Dear RVIS Community,
As we write to you in our ninth week of Virtual School, we remain incredibly grateful and inspired by our community, for even though our campus is closed, learning continues. Our RVIS Community of students, teachers, and parents demonstrate each day what a remarkable community we are. Inspiring projects, stories and ongoing connections speak to our resilience and optimism as a community, and though COVID-19 has dramatically disrupted our daily routines, our partnership remains strong in service of our mission to ignite passions, personalize the journey, and impact through action.
It hardly seems possible that we embarked upon our virtual school journey during the last days of February, and we never imagined these many weeks apart. And though it may still be some time before we see one another, we eagerly await the day that we can greet one another in the breezeway, and our plans are underway for what this ‘new normal’ will look like.
As we plan for the future, our team is planning simultaneously for both for our September start of 20/21 on campus and for our final weeks of 19/20 so that we may bring closure to this phenomenal school year. We recognize that COVID-19 will shift many of our practices, not only in our planning for learning, but also our Health & Safety Guidelines. As schools in Asia and Europe resume, we have many models to follow, and we remain committed to adhering to the guidelines of Bahrain.
Below, we present some possible scenarios. Please recognize that this represents our best thinking at this time, and that plans will likely evolve as we learn more and as we remain responsive to emerging information. What will not change is our commitment to our community to ensure we are providing excellent learning for our students with health & safety serving as a key priority.
June 2020 | September 2020 | |
Campus Opening | As per Bahrain guidelines, campus is closed until further notice. If campus re-opens, we will offer a hybrid model to ensure all of our students will finish the year successfully. | We are planning for a September 1 start of school on our campus, and look forward to welcoming our students. However, we will continue to adhere to the guidelines of Bahrain, and as plans evolve, we will communicate with our families. |
Cleaning | Common areas have already been fumigated by a licensed company and before we resume school, all areas will be properly deep cleaned. We will ensure our cleaning practices follow MOH and WHO guidelines and ensure we are disinfecting common spaces more frequently. | Common areas have already been fumigated by a licensed company and before we resume school, all areas will be properly deep cleaned. We will ensure our cleaning practices follow MOH and WHO guidelines and ensure we are disinfecting common spaces more frequently. |
Health Checks | We will adhere to MOH and WHO guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our entire community. Currently, we have a health check in place for anyone entering campus. | We will adhere to MOH and WHO guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our entire community. Currently, we have a health check in place for anyone entering campus. |
Social Distancing | We are fortunate to have small class sizes and a very spacious campus that can accommodate for social distancing guidelines as per MOH and WHO standards. | We are fortunate to have small class sizes and a very spacious campus that can accommodate for social distancing guidelines as per MOH and WHO standards. |
Teaching & Learning | Teachers have plans in place to ensure learning concludes virtually. Should we re-open campus, we will use this time for further assessment and collaboration, with our primary goal being connection and socio-emotional wellbeing. | COVD-19 has shown us that we can successfully shift learning online and still engage in deep and meaningful learning and interactions. Should COVID-19 present an ongoing need to stay home, we will resume school virtually. Otherwise, we will continue offering great learning on campus as per the model most suited to the needs of our students and the situation. |
School Day Schedule | If campus re-opens, we would likely offer a shortened schedule to allow for split classes or a maximum number of students per day. Learning would continue online in addition to experiences on campus. If we close the school year with Virtual School, the schedule will remain the same as the Ramadan schedule, with more 1:1 times booked for assessment during the last weeks of school. The final week of school will be reserved for class and school celebrations. | Plans are in place for what the school day looks like when we resume school. If school resumes with a need for greater social distancing, we will explore blended learning models and flexible scheduling. If we are not able to resume school on campus in September, we will begin the school year with Virtual School. We continue to be committed to a personalized education and will offer virtual and in person learning to the fullest of our abilities to ensure the success of all of our students. |
We reiterate again that the above represents our best thinking at this time. Please expect that these plans will continue to evolve so that we can best serve our community and our students. We will continue to communicate with our families throughout the summer to ensure everyone has the most up-to-date information necessary. Principals will share further details about the end of the year with regards to celebrations, assessments and check out guidelines. Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We are proud to be #RVISionaries!
Yours in service,
The RVIS Leadership Team