School improvement was the theme of the Headteachers’ Coffee Morning which was held at the Junior Campus on Wednesday morning. I began by sharing about the recent British School’s Overseas Inspection report that we received recently. Of course, we are all very proud of the fact that as a school we have been rated ‘outstanding in every category’, but for me the true value of the report lies in the areas that we can identify for improvement.
Be humble – we recognise that there are always areas where we can improve.
Be hungry – never be satisfied with what we have accomplished.
Work hard – there are no short cuts to achieving great things.
The British International School, Ho Chi Minh City is a successful school, and we understand that humility, hunger and hard work will go a long way to making us remain so.
Looking ahead to the future, Mr Steve Porter from our secondary campus gave a demonstration of iSAMS, the school information management system that will be replacing SIMS and SIMS Learning Gateway, from August. More information will follow about this at a later date, but we feel this is a major upgrade on our current systems.
Over the holiday period, there will be a great deal of work taking place particularly on the Junior and Secondary Campuses; Mr Anthony, shared some information about this recently. Ms Dee showed some of the improvements that we can expect to see when the children return to school in August.
Lastly, Ms Mary talked about the recent assessments that have taken place across primary over the last few weeks. She went on to explain about the reports that will be sent to parents on June 21st.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: When we switch from SIMS to iSAMs in August, parents will no longer be able to download reports. Within the presentation linked below, there is a guide showing you how to download your child’s report. Please make sure you download all reports before the end of this term.
Headteachers’ Coffee Morning Presentation
Seesaw Updates
Find out how to archive your child’s learning journal for 2019-2020 and let us know what you think of Seesaw.
Over the last year there are various amazing learning moments that have been captured on Seesaw. For families who are leaving this term you will still have access until the 5th July 2019. Some of you may want to download your child’s journal to keep forever. To do this, click here and follow the help sheet. If you need any help with downloading the journal, please do speak to Ms Sarah at the EY&I or Mr Chris at the Juniors. You must do this on a computer, not on a mobile device.
Thank you for your time in helping us reflect and develop our use of Seesaw.
Ms Sarah Curran, Assistant Headteacher Early Years and Infant Campus
Infant Concert
The Sports Hall was filled with music and song on Tuesday evening as children from Year 1 and Year 2 entertained us in so many ways. Thank you to all the parents who joined us for this event. We are so proud of what they achieved. Take a look at Mr Rhys’ post in the link below which contains so many wonderful photographs – Mr Jon did a super job.
Infant Summer Concert
Year 2 MIT STEAM Challenge: Wearable Technology
For the last few years, a key message coming from industry has been the need for university graduates to be equipped with creative, problem-solving skills. This has resulted in schools identifying how they can address this need through promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths).
Last week a team of nine, under the leadership of Luke Dyer and made up of staff from all three BIS campuses, met to discuss how we can move forward as a school with STEAM. STEAM is not an additional subject that we will add to the curriculum, it is more of an approach that draws on the skills within the STEAM subjects, to solve challenging problems.
Year 2 were set a problem last week, and you can read how they got on in this post from Ms Lauren (who was one of the nine members of the STEAM working group):
Year 2 MIT STEAM Challenge: Wearable Technology
Year 2 to Year 3 Transition
Last week, the Junior Campus hosted a coffee morning for Year 2 parents to provide information about the move the Year 2 children will be making in August. Providing information to parents is only one part of the transition process, as Ms Fran, a member of our Year 2 team explains in the post below:
Year 2 to Year 3 Transition
Roadworks Outside the Early Years and Infant Campus
As we are all aware, Thao Dien is presently undergoing some major roadworks which are now close to the main entrance of the EY&IC. As a school, we have tried very hard to communicate with the construction company to delay any work close to the school until the summer holidays. However, the work needs to be completed within a particular timescale and will carry on. I would ask for everybody’s patience and understanding whilst this work is ongoing. Hopefully, it will benefit everyone in District 2 in the future.
Anthony Rowlands
Managing our Traffic Together
Just prior to the holiday, I was contacted by a member of our local community asking about what was being done about the traffic situation in Thao Dien. I met with the gentleman in question and showed him the procedures we have in place and how the school has invested in measures to help ensure the traffic keeps flowing, for example, creating the car park next to the Early Years and Infant Campus.
He was impressed with all that we have done. Thank you to everyone who has worked with their drivers to ensure that the code of conduct is followed. Unfortunately, there are still some drivers who insist on double parking near school and doing U-turns close to the drop-off area. Please speak to your drivers to remind them of what is expected.
Thank you – together we can make a difference.
For more information about how we can work together to improve traffic around our campuses, please access this post.
Join the BIS Team - Job Vacancy
Examinations Officer (Part Time)
We are looking to recruit our next Exams Officer. BIS students are well known for their all-round education and high academic outcomes and they deserve the best of conditions in which to demonstrate their abilities.
The successful applicant will work at the BIS HCMC Secondary Campus and will ensure the provision of an excellent examinations service for our students. The Examinations Officer role requires highly developed skills of organisation and communication as well as an appreciation of student needs.
We are seeking someone who can demonstrate exceptional administrative skills and a proven ability to consistently deliver high quality outcomes to strict deadlines.
This position is offered as a part-time contract with variable commitment during the year. The pattern of work will be shaped according to the demands of the role and total 114 days annually.
If you are interested in this position with us please forward a letter of application and full CV which must include a recent professional photograph and the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current employer to bis.recruitment@bisvietnam.com by Wednesday 12th June.