Secondary School Update (10 March 2023)

Weekly update from Head of Secondary

Dear Parents,

Last weekend in Doha, Qatar, Nord Anglia Education held its annual regional teaching and learning conference at our sister school, Compass International School. To represent the BIS Hanoi community, we sent a team of teachers from both Primary and Secondary, who joined over 250 fellow educators from our schools across the region.

The conference was a reminder that one of the strengths of our school, and indeed one of the elements that make us successful and unique, is our ability to collaborate with fellow educators around the world within the Nord Anglia Education network to improve the experience for students.

We know from the research that teachers are most successful when they operate within strong networks of excellence that enable them to learn from one another and experiment with new and innovative modes of teaching and learning.

Increasingly, Nord Anglia Education is looking to leverage the synergies that exist from operating the largest network of premium international schools in the world. At the conference, themes focused on professional learning for teachers and the well-being of students and school communities.

As an institution, we pride ourselves on having an active and responsive culture of professional challenge and development for staff. We look for teachers who want to continually learn, challenge each other, and be challenged. What this means is that educators in our school are consistently operating on the cutting edge of teaching and learning practices and always looking to improve what they offer students.

I know that the educators who have returned from the conference will directly impact school improvement.  

‘If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they aren’t good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.’  

Wiliam, D (2007) ‘Changing classroom practice’ in Educational Leadership, 6 (4) 36-42, Available at: http://rapps.pbworks.com/f/Julia%20Articles%20ASLI%202011.pdf

Chris Newman 

Head of Secondary

Key Dates

• 14th and 15th March: Juilliard Visit - Dance
• 14th March: Parent Connect workshop on Sleep 
• 16th March: Year 10 Parents Evening  
• 17th-19th March: Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition  
• 18th and 19th March: Model United Nations Conference at BIS 
• 23rd March: Group 6 IBDP & IGCSE Showcase Event 
• 24th March: End of Term 2 

Pastoral Updates

Year 11 students Yuji Imai and Sosuke Tomioka visited the Japanese embassy last week as part of their 21st century skills research project. The boys were keen to find out more about how the Japanese Embassy is delivering on the country’s "Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects" initiative. The Japanese government offers a financial assistance program for development projects designed to meet the diverse needs of developing countries. This scheme supports projects proposed by various non-profit organisations such as primary schools, research institutions, and health care. The GGP program has acquired an excellent reputation because it provides flexible and timely support to grassroots development projects. Yuji and Sosuke were forward-thinking and proactive as they arranged interviews with staff members and ministers who administer the project in Vietnam. They discussed the topic of education in Vietnam to research their 21st century skills project on quality education and the sustainable development goals, also building on the content from the year 11 keynote session on education in Vietnam that explored inequalities between class, gender, and rural ethnic groups. We are proud of them for representing BIS and their interest in equity for all children.

Year 11s are busy exploring their themes in preparation for the Art exam and impressing me with their creative problem-solving skills, figuring out how to use new media and equipment in creative ways. Dieu Vy has been exploring her (extreme) fascination for fish and reptiles through wire and paper modeling. Tuan Kiet has approached the challenge of making an abstract portrait in a precise fashion; we look forward to seeing how it turns out. Tranh Anh has been drawing using a range of materials, skewers, folder papers, rulers dipped in ink—very experimental! Tuy Lam created this unique painting to explore the idea of a 'racing heart.'   

Year 11 students have been going the extra mile to prepare for their upcoming MFL speaking exams. As part of the academic CCA program, students have been carrying out trial runs of the exam to make sure they nail it on the day! Students who have really worked hard to make the effort extra effective include: Jinho has worked so hard to learn vocabulary and practice his speaking at home by himself. He always participates and always comes into class beaming! Gia Thanh has really turned a corner, completing independent tasks in preparation for his speaking and seeing such an improvement in his question knowledge. Khanh Hoa for continuing to persevere with a language she has only been learning for 8 months!

Keep up the good work year 11!  

Keep revising! 

Mr. Pearson 

Head of Year 11

Learning Showcase

Preparing your child for exams

Around this time of year, the issues that students bring to counselling often focus more on academics as we come close to exam season. Year 11 and 13 students are busy with coursework deadlines, particularly exam revision. It’s a stressful time for them, and this is where parental support becomes even more important. 

With regards to supporting your child with exam preparation, for parents, this can feel like a tricky balance to get right. You want to ensure that your child is putting in the maximum effort to achieve the best result they can, and at the same time, it’s important to help reduce the stress that your child is experiencing.  

As you can see from the Anxiety Curve diagram below, too much stress can lead to exhaustion and an inability to focus, which will not help your child do well during exams.

Graphic from the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families 

Here are some suggestions for how you can support your child to experience positive stress rather than distress.

