While not being in a position to change the situation from Tuesday, I would like to share the operational considerations that guided our decision-making.

Unfortunately, we did not receive any official communications or warnings about impending road closures from local authorities nor were the authorities able to confirm any specific information that could have provided necessary information for early dismissal. Given our school of 3,400 students and almost 500 staff, safely coordinating an early dismissal across our school system can require a lead time of at least two hours to re-arrange bus routes with local compounds and staff deployment. Dismissing early in an unplanned way requires a great deal of coordination and time. In regards to the confusion around events after school, I also apologize for this situation.

In assessing the situation based on the timing of when we received the first unofficial information, we determined that dismissing students prematurely would have carried the high risk of sending them directly into the developing congestion and road closures, or having students arrive home without supervision.

Please be assured that our leadership team continues to work with local authorities to secure more timely and proactive updates in the future and we remain fully committed to the safety and wellbeing of all our students.

As you are aware, as a precautionary measure given predictions for further road closures, we instituted a virtual learning day Wednesday for ASD, BSD and ISG Dammam students to ensure no further disruptions.  We appreciate the understanding by families in our making this decision given the unpredictable nature of disruptions that have been experienced this past week.

Thank you for your continued partnership with ISG in the learning for your child.

The following is a list of extended learning opportunities that you can partner with ISG on:

• • Business Visits: Students visit business to be exposed to different types of environments, business sectors and career opportunities.

  • Business Briefings: Businesses share information regarding their company, career opportunities, various educational requirements and salary ranges.

  • Career Fair: Businesses from a wide-range of sectors hold sessions with rotating groups of students to share information regarding their company, career opportunities, various educational requirements and salary ranges. 

  • Job Shadowing: Students are partnered with a professional for a period of time where a more indepth opportunity to explore a career is possible.

  • Internships: Students are partnered with a company to engage in a short-term work experience.

  • Simulation Challenge: Groups of students are assigned a business challenge to research and problem solve, culminating with a presentation of their business solution to members of the partnering company. 

If your organization is interested in connecting with ISG to provide one of these opportunities, please connect with Head of College and Career Programs, Ms. Mona Lewars at lewar.m.04@isg.edu.sa.

From the moment they arrived, students were excited and fully engaged. After signing in and receiving visitor badges, they were welcomed by Ms. Sarah Albassam, who introduced the BHIG team, including technical engineers, safety leads, and site managers. Students then viewed a safety video to prepare for the tour.

During the visit, an operations manager explained BHIG’s mission and walked students through how blue hydrogen is produced and why it is considered an important clean-energy solution. Students learned:

• • The differences between gray, blue, and green hydrogen

  • How BHIG captures CO₂ and injects it into the seabed

  • How hydrogen technologies support sustainability and future energy needs

  • How liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are produced on site

  • How these liquefied gases are stored and safely transported to their end-users

Students also gained insight into career pathways in engineering, especially what it takes to become a process engineer. They asked BHIG staff about their university majors, internships and professional experiences, gaining real-world advice directly from industry experts.

The site tour took students through control rooms, maintenance areas and the Instrumentation Workshop, where they explored the tools and instruments used to monitor and regulate equipment. A lunch provided by BHIG added to the welcoming experience. The visit ended with a guided bus tour of the larger facility, giving students a sense of the scale and complexity of operations.

Teacher chaperones shared very positive feedback, noting that they also learned a great deal from the visit and appreciated the depth of information provided.

These visits offered an exceptional hands-on learning experience, connecting classroom concepts to real technologies shaping the future. We are grateful for our partnership with BHIG and for their commitment to inspiring our students.