Dear FIS Community,
As we begin the New Year, I hope this communication finds you and your family well.
During our school's Winter Break, the FIS Crisis Team has been closely following the status of the pandemic in our region. The start of vaccinations against Covid-19 has been encouraging, but the overall news remains troubling. Earlier this week, German authorities decided to extend lockdown measures until the end of January. In addition, there continues to be strong concern expressed regarding the return of on-campus learning for students, leading the German government to require employers to grant ten (10) additional days of paid leave for working parents to care for any children at home.
Our goal will always be to keep our FIS campuses open when we believe our strong health and safety standards can be upheld and that we are in compliance with the directives of government officials. However, given the ongoing high levels of Covid-19 in the greater Rhein-Main region, the prevalence of recent travel within our community, and the added paid-leave granted to parents, we feel the prudent action is to begin all classes online through our Distance Learning Plan (DLP) next week. Our faculty and staff will be virtually welcoming newly arrived families online on Monday for their orientations. In addition, tomorrow (Friday, 8 January) all families will receive a letter from their child's principal that outlines the expectations for next week's online instruction.
The decision to continue the implementation of the DLP will be made on a weekly basis, with the expectation for the following week announced each Thursday. Please also be aware that while the DLP will be used for all students in the coming week, some grade levels or divisions may return to on-campus learning at different stages. Our staged return will be largely dependent on the guidance of German health authorities and my hope is to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible.
As has been true of many of my communications this school year, I know this news causes many of you to feel greatly relieved while others will respond with concern. I am also acutely aware that we have a number of newly arrived families who were hoping to begin classes on campus next week. To both new and returning families, let me repeat my commitment that our school will never compromise the health and safety of our students and employees. While we await an improvement in the ongoing fight against the pandemic, be assured that we will provide an exceptional distance learning experience for your children.
As always, both our Crisis Team and I welcome your questions.
Kind regards,
Dr. Paul M. Fochtman
Head of School
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