Anton Luiten

IBDP COORDINATOR

• Master of Education (Leading Education)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology) 
• Master’s in Applied Linguistics (TESOL)
• Certificate of English -Language Teaching to Adults (graduated with distinction)
• Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (English and English Lit, graduated with distinction)
• Licentiate in Music (Piano Performance) Royal Schools of Music 1999
• Licentiate in Music (Piano Performance) Australian Music Examinations Board 1997
• Licentiate in Music (Piano Performance)Trinity College of London April 1997
• Bachelor of Music (Performance)

With over 25 years of experience in education, Dr. Luiten brings a wealth of experience to the role and hopes to inspire the current and next generation of learners. With posts in countries as diverse as Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia, he has been involved in leadership of IB, pastoral care, music and English. With a meticulous approach to lesson planning and delivery, he hopes to bring motivational strategies to all aspects of learning and to develop a curriculum that caters for diversity. Dr Luiten enjoys exploring new places on foot, interacting with local communities, reading, watching films and dining with friends. He especially loves guiding students through a musical experience after all the hard work is done. Bachelor of Music University of Western Australia PGCE University of Hong Kong MA Linguistics Macquarie University, Australia Ph.D Musicology University of Sydney Message “Change is the end result of all true learning”.

James Bourke

HUMANITIES COORDINATOR

• Professional Masters in Education in Mathematics
• Business Studies and Economics
• Bachelor of Commerce Degree Economics Major

James began his teaching career in Ireland where he thought economics and mathematics for two years before moving to Vietnam in 2019. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, playing and watching sport along with leading a healthy lifestyle. James is our Model United Nations Coordinator and enjoys coaching basketball at AIS. James is currently studying for his Maters in Educational Leadership and is looking forward to his future here in Vietnam.

Juliet Coome

TOK COORDINATOR

• Master of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts
• PGCE

Juliet has taught in the Caribbean, Hanoi and Saigon, working with students from many different backgrounds. She has taught the French national curriculum and the American common core programme, as well as IGCSE and IB. Juliet has a passion for Russian and Eastern European literature, has recently developed an expensive diving habit and is an avowed fan of marzipan.

Joseph Brown

ENGLISH COORDINATOR

• Bachelor of Arts
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary)

Joseph is a new teacher at AIS. He has been living in Ho Chi Minh City since June 2017 and has enjoyed experiencing the local lifestyle and culture. Joe studied English and teaching at Murdoch University in Western Australia. He studied a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Creative Writing, Literature and Modern Social History. He completed this degree with First Class Honours in English and Creative Arts. Finally, he completed a Diploma of Education (Secondary), majoring in English and minoring in Society and Environment. Prior to AIS, Joe taught English as a secondary English teacher for four years at a private school in Western Australia. During this time, he taught English across all secondary grades and to a wide variety of students from diverse backgrounds and levels of ability. Recently, Joe completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate and has six months experience teaching English as a Foreign Language at a variety of public schools in Ha Noi. Over the last month he has been working casually at a language center, with university students, in Ho Chi Minh City. Joe enjoys playing guitar and creative writing. He is really looking forward to joining the team at AIS and meeting the students and broader community involved with the school.

Jeffrey Capuano

MATHS COORDINATOR

• Master of Educational Leadership
• Bachelor of Education (Science-Mathematics majors)

Nationality: Australian

Jeff has a wealth of experience teaching mathematics at the secondary level within Australian Government, Catholic and Independent systems. He has held several senior leadership positions within mathematics and more broadly in teaching and learning. Jeff is known for his passion for problem solving and focussing on students individual needs and developing their strategies and dispositions to enhance their capacity as learners. When not involved in teaching Jeff enjoys playing golf, travelling, reading, hiking, following his football team and spending time with family and friends. He is looking forward to his time at AIS getting involved in the breadth of activities on offer plus the adventure and opportunities living in Vietnam brings.

Nicholas Mason

SECONDARY MUSIC TEACHER

• Bachelor of Science
• Professional Educator's License

Nick joins AIS from The American School in Ho Chi Minh City, where as musical director he oversaw the first fully live performance of a staged musical production in the school’s history. He was musical director over four successive shows, including well-known, award-winning shows Loserville and High School Musical. He also started many of the first performance-based classes at TAS including guitar and songwriting classes and the first elective performance class. He has over 12 years’ teaching experience in the United States and Vietnam

Nigel Hall

ARTS COORDINATOR

• Bachelor of Arts (Three Dimensional Design)
• Graduate Certificate in Education

Nigel joined AIS in 2016 having spent the previous two years teaching Art & DT at British International School, Ho Chi Minh City. Prior to that he held the position of Head of Art for 18 years at schools in Cyprus and the UK, lectured at the Cyprus Academy of Art and worked in an advisory capacity for AQA. Prior to teaching Nigel worked as a Structural Engineer and Architectural Photographer. Nigel enjoys travelling, enjoying life and building custom motorcycles.

Alexander Knight

HEAD OF SCIENCE

• Graduate Diploma of Education

Alex has taught secondary science including Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science since 2015. Prior to this Alex worked as an Environmental Scientist with a focus on measuring and controlling air, soil, water and noise pollution from industrial facilities across Australia. He has a young family and is very much looking forward to living, teaching and experiencing life in Vietnam

Matthew Washer

DIRECTOR OF SPORT

• Bachelor of Leisure studies

He started his career as a health, physical education and outdoor education teacher at a secondary school in Christchurch, New Zealand. More recently, he worked at an international school in Osaka, Japan as an elementary P.E specialist and activities coordinator. He likes to practice what he preaches and enjoys staying healthy through regular swimming for exercise. he has played many sports over the years but particularly love racquet sports - tennis and badminton. His biggest passion though is snowboarding and he is unashamedly a powder junkie!

Sophie Hoang

CAS COORDINATOR

• Master's Degree in French As A Second Language
• Professional Development Program Teaching Certification
• Master's Degree in Multimedia Educative Engineering
• Master's Degree in English Language, Literature And Civilisation

Sophie is Vietnamese, born and raised in the City of Light, namely Paris in France. After graduating from university, she went to Sydney, Australia and fell in love with this mesmerizing city. Sophie worked there as a French teacher for a number of years before packing her bag again. She arrived in Vietnam in 2014 and has taught IBDP French in an international school since then. She has also coordinated the GIN programme which has been a fantastic experience and one of the most rewarding. Sophie enjoys people watching while sipping a cup of coffee at one of the Vietnamese coffee shops. She also likes a good day at the beach but most of all, she loves spending time with her rescued dog, Cap.

Michael Clark

D/T COORDINATOR

• Bachelor of Education (Technological and Applied Studies)

Michael is an experienced educator who started his teaching career in Sydney, Australia. He has spent more than 15 years working in a range of educational settings worldwide. He is excited to be returning to AIS after two years as Head of Design in an international school in Shanghai, China. He is passionate about Design education and enjoys seeing his students share that passion as they design and create using a range of materials, processes and technology. Michael enjoys touch rugby and also exploring, by motorbike, all that is amazing in Vietnam.

Garry Seabrook

EAL COORDINATOR

• Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
• Bachelor of Arts (Performance Studies)

Garry joined the AIS community in 2020 and took over as EAL Coordinator in 2021. Before coming to AIS, Garry taught EAL and Language Acquisition at UNIS in Hanoi and also at the International School of Tianjin. Prior to becoming an international school teacher, Garry taught ESL in Vietnam for more than a decade. His wife is Vietnamese and they have a son who is a student at AIS. Garry and his family very much enjoy living in HCMC and being part of the AIS community.

Trịnh Thị Mai Phượng

Additional Language Coordinator

• Master of Education
• BA - Teaching English

James Williams

HEAD OF BOARDING SCHOOL

• University of Essex- PGCE
• CELTA Certificate
• Australian National University (BA) Archaeology and German Language

James has been fortunate to work as an English Language teacher since 2015, first for a year in Thailand before spending more than six years in Hanoi and recently moving to HCMC. He derives particular fulfilment from working with primary students and having a front row seat to the growth of their skills and confidence in a second language. James looks forward to reading and writing in his leisure time as well as swimming. Once he finishes his Masters of Education in 2023, James aims to use more of his free time to publish his novels.

Christina Zinetti

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

• MA in Child, Adolescent and Family Psychotherapy
• Graduate Certificate in Psychodynamic Practice
• Diploma in Counselling Studies and Skills
• Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology of Education
• PGCE Social Sciences (Secondary)
• BA(Hons) Social Policy & Social Welfare Law

Christina has provided educational experiences to children over the last 15 years. Christina’s experience includes teaching, leadership and pastoral experience. Christina has worked in schools in the UK and Switzerland across a range of school settings, including state, independent and boarding schools. Christina has taught GCSE, A Level and IB Psychology. Christina values the importance of nurturing the whole child and the
well-being of all children. She is committed to promoting and supporting a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Christina enjoys Hiking, tennis, travelling, nutritional therapy and being in the mountains!

