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Year 3 students successfully complete their Unit on Exploration

Dear Parents and friends

Year 2 Field trip to Wild Goose Pagoda - written by Ms Isabella Helberg, Year 2 Teacher.  Year 2’s current unit is Landmarks and we decided to take them to one of the best-known landmarks in Xi’an. This connected with our learning about 2D shapes, 3D shapes, and symmetry.

We left at 9:15 and we were very excited. After arrival, we walked until we reached the bathrooms and then we had a quick snack.

We started walking again and then we stopped at regular intervals to take pictures that showed different shapes and symmetry. As we walked around we identified shapes with symmetry and had meaningful discussions.

We also had fun playing in the leaves! Although it was windy and cold, we all had a fun day. We are really looking forward to our next trip!

Year 3 students successfully complete their Unit on Exploration - written by Ms Dominique Wilinska-Essa.  We are thrilled to share that our Year 3 students have successfully completed their unit on exploration. This immersive and interactive unit was designed to ignite their curiosity, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and cultivate a passion for learning.

The culmination of this unit saw our students undertaking projects that involved exploring the school, planning, and writing proposals. They didn't just stop at theoretical learning but took a step further to implement changes in their local school grounds.

The students had the opportunity to present their projects and proposals to their peers, teachers, the Primary School Head Ms Sandy, and even Mr Luke, our school's principal. Their presentations were met with great enthusiasm and support. Many of their proposed changes have already been implemented, while some are still in the pipeline and ongoing.

The changes they've brought about are impressive and varied. They include creating signs for the playground, planting more trees for our "school forest", building a new goal for playtime football, acquiring swings, slides, and a sandpit, inventing new games for playtime, and even creating a cosy outdoor library corner. These, along with many other personal projects, have truly transformed our school grounds.

Their enthusiasm and commitment to making a difference in their immediate environment have been truly inspiring. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and the tangible changes they've brought about in our school grounds.

We look forward to continuing this journey of learning and exploration with them, and we can't wait to share their future adventures with you. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's learning journey.


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About our School Principal


Dr Lucas J. Roberts

School Principal

Dr Lucas J. Roberts is the current School Principal at Hanova. He thoroughly enjoys being part of the Hanova Hawks community! Having served in international school education in China for over 15 years in Wuxi, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing, being in Xi’an with his family to lead Hanova is indeed a joy and a privilege. “Mr. Luke,” as students call him, has served in numerous leadership capacities over the years, including Head of Primary, Head of Secondary, and School Principal/Head of School. Since 2014, he has served on nearly 20 WASC accreditation visiting committees around Asia to support other schools’ ongoing school improvement efforts, giving him substantial perspective on the international school world. Earning a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies helped spark Dr. Roberts’ belief that learning, rather than being isolated, should help students see patterns and connections across subjects with an emphasis on life skills and application. In other words, what we DO with knowledge is just as important as having knowledge, much in line with the IB Learner Profile and Hanova’s mission to develop responsible, wise, lifelong learners. Dr. Roberts earned an M.Ed. in Educational Administration and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, and he is a researcher, author, and conference speaker on a range of topics in education.