13 March 2015 | ISSUE 24

Dates for your diary

IN THIS ISSUE

From: Page

Headteacher 2

Whole School News 3-4

Year 6 5

Community Services Department 6

AP1 Production Club 7

Learning Technologies & Music 8

Music Department 9

PE Department 10-11

PTG 12-13

The Terrace at AP1 - Coffee Shop Opening 14

Lunch Menus 15-16

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

18th Parent Workshop - ‘Digital Citizenship’

19th - 23rd FOBISIA Performing Arts Carnival

22nd - 27th Online sign up for Parent Meetings

1st Spring Concert

7th and 8th Parent Meetings - 3.00pm to 5.30pm

March

Pictures from left to right :

Creative Vocabulary - Year 6 (1+2)

Learning Vietnamese Culture - Year 6

Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies - Year 3

April

From The Headteacher - Mr Simon Higham

Issue 24/Page 2

AP1 Parent Blog

http://ap1parentblog.blogspot.com/

Check out the photos from the Year 4 and Year 5 residential trips that took place this week

Click on the Residential Trips blog link on the AP1 Parent Blog Homepage.

The photos from ‘Oliver’ have also been uploaded in a video on the main page — enjoy!

Many parents often ask me what makes BIS a special place for their children. Initially,

my response is the outstanding teachers that we have in front of our outstanding chil-

dren. Of course, this is a major contributing factor as to why all of our children are both

challenged and happy in their learning and why they make outstanding progress. Howev-

er, last weekend it became very clear that great learning has to have one other outstand-

ing factor - the community that it is delivered in. Over 750 children and parents attended

our PTG Spring Fair last Sunday. With many activities on offer, delicious refreshments

to be had and some great opportunities for conversation, events such as these ensure that

our BIS community is second to none. I would like to personally thank all of the parents

from the PTG that contributed to the success of this event and in particular, the Spring

Fair committee consisting of: Catherine Bledsoe, Ying Mckenzie, Neelam Patnik, Nikki Aurora, Marina Val-

berde, Aby Miguel and Myriam Helms. As always, your commitment to our school is very much appreciated. In

addition to this, I would also like to thank all of our sponsors for generously donating some fantastic raffle and

tombola prizes and also assisting in helping to ensure that all of our children enjoyed a varied array of activi-

ties throughout the morning. More details of the Spring Fair can be found on pages 11 and 12 of today’s news-

letter. All proceeds from this event will go towards our many established BIS Community Projects.

I would like to remind you all about the forthcoming parent meetings on Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th

April. This week, you should have received your parent logins in both hard and soft copy for the online sign up

that begins on Sunday 22nd March from 3.00pm.

Click here to access the introductory letter containing step by step details in English on how to sign up.

Click here for the Vietnamese version and

Click here for the Korean version.

If you have not yet received your login details, please contact Ms Duyen directly.

Look out for more information about our new BIS Website launch and the BIS Hub on page 3 of this week’s

newsletter. On page 13, read about the soft opening of ‘The Terrace at AP1’ - a new on site coffee shop that will

be serving quality coffees, teas, fresh juices and smoothies from Wednesday 18th March. I look forward to see-

ing you there. The opening times are 7.30am-9.00am and 2.00pm-4.00pm.

Watch out for the articles about the Y4 Long Hai and Y5 Hoi An residential trips next week. I hope that you

enjoy reading through the pages of this newsletter and I wish you a pleasant weekend.

Issue 24/Page 3

Whole School News - Updated BIS Website

Update to the BIS Website and

Launch of our BIS HUB

Over the past few months we have been updating the BIS website. We are really pleased to announce that it

has gone live this week. One of the new additions to the website is the development of our new BIS HUB! This

can be accessed from the website homepage main menu or by clicking this link: http://www.bisvietnam.com/

blog/

There are dedicated sections for Tu Xuong Primary, An Phu Primary and An Phu Secondary Campuses where

you can enjoy reading a variety of blog posts about:

Parent Teacher Groups

News

Events

Clubs

Community

University Guidance

Student Council

Learning

Trips

Sports

Music and Drama

Lunch Menus

Issue 24/Page 4

Whole School News - Updated BIS Website

The ‘International Education’ category will feature posts about BIS HCMC in the news, general articles on

international education and guest posts from international educators around the world.

The ‘Life in Ho Chi Minh City’ section is there to offer useful information about living in HCMC, including

upcoming family-focused events and activities.

The category on ‘Useful Websites’ provides exactly what it states! Here you will find a range of short articles

about websites and their relevant links which you may find useful to bookmark.

You can subscribe for updates to be delivered to your inbox as soon as they are posted:

Enjoy browsing!

