From the Director
Dear community,
Monday will mark the beginning of the fourth week of school for this great learning community. Although there have been some surprises as we continue to be online, it has been inspiring to see how the school has creatively come together to celebrate, share, and communicate. The excellent facilities continue to be used in a safe way. The library is now available five days a week, the pool has an added early morning slot, and reservations for the soccer field, sports court, and playground have expanded to include a second “B” slot for families to come and enjoy. I encourage everyone, especially if your children have not been physically active since March, to come and have fun, exercise, and be active. Being physically active is critical to overall health, so come and enjoy our campus! As a reminder, this is the link to the facilities reservation document. You may email megapandiangan@baisedu.org to make a reservation.
There have been some developments related to reopening the BAIS campus for learning as well. You might have heard that BAIS welcomed inspectors from the Department of Education (DoE) this week. The two members of the DoE represented SMP (Grades 7-9). School leadership, including our department of education liaison, Gledya Melisa, spent a day in interviews about reopening and investigating the safety protocols required for reopening. Fortunately, the evening before the visit, the department of education shared a very thorough, 8-page inspection tool for us to demonstrate compliance. We escorted the visiting team on a room-to-room inspection of the school, including the bathroom facilities. For your information, I am linking the inspection rubric to display the thorough nature of the inspection and to share how well-prepared the school is for reopening. The inspection team concluded that, upon receipt of some final documentation, including a modified schedule, curriculum, and specific lesson planning for Covid-19 prevention, they would submit a letter of recommendation to the Satuan Tugas Penanganan Covid-19 Kabupaten Bandung Barat. That group is the final authority in the approval process to reopen and, in this case, the first phase in reopening would be for SMP (Grades 7-9).
Next week will be eventful! We are excited to host MAP testing on campus while following all safety protocols with strict, staggered schedules. Please do your best to assist your students to have great sleep, a nutritious diet, and an on-time arrival to campus. Also, if you have loaned a laptop or tablet from the school, please bring it fully charged with the power cables. Additionally, students in secondary and all parents should expect to receive a survey regarding the first four weeks of online school. The school values your input and asks for 100% participation. The survey will be anonymous except for the identification of the grade level of the student and there will be ample space to share additional thoughts within the survey.
Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and prayers! “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:13-16).
Jeremy Thomas, MS. Ed.
Director
From the Guidance Counselor’s Desk
This is an amazingly unique time to be looking for post-secondary schools. Normally schools want students to come to their campus to tour and learn more but one of the perks of the current worldwide situation is the availability of virtual university tours and webinars. I encourage you to look around, check out the schools, and begin learning what your options are!
Upcoming University Fairs
- EduCanada – October 10, 2020, 8 AM – 9 AM Panel Discussion & 9 AM to 1 PM Direct Canadian institution representatives from across Canada
- Coalition App has different webinars going on throughout September and October
- Exploring College Options – A group of five universities from the US hosting webinars between now and December
Tech Snippets
One way to keep your devices running smoothly is to ensure that your Operating System (Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, etc.) and all the applications are regularly updated. At BAIS we use G Suite heavily and encourage students to use the Google Chrome browser, so please make sure that you have the Chrome browser up to date. If you are unsure, please follow these steps to update your Chrome browser:
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More
- Click Help > About Google Chrome.
The current version number is the series of numbers beneath the “Google Chrome” heading. Chrome will check for updates when you are on this page.
To apply any available updates, click Relaunch.
Thank you,
BAIS Technology Department
Drama Announcement
Thank you so much for your flexibility as we try to rehearse for this production under very strange circumstances. Thanks to Jinny Park’s family opening up their home, which is near Mrs. Loewen’s home, we are able to expand our in-person practices and still maintain small groups and social distancing. This means that the schedule is going to change a bit and that we are now going to be able to meet with limited ensemble members in-person. So, please continue to be flexible and continue to update your rehearsal calendar. Please also look at the Drama Production Chat and set it to notify you when a new chat occurs so that you don’t miss important information.
Wednesday, September 16
Scenes 3-4
@ Mrs. Loewen’s Home @ 4:30 — Mia and Simeon; @ 5:00 — The Drama Newbies (Grade 6 + Anyone else new to BAIS Drama this year.)
@ Jinny Park’s Home @ 4:30 — Scenes 3-4 Actors; Mia & Simeon, you’ll join us @ 5 Don’t forget to wear your masker!
MAP Testing Information
We are excited to be able to have the students come on campus next week for MAP testing! Here are a few reminders for you. Please see your email/WhatsApp for more details.
Students will need to bring the following items to school with them:
- Device (Chromebook or iPad) that the student borrowed from BAIS for online learning fully charged
- Charging cable for the device
- If your student is in ELD you will need to bring corded headphones/earphones *(not Bluetooth) – *provided for Kindergarten and 1st grade
- Water bottle
- Mask
- Snacks – the school store will not be available during this time for any snacks or drinks. Please plan accordingly for your child.
- A book to read or other activities to complete
Please ensure that your child has a good night of sleep and a healthy breakfast before coming to school.
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 14 | 7:45 AM | 2, 3 and 6 | Math & Language Usage |
| Monday, September 14 | 8:00 AM | 7 | Math & Language Usage |
| Monday, September 14 | 8:15 AM | 8 | Math & Language Usage |
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 15 | 7:45 AM | Kinder and 1 | Math & Reading |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 7:45 AM | 9 and 10 | Math & Language Usage |
| Tuesday, September 15 | 8:00 AM | 11 and 12 | Math & Language Usage |
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 16 | 7:45 AM | 4, 5 and 6 | Math & Language Usage |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 8:00 AM | 7 | Reading |
| Wednesday, September 16 | 8:15 AM | 8 | Reading |
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 17 | 7:45 AM | 2, 3, 9 and 10 | Reading |
| Thursday, September 17 | 8:00 AM | 11 and 12 | Reading |
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, September 18 | 7:45 AM | 4 and 5 | Reading |
| Friday, September 18 | 7:45 AM | Secondary Mixed | Make-up |
| Date | Arrival Time | Grade | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 21 | 7:45 AM | Elementary Mixed | Make-up |
