tintuc@unishanoi.org UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter
Volume 21, Edition 33, Friday 29 May
NEXT WEEK
COMING SOON
MONDAY, 1 JUNE Executive Committee Meeting, 8:00-9:30, Conference Room Advancement Committee Meeting, 12:00-14:00, Conference Room
MONDAY, 8 JUNE MS Leavers Assembly, 12:30-13:30, Theatre
TUESDAY, 2 JUNE MS Sports Awards Ceremony, 15:45-17:15, Theatre WEDNESDAY, 3 JUNE SMP Task Force Meeting, 7:00-8:30, Conference Room THURSDAY, 4 JUNE UNIS Music Academy Registration for 2015-2016 (Full Year Classes ONLY), 4-5 June ES Moving Up Morning, 10:00-11:30 FRIDAY, 5 JUNE Community Education Spring Session Ends Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony, 12:30-13:30, Centre for the Arts HS Dance/Drama Performance, 18:00-19:00 SATURDAY, 6 JUNE SAT Testing (HS)
TUESDAY, 9 JUNE SCO Faculty and Staff Appreciation Breakfast, 7:00-9:00, Centre for the Arts Foyer Grade 5 Moving Up Ceremony, 9:00-11:00, Theatre Grades 1,3,4 Class Parent Lunch, 11:20-12:00 Grade 5 Pizza Lunch, 12:20-13:45 HS Leavers Assembly, 12:30-13:30 Board of Directors Meeting, 17:30-20:00, Community Room WEDNESDAY, 10 JUNE Discovery Class Parents Lunch, 11:00-12:00 Grade 2 Class Parents Lunch, 11:20-12:00 K1,K2 Class Parents Lunch, 12:00-12:30 Middle School Day, 12:00-14:30 ES Leavers Assembly, 13:15-14:15, Sports Centre THURSDAY, 11 JUNE ABRSM Music Exams, 11-13 June All School Assembly, 11:15-11:40, Sports Centre Early Dismissal, 11:30 FRIDAY, 12 JUNE UNIS Hanoi Summer Break, 12 June - 18 August
IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights... Notes from the Head of School (p.2) Congratulations Class of 2015 (p.3-4) Notes from the Elementary School Principal (p.5)
HS Sports Awards (p.9) MRISA Middle School Volleyball (p.10-11) Saturday Soccer Spring Tournament (p.12)
ES Drama Production (p.6) Library News (p.5) Francophone photo competition (p.7) MYP Arts Exhibition (p.8)
Healthy and Safe Swimming (p.13) “Through the Lens’ Exhibition Photo Order (p.14) Job Opportunities (p.14)
Following the death of one of our Tech Officers, Mr. Thai, in April, several parents approached me expressing interest in wanting to give a contribution to the family. We appreciate your patience as we have worked to sort the details and mechanisms related to the establishment of a memorial fund for Mr. Thai. We are now ready to accept funds. The prevailing sentiment has been for the money to be directed to the benefit of his three children. We have written to the mothers of his children and they have concurred with this idea. Therefore, it is now time to contribute for those who wish to do so. Once the collections have finished (end of September 2015), we will divide the amount by three so
each child receives an equal share. The funds will be given to the mothers as a single payment to each of them in early October 2015 for them to manage according to the family needs. People who wish to give with cash or via credit card can do so now or later at the Business Office. All donations will be accepted through the end of September 2015. Donors and amounts will be anonymous to the family. As we plan for next year, we have been reviewing food and labor costs and the general economic trends as we consider cafeteria pricing for next school year. We have completed a thorough review of all factors. Below is a review of the recent history of price increases. You will note that our last increase was in 2013. We also looked at the amounts other international schools in Hanoi were charging. With all of this analysis now completed, we have decided that there will be a modest increase of 5000VND in the set lunch price starting in August 2015. The last price increase was in August 2013. Also, when benchmarking our prices against international schools in Hanoi, we find that we are well within the range of what other schools charge.
