1. BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HANOI
NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 30 2015| ISSUE 19
IN THIS ISSUE
From Mr. Anthony Rowlands
From Mr. Christopher Short
From Mrs. Karen Hanratty
Silver DoE - Da Lat Expedition
Secondary Student Council - Hospital Visit
Tet Fair
Fundinotots Programme
Lunch Menu
Contacts
02
03
04
05-06
07
08
09
10
11
Issue 19 | 1
UPCOMING EVENTS
2nd
KS3 Boys & Girls Football vs HIS
3rd
- 6th
Year 6 Expedition to Hoi An
3rd
F3 Learning Insights Parents Information Session
4th
KS3 Boys Football vs Wellspring
5th
Year 2 Learning Insights Parents Information
Session
KS4/5 Girls Basketball vs Concordia
7th
Tet Fair 2015
9th
-13th
Road Safety Week
10th
Year 3 Learning Insights Parents Information
Session
Year 11 Music Concert
11th
F1, 2 & 3 trip to flower market and flower field
12th
Year 2 trip to Cathedral area
KS3 Boys & Girls Football vs Concordia
13th
Primary “Bright colours” Mufti Day
Tet Whole School Assembly
Year 7/10/12 Interim Reports Issued
Year 8 Full Reports Issued
16th
- 27th
Tet Holiday – School closes
FEBRUARY
2. Issue 19 | 2
From Mr Anthony Rowlands - Principal of BIS Hanoi
On Monday, 26th January we were
honoured to welcome to school Lord
Puttnam, the UK Prime Minister’s trade
envoy to Vietnam. He has a great
interest in education, environment and
the creative industries and has spent
many years raising the awareness of
learning opportunities in various parts
of the world. Prior to this, Lord Puttnam spent over
thirty years as an independent producer of
award-winning films including The Mission, The Killing
Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express,
Bugsy Malone and Memphis Belle. His films have won
ten Oscars, 25 Baftas and the Palme D'Or at Cannes.
Lord Puttnam was given a tour of the school and visited
some Primary classes and the Library. He also gave a
presentation to our Y10 and Y11 students in the Theatre.
This was followed by a hugely interesting question and
answer session with the students. Some very insightful
questions were asked and were responded to with very
entertaining and informative answers by Lord Puttnam.
It was a great experience for us all at BIS Hanoi and Lord
Puttnam was very impressed with the school and our
students.
The Primary School has, indeed, been a busy place
since the beginning of Term 2. The staff from each Year
Group has been conducting the “Learning Insights”
programme for parents. BIS Hanoi parents are invited
into the school for the first two periods of a specific day.
In the first period, the teachers introduce a particular
learning area that their children are studying at school.
The teachers then put the parents in a learning situation
by providing them with the activities that their children
experience in the classroom. During the second period,
parents are able to go into their child’s classroom and
observe first-hand how they learn. This is a highly
effective and enjoyable way for parents to experience
the quality learning that we offer at BIS Hanoi.
I was so pleased to hear of the success of our football
teams at a tournament held at UNIS last weekend. Our
Key Stage 3 boys’ team won the tournament without
conceding a goal, which is an outstanding achievement.
The two girls’ teams (Key Stage 3 and Primary) also
competed exceptionally well and it is most encouraging
to see them playing and enjoying football.
On Saturday 7th February, we will be holding our
annual Tet Fair at the school. For me, this is one of the
highlights of the year. It is not often that we, as a school
community, can all get together and I do hope that as
many people as possible come and join us for this
event.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Lord Puttnam visits BIS Hanoi
3. In last week’s newsletter I mentioned
the Year 11 and 12 students being out
on their Silver International Award.
They all made it safely back to Hanoi
on Saturday night having had a
challenging but rewarding time. One of
the skills they were able to develop
was their navigation skills so they can
now plan routes using only a compass and a map; an
increasingly rare and valuable skill due to the use of
GPS and smartphones.
Year 8 are down in Mai Chau on their expedition. A full
report will appear later in the term, but the reports we
have had back from the expedition are very encourag-
ing. We have been very luck with the weather this week,
the hoodies not really needed for their warmth!
Issue 19 | 3
From Mr Christopher Short - Head of Secondary
Mock examination results are issued today and so
parents and students have an opportunity over the
weekend to discuss these and the next steps. Students
are generally on track to reach their targets and will
work with their teachers in the coming weeks to identify
strategies for this last term of IGCSE teaching.
Sport continues to be successful at BIS Hanoi, congratu-
lations to the Key Stage 3 boys who won the Football
tournament at UNIS last weekend. The primary girls also
deserve a special mention as they represented Key
Stage 3 girls in the tournament. Sport is such an impor-
tant part of our programme and it is brilliant to see so
many students participating and being successful
against much larger and longer established schools.
On Saturday the 24th of January BIS
Hanoi sent three teams to play in the
UNIS Middle school Football
Tournament. Our second girls’ team
was comprised of year 4-6 students. In
the Girls’ tournament both teams
learned a lot throughout the day and
by match number four both teams
started implementing the tactics
learned throughout the morning. Our A team finished 6th
and our B team finished 4th overall. The girls enjoyed the
day and learned about teamwork and being tough
throughout the games.
