Author: jzurfluh

I had the lucky opportunity to be cursorily involved in the MUN program this year through my coaching of the MS team and many interactions supporting the ZYGMUN conference. It was a pleasure working with the kids as they prepared for their own conference, but, until we closed, found time to mentor the MS team as well in wonderful training sessions. The following from one of the members, Julia Anting:

For the past three years, ASW has hosted our own MUN conference, the Zygmunt Model United Nations conference here in Warsaw. When the Covid-19 outbreak hit this year and school was canceled we feared we would also have to cancel our conference. But after several weeks of hard work, the ZYGMUN team of students and directors has managed to successfully run a virtual ZYGMUN conference. Run entirely from our homes, the conference consisted of six committees and 150 participants from 33 countries. The positive feedback we’ve received has been overwhelming and it’s our pleasure to share this amazing experience with the rest of the ASW community. To take a look at virtual MUN, please go to the “ZYGMUN Secretariat” youtube page.

More about Model United Nations is HERE

Our thanks to Mr. Julien and Mrs. Smutek-Rusek for coaching at the HS level and for all the leadership that emerged amongst the participants. The kids were inspired and their work was nothing short of exemplary in handling the sessions, the outcomes, and the global reach. Way to go everyone!

I have to admit that there is much to process in recent days. We’ve done some diligence on understanding the depth of the information and trying to make clearer sense of it. That’s true of today’s information after another press conference.

What we know is there has been an option put on the table of the potential for preschools and nurseries to open, but only at the discretion of the founders and the local municipalities. This means we are still waiting today further details on that legitimately only applies to a small portion of our school population.

As has been stated in the past, the government’s willingness to allow opening is only one step in our process of any decisions on our part to open. Our risk review matrix expects a deeper understanding of risk and our ability to mitigate that risk and provide for student health and safety. As we gleaned from parent survey information over recent weeks, this is complicated and many parents took the time to write to me about their expectations for a safe pathway to opening, whether now or in August. We are working along those lines.

I know I’m asking a lot to continue to be patient. We want to make decisions with a high degree of caution and prudence. When the information is ready, we’ll put it in your hands for review and would hope for your continued counsel and partnership.

Please see further down our Warrior Way BINGO. I’ll be talking with Mr. Cuthbert about it on Facebook Live. Please join us or watch the recording tomorrow to find out how to participate as a family.

I sat in on a few of the CAS project presentations this week in the High School. Creativity, activity, service (CAS) lies at the heart of our Diploma Programme. Over the past three days, we witnessed a swath of presentations with a myriad of experiences in which ASW students were involved over their two-years CAS activities that align their two year IB experience. From exploring and extending ideas leading to all sorts of artwork, performances, sports competitions, and collaborative reciprocal engagements with local and global communities, we heard about students working in soup kitchens, caring for homeless animals, organizing English lessons for refugee children and children from orphanages, both in Poland and in Vietnam. Today, on the 50th anniversary of Earth day, students shared about their care for nature, how they initiate forest clean-ups, are involved in gardening, and helped us see into the many other ways they contribute to changing the world for the better.

Students were also involved in their own personal improvement including learning to sing, cooking, learning a new sport, painting, drawing, writing, or learning other new skills that they never thought they could do. Students reflected that their CAS program gave them a wider perspective on their perceptions of the world. Most all, after their CAS experiences, students see themselves as further contributing and finding ways to give back to the community well after graduation.

ASW has always been focused on a holistic approach. And while experiences abound throughout the school, whether virtual or in real life, the CAS program is truly a showcase of capstone learning and the insights that can be gleaned from making the whole world your classroom.

Board Elections

On Monday night we appointed our newest board members for next year and wish to welcome our newest board members, Esra Yavuz and Maria Grigorova, to the board. They were appointed along with the reappointment of Paul Rodriguez and Artur Banaszak for an additional commitment. Our board for next year is, thus, almost formed except for the upcoming elections. As a reminder, our form remains open for candidates, so please click on the link below to apply.

https://forms.gle/FTP4PVoh4Twkf3w39

The Board is currently seeking community members with experience in fields like human resources, fundraising, development, and strategic planning. We are also seeking members with strong social networks within both ASW and our host community. Most importantly, the BoT needs parents who are committed to the values, mission, and vision of our community and the long-term wellbeing of our school and its students.

You can find more information about the BoT, including the composition of the board and qualifications at the following link:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/community/board-of-trustees

Thanks to those who participated in our event last Friday. If you have any questions regarding the board or the process, please feel free to contact me or any current board member.

As would be expected at ASW, a number of giving and service-related projects are developing in our world of #lifesolation. Recent postings are included here and we are only getting started as the needs in our community become more apparent and urgent. We have many ideas emerging on how to address concerns and we know that more are coming where ASW can take steps to give back and to each other in a time of crisis and stress. We must continue to remind ourselves of the collective nature of a community. Ideas can be shared and we can gather together in spirit if not in person to tackle these challenges. I’m very proud of the work being done here!!

Face Shields

The ASW Design Center is helping local hospitals that are in need of critical safety equipment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by printing face shields.

Utilizing the school Design Center resources of seven 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and a wide variety of high-tech workshop tools, the school is creating 3D printed face shields to help keep frontline medical workers safe. In addition, we are prototyping Arduino-based pulse oximeters, which are used to determine the severity of coronavirus symptoms. With our limited staff here at school, we can keep the machines running on behalf of students and provide this important service to our health care professionals on the front lines.

Masks

Moms are joining the fight against coronavirus by producing much needed protective face masks for medical staff on the front line. The picture at the right was the first set delivered to Banacha Hospital by our Service Learning Coordinator and the work continues on to help protect and defend those that are most vulnerable in the current situation.

Based on this inspiration, sewn, washable cloth masks are about to be produced by parents and students at home in isolation. Florence M., a 10th-grade design student, produced a mask prototype and tutorial to help guide our school community in sewing masks. ASW’s Design Center will be loaning sewing machines and supplies to our school community so our students and families can take up the cause.

One more way that parents, students, and staff at ASW are giving back to the community in small but important ways, demonstrating our commitment to the Warrior Way!

Teacher and Staff Appreciation

Our annual opportunity for sharing our appreciation for teachers and staff throughout the school is upon us and we are hoping for your virtual involvement this year. We won’t be able to have the traditional flowers or the wonderful lunch usually provided for all to enjoy. This year, we are hoping for messages of all kinds, whether images of colored pages, videos, or simply a short message to our teachers and staff for the wonderful things they do, but in and out of crisis. This is an annual tradition and we can’t entirely miss it because of the current situation.

First, the Facebook link this morning may have been a problem due to recent updates to the Facebook interface. But this link should work for our Facebook users on all platforms:

Additionally, we’ve setup a padlet for those who would prefer an alternative:

Finally, you can also email teachers directly at their email addresses that can generally be found on PowerSchool. Or, you can send messages to me with a name in the subject line and I’ll make sure it gets delivered.

And finally, Happy ?migus-Dyngus from all of us at ASW…

Seeking Board Members!!

Reprise of an important item from last week…

Similar to last year, the BoT is seeking candidates for Trustees (U.S. citizens and Non-U.S. citizens) who will begin serving in the 2020-2021 school year. This process, overseen by the BoT Governance Committee, begins now with a call for both applications for appointment and nominations for election through a unified form completed by April 17, 2020. The link to our form is here:

https://forms.gle/FTP4PVoh4Twkf3w39

The Board is currently seeking community members with experience in fields like human resources, fundraising, development, and strategic planning. We are also seeking members with strong social networks within both ASW and our host community. Most importantly, the BoT needs parents who are committed to the values, mission, and vision of our community and the long-term wellbeing of our school and its students.

You can find more information about the BoT, including the composition of the board and qualifications at the following link:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/community/board-of-trustees

Thanks to those who participated in our event last Friday. If you have any question regarding the board or the process, please feel free to contact me.

It is my pleasure to announce that we have completed our process to select our new Elementary Principal starting in the 2020-2021 school year. It was an extended process with involvement from various stakeholder groups and facilitated by a Search Committee of 12 dedicated staff members. We want to also thank the students, parents, and staff members involved in the various stakeholder groups that met with and provided feedback about all of our candidates. We had 6 finalists out of a candidate pool of over 70 applicants. Today, we are pleased to introduce you to …

Jay Michael Fladager

Jay will be coming to us with a wonderful set of credentials from a broad range of experiences in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  All who met with him from our various stakeholder groups admired his kind spirit and genuine nature.  Equally, his wife Kira and son, Cale, are very excited to join us after their wonderful visit along with Jay a short few weeks ago.  From Jay’s personal statement for the committee:

As a school administrator for the past fifteen years I have been responsible for all aspects of motivating and leading a team of educators and support staff for value-added gains in student achievement, community engagement, innovation and improvement.

