COVID-19

May 26, 2021

COVID-19 Update

Dear SFS Community,

Thank you for weathering with us through the COVID-19 situation yesterday and today. We understand that it was likely stressful and disruptive, and we are grateful to you for your patience.

Yesterday, the KDCA asked a number of students, teachers, and administrators who were potential direct contacts to get tests as an additional layer of precaution. The KDCA also advised us to evacuate certain classes/employees.

Later in the evening, after conducting epidemiological investigations on-site, and based on the test results that returned, they advised us that most employees are able to return for today. This morning, we have received further confirmation from KDCA that all those who were tested returned negative results. They have also identified a few people as close contacts. Those individuals have been notified. Based on this guidance, we will resume all classes as normal tomorrow. 

To clarify:

• There were two confirmed cases, one linked to Elementary and the other linked to administration. Both confirmed patients were not on campus yesterday, and KDCA determined our Early Dismissal Plan for the whole school was not necessary and could be limited, as the epidemiological investigation window included the weekend and there was very little exposure across the school.
• The KDCA noted that the classrooms were spacious, ventilation sufficient, and all classroom activities were designed to have very little contact.
• The KDCA visited campus twice, once to assess the situation and then again to disinfect all areas that were affected. 

Thank you for your continued support. 
 

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

May 25, 2021 (message 1 of 2)

COVID-19 Information

Dear SFS Community,

This morning we were notified of a positive COVID-19 case on campus. We were advised by the KDCA to evacuate our second grade classes. We are working closely with the KDCA and following their lead. 

We will continue to communicate further as we know more details. We are aware that the buses leaving campus this afternoon may be delayed briefly. Thank you, as always, for your cooperation and partnership.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

May 25, 2021 (message 2 of 2)

COVID-19 Information

Dear SFS Community,

Thank you for your patience today as we navigated through dismissal of students and working with the KDCA to determine our next steps.

For our community members who were tested at the Seodaemun-gu health center, the school will receive results later this evening and the SMOE and KDCA will determine any further action needed. The KDCA was on campus this afternoon and disinfected areas of concern.

We will continue to communicate details as we learn more. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

May 15, 2021

COVID-19 contact update

Dear SFS Community,

We are pleased to inform you that the test for the contact case has been returned, and the results are negative. We are following all KDCA recommendations and have been given permission to welcome students and employees back to campus for normal operations on Monday. Unfortunately, we had already needed to take the decision to cancel this weekend’s SWEP activities, and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

As you know, the safety of our community is our primary concern. Please be reminded that if you or anyone in your family is experiencing a fever or any other COVID-19 symptoms, staying home is the best course of action and could prevent campus closures and interruptions to the school day.

Thank you, as always, for your cooperation and partnership.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

May 14, 2021

COVID-19 close contact

At the end of the school day as our buses were leaving, we were advised by the KDCA to evacuate the campus. We were informed that a community member is a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case. We have been advised to cease all SWEP activities and close campus. If your child was scheduled to attend a SWEP activity this afternoon, and would normally take a late bus home, we have made every effort to put them on the earlier bus. Those students will not be permitted off the bus until they have contacted their parent. 

Those students who are not bus riders can be picked up and collected from school, depart on foot, or take a taxi home. Bus riders who remain on campus may also make use of those travel options, or wait for the late bus. SFS staff members will be on campus to help facilitate student departures. Please contact the principals directly for assistance.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

May 3, 2021

Continued COVID-19 precautions

Dear SFS Community,

You may have seen the latest news from the KDCA about changes to quarantine requirements for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Korea. While the specifics around this unfold, we continue to monitor the situation and will alert you to any changes as they arise. 

In related news, the Korean government has extended the current Social Distancing Level 2 for another three weeks. This means we will continue to have the same rotating on-campus schedule for students at school in person. 

Please let this be a reminder to continue to adhere to the safety measures we have in place. This includes the daily temperature checks in the morning before students come to school. If your child comes to school and is running a fever, they will be automatically sent for COVID-19 testing. Preventative measures at home will help avoid unnecessary testing and hassle for you and your family; please keep your students at home if they have a fever.

Looking ahead this week, on Wednesday we celebrate Children’s Day, an annual public Korean holiday, created to encourage parents to take a break from their busy lives and share time with their children. I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and value those children who are suffering from neglect, hunger, abuse, and disease around the world. I invite you to remember them in your prayers. 

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

April 14, 2021

Update to today's COVID-19 situation

Dear SFS Community,

We are pleased to report that today’s test results have been returned, and all contacts have tested negative. We are following all KDCA recommendations and have been cleared to welcome students and employees back to campus for normal operations.

As always, safety is our primary concern. Please remember, if you or anyone in your family is experiencing any COVID-19 related symptoms, exercise caution and stay at home.

Thank you for your patience, as always. We appreciate your cooperation and partnership.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

April 14, 2021

Important COVID-19 Message

Dear SFS Community,

We have been made aware of a COVID-19 confirmed case that is closely related to a member of our community. While no student or faculty/staff member has tested positive, we have been advised by the KDCA to send the two classes of identified children and employees home as a precaution. Those classes and employees have already been contacted by the school via text message and email. We will keep you posted on the situation as it further develops.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

Monday, February 15, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

With the change in the Social Distancing Level over the weekend from 2.5 to 2, the government is now allowing us to welcome up to 2/3rds of our students back on campus. We are thrilled with this news, and are working out the details to make this change happen as quickly and smoothly as possible.

We plan to have more students on campus from Friday, February 19th. The specifics of which students will be on campus, and on which days, will be communicated via the sectional principals. We are hopeful that this will eventually signal the return of extracurricular activities, and will be in touch with you in due course, should there be any change in that area.

As I have expressed before, we are grateful to our community for the patience and cooperation you have demonstrated during this period. We are all looking forward to seeing more students’ faces on Friday.

God Bless,

Colm Flanagan
Head of School

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

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Dear SFS Community,

We are thrilled to be welcoming back 2/3rds of our students tomorrow. Having the “buzz” of activity on campus will be energizing, and I know that we are all looking forward to having your children in classrooms again.

The past several months have taught us a lot about how to manage this crisis. We continue to innovate, grow, and change to improve our procedures. The recent positive case precipitated the need for an early dismissal, which we have planned for but had not had to implement in a real-world situation. In surveying parents of those students impacted by the early dismissal, overall we received very positive feedback on communications, process and procedure. Please see the data below.

We also identified some issues. We have learned that lack of student meals or snacks may become an issue, depending on the dismissal time. We are looking into solutions for this. Additionally, we are identifying ways to more effectively target our non-academic schoolwide staff to help facilitate early dismissal logistics in the future. 

We used email and text messaging to communicate with parents, faculty and staff during this incident. If your child was on campus on February 3rd, and you did not receive one or either of these messages, please contact communications@seoulforeign.org to ensure we have your correct contact details for future messaging.

We continue to learn as an institution, and we thank you for your cooperation and feedback as we move through this crisis.

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