Parent Handbook 2021/22

ATK Testing:

• Need more clarification whether only the students and separation parents need to submit ATK results twice a week OR this also includes parents or household members who drop off the students?

All community members who require entrance into campus will be required to take the ATK test and submit their results twice a week.

• How often will we need to order ATK tests if we are buying them through the school?

MYIS is able to order ATK tests in bulk for our families. We will be doing this every month and will be selling kits in bundles of 10 (each student will need between 8 and 10 a month). Please see this google form for more information.

• MYIS has a relationship with World Medical Hospital and can support families to arrange appointments with the hospital for RT-PCR testing if necessary.

School Safety Sandbox Scheme:

• The restrictions are provided by the government for all schools that are interested in joining the School Safety Sandbox initiative. They are being strictly monitored and enforced with government inspectors visiting schools to ensure guidelines are being met.

• We have only 8 students in G5, would it be possible if they can go to school everyday? While we recognize that some classes have lower numbers than others, the reason for scheduling the classes in this way is because we are looking at the number of bubbles on campus at any particular time. We understand that Distance Learning continues to be highly effective for teaching and learning in the primary grades, particularly the upper primary grades who use the Google Classroom platform. As the restrictions ease, we will increase the number of bubbles on campus at one time, further reducing the Distance Learning platform.

• Do we have an option to continue distance learning together with the others at campus? We will be offering an option for students to continue with Distance Learning if their families choose not to return to campus. We are currently considering different models of Hybrid Learning to ensure it is .

• We will continue to follow the directives of the government. Currently, the government has directed schools that we can safely reopen under the School Safety Sandbox Scheme.

• All classes from EY to Excellence will have a nanny included in their class bubble

Classroom Arrangements and Bubbles:

• How will you handle the Early Years group’s logistics after drop off and pick up? Will the students be always accompanied along the route such as going up the stairs etc.? Students will be escorted to and from the classroom by teachers in their class bubble.

• We understand that many parents are concerned about their students entering the campus without them. We will set up a CCTV camera at the guard house so that parents can watch their child/ren enter school from their phones in their car.

• If there will be more students re-enrolling in the class after campus reopening, will a Nanny be included in the team that will take care of the maximum 18 students per class?

Classes across the school will have a cap from 14-18 students. Classes that go over this number will have a waiting list. We will consider opening an additional class in Term 2.

• Nannies will be allocated to each of the Early Years (EY - Excellence) grade levels and will be a part of their class bubble.

• Are teachers able to visit other places except home and school? If so, is this still safe for the kids in the same bubble?

We are recommending that all members of our school community (staff and families) maintain safe bubbles as much as possible when they are outside the campus. We urge community members to practice safety measures and make responsible decisions wherever possible.

• How will MYIS handle snacks and meals?

Students from EY - Excellence will have snacks at school, in their classrooms, while Primary students will eat snack and lunch at the school cafeteria.

Primary class bubbles will have the cafeteria and playground to themselves, to avoid sharing spaces with other bubbles.

All class bubbles will have their own set of dishes and cutlery, which will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized using our industrial dishwasher.

Students will be served snack and lunch from a class teacher within their bubble and will be seated 1-2 meters apart while eating.

Technology Fee: What’s included in the technology fee charge?

The MYIS technology fee supports the school with maintaining and enhancing our 1:1 Device Program, ensuring all devices are up-to-date, renewed and warranty-protected against damages. The fee is also used towards personalized subscriptions, applications and technology-based programs that our Primary students engage with as part of our blended learning approach. The technology fee allows us to continually improve, enhance and grow the opportunities we provide for students to develop their 21st Century skills.

Returning to Campus

MYIS will follow the directives of the Thai government regarding when it is considered safe to begin moving learning to campus. We encourage you to refer to the MYIS Parent Handbook that is attached to this email, to see more details.

You may have read on Social Media about an International School in Bangkok promoting a “Study Bubble” for their Early Years learners. ISAT has shared that at this stage no day school situated in the deep red COVID zone (currently twenty-nine provinces across Thailand) has been granted permission to open onsite. They shared that this study bubble has not been approved by the government and the school has been asked to remove the post.

Sandbox Safety Zone in Schools

Currently, the Department of Health is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and the International Schools Association of Thailand ISAT) to develop the “Sandbox Safety Zone in Schools” guidelines. The purpose of this initiative is to enable students to return safely to campus as early as possible. Phase 1 of the Sandbox Safety Zone started this week and is focusing on boarding schools as the target schools.

Should Phase 1 be successful, the MOE will consider Phase 2. It is hoped that the Early Years divisions of International Schools will be a part of the Phase 2 plan. Detailed guidelines will be provided by the government that schools that participate in Phase 2 will need to follow.

In addition to past regulations, such as social distancing and mask-wearing, guidelines are expected to include:

• A clear restriction on people entering and leaving the campus.

• Screening for COVID-19 using the Rapid Antigen Test method.

• Focusing on doing activities in a class bubble format.

We will continue to keep you updated on the “Sandbox Safety Zone” as we learn more.

Safety of our Community

Our ongoing commitment to helping our MYIS community stay safe and healthy continues. Currently 25% of our staff are fully vaccinated and 98% have received at least the first dose.

Distance Learning in Practice

During staff orientation, the MYIS teaching staff considered how Distance Learning teaching and learning can align with our school’s mission and values. The following lists outline key Distance Learning practices that you will see reflected in your child’s classroom.

Early Years

• Individual zoom meetings for students and families to have 1:1 time with class teachers

• Partner and small group zoom meetings for collaborative and varied learning

• Playdates and friendship zooms to foster social relationship building

• Whole class community morning meetings to develop routines, expectations and shared class agreements

• Inquiry & Engagement Kits to provide resources for creative artistic expression, math skill building, story comprehension, design thinking and more

• Home environment coaching by teachers to support families with designing home spaces that foster creativity and engagement

• Parent workshops led by the Pedagogical Leadership Team and class teachers

• Flexible scheduling that responds to the needs of the child and the family

Primary Years

• Individual conferences with teachers in week 1 and 2 for students and families to share their hopes & dreams for the school year

• Partner and small group zoom meetings for collaborative and varied learning

• Playdates, friendship zooms and social lunches to foster social relationship building

• Cross grade-level community zooms for developing school spirit and community building activities

• Continued academic rigor through Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project alongside the IB PYP Approaches to Teaching and Learning

• Online subscriptions to engaging reading, math, science and social studies programs to foster skill building and independent practice, such as Reading A-Z, Epic! Digital Library, Nearpod, Newsela, Freckle Math, NGSS Mystery Science, and more.

• Parent workshops led by the Pedagogical Leadership Team and class teachers

• Flexible scheduling that responds to the needs of the child and the family

If you have any questions we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher for support.

Assessment

How will we monitor growth during the period of Distance Learning and ensure that students ARE learning? This question is a shared focus for parents, teachers and our leadership team. Throughout the period of Distance Learning, our key common assessments of the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Standardized Test, DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and Universal Math Screener (Forefront Education), will continue to be implemented in an online form. However, these assessments provide a “snapshot in time,” and only address part of the complex process of supporting student growth and achievement. Please join our PYP Coordinator, Ms. Tahireh, for a parent workshop where you can learn more about the 4 Domains of Assessment, and how Assessment For Learning is woven throughout the fabric of our Distance Learning classrooms.

What: Parent Workshop on Assessment during Distance Learning

Who: All families (EY and PY) are welcome to attend

When: Thursday, August 26 from 3:00 - 4:00pm

Where: https://isat-or-th.zoom.us/j/9544214865 Meeting ID: 954 421 4865

Purpose: To develop a shared understanding of the relationship between Assessment and Student Learning