Monthly Highlights 21/08/2026

Monthly Highlights is a monthly newsletter sent by the BVIS Leadership Team to parents, providing updates on notable news and activities at the school. The newsletter consists of three main sections: updates from the Principal, Head of Primary, and Head of Secondary.

Dear Parents, 



A very warm welcome back to all members of our BVIS community as we begin the 2026-2027 academic year together.

The year has started exceptionally well, and although only just over a week has passed, there is already so much to celebrate. It has been wonderful to see our students return with such enthusiasm, energy, and positivity for learning.



A particularly warm welcome goes to the many new families who have joined us this year. Whether you are new to BVIS, new to Ho Chi Minh City, or for some, new to the country, we are delighted to have you as part of our community. We hope you are settling in well and beginning to feel at home.



We have also welcomed 11 new teachers to BVIS this year, and I have been incredibly impressed by how quickly they have settled into their new roles and responsibilities. Having joined us from a range of international schools and from the UK, it has been particularly pleasing to hear how impressed they are with our school and, most importantly, with our wonderful students. I look forward to you meeting them over the coming weeks at Parent Evenings and other school events.

Over the summer break, following another highly successful Summer School programme, work began on a number of exciting facility upgrades across the campus. These include the refurbishment of our indoor swimming pool, the new Creative Arts corridor on the third floor, and enhancements to our Early Years outdoor spaces, including new shading, playground improvements, and the splash pool area. 

In addition, changing rooms and washroom facilities in both Early Years and the Secondary ground floor have been upgraded as part of our phased plan to enhance all washroom facilities across the school. Further improvements in the Early Years playground are scheduled for October, and we look forward to sharing these with you. Please take a look at some of the photos included here or click the link to view our dedicated Facebook post showcasing these exciting developments.



Alongside these impressive campus improvements, we are also celebrating outstanding academic success. Our Primary and Secondary students achieved excellent results last year, with our A Level and IGCSE outcomes being truly phenomenal. We are immensely proud of our students and grateful to our teachers for their dedication and commitment in supporting these achievements. I encourage you to read the Secondary section of this newsletter to learn more about these exceptional results.

We are also delighted that our Class of 2026 graduates have secured places at their chosen universities around the world. Through their hard work, determination, and resilience, they have earned exciting opportunities for the next stage of their educational journey, and we wish them every success in the years ahead.

This year, following valuable feedback from parents, we will be streamlining our communications. These Highlights newsletters will now be shared monthly rather than weekly, and we encourage all parents to follow and engage with our social media platforms, where we regularly celebrate and share the many wonderful activities, achievements, and events taking place across the school.



I look forward to welcoming many of you onto campus throughout the year for the wide range of events, performances, celebrations, and opportunities to connect with our community.

Wishing everyone a successful, happy, and rewarding academic year ahead.

Contact Us

Should you wish to contact your child’s Class Teacher(s) or Form Tutor directly, we encourage communication to be written in the language you most feel confident to use. 

Parents may also find it useful to contact their child’s class teacher(s) or form tutor directly for all individual queries about their academic work/social and emotional wellbeing in school. Individual contact details can be found in the Parents’ Handbooks or via our Primary/Secondary Receptionists. 

Dear Parents,

It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back to BVIS Primary and to see such a positive and energetic start to the new academic year. I have been particularly impressed by how quickly our children, families and staff have adapted to the new start-of-day arrangements. Each morning, the Primary playground has been buzzing with excitement and energy, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere as children meet their friends, connect with their teachers and prepare for the day ahead. Thank you to all our families for your support in helping the new routines become established so smoothly. It has been a fantastic start, and we look forward to building on this positivity throughout the year ahead. 

New Staff at BVIS

Meet the Teachers and Upcoming Parents Evenings

This week it was wonderful to see so many parents attending the Meet the Teachers Event where we were able to share lots of key information. In September, there will then be the opportunity for parents to meet individually with teachers to focus on how well the children have settled into their new classes and what they initial targets will be for this first part of the academic year. We look forward to seeing you all at these events. Please see dates below. More information to follow on how to sign up for the Parents Evenings.

New Facilities for a World Class Learning Environment

This year again, there has been a lot of development work to ensure our learning environments are world class and we are particularly pleased with the developments in the EYFS, the Indoor Swimming Pool and the Arts Department in Secondary (which Years 4-6 will have the opportunity to use each week).

ECAs / Clubs and Sign Up

Parent should now have received the Booklets sharing the Clubs / ECAs available in Block 1 (September to December). Please could I ask that you discuss carefully with your child the Clubs they want to choose. Children are expected to choose and then stick with the club for the full 10-week Block. We do have some clubs that are free, some that are paid and some that will be invitational such as for squads and music. Please see the dates below for the when to sign up and the deadlines for this.

If you have difficulty with signing up on the Schools Buddy system, we will have staff and ipads available in reception to help support you with how to do this.

Support for IT and Parental controls

As our students do use technology where appropriate in school for learning and that they have access at home, it is important that appropriate parental controls are in place on all devices that students use. These controls can help families manage screen time, restrict access to unsuitable content, monitor apps and online activity, and ensure that children are using technology safely and appropriately for their age. We strongly encourage parents to regularly review device settings and to talk openly with their children about responsible online behaviour. 

We recognise that setting up and managing parental controls can sometimes be challenging, and our BVIS IT team is available to support families who need advice or practical assistance in ensuring devices are set up safely. 

BVIS Parental Control Support

Upcoming Events: 

• 31st August to 2nd September - National Holidays / School Closed
  
• 8th September – Fundinotots Begins
  
• 8th and 10th September - Parents Evenings for B and I classes 
  
• 14th September – Block 1 ECAs / Clubs begin
  
• 15th and 17th September - Parents Evenings for V and S classes
  
• 24th September – Phonics Workshop 1 for F3 and Lower Primary
  
• 25th September – Moon Festival
  
• 1st October – Phonics Workshop 2 for Lower Primary
  
• 8th October – Phonic Workshop 3 for Lower Primary
  
• 5th to the 9th October – International Week and Global Languages 
  
• 10th to the 18th October – Half Term Holiday / School Closed
  
• 19th October – Start of Second Half Term

Welcome (back)!

A warm welcome back to BVIS for all those returning families, it was great to see so many familiar happy faces on the first day. The students seem to have returned positively and productively, having enjoyed their summer break away from school.

If you're a new parent to secondary, I look forward to seeing you at the many different events we have scheduled across the year, lower in this segment you will see an upcoming key dates section, which will inform you of events in the next month or so. Please check this section so you are aware of events for you and your child.

Outstanding Examination results

The headline figures are that:

44.4% A*-A
66% A*-B
85% A*-C
98.5% A*-E

These results, from our largest ever graduating cohort are amazing and we are all immensely proud of how well they have done. Our graduates are now preparing to move all over the world to their preferred universities to study their desired courses.

Induction Days

Outstanding Success in the John Locke Essay Competition

We are delighted to congratulate Jimmy in Year 13 on being shortlisted in the Economics category of the prestigious John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize 2026. This year’s competition attracted over 100,000 entrants from 183 countries, with only the top submissions progressing to the shortlist. 

Being recognised among such a highly competitive international field is an exceptional achievement and reflects Jimmy’s intellectual curiosity, analytical skills, and dedication to economics. Dinh Tien has now been invited to attend the John Locke Awards Ceremony and Academic Conference in London this October, where the category winners will be announced. We wish Jimmy every success and congratulate him on this remarkable accomplishment.

Housepoint Totals

This section will display the current House Point standings so that you can keep up with how your child's house is progressing in the House competition. Last year's final result is below for reference. 

Upcoming Events

• 28th Aug: Live Lunch
  
• 31st Aug – 2nd Sept: School Closed
  
• 9th Sept: IGCSE Awards Event
  
• 24th Sept: UGC Event

Safeguarding and Child Protection

The health, safety and wellbeing of our students remains the number one priority at BVIS HCMC.

Should you have a concern for the welfare of any child in our school, please refer to our Safeguarding poster below: