Wellington Today Wellington Today 2018 en | Page 41

MESSAGE FROM
PAUL ROGERS
THE FOUNDING
EXECUTIVE MASTER OF
WELLINGTON COLLEGE HANGZHOU
Wellington College Bilingual Hangzhou is an educational
partnership between Wellington College UK and the China
Xiaoshan Science and Technology Polis. Aimed at bringing world-
class Wellington education to Chinese families in Hangzhou and
surrounding regions, Wellington College Bilingual Hangzhou will
cater for children aged 2 through 18, helping them to achieve a
brighter future.
Opening in August 2018, Wellington College Bilingual Hangzhou
is one of the newest schools in the Wellington College China
family, as well as the second bilingual school in the group.
Supported by a purpose-built state-of-the-art campus, pupils will
have access to the best of the Wellington College educational
experience, both academic and extra-curricular.
2017 was of course not only a year of preparation for the grand
opening in August 2018, but was also full of important events
that provided significant milestones in Wellington College Bilingual
Hangzhou’s journey.
In January 2017 we held our official Launching Ceremony for the
school at The Intercontinental Hotel in Hangzhou, where I was
delighted to be joined by esteemed guests including the Consul
General of British Consulate in Shanghai; Ms Felicity Kirk, Governor
of Wellington College; Mr Sheng Yuechun, Secretary of CPC
Xiaoshan District Committee; Ms Joy Qiao, Chair of Governors
of Wellington College China and Ms Helen Kavanagh, Deputy
Chair of Governors of Wellington College China and International
Business Director of Wellington College. The event proved to be
extremely well-received and began our year on an excellent note.
From August 2017, many of the official Hangzhou founding staff
were enrolled, including an experienced team of Heads for each
phase of the school. At the same time, the team at Wellington
College Bilingual Hangzhou has held multiple and extremely
successful Meet the Master sessions that have provided much
insightful information for potential parents.
Needless to say, this ongoing positive feedback also heavily
encouraged us in our very first contributions to Wellington
China’s Festival of Education. This was hugely successful and
held in October shortly before myself and a group of the team
were privileged to be able to visit Wellington College in England
to take part in various meetings, meet staff there and generally
soak up the atmosphere and be clearer ourselves on what makes
Wellington College so very special.
The year was rounded off in December by a trip to the
Wellington College International Shanghai musical performance
of ‘The Sound of Music’ by prospective Wellington College
families in Hangzhou and Wellington College Bilingual Hangzhou
staff. This community building activity allowed prospective
Wellington College families in Hangzhou to get a feel for what
it is like to be a part of the Wellington College Community and
to cement our relationships with them. December also saw the
introduction of thematic parent information sessions, where the
academic team took the opportunity to provide deeper insights
into their respective areas of expertise.
In all, 2017 was a very stimulating year, and we look forward to
continuing this momentum as we build toward the official opening
of Wellington College Bilingual Hangzhou in August 2018.