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,
With just a few days to go before the end of Term 1, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on my first term as Principal here at BVIS.
Coming to a new school, whether you are a student, teacher, staff member, Headteacher like Mr Iain, Principal, like me or indeed a new parent, can be daunting.
There is much to learn and absorb. What I have been grateful for here is finding a community that has been warm and welcoming, forgiving mistakes and eager to support.
Thank you to everyone for a wonderful first term, for your kindness and patience and support as each of us ‘newbies’ find our way.
I am very much looking forward to Term 2 and what it brings including Tet Celebrations and more opportunities to connect with the BVIS community.
What an incredible week it has been! Starting last week with the utterly brilliant BVIS Christmas Fayre! Bringing the community together to enjoy festive games, brilliant performances, an exciting raffle, a delicious Christmas lunch as well as the chance to relax and catch up with friends was the perfect combination. My huge admiration and thanks go to the MAC team, and in particular, Ms Huyen for their brilliant work. Thanks also to the always superb FOBVIS for their support.
This week we had Sports Days for Secondary and Upper Primary. It was brilliant to see our athletes at the stadium, encouraging each other and pushing themselves to do their best. Thanks to all the primary parents that were able to join us. Read more in the primary and secondary sections. Well done to all in the PE Department for a successful few days. We look forward to more in Term 2 for EYFS and Lower primary.
If you have been lucky enough to watch a performance of Matilda already, you will know what a brilliant show it has been. With one more performance to go, audiences so far have been wowed with incredible singing, acting, dancing and perfect comedic timing. Congratulations to all the cast and crew, Music Band and the team of teachers involved ably led by Director, Ms Olivia Lopez.
We are delighted to share an outstanding achievement by Phuc Thien (Year 11), who has successfully secured a Nord Anglia Education Social Impact Grant of $2,934 for the Lovientus Project.
Lovientus is an inspiring initiative led by Phuc Thien and a team of students from BIS Ho Chi Minh City and BVIS Ha Noi. The project’s mission is to design and create prosthetic legs for disadvantaged individuals with disabilities who cannot afford mobility solutions, giving them the opportunity to regain independence and improve their quality of life.
This remarkable success came after a rigorous review process by the NAE Student Advisory Board and the Social Impact Grants Committee, who recognized the project’s potential to make a meaningful difference in the community.
We are incredibly proud of Phuc Thien and his team for their vision, compassion, and commitment to social impact. Their work exemplifies the values of innovation and empathy that we strive to nurture in our students.
Congratulations, Phuc Thien! We look forward to seeing the Lovientus Project transform lives.
An end of year letter will be sent to all parents on Monday with details of Term 2 start dates and key dates for the upcoming Term in primary and secondary.
Wishing you all a wonderful festive season ahead. I hope you all have a relaxing holiday. For those traveling, stay safe and we look forward to seeing you in 2026!
Warmest wishes,
Ms Dee
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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.
It has been a huge week in the Primary school as we head towards the end of term. This penultimate week has been packed with everything from sports day to the Matilda production; from exit points to workshops and coffee mornings; from F3 singalong to award assemblies. Wow! This school is 'buzzing' with learning and celebration.
Just a reminder that next week is the last week of term and that it is a short week. We finish at 11:30am on Wednesday 17th December for the Christmas Winter Holiday. Children return to school on Tuesday 6th January.
My personal thanks go to all those parents who came in to listen to me speak; to introduce myself; to introduce some of the new developments at BVIS; and to talk about two of the many great strengths of our school – dual language learning and the strength of the academics here at BVIS in the Primary.
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It was lovely to share and to continue to get to know the families at our school. Please look out for the Class Dojo post where the full slides and some extra handouts have been shared to parents. I hope that this helps to keep parents informed about how BVIS Primary are developing your students.
This week, BVIS proudly staged its whole school production of Matilda Jr., marking the first time our Year 6 students performed alongside their Secondary peers. After weeks of dedicated preparation from the Drama Department, the cast, crew and their families, the result was a truly outstanding adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. The students delivered three fantastic shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, following an exclusive dress rehearsal for Year 6 on Monday. It was a wonderful celebration of talent, teamwork and creativity across our school community. A heartfelt and resounding thank you to our wonderful creative arts team and to all involved in delivering this performance!
On Wednesday morning, our Upper Primary students in Years 4, 5 and 6 enjoyed an energetic and exciting Sports Day. It was lovely to see parents cheering them all on proudly from the sidelines. The children took part in a range of athletic events, competing strongly for their houses—Dalat, Hanoi, Saigon and Hue—as they worked to gain as many points as possible in the race for the Sports Day Cup. However, it was not just about competition but about collaboration as we saw a fantastic display of teamwork, determination and school spirit. Thank you to the families who joined us to celebrate the achievements of our young athletes. Thanks also go to our PE team for organising this great event.
Last week, our Year 4 students enjoyed a fantastic trip to Happy Farm as the exciting entry point for next term’s topic, ‘What’s on the Menu?’. The children explored a range of animals and plants, learning first-hand about where food comes from and how it grows. Alongside their learning, they had plenty of fun too; splashing in the waterpark, zooming down the slides and toboggan, and taking part in a joyful egg hunt. It was a memorable day filled with discovery, laughter, and great enthusiasm for the new topic ahead.
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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.
17/12/2025 – Last day of Term 1
06/01/2026 – First day of Term 2
09/01/2026 – Interim Reports available to parents
12/01/2026 – Block 1B ECAs resume after the winter break
13/01 & 15/01/2026 – Parents’ Evenings for Classes B and I
19/01–20/01/2026 – Juilliard Dance Visit
20/01 & 22/01/2026 – Parents’ Evenings for Classes V and S
In a feat of incredible unmatched sporting prowess, never before seen at BVIS, Hue house won sports day for the fourth year in a row! 
They had to overcome adversity throughout, climbing from 4th place at one point in the day, to finishing triumphant once again. There were too many individual achievements to name, but it was clear the Hue house spirit was in full flow and led the charge in almost every event. A huge well done and thank you must go to our House captains, Max and Bella, and our Head students, Anthony and Olivia, who ensured all students were prepared for their events and given the best possible chance to succeed.
A huge well done to all of secondary who participated on the day (not just the Hue athletes), but let’s see if next year it can be five in a row!
On Monday it was my great privilege to be able to hand out the official IGCSE certificates to our Year 12 students for their performance in their IGCSE examinations at the end of last academic year. As you are aware, this was our best set of IGCSE results, and we had 2 students achieve highest in the world awards for Maths and English second language, as well as awards in Music and Art.
In addition to global and national awards, we were also able to hand out certificates to those students who achieved most highly in specific subjects at BVIS. 
I am incredibly proud of all our students and their determination to succeed, and hard work has generated a huge amount of success. Congratulations to them all.
Our U15 FOBISIA squad had an incredible 3 days of competition at Pattana Resort, Thailand.
Through some exceptional individual performances in the opening event of Athletics - our Bulldogs battled in resiliently, handled pressure from high quality competition from all across Asia to win 11x medals (5x Gold, 2x Silver, 4x Bronze)! Our Athlete of the Day was Jayden, whose hard work and training paid off – deservedly winning 2x Gold medals and 1x Bronze!
In that same afternoon, our boys showed incredible team spirit and fought proudly for each other in the Swimming Pool, earning 2x relay medals! The Bulldogs and their parents had plenty of reasons to celebrate, powering through to a total of 8x Swimming medals (2x Gold, 1x Silver, 3x Bronze). Steven was an inspiration to the team, entering 4 races and winning 3 medals (1x Gold, 2x Bronze)!
The boys carried this momentum into Day 2 with an outstanding morning of Football and going unbeaten in the first 4 games, keeping 4x clean sheets – thanks to gallant team defending and great goalkeeping from Justin! A string of brilliant performances and vital goals from Daeyeon earned him our Football MVP award and inspired the Bulldogs to earn an excellent 2nd Place in the competition!
After all these successes, the Basketball tournament was a great opportunity to round off what was a massively successful, and entertaining trip! With some very close results, a brilliant ‘isolated’ performance from Nam, and many of the squad showing perseverance to play through injury – our Bulldogs defeated BVIS Hanoi in an exciting game at the end of the day! With our Basketball MVP – Ben, finding extra motivation to perform at his best in every game!
