UNIS Hanoi Tintuc 31 Vol 19 TT 18 April 13 by UNIS Hanoi

tintuc@unishanoi.org UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter

Volume 19, Edition 31, Thursday 18 April

Next Week...

Coming Soon...

Monday, 22 April

Thursday, 2 May

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MS MAP Testing (Grades 6-8) 22 - 26 April MSHS 3-Way Conference. No School for MSHS

Tuesday, 23 April ●

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SCO All Parent Meeting 08:30 - 09:30, B7 Technology Advisory Council 16:30 - 17:30, B7

Wednesday, 24 April ●

Grade 5 PYP Exhibition, 24 - 26 April, B10

Thursday, 25 April ●

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High School Athletics Day 08:30 Grade 5 PYP Exhibition PAC for parents 18:00, B10

IB DP Exam 2 - 22 May

Saturday, 4 May

SAT Testing (High School)

Tuesday, 7 May ●

ES Parents Forum with the principals 08:30

Thursday, 9 May ●

All parents Technology Session 08:30 - 10:00 Library Projection Room

Friday, 10 May ●

Breakfast with the Head of School 08:15

Friday, 26 April ●

Grade 3 Trip to Honda Motorcycle Factory 9:00-13:00

Saturday, 27 April - 5 May ●

Spring Break. School and Campus Closed. Offices Open Weekdays except April 30 and May 1

IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights... Notes from the Head of School (p.2) Avian Influenza News (p.3) Notes from the Elementary and Middle/High School Principals (p.4-5)

Smile Charity Concert (p.13) Protect Your World - Get Vaccinated (p.14) SCO All Parent Meeting. Coming Soon! (p.15)

Living with Technology (p.5) Grades 6-8 MAP Testing (p.6) IB Diploma Exam (p.6) A Night to Transform! Birthday Ball Photos Special (p.7-9)

Who Swim Best in Elementary? (p.16) MS Athlectics Day Photos and Results (p.17) APAC Soccer Schedule (p.12)

Grade 5 Exhibition Next Week! (p.10) IB Art Exhibition. (p.11) Summer Camp is Back. Read further for details. (p.12)

Job Opportunities (p.14-17)

Notes from the Head of School Dear Parents, First of all, congratulations goes out to the whole school community for a wonderful birthday weekend celebration. The visiting former heads were overwhelmed with how far the school has progressed and expressed over and over again how important it was to see that so many years later the school was carrying forward the dream that they helped to start and nurture. And the current head of UNIS New York was excited to take back many good ideas he gleaned from his visit here, and looks forward to a closer relationship in the future. While it took many people to make it all come together this past weekend, I would like to extend a special note of appreciation to our Director of Advancement, Ms. Emma Silva, and her team of staff and volunteers who worked so hard and did an outstanding job. The administration has been busy for the last couple of months reviewing the climate survey results and we would like to now share with the parent community the analysis of the results which can be found at Climate Survey Result Back in January, I shared the following with you from Ciputra Management: “The first stage and disruption to Estate traffic will be on the road from Lac Long Quan to the Estate and UNIS Hanoi…..in the short term they intend to build a small BYPASS Road around the small creek and bridge area so they can complete the Ring Road across the entrance road from Lac Long Quan, and this will cause some delays and will need everyone to drive carefully. We understand at a later date this access to Ciputra from Lac Long Quan will be closed permanently and a main entry to Ciputra will be opened off the NEW RING ROAD between the Government Apartment Towers CT 13 & CT 14A at the location where the old marketing office and Phu Thuong Police office is currently located. As this project will be later in the new year we will further update you of these changes as we are given more information from the road construction.” As you know, the BYPASS Road is now operational as of last weekend. We are told by Ciputra management that the work in this area will continue for a while with the BYPASS Road being used intermittently while they complete the work. In the meantime, design for the new entrance to Ciputra has commenced with no definite time frame given at this time for when the new entrance will be operational. We will keep you posted as we receive more information. Finally, please note the final Breakfast with the Head of School will be on Friday, 10 May at 08:15 in the Community Room. We hope to share some of the Campus Development Concepts that were developed by our consultant architect, Perkins-Eastman, at the end of last school year. There will also be plenty of time for questions. If you are planning to come and have a question, I invite you to send it to me ahead of time so I can prepare a more proper response. My email address is hos@unishanoi.org Have a wonderful three day holiday weekend. Respectfully, Dr. Barder, Head of School

