Esprit December Edition 2020-2021 by British International School Hanoi

BISHANOI.COM

ESPRIT TERM 1 | 2020 - 2021

ESPRIT December 2020 | 1

BIS Hanoi students achieve record high in IGCSE For the 6th year running, BIS Hanoi continue to excel in IGCSE and received the best results ever with a 95% pass rate and 52% of all grades awared at A*-A level.

52%

of all grades were

A/A*

95%

Pass Rate

Curriculum:

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English National Curriculum: Foundation Stage to Year 9 IGCSE: Year 10 - Year 11 IBDP: Year 12 - Year 13

Vinhomes Riverside, Hanoi, Vietnam bishanoi@bishanoi.com +84 24 3946 0435

www.bishanoi.com

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ACADEMIC SUCCESS 20 | Academic record breakers celebrate IGCSE success 22 | Our 2020 Graduating class adapts to the “New Normal” 24 | Your choice - Your future! 2021 IB Options at BIS Hanoi 26 | International Primary Curriculum (IPC) is updated with new and exciting learning content

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

30 | A busy term for BIS Hanoi Student Leadership Council 32 | Student Leaders in Primary 34 | The progress of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat 36 | BIS Hanoi alumni win The New York Times Asia-Pacific Writing Competition

40 | 8 online applications parents should know to support your child’s safety in a digital world 42 | BIS Hanoi adopts VIA Character Strengths into Pastoral and Academic programmes 44 | Students enjoy the Mindful morning 46 | Growing our community through Friends of BIS 48 | Let’s get social ESPRIT December 2020 | 3

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

INTERNATIONALLY -MINDED CITIZENS It is with much pride that I am sharing with you some of the key highlights of Term 1, 2020-21. It has been a busy and exciting term, which has seen some wonderful cultural events, celebrations of achievement, and the pursuance of academic excellence. As previously, items in this edition of Esprit are divided into four sections: Internationally-minded citizens; Academic success; Confident communicators; and Well-being in our community. In this first section, Internationally-minded citizens, you will read about some key partnerships that our school has with globally recognised organisations that are outstanding in their field. Our collaborations with Juilliard, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UNICEF, offer our students the opportunity to work with international experts in their field, to explore ideas and develop skills. On a more local level, we all thoroughly enjoyed celebrating the Vietnamese ‘Moon Festival’ together. Students of all ages from across the school performed a range of pieces which entertained and educated their peers about the meaning of this important festival. During UNICEF World Children’s Day, teachers passed key leadership roles to their students, who rose to the challenges magnificently. One unique aspect of a Nord Anglia education is the opportunities available to our students through the Global Campus. The breadth of experiences has been significantly enhanced this year, and our students are some of the most engaged in the region. At the time of writing, our students have collectively accessed the resources 14,000 times and made over 800 posts. If you are not yet familiar with the Global Campus, please take a look to find out more. Karen Hanratty Principal

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

THE SPECIAL MOON FESTIVAL From the very first days of practice, the students knew in advance that they had to perform without an audience. This is really a challenge for them because the applause and cheers of the teachers and students throughout the school always encourage and help them perform in the most exciting way. However, the children have been practicing hard with the desire that their own performances will bring the normal atmosphere of life back to BIS. The performances of Primary students were filled with the colours of traditional ao dai, star lights, and bustling and exciting sounds. They did not only dance folk dances such as ‘Suoi Hong’ (The Pink Stream), Dancing in the moon, etc. but also brought up young and modern images of the Moon Boy and the Moon Goddess in the show ‘the Mid-Autumn Festival on the street’. The Secondary students' repertoire with their great dancing talent was warmly received. The Year 12 6 | BIS Hanoi

students demonstrated the beauty of a traditional Vietnamese woman in white ao dai and elegant dance in the show Tu Phu. And the Year 10 students sent a sincere and emotional thank you by the Ghen Covy Dance performance. The show was successful and brought joy to our hearts, opening the horizon for a number of exciting activities in the 2020 school year at BIS. Hai Nguyen Vietnamese Leader

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

OUR STUDENTS ROARED IN "NO BORDERS" MUN CONFERENCE A big congratulations to the following students: Ngo Thanh Mai, Le Ngan Ha, Kanta Fujimoto, Park Sung Woo, Cho Min Seo and Nguyen Duc Tuan who all took part in No Borders MUN on the weekend of the 12th - 13th of September. This is the first online MUN conference with BIS students debating with delegates from 11 countries ranging from Europe to the United States of America. The students involved had been planning and researching for a number of months in preparation. They began by submitting their position papers, gave rousing opening speeches and wrote resolutions in a bid to address some of the world’s most challenging problems. The students worked hard to secure four successful resolutions within the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (SPDC), the Outer Space Treaty Revision Centre (OSTRC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the Crisis Council and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Their dedication and professionalism was testament to their success.

Marie Price English Teacher / Head of Year 10

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS

FOCUS ON GLOBAL GOALS AT BIS HANOI

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

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As Global Goals Ambassadors, we hope students realise that not everybody has the same opportunities they do at BIS Hanoi, to then think about ways in which we can find solutions to close that inequality gap, ensuring that everyone has an equal chance in life.

This academic year, the Global Goal we are focusing on is Goal 13 - Climate Action. Our biggest aim as BIS Hanoi’s Global Goals Ambassadors is to install solarpowered pumps for the school garden, realising that the gardener at our school was having a difficult time having to manually water all the crops and plants. Therefore, with a new, automated solarpowered irrigation system, we hope to be able to automatically water the crops and plants, following a

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set schedule. We also hope that this installation would inspire not only our school, but also other institutions to work towards using more sustainable, renewable energy sources, reducing the need for imported fuel and conserving the nation’s natural resources. Most recently, we have organised multiple fundraisers for World’s Children’s day by arranging candy jars events in the reception area, as well selling environmentally-

friendly bookmarks, completely recycled from cereal boxes by the Global Goals team. All of our profits were proportionally distributed between local charities aimed at protecting children’s rights and the Global Goals Budget, which will be used as funds for future events and also to finance our solar-powered irrigation system. In order to install the solar panel pumps, we will need to raise a substantial amount of money, therefore, we are planning on organising more events in the

future, focusing on educating the school community about the Global Goals and its importance, whilst also attracting students’ and staff’s donations in the most efficient ways possible. Our second biggest project as the Global Goals Ambassadors for this academic year is to carry out UNICEF’s global goals teaching project. This project will involve the Year 12 students in our Global Goals Leadership team, introducing

Primary students to the Global Goals in general and more specifically, climate change. For each session, we have planned to incorporate engaging activities, in order to provide a more hands-on learning experience, which hopefully will help endow our Global Goals awareness to younger students.

to then think about ways in which we can find solutions to close that inequality gap, ensuring that everyone has an equal chance in life. Thu An & Angela Global Goals Student Ambassadors

As Global Goals Ambassadors, we hope students realise that not everybody has the same opportunities they do at BIS Hanoi,

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

GC JUNIOR

STEAM

SOCIAL IMPACT

WRITER CORNER

OUR EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE ON THE NEW GLOBAL CAMPUS! Nord Anglia’s Global Campus has experienced a new re-design over the summer holidays and is now bigger and better than ever. Children and families from F1 – Y13 can access Global Campus for a wide range of activities. From the beginning of this term, we saw a great participation and excellent performance of our students on Global Campus.

PERFORM. ARTS

Log on to Global Campus today!

The Global Campus offers learning opportunities that empower, excite, inspire and challenge 67,000 Nord Anglia Education students around the world. As part of Nord Anglia, the children at BIS Hanoi have the opportunity to collaborate with children from 69 schools. The Global Campus has sections designed for Under 8s, Over 8s and Over 14s. The activities in each section are designed by teachers from across all Nord Anglia schools and they incorporate our special collaborations with world leading organisations like UNICEF, MIT and Juilliard. In addition, there are lots of opportunities to take part in competitions, expeditions and engage in well-being and physical education activities. By taking part in these activities, the children earn special digital badges connected to Creativity, Cultural awareness, Critical thinking, Communication, Courage and Collaboration. These are known as the 6 Cs! From the beginning of this term, our students from F1 to Year 13 were actively engaged in many activities on Global Campus. Some of these resources and activities are also used by our teachers in school. In return of our students & teachers’ amazing effort and hard work, BIS Hanoi ranked 4th in South East Asia for the number of badges earned and engagement rate! Each week new and exciting sections and activities are launched on the Global Campus so it is important to check-in regularly.

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EXP

PEDITIONS

Course Search

WELLBEING

GC SENIOR

ELEMENTS

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WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

COLLABORATION WITH MIT

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“Into the Void” challenges

At BIS Hanoi, we are very lucky to have a unique collaboration with MIT, the world's leading technology university. Lecturers and professors at MIT set bespoke challenges specifically designed for our students. With this collaboration, our students get firsthand experience of how technological advancements can solve real world problems of the future.

This term has seen MIT launched their “Into the Void” challenges, focused around Space exploration. MIT is in a unique position as they work directly with NASA and the International Space Station. They have designed 3 challenges in this “Into the Void” series, the first of which is “Living in Space” set by Ariel Ekblaw, the founder and lead of the MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative. Ariel and her team at MIT work on designing and making equipment and artifacts that are used on the International Space Station (ISS). The challenge requires students to design something to help astronauts eat, play sport, or do exercise more easily when they are in space. The lack of gravity in space means that eating a bowl of noodles is almost impossible, the soup and the noodles would be floating all over the space craft. The students started by imagining what it is like to experience zero gravity, they then made a short film of them pretending to be in space and trying to eat or do exercise. They used some slow-motion filming, and then some film editing to create their films. They then moved on to ideating (coming up with ideas) in teams to think of problems and solutions, this led them to designing an invention to help the astronauts. Using our fantastic Makerspace facilities they will get to build and test their ideas using a wide variety of equipment, resources and materials. Hopefully the judges at MIT will like our students work. In December we will showcase the students’ work at school.

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

What is happening in Primary?

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

The STEAM philosophy of Nord Anglia and of MIT encourages students to develop their problem-solving skills through being collaborative and creative. This philosophy is embedded in the Primary students’ Computing and STEAM lessons.