ASW has a wonderful reputation as a school that embraces student’s learning potential and prepares them for future success. I have long believed that the key to high achievement, independent, engaged self-motivated learners and workforce readiness is to personalize the education experience to our learners. This includes knowing our children as both people and students and therefore understanding their passions, skills and personal goals.

You can review Jay’s resume and introductory poster for more information. I know you will all join me in welcoming the Fladager family as our latest Warriors!

Seeking Board Members!!

Similar to last year, the BoT is seeking candidates for Trustees (U.S. citizens and Non-U.S. citizens) who will begin serving in the 2020-2021 school year. This process, overseen by the BoT Governance Committee, begins now with a call for both applications for appointment and nominations for election through a unified form completed by April 17, 2020. The link to our form is here:

https://forms.gle/FTP4PVoh4Twkf3w39

The Board is currently seeking community members with experience in fields like human resources, fundraising, development, and strategic planning. We are also seeking members with strong social networks within both ASW and our host community. Most importantly, the BoT needs parents who are committed to the values, mission, and vision of our community and the long-term wellbeing of our school and its students.

You can find more information about the BoT, including the composition of the board and qualifications at the following link:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/community/board-of-trustees

Finally, we are opening a virtual Q&A session on Zoom with board members standing by to tell you more about board work and share insights into their role. Please try to join us on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in a Zoom open session for all who would like to find out more.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/401798225
Meeting ID: 401 798 225

Looking forward to responding to your questions tonight on our Facebook Live event. Excited to be with you again. I have results from your first weekly survey to review, updates on programs and plenty of time for your messages. Head to the ASW Parents Group on Facebook. The recording of tonight’s session will be available on Zimplicity Director’s Desk tomorrow.

While there have been some glitches and we are testing the boundaries of bandwidth, there seems to be a positive vibe in the air over Virtual School and the great things that are happening. The picture at the right is Mrs. Z being “balanced” with her online 1st graders and it’s quite amazing how kids are embracing this and finding ways to be “balanced” at home while they are learning. I know some have reflected on the concerns over screen time and we are working with the kids to assess and adjust along the way. But, we started with the idea of balance and had advice to them at the outset of finding time to take breaks and keep the flow of their learning.

But, we had an advantage going into this with our core values and our IB framework – both have lent themselves brilliantly to supporting an online program that still values the child-ness of it all. We can be online, but online in a good way. We can increase some screen time, because it is good screen time and because parents are partnering with us to manage it effectively.

As the days go on, we are also shifting our teaching craft to this medium. More and more instructional creativity is emerging and we are adding layers of competency to our base stack of skills. As we spend more time here, we will continue to grow our practice, work out the pinch points, and increase the stability of delivery. Right now, we have some training wheels on with support all around. But, we are about to find that moment where we catch ourselves balanced and pretty soon we’ll be done with the training wheels and taking them off.

Like your kids, teachers are working very hard right now. They are exhausted each night, but enthusiastic because students and families are stepping up so wonderfully. Thank you for all you do to support and encourage each other along the way. We are in the long march now, Warriors all, until the battle is won!!! #lifesolation

I shared the news of our coming transition with a wonderful crowd of Middle schoolers in the auditorium earlier today and then with High School before departure. I noted that we are not really “closing” school, as that would be devastating and frustrating for all of us. “Losing” something we all hold so dear is not the message we want to convey. Instead, I suggested that we would “transition” to virtual school and that I needed their help to make it work (and to avoid adding days to the calendar in June).

We are ready!! Kids will get important transitional information over the next two days in our protected environment and we’ll make a smooth transition to our virtual environment starting on Monday.

POWERSCHOOL – this is the key and we need parents logging into PowerSchool now and as we approach Monday. Each division and teacher of the school will be dedicated to this approach and PowerSchool serves as our anchor to other connections and services. You already know this for things like invoices and nursing services. But, now it becomes even more important and the interface, including the landing page, will change shortly to bring you directly into Virtual School. We will support and defend educational continuity through these efforts, knowing that the parent partnership is key to success. Please look for the messages to you in helping your child make this transition and work with them to muster the materials and resources needed to continue their learning in this format. We’ll all get through this together!!

Remember that social distancing requires that you stay away from gatherings of any size and that you keep close to home during this two week period. If we are hopeful of success at stemming the tide of this virus, we must all be good citizens and remember the stipulations of grouping and gathering. We’ll keep the lights on at school and will have staff at school each day. You will not be able to access the campus during this closure, but we’ll do our best to cover phones and address your concerns.

Dear Members of the ASW Community (students 6-12, parents, staff),

As you are all aware, a directive from the Polish government was declared this morning in a press conference stating that schools in Poland should close as of Monday, March 16.  The declaration noted a transitional period for Thursday and Friday where schools could remain open in order to support parents in arranging care.  For the public schools, this means coverage of students, but not providing lessons.  Our quick survey of private schools found that some intend to stay in session and follow the government directive for full closure starting on Monday.  As a result of this announcement, the Crisis Team met immediately to discuss our options under the government announced plan.

The Crisis Team has made their recommendation to the Board of Trustees and they have confirmed our opinion that school should remain open for Thursday and Friday to finalize plans for virtual schooling and that virtual schooling will commence, as planned in virtual format starting on Monday, March 16, and will continue in that format for the specified two weeks of time until school re-opens on March 30.  Since we had already planned to move into virtual schooling for a single day, our plan just shifts to be a two-week virtual school rather than a single day.

Currently, according to our risk matrix, we would not have independently made a decision to close because of the lack of factors affecting our community and on the evidence currently available.  We do not have a case of the virus in the ASW community and we have taken steps to protect our community, which has largely been successful.
But, we also understand the prudence of the government in supporting a broader level of concern and their steps to control this outbreak are measured by the actions of other countries around us.  We should be clear that this effort of creating “social distance” is a typical and proven strategy.  But, it is important to pay attention to the other elements of social distancing and we would recommend, like the government, that all families and students remain isolated in their homes and avoid gathering outside of school.  In reality, not doing so could put the school at greater risk when we return on the 30th by increasing exposure to a wider community. So, please avoid allowing students any degree of freedom to gather in groups outside of school.  By all reports from China and other parts of the world, this is challenging and you need to plan for it now before the transition begins on the weekend.

Bottom Line: ASW will shifts to virtual school starting on Monday, March 16 and will remain in virtual school until schools re-open on March 30.  Starting Monday, March 16, all activities and planned events are canceled as well.

The school remains open on Thursday and Friday with normal classes, all planned activities, and necessary preparation for our transition.  We understand that some parents will choose to keep their children home on Thursday and Friday.  Students absent on Thursday and Friday will have no absence penalty but will start in the hybrid program with our self-contained students until the virtual school opens on Monday. 
Communication will continue daily and we will go forward with the Facebook Live event tonight as previously planned.  Look for eNotes tonight for more information on virtual schooling. Login to PowerSchool and make sure of your access to both PowerSchool and SeeSaw (for elementary).  I’ve spoken with kids in the Upper School today at both a Middle School Assembly and High School Assembly.
Thank you all for your continued support and for the messages this morning giving me information and insight into your thinking.  I look forward to continuing the dialog tonight (click below):

Best Regards,

Mr. Z

Just some images gathered by our cleaning staff today as additional orders arrived:

More pictures coming soon…

It’s that time of year when we get into the pace of the final stretch. The distractions around us notwithstanding, we are taking on the challenge of a packed agenda. I’ve sent separate messages on Elementary Principal Search and looking forward to our time with candidates. Many other school-based projects in process and a wonderful professional development day with faculty and staff on Monday earlier this week. The time and focus were good, at a critical juncture.

In addition, we are also building towards Arts Week next week and have a wonderful project in process in our cafeteria! From our wonderful arts team:

Visiting artist: Kate Deccicio, March 3-6 

If you’re wondering what our ASW students are working on behind those blue bulletin boards in the cafeteria, make sure to join us for the official unveiling at 1 pm on Friday, March 13th! Working in close collaboration with our inspiring visiting artist and activist Kate DeCiccio, our upper school art students have been living the statement of inquiry from their current unit; Activism in art can push boundaries, transform narratives, and inspire change. The completed mural will include the work of students in all divisions, will connect firmly to our school values and mission, and the design will highlight students’ belief that the way nature is represented and presented in art can be a vehicle for change. Please join us next Friday, May 13th at 1 pm!

Dear Parents,

I’m sending this update to inform you of the actions taken this morning by the Crisis Team. Thank you for your patience as we work out the details of our planning in the face of the current concern.

First, school is open tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. We expect students to return from the vacation and have worked to prepare for classes to resume as normal with some stipulations below.

