UWCSEA update on returning to campus

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your positive response to the message from our College President Carma last week, outlining some of our considerations as we planned for a return to campuses in June. As you know, we have been at the same time awaiting guidance from the Committee for Private Education (CPE) on what is permissible in terms of a return. Yesterday evening we received an advisory from the CPE, which includes a requirement that we submit our plans to them for approval before a full announcement to our community. We are pleased to note that their guidelines are in line with our scenario-planning and we are confident our arrangements comply with their requirements. We are submitting documentation to them now and will communicate the outcome to you as soon as we can, including details of which staff and students will return to campus in June.

As we have previously advised, we are not permitted to have all students back on campus on 2 June, and are balancing the restrictions they will experience while on campus against the benefit of remote learning: we know that in many cases remote learning is working well, particularly for our older and more independent students.

We are aware that there are some rumours circulating about which cohorts will return first. These decisions have not yet been confirmed or approved so anything that you have heard will not be accurate. Please await CPE confirmation and the College communication, which we will send as soon as we can.

As always, our first priority is the health and safety of our whole community. We are supported by International SOS and their team of doctors as we determine the best schedule for all our students, and prepare the campuses for their safe return. Our safety measures are extensive and rigorous and we outline some of our general plans below for your reference. School section specific details will be shared by Principals once we have full approval of our plan from CPE.

All UWCSEA families are also asked to download and use the Trace Together app, which will help with contact tracing in the event of a case linked to one of our students or staff.

Thank you all so much for your patience and support over this Circuit Breaker period. You may have seen this video, which illustrates how the community has come together over this period, united in learning and in purpose. As we enter into the next phase, and the inevitable changes that are coming, we are grateful for our exceptional students, our committed staff and our supportive parents.

Yours sincerely,

Elizabeth Bray, Head of UWCSEA Dover
Graham Silverthorne, Head of UWCSEA East

Overview of Health and Safety Measures

Community health and travel declarations before return	A reminder that you must continue to inform the College if your child is observing a Leave of Absence (LoA), Stay Home Notice (SHN) or Quarantine Order (QO) by completing the isolation order declaration in CIMS (log in here). Children on these orders should not come to school. Please also make sure you update the student travel declaration, also on CIMS. We must have a travel declaration for all students. If any member of your family is experiencing symptoms such as runny nose, dry cough or a fever above 37.5C, please keep your children at home until everyone in the household is symptom-free. Please take a conservative view when it comes to the health of your children and visit a doctor if you have any concerns.
Temperature taking	As before, all students must have their temperature taken and declared in CIMS (log in here or click the link on the College website homepage from 2 June) before arriving on campus in the morning Students will have their temperature taken once more during the day Staff must take their temperature and declare any symptoms twice a day
Masks	Everyone on campus must wear a mask at all times, with the exception of during PE classes Students are asked to bring and wear their own masks, including a spare mask Additional masks will be available at school in case a student requires a replacement
Access to campus	Access to campus will be highly controlled and limited to essential staff and essential deliveries; parents and visitors will not be able to come on campus Students can be dropped off at specific points on campus, on the condition that parents and drivers wear masks and do not leave their car at any point
Buses	Buses will have seating plans that are in line with the expectations set by the Singapore authorities Buses will be cleaned and disinfected before each pick-up Hand sanitiser will be available during each ride Internal checks to ensure compliance and rigorous record keeping will ensure all bus drivers and aunties are compliant with regulations
Food services	Lunches and breaks will be staggered to reduce numbers in seating areas Seating areas in the canteens will be clearly marked taking into account social distancing guidelines; if necessary, students will be asked to bring their lunch back to their classrooms to eat. We are removing seats so that students cannot be too close to each other and adding eating spaces in other parts of the campus where necessary. Queues will be spread out with social distancing markers Food offerings have been reviewed and adjusted to create more space for queuing Dining tables are cleaned and disinfected after every service Public touch points such as hand wash sinks, refrigerators and bins are cleaned and disinfected regularly Notices for maintaining social distancing and practising good hygiene, along with high levels of adult supervision, will support students in following the guidelines
General hygiene	Students wash hands at regular intervals through the day Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of all classrooms and toilets Regular additional cleaning of all frequent touch points, for example, handrails, lifts, door knobs Regular additional cleaning of other public spaces such as Library, Pantries, Common seating Cleaning disinfectant and hand roll available in each classroom Hand sanitiser provided in each classroom, offices and other common activities areas; refills available from the College Clinic
Student movement before school, between classes and at lunch and break times	On arrival, students will be asked to go straight to class as a general principle Students will practise safety measures in classrooms, with dedicated seating and minimum movement between rooms and in groups Staff members will be on hand to help remind students in shared spaces (for example, the tent plaza) to maintain appropriate spacing Emergency escape routes will be used as regular entry and exit routes to maintain spacing in staircases Staggered break and lunch times will minimise ‘cross-school section’ contact There will be designated play areas for Primary and Middle School students
Staff	All staff who have regular prolonged contact with Infant School students will be tested for COVID-19 before school resumes Staff who are not critical to the delivery of the learning programme will continue to work from home In-person meetings will be kept to a minimum and staff will practice safe distancing Staff will take their own temperature and declare any symptoms before coming to school and again during the school day A Safe Management Officer will be appointed on each campus to ensure compliance with Ministry of Manpower regulations Vulnerable staff will continue to work from home, regardless of their role We will be implementing Safe Entry, which will require all staff to check in on their way into and out of the campuses.