Word from the Primary Head

Today, on account of the Coronavirus, half the world’s population - more than 3.4 billion people are confined or staying home in 80 different countries, according to a survey by the AFP (Agence France-presse). It is impossible not to feel for them all, especially when we are living a relatively normal existence in Taipei.

I was as excited as you all for the school to reopen today, but unfortunately, I couldn’t share those moments with you. Health problems, unrelated to the Coronavirus (a foot operation), mean I have to stay in bed for a few days. Once the pain dies down, I hope to be able to limp my way to school next week. Until then, please contact Andria Spring or Jean-Yves Vesseau if you have any questions or concerns. 

Take care
Ms Carine Capel

Break time snacks

We have always insisted that children should not share their snacks with others on account of allergies. This rule is now more important than ever. Please re-explain it to your children.

If children have an early lunch (see below), please make sure to give them a light morning snack (no cakes, cookies or chips). Some fruit would be enough to tide them over until lunchtime. They will appreciate their lunch all the more if their stomachs are not already full.

Lunch boxes from home

Please ensure that your child’s lunchbox is labelled with their name and class along with their lunchtime. Here are the updated lunch times:

PS & MS: 11am

GS: 11:30am

CP: 12pm

CE1 & CE2: 1pm

CM1 & CM2: 1:30pm

Mask wearing

Wearing a mask at school is obligatory for all students and teachers. 
During sports class, children may remove their masks if they wish to, provided they maintain a distance of 1m 50 from others.
 
In PS, we recommend that students keep their mask on during naptime. If a child’s mask bothers them and prevents them from sleeping, we will move their mattress away from the other children and allow them to remove it.

TES CLC classes

GS to CM2: from Monday 20th April, TES will no longer be mixing students from different Sections for CLC lessons. Two CLC teachers will teach the FS class levels and will differentiate by level groups.

EPC Morning Parent Drop-Off

From Monday 20th April, all students will now be dropped off outside of the glass tube. PS, MS and GS students parents are requested to drop children at the designated drop-off zone to the right of the main entrance. Children are to be handed over to the FS learning assistants/ secretaries - one of whom will accompany the children to their classroom.  After 8:20am, parents will have to call the Section secretary's office to arrange a pick up at the gate. 
CP to CM2 students should proceed to the junior playground as before.

 EPC Afternoon Parent Pick-Up

All students will now be picked up outside of the glass tube from the designated zone at the following schedule:

 PS, MS and GS: 2:55~3:10pm

CP to CM2:  3:15~3:30pm

We ask that parents pick up their child with the acknowledgment of their classroom teacher/learning assistants. All students may only be picked up from the designated zone.

Any students not picked up after 3:10 and 3:30pm respectively will be taken to the Maths room to wait for collection. Parents will be required to go through the screening process before entry.

Monday 20 to Friday 24th April

Mme Capel is absent, please contact Andria Spring or Jean-Yves Vesseau if you have any queries.

Thursday 23rd April

PS to CM2: World book day. Students are invited to come to school dressed up as their favourite character from a book.

Friday 24th April

CE1 to CM2: class-by-class mini Sports Day organised by Bastien in the junior playground.

Cambridge exams postponed until October & November

The university of Cambridge has agreed to postpone this year’s exams until 17 October (YLE - Starters, Movers Flyers, PET & KET) and 14 November (FCE).

If you have already enrolled for the exams and cannot attend the newly scheduled dates, please contact Andria andria.spring@tes.tp.edu.tw

Contributors wanted

Please find a message here from the TES Health and Well-Being team who are looking for families to share their experiences with Covid-19 for their next newsletter.

Monday 20th April

CP to Tle: Spring Poetry competition deadline extended. The template can be found here

A word from the secondary assistant head

Last week’s Google Meet class councils and this week’s middle school class councils provide us with an opportunity to look back at the unique school term we have just finished. During the class councils, we can answer parents' questions about the class as a whole (individual students are discussed separately by the teaching team). For this reason, I would like to invite middle school parents who have any questions or comments about your child’s class and/ or classwork to please share them as soon as possible.  Thank you to the parent representatives of each class for forging the link between the school and the parents.

We are delighted to have 9 weeks of school ahead of us and to be able to reconnect with our students, to get back into familiar teaching and learning patterns and to focus on the acquisition of knowledge and know-how, so that our students are all well-equipped for the coming school year. The class councils will give us an opportunity to set the objectives for the coming weeks. 

Have an excellent first week back at school. Here’s hoping that students and parents enjoy it equally.

Mr Franck Lefèvre

Message from TES Student service

After school Bus new arrangement: starting 20 avril

Bus 24 (Beitou)  and 25 (Shilin): Loading 1 (departure: 3:15pm)

Bus 26 (Tianmu)  and 27  (Dahzi): Loading 2 ( departure: 3:23pm)

2nde & Tle English and Chinese classes after 27 April

Please read this letter from Ms Papps regarding the IGCSE and IB English and Chinese classes after 27 April

Monday 20th April

5ème parents: parent-teacher meetings. Parents concerned will be contacted by email with Google Meet details.

Wednesday 22nd April

4ème 1:45-2:30pm Phase II meeting room: class councils

Thursday 23rd April

5ème 11:15am-12pm Phase II meeting room: class councils

3ème to Tle: choice of educational workshops for the fourth round. Complete the online form.

Friday 24th April

3ème 11:45am-12:30pm Phase II meeting room: class council

6ème 1:45pm-2:30pm Phase II meeting room: class council

6ème to 1ère: report cards on Pronote

3ème & 2nde: return the provisory opinion document from the class councils for the second term, signed by parents.

Saturday 25th April

Tle 9am: IB English classes cancelled

2nde 1pm: IGCSE English classes cancelled

1-4pm ESC canteen phase 1: supervised assessment cancelled 

Monday 27th April

3ème & 1ère: end-of-year exams for English and Chinese. See your teacher for the schedule.

4ème to Tle 8am: deadline to choose 4th pedagogical workshop

Wednesday 29th April

3ème to Tle: 4th round of educational workshops begin

Saturday 9 May

Tle 8:30am-12:30pm ESC meeting room: supervised philosophy assessment