Shane Louise Priddis

Special Education Needs and Learning Support Coordinator

• Bachelor of Special Education
• Diploma of Teaching

Jetro Batoy Asis

AIS Aquatics Coordinator

• Letter of Experience as a Swimming Coordinator/ Head Coach

Jet has been with AIS for 10 years teaching swimming from Kindergarten, Primary to Secondary students in all campuses. Prior to joining AIS, Jet has been coaching and managing competitive swimming clubs and organising summer learn-to-swim programmes in the Philippines. He has also been involved with skills and development activities of the national and international level swimmers of the Philippine’s National Swimming Team. He has been a competitive swimmer since he was 7 years old and was a member of the Philippine Age-Group Swimming team represented his country in national and international events for 8 years. Since then, he has focused on full-time coaching and managing swimming clubs. Jet still trains as a competitive athlete in Running, Swimming and Triathlon events.

Heather Lee-Ann Julien

University Counsellor

• Bachelor of Education
• Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and Psychology

Kerin Michelle Dodunski

YEAR GROUP COORDINATOR Y1

• Bachelor of Teaching and Learning

Kerin has 10 years of experience working in primary and special needs schools in New Zealand. She previously taught at AIS and is excited to return to international teaching. Kerin is passionate about Literacy and Language in the junior school. She prides herself on providing students with a positive, safe classroom environment which nurtures a holistic approach to learning and teaching. Kerin values undertaking professional learning of recent pedagogy and research to ensure her students receive personalised, engaging and effective learning opportunities. Kerin has two adult children in New Zealand and she will be joined in Vietnam by her husband. She enjoys travel, crafts, baking, yoga and is planning to learn scuba diving in Vietnam

Van Chau Nguyen

YEAR GROUP COORDINATOR Y2

• Bachelor of Education

Van was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood & Primary). This is her seventh year of teaching. During her career she was fortunate enough to have enjoyed a variety of roles within the school such as classroom teacher, team leader and leading the ukulele club. One of the many highlights from her teaching career was when she took a group of students on a school exchange program to Japan where she was able to teach students and engage in many cultural activities within the Japanese school and the wider community.

Van enjoys swimming, playing music, travelling – experiencing new cultures and their food. She also enjoys spending time with her dog, Maggie

Elisa Joan Carroll

YEAR GROUP COORDINATOR Y4

• Bachelor of Arts (Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary)
• Autism Teaching Certificate

Elisa joined AIS from Melbourne, Australia in 2020. She is a passionate teacher who has taught in government and independent schools, across a variety of primary year levels. Elisa enjoys providing authentic and personalised learning opportunities, where students sense of wonder and curiosity are at the heart of learning. With experience in the PYP, Elisa has also held various curriculum and team leadership roles. In her leisure time, she enjoys all aspects of digital technologies, travel, reading, and music. Elisa and her husband are both at AIS and have three adult children. She is moving from Thu Thiem and joining the Thao Dien campus this year.

Rebecca Suzanne Debrincat

YEAR GROUP COORDINATOR Y5

• Bachelor of Arts
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary)

Fifteen years of teaching and leadership experience has seen Rebecca provide enriching educational experiences to children across the globe. Rebecca has had the opportunity to work across schools in Melbourne, London and São Paulo. She has worked with a vast number of teams, pedagogical models and mastered her classroom teaching strategies. Leading the numeracy and the creative curriculum at her school in Brazil, Rebecca is passionate about developing the whole child particularly in encouraging 21st century skills and inspiring girls in STEAM education. Rebecca loves snowboarding, travelling, cooking and soccer as just a few of her hobbies

Jordan Leigh Goulding

YEAR GROUP COORDINATOR Y6

• Master of Education
• Bachelor of Communication
• Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning

Jordan is a primary school teacher from Australia who has many years of experience working with amazing students in Thailand, England, Spain and his homeland. He has a Master of Education from the University of Melbourne and studied hard to receive a B2 Level Diploma of Spanish during his time there. Jordan takes pride in getting to know every student in his class as an individual, including their hobbies and how they learn.

