The Tiger Times V O L U M E
1 2
M A R C H
2 0 1 3
Elementary Producation: The Emperor’s New Clothes INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Book Week
6
Arts News
8
Maths Olympiad
9
G.6 Geography & Forensics
12
Model UN
13
Reception Home Visits
14
SCORE w/ Emotional Coaching
15
TET Week
16
Summer Camp & PTA News
18
Student Council
19
Upcoming events
20
Principal’s Message Dear Parents and HIS Community, This is a particularly full Newsletter and I would like to summarize the events and activities HIS has had since the last newsletter came to you. In that previous newsletter the last event mentioned was Book Week in December just before we broke for the Winter Holiday. Following the start of the second semester in January we sent students to a successful MRISA Cultural Festival in Ho Chi Minh City. The Student Council Executive then arranged for the student and staff photographs to be taken which have just come to the school. This was a big exercise and the students have done a great job in managing this. There have been the odd ‘hick-up’, as one can expect, but the Council should not let this distract them from knowing they did a splendid job. (continued on page 2)
PAGE
2
Principal’s Message (continued)
Mr Terry gets serenaded by Reception class on his birthday.
The MRISA senior Basketball tournament followed at the end of January. This took us into Vietnam Week and the Tet Break. Since Tet we have had an Elementary School Open day, mock exams for grades 10 and 12 and hosted the MRISA junior soccer tournament. Thank you to all families who assisted with that event especially in the hosting of visiting students. Last weekend, March 9, we hosted a Math’s Olympiad event at HIS which brought together Math’s teams from other schools in Hanoi. HIS did extremely well – congratulations to the Math Department and students. We are now into final rehearsals for the Elementary School production of the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’. The performances will be at HIS next week March 18-21. I know they have been working very hard towards this event. We are planning ahead for a Secondary School Open morning for Aril 10.
As you know we have a new School Board and they are all very active in the drive to further the development of HIS. This is pre-information but a special information paper will be going to all stake-holders shortly more fully introducing the Board and outlining the developmental and strategic initiatives the Board members are to be active in. Already the Board with School administration have put together three groups to drive some immediate tasks: Group 1 to improve corporate governance will be chaired by myself. Group 2 to improve physical infrastructure and facilities for HIS chaired by Ms. Phi Thu Tra (Board of Directors). Group 3 to produce an updated and agreed long-term strategic plan for HIS – at least one with vision for the next four years and chaired by Mr. Dang The Truyen (Board of Director). All these groups will draw on the support of staff and parents and some will be joining these groups. All groups will report in full to the Board and to all stake-holders. So please expect more information and up-dated to come in this regard. HIS will be closed for the Spring Break between March 23 and 31. School will start again on Monday April 1. Following the start of the last quarter there will be parent consultation meetings for Grade 10 and 12 parents prior to the last formal teaching days for these grades towards the end of April when they will take both the IB Diploma and IGCSE Examinations. There will be our annual Sports Day on April12 and more information will be coming to you on this event. It is that time of year when we will be asking all families to indicate to us their intentions for the next academic year in regard to having their children continue or not at HIS. This is important information for us as there is much interest from new families for next year and the school lists will fill up quickly. We will be writing to you separately on this request immediately after we start quarter four from April 1. Please note that HIS will be closed Friday April 19 for Ancestor Day National Holiday and also on Monday 29, Tuesday 30 and Wednesday May I, the Tuesday and Wednesday are both National Holidays. In conclusion I would like to congratulate my Grade 12 Theory of Knowledge class on having completed all their Theory of Knowledge essays which have been sent to IB examination centre for marking and for having completed their oral Theory of Knowledge Presentations at HIS which this year were of an outstanding quality. Terry Hamilton, Principal.
