Mr Sean O'Neill: Weekly Update 29/04/2022

Dear Parents,

Term 3 has begun in full swing this week as our Year 13 students commence their IBDP exams, our Year 11 students head off to IGCSE Study Leave with a wonderful farewell assembly and students in other year groups embark with gusto into the start of Term 3 CCA programme.

It was wonderful to welcome back much missed features of BIS school life  this week, including our wonderfully attended PTG Social Night. Talking to parents at the event, I was struck by the collective positivity and appreciation we all share about the strength of our school and our recognition of how fortunate we are to be part of a community of such committed students, teachers and parents working together.

It was also so good to hold our first live Theatre performance in over a year, Ata Ama Aidoo's ‘The Dilemma of a Ghost’, performed by our talented IBDP Literature & Performance students. It is so heartening to not only see our students combine to such effect, but also how many students and teachers formed the audience. Well done to everyone.

My thanks to all who contributed to a rich and vibrant BIS week which typifies our collective commitment to balance academic outcomes with wellbeing and community. As we look ahead to Term 3, there will be many opportunities for us to re-establish the events, activities and opportunities for connection that build the bonds of community that have served us so well through the challenges of this year.  I will confirm further details of our Term 3 events next week.

I hope you enjoy this week’s update and the long weekend together with your families.

Chúc mừng ngày Giải Phóng Miền Nam và Quốc Tế Lao Động - Happy Victory Day and Labour Day.

Sean O’Neill

Head of Secondary

Good Luck to Year 11

The Year 11 students had their last IGCSE lessons and their last assembly of the year today, before they embark on their study leave and begin their IGCSE exams next week. As well as a few songs, some practical exam related notices and some supportive words from Mr. O’Neill, the students and I reflected on the journey we have been on together. I reminded them that during our first assembly together, in what seems a different time, pre-covid, when they were in Year 9, I introduced them to the word ‘Ubuntu’, the African notion that “people are people through other people”. I believe that this is particularly important now, as the exams begin, and that Year 11 make use of the support network there for them, with their peers, their family and BIS, all working together to ensure that everyone is able to do their best. We can’t ask for more than that.

Owen McDevitt Head of Year 11

Live Theatre back on the Secondary Campus

This year saw the introduction of a new English course being offered to students at BIS, DP Literature & Performance, this interdisciplinary course studies the nature in which literature and performance work together to bring meaning to a piece of writing. As a part of this course, the Lit & Performance students performed scenes from Ghanan playwright Ama Ata Aidoo's The Dilemma of a Ghost. Although set in rural Ghana, this play dealt with themes that the student's connected with and will soon be trying to balance in their own lives; identity and balancing one's past life and expectations with a new and different culture being a central part of growing up in the international school system. The Lit & Performance students did a fantastic job bringing to life the story of young scholar Ato as he and his newly married American wife, Eulalie, return to Ato's birthplace, a small rural Ghanan village and must learn more about who they are and the clash that brings to the traditional expectations put on them. Fabulous work from our Lit & Performance performers and we wish them the best of luck on the next part of their journey in this class as they begin to work on their written coursework that accompanies this performance.

Spotlight on Learning:  Year 8

This week saw us celebrate the great achievements of our Year 8 students inside and outside of the classroom. It is also wonderful to share with you a flavour of the creativity of our French department and year 8 linguists in action!

Year 8 Mathematicians of the Month:

Congratulations to:

Amelie                                 8C

Tran Uyen Phuong Vo   8I

Jake                                     8B

Martin                                 8C

Year 8 Battle Of the Bands Success

NAE Writers Competition

Congratulations to the following students who were highly commended for their entries to the global Nord Anglia Education Writers Competition:

Achille                          8V

An Ly                             8H

Ingrid                            8S

Bai Nghi An                8N

Dan Tanh                    8H

Thai Hoang Phuc     8B

Tran Khanh Linh      8N

Year 8 French

Luke, je suis ton père!

Year 9 French students have been perfecting their pronunciation by practising a playscript of Star Wars, or “La Guerre des Étoiles”, as it is called in French. They enjoyed re-enacting many of the scenes of The Emperor Strikes Back, but their favourite was undoubtedly the iconic moment when Luke discovers Darth Vadar is in fact his father. Our students approached their lessons with creativity and a good sense of humour, as illustrated by their homemade light sabres. Here are some photos of the lesson:

Fobisia Robotics Challenge

On Wednesday 27th 3 Year 9 students took part in the finals of the Fobisia Robotics challenge, this is what they had to say about their experience:

After passing the qualifiers, we were all brimming with excitement for the finals. On Wednesday morning, we were getting ready for the competition at 11. However, due to some “technical issues” the competition was actually supposed to start earlier. We all rushed to the Robotics room and speedran making the programme. When the time nearly ran out, a lockdown drill started and we crammed ourselves with our laptops into the cupboard and did a last minute submission. Though it was nerve wracking, we pulled through !

