October 2014 | The AIS Messenger 1

Australian International School | Issue no.16 www.aisvietnam.com

Xi Campus (Kindergarten) 190 Nguyen Van Huong StreetThao Dien Ward | District 2 | HCMCt: +84 8 3519 2727 | f: +84 8 3744 6961

Thao Dien Campus (Kindergarten & Primary School)APSC Compound 36 Thao Dien Road | District 2 | HCMCt: +84 8 3744 6960 | f: +84 8 3744 6961

Thu Thiem Campus (Kindergarten, Primary, Middle & Senior School) 264 Mai Chi Tho (East-West Highway) An Phu Ward | District 2 | HCMCt: +84 8 3742 4040 | f: +84 8 3740 7361

The AIS

Message from Executive Principal

essenger

Applying to university?

Last year all our students were offered the places they wanted at university. Does this happen by chance? Well it can, BUT we can enhance the chances of our students being offered places at the world’s top universities by all working together and following some basic rules.

The role of the SCHOOL is to:

• answerquestionsorconcernsof students or parents (please stop by and see us to arrange an appointment for an extended visit)

• encouragestudentstoattenduniversity fairs

• meetusanddiscussoptionsforfurther education and related topics

• encouragestudentstomeetwithuniversity representatives who visit AIS

• ensurethatallstudentshavehelpintheir application process

• provideguidanceindecidingbetween universities or programs within universities

• providethenecessaryAISdocumentation, transcripts, and recommendations that individual universitiesrequest

• encouragestudentstomeetdeadlines

• assiststudentswithessays/personalstatements

• facilitatetheprocessoffinding

responsestoquestionsthatstudentshave been unable to answer from their own research

Our role is not to:

• chooseuniversitiesforthestudents

• choosedegreeprogramsforthestudents

• meetdeadlinesthatarespecificto a university IF the student does not meet the internal deadline. (Completed applications should be given to us one full month prior to any external deadline.) NOTE: It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of university deadlines. These may vary between universities

• requesttheapplication

• completetheapplication

The role of PARENTS is to:

• beasupportiveforceinyourchild’sapplication process

• discusswithyourchildthevariousoptions/programsofstudies,anduniversities/countriesthattheywillconsider

• encouragethemtomeetinternaland external deadlines

• discussfinancialoptions-limitationsinevitably exist

• maintainlinesofcommunicationwiththeschoolwhenquestionsarise

The role of the PARENTS is not to:

• applyorcompleteuniversityapplications for your child

• writeyourchild’s essays or personal statement

• chooseyour child’s degree program or university

The role of the STUDENT is to:

• researchyouroptionsthroughcollege books, the AIS library, and the internet

• compilealistofpotentialcollegesand programs before the end of theuniversityyear.Refine/revisethelist over the summer and try to visit some of the universities if you are travelling in that direction. Please avoid university visits while school is in session.

• attendcollegefairsandmeetwithrepresentatives who visit our school

• listentotheadviceofyourteachers,parents, and the Principal

• workonpersonalstatementorcollegeessays(ifrequired)andcomplete them well before the School’s internal deadlines

• beproactive(Donotsitbackandexpect the process to happen, take ownership!)

• meetinternalandexternaldeadlines

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The AIS Messenger | October 20142

The year seems to be flying by withalreadyonequartergone.The speed with which the year

disappears is an indication of the level of activity in a school and it is small wonder that this year feels like it is passing by at such a rate.

In the week before the Term Break, our under 14 athletes tasted success on the basketball court. A young AIS U14boy’ssquadplayedincrediblywellandwerejustpippedinthefinaltofinishinaverycreditablesecondplace in their league. Meanwhile the girls went one better and were crowned champions.

The House Dance competition provided another competitive outlet on the last day before the break. Students from each house had been choreographing and practicing for several weeks to face off in year7/8,9/10and11-13agegroupcompetitions. Judging was handled by two professional artists from Soul Dance academy. Their feedback is below:

“On behalf of Soul Dance Academy, I would like to thank you, staff and all of AIS students for having us be a part of AIS House Dance competition. We enjoyed the competitive atmosphere filledwithcheers,laughterandcamaraderie amongst students and different ‘houses. It was great to see that AIS supports performing arts and promoted teamwork, creativity andself-expression,whicharegreatelements that facilitate growth and well-roundednessinanindividual.”

On the same day our Year 7 students celebratedtheendofthefirstterm

in Secondary school with a day of reflection, team building and house events.

Over the break, ten staff from across the three AIS campuses completed an intensivetwo-dayfirstaidcourse.Thelaughter in the room was a sign of the camaraderie and learning taking place andtheirperformanceinthefinalassessments showed how diligently they under took this opportunity.

Earlier this week the teaching staff was engaged in a professional development day. Secondary staff looked at different strategies to assistlanguageacquisitionacrossall subjects and were also engaged in designing and sharing homework and assessment activities to enhance learning.

Wednesday and Thursday saw our firstroundofparent-student-teacherconferences for the year. There is considerable research on the link between parental involvement in school and the educational process and student success. My thanks to the staff and the many parents who attended these conferences.

The conferences were chaperoned by some of our student leaders from years12and13.These‘prefects’havejust been selected and will act as ambassadors for the student body and school. Their roles fall largely into two areas; 1) as a resource and point of contact for any student 2) to help ensure the smooth running of certain aspects of the school from a student perspective. They will be easy to identify from next week as they will wear a different, orange, tie.

This week also saw the student house captains organise and run a house dodge ball competition for years 7 and8.Whilethis was happeningyears9-11wereengagedin a rotation of activities relating to planning their path through school to universityandyears12and13wererefiningtheirorganisationalandtimemanagement skills in a workshop led by Mr Hyles.

On31st October and 1st November we will host the AISA games. Mr Percasky and his team have been working hard to ensure the myriad of logistics and details are all in place for this important event. I hope we will see many of you out supporting the athletes over the weekend. More details will be sent by the athletic department.

Over the past few weeks we have been running a competition to choose a mascot for the AIS teams. Following a student led process to generate options, all students from years3-13votedfortheirpreferenceand we are now known as the AIS Titans. We have been running a design competition to create a logo for the AIS Titans, the winning design will be unveiled at the AISA games.

Message from the Deputy Executive Principal

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October 2014 | The AIS Messenger 3

Message from the Principal of Kindergarten & Primary

In last month’s edition Mr Storer wrote about parental involvement and the links to

student success. A while ago I spoke about the three legged stool and how that is similar to our children’s education and future. When one leg is not pulling its weight, the stool will wobble and eventually collapse and fall over. We do not want that to happen to our children’s education.

At AIS we are committed to promoting the involvement and engagement of parents. We send home regular reports and curriculum overviews so that parents know what their children are learning about and how well they aredoing.Wehaveanopen-doorpolicy and parents are welcome and encouraged to talk to teachers and senior leadership whenever the need arises. An important feature of this communication and involvement is the Parent Teacher Conference.

Parent Teacher Student Conferences

As one of the three legs, we are including our students in this very important conference, so children are encouraged to attend. The Parent Teacher Student Conference (PTSC) strengthens this ‘three way’ partnership and clearly shows our children that both their teacher and parents are very much interested in them. The PTSC is a time for everyone to have their say, to ask questions,tolistenandtoconsidereveryone’s point of view.

During the conference students should have the opportunity, for

example to say what they enjoy, what they are good at, what they finddifficult,andwhatispreventingthem from learning.

Forsomeparentsitmaybedifficultto know what to ask, so here are some ideas of what to ask at the PTSC:

1. How Is My Child Doing Socially and Emotionally?

For example, is your child generally happy? Does my child have many friends? Who are his friends?

2. What Do You Think My Child Is Particularly Good at?

Find out about the good stuff. Ask about personal strengths that will extend beyond school.

3. In What Areas Does My Child Need Improvement?

Your child’s teacher sees him from a different perspective than you do. Ask the teacher what personal areas for development your child needs to work on, and listen to the response with an open mind.

4. Is My Child Performing at the appropriate Year Level?

Look at your child’s books and see how this compares to year level expectations, but don’t try to compare your child to other students or siblings. Each child is different and has different strengths and learning abilities.

5. What Do These Assessment Results Really Mean?

If the teacher is using grades or standardised results don’t feel bad about asking ‘What does this really mean?’

6. Is My Child Doing His Best?

No matter where your child ranksinrelationtograde-level,one important analysis of his performance is whether he’s putting forth his best effort. Does the teacher get the sense that your child is slacking off or not focusing?

7. Does My Child Need Extra Help in Any Areas?

Your child’s teacher can tell you if your child is falling behind in a skill or a subject. Armed with that information, you can create a plan with your child to work harder in that area, before it gets too late.

8. What Can We Do to Provide That Extra Help?

Work with your child’s teacher to create a plan to help your child progress well in school. There may bespecificthingsthatyoucandoathome to help.

9. Can You Fill Me in on This Situation?

When your child has complaints about what’s going on at school ask forclarificationfromtheteacher;often your child’s side is the only side you’ve heard.

10. How Can I Contact You?

It’s good to know how to get in touch with your child’s teacher, so findoutwhetherheorsheprefersemails, phone calls or written notes.

The Parent Friends’ Group (PFG)

This is an excellent example of parents and school working together for the greater good of our children. Following the success of the Thao Dien PFG, I am pleased to inform you that we now have a PFG based at the Thu Thiem Campus. This promises to further enrich the lives of our children at all campuses. To contact the PFG at Thu Thiem or join the group, please email: PFGThuThiem@aisvietnam.com.

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BRIGHT FUTURE

The AIS Messenger | October 20144

What do you want your children to learn at school in the 21st century?

robert Crowther, Deputy Principal Primary & Kindergarten

through the annual Walk ‘n Wheels event. As well as coming in costume for Halloween, students made a donation to Grace’s Cookies which supports Heartbeat Vietnam which assists with the costs of heart surgery for young children in Vietnam. Later in the year other events will support Loreto Vietnam and the Christina Noble Foundation.

The info graphic shown above is another way at looking at the skills and attributes that today’s learner will need in order to be successful not only at school, but in life.

Action coming from the Units of Inquiry has given students opportunities to demonstrate their imagination, initiative and entrepreneurialism, to use critical thinking and problem solving skills, to define and achieve their vision, to collaborate and show resilience as well as effectively communicating their message verbally and in written form.

Students engage in a range of physical challenges through ECAs, Swim Squad, Kid Zone and representative teams. In November, students from Years 4-6 will attend outdoor education camps in Vung Tau, Dalat and Madagui. These camps will challenge students physically as well providing an opportunity for them to develop relationships with their classmates and teachers in a very different setting.

At AIS, we remain committed to offering a rigorous, challenging and stimulating academic programme using the Australian National Curriculum outcomes and the framework of the IBPYP. We also remain committed to provide something more than that in order to help our students develop physically, socially and emotionally while taking care of their environments and demonstrating a commitment to helping others. Combined, we believe that we offer the 21st century education that your child both needs and deserves.

Info graphic source: Jackie Gerstein http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/the-other-21st-century-skills/

At AIS our goal is to educate the whole child – academically, socially, emotionally and physically. We have learned that we cannot teach everything that children need to learn. Thus, we need to help them to develop the skills they need in order to investigate and make sense of the world around them.

Students engage with the IBPYP Learner Profiles and Attitudes on a daily basis. These are the attributes that go beyond the learning that takes place in the classroom and helps them to become well-rounded and thoughtful individuals who make meaningful contributions to school life and their wider community.

AIS Primary students have recently raised funds for the Saigon Children’s Charity

October 2014 | The AIS Messenger 5

PRIMARY REPORTS

All students have received their first Unit of Inquiry reports. Parents are able to

access these through ManagBac. Every parent received log in details for ManageBac last year or when they enrolled this year. If you have not been able to access ManageBac for any reason, please inform your child’s class teacher.

AISA Games

2014By Mitch Hyde & Thomas Percasky

Friday 31st October and Saturday 1st November marks

the annual AISA Games 2014. AISA is an abbreviation of Australian International School Association, which includes 9

international schools from Asia and Middle East.

In the 2014 tournament, we will have 5 schools competing. They are AIS Vietnam, AIS Singapore, AIS

Hong Kong, AIS Malaysia and AIS Indonesia. This is the first time for

AIS Vietnam to host the Games. An estimated 200 students and 30 staff from the 5 schools will be making

an appearance here in Saigon.

The sports that the teams will be competing are Basketball, Football (Soccer) Netball and Swimming.

Please come down and support the students in this magnificent event that will bring students from all

over the globe together in the name of teamwork, physical activity and

friendship!

If you have any question please feel free to contact the AIS Vietnam

Tournament Director thomas.percasky@aisvietnam.com.

For more information, please use AISA Games the link on the

School’s website.

Born in Hanoi, married with two daughters (the younger, Linh, in Year 6 at AIS), Hang attended the Language Department of Ly Thuong Kiet School, which became the famous “Amsterdam School”. After finishing school, she studied English at Hanoi University, then Economics at National Economic University, and then later undertook a Masters Degree with Columbia Southern University.

Hang was amongst the initial team employed by Ernst & Young when it set up in Hanoi in the early ‘90s. It was her first time working for a foreign company. “We didn’t know much about Western habits and fashion at that time”, says Hang. “Our foreign manager introduced us to high heels!”

After two years working as an auditor, Hang left EY to join the start-up team at Richard Ellis, an international real estate services company. Her first assignment was a tough one - to manage and market one of Hanoi’s first international-standard office buildings, the HITC Building. “It was, and still is, a lovely building, but when it opened in the mid ‘90s it was thought to be so far from the centre of town. Now everyone thinks it’s in a prime location”.

More quickly, Hang found herself in a prime location - one of very few Vietnamese people with training and experience in international real estate services in Vietnam. In 1998, she left Richard Ellis and set up her own real estate company, “eHome”. Through this, Hang and her staff assisted clients with buying and selling real estate, and managing and leasing their properties. Her clients included Trang Thien Plaza, Big C, the Metropolitan Office Building, and lots of embassies and NGOs.

In 2003, like so many other Hanoi entrepreneurs, Hang moved to Saigon.

Here, she set up a local office of MAI, a US real estate services company. With this company, Hang did site acquisition work for Nortel and Ericsson, as they developed mobile phone networks throughout Vietnam.

In 2007, Hang sold this business to Cushman & Wakefield, another real estate services company. After working there for 5 more years, in 2012 Hang bought the master-franchise for Vietnam of Keller Williams, which is the number one real estate franchise business in the US. As master franchisee, Hang plans to grow a network of Keller Williams franchisees throughout Vietnam. She expects this new business model will work very well. “It will allow young Vietnamese to start and grow their own real estate business with the benefit of a strong global brand and the support of a lot of resources and experienced colleagues.” Hang says that the main thing she is focusing on now is training-up her franchisees, so that they not only survive the tough world of real estate business in Vietnam, but thrive and survive in it.

If you have a story to share with over 4000 members in the AIS community, please contact myco.tran@aisvietnam.com and an interview will be arranged.

Parent Portal

If anyone deserves the title “Mrs real estate Vietnam”, it is probably Hang Dang.

The AIS Messenger | October 20146

Walk n Wheels By Jodi swan

On the last Friday of Term 1, the Junior Kindergarten to Year 6 students from Xi and Thao Dien Campus participated in the 5th

annual Walk n’ Wheels event.

The event involved our students walking, riding, skating or blading around the APSC while being cheered and marshalled by teachers and parents. Each child was asked to make a donation of at least 100,000 VND to participate in the event, with money raised being donated to Saigon Children’s Charity. This year the students raised a fantastic sum of

40,852,000 VnD.Thank you to all students, parents and friends for the very generous donations.

This event is coordinated to run in conjunction with the Saigon Children’s Charity Cycle Adventure 2014 which comprises of a 3 day, 200km bicycle ride from Hue to Hoi An which will run from 28 – 30 November. For more information, please visit the SCC website - http://www.saigonchildren.com/.

October 2014 | The AIS Messenger 7

Terry Fox Fun Run for Cancer ResearchDust off those running shoes and… prepare to JOIn THe FUn!

This November 30th will mark the 18th Annual Terry Fox Fun Run for Cancer Research in HCMC and AIS plans to be there, front and centre!

You can order your shirt here at the School between 29 October and 7 November. We’ll see you in District 7 to… run, walk, wheel or ride! ALL proceeds and donations will go to the Terry Fox Foundation for Cancer Research.

Below is the information poster for additional details along with the t-shirt design and sizing chart. If you may have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Price at: Gabriel.Price@aisivetnam.com

We hope to see you there!

On behalf of the AIS Terry Fox Fun Run Committee,

Mr Price

The AIS Messenger | October 20148

Enjoy a moment of peace with Shalom Coffee…

info@shalom-coffee.vn – www.coffeeshalom.com

Conveniently located near all AIS campuses in Thao Dien Street, the Vista and the Riverside Apartments –Shalom Coffee provides a quality coffee experience, freshly baked products and delicious chocolates.

Take a break and enjoy that moment of peace, before class, after school or with your colleagues during lunch break.

Now that the new school year even a special promotion for the AIS community:

From 1 november 2014 – 1 December 2014

• Buyany2drinks,get1freedrink• Buy2Shalomcoffeebags,get1free

coffee• Buy4Shalomcoffeebags,get1Shalom

mug• Buy1Aeropresscoffeemaker,get1

Shalom coffee bag and 1 cup of coffee• Buy4cookiesorCoconutMacaroons,

get 1 free • Buy3muffins,get1free• FreedeliverytoAIScampusfororders

over 250,000vnd Please do not hesitate to contact Esther Le Phuong Hai (0903660922) for more information.

GERMAN INTERN’L DENTISTRY A commitment to a beautiful healthy smile is one of the best investments you can make in your future.

Better oral health and an improved self-image are just some of the benefits of treatment by an orthodontist.

The teeth, the jaws and the joints of the craniomandibular system (head, upper and lower jaw) are indeed connected to the whole body of a human being. A good function of teeth is necessary to keep the system in a perfect order.

Wrong position of upper and lower jaws, deep overbite or an over jet of front teeth can cause problems with the joints, due to malfunction of the system. As well as crowding or cross bite of teeth can make the cleaning of teeth difficult.

Early checkups from the age of 10 years old should be performed in childhood times, to diagnose, if an orthodontic treatment is necessary.

But also adults should be checked, it is never too late for an orthodontic treatment.

Dr. med. dent. Britta Misch is at the leading edge of orthodontic specialty with an experience of twenty years working as an orthodontist. At our office you can expect to receive comprehensive orthodontic treatment that is tailored to meet your individual needs and desired

results. We perform the state of art orthodontic treatments with ceramic brackets, lingual brackets and invisalign. Treatment for children, teenager and adults are our profession.

GID is offering a 25% discount for the AIS community on all treatments.

Please liaise with the clinic for further details:

Ms Thuy, Diamond Island, no.01, 104-BTT str. , Binh Trung Tay ward, Dist 2, HCMC

Phone +84 8 3500 1636

Mail info@gid-dentistry.com

Website www.gid-dentistry.com

October 2014 | The AIS Messenger 9

Christmas tree decorations – Arts

& Crafts

Christmas carols

Raffle prizes to be won!Proceeds will go towards supporting deprived families in rural parts of Vietnam with access

to health and education, through the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.

3 December 2014

5pm – 7pm

AIS Thao Dien Campus Lotus Road | APSC Compound

36 Thao Dien Road District 2 | HCMC

www.aisvietnam.com/jinglebells

The Australian International School invites you and your family to a winter

wonderland celebration on:

Christmas tree

lightingJingle

Meet Santa

Mince pies Mulled wine

Experience a Thao Dien winter wonderland at its best!

Huge thanks to the generous sponsors of this event:

Bells!Jingle Bells