Update from the Principal - December 17th 2021 | December 2021 | British International School of Ljubljana

Dear Parents,

The final day of term has arrived and a time to look back on a wonderful 6 months for everyone at BISL! I very much appreciate the support we have had during this term.

During August, we were thinking about online lessons? Will clubs start again? Can we organise trips? Will Covid cases go up over the coming months? If I am honest, I said to many parents, as long as we have everyone in the building, with teachers and friends, safely at school, I'd take that now. To have had the opportunity to bring a lot of the activities, clubs and trips back for our students and staff has been amazing.

I am very grateful for the experiences and the term we have had. We have helped each other, everyone has worked extremely hard and we are all very fortunate to have had all lessons onsite together this term.

To finish with our BISL Make a Wish Holiday project, the school was beautifully decorated by our parents, Santa visited, snow falling for students to enjoy and a school Christmas Song has been the icing on the cake! 5 brilliant projects that have made such a difference to the school and the enjoyment for the students as we prepared for Christmas - our students leave full of excitement for their Holidays ahead.

Thank you to everyone for all of your contributions this calendar year, big or small, grand or quiet, I am very thankful for every interaction and all of your help and support.

On a safety note, we will continue to review the guidelines over Christmas and plan to continue self-testing. This will be reviewed and communicated out if there are any changes before the next test session of Wednesday 5th January.

Wherever you spend Christmas, with whom and how, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas from all of the staff at BISL. Have a wonderful holiday.

The first day of School is Tuesday 4th January, see you in 2022!

Kind regards,

Paul Walton

Principal

A huge thank you to everyone for taking part in this fun holiday initiative, and to our Performing Arts team for putting it all together for us to enjoy!

You can find out more about our December festivities here.

I look forward to seeing you at our next Coffee with the Principal on Friday January 7th! The items on the agenda are as follows:

Term 2 Priorities
BISL Road Safety
Upcoming Events

Masks - No Fabric masks please. Only Surgical or FFP2 masks are allowed as mentioned by the new government decree.
Canvas - will be used as the online learning environment for all students Year 2 and above. For EY and Year 1, the classroom teachers will email out if students transition to online learning.
Self-testing - the plan will continue for those that are not vaccinated or do not have consent from parents. The self-testing will continue to be supervised by our full time School Nurse, Teja Rismondo. We are very lucky to have an in-house, qualified medical professional who can work with our students and staff every day.
Vaccination Certificates and Evidence - this will continue to be checked for those that state they have had a double vaccination or have had Covid as we aim to be as safe as possible. Thank you to all students/parents who bring in a copy of evidence. Those that do not have double vaccination or have Covid immunity will take self-tests or transition to online learning as outlined by the ministry.

Please be as safe as possible as we navigate through the current high cases of COVID and I thank all parents, teachers and students in advance for following guidance both in the school and in our wider communities.

We are following the general rules and guidance by the Ministry, WHO and NIJZ regarding distancing and hygiene, as well as the use surgical or FFP2 (ages 6+) masks. Please ensure that your child arrives to school wearing such an appropriate mask.
As a school, we have a direct contact with the ministry and receive specific instructions, following any changes in our situation, solely for our school community. These obviously, may differ from the general worldwide or regional guidance (shared by social media or aired by the news) depending on the cases in our immediate community.
A part of this guidance is to stay away from school if you show any symptoms and consult your doctor accordingly. As we enter the 'flu season', many of our staff, students and parents will have flu symptoms, and we ask everyone to stay away until you are tested if you show any signs.
If you are tested positive, stay home, and isolate accordingly, following further guidance from your doctor, as recommended by the NIJZ.
Over 95% of our staff are now fully vaccinated, or have recovered / still immune.
We also ask the community to stay away from friends and family who have tested positive or those that have symptoms and are awaiting a test.
If any staff or students are tested positive after contact at school, the whole class will transition to online learning.
We also want to be as safe as possible and ensure that the privacy of families is respected during this tough time.

We have updated our COVID-19 Declaration Forms for both Primary and Secondary for Block 3, thank you to all parents for completing these on time.
Ongoing daily clean of premises
Classrooms are well ventilated and classroom doors remain open
Key areas are cleaned multiple times a day (reception, classrooms, bathrooms, bannisters, door handles, etc.)
Drop off team continue to wear masks at all times
Declaration Form to be signed by all key visitors
Extra resources for hygiene available (sprays, wipes, gels, hand sanitisers, masks etc.)
Temperature checks when required
School Nurse available (full time)
All teachers are required to wear masks in key areas
Coronavirus Prevention guidance posters displayed around school
Smaller classes where necessary
Lunches and snacks are served in the new canteen following the guidance from NIJZ
Staff and parent meetings and events to be held online
Daily Review of all procedures by the Leadership Team

1. Have the pick-up and drop-off procedures changed?

No, pick-up and drop-off procedures continue as usual.

2. Can parents come into the building?

All parent meetings must be conducted online until further notice. For the few key organised events, parents will enter and exit from the building via the Assembly Hall and sign the COVID Declaration Form upon entry. Further details will be shared by the event coordinating teacher.

3. Will students go outside for break?

Students will continue to be encouraged and taken outside as usual every break time.

4. Should students bring in water bottles?

Yes, water bottles filled with water should be brought from home.

5. Will classrooms be ventilated?

Yes, classrooms continue to be ventilated regularly, and classroom doors remain open at all times.

6. Will there be hand sanitisers in every classroom?

Yes. Hand sanitisers are also available at the entrance and in common areas across the school.

7. Will online lessons be conducted during the day for students who choose not to attend school currently?

When the provision for students is at school, our teachers follow the usual timetables and teach the students in school. They will continue to upload work onto Canvas for students who are absent from school at the end of the day. If a Year group has transitioned to online learning, their lessons will continue online until that Year group returns. Once the Year group has returned to the school, the teacher will teach during the day and assist those absent by continuing to upload some resources from the school day.

8. Will school lunches continue to be available?

Yes, lunches will be served as usual in the canteen. Please order online as per usual.

9. Do all students and teachers have to wear masks in the classroom?

Students and teachers are required to wear masks as per the guidance below. We are in direct communication with the Ministry of Education and Health regarding updates on safety guidance.

10. Can students wear fabric masks?

No. Surgical or FFP2 masks are required as recommended by the NIJZ.

11. Will the school provide surgical masks to students?

Limited replacements are available should theirs break during the day, however, all students are required to supply their own masks. Parents are asked to ensure their child has a mask prior to being dropped off.

12. Are teachers vaccinated or getting regularly tested?

Over 95% of our staff are now fully vaccinated or have recovered / still immune. Ongoing regular testing will continue for the remaining staff.

13. Will students have to complete self-testing?

Yes, as sent out on Friday 12th November, we will follow the guidelines shared by the Ministry, with parent consent, students from age 6+ will be self-tested on site under the supervision of our school nurse.

14. Where can I get self-testing kits?

These are available free of charge from any pharmacy. If your child does not have a Slovene health card, you may be asked for proof of enrolment, which can be obtained swiftly from school by emailing admissions@britishschool.si if required.

15. What kind of self-tests are accepted?

HAG self-testing kits (nasal swabs) for students in schools are available free of charge from any pharmacy, as per NIJZ directive.

16. How can I give consent to the self-testing of my child?

You will receive an email from the school on Monday 15th November with a link to complete to ensure that your child can self-test at school.

17. Will distance learning be provided if I do not give consent?

Yes, access to class work will be given to students who are on distance learning/do not give consent to self-testing. This will not be a 'real-time' link to the lesson, it will include activities shared with the student online via Canvas or through email.

18. How often will students be tested?

3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

19. Does the school provide the self-testing kits?

No. Families must obtain the self-testing kits from the pharmacy, free of charge, and bring it with them to school.

20. What happens if a student doesn't bring a test with them to school on the day of testing?

If a student does not bring a test with them, they will need to transition to online learning (according to the Minister of Education) immediately and are sent home, the student will be isolated and the parents will be called to take the student home or bring in a test for them to use immediately.

21. Can students leave spare tests in school?

Secondary students may leave spare test kits in their own locker, but are responsible for having a test ready on the days of testing (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

Primary students should have a test kit ready in their school bag on each day of testing (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

The school is not responsible for the safe-keeping of test kits.

22. Do vaccinated children need to self-test?

No.

23. Do those children who have had COVID in the past 6 months need to self-test?

No.

24. What happens if there is a positive case?

The student will be sent home to then see a doctor for further advice and guidance.

The rest of the class will transition to distance learning.

We continue to ensure that the privacy of those affected is respected during this tough time.

All urgent updates continue to be sent via email.

Please monitor your emails for future updates as this continues to be the best way to send out clear and consistent communication to all parents. Check that you are receiving emails, have enough space in your email folder, that they do not go to your 'junk' folder and if you are unsure, please contact reception@britishschool.si to check your contact email and phone number on record.

If you change any contact details, please inform the school immediately.