideal opportunity for parents to talk to teachers about the progress their child has made from the start of the academic year. Books will be available for discussion, as well as the assessment data. All specialist teachers will be available if parents have arranged appointments for them. If the days and times are not suitable, please arrange alternative, mutually convenient times with the class teachers. ASA and prep time will not take place on those days. pick and bus times will be at 1500hrs. FROM THE HEAD OF EARLY YEARS Nest Parents' Evening: Year 1 Nest 1700hrs-1830hrs Tuesday and Thursday 23rd and 25th October An ongoing communication between home and school is key to support a child's academic success. Parents of Year 1 pupils will have an opportunity to meet with their classroom teachers on Tuesday 23rd October and Thursday 25th October from 1700hrs to 1830hrs. Teachers will report on your child's progress since the beginning of the academic year including strengths and next steps for areas of development. Please notify your child's teacher to arrange an alternative meeting time if you are unable to attend. FROM THE HEAD OF SIXTH FORM Lecture: Biodegradable plastics – a solution or part of the problem? Black Box 1600hrs-1645hrs  Thursday 25th Thursday On Thursday 25th October, we host Manchester University from the UK. Manchester is world top 30 university (QS) and is ranked 3rd in the world for Nursing.  James Winterburn, lecturer in Chemical Engineering will be delivering a short TED-style lecture on “Biodegradable plastics – a solution or part of the problem?” before talking about the university in more general terms. The talk will take place at 1600hrs in the Black Box and run for around 45 minutes.   University Visit: University of Leicester, University of Derby, University of Lincoln and City University of London Black Box 1100hrs  Friday 26th October We are happy to continue welcoming universities to our school with a mini University Fair on Friday 26th October. It will be at 1100hrs outside the Black Box. Four universities will join us; Leicester, Derby, Lincoln & City University of London. Leicester University is ranked 80th in the world for clinical, pre-clinical and health as well as being responsible for the discovery of genetic fingerprinting. The University of Derby has been ranked in the UK top 30 by the Guardian newspaper, based on a holistic assessment to university rankings and rates criteria such as student experience, student satisfaction and employability. The table also placed the University of Lincoln at number 22 in the UK. City University of London ranked 4th in the UK for Business (FT European Business School Ranking 2017). Parents are welcome to both of these events. FROM THE HEAD OF ART DEPARTMENT Year 11 Induction Group Art Trip: Art Workshops in Shanghai 28th - 30th October This week sees a group of Year 11 Induction group Art students travel to our international sister school in Shanghai. They will be attending a series of Art workshops given by British artist Ian Murphy, working on large scale drawing projects using charcoal, ink and other mixed media. The following day the group will be visiting the world-renowned Shanghai museum and no doubt they will also make some time to sample the Shanghai dumplings! We wish them a safe trip and look forward to hearing all about it when they return. FROM MR DENTICO Parents’ Briefing Kenya Trip (Summer 2019) Common Room 1800hrs Thursday 25th October I am excited to announce that in Summer 2019 we will be offering an 11-day school trip to Kenya. We will visit some of the most famous national parks on Earth, where pupils will encounter all kinds of celebrated African wildlife including lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinoceros, cheetahs, crocodiles, hippos and more. Opportunities will also be available to learn about the diverse plant, invertebrate and birdlife characteristic of the ecosystems we will visit. The trip is open to all pupils from Years 7 to 13. We will aim to depart for Kenya on July 2nd, 2019 and arrive back in Tianjin on July 13th, 2019. The cost will be no more than 33,000 RMB. This includes flights, high-end accommodation, meals, transport, park entrance/activity fees and mineral water. If your child is interested in this trip, please return the consent form with a copy of your child’s passport before Tuesday 30th October. There will be a parent briefing and Q&A session about the trip on Thursday 25th October at 1800hrs in the Common Room. If you are unable to attend I am happy to answer any questions you may have by email. gianpaolo.dentico@wellingtoncollege.cn FROM MRS CHERUKARA 2018 TIANMUN Conference 25th - 27th October Fifteen delegates from our school will attend the 6th annual TIANMUN conference. The conference will begin on Thursday afternoon, October 25th and will end on Saturday afternoon, October 27th. During the conference students from various schools will work together to develop and debate innovative solutions to current world issues. The goal of TIANMUN is to increase students’ awareness regarding international issues, policy making, and the activities of the United Nations. Valuable skills in public speaking, research and writing, negotiation, and powers of persuasion, leadership, organization, and interpersonal communication will also be acquired. TIANMUN 2018 will offer eleven different committees: General Assembly I and II, Human Rights Council, Economic and Social Council, Disarmament Commission, Environment Commission, Special Conference, European Union, Arab League, Advisory Panel and Security Council. FROM MS ZHANG Year 8 Mandarin Trip: Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street 0830hrs-1300hrs  Thursday 25th October In order to arouse our pupils’ interest in exploring the richness of traditional Chinese culture, the Mandarin Department is organizing a Chinese culture trip for pupils in Year 8 to visit the Ancient Cultural Street on Thursday, October 25th. It is a half day trip; we will take the school bus from school at 0830hrs and be back by1300hrs. If there are any questions, please contact with me at jiajing.zhang@wellingtoncollege.cn.