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
Secondary Principal’s Message This last quarter has been busy. We have had the MRISA Cultural Festival, MRISA Senior Basketball, Gaelic Football, and we proudly hosted the MRISA Junior Football. A group recently spent the weekend at the Model United Nations event over at UNIS. Our Grade 9 students spent a week on Work Experience placements around the city, ranging from the Melia Hotel, to The Word magazine, to the Asvelis Veterinary Clinic. Before Tet we c e l e brated Vietnamese culture, and recently we were treated to a Kabuki performance by our Grade 8
Japanese students. And on Wednesday afternoons, my office fills with the delicious smells from the cooking classes in the Biology lab, exploring a range of world cuisine. This is only a little of what is going on. Sometimes it feels like not a day goes past without some event taking place. School life is so much more than studying to obtain high grades. For those who choose to participate in a wider range of activities, school life can be a very active, personally, emotionally, and socially rewarding experience. It can be even more fulfilling when those activities are instigated and led by students themselves. It is an opportunity to share in
and learn about the multitude of cultures and languages we have in our community. Seeing our students coping with both success and failure, carrying themselves with pride and confidence, standing up in assemblies and sharing their experiences, I think it is fair to say that we are developing individuals “with a strong sense of self-worth”, as stated in our School Mission. As we head into the final Quarter of the year, I hope we will see more and more students taking a risk and opting to participate in this wide range of opportunities. I am looking forward to seeing the results. David Miles
Elementary Principal’s Message In the elementary school we have a lot to celebrate. The production of The Emperor’s New Clothes was, once again, a tremendous success. Thank you to all of the teachers who have worked hard to make it a positive and enjoyable experience for our students, in particular Mr Mark Ellis who coordinated this event. Thank you for your support in this annual event. On Tuesday April 9th a session for parents about ICT in the PYP will be led by Carla Homes. You should have received a letter will be inviting you to attend. Please contact your child’s teacher if you did not receive this
invitation. Our grade five students are w o rki ng t o war d s thei r Exhibition. This is the culmination of their years in elementary school and they have an opportunity to showcase their learning and understandings of How We Organise Ourselves by inquiring into various NGOs in Hanoi. Elementary Student Council organised a very successful bake sale raising 3 million VND, which they decided to donate to Blue Dragon. This event was made possible by all the wonderful cakes and treats brought in by parents, thank you.
I would like to remind parents that we have an open door policy in the elementary school and if you would like to spend time in a classroom or meet with your child’s teacher, you are most welcome to do so. Contact your child’s teacher to arrange a time. Thank you again for your ongoing support of our school and teachers, Enjoy your mid-semester break and safe travels.
Warren Bowers
3
PAGE
4
PYP News
Celebrating International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day takes place on the 21st February, every year. The day is to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilinguism. Schools around the world recognize this event in many different ways. At HIS, Grade 5 students were made aware of this special day, they watched a video and discussed the importance of this day. At HIS, we celebrate many different languages and cultures on a daily basis, as part of our learning. As part of the PYP, we are expected to encourage mother tongue support in teaching and learning. Miss Lisa
IG/IB News It is a very busy time of year for our IB and IGCSE students. Grades 10 and 12 have just completed their Mock Examinations which took place for the first time in our newly renovated auditorium. This allows for the perfect conditions in which to sit exams and students clearly benefitted from this new environment. As soon as the Mock Exams finished students were hard at work sitting their Oral examinations for language subjects and completing Internal Assessments. Grade 11 students have begun work on their Extended Essays and continue their good progress with their CAS activities. Final Examination timetables will be sent out at the start of April giving students plenty of time to prepare for these. With all of the hard work going on the end of the school year is creeping up fast with Graduation and last days of school on the horizon and our grade 12 students have started to receive university offers. I wish all students the very best in their upcoming examinations. Matt Buxton IGCSE- IB Diploma Coordinator
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
The Library Link Book Week Highlights
Some of the NEW BOOKS!
What do they read in Reception? Aura - ‘Jump Rabbit.’ The rabbit in the book plays with his friends. They play jumping and cooking. My Linh - ‘Arthur’ books. His mummy and daddy are so good at cooking.
