On Friday this week, our entire staff will take part in a Day of Diversity! The day will serve as a professional development launching place for the journey we intend to take around inclusivity at ASW. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice are big themes of the conversations teachers will be having with each other and aligned with strategic work approved by the board in June. Many staff members have stepped forward to lead conversations and idea inquiries into topics related to the belief that ALL students are OUR students and that ALL students belong and are valued at ASW. The PD will help us to investigate inclusion structures and processes to maximize support for students and increase pathways to success for all students. In addition to the teacher collaboration aspects of the day, the staff will engage with a keynote address from Dr. Elizabeth Schoeder, a consultant, and expert in the area of inclusive and affirming education. At ASW we continue to strive to be consistent with our core values and be Accepting, Safe, and Welcoming!
Sports Update under COVID
As part of our mitigation plan at the medium level, we opened the door to talking about local competition for our sports teams. As we discussed this possibility, we reached out to medical advice and confirmed that we would only be able to consider this if we were collaborating with schools that are following the same or similar protocols for community protection like at ASW. Knowing this, some dialog was initiated with the British School Warsaw to discuss the potential for a pilot event that would take into account necessary protocols and provide for a safe opportunity for our teams to compete. We settled on our pilot program focusing on football (soccer).
One of the key agreements is similar to our protocol for our recent parent event at the Marriott with pre-event testing. Both schools have a testing program in place and both are working with Epixpert on this. While there are differences, we have access to the same materials and staff.
Therefore, we are planning for our first soccer match on Monday, October 4, with our HS Girls’ Soccer traveling to the British School and our boys hosting the British School HS Boys’ Soccer at ASW. We are not opening to spectators for this first match, but we are hopeful for outdoor events in the future that will allow this opportunity in a controlled fashion. Coaches and officials will also be vaccinated and tested.
We’re happy to be able to provide this opportunity to students and hopeful of a positive experience as we take measured steps in our overall recovery. No decision on CEESA sports or traveling is likely to come before a December time frame and we will communicate to parents about other activities we might organize along these lines. Looking forward to a spirited match on Monday. Go Warriors!