Secondary Virtual School
Dear Parents and Students,
As we approach the beginning of the school year, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all members of the BIS Hanoi Secondary School community. I, like many of you, are new to the school this year and I can say with absolute confidence that you are part of a successful, ambitious, and caring learning community that is going from strength to strength.
The last 18 months have been a challenging time for many people around the world, including those in our community. During this time, BIS Hanoi has continued to thrive and innovate, while always staying true to its mission of operating in the best interests of students. I hope you are as excited as I am to begin the school year and to experience the wide array of choices a school as well-resourced and globally connected as ours affords.
Please carefully review the Virtual School Experience (VSE) Parent Guidebook at the end of this page as it carefully explains the structure of the VSE programme and the expectations for students and parents.
You will also find the Parent Handbook attached, which is a document released every year and relates to the broader operation of the Secondary School, not just the Virtual School Experience.
I am very much looking forward to meeting new and existing families in the coming months. At BIS Hanoi, the partnership between the school, students, and parents is very important. Therefore, we invite you to contact the Secondary School Office should you have any questions at all about the upcoming year. Please stay connected with us and with each other.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Newman
Head of Secondary
Overview
All lessons will be delivered live by the relevant subject teacher.
Students will follow their timetable exactly as it is published, and all subjects will run. Timetables will be shared with students on Day 1 of the school year.
Microsoft Teams is the platform through which all lessons are to be delivered, and important documents and information stored. Other technology platforms can supplement, and use will vary subject to subject.
Students will receive instructions about how to log into MS Teams for the first time prior Day 1 of the school year. They will then take part in a series of workshops to learn how to use the platform.
Registers will be taken during Form Tutor at the start of the day and in every lesson. Attendance will closely monitored and count towards official attendance records.
To allow physically movement between lessons, lesson durations will be changed to 45 minutes. Lesson 1, 3, and 5 will finish 5 minutes early. Lessons 2, 4, and 6 will start 5 minutes late.
Our pastoral and wellbeing programs continue as timetabled, including tutor time, assemblies, and wellbeing lessons.
ECAs will run as planned, beginning in September. These will be hosted online, should we still be in VSE at that time.
Assessment practices during VSE need to run as normal. Students need to be assessed and receive feedback on progress.
Reports and parent evenings will follow a normal schedule while virtual.
Should the school still be virtual come PTC4 for Year 11 & Year 13 in October, examinations will run virtually using MS Teams.
The School Day
Tutor: 8:30 am - 8:50 am
Period 1: 8:50 am - 9:35 am
Period 2: 9:45 am - 10:30 am
BREAK: 10:30 am - 10:55 am
Period 3: 10:55 am - 11:40 am
Period 4: 11:50 am - 12:35 pm
LUNCH: 12:35 pm - 1:25 pm
Period 5: 1:25 pm - 2:10 pm
Period 6: 2:20 pm - 3:05 pm
Live lessons
The structure of each live lesson will vary, depending on what is being learned and at what the stage the learning occurs.
All lessons will be scheduled by the teacher and will appear in the student’s calendar.
Expect that many different types of learning activities will occur during live lessons. For example, these may include:
Short teacher lectures, followed by self-directed to tasks while teacher stays online for questions
Live discussion forums, spoken or written; such as using Teams posts, Harkness tables, Socratic circles, etc.
Group work: this can be done using channels on Teams or break out rooms
Peer assessments and self-assessment
Students or groups presenting research set in previous lessons
Consolidation lessons or “support available” lessons where the teacher sets work, but then meets individuals one-on-one through chat.
A live lesson in Science by Dr Joseph Loft
Expectation for students
Be ready and on time for each lesson.
Complete all work set by teachers in a timely manner.
Communicate with teachers immediately via email should they have questions or problems with the work. This includes letting teachers know if they cannot meet a deadline in a timely fashion, at least 24 hours beforehand.
Turn cameras on for all relevant components of lessons. It is important for social and emotional wellbeing that they see each other’s faces.
To dress smartly and present respectfully. School uniform is not required.
Not ‘multi-task’ on social media or other devices while learning.
Be polite and respectful to each others. Cyber-bullying will not be tolerated.
Use school IT systems according to the acceptable use policy on the student intranet.
Uphold BIS values at all times in their interactions with teachers and collaborative interactions with each other online. The high expectations for behavior are exactly the same online as in school.
Communicate with teachers and students within reasonable hours, between 7:30am and 5:30pm, unless agreed to beforehand or in emergencies.
Replicate the school day by taking proper breaks during 10:30am-10:55am, 12:35am – 1:25pm and after 3:05am.
To drink water and eat healthily throughout the day.
The importance of balancing the day will be essential during virtual school. A minimum of 30 mins of exercise away from a computer screen each day is recommended.
Expectation for parents
Support your child by setting up an appropriate workspace, where they can focus on their work without distractions and noise, in a comfortable and light environment.
Make sure your child is set up for each day, with a charged laptop, notebooks, pens and highlighters, and assist them to attend every lesson
Make sure your child is well-fed, hydrated and rested.
Please encourage your child to immediately communicate with teachers and form tutors when they have questions or problems. Our staff are ready and waiting to help. For any subject related learning questions, students are to contact their subject teacher. For all else, the Form Tutor is the point of contact.
Help your child to plan relaxation and physical activities. Exercise and sunlight are critical while your child is learning virtually, as is off-screen time. Please make sure your child takes breaks from study.
Where you have concerns about your child’s progress during online learning, please contact the Secondary Office or your child’s Form Tutor.
Parent Guide to Access Microsoft Teams
See below for our Secondary Parent Handbook
See below for our Secondary Parent VSE Handbook
Parent Guide to Access Teams.pdfBOOKLET - Parent Handbook - Secondary 2021 - 2022.pdfVirtual School Parent Guidebook ENGLISH.pdf