• Firstly, discuss with your child whether they have made a plan for their study schedule so that they can feel confident that they will cover all the material they need to revise before exams start. Having this in place will help your child reduce their anxiety.
• Once they are a week or two into their plan, it will be helpful to discuss with them how the schedule is working out. Are they able to achieve the goals they set for themselves? It may be that the plan will need to be modified, and as the student gets into a routine of working, the modifications needed will hopefully become clear.  
• Ensure that your child has a plan for breaks, as well as work. Have they scheduled regular, short breaks into their daily schedule? During their breaks, are they able to switch off from work in a way that enables them to come back refreshed and ready to learn more? Ideally, your child will be away from their screen for most of their revision breaks in a day.  

Around this time, the usual messages about getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising become even more important. However, how you reinforce these messages with your child will be equally important. Parents that don’t allow their children space to study in peace can add to the child’s distress and impair their ability to learn. At the same time, students need to feel the support of their parents during this difficult time. Monitoring your child’s focus and emotional balance, checking in with them, and offering support or guidance when you think it is needed will help them feel secure but free to revise in a way that suits them.

Mr. Matt Greenwood           

Social-Emotional Counsellor

Tiny-Desk Recording Concert for Nord Anglia's Virtual Young Musician of the Year

Through their Global Campus community, Nord Anglia Education hosts an annual Virtual Young Musician of the Year competition, open to musicians of all ages across the 70+ schools in their family. Traditionally, BIS Hanoi students have featured as category winners and runners up in a variety of age groups and vocal/instrumental sections, and therefore we are determined to maintain our excellent level and quantity of entries. To support students entering the competition this year, a new recording concert was held, based on the concept of the popular ‘Tiny Desk’ recordings hosted by the NPR Media Corporation. This was held in the Secondary Music room, where our most ambitious recording set-up to date was prepared to ensure the very best quality of sound was captured for our students, presenting a wonderful opportunity to showcase our growing Music Technology offering. The range of student performances was as wide and varied as it was exceptional. We began the evening with a number of instrumental and vocal solos, featuring the sensitive and dexterous guitar playing of Ze Yang and Gabriel, which contrasted with the strident flute playing of Ji Yoon and Su Min. Throughout the event, every student brought their own styles and interpretations, with The Phuc on piano and vocalists Xinyue and Nhat Linh captivating the audience with their musical communication. We were also treated to two ensemble performances, beginning with Jimin and Sungwon’s detailed and technical rendition of the overture to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The evening ended with our ever-growing Year 10 band, The Feelers who took on the classic Lionel Richie song Hello.

While the Tiny Desk evening has ended for this term, there are still opportunities to record with Mr. Scott before the March 31st upload deadline, and students wishing to do so should make arrangements with Mr. Scott directly. Many thanks to all the students who attended and recorded on Wednesday evening, and a special thanks to our Marketing team for their support in filming throughout the evening.

Mr. Jon Scott

Music Teacher

UNISMUN March 2023

Last weekend, four Key Stage 4 students took part in a Model United Nations Conference at UNIS School. Schumi and Miguel from Year 11 debated issues around war and weaponry in the Disarmament and International Security Committee, representing Ukraine and France, respectively.

Schumi was the main submitter on a resolution that passed on the topic of polarization of power on the global stage. Across the weekend, he made seven speeches, ten points of information, and one amendment. He said  

"It is a step out of your comfort zone to take an active part in an MUN conference. It’s very daunting but so rewarding once you really get stuck into it. Your speaking and oracy skills improve, you make a lot of friends, and you get to join a community of active, responsible, and mature young people."

Miguel made three speeches, 13 points of information, and two amendments. He said  

"It was a truly unforgettable experience. It trains your confidence in public speaking to cleverly express the ideas of the country you’re representing. It’s meant to be a simulation, but it feels like it becomes reality; you really feel like you have the power to change modern society! Totally worth it!"

Brian from Year 11 and Gyujin from Year 10 represented Hungary and France in the SDG5 Committee, a committee set up to discuss issues around gender equality. Gyujin said,  

"I tried my best to speak up more than last time. We were debating a sensitive topic, but Itried to answer all the questions to the best of my ability. During the conference, therewere a few times when I wanted to give up and go home, but I persevered and tried to make a lot of speeches, points, and motions. I’m really proud of myself for pushing through! I made friends from schools across Asia and the Middle East; I really enjoyed meeting new people from other countries, cities, and cultures. We shared our opinions and worked together to create solutions on the topic of gender equality."

All participants built on the skills they developed at the last UNISMUN in November. They showed exemplary debating and diplomacy skills and engaged fully in the discussions, learning important skills such as teamwork, communication, and advocacy. Good grades are important, but extracurriculars are what really make you stand out!

We are all looking forward to hosting our own Model United Nations conference next weekend (18-19 March). Watch this space!

Ms. Nia Cooper 

Maths Teacher/Secondary Enrichment Leader