Weekly Highlights 21/06/2024

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents

When I sat down to write this week's Highlights, I could hardly believe that this is the final edition of this academic year. Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Thank you again for taking time to read through the many successes that have been achieved across our school community this week, and the entire academic year. Without your support and unwavering advocacy, we would not be able to achieve what we do for the most important people in our school – our students. I look forward to developing this further as we move into the next academic year together.

If this is the final time that you will read through the Highlights as a BVIS parent, on behalf of everyone at school, we wish you all the very best in the future, wherever it may be. Thank you for the pleasure and privilege of educating your amazing son(s)/daughter(s).

As always, we have had a very busy campus this week as great learning experiences continue until the very final day of term.

Year 13 Graduation

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending one of our largest events of the year, the Year 13 Graduation which was held in the Grand Ballroom at the Intercontinental Hotel. 74 of our finest Year 13 students attended with their families as they officially graduated from their BVIS journey. 

More can be read about where our Year 13 students are heading to next year in this post from our school website

I wanted to share with you a short extract from my speech on Saturday:

‘As Principal, I am immensely proud of what you have all achieved and excited for the difference you will make within a world that quite frankly needs your support, attention, compassion and inspirational ideas right now, to develop effectively and peacefully in the future.’

I truly believe that our graduates will make a positive difference to the world and as ever, I wish them all the very best!

Primary Swim Galas

During the week, I had the pleasure of visiting our F3 to Year 6 House Swimming Galas that have been thoroughly enjoyed by our students and well attended by parents.

My thanks to the PE team for a very well organised set of events and for further promoting our growing swimming programme across the school. 

Transition Days

Primary students (and parents) have been attending various transition events this week to ensure that the movement between year groups and school phases are smooth and enable our children to settle quickly and effectively into their next stages of learning. 

Events such as these highlight the care and attention that our BVIS community gives our children, ensuring that change is our friend and becomes an exciting, new opportunity.

More events like these are also planned for next week

Secondary Debate Day

On Wednesday, I attended a very lively student vs teacher debate in the Main Hall as part of the Secondary Debate Day which saw students putting forward the motion to allow takeaways for lunchtime. 

I’ll let you reflect upon who you think won this one!

Year 11 Work Experience

Across the week, many of our Year 11 students who have just recently completed their iGCSE examinations, returned to school for their work experience. My thanks to all our teachers and admin departments for giving Year 11 students an opportunity to see how our school’s educational and administrative departments work, allowing them to further understand what life within the workplace is really like.

Additionally, I would like to personally thank Mr Rob Kerr, a BVIS parent who has spent the entire week in school, working with a group of 5 budding project managers and guiding them through a process that will hopefully be beneficial for future learning and beneficial to Rob’s project management company.

Houston Updates

In last week’s Highlights, I mentioned that we had students visiting Houston, Texas on 2 separate and unique residential trips.

I’m pleased to report that Minh Anh, Simon and Kyle have had an incredible time at this year’s Nord Anglia Education UNICEF Conference. I would like to congratulate them in the way that they have positively represented our school on a truly global scale – well done!

Additionally, I am pleased to report that our 11 student astronauts have touched down safely in Houston and are looking forward to their astronaut training following their unique VIP tour of the Apollo Mission Control at the Johnston Space Centre.

Tin Tin from 10B wrote: ‘I never knew how the wiring of the space shuttle worked nor how stressful the job of people in Mission Control really is until today.’

Alex in 12H added: ‘My trip today was over my expectations. I visited the Mission Control room, watched how they work as a group and also found out lots of interesting things about the astronaut training program the space shuttle, the ISS and how a real space suit feels.

Kayla from 11B who is taking part in the trip wrote to us and said: ‘Space has always been a fascinating field filled with gazillions of conspiracy theories, unanswered queries which has sparked my curiosity. Having the opportunity to visit NASA was an absolute once of a lifetime experience, learning about Apollo 13, the tragedy leading to Challenger Space Shuttle in 1986 and how it shaped the understanding of engineers for future launches. At the same time disappointingly, I learned that aliens aren't mystical green creatures but most likely bacteria which is quite boring.

Great words from our students!

As I conclude my final Highlights of the year, thanks again for engaging and connecting with us. I would like to personally wish everyone a very safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to seeing you all again for a great deal more on Thursday 15th August.

Contact Us

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

End of EYFS Celebration

As one chapter ends another is about to begin for our EYFS students. Year One is just around the corner for our F3 children so we celebrated with families this week with an ‘End of EYFS celebration’. The F3 children welcomed their families into their classrooms, showed them their favourite places to play and took the time to make a few last special memories in EYFS before their educational journey continues into BVIS Primary.

The children were so proud to show their families the different learning areas in EYFS and were very excited to have them join in with their play and craft activities. The children are leaving EYFS as confident, creative and curious students with an abundance of energy for learning. The EYFS characteristics of effective learning were celebrated through awards, where each child was recognised for a special attribute they possess, such as kindness to others or persevering with challenging tasks.

We are so proud of the EYFS children and wish them all the best as they continue their learning journey at BVIS.

Transitioning into Secondary

This week Years 4, 5 and 6 took part in a transition experience in secondary to prepare students for the change ahead and help them to understand the differences between Year 6 and Year 7. Years 4 and 5 experienced a morning of lessons in the secondary classrooms and Year 6 experienced two full days of Secondary school. All upper primary students had the opportunity to purchase snacks in the Sunken Garden at break time, which they enjoyed.

Year 6 learned about the different subjects they will study and spent time in their new form groups, based on their school house (Hue, Dalat, Hanoi and Saigon).  They were introduced to some of their new teachers, enjoyed a fun scavenger hunt around the Secondary with current secondary student leaders and engaged in some fun house-based activities. They also had time to ask questions about next the academic year and reflect on how they felt about the change.

