Dear OCAC Teachers, Students,
The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 raised concerns of millions. In response to the Education Bureau’s requirements for delaying the reopen date, the school continues to follow the latest developments of the epidemic closely and share the latest policies and requirements to teachers and parents in a timely manner.
Publicity and Disease Prevention Education. From January 21th to February 20th, after studying 15 policies announced by the provincial and municipal governments, the school put forward six school policies and three divisional policies (teaching & learning related) in response. Meanwhile, following meetings to discuss disease prevention measures, the school stepped up efforts to share the information with parents through WeChat subscription account, e-mail and other communication channels. The purpose is to circulate government announcements promptly, educate the community about COVID-19 prevention, keep foreign staff informed of the current situation, care for the students’ psychological well-being, share teaching and learning resources and engage families in disease prevention efforts. The school published 35 articles regarding this topic, receiving more than 32,000 views in total.
Disease Prevention and Control. To effectively prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect the health and safety of all the OCAC community members, the school conducts daily health survey for all families and staff based on the requirements of Education Bureau. According to current statistics, the school has not identified any confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases. Of all OCAC faculty and staff, 76 are currently outside Suzhou (41 Chinese staff, including dorm teachers, are in other cities in China. 35 foreign staff are outside China.). Of the 34 dorm staff, five are released from quarantine and two are in self-quarantine. The school requires all staff who return to Jiangsu Province to be self-quarantined for 14 days after submitting the Travel Information Declaration Form and signing the Quarantine Agreement. Meanwhile, the school put forward a special quarantine policy for teachers living in the dorm. During the quarantine, the school stands ready to help any dorm teacher if needed. At present, the school is closed and all entrances and exits are under strict control. Unless otherwise approved by the school leadership, no one is allowed in or out. In addition, the school is preparing for thorough disinfection of the whole campus and training our vendors to disinfect the school canteen and school buses. We are making every effort to ensure a safe start to the new semester.
Teaching and Learning. Since the end of January, guided by the School Leadership Team, each Division has begun to prepare their online teaching plans. After repeated tests by divisional academics teams and the IT department, the OTL (Online Teaching and Learning) programme was officially launched on February 10th. Different from the teaching happening at school, online teaching is more challenging. Efforts have been made to solve the difficulties: for technology support, we are evaluating the platforms’ stability, feasibility and easiness to operate. For manpower support, our foreign staff are working together, despite the jet lag, to collaboratively plan online lessons. The purpose of the OTL programme is to provide students with access to teaching resources during this extended CNY holiday. In face of the challenges, and as we are all adapting, we will ensure that all staff will do their best to improve students’ learning experience and provide quality online lessons that are interactive, informative and fun. Thank you for your understanding and support!
Preparing Personal Protection Materials. The school has purchased and received the following protection materials: 6000 disposable surgical masks, 600 liters of 84 disinfectant, 200 bottles of hand spray (500ml), 40 digital body thermometers, 100 sets of personal protection suits (school procurement + PSCG donation). Some materials have not arrived yet. The Operations Department is following up on the shipping status to ensure that we have adequate supplies after the new semester begins.
PSCG Donation. To combat the COVID-19 epidemic, the PSCG formed a fundraising group to raise funds for the purchase of personal protection suits and disinfectant equipment for local hospitals and community workers. In three short days, the group received 400,000 RMB donation from 493 caring students and parents. Some students even donated their "lucky money" received during the new year celebration. At present, all purchases have been processed and goods are being shipped. We would like to express our thanks to the PSCG and all the parents and students who have donated.
The reopen date, which we are all interested in, will be determined by the local government and the Education Bureau. The school will follow the local government’s instructions. Thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office at so@ocac-suzhou.com.
At this challenging time, teachers, parents and students are all engaged in combatting the COVID-19 epidemic in their own way. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your trust and understanding.
School Office
Overseas Chinese Academy of Chiway Suzhou
February 24, 2020
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