AIS Messenger, issue no.12 - Australian International School

www.aisvietnam.com
Australian International School | Issue no.12
The AIS
essenger
University Visits, South Korea
A very interesting opportunity for our
students that also became a focus was
their request for international students
from our school to apply for a place
at their university. Yonsei Underwood
International College at Yonsei University
offers degrees in English to international
students. The quality of facilities and the
whole ambience of the university was
wonderful – a great place for our students
to consider studying. The price and
life as a student seem great as are the
outcomes. We visited: Yonsei University,
Yonsei Underwood International
College, Korea University, Seoul National
University, Sogang University, Hongik
Korea University
Xi Campus
(Kindergarten)
190 Nguyen Van Huong Street
Thao Dien Ward | District 2 | HCMC
t: +84 8 3519 2727 | f: +84 8 3744 6961
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
University
and Kunkuk
University, all
offering an array
of excellent
Undergraduate
programmes
Clive Keevil
such as
Executive
Principal
Biomedical
Sciences,
Biotechnology, Engineering and Medicine.
They are also making arrangements
with Betty to come to AIS and meet our
students to discuss their next steps.
Seoul National University
L
ast week I traveled to Seoul, South
Korea with Betty Chong, our
Korean Family Liaison Officer, to
visit some of the top universities that our
students aspire to join. We visited 7 of
the top 10 universities and in all of them
were welcomed with great enthusiasm.
Throughout the interviews it was clear
that they were as interested in us as we
were in them. It proved very important
for the universities to be able to put a
picture to an international school on an
application form. The admissions staff
were exceedingly helpful and very keen to
know all about AIS and our students.
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
May 2014 | The AIS Messenger
1
is immediately accessible at their
fingertips with iPads, smart phones
and other electronic devices. We need
to teach students to use knowledge
and think in different ways.
Peter O’Sullivan
Kindergarten & Primary Principal
How Do You
Define 21stCentury
Learning?
“
The power of successful 21st Century
learning for a student equals the
power of the teacher’s ability to
facilitate that learning in the individual.”
POS
21st Century learning means that
students master content while producing,
synthesizing, and evaluating information
from a wide variety of subjects and sources
with an understanding of and respect for
diverse cultures. Students demonstrate the
three Rs, but also the three Cs: Creativity,
Communication, and Collaboration. They
demonstrate digital literacy as well as civic
responsibility. Virtual tools and opensource software create borderless learning
environments for students of all ages,
anytime and anywhere.
Powerful learning of this nature demands
well-prepared teachers who draw on
advances in cognitive science and are
strategically organized, in and out of
cyberspace. The 21st Century teacher
is re-programming and re-educating
themselves, to emerge as critical learning
mediators, who work closely with students
in their school communities, while also
serving as learning facilitators, virtual
network guides, curriculum experts,
gatekeepers and advocates for the students
in their classrooms.
As we continue to prepare students
for this 21st Century, we are looking at
providing them with a variety of thinking
and innovation skills. Content knowledge
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The AIS Messenger | May 2014
We don't need to worry that our
students are tweeting, Facebooking,
using voice recognition to write an
assignment and watching TV all
at the same time. The fact that we
can't do it, doesn't mean they can't.
It is part of their wired learning
style which allows students to be
receivers and creators of information
at the same time. Our students are
effectively preparing themselves for
a new kind of workplace - fast pace,
technology-rich and fostering lifelong learning.
Students today will likely have several
careers in their lifetime. They must
develop strong critical thinking
and interpersonal communication
skills in order to be successful in an
increasingly fluid, interconnected,
and complex world. Technology
allows for 24/7 access to information,
constant social interaction, and easily
created and shared digital content. In
this setting, educators can leverage
technology to create an engaging and
personalised environment to meet the
emerging educational needs of this
generation.
No longer does learning have to be
one-size-fits-all or confined to the
classroom. The opportunities afforded
by technology should be used to
re-imagine 21st Century education,
focusing on preparing students to be
learners for the future.
AIS is becoming a “Beacon of Light”
in the International Schools’ arena
within Ho Chi Minh City, in terms
of how we access and teach the 21st
Century skills of Collaboration,
Communication, Digital Literacy,
Creativity and Innovation and Critical
Thinking and Problem Solving to the
students through the outstanding
curriculum programmes on offer at
the School.
It is good to know that 21st Century
Learning is being embedded in
schools throughout the world and
it is safe to say that the amazing 21st
Century educational journey has
already started at AIS.
New Community
Liaison
Officer
My name is Ly. I
have just joined
the Marketing &
Enrolment team to
support the Japanese
and Vietnamese speaking
families.
I have 7 years of experience in
teaching Japanese for a Japanese
software company. Before joining
AIS, I was a Japanese interpreter for
a Japanese trading company for 6
years.
