Zimplicity

Recent articles published on Medium…

Now that my school content has moved to the ASW School website, I’m transitioning Zimplicity back to my personal use for educational blogging. This is my moniker and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences here.

As a start, I had a unique experience using NotebookLM recently, the new AI testbed from Google. I started with a policy document and was amazed a the summary and the resulting podcast reflecting on it. Then I had a thought and on a lark uploaded my resume to the tool and below is both my resume and a link to the NotebookLM podcast summarizing the resume.

We’ve moved Zimplicity to a new location on the aswarsaw.org website. Logistically, this works better for us from a publication point of view with eNotes. You can find new Zimplicity posts at this new location:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/about-us/news/directors-desk

We’ll keep this website here for historical purposes and to maintain the many links to the content herein. But, all new content will be directed to the new location. Thank you for being a Zimplicity reader! Please join us at the new place!!

Taking this brief and final opportunity to thank all involved in our First Annual Gala on Saturday and my appreciation to all in attendance on a stellar evening.  Many thanks to all the administration, staff, and students involved in making this such a special event.  We all walked away with our special memories and our actions for the future now on the giving tree that all will see in the future in the main lobby area.  We want to thank you for your support and for helping further the cause of our ASW4Ukraine project that continues unabated, due to many volunteers’ continuous efforts behind the scenes.  If you know one of these special people, give them an extra hug for all that they do.

Master Facility Design Process

We shared them with those in attendance at the Gala, but now have them displayed in the main hallways.  I should note that these are the first round of renderings and we are under a soft launch, but the more detailed presentations will come in the Fall.  Only minor preparatory projects this summer with much more detail in August and September on the scope and schedule of all of our plans.

Thoughts Before the Final Week

We will have our Final School Wide Assembly next week on Wednesday.  This will be open to all parents and you’ll see your areas to stand around the perimeter of students as we will again hold it outdoors on our back fields.  Everyone needs to think sun.  Please be advised that students will return to their classroom after the assembly to say a final goodbye to their teachers and school ends promptly at 11:30a.  Parking will be challenging and you should use exterior areas outside of the back gate if parking is not available in the main lot.  You may not leave your vehicle parked in any of our yellow zones.  Also, be reminded that we will not have a late start on Wednesday, June 15 and school starts at 8:30a due to the shortened week because of the holiday.

Looking forward to a strong closure and will offer a final message in next week’s final eNotes for the year.

Coming to you tonight is this year’s feedback survey.  As usual, this is a familiar survey with 80% of the questions we ask each year plus some updates and additions to gather important information from you about our programs.  We use this as our primary tool for addressing program changes and improvements.  All prior surveys are presented in summary to the board each year in September and the most recent was included in the September 2021 board packet.

You’ll receive a personal invitation to this survey today (some may have already received it as you read this) and you should strive to complete it by July 15.  If you do not complete the survey, you will continue to receive reminders until we close the survey in July.

This survey is critical not only to our ongoing operational and strategic work but also to our upcoming accreditation renewal process.  Participation is critical in making sure that we keep our finger on the pulse of the school community as has been the case in years past. The survey will take about 40 minutes to complete and we recommend your children be near you for questions as you consider each response.  Automatic translation to multiple languages by Google is provided, but it may not always be fully accurate.

Thanks in advance for your continued support of this important annual tradition!!

Master Facility Design Process

We’re happy to report that we are finishing up the master facilities design process and will be moving now into project implementation.  We’ll have comprehensive information about this come fall as the early projects of upgrades and renovations commence with smaller projects at the beginning, including this summer.  Those attending the Gala this weekend will have a special treat as we share a peek at the completed renderings of the various projects.  We’ll have these up in August to share with the entire community, but for now, know that ASW has continued its strategic work throughout these recent years of hardship and we continue our work in earnest to stay at the front edge of a world class education.

Safety Reminder

Just a plea to please reduce your speeds between speed bumps in the parking lot.  I’ve monitored in recent days and have witnessed some excessive speeds from multiple vehicles that are very dangerous in a school parking lot. I would ask all to please consider maintaining very slow speeds throughout the parking lot at all times (under 10 km/h).  See our Parking Lot Guide for more information.

To all of our special guests, faculty, staff, administration, parents, friends, and family members, whether here or online watching live – I offer you my thanks for your pride and presence as we come toward the close of this, our 29^th commencement exercises for the class of 2022. 

Our special gratitude to our board members who are present here and watching online today, led by Board Chair Kay LaBanca.  Thank you for your courage and leadership through difficult times.  You represent and defend the needs of the community with honor and capability!  It is a pleasure serving with you all!

