AIS Messenger, issue no.19 - Australian International School

www.aisvietnam.com
Australian International School | Issue no.19
The AIS
essenger
Message from Executive Principal
We are pleased to inform you that AIS have
been accepted for accreditation with the
Council of International Schools (CIS). This
is a global standard of excellence. We will
be inspected at the beginning of the new
academic year.
110 University places offered
I am happy to update you on the progress
our students are making in securing a
university place for next year.
Currently 51 students are applying for
university. They have applied for over 170
university places of which 110 places have
been offered so far – an outstanding result.
KIDZONE at Thu Thiem
Kidzone has been offered at our Sports
Centre (in Thao Dien) for some years. We
have now introduced Kidzone at Thu Thiem
campus. Kidzone runs from 4.00pm to
6.pm, Monday to Friday. Students can study
and take part in activities. See Mr Zuko or
the PE Department for further information.
You can also access the programme at
myAis (from the school website).
Studies Anxiety
This generation of 2015 school students
finds itself in territory where no man or
woman has gone before, in that they have
access to considerably more knowledge,
information and communications which
increases the complexity of their lives.
Xi Campus
(Kindergarten)
190 Nguyen Van Huong Street
Thao Dien Ward | District 2 | HCMC
t: +84 8 3519 2727 | f: +84 8 3744 6961
Whilst Francis Bacon is attributed with the
phrase, “Knowledge is power,” knowledge
also brings anxiety and stresses which only
that individual can know and feel. In my
experience it may be our highest achieving
students who know the most and they
can be affected by anxieties from this
knowledge and understanding. The phrase
‘blissful ignorance’ may lie at the other end
of the spectrum from those whose aim is
the highest.
Our staff have years of expertise in working
with seniors whose examination and
assessment marks are of immense personal
importance to those young men and
women in their studies and it is never easy
for anyone dealing with these stresses.
It may be in some ways that university
entrance is increasingly competitive,
however, I would argue that access to
university courses has never been easier.
Even to gain a place in the highest status
courses there are multiple pathways. This
week Melbourne University came to speak
to our students and to interview candidates.
They are ranked #33 in the world and #3
in the world for graduate employment. It is
wonderful that they want our students and
they want the IB Diploma.
It is very rare for a sixteen or seventeen
year old to know what they want to do in
their world of work for the rest of their lives.
Melbourne and the other top universities
we work with to place our students want
the wide field of pre university study that
the IB Diploma offers. Undergraduate
course entry to university may open a new
world of possibilities that allow a student
to better understand themselves. The
main advantage in achieving a maximised
result in school studies is to save time
Thao Dien Campus
(Kindergarten & Primary School)
APSC Compound
36 Thao Dien Road | District 2 | HCMC
t: +84 8 3744 6960 | f: +84 8 3744 6961
that can bring
earlier career
entrance – but
for many young
people career
choice remains
uncertain for
years. My point
is that young
people face
increasing communications complexities
as they have immediate access to more
knowledge that may bring increasing power
struggles with their friends, families and
acquaintances; this
Clive Keevil
Council of International
Schools, CIS
doesn’t make their lives easier. Parents of
today’s school children do always walk a
tightrope of providing support, a minimal
amount of guidance (the child needs to find
their own way), and the keys to unlocking
the motivation that their child needs.
It is apparent that the key ingredients
to maximising academic outcomes are
effective organisation and planning ahead
in using available time; and study effort.
Ability is a third factor that can assist
better results but many very able people
underachieve when they do not use their
time well and they are not motivated to
produce their best efforts. A child who
places themselves under enormous study
stress can be assisted by having a longer
term view of the many possibilities and
options that are available to them. But it is
no easy path that parents or their children
walk in trying to establish a child’s place
in the world of work and academic status.
As a parent, I feel for all our families as
we continue with life’s struggles for our
identities and our place in this connected
world.
Thu Thiem Campus
(Kindergarten, Primary, Middle & Senior School)
264 Mai Chi Tho (East-West Highway)
An Phu Ward | District 2 | HCMC
t: +84 8 3742 4040 | f: +84 8 3740 7361
March 2015 | The AIS Messenger
1
Terry Storer
Secondary School
This time of year the Secondary school
focus often shifts more towards our
older students. All those involved in
external examinations this May and
June sat for ‘Mock examinations’ at
the start of the month. Year 11 and 13
students and parents attended parent
conferences on Wednesday.
Two weeks ago I attended the
Vietnam Tech conference her
in the city. Technology is one
of those areas that is moving
incredibly fast and it is our
responsibility as educators
to respond to this progress.
We have already begun our
technology planning for the
short and longer term. More
details on this in the coming
months.
Next week we host our annual
school production. This year it
is a musical adaptation of Alice
(in Wonderland). I encourage
everyone to come along, enjoy
the evening and support the
students and staff who have
worked so hard to bring the
show to life.
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The AIS Messenger | March 2015
Message from the Deputy
Executive Principal
Mid-semester report cards will be
issued for students in years 7-10 and
12 on Managebac on Thursday 2nd
April 2015. Parent conferences will
take place on Wednesday 8th April
from 2:50 – 6:00pm. Conferences will
be booked online as usual. Details will
come out with the report cards. Note,
students must attend conferences
with their parents.
Alice in
Wonderland
Alice - Nguyen Thai Nhu Quynh (7GN)
Mad Hatter - Elspeth Green (9GN)
AIS School Production 2015 • Place: AIS Auditorium
Show Times: Friday, 3 April and Saturday, 4 April 2015 | 6-7.30pm
Earlier this month we held our annual
Open Day. This provided non-AIS
families with the opportunity to see
our school, teachers and staff in action
first hand. I spoke to the majority of
those visiting and their responses were
unanimously positive. My thanks to
the students who came in to celebrate
what we do with our visitors.
This time of year
can be a challenging
one for students.
They have been
at school for two
thirds of the year
and so it is easy
for a sense of
comfort, possibly
complacency to set
in. I would ask that
parents continue
to support us by
ensuring their
children come to
school on time, in
uniform and fully
prepared to learn.
Internationalism
Having been an international educator
for over 24 years, there have been
many aspects of international
education that have been positive
and some not so positive. The least
favourable aspect for all of us is how
transient the international school
population is. I have made many
great friends over the years but only
to say goodbye after 2 or 3 years
and expecting never to see these
people again. Thankfully through the
social media such as Facebook, I am
now able to catch up with friends
and rekindle old friendships. I even
managed to meet colleagues that I
worked with 20 years ago in Thailand
(yes, we are still working and very
much alive).
On that recent reunion it made
me think how small the world has
become. I remember my father telling
me about his cousin who left Ireland
to live in Boston in 1942 but never
returned and no one managed the
trip to Boston to visit. How different it
would be today with the ease of travel
as well as my old friend Facebook. I
wonder how many of our children will
keep in touch when it is time to move
on.
Other positive aspects of living
overseas are the opportunity to learn
about other cultures and gain some
understanding about different ways of
life. My family and I certainly benefited
from our time in the Middle East and
living in a completely different culture
to our home country.
In the Primary School, opportunities to
share experiences between students,
parents and teachers are a critical
element in developing a sense of
international mindedness. This begins
with each student’s ability to develop a
better sense of identity. We encourage
all members of our community to
share their personal histories as well
as their cultural identities. In gaining
an appreciation of themselves, the
students are then exposed to other
cultures, making use of our diverse
student population. With this in
mind, cross-cultural celebrations are
encouraged throughout the Primary
School. We invite students, their
families and friends to lead these
events. If you would like to be involved
in ‘celebrating cultures’ please let us
know. This year we had great fun
experiencing our host country of
Vietnam by celebrating Moon Festival
and the TET Fair. We also learned a lot
about Australia when we celebrated
Australia Day. One of my favourites
was listening to children sing Ireland’s
Call on Saint Patrick’s Day (go raibh
maith agat) and made an old Irishman
very happy.
As you know, we hold International
Day once a year, in which parent
participation is essential. This could
be a great opportunity to share the
beauties of your culture with all of us.
If you are keen to get involved please
let us know and we will put you in
touch with the right people.
Hopefully you will be able to come
to school on International Day and
share in our very rich diversity and
internationalism.
Jarlath Madine
Message from the Principal of
Kindergarten & Primary
By Jacqui Gaynor
“
If music be the food of love…”
(Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet) then
you might expect Jacqui Gaynor to
be really fat, or starry-eyed, as she
devours music with a passion. But she
burns a lot of carbs as head of music
at AIS - teaching classes, organising
shows (like the recent “Once Upon a
Time”) and directing musicals (like the
upcoming “Alice in Wonderland”) –
perhaps explaining why she is, in fact,
very lithe. And her steely focus on
getting kids to appreciate music keeps
her feet planted firmly on the ground.
Jacqui moved around a lot in her early years. Born
in Waimate, a small town in the south island of New
Zealand not far from Dunedin, she moved to Sydney
when she was 7, and then back to Dunedin when she
was 12. It was around this time that Jacqui started
taking piano and violin lessons. Her music classes at
school were “boring” and she had to study music at a
local convent for her final school years.
Jacqui undertook a Bachelor of Music Composition
and Performance in Dunedin and Christchurch, which
focused on classical music, but her attention was drawn
to modern music, such as The Eagles, and Fleetwood
Mac. After graduation, Jacqui started teaching music at
Blue Mountain College, in West Otago, often taking the
school choir on tour. In her spare time, Jacqui wrote
and acted in musicals.
She also played the piano and sang and, deciding she
wanted to do more performance work, Jacqui moved
to Sydney in 1981. Over the next 10 years, she toured
around Australia, the US, Europe and Japan. Tired
of life on the road, Jacqui returned to Sydney in 1990,
and competed in the Gold Guitars country music
competition – losing narrowly to Keith Urban!
Comfy back in Australia, living on the Gold Coast in
Queensland, Jacqui decided she wanted to get back into
teaching, but focusing on primary aged kids. “I wanted
to get them into music while they were still young and
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The AIS Messenger | March 2015
Jacqui Gaynor
TEACHER FEATURE
impressionable”, she explains. In her 20 years living
on the Gold Coast, Jacqui did a Graduate Diploma in
Primary Education at Griffith University, taught music
at several primary schools, and had a few kids. She
has five, now aged 15 to 36! Her eldest teaches high
school drama; the second runs music events; the third
is a professional musical theatre actor; the fourth is
studying engineering and management; and the fifth
is a junior tennis champion. And all of them play
multiple musical instruments, like their mother.
Catching the travel bug again, Jacqui moved to Ho
Chi Minh City in 2010 to teach music at AIS. Having
mostly worked in Australia, the US and America, she
had not been planning a move to Asia, but immediately
felt welcome and at home in Saigon, especially at AIS.
“The kids here love music, and they are so responsive”,
she says. “I feed off their energy”.
Now in her fourth year at AIS, Jacqui had 45 Year 6 kids
playing the guitar in the recent “Once Upon a Time”
concert, and she is planning something spectacular for
“Alice in Wonderland” in April. “The kids are going to
blow the audience’s socks off ”.
Never content with the status quo, Jacqui has all sorts of
ideas for expanding the music programme even further
at AIS, with talk of a school orchestra and choir.
Her approach to teaching music is simple: “As a
performer I needed to wow the crowd within the first
few bars. So too as a teacher, I try to grab the kids’
attention, to “win” them, right at the start.” As a natural
extrovert, Jacqui seems to have no difficulty in doing
this.
When asked: why study music?
Jacqui responds with a question:
why breathe? Music may be
the food of love, but it is also the
stuff of life. “I can’t imagine life
without music. Children need to
be exposed to it at a young age,
and encouraged to continue with it
throughout life. Music expands the
mind and relaxes the soul”.
Student Success
C
ongratulations to VAN Duy
Bao, a Year 11 student, who
recently took part in the first
Young Makers Challenge (YMC)
where hundreds of high school
students were to imagine, design, and
prototype engineering projects using
Intel’s Galileo board, which requires
hardware and software skills. After
three months going through the
Challenge’s key phases, Bao’s team
won 1st place for their invention of
“Scoutbot”, a remote-controlled car
controlled via a smartphone app.
through bluetooth or Wifi. In a
clever user-interface mod, you can
tilt the phone and control where
the car goes using your phone’s
accelerometer. And it’s equipped
with temperature and environmental
sensors to help rescue teams virtually
by going into environments unsafe
for humans.
Bao went on to further achieve 6
medals in the 2015 World Scholar’s
Cup (SWC), held at International
School Ho Chi Minh City. The SWC
is an academic and social competition
that encourages participants to
demonstrate skills such as team
debate, collaborative writing, fastpaced problem solving and critical
thinking. Bao walked away with the
title of Top Scorer at AIS and received
an invitation to the Global Round in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(http://www.scholarscup.org/).
His achievement does not stop
there! In the recent IGCSE Mock
examinations, Bao achieved A Stars
in Maths, Chemistry and Economics
and A’s for English Literature and
Global Perspectives. It would not be
a surprise for Bao to go on achieving
similar, if not better, results in the
final IGCSE exams in May 2015.
Bao attributes his academic success
to having self-belief and setting high
goals. Bao is a student who seeks
challenges and does not shy away
from problems. Instead, he lunges
forth to any new challenges and
opportunities with an open mind
and the confidence to achieve. He
is one of the students at AIS whose
achievements we are proud to
recognise and celebrate.
Well done on a fantastic year Bao and
we wish you go on to accomplishing
your dreams.
This is our first ‘Student Success’
entry and we hope to use this
column to focus on and celebrate
our students’ achievements.
March 2015 | The AIS Messenger
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Open Day guides
O
ver 30 students were selected to be
Student Guides for the Open Day
on Saturday 14 March 2015. They
were selected from the various student
leadership groups (SRC, Prefects, House
Captains, etc.). All guides attended a
series of training sessions with Mr Storer
prior to the Open Day.
Parents who were taken around the
campuses by student guides were
very impressed with the caliber of our
students, who spoke with confidence and
enthusiasm.
We would like to use this opportunity to
thank our wonderful student guides who
did a marvelous job of representing the
School during the Open Day.
AIS Football fever
By Thomas Percasky
W
e are well into the football
season with our Under 11 boys
and girls’ teams competing
against schools from around the city. They
have had some great results including last
Wednesday’s win over BIS.
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The AIS Messenger | March 2015
The Under 19 teams have also been
selected and have played 2 matches.
Notable performances included last weeks’
victory for our girls’ team over BIS: 4-2.
Congratulations to Sam Green who was
named the boys’ captain and to Haley
Waller who was named the girls’ captain.
All AIS football teams will now complete
their seasons and look towards the city
championships in the months to come.
Red Jungle Fowl
Not just your ordinary chook
A
By Tim Flakelar at Amano’i
IS has many good friends in the
community, including one as far
away as Nha Trang! Amano’i, part
of the Amanresorts, makes its debut in
Vietnam with an uber-luxury, contemporary
beachside resort. It is a tranquil retreat
situated on a beautiful white-sand beach
overlooking spectacular Vinh Hy Bay. In this
issue of the newsletter, Amano’i brings us
some interesting insight about the habitat in
the area.
The Nui Chua National Park in Vietnam
is home to the ancestral species of the
domestic chicken. The Red Jungle Fowl
(gallus gallus) is a wild chicken believed to
have originated in Asia over 5000 years ago,
with a number of sub-species inhabiting
large areas spanning China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. Here
at Amano’i, just bordering the Nui Chua
National Park, the Red Jungle Fowl has
made a home for itself in the large expanse
of bushland that Amano’i covers.
Of the five subspecies discovered, the
Cochin-Chinese Red Jungle Fowl can be
found in parts of Vietnam and spreads from
China to Thailand.
The cock’s call may sound similar to the
domesticated chicken but in fact it has a
more distinctive and higher pitch than its
descendants.
They forage on the forest floor for seeds,
fruits and insects using their strong feet and
beak to peck at their prey. If threatened, the
Red Jungle Fowl simply flies up into the high
treetops to stay safe from predators.
The Red Jungle Fowl is a common bird
species however there are concerns of
threat from hybridization. By mating
with domestic chickens and other species
of chicken the Red Jungle Fowl’s heritage
is slowly dissipating and soon could be
threatened with extinction.
So why are we telling you about the Red
Jungle Fowl? Well, because Amano’i is a
great place for the kids to let loose and relax
after a hard term. Home to hundreds of
other bird species as well as the Red Jungle
Fowl, Amanoi is, and I quote from a guest,
“Heaven on Earth”. The peaceful serenity
and tranquil setting is like no place on earth.
So why wait? Come and immerse yourself
in nature, breath in the fresh, clean air and
see if you can spot the Red Jungle Fowl...
we’re just a short flight away.
www.amanresorts.com/Amanoi
ALICE the
Musical is
nearly here!
By Jacqui Gaynor, Music
Coordinator
D
on't miss out on seeing the
AIS version of the ageold Lewis Carroll story all
about 'The Adventures of Alice in
Wonderland'!
