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Homepage News and Media The Week Ahead 20171109

The Week Ahead 20171109

09 Nov 2017
Here at team Bilingual we’ve been busy planning; planning for pupil progress following our monitoring week, planning for the curriculum and intended learning opportunities, planning where to put the amazing artwork created by the pupils after their last activity week, planning for the seasonal activities ahead, planning for Chinese New Year (yes, really) and planning for the move to our forever ‘home’ next year. Yuki and I were fortunate to have our first site visit to the new setting recently and were absolutely astonished at the building – prior to our visit, we were hesitant about the move, as such a big part of our hearts are here at the current setting. However, we soon realised how fickle we truly are as we skipped along the (very wide and spacious) corridors that will we will, before long, fill with our resources, our pupils and our Wellington family. Did you notice the new billboard? I was delighted on Monday morning to arrive at work to see the new early years setting juxtaposed with Wellington College in England. ‘A proud tradition, educating for the future’ is reflected in the visuals beautifully; from the original red brick building in Crowthorne to a modern interpretation here in Shanghai. I must admit that whilst I will miss seeing the photo of BiBi and I at our 100 Days of Friendship celebration (what a milestone that day represented), I won’t miss seeing my own face greet me each morning. For a person who dislikes having her photo taken, the billboard was a constant reminder of exactly that! The new billboard serves as a reminder that we look to the future. It was in my Week Ahead of 25th November 2015 that I took pride in announcing that Yuki Gong had joined team Bilingual as Deputy Headmaster (before the days of the extended team, Yuki and I had different titles). Fast forward two years and Yuki is now not only my right hand ‘man’, but she is the yin to my yang at work – we work in tandem and unison without trying, having personalities which complement each other, sharing the same sense of humour and a penchant for bringing that humour to work, where possible. As I write this, I am once again humbled and grateful for having great people around me.  
Fancy getting a little funky on a Friday?
 A message from our Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Sarah Peel During the Festival of Education, Shonette Bason challenged us to give ourselves and the children we work with permission to be happy. I know Fridays make me happy, and I hope they can make you happy too. How? Starting Friday November 17th 2017, it's time to get joyful. FUNKY FRIDAYS! Every Friday staff and pupils are invited to join in as we dress up, dress down, and get a little silly together in the name of happiness. Some will be non-uniform days, others will just add fun to uniforms, and others still will involve special activities in the setting: November 17, 2017 - Pyjama Day (non-uniform day) November 24, 2017 - Crazy Sock Day December 1, 2017 - Happy Hat Day December 8, 2017 - Sparkle and Shine Day December 15, 2017 - Red and Green Day (non-uniform day) Join in the fun and let's make every Friday a day filled with a little bit of whimsy and joy. 


The importance of being individual (taken from Julian Thomas’s vision for the Wellington Identity) 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. Being individual and unique means that children are to be treat as such, there is no place for rote learning here at the setting. We are growing amazing human beings, not producing robots on a factory line. And because of this, we celebrate the achievements of the pupils for their individual triumphs.  In the words of Albert Einstein, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid.” Makes sense to me!  