The Boys team had an exceptional day. Their first pool game was against the host school. BIS beat UNIS 2-0 and this
was a good platform for the rest of the day. During their 4 matches the team did not concede a goal. The final was
played against Wellspring and in the second half BIS scored and was crowned the overall winner of the day.
Well done to all who participated during the day. We hope that we will be able to send more teams in future. We are
looking forward to defending our title next year and that more girls’ teams will be able to participate.
UNIS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Ms. Salome Airdrie
Whole School
PE Subject Leader
4. There is much excitement in the air this
week, as the Year 6 children prepare
for their expedition next week to Hoi
An. This trip is our most adventurous
yet, being 4 days and 3 nights away and
including a short flight to reach the
destination.
Overnight expeditions are an important part of our
PSHE programme. They give children a wonderful
opportunity to develop a range of life skills whilst at the
same time enjoying the thrill of an adventure. During a
few days away from home and family, children take
great steps in terms of developing independence and
consequently confidence. They learn more about
cooperating with others and working as part of a team.
They may show leadership skills, take responsibility for
themselves and develop greater ability to communicate
effectively with others. Children are supported
throughout their experiences by both their peers and
the teaching staff, who understand some of the anxieties
children may feel being taken outside of their normal
‘comfort zone’. As well as a heavy focus on personal
and social education there is often a curriculum link in
our expeditions. Year 4 visiting Ba Vi links very well
with their theme of ‘Food and Farming’ and Year 6 are
using Hoi An as a focus for their study on ‘Travel and
Tourism’.
Our Primary expeditions are scaled in terms of
challenge. Year 4 stay relatively local, having a one
Issue 19 | 4
From Mrs Karen Hanratty - Head of Primary
FINE DINING
night visit to Ba Vi. Year 5 are stretched a little further,
with 2 nights away from home and at a farther distance
from Hanoi in Cuc Phuong National Park. The Year 6
expedition builds further on this and is a great transition
which helps to prepare children for Secondary school.
Look out next week for a report of the Year 6 Hoi An
experience in this newsletter!
5. On January 21st 19 BIS Hanoi students
from Years 11 and 12 set off for Dalat
in order to complete their Qualifying
Expedition for the Silver level of the
Duke of Edinburgh’s International
Award. Using topographical maps of
the area and compasses, the students
(in small groups) navigated their way
between various checkpoints
amongst the hills and forests, needing to negotiate the
steep foothill of Lang Biang Mountain, fast flowing
streams on frosty mornings and rickety bridges over
rivers. There were a number of inevitable mistakes;
quite a few students walked considerably more than the
planned 32 km when they mistook South for North and
downhill for uphill! However, these experiences served
to improve their decision making and communication
skills.
Between the first day and the third day of the hike the
Issue 19 | 5
development of navigation ability was remarkable.
Participants were also required to pitch their own tents
and prepare their own meals – including at least two
cooked meals. The chill air of the evening and early
morning was kept at bay by large bonfires, the lighting of
which cheered everyone up no end. On Saturday
evening the group returned to Hanoi, albeit tired and
somewhat smelly. Whether or not they have finally
qualified will depend on their upcoming group
presentations and the decision made by their Assessor,
Ms Wild. Despite the work to be done further, the
participants all returned very satisfied with their
achievements; having survived what was, for many,
their biggest physical and mental challenge to date! I
look forward to welcoming our current Bronze students
in Year 10 to consider Silver next year, and remind them
that their own expeditions are less than two months
away!
Silver DoE
International Award
DA LAT EXPEDITION
Mr. Robert Airdrie
Secondary Maths
Subject Leader
6. Issue 19 | 7
You may remember that some
teachers at BIS Hanoi were growing
moustaches for ‘Movember’ a couple
of months ago. Movember is an
international charity which raises
awareness of male cancers as well as
money for research and treatment.
Through a private fundraising group
the staff raised $600 for the charity. However, we also
felt it was important to raise money for those affected by
cancer in our local community. We decided to donate
money raised in school by our students to Sympameals,
a local charity which purchases and donates food to
cancer patients at the National Cancer Hospital (Bênh
Kiên K). A few of our student council members visited
the hospital to distribute the food their fundraising had
bought and would like to share their experience:
It was the first time that I had been to a Cancer Hospital. I didn't know anything about it, I
hadn't experienced anything like what I am going to tell about and I simply didn't know this
is happening, in this world.
It was fun to talk, to give milk and to discover some interesting facts. However, it was not fun
to see the scene. It might be funny to think about this, that is everyone is bald or just have a
little hair but when I see the real story, I can't laugh or just simply smile. Every patient has
cancer, every visitor has some person they know is sick and every person in this world
except them, don't care. There was a 12 year old girl with cancer. I imagine her when she was bald after seeing
her real picture, it seemed impossible. The owner of the charity tell us that in Vietnam, there is an increasing
number of cancer in young people. I can't believe it.
The tiny room with 20 people, all staring at us, made me want to run. The atmosphere was hot and humid. The
beds with 4-5 people sitting or lying on. It was all too hard to be true. Patients at night would have to lay in the
corridor. Poor people who have no money to have the treatment, so they quit. Poor people who don't have
money to buy food, just hope for some charity, just hope for some free milk, free food or free drink. I started
to understand now why people have to do all this charity, I started to understand now why we have to give
the money, I started to understand that I maybe have the most luck in the world.
Our trip to the hospital was
an interesting experience, as
we got to know more about
what the poor patients in
Vietnam do around the
building and how the
infirmary operated. Along
with that, we got to know
more about the charity and gave out milk from
our Movember donations. I am glad to see that
a school like ours is supporting people who are
less fortunate than us. Hopefully we will
continue to donate as much as now, or perhaps
even more.
Last Friday the student council
visited K hospital which is a
hospital for people who have
cancer. We gave out milk for
cancer patients who are not as
wealthy as others, with the
money we raised for Movember.
We learned - how the Sympa
Meals Organization works and how they deliver
food to the patients. Not only that, Ms. Anh (from
Sympa Meals) explained to us how patients have
their treatment. I personally found this trip very
interesting as I saw the other side of Hanoi.
SECONDARY STUDENT COUNCIL
HOSPITAL VISIT
TRAN HOANG TUE LINH
YEAR 8S
NGUYEN HA MINH
YEAR 7S
VU BAO TRANG
YEAR 9I
Mr. Martin Toner
ICT Teacher
7.
8. Issue 19 | 10
BIS HANOI MENU
Week Beginning 2nd February
Monday
2nd
Feb 3rd
Feb 4th
Feb 5th
Feb 6th
Feb
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
From Year 3 to Year 12 : All meals come with a salad or salad bar choice along and 2 choices of vegetables, rice, Vietnamese soup.
From Year 7 to Year 12: We have introduced our NEW Sandwich bar with assorted cheeses, fresh tuna, egg salad, roast meats and
other daily specials on our homemade bread, dark rye, whole wheat, oatmeal, french bread, Vietnamese rolls, raisin bread and
other fresh baked bread every day.
Morning
snack
Morning
snack
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Afternoon
snack
EYFSPRIMARYSECONDARY
Nutella sandwich Rice soup
Sticky rice with
dry pork
American
doughnut
Corn and chicken
soup
Milk Juice Milk Juice Juice
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit
Beef noodle soup
and chip
Pan seared pork
Pork caramel
with egg
Yogurt Oatmeal cookie Egg sushi roll Raisin cookie
Fruit Soya milk Juice Juice Fruit
Nutella sandwich Rice soup
Sticky rice with
dry pork
American
doughnut
Corn and chicken
soup
Milk Juice Milk Juice Juice
sauce
Braised pork and
tofu
Pan seared pork Grilled BBQ pork
Pork caramel
with egg
Beef noodle soup
Sausage sushi
roll
Roast chicken
with oyster sauce tomato sauce
sauce
Sausage sushi
roll
Pan seared pork Grilled BBQ pork
Spaghetti
carbonara
(v) Lemongrass
fried tofu
Braised pork and
tofu
(v) Sauteed
vegetable and
tofu noodle
Pork caramel
with egg
Beef noodle soup
and chip
Roast chicken
with oyster sauce
Steamed roll with
pork cake
(v) Cheese and
corn quesadillas
9. Issue 19 | 11
Good communication is important to us and we would like to ensure that you have the correct contact
information in order for you to call the school:
School Number: 04 3946 0435
Extention number:
Receptionist: 0
(For all general enquiries)
Principal’s Office: 208
principaloffice@bishanoi.com
(If you wish to contact the School Principal)
Business Manager’s Office: 109
thaonguyen@bishanoi.com
Primary Office: 220
primaryoffice@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding the Primary Section)
Secondary Office: 215
secondaryoffice@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding the Secondary Section)
Admission Department: 222/122/555/777/888
bishanoi@bishanoi.com
dessydelevaux@bishanoi.com (Admission Manager)
jinnyjung@bishanoi.com (Korean Liaison Officer)
hatruong@bishanoi.com
trambui@bishanoi.com
Marketing Department: 189
huyennguyenngoc@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding Marketing)
Finance Department: 202
(For all enquiries regarding school fees)
Medical Room: 117/303
linhdieu@bishanoi.com (Main school)
liennguyen@bishanoi.com (Early Years Building)
(For all enquiries regarding Medical Issues)
Uniform Shop: 221
tamle@bishanoi.com
nhungpham@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding School Uniform)
School Buses: 218
nganguyenthithuy@bishanoi.com
(For all requiries regarding School Buses)
10. SPONSORED BY:
JOIN US FOR
TET FAIRHỘI XUÂN 2015
SATURDAY, 7th
February 2015
10.00am - 2.00pm
Lucky Draw (Up to the value of 18 million VND)
Water Puppets & Magic Show
Students’ Performances
Traditional & Modern Games
Food & Drinks Corner
Hoa Lan Road, Vinhomes Riverside,
Long Bien, Hanoi
Ngũ cốc ăn sáng Nestlé
INTERNATIONAL GROUP
