Word from the Primary Head

Dear parents, 

I am delighted to be welcoming the children back to school tomorrow!

There will be a number of healthy and safety measures in place from tomorrow morning onwards. 

Infant parents may continue to drop up and pick up their children at the PS, MS and GS classroom doors are normal. Parents of children from CP to CM2 may not enter the school building. There are no ECAs scheduled to take place at EPC for the time being. 

Tomorrow morning, the class teachers will let the children know the golden rules:

• Wear a mask if you wish

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow

• Wash your hands regularly with soap

• Try not to touch your face

• Don’t put anything in your mouth

• Ask to see the nurse if you don’t feel well

A special thank you to the FSPA for providing each class with timely gifts - homemade animal shaped soap! 

Once again, we really want to thank all parents and families for your understanding and cooperation and for rising to the challenge that the last three weeks have presented. Thanks to the work of the teachers and your commitment we can see the positive side of the home-learning experience: there is a tighter home-school link, individual reading aloud activities allowed for close follow-up, children’s written work improved greatly (as they paid close attention and acted on teacher’s comments) and of course, students became much more savvy IT users!

During the first few days back at school, in the spirit of positive evaluation, we will continue to work on that link between home and school by discussing the work that has been done. The tasks completed during the learning from home period may be built upon and referred to and everyone’s hard work will be praised. 

It will be important during the coming weeks for us to restore the school routine and daily rituals, so that kids can slip back into the reassuring rhythm of school. We have therefore decided to postpone any school outings until the end of March, assemblies and school-wide events have been cancelled for March and April. In order to ensure that we have the most time possible in front of the students, we have added two school days to the academic calendar.

• Friday 27th March. Parent-teacher meetings have been cancelled. 

• Wednesday 1st April: Teacher Training Day (Inset Day) has been cancelled.

Both days are now regular school days. Parents who wish to meet with teachers may contact them directly to organise an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

The ‘My Achievements’ feedback document for the first semester for PS, MS and GS students can be accessed by parents next Monday. In keeping with the instructions from the AEFE and the Office of the French Inspector, we will not be issuing report cards for the second term for CP to CM2 students. On the other hand, we will be issuing the report cards for term 3 earlier than we had scheduled - they will be available to parents on the 26 May and there will be a mention of the Covid-19 virus school closure to explain why there was no term 2 report cards. Parents who are moving on from TES and require a second report card before the 26th May should contact the Head of the French Section for an individual letter for their child. 

As always Min-Hui, myself and the whole team are here to answer any questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or by email. 

Have a good week
Ms Carine Capel

Information from TES for EPC parents.

Please note that  junior students (CP to CM2) should make their way to the junior playground as normal. Their teachers will await them there, not in the class tube as mentioned in this document. 

Wearing a mask is optional for students and staff, however parents and adult visitors to the campus must wear a mask.

Students who take the bus

Parents must take children’s temperature in the morning before they leave their home, and also provide them with a mask for the bus. The mask must be worn during the entire duration of the trip. As usual, eating and drinking is not allowed on the bus.

Canteen

The canteen will also follow safety procedures: tables will be disinfected (with bleach) in the morning and in the afternoon. Children’s hands will be disinfected with alcohol spray before they enter the canteen.

School Pick Up

PS, MS and GS students are to be picked up by their parents at the classroom door at 3pm. Parents are asked to leave the campus as close to 3pm as possible. 

Students from CP to CM2 will await their parents in the area between the glass tube and the security guard’s cabin. Parents turn right after going through the school gate. The parent waiting area for French Section parents is indicated with signs (to the right of the German Section waiting area). 

Map here. 

Calendar changes for February/ March/ April 2020

25 February - PS to CP Carnaval: cancelled 

4 March - CM1 outing to Green World: postponed

12 March - Fobisia Primary: cancelled

16 March - CP to CM2 publication of report cards for term 2: cancelled.

20 March - Primary Music Concert: postponed. New date to be confirmed.

24 March - CE1 to CM2  Sports Day: cancelled 

26 March - PS to CP Sports Day: cancelled 

27 March - PSto CM2 Parent-Teacher Meetings: cancelled

1 April - Staff Inset Day: cancelled. 1st April will be a regular school day 

13 April - CP to CM2 Swimming Lessons: postponed. New date to be confirmed.

22 April -  Earth Day: Green Transport Day as normal

23 April - World Book Day: whole school assembly cancelled. 
23 April -  CP overnight trip to Toucheng Farm: cancelled

25 April - CP to CM2 Coding Afternoon: will take place as normal in small groups. 

From Tuesday 25th February to Tuesday 3rd March

CE1: Valerie absent, replaced by Adrien (adrien.garcia@tes.tp.edu.tw)

Monday 2nd March

PS, MS & GS parents: ‘My Achievements’ document for semester 1 available on TESmile.

