by Dennis Harter, MS Principal
dennish@isb.ac.th
One week into our Virtual School start to the second semester and things are going relatively smoothly in Middle School. We had some technical and schedule glitches with students in the first couple days, but those issues have been smoothed out and we are moving along well.
Thank you to our teachers and counselors for their organization and professionalism. They have shifted gears out of the holidays into this new learning environment competently and thoughtfully. I continue to appreciate our students for their dedication to their own learning, engaging in lessons and doing their best, despite the unusual circumstances. Thank you to parents for helping them set up learning environments at home that are conducive to success.
A special thank you to our office staff and IAs, as well, for putting together massive amounts of school materials, collecting essential items from lockers and classrooms, and handling distribution to students and families this week. Our amazing staff are the backbone of our success.
Of course, starting in Virtual School has had an impact on some of our programs. The ones impacted currently are summarized below:
- Grade Level trips, originally scheduled for week of Feb. 1-5 have been postponed to an undetermined later date.
- 2nd Season sports and BISAC tournaments have been cancelled.
- MS activities including Sports Bash social, Activities & Club Fair, and PTA Meetings have been postponed until we know more about returning to campus.
- Grade 8 Wild Panther trips to the Environmental Wilderness Campus (EWC) for the last 2 groups have been postponed to a later date (to be determined).
- Grade 6 Wild Panthers trips – we have not decided on these yet, but they could be delayed from their original start date in February.
The ISB Activities and Athletics offices are putting together some virtual programs for students to engage in while campus is closed. Keep your eye out for those opportunities in the eNews and announcements.
We will continue to keep parents informed about campus re-opening as we learn more from government officials. In the meantime, stay safe and active as best you can. We appreciate everyone’s engagement, understanding and support of each other during these times. Together as a community we are strong and we will continue to adapt and succeed in whatever comes our way.