Secondary School Updates (29 April 2022)

Key Dates | Pastoral Update | Learning Showcase

Dear Parents,

Another fast-paced week in the Secondary school, starting with a fire evacuation drill on Monday morning, then Year 11 students ending their classes for the year on Wednesday, IB examinations beginning successfully on Thursday, and school photos throughout the week. It is never a dull week at BIS Hanoi. 

In addition, on Friday we had a non-uniform day in honour of Pride. At BIS Hanoi, we strive to develop our students into global citizens, who recognise the importance of tolerance and respect in society. Pride is about celebrating identity, equality and diversity. Students were invited to wear colourful clothing and donate 20,000VND to Blue Dragon, a charity that helps children in need of urgent support and rescues victims from slavery and human trafficking in Vietnam. 

From May 9, we welcome the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Academy of Schools and Colleges (WASC) to virtually visit us as part of our international accreditation. The accreditation is the first of two evaluation visits linked to our guiding statements. We view this process as an opportunity for reflection and renewal based on the highest global educational standards, and a crucial way to benchmark and lever school improvement. Our evaluators will be viewing lessons and speaking to members of our community virtually during the week. 

Chris Newman

Head of Secondary

Key Dates

• Monday 2 and Tue 3 May: May Holiday 

• Tuesday 10 May: Year 9 Parents’ Evening 

• Tuesday 7 June: Year 10 Parents’ Evening 

• Tuesday 14 June: Year 12 Parents’ Evening 

• Friday 24 June: Final Day of the School Year 

Pastoral Update

Year 9s have made a strong start to Term 3, the first time we have all started together face-to-face in more than 12 months! There have been lots going on in the year group with numerous end of unit assessments, well-being lessons and some up and coming events to note. 

In our weekly wellbeing lessons, just before the holidays Year 9 were looking at two important days on the international calendar: International Day of Happiness on 20th March, and World Water Day on 22nd March. During their well-being lesson for the ‘International Day of Happiness,’ students were exploring the meaning of happiness, what makes them happy, the importance of being happy and how what makes people smile may change as we become older. During our lesson on World Water Day, we were using stickers to represent percentages of the amount of water that they thought was used in industry, agriculture, and for domestic use in our daily lives, and they were surprised by the results! 

This term, in wellbeing, the lessons are being planned across tutor groups from Years 7-9 and it kicked off last week with a lesson from tutor group 9I who created an excellent and informative presentation on World Earth Day which was celebrated last Friday. Over the next few lessons they will be helping to create and look at a variety of national and global days with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of these important topics, including studying: the importance of food safety, family values, mental health and the lives of refugees abroad. 

Alongside this, a few Year 9 students have been planning a couple of sports events for our year group that is due to take place on campus in May. These students have worked hard organising a football tournament across two well-being lessons that include all students across our Year 9 tutor teams. On a separate note, I would like to extend my congratulations to Gia Khanh in our year group who recently became the Junior Champion in the debate category of the ‘Speak to Inspire, Vietnam’ contest. 

Finally, in two weeks' time, we have Year 9 Parents' Evening on 10th May and I am really excited to hear more about how much of a positive start Year 9s have made - well done all! 

Liam Wright

Head of Year 9

Learning Showcase

MFL | History

MFL

MFL – Choosing your language!  

At BIS Hanoi, we offer students the opportunity to learn a choice of two Modern Foreign Languages – French and Spanish. Students then continue with this language throughout their journey in Secondary School, choosing to continue for IGCSE or even for IB.  

This week, our MFL department visited some of our younger learners as they make the decision of which language they would like to study when they come to the Secondary School later this year. Ms Dorr spoke to Year 6 about the opportunities within MFL and how this decision can impact them later in their studies. Year 6 asked excellent questions, showed brilliant maturity and were great inquirers.  

When asked which language they should study, they were told to choose the language that excites them! The language that makes them eager to learn and want to become an expert. Maybe they have family links in a French or Spanish speaking country or maybe they love the football teams or the art, or the music of the country! Whatever the reason is, now is the chance to make a choice about their studies and to get excited as the transition process starts, signalling the start of their Secondary School education. 

Ms Georgina Dorr 

Head of MFL 

History

In our Year 7 History lessons this week students have been learning about Medieval European castles and their strengths and weaknesses. Students have been put in the position of being a ‘Baron’ of Hanoi and presented with some (imaginary!) money of 25 million VND. They have been tasked to design a castle for the king. Students have various options of features that they could include in their castle, all of which are differing amounts of money, such as a drawbridge or a moat! They can choose whichever features they wish, as long as they stick to the budget! The next step that students have moved onto is using ‘Tinkercad’, an online 3D modelling program to design their castles- below are a selection of some of the ones produced so far. This is a competition amongst students as the best ones will be chosen to be 3D printed- We can’t wait to see the finished products! Well done Year 7. 

The History Department