tintuc@unishanoi.org UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter
Volume 20, Edition 1, Friday 16 Aug
NEXT WEEK...
NEXT WEEK… (Cont.)
MONDAY, 19 AUGUST
FRIDAY, 23 AUGUST
●
●
●
●
Reel Youth (Service Learning) 19 Aug - 7 Sep ComEd Autumn Session Sign Up Begins 8:30 UMA Session 1 Registration Begins 8:00 Grade 1 Swim Testing for New Students 15:40-16:30
TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST ●
●
●
●
●
New Parent Welcome Coffee 8:30 - 9:30, Centre for the Arts (B10) Foyer Transition Workshop postponed to 6 Sep * New Parent ISIS and Portal Training 9:30-10:30 (earlier than published in the calendar), Black Box (B10) MSHS Swim Team Testing 15:45-16:30 All Parent ISIS and Portal Training 17:00-18:00, Black Box (B10)
THURSDAY, 22 AUGUST ●
MS Sports Season 1 Begins - Basketball & Swimming
●
●
MSHS Service Learning and ASA Session 1 Registration on ISIS 23 - 25 Aug HS Day move to 20 Sep 13:00 - 15:30 *
COMING SOON... MONDAY, 26 AUGUST
Faculty & Staff Art Exhibition 26 - 30 Aug Grades 4&5 Back to School Info Night 18:00-19:30
TUESDAY, 27 AUGUST
Student Photo Days 27 - 30 Aug Grades 1&2 Back to School Info Night 18:00-19:30
WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST
ECC & Grade 3 Back to School Info Night 18:00-19:30
THURSDAY, 29 AUGUST
MSHS Back to School Info Night 18:00-19:30
FRIDAY, 30 AUGUST
ES Class Parent Meeting (SCO) 8:15-9:15, Library
IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights... Notes from the Head of School (p.2) Notes from the Board of Directors (p.2-3) Notes from the ES and MSHS Principals (p.4-5)
Notes from the Speech and Language Therapist (p.8) Meet the Nurse’s Team (p.9) Stay Safe - Wear your helmet (p.9)
From the Admissions Office (p.6) UNIS Music Academy Sign up (p.6)
Co-Curricular Activities Begin (p.10) Community Education Sign Up (p.10) Aquatics Programme. What’s new? (p.11)
Birthday Gift Fund - Your ideas wanted! (p.6) Important Tech Tidbits (p.7)
UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF HANOI
Get involved with your school (p.12) Job Opportunity (p.13) Canteen Menu Energize Schedule
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all UNIS Hanoi community members for the 2013-2014 school year. With all faculty and staff in place, and the facilities improvements completed, we were more than ready for students to arrive last Wednesday. Preliminary anecdotal reports from students, parents, faculty and staff indicate that we seem to be off to an excellent start this year. We are pleased to welcome the 187 new families to our school. This is more than we expected and we are delighted to have you at our school. It would appear that, once everyone arrives, we will hit our all-time high for enrollment. Last year we topped out at 1024 students and we definitely expect to surpass that number this year. We had our lowest faculty turnover in many years and are pleased that the 16 overseas hires and 5 local hires have settled in very quickly and have already provided us with an injection of new energy and ideas. Our new Discovery classrooms are a wonder to behold. I invite you to walk through the ECC and observe for yourself the wonderful learning environment that has been created for our 3 year olds. The other major project was an effort to enhance the dining experience for our students. A
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I welcome both new and returning faculty, staff and families to the 2013-2014 School year. For those new to UNIS Hanoi, the Board has four main tasks: To hire, nurture and evaluate the Head of School who is
responsible for the day to day management of the School; To develop strategic plans, ensuring their
implementation and monitoring progress; To develop and approve school policy; and To ensure the financial health of the School. The Board’s meetings are open to the UNIS Hanoi
community. Meetings are listed in the School Calendar and in the Tin Tuc.
