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The Week Ahead 29 May 2020

02 Jun 2020

From the Master

来自校长

마스터

Dear parents It is a characteristic of the month of May in schools to be a time of review and reflection, looking back over the school year that will soon reach its conclusion. It has been no different this year, as you will be well aware. We have reported to parents on the Annual Review process and its results; we have spoken to many groups and individuals among the parent body on the experience of e-learning; the school’s yearbook, that celebration of life within the College, will be published to parents in the coming weeks; and, of course, pupils from the Junior and Senior Schools have spent the month working on revision for the imminent assessment week. This process of reflection is important. It helps us as a school to gauge progress in a measured and self-critical way, evaluating where we are as an institution against the goals we set ourselves in 2019. Of course, some of our plans were swept aside by the jarring interruption to conventional schooling posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It decimated the sports’ and arts’ programmes (although I very much hope we can revive the plans for Chicago in the coming months) and derailed a raft of plans for exciting expeditions and trips. The global impact can be seen in the abandonment of public examinations in May and June, adding a new layer of stress on our already anxious young people. The hidden impact of the pandemic – the isolation that so many children faced, the uncertainties over its duration and concerns for family and friends – which may play out in the mental wellbeing of our community is perhaps still too early to judge. The early signs are cautiously positive as pupils report feeling safe and secure once back in school, but the longer-term impact (and potential for second or even third waves of infection) remains unknowable. As important as it is to trace a journey by looking back, there comes a time when we must all look forward and plan for the road ahead. I wrote to all parents a couple of weeks ago with the outline of the academic priorities for the coming year, and I will be talking about them (and more) in the briefing on Wednesday (for details, see below). I will add some details to the bare bones I outlined in my letter, but also update parents on the recruitment of staff for the new year, the plans for dealing with any recurrence of Covid-19 as well as our development of e-learning. 2020/21 promises to be another year of unceasing energy and a relentless focus on improvement for both the pupils and the school. We have some hugely exciting examination results due in August and the year groups coming through now offer some mouth-watering potential for admissions to the world’s top five universities. As we move into the 10th year since our foundation, my colleagues and I are as determined as ever to make Wellington in Tianjin the very best school it can be. Best wishes Julian Jeffrey MASTER

MEET THE MASTER

Online Meeting 1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday 4th June

The Meet the Master slot is held online and this week is open to parents of pupils in years 2 to 6. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms. Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 3rd June. As ever, parents of children in other year groups are welcome to join the meeting.

PARENT BRIEFING

Online Meeting 0800hrs-0915hrs and 1000hrs-1115hrs, Wednesday 3rd June

This week, the Master, Mr Jeffrey, will be presenting the key areas of focus and development for the coming year. Topics will include:

The major academic initiatives we have planned for the year;
how we will continue to improve the services we offer to parents and pupils;
recruitment updates and detail of new staff;
the school’s plans for tackling future Covid-19 disruptions;
and some thoughts on how e-learning will rise to meet the challenges of new technology and potentially extended school closure periods.

There will be two sessions, both recorded for convenience and posted on Teams. The first (0800hrs-0915hrs) will be in English and Chinese and the second (1000hrs-1115hrs) will be in English and Korean.

FROM THE SECOND MASTER

Junior School Assessment Window 1st - 12th June

This assessment window is part of the academic cycle within the school and will complement the formative and summative assessment strategies that are used with pupils over time. Teachers have been tracking pupils using a range of tests, diagnostics, as well as adaptive online tools throughout the year, and these assessments will be based predominantly on test papers that are benchmarked to the British National Curriculum, and the Age-Related Expectations (ARE) of pupils.

FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Assessment Week: Years 7 to 10 and A Level Induction Stream 1st - 5th June

The assessment week for pupils in years 7 to 10 and A Level Induction year will be organized in the week from 1st - 5th June. All pupils have been provided with the revision guide as well as the schedule for the week. They will sit the exams according to the schedule or be working on their revision during non-examination periods. All papers will be conducted under examination conditions and pupils will greatly benefit from this experience once they sit the public examination in the higher year groups. Pupils usually get stressed before their exams, and this can affect their performance and that is the reason why we need parents to support them at home. A good night's sleep of at least eight hours, as well as a balanced diet, are essential supports. The results from these assessments will be included in the final reports pupils will receive. If you have any questions regarding the assessment week, please contact Mrs Dragana Popovic, (dragana.popovic@wellingtoncollege.cn).

FROM THE HEAD OF SIXTH FORM

Graduation Ceremony

The graduation ceremony will be a very different, but special event this year and we are very much looking forward to celebrating our graduates’ incredible successes in a more intimate and informal way. The ceremony will take place in the Pizza Bianca restaurant in the Wudadao area of Tianjin on Wednesday 3rd June at 1800hrs. There will be some special video appearances and musical performances alongside the usual presentations of graduation certificates and photograph opportunities. Parents of all year 13 graduates are warmly invited to join us in what promises to be the most memorable graduation ceremony in recent years. COVID-19 has not defeated us this time!

FROM THE UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE TEAM

Parents’ Evening: A Level Induction Stream and Year 11 Online Meeting 1730hrs – 1830hrs, Thursday 4th June

We will be hosting an online parents’ evening for all A Level Induction stream and year 11 parents to discuss university applications and possible subject choices. The meeting will take place on Thursday 4th June at 1730hrs. Please join us on Teams (A level Induction and Year 11) for the meeting and make sure to fill in the survey regarding pupils’ prospective universities and subject areas before 1700hrs Monday 1st June. If you are from a different year group and would also like to attend the meeting, please email Miss Luyi at luyi.feng@wellingtoncollege.cn.

FROM MRS PADFIELD, RECEPTION

Minibeasts

This month in Reception we have been looking at minibeasts. The children have had a lot of fun identifying different minibeasts and learning more about some of their favourite bugs. The children have been exploring by going on minibeast hunts to find these creatures in their natural habitats, they have created their own caterpillar-to-butterfly life cycle wheels and have made their own fact profiles about spiders, butterflies and worms. We have also made some fantastic minibeast-related arts and crafts. The children have shared lots of photos of minibeasts in real life that they have found whilst exploring the outdoors with their families. Well done Reception.

FROM MS JIAO, JUNIOR SCHOOL MANDARIN DEPARTMENT

Pupils in the Junior School and Nest participated in a picture book competition ‘I read; I draw - what does Spring look like in your eyes’ held by Wawayaya Joy Reader during this April. We are proud to announce that all of the participants from our school won prizes - among the thousands of entries in this global event! Pupils have shown great creativity in their work and got positive comments from professionals in the area of children’s literature. Congratulations to everyone!

Best Creativity Award

SuHui in year 5 non-native intermediate group

Second Award

Ella in year 1 native group

Third Award

Stacy in year 6 non-native intermediate group

Joanne & Sarah in year 5 non-native intermediate group

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