35,000
35,000
40,000
40,000
50,000
50,000
55,000
40,000
40,000
50,000
50,000
70,000
70,000
75,000
45,000
45,000
60,000
60,000
80,000
80,000
85,000
50,000
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60,000
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85,000
As part of our cafeteria service next year, we are pleased to announce that we plan to install a salad bar option for next year for MS/HS Students and Adults sometime during the year. This is something that had been suggested in the past by our Health, Nutrition and Wellness Advisory Task Force and we are pleased to be able to finally have it as a healthy nutritional option. We will also continue to enhance the pay card option to slowly eliminate the need for paper vouchers. Finally, J&J is continues to be committed to the UNIS Hanoi comprehensive food safety programme and follows the food acquisition guidelines and preparation requirements of the School.
Finally, I want to reassure parents that our Nurse and Principals are monitoring the heat index and we are keeping children under cover or in air-conditioned spaces during breaks and recess when necessary. This kind of heat for this long at this time of year is unprecedented and we are doing what we can to keep students safe and healthy. Respectfully, Dr. Barder hos@unishanoi.org
The UNIS Hanoi Board of Directors and the UNIS Hanoi staff wish the graduating class of 2015 great success as they prepare for their new challenges at university. We are proud of their hard work and commitment. On behalf of the UNIS Hanoi Community, we wish them well.
First row (L-R): Jae Young Joanne Yoo, So Hee Jeong, YoungNan Kim, My-Linh Tran, Kenna Valles, Raelign Gaille Rosales Powell, Khánh An Vũ, Sze Kate Tang, Kristel Louise Duka Valle, Thu Hà Trần, Tuệ Mẫn Kiều, Hoang PhuongLan Pham, Veronica Lê Phương Anh Lai, Haeji Noh, Quỳnh Anh Đỗ, So Yeon Jeong
Third row (L-R): Victoria Cortés Freeman, Parawin Gillian Vallely, Trung Thành Trần Trọng, Animesh Sakorikar, Je Kyun Yu, Nam Thành Nguyễn, Vũ Anh Phạm, Lam Doan Le, Quang Huy Nguyễn, Erwin Ieszer Z. Escalante II, Soo Hyun Park, Kien Nguyen, Isaac Chng Zhi Ping, Ye Jun Jung
Second row (L-R): Morgun Lê Nguyễn Phước Nghiêm, Thanh Lê Sỹ Vương, Nhật Minh Nguyễn, Soya Kanemaru, Tae Jun Park, Dương Đăng Nguyễn, Hưng Bá Nguyễn, Mavindra Ramantya Mayerfas, Vân Thu Đỗ, Việt Đức Hoàng Thân, Vũ Bùi Nguyễn, Na Young Kim, Min Jeong Kang, Do Hee Kim, Vera Azul Wörner, Minh Anh Nguyễn
Forth row (L-R): Sebastian Meissner, Jonas Christian Fiebrantz, Trung Quang Vũ, Lennan Sarathchandra, Devin Cheong Ming Hoong, Kim Lan Mallon, Kasper Aarkvisla Henaes, Vikke-Elmeri Malinen, Angelique Tran Yen Nhi Somers, Dương Thùy Vũ, Nghĩa Bảo Trương, Nhi Xuân Nguyễn, Renato Restelli, Leshem Gerrit Cohen, Sonwabise Pulo, Patrick Healy
UNIS Hanoi Graduates have received offers of acceptance from the following universities: Canada Carleton University McGill University Queen's University University of Alberta University of British Columbia * University of Ottawa University of Toronto * University of Waterloo * York University Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology University of Hong Kong * Japan International Christian University Korea Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology * Seoul National University * Sungkyunkwan University Netherlands Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University University of Groningen* Philippines Ateneo de Manila University Qatar Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar United Kingdom Durham University Goldsmiths College, University of London Imperial College London Keele University King's College London Lancaster University London Metropolitan University * Manchester Metropolitan University Oxford Brookes University Regent's University Royal Holloway, University of London * University College London * University for the Creative Arts at Epsom
University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Bristol * University of Buckingham University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Gloucestershire University of Hertfordshire University of Hull University of Kent * University of Manchester * University of Nottingham * University of Portsmouth University of Reading University of Sheffield University of Surrey University of the Arts London University of the West of England, Bristol University of Warwick United States of America American University * Arizona State University Babson College Bentley University * Binghamton University Boston University * Brandeis University California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State University, Long Beach Clark University * Clarkson University Dartmouth College Denison University Emerson College Emmanuel College Emory University Fisher College Fordham University * Franklin and Marshall College Georgetown University * George Washington University * Hofstra University Indiana University at Bloomington * Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University Lewis & Clark College Liberty University Manhattan School of Music Mannes College of Music Mount Holyoke College New York University *
Northeastern University * Pace University, New York City Rollins College San Diego Mesa College San Diego State University Santa Monica College Savannah College of Art and Design Suffolk University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis * University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles * University of California, San Diego * University of California, Santa Barbara * University of Chicago University of Connecticut University of Denver University of Georgia * University of Iowa University of Mary Washington University of Massachusetts, Amherst * University of Michigan University of Minnesota, Twin Cities * University of New Hampshire at Manchester University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of Washington * University of Wisconsin, Madison * Vanderbilt University Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Tech Wellesley College Wesleyan University Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute *
Not all decisions were known yet. * Signifies multiple students Acceptances. School Name in Bold denotes UNIS Hanoi student to enroll.
