Hello Parents,
First, I’m very sorry about the excessive number of announcements and for the confusion caused by the next several days. You just received an email from Richard Mueller announcing Wednesday complete school closure.
Here is what you need to know:
Tomorrow: There will be school, but there will not be transportation provided. 9 students are planning on attending tomorrow. It is OK if you choose to not send your child to school tomorrow in light of school now being cancelled on Wednesday. No new content will be taught tomorrow. The time will be used for review and enrichment.
Wednesday: There will be no school and no transportation to and from school.
If your child is staying home tomorrow(tuesday), please use our online subscriptions for academic extension, enrichment and practice. There are links to these websites on our class webpage: RAZkids.com, Typing Ace, IXL, and Everyday Math
Logins and Passwords were sent home earlier in the year. Please email Mr. Hagen if you need this information again.
Some Information from our Administrative Team. THIS INFORMATION WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE SAS CANCELLED SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY.
FAQ’s about Shanghai American School Transportation Closure May 20
Q: I understand that the limited traffic area is only in Luijiazhui area and the Expo grounds. Why not limit bus routes in those areas?
A: We want to let you know that we have examined every side of this issue possible. While I agree that the newly released information today in the local press does provide further clarification, we are concerned on on a variety levels with complications to overall citywide safety and transportation. These include, a) the fact that the government has required all local schools to close during these days not for transportation reason alone, and b) the concerns with security and congestion around the roads coming to and from the Hongqiao and Pudong airports (both of which are near our school). The Chinese security is taking this conference and the 24 some visitors (including Putin) seriously and will be locking down areas and closing roads spontaneously as necessary; info released will never be definitive. The airport transportation issues were not mentioned in the last release of information. Quite simply this is not just a Luijiazhui concern, but a whole city issue.
Q: Why have I heard that other schools may be running buses on these days?
A: You can rest assured that we have not come to this decision lightly, nor did we come to this judgment call without extensive study. We run some 200 busses for students and faculty/staff to and from our campus daily (arguably the largest in the city for any school on any campus). The other schools in the city have much smaller and limited transportation options. We have collaborated and communicated with the other schools in this process, but it became clear their challenges were nothing compared to ours. The complexity of rerouting students, communicating with students and their parents and selectively changing routes for students would be a significant logistical concern, and one could not guarantee would be effective. Other international schools are reacting differently depending on their particular situations. For example the Japanese School is closing entirely; Concordia is modifying its schedules. It became clear in our conversations with the other schools that one size does not fit all in this case.
Q: What were your priorities when making this decision?
A: Our top priorities in making this decision were:
- Student safety: We have to feel that we can provide safe, efficient and consistent transportation services for all of your children.
- Continuation of education programs: We heard from many families before this decision was made that they want to keep school open and were willing to bring their children to school if necessary.
- Giving families the choice: We realize that families may choose to keep their children home for safety reasons as well. In this case we will be working to offer alternative learning activities for students where possible. I am currently coordinating with our principals to make sure that at home learning or review activities are available.
Q: This will certainly be a traffic challenge at the school as well. Have you thought about the challenge of having all these parents and drivers show up to drop off their children on Tuesday and Wednesday?
A: Yes. There have been updated drop off and pick up information posted on the Safety and Security director’s blog.
For Pudong: https://sites.saschina.org/safety/2014/05/19/pudong-student-drop-off-pick-up-may-20-21/
For Puxi: https://sites.saschina.org/safety/2014/05/19/puxi-student-drop-off-pick-up-may-20-21/
Q: If my child stays home on Tuesday and Wednesday will they be counted as an unexcused absence? How can I get work they will be missing?
A: All absences will be considered excused unless there are indications otherwise on a case-by-case basis. Our principals and faculty have been directed to provide learning opportunities for all students (whether at home or at school) on these two days.
Q: What about the students who have Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams? What are you doing for them?
A: Those students have been personally contacted and arrangements have been made to ensure that they can reach school in ample time to take their exams.
Q: I have not received this information.
How have you communicated about this change?
A: We have communicated this change in a wide variety of ways:
1. School wide email letters (2 messages)
2. Teachers have communicated this information
3. SMS messages (2 messages)
4. Website message w/FAQ’s on www.saschina.org
If you have not received the school’s email or SMS messages, please check to make sure you contact information is correct in the SAS PowerSchool portal, and that the school messages have not gone to your email SPAM folder.
May 19, 2014
Dear Parents and Guardians of SAS Pudong Elementary School,
As you have most likely heard tomorrow and Wednesday, due to road closures in Shanghai, school will be open but no transportation will be provided. If you elect to send your child(ren) to school you must provide transportation. If you elect to keep your child at home, activities will be posted on teachers’ blogs for students to do and this absence will be counted as an excused.
For those who will be sending their child(ren) to school, safety must be our number one priority. If you are driving your child, or whomever you delegate, please be sure to drop off the students in front of the school so they are not walking along the road in heavy traffic. This may mean added time in the car for traffic will be heavy, but this practice will also ensure the safety of the students.
In the afternoon when picking up your child, as always, you, or your designee (driver) will need to enter the building to retrieve your child. Identification will be a necessity. This identification can be your “Student Pick-Up Pass,” or your school identification. This will be true for your designee as well. If you do not have either, you will need to first report to the ES office and get an “Early Leave Permit” to take to your child’s classroom to have him/her released. You will also need to show this slip to the guards as you exit. Since traffic promises to be heavy, please feel free to pick up your child anytime between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. When you arrive at school, go directly to your child’s classroom with the proper identification to retrieve your child. If you arrive at school after 3:05 PM, the students will be housed in the elementary school cafeteria waiting to be picked up. Again, appropriate identification will be necessary for the student’s release. Also, if you are picking up several children from multiple families, please contact your child’s teacher with permission so we can release the students to the appropriate adult.
Tomorrow will be a challenge, but if we err, rests assure it will be on the side of safety for your child. If you need to communicate with the school to alert us of any adjustment to these plans, please feel free to call the main office at 6221-1445, ext. 3301. Thank you for your cooperation and diligence.
Sincerely,
Mr. Shawn Colleary
ES Principal
