Mr Carl Mincher: Weekly Update 01/11/2019

From Everest to ‘The Curve’

In his workshops at BIS Secondary this week, Matt Dickinson, internationally renowned author, film-maker, and mountaineer, revealed how it was his childhood reading that inspired him to become an adventurer in adult life.

Find out more from Ms Anita Curley, Teacher Librarian at our Secondary Campus, about how teachers and parents alike can continue to be inspired and to encourage our students to discover ‘Their Everest’ through reading.

TEDx Youth  

This week TEDxYouth@BISHCMC hosted our first TEDx ‘salon’ event.  Whilst it was a relatively small gathering in the intimate environs of ‘The Curve’, each of the short powerful talks around the event topic of ‘Uprising’ lived up to the TED mission of ‘ideas worth spreading’.

TEDx will make the event presentations available to all in the near future and we look forward to sharing the link with you when officially available.

This was a great event all round that once again left me proud to be a part of this wonderful school.

My thanks to the student and teacher presenters as well as the TEDx team led by Ms An Gulinck and Ms Rebecca Kerr. 

BIS Students excel at SISAC City Championships

This week the British International School HCMC has been competing in the SISAC Season 1 City Championships in both cross country and volleyball. Performances and character of players so far have not disappointed!

For the fourth consecutive year, BIS claimed a clean sweep of  the U14 and U19 girls and boys Cross Country champion titles. The consistency in performance is truly outstanding and reflects the excellent coaching and ahrd work invested by our athletes. Congratulations once again to the teams and the PE team.

BIS U19A Girls have made history with their highest ever finish in volleyball at the city champs. Great job girls!

And to finish the week our U14 B basketballers ended their season in style. Accumulating a massive 168 points over 4 games and blowing away the rest of the C pool to finish SISAC champions. To find out more about each of these competitions, read from Mr Phil Husband’s SISAC City Championships update.

Desford Colliery Brass Band Visit 2019 

Today we saw and heard the great brass tones of the Desford Colliery Brass Band from the UK resounding throughout the Auditorium, Undercroft and ground floor area to the delight of students from Junior and Secondary Campuses and later a concert for parents.  Thank you again to all of the members of the Desford Colliery Band for bringing their wonderful music to the campus once again.

BIS joins the Plastic Diet Challenge

BIS is teaming up with Rethink Plastic Vietnam for the November Plastic Awareness Month.  Are you up for the Challenge???

Single-use plastics are a big threat to our health, our environment and to the world. So we all have to join hands to reduce the use of these plastics!  Find out how you can take part by reading more about the Plastic Diet Challenge.

Connecting With Others

“Never underestimate the power of being with others, particularly in person. Feeling that you belong is essential for you to enjoy a healthy state of wellbeing.”

The importance of positive relationships shone through strongly in this week's Wellbeing lessons and the importance of knowing, understanding and connecting with others and the world around us. 

Find out more from Mr Robbie Alexander, Head of Wellbeing about the value of connecting with others.

Family Fun Evening - Saturday 16th November

Join us for a great evening of fun, food and games for all the family.

Event details

Date: Saturday 16th November

Time: 4pm - 7pm

Location: BIS HCMC Junior Campus

Tickets: Children 50,000VND, Adults 100,000VND. Free entry for all new families who've joined us this academic year.

Remember to bring your reusable water bottles in support of our 2020 Plastic Pledge to reduce single use plastic on our campuses!

Check for further details via the Family Fun Evening Facebook event.

Secondary PTG Update

PTG Committee Representative, Shweta Mangal, shares some of the fun activities that have been enjoyed by our parents over the last couple of weeks.  

We are also excited to share that the Novelicious Book Club is well underway, with regular meetings scheduled for every second Tuesday of the month.  

The First Book for Novelicious Book Club is 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak and will be discussed at the next meeting on Tuesday 12th November.  If you wish to join please email our book club coordinator Huma Jaudat at huma.jaudat@gmail.com. 

Event details

Date: Tuesday 12th November

Time: 11am

Location: The Curve

You can also sign up for some of the upcoming events and activities, read more in the latest Secondary PTG Update.

Remembrance Sunday and Poppy Appeal 2019

The Royal British Legion created the Poppy Appeal to help those returning from the First World War.  A Century on from that conflict, they’re still helping today’s Service men and women, veterans and their families, whether coping with bereavement, living with a disability, or finding employment.  Without your help, none of this would be possible.

So please join us in showing that we REMEMBER on the 11th of November by purchasing a Poppy from the Secondary Campus Reception from Monday 28th October until 8th November 2019.

Remembrance Service - Sunday 10th November

All BIS families are invited to attend the inaugural Commonwealth Remembrance Service in HCMC on Sunday 10th November, 12.15pm, in Mai Khoi Church, 44 Tú Xương, Phường 7, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh. The Junior Harmony Choir will be supporting this event and no tickets or advanced booking is required if you would like to attend. However, there is limited parking near the church.

If you require any more information about the service,  please contact Ms Beth directly at Elizabeth.Bown@bisvietnam.com

PTG Christmas BISzaar - Saturday 7th December 

The PTG Christmas BISzaar is just around the corner, bringing with it the sounds and sights of a Festive Season full of love and cheer.  We are looking forward to another great show of community spirit and festivity with carols, games and celebrations throughout the morning. 

Event details

Date: Saturday 7th November

Time: 9am to 1pm

Location: BIS Secondary Campus
 

Employment opportunities at BIS Secondary Campus

Examination Invigilators Needed

BIS HCMC are looking to recruit to expand our current team of exam invigilators. We are looking for reliable and confident people to assist throughout our busy examination periods of January and May/June each year. 

Your role will include invigilation at IGCSE and IB level during both internal and external examinations. 

Responsibilities include:

• Preparing the examination venue prior to examinations in accordance with regulations;

• Distribution of scripts and strict supervision of students during examinations.

We are looking for:

• Team players and people who are flexible in their approach.

You do not require experience as full training will be provided, and the position is on a casual basis with days/hours being variable depending on examination demands. You will, however, need to meet our safer recruitment policy by providing an up-to-date police check and completing our online safeguarding training.

If you are interested and would like further information about how to become an invigilator, please contact Abbie Astbury (Examinations Officer) on abbie.astbury@bisvietnam.com. 

Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th November: Year 11 Geography Expedition to Mui Ne

Thursday 7th to Monday 11th November: SEOMUN Conference, Seoul South Korea

Thursday 7th to Monday 11th November: U15 FOBISIA Athletics, Phuket Thailand.

Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th November: IB Studio Production: Caucasian Chalk Circle, Secondary Campus Drama Department

Have a wonderful weekend,

Kind regards,

Carl Mincher

Head Teacher

Secondary Campus