Weekly Highlights 05/12/2025

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,

The campus is coming alive with the spirit of Christmas! Everyone has been working so hard in preparation for the Christmas Fayre tomorrow, and it promises to be another spectacular event.  Have you got your tickets?

Typhoon Relief Funds 

We wanted to update you and say a huge thank you to all that contributed to our Typhoon Relief fund. We worked closely with the team at BVIS Hanoi, and I am pleased to share that in conjunction with Blue Dragon in Hue, under the collaboration with Hue Women Union, 240 packages of essential goods have been delivered to the families in the flooded areas. These packages contained food, clothing, and other essential items to support the families as they navigate this difficult time.   Our sincere thanks to all that supported this relief effort. 

Learning Beyond the Classroom

One of the things we are most proud of here at BVIS is the many and varied ways the students have, to take their learning beyond the classroom and that so many of the students embrace these opportunities.  From Expeditions to Sports Teams, the Arts and Community, our students are able to showcase their talents, skills and passions in a variety of pathways.  Last week, we had students competing at FOBISIA in Thailand, students participating in a Literary Arts Festival here in HCMC, Year 1 students perform for their parents in the Theatre and Year 2 students performed beautifully this morning making their families very proud. 



We look forward to seeing more students participate in learning opportunities beyond the classroom in Term 2. Teaching them collaboration, care, empathy, patience, perseverance and much more helps our students be the best version of themselves always.    Please do encourage your children to get involved. The rewards are worth it! 

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. 

We have officially entered the Christmas season; the decorations have gone up, and the tree stands proudly outside Primary Reception. Year 1 began things at the end of last week with their Christmas show and Year 2 have taken this forward this week, highlighting the development our children make in language and confidence in the lower primary. Please see below for more on Year 2’s incredible performance.

At the end of this week, we also look forward to Saturday morning and the BVIS Christmas Fayre! This promises to be an extravaganza of fun, presents and Christmas cheer!

I hope to see as many of you as possible there.

Headteacher’s Coffee Morning

Next week, we will have our first Headteacher’s coffee morning. In this first coffee morning, I will introduce myself, my background and educational philosophy. I will share developments and then focus on two important topics for conversation:

1. The benefits of our unique approach to language and its importance to academic development.

2. Academic levels; progress and attainment in the Primary school from EYFS to Year 6.

Please join me next week to find out more.

Whole School Production of Matilda!

Join us for our school’s magical production of Matilda Jr. the Musical! a story of courage, cleverness, and standing up for what’s right, told with unforgettable songs and amazing performances from our talented students, and for the first time including Primary!

Tickets are now on sale in both receptions. Look out for more ‘merch’ (merchandise) and events over the next few weeks!

Date and Time:

• 10th and 11th December 2025 – 4:00pm

• 12th December 2025 – 5:30pm

Venue: BVIS HCMC Auditorium

Ticket Price: 50,000vnd/each ticket

Christmas Performance – Year 2

Our Year 2 Christmas production, ‘The Mouse in Santa’s House’, took audiences on a magical journey to the North Pole, where an unexpected visitor found its way into Santa’s cosy home. Through song, dance, and storytelling, the children showed how kindness, curiosity, and a little Christmas magic could bring friends together.

Their hard work throughout rehearsals truly shone on stage, and everyone who came to see the show was delighted by the children’s confidence, enthusiasm, and talent. This performance highlighted the development of our students in both Vietnamese and English, their articulation, pronunciation and dramatic skills were fantastic. It was a festive celebration of joy, laughter, and imagination, and a wonderful way to mark the Christmas season.

Good Parenting Workshop – Boosting your Child’s Self Confidence

BVIS Primary recently hosted a parent workshop on Good Parenting and Building Your Child’s Self-Confidence, which brought together families from across the school community.

During the session, parents explored practical strategies for nurturing self-belief in young children, including the importance of praise for effort, setting achievable goals, and providing opportunities for independence. The workshop also highlighted the role of positive communication, consistent routines, and modelling resilience when challenges arise. Parents left with useful tools and a deeper understanding of how everyday interactions can strengthen their child’s confidence both at home and in school. 

BVIS Winter Holiday Sports Camp

We are pleased to announce the BVIS Winter Holiday Sports Camp, taking place on our school campus during the upcoming winter break! This is a great opportunity for students to further develop their skills in an environment they know, with coaches they know well. The programme will be delivered by our trusted ECA partners: Rising Star Football Academy (Football) and LG Basketball Academy.

Each day, students will participate in both football and basketball, with time divided equally between the two activities. Sessions will take place on the football field and in the Sports Hall, depending on weather conditions.

If you are interested in taking part, please click on the form below for more details and to sign up. Please sign up as soon as possible so that we can gauge numbers. Details for how to pay will be shared later.

HOLIDAY SPORTS CAMP FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL | TRẠI THỂ THAO NGHỈ LỄ BÓNG ĐÁ & BÓNG RỔ

Upcoming Events:

06/12/2025 – Christmas Bazaar

08/12/2025 – Ready for Christmas & F3 Singing

09/12/2025 – Headteachers Coffee Morning

10/12/2025 – Upper Primary (Y4-6) Sport Day

10/12/2025 – 12/12/2025 – Matilda performances

17/12/2025 – Last day of Term 1

06/01/2026 – First day of Term 2

Saigon International Literary and Arts Festival

BVIS has won the title of Saigon International Literary and Arts Festival Overall Champion! 

Last Thursday 27/11, Mr. Hao led a group of 30 secondary students to The American School to participate in a variety of speaking, art, and dance competitions. There are too many students to mention, such was the extent of success! 

 
Well done to all the students who took part and success is always nice, but it was their enthusiasm and determination that really shone through on the day.

Cooking club! 

This term, Cooking Club has been a wonderful blend of creativity, teamwork, and skill-building. Students learned essential techniques such as knife safety, accurate measuring, time management, and food hygiene. 

Our trainee chefs created and enjoyed delicious dishes, including homemade burgers, carbonara, Halloween inspired pumpkin cake and most recently Christmas inspired cookies. Tasting and eating dishes from around the world has been enjoyed, with many dishes not even making it home before being devoured!
Cooking Club has been about more than food, it’s about confidence, collaboration, and fun. We can’t wait to see what’s on the menu next term!

I-ACT

We are proud to share that a second group of BVIS Secondary staff have recently completed the I-ACT training, the UK’s leading evidence-based and accredited mental health and wellbeing programme. Accredited by The Royal College of Psychiatrists, I-ACT equips individuals with the tools to better understand and manage mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

Congratulations to Mr Huy Nguyen, Mr Lee Moroney, Mr Arun Joseph, Mr Patrick Oldfield, Mr David Doucette, Ms An Khuu, Mr Matt Cryan, Mr Julian Stafford-Daniels, Ms Alexandra Mackay, Ms Ngan Nguyen, Ms Giang Vu, Ms Eva Reppe-Roverselli and Mr Bart Dobson, who are now even more equipped to support the wellbeing of our students and the wider BVIS community. A special thank you to Ms Hayley Allison for organising this valuable training.

Matilda next week

Matilda the Musical is almost here! Don’t miss this spectacular production filled with incredible music, dazzling performances, and the inspiring story of a little girl with a big imagination. Shows run next week, and tickets are selling fast—secure yours now for an unforgettable experience that will leave you smiling and singing all the way home!

Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th December – 4.00pm
Friday 12th December – 5.30pm

Venue: BVIS Auditorium

Tickets are only 50k and available from both the Primary and Secondary Receptionists.

Sparx Maths Champions

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: 

Bedrock Champions

This week’s bedrock champions are:  

Year 7 – Le Hong Minh Khue (Celine)
Year 8 – Nguyen Ngoc Thien Huong (Cherry)
Year 9 – Le Hong Minh Quang (Mraz)
Year 10 – Tran Bao Chau
Year 11 – Nguyen Duc Thien Phu (Billy)
Year 12 – Ngo Khanh Ngoc (Sarah)
                         
Congratulations to all the above students who came up on top in their respective year groups. A special well done to Ngo Khanh Ngoc (Sarah) who achieved the highest Bedrock points total across the whole of the secondary school this week! 

Champion of the week!

This week’s champions are... 

Congratulations and well-done to Minh!

Champion Tutor Group of the week!

This week’s Champion tutor group is  

Congratulations to 789i/ Hue2. Well done!

Housepoint Totals

Congratulation to Hanoi house, who have held the top of the leaderboard!

Upcoming Events

 08/12/2025 – Y11 IGCSE Awards event (current Y12 students)
 09/12/2025 – Secondary Sports Day
 10/12/2025 – 12/12/2025 – School Production – Matilda
 17/12/2025 – Term 1 ends; school closes at 11:30am
 06/01/2026 – Term 2 starts
 12/01/2026 – Season 1B clubs resume
 15/01/2026 – Y10 Parents’ Evening
 28/01/2026 – Y7 Parents’ Evening
 30/01/2026 – Season 1B clubs end

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: