Ms Deirdre Grimshaw: Weekly Update 06/09/2019

This week we had two whole school workshops for parents which supported this idea and it was fantastic to see so many parents invested in working as one for our students.  The first workshop was aimed at those new to our school and Vietnam.  Our Settling In Workshop offered support and guidance to those new to BIS and in some cases Vietnam.  With input from Admissions, leadership and our school Counselling team it was an opportunity to share and support one another.  More details can be found further along in this update including a copy of the presentation.   The second workshop was on Digital Citizenship (Keeping our children safe in the online world) and ISAMS (supporting better and easier communication between home and school). We were delighted to welcome parents from all three campuses to the theatre at secondary for a very informative presentation.  More information can again be found by scrolling on further.

Following on from our recent Parent Information Evenings, next week, we will host our Parent Teacher Student Conferences.  It is great to see that so many of you have already signed up and we hope that by Sunday evening when sign up closes there will be close to 100% attendance confirmed by parents.

Parent Teacher Student Conferences (PTSCs)

On the 10^th and 11^th September we will have our first PTSCs for the academic Year 2019 – 2020 with class teachers. These conferences are an excellent opportunity to share information with the class teacher about your children. This partnership between home and school will support your child’s well-being and learning this year. Please make sure you sign up for these conferences. We look forward to seeing all parents on the 10^th or 11^th September.

Moon Festival

On Thursday 12^th September our campus will celebrate Moon Festival. All children will come to school dressed in their Ao Dai and will have the opportunity to watch the Dragon Dance.  Parents are warmly invited to join us for this which will happen on the small Astro Turf field near Gate A beginning at 8.15am.  Parents are invited to stand on the balconies at Year 3 and Year 4 to allow room for the children on the playground.  We have 2 assemblies that day which parents are also invited to attend.  For Parents in Year 3 and 4 the assembly is at 10am. The children from Year 3 and Year 4 will begin to enter the gym from 9.50am therefore, to avoid any congestion on the corridors, please ensure that you are seated by 9.40am at the latest. For Parents in Year 5 and 6 the assembly is at 1.15pm. The children from Year 5 and Year 6 will begin to enter the gym from 1.05pm therefore, to avoid any congestion on the corridors, please ensure that you are seated by 12.55pm at the latest.

Community Choir

If you enjoy singing and would like to join Community Choir, rehearsals start very soon this term.

• Thursday 19th September 7am in the Secondary Theatre   
• Friday 20th September 1:15pm in Room 110, Junior Campus

We will be performing at the Christmas Concerts in December.

Year 4 Active Planet Entry Point

The ‘Active Planet’ IPC topic entry point has certainly grabbed our Year 4 students’ attention in the way that IPC entry points are designed to! Find out what happened when they build their own villages in this post by Ms Jude Handscombe, Year 4 Leader.

Year 5 Mission to Mars

Imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut? I’m sure one or two of you have thought about it.  Last week, our Year 5 students had the opportunity to do just that and experience life in space.  Find out more in this article by Mr. Greg, Year 5 Leader.

Settling in Workshop

We were delighted to welcome so many new parents to our ‘Settling In Workshop’ on Wednesday.  It was a great opportunity to hear from our Admissions Team and Counsellors about the challenges that may be faced when moving to a new country, not just by the children but families also.  If you were unable to make it, please click on this link to find out more or access the presentation.

Digital Citizenship Workshop

Keeping our children safe is always our top priority as parents be that holding their hand as they cross a busy road or navigating the online world we live in.  Mr Luke Dyer, Whole School  STEAM Co-ordinator and Primary ICT Lead delivered a wonderful presentation to all parents on Thursday morning. Please click on this link to find out more.

BBGV Fun Run 2019

On Sunday September 29^th we hope to see a huge gathering once more of our BIS Community to support the annual BBGV Fun Run. The BBGV contributes to projects which cover a wide range of charitable fields. They give priority to projects which meet the needs of disadvantaged children and the elderly and also to projects that have an educational dimension. The most recent projects they supported were Hue Help with their Swimming class in Soc Son Hanoi and Scholarships for school girls in Hau Giang with Bong Sen Centre for Community Development.  We, as a school, are delighted to be part of this wonderful event. BBGV race numbers and shirts can be collected from the cashiers at each campus.  BIS event shirts are 100,000VND and race numbers are free to BIS families.

PTG Weekly Update

Our PTG Committee for 2019 – 2020 is up and running and they are now looking for willing volunteers to help on various subcommittees and to act as parent class reps and country reps.  Please do consider joining the team. Click here to access their weekly post with more details.

Managing our Traffic Together

We would like to remind all parents about our Drivers Code of Conduct and once more ask for your assistance and cooperation in helping to make the BIS traffic flow with ease between the campuses and in the general vicinity of the school. Using the Code of Conduct, with key information in both English and Vietnamese, we aim to further educate our drivers to make better choices when they enter the areas around our school campuses and within the Thao Dien area as a whole.

Please take time to talk to you drivers about the this and ensure that it is visible in your car at all times. This will serve as a reminder about our expectations for all drivers when they are bringing our children to school in the morning and picking them up at the end of the day.

Safeguarding at school – it’s everyone’s responsibility

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 Person.

Please note that CCTV cameras are in operation at all times across the campus.

Please take note of some upcoming important dates for the diary. 

• Tues 10^th and Wed 11^th September         3pm – 5.30pm   Parents’ Evening – class teachers
• Thursday 12^th September                            8.15am                 Moon Festival Celebrations @ Juniors
• Monday 23^rd September                                                              Clubs start for students
• Tuesday 24^th September                              8.15am                 Vietnamese Coffee Morning @ Juniors
• Tuesday 24^th September                                                               Vietnamese classes for students
• Sunday 29^th September                                7am                       BBGV Funrun @ District 7
• Friday 4^th October                                           8.30am                 EAL Workshop for Parents
• Wednesday 9^th October                                3pm – 5pm         Young Musician Semi Final @ Black Box Theatre
• Tuesday 15^th October                                     5.30pm                 Young Musician Final @ Theatre
• Thursday 17^th October                                   All Day                  Business and Enterprise Day @ Small Field
• Friday 18^th October                                         8.15am                 EAL Presentations for parents                   

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms Deirdre Grimshaw, Headteacher of Junior Campus