This document is a newsletter from the British International School in Ho Chi Minh City providing information about upcoming events in February. It includes summaries of trips taken by various year levels during the past week, including trips to Madagui by Year 7, Da Lat by Year 8, Mai Chau by Year 9, and Hong Kong by Year 10. Students provide reflections on their experiences with activities like rock climbing, archery, trekking, cooking fish, and building shelters. The newsletter also previews upcoming events in February such as school photographs, drama performances, university information sessions, and exams.

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BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HO CHI MINH CITY| SECONDARY CAMPUS
JANUARY 30 | ISSUE 20
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Head Teacher 02
Seoul Na onal University Informa on 03
American Athle c Scholarships 2015 04
Year 7 trip 05
Year 8 trip 07
Year 9 trip 08
Year 10 trip 09
Year 12 Trips 10
Community Service 12
PTG 14
From The BIStro & Underground 15
February
2nd—6th School Photographs
3rd—6th Drama FOBISIA ‐ Manila
3rd U14&19 SISAC Athle cs
4th Seoul Na onal University Informa on Session, 12.30pm
5th USA Scholarship Informa on Session, 6pm
5th PTG Wine and Cheese Night, 7pm
6th ‐ 8th IB Geography trip—Da Lat
10th U14&19 SISAC Cross Country
10th Year 11&13 Exam Report
10th IB & IGCSE Performance Music Evening, 6pm
UPCOMING EVENTS

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From The Head Teacher
This week, the atmosphere in the AP2 campus has been one of studious focus, as Y11 and Y13 students
spend their me in mock examina ons. I am confident that this week of mental and intellectual challenge
has been a success in clarifying progress so far and that it will serve everyone well in se ng clear targets
for the coming months.
The atmosphere of studious focus is but one aspect of BIS this week, however. For all other students, it
has been a week of physical and social challenge in the outdoors. Trips Week 2015 is drawing to a close
and the final trips are star ng to make their way back to HCMC as I write, with the Duke of Edinburgh
Interna onal Gold Award returning on Saturday. Judging by the blogs and the photographs, the week has
been a great success. The challenges of organisa on faced by the staff in the preceding weeks have paid
off, with students discovering new strengths in physical endeavour and teamwork, away from the rou ne
of home. Some ini al photographs and wri ng appears in BISbuzz, with more to follow over the weeks to
come. Do take the opportunity to listen to your children over this weekend. Sharing their experiences
with their parents is invaluable and will enrich the memories they have and help to secure the growth
that they have gone through.
Richard Dyer
Head Teacher, Secondary
From The Head Teacher

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Seoul National University Information

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American Athletic Scholarships 2015

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Year 7 Trip - Madagui
http://bisyear7trip2015.blogspot.com/

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Year 8 Trip - Da Lat
http://bisyear8dalat2015.blogspot.com/

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Year 9 Trip - Mai Chau

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Year 10 Trip - Hong Kong
http://bisyear10hongkong2015.blogspot.hk/
Culture ac vity day
Having the culture day as my first ac vity felt lucky to me because there was less trekking than other ac vi es. For the first
half of the day, we did rock climbing and archery. Since these two ac vi es were very new to me and therefore challenging, it
felt great when I rang the finishing bell (at the top of the climbing wall) and hit the bulls eye with my arrows. A er a short
break, we got onto the bus to go and see the giant buddha. As soon as we walked into the entrance gate we were welcomed
by a lot of souviner shops and historical statues. The guide introduced us to mul ple fascina ng plants and facts about them.
The 268 steps to the giant buddha felt like the way to heaven. I hope that the next four days in Hong Kong will be just as fun.
Nhi Dang 10N
Lamma trek
We were up at 5am, before the sun had even risen. Group 6,7 and 8 had to wake up early just to get to the Lamma island and
do the increadible 29 kilometer trek, which was challenging and ring. A er the 30min boat ride we arrived and had an amaz‐
ing breakfast at 'BeBe' soon a er we started our never ending trek which took 6 hours to complete, luckily we did have some
opportuni es to stop and take breath taking photos of the scenery. The actual trek was a series of steep slopes and hills, how‐
ever we did get to see some 200 year old houses along the way. The weather was colder than what we were used to in Saigon
(especially when i was the only one wearing shorts) but we all got sun burnt especially Mr.McGraw. A er the trek we spent
some me in a local village where we bought souvenirs for our families and friends. Once we got to the boats everyone was
complaining about their legs hur ng but overall it was a different and unique experience. Beatriz Vila Ariza 10S
DIY shelters! Can you survive?
Out in the wild, we were thrown with somewhat unusual tasks ‐ cooking ourselves raw fish and to add on to that, building our
own shelter! Pu ng us out of our comfort zone surely managed to ck people off. Not to men on some unfortunate teams
who didn't win the compe on. Followed by team ac vi es, we had a nice long trek through the woods and down to the
beach. Everyone managed to work together and build their own stretcher with limited materials and me in order to race to
the finish line carrying heavy sand bags. The group who made it to the finish line first won the race. To survive with limited
resources, we had to go through many difficul es and even conflicts between our team mates. However, we learnt many use‐
ful lessons such as: how vulnerable we are in the wild and how important it is to have the knowledge of keeping ourselves
alive. Now that we've prac ced the skills and techniques, we can apply them to real life situa ons. Elizabeth Ta & Amy Kim
Adventure and Culture Day
In the morning, groups of students lined up vibrantly to start their first half of the ac vites, which consisted of archery and
rock climbing. Archery, being one of the most difficult sports in the Olympics, proved to be surpisingly enjoyable for the stu‐
dents. Each shot was fired in an intense fervor, unsurprisingly, most students tended to miss the target in their ini al a empt
but gradually improved and were consistently able to hit the target. Our next ac vity, rock climbing, was a daun ng task for
the majority of our students. The ac vity consisted of a easy course and a hard course, the la er being completed by 7 people
in a single hour. The climbers were a bit in midated by the hard course, but with the help and guidance from the instructors
and their friends, managed to reach the top and ring the bell. A trek to the Big Buddha began with a nature trail where we
were introduced to various useful plants. We also learnt some important methods to differen ate from a frog and a toad and
learnt about the Red‐Eared turtle. The steps to the Big Buddha were a challenging task but was certainly worth the amazing
view that we got to see at the top of the site. Thanh & Sid
Last day in Hong Kong
It’s the last day of the trip and our group was doing survival ac vi es with Jid in the morning. We divided into groups of 6 and
each of us had to cook the fish as well as build the tents from the resources that we were given. For almost all of us, learning
how to scale, gut and cook fish was a tough challenge and there were a few accidents but in the end, we all enjoyed the expe‐
rience. A erwards, we went on a hike to the Mui Wo beach where we had a friendly compe on. On the way we had learn
several methods of tying s cks in order to make a stretcher. When we arrived at the beach, we tested our knowledge by hav‐
ing a race in which we had to make a stretcher and run with three sandbags. To add to the excitement, we ended our day with
a game of ul mate Frisbee. Undoubtedly, today will be a day we will never forget with the beau ful scenery and fresh air that
would have been impossible to get in the city. Ha Thanh Angela 10B
Last evening in Hong Kong
Our Hong Kong trip is coming to an end. I have greatly enjoyed this trip because of the following three reasons. First of all, as
most of us haven't brought our mobile phones or any other type of technology, we have become more social and hopefully
made new friends. Second of all, the sports we have done outside of our daily rou ne have been fun such as playing frisbee in
large groups and playing a game similar to last man standing. We have also been able to play some basketball in smaller
groups and football. Last but definitely not least, as tonight is our last night here, we will be having our talent show which I am
very curious about because I would like to see what kind of talent our year group has to offer. Noah Kruimer 10S
Hong Kong Reflec ons!
We are on last day of our Hong Kong Trip and we have definitely enjoyed a lot of things, but there are a few things that really
stand out. The first is the nature trail near the Big Buddha statue. We learned about different animals and plants, including
what is poisonous, what is edible and what will help you in emergancy situa ons. We also learned about animals and had
some live specimens to examine. The next was survival day, a combina ons of building, cooking and making fires. I, along with
the other people in my group, really enjoyed this because we got to be independent and try new things such as gu ng and
preparing a fish. Lastly was the Lamma Island trek which was extremely difficult but very rewarding, especially when we got to
the top of a hill and saw the incredible view from above. Jacob 10S

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Year 12 Trip - Philippines
https://sites.google.com/a/bisvietnam.net/puerto-galera-philippines-diving/home

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Year 12 Trip - Kontum

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Community Service

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Wine and Cheese Night
A good chance to catch up with old friends a er the holidays
and a chance to make some new ones!
It promises to be a relaxing evening of wine, food and lots of
interes ng people!
Thursday, 5th
February 2015
From 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Tickets 200,000 VND per person
Available at the AP2 recep on.
Venue: Dist ‐2 ,Thao Dien
PTG

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From the Underground & BIStro
Menu 2 (2 February)
From the Underground & BIStro
DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
MAIN COURSE
CHOOSE 1
Beef Lasagne
OR
Seafood Fried Rice
Cheese Pizza
OR
Pork with Onion, Rice
Honey Baked
Chicken,
Sautéed Potato/Rice
OR
Pork Noodle Soup
(Nam Vang)
Ham Burger
OR
Szechuan Chicken,
Rice
VEGETABLES
Morning Glory & Car-
rot
Salad
Chinese Cabbage & Car-
rot
Salad
Long Beans & Carrot
Salad
Choy sum & Carrot
Salad
SOUP
Spinach & Melon
Soup
Mixed Vegetable Soup
Spinach Watercress
DESSERT Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit
VEGETARIAN
Vegetarian Lasagne
Chickepeas Salad
Mixed Fruit
Cheese Pizza
Mixed Vegetable Soup
Mixed Fruit
Tofu Noodle Soup
Long Beans & Carrot
Mixed Fruitit
Aloo Tikki Burger
Mixed Beans Salad
Mixed Fruit
DELI BAR
OPTION
Baguette & Wrap
Fill it with a variety of choices including ham, chicken, cheese, tuna mayonnaise, beef, baked bean, mixed bean,
bolognese sauce
SNACK MENU
Curry Puff
Samosa
Fruit Cup
Chocolate Mud Cake
Swiss Roll
Fruit Cup
Curry Puff
Samosa
Fruit Cup
Banana/Carrot
Muffin
Sponge Cake
Fruit Cup
FRIDAY
Ham & Cheese Croquet
Monsieur &
Roast Potato
OR
Chicken Rice
Bean Sprouts & Carrot
Salad
Tomato & Tofu Soup
Mixed Fruit
Oriental Fried Rice
Tomato & Tofu Soup
Mixed Fru
Donut
Crème Puff
Fruit Cup