Dear Parents and Students
 

Welcome to the 2013-14 academic year at The British International School.  To returning families, I hope you had a refreshing break and that you are ready for the new school year.  To those new families joining us, we are delighted to have you with us and I very much look forward to getting to know you over the coming weeks.

Orientation Day for new families

New students in all year groups and their parents are invited to the Orientation Day at 1.30 pm on Friday 23^rd August in the Theatre on the sixth floor of the AP2 campus.  This is a good opportunity to meet the senior staff at the school, have a look at the facilities with your children and meet other parents.  The Parent Teacher Group will be on hand to provide information and show people around.  Students transferring from Year 6 of BIS have already had their orientation and do not need to attend on that day.  If you missed the orientation in June, you are welcome to attend on Friday, of course.
 

Parent Handbook

A Parent Handbook will be provided to each new family at the start of the term and a PDF version will be available on the school website for all returning families.  This contains much of what you need to know as parents of BIS and information on whom to contact for further details.
 

School Uniforms

School uniforms and student lunch cards pre-loaded with VND500 000 have been available in the Auditorium since 12^th August 2013 and will continue to be available all this week. 
 

Start of Term

The new school year starts in full with Registration in Form Rooms at 7.55 am on Monday 26^th August 2013.  Students should arrive in school between 7.30 and 7.45 am.  The BIStro will be open from 7 am and Form Room details will be displayed in the Undercroft and on the LCD screens.  Year 7 students will meet in the BIStro at 7.55 am to be escorted to their Form Rooms.  The Monday of the second week, 2^nd September, is a public holiday and the school will be closed that day.
 

Laptops

The next phase of our 1-1 laptop programme starts this year.  All students in all secondary year groups 7-13, will need to bring their own laptop computer to school every day for use in lessons.  Detailed information about this was sent out last term.  If you would like the information sent again, if you have a question or need further advice or information, please contact Mr. Ben Turner, Assistant Head (benjaminturner@bisvietnam.com).
 

We welcome a number of new teachers to the An Phu Secondary Campus this term.  As an expanding school we are fortunate to be able to appoint a larger number of teachers.  They arrived in Ho Chi Minh City mid-August and have already been spending time settling in and working in school with their new colleagues, preparing for the start of term.

We have an exciting term ahead.  Attached to this letter is an outline of the key events this year.  This calendar is also in the Parent Handbook and will be in the first two editions of BISbuzz.  Do check BISbuzz for any changes to dates or times throughout the year.  In the early weeks, parents are invited to Parent Information Evenings.  These are largely informal events where information relevant to individual year groups is presented and where parents have an opportunity to meet parents of similar age children in the school.  Information about the January residential trips will be provided as well as an outline of key events of the year, including our International Day on 18^th October, just before the half term break.

 

I look forward to seeing you all for the new school year.

 

With best regards

 

Richard Dyer

Head Teacher

 

AP2 Events Calendar 2013-14

Please note that the dates below were set in June 2013 and may be subject to change.  Please contact the school for confirmation.  Confirmed dates appear in BISbuzz and BISblog each week.

 

 

Date		Events	Time
August 2013	23	Year 12 Induction Day New Pupil Orientation	13.30 – 15.00
	26	START OF TERM	07.45
	30	PTG – Welcome Coffee	08.15 – 09.00
September 2013	02	Vietnam National Day
	03	6th Form Information Evening	18.30 – 19.30
	04	Year 7 Information Evening	18.30 – 19.30
	05	Year 8 – 11 Information Evening	18.30 – 19.30
	06	Y12 Group 4 Project (Introduction)	09.30 – 10.50
	09	Activities Start
	12	Fire Evacuation Drill	12.10 – 12.30
	13	PTG Meeting Year 10 Dragons’ Den	08.15 – 10.00 15.00 – 17.00
	13&16	Year 7 MIDYIS Tests	All day
	17	Y12 Group 4 Project	All day
	19	Moon Festival PTG – Cheese & Wine	19.00 – 21.00
	20	Cambridge Overseas Interview Deadline UCAS
	21	ABRSM High Scorers Concert	19.00 – 21.00
	23	Year 12 CEM IBE tests	01.30 – 02.40
	24	Lockdown Drill	12.10 – 12.30
	25	Year 9 Parent Options Evening	16.00 – 18.00
	27	PTG Quiz
	28 – 29	Vietnamese IB Trip	All day
	29	BBGV Run
October 2013	05 – 06	(SAT Test External)
	08	Year 11 Parents Options Evening	18.30 – 20.00
	10	Battle of the Bands	19.00 – 21.00
	11	PTG Meeting	08.15 – 10.00
	11 – 13	Year 11 Geography Trip	All day
	15	Oxford & Cambridge Deadline for Medicine Dentistry & Veterinary UCAS
	16	Year 9 Parent Teacher Student Conference PTG Lost Property	16.00 – 18.00 12.30 – 13.30
	17	Year 7 Settling – in Letter
	18	International Day	All day
	21 – 25	Holiday
	29	Drama Monologue Competition	18.30 – 20.00
November 2013	01	Careers – USA EA/ED Deadline
	02 – 03	(SAT Test External)
	02	BIS Invitational Swim Gala ABRSM Theory Exam	All day
	05	Drama Year 12 Studio Production	18.00 – 19.00
	07	Senior UKMT (Maths competition)
	08	PTG Meeting	08.15 – 10.00
	07 – 09	SEOMUN (Seoul Model United Nations)
	07 – 10	Phuket 7s Football
	11	Year 10 Geography Trip	All day
	12	Year 13 Parent Teacher Student Conference	16.00 – 18.00
	14 - 19	FOBISSEA Music Festival
	15	Year 10 & 12 Short Report
	15 – 16	UNIS Invitational Swim Meet
	20	Year 11 Parent Teacher Student Conference Teacher’s Day Drama Workshop	16.00 – 18.00   13.00 – 21.00
	21 – 25	U15 FOBISSEA Games
	24	Terry Fox Run	08.00 – 08.30
	25 – 29	MFL Year 13 Written Assignment
	28	Year 9 & 11 Options Final Deadline Year 8 Parent Teacher Student Conference	16.00 – 18.00
	29	Psychology Sleep Study
December 2013	01	Activities Finish
	04	Sports Day	All day
	05	IGCSE PE Moderation	All day
	06	PTG Meeting
	06 – 08	Bangkok Feeding Frenzy Swim (TBC)
	07	English IB Literature IOC’s
	07 – 08	(SAT Test External)
	10	PTG Lost Property	12.30 – 13.30
	11 – 12	Winter Concert – All Day Rehearsal	All day
	12	Winter Concert	19.00 – 21.00
	13	Year 8  English Dragons’ Den	All day
	14	Christmas Bazaar	09.00 – 14.00
	16	House Drama Competition
	18	Year 7 Short Report END of TERM
	19 Dec – 07 Jan	Holiday
January 2014	08	START of TERM
	09	PTG Newcomers Coffee
	09 – 21	Year 11 & 13 Mock Examinations	All day
	10	PTG Meeting	08.15 – 10.00
	11	English IB Literature IOPs
	13 – 17	TRIPS WEEK
	15	Deadline for UCAS Application (except Art & Design)
	20	Activities start
	20 – 21	LAMDA Exams	All day
	22 – 24	FOBISSEA MUN
	23	PTG Cheese & Wine	19.00 – 21.00
	25 – 26	(SAT Test External)
	25 – 04 Feb	Tet Holiday
February 2014	06	Intermediate UKMT
	06 – 08	FOBISSEA Drama Festival	All day
	10	Year 12 English Graham Greene Trip	All day
	11	IB / IGCSE Performance Music Evening	18.00 – 19.00
	14	Valentine’s Disco PTG Meeting	19.00 – 21.00 08.15
	15 – 16	D of E IA Year 10 & 12 Practice Expedition
	17 – 21	Individual Student Photographs (TBC)	All day
	19	Year 7 Parent Teacher Student Conference	16.00 – 18.00
	21	PTG Quiz	16.00 – 18.00
	22	Prefect Training Day	All day
	24 – 28	MFL Year 13 IB Orals
	27 – 28	SEAMC
	28	Year 11 & 13 Full Report Careers Mid – Year Reports to Colleges
March 2014	01	ABRSM Theory Exam	All day
	01 – 02	SEAMC
	06	Year 12 Parent Teacher Student Conference Year 10 – 12 Swim Gala	16.00 – 18.00 09.30 – 12.30
	07	House Talent Competition
	08	Entry Tests	09.00 – 12.00
	08 – 09	(SAT Test External)
	10	Year 11 & 13 Invitational Parent Teacher Student Conference English B IB Individuals Orals	16.00 – 18.00
	11 – 12	Spring Concert Full Day Rehearsal	All day
	12	Spring Concert – BEN THANH Theatre	18.30 – 20.30
	13	Year 11 Mathematics Second Mock (TBC)	02.30 – 05.30
	13 – 17	U13 FOBISSEA Games
	14	PTG Meeting	08.15 – 10.00
	17 – 21	MFL Year 11 IGCSE Orals
	17	Morrisby Profiling (Year 10)
	18	IGCSE PE Moderation	All day
	19	PTG Lost Property ESL IGCSE Orals	12.30 – 13.30
	20	Year 10 Parent Teacher Student Conference	16.00 – 18.00
	21 – 23	SAIMUN (Saigon Model United Nations)
	21	Vietnamese Year 9 Trip Year 9 & 11 Confirmation of IB/ IGCSE Options	All day
	25 – 27	Production	19.00 – 21.00
	23	Activities Finish
	24	UCAS Deadline for Art & Design
	28	END of TERM Year 7 Full Report / Year 8 Short Report / Year 9 Full Report
March 29 -13 April		Holiday
April 2014	14	START of TERM
	19 – 22	Year 12 D of E IA Assessed Expedition
	21	Activities start
	21 – 25	Y10 Morrisby Feedback Interviews	All day
	22	Vietnamese Year 8 Trip	All day
	23	Year 7 – 9 Swim Gala	09.30 – 12.30
	24	PTG AGM	08.15 – 09.15
	25	Year 13 Lessons Finish Year 13 MUFTI Day Year 13 Final Assembly
	26 – 27	Year 10 D of E IA Assessed Expedition
	28	Year 7 English Midsummer Night’s Dream Performances
	29	Year 11 Lessons Finish Year 11 Final Assembly Junior UKMT
	30	Careers Final Report to Colleges
	30 – 2 May	Reunification Day/ Labour Day
May 2014	02 – 04	Year 7 – 9 ISTA Drama Trip	All day
	03 – 04	(SAT Test External)
	05 – 23	IB Exams IGCSE Exams
	08 – 09	Year 12 English Production	18.00 – 20.00
	17	Admissions Tests English IB Language & Literature IOC’s	09.00 – 12.00 All day
	20	Year 10 & 12 Drama Showcase	18.00 – 19.30
	22	IB Art Exhibition	17.30 – 19.00
	24	Y13 GRADUATION	All day
	26 – 30	Internal Exam Week Year 9 Insight Tests
June 2014	01	PTG Second Hand Sale	0900-1200
	02 – 11	IGCSE Exams
	07	BIS Aquathlon	All day
	07 – 08	(SAT Test External)
	11 – 20	ABRSM Exams	All day
	10	Year 6 Parent Transition Meeting	15.00 – 16.00
	11	House Song Competition
	12 – 13	IB Induction for Y11	All day
	13	Year 11 PROM PTG Quiz PTG Meeting	19.00 – 22.00 16.00 – 18.00 08.15 – 10.00
	14	ABRSM Theory Exam
	15	Activities finish
	16 – 17	KS 3 Drama Showcase	18.00 – 20.00
	19	Year 10 & 12 Invitational Parent Teacher Student Conference	16.00 – 18.00
	20	Inter-house Dodgeball	15.00 – 17.00
	23	Public Speaking Competition Final	All day
	24	Innovation Day	All day
	26	Prize Giving	13.00 – 14.30
	27	END of TERM Year 8 – 10 – 12 Full Report End of KS (Year 9) Summative Report	11.30
	28	Holiday