Notes from the Board of Directors Notice of the Board of Director’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) Tuesday 14 May in the Black Box, Centre for the Arts Refreshments will be served from 06:30 pm with the meeting to start at 07:00 pm All parents, faculty and staff are warmly invited to attend. More details about the meeting will follow next week.

Notes from the Head of School Dear Parents, As you have likely heard, Chinese authorities have confirmed a number of cases of a new strain of avian influenza (H7N9) in Shanghai, Beijing and surrounding provinces. Infected people developed flu-like symptoms and pneumonia. Here is what we know about the influenza virus at this point, as received from different Embassies in China and from the World Health Organization (WHO): 

People who became infected had direct contact with animals or an animal environment.

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No human-to-human transmission has been reported. Individuals in close contact with infected people have been tested and have all been found to be free of the virus.

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The number of cases identified so far in China is very low and the WHO has not advised any restrictions regarding travel to China. The risk for international spread of the disease is considered low.

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Chinese authorities are monitoring and investigating this situation and have heightened disease surveillance.

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Influenza viruses are not transmitted through well-cooked food. It is safe to eat properly cooked meat from poultry and other sources.

The following precautions should be taken: 

Have all members of your family wash their hands frequently, especially before and after preparing food and eating, or using the bathroom. This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of disease.



Cover nose and mouth when sneezing, and throw the used tissue into a closed container immediately after use.

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Avoid contact with sick animals, including cats and dogs.

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Avoid live animal markets, poultry farms or pig farms.

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Do not handle any birds even if they appear well – don’t swim in any body of water that is used by birds.

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Thoroughly cook all poultry and poultry products, including eggs.

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Monitor the advice of local authorities.

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And as always, per UNIS Hanoi policy, please keep your child home if he or she is sick.

More information can be found on the World Health Organization website at:http://www.who.int/influenza/ human_animal_interface/faq_H7N9/en/index.html. The administration is working with Principals and School nurses, as well as with our food service and other providers, to review our procedures around student health, food safety and student trips. If any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the UNIS School Nurse office. Respectfully, Dr. Barder, Head of School

Notes from the Elementary Principal Field Trips We have enjoyed an extremely busy time with Field Trips in recent weeks in the Elementary School. Our field trips are organized for educational purposes to support and enhance the learning within the classroom and wider school setting. It is an opportunity to understand better a range of aspects of the local community and culture as well as to apply knowledge and skills in an external setting and to contextualize learning. Groups of Pre-K students visited me last week to share the process they have been engaged in when planning and preparing for their visit to Tiniworld in Syrena Tower. As a part of their Unit of Inquiry “Journeys Near and Far”, they have been taking on responsibility for thinking ahead and speaking with key personnel in school to ensure the trip could happen. As well as visiting me, they went to see Mr Lai the bus coordinator and the children contacted Tiniworld directly via telephone to check dates and prices. They were certainly taking the planning seriously and seemed to appreciate the visit even more because they had been instrumental in making it happen. At the opposite end of the Elementary School, the Grade 5s are heavily involved in preparing for their Exhibition and this has entailed visiting different sites and conducting off campus interviews with key members of different organisations within the Hanoi community to aid their research and collect data. Examples include: Exhibition Group Theme Human Rights/ Equality Access to Education and Girls’ Education in Vietnam Pollution and Deforestation Technology: Positives and Negatives Eco-Technology Technology Programming Nutrition Expression through the Arts Culture/ identity through Fashion Bullying

Organisation/ Venue visited Blue Dragon Organisation Thuc Nghiem Elementary School Phong Khe Paper Recycle Village Panasonic Risupia Vietnam Concordia International School EcoMart-EcoLink Organic Farm Vietnam National Academy of Music The Film Director Office Chula Fashion Store

Animal Testing Astronomy

Hanoi International School The Museum of Army Engineers in Hanoi United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office The Parkson Hanoi Mall The well spring International School (Astronomy teacher)

Discrimination

The Donkey Bakery

Pollution

Red River Fishing Village

Sexism

DEP Fashion Magazine

Water Pollution

Red River Village

Animals for Human Use Animal Treatment

National Hospital for Tropical Diseases Asvelis – Asian Veterinary and Livestock Services

Conflict Resolution

A huge thank you is due to Miss Thao, Grade 5 TA, who has taken on the responsibility of co-ordinating this vast array of visits and to the teachers and TAs who have accompanied the small groups. Grade 1 students have enjoyed visiting the Rattan Village this week as part of their Sharing the Planet unit as they are studying the different purposes and uses of plants and their importance to other living things. Grade 2 and 3 students all visited Bat Trang Pottery Village for different purposes in recent weeks – Grade 2 as part of their ‘Changing Transport’ Unit and Grade 3 to support their Unit “Rights at Work”. Our ‘scientists’ in Grade 4 all visited the Questacon Science Exhibition this week which had been brought to Hanoi from Australia by the Australian Government. Questacon’s mission is to promote greater understanding and awareness of science and technology through fun, interactive educational experiences so this exhibition provided a great opportunity for our Grade 4 learners to coincide with their Science unit. We will continue to seek out the best opportunities to apply and extend learning in the local community and beyond as we believe strongly that this helps the students understand the bigger picture of their current educational experiences and make connections in their learning. Warm Regards, Carole Denny, Elementary Principal

Notes from the Middle/High School Principal Dear MSHS Families, UNIS Hanoi is pleased to be hosting the 2013 APAC Women’s Soccer Tournament. The tournament set for April 20 – 22. Student led opening ceremonies will take place Thursday morning in the Sports Center with games scheduled to begin shortly thereafter. If you have a free moment over the next few days please do come out and support our Lady Phoenix! A schedule of games can be found in the Tin Tuc. Our men’s soccer team is off to Beijing to participate in the APAC Men’s Tournament which will be hosted by Western Academy of Beijing. The entire MSHS faculty would like to thank all parents who attended 3 – Way Parent Conferences on Tuesday. There was a positive energy present on campus and many parents reported that they were very pleased with the information provided by teachers as well as the sign-up process. Our second day of conferencing is set for Monday, April 22. If you have not signed up for the conference please contact Ms. Phuong in the MSHS Office (hssecretary@unishanoi.org) and she will be happy to assist you. In the MSHS we listen to our community try our best to address concerns regarding our program. In October many parents reported difficulties and were extremely frustrated trying to sign up for Conferences using ISIS Family. As a result our Director of Technology Ed Gilbreath and his team worked hard to streamline the process. I am happy to report that this semester’s sign-ups went extremely well and we only had five parents report difficulties. Of those two had forgotten their passwords, two had to install appropriate software, and one could not find the link. Kudos to Ed and his team! In closing please continue to support your children as we head toward the final weeks of school. It is clear that students reach higher levels of academic and personal success when they are supported by both parents and the school working in a partnership. We hope that you, as parents, feel welcome to join in the educational process in what is in the best interest of your children. Warm regards, Pete Kennedy, MSHS Principal

Living with Technology Session Series for all Parents We would like to invite all parents to our remaining morning sessions revolving around various topics on technology and its impact on learning. If interested, kindly confirm your attendance by sending an email to mmatias@unishanoi.org. Looking forward to a highly informative and engaging discussion with you!

May 9: Finding and Evaluating Information Online Do you believe everything you read or see online? 8:30 - 10:00 am Library Projection Room The purpose of this session is to give some background and understanding of how parents can help search for and evaluate information online. We hope that this will help jumpstart some conversations with your children about what they are researching in their classes and how they are doing it.

