The new Early Years and Infant Campus will be the first school in Vietnam that will achieve the green LOTUS certification. In order to achieve this, we have had to take into account a number of factors including:
- the efficient use of resources both inside and outside the building
- the impact the campus has on the environment
- the quality of the materials we use to furnish and decorate the inside of the building
All our furniture is being shipped from the UK by a company called ‘Community Playthings’ using our regular UK supplier ‘Equip My School’. One of the reasons we chose to use them is because their products are designed and built with a determination to be environmentally friendly. To quote their website:
‘Community Playthings products contain no substances that would be hazardous for children's health. Compared with commonly used solvent-based finishes, our clear water-borne wood finish is far safer as well as being environmentally benign.’ - Community Playthings
The products that are being used in the construction process both outdoors and indoors adhere to the strictest guidelines and criteria that have to be met in order to achieve the green LOTUS criteria, including all the fixtures, fittings and even the kind of environmentally friendly paint we use in each and every classroom.
Last weekend I attended, along with members of our leadership team, a FOBISIA conference in Kuala Lumpur. It was an excellent conference with the theme of ‘Well Being’. We are currently focusing a great deal as a school on the well-being of our students and staff. We all came away invigorated with some wonderful ideas and concepts on this important area of life which we can add to what we are already doing at the school.
On Wednesday, it was a pleasure to attend a drama production in one of our suites performed by a small group of Y12 students. They creatively and confidently performed ‘100’ which explored the concept of ‘if you were dead then what would your memory be?’ Congratulations to; Crystal Tran Lam, Carla Avril Bourgoin, Bao Tran Dang, Jonah Taylor and Kai Chieh Tseng. A special thank you to their teacher and the production’s Director, Ms Anne-Marie Astley.
On Saturday evening, our APP and TX Primary campuses will be having a joint ‘Family Picnic’ which I am sure will be a resounding success. I am very disappointed that I will not be there as I will be attending an Administration and Support Staff Team Building weekend in Ho Tram. This is a special event for our Vietnamese staff where they and their families will enjoy a host of team building activities and, as such, I really felt that it was important for me to attend.
I would like to wish you a very pleasant and relaxing weekend.
Anthony Rowlands, Principal