Dear Parents and friends,

Open evening 24th August.  All are welcome to our Open Evening on Friday, 24th August, whether they are enrolled Hanova students and parents, families still considering, or just interested in what is happening in this exciting new development in Xi’an.  The evening will kick off at about 6pm and include a full tour of the school, meeting the teachers and staff, hearing about the exciting events we have planned for the year ahead as well as refreshments. There will be a programme of activities for the students as well as a crèche to cater for all the family. Don’t miss seeing the fantastic changes that have happened in the last few weeks here at Hanova! A booking form will be sent out next week to help us cater for the right numbers.  The Family induction day, for confirmed enrolments, which will cover preparations for the students’ first day will take place, as scheduled in our Calendar on the following Friday, 31st August.

Developments this week:

• Building
• Free standing play equipment erected
• Verandah area and wooden seats and steps installed
• Air conditioning fully operational and tested – cool!
• Room signs put up
• Science labs completed and equipment tested
• Fitted furniture installed in Dining Rooms, Staffroom, Library complex
• Internal flooring completed
• 3 more teaching staff and teaching assistant arrive in Xi’an
• All 5 members of SLT full time working from 6th August

New staff arrivals.  Today (10th August) we welcome the last two of our teachers that are new to Xi’an. We now have 12 of our 15 expat teachers here. A big Hanova (and Xi’an) welcome to Elaine Gillick (Maths and Science teacher) her husband John and two children, Callum and Max, who arrived from Ireland on 9th. Peter Donkin (Humanities) and wife Roselyn (Teaching Assistant) arrive from his previous teaching post in an international school in Cambodia. Also arriving today are Denis McKeown (Science) and his wife, Rose, from Northern Ireland.  The 5 members of the Senior Leadership Team have been in full swing since the start of this week as we step up preparations for the students starting on 3rd September.  The teaching team is virtually complete. We are also finalising the appointments of two more support staff which almost completes the school staffing complement.

We hope to move into the new building ahead of schedule on 14th August, as the furniture starts to come out of storage. Also the air conditioning is so much better than the now very cramped office we are working in!

Best regards,
Martin