Dear Parents,
I would like to start this week's update by thanking our teachers and support staff on the Secondary Campus. I am so proud of our whole team for successfully meeting the challenge of running IGCSE & IBDP Mock examinations whilst maintaining hybrid learning.
The current situation is a complex one - the majority of our students are learning face-to-face - whilst some remain overseas, in quarantine or in the case of year 7 students- waiting for approval to return to campus. This presents a challenge that is being met through a combination of collaboration, innovation and plain hard work! I know you will join me in thanking all of our teachers for once again going the ‘extra-mile’ to ensure our students have the opportunity to progress, irrespective of their location or circumstance, whether that be through experiencing examination practice or engaging lesson activities.
I would like to thank our students for supporting their classmates who are learning remotely. They are an invaluable source of support to each other- and as ever have risen to the challenge.
I would also like to thank you all for following our Covid protocols in monitoring your children’s health and communicating with us to keep us informed of any changing circumstances. We know that it is through community trust and responsibility that our students can be together learning safely on campus.
As we approach this special season for our host nation, one that celebrates family and community, it is fitting that for us it will mark the time from which our school community can come together in person. We are all so much looking forward to welcoming our Year 7 students to campus soon and we will begin their transition by inviting them to campus before Tet. A warm and supportive welcome awaits from us all.
In this week's update you will find some examples of learning on campus from across our curriculum, as well as how you can support our community partners as we approach Tet. As always, we appreciate your support.
My best wishes to you and your families for a relaxing weekend,
Sean O’Neill
It has been another week of rich collaborative learning across the campus for our year 8, 9 10 and12 students. See here a flavour of the week:
IBDP and IGCSE Biologists at work.
The Y12 HL Biologists have been collaborating during their Biochemistry topic. They were tasked with using marshmallows and cocktail sticks to model the structure of glucose and then show the condensation reaction between them to form a glycosidic link.
It was great for the Y10 Biologists to have the opportunity to use their theory, along with collaboration and problem solving, to investigate the identity of unknown solutions in the Science
lab. The students were tasked with identifying if the solutions contained lipids, proteins, vitamin C or sugars. This is where Science comes to life, and it is so wonderful to have the students back in the lab and being able to put their theory into practice.
Year 10 Physics students are able to do experiments again, looking at the energy stored in springs and kinetic energy, making use of the light gates and dataloggers by launching marbles through the light gate. The online students used a simulation to complete the same experiment.
A huge thanks to our colleagues from the Primary Campus, Ms Hogan and Mr Barker who led Music lessons for Secondary students this week. See them in action with Year 9 Strings here.
Year 8 PE - Improving their technical and communication skills in Softball.
Year 10 students in action on the volleyball court.
Our new space- “The Hub” has been a great location for Year 11 and 13 students’ collaborative revision.
My congratulations to students for the approach they have shown sitting mock examinations in school this week. The Mock examinations are designed to give an authentic experience in preparation for the final examinations in May & June this year, and allow each student to gain feedback in each subject area which they use to shape their studies in the term ahead. In conversations I have had with the Year 11 and Year 13 students this week, it has been great to hear how they have supported each other and gained from the Mock experience.
For those students not in school it is not an authentic exam experience but we are pleased to have been able to facilitate them sitting papers remotely so they can gain feedback from their teachers.
My thanks to all the Year 11 and Year 13 parents for your support in ensuring your sons and daughters were so well prepared and ready for the challenge of this week.
Our BIS Tet holidays will begin from Thursday 27th January and I hope that all of our families enjoy this time of family, festivities and traditional Vietnamese celebrations.
Unfortunately, some of our traditional Tet activities which cannot be held in a socially distanced way will be postponed for this year, including the Tet Assembly and lion dance. However, we are looking forward to seeing many of our students and staff in their traditional Ao dai on Wednesday 26th January.
There is still time to make a Tet donation to our Community Partners before gifts are sorted and prepared next week.
How to make your donation?
Please check the list below for your child’s campus and deliver to the corresponding drop-off locations.
The drop-off details:
We are not able to achieve this goal without your support, and we greatly appreciate your consideration. Each and every one of your contributions will help protect the smiles of these vulnerable children.
Kelly Tran and Susu Le,
On behalf of the Year 12 BIS Community Committee
We are delighted that we will soon be able to welcome our Year 7 to campus. To prepare students for the transition to learning on campus, we will be holding orientation events in school for our Year 7 students prior to the Tet holidays. The purpose of these sessions is to help the students familiarise themselves with our protocols, meet their teachers and classmates in person and tour the campus to enable them to safely and confidently return to campus.
Year 7 parents look out for your child’s invitation which will arrive in your inboxes on Monday.
Thank you to all parents for your support of our COVID-19 protocols. Some reminders:
Please find a reminder of our community Covid protocols here.
It's not too late to purchase your edition of the BIS ‘Life in Vietnam’ Calendar!
If you were unable to collect your calendar before the holiday, we are delighted to let you know that there are still a limited number available. This truly beautiful selection of studies, created by Y10 and Y11 students as part of their Life in Vietnam Unit for IGCSE Art and Design are not to be missed.
Additionally, all proceeds from the calendar sales will be donated to our local Community Partners, who too are an integral part of ‘Life in Vietnam’ for us as a school community.
For just VND 100,000 per calendar, you will be contributing to the support of children whom we value and care for as part of the BIS family.
To make a purchase, kindly click here to place your order.
Should you need special arrangements made for collection, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
Tracey Brownrigg
Co-Curricular Coordinator and
Community Service Project Manager
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
