Head of School’s Update 7th May

Dear Parents,

A relatively brief update from me this morning but I do want to still touch base with you every week at this time. I do hope you have had some positive family time over the extended holiday weekend and Visakha Bucha day yesterday.

You will be hearing lots of reports of different countries in South East Asia starting to reopen schools and some of those schools have been closed for a long period of time. I am regularly liaising with fellow school heads in the region to make sure I hear all the differing school start-up models. It is really important that when we do open, your child’s safety is at the forefront of all decision making. The Senior Leadership Team is regularly meeting to discuss a variety of models and protocols for reopening Bangkok Patana School. Obviously, we will also be guided by any government mandates for schools reopening. Some of the recommendations when we open will include:

• Regular temperature checks (at home, entering the school bus, entering the school)
• Masks to be worn
• Regular breaks during the school day for hand washing
• Students bring their own snacks, canteen lunch will still be available with distancing
• 1 – 2m spacing in all school activities
• No large group activities whatsoever including assemblies
• Smaller class sizes in Primary and limiting the number of Year groups in Secondary that are in school each day
• Initially no adults entering the campus, except for school staff
• A COVID-19 register to be implemented by the Head Nurse
• Agreed Code of Conduct signed by all

I am fully aware that you will be reading copious amounts of material relating to COVID-19 and its impact on all of us. Linked here is an excellent article from McKinsey & Company dated April 2020, which will give you a good insight on some of the school reopening models. “None of this work is easy, but the prize – students learning, parents working, and a virus in retreat – is worth fighting for.”

I would also like to strongly recommend that if you haven’t done so yet, please download the CSL@Patana app as it is regularly updated with a variety of helpful resources pertaining to our online CSL programme and the COVID-19 pandemic. Five hundred of you have already downloaded the app and feedback has been extremely positive. Once you have downloaded the app, you will notice new information is updated regularly. You can use the link here or the QR code below.

We are delighted to announce a new school initiative offering some of the students’ favourite school meals from our school canteen. You can view the offerings from PatanaFood@Home at the link here. This is available to all of the Patana school community. Pick up at school can only be done by one adult at a time.

I remain ever hopeful that the school will be able to reopen its doors in the not too distant future and I will of course keep you regularly updated with any changes to plans.

Best wishes,

Matt Mills,
Head of School