I love to learn about the culture and
language of different countries in the
world, especially Japan. Travelling,
listening to music and reading
newspaper are also my hobby.
Thank you for welcoming me into
the AIS community. I look forward
to working with you all more closely
soon!
AIS has got talent
T
By Emma Percasky
his year we have seen many
talented and creative students
entered into AIS Has Got Talent.
Each year the student’s confidence and
enthusiasm builds towards this event and
we have one of the strongest groups of
competitors this year.
The teachers would like to thank all
students that have auditioned and they
have enjoyed seeing the different talents
across the board.
The final AIS Has Got Talent will be held
on Monday 23 June, where five finalists
from both Thao Dien and Thu Thiem
will showcase their amazing abilities
on stage in front of a live audience and
judges!
The finalists will be announced at
the next Primary Assembly on both
campuses.
More information about the final will
follow once the finalists have been
confirmed and announced.
IBDP
Visual
Arts
T
By Erwin Bryan Utchanah
he IB Diploma Visual Arts students
proudly presented their works to
the school community on Friday
25 April. It was a privilege for parents,
friends and teachers to witness the impact
of an IB education on their creative
minds. The following statements from the
artists themselves reveal much about has
happen to them. The school has had the
privilege to create opportunities for these
students to explore concepts, ideas and
issues that have personal, local and global
significance. The Visual Arts courses lead
them to the development their natural
curiosity focusing on their intellectual,
physical and emotional balance leading to
life-long personal well-being.
ANZAC Service
M
By Jacqui Gaynor
embers of the AIS Thao Dien Campus Choir got up very
early on Friday 25 April to sing the New Zealand and
Australian national anthems at the Ho Chi Minh City
ANZAC Day ceremony held at the RMIT campus in District 3 at
6.30am. Many of our Choir members were returning for the second
year in a row.
Talin Bennett, Aarya Bennett, Lauren Stennett, Holly McNamara,
Chloe McNamara, James Tonkin, Matilda Ryan, Charlotte Ryan,
Essie Gibaud, Jasmyn Roberts, Zoe Nutsford and Oscar Cawood sang
without any backing tracks or accompaniment for a large group in
attendance at this most solemn service. ANZAC Day commemorates
all those who lost their lives in war and conflict around the world
and, in particular, the ANZACs. The singing evoked remembrance
of sadness and of loss and incredible gratitude to all those who gave
their lives to change our world forever.
Lest We Forget.
~ Choir with
Jacqui April 25
ƒ AIS Choir
at ANZAC
service
May 2014 | The AIS Messenger
3
Students from 6MST class
at Australian International School
By Michael Stanley
T
he year 6 students at Australian
International School are making
an interactive blog about healthy
lunch ideas for students. We would love
your feedback and favourite recipes.
Please follow the link below to discover
some great healthy food choices.
http://healthierlunchchoice.weebly.com
Ao Dai Museum
By Phuong Trinh
"It was a meaningful trip as we saw the evolution of the
Vietnamese traditional clothing- Ao dai. It was great to see
how Ao dai has changed over time and the perception of
beauty through ages. As a big class, we had a quality time
together and it was definitely a memorable experience."
(HOANG Nguyen Phuong Trang (Jessica))
4
The AIS Messenger | May 2014
The museum is privately owned by an artist/ Ao dai
designer/ Art lecturer Si Hoang. This has been his dream and
commitment since 2002 and it opened in late January 2014.
The museum is extended to an exhibition salon (photo 9690
with the wooden house), garden café, souvenir shops (whose
designs look like Hoi An). More information can be found here
http://baotangaodaivietnam.com/
Cooking & childhood
development
C
By Julie Sunter
ooking and food preparation with
children is a great hands-on activity
which you can share with your
child on a daily basis. It gives children
an opportunity to investigate, predict,
experiment and observe whilst increasing
their knowledge of the world and having
fun. It is a great way to introduce good
hygiene habits and, at the same time,
improve self confidence and self-esteem.
Most Early Childhood Education settings
will plan for the children to take part
in cooking and food preparation on a
regular basis. This is because of the many
skills that children will develop from this
experience, including encouraging fussy
eaters to try new foods, handling utensils,
turn taking and learning safety in the
kitchen.
There are many reasons adults hesitate
to have young children in the kitchen,
but you can honestly never be too
young. There are so many advantages to
your child’s social, physical and mental
development.
It gives you an opportunity to teach your
child to take turns, follow directions, work
together as a team and become aware of
cleanliness such as washing hands. These
are all important life lessons which will
assist them in a social environment such as
school and childcare.
Encourage children to chop, grate and
mix so that they become familiar with
kitchen utensils. They will be developing
coordination, arm strength and, at the
same time, learning to handle tools with
safety and care. Allow the child to place
ingredients, such as chopped carrots or
peas, in the bowl or saucepan. This is a
great opportunity to work on their pincer
grip and hand eye coordination.
