Good morning, Genesis family. (special mention to John Leggot College)
To our students, our parents, our teachers, our staff, our leadership team, and to everyone who makes Genesis what it is today – welcome to a new school year.
There is something special about the first day of school. It is a day of new beginnings, fresh notebooks, new friendships, new questions, and new possibilities. It is also a day when we pause to look back with gratitude and look forward with confidence.
This year, I would like us to think about one powerful image: the image of a seed.
A seed may appear small, but inside it is a vision of what it can become. It needs care, patience, good soil, light, and the courage to grow beyond what is familiar. Genesis began in much the same way with a bold idea, a strong belief in the future, and the determination to build a different kind of school.
Seven years ago, the first Genesis school was established. Four years ago, our second campus opened. Today, we are a growing school community across two campuses: Tây Hồ and Nam Từ Liêm. What began as a vision has become a living, learning community filled with children, young people, teachers, families, and dreams.
To our founders: we celebrate your incredible vision and mission. You imagined a school that would not only educate students, but nurture compassionate, responsible and globally minded human beings. You believed that academic success and human development should grow together. You believed that education should prepare students not only for examinations, but for life.
That vision has been brought to life through the extraordinary work of many people. Every lesson planned, every child encouraged, every question answered, every performance rehearsed, every playground conversation, every family meeting, and every quiet act of care has helped Genesis take root.
To our teachers and staff: thank you. You are the gardeners of this community. You bring knowledge, patience, energy and heart to your work every day. You see potential before it is always visible. You help students find confidence when they are uncertain, resilience when things are difficult, and joy in discovering something new. The growth of Genesis is inseparable from your dedication.
To our parents: thank you for trusting us with what matters most to you. Education is a partnership. When home and school work together with honesty, respect and shared purpose, children are given the strongest possible foundation from which to grow.
And to our students, from primary to secondary: this school belongs to you. You are not simply here to receive an education; you are here to help shape the future of Genesis.
For our youngest learners, every day is an invitation to wonder: to ask “why?”, to explore, to create, and to learn how to care for one another.
For our older students, the journey ahead is becoming even more exciting. Genesis is strengthening its international pathways, building towards IGCSE and A Level opportunities, and consolidating teaching and learning as we develop an internationally recognised curriculum alongside the MOET bilingual framework. Our aim is to give you both strong roots and wide horizons: a deep connection to Vietnam and the confidence to participate in the wider world.
We are also proud that Genesis stands for something larger than academic achievement. Our campuses and educational programmes reflect a commitment to sustainability, responsibility and green living. Genesis is recognised as the first school in Vietnam to achieve the Lotus Gold standard and the first Vietnamese Green School to become a member of the Center for Green Schools, part of a global community of sustainable schools.
This is not simply an award to display. It is a responsibility to live by. It asks us to consider how we use resources, how we treat nature, how we care for our surroundings, and how our choices affect others. At Genesis, nurturing a green future means nurturing thoughtful, capable and compassionate citizens.
As we move forward under new leadership and with promising partnerships, we do so with optimism. We honour the work already completed, while remaining open to new ideas, new opportunities and new ways of learning. The next stage of Genesis will be shaped by collaboration between campuses, between teachers and students, between school and families, and between our community and our partners.
So, on this opening day, let us remember the seed.
Let us plant high expectations. Let us water them with kindness. Let us give them the light of curiosity, the strength of perseverance and the space to grow.
If we do that together, the future of Genesis will be stronger, greener and more inspiring than any of us can imagine.
Welcome back, Genesis. The next chapter begins today.
Thank you.