Dear parents

Time rarely stands still in schools and this week has been no exception. As I go into my eighth year with the school, I cannot remember a busier, more purposeful start to a new year. The classrooms, outdoor areas and corridors have been buzzing with young people and their teachers, working in partnership for a first-class education. I can sense this atmosphere during prep and ASA times, with pupils already at home in the new library space and our Nest learning zones. I have even noticed it in my own class, a year 7 group tackling history as a discrete subject for the first time with the sort of exuberance that only 11-year-olds seem capable of.

Time is precious in schools. Idiomatic English encourages us never to let the grass grow under our feet by being proactive and taking action. Education is a precious resource, and each day in school is an opportunity for children to grow in their thinking, develop their social and interpersonal skills, and experience new ideas about the world around them. These school days, all too fleeting in the context of a full lifetime, are there to be lived to the full and good schools recognise the importance of high levels of pupil engagement from day one of the year.

Being a part of a bustling school is easy for established pupils. They already have strong friendship bonds and know their teachers. They are familiar with the routines of the school day and understand the expectations around behaviour and work. I may have been here for over seven years, but I remember well my first few days in school. I got lost on the way to my classroom – several times. I missed numerous meetings, duties and even lunchtimes because everything was so new to me that I was, at times, overwhelmed. I was lucky, though. Whenever I was spotted wandering around the school, lost in a daze of confusion, some kindly pupil or teacher would help me out by taking me to my next class, often even without being asked. I soon realised that however badly I had misjudged the room's location, I was always going to be alright because people at Wellington wanted to help me.

New pupils may not find things so straightforward. It is always a little daunting to start in a new school and none of us should forget the anxiety around transition. If your child is feeling a little overwhelmed by their new surroundings, remember that:

• We are a school that lives by its values. Courage is one of those values – so please encourage your child to have the courage to ask for help when they need it. Kindness and responsibility, two more of our living values, will ensure that they will always find a sympathetic ear in our community.

• Some nerves at the start of a new school year are perfectly understandable and natural. Take the time to listen to your child express their feelings and help them to contextualise their anxieties.

• Communicate with the school in a timely manner. Teachers, tutors, housemasters and mistresses and senior leaders are all here to help.

The year to come promises to be one of the most exciting and rewarding in the school’s history. Wellingtonians, both old and new, have so many new opportunities ahead of them over the coming months. They can have every expectation of accelerated progress, outperforming their peers in the UK and across the world. They have enviable facilities, wonderfully supportive teachers, TAs, and parents who have placed education at the heart of their families. As a result, I hope and expect all our pupils to thrive in this environment and I wish them all a terrific year of learning.

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Positive Community Week
Theme: Identity and Tolerance

At Wellington College International Tianjin, we encourage and promote pupil leadership. One of the first initiatives each year is the Student Council-led Positive Community Week. It is a critical week because it lays the foundation for the rest of the academic year. It empowers our student leaders in designing and implementing a whole-school project that stretches from the youngest to the oldest pupil. This year’s theme is ‘identity and tolerance’. The Student Council committees for Values, Events, and Junior School Liaison have arranged daily activities and an assembly presentation. They will promote collaboration, inclusivity and fun while also exploring the deeper issues and debates around identity and tolerance that are so crucial to understand and nurture as we strive for global citizenship in our ever-changing world.

Be sure to check in with your sons and daughters next week and explore their feelings and attitudes towards identity and tolerance.

Year 7 Open House Parent Meeting
Online
1700hrs, Thursday
9th September

I am very pleased to welcome our new pupils and parents to the Wellington community, particularly those new to the Senior School. Early in each new school year, we host an open house meeting so that all parents of year 7 pupils can meet academic leaders and your child’s pastoral support team in the House. This year, the meeting will take place online. Details of the meeting will be forwarded to all year 7 parents prior to the meeting. I very much hope you can attend.

ICT Acceptable Use Policy

In line with the EdTech department’s mission to provide pupils and staff with cutting edge services and devices for learning, all Key Stage 4 and 5 pupils (years 10 to 13) have been issued a state-of-the-art Microsoft Surface Pro with an Office 365 subscription. To ensure that our pupils use these devices efficiently and safely for educational purposes only, we expect all pupils and parents to get acquainted with our ICT Acceptable Use Policy and sign the relevant agreement. I would like to thank all of you for doing so, and I am looking forward to a new academic year in which we will continue to work as a team to keep our children safe online while teaching them skills essential for their future.

Together, for a better digital future!

University Parent Briefings
Online
1700hrs, 7th - 9th September

A warm welcome to the new academic year. For the benefit of new parents (and as a reminder to returning parents), the school has a dedicated University Guidance Team which supports pupils and parents throughout the school in planning for future university and career choices. We run dedicated sessions with pupils from Year 9 upwards during the school day and further events throughout the year which are open to pupils and parents of all years. Every year the school supports applications to university destinations all over the globe. We are a registered SAT/ACT centre and have an experienced and knowledgeable university guidance team.

We advertise all internal sessions and external events here in the Week Ahead every week.

1700hrs, Tuesday 07th September – Applying to US universities
1700hrs, Wednesday 08th September – Applying for art, design and fashion courses
1700hrs, Thursday 09th September – Applying to UK universities

If there are any specific areas that you would like us to focus on, you can e-mail in Chinese to luyi.feng@wellingtoncollege.cn, or in English to jayne.sabio@wellingtoncollege.cn