Message from the Executive Principal - 10 September 2020

Dear Parents,

We have finished our first full week of the re-opening of the school premises and I want to thank all the students, parents and staff for their wonderful efforts and cooperation. It has been a joyful experience for staff to welcome our students in the morning and to work with them in person. Without students, schools become nothing more than a collection of buildings and offices and lose the special atmosphere which makes schools unique. We are very glad to see you back!

The many regulations from the MoEHE and MoPH whilst at times frustrating, challenging and inconvenient are in place to support the Health & Safety of our communities. We are learning already to adjust to these constraints in the ‘new reality’ and hopefully these restrictions will ease as Qatar moves further into and beyond Phase 4. There are many lessons we have learned during and since lockdown and these will ultimately improve our experiences at school.

I hope you will enjoy reading our first newsletter of 2020/2021 and I look forward to all the achievements and special moments ahead at Oryx International School this year. We are certainly up for the challenge and with your continued support we will ensure the safety of our children and share in their many successes.

Kind regards,

Mr. Derek Laidlaw

Please see, below, the rota of learning for the coming week. When your child is working at home they should be engaging in some interactive ZOOM lessons, as per the timetable, and working on their other assignments on CANVAS.

We have enhanced our live ZOOM sessions which will become more interactive for students at home or joining from outside the country.

We have received most of the return forms sent previously to parents electronically, and I would ask those parents who have not yet returned the forms to do so as soon as possible; in particular, the COVID19 Declaration Form.

If your child, or anyone in your household, becomes infected with coronavirus including COVID19, or is suspected or develops symptoms, you should contact the school nurse Julie.gano@oryxschool.qa immediately. You are also required to send a medical exemption certificate stating the reason and length of quarantine / isolation. Your child must then obtain a ‘back to school’ certificate before they can attend school.

Our start and end of the day procedures are working very well and I am grateful to parents for their cooperation. Any children who are collected ‘late’ will be recorded as the MoEHE has made it clear that schools are not allowed to have children in school, before or after the official school day. If you have an emergency problem collecting your child, please contact reception beforehand on 4036 6820.