Mrs Claire Durrant

Online Marketing Officer

Issue 24/Page 5

Year 6 - Author Study Year 6 pupils are currently completing an author study of Shaun Tan, in which they are learning about the

themes in his story; ‘The Lost Thing’. They have read the book and watched an animation in order to gain a

better understanding of the characters, setting and plot.

In the story, a boy is busily collecting bottle tops at the beach when he comes across a strange looking ‘thing’.

They have a wonderful day together, trying to find out where the ‘thing’ came from. In the end, all is revealed!

The pupils have written postcards from the point of view of the boy at the beach, as well as a diary entry, a sci-

ence investigation and a script. They will also be creating storyboards for short stop-motion animations of their

own ‘Lost Thing’ stories! Watch out for them on the digital signage in the coming weeks.

Ms Victoria Edwards

Y6 Class Teacher and Mile Post 3 Leader

Issue 24/Page 6

Community Services - Keen to be Green

Keen to be Green club with ‘Binh Tho’ School

We have been having a wonderful adventure in our 'Keen to Be Green' club. The children from BIS and Binh

Tho met for the first time before TET and had a great time getting to know each other. We started creating a

splendid canvas in celebration of TET. After the holiday, the BIS children finished the work of art and were

really happy and proud to present it to the Binh Tho children as a gift. All the children have continued to cre-

ate positive relationships that we look forward to further developing in the coming weeks.

Ms Rachel Stewart

F2 Class Teacher and Assistant Milepost Leader (EYFS)

Keen

to

be

Green

Issue 24/Page 7

AP1 Production Club - Oliver!

After the success of the Production Club’s debut performance of ‘Seussical’ last year, this year’s production of ‘Oliver!’ had

a lot to live up to.

Based on the classic English novel ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens this all-time favourite musical transports us back to

Victorian England as we follow the adventures, trials and triumphs of the young orphan, Oliver (played by An Dinh), as

he attempts to seek his fortune on the streets of London. We first meet Oliver at the workhouse where he lives a grim ex-

istence with the other orphans under the watchful eye of the pompous Mr Bumble (Matthew Grimshaw) and the cold-

hearted Widow Corney (Olivia Roman). After offending Mr Bumble by asking for more food he is sold to Mr Sowerberry

(Malik Salamatian), the undertaker. However, Oliver fails to find a happy home at the Undertaker’s and after being sub-

jected to cruel teasing and harsh treatment by Mrs Sowerberry (Shibani Shetty), Noah, the undertaker’s assistant

(William Shultz) and Charlotte, the maid (Hailey Hornblower), he runs away to London. In London he meets the charis-

matic and street wise Artful Dodger (Jessica Battersby) who introduces Oliver to Fagin (Jonathan Brownrigg) and his

gang of thieves (Anya De Chakrabarty, Khanh Bui, Jae Wan Joo, Brooke Nuyen, Chloe Brackenbury, Chae Rim Lee,

Young Woo Ko, Rey Saitoh, Shubhankar Patki, Steven Grimshaw). For the first time in his life, Oliver experiences

warmth and kindness from this motley crew of pick-pockets and he is quickly inducted into the life of a criminal. Oliver

also meets the kind and loving Nancy (Ana Putnik) and her friend Bett (Ella Zesiger) who immediately take a shine to the

innocent young boy. Things soon take a turn for the worse, however, when Oliver is caught by police on his first outing as

a pick-pocket and he is taken to court. When it is revealed in court that it was not Oliver who had committed the theft, the

wealthy victim of the crime, Mr Brownlow (Tyler Carriaga), takes Oliver home to live with him and his caring housekeep-

er, Mrs Bedwin (Nini Pham), in the hope of offering Oliver a better chance at life. In a strange twist of fate it transpires

that Mr Brownlow is Oliver’s maternal grandfather and things begin to look up for Oliver. However, things once again

turn bad for Oliver when he is kidnapped by Nancy and Bill (Amir Ramzulhakim), her cruel and violent husband. They

return Oliver to Fagin and his gang but Nancy soon has a change of heart as her conscience gets the better of her. She

attempts to return Oliver to Mr Brownlow but is thwarted by Bill who forcibly takes Oliver from her. A pursuit ensues

until Bill is finally caught by the police and Oliver is once again reunited with his loving grandfather.

This production was indeed an epic undertaking in all sense of the word. With a huge cast of 71 performers, a complicated

plot, challenging dramatic themes, rousing music and complex scenery, costumes and props, we definitely had our work

cut out for us! But after many months of hard work and dedication from a very talented cast and extremely supportive

parents and staff we finally made it… and what a performance it was! As Mr Simon reflected, it was almost unbelievable

that this production was performed so well by children between the ages of 7 and 11.

Thanks must of course be given to all the staff at both AP1 and AP2 who contributed to making this big success possible,

but special thanks goes to Ms Fran, Ms Victoria, Ms Patricia, Ms Anna Coy and Ms Ruth who were there throughout the

whole process supporting the director, Ms Tina.

But, of course, the last thanks must go to our wonderful supporting cast and chorus, without whom we would not have

been able to produce a full scale musical. You truly are the unsung heroes of ‘Oliver!’ and it is because of your commitment

to the show that the audiences and the teachers who you work with will be coming back next year and asking “Please, sir,

can I have some more?

Xander Cave

Rosie Battersby

Aanya Saxena

Chan Yun Park

Gabby Genato

Carmen Craik

Hope Bonner Higham

Dieu Linh Kieu

Nishita Narkhede

Zara Nguyen

Lenisha Ranasinghe

Viktorie Bernova

Arial Park

Dong Joo Kim

Helena Vila Ariza

Haley Nguyen

Anna Sofia Viarengo

Marina Bretones

Jana Luciapao

Michelle Tran

Navya Pandey

Malena Levitt

Sofia Bina

Tu Anh Bui

Bella Perera

Oliver Stevenson

Senan Lynch

Jun Han Chong

Ben Wheller

Aidan Ramzulhakim

Hadyn Gillmore

Hannah Walsh

Trinh Bui Nguyen

Nghi Truong

Emeli Meier

Crystal Shin

Kenisha Sarda

Kimaaya Sivaram

Maya Zesiger

Andrew Bledsoe

Oakley Cave

Nino Pham

Joel Lau

Ela Walsh

Callum Rasmussen

Edric Chen

Renee Streitberg

Ms Tina Corrigan

Year 3 Class Teacher

Issue 24/Page 8

Digital Citizenship - Workshop for parents

Digital Citizenship Parent Workshop - Wednesday 18th March at 8.30am in the AP1 Gym.

Digital Citizenship is an integral part of all of our daily lives here at BIS. We recognise that it is important to

embrace the constantly changing environment while also doing everything we can to support our children as

they do so.

This workshop aims to explain to you the steps we are taking as a school to educate and protect our children

within an online world. We will give you an insight into the tools and methods we use within classes and guide

you through ways you can support your child’s digital journey at home too.

We will offer support and advice and introduce you to some

techniques and resources for you to use for both yourselves and

your children.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Mr Adam Astley

Learning Technologies Coordinator

Music Department - Spring Concert

Music Department - Young Musician

Issue 24/Page 9

Issue 24/Page 10

PE Department - April/May Holiday Programmes

Date

Sport

Time

Head

Coach

Minimum

No. Of

Students

Age

Prices

(all in VND)

Location

20/4-24/4 Football 8.00 am -

11.00 am SSA Min 8

Year 3

upwards 2,200,000 Big field

20/4-24/4 Basketball 1.00pm -

4.00pm SSA Min 8

Year 3

upwards 2,200,000

AP2

Sports

Hall

20/4-24/4 Swimming 8.45am -

1.45pm Mr Vinh Min 8

F2

upwards

Various prices

(see letter)

AP1

Swim-

ming Pool

20/4-24/4 T-ball/

Softball

4.00pm -

5.30pm

Mr

Richard Min 8

Year 3

upwards 660,000 Big Field

20/4-24/4 Multi-sports 8.15am -

9.15am

Mr Rich-

ard Min 8 F3 - Y2 440,000

AP1

Sports

Hall

20/4-24/4 Multi-sports 9.45am -

10.45am

Mr

Richard Min 8 F1 - F2 440,000

AP1

Sports

Hall

27/4-1/5 Football 8.00 am -

11.00 am SSA Min 8

Year 3

upwards 2,200,000 Big field

27/4-1/5 Basketball 1.00pm -

4.00pm SSA Min 8

Year 3

upwards 2,200,000

AP2

Sports

Hall

Saigon Pony Club - Pony Clinics

Issue 24/Page 11

PE Department - Schools Dance Show

On Wednesday 6th May, BIS are organising the HCMC Schools Dance show.

The show is for pupils in MP2 and MP3 and can be a group or individual

dance performed in any style.

The dance show allows pupils to showcase their talents by choreographing

and performing their own piece. If pupils are part of the Dance Centre, they

are more than welcome to combine with other BIS pupils to perform one of

these dances.

If you would like to enter the show, please have a dance ready to perform to

the PE department by the Monday 13th April. If you would like further in-

formation please email Ms Lara at larawilkinson@bisvietnam.com

Ms Lara Wilkinson

PE Teacher

PTG - Spring Fair

Issue 24/Page 12

PTG - Spring Fair

Issue 24/Page 13

The Terrace Café at AP1 - Opening Soon!

Issue 24/Page 14

Issue 24/Page15

MENU FOR F1 - F2 MENU 1 (WEEK BEGINNING 17 MARCH)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN COURSE

CHOOSE 1

Honey Lime Chicken, Sautéed

Potato OR

Braised Tofu with Pork, Rice

Cottage Pie-Beef OR

Chicken & Vegeta-ble Curry, Rice

Pasta with Pork Balls OR

Fish Teriyaki, Rice

Roast Pork, Mashed Potato

OR Chicken Noodle

Soup

Fish Goujons, Potato Wedges

OR Minced Beef & Vegeta-

ble Stew, Rice

VEGETA-BLES

Choy sum & Car-rots

Chinese Cabbage & Carrots

Spinach Long Beans &

Carrots Morning Glory

SOUP

Spinach & Melon Soup

Watercress

Mixed Vegeta-ble

Spinach

Cabbage & Carrot

FOR VEG-ETARIAN

ONLY

Dhal

Spinach & Melon Soup

Vegetarian Cottage Pie

Chinese Cabbage & Carrots

Pasta Napoli-tana

Chickpeas Salad

Vegetarian Noo-dle Soup

Long Beans & Carrots

Tofu & Vegetable Stew, Rice

Cabbage & Carrot Soup

MENU FOR F3 - YEAR 2 MENU 1 (WEEK BEGINNING 17 MARCH)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN COURSE CHOOSE 1

Honey Lime Chicken, Sau-téed Potato

OR Braised Tofu

with Pork, Rice

Cottage Pie-Beef OR

Chicken & Vege-table Curry, Rice

Pasta with Pork Balls OR

Fish Teriyaki, Rice

Roast Pork, Mashed Potato

OR Chicken Noodle

Soup

Fish Goujons, Potato Wedges

OR Minced Beef &

Vegetable Stew, Rice

VEGETABLES

Choy sum & Carrots

Chinese Cabbage & Carrots

Spinach

Long Beans & Car-rots

Morning Glory

SOUP

Spinach & Mel-on

Watercress

Mixed Vegetable

Spinach

Cabbage & Car-rot

FOR VEGETARI-AN ONLY

Dhal

Spinach & Mel-on Soup

Vegetarian Cottage Pie

Chinese Cabbage & Carrots

Pasta Napolitana Chickpeas Salad

Vegetarian Noo-dle Soup

Long Bean & Car-rot

Tofu & Vegeta-ble Stew, Rice

Cabbage & Car-rot 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

Chicken & may-onnaise,

Served with Sal-ad

Fresh Fruits & Salad Bar are available daily

Issue 24/Page 16

MENU FOR YEAR 3 - YEAR 6 MENU 1 (WEEK BEGINNING 17 MARCH)

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

MAIN COURSE

CHOOSE 1

Honey Lime Chick-en, Sautéed Potato

OR Braised Tofu with

Pork, Rice

Cottage Pie-Beef OR

Chicken & Vege-table Curry, Rice

Pasta with Pork Balls OR

Fish Teriyaki, Rice

Roast Pork, Mashed Potato

OR Chicken Noodle

Soup

Fish Goujons, Po-tato Wedges

OR Minced Beef &

Vegetable Stew, Rice

VEGETABLES

Choy sum & Car-

rots

Chinese Cabbage

& Carrots

Spinach

Long Beans & Car-

rots

Morning Glory

SOUP

Spinach & Melon

Watercress

Mixed Vegetable

Spinach

Cabbage & Carrot

FOR VEGE-TARIAN ON-

LY

Dhal

Spinach & Melon Soup

Vegetarian Cottage Pie

Chinese Cabbage & Carrots

Pasta Napolitana Chickpeas Salad

Vegetarian Noo-dle Soup

Long Beans & Car-rots

Tofu & Vegetable Stew, Rice

Cabbage & Carrot Soup

DELI BAR OPTION

Baguette/Jacket Potato

fill with ham, chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-naise, baked

beans, peas & bo-lognese sauce

Served with Salad

Bun/Jacket Pota-to

filled with ham, chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-naise, baked

beans, peas & bolognese sauce

Served with Salad

Wrap/Jacket Pota-to

filled with bacon, ham, chicken, egg, cheese, tuna may-

onnaise, baked beans, peas & bo-

lognese sauce Served with Salad

Bun/Jacket Potato filled with ham, chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-naise, baked

beans, peas & bolognese

sauce Served with Salad

Baguette/Jacket Potato

filled with ham, chicken, cheese,

egg, tuna mayon-naise, baked

beans, peas & bolognese sauce

Served with Salad

Fresh Fruits & Salad Bar are available daily