Dear parents

This is the second week in a row that this column in the Week Ahead focuses not on our pupils but rather on the adults in our community. It is unusual because inevitably our school concentrates on your children and their learning and, as such, they are rightly at the centre of all that we do. Having said that, with last week's piece on professional development for staff, I think it only fair to turn my attention, however fleetingly, to the third major stakeholder group in Wellington: our parents.

I write and speak often about the school-home partnership in the education of our pupils. As parents, you play an essential role in supporting your child and the school throughout their learning. Open and timely communication is a common theme in this partnership. It is no coincidence that the best schools in the world also have the most robust relationships between school and home. One part of that process is through parent evenings. Over the past couple of weeks, we have had held online and in-person sessions for parents in the Nest and Junior School, and next week is the turn of those with children in the Senior School. These are on Tuesday and Thursday next week (2nd and 4th November), with details below from Mr Ogando. I would urge all parents from these years groups – years 7, A Level Induction, and years 10 and 12 – to make appointments. These few minutes of 1-1 time with your child's teachers are invaluable in getting feedback and advice on the next steps; parents often learn more in a few minutes of conversation with a teacher than they do from a year of reports and grades.

As well as parent evenings, informal engagement can help to strengthen the bonds between home and school. The most popular and accessible form is through the Friends of Wellington (FOW). For parents new to the school, the FOW is our parent association, open to all parents and friends of the school across our community. The FOW offers weekly classes and activities for parents. The lingering health and safety precautions around access to the school have meant that we have not been able to provide any FOW events since early 2020, so I am thrilled that we are finally able to lift enough of the restrictions to be able to run courses from 1st November. Details of the current programme are given in this edition of the Week Ahead (see below). They include familiar ones, such as those in Traditional Chinese Medicine with Dr Wang and English lessons with Mr Furse, as well as exciting new courses in yoga with Mrs Cui, knitting, and floral design with one of our recent Old Wellingtonians, Molessom. Aside from the yoga, the venue for these sessions is our redesigned FOW room on the second floor. It is a large, multi-purpose space, ideal for groups of FOW enthusiasts to gather and enjoy the activities. The coffee shop is also once more open for business for those of you who crave refreshment after a class. Finally, the FOW arranges weekday trips around the city, with the complimentary use of a school bus if required. If you are interested in joining one of the FOW courses, please contact Mrs Lily Lian (lily.lian@wellingtoncollege.cn) for details.

It is such a joy to be able once again to welcome parents into the school grounds after such a long absence. Access to the estate still requires both the green health code and travel code to be shown on arrival, along with your parent ID card, but it is nevertheless a huge step forward in our return to normality. 

Next week, I will be back on my favourite subject: the pupils. I will be exploring the question of mastery – what is it, how do we attain it, and how can we measure it. It is an interesting concept, with much written about it over the past decade, alongside the inevitable controversies and disputes. I cannot promise many simple answers, but at least I can try to shed some light on a topic that is, I am sure, of interest to us all in education and beyond. 

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Duke of Wellington Room (MB109) and online
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
4th November

This week's Meet the Master slot is open to parents of pupils in the Senior School. Please confirm via e-mail with Ms Emma Shi (emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn) by Wednesday, 3rd November if you would like to attend.

Senior School parents' evening: Years 7 & 11 (A Level Induction)
Dining Hall
1700hrs – 1830hrs, Tuesday 2nd November

Senior School parents' evening: Years 10 & 12
Dining Hall
1700hrs – 1830hrs, Thursday 4th 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 throughout the time you will be in the school.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Zongheng Cup Chinese debate competition
6th and 7th November

The Zongheng Cup debate competition for the senior pupils of all international schools in China is now in its seventh year. Our pupils will be involved in critical thinking and speech making. Nine pupils from the Senior School will represent Wellington in the online competition. The preliminaries will take place from 1300hrs to 1900hrs on Saturday, 6th November and 0800hrs – 1300hrs on Sunday, 7th November. Pupils will be supervised by Mandarin teachers in school on both days.

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!

FROM MR FURSE – ENGLISH CLASS
FOW Room
0830hrs-0930hrs
Beginner Level, every Friday of Week A
Advanced Level, every Tuesday of Week B

I am delighted to finally be able to welcome all parents and friends of Wellington to our FOW English classes. These sessions are a fantastic way to improve our English while connecting with other members of our community in a friendly setting. Our beginner level class will be held every Friday of Week A from 8.30-9.30am. Our advanced level class will be held every Tuesday of Week B from 8.30-9.30am.

FROM MRS YUAN - KNITTING CLUB
FOW Room
1400hrs-1530hrs, every Monday

Crochet or knitting is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook or knitting needle to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other material. I have been doing knitting and crochet for years and years, and I still love doing them. For me, the time practising knitting or crochet is like doing yoga for my brain. It makes me relaxed and calm. I'm very excited for the opportunity to teach these skills and share the unique experience with you. If you need any further information, please contact Mrs Yuan via yuanmei302@sina.com  or WeChat account: yuanmei302

FROM MS CUI - YOGA
Dance Studio
11:00hrs-12:00hrs, every Tuesday

Dear parents, I am glad to inform you that the FOW yoga is back from Tuesday, 02nd November. Please come and join in the session if you are interested in a gentle stretch. It's going to be a simple hatha yoga session. Please take your yoga mats with you and wear comfortable clothes to the session. See you then.

FROM MR JIN - FLORAL DESIGN
FOW Room
1400hrs-1530hrs, every Wednesday

If you are passionate about floral art or hope to experience the fragrance surrounded by flowers, please come and join the FOW floral design sessions. Let us feel the charm of nature among various forms of flower arrangements. I hope you can fall in love with flowers, try to observe and experience their beauty, and then get to know the secret behind floral art.

Creative skills will be given in addition to the arrangements, and there will be many original forms of floral art to share with you during the sections. If you need any further information, please send an e-mail to 2514911421@qq.com

FROM PROFESSOR WANG - TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
FOW Room
0900hrs-1030hrs, every Thursday

We offer a Chinese Traditional Medicine-themed health course to help our Wellington community learn about TCM and improve their health awareness.

Topics vary from identifying yourself and your family's physique to learning about your health through observing tongues. We also learn the basic theory of Chinese Traditional medicine, food health, drug health, tea health, and self-pressing acupuncture health will be all introduced in our lessons. 

If you need any further information, please contact lily.lian@wellingtoncollege.cn