Celebrating Children's Day in the "New Normal"
In the blink of an eye, another year has come and gone. Unlike last year, we were unable to hold our annual Summer Carnival due to COVID-19 and restrictions on large gatherings. Nevertheless, we still took advantage of the opportunity to share in the joy that comes as being a member of our caring and close-knit community while adhering to health and safety guidelines. On Monday 1st June, Wellington College International Hangzhou held a small-scale, yet fun and meaningful event to celebrate Children’s Day.
Children’s Day is known for being full of fun activities. In 2020, our children have experienced unprecedented turmoil and disruption to their lives and daily routines, so the community wanted to give them an opportunity to take a break and just enjoy being kids again. We brought several game machines directly to our campus and built a mini arcade in the Wellington common room. Our games and activities included the classic test-of-strength game, basketball, table hockey, foosball and a photo booth. Pupils were separated by year levels so that everyone could enjoy playing with their peers and challenge one another in friendly competition.
Our Years 1 to 3 pupils had a wonderful time with two special visitors - a clown and a magician - who popped into their classrooms for thrilling performances. The clown showed off her skills and engaged the pupils in her act, creating a joyous environment and raucous laughter. The magician surprised and amazed the pupils with his talented tricks even taught them some of his magic at the end of his performance. The joy in the classrooms was evident as our pupils enthusiastically clapped and cheered for both of the morning’s special visitors.
The celebrations at Wellington College International Hangzhou were not just for entertainment, but also for learning, as our pupils discovered in their Chinese, music, and PE lessons.
In their calligraphy classes, pupils were taught how to write ‘Wellington’, ‘Happy Children’s Day’, and the Values of ‘Courage’, ‘Respect’, ‘Integrity’, ‘Kindness’ and ‘Responsibility’ in the traditional Chinese calligraphy. As an international school in China, Wellington College International Hangzhou actively strives to incorporate Chinese culture in daily activities to increase our pupils’ awareness and supplement what they are learning in their Mandarin lessons.
In their music classes, pupils enjoyed a Children’s Day themed drumming session led by Mr. Perkinton. Delivering a memorable drumming performance not only requires knowledge of how to play the instruments, but effective collaboration and listening to each other. Through this activity, pupils learned more about the importance of teamwork.
Our Years 7 and 8 pupils were given a task to develop and test their leadership skills. They were required to work with their House tutors to create and document the steps required to make
ice-cream in a way that Year 1 and 2 pupils could understand and follow. They created the entire run-down for the process and delegated individual tasks to their younger house mates. Finally, they had to explain the steps to the young pupils; carefully guiding them, offering tips and ensuring that they followed the instructions. Once they finished, each of the pupils had the chance to enjoy the ice cream they had made themselves. A tasty end to a wonderful day!
We are all dreaming of the day when we can once again host the whole community on the campus for another Summer Carnival to celebrate Children’s Day. We know that the day will come, and we are confident that it will be bigger and better than any before it. For now, let us gain inspiration by looking back and remembering our inaugural Summer Carnival in 2019.
If you would like to join the Wellington community, no matter whether you are planning on moving to Hangzhou or you are already living here, you can arrange an individual on-site visit by scanning the QR code below. Our Admissions team are on stand-by to host you for a personalised campus tour to help you discover what makes Wellington special.