Wednesday 4th March

CP2: Sarah absent in the afternoon, replaced by Adrien (adrien.garcia@tes.tp.edu.tw)

CM1: outing to Green World postponed

DELF A1.1 Candidates 1:30pm J-302: exam practice

Thursday 12th March

DELF A1 Candidates 1:30pm J-302: exam practice

Class photos

Pret-a-Portrait have put the individual, class and sibling photos online. You can access them by visiting www.pret-a-portrait.net and logging in with your unique Sitting ID.

If you cannot find the ID, please contact Min-Hui (fssecretary@tes.tp.edu.tw) or Chloe Chen (chloe.chen@tes.tp.edu.tw).

You can purchase digital or paper versions of the photos with a discount that is valid until 6th March. If you have any questions you can contact customerservice@pret-a-portrait.net or call +86 131 2078 2068

Cambridge Exams Update dated 24 February

Cambridge University has now agreed to TES’s request to postpone the Cambridge exams originally scheduled for March. The exams will now all take place at EPC on Saturday 9th May. Please find below the sample papers for each level to practise at home. 

Young Learners English Sample Papers - including Starters, Movers & Flyers (Volume 1 and  Volume 2)

KET Sample Papers

PET Sample Papers

FCE Sample Papers

Tuesday 25th February

PS to Tle: classes resume

Friday 28th February

National holiday: no school

Monday 9th March

CP to Tle: Spring Poetry competition opens

A word from the secondary assistant head

Rarely has a back-to-school been so anticipated, and it is with great pleasure that teachers, students and admin staff are all welcome back at ESC tomorrow. 

A lot of events could not take place during the three weeks of closure: mock exam week, parent-teacher meetings and information evenings, outings etc,. We will try and set new dates for as many of the events as possible, so please keep a watchful eye on this Weekly Memo over the coming weeks so that you are kept abreast of all changes to the school schedule. As for the class councils, which were initially scheduled for mid-March, we will be postponing them to the just before the Spring Break, so that our feedback from the second term can be as detailed as possible and can take into account the work completed by students over the past three weeks. 

At ESC, what has been studied during the home learning period will be taken into account. The assessments that were set during the month of February and those that are still to come will be included in the report cards for the second term, which started in mid-November. If the need arises, teachers will not hesitate to organise one or two remedial sessions for students who struggled with new concepts covered during the home learning period. 

Besides assessments, the most important objective for the month of March is for us to get back into the routine - to take pleasure in doing what is fundamental: in going to class, in listening to what the teachers have to say, in asking questions, in interacting with classmates and in concentrating on precise tasks in a studious environment. It’s what everyone is looking forward to getting back to and it is reassuring to note that the classroom remains a crucial space for acquiring knowledge that cannot be easily replaced by digital tools - no matter how highly performing they may be. 

I would like to conclude by inviting you to reread Mr Gatley’s letter from Friday 21 February about the health and safety procedures to follow and to read this summary of what to expect at the campus doors from tomorrow onwards.

Mr Franck Lefèvre

Parent-teacher meetings cancelled

The parent-teacher meetings organised by TES on 20 February (2nde & Tle), 5 March (5ème & 1ère) and 18 March (6ème & 4ème) are cancelled.

CCAs

Secondary CCAs start on Tuesday 25th February

ESC School Bus Service

About School Bus operations starting Feb 25th , please find below updates. 

Students can check their bus schedule and number on their TESmile for  final confirmation. 

All bus takers must prepare their own masks and have their temperature taken by their parents before leaving home for school. 

Alcohol sprays will be provided on every bus starting Feb 25th. Students are required to wear masks during the entire ride. As usual, food and drink are strictly forbidden on the bus.  

Canteen

Students are required to sanitize their hands before having lunch.

Alcohol spray stands will be set up near the doors of both canteens

For a more secure and hygienic eating environment, we encourage but not mandatory that students bring their own tableware.

After lunch, students will be asked to put their mask back on, sanitize their hands again before leaving the canteen.

Wednesday 26th February

6ème, 5ème & 4ème (enrolled students only) 3ème &  2nde 3:10pm: new cycle of pedagogical workshops begins (see Pronote).

1ère & Tle 3:10-4:30pm : in class (see  Pronote)

Thursday 27th February

3ème & 1ère: outing to the Fine Arts Museum to visit the Taiwan Tales exhibition and to Shinkong Mitsokushi in Xinyi to see “Van Gogh Alive”. 

Students arrive at ESC as normal for their first class at 8am. They will return to EPC by 4:30pm and go home by their own means. Please return the parental authorisation by Wednesday 26 February

6ème to 4ème: report cards for combined classes distributed

Tuesday 3rd March

1ère & Tle Sports Centre meeting room: interview training

1ère 9:30-2pm 
Tle 12:30-2pm
Sandwiches provided

Saturday 7th March

1ère & Tle 8:30am-12:30pm CCIFT: mock interviews

Wednesday 11th March

1ère & Tle 3:10-4:30pm  sports centre : workshops and discussion about sex education.

Thursday 12th March

Tle: deadline to complete Parcoursup