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UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter Volume 21, Edition 23, Friday 13 February
Notes from the Head of School (p.2)
Notes from the Admissions Office (p.2)
Notes from the Board of Directors (p.3)
The Scholarship Fund update (p.4)
High School Honour rolls and awards
(p.5-6)
Tet Celebration photo special. (p.7-8)
Grade 1 Trip (p.8)
K2 Students - the buzzing bees (p.9)
Grade 10 Personal Project
Exhibition. Coming Soon! (p.10)
Service Learning News (p.11-12)
Basketball News (p.13-14)
UMA Concert. Save the date! (p.13)
Summer Programme (p.15)
Share the love! (p.15)
Spring Fair: Make it unique, make
it yours (p.16)
NEXT WEEK… SATURDAY 14 FEB - TUESDAY 24 FEB UNIS Hanoi Tet Break, 14-24 Feb School & Offices close
COMING SOON WEDNESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY APAC Spring Performing Arts Festival - BAND @
CISS, 25 Feb - 1 Mar APAC Spring Performing Arts Festival - THEATRE @
WAB, 25 Feb - 1 Mar
THURSDAY, 26 FEBRUARY MRISA Middle School Soccer @ ISE, 26 Feb - 1 Mar Grade 4 Heritage Field Trip, 9:00-11:30 PYP Exhibition, Parent Information Session, 18:00-
18:45, Library Projection Room G5 to G6 Parents Information Night, 19:00-19:45,
Library Projection Room
FRIDAY, 27 FEBRUARY MSHS Counselors - Guest Speaker Event for Parents,
8:30-10:30, Community Room
SATURDAY, 28 FEBRUARY Community Education Spring Programme Begins Aquathlon, 12:00-15:00
MONDAY, 2 MARCH JV Girls' Soccer vs CISH @ UNIS, 16:00-17:30
TUESDAY, 3 MARCH ES Sports Morning, 8:30-11:30, Sports Fields Grade 10 Personal Project Exhbition, 18:00-20:00
WEDNESDAY, 4 MARCH UNIS Hanoi Model United Nations Conference, 4-8 Mar
THUSDAY, 5 MARCH 2MA & 2RJ Field Trip, 8:30-10:15 MS Spring Sports Season Begins (Volleyball), 15:45-
17:30, Sports Centre Board Finance Orientation Session, 17:30-19:00,
Conference Room Grade 11 College Info Night for Parents and Students,
18:00-19:30, Library
FRIDAY, 6 MARCH UNIS Music Academy concert, 17:00-18:30, Black Box
and Theatre
SATURDAY, 7 MARCH Varsity Boys' Soccer vs MINSK @ UNIS, 15:00-16:00
IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights...
I would like to send a brief message to wish
you all a wonderful Tet holiday and best
wishes for a Happy New Year of the
Goat. Chuc Mung Nam Moi.
Respectfully,
Dr. Chip Barder, [email protected]
Please register your child directly with the admissions office. Applications will be
available to eligible applicants at the end of February, following the Tet holiday.
Tuition and Fees Agreements have been issued to all current families and should
be returned to [email protected].
Placements for returning students must be secured with deposit payments by 3
April 2015.
Please confirm the departure of your family from the school by submitting an
Admissions Withdrawal Form.
For assistance contact [email protected]
or 37581551 extension 8217 / 8220 / 8732.
Welcome to UNIS Hanoi
ES Tet Assembly - by Tim Barnsley
There are many opportunities at UNIS Hanoi for parents
to share their talent, time and expertise with the
community, demonstrating to our students the value of a
life-long commitment to community service. Whether this
be coaching weekend sports, talking to students about
career and college choices, serving as a classroom
representative or helping with the many School Community
Organization (SCO) events throughout the year or serving
on a board committee or task force- your contributions are
all welcomed and valued.
Through its annual membership review, the Board of
Directors has determined there will be one parent-elected
position open on the Board for the upcoming 2015/2016
school year. Board members are elected or appointed for
four years.
The board will now conduct an election for the position of
parent elected member, with results to be formally
announced at the 12th May Annual General Meeting.
Parents can find more information about the work of the
board, the role of a board member and the election process
here. Anyone considering this opportunity and/or if would
like to know more about getting involved with the board’s
work is invited to attend an Information Session About
Board Service on Thursday 12th March at 5:30pm, in
the Conference Room, Admin Building.
Testimonial by outgoing parent-elected Board member
(2012-2015) Craig Burgess:
'It has been a privilege to serve on UNIS committees and as a parent-
elected UNIS board member since 2012.