Finally, I cannot forget our ‘Ultimate Fobisian’ of the trip for 2025 - Louis, who put maximum effort into every single event he competed in! He played every single minute of the Football tournament and thoroughly deserved his ‘Player of the Match’ award in our win vs BVIS Hanoi in Basketball!
Congratulations to the U15 FOBISIA Squad of 2025 and to Phuc Thien, our fantastic Team Captain and FOBISIA Veteran. You led by example and showed everybody at the competition what it means to have Bulldog Spirit!
Mr. Hooley
On Saturday 29th November, eight Year 9 and Year 10 students attended the Saigon Intermediate Logic Competition at SSIS.
This was a wonderful student-led competition which allowed students to take part in multiple rounds including an Individual Round, a Passback Round and the grande finale Relay Round.
There were almost 100 students competing from 8 schools across the city. One of our teams was awarded 3rd place in the Passback Round – well done to them!
Last Saturday, I participated in a logic competition hosted by SSIS. Competing alongside my friends made the experience enjoyable, and it has also allowed me to see the high level of ability students from other schools possess. Through this event, I was able to learn more and understood what I need to work on. (Xuan Nam)
The Logic Competition overall felt really fun! I had to really focus, and, on some questions, I was completely stuck, it really shows how difficult these questions can be even if you could expect the unexpected. I liked the rounds, and it was fun solving the questions. The round I liked most was the relay with my team! We had a lot of fun coming up with strategies and "the meta". (Kiv)
Well done to all the students who took part: Nguyen, Minh Triet (Kiv), Phung, Nguyen Minh Khang (Leo), Pham, Le Phuc Hung (Phuc Hung), Nguyen, Xuan Nam (Nam), Pham, Tien Minh (Ben), Nguyen, Hai Quan (Kent), Tran, Hoang Khoi (Tin Tin), Quach, Nhu Minh (Kate)
Ms. Holmes
It has been an incredibly busy and enriching term for our Year 12 and Year 13 students. They have taken part in a wide range of activities that showcase their commitment, creativity and leadership across the school community.
Sixth Form Involvement This Term
Sixth Form Challenges:
Students enjoyed friendly competitions including Pictionary, fashion shows and activities where they created a “tutor likeness.”
Primary School Support:
Many students have been helping primary teachers in lessons as part of building evidence for their Enrichment Passports.
School Events:
Sixth Formers have played an important role in supporting key events such as Parents’ Evenings, Options Evenings and Sports Day.
School Production:
A number of students were involved in this year’s production of Matilda, contributing both on and off stage.
All of this has taken place alongside their A-Level and Diploma studies, which are academically demanding. It is therefore important that our Sixth Form students take time over the break to rest, recharge and spend time with friends and family. Term 2 promises to be just as busy and exciting!
A huge congratulations to the five students recognised this week by Mr Adams and Mr Hart for outstanding conduct this term — achieving 100% attendance, zero lates and zero demerits:
• Alice – 12B
• Cherry – 12C
• Minh Hien – 12H
• Jake – 13B
• Nhat Vy – 13C
Congratulations to these students and to all of our Sixth Formers for a productive and successful first term. Rest well, and we look forward to welcoming you back for Term 2!
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 | Kien Dang Nguyen | 7V |
8 | Bao Nam Tran | 8zMat2x |
9 | Huu Phuc Nguyen | 9zMat3y |
10 | Lily Le | 10zMat1 |
11 | Cloudie Cao | 11zMat1 |
This week’s bedrock champions are:
Year 7: Le Hong Minh Khue (Celine)
Year 8: Nguyen Hoang Thuc Quyen
Year 9: Nguyen Minh Triet (Kiv)
Year 10: Nguyen Han Hoang (Carrot)
Year 11: Nguyen Hoang Tue Tran
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, who achieved the highest Bedrock points total across the whole of the secondary school this week!
This week’s champions are...
Congratulations and well-done to Anna!
This week’s Champion tutor group is
Congratulations to 789v/hanoi4. Well done!
Housepoint totals are now hidden from students until the final assembly of the term when the winning house will be revealed.
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 – Year 10 Parents’ Evening
28/01/2026 – Year 7 Parents’ Evening
30/01/2026 – Season 1B clubs end
06/02/2026 – Tet Assembly
09/02/2026 – School closed for Tet Holiday
25/02/2026 – School reopens after Tet Holiday
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:
