The newsletter provides information on upcoming events at the British International School in Hanoi, including sports competitions, school trips, and performances. It also includes messages from the Principal and heads of Primary and Secondary discussing preparations for exams and emphasizing the importance of a holistic education.

1. BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HANOI
NEWSLETTER
April 3 2015| ISSUE 26
IN THIS ISSUE
From Mr. Anthony Rowlands
From Mr. Christopher Short
From Mrs. Karen Hanratty
Sri Lankan New Year
Secondary History
Year 5 Cuc Phuong Expedition
The Dracula Rock Show
Lunch Menu
Contacts
02
03
04
05
06-07
08
09
10
11
Issue 26 | 1
UPCOMING EVENTS
6th
KS4/5 Mixed Football vs Concordia
7th
KS3 Mixed Volleyball vs UNIS
7th
- 8th
Primary Shared Learning Meetings
9th
Year 2 to visit Quang An Flower Market,
Flower Garden
KS4/5 Mixed Football vs SIS
11th
-12th
Bronze DoEIA Qualifying trip
15th
KS4 Boys Football
16th
KS2 Production
17th
Secondary House Sports
Whole School Assembly – End of Term 2 –
Students finish school and depart at 12.25pm
20th
April to 1st May: School closed (Holiday)
4th
May All students back to school – Term 3.
APRIL

2. From Mr Anthony Rowlands - Principal of BIS Hanoi
I often talk to our school community
about the importance of a holistic
education where our students are
exposed to quality academics, sport,
music, art, community service and
other areas. However, important as that
is, formal examinations continue to
play a vital role in how success is
measured in schools. Students are held accountable for
how they perform in examinations and their future
career paths depend on the level of their success. A
student’s success in an examination helps universities,
employers and others to assess his/her mental or
general ability. Additionally, the school’s own success
is often measured by the quality of its examination
results. Life today has become so complex that
examinations have come to play an important part in a
person’s educational and working career. Examinations
are considered so important that some students are
afraid of them. At BIS Hanoi we work hard to ensure that
our students have the necessary skills, attitude and
perseverance to not be afraid of the challenge of sitting
an examination.The ability to pass these tests is, in
itself, a valuable quality. It shows that the student is able
to express their thoughts and ideas in a manner others
can understand. It also shows that the student has
acquired a certain amount of knowledge in a specific
branch of study.
Issue 26 | 2
Over the next few months our Year 11 and Year 12
students, along with a sprinkling of Year 10 students,
will be undertaking important external examinations. A
small cohort of Year 10 and all Year 11 students will face
the challenge of their IGCSE examinations. Year 12
students will be undertaking their AS Level
examinations. The teachers and senior staff have
worked hard to ensure that they are up to the
challenges that they face in these examinations.
However, in the end much will depend on each
individual student as to whether they are prepared to
go that “extra mile.” For the majority of them, it is a case
of really focusing hard over the next few weeks to
ensure they achieve the success that they rightly
deserve.
I would like to wish you all a very pleasant weekend.

3. We enter single digits this week on the
countdown of days to IGCSE and A
Level examinations. Year 10
accelerated, Year 11 and 12 students
are all making the most of their last few
lessons with their teachers before the 2
week revision period starts (Spring
Holiday for the rest of the school!).
Mr Byrne, supported by Mr Wolstenholme, has been
working hard over the last few weeks preparing our new
Careers and Higher Education room. Although students
will do much of their research and application on-line
we felt it was important to create a room that collected
all the physical information together but also was a
place to inspire students in the next important steps of
their academic career. Mr Tung, our Art TA has done a
wonderful job of ‘branding’ the room so students are in
doubt as to its purpose. The Careers and Higher
Education room will serve as a venue for visiting
universities to meet students.
Issue 26 | 3
From Mr Christopher Short - Head of Secondary
We became authorised as a BMAT (Biomedical
Admissions Test) testing centre this week. This test is
used by the most competitive universities in the UK,
parts of Europe and Singapore for entry into medical
courses. This adds to our other authorisations and
agreements which allow students to apply and test for
entry into the very best universities worldwide. As you
will know we already have the following in place:
• Cambridge International Exams – curriculum
accepted for entry into competitive universities
Worldwide
• UCAS – UK Admissions system
• College Board – CEEB registration to support US
direct and Common App applications
• SAT – Test Centre
• IELTS – Agreement with the British Council who will
run tests at BIS

4. With just under two weeks to go until
the KS2 Production of ‘The Dracula
Rock Show’ preparations are now well
underway. Children are extremely
busy rehearsing their songs, refining
their dance moves, learning their lines,
perfecting their acting, creating props
and scenery, designing costumes, and
generally getting very excited. We have a wealth of
talent amongst our children and it is great to see them
shine in areas that they do not normally have the
opportunity to experience during more regular school
activities. The show promises to be a wonderful
spectacular and we look forward to welcoming all
Primary parents and families to enjoy the performance
on Thursday 16th April at 1.15 pm.
This has been a very special week for Year 5 in
particular who have been away on their expedition to
Cuc Phuong. Their 3 day, 2 night trip proved to be a
great experience for the children. They enjoyed a great
many new experiences; particular highlights were the
visit to the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre and the
Turtle Centre. The afternoon trek on the second day
was a challenge to many of the children, but there was a
huge sense of achievement amongst them all when they
successfully completed the walk. There is great
satisfaction in being taken just a little outside your
Issue 26 | 4
From Mrs Karen Hanratty - Head of Primary
normal comfort zone and finding that you are able to
achieve something you had not previously believed you
could. The children all returned this afternoon tired but
exhilarated after their adventures. Teachers came back
a little tired too……
FINE DINING

5. Issue 26 | 5
Year 2 was very lucky to have a guest visit our
class this week. Mrs. Corera, the mother of Ivana
in 2B, came to talk about Sri Lankan New Year,
which takes place on April 14th. She made a
wonderful presentation, brought in some
traditional dress and even made some very
yummy traditional food! It was really interesting
for the children to learn about another culture
and some traditions their friends follow.
NEW YEAR

6. On Saturday 28th March, our History students
went on a journey to find out about a central topic
that we have been debating in the History Club.
We wanted to discuss and ask “How is knowledge
from the past used in universities today?”
We began our day with a tour of the Temple of
Literature. We were shown around the grounds
by a local expert and learnt many things about this ancient
university. The tour guide was pleasantly surprised by our
students’ pre-existing knowledge about, and enthusiasm for,
ancient Confucianism. We spent some time deliberating
Confucianism’s significance in the 21st Century and it was fun to
see the passion each student had on the topic. As the Temple
became more crowded, I was impressed with the polite and
courteous manner that our students showed to the many visitors
that we encountered. For a brief moment we turned our attention to
the pros and cons of museums and their educational value in Hanoi
today. We all learned a great deal about the history of this
magnificent place.
Afterwards, we continued on to the British
University Vietnam to gain an
understanding of an institution of higher
education today. The students
participated in a university-level lecture
and soaked up the richness of the
academic environment. Following this,
they were divided into teams. Each group
was invited to take part in a competition to
create an advertisement. The task was to
build a real world “print ad” for either the
Temple of Literature or British University
Vietnam. As the creativity flowed, the
students worked together to apply what
they had discovered during the lecture
and at the Temple of Literature. The BUV staff were especially impressed with BIS Hanoi students’ eagerness to excel
in the activities set out for them. We learned how a contemporary university functioned and were impressed by the
high-tech facilities of a modern university.
At the end of the day’s proceedings, some students were convinced education had retained many of the same features
as in the past, while others noticed great changes between the two periods. We all agreed the day had been a success
and that whether past or present, education is and always has been of great importance to Vietnamese culture and life.
Issue 26 | 6
Mr. Andrew O’Reilly
History Teacher
SECONDARY HISTORY

7. Issue 26 | 7

8. Issue 26 | 8
YEAR 5 - CUC PHUONG EXPEDITION

9. Issue 24 | 8
the dracula
ROCK SHOW
KS2 PRESENTS
TIME:LOCATION: AUDITORIUM DATE:THURSDAY 16th
APRIL 1.15pm
Contact Primary office: Phone: 04 3946 0435 ext 220 Email: primaryoffice@bishanoi.com

10. Issue 26 | 10
BIS HANOI MENU
Week Beginning 6th April
Monday
6th
Apr 7th
Apr 8th
Apr 9th
Apr 10th
Apr
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
Steam bun Rice soup Nutella sandwich
Rice soup with
chicken
American
doughnut
Milk Juice Milk Juice Milk
Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit
German sausage
with mashed
potatoes
Korean beef stew Caramel pork Meat ball noodle
Chicken Cordon
Blue
Egg sushi roll
Pan cake with
nutella
Yogurt Oatmeal cookie
Juice Juice Fruit Juice Fruit
Steam bun Rice soup Nutella sandwich
Rice soup with
chicken
American
doughnut
Milk Juice Milk Juice Milk
German sausage
with mashed
potatoes
Maccaroni with
meat sauce
Caramel pork
Roast chicken 5
spices
Chicken Cordon
Blue
Korean beef stew
Fried tofu in
tomato sauce
Meat ball noodle
Pork caramel
with egg
German sausage
with mashed
potatoes
Korean beef stew
(v) Fried tofu in
tomato sauce
Roast chicken 5
spices
Chicken Cordon
Blue
Maccaroni with
meat sauce
Caramel pork Fried crispy pork
Pork caramel
with egg
(v) Sauteed rice
noodle with
vegetable
Sauteed pork
with coconut
Sticky rice with
steamed chicken
Meat ball noodle
(v) Vegetarian
potato curry

11. Issue 26 | 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 enquiries regarding School Buses)