Tickets are available at Thu
Thiem, Cherry Blossom and
Lotus Campus admin/reception
offices; 100,000VND per adult and
50,000VND per child.
The Premiere is Friday April 3
starting at 6pm at the Thu Thiem
Campus auditorium with a 2nd show
on Saturday April 4.
Arrive early for tea and cookies with
the Mad Hatter at the Tea Party table
or, some themed chocolates with the
Caterpillar or, a photo opportunity
with members of the cast
The cast, band, stage, props, costume
and make-up crews are made up
of AIS Middle and High school
students with the 65-strong Chorus
made up from years 4, 5 & 6 singers
from both Thao Dien and Thu Thiem
Campuses.
Don't miss out on a truly
entertaining evening; buy your
tickets now.
We’re here
to help
A
t AIS, we constantly strive to
deliver exceptional customer
service. Should you have any
concerns, comments or queries and you
are not sure who to go to, please drop by
the Reception, where one of us will be
more than happy to assist.
We are all here to ensure that you and
your child have a pleasant schooling
experience.
March 2015 | The AIS Messenger
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TET FAIR
2015
By Nguyen Pham
On behalf of the Tet Committee
S
taying connected as a
community is an important
component of all our lives. At
the Australian International School,
it is important not only that we keep
children, parents and staff connected
as a community, but also that we give
them learning opportunities and
skills that help them to actually create
community.
Our TET FAIR on Thursday 12
February 2015 was one of these
learning opportunities where we
learnt together about Vietnamese
customs and cultures and created
community for many in our adopted
home of Vietnam.
The Year of Goat was welcomed in at
Thu Thiem Campus at our Tet Fair
with a big bang, with drums being
thumped to a traditional Tet beat.
The children from AIS Primary then
presented the lively songs of Ngày Tết
Quê Em (Tet In My Country), Mùa
Xuân ơi (Spring) and Hallelujah.
Following the fantastic performances,
the students had lots of fun playing
Vietnamese traditional games at
many colourful stalls including
making play dough models on a stick
(tò he), walking on Kieu Bridge, sack
race, dart game, throwing balls on a
board game, picking lucky envelopes
from a Hoa Đào tree after answering
Tet questions, calligraphy and many
more. The children also enjoyed the
taste of Vietnamese traditional foods
for Tet which were supported by
Vietnamese parents.
Together with our Vietnamese
families and friends, people from all
over the world had the opportunity to
share and enjoy experiences that our
wonderful school provides.
On behalf of the school, we would
like to wish all of you a happy and
successful year 2015.
Chúc mừng năm mới!
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The AIS Messenger | March 2015
Book Week
By Charlotte Record
C
hildren's Book Week is all
about celebrating the joy of
reading and the pleasure of
curling up with a good book and
escaping to a different world. It
is also a great time to promote
the importance of reading and
for children to develop a love of
books.
We enjoyed a fabulous Book Week
through the theme ‘Connect to
Reading.’
There were many highlights to the
week, including:
• Each class did an amazing job of
decorating their classroom door
as a book cover. Classes enjoyed
a gallery walk to see The Rainbow
Bear, The Paper Bag Princess,
Fantastic Mr Fox, The Day the
Crayons Quit, Splat the Cat and
many more.
• Senior Kindergarten were
delighted when Snow White came
to read a story to them at their
outdoor picnic.
• Lotus and XI shared their love
of bedtime stories by coming to
school in their Pyjamas. They
brought their teddies and even got
a mug of hot chocolate!
• We all looked forward to DEAR
time when we could Drop
Everything And Read.
• Writing and Art connected to
our favourite books, authors, and
illustrators.
• Teachers brought their favourite
books to hide behind, leaving the
children guessing what they like to
read.
• The children had an opportunity
to buy books at the Book Fair
organised by Fahasa.
• All classes enjoyed some time
reading with their buddies.
• We were delighted to welcome
parents to the classrooms to
read in their mother tongue. We
listened to some great stories
in Italian, German, Korean and
Vietnamese.
What better way to end the week
than a book parade with staff and
children dressed up as their favourite
book characters. It was great to see
everyone entering into the spirit of
the week. Thank you for spreading
the joys of reading!
March 2015 | The AIS Messenger
9
PROGRAMME 2015
15 June - 17 July
Monday to Friday
8.30am to 2.30pm
For students aged 3 to 18 years
www.aisvietnam.com/summerschool
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The AIS Messenger | March 2015