2nd January

 Important dates

2 January - Start of school - Online for a week

9th January: Goal-setting meetings start

16th January: Optional reading assessments start

16th January: Continuous reporting starts for Term 2

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Mr Mihai and Miss Asiya who both welcomed new additions to their families over the break.

Welcome to new staff

Hello, I'm Myriam Azar and I come from Lebanon.

I'm 28 years old, married.

I have a master's degree in psychomotor therapy, and I've been working for more than 6 years in schools and special needs centers in Lebanon.

I love working with kids and try to make a positive impact in the lives of the students each day.

Besides that, I enjoy cooking and travelling and appreciate family and friends time.

 

I’m very much looking forward to working with all of you and the EMS community.

Welcome back also to Miss Ana, who is returning after a term away, and Miss Farah who is back with us. We are happy to see you both back.

A few quick "Guidelines, not tramlines" regarding replying to emails

A good general rule is to only "reply all" when your reply advances an email discussion in some way.

• Consider - "Does everyone need to see my reply, or just the sender maybe?"
• Try to avoid simple acknowledgments such as, "Noted with thanks".
• If sending a team email that asks for suggestions (eg a dress-up day, what should we do?) reply all can be useful to see others' ideas and avoid duplication. 
• As the sender in the scenario above, for example, consider specifying if you would like reply-all responses eg: "Please reply all so that we know each others' thinking".
• Avoid using "reply all" to schoolwide communications (eg new baby news) - send a personal one-to-one message instead or use face-to-face, in-person technology! :)

Return to School

In line with a MoEHE directive, from Sunday 2nd January, 2022 to Thursday 6th January, 2022 there will be no face-to-face teaching and learning.  Instead, a program of distance learning will be followed.  The teaching and learning schedule will remain the same as before the Winter break.  The school day commences at 7:00am and concludes at 1:50pm.  Lessons will be conducted online, through the Google Classroom and Seesaw programs.  Please ensure you are available for all scheduled lessons.

Staff working hours will remain 6:45am until 2:15pm.  Sunday will remain meeting day, with a meeting commencing at 6:30am for all teaching staff.

In order to optimize the welfare of all staff, I would ask that we reduce the number of staff attending the school daily.  Teachers, as much as possible, should teach from home.  If you are unable to, please let me know as soon as possible and I will make appropriate arrangements.  

The Clinical, IT, Driving, Secretarial and Reception staff will attend according to a roster to be shared shortly by your coordinator.  All Facilities staff are asked to attend daily.  

These are challenging times, but if we take appropriate precautions, we can negotiate these challenges safely. If you, or a member of your household, return a positive result, please inform Dr. Noha as soon as possible in order to receive further instructions.  I would urge all eligible to update their vaccination status.  When you do attend campus please be especially vigilant in wearing a mask, maintaining social distance and taking every opportunity to minimise transmission.