AIS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | Issue Mar 2018
Celebrating Book Week
From the Executive Principal
Overcoming fear Dr Roderick Crouch I had an interesting experience not that long ago. I was visiting a hotel to meet some friends and took the lift. I stepped into the lift, and unfortunately and unexpectedly, it stopped. …between floors…and didn’t move. Realising I was stuck, I pressed the alarm, sat down and waited, and waited, and waited. It started me thinking. Should I be worried? Will I be rescued? Was there an escape? This set me thinking about fears and how we overcome them. While I wasn’t afraid in this instance (most probably as I had my phone and so could still connect to the world), all of us, especially children, have fears about something - snakes, heights, the dark, creepie crawlies, the principal’s office, talking in public, embarrassing ourselves in front of friends, school work, making mistakes - the list is endless. While some of our fears may be the result of bad experiences or embarrassments, others are irrational, that is, they have no actual basis but are just as real. Even more importantly, fear of making a mistake can limit our ability to learn. This is why one of the IB learner profile is to be a risk taker in our learning. This does not mean to do something crazy, rather it means that we are prepared to make a mistake or try something new. Children often avoid asking questions in class as they think others will laugh. Yet how do we learn if we don’t ask? As parents we can help our children overcome fears, rather than just hope they will go away over time, or take a ‘toss you in the deep end and sink or swim’ view. The following are some strategies for helping your child overcome fear and so increase confidence and their approach to learning. • Recognize that the fear is real. As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to your child and it’s causing him or her to feel anxious and afraid. Being able to talk about fears helps — words often take some of the power out of the negative feeling. If you talk about it, it can become less powerful. • Give your child truthful information and let them know you are willing to answer questions. • Talk about your own fears and how you overcome them (rather than avoid them). • Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it. Saying, “Don’t be ridiculous! Or that’s stupid!” won’t make the fear go away. • Don’t cater to fears. • Teach children how to rate fear. A child who can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, may be able to “see” the fear as less intense than first imagined. Teach coping strategies. Try these easy-to-implement techniques. Using a trusted adult as “home base,” allows children to ask for help and support and challenge a fear together. Children also can learn some positive self-statements (such as “I can do this” and “I will be OK”) to say to themselves when feeling The TheLeader Leader¡¡February March 2018 2018
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anxious. Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness can be helpful. (see http://kidshealth.org/parent/ emotions/feelings/anxiety.html# for further tips) The key to resolving fears and anxieties is to overcome them. Using these suggestions, you can help your child better cope with life’s situations. As for me, an hour later the lift was opened and I was able to climb out. Although I hadn’t been afraid, I decided a walk outside for a while in the fresh air was the best thing to do.
I
OPEN DAY 2018 t was wonderful to see so many current and new families – we had so much interest in AIS, it was fantastic. Many visitors commented on the quality and confidence of our
students. There is no doubt AIS supports children to become fine, successful young men and women. Even more exciting was to hear the quality of the music program. The band was amazing and a great credit to the students and Mr Sweeney. There is no doubt that AIS is a leading school in HCMC when it comes to performing and visual arts.
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Careers and University Counselling Initiatives Mark Vella Deputy Executive and Secondary Principal
A
n ongoing focus for the 2017-2018 academic year
The second area where the school has been working
has been extending and improving the provision
to improve its support of students is university
of student pastoral care, including the important area
counselling.
To this end, AIS offered to host the
of careers and university counselling. Two significant
inaugural IC3 Regional Forum for Indochina. IC3
initiatives were taken during Term 3.
stands for International Career & College Counseling. The organisation aims to “bring together high school
The first of these was the implementation of the
leaders and higher education representatives through
Interquest programme in Year 11. InterQuest is an
professional
educational and career guidance assessment that
systems to support students seeking higher education
has been devised in partnership with the Cambridge
at home and around the world”. The IC3 Ho Chi Minh
Occupational Analysts. It is provided by StepOne,
City Regional Forum, held at AIS on 28 February, was
a careers and educational guidance company that
an opportunity for school counselors and universities
specializes in working with international schools.
to network, learn more about best practices and stay
The students completed a series of intensive, online
up-to-date with the latest trends in career and college
assessments and questionnaires that measure their
counselling. The forum had a decidedly Australian
abilities and aptitudes such as verbal, spatial, numerical
flavour, not just because we were the hosts, but also
and abstract reasoning; their occupational ideas; and
because several Australian universities attended and
their academic potential. For most students it was an
two gave presentations on choosing the ‘right-fit’
introduction to the sort of psychometric testing that
Australian university and the application process for
is often used in the corporate world as part of the
Australian universities. The event was well-received by
recruitment and appointment process.
