Weekly Highlights is a weekly newsletter sent by the BVIS Leadership Team to parents, providing updates on notable news and activities at the school. The newsletter consists of three main sections: updates from the Principal, Head of Primary, and Head of Secondary.
Mr. Simon Higham, Principal
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the final term of this academic year and we trust that you managed to find time to rest and reenergize during the Term 2 break.
I would like to personally welcome our new members of the BVIS family whose children joined our school this week. Please ensure that if you need any additional help or assistance, we are always here to listen and provide support where needed. Welcome to our BVIS community!
Furthermore, I would like to congratulate all our Vietnamese community for the 50th anniversary of Reunification Day on 30th April. This was a huge landmark for our beautiful country and wherever you were and whatever you did to celebrate, we trust that it was in style and with great pride.
In the final week of last term, we were delighted to announce that Mr. Iain Hope will officially become the new Head of Primary for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Mr. Iain is an experienced educational leader who has served at leading international schools in the UK, Qatar, Jakarta, and most recently as Head of Primary in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Read more about Mr Iain and his prestigious appointment via this link.
Last term we were honoured to both participate and sponsor The Vietnam Child Wellbeing and Protection Summit 2025, held at RMIT University Vietnam.
Alongside leading educators and experts in child wellbeing and school safety, BVIS representatives – Mr. Darragh Shanahan, Deputy Head of Primary; Ms. Rebecca Robinson, EYFS Senior Phase Leader; and Year 12 student Ky Duyen (Chip), a member of the Secondary Student Council – engaged in in-depth discussions focused on enhancing student welfare in today’s educational landscape.
Read more in this article from our school website.
Date: Wednesday 14th May
Time: 9.30am - 11.30am
Location: 10th Floor, American International Hospital, 199 Nguyen Hoang, District 2
I am very much looking forward to hearing about the experiences and successes of our U11 FOBISIA squad who have been representing our school in this year’s ‘Friendly Games’ in Bangkok, Thailand.
More information can be found in Ms Mary’s Highlights today, however I wanted to express our great pride towards our youngest FOBISIA Bulldogs and our thanks for all parents who continue to support the squad to be the best that they can be.
Go Bulldogs!
.png?h=350&w=999&rev=59915f8e402f44ad848483379c17ecb5&hash=0B180714BF8196A044848045AB5182AB)
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 Parent's Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists.
Wishing you all the very best for the upcoming weekend – stay safe and above all, look after each other!
See you all for more next week.
Mrs Mary McAloon, Head of Primary
Green Week
Revisiting Term 2 when we celebrated Green Week, we now have the total funds raised to share with you. Donations were made from students and families to purchase creative pieces of artwork made from upcycled materials and for a day wearing all things green to represent our respect and care for the world that we live in.
After counting these generous donations, I am pleased to announce that between us we raised 18,217,000VND. This is testament to our tremendous efforts and understanding of the importance of looking after our environment. The funds will be used to purchase equipment that the volunteers of ‘Saigon Xanh’ use to clean up the Saigon River and canals within Ho Chi Minh City. ‘Saigon Xanh’ has been a long-standing community partner of BVIS and we truly respect the work that they achieve to improve our city. Huge thanks go to all students and families who donated to this valuable venture.
On Wednesday, our F2B students departed from school with their teachers to visit Kidzoona, a unique indoor play centre for early years children. The experience gave students a unique opportunity to learn and develop in a fun and engaging environment. They explored a variety of play areas, including slides, climbing structures, and ball pits where they could practice their gross motor skills. Other activities such as the role-play and Lego zones allowed the students to express their creativity, learn to problem-solve and initiate social interaction through collaboration and communication.
It was rewarding to see our Early Years students adapt to new routines and make choices independently whilst out on their day trip. Next week will see F2V experiencing the same day trip.
23 of our primary students flew to Thailand on Monday to compete in the annual FOBISIA Games event. Escorted by their coaches, Ms Jess Blick and Mr Jac Isaac, together with Ms Kim and Ms Dieu as coach assistants, the students put their best selves forward in every event that they played.
All year the team trained together three times a week to practice and hone their skills in swimming, tee ball, football and athletics. Sporting endeavours such as this not only support a healthy body and mind for students but also provide the opportunity to develop skills in teamwork, collaboration and perseverance.
We are pleased to report that the team arrived home with many medals collectively; we are so proud of their achievements and success! Thank you to the four coaches and parents for all the support and encouragement given in ensuring our students were successful and had an enjoyable FOBISIA games experience.
As our Year 6 students wrapped up their exciting journey through the world of tourism, they stepped into the role of travel experts, running their very own Tourist Information Centre for their ‘Exit Point’. Applying everything they have learned during their Lien Ket topic, Year 6 crafted ultimate holiday experiences and persuaded fellow students to visit incredible destinations. From stunning landscapes to vibrant city escapes, they highlighted the must-see sights, hidden gems and perfect itineraries that make each place unique. Years 4 and 5 were privileged to visit the Tourist Information Centre and experience adventure as Year 6 showcased their knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm in selling the dream holiday. Well done, Year 6!
1. 13/05/25 @ 18:00: Young Musician of the Year Showcase at BIS HCMC
2. 16/05/25 @13:30: Parent Workshop: Wellbeing through Reading (for F1-Y6 Parents)
3. 20/05/25 @ 08:30: Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Parent Meeting (for Year 6 parents)
4. 22/05/25 @ 17:00: Speech and Poetry Competition Final
5. 23/05/25: Student Leadership Collaboration Day with BIS HCMC (Selected student leaders attending)
Mr Toby Bate, Head of Secondary
I hope you all enjoyed a well-deserved and restful two-week break. As we begin Term 3, our Year 11, Year 12, and Year 13 students are already engaged in their external examinations, while our younger students continue with their regular studies.
Term 3 is always a unique period in the school year - it offers a chance to reflect on the learning and progress made so far, while also looking ahead to what lies beyond.
I encourage you and your children to take this time to celebrate the achievements of the past months and to set clear, meaningful goals for the final term of the 2024–25 academic year.
It's fantastic to see the school buzzing with energy once again as we dive into an exciting Term 3.
A huge congratulations to Hanoi House for their victory as House Champions for Term 2. They showed excellent teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the term in all areas. However, the big question remains: who will lift the overall House Championship trophy at the end of the academic year? The competition is heating up with only a small difference between the houses.
This term promises to be packed with opportunities for everyone, from engaging Global Campus activities and a range of exciting House competitions designed to challenge and inspire. Keep an eye out for announcements and get involved! We look forward to a productive and fun-filled term ahead.
Next week the school will be inviting parents with children in Years 6, 7, 8 and 9 into school to take part in a seminar focused on Puberty. The seminar will cover:
How puberty is taught to Key Stage 3 students at BVIS
The impact of brain development on behaviour and mental wellbeing during puberty
Practical guidance for parents on how to support children through this stage
The event will take place in the Main Hall, starting at 8:15am and concluding by 09:15am.
Even if your child is no longer in these year groups, do feel free to come along and support the school and also other BVIS parents.
The links below display the House Sways, which are put together by our House student leaders. As the term progresses different posts and updates will be added displaying the relevant news for each of the Houses.
Dalat - Dalat House News
Hanoi - Hanoi House News
Hue - Hue House News
Saigon - Saigon House News
University Newsletter - University ambassadors News
The Sparx Maths Weekly Champion is the student who is the top XP earner in each year group.
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:
|
Year Group |
Name |
Class |
|
7 |
Bim Luu |
7S |
|
8 |
Sophia Giap |
8zMat1 |
|
9 |
Melanie Nguyen |
9zMat2y |
|
10 |
The Dung Nguyen |
10zMat3 |
|
11 |
Ngoc Anh To |
11zMat4 |
This week’s bedrock champions are:
Year 7 - Le Tien Dung
Year 8 - Le Hong Minh Quang (Mraz)
Year 9 - Tran Hang Trong Tam
Year 10 - Do Tran Bao Tram
Year 11 - Ngo Khanh Ngoc
Year 12 - Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran
Congratulations to all the above students who came up on top in their respective Year groups. A special well done to Mraz who achieved the highest Bedrock points total across the whole of the secondary school for this week!
This week’s champion is...
Congratulations and well-done to Julie!
This week’s Champion tutor group is
Congratulations to 789b/dalat4 well done!
Congratulation to Dalat house who tried effort to moved up from 4th to 1st!
1. 14/05/25: Puberty Seminar
2. 30/05/25: Live Lunch for May
3. 12/06/25: Whole School Music Concert
4. 12 – 13/06/25: Year 6 Transition Days
5. 18 – 24/06/25: Activities Week
6. 23/06/25: Media Awards Evening
7. 25/06/25: Final Day of Term 3 – School ends at 11:30am
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:
