Weekly Updates, Monday 1 June, 2020

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to June, the last month of the school year 2020-2021! I would like to congratulate you all for
getting us here successfully with such creativity, resilience, and professionalism. The next two and a half
weeks will be focusing on wrapping up the year with both students and faculty. Please, check the
Last Four Days - protocol on the blogger and read it carefully to prepare for the grand finale of the
school year.

On Monday, this week, the grade 12 students are celebrating their graduation. The 97th commencement
ceremony will take place on the Nestle field. In order to ensure social distancing, this event is for grade
12 students, their closest family, and faculty by invitation only. Should you be interested in watching the
ceremony we are streaming the event here. On Tuesday afternoon the Leadership Team and Learning
Leaders will continue the planning of school year 20-21. We are looking at protocols for opening the
school given the possible COVID-19 influence on organizing school days in a safe manner. On
Wednesday, we will join zoom meetings and breakout rooms to share the proposed class lists for the next
school year. Finally, on Friday the KB and Gr 1 teams will meet with KB parents to explain the plans for
the KB’s smooth transition from ELAC to grade 1 and the main building. Please, check the blogger
tomorrow for the End-of-Year checklist.

Riana, Trevor, and Heikki

Helpful Scheduling Documents:

• June Report Writing Guidelines
• Updated live sessions schedule
• Weekly overview of live sessions  ie. for grade level slides 

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon  1 June		15:50 Grade 12 Graduation Ceremony (Nestle Field - by invitation only)
Tues  2 June		14:00-16:00 20-21 Operational Planning Meeting
Wed 3 June		Classlist Meetings on Zoom 14:00-14:45 Breakout Room PreK->KB Trevor  Breakout Room G1->G2 Heikki Breakout Room G3->G4 Riana 14:45-15:30 Breakout Room KB->G1Heikki Breakout Room G2->G3 Trevor Breakout Room G4->G5 Riana
Thu 4 June
Fri  5 June		9:00-10:00 KB-G1 Online Transition Meeting Parent Coffee

Faculty Meetings:

Wednesday June 10 Town Hall (Whole Faculty)

Thursday June 11 afternoon  (Reflection of 19-20)

Friday June 12 afternoon (Planning of 20-21)

Monday June 15 afternoon (Planning of 20-21)

Professional Development

Author to Author (Matt Glover, Kathy Collins) A parent resource

Link to Faculty Distance Learning site and online PD

Articles worth skimming through

15 Strategies for Online Learning

Using Thinking Routines in Distance Learning (Ron)

Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions at a Distance

Successfully Taking Offline Courses Online

When Schools Are Closed: What Matters, what does not John Hattie

Family coping during coronavirus

That Discomfort you are feeling is grief HBR

How to Combat Zoom fatigue HBR

Last Four Days of School - Please, read carefully

  NO HUGS                 NO  KISSES 

Dear colleagues,

Please find below the protocol regarding the last few days of school.

1. Students

Students in each grade level will be assigned a date, and a time slot (approx 20 mins) to enter their
homeroom and collect all their personal belongings including their emergency package placed in a
paper bag(s), drop-off their loaner laptop if applicable, and quickly say goodbye and wish happy
holidays to their classroom teacher, TA, and LSAs.

We will limit the number of students in each classroom level at the time (4-6 students per classroom in
Grades 1- 5, one student, and parent at a time in PreK/KA and KB). All students are asked to wear
masks when entering the school buildings. Please, note that we will ask students to place the items they
are returning into a separate plastic/paper bag from home for quarantine.

Please note: Returning students are not bringing their library books to school until August.

2. Students’ Visiting Dates
Grades 1 - 3 Morning of Thursday 11 June
Grades 4 - 5 Morning of Friday 12 June
PreK/KA and KB morning of Monday 15 June

A more detailed schedule with student names will be provided soon.

3. Teachers, Assistants, and LSAs

All teachers, assistants, and LSAs are asked to come to the campus prior to and during the student visits.
Dates and times will be confirmed soon. On the 11th, 12th, and 15th of June, the temperatures of faculty
will be checked as we enter the school building. All faculty and staff are asked to wear masks at all times,
maintain social distance, and maintain hygiene protocols including washing hands, keeping the doors open
to avoid touching the door handles, etc.

Prior to the visiting days (teachers can plan the dates and times as they see best), we will collect and
place all student material (notebooks, folders, artwork) and their personal belongings (if known) in a paper
bag and in a designated place in the classroom.

- Specialists will bring and organize the subject-specific learning material in the homeroom.
- Additionally, teachers are asked to organize a designated place in the classroom where they can
will drop-off their loaner laptops and sign-off. The laptop will need to be placed in a plastic bag.
- Classroom teachers and LSAs are asked to be in their designated classrooms during the visits.
- Specialists are asked to support the flow of the students’ movement through the building as

explained below.

4. Movement and social distancing

- In the main building, students will enter through the sliding doors next to the Health Office and exit
through the sliding door facing the ELAC building. This is to avoid cross traffic in the building.
- Routes will be signed and specialist teachers will be guiding (as well as waving goodbye) the
students through the corridors to maintain safe distances and to follow the protocol. 
- PreK/KA and KB students will enter the ELAC building along the corridor that is divided for entering

and exiting traffic by cones and ropes.

