Mr Simon Higham – Weekly Update: 05/02/16

Dear Parents

I trust that you have all enjoyed this week's Tet celebrations. Personally, this time of year in Vietnam is my favourite with the vibrancy of colour, focus upon family and a desire to focus upon giving to others, in readiness for a New Year that lies ahead. This Tet is the year of the monkey, the ninth in a 12 year cycle of animals. The Years of the Monkey include 1920, 1932,1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 and 2016 and if you are fortunate to be born in one of these years, tradition states that you are fun, loving, energetic and cheerful. In addition to this, those who are born in this year tend to love food! Find out more about what monkeys and what sign you are born under by clicking here.

A very big thanks this week to all of our Vietnamese support staff that have helped to organise and produce some very memorable learning for our children. The Tet Fair and Tet assemblies are a means for us to learn more about Vietnam's vibrant culture and respect its many traditions and beliefs and with the commitment and energy of our support staff, a great deal of quality. Back in 2013, our BSO (British Schools Overseas) inspection report stated that amongst many of our schools main strengths was:

The influence of the teaching assistants on the students’ learning.
The support provided to the teachers by the administrative team.

In 2016, this is still very evident and remains a strength of our school.

I hope that you enjoy reading through today's posts, highlighting the many varied events that have happened throughout AP1 this week.

Chung Mung Nam Moi!

Tet Celebrations at An Phu Primary 

What a fun packed week of Vietnamese culture and language that we have all experienced this week. Have a look through the many pictures from our Tet Fair and Tet Assemblies that have taken place this week, in the article written by Phuong Pham, Primary Vietnamese Coordinator.

The Tet Collection 2016

Our Tet collection has finished. Thank you for your all kind donations. All the Tet collection items will be sent to our community partners soon. We are looking for your continuing support for next community service projects in the new year.

Practice Makes Perfect - FOBISIA Primary Arts Carnival is coming to HCMC

This week saw the start of combined rehearsals between the An Phu Primary and Tu Xuong campuses for the forthcoming FOBISIA Primary Performing Arts Carnival that will be held at AP1 from 17th to 20th March. Read about how the children's preparations are progressing in the post from Ms Beth Bown / Primary Music Leader.

AP1 Student Council Visit BVIS for their Tet Assembly

One of the many advantages of being part of a large organisation like Nord Anglia, is the opportunity to share and celebrate with our sister schools. Read about this week's visit to BVIS by our Student Council, who enjoyed the magnificent Tet assembly in the post by  Anna Thai, 5V Student Council Representative.

Community Service Department - Market Day Community Partners

Last October's Market Day event raised over 29 million VND for our BIS community partners. Every child a consumer and every class a business was the slogan for this week long project that focused upon money, calculation, business acumen and of course, profit (and loss). Please find more details through the post by Ms Samantha Baker and Ms Aoife O’Connor, Community Service Leaders. 

BIS Blues Swim Team Represent AP1

Take a look at the latest photographs from the recent friendly swim meet in District 7, submitted by Mr Vinh Nguyen, our resident Swim Coach. Well done to all of our swim team that worked hard and represented AP1 with great pride and determination.

Nord Anglia Education - Julliard visits BIS, HCMC

On Friday 22nd January, Christopher Mossey, the Senior Managing Director for Juilliard Global Ventures, visited BIS to talk to teachers about the partnership between our Nord Anglia Education schools and the world renowned Julliard arts programme. Read more about how Julliard were 'blown away by the maturity of our arts programme, across both primary and secondary through this post.

Fundinotots Programme – BIS Baby and Toddler Group

PTG Bake Sale in conjunction with Y4 service learning

On Friday 19th February, the PTG and Year 4 children will be holding their annual bake sale to raise both funds and awareness for our BIS Community Projects, including E.A.S.T. (Endangered Asian Species Trust).  Read through the post from our community service leaders to find out more about how you can help via the sign up link.

Term 2: Key Dates for the Diary

Essential Information for Parents

2015 – 2016 Early Years and Primary Parent Handbook
AP1 Parent Calendar
Weekly Canteen Menus - (Next week's menu is: Menu 1)
Class Blogs - (Find out about what has been happening in your child’s class, access homework links and also the weekly Learning Letter)
2016 – 2017 Term Dates
Tet Survival Guide

Follow us on FaceBook and Twitter

 And finally…………

I would like to wish everyone a very peaceful and enjoyable Tet holiday. Thank you for your ongoing support and I look forward to seeing you all again in school on Monday 15th February.

Simon Higham / Headteacher

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