Update from the Principal - January 7th 2022 | January 2022 | British International School of Ljubljana

Dear Parents,

I hope you have had a restful and relaxing Christmas and I'd like to wish you all the very best for 2022 and a Happy New Year!

We've had a busy week back at school as we arranged extra self-testing on Tuesday and Wednesday this week to ensure that we were all as safe as possible. As sent out on Wednesday, we have one class currently online learning and with the daily cases increasing this week, we hope that everyone in the community remains as safe as possible. Thank you to all parents for making sure that children had self-testing kits during the first day back, this really helped and I very much appreciate this.

Two changes to guidance we have made are below:

If a class is sent home for online learning for 10 days, any siblings who have no symptoms, get tested and bring in a valid HAG test certificate can then resume learning on site. For example, a positive test/class sent home on the Wednesday. A sibling of a student who is in the class and is negative, can have the HAG test on the day and return to school the following day as normal, bringing in the negative HAG test certificate with them. Otherwise they would have to wait for the full 7 days with the other students.
To avoid quarantine, there are 3 scenarios where this can occur: 1. triple vaccinated students and staff; 2. double vaccinated and recovered from covid; 3. those that have recovered from covid in the last 45 days but not within the last 10 days avoid quarantine if they do not have symptoms.

Our testing will return to Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week from Monday 10th January. We continue to follow guidance from the ministry and also to ask our contact directly for information pertaining to our school and community.

For parents who have recently joined the school, online learning may be a new experience for you. Please click on the Virtual Learning Guide for a few guidelines about online learning at BISL.

Again, I have to praise our students that continue to approach self-testing very calmly and in a very mature manner, the students who have been vaccinated, and for how well they have all followed health and safety guidelines since they have been back to school this week. The students have been fantastic and we are all so proud of them. This has been a huge positive this week and they have been able to focus back on lessons, learning and having fun!

We have had an amazing Creative Arts block before Christmas during Block 3, please click here to see the wonderful write up and list of the many activities that we had.

Also, we have had some wonderful experiences this week from our students learning outside in the woodland area, in the snow and enjoying being with friends. This is a very important part of school life at BISL:

Thank you to parents for ensuring children have warm coats, gloves, hats and footwear to play outside.
We will keep encouraging students and staff to enjoy the fresh air
We all promote an active and healthy lifestyle
Unless there is heavy rain or extreme weather, we dress for the conditions and enjoy the climate of Slovenia.

Health and Safety - Please Drive Slowly

Thank you to all parents who have supported our 'Drive Safely' campaign we have started this week. We look forward to many projects from our staff and students as we encourage all parents to drive slowly and carefully throughout the school campus.

Our projects will include:

Primary and Secondary Poster Competition
Safety Slogan Competition
Student Articles - 'Drive Safely'
Student Council projects
New safety signs at the entrance of our campus
Working with our local police to report any unsafe driving

Next week, we will have a police presence on the road joining the school and on site. The speed limit on our road is 30 kph (Cesta 24. junija, from the train line and Ludus to school) and on site is 20 kph. We will continue to do our very best to ensure that all students can arrive to and depart from school safely.

Health and Safety - No smoking on site

I would like to ask all parents to not smoke on the school campus as we had an incident this week on site with a parent smoking. This is a no smoking campus and this is not allowed anywhere near the building or around the students. Thank you in advance for following this and supporting the health and safety of the students, staff and parents.

Next up we have a very exciting Languages block! - we look forward to a range of interesting, engaging and fun activities from our languages team!

Thank you to everyone who joined me for the Coffee with the Principal online this morning! I have included the points shared from the meeting below.

Have a great weekend,

Paul Walton

Principal

Please take a moment to read this fun article about all the fantastic activities that took place during Block 3!

Creative Arts Block Round Up

Whenever possible, we encourage our students to go outside, not only during break, but during lessons too. This week our Year 5s spent some time in the Woodland Area during their maths lessons, making the most of the crisp weather and beautiful sunshine.

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The MEPI team at BISL has organised a first aid course with the Red Cross (Rdeči Križ), to be held at school on Saturday 29^th January, starting at 8:30, and finishing at 13:00. ALL are welcome! This is a mandatory course for our MEPI participants (and the price is already covered in their MEPI Annual Fee), but there are extra places which we need to fill. So, staff, parents, secondary students, family etc. are all invited to sign-up for this invaluable experience, which will give you the skills that could save a life one day! The cost is €30.50 and we encourage anyone who doesn't have first aid training to attend. The course will be in English, although the medical professional is a native Slovene speaker, so a little translation will not be an issue if you have Slovene as your first language. Please confirm your attendance, and direct any questions to simon.irving@britishschool.si.

You will find the slides I shared during this morning's meeting here.

The next Coffee with the Principal will take place on Friday February 4, and I look forward to seeing many of you there again.

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 - will continue for those students in Year 2 and above that are not vaccinated/recovered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 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 within the last 6 months.
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.

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.

25. Do siblings of students in a class that has been sent home also need to quarantine for 7 days?

No, provided they have no symptoms and get tested, and bring in a valid HAG test certificate. Then they can then resume learning on site. For example, a positive test/class sent home on the Wednesday. A sibling of a student who is in the class and is negative, can have the HAG test on the day and return to school the following day as normal, bringing in the negative HAG test certificate with them. Otherwise they have to wait for the full 7 days with the other students.

26. Can students and staff avoid quarantine if they have been triple vaccinated?

Triple vaccinated students and staff avoid quarantine if they do not have symptoms.

27. Can students and staff avoid quarantine if they have been double vaccinated and have had COVID?

Double vaccinated students and staff who have had COVID can also avoid quarantine if they do not have symptoms.

28. Can students and staff avoid quarantine if they have recovered from COVID within the last 45 days?

Students and staff who have recovered from COVID in the last 45 days, but not within the last 10 days can also avoid quarantine if they do not have symptoms.

Any student who has not had any vaccinations or Covid will need to complete the full 7 days of quarantine.

29. What is the definition of high risk close contact?

The NIJZ definition of a high-risk close contact:

persons, living in joint household with a COVID-19 patient;
direct contact at less than 2 metres for more than 15 minutes;
other physical contacts or contacts with secretions (handshaking, hugging, use of common objects);
staying indoors for more than 15 minutes (joint household, office, waiting room in a medical institution, joint lunch, socialising at the same desk/table, etc.);
travelling in the same vehicle at less than 2 metres.

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.