those who attended and helped raise the profile of both
development
events
that
promote
IC3 and AIS within the university counselling network. Students completed the programme just prior to IB subject selection for the 2018-2019 academic year. Choosing the right combination and level of subjects for the IB Diploma is extremely important. By providing each Year 11 student with a detailed, personalized report highlighting their personal strengths and recommended educational and career options they will be in a much better position to select an appropriate two-year course of IB study and establish a pathway to future tertiary study and careers that align with their interests and abilities. Mai Minh Quan discusses career options with Step One Counselor Madzy de Nooj
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How to help my child become a confident writer Rachel Perkins - Primary and Kindergarten Principal
D
o you ever find yourself at a loss of how to encourage your child to write? Is writing homework a challenge? Here at AIS we love to see
children becoming confident writers and enjoying being creative with words. Below is a list of 8 ways to help your child develop into an enthusiastic writer and who knows, maybe an author one day! 1. Let children see you write often. You’re both a model and a teacher. If children never see adults write, they gain an impression that writing occurs only at school. Have children see you writing notes to friends, letters to business firms, or perhaps stories to share with the children. 2. Be as helpful as you can in helping children write. Talk through their ideas with them; help them discover what they want to say. When they ask for help with spelling, punctuation, and usage, supply that help. 3. Buy your child a dictionary appropriate to their age and needs. Most dictionary use is for checking spelling, but a good dictionary contains fascinating information on word origins, synonyms, pronunciation, and so forth. Consider buying a thesaurus for older children. This will help in the search for the “right” word. 4. Provide a suitable place for children to write. A quiet corner is best; the child’s own place, if possible. 5. Give the child, and encourage others to give, the gifts associated with writing: • pens and pencils of several kinds • a desk lamp • pads of paper, stationery, envelopes — even stamps • a booklet for a diary or daily journal 6. Encourage frequent writing. Be patient with reluctance to write. “I have nothing to say” is a perfect excuse. 7. Praise the child’s efforts at writing. Forget what happened to you in school and resist the tendency to focus on errors of spelling, punctuation, and other mechanical aspects of writing. Emphasize the child’s successes. 8. Be alert to occasions when the child can be involved in writing; for example, helping with shopping lists, sending birthday cards, writing notes to friends, and preparing invitations to family parties. I hope our tips help your child become a more creative and confident writer and I look forward to reading their stories in school.
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L
ast week the children in both the Primary and Kindergarten enjoyed their Book Week tremendously. The children experienced a range of activities from having mystery readers (parents) visiting their classroom,
decorating their classroom doors as books and visiting the Fahasa Book Fair. The finale of the week was the annual dress up day and parade, where the children came to school as their favourite Book Character to show their outfit to their friends. Prizes were awarded to the best dressed and the best door decorations. Several children entered the Extreme Photograph competition and the judges were very impressed by the imagination shown. It was a pleasure to see the children enjoying their reading and their love of books. We are already looking forward to Book Week 2019!
Rachel Perkins - Primary and Kindergarten Principal
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Artwork of the Month Nigel Hall - Head of Design Featured is a detail from one of the pieces to be exhibited in the forthcoming Year 13 IB Visual Arts Exhibition, which will be on show from Tuesday 27 March on the 3rd floor of the Thu Thiem campus. The work is by Ngoc Tran and is entitled ‘Cocooned.’ Her artist’s statement explains: “This piece attempts to document the struggle we all face in transforming and growing. As we face life’s challenges we have to break through adversity, like the butterfly breaking free of the cocoon. There could be two cases. In the worst case, she would eventually lose her identity to the struggle and in the best case, she has to overcome the problems herself in order to grow and develop just like the larvae has to break through his own cocoon to become its better self.”
Geneva International Internet Music Competition MinSu Seo in Year 11 is currently preparing for the Geneva International Internet Music Competition, which is being held in June this year. Piano competitions are a great way to improve piano skills, develop courage and confidence in the ‘art’ of performing and now no longer require pianists to jet from one international competition to the next to kick start their professional careers. Participating in International piano competitions also encourages the pianist to develop a larger repertoire, which is a HUGE task, but generally makes the pianist a better musician. MinSu will submit a video recording of her competition pieces by 15 May and the competition itself starts on 1June. MinSu will be playing one of her competition submissions for AIS at the SPRING CONCERT in the Auditorium on 30 March. Jacqui Gaynor - Performing Arts Coordinator
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MUSIC NOTES Andrew Sweeney - Music Teacher
T
he music program has grown from strength to strength over the last two years. Regularly we have students buying their own personal instruments to participate in the music program, practise at
home, develop their own skills and improve their team participation. In our music classes, we teach with different learning strategies. This means that lesson planning responds to the needs of each student while curriculum content is delivered across the year levels in a coherent and consistent way. It has been fantastic to see that so many talented student want to be ‘participators and not spectators’ in the music program. Last Saturday over 55 students in the Senior Concert band, played five fantastic pieces at Open Day. The concert was the culmination of two years of hard work from the students. Our students have demonstrated a huge amount of self- motivation to ensure the quality of the program. On Friday 16 March at the Junior Spring Dance three ensembles will perform cover songs. This will also be a fantastic opportunity and venue for student performances.
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Let’’s Tet! TRỊNH Mai Phượng (Secondary School Vietnamese Teacher)
‘It’s beginning to look a lot like … Tet Viet… Everywhere you go Take a look at the apricot blossoms blooming again With fruity jams and square rice cake… ahem’ To celebrate Tet, the Secondary School held an assembly organised by DP1 Vietnamese students. The show began with Y8 and Y9 drummers dressed up in the national costume of Japan and Vietnam. Dr. Crouch gave a speech wishing everyone a Happy Tet in the Vietnamese language that he has been learning for over a year. Our highly entertaining MCs Milly and Billy guided the audience through a series of songs and dances from the Year 12 students, including an amazing new style of lion dancing with ‘unique’ footwork and impressive-looking appearance (accompanied by vigorous drumming style performed by Kien Tran); ‘Going Home For Tet’ performed by Tom, Tony and Sue (Ngọc Anh); and the soundtrack of a movie that would be released during the Tet of the Dog ‘Về Quê Ăn Tết’. The lyric of the song kept resounding: Party hearty! Let’s Tet! A huge thank you to our lovely DP1 Vietnamese students who made this happen and especially to the parents of TRAN Anh Khoa, Y12 NHA, who quietly sponsored the two impressive lions for the dance.
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Experience Days O
Ben Armstrong - Deputy Secondary Principal
n Thursday 1 and Friday 2 March we welcomed students from Tran Van
On and Kim Dong Secondary Schools to AIS for an Experience Day. Students were taken on tours around AIS to view our facilities as well as discuss the differences between AIS and their respective schools with our Year 12 Vietnamese students. After
these
participated
introductions in
three
students classroom
experiences - Science, Physical Education and Design Technology. The students from both Tran Van On and Kim Dong Secondary
Schools
were
extremely
impressed with our facilities, students and classes, and expressed a great deal of interest in joining us in the future. We are hoping this relationship between our schools will continue to grow.
Waterloo University Visit
J
John Pollard - Mathematics Head of Department ust one day after World Maths Day, on Thursday 8 March, AIS hosted Professor Mike Eden, from the Centre for Mathematics and Computing (CEMC), the largest Mathematics and Computer Science
outreach organization in North America. The focus of the session was to get students engaged by participating in an interactive math workshop. The workshop challenged students to think critically and creatively and allowed them to stretch their mathematics muscles in the classroom.
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Congratulations Mai Phuoc Minh Quan (Bob)! Bob entered the University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo runs a number
Intermediate Mathematics Contest and
of mathematics competitions during the
achieved a Distinction.
A distinction
year, and AIS has had a few students
places him in the top 25% of students who
participate in the year level multiple-
competed in this international competition.
choice contests just in the last month.
This is the first year that AIS has had
We are still waiting on the results of these
students in this contest.
competitions. Good luck to all students
This contest
was an individual contest and it required
who participated in these contests.
full solutions, not multiple-choice.
Bob
Hopefully, we can have more students who
decided to challenge himself, take a risk
want to challenge themselves, like Bob,
and enter the competition. A great result!
and participate in the contests next year.
John Pollard - Mathematics Head of Department
T
his month we will be hosting two parent workshops on the topics of Mathematics and PYP in the Early Years. The aim of the workshops are to share the good practice undertaken in the school and help parents
understand more about how to help their child at home. Please see our poster for more details. We look forward to seeing you at the workshops!
Rachel Perkins - Primary and Kindergarten Principal
Thursday, 29th March 2018 Thao Dien Cherry Blossom Campus 8:30 - 9:30 am Thu Thiem MPR 3rd floor 1:00 - 2:00pm RSVP: megan.lavelle@aisvietnam.com
.... Thursday .... 22nd March 2018
Early Years • Thu Thiem: 1.30 - 2.30 | Multipurpose Room, 3rd floor • Thao Dien: 8.30 – 9.30 | CB Hall Please send your rsvp to mida.abdul@aisvietnam.com www.aisvietnam.com/upcoming-events
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AIS Titans U19 Girls’ Basketball SISAC Pool A Champions
T
he U19 Girls Basketball SISAC tournament 2017-2018 was held last month on February
2018. Our own AIS TITAN U19 Girls, who had previously been undefeated in a number of friendly matches, were placed in the Pool A competition against the top international schools’ girls’
of weeks previously. With a monstrous effort from
basketball teams.
both sides, our girls narrowly lost by only a 7 point margin to ISHCMC.
After three straight wins against BIS, SSIS, and AMIS in what seemed like a 4 hour long beep test,
In nail biting matches both BIS and ISHCMC lost to
our Titan girls had to play the well-rested ISHCMC
SSIS and AMIS respectively, leaving our AIS Titan
girls, who had been watching our previous game,
Girls as champions of the day, and for the 2017/18
and who our girls had already beaten only a couple
basketball season. This is a first for any AIS team and a momentous occasion for all of us who form the AIS Community. I am not only proud of their wins, but also their determination, and the way in which they represented AIS both on and off the court with smiles, encouragement, and humility. Galuh Patterson (Coach G) AIS Titans Girls Basketball Coach
T
he boys competed very well at the annual U14 SISAC soccer tournament at SSIS. They would have felt like underdogs going into the competition but surprised ISHCMC in the group stage by beating them 4
-3. They then went on to secure a second victory over hosts SSIS, 3-1, and therefore finished as group winners and win through to the semi-finals. Here they met with a strong team from Taipei International School. The boys pushed hard but couldn’t quite make it, losing in a closely contested game 4-3. So near yet so far from the final. The third-fourth place play-off was against ISHCMC (again) and this time the boys succumbed, 3-1. Overall, it was an excellent day of football and a result all associated with the team are very proud of, and one which showed a considerable improvement over the course of the season. The team thanks coach Milan for his expertise and his time. Go Titans!
Jonathan Hoff - ICT Teacher
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Year 13 Updates Andy Cartlidge - Head of Senior School and IBDP Coordinator
Y
ear 13 students have begun their Mock
The last day of school for Year 13 students is Friday
Examinations and are on exam leave. They
27 April and AIS will celebrate this occasion by
return to school on Monday 19 March for their last
holding the Year 13 Graduation Ceremony at
five weeks of school. All students are required to
1.40pm. This ceremony will incorporate the
attend school during this crucial time as some
traditional farewell assembly that is held at this time.
lessons will continue to cover essential new content,
This then allows the Year 13s to graduate in front of
while others will focus on important subject revision
all their fellow students as well as their families.
and practising exam technique. Students will also
Following the final IBDP examinations, the Graduation
be completing their CAS programme and reflections.
Dinner will take place at GEM Centre from 6 – 9 pm on Saturday 19 May.
T
o all parents of Year 11 students, I hope that you
including teacher recommendations and parent
were able to take advantage of the well-attended
signatures, by Friday 16 March. We will try to
IB Diploma parents’ information sessions that were
accommodate all the subject combinations that the
held both on Tuesday 6 March and at Open Day on
students select but timetabling and staffing issues
Saturday 10 March.
may mean that this is not always possible.
Every year, we seem to increase the number of
Over the next few weeks, I will meet with every Year
subjects we can offer in the Diploma Programme.
11 student individually to discuss their option choices
This year, we offered Japanese A Literature for the
and to ensure that they have made the right choice
first time, and next year we will be running Business
for their ability and future plans. I am also happy to
Management. The latest AIS guide to the IB DP (the
meet with any parents who wish to discuss the
Senior Curriculum Handbook) should now be
Diploma Programme and their child’s option choices.
available on the school website. Our current Year
Andy Cartlidge Head of Senior School and IBDP Coordinator
11s should now complete their options forms,
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Venue: AIS Thu Thiem Auditorium
16 MAR 6pm-8pm th
Brought to you by: The SRC The Leader ยก February 2018
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IB Visual Arts Exhibition 2018
The Leader ยก February 2018
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