5. Parents

- For grades 1 - 5, only students are allowed on campus
- Parents are asked to wait outside, preferably in their cars to maintain social/physical distance. 
- PreK/KA and KB students are allowed to bring one parent to the ELAC corridor.
- If parents are not able to organize the visit to the school on the designated day and time, the

student's equipment will be kept at school until the start of school in August.

6. Other areas at school

Playgrounds, cafeteria, Atrium, Library, and other public areas will be closed. Construction work is taking
place in the Library, Third floor - Secondary School, and in the General Admin sections. Offices will not be
open to parents or students.

7. Report Cards and Certificates for Leaving Students

- Report Cards will be open to parents on the 16th of June.

- Remi-san will prepare hard copies of the documentation for parents to be picked up from the Reception
or mailed home from 17th June onwards.

8. Detailed plan with dates and time

A more detailed plan with dates, times, and sign-up sheets will be shared with faculty in the near future.

9. Special cases
- Families with multiple children may choose to come to campus multiple times or choose a time

slot(s) for one of the children to collect all the materials. In those cases, we will ask families to
contact Remi-san so we can organize the personal belongings in one classroom. 

- Families leaving before the school ends will contact Remi-san and we will organize their drop-off
and pick-up at the reception.

- No show. If a returning family does not show up for the pick-up, we will keep their materials in
plastic bags with a name tag until August.

Weekly Updates, Monday 25 June, 2020

Dear colleagues,

As the state of emergency is being lifted in Japan and the whole country is taking baby steps in moving
towards the new normal, we will continue the current distance learning model as of now. The last four
days of school will require teachers to come back to campus collate and organize student work, material,
and belongings in the homerooms so that students can follow a scheduled visit to the classrooms to collect
material and drop off the loaner laptops. We will share details of that protocol soon.

This week the School Leadership Team will hold the second meeting to plan for the options for
opening the campus in the new school year. Keep the great learning going and enjoy the warm and sunny
week ahead!

Riana, Trevor, and Heikki

Helpful Scheduling Documents:

• June Report Writing Guidelines
• Updated live sessions schedule
• Weekly overview of live sessions  ie. for grade level slides 

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon  25 May	DL	14:00-16:00 Operational Plan Meeting DL
Tues  26 May	DL	DL
Wed 27 May	DL	DL Classlist Creation / Report Card Writing time No faculty meeting...
Thu 28 May	DL	DL
Fri  22 May	DL	DL

Provisional Plan for Faculty Meetings:

Wed June 3 14:00 - 15:30

Classlist Meetings

Wed June 10

ES Faculty Meeting

Professional Development

Inquiry Educators Summit 16 - 18 May

Teaching Reading and Writing Today 9 May

Author to Author (Matt Glover, Kathy Collins) A parent resource

Link to Faculty Distance Learning site and online PD

Articles worth skimming through

15 Strategies for Online Learning

Using Thinking Routines in Distance Learning (Ron)

Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions at a Distance

Successfully Taking Offline Courses Online

When Schools Are Closed: What Matters, what does not John Hattie

Family coping during coronavirus

That Discomfort you are feeling is grief HBR

How to Combat Zoom fatigue HBR

Weekly Updates, Monday 18 May, 2020

Dear colleagues,

The rainy Saturday turned into a beautiful summer Sunday. We hope you took advantage of the wonderful
weather and enjoyed life outside. Congratulations to the grade 5 team and grade 5 students for the
incredibly successful virtual PYP Exhibition. Students were able to maintain high-quality
presentations all week. Parents and the visiting audience members were impressed and provided great
feedback to the learners.

The past weekend was offering exceptional Professional Learning Opportunities through the Inquiry
Educators Summit which offered access to the minds of the big names in inquiry learning including
Kath Murdoch, Ed Sackson, Jo Boaler, Kevin Bartlett, Jay McTighe, and many more.

One correction to the information that was shared in the last week’s faculty meeting: families who are
returning to school in August are not asked to return their library books by the end of this school year.
They can return the books as soon as the library is ready and back in action.

Let’s have a great week!

Riana, Trevor, and Heikki

Helpful Scheduling Documents:

• June Report Writing Guidelines
• Updated live sessions schedule
• Weekly overview of live sessions  ie. for grade level slides 

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon  18 May	9:00-12:00 Operational Plan Meeting
Tues  19 May	8:00 Whole Faculty Zoom
Wed 20 May		Classlist Creation / Report Card Writing time No faculty meeting...
Thu 21 May
Fri  22 May

Provisional Plan for Faculty Meetings:

Wed May 27

Classlist Creation or Report Card Writing time

Wed June 3 14:00 - 15:30

Classlist Meetings

Wed June 10

Town Hall (Whole Faculty)

Professional Development

Inquiry Educators Summit 16 - 18 May

Teaching Reading and Writing Today 9 May

Author to Author (Matt Glover, Kathy Collins) A parent resource

Link to Faculty Distance Learning site and online PD

Articles worth skimming through

Summative Assessment in Distance Learning - NEW
Keeping the Conversations Going - Across the Distance - NEW
The COVID crisis and adult development - article and webinar - NEW
15 Strategies for Online Learning

Using Thinking Routines in Distance Learning (Ron)

Accommodations, Modifications, and Interventions at a Distance

Successfully Taking Offline Courses Online

When Schools Are Closed: What Matters, what does not John Hattie

Family coping during coronavirus

That Discomfort you are feeling is grief HBR

How to Combat Zoom fatigue HBR