new acoustic ceiling and vinyl floor has helped with noise reduction and the new floor has proven to be a less slippery/more safe surface in addition to making the space feel less like a warehouse and more like an inviting place. With the arrival of the new cafeteria furniture in October/ November, we are hopeful for a more pleasant environment for our students to eat. We have made some changes in the front drop off/parking area and seek the cooperation of you (and your drivers) to NOT park along curb in front of B7 and the ECC. This is a safety issue and we look forward to your help in making this adjustment when you or your driver brings a vehicle to school. Also, we ask that you pay attention to the announcement in another part of this Tin Tuc regarding the wearing of helmets when riding a bicycle to school. (See page 9) I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming weeks as we go through the various Back To School and Orientation evenings. If the opening is any indication, it looks like it is going to be another great year at UNIS Hanoi. Respectfully, Chip Barder, Head of School
This year, the Board of Directors has scheduled fewer business meetings in order to devote more time to generative thinking sessions with a focus on the School’s long term strategic interests. Governance documents as well as summaries of Board, committee and task force meetings can be found on the Board of Directors pages on the School Portal. Board members are unpaid volunteers. Currently, all members are parents of UNIS Hanoi students. We rely on the additional volunteerism of parents and community members to serve on Board committees and task forces throughout the year. We are specifically looking for people to join the Finance Committee. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Board Assistant Jennifer Sawyer at boardassistant@unishanoi.org. Best, Sarah Garner, Board Chair
BAKHODIR BURKHANOV (UN appointed)
BOB HUGHES (Board appointed)
Bakhodir is Uzbek and this is his 1st year on the Board. He has 3 children at UNIS Hanoi.
Bob is American and this is his 1st year on the Board. He has 1 child at UNIS Hanoi.
Over the summer, Mr. Graham Watson, the Board Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee left Hanoi. We are grateful for Graham’s dedicated service for the past two years and wish him the best in Myanmar. I am happy to announce the Board has appointed Dr. Nandini Oomman to the vacant seat. We also welcome Mr. Bakhodir Burkhanov as a United Nations Resident Coordinator– appointed board member. Click here to learn more about your Board members.
SARAH GARNER Chair (Board appointed)
BARRY KNAGGS Vice Chair (Board appointed)
JEAN MUNRO (UN appointed)
NANDINI OOMMAN (Board appointed)
Sarah is American and this is her 6th year on the Board. She has 3 children at UNIS Hanoi.
Barry is Malaysian and this is his 5th year on the Board. He has two children at UNIS Hanoi.
Jean is Canadian and this is her 2nd year on the Board. She has 3 children at UNIS Hanoi.
Nandini is Indian and this is her 1st year on the Board. She has 2 children at UNIS Hanoi.
NGUYEN VAN HIEU Treasurer (parent elected)
LOTTE BRONDUM (UN appointed)
CHIP BARDER (Head of School, ex-officio)
Hieu is Australian and this is his 3rd year on the Board. He has 2 children at UNIS Hanoi.
Lotte is Danish and this is her 4th year on the Board. She has 3 children at UNIS Hanoi.
Chip is American and this is his 6th year as ex-officio on the Board.
Dear Elementary Families,
much calmer being a returnee rather than a newbie as I was last year!
