Upcoming Events

Do you know what happens to all those plas-tic bags and wrappers you throw away every day? Stay tuned for Earth Hour! During the week of March 17th the GIN Environment group will lead an initiative to cut down on waste by sponsoring events such as environ-mental presentations, saving hour, and house competition. It will be a week of considering how our resource use affects the environment, and GIN will lead an assembly on March 21st.

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Earth Hour 2014

ISHCMC American Academy will cel-ebrate Pi Day this month with a short assembly this year, hosted by Mrs. Swan-son’s calculus class. During the assembly, students will learn a little bit about an amazing number and have the oppor-tunity to compete in a couple irrational games for house points. Why irrational games? Because Pi is an irrational num-ber!

Interesting fact: Did you know Pi Day is the same date as Einstein’s birthday?

π3.14159253589793238 4626433832795028841971693993710582097494459230781640628620899862803482534211067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964 4288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912279381830119491298336 7336244065664308602139494639522473719070217986094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056812714526356082778577134275778960917363717872146844090122495343014654958537105079227968925892354201995611212902196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999837297804995105973173281609631859502445945534690243026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865875332083814206171776691473035982534904287554687311595628638823537875937519577818577805321712268066130019278766111959092164201989380952572010654858632788659361533818279682303019520353018529689957736225994138912497217752834791315155748572424541506959508295331168617278558890750983817546374649393192550604009277016711390098488240128583616035637076601047101819429555961989467678374494482553797747268471040475346462080466842590694912933136770289891521021620569660240580381501935112533824300355876402474964732639141992726042699227967823547816360093417216412199245863150302861829745557067498385059458858692699569092721079750930295532116534498720275596023648066549911988183479775356636980742654252786255181841757467289097777279380008164706001614524919217321721477235014144197356854816136115735255213347574184946843852332390739414333454776241686251898356948556209921922218427255025425688767179049460165346680

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Pi Day is Coming

Celebrating Women International Wom-en’s Day (March 8th) is a global day cele-brating the econom-ic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. How will you celebrate wom-en’s achievements this month?

Sports News

On January 21st, our high school boys and girls basketball teams had games against American Internationl School at ISHCMC’s outdoor court. Un-fortunately, our girls’ team lost their first game. But we got revenge by winning 34 to 20 against their boys basketball team. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan (12B) and Nguyen Do Hoang Khoi (12B) scored the most points through 2-match game. “It was the best game we’ve played in the past 2 years!” remarked Coach Allen.Miles. Congrats boys, you did a great job!

High School Boys Basketball Victory High School Girls Basketball Team

ISHCMC American Academy now has a high school girls’ basketball team. Their coach is Math teacher Mr. Andrew Gibson. The fifteen-member team practices every Tuesday and Thursday after school. They’ve been trying hard to keep up with other schools since the team was started. Recent-ly, the team had their very first game, a “warm-up,” against American Internatonal School. We will start to see them having games with other schools more often. Let’s have a great season girls!

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Student spotlightMiddle School High School

Oggy is a personable young man who likes to come to the library to practice his English and his skills of being a librarian. He offers his help on a regular basis to scan the books being checked in or out, and he also likes to help catalogue new

books by sticking the bar codes on. He is a prolific reader and regu-larly seeks new books. The librarian

has had to buy many new books just to keep up with his reading!

Doan Uyen Nhu (6A)

Mr. Swanson is a funny and friendly teacher. He cares for all of his students. He knows how to engage his students and this makes them love to come to his

classes. Everyone is always prepared to study his subject. He’s also an advisor to Student Council and lets members organize a lot of events and

activities for our school. He is a great teacher!

Students of the Month Students of the Month

Teacher of the Month

What Teavhers are Saying

Le Pham Ngoc Hieu (Oggy 6A)

Student Talk

Mr. Swanson teaches Social Studies and Video Production. Here is why he is being honored as this month’s Teacher of the Month.

Mr. Swanson is a new teacher who has already displayed a positive example of leadership in the school. He is always approachable in terms of being asked to do something. He therefore displays great commitment to the school culture. Just this past month, he participated in the Tet fashion show, competed in the cooking competition, and offered his help to the Tet Celebration Committee.

Mr. Swanson is generous with his time to his students and encourages students to do their best. He is also very generous with his time with the staff and no problem is left unsolved if Mr. Swanson can help it. He is a great role model for teachers and students alike.

