‘Raising Boys with Love’ Presentation

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Thank you to the 30+ parents and UNIS Hanoi colleagues who attended the parent workshop ‘Raising Boys with Love’ on 25 January with the purpose of exploring positive parenting strategies for their teenage boys. It was greatly appreciated that parents shared their challenges and/or positive strategies with one another, the hope being that every parent left the workshop with an additional strategy and/or resource.

If you did not make it on the day or would like to access the presentation, you can read it here.

HS First Aid iBlock Exploration Class

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Glenda Baker & I had a really fun time this week working with Mr. Taggart’s First Aid iBlock exploration class. As you may know, this is the first year that the HS (and MS) are running iBlock classes where students learn about topics and concepts that provide them the opportunity to engage with authentic, real-world tasks that interest them. This First Aid class is a great example of this, as all students have voluntarily decided to pursue a full First Aid Certification from the American Red Cross!

In iBlock classes, student self-assess using the IB’s Approaches to Learning (ATL);  you can learn more about ATL here.
During the First Aid class, we had to simulate a person who was suffering from wither heat stroke or hypothermia. It was great to see the students having fun, while learning in a hands-on way.
Here were some student reflections:
  • “I learned that the victim might not respond the way I want or expect and I should keep in mind that every victim will be different and may not comply.”
  • “I learned that I need to be more aware of where it is taken place so that I could use other people that are available to help.”
  • “I need to ask for consent at first place and ensure that consent is given before any other further actions happen. Every victim has a different way to respond, and adopt to every situation that happens.”
  • “I learned that I will always need to get consent before actually helping the victim. Even though he was struggling to respond, I should still wait for his clear consent before helping him.”
  • “I need to ensure that I call for help even if the situation is not life-threatening”.
Scott Schaffner
HS Principal

Naviance Database Replacement – CIALFO

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Dear Grades 9-11 Parents,

As some of you may know, our High School counselling database, Naviance, is pulling out of international schools as of June 2019.  For the past 14 years at UNIS Hanoi, Naviance has been used to support UNIS High School students as they navigate their self-exploration process, career exploration, post high school research and the grade 12 application process.

As notification of this pull-out was received in March of 2018, we have been committed to securing a stellar replacement database. We are confident that our selection will serve our international population in ways that Naviance was not able to, as an American university focused database. Most, if not all, of the features that we have used in the past to support students are present in our new database, CIALFO, a Singapore based company very committed to serving the international school community.  We selected CIALFO based on UNIS Hanoi’s population of university destinations around the globe. We are excited to be the first school in Vietnam to pilot this database with our UNIS Hanoi High School students and families.  

 

In addition, we are very excited to roll CIALFO out to our Grade 9, Grade 10 and Grade 11 student in the next few weeks. It appears as though most of our student data from Naviance has been successfully imported to CIALFO.  As with any data transfer, there may be a few glitches that will need to be sorted as we roll out. The Class of 2020 will be the first class to use CIALFO in their university research and application process.  

The decision to roll-out to only Grade 9-11 students was to ensure the Class of 2019 were supported through the heavy application season during semester 1 on Naviance.  Now we are confident that many of our grade 12 students are well on their way to university decisions!  Grade 12 students will not be using CIALFO this year.  

Please be on the lookout for an email that will be delivered to your inbox, inviting parents to be part of your child’s CIALFO journey.

If you should have any questions, please reach out to your child’s high school counselor.

Yours in Partnership,

The High School Counseling Team

High School Mathematics Lab Offered After Tet Break

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Mathlab is an opportunity for students to get teacher and peer support with mathematics. Mathematics is a complex learning endeavor and students are more efficient with their learning when they are able to ask questions and work with their teachers and peers to solve problems.

Every Monday and Tuesday, students may drop-in after school from 3:30 – 4:30 in room B6-G11. Mathematics teachers will be available to support students with their homework, preparing for assessments, or learning mathematical skills. If these times do not work for you, you are always welcome to book a time with your teacher for additional help.

Neil Fairbairn
DP Mathematics

MYP Parent Information Sessions

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Dear Parents of MYP students,

You are invited to attend our Semester two MYP information sessions. There are two different types of sessions which are designed to support our parents in developing a deeper understanding of the MYP here at UNIS Hanoi.  These are a repeat of sessions offered earlier in the year.

