Dear parents

I was saddened this week to learn of the death of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He was, of course, consort to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as well as a regular visitor to our sister school in England. His passing has seen an outpouring of national sympathy for the royal family, not unsurprisingly, but what was so notable for me in the reporting was the heavy emphasis placed on the Duke of Edinburgh's long years of service to the country and family. He championed conservation issues well before they became fashionable and was known as the hardest-working member of the royal family in terms of the number of engagements and patronages he maintained until well into his later years.

Parents will know that I do not usually veer into world affairs in a column dedicated to the week ahead. Still, I made an exception in this edition simply because, among all the commitments His Royal Highness was associated with throughout his life as consort to the Queen, none was as lasting as his championing of young people. The eponymous award, which takes his title, has become an internationally recognized marque of quality education in service-learning. The International Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme is thriving here at Wellington, and in over 140 countries across the world. Since its creation in 1956, the scheme has benefitted more than 8 million young people.

Service lies at the heart of education in Wellington. Pupils in our school are privileged to study here. As a part of that privilege, we work to help them recognize the importance of serving others, giving back to the communities that have raised them, and building international and intercultural bridges between people. I firmly believe that schools such as Wellington have a responsibility to educate young people beyond the textbook and classroom. They will be citizens of the world soon enough, and they need to understand both their place in that world, but also that they have the capacity to make things better. Our own Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and the innovative Eric Liddell project are formal ways in which our pupils can get involved in practical service work, seeing a direct link between their hard work and improvements in the lives of those around them.

I have written many times about the benefits of service-learning, and it will continue to be significant focus of the holistic education we offer in the school. If you would like to learn more about the International Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Eric Liddell project or any other way in which your child can engage more deeply in helping others, then please do not hesitate to contact me. 

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, embodied a life of service to others. His example can serve as an inspiration to the generations of young Wellingtons here in Tianjin as they seek ways to make a difference to the world around them.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER

Duke of Wellington Room (MB109)
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
22nd April

This week's Meet the Master slot is open to parents of pupils in the years 2 to 6. If you would like to attend, please confirm via email with Ms Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday 21st April.

Internationalism Week

Pupils across the college will be completing a range of activities and challenges during morning registrations which will be themed around internationalism, designed to promote inclusivity, and also promote a more global perspective and outlook within our pupils.   

In the Junior School, on Thursday 22nd April, we will run another Learning Without Borders House Day, based on the UN sustainable learning goal: life below water, promoting the concept of global responsibility and stewardship.

In the Senior School, pupils will be sharing their ideas relating to global citizenship and taking part in house debates.  

Junior and Senior School pupils will be encouraged to wear local, national or international costumes on Friday 23rd April. There will be a parade of all outfits at 1030hrs on the running track. Parents are welcome to join us.

Reading and Writing All Around Week

In the Junior and Senior schools, pupils will be writing about authors from around the world to complement the focus on internationalism week. This will develop an awareness of different genres and styles of writing and hopefully inspire other pupils to explore books that they may not have come across before. Pupil contributions will be shared with the entire Wellington community once all submissions have been compiled. 

Common Room
0900hrs-1015hrs, Wednesday
21st April

Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior 2021

Parent briefings are held on Wednesday mornings, usually from 0900hrs -1015hrs. Parents will have the chance to engage with the school in sessions covering all aspects of your child's education, from the Early Years to A levels and university admissions. We continue to pre-record the video with Chinese and Korean subtitles and share it with parents before the day. Meanwhile, parents are welcome to the campus to watch the video and afterwards, the presenters will lead a Q&A session on the day.

The move from the Junior to the Senior School can be a source of concern and worry for many parents and pupils. However, we have a comprehensive programme in place, and you can find more about this by watching the recorded information presentation that will be shared with you early next week. Areas that will be covered include what has been put in place over this academic year, plans for the remainder of the term, and information about how things will be different in Senior School.  During the briefing between 0930hrs and 1015hrs, all the presenters will be available to answer questions. You will also hear from some year 7 pupils about their own experiences relating to the move from the Junior School to the Senior School. Please confirm your attendance by emailing Miss Emma Shi at Emma.Shi@wellingtoncollege.cn.

WCC Art Competition
19th April-24th May

This week sees the launch of a brand-new Art competition across the Wellington College China group. The theme is 'Resilience', and pupils from Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 can submit artwork. There are no restrictions on scale or media so pupils can think big and let their imaginations run free!

Junior School pupils in years 1 and 2 and years 3 - 6 can ask their teacher for materials and more information. Senior School pupils in years 7 - 9 can speak to their Housemasters for details and talk to tutors about working on their creative entries in Wednesday tutorial time.

Submissions are open from Monday 19th April to Monday 24th May and should be handed into the Art department on the third floor. The winner and runner-up at each key stage will be announced by Mr Jeffrey on Friday 4th June and published on the WCC website.

Look for the posters around the school, and we look forward to receiving your creative entries!  

Year 9 Trip Hai River
Tuesday, 20th April

To arouse our pupils' interest in exploring the richness of Tianjin's history and culture, the Mandarin Department is organizing a trip to the Hai riverside for pupils in year 9 on 20th April 2021. 

The Hai River is formed by the confluence of five rivers in north China, and it connects Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. There are many scenic spots and historical sites along the riverside, such as the Emperor's Ferry, Tianjin Eye, Dabei Temple, Wanghai Building (the church), and Li Shutong Memorial Hall.  

Pupils will be given an introduction about the area in Mandarin lessons before the trip and attend activities to know more about the historical sites during the trip. Subsequent productions by the pupils such as displays and discussions will be born from this trip.

For more details, please see the parent letter issued to year 9 pupils. Please contact the Mandarin teachers if you would like to hear more about this event.

Readers of the week

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

Nakisha, in year 8, was nominated by Ms Xu for demonstrating her continued commitment to reading by writing a lovely book review of 'Charlotte's Web'.

Katie, Bruce, Tony and Richard, in year 10, were nominated by Ms Jiao for presenting a video of themselves to retell the book they've finished reading over the Easter holiday.

Congratulations to Nakisha, Katie, Bruce, Tony and Richard – what impressive achievements!