Wellington Week 4 October 2024

Friday 4 October 2024

Junior School

w/c 7 Oct – Open Classrooms for Reception to Year 6
Tues 8 Oct 11.30 Founders’ Hall – Year 4 Food Fair (see previous email for details)
Thurs 10 Oct 8.00 – Friends of Wellington Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Fri 11 Oct – students to wear House Tops
Fri 11 Oct – end of first Half Term
Mon 21 Oct – start of second Half Term
Weds 23 Oct - Christmas Fayre – Talent Show Auditions (All Day – See emails)
Fri 25 Oct – Busking Friday
Thurs 31 Oct – Halloween Dress Up
Fri 1 Nov – Poppy Appeal begins
Fri 1 Nov – Curriculum Leaflets to Parents
Thurs 7 Nov – Year 2 Show
Sat 9 Nov – Festival of Education Thailand – hosted at Wellington
Mon 11 Nov – Remembrance Day
Fri 15 Nov – Loy Krathong Dress Up
Tues 26 Nov – Reception and Y1 Christmas Concert
Thurs 28 Nov – Year 3 and 4 Christmas Concert
Fri 29 Nov – Early Years Reports to Parents
Tues 3 Dec – Year 5 and 6 Christmas Concert
Wed 4 Dec – Nursery Sing Christmas Along
Thurs 5 Dec – School Closed – Public Holiday
Fri 6 Dec – Pre-Nursery Christmas Songs
Fri 6 Dec – Year 1 to 6 reports to parents
Sat 7 Dec – Christmas Fayre
w/c 9 Dec – Years 1 to 6 Parent Teacher Meetings
Fri 13 Dec – Santa Dash
Fri 13 Dec – Last Day of Term
Tues 7 Jan – First Day of Term
Fri 7- Sat 8 Mar – FOBISIA Table Tennis – hosted by Wellington
Mon 10 Mar – Weds 12 Mar – FOBISIA Golf – hosted by Wellington

Senior School

Weds 9 Oct – Parent Workshop – Year 9 IGCSE Launch - Introduction to IGCSE Programme/Careers Programme
Thurs 10 Oct 8.00 – Friends of Wellington Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Thurs 10 Oct - Visiting Musician Workshops
Fri 11 Oct – end of first Half Term
Mon 21 Oct – Start of second Half Term• Weds 23 Oct – Parent Workshop – Jump Residentials!
Weds 23 Oct - Christmas Fayre – Talent Show Auditions (All Day – See emails)
Thurs 24 Oct – Fri 25 Oct - Bronze and Silver Practice Duke of Edinburgh in Khao Yai
Weds 30 Oct – Parent Workshop - Global Citizenship
Fri 1 Nov – Poppy Appeal begins
Tues 5 – Fri 8 Nov -Year 7 - 9 Curriculum Residentials with Jump Foundation
Tues 5 – Fri 8 Nov – Year 11 DofE Silver Hiking Expedition
Weds 6 - Thurs 7 Nov - Bronze Qualifier Duke of Edinburgh in Khao Yai
Sat 9 Nov – Festival of Education Thailand – hosted at Wellington
Mon 11 Nov – Remembrance Day
Weds 13 November – Parent Workshop - Reporting in Senior School
Weds 20 November – Parent Workshop - IGCSE & AS Preparation - Mocks and Exams
Mon 2 Dec – Winter Wonderland Showcases (Years 7-9)
Thurs 5 Dec – School Closed – Public Holiday
Fri 13 Dec – Last Day of Term
Tues 7 Jan – First Day of Term
Fri 7- Sat 8 Mar – FOBISIA Table Tennis – hosted by Wellington
Mon 10 Mar – Weds 12 Mar – FOBISIA Golf – hosted by Wellington

Dear Parents

Following the very sad events of earlier this week, there has naturally been a sombre mood around school. We have been working to ensure that all our safety measures and procedures for travel are as strong as possible. Montri, our transport provider, has been very quick to reassure us with clear information, and sent us two very useful short safety videos, one for the small bus and one for the full-sized coach. Do have a look when you have a moment.

Please come along, if you can, to the Theatre on Thursday at 8.00, when I’ll be giving an overview of the year and plans for the future. We are also re-convening the Friends of Wellington Committee, with an opportunity to stand and/or vote for the main positions – Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer. You, Wellington parents, are an exceptionally talented capable group, and we could all benefit greatly from your knowledge, skills and good sense: do think about signing up to serve :)

The Committee has always, since the start of the school, been an amazing, tireless and extraordinary support for the community: I could write many pages about what it has achieved and how much I have enjoyed working with it. Very high standards to keep up!

The weather has been a little damp lately; let’s hope there is a break in the clouds over the weekend.

With best wishes
Chris

Good afternoon everyone

As you know we have received many applications for Early Years 2025-26. If you have a sibling who you have applied for in this academic year then we will have been in touch. We have started our video assessment process and the first Stay and Plays have been held. Please get in touch if you have any questions or want to discuss a sibling application.

The deadline to withdraw for Lent Term, without incurring a term’s fees in lieu of late notice, is Monday 7 October.

Please contact us if you have any questions about any Admissions issue. We love hearing from you!

Have a great weekend!

Jane

Christmas Carnival – Get your Tickets!

We are extremely grateful to all our Christmas Fayre Committee for their amazing hard work so far on what will be our BIGGEST, BOLDEST, BEST and MOST DAZZLING Christmas event yet!

Next week tickets will be on sale for the Christmas Carnival – including special packages and tables to buy with friends. There are so many ways that you can enjoy this event – performances, rides, stalls, merchandising and special zones. Talk to the friendly team at their tables in the Junior School and Senior School Lobbies next week, 7-10 October (JS – 7.30-8.30/14.30-16.30 and pick up/ Senior School 15.00-17.00)

Banned Books

Thank you to Ms Joanna Whitehouse in the Senior School Library for an update on the displays in the Senior School Libraries. We are currently showcasing books that have been banned around the world – provoking thought and discussion on the freedom to read. Get in touch with Ms Joanna Whitehouse in the Senior School Library if you’d like to know more.

Giving Tree Visit

It was lovely to welcome our friends from Giving Tree who visited us recently to receive the donation raised from the recent Welly Walk. We supported four charities at this very popular event and each one received a large sum to go towards their efforts.

Established 10 years ago, the Giving Tree Bangkok project supports Karen children living in the border mountains of Myanmar. The children receive a bag full of useful products and personalised gifts.

Thank you so much to Ms Tanisha McCraw, Junior School Service Leader, and the team of students who have worked so hard on this. Get in touch if you’d like to know more!

House Paper Aeroplane Challenge

Excitement is always high during Junior School House competitions - whatever the activity! Throughout the year we run all kinds of events and tournaments across school from Tug-of-War to Rubiks Cube to Football and Basketball. It's wonderful to see the enthusiasm in everyone's faces - and the noise levels have to be heard to be believed!

On Friday we held the House Paper Aeroplane competition so thank you to all our teachers and ALTs for helping to organise.

Mr Chris Jenkins tells us that it was a close fought competition but STANLEY emerged the worthy winners! Amika in Year 5 had the furthest throw with a throw of 12.14 metres.

After the first week of House Points Collection and the House Paper Aeroplane Competition, House points currently stand at -

Joint First- Stanley-60 points and Benson- 60 points

Joint Second Wellesley- 50 points and Apsley- 50 points

We know that this will be a hard fought year and we’ll keep you updated!

Senior School Music and Meditation Assembly

Everyone in Senior School really enjoys our regular Music and Meditation assemblies which are held in our beautiful central Atrium. We recently heard from some of our Music Scholars who played a wide range of music on flute, violin, sax and piano./ It was especially lovely to hear our new Year 12, Lucy, sing Fly Me to the Moon. Thank you all - Lucy, Neya, PuiFai and Yuri. Thank you to Head of Senior School Music, Mr Rayad Denyer Green for organisation. We look forward to next time!

UNESCO World Teachers’ Day

We know that it’s our teachers who make our school so special. We celebrate each and every one of them on UNESCO World Teachers’ Day. World Teachers' Day is an international day held annually on 5 October to celebrate the work of teachers around the world. Established in 1994, it commemorates the signing of recommendation by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. World Teachers' Day aims to focus on "appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world" and to provide an opportunity to consider issues related to teachers and teaching.

Thank you all, Wellington teachers. You are amazing! We wish we could feature every one of you here – but here is a very small selection in our lovely new film and visual.

