Mr Anthony Rowlands Weekly Update 26.02

If anybody was to say to me that our Aide Memoire is just a symbol for BIS Hanoi and does not really mean anything else, then I would challenge that person to come and spend some time at our school to really find out about us!

One of the most enjoyable things I do as Principal is to lead a school assembly and, this week, it was an Early Years Assembly.  Keeping a large number of 2 to 7 year old children occupied and engaged for a period of time is very challenging and it highlights the wonderful work of our Early Years teachers here at BIS Hanoi. Last week, the concept of ‘Enquiry’ was introduced to the children, one of the key attributes of our Aide Memoire.  My assembly this week followed on from this theme of questioning to search for deeper learning. Children are naturally inquisitive and we really want to develop this natural skill that lies within them. Learning to think and ask questions is a key element of our educational programme at BIS Hanoi. During the assembly the children were introduced to Timmy the bear who asked his mother a lot of questions in order to learn key life skills. We were even fortunate that we received a  visit from a real live bear who the children got to know very well as the pictures below clearly show.

Continuing the bear theme, I was extremely proud of our Year 3 students this week as they raised over VND 6,000,000 for the Tam Dao Bear Sanctuary at their "

Fair Trade Fair

" held on Thursday.  In addition to this, a group of Primary students will be going to the SOS Village this weekend to support the children who reside there. What wonderful efforts by our caring Primary students who should be congratulated in showing such integrity!

Next week, a group of Primary and Secondary students will travel to Hong Kong to compete in a

Global Games competiton

involving schools from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. I am sure that they will show a great deal of perseverance to compete hard and also to represent the school with pride and humility whilst showing the opposing schools the utmost respect. Good luck to our team and a thank you so much to the teachers and parents who will accompany them.

At the end of March a group of 10 BIS Hanoi students will travel to Tanzania to spend a week at the Nord Anglia facility located there. They will be spending their time with students from other Nord Anglia schools supporting local African communities and truly being Global Citizens Learning Together.

There is no doubt that the BIS Hanoi Aide Memoire lies at the heart of everything we do. I do hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Mr Anthony Rowlands, Principal