Weekly Highlights 31/05/2024

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents 

I trust that you have had a good week and welcome to the latest edition of the Highlights. Thank you for taking the time to read through and digest all that has been happening across our school this week.

When I first qualified as a teacher some 30 years ago, I distinctly remember what my father said to me as advice for the future. I recall that we were talking about what it meant to be a teacher, the responsibilities that it brought and the hard work and effort it would take to really make a difference to the lives of each child in the classes you taught. I can’t remember my father’s exact words however his advice was as follows, ‘Just remember that once you finish your first year, things will become easier – you'll know what to teach and how to teach it!

How wrong he was! 

At this time of year, I encourage you to reflect on the work that our teachers and teaching assistants do daily. As we enter June, the final month in this academic year, one would assume that all schools begin to wind down. However, this is not the case for us at BVIS as we are winding up and continuing to push the boundaries for what great education should be.

Currently, our teachers are writing, proofing, refining and checking end of year reports to ensure that they reflect each child’s true progress whilst identifying their next individual steps for learning – whether this be academic, pastoral or both.

They are meeting with each other across the school to ensure that the transition from year group to year group and phase to phase is as smooth as it can possibly be.

They continue to prepare Year 11, 12 and 13 students for their external examinations, to ensure that they get the best possible academic outcomes to help make that next dream destination a reality, wherever that destination may be.

They are developing further enrichment activities to help all students understand the importance of learning beyond the classroom. This is evident with the upcoming trip for upper secondary students to NASAs Mission Control in Houston, Texas and the recent day trips for our EYFS students to Kidzoona. Learning really doesn’t stop at BVIS!

In summary, I revert to a book called ‘The Magic Weaving Business’ written by an educationalist who I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with on many different occasions – Sir John Jones.

He refers to teachers as ‘the weavers of magic’ and says the following, ‘I challenge you to remember your magic weavers. I challenge you to find out where they are and say ‘thank you’. For they were not just laying bricks, nor earning money. They were helping you to build your cathedral’

So this weekend, I encourage you to talk to your child(ren) and ask the following questions:

1. What would you like to achieve in June? 
   
2. What will you do differently in June compared to what you did in May? 
   
3. How will I celebrate my successes this year? 
   
4. Who is/was your ‘magic weaver’ and why? 
   
5. When you find your ‘magic weaver’, what would you say to them?

(I encourage all parents to personally reflect upon points 4 and 5 – it's an interesting process to go through!) I’d love to hear about your thoughts and tell you about my own magic weaver too that I have already said ‘thank you’ to.

Final Reminder - Principal’s Afternoon Tea

Date – Wednesday 5th June 2024
Time – 2.00pm - 3.00pm
Venue – Main Hall

During the event, I will be covering the following topics:

- An update on all our Summer enhancement projects 

- Discussion/action relating to our parent/teacher group called Friends of BVIS (FoBVIS). 

By the end of the event, we aim to have agreement on which FoBVIS events will be added to our 2024/25 calendar so that we can start planning the next steps together.

To join us, simply click here to register.

I remain hopeful of seeing as many parents as possible at this event, to help support the further development of FoBVIS.

Should you wish to contact your child’s Class Teacher(s) or Form Tutor directly, we encourage communication to be written in the language you most feel confident to use. 

Parents may also find it useful to contact their child’s class teacher(s) or form tutor directly for all individual queries about their academic work/social and emotional wellbeing in school. Individual contact details can be found in the Parents’ Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists.  

I would like to personally wish you all a very safe and family orientated weekend ahead.

Mrs Mary McAloon, Head of Primary

The Importance of Family Time

Over the past two weeks, families across primary spent valuable time with Ms Khuyen and Mr Darragh to develop their understanding of the importance of play for children as they grow and develop. There are many benefits for both parents and children when they play together, and this workshop explored these.

Some benefits are:

1. Improved physical health for both the adult and child.
   
2. Increased confidence and self-esteem for the child.
   
3. Development of the child’s social skills.
   
4. Development of the emotional bond between the adult and child.
   
5. Models correct behaviours for the child when playing with others.

One key point that Ms Khuyen and Mr Darragh wanted parents to take away from the workshop was to remember that play does not have to be structured or formal — it can be as simple as running, jumping, dancing, or playing games. So, my message to all families is to join in with the play in your house and reap the rewards.

