Dear Hanova community,

Welcome to Semester 2 of the 2025-26 school year! I trust that your holiday travels and the start of 2026 have been safe, rejuvenating, and healthy here in Xi’an, around China, and beyond. It was a joy welcoming students on to campus this past Tuesday as they endured waking up early for school again as well as the below-freezing morning temperatures we’ve been experiencing this week. Seeing their reunions with friends after weeks apart is always a special time, and it reminds me how much our young Hawks like and look forward to returning to our school community.

This past Monday, before our returning students descended upon the campus again, we welcomed over 20 new students and their families at our mid-year New Family Welcome. Connecting, inquiring, smiling, and touring around the school, our new Primary and Secondary students, along with their parents/guardians, were warmly welcomed into the Hanova family by our school leaders, teachers, staff, and several of Hanova’s PTA members. Also, when staff were not engaging with our new families, they were dedicating hours of the day in professional learning and collaboration around designing units, discussing academic integrity, planning future professional development initiatives, and conducting strategic planning. It was indeed a productive day!

We have much to look forward to in this new semester, with some immediate matters such as MAP testing starting in the PYP this week and, next week, 10 MYP students heading to Shanghai to participate in the Concordia International School Shanghai Model United Nations (CISSMUN), Hanova’s second year attending this event which attracts international schools from all over the world. Soon to come, we invite families to schedule their January conferences (PYP and DP), cheer on Hanova’s student-athletes at our various athletic competitions, and plan to attend our annual Chinese New Year Celebration on February 6 as we usher in the Year of the Horse.

Some weeks ago, when I was watching a video portraying the founding and early history of Hanova, I noticed an original Hanova sign from the old campus. That old sign was once lost but has been found and now sits in my office until its proper home on our new campus can be identified, and after we get the sign fixed up a bit! In the new year, I’m thinking a lot about old and new, accomplishments and work yet to be done—not just in the current school year, but more broadly as a school created with a vision to be “a long-standing quality educational institution.” Additionally, one of our five guiding priorities is to “Define, communicate, and celebrate Hanova school culture while staying rooted in our story.” 

I look forward, with you all, to building upon Hanova’s past and strengthening its future in 2026!

With anticipation,

Mr. Luke