Cooking can be a spontaneous activity
incorporated into your daily routine. Why
not let your child stir the porridge for
breakfast, butter the bread for lunch, cut
the fruit for snack or grate the carrots for
dinner. All simple activities, but still giving
the children that feeling of importance
they cherish when helping Mum and Dad
do ‘grown up jobs’, with no actual cooking
involved.
Count how many cups of flour they
are putting into the bowl so they get
exposure to numbers and counting. Talk
about the ingredients and show them the
measurement and weight of each item.
Let the children crack the eggs, show
them the ingredients mixing in the bowl,
let the children see the butter melt in the
saucepan, allow the children to feel the
consistency and how the mixture changes
throughout the process. You will have
just given a basic Math and Science lesson
without even realising it.
Extend the children’s knowledge of the
world by allowing them to assist you in
the whole cooking process. Choose a
recipe together, buy the ingredients at
the supermarket or market, prepare and
cook the meal together. If you have the
time and space, grow your own fruits and
vegetables. This is a wonderful way of
demonstrating Life Cycles.
Introduce new foods on a regular basis
so the children have exposure to a wide
selection of produce. This is great for
fussy eaters as children are more likely
to try foods they have ‘played’ with and
prepared.
Cooking is such an important activity
for young children, so when looking
at schools and childcare facilities it is
important to ask how they incorporate the
cooking experience into their curriculum.
Finally, cooking with children can be
messy and time consuming, but it can also
be extremely rewarding.
To start cooking with your child you will
need:
• ingredients
• patience
• a sense of fun
Now, mix these all together and enjoy the
time with your child.
Always remember the benefit in cooking
is the whole process, so celebrate the
successes and the failures.
You may be surprised just how much you
enjoy it.
May 2014 | The AIS Messenger
5
Mother’s Day
Breakfast at
Dynotots
By Dynotots Teachers
T
he D3 and D4 classes at Lotus
celebrated Mother’s Day by serving
the mums a special treat.
The D3 Caterpillars and Butterflies held
an afternoon tea. They baked banana
chocolate chip muffins and served them
with juice. They also gave their mums a
special Mother’s Day photograph and card.
The D4 Dragonflies and Beetles served
their mums breakfast; some toast with
jam on it and some mixed fruit juice to
drink. The children gave their mums a
relaxing back massage while they enjoyed
eating their breakfast and chatting with
each other. The children also painted their
mums’ nails with nail polish. They had a
great time playing with each other and
before the mums left the classroom, the
children gave them a special Mother’s Day
card with a bouquet of flowers and sang
the song:
‘Mother’s Day, Mother’s Day’
Is a very special day
With a great big hug and lots of kisses too
Each one says that “I Love You”.
Year 5s Love
Science!
T
6
The AIS Messenger | May 2014
By Julian Knight
he Year 5s at AIS have just finished their
fifth Unit of Inquiry which comes under
the Transdisciplinary Theme ‘How the
World Works’. The students explored a range of
renewable and non-renewable energy sources
and how these affect the community and
environment. Much of the learning involved
fun science experiments where the students
could inquire more deeply into these energy
sources through ‘hands on’ activities. The
students enjoyed this approach to learning and
were able to make some insightful conclusions
to these experiments. Some of the students at
Thao Dien shared a few of these experiments
at the last primary assembly. The rest of the
school enjoyed learning about the lemon
powered light, the solar oven and how energy
can be transferred. It’s always fun to be learning
through experiments!
The Primary School Invites Parents to
spend An Evening of Art with us
By Amber Kotcher
T
he Primary School Invites
Parents to spend An Evening of
Art with us. On Friday, 13 June
from 6-9pm. Supporting The Christina
Noble Foundation.
The Primary Students at all AIS
campuses have created beautiful Class
Artworks to be auctioned off during
the event. The Art Raffle will be
drawn with the winners taking home
some very generous prizes from our
sponsors. Canapés are provided by Au
Parc. Live music and Refreshments
also provided.
Please plan to join us for An Evening
of Art. Tickets are available at all AIS
reception locations.
Silent Auction Opportunity
We understand that some parents are unable to attend the Primary School’s “An Evening of Art” event, due to
other prior engagements. To assist parents who cannot attend but would like to have the same opportunity to
purchase their child’s Class produced piece of original piece of Art Work, there will be a “Silent Auction” over
the coming weeks, at all Campuses.
Silent Auction – How does it work?:
The Art Work pieces will be on display at each campus over the coming weeks for parents to view.
You select the piece of Art Work you wish to purchase and submit a “Silent Bid” before the live auction on Friday 13 June.
If your “Silent Bid” is the highest price on the night of the actual auction you will win your child’s Class Art piece.
The “Silent Bid” (with the price you are willing to buy the Art piece, your name, mobile number and child’s Class details),
should be placed in a sealed envelope and submitted to one of following people who will keep it a secret until the live
auction on Friday 13 June:
• Ms Minh – TT Campus, Receptionist
• Ms Thanh – Xi Campus, Secretary
• Ms Loan – Lotus, Admin Manager
• Ms Lien CB Campus, Admin Coordinator
If you are successful on the live auction night you will be contacted to come to the school and pay the money and collect
the Art piece to hang proudly in your home.
For further clarifications please email Mr Peter O’Sullivan at peter.osullivan@aisvietnam.com
Thank you
The Art Committee
May 2014 | The AIS Messenger
7
CAS
By Andrew Masterton
T
he CAS Programme is a
core component of the
International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme (IBDP). The
emphasis of CAS is on doing real
tasks that have real consequences.
Many of our Year 1 diploma
students have passionately engaged
in various activities that they have
voluntarily chosen to do.
We encourage parents to support
and to advise their children about
the long term benefits of this
component of their education.
Year 2 & 3
Sleepover
A
By Kathleen Guthrie
s part of the PYP curriculum, all Year
2 & 3 students participated in a funfilled overnight camp on Friday 16
May, held in the safety of the Thao Dien and
Thu Thiem Campuses, supervised by the Year
2 and 3 teachers and support teachers. The
overnight camp was an outstanding success,
which created an opportunity for the students
to push the boundaries of what it means to
be a risk taker, to encourage independence,
to encourage bonding with one another and
most importantly, to have fun.
The students participated various team
activities including the challenge to build two
towers using minimal materials. Students
also enjoyed pizza and lots of fun and games,
such as dodgeball, volleyball, football, and
bowling. Year Two and Three settled into
their beds with popcorn and a movie before
drifting off into a deep sleep. Some children
were up before sunrise the next morning due
to the excitement being on their first camp.
All the children enjoyed a freshly cooked
breakfast and a nice dip in the swimming
pool before being collected by their parents
on Saturday morning. Thank you to all the
teachers, support teachers, wonderful students
and parents for your hard work and support to
ensure that the camp was a success.
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The AIS Messenger | May 2014
AIS Super Fins
M
By Jet Asis
any of the our AIS Super Fins
Swimmers recently competed
in the ISHCMC Swimming
Invitational 2014. It was the team’s
first major meet of the year. Our top
Swimmers for this meet was Daria Sulek
(Y4IS), Nguyen Viet Anh (7GN), Noah
Ostergard (Y3DC) and Kaisei Futa
(10PX). Daria was the High Point Trophy
Winner for the Girls’ 8 and under category,
Noah won the 3rd place for High Point for
the Boys’ 8 and under. Kaisei and Viet Anh
won 4 individual medals in total.
Other AIS Swimmers that swam and
competed in the meet included:
Year 11: Janine Fan Chiang, Jin Hee Kim
Year 4: Leo Pham, Levin Biner, Paul
Meyer-Plate, Kitty To
Year 3: Mael Biner
Congratulations to the AIS Super Fins
Swimmers who did the whole school
proud. We’d also like to thank the parents
who came and supported swimmers. Your
cheer and congratulations made a positive
impact on the performance of our AIS
Super Fins!
Girls Soccer
Tournament
Report
By Khanh Ha
(Tournament Team Captain)
W
e are proud to announce
that the AIS Girls’ Soccer
Team has had a victorious
round of wins in the Under-11s
Soccer Tournament in Ho Chi Minh
City, against Singapore International
School, ISHCMC and BIS. All
competing teams were very strong
team but through team work,
determination and focus, the AIS
Soccer team brought home the
trophy, with great pride and joy.
Year 10: Sun Hee Kim
Year 7: Joann Kim, Jonathan Hackenberg
Year 6: Nhat Anh Nguyen, Long Vu,
Poncho Wannathip
Year 5: Charlotte Ryan, Holly
McNamara, Jasmyn Roberts,
Karolina Szabela, Tess Young,
Caroline Carlsson
Dear Family and Friends,
On 19 June, AIS will be recognising
students’ academic accomplishment
at the annual Awards Ceremony.
Also on this momentous evening
we will witness the first Year 13
graduation of the new AIS; the Class
of 2014.
We hope that you will join with
us to celebrate our school’s yearly
tradition of honouring students who
have excelled both in the classroom
and in the greater Ho Chi Minh City
community.
Invitation
Graduation & Awards Ceremony
We look forward to celebrating their
success with you on 19 June, 6pm, at
the Thu Thiem Campus Auditorium.
Mr Gabriel Ang & Mr Gabriel
Price, Graduation and Awards
Ceremony Organizers
May 2014 | The AIS Messenger
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