Middle School

Concordia International School Hanoi celebrated the holiday season with its annual Middle and High School Christmas Concert, a magnificent display of student talent and musical education that spanned centuries and continents.

Concordia International School Hanoi once again successfully hosted its beloved annual Fun Run and Christmas Fair, transforming our campus into a magnificent display of activity, cheer, and community spirit.

The annual Elementary School Fall Carnival at Concordia International School Hanoi is a highly anticipated tradition that transforms our gym into a fairground celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival for both Elementary and Middle School students. 

This past summer, Concordia’s talented 7th grade student, Avy, distinguished herself at the Young Artist Friendship Festival in Da Nang, earning an impressive total of five awards amidst fierce international competition. 

The story of Concordia International School Hanoi is a story of how experienced and passionate educators transformed an area intended for office space into the foundation of Hanoi’s most academically elite school.

Learn about how Concordia Hanoi is leading the way with a novel approach to instructing mathematics that promotes curiosity, deep conceptual understanding, and critical thinking in our Elementary School and Middle School. 

Recently, our Middle School boys’ and girls’ competitive volleyball teams traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to take part in the annual ASAC Junior Volleyball Tournament, hosted by the Australian International School (AIS) from May 8 to 10. Over three days of intense competition, both teams battled hard against a strong lineup of opponents and ultimately finished in fourth place. The tournament featured a total of 10 teams, bringing together schools from across Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia, making for a challenging international event.

At Concordia International School Hanoi, we are committed to fostering a culture of lifelong learning, innovation, and excellence among our faculty and staff. This Spring, that commitment took shape through a two-part professional development series titled "Building Cognitive Capacity in Individuals and Organizations," led by renowned educator and author Ochan Powell. 

As Concordia prepares to partner with Legacy Summer Camp to offer a unique summer development experience, the Thunderbolt spoke with Legacy founder Zack Jones to learn more about what families can expect from the program, and why summer camp can be such a vital part of a child’s holistic growth. 

This webinar, presented by Concordia counselors, explored the concept of a growth mindset and its importance for students' success and well-being. Referencing the work of Dr. Carol Dweck, the counselors explain that a growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance, as opposed to a fixed mindset, which assumes these qualities are innate and unchangeable.
 

Recently our Junior ASAC boys' and girls' soccer teams traveled to Phnom Penh where they competed at Northbridge International School Cambodia (NISC). This trip provided our young players with the opportunity to test their skills against teams from other countries while strengthening existing bonds with their teammates and forming new friendships.

Concordia Middle School students have carried on our school’s dramatic traditions this year with a performance of the play entitled 15 Reasons Not To Be In A Play.

Concordia offers a robust EAL program to non-native English-speaking students who qualify for admission, helping them achieve greater academic success.

Concordia International School Hanoi transformed into a vibrant hub of activity and holiday cheer with the successful hosting of the Concordia 2024 Fun Run and Christmas Fair. This event drew an impressive crowd of over 500 attendees, also including over 260 enthusiastic runners and supporters.

Concordia International School Hanoi had the honor and privilege of presenting on a panel about building human resource capability at the EuroCham Green Economy Forum and Exhibition (GEFE) 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

The panel highlighted examples of “Environmental Sustainability” woven throughout our entire curriculum as one of Concordia’s Expected Student Learning Results (ESLRs) across all divisions.

Every year, Concordia’s Middle School students have the opportunity to travel outside Hanoi on educational trips that allow them to discover more about Vietnam.

In our recent webinar held last month, insights on helping families navigate the digital landscape were shared by the Director of Technology at the American School in Japan, Warren Apel. This session focused on finding a healthy balance with screens and devices for children, offering practical strategies for establishing household rules and creating tech-free zones. 

We are excited to welcome and introduce Dr. Colt Turner. Dr. Turner is the new Director of Teaching and Learning here at Concordia International School Hanoi. With an impressive educational background and extensive experience in various educational roles, Dr. Turner is eager to make a significant impact on the Concordia community.

Concordia International School Hanoi competed in the Middle School boys and girls ASAC volleyball tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia. Out of the 10 teams that competed, our girls' team placed 3rd while our boys' team placed 1st!

Concordia’s Student-Led Conferences are an opportunity for parents to hear directly from their child about what they are learning in the classroom, how they’re making friends, and what their interests are.

