Message from the Head of School – March 13, 2020

Dear BIS Community,

Following the sad news of a confirmed case and death from Covid-19 in Bali, the World Health Organization’s move to define the crisis as “pandemic”, and the approaching March school holidays with the potential for increased travel by our community members, Bali Island School has made the preventative decision to move to Level III. Our hope is to proactively mitigate the risks for all members of our BIS and Bali community.

School will be closed Friday, March 13, 2020. Primary packets (PS-4) will go home today and students should begin their learning via this mode. Grade 5 and secondary students should work on ongoing projects and prepare for assessments.

Distance Learning will begin in earnest on Monday, March 16, 2020 and will run for 2.5 days.  BIS will continue with Distance Learning from March 30-April 13, providing the 14 days for travelers to return to Bali, monitor their health and engage in learning from home. Student Led Conferences (Primary) and Three-way Conferences (Secondary) scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 will be postponed until we are back at school.

There has been a huge effort in establishing and refining online learning throughout the international school community. The BIS Leadership Team and faculty have learned so much from our counterparts who have graciously shared their learning and growth. Our online plans have adapted to this new learning and our new protocols and expectations can be found here.

The Health Committee and the Board have provided tremendous support, I am indebted to each of them for their wise counsel and proactive thinking. We will constantly be monitoring developments and communicating any further updates.

Thank you so much for all of your support as we continue to navigate this challenge,

Garth