Bui Le Van Khanh(10B)

Phan Huy Quoc (James 11A)

It is just a joy to teach her and her smile just bright-ens my day every single

day. She is a hardworking student, tries to use her

English daily, and is always improving. Nhu is a de-

lightful student to teach in general.

What Teavhers are Saying What Teavhers are Saying

What Teavhers are Saying

Khanh is not just concerned with her own success in

class. She makes a terrific amount of effort helping

her classmates understand key concepts. She is

patient, diligent, and very hard-working.

James has come to over a dozen after-school extra help sessions, gave one of the best

presentations on his paint-ing to the class, earned 98% in art, has a good sense of

humor, and is always willing to help the teacher in any was.

He does this all with a positive attitude!

Nguyen Tich Thien interviewed this month’s Teacher of the Month: Mr. Derek Swanson.

If you had to describe yourself with only three adjectives, what would they be? enthusiastic, self-confident, and witty

What places have you lived besides Viet-nam? I have lived in the United States prior to living in Vietnam. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado.

What languages can you speak? I can speak English, some Spanish, and very little Vietnamese.

Can you tell us about one memorable moment that you’ve experienced in Vietnam? On the year twelve trip, we went to a market in Lang Co. At the market, there were several students that helped me to seek out Chom Chom and bong bong (the fruits). Once the 12th grade students helped me purchase the fruit, I was showing the local market goers how to open a chom chom with their hands, rather than with teeth or fingernails. It was great to see the reaction of the locals to my actions.

Describe one of your favorite dishes, ei-ther from Vietnam or another country. My favorite dish is my purple coffee cup that was made in Colorado. The coffee cup has the Colorado Rockies baseball team logo on it and is great for all types of beverages; however, the answer the question properly, my favorite food item, which reminds me of home, is from scratch macaroni and cheese. A splash of hot sauce over al dente noo-dles, covered in bread crumbs and freshly grated Cheddar cheese makes for a great meal.

Meet the Teacher:

If you could own a summer house anywhere in the world, where would it be? Describe the place. When I own a summer house, I would like it to be in the mountains. There are plenty of people in the world that would love to settle down in the beach, but there is a special beauty of living in the cool, fresh air.

What is the riskiest or most dangerous thing you’ve ever done? In high school, I took a trip to Eastern Europe, and I was in Hungary (the country, not the empty stomach feeling) when I came across the second most dangerous thing that I ever en-countered, but you have asked for the first. The most danger-ous situation I have been in is when I was hiking in the moun-tains of Colorado, and I saw a mountain lion with her babies walking parallel to me, across from a gully on another ridge. My heart was throbbing the rest of the way back to the base camp. We could tell that the lioness had seen us and was trying to avoid confrontation, but you only hope that was you recognize when you are in the moment.

What did you want to do for a career when you were a child? Did you have any other jobs before becoming a teacher? When I was a child, like most children, I had lots of ideas of what I wanted to be when I grew up. One trend that I would say goes through all of the different career choices is that they all focus on helping others, fall into my interests, or are otherwise exhilarating. I believe that these three criteria are really import-ant when choosing a career for anyone. I had all sorts of jobs before becoming a teacher, but they were just that: jobs. I have had one career (being a teacher), but I have also been a base-ball umpire, a lawn maintenance worker, a burrito restaurant worker, a hockey shop manager, an Italian ice salesman and lots others.

Describe yourself as a teenager. When I was a teenager, I attended a school that had about 2400 students and I was in a couple of different groups. I was an athlete (I played ice hock-ey) where I made the All-State Academic First Team (a hockey player that does well in school) and I was voted by my peers as 6

Mr. Swanson at age 19 in Iverness, Scotland

Derek Swanson

“Most Academically Involved” in my senior year. It was interesting to be in the middle between several different groups, in that there was the academic group that I hung with (I finished high school with a 3.83 GPA), and I hung around the athletes (I shared a locker with one of the Amer-ican football players). I listened to a variety of music, as I hung out with people that were into punk and ska music, but also with people that liked more rock and pop music (it meant that I got to go to a bunch of different concerts).

What do you like to do on the weekends? On the week-ends, I like to go out and explore the world around me. There is a finite amount of time on this world, and I think that most of the time, you need to make the moments that you will remember happen.

Do you have a favorite movie or TV show? My favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption. I think that the movie tells a really good story. My favorite show of all time would be Seinfeld, which was on in the 1990s and is a self-de-scribed show about nothing.

