UNIS Hanoi’s Weekly Community Newsletter Volume 21, Edition 5, Friday 12 September
NEXT WEEK… MONDAY, 15 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
COMING SOON MONDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 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)
PYP Parents’s Workshops (p.4 - 5)
What’s New in the MYP? (p.4)
For 12th Graders and Parents (p.6)
Community Garden (p.6)
UNIS Hanoi Co-Curricular Family Group (p.7-8)
ES Snack Sale (p.9)
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
Welcome to UNIS Hanoi Alan Daltry, K2-AB
Mason D'Arcy, Disc-TU Lennox D'Arcy, K1-KM
Youn Kyoung (Jenny) Kim, 4HK
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, [email protected]
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
weekly Tin Tuc. Meetings are open to the wider
community to attend. An advance email to
[email protected] 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:
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: [email protected]
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
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 [email protected] 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
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.
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.
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
But what are the changes, and how will they impact learning for our students?
Focus on conceptual understanding
Embedding learning in relevant global contexts
Revised subject objectives and assessment criteria
Approaches to learning
The Grade 6-10 MYP curriculum handbook (forthcoming) will provide more detailed information. Parents are invited to attend an information evening in September.
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.
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.
WHEN?
WHAT TIME?
WHERE?
September 18, 2014
18:00 – 19:30
Library
Mon, Sep 15 13:20-14:00
Miami University, Oxford 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 13:20-14:00
Lafayette College Eugene Gabay, Senior Assoc. Director of Admissions
Fri, Sep 19 13:20-14:00
European University Geneva Kenneth Quah, Regional Recruitment Manager
Tue, Sep 30 13:20-14:00
Lewis & Clark College Bridget Flaherty, Assistant Director Intl Admission Mercyhurst University Eric G. Evans, Director of International Admissions
“College Night”
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.
Available Week of September 15
At the Garden
(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
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
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.
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.
What gym offers Zumba, Yoga or Pilates classes?
Where is the best place to buy my groceries?
What to do with ALL my free time?
Want to learn how to drive a motorbike?
Where should I go if my child has a fever?
Which dental services are available in Hanoi?
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
As a Nut and Allergy Aware campus snacks
CANNOT CONTAIN NUTS
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: [email protected]
Masumi Tsuda: [email protected]
Bo young Hwang: [email protected]
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!
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
[email protected], or [email protected]
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.
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
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
training uniform)
***A discount of 10% off the clinic fee & priority placement for slots
available will be given to participants UNIS Hanoi students.
www.frmhanoi.com
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to
contact either Tarique Al-Iesa, Director of Activities
([email protected]) or Lionel Wong from the
Foundation Real Madrid Hanoi team
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)