  Classroom News for week beginning Monday 14th November 2017 EY1 – Erica Ni writes about the theme From Head to Toe EY1 is going to keep exploring our bodies this week. We are going to develop fine motor skills by brushing teeth, washing potatoes during water play, and using pegs to hang up clothes. Children will play dice and count steps according to the number they get after they roll the dice. Children will be encouraged to do things by themselves, such as taking off shoes, pull up their pants or eat by themselves. And we will praise children for that and celebrate independence by shouting “I can do it!” We are reading: From Head to Toe、《鳄鱼怕怕 牙医怕怕》《阿立会穿裤子啦》 We are singing: If you are happy and you know it, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, How’s the weather, Five little ducks 找朋友、手指谣、一同去郊游、粉刷匠、数鸭子 Special date: 17th November Pajama Day A note from the EY1 team: EY1 will start using new timetable from 14th of November. For more information, please check our EY1 information board or wellington weekly. Thanks for your attention.   EY2 – Vivian He writes about the theme Joseph Had A Little Overcoat Welcome back after short break! This week, children in EY2 will adopt a new role as designers. We have prepared some activities where children can experience being designers. Each class in EY2 will have a different approach to being a designers, but the goal is the same. In other words, we would like children to experience the process of creative expression through design. Some classes will decorate bags and others will design clothes. This should be a fun filled week for the children to create objects that are not only great to look at but actually useful in their daily lives. We are reading: Joseph had a little overcoat, When willows are green, The maple leaves turn red, 约瑟夫有件小外套、节约用水、停电了 We are singing: Big and small, Autumn colors, Joseph had a little overcoat, 水果歌、如果感到开心你就拍拍手、约瑟夫有件小外套 Special date: 17th November: pajamas day A note from the EY2 team: Please bring some recycled materials to class. Thanks for your help.   EY3 – Nicole writes about the theme All About Me “Education is rooted in love.”- Lu Xun Over the next week the EY3 classes will introduce photos of their rooms, learn the names of different rooms, and talk about their favourite rooms. They will be familiar with the different household appliance at their home, and discuss how to use it safely. They will introduce their favourite pets, and talk about how to take care of the animals. At the same time, they will introduce their own community neighbourhood, be familiar with the different places in the community. Different vehicles and different signs around us will be discussed as well, and our kids will learn the meanings of the traffic signs. Outside the setting you can also join in by talking to your child about what’s around them at home or in the community. A wonderful activity to do with your child is going walk around in the community and take some photos with your child together. We are reading: 《我的家最棒》、《谁是蛀虫的朋友》、Where do I live? – Neil Chesanow We are singing: 我是一个粉刷匠、红绿灯、People Who Help Us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Psza6N2Os) A note from the EY3 team:
  • Please make sure that your child arrives to the setting before 8:30 everyday morning, and please don’t forget to send them to the outside playground next to the canteen.
  • Please notes that we will start using timetable for winter time from 14th November, please kindly pay attention to the library time and remind your child to prepare the book bag in advance.
  EY4 – Emily Gu writes about the theme Me and My World To explore further about our body, we will start to look at our whole body. We will experiment with our body to do different poses, and talk about what we can do with our body. We will have discussion about our bones and try to measure our height in different ways. For the health and care aspect, we will be talking about how to strengthen our body by eating healthy food and doing exercise. We are reading: 《骨头》、《你很快就会和高》、Parts、I don’t want to wash my hands We are singing: 《头、肩膀、膝盖、 脚》、Yes I can、Dem bones Special date: November 17th, Funky Friday- Pyjama Day (Non-Uniform) A note from EY4 team: On the Pajama day, please let your child to bring in one of their favourite bedtime stories to share with the class.   Music and Movement – PeiHua and Sarah write about life in the music space EY1 – This week the children will carry on exploring creative movement to music as they pretend to be some of the animals in the story From Head to Toe. We will also continue to introduce Christmas activities as we look towards the end of the term. New play along music will be introduced as well. EY2 – Welcome back from the break. This week we’ll continue to practice and add verses to the song of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Klezmer folk music will also be highlighted during instrument play along and movement activities. The children will review some songs that we sing often and we will begin to prepare for our end of term and Christmas activities. EY3 – We’ll not only review the songs that we’ve learned so far, but also start to prepare our end of term and Christmas activities this week. The children will continue to explore their senses in the Music Room as it is the perfect place to play with hearing, sight, and touch. We’ll also dance with different musical materials to see how they change our expressive movements. EY4 – Santa will pay a visit to our setting next month, so this week we will begin to prepare our Christmas activities and a couple of special things for our end of term performance. The children will continue to focus on listening activities that highlight pitch and timbre, and dance with scarves so we can see music in action. We are reading: EY 1 – From Head to Toe, by Eric Carle EY 2 - Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, by Simms Tabak We are singing: EY1 – 头肩膀膝盖脚;Head to Toe Song;颜色歌 EY2 – 不浪费; I Had a Little Overcoat;数字歌 EY3 – 我的脸手指律动;I See You;笃笃笃,卖糖粥及其它所学歌曲 EY4 – Hello to All the Children of the World;五官歌及其它所学歌曲 Special dates: Reminder! Our Choir times have changed with the new timetable. These changes will begin Tuesday November 14th. Every week we will join together to sing and share the songs we have been learning in both the music room and our classrooms.  We look forward to sharing this with families in December. UPDATED CHOIR SCHEDULE EY 1 – Fridays 9:00 – 9:30 in the Music Room, Building C EY 2 – Wednesdays 9:00 – 9:30 in the Music Room, Building C EY 3 – Tuesdays 9:00 – 9:30, in the Gym, Building C EY 4 – Thursdays 9:00 – 9:30, in the Gym, Building C A note from the Music team: Are you a musician, dancer, or creative performer? WCCBS needs you! Our children are an enthusiastic and appreciative audience, and we would love to share your talents with them as we learn about music.  Grandparents, family friends, and community members are welcome too! If you have a talent you would like to share, please e-mail peihua.wang@wellingtoncollege.cn or sarah.peel@wellingtoncollege.cn to discuss how we may be able to include you in our upcoming activities.