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Year 5 students are currently designing a waterproof container to house a micro:bit that will collect temperature data. They are now solving the problem when the temperature inside the container will be higher than the atmospheric temperature that we want to collect. Year 4 students are using robots to complete challenges, the coding skills needed for this are the same as the coding skills already learned. However, they are working on how to overcome the challenges where in ‘the real world’ external factors might alter the path of the robot (i.e. wind). Year 3 students are looking at game design and designing their own games. Year 2 students are continuing to become familiar with computers and they too are designing a game. Year 1 students are using iPads to create animated stories. For Term 2 & 3, all Primary students will be working on new MIT Challenges! Stay tuned! Peter Allison David Burke Primary Computing Design Teacher & STEAM Teacher

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WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

COLLABORATION WITH JUILLIARD The Performing Arts subjects here at BIS Hanoi are hugely enriched by the Nord Anglia collaboration with The Juilliard School, which benefits all students from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 5 IB. The close working relationship informs much of what we do in Drama, Dance and Music lessons and offers additional opportunities both in terms of student experiences and staff development. The Juilliard School in New York City, USA, is a world leader in Performing Arts education. Working together, The Juilliard Approach has been developed and all of our teaching staff receive regular training in this way of working. Your child’s learning of the Performing Arts is enhanced using a repertoire of core music, dance and drama works encompassing a wide range of genres, styles and cultures designed and handselected by Juilliard. Teachers at BIS use Juilliard Creative Classroom, an online collection of educational resources that have been designed to enhance and supplement our Performing Arts curricula. Juilliard designed teaching materials, creative activities, historical information, rehearsal strategies, and professional development resources lead students through explorations of core works of music, dance, and drama and emphasise building students’ personal artistry through their own creativity. During the first half of this term, we had an international focus across the Performing Arts disciplines, developing our understanding of the arts beyond our own previous experiences. Areas

explored include Indian Bharatanatyam dancing, West African folktales and Indonesian Gamelan. We have three specialists from The Juilliard School who work closely with us throughout the course of the academic year to challenge and stretch our provision and ensure we are providing authentic, high quality Performing Arts experiences for all. Our specialists in Dance, Drama and Music regularly visit the school and this has been continuing virtually from New York City during the pandemic. Alongside a purposeful curriculum, students benefit from the opportunity to engage in masterclasses, “Ask the artist” Q&A session with Juilliard Artists on Global Campus, online collaborative projects and regional Performing Arts Festivals, as well as collaborations with other Nord Anglia schools in Vietnam and beyond. Our collaboration with The Juilliard School perpetually evolves and we are excited to see how it can support our continual growth as a department across the entire age range of the school, ensuring that all students have access to an engaging, inclusive and challenging Performing Arts education. Felicity Kirk Head of Performing Arts (Maternity Cover) ESPRIT December 2020 | 19

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

Let’s take the cancellation of examinations, this summer. For our Year 13 students, it was a disorientating time. If schooling is a marathon, the IBDP exams represent the finish line for students. So, you can imagine the confusion caused by calling an end to the “marathon” before anyone has crossed the finish line. The exam boards, who had the difficult job of awarding grades for exams no student had taken eventually managed to find a system, whilst not perfect, helped the majority of our students enter their university of choice. BIS Hanoi posted record breaking results at IGCSE and IBDP, as you can read about later.

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At BIS Hanoi, flexibility is made possible by constantly evaluating our teaching and learning practices and searching to improve them.

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CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Towards the end of a year we naturally reflect on our experiences and, as we approach the close of 2020, we have a lot to think about. Whether it be the merits of virtual schooling; the absence of extra-curricular activities or the precedent of a summer without public examinations, we cannot ignore the extraordinary impact of COVID-19 on the academic landscape.

Of course, our outstanding school prepares students for more than their final exams. At BIS Hanoi, we aim to develop the children’s soft skills and their emotional intelligence, too. Often these skills are honed through extra-curricular activities, but we have worked hard to embed them in our curriculum, also. Thankfully our graduating students, in completing their IBDP programme, left school with a strong foundation in leadership, service, presentation skills, teamwork and cultural literacy. These valuable 21st century skills have become part of their DNA, as BIS students. To some extent, final exams will fade in importance, as schools adapt to preparing students for a global, interconnected and dynamic economy, BIS Hanoi students will have a head start. Ultimately, 2020 has been about adapting. Perhaps, 2020 has had its advantages for educators. It may have begun a debate about the value of final exams. It has certainly accelerated the adoption of useful technologies for learning in schools. Finally, it has rewarded schools who are committed to improvement, of which BIS Hanoi, as a Nord Anglia School, is definitely one. The articles in this section illustrate some of the ways in which we search for improvement. I hope you find them stimulating.

Tim Webb Head of Secondary

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

ACADEMIC RECORD BREAKERS CELEBRATE IGCSE SUCCESS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

November 3rd was a joyous occasion for our Year 12 students at BIS Hanoi. In the middle of the first term of studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), BIS Hanoi students, with their families, paused for breath, posed for a photograph and reflected on their academic achievements over the last two years.

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

Those achievements were extraordinary! Just consider Phuong Anh Le, for example. Phuong Anh attained the highest mathematics result in the world in 2019, when she presented for her IGCSE Mathematics, whilst only a Year 10 student. Since then, she has continued to excel. This summer Cambridge International rewarded her efforts and all-round academic brilliance with a further nine IGCSE subject grades, all at A* level.

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

But it wasn’t just Phuong Anh who excelled. The depth of talent at BIS Hanoi and their summer achievements provide compelling evidence that the school provides an outstanding academic environment for students. This year, BIS Hanoi students passed their prestigious IGCSE Cambridge exams in record numbers. This is the 4th year in a row that BIS Hanoi’s pass rate has risen. Furthermore, students achieved a record number of exceptional grades with 52% of all entries being awarded either an A* or A grade.

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We are delighted for our incredible students. We are excited to be teaching them again, as we guide them through the IBDP. No doubt more amazing achievements will be celebrated in the future.

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Tim Webb Head of Secondary

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

OUR 2020 GRADUATING CLASS ADAPTS TO THE “NEW NORMAL” What a year 2020 has been for university applications. For our 2020 Graduating class we have sent off applications to 12 countries for 50 students. Earlier in the academic year we were all quite excited when the acceptances started pouring in for our students' best fit universities from all over the world. As the year wore on it became apparent that the university experience was going to look a lot different for most of our graduates. For those who had been looking forward to university life and the immersive experience of living on campus in a foreign country, they were finding out what an online education was going to look like and whether or not they were still interested in accepting their place or should they wait for the following year. We worked tirelessly over the summer and into this year continuing to support our 2020 graduates with university applications, so they were truly able to find the best fit for them. The most interesting uptake this year has been with international universities here in Vietnam, one of the few countries where students can attend in person. The universities were quick to recognize that through their already established international partners they would be able to offer an in person experience this year and in subsequent years students through exchange or transfers may still go overseas if and when that is possible. It was a great year for VinUniversity which is partnered with Cornell University in the USA to open, as our students were far more interested in their offerings as it was the closest Liberal Arts face to face experience that they could possibly get. Two of our students received acceptances and are attending. Whether attending live lessons at 2am to facilitate classes in Canada, or getting a part-time job while they wait and hope that Australian universities will open in February, our students have proven that the resilience and perseverance that the International Baccalaureate program instilled in them is carrying them through this next chapter of their life. Although we are hopeful and optimistic that the 2021 graduating class will be able to have a face to face university experience, we are confident that we are helping them plan and prepare for any eventuality. Lori Fairbairn Counsellor 24 | BIS Hanoi

Class of 2020

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

YOUR CHOICE YOUR FUTURE! 2021 IB OPTIONS AT BIS HANOI On October 22nd, BIS Hanoi’s IB Options evening was superbly attended by Year 11 students and their parents. This is an exciting and insightful occasion for parents and students to gather useful information about their IB options. The opportunity to take control of their future is a wonderful one for students and we know they will not squander it. 26 | BIS Hanoi

Decision-making is not something we should fear; instead, we should embrace it as an opportunity to direct our life towards an even better future. The trick is to surround yourself with different perspectives and good advisors. Gather all the information you need, weigh it up against your goals and dreams, and then be bold and brave, and follow the path that inspires you. Engaging in a thorough process before decision-making will help students avoid mistakes but it will also strengthen their will to succeed, when challenges arise in the future.

So, our advice to Year 11 students is: speak to Mrs Graham (IB Coordinator), Mrs Fairbairn (University Guidance) and Mr Airdrie (Head of Sixth Form). Research the courses and universities you wish to study. Talk to your teachers about the subjects you are most interested in and/ or need to study. Ask Year 12 and Year 13 students about their experiences. Finally, talk it through with your mum, your dad or a friend. Then, and we are addressing our students directly here, when you are fully informed, you make the final decision because it is your future! Good luck.

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY CURRICULUM (IPC) IS UPDATED WITH NEW AND EXCITING LEARNING CONTENT

Primary students at BIS Hanoi follow the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for their History, Geography and Art topics. The IPC was first established in 2000 and became one of the fastest growing programmes in the world. It was developed as a curriculum that supports learning, irrespective of the nationality and cultural background of the learner. Each unit theme is specifically designed to provide age appropriate learning. As part of the IPC’s 20th birthday 28 | BIS Hanoi

celebration, several different unit themes have been introduced and existing themes updated with new and exciting learning content. Prior to the students returning to school, the teachers worked in year group teams to review and update the unit themes, ensuring they are relevant and exciting for our students at BIS Hanoi. Each IPC thematic unit follows a cycle, starting with an ‘Entry Point’ – which is an exciting introduction to the learning which will follow.

So far, we have seen some fantastic entry points of Phase 1, 2 and 3, please check out the photos! Following the exciting Entry Point to ‘hook’ students into learning, the teacher will carry out a ‘Knowledge Harvest’ to find out what the class knows already – this will form the starting point for all the learning that comes next. After this, students will then enter the ‘Research, Record and Reflect’ phase of the IPC thematic unit cycle, designed to improve learning and develop

metacognitive thinking. This is where the students encounter key learning objectives and skills they are working on achieving. Finally, an exit point is planned – this provides an opportunity for students to share and reflect on all the learning which has taken place. We are hopeful we will be able to invite our families in to celebrate these exit points with us. Kate Fitzpatrick Primary Deputy Head ESPRIT December 2020 | 29

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

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Over the next few pages, the authors of the articles showcase the incredible opportunities our students have at BIS to develop their communication skills through hard work, perseverance and commitment.

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It is with great pride and pleasure that I introduce the Confident Communicators section of our latest Esprit edition. Being a confident communicator comes from practising and developing a variety of listening, speaking or performance skills. At BIS we offer a wide range of opportunities for students to practise communication skills from partner talk in the classroom to presenting a speaking program and from being a member of student council to the prestigious role of Head student in the 6th form. Some of these opportunities for developing communication skills come through Student Leadership opportunities across the Primary and Secondary School that students get involved in. Listening to the Primary House and Vice Captains reflect on the importance of their roles and student voice in our school, they had this to say. “I think it’s important to have student leaders because adults think differently to children” Gyu Min, Saigon House Captain. “We need to be independent and students can learn from these experiences and not become over reliant on adults as we grown” reflected Olivia, Hue House Captain.

“We feel it is important for ourselves and our voices to be heard because we know ourselves best and what other children need and want” shared Khoi Nguyen, Hanoi Vice Captain. Emily Bevan, Dance Specialist and Head of Year 8 reflects on how the Secondary production began with auditions way, way back many weeks ago in August and how through perseverance and collaboration, the cast and crew are ready for the lights to go up on the spectacular that will be ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ before the end of this winter term. As Global Citizens who take action to help others and improve our world, student leaders at BIS Hanoi across Primary have been raising money for the flood victims in Vietnam, collecting donations for families in the Central regions and raising awareness within the community of key issues impacting students at school such as Mental Health Awareness and Environmental issues. I hope you enjoy reading these inspiring reflections from members of our community as much as I have. Rebecca Carroll Head of Primary

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Despite the challenges that coronavirus brought to BIS, the Student Council and Leadership Council were still able to work hard to host a variety of exciting events within the first term! The newly created Leadership Council is composed of different heads of departments and their own talented teams. From weekly meetings to meticulous planning, each department has come up with ways to make our school environment more engaging! Firstly, the Activities department devised a way for students to enjoy their favourite sports with their Friday Sports Lunch event, alongside two spectacular mufti days: one Halloween-themed, in which over 100 million VND were raised for flood relief in Central Vietnam, and another to celebrate World Children’s day by wearing blue clothing. Working closely with representatives in the Student Council, the Students’ Voice department has created a students’ opinion form for students to comfortably provide feedback about school life. The team has also launched Student-led Clubs so students can lead a club of their choice!

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

A BUSY TERM FOR BIS HANOI STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

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The wonderful Music Lounge event in October was the work of the Mental Health department. In the event, students could either showcase their musical talent or relax and enjoy the amazing performances on stage. Working closely with the Mental Health team is the Social Awareness department, having produced an impactful Black History Month assembly to acknowledge achievements made by black people throughout the past. Finally, to creatively advertise these events, the Promotion team has utilised various mediums including posters, daily notices, and the new official BIS Student Council Instagram page (@bish.studentcouncil)! Events including Secret Santa and gratitude cookies are still to come in Term one. And as our school life slowly returns to normal, even further exhilarating events shall be on the way, so look out for them! BIS Hanoi Student Leadership Council

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

We feel proud of our students every day at BIS Hanoi; they continue to impress and inspire with their perseverance, respect and drive to succeed. Our teachers ensure that all students are making optimum progress through their delivery of a personalised approach to learning. Academic rigour underpins our approach to teaching and learning but we deliver a holistic education that focuses on developing each individual student emotionally, socially to ensure a well-rounded education that develops them as true global citizens. We offer a range of leadership opportunities for students in the Primary school from student council to Eco Team and from being a role model to House Captains. Leadership opportunities at school 34 | BIS Hanoi

STUDENT LEADERS IN PRIMARY are important because they enable students to experience leadership during their school life and to learn how to build relationships within teams. In addition, it builds collaborative ways of working and learning how to complete tasks effectively as well as providing students with an opportunity to learn to identify and display effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Our students are ambitious and strive to achieve more, so it has been wonderful to see studentinitiated leadership this term too; through competitions being set up and student voice having greater impact on daily life at BIS Hanoi. Ms. Shaw’s Eco Team had a plan for improving our school and they presented to myself, Ms. Hanratty and Ms. Fitzpatrick. Their ideas focussed on improving the classroom environment through investing in plants as this helps further improve wellbeing for students and staff in the Primary school. A system for reducing energy was their other priority and they will present their plans in the future as well as work at getting everyone to do their part in reducing wasted energy at school.

Leadership opportunities at BIS Hanoi are important because they enable students to experience leadership during their school life and to learn how to build relationships within teams.

Our House and Vice Captains this term have been reflecting on how they can have greater influence in the Primary school by supporting others whilst raising their profile. This term, we had the great pleasure of House and Vice Captains ‘taking over’ on World Children’s Day and leading the Primary Assembly. Communicating with confidence to their audience, the young leaders impressed staff and parents alike. Primary House Captains are keen to take to increase their impact. I look forward to seeing their development over the academic year. Rebecca Carroll Head of Primary

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

THE PROGRESS OF JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT

The cast are being challenged further this year as Joseph is a ‘sung-through’ musical, meaning that the entire story is told through song.

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Preparation for this year’s secondary production got underway way, way back many weeks ago at the start of this new academic year. Following a launch video lovingly prepared by our keen staff, including a cameo from Head of Secondary Mr Webb, we saw a healthy sign up of students willing to put themselves in the spotlight and audition as a member of cast or orchestra. The orchestra were put through a tough audition process, testing their performance abilities in front of Mr Scott and Ms Howarth. The cast prepared songs and were taught dance routines to impress Ms Bevan, Ms Bearne and Ms Kirk. There were some tough decisions

costume and lighting which is going to make the show the technicolour visual dream as promised in the its title. We are also lucky to have an upcycling project being run by one of our parents where old BIS Uniform is being transformed into the infamous ‘coat of many colours’. We will be performing on the evenings of Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th December and can’t wait to share our amazing show with our BIS Hanoi community. Emily Bevan Head of Year 8

to be made, but as teachers we were delighted with the talent and enthusiasm of everyone who put themselves forward. Bac Dung in Year 11 was crowned this year’s leading actor in the role of Joseph and is being supported by a brilliant cast of nearly 40 students ranging from Years 7 – 12. We have been rehearsing diligently for three hours a week since September. The cast are being challenged further this year as Joseph is a ‘sung-through’ musical, meaning that the entire story is told through song. This makes the music in the

show infectious – but gives the cast very little respite as almost everyone appears in every scene. With three weeks to go, we have almost finished blocking and setting the whole show and are at the crucial point of polishing up all the lyrics and choreography. The orchestra is filling the halls with its awesome sound, and we are starting to rehearse as an entire company. We have teamed up with our Art, STEAM and Computer Science departments who are all working hard to design, build and create set, ESPRIT December 2020 | 37

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

BIS HANOI ALUMNI WIN THE NEW YORK TIMES ASIA-PACIFIC WRITING COMPETITION In the academic year of 2019/2020, the New York Times invited tertiary and secondary school students across the Asia-Pacific region to participate in the Asia-Pacific Writing Competition with the theme “Our World: 2050”. Winning entries were selected by their award-winning journalists and published in The New York Times International Edition. Recently, the results have been announced that out of over 1,200 entries from over 25 countries, 40 entries were shortlisted and published in the final book displaying all of the winning pieces. Among the shortlisted entrants, two are from the British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi) recent graduates, Valerie Lua and Kieu Quoc Thai (Class of 2020). “Being shortlisted from so many entrants is a huge accolade in itself, but being published by arguably one of the world’s leading newspapers, is something many people can only ever dream of”, proudly shared Ms. Kate Wilson, Head of the English Department at BIS Hanoi. In this competition, students were asked to submit a 500-word opinion piece responding to the following question: “In an age where unpredictability is the new constant, what can you, the younger generation, do now to shape the future?” Participants must demonstrate competence in the use of English as a written language alongside originality and flair. 38 | BIS Hanoi

Valerie and Quoc Thai wrote insightful and powerful articles sharing their opinions on what the younger generation can do now to shape the future. For Quoc Thai, he focused on the alarming environmental issues in 2050 when humanity will have reached halfway across the 21st century with a predicted population of eight billion

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Out of over 1200 entries from over 25 countries, the essays of two BIS Hanoi recent graduates, Valerie Lua and Kieu Quoc Thai, have been shortlisted and published in the final book, which displays all of the winning pieces.

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people. His article then emphasised that it is imperative for the youth to make helping the environment a duty, in order to shape a brighter future. Besides a love for writing and Literature, Quoc Thai is passionate about Performing Arts. During his time at BIS Hanoi, he formed a student band with his peers and took on a number of leading roles in BIS Hanoi’s Secondary annual productions. At the Graduation Ceremony in late May this year, he was awarded Best in Performing Arts and Best in Core IB awards, which are a testament for his ability and passion. Valerie, on the other hand, wrote a very inspiring piece about the current fast-changing world and why young people should have the ambition to do whatever it takes to be heard and to create a movement with the belief that all the small contributions can create big changes for the future. At BIS Hanoi, Valerie excelled not only in academics but also in the school’s activities, which made her leadership skill stand out. During her time at BIS Hanoi, she took over the positions of House Captain, firstever Head Girl and Higher Education Ambassador for BIS Hanoi, all with great responsibility. She was also among very few students in the history of BIS Hanoi who received the Principal’s Awards, a particular source of pride for their students, twice, for her proactive, hard-work and determination in many aspects of school life.

Read our alumni’s pieces here

Reading about how young adults see the world in the next 30 years is truly fascinating. From the 40 selected entries, we could clearly see that the young generation is outspoken and ready to start small and make changes in their daily life. ESPRIT December 2020 | 39

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS ACADEMIC SUCCESS CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

YOUR CHILD’S WELLBEING MATTERS

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At BIS Hanoi, we understand the importance of promoting positive mental health amongst our students and staff. We are doing our utmost to support your child’s physical and mental wellbeing and will continue to do more going forward.

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40 | BIS Hanoi

Well-being has firmly established itself in the vernacular of the 21st century. Modern living has brought an increase in connectivity, prosperity and choice but has also brought greater expectation on what we are professionally, domestically, socially and digitally. Once you add the fear and uncertainty experienced during a year like 2020 to the equation, it is no wonder that we can struggle with mental health at times. In the face of such adversity, it is normal to have felt some physical and emotional impact on our bodies and minds. At BIS Hanoi, we understand the importance of promoting positive mental health amongst our students and staff. We have been recognised as being a bastion of outstanding pastoral care. Our teachers and tutors know their students exceptionally well. They can tell how they appear in the morning. They notice when children are tired or anxious and will always follow up concerns with you. They are your immediate first point of contact. If your child has left home for school harbouring worries, do let the tutor or teacher know. Your child has a Phase Leader or Head of Year whose role is to provide support for matters of greater concern. This person has a broader overview and will be able to direct more detailed intervention. Secondary school has the capable pastoral senior leader, James Trett to deal with significant concerns. He will deal with myself for child protection matters and

with our welcoming and skilful counsellor, Lori Fairbairn for specific interventions. In Primary school, teachers build strong relationships with students to ensure all children have an adult they can confidently speak to about worries or concerns. During weekly PSHE lessons, students learn how to promote their own social and physical wellbeing as well as how to support others. ECAs provide students with the opportunity to engage in activities that boost their own happiness, other ECAs focus particularly on promoting mindfulness. The Student Council is working on improving the quality of the Quiet Room, ensuring an indoor venue for playtimes for students who do not wish to play outside. Meanwhile, the Primary Eco Heroes are pledging to improve air quality and mental health in classrooms by ensuring every room contains at least one plant. In Secondary school, this academic year has seen the introduction of many fantastic wellbeing initiatives. Our VIA Strengths programme has encouraged all students and staff to explore and share their character strengths, which is already proving of great benefit in dialogue at tutor bases. Mindful Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays are bringing practical experiences to promote wellbeing during our Life Skills session. Sporting activities were introduced as soon as it was safely possible to do in August. Our Sixth Form Peer Mentoring Training that included suicide prevention

is already assisting students in difficulty. Our caterers are preparing food that is healthier and more balanced. Our air purifiers have been serviced and continue to clean air for your children around the school. Last by not least, our Student Council has delivered on social awareness projects relating to Black History, Remembrance and relief aid to the storms and floods in Central Vietnam. It also ran a very well received Music Lounge to promote positive mental health. We are doing our utmost to support your child’s physical and mental wellbeing and will continue to do more going forward. Jay Graham Deputy Head of Secondary

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INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

ONLINE 8 APPLICATIONS

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

PARENTS SHOULD KNOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY IN A DIGITAL WORLD

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

At BIS Hanoi your child’s online safety is as important as their health and wellbeing, and academic success. The BIS curriculum teaches students from Year 1 about the importance of securing online accounts, how to look for inaccurate information online, and the dangers that exist on the internet. For example, last week Year 8 were discussing social media apps, with a specific focus on the types of posts that students will see online, the negative impact of posts and where to find support on the most popular applications. We have also updated our password policy for all staff and students, ensuring students have a stronger password for their online accounts and encouraging discussions around online safety.

42 | BIS Hanoi

There are some specific applications which you should be aware of. Ask.fm and Whisper are two popular apps which allow users to anonymously ask questions. There is significant evidence of these apps being used to bully other students online, Whisper can also reveal a user's physical location.

Live.me and TikTok allow users to share live or pre-recorded videos. Live.me broadcasts each user’s live location and allows viewers to pay ‘coins’ to the broadcaster in exchange for their video content.

Snapchat and Instagram allow users to share text, photographs or videos privately with their friends or publicly on their story. These apps both have features which allow the posts to disappear immediately after they are viewed which increases the risk of them being misused.

Tinder and Bumble are popular dating applications which pair users up with potential partners in their local area. The applications are specifically designed for adults, 18 and over, and pose a significant risk to young people. These apps are used to share text conversations or videos and make use of GPS to locate their users.

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As a parent, it can be difficult to know how to best support your child in a changing, digital world which didn’t exist 10 years ago. The most important thing that you can do is be aware of what your child is using their device for, who are they friends with and what apps or websites they are using.

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Many technology companies provide tools which will support you in caring for your child’s digital wellbeing. Google has developed resources to support conversations with all members of your family. They also provide a digital platform which gives you the technical support to keep your child’s device safe. You can find more information using the links below. Google Digital Safety Resources https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle. com/en_us/families Google Family Link https://families.google.com/familylink/ Apple Family Sharing https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201060 Paul Casey Computer Science Leader

ESPRIT December 2020 | 43

WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS

What are your strengths?

44 | BIS Hanoi

BIS HANOI ADOPTS VIA CHARACTER STRENGTHS INTO PASTORAL AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES From the beginning of the term, all of our staff and students have been participating in the VIA Character Strengths survey in order to find out what their signature strengths are. A great dinner time conversation would be to ask your child what are their top 5 strengths and brainstorm examples of how they use these strengths on a daily basis, or how they could use them. We have chosen to implement VIA strengths at BIS Hanoi as they are crosscultural, scientifically researched and easy to implement. Identifying each other’s strengths will help ensure we are on the lookout for what is best in each of us, and continuously working at how to grow those strengths. Too often society is set up to look for what is wrong, we want to see what happens when we focus on what is right and how to use it more often. Schools who have implemented this in the past have seen increased positive mental health, stronger academic results and students who have identified themselves as flourishing. We are planning to offer a parent session on VIA strengths so you too can better know your own strengths and how to use them to better engage with your child. Stay tuned for more information regarding this. Lori Fairbairn Counsellor

In the meantime please feel free to complete your own VIA character strengths survey in multiple languages here at

ESPRIT December 2020 | 45

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

STUDENTS ENJOY THE MINDFUL MORNING

At BIS Hanoi, we care deeply about student and staff mental health. Over the past term we have been focusing on learning about our mental and emotional wellbeing. We have looked at topics such as stress, anxiety and social media and how these can affect us. Mindfulness is a popular and proven 46 | BIS Hanoi

technique that is used worldwide to help children, students and adults deal with the pressure life can throw at us.

In our Mindful morning, we provide mindfulness activities in class for students to relax and clear their mind. Earlier this term, Year 10

engaged in mindfulness activities such as mindful colouring, yoga and a session focusing on breathing. Later on, in Year 8 Mindful morning, students chose one of six workshops to discover a way of being mindful that was of interest to them. Students took part in a Mindful Walk around the school grounds with Mr Duggan, some Mindful drawing and colouring with Ms Dorr and learnt how to make a Gratitude Video with Mr Casey. Other students experienced a Yoga class with Ms Bevan, Meditation with Mr Grace or composed Mindful Music with Ms Kirk. All students approached the morning with curiosity and enthusiasm and we hope they are inspired to continue to implement the mindful techniques they learnt about in their day to day lives. Moreover, BIS Hanoi also offers counselling to students in need. Our talented Student Council has a committee dedicated to promoting mental health in

school. Its mission is to improve mental health awareness and to promote strategies to look after our emotion wellbeing in our school environment. Please feel free to come to Ms Lori Fairbain or Student Council if you need support, we are more than welcome to help you.

ESPRIT December 2020 | 47

INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED CITIZENS WELL-BEING IN OUR COMMUNITY

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATORS

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

GROWING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH FRIENDS OF BIS

As the students returned to school in August amid stringent restriction due to Covid 19, the Friends of BIS were sadly not allowed onto site. It was therefore a joyous moment when the restrictions were lifted, and the first Coffee morning was held in the Library back in September. It was good to see some familiar faces as well as meet new families who joined BIS this year. After some delicious cakes and coffee, not to mention some getting to know you games, the Friends of BIS got down to business and discussed some ideas for the year. Yoga, Vietnamese lessons and 48 | BIS Hanoi

parent fitness classes were the first to be reinstated in the school building. Several parents have also signed up to listen to the Primary students read. It’s great to see our community working together to support learning. One of the biggest projects this term has been to upcycle old uniform into the costumes for the Secondary Production. This year, the Performing Arts department were lucky to work with one of our parents who is a fashion designer, she has designed and produced a fabulous array of costumes.

The Upcycling ECA students were involved too, working with her on Joseph’s amazing technicoloured Dreamcoat! Not all of the old uniform has been upcycled though, following the awful floods which hit central Vietnam, the FoBIS rallied round to help cover the logos on old school uniform and donate it to those affect via the Hương Nguyện group. Their sewing and ironing skills were certainly tested and improved! There was also a drive for donations of clothes, stationery and medicines which the FoBIS

helped to sort and package ready to be taken down to central Vietnam. I am always impressed by the commitment to helping other that our BIS families demonstrate. Food plays a huge part in bringing different people together and the FoBIS do enjoy sharing their cultures and tasting different food. This term an extremely popular food tour was organised by one of our Friends of BIS parents. It provided a great opportunity to introduce BIS families to all the delicious dishes Ha Noi has to offer! Not to mention a great social opportunity.

I’d like to say a huge thank you on behalf of the school community to everyone who has been involved in supporting the Friends of BIS this term. You are an amazing group of dedicated and supportive parents. We always welcome new members, please contact me at kate.fitzpatrick@bishanoi.com or join our Facebook page for the latest information.

To update newest information and activities of Friends of BIS, please scan the QR code and join our “Friends of BIS Hanoi” Facebook Group!

Kate Fitzpatrick Deputy Head of Primary

ESPRIT December 2020 | 49

LET’S

GET SOCIAL! 50 | BIS Hanoi

British International School Hanoi

@BISHanoi

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INTRODUCING THE FIRST-EVER BIS STUDENT MAGAZINE!

Enjoy the magazine!

Inside the magazine, you will find amazing articles, written and prepared all by our students. Let's get reading and explore the dynamic perspectives of BIS students! ESPRIT December 2020 | 51

Hoa Lan Road Vinhomes Riverside Long Bien District, Hanoi 52 | BIS Hanoi

Tel: (84 24) 3946 0435 Email: bishanoi@bishanoi.com Website: www.bishanoi.com