The Value of Mentorship

All international students are matched to a female mentor, who is like a caring, local mother. These women are Wellingtonbased native speakers. They are well trusted by QMC and help add another layer of support for our students.

Our mentors:

Invite students to dinners at their homes and take them out for activities.

Understand both cultures and provide a feeling of home.

• Help with cultural adaptation and practical things, like trips to the airport and buying uniforms.

• Attend all meetings with their students, such as parent teacher meetings and course selection evenings.

• Liaise between the parent and school when necessary.

Translate school reports.

“She helps me solve problems and is caring.”

Amy Zhao, Year 11, 2022

Wellington Cable Car

Senari Sugunendran, Year 10, 2022

“She is awesome as a mental supporter. She often takes us out for dinner when she's free.”

Sathiya Boonsaner, Year 13, 2022 texts me all the time.”

Pinn Sriherunrusmee, Year 12, 2022

“She provides me with motivation.”

Yeshani Sugunendran, Year 13, 2021

(ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES)

ESOL is offered on a needs basis. Before arrival at QMC, they are tested using the online Oxford Placement Test. Their results are analysed by the Head of Languages and ESOL teaching staff to focus on any areas that need support. We test every six months. The ESOL teacher stays in regular contact with the students’ subject teachers to discuss how their learning can be further supported.

Our ESOL classes are small, and students receive one-on-one guidance to help them progress. In this supportive environment, they feel confident to share their thoughts and ideas. ESOL students all participate in extracurricular Speech and Drama lessons in small groups (between one and four students). This tuition helps them to improve their fluency and confidence speaking in front of an audience. They also sit an examination at the end of the year and receive a certificate in Speech and Drama, which looks fantastic on their CV.

The students' English proficiency progress is tracked and when they reach B1 proficiency they join mainstream English classes. Students in the ESOL programme take all their other subject classes as mainstream, allowing them to mix frequently with local students.

By far the best language development comes from the fact that the girls are in a fullimmersion English environment.

They hear and speak English throughout the day, chatting with new friends, following classroom instructions to complete activities, socialising at mealtimes and attending school events.

A number of our international students go on to take the IB Diploma. In Group 1 students study their mother-tongue literature, and in Group 2, they study English as their acquisition language. This allows students to maintain their heritage culture and excel in English, gaining a bilingual Diploma. In 2021 our school gained four bilingual diplomas, two of which scored in the 40s, the top 10 percent of the world.