Q: What did the spider do inside the library? A: It made a web page
5
PAGE
6
BOOK WEEK
DRESS UP DAY Assembly
PAJAMA DAY BED TIME STORIES
Parents read stories in their native tongue
Bookworm Sock Puppet Competition
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
It’s book week, stupid! Danielle Kaunhoven, Secondary English Co-ordinator During the week of 3rd to the 7th December, both Elementary and Secondary really threw themselves into the variety of fun activities organized in order to celebrate International Book Week. Students from Grades 6-12 were involved in designing a fantastic new logo to celebrate the event, writing book reviews and creative stories. Many students took part in the ‘dress- up’ day, dressing up as their favourite literary character. Winning logo by: Monika Techatanabaht We had the ‘Guess the teacher competition’, where students had to guess Logo competition: which of their teachers were hiding behind their favourite books. -Monika Techatanabaht Finally, Grade 6 and 8 students created some fantastic displays about the famous author Roald Dahl and ‘Artemis Fowl’, a best-Alex Papendieck seller by Eoin Colfer. We were also lucky to welcome the ‘Book Guess the teacher: worm Café’ into school, for all students to choose some new -Natalie Parr reading material. The lucky students who won book vouchers, also had the chance to select a book of Book reviews Yong Eui Shin their choice as a prize! Inah Cruz Viet Ahn Congratulations to all our prize winners for their fantastic efforts! Daniel Papendieck Victor Husak A big thank you to everyone who took part and also to the other staff members on the Book Week Committee. Ms. Linda Anderson and Ms Sue Fleming.
Dress up day
Grade 11 reads for Grade 1
7
PAGE
8
Caption describing picture or graphic.
Fifteen Secondary School students travelled to HCMC at the beginning of the Quarter to participate in the Mekong River International Schools Association Cultural Exchange (MRISA CX) held at Saigon South International School. They were able to take part in a variety of arts workshops, group activities and performances. The wide variations of the workshops on offer, allowed the students to try new things and to work with teachers and students from other international schools. The aim of the Exchange was to introduce new ways of working and learning, sharing ideas, and working in different mediums under this year’s chosen theme of ‘In motion’
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
9
BREAKING NEWS: Hanoi International School has the BEST MATHEMATICIANS in Hanoi! On Saturday, the 9th of March, we hosted the first Hanoi Mathematics Olympiad at HIS. There were 91 students competing from UNIS, Concordia, Hanoi Academy and BVIS. The results from all the teams were very close, but we did exceptionally well. Our senior team comprising of Young Kwang, Young Sung, Ji Hyuk, Ga Young, Yeon Bin and Chelsea got GOLD in their division and Myung Hun, Ha Lim, Jin Wook, Jin Hyuk, Chan Min and Jae Jyuk took out the SILVER. The intermediate teams were just as impressive with the team with Jae Hun, Woo Chan, Ji Sung, Kohei and Hai Ha bringing home the GOLD and the other team with Nara, Ji Won Natalie, Na Eun and Claudia doing very well. BVIS and UNIS both tied for second. It was a fabulous day, with students competing in 5 separate rounds. In the speed round each team had 50 questions and each person had 1 minute to do as many questions as they could before passing them to the next person in line. Next was the estimation round, where students had to apply this very important mathematical skill to a range of interesting questions. Who would have thought there are so many hairs on the average human head! Round 3 was very exciting with students solving a range of questions to work out a phone number that they needed to ring and give a mathematical password. Round 4 tested students problem solving and team work. Round 5 divided students into two groups who had a relay to see which could solve the most questions. The final round saw the best student from each school combining to see if they could beat their teachers. The teachers were very relieved when they won by two points! My favourite comment of the day came from Mrs Yoon Hee who said she was trying to get some work done in her room, but it was so exciting, she stayed and watched all day. It was a lot of fun and we will be sure to make this an annual event. Thanks to all the students who participated and the teachers who helped on the day. Maths was the biggest winner!
In other exciting maths news, the results have come back from the UK Maths Challenge. Woo Chan Jeong and Ha Yun Kim will compete in the Cayley round on the 14th of March. Seung Gyu Kim and Hai Ha Dinh will compete in the (Grey Kangaroo and Jin Wook Baek, Young Sung Cho and Ha Lim Kim will compete in the Pink Kangaroo on the 21st of March.
Congratulations to all our students who continue to strive for excellence and good luck to our year 10s and 12s as they prepare for their final exams.
