In case you missed it: October

The annual weeklong national holiday always leaves us a week short in October. As a result, we squeeze more activities into fewer days. This year was no exception. October has been proven to be yet another action-packed month. Here is a quick look at what you may have missed.  

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Wellingtonians of all year groups and on both campuses put their strength and skills to the test in our annual House Sports Day. This day of fun and friendly competition was the first tentpole event in our action-packed calendar of house activities. Pupils gave it their all in events like the ‘Gladiator Joust’, ‘Giant Tetris’, and the ‘Big Foot Race’ earning points (and hopefully some bragging rights) for their respective houses. The day’s events have put House Wellesley at the top of the House Leaderboard with Combermere and Hill nipping at their heels. But the year is still young! In the coming months, our pupils will have more opportunities to earn house points with all manner of talents and skills, from the arts to the academic and more. So, the House Cup is still very much in play! 

To kick off this term’s creative writing unit, our Upper Prep pupils were paid a virtual visit by author, mountaineer and documentarian Matt Dickinson.  Mr Dickinson has been to the summit of Mount Everest and has written about his experiences in both fiction and non-fiction books. For a week, Mr Dickinson gave our pupils creative writing challenges that gave them a peek at what summitting the world’s highest mountain is like. They considered the qualities one would need for an Everest expedition and imagined what they would do if they were caught in a freezing snowstorm halfway up this imposing mountain. The pupils loved meeting Mr Dickinson and hearing about his exciting experiences. It inspired them to craft their own creative narratives. Hopefully, his insights and advice will benefit our pupils who enter the Hong Kong Young Writers competition this term.

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Friends of Wellington helped us host ‘A Day At Wellington’. It was an opportunity for our parents to reconnect with school life and catch a glimpse of the learning process in action. Participants were treated to a tour of their child’s phase in the school and learned all about our sports, arts and enrichment offerings. Afterwards, they met with our school leaders and other parents over refreshments. That same day, at our Early Years Centre, parents visited for our Little Global Citizens Day. Our youngest Wellingtonians shared what they have been learning about different countries around the world with lots of fun activities.

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Iain Henderson, Deputy Head of Wellington College UK, hosted a virtual meet-up with pupils and parents to preview next year’s Summer School at The Wellington College in the UK. This exciting programme is a unique opportunity for pupils in years 8 and 9 at Wellington Family schools across the globe. They will get to experience Wellington’s storied heritage firsthand at the campus in Crowthorne, England. While there, they will take part in a series of courses in academics, sports, the arts and leadership. Pupils will also enjoy other enriching activities such as a visit to nearby Oxford University and tours of some of London’s world-famous museums, sure to inspire any young mind.

 

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Finally, today, we celebrated Halloween. We saw some ghoulishly great costumes. But, more importantly, our Wellington Charity Committee took the opportunity to live the Wellington Value of Kindness and raise funds for a worthwhile cause. Pupils were invited to the quad during break time for a Halloween bake sale and to get their faces painted. Proceeds went to the charity Furry Friends that supports over 1,200 rescue animals here in Shanghai.