Ambassador Brzezinski.  I offer special thanks for your message today.  Our bonds with the Embassy are always strong.  Today you refresh this partnership with your presence and your words, not just as a wise diplomat and friend, but also as an ASW parent with similar hopes and dreams for your own in the years ahead.

Can and Nina, thank you for representing your classmates so well.  You both bring a unique and thoughtful perspective — born for both of you through spirit, dedication, and enthusiasm.  You have represented your classmates well and we thank you for your service to the greater good, a model for us all!

Ms. Hassan, your message will long be cherished by the students seated before you who both respect and appreciate you for all that you have done, and continue to do, in service to teaching and learning each day.  You are a fine choice as a representative of a world class teaching faculty that can only be revered and honored for their commitment and dedication under the most difficult of circumstances.

Whether here in the auditorium or watching from home, we thank you all, the staff of ASW, for your unwavering dedication.  Faculty, counselors, administration, and support staff have all been the beacons of hope and resilience for students and parents during the darkest of days.  I thank you all for your continued demonstration and modeling of the core values we all hold in highest regard.

We know as an international community that many of our graduates have had other schooling experiences before joining us here in Warsaw. Some even stay with us for a time, leave for a bit, and then return. It is part of being an international school that we embrace this regular flux of change and transition. Over twenty nationalities sit on this stage tonight.  But, as has been our tradition, I’d like to recognize some Warriors, nurtured at ASW from the beginning of their schooling experience all the way to this graduation. As I call these names, would you please rise and remain standing so that we can recognize all of you as a group:

12 Students have been identified as having been at ASW since either Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten:

Kindergarten:

• Theodore
• Helena
• Olivia
• Maksymilian
• Nina
• Karolina

Pre-Kindergarten – Age 4:

• Maria
• Zofia
• Blanca
• Noa
• Hung Dung

Pre-Kindergarten – Age 3:

• Liliane

Please recognize these students and their families as this year’s Warriors of longest standing.

I offer a simple message of closure today, punctuating a splendid return to our favorite venue and leaving behind the bumpers and headlights in hopes that they can be fond memories, but never again a reality.  Many thanks to Mr. Sheehan and his team as they dusted off their memories and brought back all but a few of our traditions in short order as it became clearer each day that this would be possible.

I’m inspired tonight by a quote that I think may resonate despite the challenges that seem to surround us.  This class is the first to have run the full course of our most recent challenge.  As you entered your final two years in the Diploma Programme, we had just emerged from lockdown and you are now experiencing life as we emerge from a long and winding, and often daunting, tunnel. So, here’s the quote I bring today:

From past American President John F. Kennedy – “Change is the law of life.  And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

While I value that we all believe that there are lessons that we have learned in recent years — and that silver linings should be plowed into new realities, I would ask you to challenge yourself and consider for a moment the unknowns rather than the knowns.  While we should all celebrate that we have survived, or will survive, it can unfortunately leave us short-sighted and often too busy in the moment to be inspired by imagination and possibility.

While tired at times, at my core, I’m an optimist.  In the darkness, I still seek light.  In despair, I look for threads of opportunity.  And even in success, I seek aspiration and vision looking toward the next horizon.

I want you to embrace this with me – this optimism and excitement.  Like every educator and parent in this room, I wanted to give you a better world, empowering you to embrace it – our legacy is your hearts and minds engaged in finding what has not yet been tried, what has not been considered, what you can bestow upon the next generation.

Look around at the faces in the audience, filled with pride and inspired by your growing.  When you greet your family and friends at the reception, see the joy in their eyes that is inspired by your journey, incomplete, but full of promise and potential.

Embrace your parents today in a new way.  Thank them for all that they have done to support you, but more importantly just make sure they know that you love them and always will.  That’s the only thing that is truly important on this day and in this moment as you prepare for what comes next.

Let’s embrace this with smiles and pride as you cross in front of us.  All sins are forgiven, officially for the school at least, and may you always look to the future rather than the past, embracing the optimism that is life.

Class of 2022 and your parents, thank you for letting ASW be part of your lives.  We love you and wish you nothing but the best in all that you seek and do!

Warriors always!

In the coming days, we begin a series of events that are considered important milestones in life.   A milestone is defined as…

…a significant stage or event in the development of something.

School has always been a place where many reflect on how these growing and becoming milestones are achieved.  This weekend, we start with graduation for our oldest students.  We look forward to celebrating their achievements, and in the true spirit of a milestone, giving them cementing both memories and a pathway.  Graduation, like many milestones in schooling and life, is not about a destination, but more about holding onto the momentum and continuing the journey.  For all our students, pivotal milestone moments allow an opportunity to breathe so that we can celebrate, reflect, and then continue in the journey undeterred.

We live both in the moment and in the plan.  Let’s rejoice in how we kept learning enabled, with or without challenge, and embrace the “growing” in all its forms.  Let’s start with graduates and then look for each of our milestones between now and the final assembly bells, encouraging and enabling those most precious to us, the children we all nurture and serve.

Tragedy Again

I could not write today without at least mentioning the tragedy in the United States unfolding in recent hours in Uvalde, Texas.  I can’t be silent.  No child should ever have their life snatched away, whether in war, from famine/disease, or at the hands of deranged individuals.  I agree with all who are suggesting that we have to find active and urgent ways to bring this kind of senseless loss to an end.  As a family of human beings living together on this planet, we need to find a better path. ASW’s mission is to change the world for the better.  All of the adults of the world need to consider it their mission to change the world for the better for our children.  As a parent, my heart cries for the families in Texas, who are now engulfed in grief.  Please keep them in your thoughts in the days and weeks ahead.  If students are struggling with this recent news in any way, please reach out to our counsellors for support.

Gala

A final plea to get your tickets soon so that we can lock in numbers for our special event.  We will have a wonderful crowd at this spectacular event and I’m very much looking forward to it!  Thank you for watching my video last week and please share your thoughts with me to help guide us in our future endeavours in this area of service and advancement under Culture of Giving.

Additional Update on COVID

On Monday we noted the reduction of protocols and suspended the “Test-to-Attend” program.  Today we are announcing that next week (May 23-27) we will end regular testing for the remainder of the school year.  Based on the data recorded to date, this has been approved as our next viable next step and a way of closing the year consistent with what we see in terms of risk level in the current environment.  We will maintain a shorter morning testing time for both “Test-to-Stay” which will still be required for all close contacts in a household.  But, our testing in cohorts will end next Friday.

An endemic approach requires that we continue our watchful eye on any potential increase in infections.  Therefore, we will continue with daily attestation in OK4School.  But, starting after next week, you will no longer be prompted for a test expiration and we will rely entirely on the daily survey and your at-home checks.  We continue to encourage the use of home tests in the face of emerging symptoms and personal responsibility for self-isolation to protect the broader community in the case of illness.  Thank you for all you do to help us remain safe and secure each day at school.  Watch for Monday’s Weekly Update for further directions on next steps.

Belated wishes to many of the Mothers of our community and their celebrations last Sunday in honour of your special day.  We recognize the importance of celebrating all that you do for your children.  In that regard, I hope that the children of ASW took this opportunity to cherish and care for you in essential ways with extra hugs and much lovingkindness to show their awe and appreciation for all that you do.

But, we should also be quick to mention that many countries celebrate Mothers on different dates.  Poland officially celebrates Mother’s Day on May 26.  France follows shortly thereafter on May 29 along with the Dominican Republic and Sweden.  Spain, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, and Lithuania celebrated on May 1st.  Other dates in various countries include February 13, November 27, August 12, October 16, and June 12 in 2022.  In our diverse community, it means we are celebrating Mother’s Day throughout the year, as it should be! 😉

Wishing you all the best and thank you for all that you do!!

Gala!!

Hoping you have had a chance to check out our website and consider joining us for an elegant evening here at ASW in support of our programs at our inaugural event.  We are moving quickly towards our date, so please consider joining us by purchasing tickets either as an individual or as a group or corporate sponsor.  Our partnerships are very important to us, and would be so happy to have you with us at this important event!

https://gala.aswarsaw.org

PYPx

We had a wonderful PYPx for our Grade 5 students last week.  Each year this constitutes a significant capstone of the elementary experience where years of learned skills are brought together into a multi-disciplinary project.  We should applaud the talented and capable staff of the elementary school and all the volunteer adult mentors and experts who helped to make this a robust and rewarding experience for our students.  The projects were a dazzling array of ideas and actions that will have a profound impact on our school and community, demonstrating a key part of our mission – changing the world for the better.  See below for more information in the elementary section of this eNotes.

I hope you all had a wonderful spring break. Certainly, students have shared great stories of their time travelling or just exploring local parks, playgrounds, and backyards during this early part of spring. The joy of getting back to school was wonderful for all of us!

Faculty and Staff Appreciation

I want to personally thank all of the PTO volunteers who made it such a special day today. The array of treats, the expression of joy, and the appreciation of all that we do for your children was enjoyed by all!!   Our partnership as a whole community really shines during traditions like this and the beautiful plants, like our collaboration, will continue to bloom and grow!!

To all Faculty and Staff at school, my earnest thanks and appreciation for all that you do.  Like parents and children, I’m particularly thoughtful on this day each year when I ponder all that you do every day to enrich and nurture young lives.  I am so proud of all that you have accomplished, through adversity and always.  Please accept my acknowledgement in this public forum of our collective awe and regard!!

Upcoming Changes for COVID Mitigation

Here’s the current summary list that we will discuss tonight as well during Town Hall (recording available tomorrow as well).

• Questions on the Daily Survey will be changing this weekend and will be simplified.  But, the importance of the daily survey needs to be reinforced as the best way of protecting us from an increased spread as we move into the endemic phase of this disease.
• Masks become optional starting on May 2nd and continuing only as a mitigation strategy if we have an outbreak in a grade level or cohort.
• We open further for cross-cohort access starting on May 2nd
  • Primarily in common areas of hallways and spaces like the library and cafeteria.
  • Begin transitioning back to a single Health Clinic located in the elementary hallways – open hallway in that area to Upper School access (starting on May 9).
• Relax seating and distancing limits – use facilities at an 80% capacity level
• Open access for parents attending outdoor events
• Indoor Events – all parents may attend under test-to-attend in one of the following ways:
  • Testing here at school for the usual cost of 50 PLN on the day of the event
  • Test from outside provider accepted if done within 24 hours of the event. Present documentation and you will be allowed entry.
  • No testing is required for students, staff, and registered volunteers who are “green” on OK4School
  • No testing will be required for individuals within 4 week grace period of their recovery
• Cafeteria increased open hours and expanded menu starting May 10.  8a to 4:00p
• Parent access to the central core – main entrance, hall of flags, cafeteria, PTO Store – limited to 8a to 10a M-F – starting on May 10.
• Health screening testing continues once per week – 25% of the school population each day, M/T/Th/F. (Next week, Tuesday shifts to Wednesday due to the Constitution Day holiday.)
• Temperature check at main entrance only for unbadged individuals or individuals not using OK4School

We’ll talk about this more tonight, but we’ve only seen a limited impact from travel and the only cautionary point regards the number of cases we are seeing based on a family transmission that starts with parent infection.  That is the one remaining factor that keeps us slightly cautious and requires a test-to-attend program for parents in the short term.  We’ll monitor this over the next week or two, but we believe this to be the prudent approach for the time being.  If we can relax further, we will do so based on observed results.

Thanks, as always for your continuous feedback which is reviewed regularly.  We are still working hard to find the right balance and be responsive to your hopes (ours too) while not going too far beyond the comfort level of our various stakeholder groups.  I know most understand this and will allow us some space for incremental steps that are meant to keep our students and staff safe.

COVID Planning for After the Break

We’ve been working on our plan for COVID mitigation after spring break in recent days while evaluating the results of our recent changes.  We have seen a minimal impact from our incremental relaxation so far and feel like we are ready to continue down this path a bit further.  Thank you for your patience as we apply government decisions to a decidedly more vulnerable setting with greater expectations for moving cautiously and thoughtfully toward what that data increasingly supports.

At the core, we believe, based on multiple sources of advice, that we are moving slowly from a pandemic to an endemic phase of the virus.  There are many sources to this opinion and it is becoming clearer based on reduced hospitalization and continued study.

As such, the school will move from the original strategy of Stop/Protect/React to a lower level mitigation strategy of Protect/Identify/React.  The original goal remains – to keep us all in school.  But, under the original model, our goal was to avoid infection while under the new structure, the primary goal is to reduce and respond to infection.  It maintains many of our layers but reserves some of them more as mitigation measures rather than as daily expectations.  This also shifts some responsibility to the individual in determining how they manage risk.  We still have to be concerned about the potential for more serious illness. So, in some areas, we will still take a moderate approach until there is greater clarity in Europe and around the world.  We have to maintain a readiness to be more restrictive if conditions demand.