Ms Althea Gallaway Mathematics Coordinator
PAGE
10
Careers Corner
Kotone has been accepted into the accelerated learning program at Japan's Chiba University. Only 4 students were accepted into the program this year. It means she will commence her bachelor degree upon completion of grade 11. She will study Human Sciences.
Grade 12 is currently caught up in a wave of excitement as early university offers begin to roll in. Hui Yeong has already received conditional offers from the extremely prestigious University College London (ranked 4th in the world in the 2012 QS World University Rankings) the University of Bath and the University of Exeter, while Nhung has conditional offers in Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia, University College London, Manchester University, King’s College London, The University of Sydney and Monash University, as well as Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne (currently ranked number 1 in Australia and 28 in the world by Times Higher Education) and Science at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Vishwa’s good news is that he has 2 conditional offers to study Business and Management at the University of Lancaster and Anglia Ruskin University, while Tanvi has received a conditional offer to study Law in the UK at the University of Bradford. Soo Jin (Sarah) recently received some very exciting news: she received a conditional offer from the University of Edinburgh to study Politics.
Yuina Kuboshita, from our graduating class of 2012, has recently been admitted to Nara Women’s University. This is an extremely prestigious university and we are delighted for Yuina.
THE
TIGER
TIMES
Our first offer from a Korean university came from the prestigious KAIST, where Jin Hyuk has been granted an unconditional offer to study Aerospace Engineering. Jin also received an offer to study Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but he much prefers the KAIST offer and so do we!!! Congratulations to Van, who received an unconditional offer from Troy University in the USA with a FULL SCHOLARSHIP. We remind grade 10 and 11 students of the importance of sitting tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC and the SATs to the university application process. These tests are required by many universities, and we encourage students to research their desired university courses as soon as possible in order to plan for test courses and dates. For the IELTS preparation course and test, students can register in person at British Council: 20 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho, Hanoi or by telephone (04) 3843 6780. The London School of Economics visited our school on 24th January for the first time. We were delighted to host this esteemed university (two of our current Grade 12 students have already applied to study there!) and thoroughly enjoyed their presentation. Students wishing to contact LSE can email their recruitment officer, Angela: a.n.heywood@lse.ac.uk.
PAGE
11
MRISA Jr. Football Tournament HIS hosted the MRISA junior football tournament last month (Feb 22-23). All 8 MRISA schools from SE attended this event and we also invited two local International schools to play. Overall 160 players from 10 schools. It was an exciting weekend and it was impressive to see our tigers do their best and improve on last years results. Many thanks to all Parents, Players and Coaches (Brandon, Matt B and Dung). The HIS community also did a great job in housing the 100 visiting players.
Results were as follows: Girls: HIS V VIS 0 0
Boys: HIS V UNIS 0 4
HIS V BVIS 3 1
HIS V ISHCMC 2 0
HIS V ISHCMC 0 3
HIS V ISPP 0 1
HIS V CISH 1 0
HIS V VIS 5 0
HIS V SSIS 1 0
HIS V SSIS 0 0 4 5
Penalties: Final positions: 1) UNIS 2) ISPP 3) VIS 4) ISHCMC 5) HIS 6) SSIS 7) BVIS 8) CISH MVP: Elisa Renko Papendieck
1) UNIS 2) NISC 3) ISE 4) ISPP 5) SSIS 6) HIS 7) VIS 8) ISHCMC MVP: Alexander
Our students continue to enjoy the opportunities these MRISA exchanges provide. HIS Athletics
-Brent Chesterman
PAGE
12
Grade 6 Geography 'The Grade 6s have been busy over the last few weeks eagerly collecting weather data for their Geography class on the roof of our b e a u t i f u l school. Students have been collecting data on precipitation, pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, cloud cover and temperature. Some of the students
asked Mr. Chad, "When will the REALLY BIG storms arrive?". Well, in response to that excellent question, Mr. Chad assures all of the storm lovers out there that April is the official start to thunderstorm season in Hanoi, bringing hot sunny days followed by convectional cumulonimbus rainfall in the after-
noons. So watch out for those big puffy white clouds that will form in the hot afternoons, s ta r ti n g n e x t month! And always keep your eye on the weather as May is the start of typhoon season, which affects not only Vietnam but also China, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines! Don't forget your raincoats!'
UNIS Forensic Public Speaking Event H.I.S brings home two Gold Medals!
On Saturday 8th December, six students went to UNIS in order to take part in the first ever Forensicon Public Speaking event. This was the culmination of a couple of months of hard work and practice. Thu Lam (Grade 9) and Nhung Dong (Grade 12) opened the whole ceremony, with a fantastic performance of a scene from Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing. Then our high school debate team, Tanvi Kapila (Grade12), Vish Sankaranarayanan (Grade 12) and Alejandra Rodriguez (Grade 11) made a strong start to the day, debating for the motion: A just government ought to prioritise universal human rights over its national interests. It was a steep learning curve for our debate team. Despite a persuasive opening speech from the UNIS team, HIS dominated the rest of the debate and went on to the next round. Claudia Tran, (Grade 6) was our youngest competitor to bring home a gold, with her engaging and funny acting skills. Claudia wowed the judges, being the youngest student, up against competitors 3 or 4 years older, giving a tremendously confident and hilarious performance. Round 2 was a close battle between HIS and the UNIS A debate teams. Both side put up a real fight, using philosophical arguments to support their ideas convincingly. The debate was so close, both of these teams went to face each other in the final. HIS gave an absolutely outstanding performance, with a fantastic opening speech, razor sharp cross examination and a precise, thoughtful and convincing closing speech. A massive well done to all of the students who worked so hard to prepare and achieved so much on the day!! Another thank you should also go to Ms. Debbie and Mr. James for supporting the debate team with their practice. A final thank you to Mr. David, Ms. Debbie and Mr. James for coming along on the day to further support the students!
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
13
A common complaint by many students regarding their studies is 'but what relevance does this have to the real world? When will I ever need to know this after I leave school?' The exciting thing about Model United Nations, is the fact that the topics are current, of crucial importance on the world stage and are real topics that are being debated in the real U.N, probably at the same time the students are doing the simulation! Between Thursday 28th February and Saturday 2nd March, seven of our Grade 11 students attended the 5th UNIS Model United Nations Conference. The theme this year was 'Rapprochement of Cultures', which means the reconciliation of cultures. The Conference began with an engaging speech from a representative of the real United Nations and a colourful Vietnamese cultural performance. Eleven schools in total attended, representing a total of 38 different countries. Our students spent the weeks leading up to the conference researching their assigned countries, Iran, Haiti and South Africa. The topics focused upon in each General Assembly ranged from the question of illicit trade in nuclear material, through to the provision of humanitarian aid to war refugees, to the question of ensuring farmers a fair price for their coffee and cacao. One of our students, Jae Yeon, was in the Security Council, discussing the civil wars raging in Mali, Afghanistan and Syria. On the first day of the conference, all of the students were understandably very nervous. The learning curve is very steep. M.U.N Conferences, like the real U.N Conferences are very formal, use their own special language and follow strict procedures. Nevertheless, all of our students delivered fantastic opening speeches. The M.U.N director from SSIS, complimented us on the quality of the speeches delivered by HIS students. After a busy first day, our students had time to reflect upon what they had learned, look more closely at the new draft resolutions (a document agreed between multiple countries, containing suggestions for action on a topic) and think about what they would say the next day. All of our HIS students overcame their nerves and again, gave at least one speech on the second day of the conference. All of our students threw themselves into the 'lobbying' and 'merging' processes, persuading others to agree with their ideas and merging different ideas into one document or resolution. As a result of this, all of our HIS students submitted a draft resolution to the director's approval panel. All of our HIS students deserve a big congratulations for overcoming their nerves and contributing to a very successful conference. M.U.N is a way to broaden ones knowledge of current international relations, politics and history, a way to strengthen ones skills of analysing situations through different critical perspectives, a way to build ones confidence to speak up in front of people and finally, a way to network, make friends and influence people. We hope to see more students taking part in M.U.N in the coming year, so that we can expand and hopefully attend an international conference! Please see myself or Mr James for further details!
