Weekly Highlights 02/12/2022

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents

Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Highlights and again, what a busy week of learning for everyone across our BVIS community!

Engage and Connect in Action

It has been extremely pleasing to see so many parents on site again and taking part in the many workshops, meetings and presentations that have taken place this week.

Attendance for each of these important events has been very encouraging and I would like to thank all of you who engaged and connected with us.

On Tuesday, our Year 7 parents attended their parent/teacher meetings to find out more about their child(ren)’s progress across Term 1 and their latest successes following the transition from Primary into Secondary learning.

On Wednesday, 3 separate events took place with a ‘Revision Support Workshop’ for parents of Year 11, 12 and 13 students, together with the 3rd instalment of our Positive Parenting Workshops for Lower Primary parents to join. Additionally, during the afternoon, I hosted our 2nd ever ‘Afternoon Tea’ event that focused upon how to help support your child(ren) stay safe online.

Furthermore, Residential Trip Meetings for Year 4, 5 and 6 parents took place on Tuesday and Thursday.

Given what we have all experienced over the last 2 years with the global pandemic, it is events such as these that bring excitement, reassurance and optimism for a bright future that lies ahead.

Thank you again for taking time to attend – as always, your partnership with us is respected, appreciated and most definitely welcomed.

Look out for even more events such as these coming your way soon!

Photo from internet

If you would like to become even more involved in school and would like to know more about how you could support with future event planning and enrichment activities for our community, please contact Ms Thao (Events Manager) directly via email at: thao.nguyen3@bvisvietnam.com - she is waiting to hear from you now!

BVIS – Saigon Literary Champions

Although already mentioned in Mr Bate’s Highlights this week, I could not miss the opportunity to congratulate our team of Secondary students who attended this week’s inaugural Literary Festival and came away as well-deserved winners!

As with our recent successes on the sport’s field, feedback from the other 5 schools who attended focused upon both the high academic qualities of our students whilst also stating what a pleasure and a privilege it was to work with them. They commented upon how polite and courteous our BVIS team were, making friends with ease and appreciating the successes of others.

Well done Team BVIS – we are all very proud of what you continue to achieve!

Blood Brothers 

After months of planning, preparation and extremely hard work, next week sees the performance of Blood Brothers finally take to the BVIS stage.

If you haven't already bought your ticket, we would encourage you to do so as there are only a few now remaining. 

We look forward to seeing full audiences to support our students and of course, enjoying their fantastic performances.

Welcome to BVIS 

As part of our ongoing introduction to new members of our teaching staff, this week we are pleased to welcome Ms Karissa Asi, Fundinotots & EAL Teacher.

1. What were your first impressions of BVIS?  
   
   Top-notch school facilities, well equipped learning spaces and accommodating staff and community.  
          
2. As a BVIS teacher, what are your professional priorities in this first year at school?  
   
   First, is to build positive relationships with my team and then, with students and parents. I would like to learn how to communicate in Vietnamese. 
   
   
3. What 3 things are you looking forward to doing whilst working and living in Vietnam?  
   
    I look forward to working in a bilingual international school; exploring the Saigon food scene and making new friends. 

Contact Us

Should you require any help, support or advice regarding the school website or any aspect of your child’s education, please do not hesitate to contact us using the information below:

On behalf of everyone at BVIS, have a great weekend ahead and we are looking forward to even more great learning next week.

Mrs Mary McAloon, Head of Primary

Christmas events in Primary

Following our EYFS children opening the Christmas season for us at BVIS, there are a number of upcoming events to celebrate as a community.  Starting with the Year 2 production next week called ‘Santa Goes on Strike’, lower primary students and the parents of Year 2 are invited to watch the students perform on stage in the theatre.  Then, on Saturday 10th December, the whole community is invited to the BVIS Christmas Fun Day.  Tickets for this event are available for purchase in the Primary reception.  

In the final week of term on Thursday 15th December, primary students are invited to come to school in non-uniform for their class parties to celebrate the end of term and Christmas.  Lunch on this day will also include a special option of a British Christmas lunch for our globally minded students to experience the traditions of Christmas. 

Finally, an exciting pop-up display of Christmas themed books has appeared in the library for students to borrow, read and enjoy.  Christmas is a wonderful time of year when friends and family spend time together to celebrate the past and look forward to what the future holds.

Y6 Primary ‘Live Lunch’

This week saw the turn of Year 6 students to perform and share their musical interests and talents with a lunchtime audience.

The primary live lunches have been really popular, welcoming students and staff to the primary foyer to relax and recharge in preparation for the afternoon whilst listening to the performers.  Congratulations to everyone who participated over the past three weeks; Ms Heather is already planning the second live lunch of the year in Term 2!

