Dear Parents,
This week has been one of hard work and preparation, as well as much excitement for the return to campus of our Year 11 and 13 students on Monday 13th December, and the expected return of our other students after the Christmas break.
Our Health & Safety teams have been working hard alongside the Department of Education and the Ministry of Health to ensure our community transmission measures are robust, and so it is with confidence as a vaccinated community, we return to campus with all the benefits to learning and wellbeing that brings.
It was great to be able to welcome so many of you to our Parent Webinar on Wednesday where we addressed the 3 broad interconnected areas that will shape this next period:
If you missed the webinar, I am pleased to include a recording below and also some guidance from our Advice, Support and Counselling Team in our regular Wellbeing section.
With just one week to go until the end of term, we look back over a hugely successful period of learning. In the Parent Teacher Student Conferences that have taken place for Year 10 and Year 12 students in recent weeks, we have been able to recognise and congratulate our students for their remarkable achievement in remaining motivated and engaged throughout this extended period of Virtual learning. It has not been easy- and my thanks to all our students, teacher and parents for your collective effort in navigating this period successfully together.
When the three pillars of our community- students, teachers and parents come together, the strength of the BIS community is most apparent. And, it is often when we combine in support of our community partners that this is at its most striking. I am delighted to share with you this week a new initiative for 2022-23 that captures this brilliantly - our first ever Community Calendar featuring original artwork by BIS students - with all proceeds going to our Community Partners. Please see details of how to order yours below. Thank you in advance for your support.
Lastly, can I extend my thanks to all parents of Year 11 and year 13 students who have responded so promptly to complete the necessary steps to enable your children's return to campus. Your support is very much appreciated. As always if you have any queries about any aspect of the coming period, then please do get in touch.
My best wishes to you all for the weekend ahead,
Sean O’Neill
Thank you to everyone who attended the Parent webinar, “Supporting our Students’ Return to Campus” where we shared the procedures we have put in place, and our shared responsibilities as a community.
If you missed the webinar or would like to watch again. You can find a link to a recording of the webinar here.
If you have any queries, then please do not hesitate to get in contact with myself or our Deputy Head and Campus Health & Safety Lead- Mr Wills – gareth.wills@bisvietnam.com
Earlier in November, we marked an important date in our school calendar: Remembrance Day.
As part of this thoughtful occasion for our school community and in order to encourage the wonderful creativity of our students, BIS launched two secondary-wide competitions: the Remembrance Visual Arts Competition and Poetry and Short Story Competition.
Students were invited to submit a piece of art or writing, chosen on one of the themes: remembering, the spirit of endurance or resilience.
The standard of entries was exceptionally high - truly a testament to the artistic flair, creativity and verve of our student body. The judges most definitely had an unenviable task. It is my pleasure to announce the winners!
Thank you once again to all participants; it has been a pleasure reading your fabulous work and we look forward to future competitions next year.
Today’s Acoustic Lounge included performances by our talented student musicians to get us all in the Christmas spirit. You can listen again and enjoy here.. https://www.youtube.com/c/BISVietnam
Bringing the “real Spanish speaking world” to the classroom: A letter from Argentina!
One of the best exercises when learning a new language is writing to a real person. Receiving a response from that person in their native language makes this learning meaningful and rewarding.
This week, Year 12 have had a special activity as part of the ‘experiences’ section of the tourism topic. Students in SL and HL exchanged letters with students from a secondary school in Córdoba, Argentina.
Ms Fiorella Balbuena, Spanish Teacher, shares more about the letters from Argentina.
We are proud to launch a limited edition calendar which brings together a selection of studies created by our Year 10 and Y11 students as part of their Life in Vietnam Unit for IGCSE Art and Design. The work is based on the students’ own observations and photography from our Thao Dien photo walks and most are A4 size or smaller.
All proceeds from the calendar sales will be donated to our local Community Partners, who are an integral part of ‘Life in Vietnam’ for us as a school community.
For just VND 100,000 per calendar, you will be contributing to the support of children whom we value and care for as part of the BIS family.
To make a purchase, kindly click here to place your order before Christmas.
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Tet (a colloquial term shortened for Tết Nguyên Đán), showcases the country’s traditional values and rich culture. The grandly celebrated holiday extends beyond a week which offers time for families to unite. Last year, donations from the BIS community supporting our ‘Tet Box Collection’ enabled more than 1,500 children from our community partners to experience a more joyful Tet holiday.
According to Unicef, more than 170,000 children are without parental care, destitute, or abandoned. This year, with the hopes of bettering the lives of these children, BIS will continue to hold the annual ‘Tet Gift Collection’. The project aims to provide 1,389 disadvantaged children, and their families, a fulfilling Tet celebration by providing them with basic necessities. These families are from eight of our community partners including: Binh Tho School, Anh Minh School, Thien Phuoc Foster Home, Binh Anh School, Ky Quang Pagoda, Go Vap Orphanage, Mai Tam House of Hope, and Mai Am Boys Shelter.
How to make your donation?
In essence, each campus is assigned to a category of basic necessities requested by our community partners. If you are interested in making a donation, please drop off the following items at their corresponding drop-off locations. We are not able to achieve this goal without your support, and we would greatly appreciate your consideration of our project. Each and every one of your contributions will help protect the smiles of these vulnerable children.
The drop-off details:
Kelly and Susu,
On behalf of the Year 12 BIS Community Committee
With Tết (Vietnamese New Year) just around the corner, we are delighted to invite you to support one of the school’s long standing community partners, Operation Smile, by purchasing a set of beautifully designed ‘lucky money’ envelopes.
Operation Smile transform children’s lives by performing free cleft lip and palate surgery on children from low income families in Vietnam as well as globally. When left untreated, this condition can result in difficulties with eating, breathing and speaking, in addition to which, they also often need to deal with social issues such as not being accepted by their peers and communities.
For more information, please click here.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Sean O’Neill
Head Teacher, Secondary Campus
101 Thao Dien Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Junior Campus
225 Nguyen Van Huong Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Secondary Campus
246 Nguyen Van Huong Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