Do you have any special or unique talents? I have such a vast array of talents, it may be shorter to list the things that I am not good at. One item on that list would be that my singing ability is nowhere near that of Rebecca Black. (Think “It’s Friday, Friday...)

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? If I could have any superpower it would be to make people see life through another’s perspective. I believe that this superpower would benefit the world the greatest, in that it might lead to a greater amount of peace and tranquili-ty throughout the world. Despite the immense influence this superpower would weld, I do not believe that it could sway my opinions about the Toronto Maple Leafs or Justin Bieber.

Why did you choose to teach Social Studies and IT? I think that the most important study for the bulk of people to truly embrace is Social Studies. Having a keen understanding of the world, society, and culture around you is an es-sential aspect of thriving throughout life. Video production is a means by which you can com-municate with a bulk of people, and I believe that you must have a grasp on what components of video will effectively move your message by understanding the perspective of your audience. Every class incorporates social science to a degree, and I think that it is innate in humans to have interest in those around them, which can be fostered through social studies classes.

How can students be successful in your class-es? There are plenty of specific things that could be suggested for success in school, but I think that a few broader suggestions may go further. Most importantly, I think that in school, as well in life, it is important to show up, and to show up ready to go. If you are present and ready, you may have a leg up on those around you. Approaching each day with a sense of “relent-less positivity” is a great thing. Wanting to do what you need to do to make those around you want to do what needs to be done will quickly push you into a leadership role within any or-ganization that you engage. I think keeping in mind a profound sense of “why” for each topic that you approach will inevitably lead the stu-dent to a broader understanding of each unit of study. Knowing how each smaller piece fits into a broader picture really drives home the importance of learning every day, and can be a self-motivator for fully conquering a subject.

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Food Feature

Among the variety of food in Saigon that have been loved through generations, both in Vietnam and other countries, it would be a major mistake not to mention a dish that has held the heart of many international food lovers: bot chien.

Made with traditional Vietnamese ingredients, bot chien itself has an irresistible and distinct flavor of Southern Saigon. Though it can be enjoyed all around Saigon, you can easily make this dish at home with the following recipe.

Ingredients & Supplies

1 small bowl of rice flour 1 small bowl of tapioca starch2 small bowls of cold water1 teaspoon oil½ teaspoon salt6-8 eggs 5-6 stalks of green onion (chopped) 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (dark soy bean sauce) About 1 cup of oil for fryingSteamer Pork

Nguyen Hai Nguyen

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Bot Chien: A Saigonlicious Dish

Directions: In a saucepan mix the two powders, then add 1teaspoon of oil , salt pork , water and stir until the mixture dissolve. Then, heat the saucepan on the stove with medium heat , stir well until the mixture becomes consistent and can’t be stirred anymore (it’s about 15 to 20 minutes , depending on the heat) then remove the sauce-pan from the stove.

Use a round plate and spread a little bit of oil all over the surface. Put the mixture onto the plate, making a round form, about 2 cm thick. Then, put the plate into the steamer for 4 min-utes. Take the plate out of the steamer and let it cool.

Take the round piece and cut it into little squares. Heat the saucepan with medium heat,

add a tablespoon of oil and then add the little square pieces along with 2 spoons of dark soy sauce and stir it up. Then, fry the eggs in that pan and add in the chopped green onions. Keep stirring for 5 minutes. Then put the food onto the plate along with chili sauce and enjoy.

In just one bite, you can feel all different tex-tures and flavors: fried eggs, rice flour and dark soy sauce, blending into one, delicious and healthy dish, with the density of fried rice flours, the tenderness of eggs and the freshness of the green onions. This dish can also be eaten with peeled green papayas and carrots dipped in vinegar to enhance the unique taste even more. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

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Ms. Mirrell Desjardins, Counselor

WHAT IS YOUR ACADEMIC READINESS?

It is an exciting time of the year. Half of the school year is finished, and many students have been actively pursuing plans for after graduation. Gradua-tion is just around the corner, and I know it is eagerly anticipated. During this critical stretch, it is import-ant to check-in with yourself and ensure that you are ready academically for college. Student academic readiness is usually gauged in fields like motivation, well-being, goal orientation, and academic skills. Determining individual academic readiness can prepare you for college by allowing you to make the necessary changes to your attitude, behaviour and habits that will ensure success before you start your academic career.

