Key Dates | Pastoral Update | BIS Debate Club | University Counselling | Virtual Learning Showcase
Dear Parents,
In assembly last week, we celebrated our commitment to the guiding principles of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), a qualification which provides the most globally aware, forward-thinking, and academically rigorous high school certificate internationally. With the IBDP’s mission to create a better world through international education, our students experience a learning journey that opens their minds to intercultural awareness, develops their ability to think critically and solve problems for themselves, and gives them the skills to know themselves and take responsibility for learning through their lifetime.
Furthermore, we know from the research that an IB education works. Findings from a study in Australia, England and Norway showed that 84.6% of IBDP students attended university straight after Year 13, compared with 66% of non-IB candidates, and 10% more IB students continued to be enroled in the same course the year after. Studies also show that IB students are 3 times more likely to enroll at a top 20 university, and 40% more likely to achieve at least an upper second-class honours degree. Without doubt, the deep learning that students receive in the IB prepares them thoroughly for a world of constant and rapid change, opens doors to top instructions, and teaches students to take on new challenges and persevere. You have made the right choice with the IBDP at BIS Hanoi. We trust that our students’ learning experiences will continue to excite and inspire.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Newman
Head of Secondary
Year 9s have continued to show great composure and resilience during their Virtual School Experience (VSE), and they have started this half-term with real positivity and continued dedication.
Over the last 2-3 weeks, the tutor team and I have been navigating our Year 9 students through the process of choosing their options. We have had a number of assemblies on what the process involves this year, and these conversations have continued during form times over the last couple of weeks. It has been really welcoming and positive to see my students being proactive in seeking more information on the options at their disposal and, they have asked some really useful and insightful questions that show just how interested they are in choosing their options and how these can link to their futures. Whilst choosing IGCSE options is never easy, I am incredibly honoured to be leading this group of young people because they have successfully navigated the initial talks, completed a practice form and are fully prepared for their options evening on 11th November, all whilst studying online which is an amazing achievement.
On 11th November, all of Year 9s will have been involved in an options evening, where they will have the chance to speak with subject teachers across the school to refine and solidify their three options choices and, I know they will be then fully equipped to make their choices over the weekend and early next week.
It has been busy in other areas too! We have Year 9 Parents Evening on 23rd November for which I know there will be 100% attendance and, they can start to book their appointments with their teachers from next week. There has been numerous assignments and end of unit tests that they have been completing, and it has been great to see all of the work they have been submitting from subjects across the school.
Year 9s, you have continued to make me proud so let’s persevere, stay positive and keep up the great efforts you are showing!
Liam Wright
Head of Year 9
On the 13th and 14th of November, BIS Hanoi will be sending two teams to the Disney British Parliamentary Open, a nationwide tournament with a total of 32 teams hosted by Moji Debate.
In the lead-up to the tournament, the teams have held many training sessions within BIS Debate Club to best prepare for the competition. Please send us the best of luck and words of encouragement to all teams competing in the tournament this weekend.
Virtual University visits by Nord Anglia schools in Vietnam
The University Counselling department at BIS Hanoi is organising and running university webinars throughout the academic year, in collaboration with our Nord Anglia sister schools in Vietnam.
Click here to check out the upcoming events and how to register. If you have missed some, there are links to recordings of past webinars, so you can watch them (Note: not all webinars can be recorded).
English | Geography | Computer Science | Art | Remembrance Day
Students in Years 8 and 9 have been finishing their current units of work and reflecting on the progress made over the last half term. To consolidate learning, all students have completed a review activity to identify their own understanding of the Ways of Being, Ways of Doing and Ways of Thinking. Reflection is a key element that allows our students to identify things they have done well, looking specifically at how they have utilised different VIA Strengths discovered earlier in the year. It also allows them identify areas of development going forward, focussing on what they need to do to aim higher within computer science.
Students have also completed Kahoots created by fellow classmates to help consolidate their understanding of Excel (Year 8) and Data Representation (Year 9). All students have shown excellent resilience throughout virtual learning and we have now started our new units of work. Year 8s are focussing on developing computational thinking and programming skills using Python, and Year 9s are identifying ways to keep safe online and spotting fake news through their studies of Digital Safety.
John Twemlow
Head of Digital Strategies
We are now entering the period of assessment for our Key Stage 3 English students. We assess the progress of our students in Key Stage 3 - as with the other subjects in the curriculum, using the ways of doing, being, and thinking. The ways of doing in English have been divided into 3 sections, these are: Conceptual Understanding, Language Manipulation, and Structure. We have divided the criteria into these 3 sections, as we feel they align with, and support the development of important skills for the iGCSE Language and Literature courses, as well as the IBDP English A & English B courses. These criteria are used to assess students reading and writing skills separately.
As students pass through Key Stage 3, in order to maintain their level or progress to the next level, they must display a greater level of skill than in the previous year’s assessment. Progressing through these levels, gives the students an excellent foundation upon which to build upon in iGCSE & IBDP.
Remembrance Day is commemorated every year on the 11th of November. This is because on the 11th of November in 1918, the First World War ended. As a school, we normally have a Poppy Appeal to raise money for people affected by war and conflict and we hold an assembly. Because of Covid, we cannot have the Poppy Appeal, but the assembly has gone ahead virtually this week. The themes explored this year included remembering the young soldiers that fought in the First World War and considering what Remembrance Day means in the 2021 context. We would like to thank the participants of this assembly; many of them are Year 13s, Mr. Scott and a special thank you to the Assistant Defence Attaché Sergeant Ian Andrews and the Defence Attaché Bea Walcot from the British Embassy who were kind enough to share their thoughts on Remembrance for our assembly. We hope that you enjoyed this week’s assembly and allowed yourself time to pause and reflect on those affected by war and conflict, all over the world and throughout history.
Whilst our Key Stage 3 and IB students have been busy revising for their end of unit tests, our Year 11 Geographers have been practicing their data and analytical skills by investigating a range of development indicators to see whether is there any relationship between them. They have used the data to suggest potential reasons for the patterns they can see, an important skill that they will need for the IGCSEs and beyond!
In ‘Community Arts ECA’ our Secondary students have been busy designing the set for our school production ‘Chicago’. At the beginning of the term, the students broke into 3 groups and their brief was, to create a set design in a particular Art style. The styles were:
Suprematism/ constructivism
Steampunk
Retrofuturism (neon)
Monday’s ECA was an important day for our designers as they presented their ideas to the Performing Arts team. The students were excellent at communicating their ideas and have shown great teamwork and effort over the course of this ECA. The Performing Arts team now have a very difficult decision on their hands, as they will need to decide which style they want to use in the production. We eagerly await their decision, but for now, we just want to thank our students for their excellent research, ideas and effort.
Ehbilin Göppert
Head of Art
We have had an action-packed agenda of inter-house activities, Christmas performances from Foundation Stage and Year 1, and today we had our Principal’s Award Assembly for the whole school.
I hope you have all had a good week and are beginning to get into the festive spirit ahead of the holiday season.
Thank you to all families who joined us to be entertained with our Secondary theatre production of A Little Shop of Horrors this week.
From Sunday onwards, we have had our CIS/WASC visiting team here at school. This has been a great opportunity to share all the wonderful things that we are providing for our students across all sections and to gain further insight and ideas to help us improve even further.
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