Dear Parents,
As I write this first update of the new academic year, it is with great pride at how our school has pulled together to start the new academic year so successfully. To commence a new academic year with every student, every teacher and every member of our support staff physically apart, away from campus, each working in their own homes- is an incredible feat.
Whilst I have missed witnessing the familiar energy and buzz of a first day on campus as friends reconnect after the summer break, it has been so heartening to hear of the positivity with which our students have connected with their friends and teachers through our tutor group and transition activities - and in their first subject lessons of the school year.
Our experience of success in previous periods of Virtual Learning means we are extremely well placed to meet the current challenges but, whilst confident, we remain humble and aware that this is a first for all of us. We have never begun a new school year online before, but we are confident that, with our students, teachers and parents working together, we will do it well.
The start of any school year is focussed on establishing relationships and routines, and this is especially important in the context of Virtual Learning. These relationships and routines will form the foundations for our students to fully thrive and enjoy Virtual Learning across the academic, pastoral and co-curricular aspects of school life. Please see in this week's update some of the key features and approaches that will guide us in the week’s ahead.
I would like on behalf of the whole BIS HCMC community to give a warm welcome to our new families who have joined us for the new academic year from every corner of the globe. In my meetings with all new families, I have stressed that they are joining a warm and welcoming community. We are so looking forward to meeting you in person when we are able.
I would also like to extend our best wishes to the BIS community overseas, the BIS HCMC diaspora is far flung and we are supporting students from California to Tokyo, Stockholm to Sydney, and everywhere in between. Thank you for working with us to support your children’s education .
We are delighted to have added to our teaching capacity this year and in recent weeks have had the great pleasure of welcoming 29 new colleagues to the Secondary team for the 2021-22 academic year. They are a hugely talented and experienced group of professionals who will add even more quality to the learning experience our students enjoy. They have shown incredible fortitude, patience and good humour as they experience this new stage of their professional and family lives with us here at BIS HCMC in such unique circumstances. My thanks to them all.
I look forward to introducing our new teachers in our Meet the New Teachers section in each week’s update, and I know you will join me in giving them all a warm welcome to the community.
The need for connection and community is a fundamental part of any school. It is essential for us all. We know that in these times these things are harder and we will encounter different challenges along the way, but I know we will approach these as always with patience and care - and our students will enjoy a successful year ahead.
My very best wishes to you all
Sean O’Neill
It was wonderful to begin the year with a series of Parent Webinars for families of students from different year groups, and for our new and overseas families. Each webinar was very well attended and provided the opportunity to hear from the Secondary Senior Leadership team and Heads of Year on all aspects of our Virtual school provision - as well as have a useful Q & A.
Thank you to everyone who participated. If you missed the webinars, all parents will receive a recording to the relevant year group webinar via email.
Each week we will be sharing key features of Virtual Learning at BIS. This week we hear from our Assistant Headteachers, Mr Falconer and Mr lambert on the fundamentals of student expectations and Learning Technologies
We are delighted to share our Student Expectations for Virtual School. These expectations will support all of our students to get the most out of their virtual learning experience and help to maintain the fabric of school life.
They have been shared with the students this week, please read through these again with your child and think how you can work together at home to meet them.
At BISHCMC, students and teachers alike benefit from a technology-rich learning environment, both in virtual and face-to-face school. In order to support students and parents navigate the range of applications and platforms used to support learning, we have created a support guide, the link to which you will find below. For families new to BISHCMC there is also a short introductory video to Google Classroom, a cornerstone of our learning technology provision. Within the guide, you will find the email addresses of colleagues and teams who can support your child with any questions or concerns relating to learning technology and virtual school.
Secondary Students - Learning Tech Guide
Lee Falconer, Assistant Head Teacher (Teaching and Learning)
We’re very excited to be adding to our Virtual School Experience with our Virtual CCA programme. Our teachers and students have done what BIS teachers and students do by rising to the challenge of recreating our rich programme in a virtual world and have put together a fantastic programme that will be shared next week. With creative, active, service, and sustainability focused CCAs on offer, with a blend of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, and supported by our new CCA platform, SchoolsBuddy, we’re sure there will be something for everyone.
Remember, it’s important to connect beyond the classroom and the learning skills and characteristics developed through CCAs support children in their wellbeing and academic success. Next week we will be sharing the full CCA booklet and how to sign-up using our new system.
It has been a pleasure to welcome so many Year 7 students into Secondary school this week in what has been a challenging, enjoyable, and valuable induction program. Year 7s completed a series of virtual seminars which supported their transition to the Secondary campus and helped to introduce them to many of the central principles which drive Secondary school life at BIS.
On Wednesday, students got to meet their tutors before completing a session on ‘Learning to Learn’ with myself and Mr Wills. This session required them to reflect on past experiences of learning and encouraged them to consider the learning skills they sought to develop in Year 7.
Thursday’s induction sessions continued in this vein with an early session on virtual CCAs which included an enormous Kahoot quiz on the school’s co-curricular provision. Students then continued their induction with a learning tech session for Google Drive and an extended session exploring the principles of ‘SMART Targets’ and living ‘Above the Line’. In this final session, students were able to showcase their honesty during a giant game of Simon Says with Mr Wills and Mr Morgan.
It has been fantastic to witness the vibrance and enthusiasm of this cohort. I hope Year 7 can now build on this momentum and make an excellent start to life at BIS Secondary. Well done Year 7!
Mr Ioan Morgan - Head of Year 7
We are delighted to welcome an incredibly talented and experienced team of teachers to the Secondary Campus this year. Here is the first in our “Meet the New Teacher” Series:
Dominic Cheng
Mr Cheng joined BIS in August 2021 after working for five years in international schools in Dubai and prior to that working in inner city schools in Manchester and Oldham in the UK. He studied Biology at the University of Nottingham and thencompleted his teacher training at Manchester Metropolitan University. Mr Cheng is very much looking forward to exploring the culinary delights of Vietnam- particularly the amazing street food that Saigon has on offer.
Where have you moved to BIS from?
Dubai
Why did you move to BIS?
I have always wanted to work in South East Asia and after visiting Vietnam a couple of times I knew it was the country for me!
What has been the best experience for you since arriving in Vietnam?
Lockdown has made this very difficult to answer. So far it has been great meeting all the new students and staff.
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I am extremely food focussed. The first time I visited Vietnam was after watching Rick Stein eat Banh Xeo on the streets of Saigon and I knew I had to come here and try out all the amazing food.
Robert Wise
Robert joined BIS HCMC in 2021, having previously taught in the UK, Chicago, and Munich. Although a graduate of both Geography and Spanish at the University of Exeter, languages have always been his overriding passion. Spending his third year of university studying in Santander in North Spain as well as travelling extensively throughout Spain, Central, and South America has only accentuated his love of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.
In his free time, Robert enjoys training and racing in long-distance triathlons. He has completed four full distance Ironman events across North America and Europe, and is looking forward to exploring SE Asia through competing in more international triathlon events in the future.
Where have you moved to BIS from?
Munich, Germany
Why did you move to BIS?
To work in a school environment which puts equal emphasis on student wellbeing as it does student academic performance
What has been the best experience for you since arriving in Vietnam?
I am very much enjoying wandering out the supermarkets and seeing what Vietnamese and other Asian treats they have to offer
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I am currently a Brand Ambassador for Team Zoot Europe, a specialist triathlon brand.
Rachel Hollywell
Master in Mathematics, University of St Andrews, UK
PGCE, Oxford University, UK
Rachel joined BIS in August 2021. After teaching in Oxford, she moved to Peru where she taught the IB curriculum focusing on Higher Level Maths and was Head of Lancaster House. Rachel stayed in Peru for four years enjoying the diverse culture and opportunities to travel. She moved to Mexico to gain experience with the IGCSE whilst continuing to improve her Spanish. Outside the classroom Rachel is an avid baker, enjoys going to the gym and has always loved to travel; backpacking around Latin America and teaching English in Cambodia.
Where have you moved to BIS from?
Mexico
Why did you move to BIS?
I wanted to work for a school that values all parts of a student's education, not just the academic.
What has been the best experience for you since arriving in Vietnam?
Meeting all my new colleagues, everybody has been very helpful and welcoming.
Tell us one fun fact about yourself.
I am very good at baking chocolate brownies.
During virtual learning to help us build connections and look after each other's wellbeing, Wellbeing Curriculum lessons will be used for assemblies, wellbeing check-ins with individual/ small groups of students and time for students to complete a range of wellbeing activities from the weekly Wellbeing Menu. Information for each lesson will be posted on each year group Wellbeing Google Classroom.
The Wellbeing Menu is a selection of carefully chosen activities parents and students can access in Wellbeing lessons or on a daily basis and enjoy individually, as a family or with friends. It is also available on the BIS HCMC Virtual School Site. Building on the foundations of the PERMAH model which underpin our Wellbeing Curriculum, the activities are specifically chosen to support the development of a positive body, positive mind and positive emotions, to help students continue to develop a positive sense of themself and to enable us to connect with family, friends and the wider world in general. We aim to provide a range of activities which not only develop a high level of resilience but also help us to truly flourish at this time.
We want to see you enjoying the Wellbeing Menu... so whether it is a photograph, a drawing you have done, a video of you taking part in a challenge or simply playing a game with your family, we would love to share your fun with the BIS community! Send you photos to Mr Thurston, Head of Student Wellbeing (Key Stage 3 &4), at thomas.thurston@bisvietnam.com
Our first College and University Guidance Webinar of the academic year will take place virtually next week on Thursday 26th August at 3pm. The webinar will be an opportunity for our Year 13 students and their parents to connect with our specialist CUG team who will share information and guidance on the next steps for our Year 13 cohort in their applications to their chosen universities.
Click below to register for the event.
Event Details
Date: Thursday 26th August
Time: 3pm
Link: Year 13 Student and Parent University Guidance Webinar
In our webinars this week we shared with you all details of how you can connect with the Secondary Camus PTG.
The aim of PTG is to promote and aid in building a strong school community, as well as supporting the school’s work with the many partnerships BIS has with the local community.
The contact email address if you would like to be involved in the PTG committee and share ideas for community or social events is bisap2ptg@gmail.com.
Given current circumstances in HCMC as we commence the new year virtually, the first PTG meeting of the year will take place on 14th September. All Parents are welcome.
If you have any queries related to your child’ learning please contact your child’s Form Tutor or Head of Year.
For any issues or queries relating to the wider educational provision at BIS, please contact myself at sean.oneill@bisvietnam.com. I and my colleagues on the the Senior Leadership Team are all here to help and will be happy to arrange a conversation.
Thursday 26th August at 3pm: Year 13 Student and Parent University Guidance Webinar
Have a wonderful weekend,
Kind regards,
Sean O’Neill
Head Teacher
Secondary Campus
101 Thao Dien Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Junior Campus
225 Nguyen Van Huong Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Secondary Campus
246 Nguyen Van Huong Street,
Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
