One more week and we will go again on holiday, this time to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival, the most important holiday in China. Next Friday we will have some activities and celebrations in school and we welcome you to join if you can.
In Chinese astrology, each year is related to a Chinese zodiac animal according to the 12-year cycle and each zodiac sign is associated with one of the five elements, each bringing different characteristics to the zodiac animal. This year is the Year of the Dog: dogs are loyal and honest, amiable and kind, cautious and prudent. In particular, 2018 is an Earth Dog Year, which means that the related people are communicative, strong, serious and responsible in every activity. We wish all our students to further develop these characteristics during next year.
Primary News. There has been a lot of activity in the PYP this week! Year 5 students collected their rubbish over the weekend to assess how much in total we produce over a year. They are now looking at ways to reduce waste and will take Action for our environment.
Many classes are also participating in Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) activities to enhance their learning and explore the community over the next few weeks.
All classes have been preparing for Chinese New Year celebrations – making decorations, cooking and learning Chinese songs and stories. Next Friday 9th February will be our Chinese New Year Celebration Day in the PYP: Chinese classes will have special activities, while Mr. Giovanni and Ms. Krystal will lead students in a celebration singing march around school in the morning before Assembly. We encourage our students to wear red or gold colors or a Chinese dress for that special Friday 9th!
Primary Parent Teacher Conference. We thank all parents who attended the Primary Parent-Teacher Conferences last Tuesday and Wednesday, which were a great success and a wonderful opportunity to share the learning journeys of our PYP students.
Secondary News. Year 10 students have worked on an inter-disciplinary project in Humanities, demonstrating Creativity and Critical Thinking. Around the theme: “Dream city to reduce pollution”, they have set up a competition, where teachers and staff will have to vote for the best “New city plan”.
The Year 10 class was divided in 4 groups, acting as a City Planners. A large and populated city has been assigned to each group: Mumbai (India), Seoul (S. Korea), Beijing (China) and New York (USA). They have studied and redesigned the city plan in such a way to reduce congestion, one of the main causes for global warming.
And at the end of the Assembly, Lukas Rice (Year 7) received the official award and prize for his winning entry in the “Little Star Magazine” art competition, with an artwork focused on environmental issues. The competition was open to all of the international schools in China. Congratulations Lukas, for this outstanding achievement!
MYP Personal Project . Our Year 11 students submitted the products that they have created for the Personal Project on the afternoon of 1st February. We were all impressed by the amazing and diverse things that they have created: their projects reflect the tenacity and dedication of the ethos of their class and they deserve our congratulations on their achievements!
Students have to now reflect on the process of creating these products and write these up in their reports, due on the 28th February. Finally we will host the Personal Project Exhibition on the 13th April and everyone is invited!
Library News. Hanova Library would like to thank our community for supporting our “Hanova Reading Challenge” activity during the Christmas Holiday! We have received lots of amazing reading pictures, showing the commitment of our students, teachers and staff! Last week, we displayed these pictures in the Library, which received quite a lot votes from our students and teachers to select their favorite pictures. Therefore, we are proud to announce the winners:
The most popular pictures in Primary school were taken by our Year 5a student, Tabea!
The most popular picture in Secondary school is taken by our Year 7 student, Lucas!
The most popular picture among teachers was taken by our Year 1b Teacher, Ms. Mashid Crockford!
Thanks again for your continuing support.
Yours,
Francesco Masetti-Placci
Upcoming Events
Please note these upcoming dates for events and activities that will take place in the following weeks:
Monday & Tuesday, 5th-6th February IB MYP Inspection Visit
Friday, 9th February Chinese New Year Assemblies
Monday, 12th February Chinese New Year and Spring Festival Break – School closes
Monday, 26th February School reopens
Monday 5th to Tuesday 13th March Year 13 IB Diploma “Mock” Examinations