A special thanks to Mr Astbury for all of the support!

Dheeraj, Luke, Gia Phu

PTG Social

PTG Event, Social Night, Fundraising, In Person. Words we haven’t heard together in a sentence for a long time. This week we finally did.

We came together as a community at Lu Bu to enjoy each others’ company. The Social night was attended by over 100 people from across all three campuses.

Towards the end of the evening two unique art pieces created by BIS students were auctioned off to raise over 21 million VND for our Community Partners. The auction was highly entertaining and we are grateful for these generous donations.

There was a real buzz in the air and I hope new families can finally understand, (and the oldies remember) what it means to be a part of the BIS Community.

A huge thank you to the PTG team, school and of course Lu Bu for making it possible. Watch this space for more events to come.

We are back! Thank you.

Mel Rowe, PTG Chairperson

Character Development in Action : Term 3 CCAs Underway

This week saw the launch of the Term 3 Secondary CCA Programme with a plethora of both new and regular clubs offering more than 81 activities each week, all with a focus on the IBDP CAS elements of creativity, activity and/or community service.

It has been wonderful to observe the students embracing this important and enriching aspect of their school experience. As one wanders the campus hallways, the sound of music from clubs such as Big Band, Brass and Jazz Ensemble, Chamber, Senior and KS3 Choirs, Male Vocal group as well as the Senior and Year 7 School of Rock, fill the spaces. The voices of our budding thespians can be heard from the Show Workshop sessions and IGCSE Drama support clubs.  Rounding a corner, there is a calming shift in the atmosphere as students in the Yoga and Relaxation Clubs practise various methods for de-stressing and improving their mental wellbeing.  In the Science suites, students engage in clubs such as the Medical Society Club and Particle Physics for Beginners while outside the sounds of a variety of different physical activities including volleyball, basketball, football, cricket, softball and swimming puncture the air.

This academic year promises to wind up and not down as students enthusiastically continue to develop a deeper range of skills and experiences beyond the classroom!

Mrs Tracey Brownrigg
Co-Curricular Coordinator and
Community Service Project Manager

When BIS HCMC Students met Mekong N’to: A Discussion on Sustainability

Sustainability is increasingly becoming more of a priority worldwide. The vision of a greener future has become the source of inspiration for individuals and organisations all across the globe in response to the noticeable effects of global warming. For the fashion industry, it’s estimated that it accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and brings to light the need for sustainable attire.

Mekong N’to is a company specialising in sustainable attire and is the producer of our very own BIS House T-shirts and was co-founded by Mr. Guim Valls Teruel and Sebastian Balcells. Recently, the Secondary Uniform Upcycling team reached out to Mr Teruel from Mekong N’to for a discussion on sustainability.

College & University Guidance Virtual Visits 2022

We are delighted to announce that we have some highly prestigious universities lined up to speak with our students this term. Already confirmed are Ivy League institutions UPenn and Brown, Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh, the Australian National University, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and other top ranked institutions. Our program is almost complete for the term, but we hope to also confirm visits shortly from the University of Cambridge and the University of Chicago.  The time and date of each confirmed visit are listed below but you can also read further details on each visit by visiting the Virtual Visits Summer 2022 pages here. You will also note that the majority of the previous webinars have been recorded and uploaded to our CUG site here.

Please note that after listening to parent feedback we have reverted to zoom as a platform for our virtual university visits.

You can also sign up at the links below.

• Thursday May 5th 3.30pm-4.30pm Virtual Visit: The University of Edinburgh  – Please sign up for this event at this link.
• Thursday May 12th 3.30pm-4.30pm  Virtual Visit: Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)  – Please sign up for this event at this link.
• Thursday May 19th 3.30pm-4.30pm  Virtual Visit: Australian National University   – Please sign up for this event at this link.
• Thursday May 26th 3.30pm-4.30pm  Virtual Visit: Imperial College, London  – Please sign up for this event at this link.
• Monday June 6th 7.30pm-8.30pm (Note the late start due to the time zone of our speakers). Virtual Visit: The University of Pennsylvania and Brown University.  – Please sign up for this visit at this link.

We hope to see you at one or more of these events.

Saigon Children's Charity Cycle Adventure

• Monday and Tuesday 2nd - 3rd May: Public holidays - School closed
• Wednesday 4th May: IGCSE Exam begins
• Thursday 5th May: The University of Edinburgh Virtual Visit – Please sign up for this event at this link, 3.30pm-4.30pm

Have a wonderful long weekend,

Sean O’Neill
Head Teacher, Secondary Campus