Hanova Garden. We are extremely pleased and excited to announce that work has already begun on an important addition to our school: Hanova Garden. This will be a long-term project that every student at our school will be able to use to improve their learning. There are many uses of a school garden for students of all ages at Hanova, such as: studying how plants grow, collecting insects, English and Chinese lessons in the outdoors, learning the value of recycling and compost, doing community service activities that benefit the environment, musical performances and Shakespeare plays outdoors, and thousands of other possibilities. COMING SOON: Hanova Garden will be made available to the community during Saturday Sports if families wish to help water plants, pull weeds, or plant their own flowers or vegetables (space limited). This is a great opportunity for families to spend time together, having fun in the outdoors. Please contact Mr Gallerno (richard.gallerno@his-xian.com) for any further information.

Y4 trip. On Tuesday, 25^th March, year 4 went to Yangyuan village to visit a Chinese house. This visit connected well with the central idea of our unit: The earth’s physical geography has an impact on settlements and human interaction. The children gained insight and knowledge about the layout of a Chinese house, and the materials that were used to build the house.  They also saw special features inside the house such as a big stove in the kitchen, and a bed that can be warmed from the outside, by burning coal and other materials under the bed. The visit to this Chinese house connected well with the key concepts we are looking at during this unit: form (What is it like?), causation (Why is it like this?) and connection (How is it connected to other things?).

Thank you to Mrs Gallerno for arranging the contact with Mr Li’s family and for joining us on the trip. Also thanks to the parents who volunteered to come along and who guided groups of children around the house. It was very generous of Mr Li and his family to open their house to us; it was a visit that many of us will remember for a long time to come.

Carnival. Last year, Hanova started a tradition of inviting the community to our school for a Carnival. We will be continuing this on Saturday, May 10^th. Please make sure to mark this date on your calendar because it will be a fun day for all. Planned activities include several games and activities organised by students and parents, a community lunch, and a talent show. Notice about talent show auditions will be given soon, so if your children have any special ability that they would like to showcase in front of a large audience this will be a great opportunity for them to shine. Parents: Part of our programme is a Lucky Draw, where prizes can be won by matching numbers called with numbers on Carnival tickets. We would greatly appreciate any donations of prizes, including promotions or coupons from your workplace. More information about Carnival will be sent home soon. Mr Gallerno (richard.gallerno@his-xian.com) will answer any questions that parents may have about Carnival.

Extra Curricular Activities (ECAs) Block 4. Please note that ECA Block 3 will come to an end on Thursday, March 27^th. The following week (March 31-April 4) there will be no ECAs as we get ready to start Block 4 after returning from Qing Ming Spring Holiday. Buses will be leaving the school at 3:35pm on Tuesday and Thursday next week. Block 4 will run from April 15^th to June 5^th. This will be our final ECA Block for this school year. Club forms will be sent home very soon. It is very important for students and parents to choose at least 2 club choices for both Tuesday and Thursday. Each ECA has a maximum number of students to ensure that safety is maintained, so it may be necessary to place students where space is available if an ECA is full; this is why we need at least 2 choices for each day.

Playgroup. Please note there will be no playgroup next Tuesday.  It will restart after the Qing Ming holidays.

Korean teacher required. We are continuing to search for a teacher that can teach Korean Language and Literature to Senior Years and Middle Years students.  This is part of our policy of expanding language provision at Hanova and helping students to gain the best possible Diploma results to access the best universities. Initially, the Korean teacher would work closely with the staff and management involved in Diploma English and Chinese. To start with, the Korean language programme would be for students in Years 12 and 13, and would mirror the Chinese and English Language and Literature courses. Full, ongoing support would be given by the school, and later the teacher would be officially trained by IB to offer IB Diploma Korean. We are also looking at the later possibility of the teacher providing classes in MYP.  The school will offer a full international teacher’s package and family benefits, if required.  If you, or your friends, know anyone that may be interested, qualified and ideally experienced, please contact Robert Muntzer (robert.muntzer@his-xian.com) in the first instance for more information.

Best regards,

Martin Hughes

Forthcoming events

Tuesday, 25^th                              Y4 trip

Thursday, 27^th                            Last day of ECAs in Block 3

Thursday, 27^th                            Y5 and 6 meeting re Extended Journey

                                                       Meet Mr Reinier Jessurun (Y5 teacher)

April

Tuesday, 1^st                                 Buses leave at 3:45pm – no ECAs; no Playgroup

Thursday, 3^rd                               Buses leave at 3:45pm – no ECAs

Friday, 4^th                                    Football match (SY and MYs) at XIS

Friday, 4^th                                    School closes for Qing Ming holiday

Monday, 14^th                              School opens