Junior School

Dear Parents

We’ve reached the first Half Term holiday of the year. In case it isn’t clear: British schools have three terms in a year (I’ve heard that Americans have two ‘semesters’). Our terms are:

• Michaelmas term (end August to mid-December) → 3-week Christmas holiday
• Lent term (January to April) → 2-week Songkran holiday
• Summer term (April to end of June) → long Summer holiday

We have one-week Half-Term holidays in the middle of Michaelmas and Lent terms but not usually in the Summer Term.

Traditionally, we begin a full holiday (Christmas, Songkran, Summer) at 12pm on the last day of term. But for a Half-Term holiday, we finish at normal time (3.45pm etc).

I enjoyed presenting to parents yesterday on Developments at Wellington – both this year and further into the future. If you couldn’t make it, and would like a repeat session, please do let me know. One key bit of information, in case you haven’t read/heard it elsewhere: the Junior Dining Hall air conditioning will be installed during the Christmas holidays and will be ready at the start of Lent Term.

I will have some very good news after Half Term regarding the FoW Committee. Look out for that.

I hope you enjoy next week – you will find your children probably need the break!

 With best wishes
Chris 

Dear Parents,

On this final day of my first half term here at Wellington, I am reflecting on what has been a fantastic eight weeks. It has been busy, productive, and full of new experiences for our students. I must say, I feel like I have been at Wellington for a few years, not just a few months!

Our Sixth Form students have settled into the rigor of their new courses, and it is wonderful to see them rising to the challenges that are preparing them for university and their future careers. Year 10 students have now settled into their option subjects, and Year 9 students are starting to think ahead to deciding their options. The Year 9 students will also start working with Wellington College as part of the Year 9 Peer Mentoring programme. Each student will be assigned a Year 12 or Year 13 student at TWC who can support and guide them through their course choices and looking ahead to the IGCSE programme, providing valuable support to our students in Bangkok.

There is a sense of both competition and teamwork around the school as students have competed in the SEAMO Maths competitions and are preparing to enter the Physics Olympiad. There are many more competitions to come in the field of academics this year, and the students have shown that they are very keen to take part. Meanwhile, our teachers have been developing their already excellent practice through the Great Teacher Toolkit. Wellington remains close to the cutting edge of innovation in education through discussion, action, and reflection on how great learning happens. In November, Wellington Bangkok will host the Festival of Education Thailand, where educators from around Asia will come to learn and present the latest research. We cannot wait to share our ideas.

Our theme throughout this half term has been the Wellington values of Kindness, Courage, Responsibility, Integrity, and the desire to be excellent. These values have been discussed at Assemblies and Tutor Time, and this half term we have recognised 134 individual Value Shout Outs to students who have exhibited these characteristics.

Looking ahead, there is much to be excited about in the second half of the Michaelmas Term. We will again be hosting a Senior School Halloween Disco on Thursday, 31 October, which I understand will be a highlight of the social calendar! At the end of October, we also welcome four Year 10 students from Wellington College. These students will join us as part of the Year 10 student exchange program to experience life as a Wellington College Bangkok student.

Soon after that, we have our Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 Curriculum Residentials with the Jump Foundation. All three trips will be incredibly exciting, and as a reminder, there are parent workshops for all families on Wednesday 23 October at 16.00 in the Theatre. We have already hosted House Dodgeball and our first Half Termly Value Shout Out House prize. The second half of the term will see the Senior School taking part in House Chess, House Battle of the Bands, House Basketball, and House Christmas Showdown. The dates of these events are published in the weekly newsletter, and it would be great to see some parents attending these events and showing their support.

Finally, I hope it is helpful to know that we have reviewed and updated how we will report academic attainment to parents. I will be running a Reporting Parent Workshop on Wednesday 13 November in the Theatre, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful half term.

With best wishes,

Jane Sharp

Dear Junior School Parents

What an incredible start to the school year we’ve had in Junior School. It’s a joy to write to you and share the highlights of our first half term, which has been nothing short of exciting, productive, and filled with memorable moments for both students and staff.

From the outset, our focus has been on building strong, meaningful connections between teachers and students. We’ve dedicated time to truly get to know each child, and it’s been fantastic to see how quickly all children have embraced our values of being Ready, Respectful, and Safe. Their kindness, enthusiasm, and respect for others have shone brightly in all areas of school life.

But it’s not just the students we’ve been getting to know - we’ve also loved meeting and connecting with you, our wonderful parent community. Our Parent-Teacher meetings, with their emphasis on student well-being, have provided invaluable opportunities to celebrate the many achievements your children have already made in their new year groups. We’re also delighted with the success of our parent workshops, where we’ve explored everything from reading and phonics to digital safety and our exciting enrichment programme. Your engagement and participation have been truly appreciated.

Our Open Classroom events have been a particular highlight, allowing families to immerse themselves in their child’s learning journey. Whether it’s phonics lessons, creating family trees, or enjoying European foods together, these events have been such a fun and enriching way for us all to share in the children’s educational experiences.

On the academic front, we’ve seen remarkable progress across the board. Our students have demonstrated a strong commitment to their studies, tackling challenges with enthusiasm and determination. This positive, can-do attitude promises a successful and fulfilling year ahead.

The Welly Walk was a brilliant event, and we couldn’t be prouder of our students. They showed fantastic dedication as they walked lap after lap, all in support of our House charities—Save Elephant Foundation, Giving Tree, Chaiyapruk Foundation and Second Chance Bangkok. Thanks to their efforts (and the wonderful support of families), we’ve raised significant funds for these great causes. A special thank you to Ms Tanisha McCraw for her amazing leadership in organising this event!

Our creative sides have also flourished this term, particularly with the visit of some talented musicians. Students from Years 1 to 6 took part in hands-on musical experiences, and we are especially thrilled to have launched our very own Junior School Orchestra—a wonderful new addition that showcases the ever-expanding opportunities within our Music department.

Sports have been another area of growth, with Football and Basketball thriving like never before. We’ve seen excellent performances from our teams, who are becoming increasingly competitive in the international Bangkok schools network. It’s wonderful to witness their hard work and team spirit paying off. House events have been in full swing, too.

Our newly elected Year 6 House Captains are leading their Houses with enthusiasm, and the competition has been fierce. From House points to our exciting paper aeroplane competition, it’s a tight race for the Term Cup—and every House is still in with a chance!

Adding to the excitement, our students have taken part in several Maths competitions, tackling code-breaking challenges and other brainteasers with great enthusiasm. We eagerly await the results to see how well they’ve done. As we look forward to next half term, we are excited for all the new learning and adventures that lie ahead—especially as we begin the build-up to the festive season…

A heartfelt thank you to our teachers, parents and of course students for your unwavering support and dedication. Your commitment to our students is what makes our school a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable half term break!

Hannah Jeffs

Head of Junior School

Dear Parents

This term has been action-packed with 146 students involved in our Basketball programme and 221 in Football, participating in a total of 32 fixtures — 20 in basketball and 12 in Football. Our Boys’ Football team boasts an impressive 83% win rate, and the Girls’ basketball team achieved a 73% win rate.

Additionally in Football, we are excited to now be part of the Siam Schools League, which brings together schools from across Bangkok. Teams are grouped by ability, playing fixtures through to December, providing our players with valuable experience ahead of their GBAC season in Lent and Summer Term.

Additionally, our young Year 3 and 4 athletes had a great introduction to Athletics at the Under 9 friendly meet hosted at Brighton College, while swimming successes span from Short Course Nationals to Puppy Cup, offering competitive opportunities for all levels. Golf has also seen major achievements in their ISGT tournaments this term.

Preparations are well underway for the two FOBISIA Invitationals we are hosting in March 2025 — Golf and Table Tennis. Registration is open, with over 100 international schools invited from across South East Asia.

The addition of new court facilities has enhanced our Tennis programme and allowed us to introduce new sports like Pickleball during Games Afternoons. Reception students have also been on a fantastic journey in their PE lessons, developing their physical literacy through storytelling, while Year 5 and 6 students have excelled in Parkour, showing remarkable growth in confidence and performance.

Physical Education continues to be an exceptional vehicle for developing the whole child — not just through physical skills, but by fostering essential traits like resilience, leadership, teamwork, and creative problem-solving, which support their personal growth both in and outside the classroom.

A huge thank you to all the students, coaches, and staff who contribute to making our Sport and PE programme so successful.

For more updates on fixtures and tournaments, visit our sports website: Wellington College International School Bangkok | Sports Home

Ms Helen Mathews

Director of Sport

Wellingtonian Magazines

If you are planning to spend some of your Half Term catching up on reading then we have great news! We are excited to share our new issues of the Wellingtonian. This year we have produced separate issues for Senior School and Junior School so we can feature as many students as possible. These magazines are companion issues to the Classbook 2023-24 which came out in the summer. Please share any feedback you might have with me – I’d love to know what you think as we have put a huge amount of work into getting these just right!

You will have a printed copy very soon – but in the meantime, please look at the online versions –

• Junior School Wellingtonian 2023-24
• Senior School Wellingtonian 2023-24

Festival of Education 2024

We are excited to be hosting the second Festival of Education Thailand here at Wellington College Bangkok. It takes place on Saturday 9 November and will feature top names from the world of education and a variety of workshops, presentations and seminars. You can find all details here LINK

We are excited to share that parents, other family and stakeholders can register with 35% discount using the code: WCIB35 Registration site:

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/foeinternational/1231543

Christmas Carnival

Our Christmas Carnival Team have been working so hard this week as ticket sales opened for the best Christmas event in town! Our committee were in the lobbies this week selling Early Bird tickets, unlimited ride wristbands and more. Please get your tickets and be part of the event. There are rides and games galore – for all age ranges along with merchandise and food stalls spanning most of our campus!

We have some star studded performances (our own talent included) and an exciting finale – which we are assured will be even better than last year’s drone show if that’s possible.

Early Bird Entrance Tickets are 400 THB each – this price is valid until 17 Nov and then it reverts to 450 THB. You can buy an All Day Game Pass for 1200 THB (includes entry). Entry tickets include participation in the Raffle with a chance to win great prizes!

Thank you again to our lovely parents working so hard on our behalf!

Thank you very much to our parents who have organized the Talent Auditions taking place on 23 October for coveted places on stage at the Christmas Carnival. We can’t wait to see you all perform!

An Important Service Initiative

A message from Ms Xiuxian (Molly) Mo, Global Citizenship Coordinator, announcing our participation in the Global Service Leaders Competition.

I am excited to announce that the Senior School will be participating in the Global Social Leaders Competition, as part of the Wellington College Family. This internationally recognised competition uses project-based learning to encourage young people to identify a problem that matters to them and their community, and then take action to address it. Through their involvement, students will have the opportunity to develop skills such as project management, collaboration, reflection, and resilience. They will also be able to connect with students who share similar passions from around the world.

To enter the competition, students will need to register with Mrs Mo in teams of 3 to 7. They will set one or more goals for their project. For further details, please refer to the link provided. The competition runs from October 2024 to June 2025, and throughout this period, students will receive training and ongoing support from lead teachers.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our Senior School students to engage in a global competition and take meaningful action as global citizens and future leaders. I encourage you to motivate your child to register for the competition via the link shared by Mrs Mo on MS Teams.

If you would like more information, please see this link or feel free to contact me at x.mo@wellingtoncollege.ac.th. 

Your support in encouraging students to take part will be greatly appreciated.

JS Leadership Team

Please meet our wonderful Junior School leadership team. You are in very safe hands with Head of Junior School – Ms Hannah Jeffs and her three Deputy Heads. Ms Charlotte Baxendale takes responsibility for Early Years, Ms Cate Hamilton for KS 1 (Years 1 and 2) and Ms Gill Elrick for KS2 (Years 3-6).

ART FOCUS!

Senior School Artists in Residence

A few weeks ago our Senior School Art department had the incredible opportunity to host a talented artist in residence, Supicha Sutanthavibul, known for her intricate, complex and multi layered silkscreens. Year 11 and 12 students were able to explore the world of screen-printing, learning both traditional techniques and unconventional methods that expanded their artistic perspectives.

Through a hands-on and fun filled two-day workshop, students learned every step of the screen-printing process – including mixing different types of inks to manipulate the opacity and print on a variety of surfaces.

This workshop fostered a spirit of collaboration, as students shared tips, tackled challenges together, and celebrated each other's breakthroughs. Thank you to Ms Duna Carbonell for organising these amazing sessions and Mr Krits for his amazing images.

USE KRITS’ IMAGES

Year 4 Art

There is such a lot of great creativity going on around school. This half-term, our Year 4 students have been working on an exciting art project connected to their theme, The Grand Tour of Europe. Junior School Head of Art, Mr Nick Cadman explains –

“Students studied street maps from one of four capital cities - Madrid, Spain; Stockholm, Sweden; Paris, France or Rome, Italy. Using these maps, they traced and followed the lines of the roads to create abstract shapes. These designs were then transferred onto foam tiles, where students used wooden scribes to score the surface, adding texture.

Next, they applied printing ink to their tiles and used the relief printing method to create striking single-colour prints. In the final stage of the project, they will add a second colour to complete their final art pieces.

Year 2 Pirates

This morning, Year 2 had the opportunity to share their brilliant WANTED posters with their parents. Our topic this term has been pirates and in English we have been focusing on descriptive writing. In Art, the students have learnt how to add pirate features, such as scars and gold teeth, to their own pirate drawings.

We were very excited to welcome parents into the classroom and they were tasked with trying to find the pirate, based on the student’s writing. Luckily all the pirates were caught, thanks to our helpful parents and wonderful Year 2 writers!

Thank you to our Year 2 team led by teachers Ms Poppy Green, Ms Kesta McLeish, Ms Jess Hunt and Ms Charlotte Hetherington.

JEI MUN

Senior School teacher, Daniel Bell, has shared details of an exciting trip to Tokyo to take part in the JEI MUN Tournament. This is open to all students aged 14-18 – whatever your level of MUN experience.

School Shop

During the Half Term break next week, our school shop will open on Weds 16 October from 8:00 until 14.00. (Lunch time – 11.30 – 12.30) We will be closed on Thurs - Fri 17-18 October 2024

Squads And Matches

Our Football and Basketball teams have been showing their skills this week and performances just keep getting better and better.

Football

Coach Yurii shared his pride that the Under 13 Boys B Team won 3-0 against TSIS this week with excellent teamwork from all.

Later in the week the Under 15 and Under 13 Boys journeyed to Bangkok Patana where they both scored a significant victory! What a great way to kick off their season. This bodes very well and we know our teams can keep up these standards as we take on more teams.

Basketball

Coach David is delighted with the performances of our Under 19 teams in their friendly games against Garden International School this week. The Under 19 Boys had some strong individual performances with a lot of new faces! We are quickly coming together as a team - a formidable unit indeed.

Our Under 19 Girls also won a comfortable victory which will give them great confidence as they move ahead in the season.

Our Under 11 Boys played Brighton this week, showing steady growth throughout the early part of the season. There is some Year 6 leadership from last season but the Year 5 players have added marked contribution and are quickly easing into their new level.

Also playing Brighton, our Under 11 Girls remained undefeated with a wonderful all around performance. Returning starter Margie was a standout, and a host of talented Year 5 players are also off to a fast start and are presently our top ranked defensive team at Wellington.

Golf – Second ISGT Event

Last Monday saw the second of the International Schools’ events at Chee Chan Golf Club. Hosted by Shrewsbury Riverside, this was a highly competitive day and our students emerged with a third place. Rain stopped play as the day wore on but not before we saw some great performances from our students, particularly Nava and Marker. (We particularly love Coach Michael’s hat! No hat no play, Coach!!)

Come See Me Swim

If you are a Year 1 parent you are cordially invited to join our upcoming Come See Me Swim sessions. This is a great opportunity to understand how your children are growing in confidence and ability in the pool. See the poster for details!

Sports SOCS Programme

Don’t forget that ALL information on fixtures can be found on our SOCS website Wellington College International School Bangkok | Sports Home

FOBISIA Golf and Table Tennis

March 2025 is going to be amazing with not one but two FOBISIA tournaments being hosted by Wellington. If you’d like to know more then see the posters below for details. You can talk to Coach Michael Antona about Golf and Dr Peter Church about Table Tennis.

• Year 7
• Year 8
• Year 9
• Year 10
• Year 11
• Year 12

• Wellington Classbook 2023-24

• Pre-Nursery
• Nursery
• Reception
• Junior School (Y1-Y6)