Teddy Bears’ Picnic – Bringing the Wellington College community together.
If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise!
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain,
Because today's the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic.
We had a wonderful end to the day on Tuesday, when the founding families of Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai came
together to join in our Teddy Bears’ Picnic. The children had a full day of activities and they ‘bearly’ had time to
stop and rest! Arts and crafts, story-telling, play time and carpet time activities were all based around the theme of
Teddy Bears, incorporating learning in the areas of mathematics, literacy, physical development and expressive arts
and design. Even whilst undertaking fun and play-based activities, the learning opportunities presented are abundant.
Bringing the community together to enjoy the beautiful weather, the outdoor learning spaces and each other’s company
is important as it increases the sense of family amongst us. It also provides parents with an opportunity to meet each
other, share stories and make new friends. I must add a special thank you to Angela in Bunny Class for my teddy bear
ears, they were a very welcome accessory!
INTRODUCING THE WELLINGTON IDENTITY:
Our Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai parents will be familiar with the Wellington Values (formerly the five core
values) and the Wellington Aptitudes (formerly the eight aptitudes). Over the next five editions of the Week Ahead,
I’d like to present the Wellington Identity introduced by Julian Thomas, 14th Master of Wellington College. In the
Julian Thomas years, Wellington College’s message will focus on the pupils themselves and the educational journey on
which they travel. This focus falls under three interlinked areas:
- The Wellington Aptitudes which describe the holistic approach
to educating the whole person; a framework for how we educate Wellingtonians (this corresponds very well to the
Early Years Foundation Stage and the identified areas of learning and development)
- The Wellington Values encapsulating how we want
Wellingtonians to be (we also extend this to include our Wellington families to promote our shared mind set and
vision)
- The Wellington Identity capturing the skills and traits with
which we want to equip pupils during their time at Wellington College – this is what we want Wellingtonians to be
(we believe that this starts from the very moment a child joins us in Early Years)
The Wellington Identity answers the question,
“
What is the finished product of an education at Wellington College?”What
do we want Wellingtonians to be? We want them to be:：
- Inspired
- Intellectual
- Independent
- Individual
- Inclusive
The five pillars, describing what we want Wellingtonians to be, are interlinked and over the next five editions of the
Week Ahead I will provide details of how, at Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai we promote the five pillars of the
Wellington Identity throughout the setting. With each pillar I will be delighted to showcase the children’s artwork,
supporting the five I’s which is installed outside of the multimedia room.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
SATURDAY 28TH MAY – SHANGHAI MORNING POST EVENT
We are delighted to be able to host 10 families who will join us for a playdate at Wellington College Bilingual
Shanghai. There are lots of fun activities planned around one of our favourite stories; Brown Bear.
SATURDAY 28TH MAY – WELLINGTON COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL SHANGHAI SUMMER FAYRE
Come and join in the fun at the International School.
2:30pm-6:30pm
Organised by the Summer Festival Committee, a mixture of Friends of Wellington's parents, staff and teachers. This
year’s Festival will be a huge celebration of music, drama, dance, arts and culture, with a theme of ‘Creativity’. It
will be the highlight of the summer term at Wellington College International Shanghai. Our community will enjoy a full
selection of international foods and drinks, games and activities, on-stage performances and a charity raffle (with
profits to our chosen charity - Mifan Mamas).
WEDNESDAY 8TH JUNE – 100 DAYS OF FRIENDSHIP
We would like to invite parents to attend a celebration of 100 of Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai friendship. The
children will be performing songs for the parents, art work will be displayed in our art ‘installation’, charity art
cards will be available to purchase and refreshments will be served to mark this momentous occasion. This event will
start at 14:30 – save the date!
Vanessa Szücs-Hussain
Master, Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai
