Insights from Schools
9 topics in this forum
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Value and Assumptions: How is the American School of Madrid approaching reopening their school?
by Greg Varner- 1 reply
- 323 views
Kim Cullen, Upper School Director, Jesus Iravedra, Director Administrative Services, and Ben Weinberg, Head of School, outlined their approach and lessons learned in reopening the American School of Madrid (ASM). The Values and Assumptions that ASM followed were Connect with others around shared values Focus on process, not product There is no single right answer Highlight the importance of team Generate conversations around values and assumptions The process they followed was Research Confirm Values Iterate Evaluate Reiterate / decide Communicate The lessons learned are This is a moving …
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The Bavarian International School located north of Munich, Germany recently conducted a pilot project together with Augsburg laboratory Synlab ran a pilot project to conduct on site testing. Background At BIS, students are less concerned than staff about transmission, among parents, the concern is mixed. Anxiety among staff is high, and as such BIS has set out to address COVID-19 at their school with the following objectives: find ways to be sure students and staff are safe reassure parents reduce anxiety among staff At the beginning of the 2020/21 School Year, BIS required all staff and students to provide a negative PCR test when returning…
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With the International Schools well into managing their operations during the challenges of the Global Pandemic, The International School Recovery Forum – Supported by Together School, Clearpath EPM and the ECIS recently held a session focusing on the preparation moving forward out of the Pandemic. COVID-19 has presented schools with new challenges and many of these challenges have impacted schools how they operate and how they will operate. This session was designed to gain insights from schools moving forward. Thought Box: Preparedness - Pandemics are a something we need to be prepared for – COVID-19 is 3rd Coronavirus in past 18 years. - Schools h…
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Welcoming Georgie McIntyre to the International School Recovery Forum for COVID-19 The International School Recovery Forum for COVID-19 is pleased to announce that Georgie McIntyre has joined the ISRF as a volunteer consultant and moderator leveraging her extensive experience in International Education. A non-profit, volunteer led initiative, the International School Recovery Forum is a free, moderated resource for International and Independent Schools to share best practice, ask questions and learn from experts as schools continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Georgie brings her extensive experience in International Education most…
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The Munich International School is prepared for the future with the systems in place for a successful start to school in August 2020 and has presented this great video detailing how things will look. This is an excellent tool to increase confidence in the school community and to new prospective families.With spacious teaching spaces in six separate buildings, MIS has easily adapted to government regulations for hygiene and the highest standards of safety.Video created by MIS alumna Lauren Emery ('18) View full article
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The new normal: Updates from a reopened school – Frankfurt International School After being opened for over a month, FIS shares lessons learned from the school’s and student’s perspective. FIS was represented by the Head of the School, Upper School Principal, Elementary School Principals, a teacher and 2 students. Paul Fochtman, Head of the School, summarized the lessons learned: Stories that make it work – there are a lot of little stories that make the whole story including the details that make it work Everything you do is important – need to look at what worked and what could be improved and even the students are encouraged to contribute to thi…
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The Change Management journey of reopening the Taipei European School The Taipei European School closed for the Chinese New Year (January 24th-29th) but did not reopen until February 25th due to COVID-19. The school closed again March 23rd due to concerns about the Coronavirus and reopened again April 20th. Since then the school has remained opened. The one certainty this virus has brought is the need for ongoing change. This can be one of the most difficult challenges schools have ever faced. Kerry Nockolds, Director of Admissions and Marketing at Taipei European School, and Greg Varner, Director of Together School, provided insights on how to successfully na…
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Reopening Copenhagen International School
by Greg Varner- 0 replies
- 256 views
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” is a quote from Arthur Ashe that the Director of the Copenhagen International School, Sandy Mackenzie, uses as inspiration for the school during this challenging time. The Copenhagen International School reopened its primary school on the 15th April with approximately 350 students and recently opened its doors on 18th May to the rest of the students. Principal Sabrina Manhart shares her insights and reflections on creating a successful reopening of the primary school at the Copenhagen International School (more details can be found on https://www.copenhageninternational.school/c19/) : Involve key staff…
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Budget Challenges and Suggestions to Manage
by Greg Varner- 0 replies
- 181 views
Budget Challenges and Suggestions to Manage Schools that are reopening have provided some insights to rising costs. Fixed budgets are now stressed due to the many changes schools must implement such as Room to Zoom implementation, social distancing and health and hygiene requirements. Lessons learned from these schools include the following key cost challenges and suggestions on how to mitigate rising costs: Increasing costs: implementation of Room to Zoom requires more planning as restrictions on number of students in a class means more teachers are needed (often part-time teachers’ hours are increased) cleaning is done more frequently …