It has been a delight to welcome everybody back this week and an especially warm welcome to families new to the UNIS Hanoi community. Thank you to all current parents and students who helped make the New Families Orientation run so smoothly. The start of year has seemed very calm in the Elementary School and I believe it has helped that returning families knew about their child’s new teacher and classmates before the summer break and came back feeling ready to start. I certainly felt
The new Discovery classrooms in ECC were completed just in time and we have our two classes of 3 year olds already in the full swing of school life in two beautiful adjoining rooms. The new ECC office is also now open for business and we welcome Ms Phuong who is there full time to help, parents, students, staff and visitors to the ECC in particular. Our staggered start for students in ECC draws to a close today and normal hours for all resume on Monday. Please see below a reminder of the new schedule and hours for the different grade levels across ES. The Grade 1 – 5
08:00 - 08:15
08:20-12:20
12:20 - 12:50
12:50 - 13:00
13:00 - 13:45
13:50 - 14:05
14:10- 15:10
15:15 - 15:25
Transition Time
Integrated Learning with Flexible Snack and Recess
Lunch
TransitionHalf/Full
Quiet time/ nap
Recess
Integrated Learning
Transition time
08:00 08:05
08:10 08:20
08:20 09:00
09:05 09:45
09:45 10:10
10:10 - 10:50
10:55 11:35
11:35 11:45
11:55 12:25
Recess/ Arrival
Home room
Period 1
Period 2
Snack & Recess
Period 3
Period 4
Home room
Lunch
12:25 12:55 Recess (Period 5)
13:05
13:10 13:50
13:50 14:10
* 14:10
Home room
Period 6
Recess
Period 7
14:50
14:50 15:20 Period 8
(*): on Wed this is 13:50- 14:30
08:00 08:05
08:10 08:20
08:20 09:00
09:05 09:45
09:45 10:10
10:10 10:50
10:55 11:35
11:35 12:00
12:00 12:25
12:25 12:55
13:10 13:50
13:50 14:10
*14:10 14:50
14:50 15:20
Recess/ Arrival
Home room
Period 1
Period 2
Snack & Recess
Period 3
Period 4
Lunch (G1G3)
Lunch (G4G5)
Period 5
Period 6
Recess
Period 7
Period 8
ECC parents please note that we now open the doors to the ECC playground area at 07:55 when two members of staff are on duty until 08.10 when the classroom doors open. This is to allow the children to drop their bags in their cubbies and then have some social/ play time with their friends under duty teacher supervision until the day officially begins in the classroom at 08.10. This also allows the teachers and teaching assistants to complete their preparation for the day ahead. I would like to finish this week by drawing your attention to the advertisement on the school website for substitute teachers. If you are newly arrived or newly available for ES
teaching this year please do apply as soon as possible. Whilst this is mostly for single day cover, we also have occasion for longer short term contracts from time to time and we are always very happy to expand our list of regular substitute teachers. We look forward to hearing from you. Wishing everyone a restful weekend in preparation for the first full week of school next week. Kind regards, Carole Denny, esprincipal@unishanoi.org
Dear MS/HS Families, I am pleased to report that the 2013-2014 school year is off to a great start. With the first day of classes in the books I must say that the energy level is high and both students and teachers are excited about the year ahead. We are about to begin our much anticipated X-block schedule which was designed to provide students with additional opportunities to engage in academic and co–curricular pursuits during the school day. To accommodate this change in the daily schedule MSHS lunch periods are required to shift a later time slot. With that in mind, please ensure that your child eats a good breakfast! A healthy breakfast will provide the nutrition needed for optimum learning throughout the morning. As I was mulling over what I wanted to communicate to parents in the first Tin Tuc of the year I happened to read over my comments from last year’s entry. Those words still ring true to me so I thought I would include and except from my August 15, 2013 article about the importance of appropriate parent/guardian involvement in the life of a child. “If you’re not already, please become involved If I could encourage you to do one thing with your child it would be to get involved in all aspects, within healthy bounds, of his or her life. Of course, as adults we need to foster independence in our children but that does not mean backing away. Academically, please get to know who your child’s teachers are and build positive relationships with them. Educating children is a partnership involving the whole community. Please ask questions about the courses your son or daughter is taking and consult teachers, college counselors, or me regarding course selection.
