Weekly Highlights 13/10/2023

Mr. Simon Higham, Principal

Dear Parents

Welcome to this week’s Highlights, that aim to celebrate and showcase the many successes that occur across our school each week and help to remind parents of what is coming up next so that you are well informed and prepared.

This week’s Highlights are the last ones of this half term, with the next edition coming on Friday 27th October.

Thank you for your engagement and connection in helping to support the quality and breadth of our students’ learning whilst also strengthening our school and wider community.

Announcing the Winners of the 2023 BVIS Art Competition 

Our EYFS, Primary and Secondary students have been busy over the last few weeks creating artworks for the BVIS Calendar. Students were asked to create an artwork which illustrates and represents the values within our school’s Aide Memoire. 

They had freedom to choose their favourite art materials, with most students choosing to explore drawing, painting and digital artworks. The Art Department received an outstanding number of submissions and it was very challenging to choose just 24 of them! 

Congratulations to all of the winning artists (see below), whose work will be placed into the actual 2024 calendar. These calendars will be available to buy during #LoveBVIS week in November and at further school events until the end of Term 1. All profits from the sales will go to our community partners.

And the winners are...............(drumroll please!)

Primary 

• Global Citizen - Hani 5B, Gia Linh 5I
• Vietnamese Perspective - Benz 6V, Julia 6I
• Respect - EYFS classwork
• Integrity - Mia 3S, Nam 3V
• Enquiry - Lily 4V, Kady 4B
• Care – EYFS classwork
• Perseverance - Anna (Minh Anh 1I), Amaiya 1B
• Reflection - Ky Ky 2I, Tu Uyen 2S

Secondary 

• Global Citizen - Tam Nhu 9V, Bao Tran 7I
• Vietnamese Perspective - Viet Khoa 10S 
• Respect - Phuong Dung (Sally) 10I, Thao Ngoc (Zoey) 11S
• Integrity - Nhat Le 10I
• Enquiry - Thanh Ha 7B, Dan Vy 13S
• Care – Yui Chi (Keely) 9S, Thao Linh 13H
• Perseverance - Thuy Tien 7I
• Reflection - Tam An (Zen) 7I

Thank you to everyone who took part for their efforts, creativity and commitment to our school values. Well done!

Halloween Event

This week, I had the pleasure in meeting with parents from the Friends of BVIS (FoBVIS) who are organising this year’s Halloween event for our EYFS and Primary students.

• Date: Friday, 27th October 2023, from 3.30 to 6:00 p.m.
• Location: Main Hall, British Vietnamese International School HCMC (BVIS HCMC)
• Ticket prices:
  • 40,000 VND for students under 5 years old
  • 65,000 VND for students over 5 years old and adults

With a new format to last year, families of EYFS and Primary students can experience a Scary Route Walk, Best Costume Competition followed by a family Movie Night with popcorn and unique treats.

Tickets can be bought directly from our Cashier, located in the Primary Foyer – hurry........we have a limited number of tickets to sell!

Remember to bring your own mats, bean-bag chairs, cushions, thin blankets, etc., for the most comfortable movie-watching experience.

FoBVIS Needs You!

To help support FoBVIS events in school, we need your help and support. If you can offer any amount  of your time to help with this year’s Halloween Event or other upcoming events, please contact: Ms. Nhien Ngo - Events Manager via email at nhien.ngo@bvisvietnam.com / Hotline: 090 6880 005.   

As always, any help you can give will go a very long way!

Introducing our Amazing New Teachers

Ms Rebecca Lewis 

Bachelor of Science (Mathematics with Business Management), University of Birmingham, UK 

Postgraduate in Education in Mathematics, King’s College London, UK 

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Department for Education, UK 

Rebecca studied Mathematics and Business Studies at the University of Birmingham before graduating as a Mathematics teacher at King’s College, London. She has been working at Queen’s College London for the past six years. During her time at Queen’s, Rebecca has had various pastoral responsibilities including three years as a Head of Year, followed by two years as Head of Key Stage 4. Rebecca has taught Mathematics for both GCSEs and A Levels.  

In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys various sporting activities including running, netball and attending gym classes. Rebecca visited Vietnam before she started her teacher training and is very excited to be returning and getting the chance to explore the country further.

Eureka!

As reported in our Weekly Highlights back on 16th June 2023, Mr Chris Langan, a parent at BVIS, brought a giant model heart and artery crawl to BVIS last year for science week, allowing our students to be amongst the first to experience and interact with them.

After being showcased at our school the giant models were placed in a permanent exhibition called Eureka.

