Faculty/Staff Coronavirus Update January 29

Dear Faculty & Staff,

Thank you so much for your support today. The new temperature testing protocol went very smoothly, and we were happy to welcome back so many of our families.

Below, please find the parent letter sent out today. I hope you pay special attention to this paragraph in italics and that you help to enforce Respect For All in our community when the occasion arises. “When you discuss the Coronavirus with your children, I encourage you to also discuss the core value “Respect for All.”  Throughout time, viruses have originated from many different countries, and can originate from anywhere in the world. Viruses make people sick, and it is not fair to judge and exclude our friends and classmates based on where they come from. I would be upset to hear of anyone speaking about the Coronavirus in any other way.”

Positive Outlook during Challenging Times

Jacob Humes, ES Psychologist, has shared these five tips to help put news reports in perspective and to maintain a positive outlook during challenging times.  See this link for full explanation.

1. Keep things in perspective.

2. Get the facts.

3. If and When Communicating with your students.

4. Keep connected.

5. Seek additional help.

School Events

The School Leadership Team has been meeting to discuss the impact of Coronavirus on school events.  We are making decisions on a week-by-week basis with additional discussions about the full month of February.  See below for a list of decisions thus far.

Head of School Update: January 29 Coronavirus & School Activities

Dear SSIS Parents,

It was very nice to welcome back so many of our students and families, this morning. Thank you all for your patience and flexibility as we implemented the use of thermometers and hand-washing stations at the entrance. For our community to continue to stay safe, it is very important that we all follow the precautionary measures that we have put in place.

When you discuss the Coronavirus with your children, I encourage you to also discuss the core value “Respect for All.”  Throughout time, viruses have originated from many different countries, and can originate from anywhere in the world. Viruses make people sick, and it is not fair to judge and exclude our friends and classmates based on where they come from. I would be upset to hear of anyone speaking about the Coronavirus in any other way.

Below, you will find important updates for this week and next, as we have canceled or postponed large group activities and assemblies through the month of February.

The following events, scheduled for this week and next, have been canceled:

January 30, ES Parenting Workshop – Parenting in the Digital Age – Canceled

January 31, HS Love is Love Movie Night – Canceled

February 3, HS Pep Rally – Canceled

The following events are not impacted and will run as planned:

January 30 & 31, ES G1 Field trip

February 1, HS Debate Competition

February 3, ES G3 Can Gio National Park

All After School Activities (ASAs) and athletic practices at SSIS will continue according to the regular schedule. However, it is unlikely that our students will attend any international events scheduled throughout the month of February, as most events will likely be canceled by the organizers. We will notify you as soon as we receive updates.

Lastly, I would like to remind you that the measures we are taking follow guidelines and expert advice from International SOS, and the close consultation of information published by the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control.

Should you have any questions, or concerns, I encourage you to contact me (hos@ssis.edu.vn) or Deputy Head of School, WaiMun Fong (wfong@ssis.edu.vn).

All best wishes,

Dr. Catriona Moran
Head of School