TIS-restart-plan-03-09-20

v.030920R Page 1 SCHOOL RESTART PLAN 2020/2021 ACADEMIC YEAR ENDING SEMESTER TWO OF 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR The COVID-19 pandemic appeared in Ghana in March and forced the government to close down educational institutions. Tema In- ternational School, however, did not allow the school closure to disrupt the second semester of the 2019/2020 academic calendar. Teachers and students, with the utmost determination and oneness of purpose, defied the pandemic to engage in online lessons to the end of the semester. There were challenges for all who were involved: teachers had to learn the art of online in- struction delivery; parents needed to provide the infrastructure at home to support the pro- cess; and students needed to adjust to the whole idea of online learning. Things improved as we continued steadily. The integration of Zoom (a cloud-based video conferencing service) into AssessPrep (an online assessment tool) enabled the school to cap its first online learning experience with an online examination and virtual invigilation for Grades 9 and 11. It was a successful learning experience for all. Please refer to Appendix 4 for the feedback from parents, students and staff on online learning. PREPARATIONS FOR 2020/21 ACADEMIC YEAR Planning for a new academic year is nothing new, however, planning for an academic year with more unknown quantities than usual has been at the forefront of decision-making in our preparations for the new academic year. Restrictions created by COVID-19, the national government, inter- national travel protocols and arrangements for meeting the IB learning requirements have influenced proposals that have been made. As part of the preparations for the start of the new academic year, two committees (the School Re-start Committee and the Online Learn- ing Committee) were established with a mandate to review the available options for TIS specifically. The Re-start Committee covered various scenarios for the start of the academic year when: 1. TIS remains closed to all students; 2. TIS is opened to specific groups of students;