10 October 2014 | ISSUE 7

Dates for your diary

IN THIS ISSUE

From: Page

Headteacher & Deputy Headteacher 2,3,4,5

Y5 Teacher 6

Maths Department 7

Community Service 8

PE Department 9

PTG 10,11,12

Lunch Menus for F1-Y6 13,14

Contact information

225 Nguyen Van Huong St, District 2, HCMC

Tel: (848) 3744 4551

Fax: (848) 3744 4182

E-mail:

simonhigham@bisvietnam.com

BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HO CHI MINH CITY

AN PHU PRIMARY

Newsletter

16th Business and Enterprise Day

17th School finishes for Half Term Holiday

27th School resumes after Half Term Holiday

October

From The Headteacher - Mr Simon Higham

Issue 7/Page 2

Scan here to access the

‘AP1 Parent Blog’

AP1 Parent Blog

http://ap1parentblog.blogspot.com/ Have you ever wanted the answer to a question about school but not sure where to

look? The AP1 parent blog might be what you are looking for.

Have a look through the AP1 Parent Blog this week to find out more about life with-

in school. Why not leave a comment or suggestion about how it could be improved for

your use in the future.

If you are viewing this newsletter from a computer, simply click on the address

above to access the blog. If you are reading this using a printed version, use a QR

reader (such as Kaywa.com or the app inigma) and scan the QR code on the left.

Over 14,000 page views already!

The noun, ‘community’ is defined in the following way:

‘A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.’

I would like to thank all of the members of the PTG (parents and teachers alike) in their support of

the Family Picnic last Sunday. The purpose of this event was to bring together our school communi-

ty and celebrate the arrival of new children and parents to our school, fostering new friendships and

reaffirming already established ones. In total, 429 child tickets were sold, over 820 adults and chil-

dren attended and as a result, a community spirit was strengthened. In addition, over 29 million

VND was also raised to go towards our BIS Community Projects. Without your help, important

events such as these could not happen. If you would like to know more about how you can help in

future PTG events, please email Ginette, our parent liaison volunteer, by clicking here.

Further community building has also taken place this week with two separate Maths Cal-

culation Workshops on Tuesday and Thursday. Across the two events, we have had over

160 parents attend a formal presentation about how calculations are taught throughout the

primary years, followed by practical activities led by our teachers and children. Both

presentations and many useful website links can be found by accessing the AP1 Parent

Blog and clicking on the ‘Useful Websites and Resources’ page.

Our Community Service Programme continues go from strength to strength with 2B visit-

ing Anh Minh School this week and our well established Helping Hands Club taking more

of our children than ever before to Thien Phuc Orphanage every Monday after school.

Please contact Ms Nhung if you would like your Y4, Y5 or Y6 child to visit too.

I look forward seeing our very first Business and Enterprise Day next Thursday, with all

classes developing a business idea, borrowing capital from our school bank and hoping to

make a profit that goes towards a designated BIS Community Project of their choice. This

should be a great event to really make learning both real and meaningful. More details of

this will be sent to you shortly via email. Look out for the separate EYFS and Y1 - Y6 let-

ters.

As a respected part of our school community, I hope that you enjoy reading through this

week’s Friday newsletter.

What makes a child do well in school? Page 1

Issue 7 /Page 3

1. Joie de vivre (Global Citizens Learning Together and Enquiry)

The ability to love and appreciate life might sound wishy-washy in the hard

world of exam results, but love and security feed a host of qualities that great

learners need. These include the ability to be open and receptive, to be will-

ing and to feel connected.

Meanwhile, cultivating an attitude of appreciation means being able to enjoy

the journey of learning, wonder at nature, relish a good story, feel good about

achievements, and enjoy the companionship of the classroom. All of which, in

turn, feed confidence, excitement and curiosity back into the learning loop.

2. Resilience (Perseverance)

For years, resilience has been known to be essential for great learning. Mar-

tin Seligman, the US psychology professor who has studied this extensively,

has shown that it helps children think more flexibly and realistically, be

more creative and ward off depression and anxiety.

Resilient children give things a try. They understand that learning has plen-

ty of setbacks and that they can overcome them. Resilient children talk to

themselves differently from non- resilient ones, and don't turn mistakes into

catastrophes ("I've failed my maths test, it's a disaster. I'll never get maths!").

Instead, they look at a wider, more positive picture ("Ugh, that was a horrible

test, and I messed up, but I didn't do enough work. Next time I'll do more re-

vision, and it'll probably be a better paper as well").

3. Self-discipline (Integrity)

There are many famous pieces of research that show that children's ability to

control their impulses appears to lead to better health, wealth and mental

happiness in later life. In school, self-discipline is central.

Great learners need to listen, absorb and think. They need to keep going

through difficult patches, stick at hard tasks, manage their time well and

keep mental focus. Children who bounce about the classroom shouting the

first answer that comes into their heads will never be great learners.

Of course, a joyless, overly controlled child will never be one either. Balance

matters. All children need to develop a functioning "internal locus of control".

The obvious answers are a terrific school, well-run lessons, skilled teachers and a creative curriculum. At BIS

we have high expectations of all, we believe in knowing each student as an individual and equipping them ap-

propriately for their own futures. In preparing young people for the ‘international’ world it is vital that we pro-

vide them with the opportunities to develop informed aspirations for the future, confidence in their own abili-

ties, useful transferable skills, up to date knowledge and an understanding of the melting pot of cultures and

belief systems that they will encounter in their further education and future careers. But what else does a stu-

dent need to succeed?

There is growing evidence that character traits such as resilience, persistence, optimism and courage actively

contribute to improved academic success and becoming an all round Global citizen. In an article in the Inde-

pendent newspaper earlier this year, Hilary Wilce defines six key qualities that parents can foster in their chil-

dren that will help them do their very best in school. In brackets beside each title that Hilary Wilce uses are

the Aide Memoir attributes we share and promote with our students. These are:

What makes a child do well in school? Page 2

4. Honesty (Respect)

Honesty matters for great learning because its opposites – deception and self-

deception – hinder progress. Great learners don't say "I'm brilliant at science"

but, "I'm OK on photosynthesis, but not sure I've mastered atomic structure

yet." This attitude needs to start early.

The pre-schooler who speaks up and asks what a word means in a story, ra-

ther than pretending to know, is already on the way to being a skilful learner.

Honesty allows children to build good links with teachers and mentors. It

grows confidence, attracts goodwill, and gives children an infallible compass

with which to steer their learning.

5. Courage (Reflection)

Learning anything – piano, physics, tennis – is about approaching the un-

known, and stepping up to new challenges. Great learners are just as fright-

ened of this as others, but can overcome their fear and find focus.

They are able to try, fail, and try again. They can also navigate school life

skilfully. Children need moral courage to turn away from distractions and to

be willing to be seen as "a geek" if they want to study, while developing cour-

age also helps them to stand their ground through the temptations of the

teenage years.

6. Kindness (Caring)

Great learners are kind to themselves. They understand that learning is

sometimes hard, and not always possible to get right, but keep a "good" voice

going in their heads to encourage themselves on. A kind disposition also

draws other people to them and bolsters their learning through the help and

support of others, as well as allowing them to work productively in teams and

groups. A kind disposition also feeds listening and empathy, which in turn

foster deeper, more complex learning. All these character qualities are great

for learning – and also for life. Research shows that they help people build

more confidence, face challenges better, earn more money, have more satisfy-

ing careers, build stronger relationships, and keep depression and anxiety at

bay.

Hilary Wilce is an education writer, consultant and parent coach.

Her latest book is 'Backbone: How to Build the Character Your Child Needs to Succeed'.

Deirdre Grimshaw

Deputy Headteacher

Socks

There has been an increase in the number of children not wear-

ing any socks to school. As per the uniform policy which is in

the parent handbook, we respectfully ask that all children wear

white, grey or black ankle high socks.

Club Pick up Times

Please can you ensure that all children are

picked up at the scheduled time after clubs have

finished in school.

Thank you for your continued cooperation in these matters.

Parent Reminders

Issue 7 /Page 4

Meet our New Teachers!

Introducing Our New Teachers

A chat with Mr Paul, ICT

Teacher and Leader

Pick the first 3 words you think of when I say

Vietnam

Energetic, Spring rolls, Easy Riders

What are your first impressions of BIS?

Friendly and welcoming – all pupils, staff and

the open layout of the school corridors makes it

feel welcoming to everyone.

Big. Very big – I’m sure there are still places/

rooms that I haven’t yet discovered; giving an

almost Hogwarts feel to it.

Community Role - clear to see the importance

of the school in developing and maintaining

relationships of families and parents. Celebra-

tions and events seem to generate a good deal

of support and participation from families.

What new experience have you had since you ar-

rived in Vietnam?

Visiting the climbing wall in District 3 (the af-

terschool club go there on Thursdays) an I dis-

covered I am a bit of a natural climber.

New foods – Jack fruit, Lotus seeds, BBQ frog

and wearing an Ao Dai.

If you were writing a postcard to friends back home,

what would it say?

Come to Vietnam! You have to come to believe

it. There is so much to see and do. You can feel

the energy and enthusiasm of HCMC when out

in the streets.

A chat with Ms Gemma,

ICT Teacher

Pick the first 3 words you think of when I say

Vietnam

Scooters, Humidity, Exciting.

What are your first impressions of BIS?

It’s a very friendly and welcoming school.

The existing members of staff have really

helped me settle into life at BIS and the stu-

dents are incredibly enthusiastic.

The transition from secondary to primary has

been easier than I anticipated as the students

are so eager to learn.

What new experience have you had since you arrived

in Vietnam?

A motorbike tour to the Mekong Delta and be-

ing absolutely petrified every time I cross the

road.

If you were writing a postcard to friends back home,

what would it say?

I wrote a postcard to my little brother last night

actually and it said; “I went to Mui Ne last

weekend; beautiful beaches. My friends went

sledging on the sand dunes but I was too

scared. Have been on a motorbike now, I didn’t

want to open my eyes! Can’t wait to see you,

bring Yorkshire tea!”

Dear parents,

Meet another two teachers from the 2014/2015 cohort. Paul and Gemma are our ICT teachers and you will

see below that they are very happy to be part of the BIS teaching staff. We can be very proud that the teachers

have so many wonderful things to say about the BIS community. So far every single teacher has mentioned

the wonderful students and the welcome they have received.

Deirdre Grimshaw Deputy Headteacher

Issue 7 /Page 5

Meet our New Teachers!

Issue 7/Page 6

Year 5 - ‘The Trade Game’ All Year 5 classes participated in the trade game this week. The idea behind the game is to encourage the chil-

dren to become more familiar with the components involved in trade and how to trade effectively to make a

profit. We had manufacturers, distributors and sellers. The teachers were the consumers. The manufacturers

created a product which they sold to the distributors. The distributors then sold these to the sellers (shop keep-

ers) who sold the product to the teachers. Unfortunately the teachers were often looking for specific things and

didn’t want the product on sale. The children then had to work out how they could get exactly what the teach-

ers wanted. Trends were created and competition between sellers grew. It was very exciting.

Will Mr Andy buy

the product? Is it

good quality?

How much will you

charge the distributor

for your product?

Did Hope and Rosie con-

vince Ms Victoria that they

could deliver the product

she wanted on time?

Trying to sell the product

for more than you paid

for it was very important.

Ms Deborah Spencer

Y5 Teacher and Assistant

Milepost 3 Leader

Business and Enterprise Day - 16th October

Issue 7/Page 7

Where in Ho Chi Minh City can you have your hair styled, relax with a manicure and pedicure, buy some deli-

cious home-made chocolates, visit a sweet factory, pop into a tea shop, pick up some essentials for Halloween

and watch a talent show all within a few metres walk? The answer is right here in AP1 on Thursday 16th Octo-

ber between 10.00am and 11.30am, when the front playground will be transformed into a market place. Classes

across the school are shortly going to receive their starting capital and have begun the process of designing a

game, service or product that will attract the attention of other children in the school. In addition to every class

becoming a business for the day, every child will be invited to bring in maximum spending money of 50,000

VND. This will enable them to experience managing their own budgets by being necessarily selective in decid-

ing how to spend their money from the array of tempting offers.

Parents are very welcome to come and observe the young entrepreneurs in action, although we would ask par-

ents to resist the temptation to buy from the stalls so that customer base of the producers is not confused.

Please look out for the two Enterprise Day letters (one for EYFS parents and one for Y1 to Y6 parents) that will

be sent to you via email today.

Mr Andy James

Y5 Teacher and Mathematics Leader

Thursday 16th October

Issue 7 /Page 8

Community Awareness

Recently, all of our Year 6 students were asked to produce

a piece of homework that explained how their brain

works, linking to the IPC topic ‘Brainwave - How We

Learn’. One of our students, Ben Gilmore from 6I pro-

duced a piece of work about strokes and I would like to

take this opportunity to share his important message with

you all.

Well done Ben - an informative, real and thought provok-

ing piece of work.

Mr Simon Higham

Headteacher

Issue 7/Page 9

Holiday Sports Programmes - October 2014

Date Sport Time Head Coach

Mini-

mum

No. Of

Stu-

dents

Age Prices (all

in VND) Location

20/10 - 24/10 Football 8 am- 11 am SSA Min 8 Year 3 upwards 1,900,000 Big field

20/10 - 24/10 Basketball 1pm-4pm SSA Min 8 Year 3 upwards 1,900,000

AP2

Sportshal

l

20/10-24/10 Multi Skills 8.00-9.00 Mr Richard

Soriano Min 8 Y1-Y3 440,000

AP1

Sportshal

l

20/10-24/10 Multi Skills 9.00-10.00 Mr Richard

Soriano Min 8 F1-F3 440,000

AP1

Sportshal

l

20/10-24/10 T ball 4pm-5.30pm Mr Richard

Soriano Min 8 Y3-Y6 660,000 Big field

Group Time Cost Venue Minimum Maximum

Foundation 2-3 8.00 – 08.45 415,000 VND AP1 5 10

Foundation 2-3 08.45 – 09.30 415,000 VND AP1 5 10

Year 1 – 2 09.30 – 10.15 415,000 VND AP1 5 10

Year 1 – 2 10.15 – 11.00 415,000 VND AP1 5 10

Year 3 – 4 11.00 – 12.00 550,000 VND AP1 5 12

Year 5 upwards 12.15 – 01.45 825,000 VND AP1 5 15

20/10 - 24/10 Swimming 8am- 1:45 pm Mr Vinh Ngu-

yen Min 8 F2 upwards

Various

(see letters) AP1 pool

Holiday Swimming Programmes -

Scan the QR code or click the swim

symbol to access the AP1 PE Blog

for more sporting updates. ‘

Issue 7 /Page 10

PTG

The next PTG events are:

Thursday 20th November - Teacher’s Day

Thursday 4th December - Y1 to Y3 Disco and Y4 to Y6 Disco.

Click here to view all the committees and events this year. It’s still not too late to help.

Blessed with wonderful weather and a great turnout of more than 820, the Family Picnic was a morning of

more than just fun. It started off with a brisk aerobic session with the energetic children followed by the kids'

boxing demonstration which was a real hit! The others were either having their faces painted or nails or hair

done before capturing the moment at the Foto booth whilst the sand art and colouring activities not only kept

the little ones busy, but the parents as well.

AP1 8th Annual Family Picnic

The amazing maze, bouncy castle, foot-

ball and basketball entertained some

others while parents chatted, catching

up or making new friends. The morn-

ing's entertainment was topped off by a

captivating magic show with chilled

drinks and cotton candy keeping all cool

and sweet!

Many thanks to the sponsors, the staff

and all the parent volunteers who

helped make the picnic a fun and suc-

cessful one.

Ella Martin (Parent)

AP1 Family Picnic Committee member

Issue 7 /Page 11

Issue 7 /Page 12

AP1 8th Annual Family Picnic

Issue 7/Page 13

MENU FOR F1 - F2 MENU 2 (WEEK BEGINNING 13 OCTOBER)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN

COURSE

CHOOSE

1

Roast Chicken,

Mashed Potato

OR

Pork in Dark Soya

Sauce, Rice

Beef Lasagne

OR

Seafood Fried Rice

Cheese Pizza

OR

Pork with On-

ion, Rice

Honey Baked

Chicken, Sautéed

Potato

OR

Beef Ball Noodle

Soup

Spanish Fish Pasta

OR

Szechuan Chicken,

Rice

VEGETA-

BLES

Cabbage & Carrot

Spinach

Morning Glory

Long Beans &

Carrot

Choy sum & Carrot

SOUP

Spinach & Melon

Soup

Tomato & Tofu

Cabbage & Car-

rot

Spinach

Watercress

FOR VEG-

ETARIAN

ONLY

Chickpea & Vege-

table Curry, Rice

Spinach & Melon

Soup

Vegetarian Lasa-

gne

Tomato & Tofu

Soup

Cheese Pizza

Cabbage & Car-

rot Soup

Vegetarian Noo-

dle Soup

Long Beans &

Carrot

Spanish Veggie Pasta

Watercress Soup

MENU FOR F3 - YEAR 2 MENU 2 (WEEK BEGINNING 13 OCTOBER)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN COURSE CHOOSE 1

Roast Chicken,

Mashed Potato

OR

Pork in Dark

Soya Sauce,

Rice

Beef Lasagne

OR

Seafood Fried Rice

Cheese Pizza

OR

Pork with Onion,

Rice

Honey Baked

Chicken, Sautéed

Potato

OR

Beef Ball Noodle

Soup

Spanish Fish Pas-

ta

OR

Szechuan Chick-

en, Rice

VEGETABLES

Cabbage & Car-

rot

Spinach

Morning Glory

Long Beans & Car-

rot

Choy sum & Car-

rot

SOUP

Spinach & Mel-

on Soup

Tomato & Tofu

Cabbage & Carrot

Spinach

Watercress

FOR

VEGETARIAN ONLY

Chickpea &

Vegetable Cur-

ry, Rice

Spinach & Mel-

on Soup

Vegetarian Lasa-

gne

Tomato & Tofu

Soup

Cheese Pizza

Cabbage & Carrot

Soup

Vegetarian Noodle

Soup

Long Beans & Car-

rot

Spanish Veggie

Pasta

Watercress Soup

DELI BAR OPTION

Bun

filled with Ham

& cheese

Served with

Salad

Jacket Potato

filled with Baked

Beans & Bacon

Served with Salad

Bun

filled with cheese &

egg

Served with Salad

Jacket Potato

filled with Bolo-

gnese Sauce

Served with Salad

Bun

filled with Chick-

en & mayonnaise,

Served with Salad

Fresh Fruits & Salad Bar are available daily

Issue 7 /Page 14

MENU FOR YEAR 3 - YEAR 6

MENU 2 (WEEK BEGINNING 13 OCTOBER)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN COURSE

CHOOSE 1

Roast Chicken,

Yorkshire Pudding

OR

Pork in Dark Soya

Sauce, Rice

Beef Lasagne

OR

Seafood Fried Rice

Cheese Pizza

OR

Pork with Onion,

Rice

Honey Baked

Chicken, Sautéed

Potato

OR

Beef Ball Noodle

Soup

Spanish Fish Pas-

ta

OR

Szechuan Chicken,

Rice

VEGETABLES

Cabbage & Carrot

Spinach

Morning Glory

Long Beans & Car-

rot

Choy sum & Car-

rot

SOUP

Spinach & Melon

Soup

Tomato & Tofu

Cabbage & Carrot

Spinach

Watercress

FOR

VEGETARIAN ONLY

Chickpea & Vegeta-

ble Curry, Rice

Spinach & Melon

Soup

Vegetarian Lasa-

gne

Tomato & Tofu

Soup

Cheese Pizza

Cabbage & Carrot

Soup

Vegetarian Noodle

Soup

Long Beans & Car-

rot

Spanish Veggie

Pasta

Watercress Soup

DELI BAR OPTION

Baguette/Jacket

Potato

fill with ham, chick-

en, cheese, egg, tu-

na mayonnaise,

baked beans, peas

& bolognese sauce

Served with Salad

Bun/Jacket Potato

fill with ham,

chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-

naise, baked beans,

peas & bolognese

sauce

Served with Salad

Wrap/Jacket Potato

fill with bacon,

ham, chicken, egg,

cheese, tuna mayon-

naise, baked beans,

peas & bolognese

sauce

Served with Salad

Bun/Jacket Potato

fill with ham,

chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-

naise, baked beans,

peas & bolognese

sauce

Served with Salad

Baguette/Jacket

Potato

fill with ham,

chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-

naise, baked

beans, peas & bo-

lognese sauce

Served with Salad

Fresh Fruits & Salad Bar are available daily