The experience has given me immense satisfaction, not only from being
able to give 'something back' to the school, but also from working with
a diverse team of board and faculty members, some of whom have
become close friends and increased my awareness of UNIS's unique
community and context. It has been a pleasure to be part of strategic
planning, policy making processes and contribute to good practice in
the governance of the school as it aims to go from 'Good to Great'.
Because UNIS values good governance and personal development, I
personally have learned much from others, in formal and informal
sessions at the school and in the region, which have enriched other
aspects of my personal and professional life.
UNIS is precious and needs committed parents to help guide its
future; I encourage any parent who has the interest and energy to stand
for election. Jump in with both feet and an open mind!'
Serving on the board or one of its committees is a richly
rewarding way to contribute in your children’s school. The
Board of Directors encourages all parents to consider
putting themselves forward for election. The deadline for
receipt of candidate application forms is 16th March at
12pm. If you have any questions, please contact the Board
Assistant, Jennifer Sawyer, at
On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to announce that
Board appointed Board member, Mr. Bob Hughes, has
been elected to the position of Treasurer and Chair of the
Finance Committee for the remainder of the 2014-2015
School Year.
Bob joined the Board in 2013. He is chair of the Strategic
Management Plan Task Force and has been a member of
the Finance Committee since 2013. Previously, Bob served
as chair of the Advancement Committee. Before joining the
Board, Bob was a member of the Advancement Committee
(2011-12) and a member of the Board’s School Legal Status
Task Force (2009-10). He is American and has a
background working in both multinational corporations
and local Vietnamese companies, in the IT, financial,
aviation, agricultural, and resource business sectors. He
holds BA degrees in Finance and Chinese Studies from
University of Utah, USA and an MBA from Stanford
University, USA. Bob has lived in Vietnam for over fifteen
years and has one child at UNIS.
Congratulations Bob!
Best regards,
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Board Chair
TOGETHER we have done it!
We have reached our first Annual
Community Campaign goal and next year
we will be able to offer a new scholarship
place created by YOU!
Thanks to the gifts and pledges from
nearly 300 of our families, faculty, staff and
alumni!
Every gift is celebrated on our
wonderful Scholarship Fund Tree!
And don’t worry - if you didn’t get the
chance to make your gift yet, we will still
be accepting gifts to the Annual
Community Campaign, until the end of the
2014-2015 year.
All funds beyond 75,000 USD will go
directly to our Founders Fund which aims
to create a sustainable future for the
renewal our new Scholarship places.
Dear MSHS Families,
Happy Tet from the MSHS! I hope
everyone enjoys a relaxing Tet holiday with
family and friends. To get everyone in the
Tet spirit our MS students produced an
informative Tet assembly explaining the
importance of Tet within Vietnamese
culture and the significance of the many Tet symbols: Cay
Dao (Peach tree), Cay Quat (Cumquat tree), food and of
course lucky money!
It has been several weeks since I have contributed to the
Tin Tuc. My absence in print has been due to teacher
recruitment activities. Each year our Head of School,
Principals and Heads of Academic Departments spend a
great deal of time and energy recruiting faculty. To secure
the very best faculty UNIS Hanoi attends international
recruitment fairs where highly qualified teaching candidates
have the opportunity to interview with school
administrators. This year the UNIS Hanoi Admin Team
attended recruitment fairs in Melbourne, Bangkok and
London. The competition among schools for talented
educators is fierce. Fortunately UNIS Hanoi is a highly
sought after school among top quality international
educators. Nevertheless, it is a long and exhaustive process
but well worth the effort. One of the most important
elements in a top caliber school is the ability to hire and
retain highly qualified learner centered educators. As such, I
am happy to report that we have secured a cohort of
fantastic teachers who are thrilled to be joining the UNIS
Hanoi community for the 2015/2016 school year!
Semester 1 Reports were made available on ISIS Family
two weeks ago. As such, Honor Roll (GPA: 6.0 – 6.49) and
the highly coveted Principal’s List (GPA: 6.5 and above)
were calculated. Students earning Honor Roll or Principal’s
List status as well as those who were awarded Grade Level
Awards were recognized during separate MS and HS
assemblies. Please see the list of HS award recipients in
this edition of the Tin Tuc. MS award winners were
announced last week.
Upcoming:
1. Feb. 12 - Grade 10 Parent IB Information Night,
6 pm in the Theater.
2. Feb. 13 - New Parent Workshop with MSHS
Counselors, 8:30 am in the Library.
3. Feb. 25 - March 1: APAC Theater (Beijing) and
Band (Shanghai) Festivals.
4. Feb. 26—March 1: MRISA Junior Soccer
(Thailand).
5. Feb. 26 - Transition from grade 5 to grade 6
Parent Evening. 7 pm in the Library. The
Transition Meeting will immediate follow the Grade
5 Exhibition Meeting for parents which is set for 6
pm.
6. February - March: MSHS Course Registration for
the 2015/2016 school year. Information regarding
required subjects, academic expectations and elective
offerings will be forthcoming via email.
Enjoy a wonderful Tet celebration!
Warm regards,
Pete Kennedy, MSHS Principal
GRADE 9
Learner Laureate Rachel Lambert
Leadership Chelsea Chien Wen Cheng
Citizenship Saskia Brennen
Humanitarian Yoav Shahar
GRADE 10
Learner Laureate
Giang Nguyen
Leadership
Kimberly Knaggs
Citizenship
Morgan Belle Bradshaw
Humanitarian
Erika Valles
GRADE 11
Learner Laureate Tam Do
Leadership Michael Emblem
Citizenship Gina Chen
Humanitarian Kiana Freeman
GRADE 12
Learner Laureate
Sebastian Meissener
Leadership Award
Viet Than
Citizenship Award
Vera Woerner
Humanitarian Award
Duong Nguyen
GRADE 9
Darlene Cheong
Natania Hui Ting Peh
Nga Nguyen
Nguyet Nguyen
Quang Anh Nguyen
Sunu Kim
GRADE 10
Giang Nguyen
Ngoc Trai Nguyen
Seyon Park
Truong Son Trinh
Yoon Zoo Gee
Young Ju Lee
GRADE 11
Awua Buahin
Catherine Hoang
Chihyun Ryu
Ewa Dung Lachman
Gun Hee Yoon
Hieu Nguyen
Hui Long Gan
Jin Sun Park
Linh Nguyen
Linh Vo
Pedro Montalban San Jose
Tae Heog Yang
Vu Bui
Yong Bin Kwon
GRADE 12
Devin Cheong
Duong Nguyen
Hung Nguyen
Jae Young Yoo
Jonas Fiebrantz
Kim Lan Mallon
Min Jeong Kang
Na Young Kim
Nam Nguyen
So Yeon Jeong
Tae Jun Park
Thanh Le
Veronica Lai
YoungNan Kim
GRADE 9
Hyunsoo Chung
Jae Min Yoo
Ji Won Kim
Kees Christiaanse
Linh Nguyen
Long Than
Min Joo Choi
Minh Anh Nguyen
Minh Quan Dao Nguyen
Niklas Jaakola
Nozima Burkhanova
Rachel Lambert
Sorcha Hamer
Su Yun Jeong
Ye Hyun Kim
Yoav Shahar
GRADE 10
Anh Phuong Nguyen
Briani Griffin
Harjas Murar
Henryk Le Hai
Hoi Yoon Jung
Jee Eun Kim
Maho Wakui
Ngoc Le
Sofie Brondum Reeh
Su Ho Jeong
Tae Young Jeong
Ujwal Kumar
Yerim Kim
GRADE 11
Byung Jun Park
Hao Shern Lee
Jemima Brennen
Joya Tabe
Lena Fiebrantz
Mai Phung
Michael Emblem
Min Ji Kim
Nhi Trinh
Nina McLean
Phuong Ly
Rosaria Battista
Seung Yoo Yang
Shin Ha Susie Park
Siddharth Patra
Son Nguyen
Son Trinh
Surabhi Sundaram
Thai Son Trinh
Vince Jose Keiko Escalante
Yi Chun Chen
Yin Teng Ho
GRADE 12
Animesh Sakorikar
Duong Vu
Gillian Vallely
Haeji Noh
Je Kyun Yu
Kenna Valles
Khanh An Vu
Minh Anh Nguyen
Nhat Nguyen
Nhi Nguyen
Quynh Anh Do
Sebastian Meissner
So Hee Jeong
Sze Kate Tang
Thu Tran
Trung Tran
Victoria Cortes Freeman
Viet Than
CONGRATULATIONS
Photos by Tim Barnsley
Thursday morning the Middle School began what we hope
is a new tradition of celebrating Tet with student work.
Each grade level prepared an art piece to share our
understanding of Tet. A number of the MS Vietnamese
students created a wonderful video about the traditions and
beliefs of Tet. Grade 6 students introduced (in French and
Vietnamese!) each of the animals of the zodiac and
displayed the beautiful zodiac banners they had created.
Grade 7 students showed a video they had made of their
artwork and interviews, called Visions of Tet. Grade 8
students showed a film with stories of Tet with some
interesting stop action scenes. It was a wonderful way to
educate our school community about Tet and highlight it's
importance within Vietnamese culture.
The Grade 1 students visited the Metropole Hotel on
Tuesday morning in connection with their unit, "Where We
Are in Place and Time". At the start of the unit the children
had been given a "provocation" of a guitar case with
various "artifacts". They then worked out that the guitar
case and the artifacts were all connected to Joan Baez. This
prompted our visit to the Metropole. The children realised
that their deductions were correct. They got to see various
artifacts and photos that the hotel had collected over the
years. They also got a tour of the bunker that was
'rediscovered' under the hotel a few years ago. Many thanks
to the Metropole for arranging all of this for us! More
photos can be found on the class blogs.
Our K2 students were transformed into a swarm of
buzzing bees and dragonflies on Tuesday, singing and
dancing to tell the story of ‘Billy No Buzz’. This
‘Performing Arts Celebration’ (PAC) was a tale about
friendship and accepting differences. Our young students
made their parents and teachers feel very proud.
Photos by Tim Barnsley
The Girls on the Run ASA completed the 3K run on 9
February 2015. This celebratory, non-competitive event
was the culminating experience of the curriculum.
Completing the 3K gives the girls a tangible understanding
of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as
well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.
Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls
realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible. And
each of the girls did finish with the support of a running
buddy. Way to go girls!
A gentle reminder to NOT take UNIS Hanoi Library
books with you!
Our precious Library books travel enough going to and
from our UNIS Hanoi families’ homes.... they prefer to
remain here in Hanoi.
Happy New Year of the Goat!
Julie Conroy, ES Librarian
A big thank you to all the students, parents, teaches and
staff who supported our Read-a-Thon for Refugee
Children in Jordan. We were able to raise a significant
amount of money through your hours of reading and
generosity. We have started to count up the money raised
and estimate that we'll have nearly $900 USD to donate for
the purchase of books for schools in the Zaatari Refugee
Camp! This has been an exciting and successful student-
initiated and led ES Service Learning project. After the
Tết holiday we will report on the total raised and about the
delivery of the donation. Thank you again for your support!
The Read-a-Thon Committee
The week before the Tet Bag delivery, we made Chúc
Mừng Năm Mới cards to put in the gift baskets. We also
put up posters to remind people to bring in donations for
the Red River families.
On Saturday, we met at the Elementary School and packed
up a truck with all the gift bags. We had over 130 – heavy –
bags full of items necessary for Tet!
First, we travelled in the bus for 20 minutes to the bottom
of Long Bien Bridge. We hired a little truck to transport the
gifts over the bridge.
When we got to the village, we donated our Tet bag gifts to
the people living there. Everyone was so happy to receive
the gifts. They were very appreciative of our generous
donations.
We felt good about giving instead of just receiving. After
the trip we felt exhausted, but happy for being able to make
a difference in someone’s life.
Thank you to everyone who helped us deliver the gifts.
And, of course, thank you to all the UNIS Community for
creating a very warm Tet at the Red River.
Xin Cảm Ơn!
From the ASA Tet Bag Appeal Team
The Huong La Centre is a small group home for disabled
adults and children. The Huong La Centre is approximately
one hour’s drive from the UNIS-Hanoi campus.
The Huong La Centre Service group has eleven Grade
eight students and will visit the Huong La Centre six times
this year. The group meets once per six day cycle to gather
ideas, information, develop goals and try to think of things
that can improve the environment of the centre. We also
discuss how we are building relationships with the children
at the centre.
When I first joined Huong La, I was kind of worried
because I've never been to a house where orphaned kids or
kids with physical disabilities lived so I didn't know how to
act or talk. I like being a part in this group because we get
to make the kid's day better because they get to do activities
and they get to talk to us and that makes me very happy.
The head sister at the center is Sister Hai. On Sister Hai’s
wish list, she requested a TV and a DVD player for the
small onsite classroom. As a group we decided to work
towards meeting this request. We did this by selling candles
at the Bazaar, the Festive Fundraiser, and during some
lunch periods. We also sold things such as kit kats, cakes
and cookies, not to mention Ms. Graham also sold some of
her art works!
As a group we wrote a proposal to the SCO to assist with
our fundraising. We were so pleased when we found out
our grant proposal was accepted, which matched to our
efforts to fund the TV and DVD player for the centre.
Thank you, SCO, for funding our proposal!
The Huong La service group was able to grant Huong la
Centre’s wish and donate both a TV and DVD player to
the centre on our last service trip. Overall, The Huong La
service group had so much fun and discovered many new
things. And we are also all very excited to provide the
center with something big from Sister Hai’s wish list.
Jeyne Lee, Grade 8
UNIS Hanoi Students presenting Sister Hai with the TV and
DVD player for the Centre
UNIS Hanoi and HLC students working together to make collages
Huong la Centre Classroom
The MRISA Basketball teams had
their tournament at International
School of Phnom Penh during
February 6th & 7th. Atmosphere of
the tournament was electric with
very strong competitors this year.
Girls basketball team were very tight-
knit and fought some very tough matches. They won two
games and placed 6th out of the eight teams that
participated. Boys basketball team result was not as good as
the girls but they gained tremendous amount of experience
from the tournament. Both teams were very positive and
had a great time during the tournament and with their host
families.
All players are wanting to improve their standings and are
looking forward for the next year's season of basketball.
Go Phoenix!
UNIS Hanoi was proud to host the first ever Hanoi
International Schools Activities Association (HISAA)
Youth Sport Basketball Festival on the afternoon of
Thursday 5th February. Over 120 Grade four and five
students from five international schools participated in the
festival and what a wonderful time they had.
I would like to congratulate all UNIS students for their
sportsmanship, attitude on court, effort and teamwork. I
would also like to thank all the parents and community
members who supported our young Phoenix teams.
Adrian Hubbard, Co-Curricular Activities Manager
Photos by Tim Barnsley
During the month of February, not only do we see the
human heart as the symbol of love, it is also the National
Heart Month, a time to show yourself the love.
CDC has given the following tips as a gift of health to you
or someone you love on Valentine’s Day and all year long.
Be heart-healthy. Prevent and control high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, and diabetes. Avoid smoking and
secondhand smoke. Maintain a healthy weight. Be active.
Be food-nutritious. Eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat,
cholesterol, sugar and sodium, and high in omega-3 fatty
acids and fiber.
Be germ-free. Spread love, not germs. Wash hands often.
Avoid close contact when you or someone you know is
sick. Get your flu vaccine.
Be prepared to travel. Take the needed vaccinations. Take
sunscreen or insect repellant when needed. Take enough
prescribed medications.
Be sensible. Go easy on the bubbly. If you drink alcohol,
do so only in moderation. Don't drink and drive or let
others drive when you drink.
Be safe. Be sure to use appropriate safety gear, including
seat belts, life vests, and helmets to help prevent injury.
Be sensitive. Consider that your valentine may have
allergies, asthma, diabetes, or other health conditions. You
can be sensitive to your valentine by finding out if certain
foods, flowers, pets, stuffed animals, or anything else might
affect his or her health.
As we look forward to welcoming in the year of the goat,
let’s all take time to keep our hearts healthy. Celebrate
Valentine's Day, National Heart Month, and your
commitment to heart-healthy living all year long!!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY AND HAVE A
WONDERFUL TET HOLIDAY!!
School Health Centre
For further information contact [email protected]
The UNIS Spring Fair is the largest event organized by the
School Community Organization. It’s about the UNIS
community getting together with our kids and having fun
while sharing our cultures. The THEME this year is ….
THE FARM !
The Spring Fair is completely organized by the hard work
of our committed volunteers. We are looking for ALL
countries in the UNIS Community to be represented. The
key ingredients for a successful Spring Fair are a positive
attitude, willingness to get involved, some time and your
passion to make this day inspirational. You will feel proud
to be part of an event that bonds the community together
and creates our special blend of UNIS Culture.
Click HERE to be part of the FUN!
Fun at the GAME TENT! This is a NEW idea, we aim to
have a tent with competition games like sack races, three-
legged runs, etc. and we are looking for enthusiastic people
to help with this! Contact Christina Baeck at
Cultural Booths (previously Country Table): Get
together with families from your country/world region and
organize a booth to celebrate the cultural diversity at UNIS
Hanoi. It would be wonderful to have many community
groups represented. Cultural Booth meeting: March 2
from 10.00 – 11.30am in the Community Room. Click
here for the Guidelines. Please contact Natascha
Senftleben at [email protected]
Do you have a Family Business? If so, Spring Fair 2015
Small Business Booth is for you! Places are now available to
UNIS Hanoi Community business owners. Whether you
are parents, faculty, staff or students, you are welcome at
this year's Spring Fair. So hurry and reserve your spot! For
more information and to request a spot, email Clarissa Hu
-Andersen at [email protected]
Spring Cleaning in order? Time to clear out your house
and make space for new junk! Book a space quickly at our
popular Flea Market by contacting Malin Niklasson at
[email protected]. Click here for the
Guidelines.
Raffle gifts needed! This year will are going to have a
raffle every hour! Would you like to donate a gift basket or
raffle gift? Contact Renea Freeman at
Any other questions, ideas, comments….just email Claudia
Marinzi at [email protected]
