Swiss School
Bangkok re-opens on Monday, 07.11.11, for students, teachers and staff. At
07:30, we will gather in the Gymnasium for a brief information session (from
grade 4) by the Senior Management Team. Immediately thereafter, classes
according to schedule will resume.
! - Recess
snack selling: cancelled
! - Afternoon
courses: cancelled in favor of homogeneous return transportation
! - Loy
Krathong (Thu, 10.11.11): cancelled; classes according to schedule
! - Lantern
parade (Fri, 11.11.11): cancelled
! - Saturday,
12.11.11: compensation lost school days (Tuesday schedule): cf. contingency
plan
Last night, we received
the written permission to re-open school on Monday, 07.11.11, by the MoE.
Subsequently, the Senior Management Team, the Board, a Swiss water expert and
representatives of the Embassy met to analyze the flood-related general and school-specific
security situation and to define the further proceedings.
The further
proceedings are based on the following principles:
Safety first: We will keep
monitoring the flood situation very closely on an ongoing basis. If the waters
enter the area of the school or prevent a large number of students to come to
school, we will decide to close the school again.
RIS services: RIS supports
our early school re-opening and will generously open some food stands (your
child may also bring along a picnic, if preferred; set lunch up to Basis Level)
and the clinic.
Transport: School buses
will not be sent into flooded areas. Affected families, besides personally
bringing your kids to school or to one of the served locations, you may refer
to one of the alternatives mentioned below. Please keep in mind that travel times may vary.
Montri will
inform the families whose children cannot be transported directly.
We are aware
that some of our families unfortunately have been affected by the flood and
hope their situation will stabilize as quickly as possible. In order to
facilitate optimal learning to their children, we are offering them the
following alternatives:
Host families: Ms. Supik,
head of the parents’ representatives (
), coordinates
a voluntary internal host family service for families, whose residence has been
affected by the flood to enable their children (from grade 2 onwards) to be
accommodated close to the school and to attend classes.
Online teaching: Students who
are unable to attend school due to the flood will be provided with online
teaching.
The Emergency
Scenario for a school closure looks as follows:
If the
situation changes negatively during the course of a school day, we will
immediately contact parents about the return transport, send out the busses that
will be waiting on standby on the school premises and supervise the remaining
students at school until they can be safely collected by their parents.
The contingency
plan that was communicated on 28.10.11 will be maintained, should the school be
forced to close due to the flooding situation. A taskforce will examine
possibilities for a potential school relocation between week 14 (14.-18.11.11)
and Christmas break.
Each family should
carefully review these principles and make their own decision as to whether
or not they consent to these principles and as to whether or not they
send their child to school next week.
We are
aware of the fact that this situation is not ideal. However, since there is no
definite end of the flood situation in sight, we are convinced that it is in
the best interest of our students and their learning to have as many on-site school
days as possible while trying to keep the risks involved to an absolute
minimum.
As these
times are quite vague and information is prone to rapid changes, please check
the school website, the intranet, the class websites, your e-mail and cell
phone regularly for updates, especially in the morning before heading to school.
We would like to thank you for your patience and are looking forward to
welcoming you back at the school on Monday.
Kindest regards
Michael
Gwerder
Principal
APPROVED: SCHOOL OPENING BEFORE 15.11.11
Dear School Community
We hereby inform you that this afternoon at 16:30 the MoE has confirmed by phone that our waiver in favor of an early school opening has been approved. We are now waiting for the corresponding fax.
Additionally, a meeting takes place tonight at the Swiss Embassy to analyze the situation under the light of this waiver, which will allow us thereafter to inform you about the steps to be undertaken for next week.
The situation in and around the school is luckily still very calm:
Fig. 1: School premises and administration
We would like to thank you for your continued patience and hope to welcome you all back at school as soon as possible.
Kindest regards
Michael Gwerder
Principal
Working on School Opening on Monday, 07.11.11
Dear School Community
It is known that, unfortunately, some areas of Bangkok have been affected by the waters. However, for a little more than the past three weeks, the situation in and around Swiss School Bangkok has been absolutely harmless: it seems that the rainy season has come to an end, the weather has turned hot and dry and the roads may be accessed normally.
Although the MoE has ordered that all schools must remain closed until 15.11.11, according to a letter of ISAT, schools may request a waiver, which would allow them to re-open earlier.
RIS is supporting us in our effort to re-open earlier and is willing to make basic services (i.e. canteen, clinic) available for us.
Supported by two flood experts and a tropical disease specialist flown in from Germany, in yesterday’s meeting with the Board and representatives of our Embassies as well as our crisis manager, we have decided to re-open the school for teaching and learning according to schedule on Monday, 07.11.11 - if
we get permission from the MoE to re-open the school
and
the flood situation doesn’t change to our disadvantage.
According to the experts there would be a "pre-warning" period of 12 hours in case of flooding. They also stated that given the topographical situation of Swiss School the water level would not be very high, which should give us the margin needed to react in due time. We currently work on a respective contingency plan.
More specific information will be published soon.
Our request for a re-opening on 07.11.11 has been completed and handed in at the MoE/OPEC this morning. According to their information, all requests received until noon today will be handed over to the Minister of Education this afternoon and put up for approval in the Cabinet tomorrow. An answer is expected for tomorrow.
Of course, we will keep you updated.
We would like to thank you for your continued patience and we are looking forward to welcoming you back at the school soon.
Kindest regards
Michael Gwerder
Principal
Contingency plan for the upcoming weeks
Dear
School Community
We from Swiss
School Bangkok feel obliged to guarantee optimal learning for our students. Consequently,
in these restless and anxious days, we would like to first and foremost facilitate
all members of our school community the time needed to fight or to avoid and to
handle the unpleasant effects caused by the flood situation before we proceed
to further academic activities.
In case the school
has to officially remain closed in the upcoming weeks, in yesterday’s crisis
meeting at the Swiss Embassy regarding the flood situation, the SMT and the
Board have made the following contingency plan:
Week
Date
Classes
Action
LZ – 4
5 - 6
7 - 12
12
01.-04.11.11
Vacation
Vacation
Vacation
No online learning
:
4 compensation
days:
- Saturday,
12.11.11
- Saturday,
26.11.11
- Wednesday,
30.11.11
(Day off PQM)
- /Monday, 12.12.11
(Compensation Constitution
Day)
13
07.-11.11
Vacation
Vacation
Vacation
Optimized online learning
and
Compensation 1st
week of Songkran holiday (26.-30.03.12)
Ab/From
14
Ab/From
14.-18.11.11
Cluster groups
in function-ing moobaans/condos in Bangkok
Relocation to a
functioning place outside or inside Bangkok according to age/class range
School relocation
More details will follow at the appropriate time.
Abb.
1 / Fig 1: Notfallplan / Contingency plan
The SMT, the Board
and our Embassies are in constant exchange with each other; we are monitoring
the situation on an ongoing basis; we will reassess it every Friday and update
the school community on any further steps at the latest on that day.
Therefore, please regularly check your emails, the school website and
the intranet for further updates.
We really
appreciate your understanding, support and patience and would like to say thank
you very much at this moment already.
Kindest
regards
Michael
Gwerder
Principal
NB
Next week 12 already according to contingency
plan (01.-04.11.11)
SCHOOL CLOSURE 27.10.-06.11.11
Dear School Community
The Thai cabinet has declared the time between 27.-31.10.11 as a Flood Holiday and the Ministry of Education has decided that all public and private schools must remain closed until 06.11.11.
Swiss School Bangkok will comply with the decision.
In a Crisis Meeting to be held tomorrow, the SMT and the Board will decide on a plan for the upcoming week(s).
We will inform the school community on Friday about its outcome.
Bitte überprüfen Sie regelmässig Ihre E-Mails, die Schulwebseite und das Intranet für weitere Updates.
Please regularly check your emails, the school website and the intranet for further updates.
Thank you very much for your understanding and patience.
News 
