Dear AISC,
Happy New Year and welcome back to our 2021-2022 school year!
As noted in yesterday’s email to the community, there are two important updates regarding next week at AISC.
- There will be no classes, virtual or otherwise, on Monday January 17th. The Tamil Nadu Government has declared Monday, January 17th a holiday for government offices and educational institutions.
- All grades at AISC, including the high school, will be in Virtual Learning for the remainder of next week. Please see below for more explanation and details.
Like all of us I am sure, I wish that we were back together on campus this week. Returning to Virtual Learning is not how we were envisioning 2022 – we are all experiencing (re-experiencing?!) degrees of impatience, frustration, resentment, and stress due to the latest COVID-19 surge. We can all identify with feelings of fatigue and disappointment. To manage these feelings, it is important to name them.
And, to manage our current situation, we should acknowledge that we are prepared for this. We have built and practiced a flexible Learning Models Framework. We got this. Our students are courageous; our faculty and staff are committed; our parents are attentive and engaged.
We should also acknowledge that whether we are virtual or in-person, our students and teachers love being connected, engaged with each other, and challenged to learn.
We are once again all in this together apart. By recognizing what we have learned from our past experiences we can raise ourselves, care for each other, and continue to learn.
We will grow through this!
Why are
we staying in Virtual Learning in the high school next week?
As you know, the current surge is being driven by the Omicron Variant of the Coronavirus. Broadly, there are two things that seem to distinguish this variant from previous ones:
- It is highly transmissible – studies indicate that Omicron is up to three times more transmissible than the Delta Variant. [Want to learn more about Omicron? I found this overview from the World Economic Forum thorough and balanced.]
- While symptoms can be severe, generally the symptoms appear be more mild especially for those vaccinated and boosted. [Vaccines are being rolled out in Chennai for students above the age of 15. Please complete the Mid-year Medical and vaccine Status Update below.]
To help visualize just how Omicron’s transmissibility compares with previous surges, the graph below of Global Daily New Cases shows the two-threefold increase as Omicron has spread globally in the past six weeks.
To help visualize variations in time and place of the spread of this variant, the graph below shows that there are country-specific differences with the Omicron surge relative to previous ones. Further, with surge numbers still in flux, questions remain about where specific countries are within the trajectory of the Omicron surge. For example, in India, will infection rates of this surge surpass the Delta surge of last spring and how far into the surge period are we? How severely will this variant affect people’s health? Right now, we do not know.
Locally in Chennai, daily new cases went from less than 1,000 on January 3rd to more than 6,000 on January 9th. Test positivity rates are also high and rising. At home within the AISC community, we currently have more than 53 active cases confirmed among faculty and staff, and 25 confirmed among our student body across all three sections. [Thank you to those families reporting in! We need families to continue to report positive cases at home. Remember how to do this? See below on specifics of Positive Case Reporting.]
Regarding
decisions on returning to campus:
- Currently,
all grades through Grade 8 are not permitted to be in Hybrid Learning
on-Campus.
- For
high school grades which are permitted to be on-campus, for the time being, we
will be making decisions regarding Virtual/Hybrid Learning on a week-to-week
basis.
Given the significant increase in new cases locally and that a number of items on our Return to Campus Rubric have gone to yellow (or red -- see details below in our Data Lab) all grades will remain in Virtual Learning next week.
In sum, we believe that this is the right decision right now for the following reasons:
- Community
spread rates in Chennai and among the AISC community are high and are currently
increasing and some elements in our Return to Campus Rubric are trending RED.
In the interest of individual and community health, next week is not the right
time for our students and faculty to come into closer contact with each
other.
- By keeping students and faculty at home to protect them from contracting COVID-19, we will strive to optimize individual and collective participation in our Virtual Learning Program.
Will HS
students be returning to campus soon?
We hope so and this is what we want to have happen! We are taking an extra week to gauge the speed and trajectory of the current surge, and its impact on systems of health and support in the community.
When HS students return to campus, we will likely adapt our campus protocols to enhance health-safety vigilance. For example, right now, we are requiring a negative antigen test each day for anyone entering the campus.
NEW - Current State Update
What we know, what we are doing, and what families need to do.
What do we know?
- Chennai
is in the midst of another COVID-19 surge with some recently enacted lockdown
restrictions.
- How
many of our students are in Chennai/India? Total: 84%. ES: 82%. MS: 79%. HS:
92%
- Grades
EY-8 do not have permission to be back on-campus.
- High
school students have permission to be on-campus and AISC is maintaining our
Virtual Learning Program for all grades through at least January 21 as a
health-safety pre-caution.
- Chennai has begun rolling out a vaccine program for children ages 15 and up. We are working on facilitating vaccines for eligible AISC students.
What are we doing?
- We are maintaining our Virtual Learning Program, continuing to collect relevant data on elements of the current surge, and conveying what we know to the community.
What do you need to do?
- Mid-Year Medical Form
Update.
Please complete this
Medical and Vaccine status form for your child(ren).
- Stay informed: Read Head’s Notes and
Principals’ Blogs and stay focused on staying healthy, flexible, and patient.
- Do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions at any time.
Our ears and inboxes are open, so continue to use us as resources.
Project Get Back Update
If we were on campus this week, we would be returning to some routines familiar to our community prior to the start of pandemic.
Given that we are in Virtual Learning, we will freeze our Project Get Back Plan and return to it in a timely fashion once we are back on-campus.
Board of Directors Update
Board of
Directors Meeting
The January Open Session Board meeting will be held virtually on Sunday, 23 January at 9:45 to 10:30 a.m. IST. Community members are invited to join us using the following link.
Please do not share this link with outside our community.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://aischennai-org.zoom.us/j/94868518483?pwd=UmdMMkFTdkd5VlpkL0FsVXhtdU54UT09
Meeting ID: 948 6851
8483
Passcode: AISC
Board
Election Committee
The Governance Committee of the Board of Directors is forming an Election Committee, which is charged with executing the spring Board elections consistent with our By-Laws. Interested in contributing? Please email executive assistant, Angeline Mohan (mangeline@aischennai.org).
Eight
years ago, the Board of Directors began conducting its election by electronic
voting. This secure method makes voting more accessible to all Association
members and conserves paper. More information regarding this system will be
provided through these Notes and direct email in the coming months.
Next Week At-A-Glance
Office of Teaching and Learning Update – Joelle Basnight, Deputy Head of School
Invitation
to Parent Sessions
AISC is excited to extend a warm invitation to all parents to attend the remaining Parent Portal Project sessions. Participation is free of charge. Sessions are 75 minutes and begin at 7:00 pm IST. Parents can register through Eventbrite.
Here
is a bulleted list of the remaining sessions and full descriptions can be found
in the graphics below:
- January
24 - Tools for Having Courageous Conversations around Race, Culture and Beliefs
with Homa Tavangar
- February
21 and March 7 - Child Development, Achievement and Behavior (a two-part
series) with Anita Churchville
- April 11 - 3D Case Studies for the Modern Parent: Coaching Children to be Advocates with an Identity-Affirming Stance with Tricia Friedman
AISC is now officially an international partner school with Diane Sweeney Consulting - Student Centered Coaching. AISC is one of only seven international schools in the world and our school name and logo is now displayed on Diane Sweeney's website.
As
reflected on the website:
"Student-Centered Coaching is growing on a global scale. It is currently being implemented across six continents with more schools being added every year. An International Partner School is implementing Student-Centered Coaching and has generously agreed to share their journey with others. This is an invaluable resource that we hope will support instructional coaching within the broader international schools community."
AISC thanks Walter Basnight, Secondary Learning Coach, for taking such an active role in ensuring that our school could qualify for this designation. Not only is this an honor for AISC but it firmly puts our instructional coaching program "on the (global) map" and supports our continued efforts to be viewed as a learning leader in international schools.
Advancement Office – Gautami Ramachandhran, Advancement Director
IMPORTANT:
Submitting Student Yearbook Portraits - Last day to submit: FRIDAY, January 28,
2022
Happy New Year, AISC, and a hearty welcome to new families!
The Yearbook Team continues to collect student portraits virtually. If you are new to AISC this semester or haven’t had a chance to submit your children’s yearbook photos yet, please do so by uploading your photo to this website. The website also includes instructions on taking your child’s photo. Remember to scroll to the bottom of your section’s page to upload the photo! Please note that this is the last opportunity to submit Yearbook photos.
At-A-Glance Information
- Please
read the instructions carefully on this website.
- You
can use the back camera of a mobile phone to take your child’s photo. The
instructions have detailed info on taking a good photo.
- IMPORTANT! Rename your child’s
photo accordingly. We will not be able to accept submissions if you do not
rename the photo. For ES: Homeroom_First
Name_Last Name and For MS/HS: Grade_First Name_Last Name
- Last Day to Submit: Friday, January 28, 2022, 11:59 p.m. IST. Please scroll down to the bottom of your section’s page to upload your photo.
Thank you for your support! Please write to media@aischennai.org if you have any questions.
REPEAT
INFORMATION: The Online Community Directory is Live!
Our Online Community Directory is now live and ready for community-wide use! The Community Directory serves as a private and essential internal resource for parents so that we are able to connect with each other quickly, conveniently, and efficiently.
A few important details about the Community Directory:
- The
Community Directory has a robust search function, searchable across students
and parents.
- The Community Directory
is only accessible once you register with the email address—you’ve provided to
the School—and a password of your choosing. If you had registered previously, please
log in as usual or use the “Forgot Password” button to reset your password.
AISC faculty and staff can register with their aischennai.org email address.
- If you’re a first-time user, please check your inbox for the activation email after you have registered. Click on the “Activate Now” button and log in using the credentials you provided.
Parent Relations – Deborah Allen, Director of Admissions and Parent/Alumni
Relations
New
Parent Orientation - January 21st, 1:30-2:30 p.m. (IST)
Please join the PCA in welcoming our newest AISC families on Friday, January 21st, 1:30-2:30 p.m. We have over 50 new students starting with us for the second semester of this school year. The PCA is hosting this virtual event, which will include connection time, sharing school resources, and PCA-related information. Whether this is your first year, or you have been here for many years, we extend an invitation to all.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://aischennai-org.zoom.us/j/98914361905?pwd=ZlAyZjJFMStHL01zNjRadDNnbVljdz09
Meeting ID: 989 1436
1905
Passcode: NPO2022
Important Updates - Ryan McFarland, Student Life Director
Mid-Year
Vaccination and Health Status update
We would appreciate an update for all students on this brief form…
Rapid
Antigen Test Kits
AISC can make rapid antigen kits available for those that need them. They can still be picked up from the security office. For now, only one box per student unless there are COVID positive cases in the household. Alternatively, CoviFind, Panbio, Covi-Catch, and CoviSelf kits are available and affordable at online vendors like Flipkart and Amazon delivered to your door.
Omicron
and Rapid Antigen Testing
We are finding that many community members have had symptoms for a few days before getting a positive result with the Panbio kits. These rapid antigen tests are not as sensitive as a RT-PCR done by a lab, but we have heard about and can confirm a modification that may result in earlier detection. Instead of swabbing each nasal cavity, start by swabbing the throat and then the nasal cavities. We have had multiple staff detect a positive result this way after having had a negative result using the intended sampling method.
Vaccinations
for 15-18 year-olds available in Chennai
The central government has approved vaccination of 15-18 year-olds and now there is news of vaccination drives in Chennai for high school students. AISC is exploring options to provide a vaccination opportunity for those eligible. More information will be included in next week’s notes. If you’ve already taken advantage of the availability, please email mryan@aischennai.org if you’d like to share any information about the experience.
Happy Pongal! Two of the elements of our statement on International-Mindedness are “possessing a strong sense of one’s own culture” and “respecting and valuing the differences of others.” This week, Chennai celebrates Pongal, a vital cultural holiday in Tamil Nadu honoring the winter harvest. This day marks the beginning of the sun’s six-month traverse toward the north. Among other things, this holiday honors the sun and the sustenance it provides for life on earth. If you are not from Tamil Nadu, does your culture have a similar celebration?
This is a very important weekend for family connections, celebrations, comfort food, and community. If you are celebrating, prioritize health-safety, and consider social distancing, ventilation, and masking.
Stay connected. Practice patience and grace.
Have
a good long weekend!
Andrew A. Hoover
Head of School
headofschool@aischennai.org
COMMUNITY NOTES
Reminder – Student Protection – Michele Ness, School Psychologist/ES Counselor
If any members of the school community have concerns about a student’s safety, please contact one of AISC's counselors (ES, MS & HS), principals or the School Psychologist.
