We continue to progress in this Academic Year. Hereafter the news and the activities information related to this past week.
International Day. Saturday, October 22nd is an important day for Hanova. It’s time once again to celebrate our annual International Day event! For those new to the school, International Day is a special celebration of the wide variety of countries and cultures that our students and community members come from. Please mark this day on your calendar and plan to come!
We would like to invite parents to come and join their children as they enjoy the multicultural activities and foods at our celebration. In addition, if other friends and family members, such as grandparents, would like to come they will be welcome. This event is organized by our school, but it’s an open event for the whole Xi’an international community.
This year there will also be our 1st annual Hero’s Cup Football Tournament, while the cultural activities are taking place, so come and support your home team!
The program for the day is the following:
- 10-10:40: Parade of Nations – Students (and parents!) should dress up in their National Costume to represent their home country.
- 10:40-1:00pm: Country Booths – homeroom classes and House groups will present a wide collection of activities and food from different countries. Students and parents are free to participate in all activities and sample international delicacies. We are grateful to our friends at Gran Mélia Xi’an and Shangri-La Xi’an Hotels, who will be present and have kindly agreed to support this important event.
- 11:00-1:00pm: International “Heroes Cup” Football Tournament
- Game 1: Americas -vs- Rest of the World
- Game 2: Oceania -vs- Asia 2
- Game 3: Africa -vs- Europe 1
- Game 4: Asia 1 -vs- Europe 2
PYP Homework. Now that we are well inside the Academic Year, we would like to address some Common Parental Questions with regard to homework for students in Primary School.
- What is the homework load like Hanova? How much homework should a child have outside of school? The PYP is not a program that just loads on a lot of homework. This is a big misconception that many people have of the IB PYP program. Keeping in mind that each child is different, the homework assigned is not overwhelming AND kids still have time for a variety of after school activities. As for long-term and large projects and inquiries, students are given sufficient time and warning from teachers to complete them.
- How can parents help students with schoolwork?
- Prepare a suitable homework environment so your child is relaxed at a regular time each day. Also some students may work better in the early morning rather then in the evenings.
- Follow up daily with your child to see what homework they have.
- Help reinforce at home the program requirements that the student fills out their School Diary each and every day, in every subject, then use this to check for assignments each evening at home.
- Help your student schedule time so they don’t feel overwhelmed.
- Realize that you will probably help them with (but not do) some of their larger projects. For example: Many parents can take a trip with their child to the Central Museum for history or cultural projects, or help them create display boards for presentations. Most parents will find pleasure or pride in helping their child grow in this way, as they work together to do larger projects.
If your child has any concerns regarding the set homework, please address this to your Homeroom Teacher. Happy Homework!
Secondary Parents in Partnership. Last Academic Year we launched information sessions for Secondary Parents, to increase the communications and awareness about the Secondary programmes and the students’ options for courses and exams. This year, we have set up a series of lectures and sessions entitled: “Parents in Partnership” and we are thrilled to report that this new initiative is going extremely well. These information sessions run from 3.30pm – 4.30pm on a Wednesday and are generally held in the Meeting Room A202b.
So far parents have been invited to the following sessions:
- Welcome to Secondary
- English as an Additional Language (EAL)
- The Personal Project in MYP
- Assessment, Recording & Reporting
Please see below the upcoming sessions for this Semester with dates to help with your planning:
- 26/10/2016 – University & Careers Guidance
- 2/11/2016 – Service Action (SA) & Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS)
- 9/11/2016 – Parent Teacher Conferences PTCs
- 16/11/2016 – Middle Years Programme (MYP) Information
- 23/11/2016 – Diploma Programme (DP) Information
- 30/11/2016- Special Educational Needs (SEN)
- 7/12/2016 – Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
Many thanks to everyone who has attended these sessions, we really value your input and feedback. Please join the next events – we would welcome your participation. For any queries please contact our Head of Secondary School Mrs. Smith ( jacqueline.smith@his-xian.com ).
Sports. As mentioned in previous newsletters, during October and November the Hanova teams will play and compete in a dense calendar of sport activities and events. This trainings and competition add to the classroom, homework and academic activity.
This week, the Primary Football Team opened their season with a tied, 1-1. We played a friendly game with XHIS on our Hanova campus on Thursday 20th. The Hanova Heroes started strong, scoring an early goal (Levi Y4), dominating most of the game, not giving options, associating and passing each other. XHIS tied the game in the second half.
It was an exciting game, both teams tried to show their skills. The Hanova Heroes were close to win, but missed two clear options at the very end of the game. We should feel proud of our players who did a great job. It is a new team that it is getting to know each other and needs time. Next week, we will play another friendly game at XHIS school. Many thanks to our PE teachers and to the Primary Football Team Coach Mr. Brown ( jorge.brown@his-xian.com ).
All student athletes are encouraged to commit with a strong spirit, and parents are encouraged to attend, cheer and support – and don’t forget the Heroes Cup” Football Tournament that will take place during International Day.
Thanks again for your continuing support.
Yours,
Francesco Masetti-Placci