Paraic Edward Garry

PRIMARY SCHOOL TECH COACH

• Master of Education
• Bachelor of Communication
• Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning

Paraic is joining the AIS community from Cambodia where he worked at the leading IB international school in Phnom Penh. He taught grade 3 and led the Maths and STEAM curriculums. With a background in engineering, Paraic is particularly passionate about STEAM education, guiding students to be creative problem-solvers, and encouraging them to be thinkers and risk-takers through fun, engaging learning experiences. His experience working in EAL has given him the skills to support students of varying English language abilities.

Paraic enjoys motorbike trips in countryside and learning about local cultures. He has a keen interest in sports and plays soccer, rugby, and tennis. He loves music, playing the guitar and some piano. He also enjoys art, especially sketching.

Kylie Jane Sims

PRIMARY NUMERACY COORDINATOR

• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

Kylie has taught in several different contexts and countries. She earned her Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) in 2010 and has been working as a Primary School Teacher since 2012. Kylie has taught in schools in the USA, China, and Australia. Kylie prides herself on building a strong rapport with her students and inspiring them to be their best as learners. Kylie is skilled in differentiating learning for a range of abilities, and has a track record of significant improvement of student reading fluency and comprehension.

Kylie’s passions include cross stitch, dancing, new restaurants, watching KDramas and Disneyland. She spends her free time with her friends and family, learning a new skill or testing a new recipe or pattern.

Brien Jonathan Wills

PRIMARY HOUSE COORDINATOR

• Bachelor of Education (Teaching)

Brien is a Primary trained teacher with over 18 years’ experience teaching a range of subjects to 8 -13 year old students mainly in Taupo, New Zealand. He has also taught in London, U.K. for 3 years. Brien loves playing/coaching/watching a range of different sports especially Rugby, Cricket and Basketball and enjoys getting involved as much as possible in all school activities. Having taught at AIS for the past two years in Year 6, this year Brien has moved into Year 4. Along with his wife Beth and their two daughters Lucy and Isla, they are really enjoying their time in Ho Chi Minh City

Rebecca Jane Heidenreich

PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCILS

• Bachelor of Education
• Graduate Diploma of Theology in Education

Bachelor of Education, University of Tasmania, Specialising in Early Childhood Education Graduate Diploma of Theology in Education.

Rebecca has 17 years experience in teaching, ranging from Kindergarten to Year 10. Her previous school, Eastside Lutheran College in Hobart, Tasmania was the fastest growing school in Tasmania in the five years from 2013 to 2018. Rebecca loves travelling and spending time with her family. Her latest family pursuits include wakeboarding and fishing, she also love dancing, especially classical ballet

Huỳnh Mỹ Linh

PRIMARY VNC Coordinator

• BA - Primary Education

Linh is a passionate teacher with nearly 18 years’ experience. Linh has been a VNC teacher at ACG -AIS since 2007. During this time, she worked very closely with foreign teachers and administrators to find out the best methods in teaching language. Prior to joining AIS academic team, Linh had four years teaching in many international schools around Ho Chi Minh. As a language teacher, Linh believes how much the important role that the mother tongue plays in learning another language. Linh will be continued to focus on building a nurturing and supportive learning environment for students. At AIS, Linh has organised several highly successful events such as Moon Festival and Tet Fair in which the values have brought to students are huge. This year Linh challenges herself as the Coordinator of Vietnamese National Curriculum in Primary school.

Cindy Patricia Armstrong

Year Group Coordinator Y3

• Bachelor of Education

Cindy is excited to be back with us after leaving 2 1/2 years ago and is looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones. Cindy has over 20 years of experience working in primary schools in Australia. She is passionate about teaching and is looking forward to teaching students from diverse cultural backgrounds again. Cindy believes in building strong relationships with students who are engaged in their learning, ensuring all learning is focused on students’ strengths and needs. Cindy has two adult children back home in Australia and is hoping they will pop over for a visit as well as other family and friends. Her passions include following the Richmond Football Club and spending time at the beach.

