The newsletter provides information on upcoming events at the British International School in Hanoi, including the annual Tet Fair, Road Safety Week, music concerts, trips for various year levels, and sporting events. It also includes reports from the Principal, Secondary Head, Primary Head on recent and upcoming activities like expeditions for Years 6, 8 and options choices for Years 9 and 11. The contact list provides the extension numbers for various departments.

1. BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HANOI
NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 6 2015| ISSUE 20
IN THIS ISSUE
From Mr. Anthony Rowlands
From Mr. Christopher Short
From Mrs. Karen Hanratty
Year 6 - Hoi An Expedition
Creativity through cross-curricular learning-Year 2
Year 8 - Mai Chau Expedition
Tet Fair
Lunch Menu
Contacts
02
03
04
05-06
07
08
09
10
11
Issue 20 | 1
UPCOMING EVENTS
7th
Tet Fair 2015
9th
-13th
Road Safety Week
10th
Year 3 Learning Insights Parents Information
Session
Year 11 Music Concert
11th
F1, 2 & 3 trip to flower market and flower field
12th
Year 2 trip to Cathedral area
KS3 Boys & Girls Football vs Concordia
13th
Primary “Bright colours” Mufti Day
Tet Whole School Assembly
Year 7/10/12 Interim Reports Issued
Year 8 Full Reports Issued
16th
- 27th
Tet Holiday – School closes
2nd
All students back to school
5th
- 6th
Year 4 Ba Vi Expedition Trip
5th
IGCSE Music Showcase
9th
- 13th
International Week
10th
Year 8 Parents Evening
12th
IB Information Morning
13th
Mufti Day
14th
Maths Olympiad
14th
- 15th
Bronze DoEIA Practice
FEBRUARY
MARCH

2. Issue 20 | 2
From Mr Anthony Rowlands - Principal of BIS Hanoi
On Saturday, we will be holding our
Annual Tet Festival which I am sure
will be yet another great BIS Hanoi
community event. I do hope that as
many of our community as possible
come to join us for this very special
occasion. I enjoy this time of year as I
can sense the excitement in Hanoi as
Tet approaches. I was interviewed this morning by VTC
10 who are making a special television programme
about the BIS Hanoi Tet Festival. They asked me several
questions about the origins and set up of our festival
and will also be filming events on Saturday as well as
interviewing students. One of the questions they asked
me was: “Why did you decide to organise the Tet
Festival at BIS Hanoi?” Part of my answer was, “To
show respect and learn about the culture and traditions
of our host country Vietnam.” For me, and the other
foreign staff members at BIS Hanoi, it is a wonderful
event which we enjoy very much.
What I appreciate most about my role as Principal of BIS
Hanoi is my interaction with students. I try to
experience this in as many ways as possible during the
week:
1. Each day, at the gate or main entrance, I endeavour
to greet students on their arrival and departure from
school.
2. I walk around the school during the day and see
students in the corridors, dining halls, playgrounds
and classrooms.
3. Students sometimes come and visit me in my office.
Regarding point 3 above, I was recently visited by a
group of Year 1 students who asked me about my role
as a Principal. Additionally, this week I was visited by
two students who were doing a survey on
environmental issues. All the students asked pertinent
and interesting questions and it was a pleasure to
interact with them.
I consider myself very lucky to be Principal of BIS
Hanoi. Hopefully I will see many of you at out Tet
Festival on Saturday. Have a wonderful weekend!
YEAR 2 PARENTS LEARNING INSIGHT

3. It was brilliant to welcome Year 8 back
to school last Friday after their
successful expedition to Mai Chau. All
students and staff had a very enjoyable
time and Ms Airdrie reports that all
built on the skills they began to
develop last year on the Year 7
expedition. They showed more
independence in organising themselves while away and
more perseverance in the more demanding physical
challenges they had to do this year. Even the parents
showed a little more resilience with slightly fewer phone
calls each evening!
The first formal IGCSE assessment of the year took place
this week with the PE practical examination. The Year
11 students had to demonstrate their skill development
in a number of sports and were assessed on key
performance criteria. They were also videoed to allow
the examiners in the UK to moderate the assessments
Issue 20 | 3
From Mr Christopher Short - Head of Secondary
we make. The students did very well especially as
Wednesday was one of the first rainy days we have had
for a while, at least the UK examiners will feel at home
when watching it!
Year 9 and 11 students are finalising their option choices
for IGCSE and A Level next week. After several months
of collecting information on courses and next steps, it is
now time to make their final choice. It’s an exciting time
for these students and parents as it signals the next step
in their education. We expand our A Level programme
next year to include History and Geography, both
popular courses at IGCSE.
Students in Years 9,10,11,12P competed this week in the
UK Maths Challenge. This is a mathematics competition
run by a UK university. Students gain bronze, silver and
gold certificates. And special awards for being best in
the school and country.

4. The Year 6 children have had a
wonderful time away in Hoi An this
week. The group departed early on
Tuesday morning, very excited with
their bags packed, all prepared for their
big adventure. They had been working
towards this over the last few weeks,
learning about the ancient town of Hoi
An and how it has grown and developed as a centre for
tourism in Vietnam. On Wednesday children spent the
morning visiting some of the famous sights of the town
to get first-hand experience of the things tourists may be
keen to visit. They then spent time talking to tourists
about the reasons why they had chosen to visit Hoi An
and their feelings about the town. The children had
prepared their own questionnaires for this and next
week they will analyse the data gathered and compare
this with their own views of the town. In the afternoon
they experienced some traditional crafts famous in Hoi
An such as the silk lantern industry and rose dumpling
making. Thursday gave the children an opportunity to
learn about more about traditional cultivation
techniques and local pottery followed by a xich lo tour
around the streets of Hoi An. All in all it was a
wonderful, if tiring week, and one that the children and
staff will remember for a very long time.
Next week is Road Safety Week. Road Safety is a big
issue in Vietnam, increasingly so as the roads become
ever busier. Children will be thinking about various
aspects of road safety, from how to cross a road safely
Issue 20 | 4
From Mrs Karen Hanratty - Head of Primary
FINE DINING
to the reasons why it is important to wear a helmet on a
motor bike or a seat belt when traveling in a car. They
will have the opportunity to be involved in various
competitions during the week as well as class
discussions, and the week will culminate with a special
Primary assembly on Friday followed in the afternoon
by a ‘Be Bright, Be Seen’ disco.

5. Issue 20 | 5
YEAR 6 | HOI AN EXPEDITION

6. Issue 20| 6

7. Issue 20 | 7
Year 2 classrooms are
vibrant, colourful and
lively hubs of activity.
From singing and dancing
in topic to art in science
and drama in
Vietnamese, we aim to
keep all our planning topic-based so that lessons are cross-curricular
wherever possible. This allows for much creativity and lots of fun and
enjoyment whilst learning because we believe children learn best
whilst having fun!
Creativity helps teach cognitive skills such as mathematics and
scientific thinking. Creative thinking involves imagination, basic use of
the scientific method, communication, physical dexterity and exertion,
problem posing, problem solving, making interpretations, and using
symbols which help with future literacy skills. All of these concepts
are embedded daily through careful planning which allows children of
all learning styles to access the curriculum in a personalised learning
environment.
Creative expression provides many opportunities for expressing
emotions and showing care and compassion for others. We instill a global message of empathy, caring and passion for
learning, as well as understanding in our children. The children often experience real life situations in order to further
embed new learning. Children are exposed to world issues in order to give them a greater understanding of different
cultures and lifestyles, and to learn more about people less fortunate than themselves. This is taught creatively, often
through drama and role play.
Every day is unique and together, both children and teachers alike, we learn from each other and enjoy every moment.
Learning about children less fortunate, becoming
cotton pickers from Uzbekistan.
The Lifecycle of a Butterfly, through drama
and dance.
Real experience of transport whilst having fun
during our ‘Transport’ topic.
Discussing our feelings with
Annabelle in PSHE.
Learning about ‘Materials’ in Science
by creating beautiful artwork.
Learning about the continents of the world
through Art and Role Play.
Making pizza during our
‘Instruction Texts’ topic in Literacy.
Creativity through cross-curricular learning-Year 2
Ms. Kaye Meakin
Year 2 Teacher
Mr. Paul Wild
Year 2 Teacher
Ms. Hoa Pham
Year 2 Teacher

8. Issue 20 | 8
YEAR 8 | MAI CHAU EXPEDITION

9. SPONSORED BY:
JOIN US FOR
TET FESTIVAL
HỘI XUÂN 2015
SATURDAY, 7th
February 2015
10.00am - 2.00pm
Lucky Draw (Up to the value of 18 million VND)
Water Puppets & Magic Show
Students’ Performances
Traditional & Modern Games
Food & Drinks Corner
Hoa Lan Road, Vinhomes Riverside,
Long Bien, Hanoi
Ngũ cốc ăn sáng Nestlé
INTERNATIONAL GROUP

10. Issue 20 | 10
BIS HANOI MENU
Week Beginning 9th February
Monday
9th
Feb 10th
Feb 11th
Feb 12th
Feb 13th
Feb
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
From Year 3 to Year 12 : All meals come with a salad or salad bar choice along and 2 choices of vegetables, rice, Vietnamese soup.
From Year 7 to Year 12: We have introduced our NEW Sandwich bar with assorted cheeses, fresh tuna, egg salad, roast meats and
other daily specials on our homemade bread, dark rye, whole wheat, oatmeal, french bread, Vietnamese rolls, raisin bread and
other fresh baked bread every day.
Morning
snack
Morning
snack
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Afternoon
snack
EYFSPRIMARYSECONDARY
Rice soup with
chicken
American
doughnut
Steam roll with
pork cake
Rice soup Sausage roll
Juice Milk Juice Juice Soya milk
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit
Roast honey
chicken
Maccaroni with
meat sauce
Roast chicken
with BBQ sauce
Chinese pork
with rice
Sauteed pork
with rice
Fresh tofu
Sausage sushi
rollu
Jam sandwich Caramel Raisin cookie
Fruit Juice Milk Fruit Juice
Rice soup with
chicken
American
doughnut
Steam roll with
pork cake
Rice soup Sausage roll
Juice Milk Juice Juice Soya milk
rice
Pork cake with
rice
Roast pork with
rice
Meat ball burger
Chicken Cordon
Blue
Roast honey
chicken
Maccaroni with
meat sauce
Roast chicken
with BBQ sauce
Chinese pork
with rice
Sauteed pork
with coconut
rice
Pork cake with
rice
(v) Vegetarian
potato curry
Beef & crab
noodle soup
Chicken Cordon
Blue
Roast honey
chicken
Maccaroni with
meat sauce
Roast pork with
rice noodle
Meat ball burger
Sauteed pork
with coconut
(v) Fried tofu in
sweet and sour
sauce
Fried crispy pork
Roast chicken
with BBQ sauce
Chinese pork
with rice
(v) Roasted
vegetable
calzone

11. Issue 20 | 11
Good communication is important to us and we would like to ensure that you have the correct contact
information in order for you to call the school:
School Number: 04 3946 0435
Extention number:
Receptionist: 0
(For all general enquiries)
Principal’s Office: 208
principaloffice@bishanoi.com
(If you wish to contact the School Principal)
Business Manager’s Office: 109
thaonguyen@bishanoi.com
Primary Office: 220
primaryoffice@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding the Primary Section)
Secondary Office: 215
secondaryoffice@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding the Secondary Section)
Admission Department: 222/122/555/777/888
bishanoi@bishanoi.com
dessydelevaux@bishanoi.com (Admission Manager)
jinnyjung@bishanoi.com (Korean Liaison Officer)
hatruong@bishanoi.com
trambui@bishanoi.com
Marketing Department: 189
huyennguyenngoc@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding Marketing)
Finance Department: 202
(For all enquiries regarding school fees)
Medical Room: 117/303
linhdieu@bishanoi.com (Main school)
liennguyen@bishanoi.com (Early Years Building)
(For all enquiries regarding Medical Issues)
Uniform Shop: 221
tamle@bishanoi.com
nhungpham@bishanoi.com
(For all enquiries regarding School Uniform)
School Buses: 218
nganguyenthithuy@bishanoi.com
(For all requiries regarding School Buses)