Children’s Day Celebrations

On Friday 31st May we took the opportunity to celebrate the children of BVIS. International Children’s Day was first recognised in 1925 when the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva began talking about an annual day to advocate for the welfare of children. By the 1950s, countries worldwide had begun to celebrate the day in their own special way. In 1954, the International Union for Child Welfare proposed the date of 1st June to become the global International Children’s Day.

To help celebrate, in EYFS children took part in a superhero bootcamp where they focused on what super learning powers they had and celebrated these through a variety of active games. They developed teamwork, communication, social and physical skills during their children’s day celebration.

In Lower Primary, children participated in an ultimate ‘Golden Time’. The children took over the activity planning for their usual Golden Time session and chose activities that they wished to do. They had so much fun and learned many different skills such as, how to make slime, playing hide and seek and creating paper crafts. It was a special afternoon that centred around the children and their interests.

In Upper Primary, children rotated around a number of exciting activities that were set up for them to experience their teachers’ favourite activities from when they were a child. During their celebrations, children experienced making bánh tráng trộn, playing traditional games such as boules and jumping rope and playing Cờ cá ngựa.

Finally, at lunchtime the children were served ice cream as a celebratory treat from school for Children’s Day.  Happy Children’s Day!

Year 1 and 2 Showcase their Learning

This week Year 1 and 2 students shared their learning of the topic they chose for Project Curiosity with friends and teachers. Our youngest primary students embraced this year’s change in structure for the event and impressed their teachers with their confidence to speak to the adults in the audience. Students had chosen to explore a range of topics including the solar system, specific countries, football and ecosystems. Thank you to all families who engaged with the project and to our incredibly confident and talented students for sharing their new knowledge.

Upcoming Events

1. 09/06/24 - Clubs Block 2 ends
2. 24/06/24 - Transition day for primary
3. 25/06/24 -16:00 – Year 6 Celebration
4. 26/06/24 -11:30 – Term 3 Ends  

Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary

A Form Tutor’s insight

“Being a tutor in Dalat House, specifically for the current 9B group, has been a real pleasure. It's been remarkable to witness the students' growth from the start of their secondary journey, initially restricted to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, into the confident, mature individuals they are today. Their unmatched resilience and enthusiasm never fail to impress me, particularly their dedication to events like house competitions, where they often step out of their comfort zones to represent the house. These qualities make my role as their tutor truly enjoyable and fulfilling.

I take great pride in being part of the Dalat team. I'm continually inspired by the collective efforts and enthusiasm, from all students. The dedication and strength of the Dalat student leadership teams over the years I have been at the school has been inspirational. Their ability to consistently foster unity between year groups creates a strong sense of community and belonging. This spirit of collaboration and inclusivity makes Dalat a fantastic house to be part of, and I'm proud to be part of the pack. HOWWWWWLLL!!”

Mr Marc Edmonds

9B Form Tutor

Junior Maths Logic Competition

On Saturday 25th May, we accompanied 20 Year 7 and Year 8 students to BIS for a Maths logic competition. The students displayed remarkable teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the day, engaging in various games and challenges. A special commendation goes to:

- Nguyen Anh 
- Quang Huy 
- Quynh Nhu (Nadia)
- Minh Khue (Sumi) 

Their individual team secured second place in the competition, clinching first in two out of three team rounds. Additionally, Sumi deserves an extra round of applause for securing third place in the individual round – well done to all students that took part. We are extremely proud of everyone’s achievements.

May Live Lunch

This month’s Live Lunch featured fan favourites The Bittersweet, alongside soloists Ben (guitar and vocals) and Phu Dong (piano). We were also wowed by the Staff Choir singing ‘Give Me Wings’ and band performances of the summer hit ‘Espresso’ and Japanese anime title song ‘Homura’, from the film Mugen Train.

Thank you to all performers for such a varied set list and for all audience members who came out to support.

Champion of the Week 

This week’s champion student is:

Congratulations and well done to Susie from 7V.  

Champion Tutor Group

This week’s Champion tutor group is 7V. Well done to everyone in the tutor group who worked together to achieve more house points than anyone else last week. 

House point update

The housepoint totals will be hidden between now and the final assembly of this academic year when the termly and overall winners will be announced. We encourage all our students to keep persevering and earning housepoints right up to the very last day. Remember - a single housepoint could make a difference!

Upcoming Events

1. 7th June: Secondary Clubs end
   
2. 12th June: Y12 students return to normal lessons
   
3. 18th – 21st June: Year 4,5,6 Transition Experience to Secondary
   
4. 19th June: Sports Awards Evening
   
5. 26th June: Last day of term, school finishes at 11:30am

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: