Virtual School Announcements

Over 350 parents registered for the NESA ‘Parents as Partners’ eight-part webinar series. For more information and to register, click here. If you are unable to attend live sessions, recordings of the webinars will be emailed to all registrants.

I am excited to let you know that in partnership with the KSA authorities we have been able to secure travel permissions back into KSA for all teaching staff currently overseas. We expect all teaching staff to be back in KSA within the next few weeks.

Enjoy your weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael P. Mack

I have also received very positive feedback about the first NESA online webinar that was held for parents. The next session, on September 15, addresses how parents can support learning and well-being at home. For further information and to register, click here.

As you’ll notice in our calendar, September 20 was set as our annual virtual school day. Given that our students and staff are fully experienced in virtual school now (to a degree we never imagined), this will be school as usual.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael P. Mack

Earlier this week, you received an email from our Learning Office. ISG, in partnership with NESA, is pleased to offer our parent community an exciting learning opportunity: Parents as Partners. This eight part webinar series is delivered by distinguished specialists and is designed to support you with your child's learning and development. For full details and to register, please click here.

For your information, you can find an updated version of our ISG District Health Manual on our website. Among other things, there is information that you might find helpful on our medication policy and immunization records.

Have a good weekend!

Sincerely

Dr. Michael P. Mack

We have already circulated our ISG Reopening Roadmap and will continue to plan for a number of scenarios following this date. We will also continue to lobby the MOE for our teaching staff and specialist subject instructional classes to be officially permitted access to campus.

Our Government Relations Office is working closely with the authorities on options for ISG and we will keep you informed of any official communications we receive.

Best wishes,

Dr. Michael P. Mack

I believe this is the wisest course of action for the safety and well-being of our students and staff, which is my top priority. Given the number of uncertainties we are facing, it also allows for some degree of long-term planning. Further details on end-of-year events will be provided soon by your school principal.

On a different note, for our Dhahran parents, the latest progress report on our new campus can be found here. Although work has been temporarily paused due to curfew restrictions, construction up to now has been progressing on schedule. Despite the delay, I want to assure you that we are still hoping to open in 2021, inshallah.

To end with a little humor: our staff received a special message this week from British satire legend John Cleese. It brought a smile to many of our faces. I thought you might enjoy seeing it too. You can find the details here.

Wishing you all a very good weekend.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Mack, PhD

Ramadan Virtual School Hours - 2020

DBGS: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. DEMS: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

DHS: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Dammam: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sara Village: 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Jubail: ES: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.; MS/HS 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Please note that Ramadan timings will begin on Sunday, April 26, 2020.

We thank you for your support and understanding.

Best wishes,

Mike

The website links are below but can also be found on each school’s website under Our School.

DEMS

DHS

DBGS

Dammam

Jubail

SVS

Please also refer to our ISG website for our section on COVID-19. On the main page, you will find information updated daily about any restrictions, curfews, etc. in KSA. There is also an FAQ section, key terms explained, an article on how to talk to your children about the virus (by age) and a log of all my communication to you thus far for easy reference.

While we are living in a time of great uncertainty and rapid change, please know that at ISG, we are working hard to bring routine and consistency to our students, alongside our high standard of academic excellence. While we may not know how long virtual school will last, I will let you know as soon as possible if there are any changes that may impact the remainder of the school year. We are all doing our best today to plan for tomorrow and beyond.

Keep well.

Mike Mack

As you know, we will be operating virtual school until further notice. I would like to reassure you that we continue to closely monitor developments with the authorities and I will be in touch with any further news and updates as we receive them.

Best wishes,

Mike

As we deal with COVID-19 in the Kingdom and worldwide, we recognize this is new for ISG and indeed all schools around the world. We continue to be in touch with schools locally and internationally as we work towards creating the best virtual school possible for our students.

As I reflect on ISG and the work that students and staff have done these past two weeks, I am truly pleased to be part of this learning community. All students, staff and especially parents have worked tirelessly to support the continuation of learning. I recognize that this has been difficult at times and I appreciate your support and feedback.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very safe, healthy and relaxing week with your family.

Sincerely,

Michael Mack

While our office buildings are closed, our staff are working online from home during regular business hours.

I would like to thank our dedicated teachers and parents, who have jumped into the virtual world and helped provide stability and support for students.

ISG has been in KSA since 1962 and weathered many challenges over the years. We will weather this one as well, with calm heads and a focus on the best interests of our children.

Best wishes,

Michael Mack

The recommendation came from health authorities in order to ensure the safety and well-being of students and educational staff.

There will be no classes in all ISG schools starting tomorrow, March 9. Virtual school for students will begin on Tuesday, March 10, which will provide teachers with a preparation day for their lessons in the days ahead.

Student accounts will work remotely during the school closure period and will continue to process receipts, seat deposits and enrollment contracts. All administrators will also be working online and will be available through email.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated. We remind you that the school launched a webpage on COVID-19 to provide information and resources to the community.

Thank you for your cooperation and support during this time.

Best wishes,

Michael Mack