School Reopening Scenarios

Dear Parents and Students,

May Allah accept our prayers and fasting in this blessed month.

As we anxiously await the announcement of the MoE regarding the reopening of schools in August 2020, AIS Management would like to inform you that we have been working diligently to plan for the school opening for the 2020-2021 school year.  As outlined below, the school management is planning for all possible scenarios.  Whatever the case may be, we want to assure you that the health and safety of our students and employees have always been our top priority.

It is important to emphasize that throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, AIS Management will strictly follow guidelines/instructions from the MoE and MoH department officials regarding the school reopening and possible closures.  In order to keep everyone safe and healthy, our parents, students and staff members will face new protocols/procedures this academic year and beyond.

I. Plan for the reopening of schools

1. Face-to-Face Learning Plan (Regular School Program)

• The following preventative measures will be implemented before anyone enters the school building:
  • The entire school (i.e., Boys’ and Girls’ Section) will be properly disinfected before the reopening.
  • To reduce large crowds on campus in the initial return phase, students will return on a gradual basis: higher grades (older students) return first followed by lower grades with pre-primary returning last.
  • The school will adopt the following:
    • a hands-face-distance” approach (Wash your hands, cover your face and keep your distance)
    • an “all-closure” management approach (no outsiders can enter) to reduce possible infection.
    • a daily screening process for all students and staff members – a temperature check for fever. It is absolutely essential that if anyone experiences any kinds of flu-like symptoms (i.e., cough, chills, fever, nausea, etc.), they must stay at home.
• For students who are compelled to stay at home whether it is because of illness or any apparent reason, the school will:
  • provide individual support to students.
  • activate and implement Schoology (LMS) to provide additional work.
• The following will be cancelled until further notice:
  • All school and extracurricular activities;
  • All activities with more than 20 students;
  • All field trips and sport activities outside the school.

2. Online Learning Plan (If government closes all schools due to a continuous spread of the virus)

• The school’s main platform for the learning process will be a unified Learning Management System (LMS) called Schoology.
• All lessons will include the following:
  • LIVE CLASSES (i.e., Synchronous) using one unified conference tool (i.e., Zoom or Webex).
  • a discussion forum with clear instructions/guidelines dedicated to respond to student questions/concerns on a specific time during the working hours. Students will be allowed to send questions at any time of the day.
  • HIGH QUALITY RECORDED VIDEOS (i.e., Asynchronous) for our students who might have missed the lessons due to an illness, or some parents who choose to have their children study from home due to fear of the corona virus or some students who might need further clarification on the lessons. This is to ensure that every one of our students stays connected to his/her teacher and classmates while learning from home in a flexible model.
• Teachers will be available to respond to students’ questions or support with more complex needs/requests than a discussion board may provide – at a specific time during the day (i.e. Online Office Hour).
• The school’s syllabus outlines and timetable will be modified to meet the needs of our students.

3. Blended Learning Plan (Combination of face-to-face and online)

• Most of the teaching-learning of the syllabus content will be delivered online (i.e., 70-80%) via Schoology.
• Typically, these will incorporate online tutor-led activities, images, videos, digital tasks.
• The rest of the content (i.e., 20-30%) is delivered face-to-face in school.
• Some of the requirements in face-to-face will apply when students are allowed to attend school.
• Students should attend school every day to get further clarifications on subjects’ core skills.

4. A combination of modes of learning

• Face-to-face could be on alternative days for different sections of the school or on a daily basis but for a limited number of hours.
• In all cases, the same safety requirements are needed as the face-to-face regular program.
• The Core Subjects – Arabic, English, Math and Sciences – will be taught face-to-face.
• Most other subjects will be delivered online while a few will combine both modes of learning.

II. Communicate, consult, and coordinate

• To obtain updated information about reopening schools, it is important that parents and students regularly visit the school website (ais.sch.sa) and facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RowadIS/). If you have any questions or concerns related to instructional delivery or learning content, and you would like to have further consultation, please contact the Subject Head of Department or the Academic Director.
• With regards to other school related matters such as obtaining textbooks, timetable management, students’ absences etc., please communicate with the Section Superintendent.

During the course of the academic year, we will continue our planning and preparation process.  Should there be a need for any changes relevant to the learning process, we endeavour to keep you updated.

Thank you very much for your patience and continued support throughout these challenging times.

AIS Management