COVID-19 clone

Monday, February 2, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I write to update you on the latest developments as we manage the positive COVID-19 case in our community. Thank you for your patience with the early dismissal today; this was essential and ordered by the KDCA. We thank both our faculty and staff and our parent community for reacting so quickly, allowing all students to return home safely and efficiently.

The KDCA was on campus today and we are working with them on the specifics of this case. Please note that:

• Those who were identified as having been in contact with the individual have been tested and are awaiting results.
• All impacted areas of the campus will be disinfected by the Seodaemun-gu Health Office.
• We will be closed for two days. With regards to classes, virtual learning will take place for all students. Faculty will be working from home for the next two days. Your classroom teacher will be in touch for all the details.

This is, of course, disappointing as we were just starting to welcome more students back to campus. We understand that the changes in schedule present significant challenges for you and your family. Thank you for your continued commitment to safety for our students and community. We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more, and will notify you with additional details for the remainder of the week.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

Further to my communication earlier today, please find instructions below on how we will proceed in light of the positive COVID-19 case.

The families of students who had direct contact have already been contacted by phone. If you did not receive a phone call, your child was not impacted directly. Those students are being tested and will self isolate.

Under direct order from the KDCA, we have been told to dismiss all students. They have also instructed that students who travel by bus should continue to do so.

We understand that this is a major inconvenience and will work with families to make sure all students get home safely. Please note the following:

Students who travel by bus
Students will be released from classes at 12:45 pm, buses will depart at 1:00 pm. All bus routes will be making two rounds of their route. Drop off will be as normal.

Child pickups via private car
SFS representatives will be stationed in the parking areas to communicate with sectional offices to release students individually.

Independent leavers/taxis
Will not be released until teachers have had direct contact from a parent. KS3, MS and HS students can receive calls to their mobile phones directly from parents.

We will send further information later on about plans for educational continuity for the rest of the week.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I write to inform you that a member of the community has tested positive for COVID-19. We received the test results this morning. We are in touch with the KDCA. Students will remain in their classrooms socially distanced for the time being, and no unnecessary movement will occur on campus as we sort out the details.

• Close contacts have all been identified, and those students are in the process of being relocated outside of their respective classrooms.
• Details on transportation options for students to return back home will be issued shortly. Please do not come to campus to pick up your child until you receive further instruction.

We will be in touch shortly with further instruction for families and students. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Monday, January 25, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

We are very excited to have more students starting to return on campus as of tomorrow, January 26th. Here at school, this gives us hope for a positive trajectory, with an eye toward the eventual return of all students in person.

As always, collaboration is key to maintaining the safety and security of the community as a whole. Please continue daily temperature checks for your children, as this is our first line of defense. Limit outside contacts as much as possible, and please do not send your child to outside extracurricular activities and hagwon. If you or your child(ren) have been in direct contact with someone who is awaiting test results, please be cautious and stay at home until you are confident there is no direct risk.

The recent drop in case numbers is a hopeful trend. But of course, with the government reviewing the safety levels, we continue to monitor the situation. We will be in touch in due course should we learn of any changes. In the meantime, looking forward to having more of our student population back in classrooms tomorrow.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

Further to my email earlier this week, and in response to the SMOE’s approval to welcome ⅓ of our students back to campus, I write with an update. We have been working with our teams to coordinate a safe return across the campus.

We will start with the new rotating schedule from Tuesday, January 26th. You will receive an email message from your sectional principal tomorrow with the details. Please read it carefully: your child may not necessarily be returning to campus on Tuesday, but may start later in the week depending on the rotation schedule.

We have also been reviewing all of our protocols in the light of the case and will update you shortly of any amendments to our existing expectations.

We are naturally excited to be seeing our students again and hope that numbers and levels are moving in the right direction as we progress through the semester.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I am pleased to inform you that the KDCA has completed their investigation, and results for those individuals tested have all returned negative. This indicates that our safety protocols and procedures have been effective, and we have been cleared to re-open and continue operation. In light of this news, Emergency Childcare will recommence tomorrow, Wednesday, January 20th for all students in Grade 3/Year 4 and below.

We received additional positive news, which is that the SMOE is allowing schools to welcome 1/3 of our students (in addition to Emergency Childcare provision) back to campus. We are currently working on the practicalities of this. Please watch your inbox for further details on these developments later this week.

We understand the difficulty the past few days may have posed for you and your family. Please be assured that we will move forward, with safety as our primary concern, as we endeavor to bring more students back to campus. Thank you again for your cooperation and partnership.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Monday, January 18, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I write to update you on the latest developments as we manage the positive COVID-19 case in our community. The KDCA was on campus today and were very pleased with the protocols in place and our steps following the notification of this case. They have completed the contact tracing work. Please note that:

All impacted areas of the campus have been disinfected by the Seodaemun-gu Health Office (no cafeteria areas were affected).
Those who were identified as having been in contact with the student have been tested, and are awaiting results.
With regards to classes tomorrow (Tuesday, January 19th):

• Virtual learning will continue for students from Grade 4/Year 5 through to Grade 12.
• Virtual learning for students from Pre-K2/Foundation-Grade 3/Year 4 will take place.

We understand the significant challenge created for you and your family and thank you for your continued commitment to safety for our students and community. We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more, and notify you with any pertinent details as they may arise, including when we are able to recommence Emergency Childcare.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I write to inform you that one of our students was identified positive for COVID-19 this afternoon. The student was on campus for one day last week and had limited contact with other students. The families of students who had direct contact with this student have already been contacted by phone.

We are working closely with the Seodaemun-gu Health Office in conducting an epidemiological investigation that goes back to Monday, January 11th.

The Seodaemun-gu Health Office advised us that it is our discretion whether to continue Emergency Childcare. We have taken the precautionary decision not to bring any students on campus initially for the next two days while we work with the Seodaemun-gu Health Office. We will reopen Emergency childcare as soon as safely possible. In the meantime:

• Virtual learning will continue tomorrow for students from Grade 4/ Year 5 through to Grade 12.
• Virtual learning for students from Pre-K2/Foundation-Grade 3/Year 4 will not take place tomorrow but will begin on Tuesday.

We understand the significant inconvenience this causes but appreciate your partnership to ensure the full safety of the school campus.

Thank you for understanding as we navigate the situation and respect the confidentiality of both the positive-tested student and anyone in the close-contact group. We will keep you informed as we learn more information that needs to be shared.

Please join me in praying for a quick and speedy recovery of the confirmed student.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

I hope you have enjoyed your time away from school. As we mentioned, we would communicate with you as we neared the end of Christmas break and knew the current situation related to COVID-19 and Social Distancing Levels within Seoul.

For Monday, January 11th, SFS will operate under the current guidelines until Sunday, January 17th:

Continue with Emergency Childcare for Pre-K 2/Foundation – Grade 3/Year 4
MS/BS KS 3 and High School will remain virtual

Additionally, we have been working on various scenarios to allow Grades 4-5/Years 5-6 students to be on campus more regularly. We will wait to share details until after January 17th as this is when the current safety level is reviewed.

After the two COVID-19 positive cases from outsourced staff, we want to remind you that we are cleared for full operation. The entire campus will be disinfected on Saturday, January 9th to prepare for the return of students, faculty and staff. As we bring students back on Monday safety remains our highest priority, please be mindful of our protocols to ensure we keep our campus safe:

• If you traveled over break and have not filled this out, please complete the Notice of Travel form linked here upon your return.
• Daily temperature checks, including the ones you do at home before your child arrives at school. This should be done in the morning and not in advance.
• Fill out your SFS Daily home screening slip.
• Use of masks including our “No Mask! No Talk!” policy at lunchtime.

If you or your child(ren) have been in direct contact with someone who is awaiting test results or have any COVID-19 symptoms, please exercise caution and stay at home. The best course of action is safety first. Stay at home and use caution until you are confident there is no direct risk. If you have any COVID-19 related information to convey to the school, please send a message to covid-19@seoulforeign.org.

We hope the numbers in Korea continue to decline and we can welcome students and parents back to campus soon. Stay tuned for continued details.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School