Student Highlights & Success Stories (12/05 - 16/05/2025)

Dear Families

On Tuesday you will have received an email from me with a few questions to answer that will assist us further in developing the school. I hope many of you will take the time to complete the very short survey, thank you.

On Sunday we are hosting a seminar about our Primary International Curriculum, I hope some of you and your friends will be able to join us for this interesting discussion.

This week we hosted a variety of coffee mornings for parents. Thank you to all those who attended. We will run many more in the coming weeks.

I am pleased to say that we are recruiting a lot of students for the upcoming summer school. There are still some places left, so please register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Home Learning

The relaunch of our Home Learning programme this year has been a success. We are thrilled to see our primary students developing good habits in reading, completing maths activities, and practising both English and Vietnamese vocabulary each week.

We especially appreciate the feedback from teachers, students, and parents. Based on this feedback, we are now determining the next steps for Home Learning this term and for the next academic year.

Our teaching staff participated in training focused on vocabulary development and how to better support and provide feedback on students' Home Learning. Additionally, the KS2 Home Learning Diary has been redesigned, with valuable contributions from our student ambassadors on how to improve it even further.

A big thank you to all the parents and carers for supporting students in their Home Learning!

Empathy, Communication Skills and Belonging

This week in the Early Years Centre, the focus was on friendship. Everybody was thrilled to welcome new friends in various classes, and it was heartwarming to see how polite and inclusive the children were. They eagerly engaged with their new peers, making sure everyone felt comfortable and included. Friendship and social interaction are essential in the Early Years, helping children develop empathy, communication skills, and a strong sense of belonging. BVIS Hanoi is so proud of how young learners embrace these values.

Healthy Eating

To launch our new IPC topic “We Are What We Eat”, Year 1 explored five food groups through a fun sensory activity. The children rotated through stations for grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and fats and sugar. Using their senses, they touched, smelled, and tasted different foods, describing textures and flavours. This exciting Entry Point sparked curiosity and got everyone thinking about healthy eating and how food helps our bodies. What a tasty start to our learning journey!

Sparking Curiosity and Enthusiasm

Year 2 had a brilliant start to the new term with the launch of their latest topic, Treasure Island. As part of their entry point, the children were introduced to a range of pirate-related vocabulary, which they enjoyed learning and using in different activities. They got creative making their own pirate hats and had great fun taking on pirate roles during an outdoor role-play session, where they practised using their new vocabulary in context. The class also began learning the first part of their new story, which sets the scene for an exciting adventure. This hands-on, imaginative entry point really helped spark curiosity and enthusiasm, setting the tone for the weeks ahead as the children continue to explore life at sea, maps, and stories filled with treasure and adventure.

Exploring the Treasures of the Ancient World

Year 3 began the new topic, "Temples, Tombs and Treasures," with an exciting treasure hunt that sparked lots of curiosity and excitement! During the hunt, the children discovered Ancient Egyptian writing called hieroglyphs and learned how people in the past used symbols to share messages. The activity was a fun and engaging way to step into the world of Ancient Egypt. Everyone was fascinated by the strange and beautiful symbols. Now, Year 3 can’t wait to explore more about temples, tombs, and the treasures of the ancient world!

Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils

Our recent trip to the Geological Museum was a fantastic learning experience for the students! They explored fascinating exhibits on rocks, minerals, and fossils, and gained hands-on insight into Earth’s history and natural processes. Highlights included seeing real dinosaur fossils, handling different types of rocks, and learning how volcanoes and earthquakes shape our planet. The visit sparked curiosity and encouraged thoughtful questions, making it a memorable and educational day for all!

A Meaningful and Memorable Experience

On Monday, May 12th, a group of Year 5 students visited the Nhan Chinh School for the Deaf, where they had the opportunity to tour the campus and learn more about the daily life of the students there. During the visit, they made new friends and took part in a variety of engaging activities. These included learning and practicing sign languages, trying out sewing machines, designing and decorating their own cup coasters. It was a meaningful and memorable experience that helped the students gain a deeper understanding of the deaf community and the importance of inclusion.

Vietnamese - Learning Vocabulary

Last week, the students were introduced to new vocabulary. To help them learn and understand the words and their meanings, they played a fun True/False game. In this game, students asked prompting questions to figure out which word was stuck to their heads and what its meaning was. The students had a lot of fun, and the interactive nature of the game helped make the new vocabulary more memorable.

It has been a busy week here at BVIS. A huge well done to our year 10 and year 12 students who have been completing their IGCSE and A level mock exams. Ongoing good luck, to our year 11 and year 13 students who are continuing to undertake their final exams. Furthermore, next week our KS3 students in years 7, 8 and 9 will have their first assessment week. We wish them all the very best.

Last Friday, it was great to meet with a group of parents in our first self-evaluation coffee morning. They gave me some great suggestions and ideas which will inform our school planning for next year. Our next coffee morning is on Friday 23rd May and if you would like to attend, please complete this LINK.

Sports Awards Evening

After another eventful year where our student athletes once again raised the bar on team commitment, personal standards, effort and energy, they have pushed Dragon culture to another level. We have arrived at one of our favourite events of the year, which will take place on Thursday the 22nd of May, from 6pm to 8pm.

This will be an opportunity for us to recognise, celebrate and reflect on our successes, our teamwork and our togetherness as a whole school. We will offer some special recognition to individuals who have stood out amongst high performing teams and recognise the participation of each individual that has pulled on the Black and Blue uniform that represents our Dragons. Formal invitations will go out shortly via email and we hope that we can celebrate with parents, students, staff and our wider BVIS community.

Music Competition

Last Wednesday the annual BVIS Music Competition took place. This was a fabulous evening of talented performers. We had 10 soloist performers across year 7-12 and 3 bands all from KS3.

The judges were: Lesley Scott (BIS), Daithi Ormond (BVIS) and Stacey Perez (St. Paul's American School Hanoi)

The winners were:

• Solo winner - Vo Ha Vy Nguyen Year 9 (Drum kit)
• Solo runner-up - Ngan Khanh (Birdy) Le Year 7 (vocals)
• Band winners - ‘Reverie’ - Ha Phuong Nguyen, Le Quynh Anh Tran, Minh Anh Le, Vu Quynh Nhu Le, Dieu Anh Tran (all Year 9)

We would like to highlight that the bands put countless hours of time to rehearse for the audition and for the concert. We are still at the early stages at BVIS for establishing bands and want to promote the culture of performing more as a group.

Students showed important school values such as integrity and perseverance by rehearsing in the music rooms almost every day and they were consistent with showing up and knowing their parts as well as each others. On the evening of the performance, the audience only sees the final product, but I think it is important to highlight the time and effort that was put in by the students' own initiative and proactiveness that contributed to the success of all their performances.

Harvard College Project

We will be hosting the LEARN WITH LEADERS session again this year, allowing students from Year 7 to Year 13 to complete this at the end of term 3. This event is directed and delivered by Harvard Students and Graduates (see brochure for more details).

TITLE: FUTURE ENTREPRENEURS & LEADERSHIP COURSE

VENUE: BVIS SECONDARY CAMPUS

DATES: 23rd June - 25th June 2025

Students earn a Certificate for participation in the HARVARD COLLEGE PROJECT. This is a great opportunity for students to gain extra-curricular experience without the large expense of travelling to another country. Extra-Curricular activities are looked at by Universities, and we offer connections to this kind of activity so that ALL students have the chance to gain this kind of knowledge and experience. Students can sign up using the QR code in the brochure by Monday 19th May.

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