tintuc@unishanoi.org UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter
NEXT WEEK… MONDAY, 12 MAY IB DP Exams, 2 - 16 May MAP Testing (Grade 3 -5), 12 - 15 May Finance Committee Meeting, 07:00 - 08:30, Conference Room, B7 1JH & 1VdC Field Trip, 08:20 - 12:05 TUESDAY, 13 MAY 1TA & 1JH Field Trip, 08:20 - 12:00 Parent Session - Proposed Tech Changes for 2014-15, Library Projection Room , 08:30 - 09:30 ECC Orientation - K1, 10:10 - 11:30 ES Students Garage Sale, 15:30 - 16:30 Board of Directors AGM, 18:30 - 20:45, Black Box, B10 WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY Grade 11 Exams, 14 - 20 May Discovery Art Display , 14 - 16 May, Centre for the Arts. SMP 2015-2020 Planning Task Force Meeting, 07:00 08:30, Conference Room, B7. K2 G1 Transition meeting for parents, 08:30 - 09:30, ECC Gym. THURSDAY, 15 MAY MRISA Junior Volleyball Tournament @ ISHCMC, Ho Chi Minh City, 15 - 18 May. Grades 9 Exams 15 - 16 May; Grade 10 Exams 15 - 19 May Discovery PAC, 09:00 - 10:30, Black Box, B10. Board Information Session, 17:30 - 19:00, Location Community Room.
Volume 20, Edition 32, Friday 9 May
FRIDAY, 16 MAY Head of School Meeting with the Japanese Community, 08:00 - 10:00, Community Room, B7 Parent Coffee Transition Meeting, 08:30 - 10:00, Library UMA concert, 17:00 - 18:30., Centre for the Arts SATURDAY, 17 MAY Saturday Soccer (last day of Session 2), all day event.
COMING SOON… MONDAY, 19 MAY Advancement Committee Meeting, 08:00 - 09:30 TUESDAY, 20 MAY K1 Arts Exhibition, Centre for the Arts, 20 - 22 May School Community Organisation AGM, 08:30 - 10:30 Annual Forensics Club Showcase, 16:00 - 17:30, Theatre Special Executive Board Meeting and UNIS Self Study Group Work Session, 17:30 - 20:30, Community Room, B7 WEDNESDAY, 21 MAY K1 PAC Parent Performance, 09:30 - 10:30, Theatre Grade 3 Vietnamese Class Field Trip, 11:50 - 12:20 THURSDAY, 22 MAY Personal Project Parent Evening for Grade 9 & families, 18:00 - 19:00 FRIDAY, 23 MAY Grade 12 Tree Planting, 11:30 - 12:30 MS Formal Dance, 17:00 - 22:00 SATURDAY, 24 MAY UNIS Spring Swim Meet HS Formal Dance, 19:00 - 22:00
IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights... Notes from the Head of School and the Board of Directors (p.2) Notes from the ES Principal (p.3) The 25th Birthday Gift Fund (p.4)
Transition Workshop for Leaving Families (p.7) Instrumental Music (p.8) Forensics Club (p.8)
MAP Test (p.5) The Trial of Big Bad (p.5) ES Garage Sale (p.6)
Character Bottles (p.9) Notes from the School Health Centre (p.10) UMA Concert (p.11))
Like many of you, I was shocked and upset to learn about incidences of child abuse in international schools that have recently come to light. I would like to emphasize that safety and security for our students is UNIS’s highest priority. As a school, we are committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment where our students can learn and succeed, our faculty can facilitate that learning effectively, and our local staff can provide the necessary assistance to support learning. We are constantly looking for ways to improve in every area of safety and security. In addition to longstanding safety and security protocols, here are a couple of recent steps we have taken: Through our PSEL (ES) and Advisory (MS/HS)
programs, we have begun to address with the children the issue of safety and what to do in situations in which a student is not comfortable for whatever reason, including assertive skills and anti-bullying techniques. Our priority remains on having at least one or more adults on campus for students to turn to when they have a concern or question. We have reviewed our procedures for when students are
allowed to leave class without the teacher to go the office, the toilet, etc. to ensure we are within the bounds of best practice and ensure safety for all. We are adding window panes to all doors throughout
the school to ensure visibility and transparency in all spaces in the school. Here are some measures that we are looking at for next school year: Offer training and information sessions for students, faculty, administrators, local staff, and parents in the area of best practice in child protection. Review the methodology used for background checks
of all adults who work with students on our campus with the goal of enhancing that process. With the help of security officers from the UN and
Embassies in town, evaluate our physical facilities to ensure all of our spaces are safe and secure. We encourage you to have discussions about personal safety at home, keep an open line of communication with your children about their day, and know that our counselors and administrators are always available as a resource to any of our families. Our intent is to do whatever we can to mitigate the chance of any incident happening on our campus. As we review and make changes to any of our safety procedures, we will let you know. In the meantime if you have suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, Mr. Porter who is our Director of Operations, or one of the principals. Respectfully, Dr. Barder, hos@unishanoi.org
Invitation to attend the Board of Directors 13th May Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Management Plan (SMP) plan for the 2015-2020 SMP and fundraising for the future, and an update on Board appointments for the next school year.
You are warmly invited to attend the Board of Directors AGM on Tuesday 13th May in the Black Box, Centre for the Arts.
You will have an opportunity to ask questions. Please email me at boardofdirectors@unishanoi.org , for any specific questions you would like us to address at the AGM.
There will be a reception from 6:30pm where you can meet and engage with Board members in an informal setting while enjoying snacks and beverages. The formal meeting will commence at 7pm. The Board will share highlights from the Board’s end of year report. The full report is here on the portal. The agenda will also include an update on the Risk Management Matrix and school finances, an introduction to the Strategic
For community members interested in joining and learning more about the Board, an Information Session is being held on Thursday, May 15th, 5:30pm-7:00pm in the Community Room, Admin Building. Contact the Board Assistant at boardassistant@unishanoi.org for more information. Regards Sarah Garner, Board Chair
Dear Parents,
As the school year draws to a close, we become increasingly mindful of the children and their families who are moving on from UNIS Hanoi this June. It is never an easy time and so our counselors have systems in place to help community members of all ages come to terms with the pending changes in their lives. The children who are leaving will meet with Mr Tom and Ms Andrea several times in the coming weeks to help them adjust and look forward to their move. Parents are also well served with transition meetings with the counselor. We hold a special Leavers’ Assembly in the last week of term for all the ES students and staff to bring some positive closure and say goodbye formally and thank them all for their contributions to UNIS Hanoi during their time here. This year this will take place on Wednesday 11 June at 1.15pm in the Sports Centre and all parents are welcome to attend. We also must consider the needs of the children who are staying. They are coming to the end of their time in their current Grade Level and are beginning to anticipate changes for next academic year. In the recent past, the ES informed the parents and children of their new class placements for the following year by email just before the new year begins in mid-August. Last year we brought that process forward to inform the children before they left for the long summer break. We believe this was very helpful so we will repeat this timing again this year. With this in mind, the teachers have been carefully considering groupings for next year. For new families who may be unaware, we do mix the children’s groupings every year as they pass from one grade level to the next. In such a transient population this enables us to continuously ensure each class is a well-balanced group with a mix of gender, cultural and linguistic background, learning styles and differences. The teachers have spent many hours on this quite challenging task to create this balance whilst ensuring that each child is with at least one other child they feel comfortable with for friendship and collaborative group working. The mixing of class groups also helps establish a grade level identity and community as well as individual homeroom communities and children are able to develop and maintain a broader range of friendships across the whole age group. It also helps new children integrate more quickly as the class they enter is newly formed rather than being a group that has been together for several years. Tuesday 3 June will be the morning that the children find
out which class they are going to be in next year. The Grade 5 Students have their “Stepping Up” day when they have a day of taster lessons in Middle School. This seems like the ideal time for us to do a shortened version of that for our ES students. So children will spend part of the morning in their new classroom, with their new teacher and their new classmates getting to know each other and finding out more about what next year will be like. (All ES leavers will have this time together with Mr Tom and Ms Andrea and some of the specialist teachers focusing on their needs for transition.) We do have some new teachers coming in next year who will not be here on 3 June. During this Transition Time, their place will be taken by one of our outgoing teachers who has really good knowledge of the relevant grade level and can whet the children’s appetite really well for next year. In addition, the incoming teachers are all preparing and sending something for the children to share that day, so they will all get to know something about their new teacher. Each class will jointly construct a letter to be sent to the new children who will join the class in August, welcoming them and having them feel hopefully more excited and less nervous about their move to UNIS. Information will be emailed to parents that afternoon letting them know who the new teacher will be and the names of the other children in the class. Through discussions with the SCO representatives, we are hoping that this early release of information will also enable us to have specific class parents in place before the end of the year in readiness for the New Families Orientation in midAugust. If you are interested in being a class parent for next year, please contact Joh Ponsen, the SCO chairperson (if you are Grades 1-5) johponsen@gmail.com or Paulina Pineda, the SCO chairperson (if you are Discovery, K1 or K2) paulinapineda@hotmail.com once you receive your class list. Please read here the minutes from the last ES Principal Forum where transition was the main item on the agenda. Please note upcoming transition meetings and events for parents: Wednesday 14 May - K2/G1 Transition Meeting –
(ECC Gym at 08:30) Friday 16 May - Transition meeting with the
counselors for families that are leaving (08:30) Tuesday 27 May – G5/6 Transition Meeting (18.00) Tuesday 10 June - G5 Moving Up Ceremony (09.00)
Warm regards, Carole Denny esprincipal@unishanoi.org
The 25th Birthday Gift Fund projects have been approved and thanks to the generosity of our community will continue to change lives for the next 25 years! THANK YOU! In 2012-2013 UNIS Hanoi celebrated 25 Years of Learning to Inspire! As part of the birthday celebrations we wanted to give a birthday gift to our local Vietnamese community, recognizing 25 years of partnership and investing in the next 25 years. Through the 25th Birthday Ball, our UNIQUELY UNIS Auction and Birthday Souvenirs sales, we raised more than 37,000 USD to establish our 25th Birthday Gift Fund. Since then we have been through a thorough cross-community process to select projects which will honour the goals of the Fund. Grants have been awarded to six different Service Learning projects which will all start in 2014-2015. Huong La Centre for Disabled and Abandoned Children
Microfinance For Change with Bloom Microventures
Australian Charity for the Children of Vietnam
Swim for Life
Healthy Hearts and East Meets West partnership
The Mobile Book Project
Detailed information about the selection process and the projects can be found at the 25th Birthday Gift Fund website. None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary support from the UNIS Hanoi community and in particular our generous donors who supported the 25th Birthday Ball.
THANK YOU!
25th Birthday Gift Fund Goals The 25th Birthday Gift Fund will support our local Vietnamese community through Service Learning projects in partnership with local groups which: ENGAGE UNIS HANOI 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.
At UNIS Hanoi standardised testing is one way that we gather 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 its students are performing in comparison to other students around the world and to evaluate the effectiveness of our programme. The school currently uses two different forms of standardized tests. One of these is the Measures of Academic Progress™ (MAP) which are computerized tests in Reading, Language usage, and Mathematics. The MAP test at UNIS Hanoi is done twice a year so that we can check for growth in students’ development of knowledge and understanding in the areas tested. Students in Grades 3-8 took part in the MAP test in September.
The schedule for this semester is as follows: Grade 3-5 student: May 12 – 15, 2014
MAP tests are unique - as students complete each 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 sufficient 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. Contact the homeroom teacher if you regarding your child’s reaction to the test. more information about the MAP test contact Janet Field, the Director dol@unishanoi.org
have a concern If you would like in general please of Learning at
Bring Your Toys, Bring Your Money. • Do you have any toys you no longer play with? • Do you need to clear out some space in your bedroom? • Would you like to make some extra pocket money? • Would you like to help buy toys for children who have nothing to play with? • If the answer to all the above is Yes then read on. If you want to sell some of your own toys you can get a form from the ESoffice but you need to return it by Monday lunchtime. Half of all proceeds will be donated to buy toys for children in some of our Service Projects
Jan Humpleby esdprincipal@unishanoi.org
Thursday 15th May, 09:00 Black Box - Centre for the Arts We are working hard on our show and are very excited to be performing for our parents
This event is sponsored by the SCO who will provide refreshments and finger food during intermission.
If you’re interested in joining the UNIS Forensics Club or simply wish to understand what exactly it is that we do in B5 118 every week then come on down to the UNIS Theatre on Tuesday, May 20 from 4 – 5:30pm for the 3rd annual Forensics Club Showcase! A low-key and fun event with great performances/speeches that are sure to make you laugh and think deep thoughts about life– so deep it’s almost philosophical! Forensics Club members will be performing either Oral Interpretation (taking existing works and “interpreting” them their own way with at least two different voices) or
Original Oratory (in which students write their own speech about whatever their hearts desire). Family, friends, language lovers, speech lovers, dog lovers, bookworms or simply bored people; you are all welcome. There’s a 100% guarantee that it’ll be abso-fanlutely-tastic! Sincerely, The Forensics Club ASA
Parents may assist but this should be a primarily student effort. Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose: Use any size bottle to recreate your favorite BOOK character
Character bottles should be brought to Ms. Conroy in the Library over the course of the next few weeks
Students are encouraged to recycle, re-purpose and reuse materials from home.
and shall remain on display until the last week of school; soft deadline Monday, May 19th
This is an optional HOME project.
All Character Bottles will be returned to their creators.
Each Character Bottle must include name and class and have a card or note attached sharing the following information:
Ms. Conroy eslibrarian@unishanoi.org
Title Author Character name Personal connection with the character
Students may use a character from a Library or home book (Mother Tongue ok!). Students choosing to share a personal book for display next to their Character Bottle need to write their name inside their book. Students may use a Library book if available.
Our UNIS Hanoi Community would not be the same without our many VOLUNTEERS! This evening is dedicated to you! The SCO in collaboration with Advancement would like to THANK YOU for all your time, support, help and commitment towards enriching our community. Class Parents
Healthy Snack Sale
UN Day Volunteers
Welcome Committee
All our Spring Fair
SCO Boutique
Volunteers Book Sale
ECC Mother tongue
readers
And everyone else who has given time and support is welcome! For more information, email sco@unishanoi.org School Community Organization
Leaving the country, or spring cleaning? Not sure what to do with your books? Don't let them add to your shipping weight when there is so much good that can come of them here! We are collecting all gently used books for next years Used Book Sale. Your book will not only get sold to a UNIS community member who would be happy to find it here in Hanoi, but all the proceeds will be donated to endeavors providing more books for less fortunate Vietnamese children. Please deposit all of your donated books in the book drop OUTSIDE of the library. There will be signs clearly showing you where they go. Do NOT put library books there. We look forward to making next years book sale a success! Lori Fairbairn, Used Book Sale Coordinator
Dear Parents,
What can you do?
Chickenpox (Varicella) is making an appearance in our UNIS school community and beyond. It is occurring in children who have been vaccinated as well, however, they are experiencing a mild, vaccinated dose.
• Reduce fever with Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, and Neurofen) or Panadol (Paracetamol,
Chicken Pox (Varicella) is a highly contagious viral infection that causes an itchy, blister-like rash. Symptoms: • Lasts around 5-10 days. Incubation is 14 -16 days (10 -21). Rash is the telltale sign.
Acetaminophen, and Tylenol). DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN! • Rest • Avoid contact with others • Don’t scratch – relieve symptoms with cool bath, add baking soda, uncooked oatmeal • Talk to your Doctor regarding medication.
• Fever, loss of appetite, headache and tiredness.
Prevention
• Rash goes through 3 phases – raised pink/ red bumps, fluid filled blisters that leak, crusts and scabs that form over the blister.
• Vaccination – effective 80-85%, CDC (Centre for Disease Control).
Doctor Review if:
Exclusion from School
• You are not sure it is chicken pox
• Exclusion from onset of rash until spots completely healed.
• Rash in one or both eyes
School Health Centre
• Rash very red, warm or tender, indicating a secondary bacterial infection.
nurse@unishanoi.org
• Dizziness, disorientation rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, cough, vomiting, stiff neck • Fever greater than 38 degrees Celsius.
Please come along and support some of our young UMA musicians as they perform for one last time.
We will commence in the main foyer at 17:00 to express our deepest appreciation for our fantastic UMA teachers, without whom this fabulous UNIS Music Academy would not exist. Following this we will run two simultaneous concerts in order to give as many students as possible the opportunity to perform. One shall take place in the Black Box Theatre upstairs and one in the World Theatre downstairs. We have 75 students performing in this double concert but all UNIS community are invited to attend We promise it will be a fantastic start to the weekend!
Banking on Breakfast Research continues to emphasis the importance of breakfast for children and adults. There are plenty of reasons for skipping breakfast from not feeling hungry to the morning hustle out the door. Some people skip breakfast as part of their weight lost plan; yet several studies suggest that our bodies add more body fat when we consume our food in a couple large meals instead of the same number of calories from consuming more frequent smaller meals throughout the day. Why Children Need Breakfast To perform their best adults need to start their day with breakfast. Breakfast also improves a child’s performance and is fuel for their growing brains and bodies. When children miss breakfast, they don't get what they need to be at their best. Studies have linked children who miss breakfast to be more frequently being late and absent from school. We all benefit from eating breakfast and preparing a healthy breakfast can be as simple as pouring milk over cereal, poaching an egg or creating a customized smoothie. Ideas for Breakfast Personally I find that I am not hungry in the morning but I am aware that I need to eat something before I start a day of teaching. My solution has been to ride my bike to work and prepare individually packaged oatmeal once I am at school. It may be a bit bland so when I have time I dress it up with a raisins, ground flax and chia seeds. Below are some other simple breakfast ideas I gathered. Mixed grain bread with a little nut butter, sliced banana,
raisins on top, and a sprinkling of cinnamon; serve with a glass of low fat milk. A bowl of high fiber cereal, topped with mixed nuts,
dried fruit, and a small glass of fortified soy/rice/almond milk. A healthy granola bar, a piece of fruit, and a glass of low
fat milk. Scrambled egg, served with mixed grain bread, fresh fruit
salad, and a small glass of low fat milk. Brown rice (cook the night before) topped with raisins,
sliced apple, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a little milk. Make a fruit smoothie – add your favourite fruits
(bananas work great), yoghurt, one teaspoon of ground flaxseeds, and a cup of crushed ice. Prepare some energy balls! – Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter,
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk, 3 cups crushed flake cereal, and 2 tablespoons honey. Form into “balls” (should make 10). Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate. There are lots of energy ball and bar recipes to try out. Create a cereal sundae; make a bowl of bran flakes
portable by replacing the milk with lemon or vanilla yogurt and mixing it in a to-go container. Increase the fiber and vitamins by adding ¼ cup of nuts or fresh or dried fruit. And lastly, a simple two ingredient classic: a banana egg
pancake! Mash your banana with a fork. In another bowl whisk an egg. Mix the egg and banana together. Put oil in the pan on low-medium heat. Add about a 7cm in diameter amount to the pan. Let the cake set for thirty seconds, or when the center bubbles, and flip it. Enjoy them with your favorite toppings. Get more out of your day, plan ahead and enjoy a healthy breakfast! Got a great idea for breakfast? Please email them to Krista D. Ramsay, ES Art, kramsay@unishanoi.org. To access our monthly meeting notes please click this link. Adrian Hubbard, Taskforce Chair AHubbard@unishanoi.org
We are delighted to offer the opportunity to local businesses to advertise in a very popular United Nations International School Hanoi publication that is a daily reference point for our families. The Tasty Snacks for Healthy Children cookbook is given to every new family as a welcome gift from the School Community Organization. Currently, UNIS Hanoi welcomes 1060 students every day to its campus and these cookbooks are used by parents and students alike to prepare foods for snack time which is a programmed part of the daily schedule. It is an important resource that has been created by the UNIS Hanoi community to raise awareness of healthy nutrition and to provide parents with a diverse range of recipes that can be made with local ingredients. This cookbook is a keepsake that travels to over 60 countries and is enjoyed for many years by students and parents and is treasured by our families and alumni. And now for the first time, we are offering community businesses the opportunity to partner with this very successful publication. For a very attractive price, your advert will expose your company to families in Hanoi from their very first days. The style of our cookbook is friendly, informative and professionally done, so we encourage you to use images and text that reflect that in your advertisement. The cookbook will be printed biyearly meaning that your advert will last for the next two years – even better value for your money! I know you will agree this is a great opportunity for your company. Please contact our Advancement Assistant, Dang Thu Thuy at advasst@unishanoi.org for the advertising specifications and contract or any other questions before Thursday, May 29. Nathalie Grun, Community Liaison Officer
Advert Specifications High resolution .jpeg/.tiff file (with minimum 300dpi) Email file to clo@unishanoi.org in the proper page orientation full page / portrait half page / landscape
Prices: Placement Front Pages Chapter intro Pages Advert section
Space available limit 2
Full Page
limit 6
$700
No limit
$500
Half Page
$1000
$250