Weekly Updates on 30/08/2024

Dear Parents

We have started the year as usual with lots of information and meet the teacher events.

We are in the process of launching our residential program for 2024/25. This is an important part of what we do at BVIS and gives students the opportunity to try new things, visit different locations and further strengthen their bonds between their peers and the staff. We have been working hard for many months to design a program across the school that is:

• Of good educational value
• Has a sequence for students as they move through the school
• Becomes more challenging as they get older
• Has good quality provider including good standards of accommodation

I hope many students will take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that we will be providing.

One important aspect in Secondary is choosing options into Year 10 and Year 12. I will personally be running a pre options information session from my perspective in September and I hope many of you will be able to join.

• 11th Sept, from 8.45-9.45: Pre IGCSE Options Information Session, please register HERE
• 12th Sept from 14.00-15.30: Pre A-Level Options Information Session, please register HERE

Finally, on behalf of the school, I offer our best wishes and congratulations to the people of Vietnam on your 79th National Day celebrating independence on 2nd September. 

Communication and Caring

The children in the Early Years Centre have focused on Communication and Caring this week. They have been encouraged to demonstrate care and consideration for their friends and teachers. This is done not just by verbal communication but by communicating through their play too. A gesture of friendship means so much in these early weeks as new partnerships are formed.

Holiday adventures

Last week, Year 1 launched their new topic alongside Year 2 with a fun-filled entry point centred around holidays. Students enjoyed activities link to camping, the beach, a disco and the airport whilst exploring different jobs associated with these adventures. It was a fun and engaging introduction to their new learning topic!

Active learning

This week, children are getting familiar with class rountine and learning in groups in subjects. In IPC, Year 2 kicked off their new topic with a fun-filled holiday-themed entry point, featuring activities related to camping, the beach, a disco, and the airport, all while exploring various associated jobs. In Maths, children worked really hard with Place Values topics and exploring new vocabularies in Literacy.

Vietnamese perspective

In Vietnamese lessons, The children were thrilled to retell the story "Rừng xanh Rì Rào" through actions, displaying remarkable creativity in their interpretations and choices. Their enthusiasm shone brightly, especially during group work, where their collaborative spirit truly impressed us.

Adventures & Explorers entry point

Year 4 students participated in their 'Entry Point' to introduce them to their new topic, 'Adventurers and Explorers.' This involved students becoming ‘Adventurers and Explorers’ in our school by going on a treasure hunt. All Year 4 classes came together for this task.

Students were organized into their houses and worked together to search for clues and try to crack the secret code for our treasure chest! We always begin new IPC topics with an 'Entry Point,' which is designed to get students excited about their new topic and eager to learn.

Actions and pictures

This week, Year 5 have been using actions and pictures to internalise the stories they have been reading in English and Vietnamese.

Collaboration and Enquiry

In Year 6 this week, we had our IPC and Vietnamese Humanities Entry Points where the students completed fun activities to introduce the unit: What Price Progress? They completed a lot of group-work activities, games and projects and had to use their communication and collaborative skills to succeed.

Secondary Weekly Update 30/8/24

An update from Ms Claire

It has been another productive and busy week at BVIS Secondary. I have visited various classes and am truly impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of our students. Their eagerness to learn is evident. I have particularly enjoyed witnessing the strong, positive relationships between students and teachers. Our excellent teachers design engaging and challenging lessons for everyone, and I have been extremely impressed by the students' responses to these activities.

Learning at home to consolidate schoolwork is important for all students. All subjects have been setting regular homework. We expect our students to use their class Teams to access this. To support the parents of our KS3 students, we have issued homework planners and students should be filling these in each day to allow parents to see what homework should be done.

As I write this newsletter, we are looking forward to our Independance Day Assembly on Friday. In the newsletter next week, I will share lots of photos from this.

Wishing all students and their families a happy Independance Day weekend.

Year 9 Update

Year 9 students have settled really well across the different form groups and have made lots of new friends

Year 12 Diploma Class

Last week our year 12 diploma students were challenged to identify flowers around royal city to boost their IELTS vocabulary.

Digital Society/Computing

In Year 8, the students have begun studying their networking unit. They created a small network and researched related terminology. The students then presented their findings to the class.

Year 7 Science: A Journey of Discovery Begins

The excitement in the Year 7 science classrooms has been palpable as our students embarked on their very first practical work. There's something truly special about the first time a student peers through a microscope or carefully lights a Bunsen burner, and our Year 7s have embraced these new experiences with enthusiasm and curiosity.

For many of our students, this is their first introduction to the fascinating world of science experiments. From learning the names and functions of beakers, test tubes, and pipettes to mastering the art of using a microscope, our budding scientists are developing crucial skills that will serve as the foundation for their scientific journey.

The microscopes have been a particular highlight. As our students learned to adjust the focus and explore the microscopic world, they discovered an entirely new perspective on the living organisms around them. It’s been rewarding to see them take such pride in their work, carefully documenting their observations and sharing their findings with their peers.

Our Year 7s have quickly grasped the importance of safety and precision in the lab, and they've shown great responsibility in handling this equipment.

We are incredibly excited to see how these young scientists will continue to grow. Their enthusiasm and willingness to dive into practical work bode well for the year ahead. We look forward to guiding them as they explore more complex concepts and develop their skills even further. With such a promising start, we are confident that our Year 7 students will achieve great things in science this school year.

What’s been happening in English

Year 8: Macbeth

This week, our Year 8s have been working on the plot of Macbeth ahead of watching an entire production of the play. We’ve been really impressed with their ability to reduce a huge amount of information down into something that is simple and will support their understanding when watching. Here is an example of a storyboard:

Year 9: Romeo and Juliet

This week, our Year 9s have really enjoyed learning some new vocabulary that builds on the contextual knowledge they learned last week, and that they can use when analysing Romeo and Juliet next week:

Year 11: First Language English

This week, some of our Year 11s were really successful in lessons focused explicitly on exam technique and the thought processes they need to go through, ensuring they achieve highly on the short answer questions:

Year 13: Walt Whitman

This week, our Year 13s really enjoyed a deeply philosophical discussion on the presentation of death, its inevitability, and how this inevitability gives life meaning in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Here are some of their ideas that came out of this discussion:

What’s been happening in Art

Year 12 A Level Art students have begun the year with some drawing practice. Students participated in a creative 'Facial Features Bingo' drawing game, where they practiced drawing various facial features using different mediums and techniques, enhancing both their observational and artistic skills.

Year 10 students engaged in a blind drawing activity, where they wore blindfolds and were handed objects to draw, then guessed the material, texture, color, and use of each item, sharpening their tactile and imaginative skills

Congratulations

Following on from last week, we are now able to share a photo of QUANG DUNG PHAM who gained a Certificate of Merit in the Mathematics Junior Olympiad.

A huge congratulations to all of the students who have been selected for the U15 FOBISIA squad who will be competing in Thailand in November.

Primary

Secondary

We wish you all a very relaxing weekend!

Senior Leadership Team from BVIS Hanoi