Fall Break Message from Head of School - 9.30.21

Next week is our fall break, and school, including school offices, will be closed. We look forward to seeing your children back in school on Tuesday, October 12th.

COVID-19 protocols to return from break.    
VIMSIA will maintain the same procedure from the beginning of the year to return to school after fall break. Students and staff who provide proof of completed COVID-19 vaccine will be exempt from testing at this time. The VIDOH will be on campus on Tuesday, October 12th, to test unvaccinated students, ages four and up.

Any student that was tested during the break can submit one of the following approved results: 

• Negative PCR test result must be submitted prior to starting on-campus school. The date of testing must be within 7 days of the student’s start date,  OR

• Negative Antigen test result must be submitted prior to starting on-campus school. The date of the test must be within 7 days of the student’s start date.

For students that are 3 years old and younger, we will require one of the test results from either one parent, guardian, or older sibling that lives in the same household. VIMSIA will also accept proof of vaccination from both primary caregivers of a toddler, and an attestation that they or any caregiver of the toddler have not been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 (VIMSIA’s COVID-19 Honor Code). 

Families submitting documents to OpenApply must do so no later than noon on Monday, October 11th. Students who do not provide an approved test result will be required to participate in the scheduled VIDOH testing on Tuesday, October 12th, only available to students ages four and up.

VIMSIA continues to move forward in this chaotic world. Day by day and week by week, we seek ways to improve on our three main goals of this year:

• Operating a safe COVID-19 environment.

• Addressing the emotional health of our staff and students.

• Providing academic excellence.

After-school activities have resumed not only with PGIA’s study hall and clubs but in the Montessori program. We have revamped our extended day program, now called Spark Academy, while also offering classic favorites. Available courses can be found here. 

VIMSIA launched our sailing team that trains three days a week, and we are seeking ways to offer the other approved sports safely for the students. 

We recently welcomed representatives from NYU Abu Dhabi and Simmons University to campus for presentations to support our Diploma Programme students with their future educational journey. On Wednesday, October 13th, after we return from break, the PSATs will be administered to the 10th and 11th-grade students. 

In addition, the National School Breakfast and Lunch program will resume after the break - Ms. Duncan has already contacted families that have opted to participate in the program.
Yours in Education, 

Michael Bornn

Head of School

Nurses Notes: COVID-19

As we completed our first week back following the holiday break, I am very proud of our efforts and commitment to having a Covid-free campus! The safety of our students, staff, and community is our priority. The CDC released a study on Thursday with significant findings:

Fifty-nine percent of all transmission came from people without symptoms, under the model’s baseline scenario. That includes 35 percent of new cases from people who infect others before they show symptoms and 24 percent that come from people who never develop symptoms at all.

Full article link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/07/covid-death-record/

This finding, coupled with the nation's highest daily death rate this week, underscores the reason why we must remain so diligent. The crisis in California, particularly in LA, highlights what can happen in a community when the healthcare system cannot keep up with the rate of infection. It could happen so easily in our own community, and we must all work together to prevent this horrible scenario here at home. It does not matter whether one does or does not have symptoms - you can still pass Covid-19 to others, and someone could die.

For your assurance on how we maintain safety protocols at VIMSIA, please know we are utilizing the following Covid-19 symptom screener adopted by the National Association of School Nurses when a student presents with an illness complaint or symptom (Poster Below)

Thanks to all for doing your part in keeping your family, community, and school safe!

Yours in Health,

Nurse Sally

VIMSIA Board of Trustees Financial Update 9.16.20

SUBJECT: Request for payment of outstanding tuition fees

Dear VIMSIA Families:

Thank you for all your support to help us kick off our 2020-2021 school year during these challenging times. Our amazing staff worked incredibly hard to safely open campus in the weeks leading up to the start of school. We know virtual learning is an extra burden on teachers, parents and students that does not effectively replace classroom learning, especially for our younger students. We are thrilled that we are being given the opportunity to open our campus to on-campus learning.

Unfortunately, the delayed on-campus opening of our school for the 2020-2021 school year is going to take a significant toll on the school’s financial situation. For this reason, we are providing a summary on our school’s finances so that everyone understands the challenges ahead and the importance of paying all outstanding tuition payments in the coming two weeks. For those who are current on tuition payments, THANK YOU! This letter is informational for you as we attempt to be transparent to all parents.

At typical enrollment rates, VIMSIA takes in approximately $3,100,000 in tuition fees per year. The cost to operate the school is approximately $3,800,000, most of which (roughly $3,200,000) is teacher salaries, with the remaining $600,000 spread modestly across repairs, maintenance, insurance, supplies, dues & subscriptions, and many other things. Normally, the school makes up the $700,000 deficit between tuition revenue and expenses through fundraising events such as Las Vegas Night, grants from governmental agencies and private foundations, and donations from generous supporters.

VIMSIA is proud to provide quality education at an affordable price, but the cost of educating each student is more than the price of full tuition. Full tuition paying families are receiving about a 20% subsidy on the actual cost of educating their child. On top of that general subsidy, nearly 70% of our students receive some portion of financial aid against the price of full tuition. Since the time our campus closed due to COVID, many families have withheld paying tuition. Others have been unable to pay due to economic hardships from COVID. In light of this drop in tuition payments, our current operating cash balance will support teacher and staff payroll for approximately six (6) more weeks, at which time we will be faced with the tough decision of teacher furloughs and layoffs or curtailing educational opportunities for your child. This will be a huge hit to our beloved school, staff and students, not just in the short term, but resulting in years of recovery and rebuilding.

VIMSIA did not spring up overnight. It took generations of hard-working teachers, staff, students, community leaders, volunteers, donors, and board members to slowly grow and develop to what it is today. This institution is a vital part of this community and a necessity for families who live and raise their children in the Virgin Islands. While your tuition and contributions are valuable in each year they are made, they are also building blocks to grow and maintain this institution so that it is here for your child throughout his or her entire youth. We implore all you stakeholders to think of yourselves not only as customers of VIMSIA’s education but as stewards of this essential institution to our community.

With this understanding, we respectfully request that parents (who are financially able) with any outstanding tuition fees from the 2019-2020 school year settle these payments by September 30, 2020; and for all parents (who are financially able) to remain committed and current on tuition payments for the remaining 2020-2021 year.

Please remember, this crisis will pass in the near future, and we would very much like to be in a position to restart our school from the same position it was in prior to COVID-19, and continue working towards creating the best and brightest lifetime learners and community minded world leaders of tomorrow.

We look forward to seeing everyone in the many town hall meetings scheduled in the coming weeks and hope this letter finds you healthy and well.

VIMSIA Board of Trustees

Update from the Head of School - Phased Reopening

We are happy to announce that the Governor has given us the go-ahead to begin our phased reopening plan with Day 1 beginning on Tuesday, September 8th. All Elementary students will continue with their normal distance learning activities for tomorrow. All other students will not have distance learning classes, allowing teachers to transition to on-campus learning. We will welcome La Casa students for their individual visits; these students’ parents will receive their invitation schedule later today.

Yours in Education,

Michael Bornn

Adaptability Update - Message to VIMSIA Community

Back on April 17th 2020, we distributed our reopening punch list. Item one was “Does the science of the coronavirus support safety of our students, staff and families?” Item two was “Do governing policies support…return to campus?” 

Today the VIMSIA COVID Task Force met with VI Government Department of Health (DOH) officials to discuss our reopening plans and the state of COVID in St. Thomas.  We are proud to report that DOH was pleased with our COVID protocols, however, the state of COVID in St. Thomas has worsened this past week.  As you may have seen in the news, the number of positive cases per day is growing on St. Thomas, which seem to be compatible with community spread. The current positivity rate is 15%, which based on VI Government Department of Health recommendations and CDC guidelines is too high to safely open on campus learning. It is anticipated that cases will remain on the upswing over the coming weeks, thus DOH strongly advised that distance learning instruction would be preferable to on campus instruction, and requested that VIMSIA do its  part to mitigate COVID transmission in the USVI.

Given the COVID  scenario in the USVI, the COVID Task Force and the Executive Committee of the VIMSIA Board of Trustees voted to start school on August 18th as a distance learning operation that will be reassessed every 2 weeks in light of future COVID data. Both the Montessori and PGIA programs will offer lessons via distance learning technologies and physical learning tools.

As disappointing news as this may be, VIMSIA feels that this move to distance learning mitigates risk to the community and lessens the possibility of VIMSIA contributing to the growing COVID disease burden in the community and for our healthcare system.

We will continue to monitor the situation and we will reopen on-campus operations as soon as it is safe to do so. VIMSIA hopes it will not be longer than a two-week distance learning period and will continue to communicate with you about distance learning and the time frame for return to on campus instruction.

Therefore, please be advised that:

• All COVID testing has been postponed.

• All staggered start info has been cancelled.

• All students will start on August 18th.

• Transportation to and from St John will be addressed later.

 I know parents and students were excited to get back on campus, but it is clearly not safe to gather in groups given the current COVID data in St. Thomas, much less to gather in large numbers at an institution of knowledge.

 The Board and I thank you for your continued support of our institution during this unprecedented crisis, and wish every VIMSIA family the utmost health and safety in the coming weeks.

Michael Bornn, Head of School

STAGGERED OPENING AND TESTING SCHEDULE CHANGES - AUGUST 11TH 2020

Dear VIMSIA Families, 

Over the course of this past week, we have learned a tremendous amount that impacts the way we will open campus. We appreciate our community's feedback on safety, COVID-19 testing, and the return to campus. Please be assured that we are taking a cautious approach to opening and would like to share the following updates.  

On-Campus Testing updates:

At this time we will NOT provide student testing on Wednesday, August 12th, or Thursday, August 13th.  

Only 11th and 12th-grade students are invited to be tested on campus Friday, August 14th as they will be first to return to campus the following week. 

Testing details for Friday, August 14th:  

• 11th and 12th-grade students with last names A-M are invited at 8:30 a.m. 

• 11th and 12th-grade students with last names N-Z are invited at 9:30 a.m.

• Testing will conclude at 11:00 a.m. 

Any additional on-campus student testing is postponed. 

Start date updates: 

The phased opening for Montessori students will begin on Monday, August 24th. More information and details will be provided in the coming days.  

The phased opening for PGIA students is as follows: 

A follow-up to questions regarding COVID-19 testing, arrival/dismissal routines, daily schedules, and other related policies will be forthcoming this week. We are grateful for your continued support and partnership.  Student and staff safety is our number one concern.    

Thank you, 

VIMSIA Administration 

CDC Recommendation on Face Coverings and Masks

VIMSIA’s School Nurse, Shane DeGannes RN, is asking our community to follow the recommendations made by the CDC regarding face coverings.  Wearing a face covering, while in the presence of others, is a proactive effort to slow the possible spread of COVID-19 by potentially asymptomatic and/or pre-symptomatic individuals. 

Please read these articles from the CDC on why we should wear these face coverings, and how to wear and sanitize your mask.

Town Hall Meeting Email to Parents 3.29.2020

Dear VIMSIA Parent:

Covid 19 has generated many adjustments in our lives over the past three weeks. Yet, as in the past hurricanes crisis, VIMSIA is here to lead and to support our families.

On Tuesday, March 31 at 8:30, I will be hosting a zoom town hall meeting to discuss any and all items regarding how the current situation impacts your family's VIMSIA interactions. Please come with your questions.

Zoom is an online meeting tool that we will be using extensively in our distance learning programs.   
The meeting details are: 

Topic: VIMSIA Town Hall Meeting with Mr. Bornn

Time: Mar 31, 2020 08:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

To join the Town Hall meeting, click this link:  https://zoom.us/j/456862314 

Meeting ID: 456 862 314 

To phone in, call: +1 253 215 8782 US        

Meeting ID: 456 862 314

VIMSIA staff have executed a herculean chore of creating an effective distance learning platform. Our staff has been in direct communication regarding the implementation of distance learning tomorrow, Monday, 3/30. Your student(s) have received instructions and materials from our teachers.
Tuesday's zoom meeting will give you an opportunity to meet with our administrative team about any questions you may have to date and items going forward. We are here to support you.  
Please note calendar changes have been made: The parent conference dates of April 3 and April 13 have been changed to Distance Learning Days. There will be classes on those days, not parent conferences. Friday April 10th will continue to be a holiday from school.   
I look forward to seeing you Tuesday, March 31st at 8:30 on Zoom.  
Stay healthy.

Your in education,

Michael Bornn
Head of School

PGIA Update 3.29.2020 - Ms. Arpasi

Dear PGIA Parents & Students,

I hope that this message finds you well, safe and healthy at home. As we are amidst challenging circumstances, we wish to bring you constant updates that will assure you that VIMSIA is tackling these current issues with safe and effective measures. During our community quarantine, the PGIA is aiming at providing students with normalcy and continuing academic studies via distance learning in the best interest of our shared mission. I am very happy to be back in St. Thomas and hard at work with the PGIA.

Here are some important updates regarding the PGIA:

• As spring break comes to a close, PGIA’s Distance Learning Program starts bright and early on Monday, March 30th. School will run regularly from 8am - 3.15pm, as normal, per the modified distance learning schedule via ZOOM, email and managebac.

• Here is where you can find the PGIA Distance Learning Schedule, including ZOOM links for digital meetings. As previously indicated, the green class periods are face-to-face zoom meetings where students are required to be digitally present. The white class periods are ones where students should be working from home on assignments from that class. Students should be very regularly checking ManageBac and email.

• PGIA teachers will be available for office hours every day, Monday through Friday, from 3.15-4pm. This is a time where students can reach out to teachers to ask questions, request support, share ideas, etc. The links to access teachers via office hours are included in the Distance Learning Schedule.  Of course, teachers are still available via email in all instances.

• Upcoming PGIA Parent-Student-Teacher conferences have been cancelled at this time. We will have regular distance learning school days on both Friday 4/3/20 and Monday 4/13/20. (Friday 4/10/20 remains a holiday, per the 2019-2020 Academic Calendar.)

• As a means of updating you regarding your student’s class progress, PGIA Semester 2 Progress Reports will be sent out on Wednesday 4/8/20 (slightly adjusted date). These reports will be released digitally via ManageBac, and will include numerical marks for each class, as well as an update regarding recent overall class progress. Further questions, concerns or comments can be brought to my attention by emailing me at garpasi@vimsia.org.

• We know this is a strange and trying time for all of us, including all teachers, students and parents. Please know that you can reach out to us at any time as we navigate our new Distance Learning Program, and as you and your family experience this at-home quarantine. Teachers will make every effort to extend reasonable class expectations, and offer plenty of pastoral care to our students at this time.
  

• We have created a PGIA Distance Learning Handbook which contains important information regarding these topics. This handbook will be live on our school’s website on Monday. This handbook lays out all student, parent and teacher expectations and everyone should be referencing it as we go along.

Looking forward to “seeing” students on Monday!

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay home.

Reach Out Anytime,

Gloria Arpasi
PGIA Director
340-998-6353

Montessori Update 3.29.2020

Good Afternoon Montessori Families,

The Montessori Team has been in touch with one another and everyone has had a restful week and we are all looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and in the coming days. Each classroom teacher will be sending you the link for their classrooms ZOOM meetings. While we sent you the link to create your own ZOOM account, please know that it is not necessary to have your own account in order to join a meeting, you need only click on the link in the invitation and you will be taken to the meeting.

Tomorrow you will all be given an invitation to join a Google Drive. This Drive will be where a collection of videos that the staff has made will live. We encourage you to share these videos with your child as the entire Montessori Staff has been working hard on creating these for them. They will contain lessons, stories, songs, handiwork and a variety of subjects of interest to the children. Please know we will continue to make more and upload them to this drive. We are available to help with tech support if you are not familiar with Google. Please just let us know.

In addition, our VIMSIA website (vimsia.org) will have a section entitled Distance Learning where all these resources will live for convenient access. This including the Distance Learning Handbook, the Google Drive link and a link for our amazing online library that we have access to, thanks to Kathy Schlesinger.  

We will be canceling our two conference days, Friday, April 3rd and Monday, April 13th. These days will become normal Distance Learning school days. Please know you will have access to your child's teacher as needed.

Friday, April 10th will be a day off from school for all, as originally planned on our school calendar.

While we are very excited to launch our new Distant Learning Program, we also know that we will be making adjustments as we go along. We welcome constructive input and suggestions for solutions to problems. Please know that we are all going to do the very best we can, as we know you all are too. Our collective vision is for the continued emotional well being and academic success of our Montessori children. In partnership with one another, we know this is possible. We are here for you, please reach out to either myself or your child's classroom teacher as you may need to.

 I hope you will be able to join in the virtual Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday morning at 8:30. Michael will be sending out an email later today with the link for that meeting. This will be an opportunity for all Montessori Parents to check in, ask questions and reconnect.  It will be so good to see your faces!

Warmly, 

Heather

Update from Ms. Maccabe - March 18

Good Afternoon Montessori Parents,

We hope you are all doing well and that your family members, far and wide, are also in good health. In these times of unknown we are all working hard to maintain normalcy, as we are able, with calm and clarity. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Your Montessori family has been working hard to prepare for the coming weeks of “Distance Learning”.  We all recognize that this is a very different way to approach Montessori and I am so incredibly proud of each of our staff as they are working endlessly this week to both create a new paradigm for learning as well as learn the new technology platform that we will be using.  There is a great deal of enthusiasm that is inspiring others and everyone is rising to the challenges.

We are planning on using ZOOM for our connectivity platform. While Montessori is, in its essence, a hands-on learning approach to learning, we are looking at ways to incorporate technology in a manner that will support and continue the relationships already established between the children and teachers. We also look to continue to increase the skills and development of the children as well as support you, the parents.

To that end, we have many plans we are developing including:

Weekly parent check in group meetings for all levels; we encourage caregivers to participate as they may be the ones implementing our plans.

• Toddler and Primary child groups with teachers, at least several times a week

• Elementary

  • Daily check in time for student questions

  • Weekly conferencing for each child, as is done in the classroom

  • Lessons as offered by teachers through video or live lessons

• Videos of staff offering myriad topics including drawing, yoga, nature exploration, dance, singing

As you can see we are hard at work preparing for this time ahead. In doing this we have questions for you that will help us best prepare. Please let me know directly what your needs may be. This includes:

1. Do you have access to reliable internet that will allow access to ZOOM daily or weekly for brief timesa. Do you have a printer?b. Does your computer have a microphone and camera?

2. Do you have school supplies available to your children? Paper, scissors, tape, glue etc.

3. Other needs and/or special circumstances that need our attention.

We are here to support your family in any way that we can. Please know that we are available as needed. In addition to our weekly, scheduled meeting times, we will continue to be available via email individually with our regular 24 hour response time.  

As you know, a Montessori education begins with the Prepared Environment. While we don’t want you to create a Classroom Environment, we do want to offer suggestions regarding ways to increase success for your children with small tweaks to your home environment. This will be part of further communication later this week.

Order is one of the most important elements of society. And order can look very different in every home.  We have attached a general guideline for routines for all levels. We all know how much children rely on routine and we want to offer you some ideas to continue this important component in your current lives. In times of stress and unknown, routines are essential for children and adults to maintain a sense of balance and order. We encourage you to adhere to the ones suggested as you are able.  

All of us feel it is important to maintain the sense of family that VIMSIA is known for. This includes all of us; children, parents and staff. We are here to collaborate and support. I look forward to hearing from you in regard to how things are going.  

Going forward, you will receive weekly emails from me with updates. Your classroom teachers will be in touch later this week with specific details and then again at the end of a well deserved Spring Break. We plan to launch our Distance Learning on Monday, March 30th and appreciate your support, patience and participation in this new and uncharted learning platform.

Sending all good and positive thoughts and energy,

Heather

Update from Head of School - March 16

Good evening, VIMSIA community.

Thank-you to everyone for your patience as we navigate this pandemic.  We wanted to reiterate some of the things that we know and have put in place. 

The teachers are here and working on distance learning plans.  They are making great progress, and we expect to provide viable tools to allow your child/ren to continue moving forward and we expect that we will come out of this with improved learning tools in general, as we focus our efforts throughout the next few weeks.  You will continue to receive updates from Montessori and PGIA respectively as plans are developed.

Remote learning is scheduled for two weeks, from March 30 to April 10. Students will return to campus on April 13. This is a dynamic situation! We will communicate to you any updates to this schedule should the situation change.

We have closed campus this week to maximize social distancing for our students and to give our teachers time to prepare for remote/online learning so that it is ready after spring break. Please limit your child/ren’s group activities while they are away from school. 

If you are traveling between now and April 13, you must email traveling@vimsia.org with your destination and travel dates.  We also require a self-quarantine of 14 days before returning to school for any family who has traveled outside of the USVI.  Please plan your spring break travel accordingly, for a smooth return on April 13.

As of today, other schools including the public school system have announced their closings.

We are working diligently to implement our plans, such will require clear and adequate communication amongst us. Please read all future communications thoroughly and respond where needed or with questions.

This evening, the first confirmed case has been reported on St. Thomas.

Stay healthy, positive, and supportive of our school’s efforts to protect our communities.

Michael Bornn, Head of School

An Update from the PGIA - Moving Forward with Distance Learning

Dear PGIA Families,

Hoping you are well amidst the recent difficult circumstances. As we all grapple with the dynamically changing health situation in the world today, we want to keep our lines of communication open with you to ensure you feel confident about your student’s safety, as well as learning plans at the Peter Gruber International Academy. As you know, our school has taken a very proactive stance of closing down temporarily due to coronavirus.

As PGIA Director, I simply wanted to reach out to you. Unfortunately, I am in the states for a family emergency, and find myself away from the PGIA during this very difficult time. As you will read below, the very capable leadership team of the PGIA will ensure that all decisions and actions moving forward are purposeful and well researched. I wish to thank the PGIA faculty for their diligence and commitment during this time.

In light of VIMSIA’s closure, we wish to inform you of our plans and expectations for the coming week and beyond. First, please know how proud we are of our PGIA students, all of whom stayed calm and focused throughout the school day on Friday 3/13/20. Further, we commend them for performing their Taste the Nations dance routines for an audience of Montessori students to provide a fun, colorful, and relaxing show as we departed school.

As we expressed to students during a pre-performance assembly, the most important aspect of their education moving forward will be strong and effective communication. On Friday, each PGIA student in attendance verified their ability to access the four main technological platforms we currently use: GMail, ManageBac, IXL, and Typesy. Students also completed a brief survey regarding internet connectivity at home and their thoughts on potential obstacles, and the corresponding solutions, to at-home learning. We will use this information to help inform our development and deployment of a Distance Learning program, which will officially begin after spring break on Monday, March 30.

However, as communicated to students on Friday, all PGIA students are expected to complete and submit all work posted to ManageBac throughout the week of Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20. For the coming week, it is expected that students will routinely check email and reference ManageBac as they work on assignments. Each teacher will send a class-specific email by midday Monday 3/16 to formally announce what is expected throughout the week, all of which will also be posted to ManageBac. ManageBac will remain a center for information pertaining to student activities and assignments throughout our time apart. If you have any issues logging into or accessing information on the ManageBac Parent Dashboard, please reach out to us immediately.

We will continue updating the PGIA community throughout the coming week and we expect to share plans for our Distance Learning program by Friday, March 20. Until then, please reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns to the MYP and DP Coordinators, Alex Silva (asilva@vimsia.org) and Matt Stocking (matthew.stocking@vimsia.org).

Finally, we remind you that Ms. Kaffenbarger, VIMSIA’s school counselor, is available to students and parents to help process the coming changes and we encourage everyone to contact her as needed (skaffenbarger@vimsia.org). You can also consider taking a moment to read this article from Psychology Today that offers ideas and words around how to speak to our children about this topic.  It is broken down into ages and I found it to be very helpful, from a parent perspective. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-parenting-smarter-kids/202003/how-talk-kids-and-teens-about-the-coronavirus

The VIMSIA community is strong and so are the people of the Virgin Islands, as we are no strangers to emergencies. We are confident that with these proactive measures, we will be better as a whole once this is all over.

Please stay in touch and let us know if we can do anything at all for you.

Sincerely,

Gloria Arpasi, PGIA Director
garpasi@vimsia.org

340-998-6353

This is Not a Snow Day

This llnk has some good information on social distancing.

https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4     

Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day

Ariadne LabsFollow Mar 13min read

Originally published by Ariadne Labs on March 13, 2020 | Updated March 14, 2020

 Excerpt:

"We must move to pandemic mitigation through widespread, uncomfortable, and comprehensive social distancing. That means not only shutting down schools, work (as much as possible), group gatherings, and public events, but also making daily choices to stay away from each other as much as possible to Flatten The Curve..."

"2. No kid playdates, parties, sleepovers, or families/friends visiting each other’s houses and apartments.

This sounds extreme because it is. We are trying to create distance between family units and between individuals. It may be particularly uncomfortable for families with small children, kids with differential abilities or challenges, and for kids who simply love to play with their friends. But even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent. The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus. Sharing food is particularly risky — I definitely do not recommend that people do so outside of their family."

Stay healthy and well.  

VIMSIA Admin

Montessori Update from Ms. Maccabe

Dear Montessori Families,

We are sure you have many questions about the next few weeks.  This will be the first of many communications you will receive.  I write today to give you the broad strokes of plans to this point.  Just like you, we have many more questions than answers and we need your partnership to make sure we are best supporting our children in the coming days.

Next week our staff will sit down to put together something called Distance Learning.  That will obviously be a challenge for the Montessori program as so much of what we do requires both the community of children and our Prepared Environments.  We have a wonderful opportunity to think outside the box and craft something amazing and new, as many other schools are also doing.

We are in contact with many other Montessori schools around the world and are learning together how best to support the continued education of our students during these uncharted times. We are grateful for the universal collaboration and wisdom of many who are already in the midst of such programming.  Please know that our information will be ongoing and developing in real time.  At this point we are looking at many possible scenarios which may include small group limited time on campus, visitation by appointment to the library, check ins via the computer, book groups, online learning, parent supported activities at home etc.  We are open to any and all ideas as we move forward.  As a whole we are always better.

What we can do today is to offer you, as parents, some guidance around speaking to your children about all of what is happening.  This is a manyfold topic and needs careful thought and age appropriate conversation.  While we as adults may still be processing our own feelings we need to be careful to offer our children calm, loving and supportive energy.  Remember that our children are mirrors of our energy and if we feel anxious then they too will take on that energy, even if they don't know why.

Please take a moment to read this article from Psychology Today that offers ideas and words around how to speak to our children about this topic.  It is broken down into ages and I found it to be very helpful, from a parent perspective.  I typically adhere to the philosophy that "less is more" and I usually wait until the child brings up a topic.  That is usually best for younger children however it can be important to broach the topic with older children as they may not be talking about it if they are feeling anxiety from you and they want to protect you.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-parenting-smarter-kids/202003/how-talk-kids-and-teens-about-the-coronavirus  

The most important take away I found was that, at any level, please don't use your children as your own sounding board or processing partner.  If you are feeling worried, please find another adult to talk to as our children are looking to us to be the supportive protector.  

The other important topic to address is this idea of self-isolation.  I include here another article about the importance of not getting together for playdates etc during this time.  In essence that defeats the purpose of what we are trying to do.   https://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4  To that end, we will be postponing the Lower Elementary Parent Education Night.  

We are here to support you and your family during this time. Please know that we want and need your close partnership.  There will be much more communication in the coming days as we are working on plans for supporting the children.  Life is a challenge on many levels right now and I am confident that we will all be better as a whole when this is over.

Please reach out as you need to.

In partnership,

Heather

Normal Schedule Friday 3/13; Spring Break starts Monday

All normal after school activities are on track for today. Bus, BEC, Study Hall, After School programs - all normal schedule. Spring break for students starts Monday.

VIMSIA Campus Closing and REmote Learning

Dear VIMSIA Families,

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and its attendant disease, COVID-19 presents uncharted challenges as a school community and as part of our wider VI community.  Your school administrators and the board of trustees have been discussing international data and scenario planning over the past few days and have been in discussion with our local Department of Health. Our intention is to be proactive in protecting our communities, while still being true to student learning. 

The most successful containment of the virus has been in countries (Japan, Taiwan and Singapore) that have acted quickly and decisively in maximizing social distance. In the absence of solid data, it is always more prudent to do more, than less.

At VIMSIA, we are acting preemptively and have made the following decisions:

• VIMSIA campus is closing for students at the end of the school day on Friday, March 13. This extends Spring break by one week (from March 16 through March 27) to allow the teaching staff to prepare for remote/online learning.  We highly discourage students from coming to school because the purpose of this action is to promote social distancing, but if you have extenuating circumstances and need to have a child on campus Monday or Tuesday, please call Michael Bornn to discuss. No child exhibiting illness is permitted on campus.

• Remote learning will begin on Monday, March 30.  The current plan is to have remote learning for two weeks. Students will not return to the school campus until April 10 or possibly longer, depending on the scenario at that time. The combination of spring break and remote learning provides a 14 day period of time for symptoms to become evident.  This time away from campus is meant to create social distancing. Allowing gatherings of your students during this time will defeat that purpose. Please be prudent.

• Effective immediately, we require a self quarantine of 14 days for anyone traveling before returning to school.

• Our Taste the Nations event on March is cancelled.  Online ticket purchases will be refunded.  The students will instead perform at a school assembly on March 13th to complete the academic assignment for dance.

• As of today, End Sessions are still scheduled, however, the likelihood of traveling End Sessions being canceled is certainly real. 

We ask that families practice social distancing in as many areas as possible over the next few weeks, in the attempt to flatten the curve of the spread of the virus, and prevent overwhelming for our health and medical resources.

Again, this is a very dynamic situation with no rulebook to follow.  Any plans that are put in place are absolutely subject to change based on current information.  Our intent is to be proactive and plan as best as our knowledge provides, but to be flexible enough to adapt to new information daily.  We will do our very best to communicate with you often and thoroughly.  As Head of School, I will be the definitive point of contact for information regarding VIMSIA’s actions relating to the pandemic.

We acknowledge that these decisions will be inconvenient economically, socially and educationally, and we ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate during this difficult time for our school and indeed, our global community.

Michael Bornn

Viruses, bugs, bacteria - What the heck can I do?????

Coach Nurse wants us all to stay safe and healthy!  Here is his checklist of smart things to do to keep yourself from picking up anyone else's bugs and germs.

• Frequently clean your hands with an alcohol based hand rubbing product or soap and water. 

• Coughing and sneezing, cover mouth with flexed elbow or use a tissue. DO NOT USE YOUR HANDS.  Throw the tissue away into a bin.  

• Avoid close contact with anyone with a fever and cough. 

• If a person has a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, they should seek medical attention early.

• Share information about recent travel with your healthcare provider. 

• If you just have mild respiratory symptoms and no specific travel history, carefully follow the precautions explained above and stay home until you've recovered. 

This information was obtained from the following website.  https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public 

Namaste and Social Distance

Most of us know that our school has a long tradition of the Montessori students shaking their teacher’s hand as they leave for the day with a “Good Afternoon” and great eye contact. Given the concerns over the corona virus, we have adopted Namaste with hands clasped at your heart to say good bye.

Saving the spread of at least some germs and learning a new culture. Great idea, Ms. Maccabe!