As shared last week, playing a musical instrument or practicing singing has many benefits including, increased patience, self-esteem and coordination, plus it improves reading, maths and memory capacity.  Look out for the opportunity for our Year 5 and 6 students to register for additional 1 to 1 instrumental lessons, starting in Term 2.  

Residentials for Years 4, 5 & 6

Thank you to all parents who joined the information meetings this week for the upcoming residentials in Upper Primary.  The experiences being planned for students will support the development of their confidence, independence and resilience.  Residential experiences are opportunities for students to challenge themselves and create memories that will remain with them as they grow into adulthood.  

The deadline for registration and payment for these residential trips is Friday 30th December; thank you to those parents who have already completed this part of the planning.

If parents have further questions about the residentials, please contact class teachers and they will be happy to support you.

(Photo from Phat Tire Ventures) 

Upcoming Events

• 09/12/22: Year 2 Production in the theatre (Y2 parents invited)

• 10/12/22: Christmas Fun Day

• 15/12/22: Primary Christmas Party Day (non-uniform day for primary students)

• 16/12/22 @ 11:30: Term 1 Ends

Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary

Official Bebras Challenge 2022  

Our Secondary students recently took part in the Official 2022 Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge. This involved all Computer Science students attempting to solve a range of problems and competing with students from schools all around the world. 

The results are now in, and we would like to congratulate all students who took part, but especially the following students who achieved the highest scores in the school within their age range:

Gia Nghi (Richard) - 7S, Tran Thanh (Jay) - 9V (highest score in Years 8 and 9)

Dat – 10B, Phuong Nghi (Nancy) - 12V (highest score in Years 12 and 13)

Congratulations to all these students, who along with a selection of other BVIS students who also performed exceptionally well, will be invited to participate in the 2023 Oxford University Computing Challenge, which takes place online in January.

Saigon Literary Festival

Last Friday BVIS entered the first ever Saigon Literary Festival that was open to all secondary schools in the city. Six schools chose to attend with a total of 75 students competing against one another.

As a school we managed to secure podium finishes in every event and due to the strength in depth across all disciplines BVIS were crowned the overall inaugural winners of the festival!

Congratulations to every student who was involved in the team’s victory, and we are already looking forward to defending our title next year.

Secondary Sports Day – 5th of December

On Monday 5th December, our Secondary Sports day takes place  at the stadium at San Van Dong Quan 8.

Please ensure that your child(ren) comes to school in their full PE kit with the correct sports footwear.

Additionally, as we will be outside for the whole of the morning, we also recommend that the students bring with them:

• Sun hat / sunscreen

• Water bottle

• Healthy snacks (optional)

We look forward to sharing some photos of the event and announcing the winners in next week’s Highlights.

Y11, 12 and 13 Parents’ Coffee Morning.

This Wednesday the school invited in parents of Year 11, 12 and 13 students to come and learn about how to best support their children in the run up to the mock exams that are taking place after Christmas.

Mrs Hart and Mr Clark led a presentation which focused on the importance of effective revision techniques, sleep, mental health, nutrition and consistency in the lead up to the exams.

Student Champion of the week

This week we have joint student champions of the week and they come from 7V and 9I. Congratulations to Kate (7V) and Olivia (9I)!

Congratulations to both our champions for amassing a huge number of Housepoints over the course of the last week!

Champion Tutor Group of the Week

This week the champion tutor group is….

Congratulations to the whole form, who worked together to gain a massive 104 Housepoints!

As we approach the end of the term, we are now concealing the Housepoint totals so that we can do a grand reveal in the final week of term. 

Best of luck to all our houses.

Battle of the Bands

Monday saw the first battle of the bands at BVIS with several groups performing, including a staff band too! 

Although there were several fantastic performances there could only be one winning group and the group made up of Sophia (11S), Ellie (11V), Phuong Nhi (11V), Ha My (11I) & Nhu Y (11B) took the title! 

Congratulations to all our performers who took on the challenge of performing live in front of the whole of the secondary school.

Upcoming Events

• 05/12/22 @ 08:25 – 13:00 - Secondary Sports Day 

• 07-09/12/22 – Blood Brothers Secondary Production.

• 09/12/22: Season 2 club programme ends

• 10/12/22: Christmas Fun Day 

• 16/12/22 @ 11:35am: Term 1 Ends

Safeguarding and Child Protection

The health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains the number one priority at BVIS HCMC.

Should you have a concern for the welfare of any child in our school, please refer to our Safeguarding poster below: