UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter Volume 20, Edition 17, Friday 13 December

NEXT WEEK... SATURDAY, 14 DECEMBER

Winter Holidays, 14 Dec - 5 Jan

School & Campus closed, Offices open weekdays

16-20 Dec & 30 Dec-3 Jan. Offices closed 23-27 Dec

COMING SOON... SATURDAY, 21 DECEMBER

Alumni Reunion in Hanoi 18:00, Pots n’ Pans

TUESDAY, 31 DECEMBER

Scholarship Programme 14-15 Application Deadline

FRIDAY, 3 JANUARY

Quarter 3 Tuition Fee Payment Due

COMING SOON... SUNDAY, 5 JANUARY

Alumni Reunion in Melbourne 18:00, The World

Restaurant and Bar

MONDAY, 6 JANUARY First Day of School after Winter Break

WEDNESDAY, 8 JANUARY SMP 2015-2020 Task Force Meeting 7:00-8:30

HS Boys Basketball 15:15-16:15, BVIS

THURSDAY, 9 JANUARY Grade 4 Fieldtrip 8:30-12:00

MS Boys Soccer 16:00-17:00, UNIS Field

SATURDAY, 11 JANUARY Basketball North-South Cup 11-12 January, Sports Centre

tintuc@unishanoi.org

IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights...

Notes from the Head of School and the Board of Directors (p.2)

Notes from the Elementary and Middle/High School Principals (p.3-4)

Hanoi Cuisine. Grade 10 personal project (p.6)

Amazing Science with Philip Rose (p.7)

Grade 3 ‘Slice of ICE’ (p.8)

Is your Family leaving Hanoi ? (p.4)

Festive Fundraiser (p.5)

New UNIS Hanoi hotspot (p.6)

K2 Field Trip(p.9)

12 Ways to a healthy holiday (p.10)

Job Opportunities (p.11-12)

Canteen Menu

We wish all the best to

who is left Hanoi this week

I am pleased to announce the hiring of

Tarique Al-Iesa as our new Director of

Co-Curricular Activities beginning in July

2014. You have all seen his resume in a

link from the Tin Tuc but as a reminder

Tarique has a Bachelor of Science in

Education specializing in PE, a Masters

degree in Educational Leadership and several years as a

teacher and Director of Activities. He is most recently

working as Director of Activities at the KAUST School in

Saudi Arabia which is an international school for the

professors of a large consortium of universities with

campuses in Jeddah. Tarique grew up in both Kuwait and

the U.S. and is a citizen of both countries. He has a wife

(Cortney) and two ES aged children.

We are fortunate to get such an experienced and highly

regarded administrator for this job and feel confident that

we can continue the good work that Dirk Kraetzer has

done over the last three years.

On page 11 of this week’s the Tin Tuc, we are advertising

an additional position in the Co-Curricular Activities office.

This position is Activities Manager and the person will

report directly to Tarique. There is a link to the job

announcement including requirements and a description of

the job. We will be recruiting internationally for it as well,

but expats already in Hanoi are eligible to apply.

Some of you have asked about the government

announcement last week indicating that the TET holiday

for all government employees will be extended earlier by

two days. This means that for Vietnamese Government

employees, the TET holiday will be Tuesday 28 January

through Wednesday 05 February. This is an extra two days

(Tuesday and Wednesday, 28-29 January). The employees

will be required to make up these two days on two

Saturdays (15 January and 8 February). Other employers

have the option of doing the same thing IF THEY

CHOOSE TO. For us, the idea of Saturday school, taking

two days off of Spring Break, or going two days later in

June did not seem to make sense. So our TET holiday

remains unchanged and will begin on 30 January 2014.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

May this three week holiday bring some rest, rejuvenation

and quality family time.

Respectfully,

Dr. Barder, hos@unishanoi.org

Last week, the Board held an information session for Class

Parents. To view the answers to the questions that were

asked during the session and on the evaluation forms,

please click HERE.

Tuition and Fees Letter for the 2014-15 School Year

Today, I sent a letter to all parents informing them of the

approval of the budget and tuition for the next school year

(2014-15). Please click HERE to read the letter.

