Corona Update

Self Testing
There is a three-test requirement for the two weeks following the vacation (Oct 25 - Nov 5). Those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered do not need to test. After the two weeks of special measures, testing resumes twice weekly when the seven-day incidence in Dresden is above 10. If it is below that, it is sufficient to provide proof of testing once a week. The seven-day incidence rate in Dresden is currently 160.

Current School Operations
SECONDARY SCHOOL: Grade 6-12 will be required to wear masks during lessons if the infection rate is above 35. 

In the new Saxony regulations, it states that from November 8 on mask-wearing in class is not required any longer. We are currently in consultation with the authorities as to whether this date also applies to us or whether the mask requirement will be waived as early as November 1 due to our earlier Fall Break. We will inform you about the decision end of next week. 

PRIMARY SCHOOL: K5 students and students Grade 1-4 will not be required to wear masks in class. Grade 5 will not be required to wear masks during lessons because the classes are still part of the Primary School. After School Care will be provided for free.

PRESCHOOL: Regular schedule (7:30 - 18:00). Preschool students will not be required to wear masks.

When school reopens for students, parents will be permitted to enter both campuses for drop off for a maximum of 10 minutes. 

For presence on campus for school events (i.e. music performances, sports events, parent information workshops) longer than 10 minutes parents must have a valid certificate as proof of a negative Covid (antigen) test or proof of vaccination/recovery.  

Entry to the school building for a one to one meeting beyond 10 minutes must be arranged in advance with the teacher or Principal and 3G rule does not apply. In one to one parent/teacher meetings, masks can be removed if 1.5m distance can be guaranteed and maintained. Mask use continues to be recommended.

The State Minister for Saxony has indicated that schools will remain open depending on the level of infection rates. We remain in contact with the responsible German and Saxon authorities. Information displayed on this page will be updated regularly as new data is received. DIS families are recommended to monitor their email accounts for further updates.

Self-Testing

Grade 5-12
Our students (Grades 5-12) and staff who is not vaccinated or recovered are required to mandatory self-testing. Students will take an antigen/quicktest twice a week when the Covid incidence is above 10 and once a week when it is below 10. We are testing on Mondays and Thursdays. Testing is mandatory to permit school attendance for Grade 5-12 students. Students already fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid will not be required to take regular antigen tests. Proof must be submitted to the Advisory teacher and Secondary Principal Assistant Ms. Stasik. A permission form must be signed by parents to give the school your agreement for testing to take place. All important details and the "Student Consent Form" have been shared with parents via email. 

Grade 1-4
We will be testing unvaccinated staff and Grade 1-5 students twice a week when the Covid incidence is above 10 and once a week when it is below 10.We are testing on Mondays and Thursdays. It is mandatory that you give your child the signed "Student Consent Form"  (or English translation) to take the self-test. The form includes information about the self-test. Students already fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid will not be required to take regular antigen tests. Proof must be submitted to the Homeroom teacher and Primary Principal Assistant Ms. Arvanitis-Dunkel. All details were shared via email. 

Coronavirus Infection

If your child or family is concerned with attending school due to possible Covid infection if they are sick, waiting for a Covid test result or has come into contact with a confirmed Covid case, then it is important to share this with the school to seek guidance. In some cases guidance should be provided by the health authority (Gesundheitsamt) with clear advice. However, it is recommended that your child's Principal, Ms. Beth Dressler (Preschool, Grade K-5) or Ms. Jennifer Tickle (Grade 6-12), is contacted first.

Further information on the procedures for dealing with cases of Coronavirus infection in schools are listed below for your guidance.

Process Covid Infection Prozess Covid-Infektion

No Permission

Please note that it is not permitted for any staff, student, or visitor to enter the school who:

  • has a SARS-CoV-2 infection,

  • had contact category 1 with an infected person during the past 14 days. Proof of completing a period of quarantine as determined by the Gesundheitsamt  is required to enable students to return on campus (student) or a negative Covid test result (staff).

  • currently shows symptoms (e.g. cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhea). 

  • has returned from the countries or regions classified as a risk area according to the Robert Koch Institut (RKI) within the last 14 days. Proof of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test and proof of completing the relevant quarantine period as required by the prevailing health regulations would enable a person to enter the school. Details on the specific countries or areas defined as risk areas can be found on the RKI website (in German and English - scroll down to the archive section for the English version) using the following link: (https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html).

DIS Hygiene Regulations

Please read the DIS Coronavirus Hygiene Plan which is consistent with the requirements of the Saxony state health regulations for schools (see Downloads). In doing so our aim is to provide the best possible care for your children and to ensure the health and well-being of our community. Being back at DIS campus is also guided by the principle to protect the health and safety of students and staff. 

Continuous Learning

Our off-campus continuous learning takes place during school closure. We are going to use the phrase ‘continuous learning’ because this places the emphasis on all aspects of learning during a school closure rather than just working online. 

Secondary School students will have a ‘normal’ school day with students expected to sign in for advisory and classes via Google classroom, following their regular timetable for now. A lesson will last for thirty minutes to allow students time to have screen breaks between lessons, and there will be no home learning set. Teachers will be available via Meet throughout each 30 minute period.

Primary School students will have a ‘normal’ school day with students and teachers learning online. Each day will start with a morning message posted online from teachers with instructions on the day's learning. We improved our delivery of virtual learning by adding opportunities for K5 to Grade 5 students to have synchronous (in real-time) lessons with their teachers.

Preschool will access engagements via Google Sites.  

The goal is to carry on learning, but not necessarily replicate a traditional school day as per the timetable. Students should be able to independently extend their learning with the direction of the teacher and with some parental support for younger learners. Staff contact parents and students via class website, Seesaw, Google Classroom, email and Managebac. 

 

After School Care

Starting on August 18

School Care (Primary School)

  • We again offer before school care from 7:00 for Grades 1-5 and from 7:30 for K5 students. 

  • Afternoon school care will be provided for students in K5 to Grade 5. Students will be separated according to grade level clusters to maintain strict separation.

  • After school care will be provided from 15:15 (14:30 on Tues) to 18:00.

  • Children in after school care can be picked up via the side gate near the bike parking.

Action required: 
It is mandatory for parents to register their child for school care. This allows us to plan and to have a record of who was on campus. It is important for our tracking and tracing procedures. 

Registration School Care

Helpful Tips

We know that this time is causing uncertainty, worry, and some confusion about what will happen and you are thinking not only about your child’s education but also about the world health situation. In times of crisis, it is important to maintain routines and habits for your children. We hope that our online learning platforms will help to provide some structure to your family’s day.

This article from NPR offers some balanced views about parenting during this time of campus closure.

Again, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Our team at DIS is well prepared to help and assist if needed. We are here for you. If you need help, please speak to a teacher, connect through email or hang outs. Let us know how you are doing. Our teachers are here and counselors are around. Reach out to them. 

Secondary Counselor: Ms Eleanor Wallace, ewallace[at]dresden-is.de 

Primary Counselor: Dr. Elaine Dolan, edolan[at]dresden-is.de

Useful Resources