A video about this coming week.

The basic transcript of what is said in the video :

Dear Friends. I realise that the Minister of Education is due to speak tomorrow at 12:00 noon about this coming week and about the forthcoming academic year in general.

Whatever he says, as a school, we cannot start on Monday 07OCT2024. We have had a serious problem with our internet connection at the school since Friday 04OCT2024 and have been unable to set up and test our Hybrid systems.

We have 87 different classrooms that we will be broadcasting from once our system is up and running. I need at least two days of full Internet to be able to get the laptops and associated software and hardware ready for this huge operation.

Even if I am ready to start on Wednesday 09OCT2024, there are many other factors that will affect whether we open or not. I must admit to feeling guilty rushing into starting the school year when so many of our families have suffered great loss and been pushed from their houses.

I am well aware that even with our livestreaming of classes, many students do not have the equipment or Internet connection to be able to attend even virtually. We need to work on a solution and work out how we can help in these very difficult circumstances.

The system that we are going to use of Hybrid Livestreaming is the nearest I think we can come to saving this academic year for all concerned. If some students are able to get to school, they are more than welcome to attend classes. For those students for whom this will be an impossibility, the livestreaming of classes (which will be automatically recorded and available for watching later) will be very useful.

Nothing we do will be perfect. We need to support each other during this terrible time and put the children first.

The start may be a staggered start where we begin with the exam classes for a couple of days and then add other classes when and as we can.

When I have more details in the coming days, I will post a video.

Due to an administrative error, the books and stationary for 9A have not been prepared. You have my very sincere apologies. They will be ready, I hope, on Saturday 05OCT2024. I will post here exact details tomorrow.

Once again, sorry for this huge oversight. I know some of you braved dangerous roads to get here today.

Collecting your books : Important points

ONE
If you are in Classes 10A 11A 12A 12M 12E, please bring all the books back that you were given during EarlyStart. We will process them and then put them in a complete book bag and give them back to you. This process will take about 2 hours. You can wait OR you can give your books in and then come and collect the bag when you come to school on Monday. NOTE all these classes have already taken their Stationary Bags I believe. I might be wrong.

TWO
Class 12SE do NOT need to attend today as they have already been given both their book bags

THREE
All books are on the Chapel / Library floor level. As we expect a HUGE number of people to come today, please be very patient. This will NOT be quick. You will be given TWO bags, one with stationary (copybooks etc) and one with textbooks. In BOTH these bags there are pieces of paper that indicate what WE think are in the bags. PLEASE check that we have it right, make any changes that you think need to be made, put your username on the paper, sign the paper, give it back to the teacher and then leave with your two bags. The checking and signing is the VITAL thing this morning.

FOUR
All stationary bags are in the Library, you can access them via the WINDOWS of the Library. Take your bag, check the paper, sign it and return it to the teacher with your USERNAME on it.

FIVE
SSG students do NOT need to collect their bags today. We will inform you of when that will happen.

SIX
Students of all Small Group classes will NOT be given any books today. We will inform you of when that will happen.

SEVEN
As we go Hybrid on Monday 07OCT2024, we will slowly but surely put all books online in PDF format in Google Classroom. If you are thinking of travelling, PLEASE do NOT take your books with you as you have no idea when you will be back and the books are very, very expensive. Rather, use the PDF versions that we provide in Google Classroom.

EIGHT
We will only be giving out books to SENIOR students today.

NINE : Book Locations
All Class 6A 6B 6C 6E textbook bags are in Class 6A
All Class 7A 7B 7C 7E textbook bags are in Class 6B
All Class 8A 8B 8C 8E textbook bags are in Class 6C
All Class 9A 9B 9C 9E textbook bags are in Class 6E

All Class 10B 10C 10E textbook bags are in the Chapel
All Class 11S 11SE textbooks bags are in the Chapel

All Class 10A 11A 12A RETURNS are in the Library
All Class 12M 12E RETURNS are in the Library

TEN
Every single person in Lebanon is under stress at the moment, some more than others. We appreciate your patience as we attempt to do this mammoth job in 4 hours.

ELEVEN
I might post further later this morning if there are any clarifications that need to be made.

As previously promised, we will be opening the school tomorrow for the collection of stationary and books by all SENIOR students that are able to make it. At the moment, we will not be giving books to the Junior and Infant Department students. We will communicate further on that during the next two weeks.

The school will be open from 08:00 until 12:00 noon.

If your FamilyCode starts with any letter between A and K inclusive, please try to attend between 08:00 am and 10:00 am. If your FamilyCode starts with any letter between L and Z inclusive, please try to attend between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon.

We will not be able to give books out after 12:00 noon tomorrow because we will all be in a meeting about the Hybrid start on Monday 07OCT2024. If you cannot collect the books tomorrow, you can collect them when the school is open, starting next Monday. You will not be able to collect them on Friday 04OCT2024, unfortunately.

On the afternoon of Saturday 05OCT2024 there will be a video posted about how the Hybrid will work in detail. If you have any questions that you particularly want answered, please send them now to 71 183 559, and they will collect and give them to me, so I can address them in my video.

Further to the request of the Minister of Education that all schools remain completely closed until Monday 07OCT2024 and the declared three days of mourning, we are delaying the start of ALL our Hybrid classes until Monday 07OCT2024, even the A Level classes. It might be that we will ask some students to test out our system with an online presence on Thursday or Friday of this week. Watch this space for details.

We will probably be giving books out to all students that can get to school to take them on Thursday and Friday this week. Details to follow.

Unless otherwise posted, the Senior Administration and Accounting Department will be here every day with a skeleton staff.