FOR REFERENCE
Illness
Reporting
Despite being in Virtual Learning, it is vital that AISC continues to monitor the health of our student body. While our attendance has been spectacular this year, we also need to know when a student is not well enough to participate in a day’s learning activities.
By way of reminder: Elementary, Middle, and High School parents and/or High School students are expected to email the section offices with the reason for virtual absence when a student cannot attend to/participate in the day’s learning activities. [esoffice@asichennai.org; msoffice@aischennai.org; hsoffice@aischennai.org]
In a typical year, we track illnesses, fevers, and flu symptoms. Now, more than ever, it is so important that we know if a student or household member has flu symptoms and/or has tested positive for COVID-19.
Our Health Office is open virtually. Please use us as a resource.
Our school nurses are Jessy David, Suvitha R and Barkath B and are available on all school days from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact our Health Office by email on healthoffice@aischennai.org or by phone on +919840729563 / +919940635827 for any health-related questions or if you need assistance.
Positive
COVID Case Reporting
Given the contagious nature of the coronavirus, the AISC Health Office must stay informed of positive cases in our families’ households. In order to serve and protect community members, positive COVID cases need to be reported to us immediately.
Here
are a few guidelines:
- If
anyone in your household -- including staff (live-in/non live-in) -- tests
positive, please inform the School by writing to the section offices -- [esoffice@aischennai.org; msoffice@aischennai.org; hsoffice@aischennai.org]
or to the Health Office contact details shared above.
- All health information provided by AISC families has always been and will continue to be kept confidential and used by our Health and Planning Teams for record-keeping. When reporting positive cases within our community, the School will not use personally identifiable information.
We thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep our community safe. With collective and personal responsibility, we can all do our part to ensure the health of our community members and to help flatten the COVID-19 curve.
If
you aren’t sure what kind of question you are asking, we are happy to hear from
you, no matter what!
2021-2022
Data Center
Below find snapshots from our COVID-19 Data Lab. During the school year, we will update these each week (until further notice). Use this information to compliment external sources of information to understand our local context, inform decisions, and as opportunities to ask more questions.
1.
Below, Return to Campus variables remain green.
Return to
Campus Rubric
The
variables on our Rubric have been approved by our partner International SOS and have the support
of the AISC Board.
All of the Decision-Making
Variables below must be GREEN (GO) for AISC to consider opening campus for
students.
|
GO |
SLOW |
STOP |
|
Decision-Making Variables |
Explanation |
|
Lock-Down lifted. |
Tamil Nadu has begun
reinstating lockdown requirements. There are not any requirements that impede
the daily movement of people in the city or the general movement and
procurement of goods and services. So, we are keeping this GREEN. |
|
Government has lifted school closure orders. |
Schools are closed for students
in EY-Grade 8. This is GREEN for HS students, who are currently permitted to
be on campus. |
|
Emergency COVID Health Care. |
This assessment is based on
data from 9 major hospitals in Chennai. This is trending toward to red, which
is why it is YELLOW. But, vacancy rates remain well above 10%, which is our
new threshold for RED. Vacancy rates have decreased in the past week. When
vacancy rates stabilize, this will go to GREEN. See the table below. |
|
|
Emergency care and access to
emergency care facilities are fairly normal. We anticipate some gaps in this
area if healthcare workers are not able to perform their duties due to
COVID-19. |
|
COVID-19 Testing Levels. |
Testing levels are high. |
|
Access to Supplies and
Equipment at AISC. |
Our campus is well-supplied and
remains prepared to be open. |
We also keep our eyes on the
following Decision-Informing Variables, among many others, every day:
|
Decision-Informing Variables |
Explanation |
|
New cases below 1,000 per day. |
New cases began increasing on
December 22 and rose above 1,000 on January 4. New case numbers are now above
6,000/day. This is RED because of the steep increase since January 4. This
will go to YELLOW when the increase slows. See the graph below. |
|
5 Day Moving Average of new
cases over total cases is less than 2% for two incubation periods. |
This number remains low. |
|
Percentage positive test rate at
acceptable level for one incubation period. |
(WHO 3-12%) This number has
been above 12% since January 7, 2022. If high rates continue, this could move
to RED. See the graph below. |
2. Below, notice the curve is now
turning upward. Total cases in Chennai are now increasing very steeply. We know
that surges have a starting point and an ending point.
