Dear parents

A British Prime Minister of the 1960s and 70s, Harold Wilson, once declared that "a week is a long time in politics". If a week in the cut and thrust of British politics felt like a long time, a decade in a school can feel like a lifetime. A child's journey through schooling is measured in such a timespan, and indeed, even longer once the kindergarten years are included. For children, it is all they know of life beyond the home and immediate family. In this way, school becomes an entire world for children, a world in which they can grow safely, learn with purpose and become active and engaged members of their microcosmic society. The pace of life is dictated by school days and holidays, largely unhurried and familiar, building to the intensity that inevitably surrounds the time for public examinations. In this way, the core characteristics of a good school are that a child feels valued, supported and encouraged to become a fine young person capable of living a successful life well beyond their school years.

For schools, a decade is not as serenely timeless as it is in a child's mind. This year, we are marking the 10th anniversary of our foundation by launching the celebrations with a day of fresh beginnings, both for the Nest and with the rededication of the Founder's Library. The school is now well established in Tianjin, with a growing reputation for academic attainment at all levels and recognition for the fully rounded educational opportunities our staff and facilities provide. This has not been the result of luck. Building a school requires patience and determination from its staff. New schools have pressures that more established institutions no longer need to worry about, principal among them the creation of a proven track record of academic success and developing children.

These are hard-won successes for any school, and whilst the staff and pupils are two of the critical factors in this process, an undeniably central ingredient is the trust of the parent community. Trust is hard to win, particularly for new schools. A school must earn the trust and respect of its community – it cannot expect these by right. Wellington's British-international programme was a new element on the education scene in the city in 2011 and, as such, something of a curiosity. The pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and emphasis on a child's holistic wellbeing were not surprisingly unfamiliar to prospective parents.

Over the past ten years, our work has been to serve the community we have through the labour of many people: teachers, pupils, and parents. We are on a journey together to see Wellington established as one of the finest schools in China and the region. Each generation of pupils can be confident that their best interests lie at the heart of all our decision-making. The values with which we have sought to build this Wellington community are universal and overarching. Throughout the celebrations of the coming weeks and months, we are not just looking to the end of the current year but to the next decade and beyond as a school that seeks to be not just in Tianjin, but of Tianjin.

At the start of this tenth year since our foundation, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents – present, past and future – for your trust in our school and its mission to become the best we can be for your children.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
EXECUTIVE MASTER

Duke of Wellington Room (MB109)
1400hrs-1500hrs, Thursday
16th September

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, 15th September if you would like to attend.

Main Building Room 214

0900hrs-1015hrs, Wednesday

15th Sep 2021

The new school year has started at Wellington. Parents of the school are an integral part of our growth and progress towards being a genuinely world-class school. Education is a precious resource, and we would like our parents, whether new to the school or long-standing, to be able to have full access. To that end, good parent-school communication is important, as well as knowing how to communicate with the school through the various channels that school offers to parents. The Deputy Head, Dr Yang Yang, will present a briefing on Parent-School communication methods on 15th September.

Due to the current covid restrictions, we can allow only 20 parents to enter the campus at any one time. Parents who cannot physically come can join the sessions via TEAMS. Please e-mail Ms Emma Shi for registration: emma.shi@wellingtoncollege.cn. The TEAMS link will be e-mailed to parents before the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be shared afterwards.

Year 12 Parent Briefing: University applications and summer schools
1700hrs, Thursday
16th September

There will be a parent briefing for year 12 parents and pupils on university applications and summer schools. It will be held in school on Thursday 16th September. There will be a limit of 20 places, so if you wish to attend, please send an e-mail to luyi.feng@wellingtoncollege.cn to reserve your spot. Please remember to bring your parent card with you.

University Fair

Due to travel restrictions again this year, our University Fair will continue to run as last year. We are pleased to be offering a series of online presentations (3 Per week) from universities from all over the world, as well as presentations from staff and current pupils offering advice on university applications. Next week we will have 3 sessions covering the following topics – Writing the US essay, preparing your art portfolio and writing a personal statement for the UK. The presentations will take place in the Sixth Form Seminar room and pupils from years 9 -13 are all welcome to attend. All presentations will start at 1325hrs and early lunch can be arranged. Pupils will need to contact a member of the University Team if they wish to attend. These presentations will be running throughout the year.

Tuesday 14th September 1325hrs – Writing the US essay

Wednesday 15th September 1325hrs – Preparing your art portfolio

Thursday 16th September 1325hrs – Personal statement writing for the UK

Art Exhibition: Harvest 21
Black Box Foyer
15th-30th September

This week sees the opening of our first Art exhibition of the year, Harvest 21. The Old Wellingtonian collection has expanded to include new framed artwork from our recent graduates with refreshed displays on the main staircases and in the library. The best entries from the WCC Resilience Art competition are also on display from the end of this week in the Black Box foyer, along with our Senior School Summer Drawing Challenge results. Please see the upcoming WeChat article for further information. As restrictions are still in place, please note that there will soon be a special viewing for parents - details to be released shortly.