Session 1 is on January 22, 18:30 – 19:30 in the Community Room (B7-104). This is a MYP Information evening with presentation and Q&A session. During the session, we will cover

  • What is the MYP?
  • How does my child learn?
  • How does grading work?
  • Key and related concepts, Assessment, Inquiry

Session 2 is on January 29, 08:30 – 10:00 in the Community Room (B7-104). Different from session 1, this second session is a MYP interactive workshop with example classroom activities following by a Q&A session. Parents will also have the possibility to walk around MYP classroom, learn more about Global Contexts, Atls skills, and the IB Learner Profiles.

Please register your attendance using this sign up form

For more information please contact:  Daniel Cooper at mypcoordinator@unishanoi.org

Posted in MYP

Grade 10 Course Requests – Parent Information Session

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All grade 10 parents are STRONGLY encouraged to attend this very important information evening on January 31.

All grade 10 parents should have received the following important email from Elliott Cannell the IB Diploma Coordinator in the High School:

Dear Grade 10 Parents,

I am writing to outline some future events which aim to support Grade 10 students in making course requests for next academic year.

Grade 10 students were recently introduced to the different academic pathways open to them in Grade 11, including International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses, and the IB Diploma.

During High School Counselling lessons, G10 students have explored:

  • the requirements for the UNIS High School Diploma, the IB Diploma, the bilingual IB Diploma, and the IB Course Transcript
  • the introduction of Diploma Program (DP) Global Politics as a new taught subject at UNIS Hanoi
  • the advantages of studying an Arts subject
  • the opportunity of studying a course online via Pamoja
  • the importance of researching possible course request implications for future university course requirements

Several future events have been organised to further support Grade 10 students in formulating their course requests for next academic year. These include a G10 Parents Information Evening on 31 January.

Event Date Details
G10 Student Carousel Tuesday,
29 January
12.50 – 14.15		 Grade 10 Students will learn more about the courses available at UNIS for students in Grade 11. Grade 12 Students, High School Teachers, and the DP Coordinator will share information and answer questions.
G10 Parents Information Evening Thursday,
31 January
18.30 – 20.00		 Grade 10 Parents are invited to learn more about the courses available at UNIS for students in Grade 11. The DP Coordinator and High School Teachers will be available to share information and answer questions
Course Request Deadline Wednesday,
20 February		 Grade 10 Students will submit their requests for courses by midday

Students in Grade 10 are encouraged to talk to their current subject teachers about individual courses available next year. Additionally, our Grade 12 students are open to conversations and can share the student’s perspective.

UNIS High School Counsellors have been discussing the importance of course requests for college and university admissions. Students with very specific pre-professional goals (medicine, computer science etc.) would be wise to explore possible course requirements which can vary between universities and national systems. Parents are most welcome to schedule an individual meeting with their child and their child’s counsellor to discuss course requests, as well as any university course requirements that may exist. To do so please contact hsguidancesec@unishanoi.org

The High School at UNIS Hanoi believes strongly that parents and students should discuss these important academic options as a family, and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 31 January.

Should you have any questions about IB Courses, the IB Diploma, or the courses available at UNIS Hanoi next academic year, please contact Elliott Cannell at dpcoordinator@unishanoi.org

We look forward to seeing you on January 31!
Scott Schaffner
HS Principal

Vietnam Military Museum – Stories of Resilience and Grit

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Grade 12 DP History class spent Tuesday morning exploring the Vietnam Military Museum.  One of the museum curators took time to give us a guided tour. The study of history is more than just the study of facts. Students learn to think critically about all the sources of information that they are presented with as historians. The museum allows for very interesting perspectives on the First and Second IndoChina War.  Although the students felt they could have spent more time at the museum the students got a different perspective on Vietnam’s history. Some of the discussions in the bus on the way back to school centered around how do we know what is the right history? How do we define nationalism? Allowing the students to think critically and question is at the core of the DP History course and the DP program.

The photo is taken is of a young Vietnamese girl who was barefoot and pulling parts of the B-52 that had been shot down out of a body of water. Resilience and grit are themes we saw throughout the museum in all the displays and conversations that the tour guide explained. Whether it be the story of villagers learning to read and write after independence to the military victory at Điện Biên Phủ the students saw the resilience of people who were struggling for their independence.

Donna Frose

DP History/Theory of Knowledge Teacher

Reports are available on the Veracross Parent Portal

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This week marked the start of the second half of the school year. Reports have been sent home and information about students is now accessible for families on the Veracross Parent Portal.

As we continue to strive for greater home-school communication, our crack tech team has put together a “cheat sheet” for parents to help navigate important information about their children.

Scott Schaffner

High School Principal