ap2 news 6/2/2015
TRANSCRIPT
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 1
BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL - HO CHI MINH CITY| SECONDARY CAMPUS
FEBRUARY 6 | ISSUE 21
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Head Teacher 02
University Guidance 03
Sport News 04
ABRSM 06
Community Service 07
PTG 09
From The BIStro & Underground 10
February
6th ‐ 8th IB Geography trip—Da Lat
10th U14&19 SISAC Cross Country
10th Year 11&13 Exam Report
10th IB & IGCSE Performance Music Evening, 6pm
11th Year 11 Parent Teacher Student Conference, 4pm
12th Year 13 Parent Teacher Student Conference, 4pm
16th ‐ 24th Tết holiday
UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 2
From The Head Teacher
What is the “BIS Difference”?
I have just been interviewed by some Year 12 students. These students are in the process of making a video for younger students about life in the BIS Sixth Form. They asked incisive ques ons, challenging me to describe the “BIS difference”. What does BIS offer that other schools don’t? What are the key strengths of the IB Diploma Programme? How does having IB Diploma students in the school benefit the rest of the school community? The ques ons gave me the chance to reflect on what we o en take for granted: that we have an excep onal school with excep onal students and teachers. My answers returned each me to the ques on of why we educate. We educate so that our students can live extraordinary lives, now and in the future. In prac cal terms, that comes down to maximising learning in a range of disciplines, so that students can achieve outstanding exam results and move on to universi es that are the best for them. These exam results open doors to successful futures, therefore. How to we help our students to achieve this success? We have a Bri sh curriculum at our core, one that has its roots in the mul cultural Britain of the 21st Century. The Na onal Curriculum for England sets students on a broad and balanced journey though years 7‐9. It is underpinned by well‐defined standards and an emphasis on excep onal progress for all students. The rigour and challenge of externally examined Cambridge Interna onal GCSE courses in years 10 and 11 prepare students well for the academically demanding IB Diploma Programme in Years 12 and 13. The Diploma itself is recognised and respected as the most challenging programme of pre‐university educa on in the world. With this curriculum, BIS students have every opportunity to move on to futures at top universi es interna onally. What our students will make of these futures has more to do with a tude, however, and this is an important part of the “BIS difference”. A tude comes from the broader, richer aspects of educa on. One aspect is our community. We are a truly mul cultural, interna onal community, reflec ng the communi es that our students will join in their adult lives. In such a community, we need teach more than the capitals of the world, the computa on of numbers and classifica on of species. We need to teach students respect for life, for themselves and for others. We need to provide experiences that help them understand the wonder of their world and the universe and the importance beauty of reaching out to their fellow human beings. All this, and more, comes through the IB Diploma Programme at BIS. Far more than a simple collec on of subjects and lessons, the IB Diploma Programme emphasises trans‐disciplinary knowledge and even an examina on of the nature of knowledge itself. In the core, it challenges students to expand their horizons in the realms of crea vity, ac on and service, in and beyond school. Moreover, here at BIS, our teachers work with students to develop and expand their capacity for learning itself. The photographs and ar cles in BISbuzz reflect this BIS difference. I hope you enjoy these snapshots of
the incredible learning experiences taking place every week.
Richard Dyer Head Teacher, Secondary
From The Head Teacher
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 3
University Guidance BUSY WEEK IN GUIDANCE!
On Monday of this week we have had the pleasure of welcoming Hawai’i Pacific University, The University of Vermont and the State University of New York at Pla sburgh. Each of these universi es offer a comprehensive range of degree programmes in a vibrant liberal arts environment and are very generous in acknowledging the rigour of IB Diploma and IB Courses students.
On Wednesday we were delighted to host Seoul Na onal University, Korea’s flagship university and one of the best in the world. Ms Young‐Choo Chung delivered a detailed presenta on to our community about the various programmes available at SNU as well as the process of applica on for Korean students and interna onal students alike. The representa ves were very generous with their me following the presenta on and were happy to meet with us and explain the finer points of the applica on procedure. We look forward to hos ng SNU again in the future. With approximately 100 guests in a endance it was a fantas c community event and we would like to thank students and families for suppor ng this event.
On Thurday evening a small group of interested students and familes gathered to listen to a presenta on by American Athle c Scholarships. AAS specilaise in helping student athletes source poten al scholarships in American universi es. Mr Noel Greeves delivered a detailed presenta on about the processes involved and the ini al assessments in moving forwards. This is a new area in guidance as we try to source as many possibil es to aid our students in progressing to a university of their choice. Thank you to all students and families who made the effort to a end the evening event.
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 4
Sport News U19 Basketball City Championships Boys: Champions On Tuesday, 20th of January, the Under 19 Senior Boys Basketball Team competed against other interna onal schools within Ho Chi Minh City in the annual SISAC City Championships, hosted by SSIS. The BIS boys were not in midated by the unfamiliar courts, having been undefeated during the season games, and con nued the winning streak as they went undefeated the en re day, winning every game by solid margins. The first game was a very confident win over ISHCMC, followed by another solid performance bea ng TIS. The boys carried the successful momentum into the next game against RISS which also ended in favour of BIS with a great team performance.
A er a long and ring day, the last match finally arrived between undoubtedly the best two teams in the tournament, BIS and SSIS. BIS controlled the beginning of the game with good defensive play from the en re team and some well‐set offense. SSIS, having been the champions for the past three years, showed their strong play which created an exci ng first half for the supporters and teams with the score 23‐17 to BIS at the end of the half. Unfortunately, due to fa gue and injuries, BIS lost some key players for majority of the second half. However, the fire and drive to win the final match, a er having lost last year’s city championship to SSIS, mo vated the BIS lads to step up their game when it was needed most. BIS showing their dominance, finished the game off strongly winning 49‐32, whilst igni ng the crowd with flare and passion. The BIS team won the school their first Senior SISAC City Championship and proved that they are the best team in BIS basketball history. A er all the hard work sparked from last year’s disappoin ng loss in the final, the boys held their heads high a er a great performance all season round and were rightly applauded as champions.
In conclusion, it was a great day for everyone who went, whether par cipa ng or suppor ng, and the BIS basketball squad are looking forward to next year’s tournament with determina on where they will be ready to hopefully take out the championship again and con nue the winning streak. A big thanks goes out to all of the parents and friends who came to support the team, and a massive thank you for the hard
work and dedica on of the team’s coaches, Mr. Drake and Mr. Soriano. JK Kazzi Girls: 3rd Place
At the beginning of the year, a team of 10 girls were selected for the BIS Senior Girls Basketball Team. This marked the start of a long and worthwhile journey. Along the way, we trained rigorously and on Tuesday 20th January, we reached our des na on: the tournament. We played against 3 other schools, SSIS, ISHCMC and TS, star ng the tournament with round robins. Unfortunately, we won 1 out of 3 matches, leaving us to play against ISHCMC to place for 3rd or 4th. We won the match placing us as the 3rd best Interna onal High School Basketball Team in Ho Chi Minh City. Although we did not make it into the finals,
each individual player improved and le the tournament having learnt something new. This is not the end for us. As a team, we will work even harder to tackle the obstacles that are coming our way and work to‐wards becoming champions. We would also like to thank our Coach, Richard Soriano, for being the driving force of the team. Without his support, we would not have been able to make it this far.
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 5
HCMC SISAC Athle cs Compe on It was a fantas c day at the SISAC Athle cs comple on hosted BIS on Tuesday 3rd February. The compe on began at 8am with the U14’s & U19’s compe ng against 9 other interna onal schools from within HCMC. In all compe ons we were awarded the Championship trophies: U14 Boys – Champions U14 Girls – Champions U19 Boys – Champions U19 Girls – Champions The a ernoon programme focussed on the U9’s & U11’s and again we were awarded Champions in all cateogories. Many thanks to all staff involved in coaching and suppor ng the event and a special “well done” to all BIS students. Phil Drake Director of Sport/Ac vi es & Trips Coordinator
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 6
ABRSM Practical exams
The ABRSM examiner will be visi ng again in June for the next session of prac cal exams.
The deadline for applica on is 20th February. Please check out www.abrsm.org/vn for more
details
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 8
On Wednesday some of our Sixth Form students were invited to appear on an HTV program. The docu‐
mentary features VinaCapital Founda on’s “Heartbeat Vietnam” one of our Community Partners which
our students par cipated in as part of their raising awareness for their year 12 Community Project.
HTV are currently edi ng before finalising produc on. The episode is planned to be aired on the 23rd Feb‐
ruary and will also be available to view on YouTube. More details to follow.
Kevin Halpin Community Service Officer
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 9
PTG
Our Wine & Cheese evening was held on 5th February.
There were 38 a endees for this event. It was a relaxed gathering where parents and
teachers got a chance to socialize.
Wine & Cheese Evening
BISbuzz Issue 21 | 10
From the Underground & BIStro
Menu 3 (9 February)
From the Underground & BIStro
DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
MAIN COURSE CHOOSE 1
Chicken Carbonara OR
Roast Pork, Rice
Pasta Bolognese-Pork OR
Sweet & Sour Fish, Rice
Battered Fish & Chips OR
Nasi Lemak (Chicken & Egg)
Chili Con Carne - Beef, Rice
OR Won Ton Noodle
Soup
VEGETABLES Bok Choy & Carrot
Salad Long Bean, Carrot
Salad
Morning Glory, Carrot Salad
Choy sum & Carrot Salad
SOUP Choy sum Spinach & Melon Tomato & Tofu Soup Mixed Vegetable
DESSERT Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit Mixed Fruit
VEGETARIAN
Braised Tofu & Beans, Rice
Choy sum Soup Mixed Fruit
Veggie Pasta Chickpeas Salad
Mixed Fruit
Vegetarian Chili, Rice
Tomato & Tofu Soup
Mixed Fruit
Tofu Noodle Soup
Choy sum & Carrot
Mixed Fruit
DELI BAR OPTION
Baguette & Wrap Fill it with a variety of choices including ham, chicken, cheese, tuna mayonnaise, beef, baked bean,
mixed bean, bolognese sauce
SNACK MENU
Curry Puff Samosa
Fruit Cup
Chocolate Mud Cake Swiss Roll Fruit Cup
Curry Puff Samosa
Fruit Cup
Banana/Carrot Muffin
Sponge Cake Fruit Cup
FRIDAY
Honey Lime Chicken, Sautéed Potato
OR Beef Rendang, Rice
Broccoli & Carrot Salad
Watercress
Mixed Fruit
Dhal Broccoli & Carrot
Mixed Fruit
Donut Creame Puff
Fruit Cup