3. Below, daily new cases in Chennai have
been above 1,000 since January 4th indicating the beginning of new
surge.
4.
Below, we summarize the availability of emergency COVID Care in 9 major private
hospitals in Chennai. COVID Care
infrastructure and resources are being challenged right now, but the numbers
below do not yet indicate a “crisis.”
5. Below the line slope of percent
of positive tests relative to total tests has begun showing the signs of the
new surge.
6. Below we have 315 confirmed COVID-19
cases in our community since January 2021, with 120 active case currently,
including staff, students and family members. Active case individuals observe a
14-day quarantine at home and require two negative tests before returning to
campus. Confidentiality is strictly observed.
7. Vaccination efforts continue in Chennai. More than 90% of the adult eligible population Chennai has been vaccinated and more than 70% of the adult eligible population of Chennai has been FULLY vaccinated.
Mask-Wearing
Matters
During this pandemic, wearing a mask is done to not only protect the wearer, but also those who are nearby. Have you not settled on the mask you prefer, or want to know a little more about the options? Our policies on mask wearing have been that masks should be worn unless eating or drinking, should not have a valve (though some valved masks do have a filter), and should fit well. Otherwise, we have indicated that an N95, surgical type, or cloth mask is acceptable. But not all of these masks provide the same level of protection for the wearer or those around them.
N95 masks - Actually, technically a “particulate filtering facepiece respirator” which is designated as N95 is 95% effective in filtering airborne particles according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). These masks are used by medical professionals to protect themselves from patients. The 95% metric depends immensely on having a good seal around the face. A genuine N95 mask does not have ear loops, but straps that go behind the head. In addition to being marked as N95 it also will be stamped with the NIOSH approval number. Counterfeit N95 masks have flooded the markets over the past year, as with many counterfeit items, it’s nearly impossible for anyone not involved in the supply chain to be assured of the quality. The CDC has said that it estimates 60% of the N95 masks in the US are fake. Even though most of the N95 masks we may have access to may not have been certified by NIOSH, they likely do filter better than the next type. China produces masks labeled KN95, Europe has FFP2, and South Korea produces KF94 (all of these may have ear loops). This is redundant, but research has repeatedly pointed to the importance of a very tight fit in order to achieve the 94-95% efficacy that is claimed for the genuine respirators.
Disposable surgical
masks - These
have been found to be about 80-85% effective in filtering airborne particles when
the mask is snug to the wearer’s face. This
infographic compares these masks to N95.
Achieving a good fit with these masks can be difficult and may require
knotting the ear loops, tucking the mask
material,
doubling up the masks or wearing a cloth mask over the surgical mask.
Cotton cloth masks - A few layers of cotton forming a mask blocks about 50% of the aerosols compared to the 85% for surgical masks and 95% for N95 type. As with the other masks, getting 50% largely depends on having the mask fit the face of the wearer well. It’s possible that an ugly home-made mask that fits very well could be providing better protection than a higher quality mask which is not worn properly.
This is an opportunity to point to the hierarchy of controls again. In this diagram the reliability of the effectiveness of the safety controls decreases as we move downward. At the bottom we have that individual responsibility to wear a mask properly. We have the administrative requirement to wear a mask. But because those layers of our swiss cheese may have holes, we’ve implemented engineering controls to ensure the aerosols inside are flushed out with our open windows and doors, removed by HEPA filtration, and bombarded by UV treatment in our air handlers.
Commitments in 2021-2022
Our Commitments for the 2021-2022 school year are here!
Staying RaptorSafe
Our RaptorSafe information is here!
Information and Reminders:
AISC
Annual Calendar – 2022-2023 | Head
of School Coffee Presentation – November 11, 2021 | Head
of School Coffee Q&A – November 11, 2021 |AGM
Head of School Presentation – September 8, 2021 | Head
of School Coffee Presentation – August 12, 2021 | Head
of School Coffee Q&A - August 12, 2021 | Senior
Leadership Team Town Hall Presentation – July 27, 2021 | Senior
Leadership Team Town Hall Meeting – Q&A – July 27, 2021 | Learning
Models Framework
| Student
Protection Manual 2021-2022