Mr Ian Battersby: Weekly Update 21/09/18

It was wonderful seeing all the children arriving at school wearing their ao dais.  The playground was awash with every colour imaginable; we want our children to be global citizens, and embracing Vietnam’s national dress is a part of that.  However, the children’s attention was not on what each other were wearing, but on the dragon dance display that had been set up in front of the school building.  You can read more about how the day’s events unfolded, and see more fabulous photos, in this post by Ms Phuong, our Vietnamese Coordinator:

Moon Festival 2018

Clean Up Thao Dien

A huge thank you to everyone who gave up their Saturday mornings to join with over two hundred others from BIS and the wider community to clean up Thao Dien. Our efforts were appreciated! A gentleman stopped his motorbike to tell me how impressive it was to see us on the streets, and what an important lesson the children involved were learning about caring for our environment.  I couldn’t agree more with him:

World Clean Up Day 2018

Seesaw

Once again, it has been marvelous to see how much engagement there has been from parents who have been accessing Seesaw.  Since the app was launched (only 10 days ago), there have been over 6000 comments, over 8000 parent visits, and over 17,000 ‘likes’.  Thank you for your support.

For additional guidance on using Seesaw, and to view an introductory video, please see this post by Mr Chris McKelvie (Deputy Head in Juniors) who is leading our introduction of Seesaw across both campuses:

Seesaw: the window into your child’s classroom

There are a few families who have not yet downloaded the Seesaw App onto phones or devices, so please do so today.

Learning Skills Safe Challenges – Week Four

Week 3 proved to be a tough code to crack, however the safe has been opened and the prize removed. Well done Isaac! To help those who have trouble opening the pdf, Ms Sarah will print out a copy and place it on the safe during the week.

Follow the link below, to find out about this week’s challenge.  Remember, there is a clue in the message which will open the ‘pdf’ document.  Solve the problem on the pdf and you might be the first to open the safe and win the prize.

Learning Skills Safe Challenges – Week Four

Community Talk with Dr. Miguel

The Fundinotots are the youngest members of our school community; I was talking to one mum this week whose little one is only 10 weeks old!  At that age, the stages of development can be seen, almost on a weekly basis so being in a stimulating environment, like Fundinotots, is great.  I believe that Fundinotots is not just for the children; it is a community where new parents can get support from one another, and from events like Dr Miguel’s talk on Wednesday.  His topic on this occasion was looking after your own physical and mental health, and was well attended by parents from not only Fundinotots but other Early Years and Infant parents:

Community Talk with Dr. Miguel

Preparations are now fully underway. Bibs and t-shirts are available for collection from the Early Years and Infant Campus Reception. This annual event allows you to have fun with your co-workers, friends and family and also participate in an event which raises much needed funding for disadvantaged people throughout Vietnam. At only 5km long, the race can be run, walked, hopped or skipped and is suitable for any age.

We always have a great turnout from the BIS community so let's make this year even bigger!

Join the BIS HCMC Community Choir

Free on a Thursday morning? Want to get more involved with the school community? Then the BIS HCMC Community Choir might be for you! Open to all parents and staff across our 3 campuses, you’ll have the opportunity to improve your vocal ability as well as perform in live concerts with our students at events throughout the academic year.

Rehearsals will take place on Thursday mornings between 7am and 8am at our Secondary Campus. All abilities welcome.

It’s sure to be a great deal of fun so come along, grab a coffee, have a sing and try something new!

To sign up, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YJFCRCC

If you have any questions please contact Fran Amos on Frances.Amos@bisvietnam.com.

Join our BIS Baby and Toddler Group

Children can start at BIS when they are 2 years old. Fundinotots is the ‘BIS Baby and Toddler Group’ where parents of children aged 0 to 36 months can meet other parents and allow their children to engage in a range of activities. Fundinotots is based on the new Early Years and Infant Campus.

To find out more about fundinotots at BIS HCMC, please click here.

PTG Update

It was great to see so many people attend the first PTG social event of the year at ‘The Flying Pig’ on Thursday evening.  I am sure there will be a write up in next week’s PTG post.  For all of this week’s news please click on the link below;

Primary PTG Update: 21/09/18

24/09/18 – Term 1 clubs begin

25/09/18 – F3 Phonics workshop for parents in the EY&I canteen

30/09/18 – BBGV Fun Run

3/10/18 – Book Week character dress up day

4/10/18 – 5/10/18 Visit by UK author, Adam Bushnell

10/10/18 – English Workshop for Parents

20/10/18 – 28/10/18 Half Term Holiday

CHQ

All clubs start on Monday 24^th September.  For early morning clubs, children are to be taken to the club venue by the adult bringing them to school and handed over to the club teacher.  Please see your child’s club schedule to find out where your child needs to be.  You can check by logging into your child’s CHQ account and clicking on “My Activities”.  Please note, all club fees must be paid before the end of Friday 21^st September. 

Health and Safety

Stay Safe

Last week in assembly Ms Mary spoke about how the children can keep safe while they are playing on the playground and moving about the school. The key message was to always look and think before you act. With the new playground equipment, it is important for our children to take their time to judge and manage the new challenge it provides. With the mind-set of ‘safety first’, children can help themselves to keep safe in their play. Please help to reiterate this message with your children at home.

On Thursday 27^th September, 17:30 to 20:00, the EY&I campus will host a safety conference run by the BBGV where they will launch their Safe Motorbike Riding Campaign #knowsafetynoaccidents

Families are welcome to attend this event, however the BBGV ask for you to pre-register at: http://bit.ly/2PjNn0T

Stay Vigilant

As in all major cities petty crime does occur, as a reminder to all of us please always take care of your personal belongings, especially when walking across roads and along the pavements.

Safeguarding at school – it’s everyone’s responsibility

Photographs

It is every parent’s wish to capture memorable moments on camera of their child at school either performing in an assembly, on their birthday or simply playing with their friends on the playground before the start of the school day.  Any photos that are taken by parents on personal devices must be kept private.  They must not be shared publicly on social media or between non-family members such as, other parents in the school.  By following these guidelines, we ensure our BIS safeguarding policy is adhered to and that our children are kept safe. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

If, during your visit to school, you have any reason to be concerned about the safety of a young person, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Leader.

And Finally…

Seesaw is fast becoming the main channel of communication across both the Early Years and Infant and Junior Campuses.  This week’s ‘Learning Letter’ is the last one we are sending out by email.  After today, you will only be able to access the Learning Letter via Seesaw, so it is essential that you have logged into your account. 

Have a wonderful weekend,