Back to School Plan

immediately following the end of the prior school year, a pre-planning task force was created that reflected the new leadership team. it was a necessary early start in order to plan for the upcoming challenges of our displaced faculty due to China’s closed border and to develop a series of communications regarding the Back to School Plan. The preplanning task force worked throughout the summer, monitoring the fluid situation and scenario planning for all possible contingencies. Four communications were shared with the AISG community over the summer, with more detailed information about specific elements as the context became clearer. the scaffolded communication was in line with the philosophy of providing regular, factual and verified information, which offered the needed transparency to the AISG community during these uncertain times. in addition, outreach and maintaining a connected community were important factors of understanding the plan so mr. Baker hosted several town hall meetings, and the leadership team answered all questions that were received via the dedicated email address, prepare@aisgz.org.

The COVID-19 crisis called for a Back to School Plan that prioritized the health and safety of our community and allowed for flexibility and transparency while staying true to our mission and vision.

With the border remaining closed, the final decision was to initially start the school year with hybrid learning. this was a mixture of in-person learning and online learning that prioritized the continuation of providing a highquality learning experience for students both on and off campus. students on campus followed a set schedule with teachers providing a combination of face-to-face and digital experiences throughout the day. this allowed us to take advantage of our talented teachers who were still overseas as well as those who were on site in Guangzhou. Students who are unable to physically be on campus participated virtually in an online or distanced learning environment. Students attended school virtually with synchronous and/or asynchronous lessons, assignments, and projects. online learning provided the flexibility for students/families to complete asynchronous activities and assignments according to their time zone.