BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HANOI

NEWSLETTERDECEMBER 19 2014| ISSUE 16

IN THIS ISSUE

From Mr. Anthony RowlandsPrincipal’s Award - Term I 2014/2015From Mr. Christopher ShortFrom Mrs. Karen HanrattySecondary ScienceSecondary VietnameseYear 4 Visits VietclimbWhole School Assembly - End of Term IFundinotots ProgrammeContacts

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Issue 16 | 1

UPCOMING EVENTS

7th All students back to school for Term 2.8th KS3 Football vs Wellspring12th-16th Secondary Mock Exam Week Year 8 Information Morning13th Year 6 Learning Insights & Expedition Parents Information Session Year 9 Parents Evening and Options Information14th KS3 Boys Football vs SIS15th F1/2 Learning Insights Parents Information Session16th KS3 Boys & Girls Football vs Concordia

JANUARY

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From Mr Anthony Rowlands - Principal of BIS Hanoi

This is the final newsletter of Term 1 and what a remarkable term it has been. We have experienced significant success in so many fields as has been regularly highlighted in our weekly newsletter. However, there is no question that quality learning continues to be the heart that drives

our school to continually improve. This was reinforced to me this week as I journeyed around our learning areas. In Foundation 3, the students were baking cookies and then designing Christmas packages to place them in and take them home as gifts. There were, indeed, some great designs and some delicious aromas in the classroom! In Year 2, I observed a class enjoying a group reading session which is such an important area for young children. In Secondary, I observed Year 10 and Year 12 Business Studies classes absorbed in developing strategies for work and businesses in the future. I talked to several students who had just had tests in various subjects about how they thought they had performed. Their mixed responses were a familiar and normal aspect of school life! All this at the end of a busy sixteen week term! Now wonder that BIS Hanoi just keeps on getting better.

With regard to great achievement, and as is normal on the last day of each term, I am honoured to present one student from each Year Group with a Principal’s Award

during the Whole School Assembly. I am delighted to inform you that the Principal’s Awards recipients for this term are:

Kawagishi Chiyo F2BĐinh Trung Dũng F3BWoo Tae Jeong Y1BLe Xuan Mai Y2BTran Binh Minh Y3BChung Tuyet Anh Y4BHoang Quoc Nam Anh Y5BNguyen Quang Minh Y6ITran Phuong Anh Y7HSu Vi Anh Y8BNguyen Phuong Chi Y9ITon Nu Linh Nhi Y10BHa Quoc Huy Y11SCao Lam Anh Y12B

Each one of these children has truly demonstrated what it means to be a committed BIS Hanoi student by displaying a hunger for learning and constantly practising the values and statements of our Aide Memoire.

I do hope that you all have a wonderful holiday and I look forward to welcoming the students back to school on Wednesday, 7th January 2015!

F1/2 VISIT TO ERAHOUSE

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PRINCIPAL’S AWARD - TERM I 2014/2015

Kawagishi ChiyoF2B

Đinh Trung DungF3B

Woo Tae Jeong Year 1B

Le Xuan MaiYear 2B

Tran Binh MinhYear 3B

Chung Tuyet AnhYear 4B

Nguyen Phuong ChiYear 9I

Ton Nu Linh NhiYear 10B

Ha Quoc HuyYear 11S

Cao Lam AnhYear 12B

Hoang Quoc Nam AnhYear 5B

Nguyen Quang MinhYear 6I

Tran Phuong AnhYear 7H

Su Vi AnhYear 8B

The first term of the year is now over. It has been a long term but with a number of highlights and successes that you will have seen documented in the newsletter over the last 16 weeks.

Next term will be just as busy and exciting. Our Careers Library will open

early next term to allow Year 12 further information for their forthcoming university applications and Year 11 to get further information following their Morrisby testing on future options. Although students in these year groups have already been working hard on university research (including a very successful discussion on Wednesday with teachers about their experiences at university), we are looking forward to having a base for this important aspect of our programme.

Year 11 and 12 have their mock examinations in the second week back. These exams, sat in exactly the same circumstances as their real exams in May, allow students invaluable examination practise as well as feedback on the effectiveness of their revision plans.

From Mr Christopher Short - Head of Secondary

Outside the classroom sporting fixtures continue and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award qualifying expeditions take place as well as the last Secondary year group trip to Mai Chau.

We now have 3 sets of Student Leaders in position. House Captains successfully ran their first event today with our Term 1 House Sports. With the support of Ms Airdrie and the PE Department they ran an excellent event that saw all member of the house compete. Congratulations to Dalat for their victory.

Student Ambassadors are also now working closely with their department and the Student Council continues to make a great contributions to the school community, the latest – a Christmas card for each teacher, very well received.

I wish all students a well-earned two week break although spare a thought for Year 11 and 12 studying hard for their mock examinations.

SECONDARY HOUSE SPORTS

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As this long and busy term draws to a close I find myself reflecting on some of the events and highlights that have marked it as both memorable and special. A wonderful Moon Festival and Book Week, Anti-bullying week, visits by Adam Bushnell, Ben Heason and Tran Dang Khoa, the recent Winter

Concert and Early Years Centre Show, class visits out of school which enhance the curriculum, the list goes on and on.

Although all these events are marvelous in themselves, to me, of greater importance is the development that I have seen in our children. A growing up and maturing across the board, children learning to take more responsibility for themselves and trying to follow the school values as set out in our Aide Memoire. Children acting with kindness and care to their peers and learning how to settle differences. Children showing respect to adults and one another, and trying to act with integrity.

Academically as well children are making great strides. Issue 16 | 5

From Mrs Karen Hanratty - Head of Primary

I have observed lessons which have shown me children visibly learning, from our F1 children naming and sorting colours to our Year 6 children becoming fledgling engineers exploring ways to make strong joints for their model houses. Learning and progress in all areas of the curriculum can be witnessed in our classrooms on a daily basis. Children are becoming better mathematicians, more fluent readers and confident writers, scientists with enquiring minds, more skilled at sports, music and ICT. Our recent assessments show that children have achieved much this term and have new knowledge, skills and understanding which they did not possess in August. They, and we all, have much to be proud of.

I wish you all an enjoyable and restful holiday, and a very Happy New Year.

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Science has had a busy term firstly with the arrival of 4 new members of staff, Mr Duckett, Ms Phillips, Mr Westropp and Mr Dunwell , and also with more science laboratories opening to accommodate the increase in student numbers being taught. Year 6 and KS3 students have continued to be taught the exploring

science course with a strong practical element and were even lucky enough in Years 7 and 8 to see a frog dissection (see pictures). At KS4, students are either studying double or triple sciences and this week sees the Year 11s finishing off the syllabus and getting ready for their mock examinations in January!

The new CIE A level courses have commenced with Biology, Chemistry and Physics all being represented and students having shown a mature approach to the increased demands of A level. In Chemistry, we were lucky enough to make use of the Geography Department’s new data loggers and sensors for a recent practical (see picture); and in Biology as well as covering a significant amount of new theory, there have been a number of opportunities for students to show off their creativity whilst applying their biology knowledge. This was particularly evident when students were required to research, design, conduct and evaluate an experimental investigation about factors that affect the rate of enzyme catalyzed reactions. There were also some excellent ideas and impressive final products when the students produced their own stop motion animations to show the events of the mitotic cell cycle. It's been a very successful educational journey so far.

Science extra-curricular activities have continued to flourish this term. Science Club and Science Film Club have been running on a twice weekly basis with the students in science club participating in such exciting activities such as designing, building and evaluating compressed air rockets with the winning rockets managing a distance of around 70m! Students also built parachutes and landing capsules for a trip to Mars. In film club we have watched Dr Who and David Attenborough programmes

We have also had again the Year 6 trip to the aquarium at Time City Mall in October as part of the classification topic, The BIS v BVIS interschool science competition last month (won by BIS this year) and finally the Year 10 house science competition in December which was won by Hanoi.

SECONDARY SCIENCE

Sian OrchardScience Subject Leader

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YEAR 4 VISITS VIETCLIMB

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It was fantastic that secondary students got to experience ‘Challenge Day 1’, run by the Vietnamese and EAL Departments on October 17. Not only did students joyfully engage themselves in a variety of sports, but they also enriched their knowledge through “Explore-The-World” quizzes

and traditional Vietnamese story-telling. The last activity was very special, since it was the students who made the effort to learn and retell the fairy tales and legends in dramatised language. This has strengthened their love for their Vietnamese cultural heritage and will help them preserve traditional values in an International environment.

In order to provide support our department, to create more leadership roles for the students and to promote independence in pursuing academic interests, we recently appointed subject ambassadors. The Vietnamese department is proud to inform you that Nguyen Ngoc Hai Yen (Year 10) and Bui Mai Anh (Year 11) are selected to be Vietnamese Subject Ambassadors.

We are very excited in Vietnamese Department as the proposed move to the IB system will enable students to choose Vietnamese as a subject they study as their first language. This is bound to increase the importance of Vietnamese language teaching and we are adapting our curriculum lower down the school to make sure Vietnamese students are ready for the challenge of IB. We welcome new challenges and will assist students to uphold the refined values of Vietnamese traditions to the best of their capabilities. We are proud of our students’ creativity in learning and their enthusiasm in cultural activities initiated by the school.

SECONDARY VIETNAMESE

Ms Hai NguyenVietnamese Teacher

NGUYEN NGOC HAI YEN BUI MAI ANH

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WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLYEND OF TERM I

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Good communication is important to us and we would like to ensure that you have the correct contact information in order for you to call the school:

School Number: 04 3946 0435

Extention number:

Receptionist: 0(For all general enquiries)

Principal’s Office: 208principaloffice@bishanoi.com(If you wish to contact the School Principal)

Business Manager’s Office: 109thaonguyen@bishanoi.com

Primary Office: 220primaryoffice@bishanoi.com(For all enquiries regarding the Primary Section)

Secondary Office: 215secondaryoffice@bishanoi.com(For all enquiries regarding the Secondary Section)

Admission Department: 222/122/555/777/888bishanoi@bishanoi.comdessydelevaux@bishanoi.com (Admission Manager)jinnyjung@bishanoi.com (Korean Liaison Officer)hatruong@bishanoi.comtrambui@bishanoi.com

Marketing Department: 189huyennguyenngoc@bishanoi.com(For all enquiries regarding Marketing)

Finance Department: 202(For all enquiries regarding school fees)

Medical Room: 117/303linhdieu@bishanoi.com (Main school)liennguyen@bishanoi.com (Early Years Building)(For all enquiries regarding Medical Issues)

Uniform Shop: 221tamle@bishanoi.comduyennguyenthi@bishanoi.comnhungpham@bishanoi.com(For all enquiries regarding School Uniform)

School Buses: 218nganguyenthithuy@bishanoi.com(For all requiries regarding School Buses)