tintuc@unishanoi.org UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter Volume 21, Edition 5, Friday 12 September
NEXT WEEK…
COMING SOON
MONDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER
MONDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER
MAP Testing Grades 6-8 (September 15 - 18) Parent Focus Group Consultation for Accreditation Self-Study, 19.00-21.30
TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER
MYP Information night for Returning Parents, 18.00-19.00, Black Box Room PYP Interactive for Returning Parents, 19.00-20.00, Black Box Room
THURSDAY,18 SEPTEMBER
Grade 12 College Info Night for Parents and Students, 18.00-19.30, Library
FRIDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER
International Peace Day (ES) ES Snack Sale Morning, 08:30 - 10:30 HS Day Parent/Faculty Social Event (SCO), 19.30
MSHS Trip Week, 22 - 26 Sep
WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER
Grade 5 Camp, 24 - 26 Sep Strategic Management Plan 2015-2020 Task Force Meeting, 07:00 - 08:30 Advancement Committee Meeting, 12:00 - 14:30 Community Hors d'Oeuvres with the Head of School, 19:00 - 20:30
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER Board of Directors Meeting, 17:30 - 19:30 SATURDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER APAC Tennis Matches - Group 1, 09:00 - 11:30 APAC Tennis Matches - Group 2, 12:00 - 14:30
IN THIS WEEK’S TIN TUC - The Highlights... Notes from the Head of School (p.2) Notes from the Board of Directors (p.2) UN Day Flag Parade (p.3)
Community Garden (p.6) UNIS Hanoi Co-Curricular Family Group (p.7-8) ES Snack Sale (p.9)
PYP Parents’s Workshops (p.4 - 5) What’s New in the MYP? (p.4) For 12th Graders and Parents (p.6)
Community Connection Fair (p.10) SCO Sparkly Social Save the Date (p.11) News from the SCO Boutique (p.11)
I would like to start out this week with a reminder of two important all school events coming up in the next week. On Saturday, 13 September the Community Connections Fair will be set up in the Centre for the Arts and we hope everyone can stop by. This Fair is described in much detail further along in this Tin Tuc. Also, next Friday night the SCO is sponsoring its first major social event of the year. The Sparkly Social is becoming an annual event and once promises to be a night of great fun and wonderful community building. Again this event is spelled in more detail further along in this Tin Tuc. I also want to mention that the first of four open sessions with me and the other administrators will be held on Wednesday, 24 September in the Community Room beginning at 1900. “Hors d’Oeuvres with the Head of School” (when it is in the morning it is appropriately called “Breakfast with the Head of School”) is offered to provide
The Board held an orientation session for new members of the Board’s committees and task forces this week. Providing an orientation for all committee and task force members is part of the Board’s commitment to best governance practice. It helps lay the foundation of knowledge and skills required for effective membership so that new members can quickly become an effective part of the Board team. Please click here to see the membership roster for the committees and task forces for this school year. All meetings are published on the school calendar and in the
parents on a quarterly basis with direct access to the senior leadership team including myself for questions, concerns and suggestions. We also will have a short presentation on some aspect of the school that we want to share. At this session, we will talk briefly about external accreditation and how it helps us to maintain our high expectations by being measured against international standards of excellence. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this event. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and light refreshments will be provided. Respectfully, Dr. Chip Barder, hos@unishanoi.org
Welcome to UNIS Hanoi Alan Daltry, K2-AB Mason D'Arcy, Disc-TU Lennox D'Arcy, K1-KM Youn Kyoung (Jenny) Kim, 4HK
weekly Tin Tuc. Meetings are open to the wider community to attend. An advance email to boardassistant@unishanoi.org is helpful (but not essential) to confirm your attendance. On behalf of the Board, I thank the parents who volunteer their time to be members of the Board’s Committee and Task Forces. Please click here to see more details about the parent and community members serving this school year. For more information on Board committees and task forces, visit here on the UNIS Hanoi website. Best regards, Sarah Garner, Board Chair
We are busy preparing for one of the main highlights of the year – UN Day! The spectacular Parade of Nations will as usual launch the ceremony when all the flags of the countries represented in the school will be carried on a parade through our audience and above their heads on the mezzanine balcony. In order to select students we refer to the students’ registered nationalities on our database system. We select the youngest (above grade 1 when possible), oldest and longest enrolled child to carry their nation’s flag. If a child has already had an opportunity to carry the flag we then look for the next youngest, oldest or longest enrolled. We consider students who have a particular nation listed as their first nationality initially followed by students who have this listed as their second nationality where necessary. Having selected students to carry the flag for their own countries we then select our longest enrolled students to carry the UN flag and to help carry the flags for nations that have less than three students of this nationality. If a student helped carry a flag that was not their own, in the previous year, they may still be considered to carry their own flag the following year. We have sent out invitations to flag bearers already and are awaiting their prompt replies. So far the countries we have invited students to represent the following nations: Angola
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bolivia
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ethiopia
France
Ghana
Guatemala
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea
Laos
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Malaysia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Norway
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Seychelles
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
UNIS Hanoi
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
UN Flag
For any questions in what can become a complex process, please don’t hesitate to contact our lead coordinator for the Parade of Nations, ES Deputy Principal, Jan Humpleby: esdprincipal@unishanoi.org
International schools can sometimes be confusing places for parents. The way students are taught in international schools and the way a curriculum is organised is sometimes very different from what parents have experienced in their home countries. At UNIS Hanoi we follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). This framework guides UNIS Hanoi about how to teach, what to teach and how to organised our curriculum. All UNIS Hanoi students from Discovery to Grade 5 are currently experiencing the IBPYP. One of the key features of the IB PYP is children learn through inquiry. They enjoy active, ‘hands on’ experiences which require critical thinking. On the 16th of September we will be inviting parents to come in and learn about the IB PYP. Parents will have the opportunity to experience what learning is like for their children. Participants will join in, active, ‘hands on’ learning experiences which will require
them to think critically. The sessions will be fun opportunities for you to meet other UNIS parents and to try out the sort of the strategies your children experience every day. I encourage as many of you as possible to attend. If you think you might come along, please could you email Phuong eccsecretary@unishanoi.org leaving your name, your child’s name, their grade level and teacher . This is just to give us an idea of how many participants there will be and the number of tables, chairs and refreshments to prepare. Don’t worry if you have said you will attend, then change your mind or you cannot make it. That is no problem. I look forward to meeting you soon. Chris Frost, PYP Coordinator pypcoordinator@unishanoi.org
Event
Details
Who should come
PYP Workshop for Everyone September 16th 7.00-8.00pm The Black Box Centre of the Arts
This is a new workshop. During this workshop parents will develop an understanding of the different ways teachers assess in the Elementary school.
Parents with children in any grade Discovery to Grade 5. Parents with an interest in assessment. Parents who are just interested in meeting other parents and having fun.
August 2014 marks the launch of new curriculum guidelines for all subject groups in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP). After four years of programme review and piloting, the IB has released the changes to the MYP framework for implementation.
But what are the changes, and how will they impact learning for our students?
UNIS Hanoi participated in the pilot of MYP Sciences, as well as optional onscreen exams for students in MYP Year 5. Some teachers from other subjects had previously been involved in the development of pilot material, and one teacher per subject group participated in an MYP workshop last spring.
Approaches to learning
The New MYP for Parents An information evening for returning parents When: Tuesday, 16 September 18:00-19:00 Where: B10 – 103 (Centre for the Arts, Black Box) Planning to attend? Click link to RSVP by Sep 8
Focus on conceptual understanding Embedding learning in relevant global contexts Revised subject objectives and assessment criteria
The Grade 6-10 MYP curriculum handbook (forthcoming) will provide more detailed information. Parents are invited to attend an information evening in September.
“College Night”
WHEN? WHAT TIME? WHERE?
September 18, 2014
Mon, Sep 15 Miami University, Oxford 13:20-14:00 Mindy Yiu, Admission Counselor University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Chelsea Keeney, Admission Counselor University of Oregon Anne Payne, Admission Counselor University of Vermont Molly Witt, Assistant Director of International Admissions Thu, Sep 18 Lafayette College 13:20-14:00 Eugene Gabay, Senior Assoc. Director of Admissions
18:00 – 19:30 Library
This Grade 12 college night presentation will provide essential information to assist both parents and students in a successful journey through the college application process. This presentation will cover information including: application deadlines, creating a college final list, how to request transcripts, IB predicted grades, generic application information, and other documents needed to apply.
Fri, Sep 19 13:20-14:00
European University Geneva Kenneth Quah, Regional Recruitment Manager
Tue, Sep 30 Lewis & Clark College 13:20-14:00 Bridget Flaherty, Assistant Director Intl Admission Mercyhurst University Eric G. Evans, Director of International Admissions
This is an important evening that will explain what the process will look like for the coming year as we work together. We expect all students and parents to attend.
Available Week of September 15 At the Garden The MS Community Garden Service Learning Group will be selling produce directly from the MS garden throughout the school year. Variety and availability will vary depending on what we have in the garden and all sales are on a first come/ first served, cash only basis. This is a great opportunity to get some delicious, local, organic vegetables, give our MS students some practical experience in business and fundraising and help us raise money to purchase supplies for a farm family on Long Bien Island that we have been involved with for the past 4 years.
(4:00- 4:30 Monday/Thursday only) Sweet Potato Greens - Rau Khoai Lang Eggplants – Cà Tím Lemon Grass – Củ Sả Galangal – Củ Riềng
Perilla – Tía Tô
As a UNIS Hanoi family you are offered a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand what a top tier international school has to offer in terms of co-curricular programming. There are many international schools around the world, but only the top schools are willing and able to commit to dedicating the necessary resources to run a top tier international school co-curricular programme. One of the key foundation pieces of our programme here at UNIS Hanoi is our affiliation with the Mekong River International Schools Association (MRISA) and the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC). Our students are afforded incredible opportunities through these two organisations whether they are directly involved or not. Any student accepting membership on a co-curricular group with UNIS Hanoi must be aware of the hosting responsibilities we accept as members of MRISA and APAC, as well as our partnership with other international schools around the world. When we host events that require overnight stays, accommodation must be provided for the visiting students. By accepting membership on a UNIS Hanoi co-curricular group, our families agree to support the programme by opening their homes and accommodating our guests. In short – if you take part in the programme, you must house visiting students Considering the number of events that UNIS Hanoi hosts each year, we also have to request support from other members of our school community to help make sure all our guests have a comfortable and safe place to stay for the duration of the event.
With the help of our UNIS Hanoi families we hope to establish a long-standing tradition of hospitality for our guests who will join us from our sister schools around the world. For those of you who are new to the concept of reciprocal housing or billeting, the following summary may help you understand what is involved and answer questions you may have. It is important to completely understand what the opportunity encompasses and what is expected. As a host family we ask that you provide the following: Accommodation - Sleeping quarters for your guest(s). Some Meals - This will primarily be breakfast each
morning and possibly two to three dinners. Most participants will be at school or the event venue during lunch time, and have an activity planned around dinner. Laundry - The students may need to have their
uniforms washed on competition/performance days. We would appreciate you helping them with this. If the best way for you to do this is to show them how to use the washer, that is fine. Transportation - We ask that you pick up your guests
at the designated location specified in the Host Family Packet which you will receive well in advance of your guest arriving. For the duration of the event, we ask you to provide transportation for visiting students between your home and UNIS Hanoi. Supervision – At least one parent or responsible adult
should be present in the home while your guests are staying with you. Tarique Al-Iesa, Director of Activities da@unishanoi.org
How many visiting students am I expected to house? Generally we prefer to put our guests up in pairs. When two visiting students are together it makes the experience more comfortable for the guests as well as the host family. However, some of our UNIS Hanoi hosts take 4 to 6 guests at a time. Do we need to give the students their own rooms or can they share? It is appropriate to put two (or more) students in a room together. Will I have mixed gender guests (e.g. one boy and one girl)? No, your assigned guests will be all of one gender. Are cots, sleeping bags, or a mattress on the floor acceptable? A bed is preferred, but cots, sleeping bags or a mattress on the floor is acceptable. If students are on the floor, there should be some form of cushioning under them i.e. air mattress, floor mattress, etc. Please provide appropriate bedding. If the participants use a taxi, do we provide taxi money? Transportation should be the responsibility of the host family. If for some reason you can’t provide transportation, please provide taxi fare or arrange for alternate transportation. In some cases UNIS Hanoi can help arrange bus transportation at a fixed pick-up/drop-off location. What is meant by curfew violations? A curfew violation occurs when a participant is not in the host family’s home by the curfew time set up for that particular event. The participants will be scheduled to be back to your homes well before curfew, allowing them plenty of time to arrive by the deadline. There should be no attempt to “cover” for the students. If a chaperone calls and your guests are not in, please tell the chaperone and they can either call back or have the students call when they arrive. The curfew time is very important to follow, and for safety reasons will be strictly enforced. If a student has broken the rules, whom do I call? If there is anything happening that you question, please call
the Director of Activities, Mr. Tarique Al-Iesa at 01258828672 immediately. Another appropriate action is to communicate with the chaperone. Either way, the Director of Activities should be informed. We do not want you to have a bad experience in anyway. A shared set of rules and expectations will be included in the Host Family Information Packet. Do parents/guardians have to be at home during housing? When housing forms go out to host families, please do not offer to house if at least one parent/guardian is not going to be in the house at the time the event will be taking place. There is not a problem housing guests if one parent/ guardian is not present at the time the activity is taking place. We understand that we are to provide breakfast, and possibly dinner for the participants, but who pays if they want to go out? If students want to go out for dinner, and it is no problem for you, they pay their meal themselves. Most visitors bring extra money for these situations. Only official group dinners are allowed and the coach/chaperone must be present with the entire group. Official group dinners or other special trips for individual groups during an event must be approved by and coordinated with the event director, and clearly communicated to the host family. Tarique AL-Iesa, Director of Activities da@unishanoi.org
New to Hanoi and still Getting Settled? Come to our Community Connections Fair! WHEN? Saturday, September 13 WHAT TIME? 9.00am - 12.00pm WHERE? UNIS Hanoi Centre for the Arts. Want to learn how to drive a motorbike?
What gym offers Zumba, Yoga or Pilates classes?
Where should I go if my child has a fever?
Where is the best place to buy my groceries?
Which dental services are available in Hanoi?
What to do with ALL my free time?
ARE THESE SOME QUESTIONS YOU ASK YOURSELF? The purpose of the Community Connections Fair is to provide useful information to our UNIS Hanoi community, especially those newly arrived expats, by bringing a variety of Hanoi's service providers and organizations together to one convenient location!
WHO WILL BE COMING? Medical Services: Hanoi Family Medical Centre, International SOS, Mozart Dental Clinic, Westcoast International Dental Clinic Fitness/Health: A-Roaming Body Worker, Bee Active Hanoi Bootcamp, Homeopathy in Hanoi, Vietjet Fighter, Zenith Yoga Centre Services/Activities: Bao Son Paradise Theme Park, BLOOM Microventures, Lacquer School, My Gym Vietnam, Naturally Vietnam/Asvelis, UNIS Hanoi School Community Organisation, UNIS Hanoi Community Education, Work Room Four Transport/Travel: Exotissimo Travel, The Hanoi Bicycle Collective, VIP Bikes Social Enterprise Interest Groups: Asian Women & Friends, Hanoi International Women's Club For more information, contact our Community Liaison Officer, Nathalie Grun in the Advancement Office.
As a Nut and Allergy Aware campus snacks
CANNOT CONTAIN NUTS
CONTRIBUTING CLASSES: K2AB, K2AS, G1JH, G2MT, G2TL, G2MA, G2RJ BRIEF HISTORY: The Elementary School Snack Sale is a long standing tradition at UNIS Hanoi. Over 20 years ago, the “Bake Sale” was created to raise funds for library books while providing students with the opportunity to taste a diverse range of snacks from all around the world! The Snack Sale has evolved into a fun opportunity for children to exercise choice, learn how to handle money and is raising awareness of the value of healthy snacks.
WHAT TO BRING IF YOU ARE A CONTRIBUTING CLASS? When it is your turn to be a contributing class, we encourage that each family supports the ES Snack Sale by providing: 10 individually wrapped homemade healthy snacks (the
value of each treat should be at least 10,000VND) A labeled container/dish with your child’s class and
name along with a list of ingredients
On the morning of the snack sale, please deliver the
snacks BEFORE 8.10am to the designated tables in the ECC or ES Courtyard Both savory and sweet snacks are welcome (i.e. fresh fruit bowl, lightly salted/sweetened popcorn, rice balls, homemade muesli bars, muffins, samosas, etc.), below are a few example of snacks provided in previous snack sales. If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions about what snacks to bring, please contact the Snack Sale Coordinators: Akiko Nakano: akiko.nakano2088@gmail.com Masumi Tsuda: ma-na10@hotmail.co.jp Bo young Hwang: soool2@yahoo.com
With just a week to go until our annual SCO “welcome to the new year” party, otherwise known as the “Sparkly Social” , it is time to dust off those sequins, buy some fresh glitter eye shadow, clip on your shiny bow tie and get ready to have fun!!! The night will start at 7.30 pm at 6 Degrees Café at 189 Nghi Tam Road ( the café above the mini coopers). There will be plenty of wine, beer, soft drinks and delicious finger food. Our favourite UNIS guys band will rock the joint, with Anna-Liza Walter singing some great tunes. DJ Taylor will keep the music pumping late into the night. It is a great way to meet new friends, catch up with old friends, and make sure your favourite teacher has a drink in their hand and is having fun! (we don’t talk about report cards!) Make sure you get your tickets NOW or before Wednesday the 17th, 5 pm to go into our “early bird” lucky draw. We will be giving away prizes such as a lovely
Ipa-nima bag, vouchers from TA Salon, and The Warehouse is donating a gift bottle of nice french bordeaux and a couple of Warehouse gift vouchers, the Press Club has donated three lunch buffet vouchers for 2 pax and One Deluxe cabin for 2 persons on the Emeraude (plus shuttle bus round trip) – just to name a few! TICKETS – still 200 000 VND (subsidized by your SCO) will be on sale until the night (limited at the door will be 500 000 VND). You can buy your tickets from the Advancement Office, or from SCO members Joh, Pippa, Renea . They will be on sale at the “Community Connections Fair” this weekend. This event is just for adults, so make sure you get your baby sitter organized now! Can’t wait to see you there!! For more details contact Pippa Wood pippa.phoenix@gmail.com, or sco@unishanoi.org
The SCO Boutique has just received a new shipment of UNIS Hanoi Phoenix shirts! Swing by and try them on when you get the chance, they sell for 100,000 VND and can also be worn for PE classes. House Shirts are not in yet but are expected to arrive the first week of October. We will notify you as soon as they are here! Boutique Hours: We have a GREAT team of volunteers that have agreed to open the shop at these times for the year…THANK YOU Boutique team! MONDAY
08:00 - 09:00 15:00 - 16:00
TUESDAY
08:00 - 09:00
WEDNESDAY
08:00 - 09:00 12:30 - 13:30
THURSDAY
08:00 - 09:00
FRIDAY
Closed
SATURDAY
Closed
UNIS Hanoi is delighted to partner with the Foundation Real Madrid Hanoi team to bring back the Real Madrid Football Clinic to Hanoi, this time Bigger and Better! This is an exciting opportunity for all our budding soccer stars - a chance to experience the current Real Madrid Youth Development programme with the Official UEFA Certified Youth Coaches from the world famous Real Madrid Football Club, here at UNIS Hanoi! During Autumn break we will be organizing Real Madrid Football Clinics in partnership with the Foundation Real Madrid Hanoi , which will run concurrently at UNIS Hanoi from Monday to Friday. There will be clinics for UNIS Hanoi students and with open registration for all football fans (aged 8-16) and another clinic with our Service Learning Programme partners to offer the opportunity of a lifetime to some of the most disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.
The Soccer Clinic for our Service Partners will take
place from 10:30 to 12:00 (by invitation only) The Soccer Clinics for UNIS Students and other
training uniform) ***A discount of 10% off the clinic fee & priority placement for slots available will be given to participants UNIS Hanoi students.
soccer fans in the Hanoi area are as follows: The cost to participate in the five session clinic will be 9,600,000 VND (which includes an official Real Madrid Morning Clinic
8:30-10:00 U10 & U14 (15 slots per age group)
Afternoon Clinic 1
14:30-16:00 U12 & U16 (15 slots per age group)
Afternoon Clinic 2
16:30-18:00 U10, U12, U14 & U16 (15 slots per age group)
www.frmhanoi.com If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact either Tarique Al-Iesa, Director of Activities (da@unishanoi.org) or Lionel Wong from the Foundation Real Madrid Hanoi team (info.frmvn@gmail.com).