29th November 2013
newsletter Dear ISHCMC community. SECURITY During the past few weeks there has been a large and ongoing amount of crime in District 2. Children, staff, and parents on their bicycles or on foot have been ‘bailed up’ at different places, whether they are coming from the An Phu Shopping Centre area or from the Vista accommodation area. The tactic of the thieves include using two motor bikes, often with number plates covered, to corner a student or students and then snatch their back pack. More often than not our students are carrying a laptop computer. Often it is girls who are targeted. In the other direction the British International School and the American School of Vietnam have also experienced similar incidents. I am told that this is not unusual at this time of year as we head toward the TET celebration period in late January.
Simon Leslie Headmaster
It is important for families to discuss this issue together. Some suggestions:
• Students, staff and parents preferably should not walk alone. Try to arrange to meet with friends or catch up to the people ahead to make a group;
• Try and establish groups of girls and boys;
• Be continually aware. Look around for strangers who may follow, watch out for the motor bikes that are ahead or behind and keep your bag or back pack away from the road side of the footpath;
• If accosted do not resist;
• Record the serial number of your laptop/tablet;
• If a theft occurs, immediately upon arriving at school report the incident in detail to your Principal. Remember the time, and location;
When reports are received at the School I will relay the circumstances to the police for investigation. Thus, it is important that you can be as detailed as possible with your reports: time, date, accurate location or address; items stolen; details of motor bike or description of the person who stole from you and so on. We have made arrangements with local police to meet on a regular basis to discuss ongoing security. We have also conferred with BIS so that our security forces can discuss a joint approach and share advice to help prevent such occurrences. THE ISHCMC ORCHESTRA AND JAZZ BAND The outdoor presentation by our school orchestra and Jazz Band on Wednesday evening this week was truly wonderful. Scott Rogal. Mr. Phi Anh, the Music Assistant and their helpers have done a wonderful job during the past 3 months to produce a truly excellent performance. I look forward to seeing the musical growth in this large group of our students as the year continues. Thank you to the parents, staff and students who joined this hour long musical celebration. I do hope that you have a very enjoyable weekend. Simon
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My experience in The Saigon Mathematics Competition
Saturday the 16th of November, 8:00 a.m. I sat at one of the tables in the ISHCMC cafeteria, waiting for my teammates to arrive. I had brought a small bag full of secret weapons for the mathematical battle that was about to ensue: a formula book and a few sample questions to keep my thoughts fresh, an apple to keep my spirits high in times of extreme pressure, and a whole lot of courage to face the four hours of intense thinking that were to come. Little did I know that ISHCMC students would acquire more than thirty certificates that very day, claiming their unrivaled victory in the Saigon Mathematics Competition. The Saigon Mathematics Competition takes place every year, uniting international schools throughout Ho Chi Minh City in a celebration of headscratching math problems that would seem like gibberish to the uninitiated. The participating students plan for the event several months in advance in the hopes of creating the perfect team. This year, more than 16 teams entered the competition which was hosted at ISHCMC. Mr. Deeley was in charge of organizing the event, a superhuman task which required countless hours of preparation and planning. Mr. Deeley, who also happens to be my IB Mathematics HL teacher, initially reached out to me in October, asking me if I would like to become the fourth member of a team. I first hesitated. I had never entered a math competition before. It was a science of numbers whose beauty could only truly unfold on a piece of paper. Never had I imagined completing questions as part of a group of students, and I was convinced my lack of experience would hinder the group’s success. In addition, who would want to wake up at seven in the morning on a weekend to do math? But with a little bit of persuasion, I accepted to join the team, still uncertain of what was to come. It was an eye-opening experience, presenting the subject of Mathematics in a completely new light. What I had initially perceived as a source of anxiety turned out to be quite the opposite. Believe me, math is really enjoyable, especially when questions are in the form of crosswords and students are asked to sprint around a gym to the beat of the Black Eyed Peas, holding in their hands a folded piece of paper which contains the precious answer to a math problem. I could tell you it was all sweat and tears, but I would feel like a fake saying that. The Saigon Mathematics Competition was indeed all fun and games (with maybe a few headaches in the process), but our repeated victories made it all worthwhile and reinforced our bonds as classmates and friends. Vincent Bacac Grade 12
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PTO Updates The PTO has new office located in the old admissions building across from the Boardroom. It is a great place for us to keep our things organized and meet as a group. Outside the office is the parent lounge where we encourage parents to meet or if you have extra time waiting for children to read a magazine or just relax! The generous parents from school hosted the morning tea for Teacher Appreciation Day on November 20. It was a feast of homemade goodies and just a small token of appreciation for the fantastic teachers we are lucky to have at ISHCMC. On December 6th the PTO will host the Holiday Tea for the parents of ISHCMC. It will he held at a parents home from 10am - 12am. It is a wonderful time for parents to check in before everyone heads off for the long holiday. Molly Spangler PTO President
Download the PTO GENERAL MEETING minutes
PTO Holiday Tea
FRIDAY
6 DEC. 2013 20/2 Nguyen U Di, D2
10 am - noon
All ISHCMC parents welcome!
teacher Day’s gift giving
Terry fox Run
eReporter podcasts Click to see our videos Sept 27th: http://youtu.be/WC2FZpEV6Kw October: http://youtu.be/YkN6trrtGa8 Nov 20th: http://youtu.be/0Nd4v-7qcxQ
Be a star Share your car DEC 3
rd
CAR SHARE DAY
Less Traffic, Cleaner Environment.
Elijah McKeogh was the winner in four categories at the ShortSStuFF Film Festival 1. Best Film in Age group 15 + 2. Best Director 3. Best Sound 4. Most outstanding Film of ShortSStuFF 2013
community events
Twas the morning after the AmCham Ball, and Saigon was asleep... ...except at the InterContinental, beginning at 10 am... family buffet breakfast special message from Santa individual photos with Santa kids holiday disco cash bar (for parents tired from the night before!) A portion of every adult ticket sold will help fund the cost of a child from the Friends For Street Children Association (FFSC) to attend the breakfast.
Sunday, December 8 10 am SHARP (or you may miss Santa's arrival!) InterContinental Asiana Saigon Ballroom Ticket price: 450,000 vnd for adults 300,000 vnd for kids age 4-15 Free for kids 3 and under (donations appreciated) Tickets available at the AmCham Office
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