Category: school

While we are working towards August opening, we are watching around the world as different measures are being announced now to prepare for the fall. We had significant announcements today with regards to opening and relaxing of regulations, but unfortunately heard nothing new about schools. Many colleges around the world are making announcements and there is a wide spectrum of response in regards to the next steps and their predictions of future conditions. Some in the region are both announcing virtual and return to school, while we continue to affirm that we will open in a regular school with structures in place to address risk and health safety. Thank you again for your input on the election ballot and the important survey questions that we added at the end. This will help us find the right level of intervention and other surveys with more details will be coming later.

Similarly, on behalf of CEESA, we must now communicate their decision that has been made with regards to plans for the Fall. Their letter, linked below, confirms that we will not be traveling during the first semester for any CEESA related activities. This includes both athletics and activities as well as professional development for staff. Their letter provides the details of their decision and our team in the Athletics and Activities office has other messages further down in eNotes about their planning.

We will strive to provide the usual array of activities for Fall but within the boundaries of what we are allowed by local regulation and opportunities found through collaboration with our local school contacts and partnerships.

COVID-19 TESTING OPPORTUNITY AT ASW

We have organized a unique opportunity at ASW for drive-through testing next week. We were able to come up with a plan for families that includes lower cost and a trial run of any potential testing that we might do as part of our procedures come fall. We have partnered with Proteon Pharmaceuticals who have been approved to provide testing in Poland and are developing testing centers elsewhere in the country.

It is, as yet, unclear what role testing will play in our planning for August, but their willingness to establish a drive-through test center on our campus for our community demonstrates their commitment to supporting education and organizational safe practices under this viral threat.

This is optional for families and tests for current infection using their PCR genetic test. If you would like to schedule a time to enter our temporary drive-through facility, you can follow their link to sign-up. This is only open to ASW Community members including students and their families as well as staff. You will need your regular identification to enter the campus in your vehicle for this activity and the drive-through site will be set up in our parking lot near the front entrance. Currently, we have reserved June 1 and 2 for this activity but will leave the option open for additional days or times if demand suggests. School personnel, including myself, will be observing this process. All the appropriate protocols and methods will be in place. If you are interested, you can register here:

https://proteon.simplybook.it/

Each year, usually a bit earlier, we sum up the recruiting season and update the community about the changes for the next school year. You will find our page of departing and new staff updated and ready for your review. The nature of international schools is the constant movement of our population in and out of the school at all levels. For students, we average about 10-12% turnover each year. Staff turnover is about the same with age and adventure calling to some in our midst to take on either retirement (or re-invention) or a new challenge somewhere in the world.

Our update page is here: https://zimplicity.org/asw-new-facultyadmin/

We have a wonderful team of recruiters here that have scoured the planet for our new colleagues. My thanks to their diligence and talent in this regard. We look forward to welcoming all of our new Warriors in August. Similarly, in June we will bid farewell to some of our current Warriors. But, in the midst of our tears, we’ll remind them as we always do – Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!!

A New Partnership

We are excited to announce a new partnership today in our preparations and planning for our August opening. We have concluded an agreement with Epixpert to coordinate with us on our practices and planning for our August 18 opening! Epixpert is a leading company in risk mitigation for effective organizational planning and installations under sanitary requirements and beyond. They will be completing a comprehensive audit of our plans and facilities advising us on final regulations and upgrades that will be needed in the Fall. Based on those recommendations, we will be proceeding with facility work in preparation for our opening day. We’re excited to have this team as esteemed colleagues and strategic partners in our planning and preparation. I’ll talk about this more tonight at our Facebook Live Town Hall. For now, you can get familiar with them here:

We are busy developing our plans for August and, on the heels of further government announcements today, satisfied with our approach and decisions to date in preparation for these next steps. One key piece is the structural approach to our planning and that can be seen in an early version of our planning arenas here:

To support this ongoing work of the administration, the board adopted in recent sessions the following resolution, now for community consideration. This action demonstrates support for the administration in providing an operational plan that will assure our August opening as projected. We’re excited and supported by this approach:

American School of Warsaw
Resolution of the Board of Trustees

Whereas there is a current health crisis that emerged as a result of a global pandemic,

And, whereas the Board of Trustees has reviewed relevant literature as provided by the Administration with regards to the current and ongoing health and well-being risks associated with schooling for the foreseeable future,

And, whereas there are complex government requirements in place and as adjusted over time,

Therefore, the Board of Trustees…

…supports plans and actions that are consistent with government direction following the edicts of governmental agencies regarding closure and other stipulations that may be announced and implemented.

…directs adherence to Core Values, Mission, and Vision in the development of plans associated with school operations going forward.

…directs the administration to develop agile plans in consultation with health experts in our community and more broadly in their planning for actions and procedures associated with the closing and opening of school on whatever basis is recommended or directed.

…directs the administration to review legal ramifications of decisions and confirm the requirements of all parties to proceed under existing or proposed contractual instruments and/or amendments.

…directs the administration to consider plans associated with ensuring staff and student safety that balances age-appropriate practices with guidelines for hygiene and other related methods for reducing the potential spread of disease in the community, now or in the future.

…directs the administration to purchase material and services as may be required for the implementation of plans associated with this crisis.

…recognizes the need to make available up to 15% of emergency reserves to support the planning and execution of the above mitigation and implementation to be allocated by subsequent Board resolutions.

Adopted May, 2020

With this authorization and direction, we will begin sharing our drafts of a comprehensive approach to addressing the ongoing infectious threat. As medical professionals around the world have stated and agreed, this is a long term reality that must be met with distinctive change in practice to minimize risk and promote health and safety for all in the community. ASW is committed to that belief and positive outcomes for all.

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!