This is all great preparation for our upper primary students for the change ahead. Over the summer, to support the Year 6 transition please continue to talk to your child about how they are feeling and support them through these changes. Home and school interactions combined will ensure our Year 6 students have a successful beginning in Year 7.

Primary Swim Galas

Splashing and diving, showcasing their development, this week students from F3 to Year 6 participated in the annual year group swimming galas.  This event is held at the end of every year to celebrate the progress that students have made in their swimming abilities throughout the year.  From individual races to group technique games, students had an enjoyable time in the swimming pool with their swim teachers. 

Swimming is a sport that not only helps maintain a healthy lifestyle but also provides an essential life skill for our students. Being able to swim well and survive in water is something that the school strives for every student to achieve by the end of their primary years, to ensure they can keep safe and make the right decisions when near, or in water. The three BVIS swimming pools from the shallow EYFS splash pool, to the indoor training pool and finally to our competitive 25m outdoor swimming pool, provide students and teachers with the facilities needed to support a safe and progressive swim development programme. With the summer holiday just around the corner, I encourage families to take their children swimming to hone their water skills and prepare them for the next stage of their swim development.

Thank you to our PE department for organising and facilitating the special swim galas for our primary students. 

Upcoming Events

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

Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary

Writing from the heart

This is the final weekly highlights of the year that I will write, as next week Mr Higham will write the final highlights of the year.

I am often asked by prospective parents and students about the “environment” at BVIS or “how do the teachers treat the students?” Occasionally, a “do students get along with one another?” is thrown into the mix as well. 

It always gives me great pleasure to answer this question as the relationships that exist between our students and staff members is something that makes me very proud. 

There are many schools in HCMC and even more across Vietnam and South East Asia, but there are none quite like ours. The warmth and compassion that the staff and students have for one another and the genuine care that I witness every day, makes me proud of everyone at BVIS. 

Finally, it’s been an incredible year (it always is!) and I just wanted to thank all the students, staff members and parents for contributing to the development of BVIS over the course of the year. It wouldn’t be the same school without your help, so thank you all.

Have a great summer.

BVIS Magazine

We are proud to introduce the very first issue of the BVIS HCMC School Magazine! The magazine is written, designed and edited by our very own Secondary students and features a wide range of entertaining content, including a farewell interview with Mr Shooter, articles about new music trends, and advice from students both here and from university. Please enjoy the fantastic work at your own leisure and look out for printed copies in the library and around school soon!

BVIS HCMC School Magazine - term 3 - 2023-2024

Sports Awards

On Wednesday 19th June we celebrated the sporting success of our students across all age ranges from U9 up to U19 squads. Over 50 students were recognised as most valuable players (MVPs) from their sports squads as well as 10 main awards that will be given to exceptional students and staff for specific performances across the year. Some example of the awards given were: Team of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Unsung Hero and Lifetime Achievement Award. 

We look forward to celebrating the many successes across Badminton, Basketball, Swimming, Football, Tee-ball and FOBISIA International Sports Competitions this coming year. 

Fusion 360 – A 30 Day Challenge!

One of the main reasons I love working at BVIS is the abundance of opportunities to get involved in new and exciting activities. Although these opportunities are available to everyone, it’s amazing to see the students who take the time, effort, and energy to really engage and embrace them. A perfect example is the recently finished Fusion360 30 Day Challenge! The challenge involved watching short video tutorials showcasing tools and features within the Fusion360 software, then using this new knowledge and their own creativity to redesign a product before laser cutting and 3D printing their unique designs.

Above are images showcasing just a small collection of the 43 student submissions to the challenge. A huge well done to all those students who took part, with a special mention to the following students who not only kept up with the challenges regularly but also demonstrated great perseverance, critical thinking, and creativity: Quynh Chi Do, Viet Khoa Nguyen, Gia Minh Pham, Vu Tam Nhu Pham, Nguyen Minh Khang Phung, Huu Minh Khoa Ta, and Ton Zhang.

Feeling like you missed out? The good news is that if your child(ren) didn't have time to undertake the Fusion360 challenge, it’s never too late to start! The software is free to download under our Educational License, and the challenges remain on their TEAMS channel over the summer. So why not work with your son/daughter to log in and grab some of those amazing opportunities while further building your own knowledge and skills in Fusion360? Then, when we all return next academic year, they’ll be able to create even more amazing solutions to problems that our teachers set.

BVIS Media Studies Awards Evening

The 2nd Annual BVIS Media Awards evening was a wonderful showcase of the incredible work that our Year 12 and 13 students have been creating during the past academic year. The audience were treated to spectacular film openings as well as vibrant music videos which highlighted the developing talents of our amazing students. Well done to all the winners! Maybe we’ll see some of their professional productions in the coming years!

Theatre Trip

On Thursday evening Year 12 students of Drama and English Literature went to watch the play “Pool (No Water)” by Mark Ravenhill. The play was performed in the style of Frantic Assembly, and students were amazed by the acting, creative lighting, and innovate choreography they used to tell the story. After the performance students were fortunate to have time to discuss their thoughts with the actors and director and find out more about their creative process.

House Sways

As we come to the end of the Year, I would like to note that BVIS have finished their academic year SECOND out of 2393 schools who use the Sparx Maths Platform with 99.5% of students completing their Compulsory Homework.

This is an incredible achievement from all students – Well Done!

House point update

The housepoint totals will be revealed during the final assembly on Wednesday next week. Will Hue retain the lead they’ve held for so long, or will another House pip them to the post? All will be revealed next week!

Upcoming Events