Weekly Updates on 23/01/2025

Dear Families

What a fantastic event the TET Fair was on Sunday. A huge thank you to all those who attended and I know you will join me in thanking all the staff who were involved in the set-up of the event. What a great way to celebrate this most important time of the year:

As you are aware I am currently in the UK with 16 other Principals from our region interviewing some of the best teachers to join our school next year.

Over the last 7 days the school has come alive with various assemblies and celebrations for TET. Well done everyone.

We have now received the results from the recent parent satisfaction survey. I am delighted to say that there has been further satisfaction in most areas of the school since last year. We will now take some time to evaluate the results and the feedback. After the TET holiday we will share some of the many highlights and inform you of the areas we plan to further develop based on your feedback. Thank you.

It just leaves me to wish you all a very happy, safe and prosperous TET holiday and celebrations.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi

Our Littlest Learners

The learning continues in Early Years and is further enhanced with the Tet celebrations this week. Promoting and practising fine motor skills has been a focus in F1 & F2. In F1, the children have been practising the process of cutting and sticking by making a peach blossom picture. In F2, the children used busy little fingers to make lucky red envelopes and spring rolls. The F3 classes had a literacy focus, making parallel sentences. The children wrote their best wishes for the Lunar New Year.

Kindness and Joy

Last week, the children in Year 1 embraced the festive spirit of Tết by making traditional chung cakes, and learning about their cultural significance. They also teamed up with Year 4 students to craft beautiful cards for the Shoebox Appeal, spreading kindness and joy to those in need. What a heartwarming celebration of community!

Teamwork and Creativity

Year 2 students creatively transformed recycled water bottles into vibrant tree pots, showcasing their artistic skills. This hands-on project not only promoted environmental awareness but also encouraged teamwork and creativity, as they decorated the pots with colourful designs and imaginative themes.

Celebrates Tet with Craft Projects

Year 3 students made peach and apricot blossom crafts to celebrate Tet. They carefully cut and decorate colorful flowers. These beautiful creations will be used in their Tet performance, adding a festive and traditional touch to the celebration.

Tet Shoebox Appeal

Year 4 students enthusiastically participated in the Tet Shoebox Appeal. They donated items like food and essentials and creatively designed labels for the boxes. These thoughtful gifts will be delivered to those in need at the end of the week. Students also paired up with Year 1 and F3 to write heartfelt Tet wishing cards for the children they supported. It was a meaningful and joyful activity for everyone! 🌟❤️

Task-Based Language Teaching

This week, Year 5 have been given more opportunities to practise their English speaking and listening. We have been using games to boost the students’ vocabulary and confidence.

In one game, Year 5 students used adverbials to describe where, when and how the action was done. In another game called Heads Up, they had to ask questions to discover who they were. In the third game, they had to provide a definition for a word for others to guess, and in the final game, they needed to use verbs in a variety of different tenses.

Following on from Pie Corbett’s philosophy, by providing more speaking opportunities, as well as improving their speaking skills, it will also improve their writing. In another new approach, we have been using task-based language teaching. In this week's lesson, the task was to apply for a job as a hero. Students had to use adjectives to describe themselves and use verbs in the correct tense to explain their attributes, skills and job history.

Creating Cherished Memories

This week, Year 6 engaged in a variety of activities in class. One highlight was making coconut jam during their Vietnamese Studies lesson on regional cuisines, which allowed them to develop valuable skills. Additionally, the students worked diligently to deliver a spectacular performance at the Tet Assembly. From the Tao Quan skits to the vibrant dances and heartfelt songs, all the performances were deeply meaningful. The students also had the opportunity to make ‘Quả còn’ with their parents and enjoyed playing games in the schoolyard, creating cherished memories.

Secondary Weekly Update 23/01/2025

An update from Ms Claire

It was such a pleasure to welcome so many families to the Tet fair on Sunday. It was a really joyous event and it was lovely to be able to celebrate as a school community.

I would just like to draw your attention to an event which is happening after the holiday. When we return, students in year 9 will be making GCSE choices and year 11 students will be deciding on their A Levels. To support parents with these important decisions, we will run an information session about GCSE and A Level choices. We recognise that travel to school can often be a challenge for many of our parents. Therefore, we will have an online event. This will be 7.30pm on Monday 17th February. An email with sign-up details will be sent on Monday 10th February.

Tet Assembly

Today we finished term with a wonderful Assembly, themed "The Vibrancy and Soul of Tet," it recounted the story of the Tet pole in Vietnamese culture, combined with performances of traditional musical instruments, folk dances, and modern dance. The secondary school students have been rehearsing for months to present the most spectacular acts for two days: one for invited guests, including Year 5 and Year 6 students from the primary school and parents of the performers, and the other as a gift for all students and staff of the secondary school.

The new year of the Snake is fast approaching. Through the enchanting colours of this ancient fairy tale, along with impressive artistic performances, all the artists of this year's Tet Assembly wish the teachers, fellow students, and members of BVIS Hanoi a new year filled with peace, happiness, and time spent with family and loved ones.

Year 12 Travel and Tourism

Tra Giang, Phuong Thao and Hai Anh led a trip to Soc Son this weekend with a group of Year 12 students. The trip was part of their compulsory coursework unit which makes up 25% of their final A-level grade. The trip started with an hour spent learning about Vietnamese culture and history at Thành Chương's Viet Palace. This was followed by prearranged lunch service at a local restaurant located with spectacular views of Ho Dong Quan Lake. Lastly, students took part in an Airsoft activity with each group winning a game each! Well done to our amazing Travel and Tourism students – it was thoroughly enjoyable and very well planned!

Global Campus Chess Tournament 2024-25: Confirmed Results for Qualifying Battles

Congratulations to Mr. Hendrik and the BVIS Chess Tournament teams who have earnt a place in our global team and individual final in the recent Global Campus Chess League Qualifying rounds:

Team Competition (BVIS - joint 1st place)
Individual Competition (BVIS - 1st place)

The following students will be invited to play in the final on the 11th of March.
Year 11 - Nam Khanh (Team and Individual)
Year 12 - Quang Lam (Team)
Year 8 - Truong Giang (Team)
Year 13 - Kim Lan (Team)

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our biggest ever Global Campus chess tournament. More than 25 schools and 300 students entered for this year's tournament. We look forward to seeing who will emerge as our team and individual global winners for each age group.

Happy Lunar New Year - Wish you and your family happiness, health, and prosperity.