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Dear TASIS Community,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2020–2021 academic year, TASIS's 65th year in its storied history as a leader in international boarding education in Europe. This year is particularly poignant for us, as each member of our resilient community—whether a student, faculty member, staff member, or parent—has contributed in his or her own way toward turning the challenges of 2020 into opportunities for growth, gratitude, and strengthening our commitment to our unique mission. Please know that we are as committed as ever to providing the enduring TASIS experience of stretching students as scholars and human beings in a safe, inviting, and compassionate environment.
Below you will find information about our safety plans, our pledge for safety, our institutional goals for this year, and a reminder about who we are as a community.
We ask that you please review our Campus Safety Plan with your children prior to the start of classes on September 3. As when we reopened for day students in May, our safety guidelines will be periodically reviewed and updated as needed. As discussed in the communication we sent earlier this week and in our Opening Plan, some key elements of our Campus Safety Plan include the following:
- All students, employees, and visitors have their temperature checked upon entering campus.
- All students in grades 2–12 and all employees are required to wear masks for the majority of the day. Exceptions are outlined in the Campus Safety Plan.
- Social distancing must be maintained in all areas of the school, including classrooms and dining areas.
- Plexiglass dividers have been installed throughout campus, including in most classroom spaces, to provide greater protection.
- Classroom windows should be left open at all times for ventilation. If windows must be closed due to weather, then rooms must be ventilated regularly.
- Students have assigned seating in classrooms and dining areas to assist with contact tracing.
- Health and hygiene expectations will be discussed with all students within the first two days of school, and these messages will be reinforced with informative signage positioned around campus.
Each and every one of us has an obligation and an opportunity to contribute to the health, safety, and welfare of the TASIS community by observing all required and recommended measures from federal, local, and school authorities. To that end, we are asking all employees and all students in grades 6–12 to sign a Pledge for Safety. We would also like all parents to sign the pledge as a show of solidarity.
Please visit tasis.ch/safetypledge to digitally sign the Pledge for Safety. You must log in with your Veracross credentials for authentication purposes. (Please contact veracross@tasis.ch if you have any trouble logging in.)
Thank you all very much for your attention to this important matter. We know that together we can have a safe and productive school year.
We know we've sent you a lot of information recently, and we appreciate your patience as we prepare for the first day of school in this most unusual year. Below are a few reminders about actions required before we start the year.
- All families must submit the Consent Form for Online Learning and Video Recordings. Instructions for doing so can be found in this email.
- All day students must take a Covid-19 test prior to beginning school. If you need assistance in scheduling a test, please follow the instructions in this email.
- An update on day student testing: Yesterday was our first day of testing day students on campus, and we had one positive test. Dr. Liguori informed the student's family immediately and offered to send a doctor to their home to test the other family members, who must remain in isolation for the time being.
- As noted above, we are asking all students in grades 6–12, all employees, and all parents to sign our Pledge for Safety.
TASIS is an ambitious place, dedicated to bringing out the best in individuals as scholars and human beings with the ultimate goal of making the world a better place. Believe it or not, we do have institutional goals for the 2020–2021 academic year that are not related to Covid-19! We remain as enthusiastic as ever about the constant process of improvement and growth that makes each school year so exciting. Some of our key institutional goals for this year include the following:
- Ongoing curriculum development and review, with a focus on assessments
- Clarity of learning intentions and success criteria for each curriculum unit
- Successful completion of CIS/NEASC Accreditation
- Refining of departmental gradebook policies
- Continued long-range planning as outlined by the TASIS Strategic Plan
TASIS is composed of people who care about the big picture and who do what needs to be done, regardless of whether anyone is watching, to bring out the best in one another and especially in our students. I know that each and every one of you has encountered your own private challenges in the past year, but in the face of those challenges you have all elected to continue to serve others in any way possible so that we prevail as a community. With the selfless contributions from all members of our community that we have come to expect—but never take for granted—I know this will be yet another year of growth in our pursuit of the timeless values of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Many thanks,
Christopher Nikoloff
TASIS Headmaster
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Via Collina d'Oro, 6926 Montagnola, Switzerland
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