Concordia’s Grade 8 science students visited TUV Rheinland’s electronic testing facility outside Hanoi. They told the Bolt what they learned and enjoyed about the trip.

The 8th grade “Mad Birds” led the Middle School student body through Breakout EDU with Mrs. Halpin’s leadership. Breakout EDU is a fun, online “escape room" style of challenge.

Concordia grade 8 students had the opportunity to investigate various careers on 8th Grade Career Day. Students were able to learn from eight professionals who represented eight different fields of interest. We appreciate our eight amazing professionals who shared about their own careers on our Career Day.

In Vietnam, Tet is a beautiful and meaningful holiday people spend with their families. It is when people can reflect on their entire year and enjoy moments with their loved ones. However, the families we visited in the children’s hospital on Tuesday, February 6th were not as lucky as us. In the hospital were children and their parents waiting for their recovery, not being able to enjoy Tet to its fullest.

At Concordia International School Hanoi, we are committed to providing an exceptional educational experience that fosters academic excellence and holistic development. As part of our continuous efforts to monitor and enhance our students' learning outcomes, we recently analyzed the Fall 2023 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores. 

Each year, Concordia Hanoi travels with students for LAUNCH and CAMP trips, school clubs, and athletics. Continue reading to learn about our middle schoolers’ and coaches’ experience in Ho Chi Minh this past month!

Concordia’s campus ensures students breathe clean air while in class and moving between classes. 

In Concordia, the school creates an environment for the students to flourish, and the students actively contribute to the constant improvement of their school.

Concordia’s middle school boys and girls basketball teams recently traveled to Cambodia to compete in the ASAC regional basketball tournament, becoming the first ever Concordia teams to play overseas! 

"I think that Concordia is a really challenging environment that prepares you for future university experiences. The curriculum encourages students to constantly improve academically", by Luna Tran (G8).

Concordia International School Hanoi is the only school in Hanoi with chapters of the US National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). 

Middle school exploratory courses and Student Led conferences are part of Concordia’s commitment to student growth and learning. Middle school Principal Stephen Ly summed up the importance of student led conferences as “reflection, realization and relationships.”

Concordia middle school robotics students participated in a recent Vex IQ Robotics competition. 

Not specifically scored, the event was an opportunity for middle school robotics students from different schools around Hanoi to build and engage in an informal competition. 
 

Concordia Grade 6 students are currently studying a unit on factoring and learning about multiples. As part of this, they are working on a scale factor project that doubles as a kindness project

Concordia middle school robotics students are working in teams and learning collaboration skills to build their bots in the most efficient way possible - and win a tug-of-war against other robots.

Concordia middle school students have consistently performed exceptionally well on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test compared to other schools in Hanoi, Vietnam, the region, and the world. 

Concordia Grade 7 science students were asked to develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and the way the parts cells contribute to the function. 

#ConcordiaHanoi Grade 8 science students in their Forces and Motion unit are applying Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects. Students design and build capsules to hold the egg, launch them in a rocket, and land them without breaking.

Concordia art students are finding their voice and how it fits into their personal style, while learning to see, plan and respond in a studio environment. 

This year’s middle and high school Winter Concert and Art Exhibition showcases student art exploration in a range of mediums, including contemporary printmaking, design, realism, and observational contour line. 

Concordia’s middle school has introduced a Japanese elective course for the 2022-2023 school year. The goals of the class are to help speakers with no Japanese background acquire some basic vocabulary and communication patterns they can use to engage with a Japanese member of our Concordia community, and to gradually introduce cultural elements. Three students and the teacher shared insights on the course - and its impact on the community. 

Moving to a new school can be daunting at any age - that’s why Concordia’s middle school makes it its mission to ensure each and every student feels welcomed from day one. 

#ConcordiaHanoi high school students in AP Environmental Science and middle school environmental students got the chance to meet an expert in energy, Mr. Markus Bissel, with GIZ, the German aid organization. 

ConcordiaHanoi Grade 8 students realized the weight of their words during their recent Seminar class. As part of the class, students learn how and why negative statements are burdens to ourselves and others - and why positive words make a difference to our and others’ well-being. 

Concordia’s middle school writing program teaches students that writing is a process, showing the steps and edits it takes to organize and develop a successful essay or story, and what an expected finished product should look like.

As a true international school, Concordia is a diverse community with nearly 500 students from 28 countries. 

Concordia International School Hanoi boasts an excellent music program. Many of our middle and high school students participate in Choir and Chamber Ensemble. This spring the school prioritized in-person concerts to give these students a chance to showcase their hard work in practice and share their talents with the community.

Mr. Ed Sul introduces and tries to get his Grade 8 students to fall in love with the richness of Shakespeare. 

Known for their academic prowess - graduates are heading to such universities as Yale, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania and Amherst - our Class of 2022 was equally known for their strong bond with each other and their community spirit - one graduate has even authored a children’s book and donated proceeds to charity.

We asked some of our parents to share their thoughts on why they chose to live in certain neighborhoods in Hanoi.

Concordia currently employs 63 full time teachers, not including instructional assistants, school leaders and staff. Among our 63 teachers, 73% are from North America.

Concordia hosted its first TedX conference on April 11, 2022, with the theme “Dare to Dream”. 

Concordia International School Hanoi’s counselors are supporting students and parents during the transition from Home Learning to on campus learning to ensure a smooth transition back to the classroom. 

Spring Break is next week! If you're looking for some fun books to read while you're relaxing with your families, check out the recommendations below. These books are available from our library so you can place your requests or email our librarians for help. Happy reading!

Grade 6 Social Studies students tackled the questions of "How did we get here?" and "Why is the world the way that it is?" through a study of unintended consequences.

Music is a powerful, connective, universal language. Music education, now more than ever, is so important! In times like these, while we are isolated, it connects us to our memories, community, culture, emotions, and each other! It gets us off of our screens. It provides creative opportunities and outlets.

The Zero Plastic Campaign is challenging the Concordia community to be more aware of the use of plastic. 

In Part Three of the series, "How to Support Your Child Through Transitions," Mrs. Bloemberg answers some frequently asked questions about transitions. 

In Part Two of the series, "How to Support Your Child Through Transitions," Mrs. Bloemberg discusses the 

Twenty-four Concordia high school students participated in the Model United Nations (MUN) ASA (after school activity) this fall, culminating in a keynote conference held this past Saturday, joined by schools from around Hanoi and the region. 

In Part I of the series, “How to Support Your Child Through Transitions,” Mrs. Bloemberg explains the different stages associated with an international move.

While middle school is not often associated with hard hitting journalism, it can certainly be a place that nurtures the talents of future journalists.

Hope for the Little Flowers provides one-on-one mentorship to younger students in the elementary school during Home Learning.

Students in Grade 7 social studies are currently studying megacities, their problems and possible solutions.

Concordia Grade 8A Language Arts students acted out and filmed scenes from Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet, as part of their unit on the playwrite. 
The Bolt spoke to students about what they learned. 

Concordia Grade 5 students and parents met with the MS principal to discuss the transition into middle school in Grade 6 next year. 

During this unit, students explored rivers, the system of these rivers, and the geographical processes involved.

Chief Medical Advisor at the US Embassy CDC/PEPFAR program in Vietnam spoke to our female MS and HS students about her career path in STEM.

G8 students are looking at the effects of economic, cultural, and social globalization in different countries.

Although cut short, our athletes had a great second season of sports, including middle school soccer and high school basketball. Read what our coaches have to say about their season.

Dr. Plastic led workshops for G5 and the middle school Global Citizenship class on their recycling process using a heat press and shredded single-use plastic.

G8 Language Arts students take part in “Wacky Writing” experiences to build quick-thinking and quick-response writing skills.

Over 70 students submitted videos of their talents to share with the community.

Concordia’s National Junior Honor Society chapter has initiated a program meet and read with Reception students online.

Students and teachers are enjoying this new opportunity and challenge, and students are learning life skills such as time management, organization, collaboration, and cooperation.

Grade 6 explored why their Ratios Unit matters by relating their data points to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The journey from the groundbreaking ceremony on March 1, 2018, to the ribbon cutting on September 19, 2019.

Grade 7 students built 3D models of cells for their science unit.

Watch the video of artist Ngo Van Sac's wood-burning demonstration!

Middle and high school parents got a chance to experience their students’ school day.

Over 300 people joined us to kick off the new year with our Back to School BBQ.