I would like to wish all members of our UNIS community a

happy and restful holiday. To those of you who are moving

on from Hanoi, I wish you good health and success in the

future. I look forward to seeing everyone else back here in

January.

Best regards,

Sarah Garner, UNIS Hanoi Board Chair

Suddenly it seems impossible that the

Winter Holiday is upon us. The last two

weeks have been as busy as ever, with the

children enjoying a range of different

learning opportunities and events.

This was our second “Slice of Ice” in as many weeks and

again proved a great success in terms of children

showcasing their work and raising the profile and status of

learning across the arts. A big thank you to the arts teachers

in particular for all their work throughout the semester and

who collaborated with the homeroom teachers to help the

children stage the evening.

For the Music department and the children this was also a

busy week with the Festive Fundraiser last Friday evening

which entailed a good deal of preparation and practice and

led to an evening enjoyed by all.

One of my favourite student learning memories from last

year, came around again this week as the Grade 5 students

shared their presentations based on their Unit of Inquiry

about Migration. The presentations were very powerful

evocations reliving stories of migration of family members:

some poignant, some adventurous, some humorous and all

fascinating. Interesting to note that most of these Grade 5

‘Third Culture Kids’ will have an even more remarkable

and distinctive life journey of their own to tell their

children in the years to come, as they move from place to

place and school to school following their parents’

migratory moves.

Science was brought to life by our visiting scientist Philip

Rose who worked with classes throughout the Elementary

School this week. We have been incorporating more

Science in to our Units of Inquiry this year so this week of

experiments and scientific fun was a great way to re-

emphasize the importance and applicability of scientific

concepts and understandings.

Two representatives from each grade level (G1-5) met with

the Perkins Eastman representatives this week to share

their ideas about how to improve the campus. Ideas ranged

from building a Science Lab (perhaps inspired by our

visitors!), having a second swimming pool, building a

separate ES library, having more language classrooms in

the ES, resurfacing all the pathways, upgrading the toilets

and inevitably the creation of a new playground area. The

children were able to justify their choices and were

confident in expressing their ideas. We look forward to

hearing whether any will be incorporated in the next

version of the campus re-development plan.

Reports went live yesterday afternoon and we hope that all

parents have been able to access the report for their child

via ISIS Families. The upcoming Parent teacher

Conferences in mid-January are scheduled to allow for

discussion of the report. The online sign up will open the

first week back after the holiday.

For your information, I will be away from school for much

of January recruiting for new faculty members for next

academic year. When I am away Ms Jan Humpleby will be

Acting Principal. I will still be accessing my emails and be

in regular contact with school should you wish to contact

me directly.

In the meantime may I take the opportunity to wish all of

our departing families all the very best for their next

adventure and all ES families a safe and happy holiday.

Warm regards,

Carole Denny, esprincipal@unishanoi.org

Dear MSHS Families,

As we head toward Winter Break there is a

heightened sense of excitement on

campus. It is hard to believe the school

year is almost halfway over…..it seems like

opening day was just a few days ago! Time

sure flies in a busy and productive school!

UNIS Hanoi surely is a beehive of activity. Academics and

activities in the Arts, athletics, service learning, trips, MUN,

……., (The list can go on and on!) create the fabric of a

vibrant learning community. UNIS Hanoi students are

extremely fortunate to have such a large selection of

opportunities in which to participate. All activities are

designed to promote the development of a well-balanced

young adult. It goes without saying that our core function

must focus on academics, but a UNIS Hanoi education is

so much more. Educating the whole child includes a

balance between a rigorous academic programme and active

involvement in a verity of activities. As such please

encourage your child to create a healthy balance between

academics and co-curricular activities.

I would like to thank Mathematics teacher Sam Trebesch

for spearheading our MSHS “Hour of Code” activity.

Paradoxically, over the past decade technology usage has

increased exponentially but the ability to write code

(programme computers) has become somewhat of a lost

art. Ms. Trebesch saw an opportunity for all MSHS

students (and many teachers) to participate in a coding

experience sponsored by Code.org. During the Hour of

Code UNIS Hanoi joined students from around the world

in an experience designed to build basic coding techniques.

Within the curriculum at UNIS Hanoi we do teach aspects

of programing and we do have many “coders” but we also

have students who shy away from this form of expression.

To assist with the activity our student coders joined faculty

members and happily served as facilitators for less

experienced students and teaches. Overall our Hour of

Code was extremely successful! For more information

please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=3acWFYmIYR0

In closing I would like to wish our entire UNIS Hanoi

community a joyful and restful Holiday Season. I would

also like to wish the families who are leaving UNIS Hanoi

the best of luck in the future. Separate MS and HS

assemblies will honor our “leavers” but it is also important

to wish parents and families a fond bon voyage as well!

Cheers and Happy Holidays,

Pete Kennedy, mshsprincipal@unishanoi.org

Please notify the Admissions office of your intended withdrawal date.

School will close for the winter break on Friday 13th December.

The last day of the first semester is Friday 17th January.

Upon confirmation of your departure, we shall guide

your family through the withdrawal process.

If you require any further assistance, please email admissions@unishanoi.org

or contact Admissions staff on 37581551 extension 8217 / 8220.

My name is Nhi Trinh and for every 10th

Grader in the MYP it is a requirement to

do a project, due to the fact that we have

to complete it by ourselves with only the

assistance of a teacher supervisor it is

called the Personal Project.

For my project, I have decided to create a

blog which I will talk about traditional Vietnamese food

and how it has affected my life. All throughout my life food

has always had a huge impact on me, especially traditional

Vietnamese food. Growing up my parents would prepare

for celebrations or memorials and explain to me the

meaning of each food and how it is made. This has lead to

my interest in not only Ha Noi food but also food all over

the world. And so I would like to pass on my knowledge of

Vietnamese cuisine and a part of my childhood because

what I have come to learn is that not a lot of people actually

know too much about Vietnam, more specifically Ha Noi

even though they have lived here all their life.

I would like to ask for everyone's help by reading my blog

and giving me comments on how to improve it. Please

CLICK HERE to visit my blog. You never know, maybe

you will learn something!

Thank you so very much,

Nhi Trinh

A number of educational and popular writers are now

raising the fear of our children growing up divorced from

nature, the biosphere and any meaningful relationship with

the natural world. That the western intellectual process of

analysis and hypothesis is encouraging our learners to

consistently abstract the salient features of observable

phenomena and try to understand the item, divorced from

the context, or environment in which it is found (can you

really understand a frog by pinning it to a dissection table?)

The Green Team have been active in trying to get the issue

taken seriously as one that truly impacts learning, growth

and wellbeing. While much of their work is happening

behind the scenes in curriculum and pedagogy discussions,

occasionally there is something to photograph and publish

in Tin Tuc. So stop a while when next passing the MSHS

garden. Take a moment to sit and wonder how long it takes

that pineapple to grow or those tomatoes to ripen - get

back in touch with your wild-side (if only for a nano-

second)

Photos from wikipedia

We had a very exciting visitor at UNIS

Hanoi this week, scientist Philip Rose.

Philip works for a British company called

SciTech: www.scitech.co.uk. SciTech

promotes science and technology to

children of all ages through the use of

exciting hands-on interactive workshops

and lectures.

Throughout the week Philip worked with UNIS Hanoi

students from Discovery to Grade 6. He mesmerized

children through his application of science. His

demonstrations included green bubbling, smoking potions

which would have looked at home in a Harry Potter movie!

He used liquid nitrogen to freeze and then shatter a rose

and to snap an elastic rubber band as if it were a twig. Philip

also set up forensic investigations, ultrasound experiments

and amazing forces experiments using a fulcrum and pivot.

Best of all many students had the opportunity to interact

with the materials and become part of the show.

Each grade had their own special lecture focus. The

lectures were tailor made to connect to the students’

current science units of inquiry and as such they were each

highly relevant to our UNIS Hanoi curriculum. For

example The Wonders of Light in Kindergarten 1, Science

Sound Sensation in Grade 1 and Forces in Grade 3 (to

name a few). SciTech prides itself in teaching both

scientific understandings and nurturing important scientific

skills. Philip teaches children science concepts and also

how to ‘do’ science. This commitment to scientific inquiry

is also at the core of the UNIS Hanoi Science curriculum.

To get a flavour of what scientific inquiry looks like in our

own classrooms in a usual school week when Philip is not

here you may wish to have a look at these two short videos

recorded recently showing scientific inquiry in action in

Kindergarten 2: K2CA and K2AP.

Christopher Frost, PYP Coordinator

pypcoordinator@unishanoi.org

Grade 3 Slice of ICE

Grade Three ‘Slice of ICE’ Parent evening on Dec 10 proved to be

another successful extension and sharing

of student learning in the new ‘Innovative,

Creative, Expression – ICE’ Arts block.

Students began by introducing the night

and ‘touring’ their parents around learning in Visual Art,

Media Art and Drama in the Foyer, followed by some

creative music composition performances on stage in the

theatre and black light giant drama puppet performances.

The final performance was a song; ‘Good Friends’

performed by all Grade Three Students on stage.

The evening highlights all of the creative, innovative and

expressive learning taking place through their five lessons

per week in two forms of ‘The Arts’ per quarter. We

believe through this new ICE block schedule students are

gaining a more in-depth study into their quarterly lessons

as well as having a broader range of artistic lessons taking

place.

Thank you to the wonderful Parent turn out and thank you

to the Grade Three and Arts Teaching Teams.

Sally Oxenberry, ES Arts Team Leader

soxenberry@unishanoi.org

Kindergarten 2 have been learning about shelters in

Vietnam and around the world. As a culminating activity we

visited the museum of Ethnology and saw a range of types

of shelter, materials and methods of building. We saw the

impact that weather has on materials. When we came back

we talked about why people might have chosen each

material and method we saw.

Amy Pitcairn, K2 Team leader apitcairn@unishanoi.org

to a healthy holiday UNIS Hanoi said to

me, wash hands to be safe and healthy.

to a healthy holiday UNIS Hanoi

said to me, Bundle up for warmth and wash hands to be

safe and healthy.

to a healthy holiday UNIS Hanoi said

to me, Manage Stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash

your hands to be safe and healthy.

to health UNIS Hanoi said to me,

don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for

warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me, BE

SMOKE FREE, don’t drink and drive, manage stress,

bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and

healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

fasten seat belts while driving, BE SMOKE FREE,

don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for

warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

Get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, BE

SMOKE FREE, don’t drink and drive, manage stress,

bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and

healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

Get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten

belts while driving, Be smoke free, don’t drink and drive,

manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to

be safe and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

Monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get exams

and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free,

don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for

warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

Practice fire safety, monitor the children, get your

vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while

driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage

stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe

and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to

me, Prepare dinner safely, practice fire safety, monitor

the children, get your vaccinations, get exams and

screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t

drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and

wash hands to be safe and healthy.

to health, UNIS Hanoi said to me,

Eat well and get moving, prepare dinner safely, practice

fire safety, monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get

exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke

free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for

warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

School Health Centre, nurse@unishanoi.org

UNIS Hanoi has experienced steady year-on-year growth in

our student population, which currently stands at over

1,000 students from 66 different countries. We are now

accepting applications for a Co-Curricular Activities

Manager (CCAM). The position reports to the Director

of Co-Curricular Activities (DCCA).

Overview of the Co-Curricular Activities Office:

As a strong complement to the curricular programme, the

co-curricular programme of UNIS Hanoi includes all

activities that take place outside of the school day. These

activities include all After School Activities (ASAs),

Performing Arts, Sports, the Community Education

Programme, UNIS Music Academy (UMA) and the

Aquatics Academy, the Saturday Soccer Programme, the

Energize Fitness Programme and management and

scheduling of recreational facilities of UNIS Hanoi. In

addition, the co-curricular team works in collaboration with

the UNIS Hanoi Service Learning programme and the

curricular programmes of the Elementary, Middle and High

schools.

The Co-Curricular programme currently offers over 250

different programme offerings each year to students in

Grades Discovery – 12. Offerings range from weekly after

school activities/clubs to participation in sports or non-

sports teams/groups that go on to participate in

tournaments and festivals at large international school

events at UNIS Hanoi or in travel to international school

tournaments and festivals.

Duties and Responsibilities

The CCAM assists DCCA in all aspects of the UNIS Hanoi

co-curricular programme listed above. The CCAM will act

as primary contact and be directly responsible for the

following areas:

Saturday Activities (Saturday is part of the 5 day

work week, Sunday and another day in the week will

be days off for the CCAM)

UNIS Music Academy: design, implement and

manage a high quality extra-curricular music

education programme in accordance with UNIS

Hanoi objectives;

Summer Programmes

After School Activities (ASAs)

Position Requirements:

Required

Demonstrated leadership capabilities with a

strong background in leading and implementing

co-curricular programmes

Excellent organizational ability and initiatives

Effective communication and interpersonal skills

Experience in an international school setting

Extensive experience in the development and

implementation of youth development

programmes

Experience as a teacher, activities sponsor, coach,

and/or performing arts director

Preferred

Previous experience in a leadership role in

Activities/Athletics Programmes

An M.A./M.Ed./M.Sc. degree or equivalent

In return, UNIS Hanoi offers an attractive work

environment, flexible working hours and leave

arrangements, competitive remuneration, and professional

development opportunities.

Successful applicant would be expected to commence

duties in August 2014.

Interested applicants please send your expression of

interest, along with an up-to-date CV and current referees

to jobs@unishanoi.org.

Only short-listed candidates will be invited for

interview

Ms Tran Thi Quyen, Human Resources Manager

United Nations International School of Hanoi

UNIS Hanoi is a not-for-profit international school offering all three

International Baccalaureate Programmes f

rom Discovery to Grade 12.

UNIS Hanoi is also fully accredited by the Council of International

Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

UNIS Hanoi has experienced steady year-on-year growth in

our student population, which currently stands at over

1,000 students from 66 different countries. We are now

accepting applications for an ES Physical Education

Teaching Assistant for school year 2014 - 2015.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide support to the classroom teacher as

requested

Cover class during teacher’s absence for short

periods of time

Maintain good teaching-learning rapport with

students; model and collaborate to implement good

behaviours; and act as good PYP model

Proactively manage student discipline in alignment

with classroom agreement

Manage small groups and one to one exercise with

students under teacher supervision

Prepare and check for safety all PE resources,

equipment, materials and first aid kits based on the

teacher’s teaching plan; maintain inventory and stock

control of all equipment and resources

Collaborate with teacher to prepare playing fields

and other areas

Contribute to the enrichment of student life at UNIS

Hanoi, for example in sports, ASAs, student clubs

and/or UNIS community services; actively get

involved in UNIS Hanoi Service Learning

programmes

Seek feedback, reflect and act upon information

received to develop professionally; attend UNIS

planned training activities; learn from others and

share knowledge with others

Other responsibilities as required by the Supervisor.

Position requirements

University degree in Education/Teaching or related

disciplines

2+ years’ experience in a similar role, preferably in

an international learning environment

Excellent communication skills in English

Demonstrated desire and capability in working with

young children

Cross-cultural exposure and understanding

Strong organizational and planning skills

Ability to communicate effectively and positively

with students, faculty, parents and other constituents

of the school community

Ability to collaborate with team members within

agreed protocols to focus on student learning

Special requirement: High level of

physical fitness is required for this

role

In return, UNIS Hanoi offers an attractive work

environment, flexible working hours and leave

arrangements, competitive remuneration, and professional

development opportunities.

Application closing date: 6 January 2014

Interested applicants please send your expression of

interest, along with an up-to-date CV and current referees

to jobs@unishanoi.org

Ms Tran Thi Quyen, Human Resources Manager

United Nations International School of Hanoi