COVID-19 Update
With the spread of the COVID-19 having an international impact, the school leadership has been monitoring the situation carefully with the aim of preparing clear communication based upon reputable sources of information. Chief among these sources have been the communications from the Health Ministry of Turkey, Ministry of Education (MEB), World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Our aim has been, and will continue to be, the minimization of risk to our school community. With the announcement today of a confirmed case in Turkey, we wish to update you our Community in regards to the steps that we are being put in place for the safety of us all. |
Current COVID-19 status of Turkey
The Health Ministry of Turkey announced on 11 March 2020 that the first confirmed case of COVID-19 is present in Turkey. The Minister of Health acknowledged, despite the precautions that have been taken and the proactive nature of the country, that Turkey is a country where many people travel to and through and that it was expected that the virus would be found.
The Health Ministry announced the 14 Day Rule on 8 March 2020. This guideline for Turkish citizens and residents requested that anyone returning from any international destination to self isolate for 14 days. The premise is that anyone exposed to the virus in their travels is a potential carrier of the virus and should therefore minimize exposing others in the community. Since that time, the minister has strongly encouraged only mandatory international travel for citizens and residents (specific guidelines to the MEF International School Community to follow below).
Steps that have been taken by the school in response to COVID-19
Deep cleaning of school learning areas and school buses. We have also implemented increased disinfecting throughout the school including increased cleaning and disinfection of door handles and surfaces
All teachers are asking students to wash their hands frequently with soap and hand sanitizers have also been installed for their use.
Gathering information for intended travel by families and staff members
Temperature control measures implemented in the school (both international and national schools) with no students/staff/parents/visitors being allowed into the school with a temperature of 38 degrees or more (fever grade).
We have encouraged you to follow the guidance of the local Health Ministry, the World Health Organization and the specific travel restrictions of the country you are travelling to.
Cancelation of excursions, field trips, meetings and gatherings in March and April with decisions made later in the year regarding May and June events.
We have asked community members who have been in high risk countries or been in touch with someone from a high risk country to go into self isolation for 2 weeks before returning to school.
MEF International School Attendance Restrictions Following Travel
Families (or individuals in a family) who have traveled to a high risk country are expected to self-isolate and the children are not permitted in school for the two weeks following return to Turkey.
A high-risk country, for the purposes of this restriction, is considered any country that has reported 500 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 based upon the statistics published by World Health Organisation here.
You can also refer to the official World Health Organisation site here and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention here These are reliable and up to date websites.
The school administration will monitor this data daily and will update the list, but, as of Thursday 12 March 2020, the countries that meet the criteria for restriction for school attendance are China (mainland, Hong Kong and Macau), Italy, Republic of Korea, Iran, Spain, Germany, France, Japan, the United States, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Any country has the potential of becoming a high risk country very quickly, so families are requested to carefully consider if travel is necessary at all.
If an individual returns from a country that is not considered high risk, but the status of that country becomes high risk within 14 days of return, the daily temperature checks will be used as the determining factor if the students will be permitted at school.
In order to minimize risk to all, we rely on honest communication from families regarding their travels. |
Delivery of instruction in case of school closure
Closure of the school is a possibility. The administration of the school will follow the instructions of the Ministry of Education to determine if the school will close and what the duration of closure would be. It was announced on 10 March that the Health Ministry and Ministry of Education would meet this week to make a decision.
In case of school closure, the goal will be to provide continued learning as best as possible. Preparations include:
- Teachers will collaborate with colleagues, including Specialists to design Distance Learning experiences for students in accordance with grade level plans.
- All teachers are currently upskilling with our IT Specialists in order to provide quality online learning.
- The online learning platforms may differ depending on Grade level for example, Google Classrooms, Google Hangouts or See Saw for our younger learners.
- Secondary students will be expected to continue the same number of hours of work that they complete in school but through delivery of lecture or other work online via Google Classroom. Some of this may be prescripted time with mandatory online conferencing participation.
- Primary students will be provided learning activities at a slightly reduced number of hours due to the fact that parents may be needed to assist with delivery of the content.
- As the change of learning can be stressful to students, our counsellors will create developmentally appropriate materials regarding self-regulation, anxiety and/or wellness strategies that students can practice during this time of Distance Learning.
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Cambridge Examinations
IGCSE AS and A level examinations are expected to take place from 30 April. Cambridge continues to provide schools with updates regarding COVID-19 based upon the situation in the location of the school. We of course will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates accordingly if there will be any interruption or alteration to the schedule.
As CAIE examination times are set by Cambridge, they may take place during school holidays. If you are planning to travel on these days, please ensure that your child is able to attend their examinations.
All students have received their statement of entry with their examination dates.
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