Eureka provides students of all ages a fun and interactive way to learn science and has now opened its first location in District 7 with over 32 exhibits. 

If you would like to find out more over the half-term weekends, they are open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 9pm. Fliers are available from our school Receptions.

Contact Us

Should you wish to contact your child’s Class Teacher(s) or Form Tutor directly, we encourage communication to be written in the language you most feel confident to use. 

Parents may also find it useful to contact their child’s class teacher(s) or form tutor directly for all individual queries about their academic work/social and emotional wellbeing in school.  Individual contact details can be found in the Parents' Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists.  

As always, your engagement and connection with our school and your child’s / children's learning is vitally important to us. Thank you for taking time to read today’s Highlights and we hope you found them both interesting and useful.

From all of the team at BVIS, have a well-deserved and relaxing half term break. See you again in school on Monday 23^rd October.

Mrs Mary McAloon, Head of Primary

FOBISIA Code-Breaking Challenge

The FOBISIA Mathematics Code Breaking Challenge is a great opportunity for students to apply their mathematical skills, understanding and critical thinking to challenges outside of their daily lessons in mathematics. On 21^st September, 30 students from Year 5 and 6 signed up to participate in the FOBISIA Mathematics Code Breaking Challenge 2023. Participating students applied their fantastic mathematical skills in problem solving, logical reasoning and perseverance, making them successful code breakers.

Over 78 schools and 17,000 students entered this competition, and we are pleased to announce that our 30 BVIS students, along with students from our Secondary years, placed BVIS in 9th position for Level 2 of the challenge. In addition, 90% of our primary students successfully completed the level 1A challenge or above.  Finally, we are proud to share that six Year 6 students completed the level 2 challenge, which is aimed at Year 7 students and above!  Congratulations to Hai Dang, The Vinh, Cong Thanh (6B), Cherry, Minh Tri (6V) and Minh Long (6I) for this fantastic code-breaking achievement!

Year 4 Creative Writing Exhibition

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the Year 4 parents who graced our public speaking event, showcasing the remarkable learning journey that our students have been through. The children delved into the art of crafting informative texts and confidently presented them to the audience, exhibiting outstanding resilience in the face of challenges, and filling their teachers with immense pride.

This experience is invaluable, serving as a cornerstone for the Year 4 students’ upcoming endeavours, including presenting their Project Curiosity outcomes and shining on stage during the Year 4 production later this year. These skills will undoubtedly accompany them as they venture into the wider world.

Congratulations to all! Your support and the student’s hard work truly made this event a resounding success. 

Young Musician of the Year Final

On Wednesday our four BVIS finalists joined all other finalists from BIS, RISS and ABCIS to perform in the final round of this year’s Young Musician of the Year. The evening was a musical delight with a range of pieces performed by extremely talented musicians. The panel of judges was formed from the secondary music departments across our four schools.  Collectively the judges have many years of experience in music education and performing as musicians themselves.  The task upon them was not easy; all young musicians performed exceptionally well and all had their own unique expertise.  

We were thrilled to support Thanh Phu on the Guitar and Cherry, Tinh Son and Lulu on the Piano as our BVIS finalists and congratulate them for reaching the final round of Young Musician of the Year, 2023.  They performed with confidence, demonstrating their musical talent to the large audience of families, friends and teachers from the four different schools.

There were three top finalists and I am proud to announce that Thanh Phu was awarded first place out of 18 finalists.  Congratulations, to our newly titled ‘Young Musician of the Year’!

Upper Primary Positive Parenting – Wearing the Firm Hat

 

Bulldogs strike again!

Now that the SISAC football season is well underway, our Bulldogs U9 and U11 teams have had a number of games to practice their teamwork and footballing skills. This week in total we had four fixtures with ABC, two home and two away.  Exhilarating performances from all teams enhanced the Bulldogs push for championship glory in 2023.  The players continue to improve and excel as individuals and as groups each and every week. Go Bulldog!

Upcoming Events

1. 16/10/23 – 20/10/23: School closed for the half-term holiday
   
   
2. 23/10/23 – School resumes, Block 1A clubs resume
   
   
3. 25/10/23 – Positive Parenting Workshop: ‘Wearing the Firm Hat’ for Lower Primary families.
   
   
4. 27/10/23 @15:30 – Friends of BVIS family Halloween event
   
   
5. 28/10/23 – Last day of Block 1A Clubs programme
   
   
6. 30/10 – 4/11/23 – Clubs Programme breaks for City Championships
   
   
7. 6/11/23 – Block 1B Clubs programme begins
   
    

Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary 

Six students from BVIS have received prestigious awards from Cambridge Assessment International Education to acknowledge their outstanding performance in the June ‘23 examination series.

The Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards programme celebrates the success of learners taking Cambridge examinations in over 40 countries around the world. 

The below students at BVIS received specific awards:

Linh Dan

• Top in Vietnam in Business Studies (IGCSE)
• Top in Vietnam in Geography (IGCSE)

Phuong Nhi

• Top in Vietnam in Drama (IGCSE)

Bao Chi

• Top in Vietnam in Literature in English (IGCSE)

Phuong Nghi

• Top in Vietnam in Computer Science (AS Level)

Tue Minh

• Top in Vietnam in Media Studies (AS Level)

Thao Linh

• High Achievement in Art and Design (AS Level)

The students above have worked so hard to achieve tremendous success in their examinations. The results are a reflection of the enormous talent at BVIS, not only amongst students but also within the teaching community. Congratulations to everyone who was involved in helping these students achieve so highly last summer.

Black History Month

We are celebrating Black History Month here at BVIS, which is commemorated across the world during the month of October. The initiative is about recognizing the achievements of people of colour throughout history. This month is not just for black communities, it's for everyone. It celebrates diversity and different cultures coming together. The global theme for Black History Month this year is the power of representation, which is an important topic for our students at BVIS to consider as global citizens.

When we see different people from different demographics achieving greatness, it empowers us to believe in our own potential. It is also a chance to educate ourselves, grow, and stand up against discrimination and injustice. We have a daily calendar of challenges for students, staff and parents to get involved in during October - We invite and encourage you to participate in as many challenges as you can to increase your own awareness of Black History and global diversity!

Bedrock Champions

This week’s bedrock champions are:

Year 7 - Jolie Chau  
Year 8 - Oliver Bui 
Year 9 - Grace Do                                                                               
Year 10 - Betty Le            
Year 11 - Kensuke Yamamura                    
Year 12 - Tran Nam Phu                          

Congratulations to all the above students who came up on top in their respective year groups. A special well done to Oliver Bui who achieved the highest Bedrock points across the whole of Secondary.

First News Champions

This week's First News Champions are:

Year 8 - Nguyen Ngoc Nguyen                                       
Year 9 - Max Nguyen 

A special congratulations to Ngoc Nguyen who was the overall champion.

Sparx Maths Champions

Students earn XP by completing tasks in their Sparx Homework

Compulsory Tasks earn 60-80XP
XP Boost Tasks earn 120-150XP
Target Tasks earn 120-150XP
Independent Learning Tasks earn 100XP

Students reach a new Sparx Level every 10000XP

Top XP earners this week are:

Congratulations to the top Sparx students for this week!

Additionally, students at BVIS are currently ranked 6th out of 2000 schools on the Sparx Maths Leaderboard – Please continue to encourage your son/daughter to push further as we aim for that Number 1 spot!

Champion of the Week

This week’s joint champion students is...

Kensuke – 11B is this week’s champion! Congratulations!

Champion Tutor Group

This week's Champion tutor group is...

A huge well done to everyone in 8V who worked together to achieve more housepoints than any other tutor group last week.

October Live Lunch

Students from across Secondary have been celebrating their musical talents at our monthly rendition of Live Lunch.

Well done to all of our performers and to our supportive audience. 

Battle of the Bands

All are welcome to attend our BVIS Battle of the Bands competition when we return after the holidays. This looks to be an exciting event featuring band performers from KS3, KS4 and KS5. 

All bands are eligible to enter the FOBISIA Battle of the Bands and the selected winners will also go on to the Saigon Battle of the Bands to represent BVIS.

Please come along and show your support. Tickets are available on the door, with all proceeds going to the Blue Dragon Children’s Charity.

Upcoming Events

1. 13^th Oct, 23: Last day of half term 1
   
   
2. 23^rd Oct, 23: First day of half term 2
   
   
3. 27^th Oct, 23: Year 7 – 9 Reports go home
   
   
4. 27^th Oct, 23: Season 1A clubs end
   
   
5. 30^th Oct – 3^rd Nov, 23: Biology Week
   
   
6. 2^nd Nov, 23: Year 13 Parents’ Eve
   
   
7. 6^th Nov, 23: Season 1B clubs start
   
   
8. 14^th Nov, 23: Year 12 Parents’ Eve
   
   
9. 20^th Nov – 8^th Dec, 23: House Football
   
   
10. 28^th Nov: Year 7 Parents’ Evening

Safeguarding and Child Protection

The health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains the number one priority at BVIS HCMC.

Should you have a concern for the welfare of any child in our school, please refer to our Safeguarding poster below: