Weekly Highlights 24/10/2025

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.

Dear Parents,

A warm welcome back to school after what I hope was an enjoyable and relaxing half term for all our BVIS community. Although it’s only been 5 days here at school, it has been hectic with lots going on!

Below you will find lots of information about what has been taking place this week but before scrolling down, I wanted to share with you what we are doing to support the communities affected by the recent and devasting typhoons in Northern Vietnam. 

Between 29 September to early October, typhoons Bualoi and Matmo unleashed relentless rain, severe flooding, and deadly landslides in northern Viet Nam, causing widespread destruction. Homes have been destroyed, schools closed, and children are facing days without clean water, food, or warmth.

In partnership with BVIS Hanoi, from October 23rd to 31st, we will be organising a community donation drive to raise funds for those affected.
 
All money raised will be sent to BVIS Hanoi who will work with community partners in the North, to buy provisions that can be sent to the areas in need.
  
Please can we ask for your donations, whatever you can contribute, but give as generously as you can. We will then use this money to buy provisions that can be sent to areas in need.

Donation boxes will be located in the primary and secondary reception areas or you can donate by bank transfer using the QR code below. Many thanks for your support of those in dire need at this time.  



The school was transformed on Tuesday afternoon into a concert venue for Battle of the Bands with 3 stunning performances from our secondary student bands.   Outside, at the same time, our U11 girls football team had a convincing win against CIS with goals flying into the back of the net!

We welcomed Erin Wight from Julliard who worked with students, staff and parents during the week and brought even more music to our campus. 

A Heartfelt Thank You for a Wonderful Coffee Morning!

We had a great turnout of parents at our Parent Partnership workshop on Digital Learning and Safety led by Mr Darragh Shanahan and Ms Tram Vu. Thank you all for coming and being part of your child’s learning journey. 

And today, the school was transformed into a spooky and scary Halloween experience for our primary students.  More to follow on this but a huge thank you to all the FoBVIS parents and our Marketing Team who made this happen.  What a brilliant afternoon for all our students!

Poppies - Remembrance Day 

Remembrance Day is a day observed in many countries, including the UK and Commonwealth nations, to honour the men and women who have served and lost their lives in wars and conflicts. It takes place on November 11th, the date marking the end of the First World War in 1918. In the weeks before Remembrance Day, people wear and sell red poppies, a flower that grew on the battlefields of World War I and has since become a symbol of remembrance. 

The money raised from selling poppies goes to charities supporting veterans and their families, helping those affected by war. 

The school will be holding a fundraising drive in the lead-up to Remembrance Day. Poppies will be available for students to purchase at the Primary Reception or from Mr Tootle in Room 139 in the Secondary School.

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. 

Welcome back! It has been lovely to see the children returning happy and bright and ready to learn. This first week started with an assembly on Monday from Miss Erin Wight from Juilliard Music School who delighted our students with her Viola and got them involved in fun activities to develop their rhythm. Miss Erin also got to work with students in lessons and to meet parents at our coffee morning on Tuesday. Music and performance are hugely important in education.

Halloween Spooktacular!

We finished the week with a fabulous event – Halloween! Our spooky event saw children and families, in their costumes, dare the spooky corridor, take part in exciting games, have a costume contest and finish with a spooky film. Thank you to all who came along and to all the parents and volunteers who helped make it a special event.

Phonics Workshops – the building blocks of Reading and Spelling

Over the past few weeks, we were delighted to welcome parents of Early Years and Lower Primary students to our phonics workshops. Each session saw a wonderful turnout, reflecting the strong commitment of our BVIS parent community.

Throughout the series, Ms Rioghnach (English Literacy Leader) and Ms Ha (Vietnamese Literacy Leader) highlighted the importance of building a solid foundation of early reading skills in both languages. Parents learned about the excellent progress achieved through our Read Write Inc. English phonics programme and our bespoke Vietnamese phonics approach, exclusive to BVIS.

Session 1 introduced Set 1 sounds in both languages. Parents practised accurate pronunciation and explored segmenting and blending – the essential building blocks of early reading. A group of enthusiastic Year 2 volunteers then joined to demonstrate reading English and Vietnamese words with the parents.

Session 2 focused on Set 2 and Set 3 sounds, featuring longer and more complex words. We once again welcomed student volunteers who taught the sounds to the parents with great confidence. Parents also gained valuable insight into how children progress through our step-by-step phonics programme.

Session 3 explored how ditties, reading books, homework, and digital tools are used to reinforce phonics learning at BVIS.

We would like to thank all parents who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. Your support plays a key role in helping your children grow into confident, successful readers.

Global Languages Week

Following the theme of International Week that we had just before the holiday, but now focusing more on language, we will celebrate languages from around the world as part of a week-long theme from October 27th.  Look out for more information on that coming soon.

Upcoming Events:

• 28th October Y6 Project Curiosity Presentations
• 30th October Y5 Project Curiosity Presentations
• 4th November Y4 project Curiosity Presentations

Battle of the bands BVIS

The BVIS Battle of the Bands 2025 was a spectacular celebration of student talent, teamwork, and musical creativity! With three dynamic bands made up of students from across KS4 and KS5, the competition was fierce and the performances electrifying. RootSix emerged as the winning band, impressing the judges and audience alike with their energy and musicality. 

The event was supported by an enthusiastic crowd of friends, parents, and staff, creating an unforgettable atmosphere of encouragement and school spirit. As overall winners, RootSix will now go on to represent BVIS at the upcoming Saigon Battle of the Bands in the new year, competing against top student bands from across the city. We are incredibly proud of all our performers—what a night to remember!

A Sweet Success: Bake Sale for Typhoon Relief 

On Wednesday, our Community x Environment Committee hosted a Bake Sale for Typhoon Relief — and it was a huge success!

The Sunken Garden was filled with the delicious aroma of freshly baked churros, salted caramel brownies, and gooey s’more cookies as students and staff came together to support communities affected by Typhoon Bualoi in northern Vietnam.

Thanks to everyone’s generosity (and sweet tooth!), the event was full of smiles, sweet treats, and community spirit — all in support of our charitable partners working on disaster relief. It was a wonderful reminder that even small acts, like buying a brownie, can make a big difference.

A massive thank you to everyone who baked, bought, and helped spread the word. Together, we turned kindness into action — one dessert at a time.

Humanities Update

This week, our Year 12 students have been actively consolidating their understanding of Germany before and during World War II. A series of timeline-based activities now proudly decorate the classroom walls, showcasing their collaborative efforts and deepening historical insight. 

Using visual timelines is a powerful tool for historians. It helps students anchor key events chronologically, see cause-and-effect relationships, and understand the broader historical context. 

By working together to build these timelines, students not only reinforce their individual knowledge but also engage in meaningful peer discussion—an essential part of historical inquiry. This kind of retrieval practice—recalling and organizing information—supports long-term memory and prepares students for future analytical tasks. 

It’s a great example of how active learning strategies can drive progress and confidence in complex topics.

Sparx Maths Champions