Secondary School Updates (04 March 2022)

Secondary School Updates (04 March 2022) While we greatly missed the students this week, learning has continued with its usual energy and excitement.

Key Dates | Pastoral Update | Book Week | Student Magazine | Learning Showcase

Weekly update from Head of Secondary

Dear Parents,

While we greatly missed the students this week, learning has continued with its usual energy and excitement. Our programs have not halted. We have carried on with the important academic touchstone of PCT week for Year 10s and 12s, alongside the annual Book Week, among other things. I hope you enjoy this week’s summary of the fantastic educational experiences carefully curated for our students.  

As a school community we await the inevitable steadying of cases within the city and are hopeful for a reopening shortly. News usually arrives on the weekend so please watch your emails closely. We will communicate any updates from the local ward as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay in touch and stay healthy. 

Yours sincerely, 

Chris Newman 

Head of Secondary

Key Dates

• Monday 28 February - Friday 11 March: Year 10 and Year 12 Internal Exams  

• Tuesday 15 March: Year 11 Parents Evening

• Tuesday 29 March: Year 8 Parents Evening 

• Friday 1 April: Last day of Term 2 

Pastoral Update

Over the last month, Year 9s finally had the opportunity to experience a taster as to life back on campus, learning in their classrooms with their teachers and classmates. Despite the shorter return that we had all hoped for, they had a really good experience being back in school with all of the new routines in place and, made the most of the opportunity as not all year groups were able to be back at this moment in time. 

With that in mind, over the last two weeks during form time and well-being lessons, we have been looking at providing some messages of support for our younger peers, from F1 to Year 7s who have not yet been able to return to on-campus learning, and all students showed their creative sides by designing and making wonderful messages of support - from canva presentations and PowerPoint slides, to even a video and a song! The messages were extremely well received by our Primary students and Year 9s showed great empathy in recognising that their younger peers will also be hoping to be back in school too. Some of our Year 9 tutor and Head of Key Stage 3 representatives also wrote a blog post about their experiences creating these well-being messages of support, and this can be found by clicking here.

Alongside this, in preparation for International Women’s Day 2022 on Tuesday 8th March, well-being this week was focused on this year’s theme of #breakthebias, with students recreating the banner for this hashtag, crossing their arms in support of the barrier to gender inequality being eliminated completely. 

I am really proud of their efforts and commitment over the last few weeks, please continue the great work Year 9s! 

Mr Liam Wright 

Head of Year 9 

 

BIS Book Week 2022

Check out BIS Book Week 2022 celebration activities across our whole school here.

 

BIS Student Magazine - NOVUS

The latest edition of the BIS student magazine, NOVUS, is now available to read and enjoy on the school website. Each edition features articles and viewpoints on a unifying theme. The first edition of 2022 is on the theme of Perspective. Content is written and edited entirely by an in-house student team; and there are a team of graphic designers who ensure everything looks fantastic too. I am very proud to work with such a talented and dedicated group of students and hope very much you enjoy reading their work. 

Mr John Bliss

Staff supervisor and mentor

Learning Showcase

STEAM | Maths | EAL | Art | MFL

STEAM 

MIT Collaboration 

At the end of last term saw the completion of our 2nd MIT challenge of the year. This challenge was set by Dr. Caroline Unmenhofer, a world-renowned leading oceanographer, who studies the oceans and how they affect weather all over the globe. She challenged our students here at BIS Hanoi to learn about the water cycle and try and show it in a creative and unique way. Our students in Key Stage 3 created a stop motion video showing the water cycle and collaborated with Music to compose an accompanying score.

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Looking Forward in STEAM 

Moving forward in our Key Stage 3 STEAM classes this term students will be focusing on the “Design Process” with a selection of tailor-made projects. 

In Year 7s students will be learning to use a 3D CAD modeling programs to create famous buildings and landmarks from all over the world which we will print out in school with our 3D printers. 

Year 8s are investigating a design and make project where they will learn the different properties of plastic and make a phone holder using our laser cutter and heat strips to cut and form acryllic. 

Our Year 9 students now start the design and make project where they will put their creative juices to the test to design and manufacture a unique and original clock in the Makerspace. 

Mr David Burke 

STEAM teacher 

Maths

Exam Preparation in Maths 

Year 10s and 12s PCTs start this week and Year 11s and 13s exams are not far away. We are now starting our revision. 

The best way to revise maths… is to DO MATHS.  

It’s great to have students back in school and we can discuss and work on problems together. Our hybrid students are still able to do this using the Collaboration Space, but it’s even better in person.  

Of course, it’s important to take breaks. My Year 11 tutor group have enjoyed solving the Wordle’s and Nerdle’s. 

Ms Emma Thomas 

Assistant Mathematics Leader 

Secondary EAL  

Term 2 has seen a change of direction in EAL with a focus on technology with the students exploring how they interact with others online and how we use technology to communicate more effectively in our daily lives.

This topic is of particular interest and relevance to all students as we all use a laptop, smartphone, smart watch or other device to stay connected to our friends and family. Technology can’t however, replace the face-to-face aspect of learning but our EAL students continue to do their best in difficult times. After a brief glimmer of light and energy with students returning to classroom learning, we find ourselves returning to virtual school (VSE). I hope, like all of us, to be back in the classroom again soon and I’m looking forward to introducing our end of term project and seeing what the students will come up with! 

Mr Steve Wheeler

Secondary EAL Teacher

Art

In Year 9 Art we have been exploring the artwork of digital artists, with a focus on how to use web-based photo and graphic editors. Students explored the theme of architecture and used their own primary sources photos and secondary source photos to create these digital collages. The students have demonstrated critical thinking, care and risk taking when creating these beautiful compositions and we are so impressed with their high quality outcomes.   

Ms Eibhlin Goppert 

Head of Art

MFL  

One of the best things about studying languages is that you get to talk about issues from all around the world and delve into a wide variety of different topics.  

Year 9s have been doing just this, as they are studying the topic of Children’s Rights in their Spanish and French lessons. Through the target language, they have discussed important issues such as the UN Convention of the Child, the importance of Fair Trade products and human rights. They are looking forward to studying Women’s Rights with a focus on Spanish speaking countries on March 8th too!  

The teachers have been particularly impressed with the maturity of our students when discussing these issues and how they have demonstrated many of the Ways of Being and Thinking, such as Caring, Reflective and Communicating. Well done, Year 9!  

Ms Georgina Dorr 

Head of MFL