PAGE
14
Reception home visits Reception visited each other’s homes as a way of exploring how people use their homes and in what ways our homes show family values and culture.
Looking at photos in Bao Minh’s sister’s bedroom in Bao Minh’s home.
Ella’s mom, Mia, showing everyone how to make traditional lamingtons.
Enjoying homemade pizza for lunch in Aura’s home.
Chatting with Rosa’s mom in the entrance way of her home.
Soma showing everyone a family photo in his home. Playing on My Linh’s trampoline in her garden.
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
15
S.C.O.R.E. with Emotion Coaching! By Andrea Fleming & Masooma Kachelo
When our children’s emotions are running high, it can bring out the worst in us. Using emotion coaching, a communication-based tool, empowers children to resolve their problems whilst forming close, personal relationships with parents. Studies have shown children display better physical health, score higher academcally, demonstrate fewer behavior problems, are more socially successful, and can better control impulses and delay gratification when using emotion coaching. The steps are simple but the execution is not; parents must show commitment and patience, and continually practice for it to become part of our daily interactions with our children.
Primarily, we have to recognize the moment of opportunity to use emotion coaching. When our children act out, we need to remember they are acting out an uncomfortable emotion. Below are just some uncomfortable emotions and how our children display them:
E
Fear
M
Pain
O
Anger
T
Shame
I O N
Sadness Envy Loneliness
Crying Bullying & Name-calling WAYS Tantrums Defiance & Stubbornness CHILDREN Isolating ACT OUT UNCOMFORTABLE EMOTIONS Behavior & Social Problems at School Alcohol, Drugs, and Promiscuity (older kids)
Andrea Fleming is an American psychotherapist/counselor who specializes in various adolescent and women’s issues, such as transition, cross-cultural adjustment, and emotional resilience. She has worked as an international school counselor and therapist in several countries, and currently runs a private practice in Hanoi. She is the mother of two children.
How do we manage our children acting out their uncomfortable emotions? We use emotion coaching through the S.C.O.R.E. technique.
Stop what we’re doing; Look at our child and her body language so that we become aware of our child’s emotions as well as our own emotional response to our child’s emotions;
(counselinginhanoi@gmail.com ) Masooma Kachelo is a Pakistani (Americantrained) marriage and family therapist (MFT) and hypnotherapist who specializes in women’s issues and workshops (‘Parenting from the Inside Out’ and ‘Building Intimacy”). She has worked as a therapist in both the US and Pakistan, and lived in Kenya before moving to Vietnam. She is the mother of two children and runs a private practice in Hanoi. (mkachelo@gmail.com )
Clarify our child’s experience by listening empathically and validating feelings; “It sounds like you really don’t want to…..”, “I’m curious about…...”; Reflect back what she is saying, “So you’re saying that…..”; Don’t ask, “Why?” but ask “What?”;
(Set) Options with limits based on family values and age; “What can we do?”; Brainstorm and evaluate solutions based on goals; If kids come up with inappropriate solutions, “Wow, so you really feel……Can you think of another way to solve this problem?”; Help child take ownership of solution;
Role-play by acting out solution; Have child play both roles; For older kids, ask what the different responses might be and how she will handle them;
Empower our child by not rescuing (unless necessary for physical & emotional safety); Express confidence by citing an example of when she has done something similar before; Follow-up and debrief emotions; Celebrate!
Remember to recognize these situations as an opportunity for intimacy and teaching, not necessarily discipline. And don’t stop trying to S.C.O.R.E. with your children!
PAGE
16
TET Assembly
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
TET Week
17
PAGE
18
PTA Update The PTA supported a project of the 11th graders of HIS preparing a joined event at HIS. On February 25 from 4 p.m. onwards HIS was open to all students and parents. A coloured program was offered consisting of games for the elementary kids, magician performance and an auction at the end of the day. Food and drinks were provided by two caterers and the school canteen. In the end everybody was happy receiving nice presents during the auction and having had nice chats among students, parents and teachers. The profit summing up to 16,000,000 VND was spent on the Chuc Son Orphanage for deaf children. The 11th graders were honoured for their great engagement for the organisation of the event during general assembly with a cake and certificates by PTA.
The regular meetings of PTA took place in February and March. During the latest meeting issues like changes of the time schedule allowing more double periods and security measures at HIS were discussed. Members of the PTA expressed their interest of keeping up the nice and family-like atmosphere of HIS. At the same time parents want to know their children in a save environment. Alternative measures to signing in and out were suggested like name badges of parents and family members as well as plastic cards connected to an electric door opening system. Furthermore it was asked for more detailed information from HIS principals on changes influencing directly the parents and teachers. Also the second survey was conducted on March 11-12 for the improvement of the canteen food at HIS. Results are currently being analysed to be presented to the new board of HIS. Other activities of the PTA were the monthly get together for a joined lunch on March 2. Next PTA meeting will be on Arpil 11 at 2 p.m. All parents are welcome to join us any time to make the PTA more lively. Thanks so far for all the great support of so many of PTA parents! Susanne Dollmann PTA President
THE
TIGER
TIMES
PAGE
19
Secondary Student Council In this period, student council mainly did two things. The executives of student council organized a photo day. We contacted the photo studio, handed out the form to students and teachers, collected orders from them, organized the schedule, asked permission from the teachers and calculated the finance. Our vice-president Ji Soo Kim made the schedule for the whole school which is a really tiresome job. On the day, executives skipped the classes and managed the photo day.
It was meaningful for us because we finished it in one day. Until last year, the photo day took two days but we have shortened the time. On that day, we divided the work. Yong Eui and Ji Soo handled the documents that have all information about the photo such as total cost, money we earned, and number of photos we have to order. Eui Jeong, the treasurer, managed the financial problems. The unit of the money was really big so the work was really difficult. Ga Hyun informed the classes when they should come to the auditorium
and put the students in order and made sure that everyone takes photo that they ordered. Running all around the school was a tough job. Moreover, student council made an event on Valentine’s Day. The actual Valentine’s Day was during the tet holiday so we shifted one week ahead. We made the form and got orders from secondary students. We gave three options which were rose, small size chocolate and big size chocolate. Those products were sold in a cheaper price than they actually are and the quality was really good, so many students ordered. On Thursday, we delivered the presents to students. Many people got them and looked happy and satisfied. We are planning to work harder in the last period to wrap up the school year successfully.
Elementary Student Council On Wednesday 20th February, Elementary Student Council planned and organized a Bake Sale. The purpose of the Bake sale, apart from e a t i n g yummy cakes, was to raise awareness and funds for Blue Dragon. Check out http://www.streetkidsinvietnam.com for more information.
Student Council Bakesale
UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL 3 - SECONDARY PARENTS CONSULTATION 9 - PYP PARENTS INFO 10 - SEONDARY OPEN HOUSE 11 –PTA MEETING 12 - SPORTS DAY 18 - G12 STUDY LEAVE BEGINS 19 - ANCESTOR DAY (PH) 23 - ARTS FESTIVAL 24 - G10 STUDY LEAVE BEGINS 30 - REUNIFICATION DAY (PH)
MAY 1 - LABOUR DAY (PH) 2 - 22- IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME EXAMINATIONS 6 - 6/4 - IGCSE EXAMINATIONS 30- GRADE 5 EXHIBITION 31 - GRADE 12 GRADUATION
JUNE
REMINDER: THERE IS A PARENT INFORMATION SESSION ON TUESDAY, APRIL 9TH AT 1PM IN THE AUDITORIUM. THIS SESSION WILL LOOK AT THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY IN A PYP CLASSROOM AND WILL BE FACILITATED BY MS CARLA HOLMES. THIS SESSION IS AIMED AT ELEMENTARY PARENTS, HOWEVER, ALL PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.
6- GRADE 5 TRANSITION DAY 7 - GRADE 5 GRADUATION. 14 - SCHOOL CLOSE
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hisvietnam Follow us on twitter: @hisvietnam