We have arrived at the end of Term 2 here at TIS Puchong. To say it has been an interesting term might not completely do full justice to what has taken place during these extraordinary months. At the start of 2020, I do not think anyone would have predicted that a pandemic would force us to close the school and switch to online learning, only to return to school after such a long period of time. Although most of us are now back in school, we are still some way away from returning to the situation we were in before Covid-19, which turned out to have such an invasive impact on our lives. We don’t even know to what extent we will actually return back to normal. This holds true for the whole world, the country and, of course, this holds true for the school too.
We have put in place a number of measures to ensure maximum safety for the children. This has meant that the children (and the teachers) needed to follow a number of extra rules regarding social distancing and that they were confined to their own desks and classrooms. I hope that soon we will be in a situation in which those rules can be relaxed responsibly but this obviously depends on the virus being controlled and the SOP’s (Standard Operation Procedures) being revised. Until this time, we continue with our ‘new normal’. I am very pleased about the way our school community has behaved upon return to the school and would like to thank everybody for being so mindful of the current situation. This builds further confidence as we enter Term 3.
There have been some parents asking about physical activities in school. For now, the Ministry of Education has banned outside PE and has instructed children to be taught in their classrooms only. We are offering ‘Brain Breaks’ in our lessons. TIS are seeking further clarification regarding possible movement around the school and the use of safe outdoor areas. We will keep our community posted on the outcomes of this inquiry.
Another question that has come up is on the continuation of e-learning for those families who are stuck outside Malaysia and those not yet returning to school. For the first two weeks after our break, the e-learning classes will continue in the current format. After that, it is certain that we will continue to offer online learning for those who depend on it for the remainder of Term 3. This might be in a slightly adapted format but will still include Zoom sessions, the ‘Learning Pack’ and the use of ‘Storypark’, ‘See-Saw’ or ‘Google Classrooms’. We will keep you updated on this.
The end of a term usually brings a moment where we say goodbye to valued members of staff. Ms. Jacqui, our Year 3 Leader, Ms. Sharmila, our Year 6 class teacher and Ms. Marie, our Teaching Assistant in Year 3. We thank them wholeheartedly for their contributions to the school and wish them all the best on their new journeys. Mr. David will oversee the Year 3 classes in Term 3.
We are now entering three weeks of holiday. I hope everyone will enjoy this time. We are looking forward to welcoming all the children back on Monday the 24th of August.
