In case you missed it: September 2024
Our College roared back to life ready to celebrate 10 years of building a global community. Since late August, our newly renovated campus has been a hive of activity. Our pupils and teachers have hit the ground running on their learning journeys, exploring everything from traditional Chinese culture to AI and quantum computing. Without any further ado, here it is your month in review.
New Staff Induction
In the ramp-up to the new academic year, we were delighted to welcome new staff to the Wellington community. Staff Induction Day saw our new teachers getting acquainted with the campus and their new colleagues. They also enjoyed a tour around Shanghai in a double-decker bus as well as an informal meet-up with our Founder and Chairman, Joy Qiao.
Pupil Induction Day & First Day of School
We had spent the summer revitalising the school grounds, putting up beautiful wayfinding signage, adding a Secondary School hub as well as totally remodelling our main dining hall. So, in late August, Wellington roared back to life, decked out in bunting and banners, ready to celebrate our 10th anniversary year.
On Induction Day, we welcomed new parents and pupils to the main campus and the Early Years Centre for an orientation and the opportunity to meet their teachers. Then, on 26 August, the 2024-25 academic year began in earnest. Our global community was back together. Our corridors and classrooms were once again packed with pupils full of energy and excitement about the learning journey ahead.
Founding staff dinner
One of the many ways we are celebrating our 10th anniversary year is honouring the teachers and staff who have been with us since the very beginning. Early this September, we treated our founding staff members to dinner at the J Hotel in the Shanghai Tower. This was our way of showing our heartfelt gratitude for a decade of dedicated service to our pupils, parents and the wider community. To our founding staff: Thank you for all you have done these past 10 years. We could not build this wonderful global community without you!
Co-curricular activities kick-off
Mid-September marked the highly anticipated start of our co-curricular activities (CCA) programme. With over 200 engaging activities on offer, our pupils have begun to explore new passions, develop fresh skills and expand their horizons. The diverse lineup spanned sports, arts, humanities, social sciences, STEM subjects and more — truly catering to our pupils’ diverse interests and talents. Favourites like textiles, cricket, drama and cooking returned, alongside innovative new offerings in areas like forensics.
CCAs are a core part of our holistic approach to education, complementing academic studies and nurturing the whole child. We are excited to see our pupils dive into these enriching and engaging pursuits throughout the term ahead.
House happenings
September saw houses commence battle for the coveted House Cup across the school. Pupils from both Secondary and Primary School took part in the 'Late to Class' relay in a tradition that links back to Wellington UK. Pupils in their houses carried school books in a race, if books were dropped their team mates had to support them and ensure they weren't late to class. Following on from this pupils from year 3 to Sixth Form took part in our 'Capture the Flag' week where houses sought to capture their own House Flag and bring it back to their territory. Rounding off the month was the inaugural 'House does Countdown' quiz, where the newly elected Heads and Deputy Heads of House competed, testing their mathematical and literacy skills in a fiendishly difficult quiz in the College Theatre hosted by Mr Joyce.
IB Core Exhibition
This month, we held our inaugural IB Core Exhibition. The event was a celebration of our Sixth Formers’ achievements in the IB Core curriculum, including their CAS projects, Extended Essays and TOK assignments. We gathered in the College Library and Sixth Form Centre to explore our pupils' impressive projects, ask questions and engage with these talented pupils. It was a wonderful way to recognise our Sixth Formers as they take the next step in their IB journey. Thank you to all who attended and helped make it such a success!
Wellington Extra Family Sports Day
Pupils and parents came together for a day of sport and fun with our Wellington Extra Family Sports Day. This was an opportunity for participants to not just learn about sporting opportunities are available through our Wellington Extra programme but to also experience them firsthand. Those who attended got the chance to try sports like basketball, football, tennis, volleyball and even Brazilian jiujitsu.
Mid-Autumn celebrations
As much as it tried, Typhoon Bebinca could not dampen our Mid-Autumn spirit this year. This important traditional holiday gives pupils the chance to explore China’s deep and rich cultural heritage while reinforcing their language learning. As ever, our esplanade was adorned with gigantic rabbit and moon balloons. There was traditional music and a grand opening ceremony.
Pre-Nursery pupils explored mooncake-making with playdough and played a game of moon fishing. Nursery pupils created lunar-themed crafts and tried their hand at making traditional Suzhou-style mooncakes. Reception pupils played ancient Chinese sports, decorated lacquer fans and made snow skin mooncakes.
Our Primary School pupils and teachers celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival with a fun-filled day of enriching activities. Pupils and teachers got into the spirit by showing up to school in traditional Chinese dress. Pupils got to test their wits solving lantern riddles, learned about the phases of the moon, and even played ancient Chinese sports like cuju (a game akin to football and basketball), chuiwan (similar to hockey) and pitch-pot, in which players toss sticks or arrows into a canister. Of course, sampling an array of delicious mooncakes was a must as well.
HackWell
Wellington welcomed pupils from international schools around Shanghai and industry experts for HackWell, a weekend of coding, tinkering and ideation. Now an annual event, HackWell is an event that inspires, educates and empowers Secondary-aged pupils through collaborative technology-driven projects while fostering a community of young innovators ready to tackle real-world challenges. This year, we were thrilled to have as a guest speaker a quantum computing expert from NYU-Shanghai. An AI specialist from Apple also worked with the pupils on their projects.
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