The Week Ahead

Examinations 

End of year exams begin at Wellington College International Hangzhou later this month. Our pupils will be gearing up to "test their mettle" against the exam papers that our teachers are writing and compiling. Examinations for all year groups will take place in each subject and have been designed to provide a useful opportunity for teachers to gather rich data about the quality of learning that has been taking place in their classrooms this year.  

Exams and assessments have become much maligned in recent years due to the high stakes "pass or fail" nature that has been attributed to them in the modern data-driven world. Gladly, we as a group of educators have moved beyond this damaging interpretation of assessment and now see the summative end of year exams merely as one part of the bigger picture, which helps us measure pupil success each year. Sadly this approach doesn’t mean that the exams will be zero stress for our pupils. Unfortunately, no school has figured out how to do that. However, it does mean that our behaviours and language around exams and assessments are sensitive, realistic and supportive. "Pass" and "fail" as words applied to exams do not exist in our vernacular; the days of three-hour exam papers testing whole swathes of the syllabus are long behind us. Instead, keeping all assessments low stakes and informative is a fundamental driving principle. 

We use laser-sighted, short and effective assessments delivered in low stakes and safe environments. Our feedback following on from exams is targeted towards growth and development, with much more focus being given to the comments rather than the letter or number grade. This is because we want our pupils to enjoy the challenge of the process and be rewarded with a better understanding of their strengths and areas for development – and this can only come when exams are not seen as scary or intimidating. 

We also try to innovate and try new and different methods of assessing our pupils. Again this year, we will use external benchmarks in the form of Progress Tests in English, Maths and Science from GL Education, which will enable us to measure the learning gains that our pupils have made over the past year when compared to more than half a million other pupils tested globally. This will help us ensure that we are maintaining high standards whilst also measuring the effectiveness of our educational offering against global best practices.  

I wish all of our pupils the very best of luck with their exams over the coming months. 

Stewart Brown

Head of Senior School

Practical tips for a smoother exam season

The last thing you want as a student is to be arriving at an exam all flustered, stressed out, and unprepared. For this upcoming exam season, please encourage your child to follow these tips to help them minimise anxiety and maximise performance.

Good luck to all pupils who are taking exams over the coming months. We are here to support you and remind you that you are wonderful human beings regardless of your exam results. We are already proud of what you have achieved.

Upcoming Events

 

University of Oxford

 

Webinars for students

An introduction to applying to Oxford 

[Students only]

Book here 

We are running a webinar series on Wednesday, 11 May (various times). This "An introduction to applying to Oxford" webinar will be interactive and is designed to help students understand the different aspects and stages of the application process. It will feature staff from the International Student Recruitment team and a current international student. 

 

Webinars for students 

Writing your personal statement 

[Students only]

Book here 

We are running an additional webinar series on Wednesday, 25 May (various times). This ‘Writing your personal statement’ webinar will be interactive and is designed to help students with what makes an excellent personal statement, the role of super and extra-curricular activities, and what tutors look for. It will feature staff from the International Student Recruitment team and a current international student.

Live sessions for students will resume in September and will focus on the admissions test and interview preparation.

 

Webinars for parents

Supporting your child’s Oxford application

[Primarily for parents, though students can accompany]

Book here 

Our next webinar for parents/carers will focus on supporting your child’s application to Oxford. It will cover information about the UCAS form, admissions tests and interviews, and opportunities to ask questions. It will take place Wednesday 18 May at various times. Parents who registered for our previous webinar are asked to complete this short survey to allow them to access resources.

 

 

 

Unifrog university fair
Tuesday 17 May 4:00pm - 6:30pm

Year 9 and Year 10 pupils will have the chance to hear from experts during live panel sessions and visit university booths and chat one-on-one with university admissions tutors. Pupils can sign up via the 'Unifrog Webinars Tool' once they have logged into Unifrog.

 

Participating universities

 

 

 

Personal Statement Workshop

King's College London

Tuesday 10 May 6:00pm (CST)

Link here 

 

 

“Sapien Skills” Set You Apart

Johns Hopkins University, Barnard College

Tuesday 10 May 8:00pm (CST)

Link here 

 

 

15 on the 15th Virtual College Fair 

Sunday 15 May 9:45pm (CST)

Link here 

Whitman, Wesleyan, Wellesley, Union, Smith, Skidmore, Sewanee, Oberlin, Middlebury, Haverford, Colorado College, Davidson, Claremont McKenna, Carleton, Bates

 

 

We Care That You Care: 

Values Matter in Admissions

Tuesday 17 May 8:00pm (CST)

Link here 

Notre Dame, Fordham, Southern Methodist

 

 

Northeast Public Schools: Preparing to Apply (U.S.) 

Tuesday 17 May 8:00pm (CST)

Link here 

University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State, University of Maryland, Binghamton, University of Delaware, Stony Brook, University of Connecticut

 

 

Six highly selective liberal arts and sciences colleges in the United States—Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams—are joining together to offer you an opportunity to connect with international admissions officers, learn about the upcoming application season, and have your questions answered. 

We are offering information sessions specifically for international students. Two sessions are available so that students from different parts of the world can attend at a time that works for them.

Starting the College Search: 
11 May at 11:00 am (Eastern Time US/Canada)

Student event registration

Hatty Leung

Head of Sixth Form

Performance by Year 3 pupils at the end of unit celebration

Last week’s performance of Macbeth from the Senior school pupils inspired us all. It was a creative, out-of-the-box performance that reimagined how we could retell stories. One aspect caught in discussion amongst the Primary teachers was the backing soundtrack, designed and performed by the pupils. 

Whether addressing music’s profound impact on learning from a cognitive and a social and emotional learning vantage point or an inclusion, language acquisition, or reading-acquisition perspective, music has been a significant influence on emotions and an essential part of education for many years. Consistent exposure to music, like learning to play a musical instrument, or taking voice lessons, strengthens a particular set of academic and social-emotional skills essential to learning. In ways that are unmatched by other pursuits, like athletics, learning music powerfully reinforces language skills, builds and improves reading ability, and strengthens memory and attention, according to the latest research on the cognitive neuroscience of music. 

We are incredibly fortunate to have excellent music provision at WCIH, in lessons, and as part of the School Activity, Peri and Academy programmes. We still have the annual musical to look forward to at the end of the year, which always promises to be a highlight. Good luck to all WCIH and Hiba pupils as they approach their final months of rehearsals.

Matthew Coleman
Head of Primary School

Seussical Jr. The Musical is just around the corner. We are looking forward to sharing this fantastic production with our school community. 

We hope that our parents, friends, and families can access the school on 22, 23 and 25 June to experience our pupils' outstanding skills and talents.

Our pupils are the stars of this production. In the coming weeks, we will announce our cast members. Today, we would like to share with you the following characters:  

Cat in the hat

Rachel J, Barry L, Angela J, and Daniel A

 

Jojo

Susan M and Alice M

 

Horton

Lucky X and Kitty Z

Alejandro Montoya

Director of Performing Arts

This week our talented and motivated primary pupils are learning the basics of netball. Although netball is a non-contact sport, it is a fast-paced and intensive game. In addition, netball is a sport that has multiple physical and mental benefits.

Wellington always prides itself on creating top-quality athletes, and netball is an excellent sport to develop the skills necessary to play various other sports such as basketball, handball and ultimate frisbee.

Timothy Schulze

Head of PE

Martin Bailey

Dukebox Presenter