Message to Year 11 Parents re. Re-Opening

Dear Year 11 Parent/Guardians and Students,

We are sure that you will join us in expressing happiness about the upcoming return to school. It has been a long road with a number of bumps but the perseverance and commitment of all members of the community have seen us arrive at the end of the journey.

Following the Education Bureau (EDB) requirements, we will be able to welcome back our student body on a staggered basis. Students will return in stages on a full timetable as per the message shared with you by Mr Bridge, this return has been approved by the Education Bureau. On Monday 1st June Year 11 students will return to school for a two week transition programme to prepare them for Sixth Form. All current Year 11 students are invited to attend this programme, regardless of whether they plan to remain at DBIS for Sixth Form or not. However, it is important to note that all students who attend will be expected to take a full part in all sessions offered during this time.

As a school, we sought and achieved approval for our reopening plan. As a result of our very considered and safety-conscious plan we have been given permission to resume regular lessons, however, we must operate under strict guidelines in terms of hygiene standards.

To help us manage and maintain a healthy return to school we ask for your support to increase environmental hygiene of all community members and implement the following measures:

Take your child’s temperature before he/she comes to school every day and fill in the Health Monitoring Record. Your child should bring the completed record sheet to school each day, for their class teacher or tutor to review.
Please find the Health Monitoring Record attached. For the first day of class resumption, either print this or record the details on a piece of paper for your child to bring to school.
If your child is unwell they should stay away from school. They should see a doctor immediately if symptoms, especially fever and cough, are detected.
To prevent infection, please ensure your child comes to school wearing a mask and that he/she understands the importance of wearing their mask at all times during the day.
All visitors to school, including parents visiting to pick up and drop off, should monitor their own temperature before coming to school.

It is also important that students are made aware of the following key routines and procedures:

At the start of lesson 1 and at the end of period 4, all students will have their temperatures checked and they will record this on their temperature check forms.
Hand sanitiser will be used by all students at the start of every lesson.
All students must wear correctly fitted masks at all times. We encourage parents/guardians to pack a spare mask for their child in case of loss or accidental damage (we also have a supply of masks).
Students will be expected on-site and in their first lesson rooms by 8:15 am. Students will, therefore, have an extended period 1, with the early part being used for hygiene and temperature-related routines and procedures followed by time for personal administration time.
Breaktimes and lunchtimes will operate on a split basis to allow for social distancing.
Canteen is solely for secondary students who have bought hot food from the canteen
No food is to be dropped off during the school day.
Lockers will be temporarily out of use for all students, this is due to hygiene-related restrictions. All teachers will be encouraged to avoid asking students to bring in heavy textbooks during this period of restriction.
There will be no 1-1 tutoring appointments this term as all Year 11 students are required to be on-site in their first period from 8 am
There will be no Extra-Curricular Activities this term.
Wellbeing and Counselling support will continue to be on hand through our SWC, Counsellor, Tutors and myself.
A modified PE curriculum will be offered to all students in Secondary and will be in line with strict health and safety recommendations.
Due to EDB requirements, the DBIS Library will be closed during secondary break and lunchtimes.
Students are actively encouraged to clean their stationery items with 70% alcohol cleaner to minimise the chance of infection.

The following section builds on the letter shared by Benjamin Loren earlier today. It focuses on the specific timetables, entrance and exit points, break and lunchtime arrangements and any other procedural matters that you and your child(ren) need to be aware of to ensure the smooth and safe running of the school.

Entrance and Exit Procedures

Year Level	Entrance and Exit Point
Secondary Year Groups (Year 11)	All students will be located at the North Plaza Campus, the usual entrance and exit points apply.

Please note that we appreciate not all parents will be able to print the ‘Health Monitoring Form’ on their first day back to school so we will accept a temperature check written on a piece of paper which is signed by a parent/guardian. Students will then be issued with a Health Monitoring Form for their usage.

If students do not have a temperature check completed, we will conduct a temperature check at Geri’s desk. If your child’s(ren)’s temperature is elevated, they will be sent to the nurse and then pending a call with parents/guardians they will be sent home.

Timetables for all Secondary Students:

Year Level	Date of class resumption	Start Time	End Time
Years 11	01.06.2020	08:15	15:15

Arrangements for Breaks and lunchtimes

Break time

Students should wear masks during break time.
Students should keep a proper social distance with other students.
Drinking fountains – are only available for bottle refills.
Break Times are staggered as below:

Year Level	Break Time	Tutor time
Years 11 Group 1	10:30 – 10:50	N/A
Year 11 Group 2	10:55 – 11:15	N/A

Additional Notes

All of Year 11 have to take their break at the Main Campus due to EDB requirements. As such, all Year 11 will be allowed to use the school bus service to move from the North Plaza down to the Main Campus, this will facilitate their use of the Canteen services and provision.

Year 11 Tutor Time will be removed to allow movement back and forth between the two campuses during this period. Registers will be taken during sessions instead.

Provision for Y11 will be as follows:

Timings	Details
10:35 am	Bus down to Main Campus
10:45 am to 11:05 am	Break time
11:07 am	Return bus back to North Plaza

Lunchtime

Students should wear masks during lunchtime.
Students should keep a proper social distance with other students.
Drinking fountains – are only available for bottle refills.
Lunchtimes are staggered as below:

Year Level	Lunch	Lunch Eating Spaces (Canteen, Globe, Hall)
Year 11	13:15 – 14:15	See note below

Additional Notes

Year 11 will travel down to the Main Campus for lunchtime, as according to EDB guidelines there is not enough space for the Year 11 students to eat up at the North Plaza.

All of Year 11 will come to the main site for lunch. Students in Year 11 can eat in either of the following time slots 13:15 to 13:40, or 13:50 to 14:15.

Provision for Y11 will be as follows:

Timings	Details
13:17	Bus down to Main Campus
13:15 – 14:15	Lunchtime
14:05	Return bus back to North Plaza

Commitment to Community Physical and Mental Wellbeing

As a school, we are proud of our wellbeing provision and we are deeply committed to it. We know that this period of closure has been a trying time for all involved, it is our intention to make the transition back to live face-to-face classes as smooth as possible. We will be monitoring the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of our students throughout this process. It is our strong belief that working together in partnership we can help our students get back to some level of normalcy for the remainder of the academic year.

Online Learning Provision and Support

As always, we will carry on with providing support to those who are not able to return to school due to being abroad, in quarantine or otherwise. Educational materials and resources will continue to be available in the respective Google Classrooms for each of our students’ lessons. For students who are unable to access the lessons at the timetabled delivery point due to time zone or other issues, they will be able to access the lesson recording and related resources via the Google Classroom as per the established procedures.

We would like to add that even with the reopening and the return to normal lessons for the majority of our community, students will still be able to attend live lessons through their scheduled Google Meet based classes. From Monday the 1st of June onwards, teachers will be delivering face to face lessons in the normal school environment. These lessons will be shared live through a Google Meet to allow access for all students. There will, of course, be some differences to how online lessons were presented previously, though we feel that this new format will still allow for participation, interaction and of course high-quality learning. With the live Google Meets giving synchronous remote access to the live lesson content our students will be able to ask questions, get feedback and support throughout the lesson.

In addition, staff will still be on hand to offer support and guidance within normal office hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Added to this, all staff will continue to monitor and respond to emails and Google Classroom messages of students away from school within office hours.

To add, we will open the uniform shop by appointment only on Thursday the 21st of May, if you want to buy a uniform or uniform related items then please contact the office at [email protected].

We have sent this information by email on this occasion because of the very short time before students return to school. However, we will return to using the DBIS Hub bulletin system from this point on as normal to communicate.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me on [email protected] or via the Secondary Office.

Kind regards,

Emma Cerrone

Year 11 Year Group Leader