Weekly Highlights 16/01/2025

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,

As we leave the Christmas season behind us and Tet approaches, we are enjoying the cooler weather here at school.  

I have enjoyed catching up with many of you over the last week at parent teacher conferences and workshops.  We were particularly delighted to see so many parents attend the Exploratory Morning for secondary and hear from Mr Toby Bate, outlining what secondary at BVIS offers for our students. Please scroll down to read more about this.

An important heath update letter was sent to all parents yesterday. Thank you for your supportive and positive response to the letter and as always, working with us to ensure that the health, safety and care for all our students, remains our number one priority. 

Our Sports Teams have begun their season of games, and we are proud of the successes so far for the teams as well as being proud of their teamwork and determination. We wish all the teams across primary and secondary all the best as they continue with their season.

Our parent survey results are in! With our highest ever input from parents with 49% responding to the survey, the results are very pleasing and we will be sharing more with you next week.  As always, we thank you for your engagement as we strive to continually improve our school for our students but also our wider community including you as parents.  

The Tet Fair is coming soon – Sunday, February 1st! It promises to be a wonderful family occasion, and I am very excited for my first Tet Fair!  Invitations will be sent to families from 21st to 23rd January 2026 we are looking forward to seeing you there!

BVIS School Photos 

We would like to invite you to explore and select your child’s school photos on the Picture Perfect website, where you can conveniently purchase prints, digital packages, and a variety of other exciting products online. You’ll enjoy a wide range of options, including multiple print sizes, background choices, and free delivery to the school before 27th March 2026.
 
Key dates:
 
Batch 1 Orders: January 13-18
Products delivered to the school free of charge: Feb 2-4

Batch 2 Orders: January 19-Feb 28
Products delivered to the school free of charge : Mar 23-27

Batch 3 Orders: Mar 1-end of the school year
HOME DELIVERY ONLY
 
ORDER INFORMATION :

1.     Log in Pictured Perfect Website
2.     Use Portrait & Class photos - access code: (received in an email earlier this week) 
 
Picture Perfect accepts most debit and credit cards for local payments, made directly on their website.
 
A card with the QR login details for purchasing photos will also be sent directly to the students’ class next week, together with the Tet invitation package.
 
If you have any difficulties accessing your account or any further questions, please directly contact them at orders@pictureperfect.vn or 090 182 1450. Picture Perfect offers support in English, Vietnamese and basic Korean for your convenience.

BVIS Summer School

We are delighted to share that the BVIS Summer School 2026 has been launched. There is a special offer: 30% discount for early registration by 28/02/2026.

Let your child explore, unlock creativity, and develop essential skills with the exciting 2026 Summer School at BVIS HCMC.

Duration: 3 weeks from 22/06 to 10/07/2026

 The programme is designed for different age groups, featuring creative themes, diverse activities, and an international environment.

Who can join: Children from 2 to 14 years old

Why choose BVIS Summer School 2026?

• Enhance English skills: 100% English instruction using modern teaching methods delivered by international teachers from BVIS and BIS HCMC.

•Develop essential skills: Creativity, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving through engaging activities.

•Discover the arts: Exciting opportunities in drama, storytelling, music, and other creative arts.

•World-class sports: Modern facilities offering enjoyable sports experiences and fun challenges.

•Unforgettable field trips: Apply newly learned skills through real-world experiences with friends.

Register now to enjoy a 30% tuition discount.

Open to BVIS students and students from other schools – please feel free to share with your friends.

Please continue to read through the primary and secondary highlights.  Although we have only been back for a couple of weeks, there is already lots happening that you will not want to miss. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead. 

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. 

It has been a lovely start to the new year and the new term at primary. The students have settled back into school with new topics and with a new focus on two of our Aide Memoire attributes – respect and care. We looked at these in our assemblies and looked how we show these two important attributes through our behaviour in school. We combined this with a New Year’s Resolution; a promise that will help us to improve our approach to others and to our learning this term.

We also had our first ‘Class Assembly’ of 2026. A huge thank you to the students in Year 4 and to Miss Yen for sharing their learning with us on Friday. 

Mid-Year Interim Reports

On Friday of last week, parents of existing students, who were with us in Term 1, should have received their child’s Interim Report for EYFS and Primary. If you have not received this, please contact primaryreception@bvisvietnam.com to let them know, so we can support. 

Parents Evenings

This week we had two Parent Evenings for parents to meet with their child’s class teacher. Tuesday and Thursday this week, saw parents from B and I classes coming into school to have those valuable discussions with teachers about progress and targets for next steps. Tuesday and Thursday next week ( week beginning Monday 19th )  will be for parents of students in V and S classes.

Please make sure that you make an appointment to see the teacher. We do expect all parents to have those discussions to ensure that we are working in partnership to support the children’s learning. Thank you in advance for this.

Secondary Exploration Parent Event

Thank you to our colleagues in the Secondary school who led a fantastic presentation to parents about the excellent academic programme here at BVIS and the pathways in Secondary school that lead to high quality outcomes for our students and access to top universities across the world. This was great for primary parents as it highlights that the journey begins in Primary but progresses smoothly through into the Secondary years and onto the best career opportunities for BVIS graduates.

New Sensory Room for Primary

This week we have opened and begun using our new Sensory Room for Primary students. This is a great resource that we will be further developing as the term progresses to allow our students, when needed, to be able to visit. This space provides a purposeful, inclusive space that supports children’s emotional regulation, readiness to learn, and wellbeing, particularly within a busy primary school environment.

Our sensory room is a small, calm space designed to help children regulate their emotions, feel safe, and return to learning ready to succeed. Some children occasionally feel overwhelmed by noise, busy classrooms, or strong emotions, and a short visit to the sensory room helps them settle and refocus.

Upcoming Events:

19/01 – 20/01 – Juilliard Dance Visit
20/01 & 22/01 – Parents Evenings for Classes V and S
29/01 – Block 1B ECAs/Clubs Ends
01/02 – BVIS Tet Festival
02/02 – 06/02 – Vietnamese Perspective Week
03/02 – EYFS Tet Performance to Parent
04/02 – Tet Live Music Morning
05/02 – Desford Band Visit and Performance
06/02 – Ao Dai Day for Students for Tet Festival
06/02 – Last Day of Half Term
07/02 – 24/02 – Tet Holiday
25/02 – Children Return to School

MIT Opportunities at BVIS Ho Chi Minh City

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, globally recognised for its leadership in science, technology, engineering, and innovation. Renowned for pioneering research, world-changing ideas, and a culture of creative problem-solving, MIT represents the highest standards of academic excellence.

We are proud to share that, through our Nord Anglia Education (NAE) collaboration with MIT, students across NAE schools have access to a unique and highly competitive opportunity: a week-long student trip to MIT. This opportunity is open exclusively to students currently in Year 9 and Year 11 and offers participants the chance to experience first-hand the culture, facilities, and learning environment of this world-class institution.

Challenge-Based Selection Process

Places on the MIT student trip are limited and awarded through a challenge-based selection process, reflecting the problem-solving ethos that defines MIT.

To secure a place on this exceptional trip, interested students will be required to:

· Design and develop a project that proposes a solution to a local or global issue
· Submit a poster and a short video that clearly communicate their idea, thinking, and innovation process

This challenge is designed to assess creativity, resilience, collaboration, and critical thinking—key attributes of successful MIT learners.

Full details of the challenge, submission requirements, timelines, and expectations can be found in the attached promotional materials, along with a promotional video featuring a BVIS student who participated in the programme in 2025. Students and families are also encouraged to speak directly with Mr Chandler or Mr Jordan for further guidance and support.

MIT Club at BVIS

In addition, Mr Jordan’s MIT Club, launching in Block 2 of the clubs programme, will provide students with the opportunity to engage with the annual MIT challenges. These demanding and creative challenges are designed to stretch students’ thinking and mirror the problem-solving approaches used by MIT students themselves, offering excellent preparation for those considering applying for the trip.

Looking Ahead: BVIS STEAM Festival

Looking ahead, BVIS Ho Chi Minh City is also proud to be hosting the annual STEAM Festival, welcoming schools from across the Nord Anglia network in South East Asia. This flagship event will celebrate creativity, collaboration, and cutting-edge learning across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, further reinforcing BVIS’s commitment to world-class STEAM education aligned with MIT principles.

This is an exciting time for ambitious, curious, and creative thinkers at BVIS, and we look forward to seeing students rise to the challenge.

MIT Student Trip Challenge 2026 new.pdf

MIT Student Trip 2026 Promotional Poster.pdf

Debating Success at the Oxford Schools Vietnam Qualifier

Huge congratulations to Nguyen Khanh and Susie, who both reached the quarter-finals of the Oxford Schools Vietnam Qualifier last weekend. Competing at CIS and Sedbergh across Saturday and Sunday, they performed strongly in British Parliamentary format debates against schools from across Vietnam. A special shout-out to Nguyen Khanh, who was also ranked 5th Best Middle School Speaker overall, an excellent individual achievement.

 
Reflecting on the experience, he shared how proud he was and highlighted the exceptionally high standard of competition. Susie also reflected: “I was very nervous going into the Oxford Schools Vietnam Qualifier, as the standard of debating was extremely high, but the experience helped me gain confidence as the rounds progressed. I ranked 14th Best Middle School Speaker, which showed me that my preparation and effort made a difference. 

Competing in the British Parliamentary format against so many strong teams was challenging but motivating, and it has encouraged me to continue working hard and aim for a Top 10 speaker position in future competitions.” 

A brilliant result from two students already competing at Advanced level in the Nord Anglia Global Campus debates representing BVISHCMC. A fantastic example of commitment and practice paying off. Well done to both debaters.

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 
Year 9      Le Hong Minh Quang (Mraz)
Year 10     Nguyen Bao Ngoc                   
Year 11     Nguyen Mai Quoc An 
Year 12     Ngo Khanh Ngoc (Sarah)
                                                
Congratulations to all of the above students who came up top in their respective year groups. A special well done to Thien Huong 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 Hien!

Champion Tutor Group of the week!

This week’s Champion tutor group is  

Congratulations to 12I. Well done!

Housepoint Totals

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

Upcoming Events

28/01: Year 7 Parents’ Evening
30/01: Season 1B Clubs End
06/02: Tet Assembly
09/02: School Closed for Tet Holiday
25/02: School Reopens After Tet Holiday
03/03: Mock Examinations (Years 11, 12, 13) Begin
03–06/03: Residential Trips (Years 7, 8, 9, 10) Out of School

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: