Dragon Tales August 2011

Dragon

Tales

The Vientiane International School Monthly Magazine

Learning to be communicator s p.

“

2

ALSA S 2 1 e d a Gr Trip p.9

The aim of the three days was to challenge and improve our skills in a variety of fields, including teamwork, organization, collaboration and time-management. page 13

”

Grade 11 reflect on what it means to be a leader.

Director’s Notes page 1

August 2011 | Issue 5

Primary News page 2

Risk Taki

ng in the p. 10-12 pool

PYP Information Session Some questions answered

Secondary Awards Recognising student success

The IB Diploma A passport to the future

Student Council Welcoming fresh faces and new challenges

Secondary News page 4

Sports News page 12

VIS MISSION STATEMENT ທາ້ ທາຊ, ຋ ົນບ ັນ຋ານໃຈ ແລະ ກະກຽມ ນ ັກຮຽນເຂົ້າສຉ ີ ຋ ິ ຌ ົວຈິງ ູ່ ວ Áskorun hrífur nemendur og undirbýr þá fyrir lífið framundan.

Stawianie wyzwań, inspirowanie i przygotowywanie uczniow do życia

Paghahamon, Pagpupukaw, at Paghahanda sa mga Mag-aaral para sa Buhay

ความท้าทาย แรงบันดาลใจ และการเตรี ยมพร้อม สาหรับผูใ้ ฝ่ รู ้ที่ใคร่ คน้ คว้าในวิถีแห่งชีวติ uitdagend, inspirerend, en voorbereidend tot een levenlang leren Mencabar, Menginspirasi dan Menyediakan Pembelajaran Sepanjang Hayat चन ु ौती को सामना गनन उत्प्रेररत गदै (रेरणा दददै ) जीवन जजउने कऱाससक्ने

सिक्षाथॉऱाइ तयार पानेI Utmanande, inspirerande och förbereder lärande för livet Utfordrende, inspirerende og en forberedelse til resten av livet Herausforderung, Inspriration und Vorbereitung fuer ein lebenslanges Lernen 的使命是为学者们 提供一个具有挑战性，激励性及终身学习的 优异环境 Can’t see your language?

Please send in your translations to rachaelp@vislao.com

Director’s Notes

Page 1

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Primary News

Page 2

Primary Reflection

by Mr Jon Davidson PRIMARY PRINCIPAL

The Learner Profile COMMUNICATORS BALANCED OPEN MINDED PRINCIPLED KNOWLEDGABLE CARING REFLECTIVE INQUIRERS RISK TAKERS THINKERS

I would like to introduce myself to those community members whom I have yet to meet. My name is Jon Davidson and I arrived here with my family six weeks ago to take up the position of Primary School Principal.

Most of my career has been spent in international education with time spent in Portugal, Monaco, Switzerland, the Dominican Republic and Norway.

Vientiane International School is the fifth school in which I have worked that runs the International Baccalaureate and one aspect they all have in common is the value that is placed on the learner profile.

For those of you who are new to the school and the curriculum we run here, the learner profile is central to all three IB programmes: The Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. It provides a long-term vision of education, setting out ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools, parents and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.

Significantly the learner profile changed its name. It used to be called the student profile, but people working with the idea realized that everyone in a school is learning. not just our students. There are ten aspects to the learner profile, IB learners strive to be.

Learners who are communicators are able to think and communicate in more than one language. They can express their ideas by speaking, drawing and writing. They can also communicate using mathematical language and symbols.

How can parents help to develop students become communicators at home?

Encourage your child to stay in touch with relatives and friends who live in other countries by writing letters, using the phone or sending email.

When working on mathematics homework, encourage your child to explain his/her answer to you orally or by drawing a picture.

Ask your child thought provoking questions and encourage them to discuss them with you. For example: Is there anything you cannot buy with money?

Should you get an allowance? Why or why not?

Work with your child to improve their listening skills. Being a good listener is an important part of communicating with others.

A great opportunity to model what it is to be a good communicator would be to join us at our assemblies. Each month we will be sharing work we have been carrying out in school and generally coming together as a community. Everyone is to feel welcome, so please come to our next one on September 27th when you will be able to see what grade four classes have been working on in class. (And I might just find time for another poem!).

IBPYP Learner Profile

Page 3

The Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate information morning.

On Wednesday 7 September, Alison, (our PYP coordinator) and I held an information session at which we talked about the Primary Years Programme and what it looks like in our school.

We would like to thank all those people who came along and the positive feedback we received. It always good to meet parents and have a chance to talk about the one thing we are all passionate about— educating students.

In the short time we had available to us we gave a brief overview of the International Baccalaureate’s history, a bird’s eye view of the Primary Years Programme and raised the question— What do we want to teach a student in the 21st Century? If you want a brief taste of the enormity of this challenge.

-

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e The rough t quiry. for m g h n t n c i ing ng by i tant th listi o h i r y o learn ost imp s it s ver teachi d m The the PYP ning an ny difr t a abou ch to lea om so m a r o appr ildren f ch s. ing lture u c t feren

Watch this video clip

What we would

still like to know How is the PYP — (and MYP) tail ored to individu students eg. Art al talent of istic , specific to math etc.

How you know your child is get ting the basic sk ills.

UPCOMING EVENTS International Peace one Day Wednesday 21 September 2011

Primary Assembly Tuesday 27 September 2011, 8am

Secondary News

Page 4

Secondary Reflections

by Ms Kim Green SECONDARY PRINCIPAL

Communication builds Connections My reflections this month are focused around two very important concepts in education; communication and connections. Our aim is to ensure that we are communicating and making strong connections between home and school as this is what supports our learners reach their full potential. When parents and school have the same understandings and expectations we are placing our learners in the best possible situation to be successful.

To achieve this we need your support.

Over the course of the year we will be offering many different forums and platforms for communication. We know that different forms of communication suit people differently, however we do challenge you to take advantage of the face-to-face opportunities as we truly believe these are the most valuable.

Function: What is the purpose of effective, clear and transparent communication between home and school?

The purpose is for us all :  To build a strong and positive partnership between home and school, so that we all have  To have common understandings and expectations of the learning that our children are completing, so that we can  To ensure that our learners are successful.

Form: What structures do we have in place to ensure that good communication occurs that leads to strong connections between parents and VIS? Some of the structures that are in place this year for communicating in secondary and building connections are;

            

hopes and concerns coffee mornings with the Principal, three Way Conferences reports programme based workshops, subject based workshops and student presentations, college/university information sessions student exhibits of the IBDP Core and IBMYP Personal Project Active parenting workshops Social issue workshops e.g. bullying, drug education Weekly Messages in Dragons Flame Monthly Reflections and articles in Dragons Tales Email invitations and reminders

Page 5 Connection: How and why does communication allow us to be connected and establish strong relationships between home and school?

Communication allows us to be connected and establish strong relationships as  when we have questions they are answered  when we misunderstand our misunderstandings are clarified  when we are concerned our concerns are listened to Often as parents you will hear of information from your child that worries you. As teachers we need the opportunity to hear your worries and help find solutions or bring understanding to the situation. Our learners are the most open with their families and you will often know when something is not quite right. We need your help in knowing how your child is feeling, thinking and responding to their learning as this helps us work with them to ensure they reach their full potential as a learner.

Perspective: How do we prefer to communicate? How does our preferred form of communication lead to different interpretations, understandings and findings?

We all prefer different forms of communication. Some of us are great with email and for others we prefer to meet and talk face-to-face. The way we communicate and the way we prefer to communicate can lead to misunderstandings as we all use language differently and words can be interpreted differently. I encourage you to come in and talk with us face-to-face. Through this form of communication you are able to ask questions in real time and seek clarification if you do not understand what the teacher is trying to communicate. Whichever your preference we just want to communicate with you.

Responsibility: school)?

What is our responsibility to communicate (parents and

We all have a responsibility for communicating.

Parents have a responsibility to communicate with the school and teachers have a responsibility to communicate with parents. The important point is that communication is only effective and true connections are only truly made if communication is two way between home and school. We need you to take responsibility and help us by attending the many opportunities to learn more about VIS and your child’s education.

Reflection: How do we know we have built strong and lasting connections with our community through our communication?

As we move through the year I hope that by using this question you will reflect on the communication you are receiving from school and giving to school as parents. How will we know that we have built strong and lasting connections with our parents through our communication – that is only something you can help us know.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments and communicating with you throughout the year.

Page 6

Learning results in success

It was with great pleasure we hosted the Secondary Awards Ceremony at the end of the 10-11 school year. It is our annual opportunity to recognize students’ achievement over the course of a school year. There were awards for top academic students within subjects, diligence and improvement awards along with Diligence and Academic Honor Roll.

In this first edition of Dragon Tales we would like to make special mention of the following recipients of special awards and encourage all our learners to set their personal learning goals and action plans for this year. At VIS we expect all of our learners to strive to always do their best..

Special Awards The Golden Dragon award recognizes students how have made Academic Honor Roll in both Semester 1 and 2.

The Arts Award recognises two students who exhibit a passionate approach towards self-expression through the arts, contribute positively to a creative classroom dynamic and achieve high levels in all the arts subject criteria The Top Athlete Award recognises students who have excelled in extracurricular sports, demonstrated sportsmanship and leadership in sport VIS Citizenship Award recognises two students who have made a consistent commitment and contribution to VIS life and spirit, have been willingly involved in extracurricular activities, demonstrated leadership and shown care and concern for other members of the VIS community, The VIS Community Service Award regonises two students who have willingly given time and effort freely in support of others through self-initiated participation within the Lao community. They demonstrated reliability and an attitude of helpfulness and cooperation EARCOS Global Citizen Award This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen.

Go to http://www.earcos.org/std_global_list1011.php to see all the recipients from around the region.

Top Academic Student This award recognizes the top academic subject for each grade level.

‘One who learns without thinking is lost, One who thinks without learning is in great danger’ - Confucius

Top Academic Athletes

Page 7

Top Male Athlete Grade 6-8

Emmanuel Jr. (EJ) Barte

Top Female Athlete Grade 6-8

Joanna (Chelsea) Baroi

Top Male Athlete Grade 9-12

Antoinette (Toni) Phongeon

Top Female Athlete Grade 9-12

Wathana (Jin) Vangthachanh

Top Academic Student

Top Arts Awards

Top Academic Student Grade 6

Jennifer Banyadith

Top Academic Student Grade 7

Wesley Wan

Top Academic Student Grade 8

Ella Maynard

Top Academic Student Grade 9

Johanna von Behaim

Top Academic Student Grade 10

Antoinette Phongoen

Top Academic Student Grade 11

Soo Yun Hwang

Top Academic Student Grade 12

Lukas Glaeser

S2 Honor Rolls 10-11 Lisa Grages

Grade 6

Arts Award Grade 6-8

Ella Maynard

Arts Award Grade 9-12

Julie Foppes

Golden Dragon 10-11 Lisa Grages

Grade 6

Margaret (Maggie) Maden

6

Margaret (Maggie) Maden

6

Monica Fenema

6

Monica Fenema

6

Julia Usher

7

Julia Usher

7

Wesley Wan

7

Wesley Wan

7

Natalia Cervantes

7

Natalia Cervantes

7

Molly Maynard

7

Molly Maynard

7

Benjamin (Ben) McAden

7

Benjamin (Ben) McAden

7

Jimin (Rupina) Baek

8

Jimin (Rupina) Baek

8

Sengthida (Rosy) Lathanavong

8

Sengthida (Rosy) Lathanavong

8

Ella Maynard

8

Ella Maynard

8

Joanna (Chelsea) Baroi

8

Joanna (Chelsea) Baroi

8

Johanna von Behaim

9

Johanna von Behaim

9

Robert Dixon

9

Robert Dixon

9

Maite Delneuville

9

Maite Delneuville

9

Blake Gardiner

10

Blake Gardiner

10

Souphaphone (Jennifer) Banyadith

6

Christoph Batz

6

Duckyong (David) Eum

6

Alexandra Phongoen

9

Adeeba Bajwa

6

Antonia Fischer

6

Molly Maynard

7

Jungmin (Danny) Park

7

Samuel Vitikainen

8

Syafiq Kasmirhan

8

Junha (Brian) Kwon

9

Ju Hui Lee

9

Thuy Thu (Kate) Duong

9

Yong Hwan (Kevin) Nam

9

Silayan Bertomeu

9

Antoinette (Toni) Phongeon

10

Page 8

the yummy Lao cuisine. Over the course of Learning to be eat three days we, as a year level, learnt many and many of us met our stressed out Leaders lessons side. It is hard to lead a team of people, even more so when they are your friends. You don’t want to get angry at them. After three days of workshop we improved our skills in working collaboratively by leaps and bounds. We were able to get to know and trust each other, which was especially good for the new students.

Some of the tasks were really challenging, like creating a game for the other group or building a tower with Lego bricks in the least amount of time and using the least amount of bricks. We had a really exciting time, and all these skills we

From August 17 – 19 Grade 11 students from VIS undertook a three day Leadership Retreat which was facilitated by Ms. Nikki Hutchison and Dr Silke Stoeber. The aim of the three days was to challenge and improve our skills in a variety of fields, including teamwork, organization, collaboration and time -management.

Mrs. Stoeber has much experience in leading team building workshop at German universities. Her programmes were even used by the US Army.

The first day, on Wednesday, was quite exciting for us; to be honest we all thought this was a one way ticket for an early weekend. We couldn’t have been more wrong! With an eight o’clock departure time we scooted off on the buses which took us to the Riverside Hotel which has a beautiful view of the Mekong River.

We met Mrs. Stoeber, where she introduced us to the three day programme. Afterwards we were separated into two groups.

The first and one of the most important tasks during the workshop was to come up with a plan on how the group wanted to work as a team. The goal was to finish the task, complete it on time and work efficiently.

On a big board, we tried to create an outline of how to meet these goals. After this there was reflection time, where we talked about the good things and the bad things we had done and tried to change our plan and improve it.

Everyone’s true colors came out - it was really interesting to see people’s different personalities. Some were leaders, while others liked to analyze the situation and then contribute.

In between the hectic planning and conducting of each task, lunch would be our reprieve time where we would sit down and

have learnt or developed we can use throughout our time in the IB Diploma and beyond, due to the importance of team work.

Cassian Herbon, Cara McCartney Clara Lachet, Julien Baillache

IBDP IN ACTION Grade 12 SALSA Trip This year study trip we went to Oudomxay, where we stayed in safari tents in the ―middle of nowhere‖. Luckily, we had very interesting neighbor; the Kamu people are a tribe that has settled in Oudomxay for over 2 centuries.

At the moment this village holds over 175 people, 75 houses and one primary school. As for us, we participated in many activities such as swimming in the Mekong, trekking, and compiling a village census that will be given to Apple-tree Asia company for their future reference and cooperation with Kamu people.

We hope to foster our ties with the village over the next few years, in not only trying to conserve the distinct Kamu Future, but also in trying to improve the peoples’ living standards, education and facilities by providing dispensary and school library.

Overall, the trip was a great opportunity for us as students to experience, the ethics and morals of Kamu people, and their simple yet honest lives. Living in the wild with no access to electricity, and clean water, we learned how grateful we should be for what we have now.

Page 9

The IB Diploma at VIS

Page 10

The curriculum of the 11th and 12th Grade at VIS is the IB Diploma Programme. The programme of studies for the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a two year sequence of learning. It is a challenging programme for students with different abilities and aptitudes who come from varying educational backgrounds and who have differing educational and occupational ambitions. To cater for these different needs, there are two variations of this curriculum offered: 1. IB Diploma Programme 2. IB Diploma Courses IB Diploma Programme Students who complete the full IB Diploma Programme are required to complete successfully all courses within the IB Diploma. Final grades are awarded by the IB based on all the programme components which are assessed through both internal and external assessments. Each of the 6 main subjects is graded on a scale from 7 (the highest) to 1. The grades are then added up to create IBDP points.

In order for a full IB Diploma to be awarded students must meet all three conditions.

Condition A complete CAS satisfactorily, achieve a minimum of a D in Theory of Knowledge achieve a minimum of a D in the Extended Essay Condition B achieve 12 points in higher level subjects with no grade below a 3 Condition C achieve a minimum of 24 points IB Diploma Courses Students may decide to pursue IBDP Courses instead of the full Diploma. In this instance a suitable programme will be established by the IBDP Coordinator. This will include some subjects and some components of the CORE (ToK, Extended Essay, CAS). At the end of the two years, IB Course students will take the final IBDP exams in appropriate subjects. They will receive an official document of results from the IB certifying the grades they achieve in those subjects.

VIS IBDP Programme Results Examination Session

Number of full IB Diploma Candidates

% IB Diplomas Awarded at VIS

% IB Diplomas Awarded in Asia Pacific

% IB Bilingual Diplomas Awarded at VIS

% IB Bilingual Diplomas Awarded in Asia Pacific

Average point total for successful candidates at VIS

Average point total for successful candidates in South East Asia

May 2010

5

60

69.22

40

35.3

26

31

May 2011

10

50

67

60

32

31.5

32

Students awarded with IB Diplomas met all three of the conditions above.

100% of students at VIS met Condition A (complete CAS satisfactorily, achieve a minimum of a D in Theory of Knowledge , achieve a minimum of a D in the Extended Essay) 80% students met Condition B (achieve 12 points in higher level subjects with no grade below a 3) 70% students met Condition C (achieve a minimum of 24 points)

Life after VIS

Page 11

Students who completed their final year of schooling at VIS have Examination Year

Number of VIS Grade 12 students

May 2011

13

% Admitted to First Choice Post- Secondary Institution 50%

% Admitted to Second Choice Post- Secondary Institution 7%

% Admitted to Third Choice Post- Secondary Institution 7%

% Gap Year

23%

Examples of VIS Students Post-Secondary Institution Acceptances

Mahidol University Bangkok Thailand Hong Kong Baptist University (Hongkong) National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan) City University (London, UK) RMIT (Melbourne, Australia) Canterbury University (New Zealand) Marketing Institute of Singapore- MIS (Singapore) Kingston University (London, UK) Bristol University (UK), Rotterdam University (Holland), Middlebury College (USA), Curtin University (Australia) Grinnell University (USA VIS congratulates the VIS IBDP May 2011 cohort on their successes and postsecondary acceptances.

You are invited to find out more and ask questions regarding the VIS 2011 Results on Friday 30th September 2011. More details will be available regarding time and location through Dragons Flame.

Sports Page

Page 12

RISK TAKING IN THE SWIMMING POOL

Watch: Grade 1 Warm Up Activity

Watch: Grade 7 Snorkeling

Student Council News Presenting this years 2011-2012 Student Council Co-Presidents: Tony Yoon and Clara Lachet Secretary: Aditi Shreshta Treasurer: Soo-yun Hwang Members: Victoria Chu Yang Heu Pipe Kamragai Silayan Bertomeu Co-presidents Arnold Adji Oda Karlsen Cara McCartney Aditi Shreshta Maggie McAden Darika Namyotha Emily Nhkum Rica Taylor Jennifer Lee Brian Kwon Wesley Wan Soo-yun Hwang Joe Sirisackda Julia Usher Secretary Johanna von Behaim Jui Hui Lee Pan Keobolith Maja Healy Bone Tiasiri Julie Foppes William Han Treasurer

Page 13

Page 14

Community News

Parents and Friends Uncovered

Board News

Page 15

AGM Board Elections Wednesday 14 September 2011, 6.30pm New candidates for our Board of Trustees will be standing for election on September 14th. This group of volunteers meet monthly to develop school policy and strategic direction and provide good governance. The information about the new candidates can be seen on display at the school entrance and on our website.

This year we will have six spaces for election to the Board with some retiring members.

Thanks for service must go to: David Dixon - David has returned to Australia due to work commitments after 18 months serving on the Board. David was active in the Policy, Finance and Development Committees and gave many hours to the good of the school.

Emma Equinot - Emma will not be standing for re-election as her work commitments have made it impossible for her to commit the continuing time to the school. Emma has been a great supporter of the service aspect of the school, providing many opportunities for the Board to influence school action to give support to our local community.

Else Veum - Else has been the Treasurer for the past two years and has given great service in that position, strengthening processes and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Else remains active in the VIS

community.

Rick Reece - Rick has served three terms on the School Board and seen VIS move from the old campus to the new, adopt the IB curriculum and grow by more than 100 students. With travel and additional work commitments, Rick is not seeking re election but will continue to be active in the community to continue the growth of the school.

Rick's passion for development, school spirit and identity has been a key driving force in the Board.

Two Trustees are standing for re election.

Bobby Allen Jr, who has been the Chairman for the past two years, and David Boyes, who is active in Development and Finance Committees. These two candidates join six new candidates standing for six total places.

In addition, the Board and administration wish to recognise Jamie McAden for his role on the Board of Trustees for the past two years. Jamie is the non-voting representative of the US Embassy and has given great support and advice in his role. The relationship with US Embassy is a valued by VIS for financial and technical support over a long period, and the school has been fortunate to have had Jamie's insights. We welcome Pam DeVolder to the seat as US Embassy representative from the September meeting.

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