Many years ago I remember my parents having very positive and healthy relationships with my teachers. They knew my teachers, school principal, and college counselor. Not because of discipline problems, (truthfully!?), but because they wanted the best educational experience for my brother and me. They gave me the opportunity to express my opinion but trusted the school to guide me through my educational journey. They were not overly involved but wanted to be to be informed and have a voice that was heard. They made my education a top priority. At the time I did not always appreciate their intentions, or what I thought to be intrusions, but looking back I will be forever grateful.” As we enter the new school year please talk with your children about their classes, their dreams, desires, goals and wishes. Do not deny your child a better future because you do not know which classes they are taking, who their friends are, or what they aspire to become. Remember, for many teenagers the future extends only as far as the present day. To teenagers an academic year may seem like a lifetime. While we, as adults, concern ourselves with preparing for retirement and maintaining our health, kids are thinking about this weekend’s plans or the upcoming science test“ With those thoughts in mind I would like to invite all parents to our MSHS Back to School Parent Night. Back to School Night will be held on August 29 from 18:00 – 20:00. Warm regards and best of luck in the 2013-2014 school year! Pete Kennedy mshsprincipal@unishanoi.org
Your contact details are important to us: Please ensure the school has received updated address and telephone information for each new parent or guardian. Emergency contact information for each family is also required in the event that parents may not be reached in an urgent situation. This information can be viewed on your ISIS Family page and amendments may be requested through the online change request utility. Outstanding enrolment items: Please provide the school with an updated version of your child’s visa and passport so that he/she may participate in school trips. Digital copies of visas and passports may be forwarded to admissions@unishanoi.org or alternatively, submitted to the admissions office B7 Room 110. Please contact 3758 1551 extensions 8217 / 8220 for assistance.
Last year as part of our 25th Birthday Celebrations, we launched our Birthday Gift Fund with more than 37,000 USD raised to support our local community. And this year we will allocate the money to projects which will support our local Vietnamese community, through UNIS Hanoi Service Learning projects in partnership with local groups which:
ENGAGE UNIS STUDENTS in genuine and reciprocal learning experiences
BUILD COMMUNITY and meaningfully strengthen the School's relationships with the local community over time
ARE SUSTAINABLE for both for the community the project aims to support, and for UNIS Hanoi. Projects will be chosen with input from a variety of sources including existing Service Partners and you - our community members.
Dear parents and students, The UMA Opening Concert was a great success on Thursday, 15 August. Thank you very much to those who attended it and we hope you enjoyed the performances. Please kindly note that this year UMA session 1 sign up will be on UNIS Hanoi website. We will try to accommodate people’s choices so please have a look at UMA teachers availability. Sign up time: from 8:00 am, August 19 to 8:00 pm, August 22, 2013. Requests made outside this time frame will not be considered.
We want members of our community (students, parents, faculty and staff, alumni) to contribute ideas and suggestions for the Birthday Gift Fund Committee's consideration. We want to hear about local groups or organisations that could provide exciting possible projects (existing or new) for the Birthday Gift Fund to support in line with the criteria and goals above. With your help we want to ensure that the projects that we support make a difference for the next 25 years! COMPLETE THE SUGGESTION FORM and submit your ideas to the Birthday Gift Fund Committee BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30. And to find out more about the Birthday Gift Fund, how we raised the money, the committee and the timeline and process for the allocation of the funds please see the School website. For more information contact our Director of Advancement, Emma Silva: doa@unishanoi.org
UNIS Hanoi will offer an ISIS Family workshop on Tuesday, August 20 at 9:30* am with a repeated session at 5:00 pm on the same day in the Black Box of the Centre for the Arts (B10). We will have Tablets available for you to practice signing in to ISIS, checking your Guardian Information, and practicing accessing documents. Please confirm your attendance by emailing me at techdirector@unishanoi.org, before close of business on August 19, so that we can have enough Tablets available for the workshop. Ed Gilbreath, Technology Director
* Please note that the morning session is earlier than previously announced in the calendar.
First of all I want to say Welcome to all of the new and returning UNIS Hanoi students and families. This is my third year at UNIS Hanoi and I must say that while my experience the first year was very good each subsequent experience has been better. I have found UNIS Hanoi to be an amazing place to learn and work. I hope your experience mirrors mine. We have distributed Tablets to all new and returning students in grade 6 through grade 11. Returning students in grades 10, 11 and 12 kept their Tablets during the summer in order to further prepare for IB Diploma courses. UNIS Hanoi has implemented a three year replacement cycle for Tablets. Students will receive a new Tablet in Grade 4, Grade 7 and Grade 10. The Tablet will remain with each student during his/her three year attendance at UNIS Hanoi. Grade 10 returning students will check-in their old Tablets and receive new Tablets during the next two weeks. ALL pre-used Tablets were carefully checked by the Tech Support Office (TSO) for internal and external damages. Tablets with damages were repaired. However, it is possible that some damages were missed. Please ask your student to
show you his/her Tablet. Carefully examine the case for cracks, ensure that the hinge and locks function properly, the screen has no cracks and that all of the keys are in place. Check the power cord for frayed or cracked insulation. Ask them to turn it on and show you what they have learned this week. This will give you a chance to view the screen and get a baseline impression of the start-up time. All Tablets have two batteries and new fully charged Tablet should provide at least 7 hours of use in a learning environment. Clearly the battery life depends on the user and watching movies during the bus ride to school and during free time will reduce the battery life significantly. If the batteries last less than three hours please have your student bring the Tablet to the TSO for battery replacement. If you find any damages to the Tablet please have your student come to the TSO (B6-100) by Friday, August 23 and we will repair on the spot or schedule the repair if parts are not available. After August 23 we will assume that any damages are not pre-existing. The One to One Tablet programme is an integral part of student learning at UNIS. If during the year you or your student finds problems with the Tablet they must come to the TSO for resolution at the first available opportunity. The TSO observes the following hours:  7:30 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday when
school is in session  8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday when
school is not in session and the campus is not closed. During class time this week students will have read received and read the Tablet Loss/Damage Form, Tablet Acceptance Form for Students, and the Responsible Use Agreement. You are expected to review the documents with your student(s) and sign them to be returned to UNIS Hanoi by Tuesday August 20. Please contact me if you have any questions. Ed Gilbreath, Tech Director techdirector@unishanoi.org Phone: 84 4 3758 1551 ext. 8600
For all new families, I would like to introduce myself as the Speech and Language Therapist here at UNIS Hanoi. I work with students who have difficulty with the areas of speech and language, when compared to peers of the same age. If your child has difficulty with speech s/ he struggles with the coordination of movements necessary to produce speech sounds. If your child has difficulty with language, s/he struggles with understanding what s/he hears or sees. This may include difficulty finding the right words and/or organizing these words in a meaningful way to communicate his/her message or hold a conversation. There are many differences and variations related to speech production - usually known as an accent or dialect - which are unrelated to the above difficulties if your child is learning English as an additional language. However, if your child is having difficulty with grammar or vocabulary in his/her first or primary language as well as in English, language may be an area in which support is needed. Assessment and support for these areas will take place at school during the school day, in your child’s classroom or in my office following discussions with teachers and parents about the needs of the child. In the next few weeks I will be completing hearing screenings for all NEW students in Discovery, K1, K2, and Grade 1. The ability to hear properly is an important component in developing speech and language skills and for learning in general. As such, early detection of hearing loss is vital so that each child is able to get the full benefit of language learning experiences both within, and outside, the classroom. The most common cause of hearing loss in children is otitis media (glue ear). Fluctuating hearing loss nearly always occurs with otitis media, whether or not the fluid is infected, due to the anatomy of the middle ear and the
Eustachian tube. A build-up of fluid in the middle ear prohibits the movement of the bones which transmit sound from the ear drum to the inner ear. Ongoing fluid in the middle ear can cause permanent hearing loss. The hearing screening is not a full audiological test which measures the softest sounds you are able to hear. The screening test measures whether or not you are able to hear at a level necessary to hear the sounds used in spoken language. Three sounds (low, medium, and high pitched) will be presented in each ear at the same loudness level. The majority of children will not have difficulty hearing all 1000Hz six tones and these children 2000Hz will be considered to have passed the screening. You 4000Hz will not receive individual notification that your child has passed the screening. You will however receive notification when your child’s class has completed the screening. If your child does not hear one or more of the sounds, you will be notified individually and one to two weeks later, your child will be re-screened. Following the re-screening, you will be notified if your child passed the screening or not. It is possible that your child may not have been able to hear all the tones even during the re-screening. If this is the case, you will be asked to have your child’s hearing tested by an Audiologist or Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor (ENT) and to provide the school with a copy of the report. The school is able to provide referrals to community resources where the hearing test can be completed. If you are concerned about your child’s speech, language, or hearing skills, please mention these concerns to your child’s Homeroom Teacher so that they are aware. In addition, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to getting to know you and your children. Mary Pool, mpool@unishanoi.org
Hello from your School Nurses:
Kelly Havlin Registered Nurse from Australia
Lan Anh Nguyen Nurse from Vietnam
Trang Phan Nurse from Vietnam
Just a few reminders as we start the school year: New students Medical forms are completed and returned to the Nurse Grade 3 - 6 and 9 students must have an updated
medical if not attended in the past 3 years and forms should be returned to the Nurse. Ensure all recommended childhood vaccinations are up
to date. Students with Allergies should have an Allergy Action
Plan completed and returned to the Nurse. Students with Asthma should have an Asthma Action
Plan completed and returned to the Nurse. Please do not hesitate to contact the Nurses at any time should you have any concerns. We are here to work in partnership with parents, students and teachers to ensure the wellbeing and academic success of your children. Best wishes for a splendid year, UNIS Hanoi Health Team nurse@unishanoi.org Tel: 3758 1551 ext 8911
Cycling to school is a healthy option but not if you should have a tumble without a helmet. As UNIS Hanoi strives to be a role model, we have an expressed policy that anyone cycling to school should be wearing an appropriate cycle helmet, this includes even our younger students who are cycling on pedestrian footpaths. Our Security Guards have been asked to help enforce this policy. Many thanks for your help and cooperation For any questions, please contact Dave Porter, Director of Operations at do@unishanoi.org .
This promises to be another exciting year in the area of Performing Arts and Sports for the students at UNIS Hanoi. Our involvement in the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) and the Mekong River International Schools Association (MRISA) will continue to provide some great opportunities for our MS and HS students. UNIS Hanoi will host APAC Boys and Girls Volleyball in October and MRISA MS Soccer in February!! These are two very exciting events to look forward. We’ll need your support with hosting! Here’s some of what is coming up right away:
HS APAC & MRISA Boys & Girls Volleyball Tryouts – start on Friday, August 16 HS APAC Boys & Girls Tennis Tryouts – start on Friday, August 16 MS Boys & Girls Basketball & Swimming – season starts on Thursday, August 22 (sign-ups will be Monday, August 19 at lunch)
Please do not hesitate to contact the Co-Curricular Activities Office if you any questions or if you would like to contribute in any manner! I wish you all the best in the coming school year! Dirk Kraetzer, Director of Activities da@unishanoi.org
The UNIS Hanoi Community Education (ComEd) Programme - Session 1 (2013/2014) - is now available for viewing on UNIS website. Many new classes are offered to all members of the Hanoi Community, such as: Cooking: Finger Food for Party, Baking… Skill Building: Photography Workshop, Gardening Skills, Decorating, Designing and Feng-shui technique… Children Activities: Karatedo, Latin Dance, Painting, Indoor Games for Children…
After-School Activities (ASAs) are for students in Discovery through Grade 12. All UNIS Hanoi parents and students in Grades 5-12 should be checking their emails for information regarding the first ASA session of the school year. Everything that you will need to know about registration and the activities that are available will be explained in that communication.
Specially in this session, we will be offering various private swimming lessons for both children and adults.
Registration for Session 1 will start on Friday, August 23 at 07:00 and will close on Sunday, August 25 at 23:59 (midnight). All registration will take place on the ISIS Family online system via the UNIS Hanoi Portal.
ComEd is a programme of activities in the areas of cooking, movement, language, arts and culture, skill building, sports, children classes that UNIS Hanoi offers to the wider local community. ComEd has 2 sessions in a school year: Session 1 (September – December) and Session 2 (January – May). Our aim is to provide opportunities for people of all ages to gain new skills, expand their knowledge, have fun and to bring the community together.
When is ASA Session 1? The 1st session for the 2013-14 school-year will begin on Tuesday, September 3 and will continue for nine school weeks, ending Friday, November 8. I encourage all UNIS Hanoi students to get involved in the Co-Curricular Activities this year!! Some fantastic opportunities will be available through the Performing Arts, Sports and ASA’s.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PROGRAMME We will open the link for registration at 08:30 on Monday, August 19 on the website.
We looking forward to your participation. Ha Thien Ha, ComEd Officer comed@unishanoi.org
United Nations International School would like to extend a warm welcome to all families, new and returning, for the coming year! All the students at UNIS Hanoi have a variety of opportunities to improve and develop their swimming skills during PE swimming lessons and through participating in the new UNIS Hanoi Aquatics Academy. Courses will be available Monday through Saturday as part of After School Activities. Swimming lessons are offered in three 9-week long sessions, with the first session starting in early September. All students will receive information regarding PE swimming lessons from their PE teachers. In addition to PE and the Aquatics Academy (via ASAs), there are also opportunities for competitive Middle and High School students to participate on the UNIS Hanoi Swim Team. Details regarding the various Aquatics Academy swimming opportunities will be sent to you by email from the UNIS Hanoi Activities Office prior to the start of each of the three ASA Sessions. This information will include details about how to register online via the UNIS Hanoi Portal. Please see the information below related to the swimming opportunities provided as a part of the UNIS Hanoi Aquatics Academy. Parents will need to ensure that their child has the following items for both PE and the Academy swimming: Swimsuit Towel Swim cap is must for long/medium hair Goggles Contact Ella Jaranova (UNIS Hanoi Aquatics Coordinator) at ejaranova@unishanoi.org if you have any questions or concerns. For more information please visit the Aquatics Programme on our website.
Dear students, on behalf of the PE department, this message is to give you info about where you can find swimsuits, swim caps, goggles, etc. You will have swim unit already next week and if you don’t have swim gear, you’ll need to get some straight away. In Hanoi it’s not so easy to just go down to the local mall to find what you need. Your first point of contact for swim gear is right here on the campus. The SCO Boutique (currently closed for restocking. Please check the school store website for updates) sells swimsuits for girls (sorry guys), swim caps, towels, swim bags (specially ventilated to allow your gear to dry before you get home) and water bottles. In addition to swim gear they have lots of other items, some of which you will need for PE when you are out of the pool (t-shirts, shorts, sportpants, long-sleeved t-shirts, hoodies, House shirts, sun hats, sport bags). Check their price list for items. For swim unit in MSHS, you MUST have: A swimsuit Girls: one-piece; dual-combo (swim shorts and swim shirt/rashguard/rashie/sunshirt); no bikinis; no denim Boys: swimsuit (specially made for swimming); board shorts; no athletic shorts, (i.e., not made specifically for swimming); no underwear under a swimsuit/ boardshort A towel Goggles A swimcap (if your hair reaches your shoulders/bottom of neck, you must wear one) Apart from the Boutique, there are places in Hanoi but it’s a bit hit or miss. There are the Parkson and Big C department stores. Or dedicated sport shops (Nike, Adidas, etc) at the Indochina Plaza, Trang Tien Plaza, Garden Shopping Center or Vincom Towers to name a few. Or the sport shops in the downtown, along Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Tran Hoai Duc street. The area directly surrounding the Cat Linh soccer stadium are full of such shops. There’s even a sport shop nowadays on Xuan Dieu across from the big red Segafredo café near the Sheraton entrance. This is not an exhaustive or complete list. We all know that in Hanoi, the sharing of info is the best way to find anything you need, so ask around to ensure latest info. Good luck ! Brian Healy, PE Teacher bhealy@unishanoi.org