Zion Mitchell

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y7

• Bachelor of Education, CELTA

Zion was adopted by the age of 6 months by English parents after the Vietnam war in 1974 and arrived to Australia in cardboard box. Good school grades and became School Captain and Tennis Captain of Wesley College Melbourne. He is happy and very grateful. It has been a personal dream for him to return to Vietnam and teach again at an International School, but more importantly to give back to Vietnam having a love and passion for teaching. Zion comes from Melbourne Australia previously taught at St Monica’s Epping and MacKillop College Werribee. With over 13 years of teaching experience he has taught Visual Art, Design, Product Design and Wood Technology within numerous curriculum frameworks IB, IGCSE, and VCE. Zion previously had lived in Vietnam for over 7 years from 2003 to 2011 teaching IB Visual Art at ISHCMC, CELTA qualified, Cambridge Oral Examiner, teaching English ESL / EFL / EAL, experienced role as a Vice head Principal and as a qualified professional tennis coach (Talent Development Coach) from Tennis Australia. Previously coached Do Minh Quan the past number one tennis player in Vietnam and nationally ranked juniors throughout Melbourne Australia. Zion believes “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

Todd Patrick Brennan

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y8

• Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Second Class Honours - Queensland University of Technology
• Diploma of Justice Administration Sunshine Coast Institute of Tafe
• Level 1 AFL Coaching accreditation
• Bronze and Silver Medallions in Surf Lifesaving
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE 40116)
• Certificate III in Active Volunteering (CHC34015)
• Certificate III in Hospitality (SIT30616)
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery
• First Aid and CPR Certificate (Current)

Todd will be joining AIS from Australia, where he has forged a career in education over 9 years. He has a teaching degree in health and physical education and is also a fully-qualified chef. Todd has enjoyed teaching health & PE, as well as acting in coordinator roles and coaching several sports teams. He places great emphasis on fostering resilience and a growth mindset. He understands that positive working relationships promote his students’ investment in each learning opportunity and that if a student feels understood and at ease, their curiosity, drive and resilience in the face of challenges will be enhanced.

Todd is looking forward to new friendships and experiences. He has a background in swimming and is an avid sports fan. Todd is eager to share his love of sports and a physically active lifestyle. He is also excited about Vietnamese cuisine and learning new techniques.

Nathan John Heidenreich

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y9

• Bachelor of Human Movement

Andrew Bruce Masterton

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y10

• Master of Arts
• Graduate Diploma in Education

Andrew taught Humanities and Science at Scotch College, Melbourne then went on to teach English in a refugee camp on the Thai Burmese border for 18 months. After, he spent a year of study at Oxford University. Andrew has experience working at World Vision Australia as a Programme Officer in the Emergency Relief Unit. He also taught Science at Presbyterian Ladies College, Melbourne and spent 9 years at Caulfield Grammar School, Melbourne. At CGS, he taught Humanities, Science and Senior International Studies. He was also coordinator of the Peer Support Programme and the Community Service Programme. Andrew joined AIS in August 2009. He enjoys jogging, swimming, travel and spending time with his wife and two young boys.

Vòng Kim Phương

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y11

• Bachelor of Science
• Associate Degree in Science

Phuong has 11 years of experience teaching secondary Mathematics and Sciences. As Academic Dean, she was able to help struggling students develop independent study skills and become more successful learners. As the Head of STEM, she leads development of the integrated Science curriculum for middle school and organized Annual STEM Day events. As Head of Mathematics, she lead the department to implement common core curriculum and organised Annual Math Competitions. She also mentored and organised many fundraising activities to raise money for Heartbeat Vietnam to provide surgeries for children with congenital heart defects.

Trent Steven Richardson

STUDENT WELFARE COORDINATOR Y12

• Bachelor of Human Movement and Exercise Science
• Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Senior Years)

Trent began his teaching career in Brisbane, Australia, and has since spent time teaching science in London. His passion for science was fuelled by his love for sports. In his spare time, Trent is an avid traveller and loves spending time indulging in local cuisines. He enjoys participating in sports and leading a healthy lifestyle. Trent is excited to be apart of the AIS community and the future prospects of living in HCMC.

Jack Vincent Moreci

SECONDARY SCHOOL HOUSE COORDINATOR

• Master of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts
• IB Certificate in Teaching and Learning

Jack arrived at AIS from Hong Kong (after a brief stopover in Thailand for the birth of his son) where he taught pre-IBDP English at a prestigious secondary school. In addition to teaching English, Jack also coached the debate team, where they took 2nd place in the Hong Kong International School Invitational Debate Tournament. Jack will be entering his 10th year as an English teacher in various countries around Asia. Jack is an avid world traveler. He prefers to explore new countries from the back of a motorcycle. Jack also enjoys good food, playing chess, weightlifting, and baseball