Social Networks: Learning to navigate through the popular social networks such as Facebook, Youtube and more Date and Venue: 30 May, Thursday 8:30 - 10:00 am Library Projection Room Michelle Matias, Information Technology

Notes from the Director of Learning Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Test April 23-25 for Students in Grades 6-8 In September UNIS Hanoi students from Grades 3-8 took part in the MAP test. The MAP test is an online standardized test which is completed individually by each student on a computer. These computerized tests in Reading, Language Usage, and Math are called Measures of Academic Progress™ (MAP). At UNIS Hanoi standardised testing is one method of gathering information to promote and inform student learning. A standardised test should allow students, teachers and parents to identify a student's strengths and areas of need in the different subject areas that are tested. At the school-wide level the standardised test can help to identify areas of the curriculum that may need adapting. It will also help the school to determine how UNIS Hanoi students are performing in comparison to other students around the world and evaluate the effectiveness of our programme. The MAP test at UNIS Hanoi is done twice a year so that we can check for growth in student’s development of knowledge and understanding in the areas tested. This semester students in grades 6-8 will complete the spring MAP test during the days of April 23-25, 2013. The results of the assessment will be used by classroom teachers to better understand individual student achievement and future steps for learning. Results will be sent home to parents using a parent report that will be uploaded onto ISIS. MAP tests are unique in that as students complete the test it adapts to be appropriate for their level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. Please be aware that there is no additional preparation that students can do to prepare for these tests. It is helpful for students to have a good night’s sleep and a solid breakfast prior to testing. If your child is anxious you can help to alleviate their worries by talking, listening and reassuring. Encourage your child to simply do their best as he or she would do with any school assignment, test or project. Please contact the homeroom teacher if you have a concern regarding your child’s reaction to the test. If you would like more information about the MAP test in general please contact Meagan EnticknapSmith, the Director of Learning at dol@unishanoi.org MAP Test Schedule Grades 6-8 Reading

Math

Language Usage

Grade 6

Tues. April 23

Wed. April 24

Thurs. April 25

Grade 7

Tues. April 23

Wed. April 24

Thurs. April 25

Grade 8

Tues. April 23

Wed. April 24

Thurs. April 25

Notes from the Diploma Programme Coordinator IB Diploma Exams for Grade 12 Begin Thursday, May 2 Starting on May 2, the 12 Grade students will be beginning the final stage of the 2 year IB Diploma programme. Starting on the Thursday of Spring Break, the Grade 12 students will need to be on campus following the schedule below. It is very important that the students are present for their exams. If a test is missed, it is unlikely that any form of make-up exam would be possible. The students have also received a personalized schedule of their exams. Please be sure that the students are eating properly, getting enough rest and that they are prepared for their exams. See IB Exam Schedule 2013. Steve Powers, IB Diploma Coordinator

dpcoordinator@unishanoi.org

25th Birthday Ball A NIGHT TO TRANSFORM! From the dramatic opening dragon dance and phoenix aria, to the final twists and turns on the dance floor, the 25th Birthday Ball was a truly historic evening! Not only was it a wonderful evening full of entertainment and fine dining with distinguished guests, it also laid the foundations for our Birthday

Gift Fund with funds raised in excess of 35,000 USD.

This Fund will be our birthday gift back to our host country, and we hope that the projects it will support, will transform lives for the next 25 years. The Fund will support projects helping those most in need in Vietnam, through our Service Learning charity partners. It will investing in projects for 2013-2014 which demonstrate: 

Sustainability

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Meaningful Student Engagement and Learning

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Expanding our sense of Community

And it was our own students, in their own words who shared the power of their Service Learning experience at UNIS Hanoi and built the dream for our shared future in the film made especially for the event. Insert the film to watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWr0lknWdjE

AN HISTORIC NIGHT Head of School Chip Barder paid tribute to his predecessors who joined us for the evening: “On the shoulders of these great people, and the others not here, do I stand before you tonight. “In 1988, a talented and resourceful teacher from UNIS New York volunteered to come to Vietnam and start up a school called UNIS Hanoi. She stayed for two years and in that time launched a school that is 25 years old this year. We are all eternally grateful for her courage and risk-taking, her energy, her persistence, her talent and her dedication to get things started during such difficult times - Dr Alice-Anne Winner. “Fast forward a few years to 1994. The school was growing as Doi Muoi began taking effect and new investments and projects began to roll into Hanoi. We needed an experienced head who could lead the school community to that next level of functioning. We were very lucky to find someone at that time who had such a tremendous amount of international teaching and administrative experience - Our 3rd Head of School, Mr. Jim Ambrose. “Jim stayed for three years and was hot on the trail of finding opportunities for an expanded campus. He had managed to begin to move the school from the Amsterdam campus to the Van Phuc diplomatic compound, but even then he knew the school would need more. Again the school was fortunate to find someone as head who was experienced, smart, hardworking and above all a tough negotiator. She managed not only to secure the land for our current campus, which everyone said was a huge mistake because no one would want to go to school out there in Ciputra which was in the middle of nowhere……she also managed to negotiate a loan with BIDV for the building project to begin which was extremely difficult Our 4th Head of School, Dr. Frances Rhodes.” Dr Barder also paid tribute to the role that UNIS New York played in the start of UNIS Hanoi’s history and welcomed the current Head of School, Mr Sal Uy. Also joining the party was Connie Buford, Regional Education Officer for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools which has contributed over one million U.S. Dollars to our budgets over the lifespan of our school. And last, but by no means least, we were delighted to have with us the person who is not only the ultimate authority in our school, but also someone who has become a strong partner and supporter of UNIS Hanoi since her arrival - the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, Dr Pratibha Mehta.

25th Birthday Ball THANK YOU! THANK YOU! AND THANK YOU AGAIN! 

The night was made possible by countless hours of hard work by a community team of volunteers! Special thanks to: Angie Emblem, Chie Kimura, Clarissa Hu Andersen, Dorian Gibb, Graham Watson, Hien Nguyen, Jessica Haug, Michael Wilson, Michele Stoeckel, Mukhayyo Burkhanova, Nandini Oomman, Otgo Anderson, Penny McDonald, Peppi Wilson, Pippa Wood, Rob Corrigan, Sally Oxenberry, Tanuja Khadka, Tiffany Banner and Willie Cohen.

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Thanks also to the UNIS Hanoi Advancement, Service Learning and Operations Teams, and the hospitality team from the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake.

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We thank the School Community Organisation for their support of tonight’s Grand Opening and our own UNIS Hanoi Dragon. We thank the Korean community and Yu Bin Jwa (Grade 6) for their support of our Silent Auction.

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We thank the following sponsors for making this event possible and in the launch of our Birthday Gift Fund:

25th Birthday Ball

Grade 5 Primary Years Programme Exhibition

Visitors from French School Dear Everybody, 50 students from the French school will come to visit Grade 5 PYP exhibition on Wednesday, April 24, from 9:30 to 11:00

Programme : 09:30 : students pair up with their buddies. The buddy give an activity sheet to French student in both English and French. 09:50 : French students visit the exhibition and fill up their activity sheet. 10:30 : recess 11:00 : French students leave the school. The French Language Team.

IB Art Exhibition A large and supportive crowd celebrated the graduating DP Visual Art student exhibition opening last Monday evening. Opening speaker & DP Coordinator ,Steve Powers and DP Art teacher Rob Natoli both spoke of the value of creativity in the modern world and acknowledged the wonderfully diverse artworks created by the graduating students: Emilie Brondum Reeh, Ellen Beard, Charlotte Porter, Dehaja Senanayake, Gia Han Tran, Le-my Tran & Huy Nguyen.

Summer Camp

UNIS Hanoi Summer Camp 2013 June 17 – 28 - Monday to Friday  Full Day Programme (8:30 – 15:00) offered for current ECC, Elementary and Middle

School Students  Half Day Programme (8:30 – 11:30) offered for current High School Students Programmes offered will include a balance of fun and educational activities including Sports, Math Games and Investigations, English Language Skills, Performance Arts, “Hands On” Science, and Arts and Crafts  ECC students will take part in a variety of activities with ECC dedicated staff, space, and

resources  ES students will have a daily rotation schedule through activity and learning areas  MS students will choose ONE of “Sports,” “Performance,” or “English Literacy” for extended morning sessions followed by an afternoon rotation  HS students can choose ONE of “Sports,” “Performance,” or “English Literacy” for extended morning sessions

Sessions in the pool will also be scheduled for all students ECC through Middle School! Enrollment Fees:  $600 USD for the two-week full day programmes  $325 USD for HS half-day programmes or one-week of the full day

programme Full Day programmes include lunch and snacks. Bus transportation is available. Registration will open soon through ISIS! Enrollment will initially be restricted to current UNIS students and spaces will be limited so make plans to attend now and check back in to the Tin Tuc for the registration date.

Come Join Us for a Great Start to Your Summer! Jason Caruana Summer Camp Principal mscounselor@unishanoi.org

Operation Smile Charity Concert

UMA News Dear parents and students, Please kindly note that there will be NO scheduled UNIS Hanoi Music Academy for this Friday 19 April due to Hung King Day Anniversary. However, the lessons on Saturday 20 April are SCHEDULED as normal. Thank you, UMA Team

From the Nurses’ Office

Protect Your World – Get Vaccinated Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions and prevents between 2 and 3 million deaths every year. From infants to senior citizens, immunization protects against diseases such as diphtheria, measles, pertussis (whooping cough), pneumonia, polio, rotavirus diarrhoea, rubella and tetanus. The benefits of immunization are increasingly being extended to adolescents and adults, providing protection against life-threatening diseases such as influenza, meningitis, and cancers (cervical and liver cancers). http://www.who.int/campaigns/immunization-week/2013/en/index.html This is a great time to review your child’s immunization record and ensure that they AND yourself are up-to-date. Both International SOS and Hanoi Family Medical Practice can provide your family with most vaccinations your family may be in need of. If you have any questions regarding your child’s immunization status, please do not hesitate in contacting the nurse’s office. UNIS Hanoi Nurse Team

nurse@unishanoi.org

School Community Organisation News SCO All Parents Meeting All the community is invited to the SCO All parents meeting Tuesday 23 April at 08:30am in the Library Projection Room We hope to see you there! Thank you one and all for supporting actively in your children’s school. It has been a rewarding experience and opportunity to work with the diverse groups at UNIS Hanoi. Please join the final SCO All parents meeting for this year on Tuesday 23 April at 08:30am on wards at the Library Projectioin Room.

Agenda:  Synopsis by Head of School, ES Principal and MSHS Principal  Short overview by Jason Caruana on the UNIS Hanoi Summer Camp  Volunteer appreciation  Spring Fair Report

SCO Boutique News

NEW ARRIVAL !! High quality insulated cups with UNIS Hanoi logo.

DISCOUNT UP TO 33% is still ON!!! We have discounted all of our winter apparels and picture frames…….. Sizes available: 4 to 14 … Open hours: Monday and Thursday: 15:00 to 16:00 Tuesday and Wednesday: 08:00 to 09:00

ES Swim Meet Congratulations to all participants! Photos of the meet could be found on PE House Events page. Please let Aquatics Coordinator Ella Jaranova if you would like to receive a copy of individual events results and it will be emailed it to you. Many thanks to ES PE department and Aquatics staff for preparing students for the event, as well as G2 and 3 teachers for supporting and helping with the event! Warm regards, Ella Jaranova

Lions team

Tigers Team

Eagles Team

Buffaloes Team

1172 points

1114 points

1072 points

1005 points

Middle School Athletics Day MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS DAY 2012-2013 Congratulations to all Middle School students for an enthralling day, well done to you all. RESULTS:

BUFFALOES 725

EAGLES 734

LIONS 660

TIGERS 861

From the Activities Office 2103 APAC PACIFIC DIVISION GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT hosted by United Nations International School, Hanoi April 17-21, 2013 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 20:00

Coaches' Meeting and Dinner THURSDAY, APRIL 18

8:15

Opening Ceremony (Sports Center)

8:45-9:00

Team Pictures

Time

Match

Home Team

vs.

Away Team