Community Update: Welcome Back from the Break

Dear YIS Community,

We were happy to welcome students back to “school” today after the Spring Break via our Continuous Learning program, although we really miss being together in person. As of this writing (March 31), we are still planning to reopen the campus on April 13th, but will be closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will revise our plans if necessary. While we wish to reopen the campus as soon as possible, we will only do so if we can ensure an acceptably safe and healthy environment at school and help mitigate the risk of infection for students, staff, their families and the wider community.

Continuous Learning 
Students and parents have received details regarding the Continuous Learning program for the coming weeks from the elementary and secondary principals. While the program is broadly similar as before the break, we received some very constructive feedback in the survey we sent to students, staff and parents earlier and have incorporated a number of the suggestions to improve the experience. For example, in elementary, there is now a live class meeting scheduled each day via a videoconferencing platform to allow children to connect with their teachers and each other. Likewise, in secondary we have increased the number of Synch Sessions in various subjects to provide more opportunities for face to face interactions and check-ins. As before, our aim is to provide authentic opportunities to focus on key concepts, knowledge, and skills, emphasizing interaction and creativity with a balance of on-screen and off-screen tasks. 

Updates and Information
During the extended temporary campus closure we will continue to provide updates regarding school developments related to the COVID-19 situation. Information will be made available in a number of ways, including: email, the Veracross parent and student portals, the Continuous Learning site and the COVID-19 Updates page on the website, as well as our COVID-19 Community Support Frequently Asked Questions page.

Overseas Travel and Self-Quarantine Questionnaire
In preparation for reopening the campus, hopefully in a few weeks’ time, please remember that we are asking anyone who has travelled overseas during or since the Spring Break to self-quarantine at home upon return to Japan for at least 14 days and to consult with the school nurse before children may return to school (nurse@yis.ac.jp). This applies even if only one member of your household has been overseas. If you and/or a family member in the same household travelled outside Japan during the break or are still overseas, please complete this questionnaire to let the YIS Health Office know about your situation. Thank you to those who have already responded.

Grab & Go Meal Service from Dragon Dining
With everyone hunkering down at home for extended periods of time, preparing meals for the family every day can become tedious. To help relieve that burden for those living near the school or able to get there by car, Dragon Dining is offering a daily Grab & Go meal service for YIS families during the temporary campus closure. Meal options are displayed and ordered through your Lunchbox Portal. Orders may be placed up to 9am on the day of pick up and the meals, boxed up and ready to go, may be collected at the YIS cafeteria between 11am and 3pm. Access to the cafeteria is via the playground gate only, and you are asked to pick up your meal, maintain distance from others and leave right away from the same gate. Short-term parking on the playground is allowed for this purpose.

We wish everyone in the school community the very best and hope you and your families keep healthy and strong.