You are already a member of our School Community Organisation (SCO) – now is the time to get involved! With YOUR help we can make this good school...GREAT! We (the current SCO Executive Committee) enjoyed being involved so much last year, that nearly all of us volunteered to continue being part of the SCO again this year! The SCO includes- every student, parent, faculty member and staff member! The main objective of the SCO is to advance the interests of the School Community and promote the well-being of the students, parents, faculty and staff who comprise the School Community. Our SCO… acts as a bridge in community-building through
organizing fun events, activities and meetings enhances UNIS Hanoi’s whole child learning approach
in keeping with the mission of the school by sponsoring and supporting activities organised to those ends
SCO Secretary: The position of SCO Secretary has just become vacant and we encourage you to contact the SCO team at sco@unishanoi.org or phone our Community Liaison Officer, Nathalie Grun at 37581551 ext. 8703, for further information on the role. SCO Boutique: This is our School Store, with a great range of logowear and accessories from sun hats and water bottles to swimsuits and PE t-shirts. Like all activities & services which fall under the banner of the SCO, the Boutique relies on willing and enthusiastic volunteers from our parent community in order to operate. If you are interested in being part of a GREAT team, become a volunteer in the Boutique and contact the SCO team at sco@unishanoi.org or our Community Liaison Officer, Nathalie Grun at clo@unishanoi.org or at 37581551 ext. 8703.
raises funds to benefit the UNIS Hanoi community,
with a portion of the proceeds each year allocated to charity through UNIS Hanoi’s Community Service Programme supports and promotes volunteerism in all aspects of
school life.
Class Parents: Thank you to the enthusiastic parents who have already volunteered to be a Class Parent for their Elementary (& ECC) child’s class, or for a MSHS Grade/Year level. If you haven’t, don’t fret! Opportunities still exist for you to be a Class Parent, or to share the role with a fellow parent! The SCO invites all returning and new-to-UNIS Hanoi Elementary School parents to contact the ES Chair Joh Ponsen at johponsen@gmail.com or the ES Vice Chair Paulina Pineda at paulinapineda@hotmail.com if you are interested in joining the team of Class Parents or finding out more about it.
The SCO Boutique will open for business as usual in a couple of weeks once the volunteer teams are established and the stock has been renewed. Your child(ren)’s participation in all activities that require House or Sport Uniforms will not be affected until the Store reopens. Please check the School Store page on the website regularly for updates.
UNIS Hanoi is a not-for-profit international school offering all three International Baccalaureate Programmes from Discovery to Grade 12. UNIS Hanoi is also fully accredited by the Council of International Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
United Nations International School of Hanoi is seeking applications for
Opportunities exist for Elementary Classroom Teachers, Middle and High School Subject Specialists. Positions are available on an ongoing, as needed basis. Ideal applicants will have: The ability to quickly establish rapport with children Solid classroom management skills Minimum qualification of a Bachelor’s Degree Teaching certificate is ideal, but not required. Interested applicants please send your expression of interest, along with an up-to-date resume outlining education and experience, photograph and list of professional referees to jobs@unishanoi.org. Successful applicants will need to provide a police clearance from their last country of permanent employment. Ms Tran Thi Quyen, Human Resources Manager United Nations International School of Hanoi GPO Box 313, Hanoi, Vietnam