Right after the break, we will be slightly more restrictive until we complete a week of precautionary testing.  Testing is an area where we are able to adjust when the situation demands.  With many travelling next week, all agree that we need to be prudent with testing following the break.  While we have not scheduled a re-entry testing day, we have developed a schedule for testing the entire school population in the first 48-hours of our return and a second time that same week to be sure we identify any cases as early as possible.  Since we did this same strategy recently for our long weekend, this is the choice for the upcoming break as well.  All of our other changes, listed below, will start on May 2nd as follows:

• Mask optional for all staff and students on all days unless identified as part of a group or cohort where masking is applied as a mitigation strategy for an identified case.
• Additional relaxation of cohort isolation.  Maintain cohort areas, but allow students to cross cohorts more freely, particularly in shared spaces
• Move all health services back to its original location and re-open transit for Upper School students to this area
• Expand access to events through the Test-to-Attend program.  More details on this after the break.
• Outdoor events access for parents without testing.
• Relax seating limitations and distancing
• Allow access to parents for limited areas and times.  More details on this after the break.
• Cafeteria expand open hours to 8a to 3:30p and continued relaxation of cohort mixing – primarily at Upper School
• Continue attestation with some changes to survey
• Reduce temperature checking at the main entrance by excluding staff students using OK4School.

All of the above may be modified or retracted if the situation demands based on the results of testing in the week following the break or in the case where information suggests we should increase protocols due to new concerns (e.g., community spread, a new variant, etc.).  This would be based, as usual, on medical advice and Crisis Team consideration.

Parking Lot & Pick-up

It’s always good at this time of year to remind everyone about expectations in the parking lot.  Please remember that yellow zones are not parking areas.  You may not leave your vehicle for more than 30 seconds and you must move your vehicle if directed by staff at any time.  That means that you must always be within a line of sight to your vehicle and move it as quickly as possible.

I should hasten to mention, that it is polite and good etiquette in a parking lot to move out of the yellow zone and circle the parking lot to allow others to pick up their students if your child is delayed for any reason.  The intent of the yellow zones is to maintain the flow of traffic.  While some degree of waiting in your vehicle with the engine off is generally tolerated, we would expect you to move to a parking space if your child is delayed in exiting the building.  In this regard, our security or other staff may ask you to move and circle the parking lot to open a space for others and you should obey their instructions at all times.  This is critically important in the mornings near the elementary entrance as busses are also using this area to drop children off for school. No car may remain in this yellow area for more than 30 seconds.  Staff are on duty for this purpose to monitor your children at the entrance to the building or playground as appropriate to their age.  Kiss-n-Go was always meant to be done AT the vehicle to avoid any delay.

All of the above has safety implications and we should add that you must control your speed in the parking lot at all times to less than 10km/h.  Stop for crosswalks and pedestrians.  Always watch carefully for children emerging from between cars.  You must follow the directions of security and other staff at all times and I would also ask for courtesy in this regard as well.

In the case of concerns about any vehicle, the school always reserves the right to deny entrance to any vehicle that is unwilling to follow our directions or protocols.  When an infraction occurs, our security coordinator will notify you and this will serve as a warning that future incidents may require suspension of your access privileges. 

Thanks to all who help us maintain a smooth flow each day, both morning and afternoon.  We are generally very efficient and I appreciate your efforts in this regard!

It’s been wonderful to see all the art opportunities emerge during Art Fest this week and we are all looking forward to the HS Play as well. Many things happening as we finish the two weeks before our spring break this year. But, this week in particular will be amazing! My best wishes to the IB artists tonight and to all the art engagements in the days ahead! Many thanks to all the hands in the Performing and Visual Arts Team for their work toward making this happen for all our students.

I hope the conferences went well for you and I want to thank teachers for all their efforts in sharing your child’s accomplishments with you. With that, you should have a plan for the remaining weeks of the school year in order to maximize opportunities for growth and continued learning. Remember that we are always available to you beyond conferences. Please just reach out to teachers as needed for further clarification or with your questions. We are partners always in nurturing your child toward their goals.

Efforts for #ASWforUkraine continue to grow and develop. It has been a joy to talk to schools around the world who are dedicating their fundraising efforts to our cause. Our distribution center and food preparation is wonderful support for our continued community effort in support of the refugees in our midst. We also have moved forward on our commitment to displaced students from CEESA partner schools and many students are now in our midst on a temporary basis finding safety and normalcy in our midst. The team of parents, students, and staff should be applauded for all their efforts in our multiple tiers of engagement.

Finally, we have encouraging results in our testing today that continues to support a reduction in community spread. We are ready for our next mask optional day on Friday and, if the trend continues, further loosening. Please be mindful of the feelings of others in regards to these changes. We still have a degree of fear and we should be mindful that taking incremental steps is one way we encourage and support the needs of those who are concerned. Please remember that we have students and family members in our community who are more vulnerable and evidence from last week is that they were very concerned about the risks. They are correct to be concerned, as we all should. It is not forward looking to add too much risk hurriedly. Please be patient and supportive of the entire community as we take steps that are structured and prudent. After tomorrow’s testing, we will have a good picture for charting the path forward and avoiding unnecessary consequences.