Student Highlights & Success Stories (24.03 - 28.03)

Dear Families

A big thank you again from me for all your incredible support over the last two weeks. It is greatly appreciated.

This week our students returned from their amazing trip to Tanzania. We are looking forward to hearing all about their experiences next week.

A reminder that the deadline to apply for our scholarship program is on Monday. Please see details below:

Scholarship Details

Last weekend Ms Colleen delivered an excellent session on how we support students to get to the best universities. A big thank you to all those that attended.

Another reminder that we are running the summer school program again this year. I hope many of you will be able to join us.

I wish you all a very relaxing weekend ahead.

Great Progress in Literacy

The Early Years follow a curriculum that is divided into areas of learning. Literacy is a specific area which is supported by Language and Communication development. This week in the Early Years Centre, the children have been progressing so well along the Literacy continuum. F1 have been investigating the story The 3 Little Pigs, F2 have been using language in context, at the cafe and F3 have been extending their work into Little Red Riding Hood.

Gaining a Grammatical Grasp of English

As part of our English topic this term, Year 1 has been developing their understanding of verbs within simple instructions. They have identified, said, and acted out verbs before applying them in sentences. Using their phonological knowledge, they have also begun writing verbs, reinforcing their learning across subjects.

Learning Mathematical Measurement

Year 2 have been learning about measurement in Maths, exploring millilitres and litres. They enjoyed measuring containers, reading and drawing measurements, and discovering capacity and volume. The children were excited to engage in hands-on activities, deepening their understanding of how different amounts of liquid are measured and compared.

Learning to Convert Between Grams and Kilograms

Year 3 students began learning the Maths topic of Mass and Capacity. They eagerly explored measuring mass using the units kilograms (kg) and grams (g). They actively practiced using a scale, converting between these units, and reading the masses to better understand weight.

Excellent Confidence in Speaking and Listening

Year 4 have been learning about ‘special powers’ to build on their ‘characterisation’ toolkit. They enjoyed practicing new vocabulary and grammar through speaking and listening activities and showed excellent confidence and pronunciation. They also practiced sounding out ‘end sounds’ at the end of words.

Learning to Assess Historical Impact

This week the Year 5 students asked, ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?” and explored how colonies brought into the Empire not only suffered difficult changes, but also received new benefits in terms of technology, culture, law and order. The students began by working in groups to weigh up positives and negatives, before producing individual lists and writing reflections how they would weight each factor.

Developing Research Skills and Honing Speaking Skills

This week, Year 6 students are diving into the fascinating world of microscopy. Guided by their curiosity, they are using microscopes to explore and document the intricate details of plants and animals. They are forming hypotheses about how these organisms adapt to their environments and contribute to the realm of STEAM. Simultaneously, they are honing their visual and speaking skills by publishing condensed versions of their hot task poems, complete with expressive voice naration.

Amazing University Offers for our high achieving students

So far, the Graduating class of 2025 has received 140 offers from 84 worldwide universities! This includes offers from Boston University, Kings College London, London School of Economics and Political Science, New York University, University of Oxford and the University of Melbourne to name just a few. We are immensely proud of how hard they have worked and are delighted that their efforts are being rewarded with offers from such prestigious Universities.

An Update from our Tanzania Adventurers

A group of our students have been having a once in a lifetime experience in Tanzania.  Here is an insight from Ms Peig Toomes who is traveling with them.  Once they arrive back in Hanoi, students on the trip will share their insights and stories too.

An update from Africa 🦒🦁 An important part of this trip has been our students contributing to building a local school, constructing goat sheds, installing solar panels, and setting up smokeless stoves for local families. They showed determination and teamwork throughout the week. I am so incredibly proud of them.

They topped off the expedition with a two-day safari, which was a great way to wrap up the trip. Throughout the whole week, the students demonstrated exceptional dedication. They were punctual for each activity, never complained, and worked with a positive attitude the whole time.

They have been a credit to themselves and to BVIS!

A glimpse into Key Stage 3 History Lessons

In the newsletter this week, we want to give you an insight into what it is like to be a student here at BVIS.  Below are some students' reflections about what they have been learning about in History lessons. 

