UNIS Hanoi is a diverse international school. As such, there are students and adults on campus representing many different religions and cultures. All members of our learning community must be respectful of cultural and religious customs and comfort levels.

A number of years ago, our students created the dress code which we communicate in our High School Handbook (p.20) and as you prepare for next year, please be sure to include your wardrobe choices.

For your reference, it is copied below:

Students should wear comfortable clothing and footwear. They should also dress neatly and respect the diversity of the UNIS Hanoi community. Clothes should not be torn, dirty or unkempt. Extremes in styles should be avoided. Revealing clothing cannot be worn. No cleavage or underwear can be exposed.

The following represent standards of dress:

• • Shorts should fit properly with a reasonable inseam. Underwear cannot be visible nor can any part of the buttocks.
  • Shirts that expose the stomach or are low cut should not be worn.
  • T-shirt slogans should be respectful. No drug, alcohol, tobacco or slogans containing sexual innuendos.
  • Caps and hats should not be worn inside classrooms.
  • Students and teachers who are unsure about the appropriateness of dress should refer to the Deputy Principal who will make a final determination.
  • During special events, (school socials, dances and special dress days) dress code regulations may be altered.
  • Students who dress inappropriately will be asked to change immediately.
  • Footwear must be worn at all times. No bare feet on campus.

Dress codes in High Schools are historic friction points. Common sense and cultural awareness will guide the UNIS Hanoi standard of dress. Students not willing to attend to common sense dress code standards will be asked to change clothing and parents will be notified. These guidelines will be reiterated with students at the start of the school year.

Please note: Flip flops (thongs) are not allowed in the Design Technology or Science labs.

(High School Handbook 2018-19, p. 20)

Next year there will be some slight adjustments to the High School daily timetable to support access to the cafeteria and more appropriate lunch periods for all students. The main changes include High School students having a 35 minute Connections period after Block 1, a longer but earlier lunch period, and an afternoon break before the last period of the day.

Photo from: https://english.vietnamnet.vn

Restaurant Deliveries

Beginning at the start of the next school year, students will no longer be allowed to order food deliveries to campus. Mr. Schaffner made it a priority to work with the student Senate to address concerns related to food deliveries throughout the school year. Unfortunately we have not been able to resolve the concerns around students having food delivered to campus.

The main concerns are as follows:

1. As a UN school, and in consideration of our commitment to the SDGs, the amount of waste and plastic that gets delivered to campus on a daily basis goes against who we are and the ideals we stand for
2. Numerous times this year, students have interrupted classroom learning while ordering food during class, as well as leaving class to pick up deliveries
3. The burden that food deliveries place on our security guards is unreasonable and presents a serious safety concern. Our guards have been forced to deal with an enormous amount of distraction while trying to do their job, which is to ensure that visitors entering or leaving campus are documented in order to ensure student and campus safety and security.

Lunch drop-off by nannies, drivers and/or parents

New guidelines for dropping lunches off for your child will be communicated on our return in August. We will ensure the process is aligned with our child safeguarding guidelines and food hygiene.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we continue to strive to improve the UNIS High School!

This is the time of year when our entire community is in transition.  Members of our school community are either leaving, entering a new place, or being left behind. Transition impacts us all.  As a school, our teachers and counselors engage our students in conversations about managing transitions with resilience and positivity.

Many of our teachers are also in transition.  We are grateful to the following educators who have put their hearts and souls into creating meaningful learning experiences for our students, while contributing actively to our school values of Learning, Community and Responsibility.  We know that they have touched the lives of many students and their families during their time at UNIS Hanoi.

• David Coultas (4 years of service)
• Paul Swanson (6 years of service)
• Kirk Jackson (2 years of service)
• Dragana Damljanovic (1 years of service)
• Casey Nolen Jackson (2 years of service)
• Paula Wilcox (2 years of service)
• Deborah Wells Clinton (5 years of service)
• Tanya Lee Parker (3 years of service)
• Melanie Do (9 years of service)
• Joan Hargrave (3 years of service)

These teachers have all helped our students to ‘climb their own mountains’ and for that, we are incredibly grateful.  Please join me in wishing them well for their new adventures ahead as they continue to make a difference in the lives of children in other parts of the world.

High School counsellors invite you to the last in our series of ‘Parenting Talks’:

What do you know about smoking, vaping, cannabis and the options on the street here in Hanoi? Come and hear and share in the research and ideas for talking to your teen about what they know and think.

“Adolescents Pushing Boundaries & Making Decisions Without Thinking About Consequences”
When: Friday, May 31 @ 8:00 – 9:00 am
Where: Community Room B7 104 

As a community we strive to work in partnership with families for the most effective learning in both academic and social/emotional areas. Teen years can be challenging for students and parents alike.

In the classroom and through School programmes, our counsellors and PE team discuss healthy choices and peer pressure. We also have a bi-annual programme with Freedom from Chemical Dependency which we are hoping to extend next year. But this is an issue which extends beyond School and we would appreciate the opportunity to discuss strategies and information that will be helpful for all families.

Pushing boundaries, doing new and exciting (and possibly dangerous) things. This is adolescence and a part of your child’s efforts to assert their not-quite-adult independence. Since your teen is not always as good as they think they are at making decisions about things that have real consequences, their willingness to take risks and make impulsive choices is concerning for the adults in their world.

Whether accessing parents’ beverage cupboards, purchasing vape devices or experimenting with cannabis edibles, sound, mature judgement is rarely involved. Given the local availability, illegality and long lasting negative health aspect of vaping, cannabis and excessive alcohol consumption for teens and their developing brains and lungs, conversations with your adolescent are extremely important.  Popular now among adolescents are vape devices (aka – E-cigarettes) with reports indicating that 2.1 million middle and high school students have been users. (childmind.org) The draw is that they are compact (easily appearing to be a pen or a flash drive, so easy to hide) and come in a wide variety of ‘appealing’ flavors.  These flavors easily mask the reality that vape pens are nicotine delivery devices at much higher levels than cigarettes, including carcinogenic compounds.  The marketing of vape devices is very effective at leading adolescents to believe that they cause not harm, and because of the sleek designs they are a ‘must have’ for teens who enjoy being on the cutting edge of new trends.

Effective conversations with teenagers can be hard work… but it is essential and in this last of our ‘Parenting Talks’ we hope to give you some strategies on framing the conversations and some resources to help guide your discussions.

We hope the resources below will be a helpful start and we will be sharing more at Friday’s coffee morning. It is always useful for our planning if you can let us know if you plan to attend: RSVP form

Articles that might help:  ChildMind Institute

  “How to Talk to Your Teen About Substance Use”

  “Teen Vaping: What You Need to Know”

Friday morning saw the final IB exam for 2019 conclude, and the High School is now turning our attention to help prepare for a fabulous Grade 12 Graduation celebration.

On 31 May students in Grade 9 to 11 will have a special schedule for Grades 9 to 11. Classes will conclude at 12:00 with lunch available from 12:00 – 12:30. All Grade 11 students are expected to attend the Graduation ceremony. Students in Grades 9 and 10 are not required to attend Graduation this year, although we know siblings and many friends of our Grade 12s in other grades will want to come. Earlier this week, the Grade 9 and 10s were sent the survey where they could indicate if they will stay for the Graduation ceremony which will start at 1:00 pm in the Sports Center. Buses will leave UNIS Hanoi at 3:00 pm after the celebration.