more quickly as the class they enter is newly formed rather than being a group that has been together for several years. 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 ES Counselors, Mr Tom and Ms Nissa 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 have already begun meeting with either Mr Tom or Ms Nissa to help them adjust and look forward to their move. Parents have also been well served with transition meetings with the counselors. 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 June 11 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 has informed the parents and children of their new class placements for the following year by email just before the new academic year begins in mid-August. This year, as last year, we will inform the children before they leave for the long summer break. 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 social peers with whom they collaborate well. 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
Thursday June 4 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. The 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 the counselors 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 June 4. 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 Hanoi. Information will be emailed to parents during the afternoon of June 4 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 mid-August. If you are interested in being a class parent for next year, please contact the Community Liaison Officer, Nathalie Grun (clo@unishanoi.org) in the Advancement Office once you receive your class list. Carole Denny, esprincipal@unishanoi.org
On Saturday May 23 at 5.30pm, Grade 4 and 5 students presented their Drama Production that they had been working on during the last ASA session. The community was treated to a wonderful evening of entertainment by the students. Their hard work and commitment really paid off. Thank you to all who came and supported this event. We look forward to doing it again next year!
Hollywood, California: 1953.. Actress Kathleen Hughes reacts to the aliens In a promo still for the sc-fi thriller movie,"It Came From Outer Space". It was Universal Studio's first movie to be filmed in 3-D.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 28 May 2015. http:// quest.eb.com/ search/183365415/1/183_3 65415/cite
3,679 DUE THE UNIS HANOI LIBRARY! PLEASE RETURN YOUR LIBRARY RESOURCES.
Thank you to all the participants of the Francophone Photo Competition! The photos are now all exhibited at the Library until June 8! Please come and look at the work of our students and teachers and see France in Ha Noi through their eyes. Grade 6: Vicente Valdes Pineda Grade 7: Shim Young Kim Grade 8: Adelaide Charlier Grade 9: Niamh Cosette Gerdes Grade 10: Travis Ramlow Grade 12: Jae Young Yoo Teacher: Jennifer Prescott Merci de votre participation et nous espérons que vous participerez l'année prochaine pour célèbrer la semaine de la Francophonie avec nous!
Vicente Valdes Pineda
Adelaide Charlier
Jennifer Prescott
Join us on Friday 5 June at 6:30pm for an Evening of MYP Arts in the Center for the Arts. The audience will have the opportunity to enjoy dance, drama, music, design and visual art in one jam-packed night. Act 1 is a performance of "Greece! The Musical" by a marvelously talented group of singers, dancers and actors from Grade 6-7. During intermission we invite guests to sip tea and coffee while
browsing through the Visual Art & Design Exhibition in the foyer before returning to the theatre for Act 2 entitled “Dancer’s Sky” featuring original choreographies of Pop & Lock, K-Pop, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Jazz Funk, and Bollywood created by students in the grade 9-10 dance class. Admission is free for this magnificent evening of fine and performing arts.
This past week, UNIS Hanoi student-athletes, their coaches and parents attended the year-end HS Sports Awards Ceremony. The event was a wonderful opportunity to recall the highlights of what has been another successful year of UNIS Hanoi sports. Our programme continues to evolve and improve each year. As we highlight the wonderful opportunities from this year, we also look to a bright future for Phoenix Sports. During the Awards Ceremony, each coach presented “Coaches’ Choice Awards” to members of their team who they felt were worthy of special recognition. In some cases athletes were identified as being the Most Valuable or perhaps the Most Improved, but the final criteria for the selection of the award was left to individual coaches. The following athletes were presented with medals by their coaches:
Varsity Girls Volleyball – Gillian Valley & Saskia Brennan JV Girls Volleyball – Irsalina Mohd Jamil & Tra mi Varsity Boys Volleyball – Matteu Motyl & Henryk Le Hai JV Boys Volleyball – Colin Beard & Ki Hyun Lee
Two student-athletes were selected as the UNIS Hanoi High School Athletes of the Year. In order to be considered for this award, candidates were required to meet the following criteria: 1. Participation on at least 2 JV and/or varsity sports teams 2. Display the qualities of sportsmanship and leadership 3. Maintain academic eligibility 4. Demonstrate a high level of skill and athletic ability
High School Girl – Saskia Brennan High School Boys – Jed Edwards Congratulations to all of our high school student-athletes on their accomplishments while representing UNIS Hanoi in the competitive sports arena this year. The Activities Team would like to express our gratitude to all members of the community who supported our programme and made this year a success. Have a great summer.
Varsity Boys & Girls Tennis – Daniela Oporto Lujan & Jae Min Yoo Varsity Girls Swimming – Vicky Cortes Freeman & Minh Anh Nguyen Varsity Boys Swimming – Soya Kanemaru & Philip Lange Varsity Girls Basketball - Nina McLean & Kianna Freeman JV Girls Basketball – Sorcha Hamer & Jessica Heaton Varsity Boys Basketball – Jed Edwards & Vu Bui JV Boys Basketball – Kent Escalante & Abhimanyu Singh Varsity Girls Soccer – Rosaria Battista & Ly Ann Foster JV Girls Soccer - Afia Adu-Gyamfi & Minh Anh Nguyen Varsity Boys Soccer – Hieu Nguyen & Pedro Montalban San Jose JV Boys Soccer – Ujwal Kumar & Colin Beard
Please note – the Middle School Sports Awards Ceremony will take place this coming Tuesday (June 2nd), starting at 3:45 in the Centre for the Arts Theatre.
Last weekend in Vientiane, Laos, the Girls Middle School Volleyball ended the season with a MRISA Championship against Northridge International School, Cambodia (25-23, 29-27). The team, which consisted of eight 8th grades and two others, played well under-pressure. They learned how to play consistently under-pressure by playing against our high school girls. These games allowed the girls to understand how to play together and come from behind. Additionally, the girls met with Coach Moyale for extra practices before school on Fridays and a few Saturdays. The MRISA Team, as well as the Blue and White Teams, had a success Festival in April. All the girls improved their skills and understanding of the game. The Volleyball Season was a success for all the girls and their coaches.
What a roller-coaster tournament for the Phoenix boys team. Coming in, we were as prepared as we could be and, like the girls team, had spent the season developing an attacking philosophy that played to our strengths. The first match against VIS caught everybody by surprise as they played a low-error game and got most of their serves in. We may have under-estimated them and in doing so let them sneak past us in three sets. Our next game was against our arch-rival, ISPP, who had a similar philosophy to us, with a strong front court and accurate service game. By this stage the boys had not quite adjusted to the 36 degree heat and had had their energy sapped away. This affected their concentration and they made some uncharacteristic errors, losing in two sets. The final game of pool play was a chance for redemption and everything was poetry in motion as our attacking game finally clicked and we cut through SSIS in straight sets. Going through to the finals day, we had momentum and our first match against NISC reflected this as our attack, defence and serving all aligned. We got an early lead and did not relinquish it for the remainder of the match. The semi-final saw a rematch against ISPP and both teams bought their A-game, putting on a show of fantastic fullcourt volleyball that was a pleasure to watch. This was also
helped by a strong 3rd set victory. The spirit was high leading into the final, which was to be against the surprise package of ISE. This team too played a low-error, lowattack game and were very accurate with their serving and ball-placement. We won the first set built on a steady backcourt and confrontational front court. The second set went to an unprecedented 29-29 tie-break, which ISE seized with both hands. The momentum had shifted in the third set with a season of outdoor fitness work still not preparing us for maintaining focus when tired. Little mistakes let the opposition back in and they wrestled the victory from right out under our noses. The boys were gracious in defeat and rallied together for the rest of the weekend to enjoy their well-earned runnersup placing. As a team we had strong backcourt, led by Quang An, a authoritative front court of Kevin, Will, Nikhil, a deadly service from Kristof, Neo and Jae Chan an efficient setting core of Austin, Peter and our fearless leader, Rohan. Their volleyball at times was scintillating and always played in a positive frame and that is what they should remember from MRISA 2015.
On Saturday May 23 over 400 hundred participants and nearly 80 coaches took part in theSaturday Soccer Spring Tournament. Both players and coaches braved the blazing heat as each team showcased their resilience and skills in this year’s culminating tournament. A huge THANK YOU goes out to all our dedicated volunteers coaches whom without, this programme would cease to exist. I hope to see you all returning next year.
outbreaks were caused by Crypto. These statistics remind us that the water we share and swim in is not germ free and why it’s important for each of us to do our part to keep germs, pee, poop, sweat, and dirt out of the water in the first place. To protect your health and the health of your family and friends, here are a few simple and effective steps all of us can take each time we swim: • Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea. • Shower before you get in the water. • Don’t pee or poop in the water. • Don’t swallow the water. Everyone loves a cool swim on a hot day. As temperatures rise, most folks want to get into the water—whether at the ocean, lake or pool. Having fun while you swim this summer means knowing how to stay healthy and safe while enjoying the water!
If you’re at the pool for the day, build in a break for kids and adults at least every hour. • Take kids on bathroom breaks. • Check diapers, and change them in a bathroom or diaper changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the pool.
May 18–24, 2015 marked the eleventh annual Healthy and Safe Swimming Week. It focused on how swimmers, parents of young swimmers, aquatics and beach staff, residential pool owners, and public health officials can minimize the risk of recreational water illnesses (RWIs). RWIs can be caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs/spas, water playgrounds, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can be a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. Even when the levels of chlorine and other pool water treatments are well maintained, they don’t kill germs instantly. Cryptosporidium (or Crypto), the leading cause of disease outbreaks linked to pools, can survive in a properly chlorinated pool for more than 10 days. In 2011–2012, >70 outbreaks linked to pools, water playgrounds, and hot tubs/spas were detected in the United States. Half of these
• Reapply sunscreen. • Drink plenty of fluids. These steps will help you minimize risk of illness and maximize health benefits and pool enjoyment. Healthy swimming is not just about the steps the pool operators and pool inspectors take—so let’s all do our part to help keep ourselves, our families, and our friends healthy this summer and year-round. Remember…Think Healthy. Swim Healthy. Be Healthy School Health Centre
All images in the exhibition, and all official photographs from UNIS Hanoi events, for the 2014-15 school year are available to order by visiting www.timbarnsley.com To order any images, visit www.timbarnsley.com and click on the relevant UNIS Hanoi folder then click on the image you would like to order to see the file number. Complete THIS FORM by filling in the folder name and relevant number of the photograph, e.g. Through the Lens Exhibition Images No. 5 or Spring Fair March 2015 No. 7 Return the completed form with payment in cash (200,000 VND per photograph requested) to the UNIS Hanoi Advancement Office (upstairs B7 Room 102). A high-resolution digital file will be sent to your email within 3 working days. All orders must be received before June 10.
6. Part-time (40%) IB MYP Music Teacher (semester two)
UNIS Hanoi is inviting applications for the following vacancies:
7. IB MYP English B Teacher - Maternity Leave Cover: August – October (to be finalized)
1. Database Assistant 1. Part-time (40%) IB MYP English “B” Teacher 2. Part-time (40%) IB MYP Music Teacher - Specialization in Orchestra/Strings 3. Part-time (40%) IB MYP Mathematics Teacher 4. Part-time (20% – 40%) IB MYP Dance/Drama Teacher 5. IB MYP Product/Digital Design Teacher (first semester only)
To view more information about these openings at UNIS Hanoi, and to apply online, please visit our website at www.unishanoi.org/jobs