Khanh Chi Year 9

‘I like my history class. Mr. Lincoln has explained things in a very clear and fun way, doing cool actions to make the pictures appear clearer. Things always get more interesting when we dig deeper into past stories, things about murder mysteries or the deadly war. I am not going to lie, it is terrible but interesting when we get to know how people suffer under the cruelty of another. In class I am studying World War 2, specifically the Holocaust.

The Holocaust was a time in the past where millions of Jewish people were killed because of Hitler's views. It began first by Hitler banning shopping in Jewish shops, however the Germans ignored that rule completely and kept shopping in Jewish shops. But then 8 years later, they come out to be wanting to volunteer to kill Jews. Just think about how that happens.......... Did Hitler brainwash them?

Hitler wanted to control the Germans’ thoughts by spreading disgusting pictures of Jews to make them look un-human. Jews were then sent to the Ghettos. Where they died from disease, limited access to water and food and more. Soon they were moved to the death camps where they died from toxic gas. By the time they knew they’d all die, Jews began to resist through fighting or running away. They also resisted through more low-key methods such as keeping education running underground for Jewish children

By the end of this mass murder, many Jews had died. And when asking who is to blame, normally people would say Hitler. But it’s not just Hitler, in this case, everyone has a little bit of guilt. People just seem to follow orders and listen to authority to kill others, maybe because they were scared that they’ll get killed themself. Some just ignored, some helped with the killing, some made the plans to kill. However, very few chose to rescue, because at that time, they knew there was very little chance of success. This links to psychology and peoples’ mindsets, and that because of fear and a bit of selfishness can lead anyone, no exception to be committing evil acts.’

May Tran Year 8

History is not a subject that will bore you to death here at BVIS, although, in the 1.5 months I have been here, I have learned quite a bit about death in the witch trials. At BVIS, learning history is engaging and interesting, with topics about history all over the world. One of them being the European Witch Craze!

The witch craze killed many people of all ages, but those who were old, widowed and had pets (familiars) were the most targeted. This meant that a lot of people were put into trial and killed.

Another main part was religion. The two main religions at that time were Catholicism and Protestantism. They would accuse each other of being witches as they didn’t agree on the religion within the areas. War also contributed to the witch craze as the tension was high as war created a lot of negatives which people wanted to find causes for and the obvious causes, were witches. 

Lastly, witches were found by witch hunters (like Matthew Hopkins). They took tests on the witches, for example, seeing if they would bleed if a knife (often fake) was pierced into them. Or they were swum. Being swum consisted of being thrown into water to see if you drowned or floated. If you drowned you were innocent and if you floated you were put onto trial and executed (which really means you die either way). 

The witch trials were CHAOS! 

Our Special Partnership with Julliard

BVIS recently welcomed Drama Juilliard specialist, Stephanie Cunningham, renowned for her expertise in drama education and hands-on approach to the subject. The visit was part of our integral partnership with The Juilliard School and takes place annually within the Performing Arts department. Stephanie's visit was aimed towards giving students an additional perspective towards Drama and enhancing students' creativity through different learning experiences.

Interactive Computing Science lessons

 This week, the Year 10 Computing Science class embarked on an exciting and challenging new unit titled "Software." The students have been working diligently to deepen their understanding of the various types of software that play a crucial role in our everyday technology.

In teams, they have successfully categorized a diverse range of software into two main categories: system software and application software.

7V take their Mathematics lessons outside!

In this engaging outdoor activity, students embarked on a math scavenger hunt using QR code puzzles. As they navigated their surroundings, they scanned QR codes strategically hidden. Each QR code revealed a maths question that gave an code for the final puzzle. This interactive approach not only made learning maths fun and dynamic but also encouraged teamwork and critical thinking. By solving each puzzle, students connected mathematical concepts to real-world applications, reinforcing their understanding while enjoying being outside the classroom and moving around. A creative way to combine physical activity with educational challenges! A big thank you to Ms Jenny for sourcing the activity for the year group.

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