The following is a revised exclusion list for students starting Tuesday, March 2 that is now based on the European CDC guidance for this region. We relied on the US CDC in the past, but their approach is by country alone, not for regional specifics. We will continue to use a combination of US CDC for global decisions and ECDC for regional advice. We have agreed at the Crisis Team level that this is sufficient exclusion for our risk matrix and more relevant to our population. This has reduced the area of concern for Italy to specific regions and urgent that you read this. Our regularly updated area list is here:

Country List for Self-Quarantine

If you are not sure if you should come to school tomorrow, and in ALL cases, you should write to our new email address set up for this purpose:

Write immediately to aswhealth@aswarsaw.org

Include:

• Names and Grade levels of children
• Travel itinerary including dates and modes of transportation

We will respond as soon as possible to confirm for you whether you should self-quarantine.  Further, we will add your names to the monitored list and suggest the date of return based on the information provided and we will notify teachers to provide enhanced methods for class virtual inclusion during the absence.  You should write to us at the above address even if you have already been in touch with other staff on your status. This will allow us to make sure we are addressing your needs and communicating with staff.

If you are not sure of your status or if you are waiting for a response from aswhealth@aswarsaw.org, you should STAY AT HOME until you receive confirmation of your status.

The Crisis Team affirmed that the school is now at Risk Level 2 according to our risk planning matrix.  

As you have already been informed, all CEESA student travel and events have been canceled until May 1st.  This was primarily in response to other countries’ increasing restrictions on travel and canceled participation.  CEESA will continue to review this decision and determine if further cancelations are warranted. Adult travel and non-CEESA student travel is being assessed on a case-by-case basis.

A comprehensive FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) has been developed and will be enhanced incrementally to try and keep you informed of important information.  It is located on a Zimplicity web page to help in automated translation. You can find the FAQ here:

COVID-19 FAQ

Please know that these exclusions are beyond what is currently advised by local government and could change if the government offers any additional guidance.

In preparation for any potential that school might be closed, ASW has prepared guides for your review on our move to virtual schooling.  Virtual schooling will provide a method where school can continue even while closed. We already use many of the tools in the guides for daily use and we believe there can be a smooth transition under these guidelines:

• ASW Crisis Manual
• Parent Virtual Learning Guide – Elementary
• Parent Virtual Learning Guide – Upper School

These links are also available in PowerSchool by clicking on the Quicklinks in the left menu. Much of the content in these guides may also be used for self-quarantine students as a means of assuring their participation in class despite their physical absence.

If you have any further questions, please contact us.  Under Risk Level 2, I will begin daily emails to the community updating you on status and our operational plan.

Looking forward to seeing you at earliest opportunity!

This message is being sent to the entire ASW community along with an SMS message and Zimplicity post to assure that all are aware of the enclosed stipulations before returning to school next week.

In response to the increased concerns in countries surrounding Poland and as a result of the increased risk associated with travel during the break, the following is being implemented as we move to a limited Risk Level 2 on our Crisis Management Matrix.

• By directive from CEESA, all student events have been canceled through May 1, 2020, due to the current and unpredictable risks associated with travel, border crossing, and inspections that traveling groups might face at destinations and while traveling.  Many countries are implementing strict standards associated with student travel and gatherings even if borders generally remain open.  CEESA’s letter to the region is attached to this message.  
• For ASW, this stipulation will also mean cancelation of all other student travel, including most planned local or regional field trips.
• Adult staff travel for Professional Development will be assessed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Locally, the following is requested and will be required from all families:

• Staff, students, or family members who have traveled to the CDC identified Level 2 or 3 areas will be required to stay home to self-quarantine and monitor symptoms for 14 days from the date of return to Warsaw.  The current list includes: China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Italy (north of Pisa).
• Students and/or parents should contact their teachers after Monday, March 2 to plan for classwork during this exclusion period.  More advice on staying involved in classwork will come next week when staff members have returned and better able to respond.  Reminder: school resumes on Tuesday, March 3.

School procedures according to our risk matrix include the following (some continued from before):

• We will continue to interview and provide limited access to the campus for all registered visitors, including during our open house on Thursday, March 5. This is for registered visitors only and not open to the general public.
• School programs, including after school activities will continue without interruption.
• All other regularly scheduled activities will continue as planned other than those excluded above.
• Selected trips scheduled within Poland will be evaluated and determined on a case-by-case basis, informing parents of status at the earliest opportunity.
• The ASW and CEESA Crisis teams will meet weekly going forward to assess and provide guidance on the regional situation.
• All events at school will be restricted to parents, staff, and students only.
• As per prior advice, parents should not send students to school with symptoms.  See: https://zimplicity.org/2020/01/29/coronavirus-outbreak/

We are very much aware of concerns developing throughout Europe and the bombardment of media reports, some accurate and many wildly inaccurate.  Please remember we measure our actions with a maximum degree of balance and objectivity, using reliable sources. Also, there are still no confirmed cases in Poland and we are hopeful of retaining that status.

We should also be concerned about the social/emotional effect of this situation on ourselves and our children.  Earlier this week, I posted a document shared by the ISCA (International School Counselors Association) to help in taking care of your children during this period.  Please read it here: https://zimplicity.org/2020/02/24/notes-during-the-break/

Please remain calm during this difficult juncture.  We may have many more families affected by this current action.  It is impossible for us to know all family travel plans, so this current level of action requires that families follow our stipulations on their own to protect and assure the safety of our community.  We’ve already faced this once and it was admirable that three families went to great lengths to protect the school by maintaining their self-quarantine.  Their messages were positive and encouraging throughout and speak to the character and quality of the ASW Warrior family.  If you have any questions, please write to me.  I’ll do my best to respond.  You can post comments on Zimplicity for the community to share and I’ll answer questions publicly there as well.

Stay well and, if you are out of Warsaw, we wish you a safe return.

Additional note: Absences will be excused as long as students maintain contact with teachers, complete assigned work, and maintain academic standing.

Another note: While we tried to secure access based on the suggestion of a parent, hospitals are no longer allowing elective testing for COVID-19. You can only be tested if you are demonstrating symptoms.

Our primary sources remain:

CDC Alert Level – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

WHO Situation Reports – https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/

COVID-19 Situation Report for European Region – http://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ead3c6475654481ca51c248d52ab9c61

Johns Hopkins Interactive Map – https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

There won’t be an edition of eNotes this week, but I’m putting a post here with advice from the ISCA (International School Counseling Association). Given the latest news reports and additional issues associated with exaggeration and fear, this might help around the house or while traveling to be sensitive to the needs of your children during the escalating tensions, particularly with the reports now emerging in Italy. I offer this as fodder for your due consideration while school is closed for the vacation and in hopes it will help to calm fears when we return next week.

From ISCA:

The coronavirus (now officially named COVID-19) has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) and uncertainty around this can bring about fear and worry with our students. It is important to remember our children are looking towards us for reassurance and cues on how to react and respond.

Five strategies to build resilience, and have reassuring conversations with kids are:

1. Stay Positive : Remember to keep calm. If you show anxiety or fear, your child will pick up on this and also feel nervous and afraid. Changes to the environment and routines can create unease. Having calm, panic-free discussions can ease emotions around these changes. Check-in on how your child is feeling and acknowledge and address their worries rather than ignore them.
2. Stick to the facts: It is important to have thoughtful conversations regarding the coronavirus to distil anxiety, worry or fear. Look at the facts. Consider your child’s age, processing, and emotions to determine how to frame these conversations to ensure your child understands. Let them know that Singapore is doing everything they can and you are up to date on current information. If they have additional questions you can look to find the answers. Check-in on what your child is thinking and address their worries. Discuss that not everything they hear or see is real. It can also be comforting to be reminded that doctors around the world are looking for ways to address the coronavirus and highlight positive news as well (eg. 15 people have recovered and been discharged in Singapore).
3. Consider Media Consumption: When looking online, consider the source and fact-check to prevent fake news, and think before you share. Be mindful of how much media you are checking and minimize how often you are reading stories. Try to keep a healthy balance (both online and offline) in your daily routines and lifestyle.
4. Eliminate stigma: It is important to be aware of how the coronavirus is explained to your children to avoid any person/group being blamed. Also to communicate that if someone has a fever or cough does not mean this person has the coronavirus.
5. Boost Your Coping Strategies: When anyone has change or uncertainty this can create some levels of worry or anxiety. When this occurs, it is important to use positive coping strategies to manage those emotions. As every person is different, so too are our coping strategies. Regardless, it is important to practice positive strategies to calm down or modify our thinking to improve our outlook and overall well-being. Coping strategies can include: positive self-talk, singing, dancing, reading, drawing, music, Netflix/movies, create a gratitude list, meditation, yoga, coloring, exercise, cooking/baking, talking to a friend or family member, or doing other activities that are fun or give you joy and make you feel good.

If you notice your child is still worried or anxious, be assured that this is a normal reaction, and continue conversations while providing care for your child. If you find that additional support is needed, please reach out to one of our counselors who can refer you to outside counseling or to schedule time with you or your child to make a plan on how to support them during this time.

Our primary sources remain:

CDC Alert Level – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

WHO Situation Reports – https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports/

Johns Hopkins Interactive Map – https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6