The Week Ahead 20160106

Happy New Year to you all! We are back in to the full swing of things after the festive break and we’re busy preparing for our next round of open days. The open days are proving to be extremely popular and we are welcoming nearly 100 families this Saturday. The last open days take place on Saturday 23rd January and are filling fast. Within the setting, the indoor fixtures and fittings are arriving and the setting looks more like our vision every day. I now visit the indoor space every few days and am astonished at the evolution of our dream; the children are going to have such an amazing time exploring their surroundings. In just a short while, we hold our opening ceremony and welcome our founding families; February 29th is approaching fast! We had the pleasure of welcoming Lydia Lim (Bursar) and Jane Williams (EAL Co-ordinator) to the team this week. Both Lydia and Jane are taking up their posts and hitting the ground running, putting their extensive experience and expertise to very good use. At Wellington UK, Julian Thomas (Master) has announced Wellington College’s messages to students, staff, parents and the outside world as concentrating on the students themselves and the educational journey on which they travel during their years at Wellington. The focus falls under three interlinked areas: 1.    The Wellington Aptitudes 2.    The Wellington Values 3.    The Wellington Identity Readers of the Week Ahead will be familiar with the Wellington Aptitudes and Wellington Values, however the Wellington Identity answers the question, “What is the finished product of an education at Wellington College?” Clearly, we are not working with the ‘finished product’ as our pupils will leave us for the remainder of their Wellington education at the age of 6. However, these qualities are no less important for practitioners and educators to promote and celebrate – if we start in the early years, we lay a solid foundation for the future. The Wellington Identity is: Inspired. We want Wellingtonians to be genuinely excited by everything they do. They will develop a zest for life so that they, in turn, will eventually go in to the world ready and able to inspire others. This is the core pillar of the Wellington identity. Intellectual. Wellingtonians must move into the world being able to think critically and to engage in deep learning. They will be able to study beyond the bounds of any curriculum, to be inquisitive and ask questions of everything around them, and be imbued with a life-long love of learning. Independent. Wellingtonians will develop the personal, cognitive, social and study skills to enable them to cope with the challenges of university and their life beyond. They will adapt, cope and thrive within an ever-changing world. Individual. The aim of a Wellington education is to allow students to develop themselves fully in every sense. The pastoral care and focus on student wellbeing at the College will value each and every student as a unique individual. The journey to individuality will also be reflected in the broad curricular and co-curricular opportunities, where every pupil discovers and develops fully their talents, passions and interests, knowing that interested children become interesting adults. Inclusive. Wellingtonians will leave the College not in a bubble of elitism, privilege and exclusivity, but with the moral values and social conscience to serve others and do good in life. The fundamental aim of this educational model is to provide all students at Wellington College an education unsurpassed in the world. I find the words of Master Thomas a great inspiration as an educator and am proud to adopt the messages of Wellington College and share in his vision of the Wellington identity. To this end, the Wellington Aptitudes, Values and Identity will form the underpinning ethos of the educational culture at Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai. I’m sure, as like-minded parents, you will embrace the culture at the setting and enjoy the partnership we form together. Vanessa Szucs-Hussain Headmaster Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai