AIS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | Issue June 2018
Decision-making
From the Executive Principal
Good decisionmaking Dr Roderick Crouch
A
s we come to the end of a very successful year, I give my thanks to all in our community – parents, staff, and students for your support of AIS this year. I wish everyone a wonderful, restful summer and
look forward to welcoming you back to the School in August. The following is an extract from my speech at the School’s prize-giving last week. It speaks briefly about how we help our children become good decision-makers. This has been another outstanding year for AIS. The highlight of the year, of course, was receiving our full accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) after a week-long visit by nine educators in January. Our visitors commented many times on what a lovely culture AIS has. Across our wider world, it has also been quite a year, but not necessarily in such a good way, often as a result of indecision or poor decision-making. The end result of indecision is usually one of two outcomes. The first is that we try to find a quick solution that we think will be popular, without thinking through what the consequences are. Sometimes we say yes to people to get them to go away, but, in doing so, we find it creates a precedent that comes back to bite us. The other outcome to indecision is that no decision is made at all. We just keep putting it off. We find excuses to avoid making the decision, like ‘I need more time’ or more information, or I will become unpopular because people won't like this, or it is too hard, but really we are just procrastinating. Yet what we forget is that no decision or delaying a decision are decisions in themselves and they often have their own consequences, and, in many cases, lead to regret. I am sure many of us can recall a time when we missed out because we took too long to make a decision. Decision-making requires courage, particularly in turbulent times, after all. Anyone can steer a ship when the sea is calm. Yet, these two outcomes are often chosen because they are the easier. It is Robert Frost who said: I took the road less travelled by And that made all the difference I think good decision-making is indeed the road less travelled.
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So how does AIS help students make good rather than just popular decisions? It starts with our approach to education, namely an equal emphasis on acquiring knowledge, building skills and developing quality relationships. To make good decisions, we need to know the appropriate information and then have the ability to think it through and apply it to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Part of that knowledge will come from our interactions (ie our relationships) with others. Part of the application comes from our creativity and thinking or problem-solving skills. This is why we place such emphasis on them in our curriculum, all the way through the school. Part of it lies in opportunity – through the student leadership programs, sport and performing arts, outdoor education, performing arts and ASAs. This is why we send children to schools like AIS – so that they have a foundation of skills, intellectual, physical, and emotional, to forge on through life, and make the hard decisions. And the creation of that foundation is something we do together – for the more school and home unite, the greater the outcomes for the students. This is why we place such emphasis on an well balanced education so our children will make good decisions, – and embody Gandhi’s great saying Live as if you were to die tomorrow, but learn as if you were to live forever.
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PRIMARY PRIZE GIVING
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SECONDARY PRIZE GIVING
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A Good Finish to a Good Year Mark Vella Deputy Executive and Secondary Principal
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erm 4 has been a term of achievement and
AIS students to participate in the performing arts and
celebration, and a fitting end to what has been a
was well received by the AIS community.
positive and productive year in the secondary school. Fundraising for the school’s designated charity, Loreto In the Senior School the focus was squarely on
Kids, was also a major focus in the latter part of Terms 3
completing courses and preparing for and sitting
and the early part of Term 4. The SRC executive, under
external examinations; IGCSE in Year 11 and IB in
the experienced guiding hand of Mr Price, played a
Year 13. The students entered the examinations well
leading role in promoting and co-ordinating the fund-
prepared and confident on the back of the Mock
raising. A variety of activities were held, including food
examinations that were held in March. Both sets of
stalls selling a variety of ethnic foods, a Kepi-sponsored
examinations proceeded smoothly. We now look
raffle and teacher torments such as the ice-bucket and
forward with anticipation to the publication of their
chili eating challenges, just to name a few.
results in July and August. The result of this intensive fundraising activity was For our Year 13 students, Term 4 was also the end of their
announced at the final regular assembly for the year. In
13 year journey through primary, lower secondary and
August 2017 a target of 120 million VND was set; the
senior school. This achievement was acknowledged by
proceeds to go towards a school library project in Tra
the AIS community at the graduation ceremony held on
Vinh province in the Mekong Delta. In the end this sum
April 27. This was followed by a celebratory graduation
was comfortably exceeded with the secondary school
dinner on May 19, the day after the completion of IB
raising over 150 million VND in total. The students are
exams. Held at the GEM Centre in District 1, the dinner
to be congratulated on their efforts. It was a great way
was the final time that the graduating class of 2017-
to finish the year.
8 met as a year group. There were mixed emotions at the end of the evening: a degree of sadness as students said goodbye to their classmates prior to their departure to universities across the globe, but also a sense of excitement as they are about to embark on a new phase in their lives. Term 4 also saw a first in the performing arts at AIS with the staging of Roald Dahl’s story ‘Witches’. In fact, there were two firsts involved: it was the first time a play rather than a musical had been produced at AIS and it was the first production involving only middle school students ( along with a handful of primary students ). The production offered yet another excellent opportunity for The Leader ¡ June 2018
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How to have a productive holiday From Rachel Perkins - Primary and Kindergarten Principal
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t this time of the year the children are all very excited about the school holidays, but how can we help them keep motivated over the 8-week break? Here are some of my top tips for your child to keep busy,
learning and productive through the long holiday. Your child should: 1. Attend the AIS Summer Programme. AIS offers a wonderful camp from children of all ages, starting from Tuesday 19 June until 20 July. 2. Read, read, read! Any book can help expand your vocabulary and creative writing abilities. However, choose your book wisely so it is worth your time. 3. Do something sporty. You can ride your bike, walk, play your favourite sport or even try a new one. Any of these activities are a good way to stay healthy. 4. Learn new skills. The holidays are a great time to spend on self-improvement. Devote your time to something you haven't previously had time to practise, such as dancing, playing the piano, swimming, etc. 5. Help another. If you have nothing you need to do for yourself, you may want to volunteer to help someone else. Ask friends and relatives if they have any projects they need help on, and, if so, offer your services! 6. Spend time with loved ones. The holidays are a great opportunity to have rare, cherished conversations with family members you haven't seen for a long time. For instance, you might want to visit your grandparents and have a quality talk with them. You might be surprised how funny and insightful some of your very own relatives have become without you noticing. 7. Help at home. The holidays are one of the few times each year when most people have lots of free time. If you have no pressing commitments with family or friends, consider using your time to finish duties that you've been putting off for a long time. 8. Relax. If none of these ideas appeal, perhaps it's a rest day. Just do whatever you want or do nothing at all. Have a day in and relax, or go kite-flying. It's up to you! Have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to welcoming you all back in August.
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YEAR 6 PYP EXHIBITION By Mida Abdul - PYP Coordinator
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he PYP Exhibition came to a close with a magnificent 2-day presentation from students who showcased their learning, on Wednesday and Thursday, 16-17 May 2018. Students set up an incredible display of diverse
learning and inquiry. The PYP Exhibition highlighted students' achievement through group work. Over the past few months they inquired into their chosen topic based on group/individual interest. As a result of their learning, students were expected to take action which contributed to helping our world becomes a better place. Two heartfelt speeches by Bill (Le Minh Quoc Nghi) and Lisa (Phan Tam Ngoc) were made about their personal reflection, both of which inspired and uplifted the visitors and parents in the Thu Thiem foyer. It was a great experience to be part of and I was most impressed with our students who rose to the challenge. None of this would have happened without the help from our school community and beyond. AIS, united as one.
PYPX-Ball-groupBall-group
PYPX-with-parents
PYPX-All-students
PYPX-with-Secondary-Students
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Thu Thiem Primary Student Representative Council By Leigh Hansen
By Leigh Hansen
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he SRC at Thu Thiem had a full year with many activities. They started the year, along with their colleagues in
Secondary, by promoting and encouraging as many students as possible to participate in the Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research. As the year progressed and they settled into their routine of meetings and reporting back to classes the SRC supported the teachers by holding a playground poster competition for Years 1 to 6. The winning posters have been displayed around the school in order to help remind the children of the expected behaviours in the playground and during eating time. We held assemblies throughout the year and had a great time dancing during the final one. The SRC will continue working right up until the end of the school year as they prepare for a disco which will be held on the second last day of the year. In the new year the SRC hopes to increase its fundraising activities and investigate ways to improve play options during breaks.
Thao Dien Student Representative Council By Shanna Comeford
It has been a very busy year for the SRC at TD. To celebrate, the SRC led a wonderful assembly looking at the highlights of the year. They shared information about their garden and sand pit. They celebrated students and teachers that have displayed the learner profiles. The biggest crowd pleaser was when Hamish and Ari enjoyed teaching the teachers the latest dance move, ‘Flossing’. It has been a magnificent year for the SRC.
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The IB exams and the Graduation Dinner 2018 By Andy Cartlidge - Head of Senior School & IBDP Coordinator
The 22-month IB Diploma Programme culminates in Year 13 with a rigorous and intensive three-week period of examinations. Our 2018 cohort sat their exams in May, along with over 160,000 other students worldwide. Many people do not realise how much work goes into ensuring that this process is as smooth and stress-free as possible for our students. Over 800 exam papers were sat by our students in 23 different subjects. On top of that, 732 exam components (Extended Essays, oral recordings, photos of art works, TOK essays etc.) were uploaded to IB for marking or moderation. I would like to thank Mr Armstrong, Ms Thi, Mr Hall and the invigilation team of Leon, Maria and Mel, as well as all the DP teachers for their help with this. I also have to especially thank our graduating students and their parents for coping so well with these stressful times. Our Year 13 students celebrated the end of the exams (and of their school life) at the AIS Graduation Dinner on Saturday 19th May. This was the day after the final Friday exams and was held in the dazzling and elegant Gem Centre. Teachers and students gathered together both to celebrate and to say their goodbyes. Our graduates have come a long way in their time at AIS and we wish each and every one of them all the very best for the future and we hope that they come back to visit us soon.
Excellence in Scholarship: AIS Students Represent at Model United Nations
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By Quan Nguyen (Y12)
n 1- 2 June, AIS students took part in a Model United Nations conference hosted by the European International School. Model United Nations is a simulation where
students can familiarise themselves with international affairs and learn about how countries cooperate on a global scale. Throughout the two days, students role-played as delegates from a variety of countries and took part in debating the resolutions that they drafted. The delegates honed their debating, research, critical thinking and teamwork skills. This experience created a healthy environment for students from different backgrounds to express their opinions and show their knowledge about the world. As formal as MUN is, there was no shortage of laughter in the committees. Delegates had chances to make new friends and connect with different people around Saigon. This was a wonderful opportunity for our delegates to develop friendships and make connections with their peers from other schools. During the plenary session, our delegates showed outstanding bravery and persuasive skills when they came up to the podium and spoke in front of almost 80 different delegates. AIS delegates not only had a fantastic weekend but have also acquired valuable experience for future conferences. Highlights from the conference included Jerry To, winning the award for best delegate in his committee and GyuSang Park and Quan Nguyen, who both served as chairs in their respective committees. The Leader ยก June 2018
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By Charla Sweeney - Science and Maths Teacher Last week, AIS entered two teams of Year 7 and 8 students to compete in the F 1 in Schools Event hosted by the British International School. The event was organised by Year 12 students who belong to the Nam Phong Racing Team that will represent Vietnam in the F1 in Schools World Finals 2018 in Singapore. Nam Phong translates to “Gusts of Innovation” and that was exactly what was happening in each of the 10 teams once they started to work on their designs. Students had strict timelines to design the logo, t-shirt, colour scheme of their own racing team, they also needed to apply their research on aerodynamics to design, draw and build a fast car using the materials that were provided on the day. The racing was intense, as the difference in race times was only a few milliseconds. Steve and Brian were our chosen drivers as they proved themselves to have the fastest reaction times. The concentration was extreme, as everyone remained silent before the races so not to distract their drivers. However, aerodynamics was also a key winning factor. At the end of the day, AIS students were very exuberant, as our Y8 team which consisted of Luke, Chip, Audrey, Steve, Ha My and Ivy won the ‘Second Fastest Car Trophy’. Our STEAM team, which consisted of Donna, Nam Anh, Leo, Brian, Leif and Khang also won a trophy for their ‘Team Identity’.
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Waterloo Maths Contest By John Pollard - Head of Maths AIS has a number of students who received outstanding results in the recent Waterloo Mathematics Contest. Phuoc, Minh Quan Mai (Bob) received a Distinction in the Cayley (multiple choice) Contest and a Distinction in the Canadian Intermediate Maths Contest (short and full solutions). Tran, Le Nguyen received a Distinction in the Cayley (multiple choice) Contest. Hyeon Woo Park received a Distinction in the Fermat (multiple choice) Contest Congratulations students!
Junior Saigon Mathematics Competition
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n Saturday 6 May David Gakowski (Mathematics Competition Coach) and John Pollard took 4 teams of Year 8 / Year 9 students to the
Junior Saigon Mathematics Competition. The students competed exceptionally well, with Team 1 gaining second place in the passback round and 5th place overall out of 25 teams. One of the students Samadhi, described the day as "full of energy and really fun".
By Mida Abdul - PYP Coordinator
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s I come to the end of my second year here at AIS, I would like to stop and reflect on what we have achieved in the Primary School this year. Fullan (2008) says that in order to improve, we need to make sure
that ‘learning is the work’. Not only do we learn to master the content we teach, but we also need to master ‘the art of teaching’ to engage students in the learning that they will enjoy and succeed. In the spirit of creating a culture of learners, we initiated the ‘Primary Learning Community’, (DuFour, 1998), to promote the idea teachers as researchers. Through this avenue, teachers formed different groups and inquired into aspects of education, which will make a direct impact upon students’ learning. Teachers felt inspired and empowered to grow, ready to implement the ideas into practice. During our CIS visit, we received commendations and recommendations that give us the direction to continue our work on differentiation and curriculum alignment. Our hard work paid off, but learning does not stop here. Next year, we will continue on strengthening the elements of the PYP, in accordance to the new initiatives from the IB. I am excited to share our learning process through workshops and training for the AIS community. Thank you for your continued support.
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MUSIC NOTES By Andrew Sweeney
Our music teacher and band director Mr Sweeney leaves this week to return to Australia. He provides a reflection on the music program at AIS: This has been my 3rd start up of an academic and instrument music program that I have done and it has been the most rewarding. I have had a huge amount of support from Dr Crouch with his vision, belief and support to ensure quality international music happens at AIS. Ms Gaynor has been brilliant to work with. She has been a fantastic colleague and department leader and has a passion for the performing arts. The students have been brilliant. Week after week they believed in my passion for music and what we were achieving at AIS. The senior concert band started with 16 students and has now grown to over 65, which is remarkable. There is no doubt that AIS now has one of the best International secondary Music departments in HCMC. In 2 years we have grown so much. In that time, our students have learnt the one truly international language of reading, writing, using and reflecting on academic music. If students can read printed music here they can read, play and perform and be part of an ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra, Big Band and what very they want to be part of anywhere in the world. May I encourage parents to buy their students an instrument so that they can practise and enjoy music. By owning an instrument, they will learn quicker, practise more and continue to be life-long learners of quality music. We always need to remember that: 1. Practice makes perfect 2. Be a participator and not a spectator, 3. Learn from your mistakes; and 4. Hardwork = Excellent results. Personally I will miss my wonderful students so much, they have been an inspiration to me and I have learnt with them. I hope to see you in the future.
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By Suzette Bradfield
n Friday 1 June and Saturday 2 June, GLEE students transformed the auditorium at TT into a wonderful world filled with magic lamps, genies, sultans, princes, princesses and magic carpet rides. One hundred students
from CB and TT took part in this fantastic performance of ‘Aladdin’. The audience was entertained with great hits like ‘A Whole New World’ and ‘Prince Ali’. Students had the audience on their feet when they performed ‘A Friend Like Me’. This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to display their music and stage performance skills and was thoroughly enjoyed by the AIS and wider Community. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. We are looking forward to our next Primary School production that will take place in April 2019.
Primary School Ensemble O
By Jacqui Gaynor
n Monday June 4, the Primary School’s very first Chamber
Ensemble
performed
at
the
SRC
Assembly. The group started at the beginning of Term 3 with only 2 violins and has now grown to a group including 5 violins, 4 flutes, 1 clarinet, 2 percussionists and 1 pianist. The benefits of ensemble music making include teamwork and cooperation, the ability to listen, connection to the music, responsibility and incentive to practise and a love of playing. The Leader ¡ June 2018
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1-3 Ball Games By Leigh Hansen
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Year 7 Aussie Rules By Brandon Dewes
ome of our youngest students have been learning
Year 7 have been enjoying their time learning a new
catching and throwing skills over Semester 2 as
game in Physical Education classes - Aussie Rules!
part of the Year 1-3 ball games ASA. The boys and
We were lucky to have Mr Ross from Auskick come
girls have worked hard, sweated in the afternoon sun
and take the students for several sessions where they
and learnt many new games such as Duck in the Pond,
learned the basic skills and had a great time playing the
Tunnel Ball and Captain Ball. During their final session
game.
the children played a great game of European Handball.
If your son or daughter would like to try Aussie Rules, Saigon Auskick run a training session from 9-10.30am on Saturdays at AIS, Thu Thiem Campus for ages 5 and upwards. For more info: facebook.com/saigoncoltsauskick or email saigoncolts@gmail.com
U11 SISAC Netball Tournament By Rachel White
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his year, AIS had two teams representing the School at the annual U11 SISAC Netball Tournament held at
BIS. The students played well and all matches were very close. Our students displayed fantastic sportsmanship and teamwork skills. With each game they played, their skills and understanding of the game improved. They should all be very proud of themselves. Thank you to Mr Maher, Ms McQuire and parents who came along to support both the students and P.E. staff on the day. Results: AIS TT-2nd - AIS TD 3rd
AIS TD team
AIS netball teams
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U14 Girls I Volleyball
n late May of this year AIS had a girls team in both the Pool B and pool C of the SISAC competition for U14 Girls Volleyball. The girls grew in their skills
tremendously over the period of training leading up to the tournament with
By John Pollard - Volleyball Coach
AIS Team A gaining second place in Pool B. All the girls represented the school well and played tenaciously. Well done girls.
U11 Table Tennis Tournament By Abijai and Ji Won - Year 6SCO Students
O
n Friday 1 June, six students from AIS TD went to Singapore International School to compete in the U11 Table Tennis Tournament. It was the first time AIS entered this tournament.
The room we played in had air conditioning so we did not get sweaty. Overall, we came 5th out of eight teams. It was a really fun afternoon and we all were proud of our efforts. We are definitely hoping to go back next year! We would like to thank all the teachers and staff who helped organise this experience.
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