Our COVID Task Force (CTF) met last week, led by our board chair, Thomson Phiri, to review the situation. The CTF considered a number of factors concerning the disease and other circumstances, along with feedback from association members left on last week's COVID blog post. The CTF made the following recommendations to our board:
- School will begin as calendared on Monday 9th August 2021 with home-based learning.
- Campus will not open for school-based learning before Monday 23rd August 2021.
Campus is in any case closed until Monday, 16th August on government instructions, so this represents an extra five days of home-based learning. This approach gives an additional week for the situation to stabilize and for parents to have the confidence to send their children back to campus where they belong. The CTF will continue to meet weekly to assess the situation but, absent a marked deterioration in circumstances, it seems that Monday 23rd is a realistic target for opening campus.
Our board accepted the recommendations above from the CTF. We hope that parents will sustain this decision, work with us to make a success of a couple of weeks of home-based learning, and then proceed to a substantial return to campus after that. Once again, I would like to thank all association members for their support through what continues to be a testing time.
If you have any opinions or insights to share, why not leave a comment below, so we can get an idea of the concerns in the association at the moment. Alternatively, you can mail the COVID Task Force at covid@isl.sch.zm. We have changed our domain to isl.sch.zm, but mail sent to islzambia.org will continue to find its target.
Thank you once again for doing all you do to make learning possible in the smoothest way possible for our children. It takes a lot of effort to continue with the school year and ensure children are educated uninterrupted in the face of such difficulties. Your team is doing a brilliant job, and I'm personally very satisfied with the decision to begin the school year with HBL. I am further assured that you will open the school to physical learning as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so, so that both teachers and students gain maximum benefits. Thank you for all your thought, effort and care.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandy, for your kind and encouraging words, which I will pass on to the team.
DeleteIndeed we echo what Sandy has commented and shared. Well done to the you Mark and our CTF team and of course to the whole ISL team for your tireless efforts in the smooth and safe transition decisions to HBL and campus based teaching in the past and the plans going forward. Wishing us all the best in the coming weeks. Stay safe everyone. Mumba Sata
DeleteThank you madam for your support. Stay safe.
DeleteDear ISL community,
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank all members of staff, CTF, the Board, PTA for your continuous efforts to ensure the best education mission of ISL carries on, despite the ongoing stringent measures. We all cannot wait to go back to a normal life, especially for our children.
First of all, I would like to address my most sincere sympathy for the ones who very sadly lost a loved ones during this covid time.
May I use this platform to inform again on the following: 1. Do not be scared as fear has an immediate bad effect on our mental and physical health : it immediately lower our immune system and contribute to make irrational actions,sometimes depression and stop us think with clarity.
2. Like everything in life, PREVENTION is the most imperative thing to do and yet hardly anyone talks about it : BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM which is the best way to lower substantially your risks of getting any kind of virus and diseases ; and if you contract any disease a strong immune system will enable you to be cured quicker with early on adequate treatments (risk zero never ever exist in anything) ...So I wish ISL would really promote on a daily basis like we have been bashed several times a day for 18 months with "barriers" gesture... to promote several times a day the following : Do outside activity for at least 1 hour and more for the kids every single day ; Eat healthy :lots of varied vegetables, fruits, and proteins every day in a reasonable quantity (we all eat way too much)... teenagers are the exception with high quantity !! For best positive energy level, better health, adopt a dramatic cut down of sugar,salt,saturated oils, colourants, GMO, addictives etc (in drinks and processed food like biscuits slated snacks, processed food of any kind) Best to bake your own sweets than buying super unhealthy EXPENSIVE stuff (look at ingredients on packaging it's frightening and not all is published). Zambia is a country blessed with locally produced fresh food with a high variety of vegetables, fruits, meat, cereals, available everywhere. Take the advantage ! Take the situation as a positive opportunity to improve your health. Keep well and be happy, we will be absolutely fine.
Thank you very much for the update. ISL as a whole team has done a commendable job in in delivering a comfortable HBL learning for our children, even in the most challenging circumstances last year. May we start yet another new academic year with full confidence. God bless all with a 100% safety and good health.
ReplyDeleteGurveen Gambhir