HIS Newsletter October 2012

Volume # 9

October 2012

Newsletter 48 Lieu Giai Street, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi. (844) 38328140. www.hisvietnam.com

Swimming Gala Upcoming Events: 11/10 PTA Meeting 16/10—PYP Parent Info Session 20-27/10—Autumn Break 29-30/10—Teachers PD(NO CLASSES) 6/11—Sec Parents Consult. Meeting. 2 pm dismissal 16/11—International Day

In this issue: Principal’s Message…………………………………………………………….2 Head of Secondary/Head of Elementary……………………………………..3 PYP News……………..………………………………………………………...4 The Library Link………………………………………….……………………..5 Grade 5 Homework…………………...…………………..…………………….6 A trip to the Museum of Ethnology/Thinking Global………………………...7 G1 & G2 Peace Project & Moon Festival…………..……………………...8-9 Councilor’s Corner…..……………….………………………………………..10 MRISA/Halloween History………………………..…………………………...11 Korean Plant Project/PTA News…...………………………………………..12 Swimming Gala …………………………...…………………………………...13 Mid Autumn Festival Party/Student Council……..…………………………..14

Principal’s Message 28 September 2012.

Dear Parents and Friends of H.I.S, Since I last wrote at the start of this academic year it has been pleasing to see how we all got back into routine at H.I.S. We are all enjoying the new sports facility in the area in front to the school building. We had a good ‘Open Evening’ on August 21 and after a look around the school and discussion with staff about educational programmes, we had a short casual function in the school auditorium. We have had three swimming gala’s which all have gone very well thanks to the organization from the PE Department.

Yesterday a small group of our 5 senior school student leaders went to International School of Vientiane, Laos, to join with the student leaders from the other MRISA schools’ for a workshop on leadership. This is an annual event and thanks to Ms. Debbie Bowman for taking this group.

Grades 6 – 11 have ‘Camp Week’ next week. This is where the classroom is taken out into Vietnam. Each grade is going to a different location and we hope they all have a great time. Grade 12 will spend the week at school where we will work on their university and college applications. In addition they have some work and activities to also do relating to their CAS and Theory of Knowledge Essays.

I am pleased to report that as from this week, 100% of our graduating students from last year’s Grade 12 have a University or College place for this year. Well done to them and to the support from a number of staff.

I have been quite busy regarding Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation. Two week ago I led a team of international educational leaders to evaluate Bendigo South East College in Australia, and in four weeks time will do the same at The Good Shepherd International School, Ootacamund, India. We are also continuing work on our own accreditation. The visit to H.I.S from CIS and NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) will take place during October of 2013. In the meanwhile what we will be asking you to do is to fill in a survey on-line which is a key part of this process. This is a standard survey produced and analysed by Endicott College, USA, for CIS and NEASC, for all schools undergoing accreditation. The survey will be sent to five distinct cohorts that make up the HIS community: Parents, Staff, Students, Board Members and Alumni. Students will be taken through the survey in class time. More information will come home to parents in this regard soon.

May I remind you that H.I.S. will close for the autumn break on Friday October 19 at the normal afternoon times’. School will reopen for students on Wednesday October 31 as Monday and Tuesday October 29 and 30, are annual staff professional development days at H.I.S. Yours sincerely,

Terry Hamilton Page 2

HIS Newsletter

Head of Secondary The last few weeks were very busy with students and teachers preparing for the Camps which took place last week. We had to make some last minute alterations, but finally everything was in place and all the trips went ahead as planned, with the vast majority of students attending.

During Camps Week we move the classroom and the learning out of the protected environment of the school into the wider world. There are many experiences it is impossible to have in a classroom and each trip plays its part in an accumulative process. Amongst other things, these excursions require students to learn to interact with different people, often in ways that do not occur in their everyday lives. Each time students go on

one of these trips, they come back a which we are so little more mature, a little more open- proud of at HIS. minded, a little more able to take appropriate risks.

What stood out for me from the day was those students who took I am sure this year will be a positive on extra races, in order to ensure experience for everyone involved and that their House obtained points. look forwarding to hearing about the Special mention has to go to Minh camps in a couple of weeks time.

Thu Lam from Grade 9 who stepping in on at least 4 or 5 occasions In addition to that we had our secon- to help out Dragon House. Dragon dary Swim Gala yesterday. Despite won the Gala, but might not have the rain throughout the day we man- done so had it not been for Thu’s aged to continue on with the event. It assistance. was wonderful to see everyone participating and supporting each other. I’m looking forward to next year’s Seeing the friendly rivalry, but also Gala already. seeing the support for those slower swimmers, the ones who entered David Miles knowing they were never going to win but striving their best nevertheless; that was where I saw the friendly, caring, family-like qualities

Head of Elementary

It has been a fun month in the elementary school. We have had field trips to the market and to the ethnology museum and have had various guest speakers come to share their expertise with us. The swimming sports were enjoyable for everyone. Special mention must be made of the house captains and vice captains who did an outstanding job of motivating their teams and assisting the younger students with organizing themselves. It was nice to see many of you at our open morning on Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed your time in the classrooms and gained some insight into your child’s school day.

I would like to remind you that there is a PYP Parent Information session on Tuesday, 16th October at 1pm in the auditorium. This is open to all parents. More information regarding this session will be provided closer to the time. I would also like to remind you that 29th and 30th of October are non-teaching days for HIS. Teachers are involved in professional development for these two days but students will not be at school.

Thank you for your on-going support.

Warren Bowers

Volume #9

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PYP News

In the Primary Years Programme, there are 3 significant features.

The written, the taught and the assessed curriculum.

Examples of Assessment Grade 4 assessment Central Idea: The design of buildings and structures is dependent upon the environment and available materials.

Design Blueprint You are an architect and your task is to draw a blueprint for a building or structure of your choice. Your building or structure can take any form, it can be an historical structure, a modern building, a building or structure to live, play or work in or a structure that provides a service.

The written curriculum There are six themes taught throughout the year.

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Who we are

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Where we are in place and time

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How we express ourselves

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How the world works

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How we organize ourselves

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Sharing the planet

The taught curriculum The six themes allow for in-depth inquiries, lasting several weeks.

Teachers identify themes that require a high level of thinking for the students, thinking that connects to their learning and increases their Understanding.

The assessed curriculum Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning and provides opportunities for students to share what they know, understand and can do.

Teachers will then give feedback to the students providing guidance and tools allowing the student to gain a better understanding of how to learn.

Miss Lisa Hughes

What do teachers do when the students go home?

Many elementary students wonder what the teachers do when the kids go home. Some of the younger ones wonder if we sleep at school, some find it amusing to think that teachers have their own families, and some give it no thought at all. Apart from marking work, preparing for lessons, and facilitating after school activities, sometimes teachers meet together to learn new things themPage 4

selves. We look at current educational practices and reflect on our own ways of doing things.

We look at policies and documents to make sure that what we are doing is of a high standard. We discuss various ways of doing things and come up with agreements of best practice. We write policies and sometimes we decide upon essential agree-

ments. Sometimes we break into small groups and other times we work together as a whole staff. Sometimes Mr Warren or Ms Lisa will run the meetings and sometimes a teacher will lead the sessions.

Here are some photos of teachers being role models of life-long learners.

The Library Link What they are reading right now!

NEW BOOKS!

Ms Ali is reading "Gosta Berling's Saga" by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlof who was the first Swedish woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Mrs Danielle is reading 'Texting: The gr8 deb8' by David Crystal. It is a non fiction, funny and interesting book about the affect of mobile phone texting upon the English language.

Ms Lisa is reading ‘Love and Death in Bali’ by Vicki Baum, a beautifully written, but sad tale of the Dutch invasion of Bali. Having spent my summer holiday in Bali I was curious to find out about the history of this beautiful island.

What happens in the library?

YOGA Danish

Japanese English

Spanish

Why did the librarian slip and fall on the library floor?

Because she was in the non-friction section!

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Grade 5 discussing their maths homework Making homework part of learning in the classroom Instead of simply ‘doing’ homework and waiting for the teacher to mark it. Grade 5 are using their homework to enhance their learning in class.

Homework that the students do is followed up in subjects. This is done for two reasons, one is to reinforce understandings and the other is to better prepare the children for learning new concepts. They also have the opportunity to discuss

We are encouraging "flip teaching" and "reverse teaching" and "reverse instruction" in class and here is how it works.

Students watch lectures, videos, browse websites or take part in interactive learning at home and class time is for hands-on work and face-to-face interaction with the teacher or their peers.

The teacher becomes the "guide on the side" where students are using the class/school experience as a fully interactive experience WITH the teacher instead of the teacher being the one-way traditional talking head.

This way, students are asking questions and solving problems with the teacher or fellow students instead of just sitting compliantly and listening. For the teacher this means that they can spend more time addressing specific questions and personalized attention, rather than just the one-sizefits-all teaching. As we know, every comes with different learning experiences and it is our job to teach students to their abilities and beyond. http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/ teachers-doing-the-flip-to-help-students-become-learners-531.php

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Miss Lisa Hughes

Grade 3 and Grade 4 A trip to the Museum of Ethnology On Friday 14 September Grades 3 and 4 visited the Ethnology Museum as part of their unit of inquiry about buildings and structures. They climbed, walked around and explored the inside of the traditional tall house and long house. From this experience the students were able to write about the purpose and materials people used for these buildings. They also were able to evaluate the cost, aesthetics, location and safety aspects of these beautiful Vietnamese buildings. It was a great way to gain first hand experience of the central idea of their unit of inquiry. Everyone had a super day out!

What does it mean to be Global? Here ‘s some examples of what Grade 4H thinks it means...

Going to different places on earth, maybe even MOON!

Going to new places on vacation.

There are so many choices. I can’t decide where to go.

Holding hands with different people around the world.

Visiting new places in an airplane, on a bike, by car, in a boat or even on a train.

Traveling, making new friends and seeing cultures. I can have friends from India, England, Vietnam and New Zealand.

People from other countries can be friends with one another.

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Grade 1 & 2 Peace Project & Moon Festival

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Counselor's Corner CAS NEWS The Grade 11 have made an enthusiastic start to their CAS program by forming their own after school clubs for secondary students. They offer Beginner’s Spanish, ESL for Japanese students, ESL for Korean students, Street Dance and Maths for all students. Enrolments are still being accepted.

US College Fair Grade 11 and 12 students attended the US College Fair at UNIS on 26th September, meeting with admissions officers from over 30 universities. Purdue University and Ohio State University were by far the most popular with HIS students.

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MRISA We have had an exciting start to the MRISA season with many pleasing results to date. Both the girls and boys Senior volleyball teams have preformed well beating the UNIS teams in most matches to date.

Junior basketball teams have also done well, and had many wins. Many thanks to Dan, Spencer and Adam for there coaching (Junior basketball) and to Althea, Xousath, and Brent (Senior Volleyball). Of course a huge thank you to the players and parents who always do a great job in supporting our teams.

We have some tournaments coming up so look out for more results in the next newsletter For more information regarding MRISA please feel free to email: Brent Chesterman, bchesterman@hisvietnam.com

Did you know that Halloween is one of the world’s oldest holidays? It has gone through many changes, but was originally a Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), marking the end of harvest and the beginning of the new year (November 1st). The druids believed that ghosts and spirits roamed the earth at this time, and they lit bonfires as protection.

The tradition of trick-or-treating dates to All Souls’ Days parades in England. Villagers gave poor people “soul cakes” in return for prayers for their dead relatives.

In 1920s America, kids began going trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods.

By this time, Halloween lost its religious meaning and became a holiday where people could put on costumes and become, for one night, something fantastical. It also became a great way for communities to celebrate together!

Happy Halloween!

Matt Buxton IB Diploma and History Coordinator Page 11

Bringing nature into the classroom (Korean Class Plant Growing Project) Each Korean student studying in room 6.7 nurtures a baby; a pot of flowers, vegetables, or seeds.

They are each responsible for raising their own plant healthily, so they have to water and prune the plant regularly and do all the other jobs needed to make the plant happy.

The project serves several purposes: - Experience of responsibility - Contribution to mental and physical health - Filtering classroom air - last but not least, Classroom decoration!

The students whose plant is deemed to be healthy alive by the end of the academic year gets the privilege of joining the "Life Party" at the closure of the academic year.

PTA Dear parents, We’ve had a wonderful start to the school year and have had some great meetings and discussions with engaged and enthusiastic parents. The canteen committee has sent out a survey to improve the canteen and we had fruitful discussions with teachers and principals on issues concerning camp tours.

Currently we are looking for volunteers to represent the grades 1/2, 7 and 10. Also for the other grades more volunteers are welcome. It should not be too much work, based only on needs of the specific grades. For further questions don't hesitate to contact us (pta@hisvietnam.com).

Please join us at our next PTA meeting on Thursday, October 11, at 12:45 pm at the library. We also have regular coffee mornings once a month, usually on the first Monday of the month. Dates will be announced on the HIS Website.

Looking forward seeing you there!

With kind regards, Susanne Dollmann (President, PTA)

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School Swim Gala HIS hosted it's annual swim gala late September. Everyone wore their House colours with pride as they competed in races and various games. Gecko House won the Lower Elementary, Buffalo House for Upper Elementary, and Dragon House took the lead for Secondary School, and was ultimately the winning house of this year’s Swimming Gala.

Overall scores:

Dragon – 972

Buffalo – 930

Gecko – 929

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HIS Mid-Autumn Festival Party

Student Council

Eui Jeong, Min Kyu, Yong Eui, Ji Soo and Ga Hyun, our SRC office holders and one of the Grade 11 Class reps travelled to Laos on 28 September for a 2 day MRISA Leadership Summit. The focus of the summit was on youth educating youth, and developing leadership strategies.

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