NPG

Hello everyone,

NPG activities are still moving at a snail’s pace but there seems to be a cautious glimmer of hope as Singapore is proving itself the global gold standard in relative containment of the CoVid-19 virus. The NPG team is really looking forward to building and enjoying an exciting and busy second half of the year, as we all catch-up on events. The suggestion of an art walk, an eastern suburbs historic walk and larger but causal social evening are all in the pipeline, and please if you have any ideas, let us know. Nexus families are community spirited and social, the current cabin fever is driving us crazy, so let’s make sure we have some great fun when this cloud lifts.

The NPG Committee is working hard to develop ideas for the next academic year, and we are available of course to represent any concerns and feedback you may have to the school. As always, we continue to work with the school on matters dear to Nexus families, such as community continuity and inclusion. Any of our members are of course welcome to PM me and my wonderful Committee colleagues through the Facebook page (if you can’t find me around school) and I’d be delighted to sit down for a coffee with you!

I am also going to “host” a “presidential fireside” (it sounds great doesn’t it?) but what that really means is that I will be parked at the Eco Café between 1:30pm and 3:20pm on Tuesday and with a coffee and a bottle of hand sanitiser, ready and willing to give a loving elbow bump to any parent who wants to come and keep me sane and talk to me about any issue, confidential or otherwise.

On another highly positive note, our learners that took charge of the Australian Bushfire Appeal last week deserve a huge commendation. Well done to our talented, big-hearted and globally-minded learners!

IMPORTANT: Coronavirus Update:

Excellent tracing in Singapore is ensuring that it is spreading extremely slowly, but nonetheless two weeks ago we had 85 case and now we have 117 – the rate of new case contraction and discovery is slowing! Patients who suffered moderate and severe symptoms are by-and-large recovering well and many have been discharged from hospital – the Singapore Ministry of Health provides excellent updates two or three times a day. While we should be cautiously optimistic, must however remain highly vigilant.

It is imperative, that we all follow the school’s requests regarding being on site (the school is closely following Government mandates), and report signs of illness. This is ultimately for the protection of the learners. We can all further reduce our risk of contracting the virus by simple but thorough hand sanitisation after being in public areas. The following site (Johns Hopkins University) provides accurate statistics (updated several times daily) and also importantly perspective of the degree of the current crisis in Hubei province compared with that of Singapore.

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Communication is also one of the best defences. As a community we can get through this challenging time together, by protecting ourselves in order to protect each other.

Your dedicated parent spaces:

The Parent Lounge and Parent Shared Workspace is located on level 1 at the north-western corner of the Playing Field. It is currently undergoing final renovation, a sink is going in and some original defects are being repaired. It is looking great and the school advises it will be available for use at the end of next week. All parents are welcome. Over the June/July school holiday (or possibly before) a second parent space will be created.

Simon Hyett

President, Nexus Parent Group

About the Nexus Parent Group and the NPG Committee:

The NPG is an independent group within the school community. Its mission is to develop this community to the benefit of our learners. The NPG 's work is organised through the NPG Committee, which comprises an Executive of five elected office bearers, and a number of committee members. The NPG has two main goals: to provide parents with a platform through which to start conversations and provide feedback to the school – to be “a voice of the parents”, and to offer a range of social, cultural and special interest events that support a close-knit and connected learning community. We welcome all volunteers to become involved in our activities, with the main aim of developing our school’s community. Every parent and guardian is a member of the NPG and our ideas and input are welcomed. We can be easily contacted via email or Facebook: npg@nexus.edu.sg https://www.facebook.com/groups/nexusparentgroup/

Facebook:

Our Facebook NPG page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/nexusparentgroup/) is a place for all our parents and other members that are close friends of Nexus) to interact and create a closer community. Please join the NPG Facebook page for regular and immediate updates and announcements. Please feel free to post questions, reminders or any related comments and to also email us at any time npg@nexus.edu.sg. The Facebook page is now more than ever a forum for parents to discuss issues that matter, home learning, staying sane is you are required to stay-at-home, safety, movement and staying active, etc.