MOTIVATION

To succeed academically, it is important to enhance intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic factors, like power and fear of failure, do not necessarily inspire students to consistently and continually achieve academic success. Such dynamics can actually negatively affect behaviour or cause a fear of academics. By making a list of extrinsic and intrinsic factors that influence your determination to achieve high grades, then rat-ing them according to which is more influential, can help you decide which type of elements affect you more. If you are inclined towards extrinsic factors, then perhaps you are not as academically ready as you thought you were, and it may be a good time to start adjusting habits and behaviours.

WELL-BEING

The physical, emotional, social and school well-be-ing of a student is a necessary requisite for academic readiness. We all need certain criteria to be met before we can flourish personally and professionally. One of these is holistic well-being. If you do not feel well, or are chronically ill, this may affect your ability to handle the demands of tertiary educa-tion. Other signs that you may be suffering from an imbalance that affects your well-being are emotions such as depression or anxiety, inability to focus, social awkwardness or isolation and poor academic standing. Abraham Maslow theorized that until basic necessities in our lives were met, that we couldn’t sufficiently mature and fulfil our purpose .Physical and emotional well-being are basic human needs that are required before we can grow and become successful.

GOAL ORIENTATION

Goal orientation is the degree to which a person focuses on tasks and the end results of those tasks. Do you want to excel because you want to master a skill for personal improvement? Or do you want an A because you want to compare yourself to others and be ranked higher? It has been proven that those students who focus on mastering a skill or ability for the sake of learning and improvement of ones self are more academ-ically ready than those that are driven to show their abilities to others. This is because those students that focus on mas-tery are more likely to seek out challenges and persevere in adverse conditions. Quit comparing yourself to others and center on personal growth and learning.

ACADEMIC SKILLS

Academic skills help students become effective learners. These extend past familiar reading and writing abilities. For example, how good are you at setting goals? Do you have excellent time management skills? Are you easily able to make decisions? These are just three skills that boost academic performance. Before you embark on your university career, assessing your academic skills now can give you time to sharp-en these abilities, setting you up for success. Take some time; look up SMART goal setting, time management strategies and effective methods of making decisions. With some experimen-tation, you will refine your academic skills and find the most suitable study methods.

Therefore, as you are picking out your new university clothes, picking a place to live, and dreaming about that first year of tertiary education, remember that there are things you can do now to prepare. There will be no dress rehearsal, and every-thing will go down on your permanent record. By ensuring you are academically ready, not only will you be successful aca-demically, you will get the most out of your college experience and they will be some of the best times of your lives.

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Academic readiness

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Community Service Mr. Nathan Bryant

On January 23rd, grade 11 and 12 students from the Global Citizenship class gathered materials and many other resources to make a delivery to many foster homes in the surrounding area of Ho Chi Minh City. Global Citizenship is a class focused on making students aware and involved in world issues.

Each group in the class was assigned to pick out four orphanages to dedicate their investments. The first group, led by Nguyen Ngoc Tuan (Fabo), was responsible for performing various magic acts and musical numbers to provide entertainment for the children. Second group led by Nguyen Van Hoang Tung ( Wayne), took their time to prepare the dishes and vegetarian meals to nourish the children.

Senior Le Cat Van Quan’s group supplied the orphans with English language textbooks, coloring books, and CD resources for visually impaired children. The last group, led by 11th-grader Ruby, gathered donations to fund 15 million VND of purchases such as food, oil, seasoning, milk, and other items for the orphanages.

The class groups came up with this project with the goal of providing better living conditions for the orphaned children of Vietnam. Organizing the project also helped students to gain life experience. One goal was to show that our school does not just deliver knowledge through lectures and books, but the school program also gives students a chance to show their leadership abilities and to become successful in helping others. They also learned to value themselves and to consider other people who are currently living in more difficult conditions.

As we live in a community that has given us so many opportunties, it’s our duty as citizens to repay this debt by help-ing others in need.

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The Fun StuffWho’s that Baby?

Email your guesses to news@aavn.edu.vn for house points.

1. What is the quickest way to double your money?

2. What is full of holes, but can still hold a lot of water?

3. How do you organize a space party?

4. What three numbers have the same answer when added together

and multiplied together?

Be the first to answer any riddle to news@aavn.edu.vn for a house point.

Riddles & Trivia

SAT VocabHere is our SAT vocabulary word of the month.

complicity (n.): association or participation

in a wrongful act

Ex: The students were suspended for complicity in the attempt to cheat on

the SAT.

complicit (adj): involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing

YOU TRY IT! Email a sentence with the word to news@aavn.edu.vn. First 3 correct uses will earn house points.

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Homerooms 10A & 10B