Dear Stonehill Community, With the recent surge of Covid cases in Bangalore, the Stonehill Covid Task Force team continues to provide support to our staff and contractors to ensure that Covid protocols are being followed and suspected Covid cases are being reported. By providing awareness sessions, weekly check-ins, psychological support, medical advice and resource assistance, our Covid Task Force team aims to protect the health and safety of our community. Our leadership teams have updated the Reopening Handbook for our eventual reopening in the next academic year. The current lockdown has given cause for further reflection. In a recent Tes survey published by NEASC, that included both US private schools and international schools, 92% of teachers responded that the pandemic has left them exhausted, and only 8% stated that they were okay. I know, with the families I have spoken to, many feel the same. However, on a positive note, we continue to grow and develop and as we discover new ways of doing things. As Indian author, Arundhati Roy, recently stated that “historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one (Covid pandemic) is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” At Stonehill, we have chosen to learn from the pandemic and innovatively use our experiences and challenges to prepare for the next reality in a post-Covid world. In the next edition of the Tiger, I will share the three big ideas that have framed our discussions from what we have learned from our experiences and challenges over the last fifteen months. This framework will be vital as we enter a gateway that will continue to fortify our community as a top quality IB school in Bangalore. In these difficult times, I’d like to wish our community a healthy and safe week ahead. Dr.Brian Brumsickle Head Of School |