The Week Ahead

We have received some fascinating news, Wellington College International Hangzhou’s application to become a member of FOBISIA has been approved. 

FOBISIA stands for ‘Federation of British International Schools in Asia’. It is an organisation that counts many of the other top international schools in the Asia Pacific region among its members - including our sister schools in Shanghai and Bangkok. Our pupils will be able to access a wide and varied range of opportunities as FOBISIA members, including international sports competitions, drama workshops, choir and orchestral music events, debating competitions and many more, hosted by schools all around the region.

In addition, FOBISIA member schools work together to build professional learning networks and organise world-class education conferences for teachers and school leaders, the first of which is in December and promises to be excellent (and almost as incredible as Wellington College China’s own EdFest conference in April 2022). The professional learning for teachers that will take place at the FOBISIA conference will have a direct and positive impact on learning for our pupils in just a few short weeks, which is superb for us all. 

We are not quite a full FOBISIA member. However, in December, we will undergo a virtual inspection visit by two Headteachers of current FOBISIA schools to ensure that our school and organisation are of excellent quality and can meet the very high standards required to join the federation a full member. Success in this inspection is vital; becoming a member school will give us a globally recognised stamp of excellence and help drive our school on the mission of being regarded as the international school of the first choice in Hangzhou.

The world of opportunity that being a FOBISIA member opens up for our pupils and teachers is vast and exciting; I cannot wait to share more information about it with you in due course.

Stewart Brown

Head of Senior School

Deciding to study at a university abroad is a bold and exciting one. Often students conjure up images of tree-lined paths leading to gothic structures with centuries’ worth of history. They imagine themselves walking into grand lecture theatres and wondering which brilliant minds sat in their very seats before them. However, what is difficult to visualise for high school pupils is the everyday life at university. The following questions may not have crossed pupils’ minds just yet but are certainly worth researching into to give a greater chance of success and happiness at university.

Every year students decide to withdraw from their university course because it was not what they had expected. 

Data analysed by the Press Association found that 100 higher education institutions – or 67 percent of the 150 universities and colleges researched – saw an increase in the proportion of students dropping out. Our pupils will undoubtedly encounter unfamiliar systems that will throw them off balance and lower their confidence; however, with the correct preparation, they should also tackle these new experiences with a level head and positive attitude. The British Council offers a free online course to help international students apply to the UK provide the learning environment and teaching methods in universities before arriving in the country. The course is titled ‘Study UK: Prepare to Study and Live in the UK’ and begins on Monday 15 November. Please click here to find out more.

The course is led by Brian Turner, an Academic English Teacher from the University of Reading. This course is designed to give you all the help you need to study and thrive in the UK. You will become familiar with learning in English and how higher education courses are structured, gaining a clear understanding of what to expect. You will also develop self-study skills whilst getting a taste of life in the UK. 

Though it may seem early to be looking into the practicalities of studying abroad, I believe that you cannot overprepare for such an essential stage of life. Therefore, I think this course would be helpful for students aiming to study in the UK and for parents who intend to send their child to the UK for university and would like to find out more about the potential challenges their child may face.

Calling all creative students

The National Portfolio Day Association is hosting online events for creative students to meet, one-on-one, with top art and design colleges and universities like Paris College of Art, and participate in virtual events to be inspired, make connections, and gain advice about improving presenting their portfolios. You can view the video below to learn a bit more.

 

Students can click here to register. See the full schedule below:

 

Undergraduate Online Events(for High School students and High School graduates

Saturday, 20 November, 1:00-5:00pm ET
Friday, 10 December, 11:00am-5:00pm ET
Sunday, 9 January, 1:00pm-5:00pm ET
Friday, 18 February, 8:00pm-12:00am ET
Saturday, 12 March, 1:00pm-5:00pm ET
Saturday, 21 May, 1:00pm-5:00pm ET

Hatty Leung

Head of Sixth Form

With the world becoming increasingly digital, we are all very aware that computer science may give children a competitive edge as they enter the workforce in the future.

Living in a digital age means that children need to understand how their devices work and control them. Some of the aims of our Computing curriculum are to equip pupils with the skills they need for the world of work, inspire more young people to pursue careers in computing and help them problem solve and become logical thinkers. 

I had the pleasure of visiting computing lessons and talking to our confident children about coding this week. One child told me, ‘When your mobile will not work, or your computer has crashed, you can rely on us.’ 

At Wellington College International Hangzhou, children as young as five receive practical experience in designing and writing computer programmes to understand the basic principles of computer science. Teaching coding puts children in control of the computer and lets them learn through experimentation and mastering concepts such as logic and consequences.

By the end of Key Stage 1, children will be expected to write and test simple programs and use technology safely. They will also be taught what algorithms are (basically the step-by-step instructions you give a computer to complete a task) and how programmes work.  

Children in Key Stage 2 will go one step further by designing and writing programs to achieve specific goals, understanding computer networks, and using logic to discover and rectify mistakes in algorithms. 

Computer-related careers are projected to grow much faster than the average for all other occupations in the coming years. Thus, developing an early passion for computer science opens up numerous career opportunities. Teachers, pupils, and parents value this as part of our computing curriculum and the School Activity programme (SA).

Matthew Coleman

Head of Primary School

This week we witnessed the pinnacle of the physical education calendar – sports day. This fun-filled day, with an emphasis on not only performance but a demonstration of values, was enjoyed by all year levels. 

Pupils wore their house colours proudly as they earned points in a variety of events. The Primary School events of Accuracy Throw, Distance Throw, Standing Broad Jump, Obstacle Course, and 50m run allowed the pupils to demonstrate a range of fundamental movement skills. 

Houses competed against each other in the Under/Over relay, and it was a truly magnificent sight to see them working together to achieve their goal. The Senior School started with the more traditional athletic events of shot put, javelin, 100m and 400m runs and long jump before finishing the day with team-building and team events. The excellent behaviour, a fine display of sportsmanship and enthusiasm shown by all participants was commendable, resulting in a successful day.

Timothy Schulze

Head of PE

The Winter Fair takes place on Sunday 28 November 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Last year we had a wonderful time, and this year will be no exception. All pupils are expected to attend as they are performing at the tree lighting ceremony. Please save the date.

On Sunday, 14 November, Mrs Richardson, Mr Perkinton and I had the honour to be invited to a fantastic concert: “Cheryl and friends” at Hangzhou Grand Theatre. Our first music scholar at Wellington College International Hangzhou, Cheryl, studied piano from an early age. As a result, she has developed outstanding musical skills. Cheryl plays the piano with enormous ability and precision. Her expressive techniques improve each time she performs. At this concert, we had the opportunity to see other pupils from Wellington College Hangzhou taking part, including Isabella, Alice, Bella and Carl. It was a unique and inspiring event.

Alejandro Montoya

Director of Performing Arts

Following on from our incredibly successful clothes drive in November, I am really pleased to announce that Wellington College Hangzhou will be supporting the Rotary Club and the New Sunshine Charity Foundation this year with their annual toy drive, to bring some festive joy to children at the Hangzhou Hospital School.

Hangzhou Children’s Hospital (浙江大学医学院附属儿童医院) serves children from 5 to 16 years old who are battling cancer, tumours, and other life-threatening diseases that require long term treatment - the majority of these young patients are aged between 5 and 8 years old.

The winter toy drive is an event the children look forward to all year. It helps cheer them up and provides them all with some much-needed respite from their medical treatment. Last year the Rotary Club proudly achieved their goal of supplying enough toys to last the hospital the entire year. This year they are aiming to do even better - aiming to provide a one-year supply of toys to all of Hangzhou Children’s Hospital Schools across the Yangtze River Delta (and potentially even further).  

We are supporting the toy drive by asking all pupils, parents and staff to donate new toys, suitable for 5 – 16-year-old children. Any items you donate will be greatly appreciated, but as these items will be going to children who are unwell there are a few criteria we have to follow:

If you and your child would like to support this cause, please donate your toy between Monday 22 November and Friday 10 December. All donations will be collected in the 3rd floor communal space of A-block, near the gym and then taken to the Rotary Club collection point. 

If you have any questions about this activity, please do not hesitate to contact me on - Helen.McCann@huilieducation.cn. 

Many thanks in anticipation of your support.

Helen McCann

Assistant Head of Junior High

Wellington College International Hangzhou’s second Food Committee meeting took place on 15 November, with all representatives attending. Parents and school staff discussed the importance of healthy eating for pupils and the importance of home-school collaboration on changing pupils eating habits. All questions regarding catering services from parents were answered and discussed. You may click  here  to view full details of the meeting minutes.

The Food Committee is committed to connecting parents to the catering provider to create a platform to discuss the issues identified relating to catering services and improve the communication between the Wellington community and College on food safety and variety. We welcome parents to lunch tasting each Monday. You may contact the parent representatives from the food committee to book in advance or directly to the service department (Services.wcih@wellingtoncollege.cn).