Year 2 Pirate Fun

Our Year 2 teachers – Ms Poppy Green, Ms Jess Hunt, Ms Charlotte Hetherington and Ms Kesta McLeish have been hard at work this term on all things swashbuckling! The theme of Pirates has been explored in depth and children have been writing, reading, listening, creating and getting fully immersed in the pirate world. The high point is our final adventure and we cordially invite all Year 2 parents to join the children for Pirate Pals and the Treasure Trove. It’s going to be so much fun! See the poster for details.

Trash Lucky

Thank you to everyone who has been recycling using our new Trash Lucky bins! Our Eco-Committee is thrilled that you are supporting us as a school and doing your bit for the environment. If you would like to register, visit this website Growing Green Starter Kit - School Recycling Program - Trash Lucky or scan the Line QR code below. Please do reach out to Ms Upton, Mr Holliday or any of the Eco-Committee if you would like any further information.”

Thank you (yet again) to our Senior School student Matty who is a huge contributor to Upton Zoo, run by our Junior School Head of Science, Ms Beth Upton. On Friday he brought in another of his pets - a very friendly baby Ball Python.

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It might have been raining but that did not spoil the fun for Busking Friday! Our Music Learning studio became a concert venue and it was really lovely to hear the children performing individually and in bands.

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This week we have been hosting Come See Me Swim events for all our Year 2 classes. We thank Ms Cate Hamilton, Deputy Head of Junior School, and Mr Daniel Aylward, Swimming Teacher and the rest of the team for organising these interesting and informative sessions.

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It's wonderful to see all our new Pre-Nursery students settling in so well. We have a very carefully planned schedule to ensure that every child has the time and support needed to love their time here.

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FOBISIA Golf

We are very proud to be hosting tis academic year’s FOBISIA Golf Tournament here at Wellington. This is a Multi Course event over 3 days and is guaranteed to be a great event, showcasing future talent from Wellington, Thailand and across Asia!

The event will take place across 10-12 March 2025, opening with a Topgolf Welcome Party on the Sunday, followed by golf at Thai Country Club, Amata Spring Country Club and Ballyshear Golf Links – three of the most prestigious courses in Thailand.

Individual and Team Prizes will be awarded for the event.

Please see the poster for more details and get in touch with our Director of Golf, Coach Michael Antona if you have any questions or would like to join.

FOBISIA Table Tennis

Not one but TWO FOBISIA tournaments coming up! Thank you to Bursar and Head of Table Tennis, Dr Peter Church for sharing details of the FOBISIA Table Tennis Invitational Tournament which also takes place in March next year. The tournament takes place over two days and is open to a wide range of ages – singles and doubles. We have some very talented young players and are hopeful of a great showing for Wellington!

Please see the poster for more details

Emily Hedin – National Tennis Champion

We are exceptionally proud of all our young sports stars and often feature them in Stars of Wellington. This week we are delighted to share some news of a National Champion! Well done, Emily Hedin in Year 6 who is now the leading tennis player of her year group after victory at the prestigious 2024 Thai National Tennis Championship. Her father, Johan Hedin, tells us –

“This victory is a huge accomplishment and a significant milestone. All the hard work, discipline, and dedication she has put in are truly paying off. And most importantly, the love for the sport. Emily displayed exceptional focus, confidence, and determination, pushing through the tough hot weather conditions to come out on top.

In the quarterfinals, she defeated Thailand’s #1 player 4-2, along with several other top-ranked competitors on her journey to victory. In the semifinal she won a convincing 4-0. In the final, she won the first set 4-1, dropped the second 4-1, and clinched the super tiebreak with a decisive 10-6 win. “

Emily also won the prestigious PTT tournament last week (Bangkok), along with the JNT Junior Championship in Bangkok two weeks ago. If you’d like to know more about the Tennis support here at Wellington – or how to take advantage of our wonderful new courts here at Wellington then get in touch with our Wellington Extra team or Director of Sport, Ms Helen Mathews.

Swimming

On Weds 2 October our swimmers were out in force at the GBAC Senior Swimming Competition at Verso. We are proud of all our students who took part - they trained hard and their commitment was second to none. They brought home a huge array of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals along with some superb Personal Bests. Most of all, they returned with amazing team spirit and a sense of Wellington pride. We can't wait for the next tournament! Thank you to our coaches and teachers for inspiration and organisation as ever

Squads

Football and Basketball games have been going on throughout the week. Well done to everyone who took part. We don’t post match reports of every game, every week – but we are always VERY proud and we’ll share Squad pics where we can!

Under 18 Boys v Kings