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BISbuzz Issue 04 | 1
BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HO CHI MINH CITY| SECONDARY CAMPUS
SEPTEMBER 12 2014 | ISSUE 04
IN THIS ISSUE
Examination and Test Results 2014 02
From the Head Teacher 03
PTG Wine & Cheese Night 06
International Day 07
ABRSM High Scorers’ Concert 2014 08
Mathematics News 09
BBGV Fun Run 12
Community Service 13
Universities visits 15
Sports News 16
Trips Week 17
From The BIStro & Underground 19
September
15th Activities start
15th Lafayette College visit, 10.30am
16th Nagoya University Japan visit, 12.30pm
16th Drugs Testing Information Evening, 6pm
17th Brandeis University, Uni. of Northern Ohio visits, 12.30pm
18th University of Western Ontario visit, 10.15am
18th PTG Wine & Cheese Night, 7pm
22nd Four American Universities visits, 7pm
28th BBGV Fun Run (please note revised BIS Group
Photo time of 7.30am)
UPCOMING EVENTS

The British International School is delighted to announce that its students have achieved another set of outstanding
examination and test results this year. Yet again this has been the best ever set of external examination results for the
school in any one year.
Key Stage 2 Test Results for Year 6 – Students aged 11 years old
The National Curriculum for England requires schools to award a National Curriculum Level in Reading, Writing,
Mathematics and Science to all Year 6 students. Year 6 marks the end of primary school education in the British sys-
tem. These Teacher Assessed Levels are based on class work throughout the year as well as specific tasks and tests
taken at the end of the school year.
We are proud to see that all of our students are performing well above expectations and averages for England.
IGCSE Results for Year 11 – Students aged 16 years old
The University of Cambridge IGCSE certificate is common currency in international education, with schools in more
than 100 countries worldwide using the examinations. Grades A* to C are commonly regarded as good pass grades.
One measure of how well a school is doing is the percentage of all examination entries that are either A* or A. The
UK average for this is 23% and a very good independent school or international school would be above 60%. We
were very pleased with a total of 64.9% of all examinations at the school being either A* or A.
Many of our students passed 11 IGCSE subjects, 25% were awarded at least 7 A* and our top achieving student was
awarded 11A* grades and 1A grade.
IB Diploma Programme Results for Year 13 – Students aged 18 years old
The IB Diploma is recognised as a rigorous academic qualification accepted by universities around the world as one
of the best preparations available anywhere for a degree course. An IB Diploma is awarded to students who score 24
points or more out of a maximum of 45 points.
The school’s average points’ score was our highest ever at 35.3 against a world average of 29.8. This is the seventh
year in succession that BIS has been well above the world average points score, with our top two students scoring an
exceptionally high 43 points each.
These results compare very favourably with the top international schools around the world as well as the best gram-
mar schools and independent schools in the UK. We are delighted that so many of these students have gone to top
universities of their choice in the UK, USA and other countries. A full list of university destinations can be seen on
our website. Please follow this link: http://www.bisvietnam.com/index.php/university_destinations_2014-49.htm
Congratulations are due to all of the students and their teachers for achieving such success. They have all worked so
hard and the results are fully deserved. We continue to set extremely high standards at the school and year on year
everyone rises to the challenge. Well done to parents as well for their continued support in making BIS the truly
great school that it is.
You can download a full set of Key Stage 2 Test Results, IGCSE Examination Results and IBDP Examination Re-
sults from the school website. Please follow this link: http://www.bisvietnam.com/index.php/
examination_results_2014-48.htm
Shaun Williams
CEO & Principal
Examination and Test Results 2014

This week I hand over the Head Teacher’s introduction to four of our leaders of the future. Students
from our Sixth Form travelled to England and Australia over the summer to take part in IB World Student
Conferences. Do read these accounts carefully – we have clear leaders and outstanding global citizens in
the making at BIS.
IB World Student Conferences 2014 – England and Australia
“Cities of the Future” was the theme of the IB World Student Conference held at the University of Bath in the sum-
mer. During the conference there were three keynote speeches delivered by world-leading specialists that formed
the basis of workshops and a group project. Professor Tano was particularly interesting as he talked about Kano,
the second largest city in Nigeria, which has survived for millennia and is thriving still. The objective of the confer-
ence was to design a city like Kano, a city that is dynamic and self-sustaining in the modern world.
During the conference, I had the opportunity to work with many IB students
from all around the world, making it a truly enriching experience. I can still
remember arguing with my dorm mate late into the night, trying to find solu-
tions to the problems incurred during the day. Ideas were constantly being
built up and then torn down, eventually leading to radical concepts like deliv-
ery drones and underwater cities!
The conference gave me a unique experience in which I developed my
knowledge through working with others. Designing a future city was exciting
and it was great to experience so many different perspectives. I would
strongly recommend attending the conference for those interested in dis-
cussing issues in order to ameliorate the world and humanity as a whole.
Keegan Chua 13D – IBWSC Bath
From The Head Teacher

I signed up for the first IB World Student Conference held
in Hong Kong in the summer of 2013. Because I enjoyed it
so much, I also went this year to the conference held at the
University of Bath. The theme of the conference was
“Cities of the Future”, and throughout the week we dis-
cussed and tackled issues such as sustainability, infrastruc-
ture and community, and related them to our own cities. In
our Global Actions Team sessions - a small class of 15 stu-
dents - we reflected on the speakers’ presentations which
helped with the construction of our own city, GATTROO,
for our final project. We created a map of the city, evaluat-
ed different types of transport systems, and discussed
what we perceive the needs of our society to be.
We also had the opportunity to experience university life. The accommodation consisted of ensuite rooms with a
kitchenette on each floor. During my stay at the university, along with my new friends, we got to explore and use
the facilities available such as the sports centre where we played team building games, badminton, football and
rounders. We were also taken out on an excursion to discover the city of Bath. We walked through the city, taking
numerous pictures on the way, had a bus tour, and, of course, we visited the famous Roman Baths. To end the
amazing experience, a disco was held on the final night of the conference and we all danced the night away!
Michelle Kwok 13A – IBWSC Bath
On arrival at the IB World Student Conference at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, students were divided
into different GAT groups (Global Action Teams) to work together throughout the week. We were given the theme
“Empowering Diversity” and my GAT group (the Wombats) came up with the campaign “Here to H.E.A.R.” This
aimed to raise awareness for people suffering from stress, anxiety or depression. My group was made up of IB stu-
dents from around the world and we drew upon our different cultural experiences to develop creative posters, an
inspirational multi-language video and a social movement, all of which were launched on different platforms such
as Facebook and Instagram. I also composed and performed a song called “We’re here to H.E.A.R.” during our GAT
presentation, hoping to spread the message more effectively through music.
Besides meeting international students and teachers, we also had the chance to lis-
ten to speakers who talked about various global and inspirational topics. My favour-
ite speaker, in fact one of the most inspirational speakers I’ve ever met, was Karni
Liddell. Karni is a radio presenter and a Paralympian in swimming. Diagnosed with
muscular dystrophy, she was told by doctors that she would never be able to walk
and would die during her teens. Now, she is a successful, beautiful 35-year-old wom-
an. In telling everyone about her touching story, she challenged us about our own
identity and the paradigms through which we see the world. “Your life should not be
determined by your circumstances,” she said. Her anecdotal discourse that day in-
spired hope within all of us. “And hope,” she said, “is the most magical and powerful
ingredient you can add to a person’s life.” And you know what? I completely agree.
Emma Ngo 13M – IBWSC Brisbane

My favourite keynote speaker at the IB World Student
Conference in Brisbane was Alex McDonald, who spoke
about poverty and inequality. He focussed mainly on
providing opportunities for people in poverty because this
can inspire them to do the same for others once they are
stabilised.
The part of his speech which struck me the most was,
“Don’t ever think that poverty translates to the person
living on the street. It’s not always about their lack of
money, but also the assumptions we make about them.
People in poverty have a vision they want to create for the
future. Their inequality is about inequality of opportunity, which is something we ought to change.”
Typically after a keynote speech we would discuss the main topics addressed in our Global Action Teams. Follow-
ing this, we would try to apply the ideas from the speech to issues concerning diversity in our home countries.
During the week, we also had the opportunity to discover Australian culture by learning how to bush dance and
play cricket. In the evenings we socialised together and everyone agreed that the best night was the final gala din-
ner. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and no IB student should miss out on this opportunity.
Cheryl Low 13H – IBWSC Brisbane

Mathematics News
Mathematicians Take Centre Stage at Toronto Film Festival
The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing in the drama which follows how the British computing pioneer cracked
the German Enigma codes during World War Two.
Keira Knightly co-stars as Turing's friend and fellow codebreaker Joan Clarke. The film will also open the London
Film Festival in October.
The Theory of Everything
The life of celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking is told in The Theory of Everything, based on the memoir by his
wife Jane. Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne stars as Hawking opposite Felicity Jones, beginning with their meet-
ing at Cambridge University before the scientist was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Benedict Cumberbatch also starred as Hawking in a 2004 BBC film which saw Bafta TV nominations for both the dra-
ma and the actor.
Redmayne's performance could also see him highly recognised when the major award nominations are announced
next year.
Taken from BBC website

Fields Medal mathematics prize won by woman for first time in its history
Maryam Mirzakhani, who was born and raised in Iran, has been awarded the highest honour a mathemati-
cian can attain
Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian maths professor at Stanford University in California, was named the first female win-
ner of the Fields Medal – often described as the Nobel prize for mathematics – at a ceremony in Seoul on Wednes-
day.
The prize, worth 15,000 Canadian dollars (£8,000), is awarded to exceptional talents under the age of 40 once every
four years by the International Mathematical Union. Between two and four prizes are announced each time.
Three other researchers were named Fields Medal winners at the same ceremony in South Korea. They included
Martin Hairer, a 38-year-old Austrian based at Warwick University in the UK, Manjul Bhargava, a 40-year old Canadi-
an-American at Princeton University in the US and Artur Avila, 35, a Brazilian-French researcher at the Institute of
Mathematics of Jussieu in Paris.
There have been 55 Fields medallists since the prize was first awarded in 1936, including this year's winners. The
Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman refused the prize in 2006 for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture.
Mirzhakhani, 37, was among a number of women tipped for the prize in recent years and her success won immedi-
ate praise from fellow mathematicians.
Born and raised in Iran, Mirzakhani completed a PhD at Harvard in 2004. Her path into mathematics was not a given,
though. As a child, her passion was not for numbers, but literature. Her school in Tehran was near a street full of
bookshops and because browsing was not allowed, she ended up buying a lot of random books. "I dreamed of be-
coming a writer," she said in an interview for the Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) in 2008. "I never thought I would
pursue mathematics before my last year in high school."
It was Mirzakhani's brother who first piqued her interest in science. He used to come home from school and talk over
what he had learned. He told her the story of the German mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauss, who displayed his
precocious skills as a schoolboy when he worked out in seconds how to sum all the numbers from 1 to 100. (The
answer is 5,050 and the trick is to look at pairs that add up to 101.) "That was the first time I enjoyed a beautiful solu-
tion, though I couldn't find it myself," she said.
The seed that had been sown began to germinate, with help from her school principal, a strong-willed woman who
made every effort to ensure her students had the same opportunities as the boys. As a teenager, Mirzakhani took
part in international maths olympiads and won gold medals in 1994 and in 1995. In the first, in Hong Kong, she
dropped a single point. At the latter, in Toronto, she finished with a perfect score.
Later, as a student at Sharif University, she befriended inspiring mathematicians and found that the more time she
spent on the subject, the more excited she became. Then, at Harvard, she began to work with another Fields medal-
list, Curt McMullen, and became fascinated with how he made mathematics so simple and elegant.
Most of the problems Mirzakhani works on involve geometric structures on surfaces and their deformations. She has
a particular interest in hyperbolic planes, which can look like the edges of curly kale leaves, but may be easier to cro-
chet than explain. According to a citation released by the International Mathematical Union, Mirzakhani won the prize
for her "outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces".
Mirzakhani declined an interview, but she told the CMI in 2008 that while maths was not for everyone, many students
did not give it a real chance. She did poorly at maths for several years at school because she was not interested in
the subject. "I can see that without being excited, mathematics can look pointless and cold. The beauty of mathemat-
ics only shows itself to more patient followers," she said.
Speaking to the American Mathematical Society last year, she said the situation for women in maths was still far
from ideal. "The social barriers for girls who are interested in mathematical sciences might not be lower now than
they were when I grew up. And balancing career and family remains a big challenge. It makes most women face diffi-
cult decisions which usually compromise their work," she said.
Taken from The Guardian website

Maths Problem of the Week 1

Year 13’s visit Kon Tum
Last weekend, eight Year 13 students and three teachers flew to Kontum as part of our community project linking
with Poussières de Vie. We were able to visit three Vinh Son orphanages over the course of the weekend
where we spent time with the children. At the different orphanages, we split up into several groups with
some children enjoyed playing a variety of games such as tug of war, tag and football whereas others pre-
ferred colouring-in pictures, having stories read to them and sing-a-long sessions with some of us. We also
distributed colouring pencils, story books, sharpeners and footballs between the orphanages.
This was our second visit to Kontum this year and it was very heart warming to see all the children again,
especially rewarding when they remembered all of us. Being able to bring them happiness by simply
spending our time with them was the least we could do and it was very rewarding to see their big smiles
as we arrived at the orphanage.
One of my favourite memories was when we visited Vinh Son 4 and split up into different groups to begin
with. There were some children singing along with us, some colouring, some playing football and the oth-
ers playing running games. I was with the group of children that were singing along with us, but we also
tried to learn their language to interact with them. I found that most of them knew how to speak many
different dialects which I found impressive. Towards the end of that visit, we rounded up for a game of
tug of war and each team had roughly 25 people- very overcrowded, but still fun nonetheless. We played
3 rounds, each round making all the children jump in glee when they won. It was a truly heartfelt experi-
ence and I would not hesitate in revisiting them when I graduate.
By Cheryl Low Y13H

Universities visits
Four American Universities in Vietnam for 2 Nights Only!
Interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the United States? Have you considered studying in
the cosmopolitan cities of Nashville, Chicago, Houston, or Ithaca? Come and learn about
Vanderbilt University, University of Chicago, Rice University, and Cornell University at
information sessions provided to give you an opportunity to learn about the academic and research
opportunities, student life, and admissions requirements.
Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City
Sunday, 21 September 2014 Monday, 22 September 2014
17:30 – 19:00 19:00 – 20:30
Hilton Hanoi Opera British International School Ho Chi Minh City
1 Le Thanh Tong Street An Phu Secondary Campus
Hoan Kiem District 246 Nguyễn Văn Hưởng, Thảo Điền, Quận 2
Hanoi Ho Chi Minh
REGISTER ONLINE REGISTER ONLINE
Registration is required. Inquiries should be emailed to admissions@vanderbilt.edu (please do
not contact the venues directly). Note that both information sessions will be conducted entirely in
English – no Vietnamese interpretation services will be available.

PHUKET 7’s Football Tournament, hosted by British International School, Phuket 6th
– 9th
November
2014
This year we are hoping to take 4 teams:
U13 Girls & U13 Boys: For these teams students need to be under 13 on 1st
August 2014
U19 Girls & U19 Boys: These 2 teams will be made up of students from Year 10 and above.
Please return reply slips as soon as possible.
U15 FOBISIA Games, hosted by British International School, Jakarta 12th
– 16th
November
A letter relating to this competition was given to all students. Please be aware students should be under
15 on 1st
August 2014. Please return reply slips as soon as possible.
Bangkok Patana Swimming Competition 12th
– 15th
December 2014
Details relating to this competition will be sent to parents early in September.
The U13 FOBISIA Games will take place in March next year, hosted by Taipei European School and further
details will follow later in the term. Any Year 7’s who are interested in taking part in this event should
choose the relevant sports clubs in term 1 (football, basketball, swimming & athletics).
Saturday Morning Football
A reminder that Saturday football will begin on Saturday 13th
September on the An Phu big field. If you
would also like to assist in the coaching please notify parents during registration.
For further information please contact Phil Drake PhilipDrake@bisvietnam.com
HOLIDAY SPORTS PROGRAMMES
The following Holiday Programmes will take place from 20th
– 24th
October.
Phil Drake
Director of Sport/Activities & Trips Coordinator
Date Sport Time
Head
Coach
Minimum
No. Of
Students Age
Prices (all in
VND) Location
20/10 - 24/10 Football 8.00 - 11.00 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 Sportshall
20/10 - 24/10 Swimming 8.00 - 13:45
Mr Vinh
Nguyen
Min 8 F2 upwards
Various
(see letters)
AP1 pool
20/10-24/10 Multi Skills 8.00 - 9.00 Mr Soriano Min 8 Y1-Y3 440,000 AP1 Sportshall
20/10-24/10 Multi Skills 9.00 - 10.00 Mr Soriano Min 8 F1-F3 440,000 AP1 Sportshall
20/10-24/10 T ball 4.00 - 5.30 Mr Soriano Min 8 Y3-Y6 660,000 Big field
Sport News

January 7
Madagui - Vietnam
4 nights
This is a week of team building activities as well as an opportunity for per-
sonal challenge. Activities include swimming, rafting, hiking, archery, zip
lining and camping.
January 8
Dalat - Vietnam
4 nights
In the hills around Dalat, students take part in physical challenge activities,
including trekking, abseiling and rope courses. They complement this with
team-building exercises and work in schools for disabled local children.
January 9
Mai Chau - Vietnam
4 nights
Physical endeavour, leadership, self-esteem and teamwork are all devel-
oped through outdoor activities in the hills of the far north. Interaction with
mountain villagers through a school visit and staying in homestays en-
hances intercultural understanding and respect.
January 10
Hong Kong
4 Nights
Based on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, this trip will involve a wide range of
physical challenges, survival skills training and cultural visits, which are
designed to encourage the development of leadership skills and promote
the benefits of working effectively as a team.
January
12
(Choice of trips)
Kontum - Vietnam
Community Service - Painting, decorating, assembling furniture, setting up
computers, teaching English at an orphanage. Football matches against
the orphans.
Chiang Mai -Thailand
The Year 12 International Award expedition will take us to Thailand’s se-
cond highest mountain, Doi Pha Hom Phok, with an altitude of 2285m. A
four day trek to reach the peak is one of the objectives of the expedition.
The area is also of great environmental, ecological and cultural interest
and we will spend one day volunteering on a community service project.
Puerto Galera - Philip-
pines
Students will learn to scuba dive or advance their qualifications and then
take part in marine conservation activities and education programmes.
Mai Chau - Vietnam
Physical endeavour, leadership, self-esteem and teamwork are all devel-
oped through outdoor activities in the hills of the far north. Interaction with
mountain villagers through a school visit and staying in homestays en-
hances intercultural understanding and respect.
Trips Week

From the Underground & BIStro
Menu 1 (15 September)
From the Underground & BIStro
DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
MAIN COURSE
CHOOSE 1
Cottage Pie-Beef
OR
Chicken & Vegeta-
ble Curry, Rice
Pasta with Pork Meat
Balls
OR
Fish Teriyaki, Rice
Roast Pork, Roast
Potato/Rice
OR
Chicken Noodle
Soup (Pho)
Fish Goujon &
Potato Wedges
OR
Beef & Vegetable
Stew, Rice
Roast Chicken, York-
shire Pudding
OR
Pork in Dark Soya
Sauce, Rice
VEGETABLES
Morning Glory &
Carrot
Beansprouts & Car-
rot
Choy sum & Carrot
Salad
Chinese Cabbage
& Carrot
Broccoli & Carrot
Salad
SOUP Watercress Cabbage & Carrot Tomato & Tofu Spinach & Melon Mixed Vegetable
DESSERT Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit
VEGETARIAN
Vegetarian Cot-
tage Pie
Chickpea Salad
Mixed Fruit
Pasta Napolitana
Mixed Beans Salad
Mixed Fruit
Vegetarian Noodle
Soup
Tofu in Soya
Sauce
Mixed Fruit
Tofu & Vegetable
Stew, Rice
Spinach & Melon
Mixed Fruit
Chickpea & Vegeta-
ble Curry, Rice
Mixed Vegetable
Soup
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
Swiss Roll
Crème Puff
Fruit Cup
Chocolate Mud
Donut
Fruit Cup
Curry Puff
Samosa
Fruit Cup
Muffin
Sponge Cake
Fruit Cup
Curry Puff
Samosa
Fruit Cup

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