Weekly Highlights 15/05/2026

Weekly Highlights is a weekly newsletter sent by the BVIS Leadership Team to parents, providing updates on notable news and activities at the school. The newsletter consists of three main sections: updates from the Principal, Head of Primary, and Head of Secondary.

Dear Parents,

In the course of my career as a teacher, I have been asked more times than I can count on how, as parents, we can get our children to talk to us more about school.  Parents worry when their children reply with only single word answers to questions.  If we add in the distractions of phones and devices for both children AND parents, sometimes creating the conditions for meaningful conversations seems impossible. 

It can leave us wondering what our children are really thinking or feeling. Often, children do want to share, but they need the right kind of invitation and environment to do so. This is not just for our youngest learners, this applies to children all the way to adulthood and beyond!

Open-ended questions are far more effective than yes/no questions because they encourage children to reflect and share more fully. Instead of asking if the day was good, try asking what made them smile, what they enjoyed most, or whether anything felt challenging. Questions that invite storytelling, curiosity, and reflection help children open up and feel genuinely heard.

Timing also plays an important role. Right after school may not be the best moment, as children are often tired or need time to decompress. More natural opportunities for conversation tend to arise during relaxed, low-pressure moments such as car rides, shared meals, bedtime, or when doing an activity together. These settings allow conversation to flow more naturally rather than feeling forced. 

Equally important is how we ask. Children respond best when they feel they are being listened to without judgement or pressure. Slowing down, avoiding too many questions, and allowing pauses can make conversations feel more comfortable. Showing curiosity rather than rushing to solve problems, and modeling openness by sharing parts of our own day, can also encourage children to do the same.

It’s important that we give our children our full attention and not scroll on our phones at the same time! 

It’s helpful to remember that every child communicates differently. Some may take longer to open up, while others may express themselves more indirectly. 

There has been lots happening across Primary and Secondary this week. Please keep reading to find out more and perhaps get some ideas as to what to ask your child to begin a meaningful conversation.

A reminder about 2 important items for all BVIS families. The first reminder is about our BVIS Summer School.  The details are on the poster below and the discount to join ends at the end of this month so sign your children up soon!

Contact Us

Should you wish to contact your child’s Class Teacher(s) or Form Tutor directly, we encourage communication to be written in the language you most feel confident to use. 

Parents may also find it useful to contact their child’s class teacher(s) or form tutor directly for all individual queries about their academic work/social and emotional wellbeing in school. Individual contact details can be found in the Parents’ Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists. 

As we dive into this new term, we are excited about the many enriching learning opportunities that await us for this last section of the academic year. This week and last week the focus on musical talent was amazing (see below) and we are looking forward to our FOBISIA athletes competing in Thailand. They are busy every Thursday and Friday preparing to compete internationally against other schools in Asia later this June. They will compete in football, swimming, athletics and t-ball; showcasing their skills and sportsmanship on a larger stage. With the speech and poetry competition, the summer music festival, trips, exit points and lots of in-class learning, this final term will be filled with challenges and successes. We can’t wait to see all that our students will achieve!

Young Musician of the Year Assembly and Evening Events

Last Friday morning, BVIS Primary held an inspiring Young Musician of the Year Assembly, where our talented finalists showcased their musical abilities in front of an enthusiastic audience. Following on from this, we hosted the Young Musician of the Year Ho Chi Minh event this week. On Tuesday evening, our finalists along with students from other schools in HCMC came together to perform at BVIS. The audience listened attentively to each performance, appreciating the hard work and dedication the students had put into their music. From captivating piano pieces to heartfelt vocal performances, this wonderful evening highlighted the incredible talent amongst our young students in Ho Chi Minh city, leaving everyone excited for future musical endeavours. Well done to all!

F2 Trip to Kidzoona

Our F2 students had a fantastic trip to Kidzoona this week, where they enjoyed a range of fun and active experiences designed to support the development of their physical abilities. Through climbing, balancing, jumping and collaborative play activities, the children developed their coordination, strength and confidence while also practising teamwork and communication skills in an exciting and engaging new environment.

Y3 trips to Marou Chocolate

This week, our Year 3 students enjoyed an exciting visit to Marou as part of their IPC learning. Across the week, each class had the opportunity to explore how chocolate is made, from cocoa bean to chocolate bar, while learning more about the history and production process behind one of Vietnam’s most famous chocolate brands. The trip provided a wonderful hands-on learning experience, bringing their classroom learning to life and inspiring curiosity through discovery and tasting opportunities along the way.

The Canopy – Physical Development Room for Early Years

We are excited to share that the finishing touches are being added to our new physical and sensory development room, known as The Canopy, designed specifically for our Early Years students. This innovative facility will support young learners' physical and sensory development through various engaging activities and equipment. The Canopy will facilitate the growth of essential skills outlined in assessment in line with Development Matters. This includes gross and fine motor skills through climbing, balancing, and coordinated play, as well as nurturing children's sensory exploration and self-regulation, promoting language development and social skills as they interact with peers in a safe and stimulating environment.

Upcoming Events:

21/05 – Parents Canteen Visit
21/05 – Speech and Poetry Competition Final
27/05 – Y6 to Y7 Transition Workshop for Parents
27/05 – Y5 Trip to Museum
27-29/05 – Lower Primary Project Curiosity Event
29/05 – Children's Day Activities

Parent Partnership Event 5 – Puberty

ECAs

Since returning from the Easter break, students have quickly re-engaged with the school’s ECA programme, enthusiastically participating in a wide range of activities across the school. From cooking club and Python coding to pickleball, table tennis, and a variety of board games, there has been a fantastic buzz around the school as students reconnect with friends, learn new skills, and try new experiences.

ECAs play an important role in student development beyond academics. By participating in extra-curricular activities, students build confidence, teamwork, communication skills, creativity, and resilience. These opportunities also encourage students to discover new interests, strengthen friendships, and develop a healthy balance between academic study and personal wellbeing.

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm students have shown so far this term. Any students who would still like to join an ECA, even at this stage, are encouraged to speak to Mr Brown, who will be happy to support them in finding an activity to get involved in.

PE Department

This week marks the final round of City Championships for the 2025–26 academic year and what an exciting way to close another fantastic year of sport at BVIS. Throughout the year, our squads and teams have shown outstanding commitment, resilience and determination in training sessions, fixtures and tournaments across the city. The hard work, teamwork and dedication shown by our students has been something to be incredibly proud of.

This week, all eyes turn to the U13 and U15 badminton teams as they compete in the final City Championship tournaments of the year. The players have worked tirelessly to prepare, developing their technical skills, tactical understanding and teamwork throughout the season. We are excited to see them step onto the courts and represent BVIS with pride, passion and sportsmanship. Good luck to all players competing this week as they aim to finish the season strongly and hopefully bring home the championship trophies. Meanwhile, in curriculum PE lessons, students across the school are continuing to develop their water polo skills as part of this term’s unit of work. Lessons have focused on building confidence in the water, improving passing and shooting techniques, understanding tactical movement and developing teamwork in game situations. The unit will culminate in an exciting end-of-year water polo tournament where students will have the opportunity to showcase everything they have learned in a competitive and enjoyable environment.

It promises to be another brilliant week of sport at British Vietnamese International School with plenty to celebrate both in competition and within the PE curriculum.

Sparx Maths Champions

The Sparx Maths Weekly Champion is the student who is the top XP earner in each year group.  
 
Students earn XP by completing tasks in their Sparx Homework 
  
Compulsory Tasks earn 60-80XP 
XP Boost Tasks earn 120-150XP 
Target Tasks earn 120-150XP 
Independent Learning Tasks earn 100XP 
  
Students reach a new Sparx Level every 10000XP 

Top XP earners this week are: 

Bedrock Champions

This week’s bedrock champions are:  

Year 7 Le Hong Minh Khue (Celine)
Year 8 Tran Bao Nam
Year 9 Pham Le Phuc Hung
Year 10 Nguyen Pham Duy Anh (Su Hao)
Year 11 Nguyen Chi Hieu
 
Congratulations to all the above students who came up on top in their respective year groups. A special well done to Nguyen Pham Duy Anh (Su Hao) who achieved the highest Bedrock points total across the whole of the secondary school this week! 

Champion of the week!

This week’s champion is... 



Congratulations and well done to Justin! 

Champion Tutor Group of the week!

This week’s Champion tutor group is  

Congratulations to 789v/hanoi1. Well done!

Housepoint Totals

Congratulation to Hue house, who have held the top of the leaderboard!

Upcoming Event 

21/05: 9BV Parents Evening
26/05: 9IS Parents Evening
03/06: Parent Partnership Event 6: Summer Learning
10/06: Secondary Sports Awards Ceremony
10/06 – 11/06: Y6 Transition Days
11/06: Whole School Music Concert
12/06: Student Leadership Training
15/06 – 18/06: Activities Week and Y11 Work Experience
19/06: Last Day of Term

Safeguarding and Child Protection

The health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains the number one priority at BVIS HCMC.

Should you have a concern for the welfare of any child in our school, please refer to our Safeguarding poster below: