A very warm welcome to the start of the new academic year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready for a busy and exciting term ahead. I would like to extend a special welcome to new students, parents and staff – I hope you are already enjoying your time as a part of the BIS community and will be very happy here.
We started our year with a campus assembly focussed on the year ahead and reflected on the intellectual risks we can take to further our enjoyment of and deepen our learning. We also shared in the celebration of the remarkable achievements of our students in their summer examinations (add link to video).
We are extremely proud of our IGCSE students and IB students who have once again excelled. The Graduating Class of 2016 now face exciting opportunities at some of the best universities world-wide. They take our very best wishes with them.
Parent Teacher Group
The PTG began the school year in great spirit providing a welcome addition to our new parent orientation and of course the traditional welcome coffee morning (link).
The combination of existing and new parents with plenty of tasty refreshments provided the perfect situation for sharing all those useful hints and tips to help settle into a new city and new school.
PTG Dates for your diary:
New staff welcome
We are delighted to welcome our new teachers to BIS and AP2. Students have already provided a warm welcome and as the term progresses there will be opportunities for you to meet them too.
The Parent Information Evenings
The evenings begin next week and I encourage you to attend to get a good understanding of the features and events of the exciting year ahead awaiting your child(ren).
Tuesday 30th August – Year 12/13 Parents
Wednesday 7th September – Year 7 Parents
Tuesday 13th September – Years 9,10 and 11 Parents
Thursday 15th September – Year 8 Parents
Clubs and Activities
As the new academic year gets underway why not try something new – take a risk, you might find a new passion in life!
Here at the An Phu Secondary Campus there are over one hundred ECA’s to choose from. After the long summer break, you could look to improve your fitness by starting the week off in Running Club, learn Tai Chi, attend classes at Bodyshape or get trim at Nutrifort. Join Sprint for Success and concentrate on running technique with our very own Vincent Kwok. Other student-led clubs include Journalism Club and Coding Club, back by popular demand. Term 1 is also the time to start reading again, with Book Club catering to Key Stage 3 students and Classic Literature Book Club for older students. The Veggie Cooking Club is exactly that – a chance to learn some creative and tasty vegetarian dips and dishes and there are lots of Board Games and Strategy Board Games to keep your mind active for hours. And finally, a great opportunity for our senior students exists with the Noble Swimming Club where they will teach children from a community partner the essential life skill of how to swim.
All AP2 students will be able to sign up for their term 1 activities on CHQ from today, you will have received an email detailing joining instructions.
Heads of House
Unveiling our new Heads of House this week students were clearly looking forward to the annual competitions and friendly rivalry that exists between our four Houses: Dalat, Hue Hanoi and Saigon.
Dalat House – Ms Lucy Jackson
Hanoi – Mr Mark Spalton
Hue – Ms Laura Gallagher
Saigon – Mr Pedro Roman
Congratulations to each of our new Heads of House in their new role and good luck to all students in the house competitions ahead!
Traffic
Please can I remind parents that we all have a responsibility to control the traffic flow outside our school during peak times at both drop off and pick up.
The following points should be discussed with all drivers to ensure that we can keep the traffic flowing:
· No cars should be parked for long periods of time outside of school – cars should pull in and drop off only on both sides of the road alongside the school grounds.
· Never U Turn along the stretch of road outside both AP1 and AP2 – if your car needs to turn round, please travel away from school and U Turn where the road is wider and not congested.
· Ask your driver to show respect to our guards and follow their instructions.
From our Sharyn Streitberg our Nurse Consultant:
International SOS HCM Clinic will host to hold a “Women’s Health Talk” on Thursday, September 8th 2016. More here.
I very much look forward to the exciting year ahead and working with you all to provide the very best education possible for our students
Carl Mincher, Headteacher at An Phu Secondary