Dear TASIS Community,
I hope that you have enjoyed a restful and safe Spring Holiday. I want to thank the entire community for your perseverance as we navigate the global pandemic. The TASIS spirit has never been stronger, which is important as we face the inevitable challenges ahead. Distance Learning Continues on April 20 TASIS must now turn its attention to the completion of the year. As we announced prior to Spring Holiday, we will resume distance learning on Monday, April 20. We have made ongoing adjustments to the distance learning model both before and after Spring Holiday based on teacher, student, and parent feedback, and we hope that these adjustments in structure will enhance student learning in the weeks ahead. Federal and Local Announcements While the restrictive measures currently in place will continue until April 26, the Swiss Federal Government announced on April 16 that all compulsory schooling (PK-8) will resume on May 11 and high schools will resume on June 8. The Canton of Ticino announced that it may follow a similar timeline. The Swiss Federal Government announced that it plans to reopen in three phases. Phase One, beginning April 27, will see the opening of some businesses, such as hair salons, doctor and physiotherapist practices, garden centers, and home improvement stores.
Phase Two, beginning on May 11, will see the opening of PK-8 schools and all other shops, including department stores and open-air markets. It is important to note that moving to phase two will not be confirmed until April 29.
Phase Three, beginning on June 8, will see the reopening of other educational institutions (including high schools), museums, zoos, and libraries. We also anticipate additional guidance from both federal and local authorities on what specific safety measures will be in place during these phases. Return to TASIS: PK-8 Day Students Based on this new federal guidance, there is a real possibility that the Ticino cantonal authorities will follow a similar timeline regarding school openings. If Ticino authorities allow the reopening of compulsory schools in May, TASIS will strongly consider reopening for PK-8 for day students only. While there are clear educational, social, and emotional advantages to reopening school to complete the academic year together, we have to weigh these against health and safety factors, which must always take first priority.
If we are able to reopen, we will of course continue to follow all of the measures set by the Swiss Federal Government, and we may require additional measures specific to TASIS as necessary. Please also refer to our Coronavirus Information page to see a list of protocols and policies we had in place at TASIS before we transitioned to a distance learning model.
We will provide further updates on the possibility of a May return for our day students in the coming weeks. Return to TASIS: HS Day Students Given the timeline announced by the Swiss Federal Government, we can now confirm that all High School day students will continue with distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, since returning to school on June 8 will be too late for our students.
Return to TASIS: MS and HS Boarding Students Unfortunately, due to the ongoing global pandemic, travel restrictions, and uncertainty that still faces much of the world, our Middle and High School boarding students will not be able to return to campus for the 2019-20 academic year, and they too will remain in distance learning.
Graduation and Other Senior Events We are extremely disappointed to announce that we will not be able to hold the 2020 Commencement Exercises and related events, including Prom and the Senior Banquet, at their scheduled time in May.
Other End-of-year Events Due to the federal restrictions referenced above, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to hold large gatherings of people any time soon, which means that important end-of-year events like the fifth- and eighth-grade Moving-Up Ceremonies and the Spring Arts Festival will likely not take place on campus. We will update you on these events as we learn more about the restrictive measures and how long they will remain in place. International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, TASIS Final Exams, and College Counseling As you are aware by now, the College Board has announced that it will move its AP exams online, which will allow our AP students to take their exams remotely, and the International Baccalaureate has canceled the 2020 IB exams. Both our IB and AP coordinators and all of our IB and AP teachers are monitoring the situation closely and providing necessary guidance to ensure that their students can close the year successfully.
Financial Considerations for Our Families We understand that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic is taking a serious toll on our school and our families, and in response we are working very hard to reduce costs. To help our families during this time as much as we can, we are currently calculating any savings we have experienced in our variable costs—such as food and activities—for the distance learning term and will apply a credit to families commensurate with the savings we have achieved. We will have more detailed communication on this point once we confirm all of the return dates and final costs. Looking Further Ahead As we announced earlier this week, we plan to run our world-renowned TASIS Summer Programs from Sunday, July 12, to Saturday, August 8, and we are currently making our plans for the 2020-21 academic year, which begins in late August 2020. We greatly look forward to both the Summer Programs and the upcoming academic year. |