The word ‘respect’ originates from Roman times; it literally means ‘to look at again’. Respect is one of the three moral characteristics, alongside care and integrity, that go to make up our ‘aide memoire’.
At BIS, we want our children to not rely on instant judgements about people and situations, but to consider more deeply what they think – to look again, to treat others how they would like to be treated. This half term, we are focusing on ‘respect’ in our assemblies and in class, and there are many opportunities where the children can show respect; with our community partners, to members of staff in the canteen and around school and to one another. I do hope that you will be able to continue the conversation at home; do we always treat our parents, brothers and sisters the same way we would like to be treated. Respect has to go two ways – to get respect you have to give respect.
Understanding goes alongside respect. This week, in F2, parents were invited to Stay, Play and Learn All Together (SPLAT) with their children. The children really enjoy having their parents in the learning areas, but the main aim of the SPLATs is to provide that opportunity for parents to gain a deeper understanding of how we operate in the early years’ foundation stage. Play is central to the children’s learning, and hopefully the sessions this week have allowed F2 parents to appreciate the planning and reflection that goes in to ensure all individuals in the class are challenged at a suitable level.
There are two main types of assessment; formative and summative. Formative assessment is that on-going process of observing the children, questioning them and responding as they complete a task or given piece of work. F2 parents may well have seen this happening as members of staff recorded elements of learning on their iPads throughout the sessions.
Summative assessment is carried out at the end of a unit of study or at a given period during the school year. The final exams in the International Baccalaureate (IB) that the students sit in Year 13 are an example of summative assessments. The IB exams require a great deal of study and revision, but not all summative assessments carry quite the same weight.
This week has been an assessment week at the Early Years and Infant Campus where some year groups have carried out writing assessments. These provide the teachers with a check point, an opportunity to gauge whether or not the children are making the progress they should, and if they are at the level we would expect at this point in time in the school year. The teachers will be combining their knowledge of the children through the formative assessments with the results of this week’s assessments, to provide an accurate all round picture of how your child is getting on. This forms the basis of the reports which will be shared with you in early December.
It is our aim that the children at BIS flourish in all aspects of their development, so we were delighted when the European Eye Centre approached us to ask if they could support our BIS families by providing free eye screening tests for all the children in Year 1. For three days this week, the conference room was ‘blackened out’ to allow for each child to receive an individual screening. Your child will have brought home a letter with the results of the screening, identifying if any follow up is needed.
I hope this is something that we can build into our calendar, as it goes without saying, that if a child is struggling to see clearly, it will affect their education.
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
There are many benefits that come with being part of Nord Anglia Education, and one which all children benefit from is our affiliation with the Juilliard School of the Performing Arts. For several years now, we have seen our music curriculum enhanced through Juilliard resources and visits from Juilliard alumni. We are now moving into the next stage of the partnership with the introduction of the drama and dance programmes.
On Monday and Tuesday, next week, we have Salla Saarikangas, a member of the Juilliard dance team in school, working with children and teachers. There is also a session for parents which has proved to be very popular and so there are no spaces left available. We look forward to finding out more next week.
Also on Monday and Tuesday next week, we have Fran with us from NRICH Maths (nrich.maths.org). Maths is a subject that we excel in at BIS; our children have great number skills and mathematical knowledge, however, one area that can be developed further is the children’s reasoning skills and their ability to apply their knowledge into different contexts. Fran will be working with staff, doing demonstration lessons, and providing training for parents and teachers.
On Tuesday 19th November there will be a chance to meet some of the many support services that are available in our community. You will be able to learn about who they are and what services they offer. For example: what does an Occupational Therapist do? What is a Speech and Language Therapist, a Behaviour Specialist or an Educational Psychologist? You will also have a chance to meet our school counsellor and her team. In addition, you can find out more about how the Learning Support department supports children in school and what you can do to support your child at home.
The coffee morning will take place at 8:30 am in the Black Box Theatre on the Junior Campus.
All are welcome.
The final preparations are well under way for next Saturday’s (16th November) PTG Family Fun Evening. It is going to be a super event with many food and beverage stalls and lots of activities for the children to enjoy. Please make sure you get your ticket to support this wonderful community event.
If you enjoy singing and would like to join the Community Choir, rehearsals have started, but it is not too late to join:
We will be performing at the Christmas Concerts in December.
At the beginning of this academic year we implemented a new management information system called, iSAMS. Many families are already befitting from the services this provides. The system comes with a parent app that allows you to get important information about upcoming school events, access details unique to your children and locate quick links at the touch of a button. If you have not already downloaded this app, I strongly encourage you to do so; please speak to your class teacher for your unique code or pop into the office and we will help you get started so that:
Remember, this is the only way you will be able to view your child's academic reports. In addition, there is a wealth of information for you to view on the portal and app.
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:
We are looking for:
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
Our Helmet Heroes campaign is now in full flow and proving to be a real success! Helmet Hero has spotted so many more children and adults making good choices and wearing their helmets when riding their motorbikes and bicycles. We received many Helmet Hero posters for the competition, which closed last Friday. Congratulations to all of the children who took part; there are so many wonderful ways that were used to help Helmet Hero pass on the important safety message to all. Congratulations to our 8 winners from both EY&I and Junior campuses who will all receive 10 house points! The posters included a great tagline and clearly shared Helmet Hero’s important message. Be sure to read this week’s update from Mr Ian and Ms Dee to see the winning posters. The winners are:
| Winner | Class |
|---|---|
| Joeshe Kim | 1I |
| Shion Hattori | 1H |
| Gethin Pugh | 2N |
| Christina Lee | 2M |
| Nivi Gupta | 3B |
| Rihan Kim | 4H |
| SungJun An (Alex) | 4M |
| SiYoon Lee | 4M |
As a reminder, we believe that everyone who rides a motorbike must wear a helmet irrespective of their age. Helmet Heroes is a plea to all families to be responsible and purchase a helmet that fits and meets the ECE 22.06 standard (Economic Commission for Europe). Please do continue to keep Helmet Hero’s message alive and remember to always wear a helmet and make sure your child, no matter what their age, wears a helmet, too.
For early morning clubs starting at 7:30am, children must be escorted by their parent or carer to the club venue. If you arrive to school before the start time of the club, please wait on the ground floor in the Parents’ Hall. Children must not arrive to the club venue before 7:30am as the teachers are setting up at this time.
Supervision from the school begins at 7:45am, therefore no children should be left by their carer/driver at the gate to enter school alone. Children are not permitted on site before 7:45am without a parent/carer supervising them.
Please take note of the school’s policy regarding photographs. Photographs shared privately through our online journal, Seesaw, must be kept for personal viewing only; they must not be shared publically on social media. Any photos taken in school on personal devices must be of your own children only and must not have other parents’ children in the photograph. All photos taken of your children at school 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.
When waiting to drop off and collect the children at the EY&I we ask for all parents, carers and children to wait on the ground floor only. This rule is in place to ensure lessons and clubs that are running at these times are not disturbed and all children in the building are kept safe. People sitting around the lower ground floor outside the canteen, on the staircases and along the corridors will be asked to move to the ground floor by our teaching staff. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our campus safe.
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 between campuses and across roads.
Thank you,
Ms Mary
Deputy Head Teacher
08/11/19 - NRICH Maths Workshop | Multi-Purpose Room (227) | 12:45 – 13:30
11/11/19 – F3 SPLAT – F3B and F3I
13/11/19 – F3 SPLAT – F3S and F3V
15/11/19 – F3 SPLAT – F3N and F3H
15/11/19 - Primary Athletics Day Y1 & Y2 | Junior Campus
16/11/19 - PTG Family Evening | Junior Campus | 16:00 – 19:00
20/11/19 - World Children’s Day/Teachers’ Day
21/11/19 - F1 Development Day | EY&IC Sport Hall
Moving On Workshop | 8:30 – 9:30
26/11/19 - F2 & F3 Sports Day | Junior Campus
29/11/19 - End of Term 1 Vietnamese Classes
01/12/19 - End of Term 1 Clubs
03/12/19 - Vietnamese PTSCs Y1 ~ Y6 | Junior Campus Gym | 15:00 – 17:30
04/12/19 - Y1 Production to Parents | EY&IC Gym | 8:45 start
Term 2 Club Booklet Live | 15:00
05/12/19 - PTG Disco | 14:45 – 17:00
EYFS Christmas Singalong | 8:00 – 14:00 | EY&IC Gym
06/12/19 - BPS Feeding Frenzy | BKK
08/12/19 - Community Football Competition
09/12/19 – F1 SPLAT – F1B and F1I
Term 2 Club Sign Up Begins | 17:00
10/12/19 – F1 SPLAT – F1S and F1V
13/12/19 - Term 1 Ends | 11:30
Term 2 Club Sign Up Ends | 12:00
Respect can take many forms; from being polite to others to reducing carbon emissions. This Sunday, in the UK and many countries around the world is Remembrance Sunday (Remembrance Day is always 11th November and we will be marking this in school). This is an opportunity to stop and show respect for the people in the past who have sacrificed to provide us with the freedoms and quality of life that we enjoy today. This is as relevant in Vietnam as it is in the UK, and if you are available, there will be a 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.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Ian Battersby
Head of the Early Years and Infant Campus
At BIS HCMC, our story is one of connection, continuity, and care — a place where learning begins with curiosity and ends with confident, compassionate graduates ready to shape the world. Earlier this year, we witnessed a moving reminder of this journey, as eighteen members of our Year 13 Class of 2025 returned to the place where it all began: Early Years Foundation Stages.
Joining BIS HCMC in Foundation Stage 2 (F2) is a fantastic age to begin a lifetime love for learning, encouraged and nurtured by our experienced and committed class and specialist teachers, who personalise learning unique to every child. We look back at what our F2s have experienced in less than one term already at BIS HCMC.
