Weekly Highlights 22/11/2024

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents

Thank you for taking time to read this week’s Highlights to engage and connect with our BVIS community.

Last week, I mentioned that myself and 5 other senior leaders within our school, attended the annual FOBISIA Leaders Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand.

In addition to having some fun together at the conference photo booth, there was also a great deal of fresh learning that took place with a wealth of workshops, panel meetings, round table discussions and keynotes.

This year, the 4 keynotes were:

1. Jeroen Van de Wall – A Bright Blue Future: Inspiring a Generation of Leaders Who Love Our Oceans

As founder of OcraNation and the BlueCoat group, Jeroen talked about how we as school leaders and educators can empower young people to become effective environmental advocates and future leaders.

2. Nicola Morgan – Building Resilience in Leaders

Through the lens of Nicola’s own personal struggles with resilience as she attempted to swim the English Channel on several occasions, she talked about how educational leaders must focus upon clarity, awareness, presence and resilient decision making to help successfully navigate change and support their community.

3. Diana Osagie – Juggernaut Thinking – Time to Consider Leadership Greatness For Your Next Phase

This keynote was designed to change thinking in schools to ensure that anything is possible and that individual mindset is closely linked to levels of excellence.

4. Professor Rose Luckin – Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges of AI in Education

The final keynote of the Conference explored the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence in education, focusing on both the transformative potential and critical challenges that it presents.

All attendees have returned to school energized and full of reflections that we will now help support our future thinking and learning.

A Week Exploring the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA – Phuc Thien, Year 10

The unique collaboration between Nord Anglia Education and the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers extraordinary learning experiences for students across all Nord Anglia Education schools, including BVIS HCMC. This partnership encourages students to harness their creativity, dare to experiment, and learn to apply their skills in real-world contexts.  

Read more in this post about Phuc Thien, a Year 10 student at BVIS, and his journey to MIT from October 30th to November 3rd, 2024, with 60 international peers from Nord Anglia schools worldwide.

What a memorable week, packed with unforgettable, unique experiences. If you would like your Secondary child(ren) have this opportunity, please ask them to speak with Mr Chandler who will help them understand more about the process of selection.

Teachers’ Day and World Children's Day

In last week’s Highlights, I wrote about the importance of being kind to one other. On behalf of everyone across our school, I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for all your kind words and thoughtful gifts that you gave our teachers and TAs, to celebrate Teachers’ Day on Wednesday.

I would like to extend a special thanks to all our Friends of BVIS (FoBVIS) who supported the special teacher breakfast prepared for them by school on Wednesday morning. Additionally, they helped to distribute their beautifully made appreciation cards and also the fresh Teachers’ Day coconuts generously donated by Sylvie Ma’s and her family.

It means a great deal to our staff that FoBVIS members were there to help and support on Wednesday. This helps to form an even stronger partnership between school and home. 

I very much look forward to seeing FoBVIS continue to grow in strength and numbers both this year and into the future.

Welcome to our new teacher

Mr. Julian Stafford Daniels - Secondary Economics Teacher

Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Management and Economics, Nelson Mandela University (2016)
- PGCE in Business Management and Economics, Nelson Mandela University (2018)

Julian earned his degree in Business and Economics and pursued a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with a focus on the same disciplines. Over the course of 6 years, he taught at two schools across South Africa, where he made a significant impact on his students' understanding of economic principles. In addition to his academic responsibilities, Julian also dedicated his time to coaching rugby, reflecting his commitment to both education and sports.

Outside of his professional life, he has a deep passion for nature and often spends time hiking or at the beach.

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 Parent's Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists.   

Wishing you all, a great weekend ahead

Mrs Mary McAloon, Head of Primary

Special Assembly for Vietnamese Teachers’ Day and World Children’s Day

On Monday, all of primary were treated to a wonderful assembly to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers’ Day and World Children’s Day. This special assembly was led by our talented Student Council and MC’d by our confident Student President and Vice Presidents. The Student Council from Year 3 to Year 6 acted out a ‘Perfect Teacher’ comedy to show the ingredients of a perfect teacher at BVIS. We learned that all teachers are special and perfect in their own ways, making their students experience at school special every day. Later in the assembly, the youngest members of the Student Council from Year 1 and Year 2 announced ‘Teacher Awards’ for many of our teachers and TAs to celebrate their unique qualities that enrich our school. Finally, this assembly also showcased our students’ musical talents. We had a powerful song performed by our Primary Choir and two songs played by our talented Xylophone Ensemble.

Thank you to all the teachers and teaching assistants at BVIS for everything you do.

BVIS Goes Blue for World Children’s Day 

On Wednesday, we celebrated UNICEF World Children’s Day at BVIS by wearing blue. Blue is the colour of UNICEF, and their mission is to promote and protect the rights of all children, especially those who are most at risk around the world. UNICEF have a special collaboration with Nord Anglia Education and our students learned how UNICEF supports these children in need and helps protect children’s rights. 

Students were invited to donate money to support Ho Chi Minh City Children's Welfare Association. This is a local charity that works with children in need across our city. There was a wonderful atmosphere across the school on Wednesday and our students have made a great difference to help support other less fortunate children in the city. Well done to the entire BVIS community. 

Check out the BVIS Bilingual Month Art Displays  

Have you seen the wonderful artwork in the Primary Foyer this week? 

One of the many home challenges during Bilingual Month this year was to create a piece of artwork that showcases bilingualism and multilingualism at BVIS. Children from Year 1 to Year 6 created beautiful art at home during October and submitted their finished pieces as part of the art competition. All the submitted pieces of art are now on display in the Primary Foyer, and we encourage all families to take some time to admire them.

Looking at the art really makes me feel proud of our talented student artists and it shows their passion for being multilingual at BVIS. 

Upcoming Events

1. 25/11/24: Parent Workshop: Lower Primary Design and Technology and STEAM Part 2
   
2. 29/11/24: Year 1 Starts Christmas at BVIS!  Ticket only event for Year 1 families
   
3. 03/12/24: EYFS Helping at home Parent Workshop: Routines, boundaries, and challenging behaviour
   
4. 06/12/24: Year 2 Production – Year 2 families invited
   
5. 14/12/24: Christmas Fair – ticketed event
6. 18/12/24: Term 1 ends at 11:30 am
   
7. 08/01/25: Term 2 starts

Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary

BVIS Students Lead Advocacy Assembly on Children's Rights and Sustainable Development Goals

This week Year 11 students Minh Anh, Simon, and Kyle took centre stage to deliver an inspiring assembly focused on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They highlighted actionable ways BVIS students can contribute as future changemakers. This presentation marks a significant milestone in their Global 100 journey, following their participation in the prestigious NAE-UNICEF Student Summit in Houston, Texas. There, they honed their advocacy and leadership skills, committing to sharing their insights and inspiring their peers to drive meaningful change.

The NAE-UNICEF Student Summit brought together 123 students from Nord Anglia Education’s global network to collaborate on advancing the 17 SDGs. These goals encompass crucial issues like poverty, education, and climate action, fostering a shared vision of sustainable and equitable development.

As part of this year’s World Children’s Day celebrations, BVIS was proud to join the global Wear Blue Day initiative. Fundraising efforts will support the Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Welfare Association.

CREST Awards

Last year, our Key Stage 3 Science students all completed the prestigious CREST award, Bronze level.

The CREST awards involved students designing and carrying out their own scientific research project in an area of science that interested them, over a minimum 10-hour period. Our projects were fantastic, with some incredible science on show! Some students investigated the osmotic properties of rehydration drinks, others investigated what made rollercoasters faster, and others looked at making the perfect cup of tea!

The projects were sent to England to be assessed, and all passed. Certificates arrived this week and have been awarded to very excited students!

Grow and Know – Talk 1

This week, we hosted our first-ever Grow and Know talk, where Mr. Hart generously shared his expertise on nutrition and exercise with our students.

The session highlighted the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and a balanced diet. Topics included nutrition, intermittent fasting, and tailored exercise routines for different goals. Students had the opportunity to engage with an expert, ask questions, and deepen their understanding of this vital subject.

The Grow and Know team, led by Mr. Shoesmith and Mr. Hart, looks forward to presenting more insightful talks on topics that matter to our students.

Business & Economics Faculty - Innovators challenge

Students were challenged to participate in an Eco-Enterprise Competition, to transform 'trash into treasure'!  Students had to turn environmental waste into a business opportunity and develop real products that would make a difference. This competition challenged our BVIS students to think about sustainable business practices.

Chrissie in Year 11 and Son in Year 7, our competition champions transformed old cardboard boxes, bottle caps, rubber bands a little glue into a stationary organiser. They submitted their business proposal alongside a prototype of their finished upcycled product to seal their success. 

The Business & Economics Faculty congratulate these two young entrepreneurs on their successful proposal. We look forward to seeing their future innovative and sustainable ideas.

RPBC Competition 2024 

Four of our students entered the prestigious RMIT Business Plan Competition (RBPC), themed “For a Greener Vietnam: Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Business Practices”. This event welcomed entrants from over 250 schools across Vietnam and the BVIS team “JJCT Consulting” managed to win the 1st runner up award. An amazing achievement from James, Jenny, Cherry, and Thu – we are all very proud of your achievements.

House Sways

The links below display the House Sways, which are put together by our House student leaders. As the term progresses different posts and updates will be added displaying the relevant news for each of the Houses. 

Dalat - Dalat House News 
Hanoi - Hanoi House News  
Hue - Hue House News 
Saigon - Saigon House News 

Sparx Maths Champions 

The Sparx Maths Weekly Champion is the student who is the top XP earner in each year group. 
 
Students earn XP by completing tasks in their Sparx Homework 

• Compulsory Tasks earn 60-80XP 
  
• XP Boost Tasks earn 120-150XP 
  
• Target Tasks earn 120-150XP 
  
• Independent Learning Tasks earn 100XP 

Students reach a new Sparx Level every 10000XP 

Huge congratulations go to our Top XP earners this week, who are:

Bedrock Champions  

This week’s bedrock champions are:  

Year 7 - Nham Gia Hung
Year 8 - Le Hong Minh Quang
Year 9 - Nguyen Phuc Khanh
Year 10 - Nguyen Chi Hieu
Year 11 - Ngo Khanh Ngoc  
Year 12 - Dang Minh Thong

Champion of the week

This week’s champion is...

Champion Tutor Group

This week's Champion tutor group is...

Congratulations to 789v/Hanoi3 well done again!

Housepoint Totals

Hanoi are leading the way, but it’s still very close!