News

Dear parents and guardians in the Secondary Department,                        

I hope this letter finds you and your family well and hope you are managing the challenging times we are currently living in. Information about the COVID-19 situation changes daily and it impacts our lives greatly. One of the recent announcements from the Ministry of Education in Kuwait is that students will not be returning to school in September and October, as previously thought. At this time, an alternate return date has not been determined. Kuwait National English School has been working diligently to deliver an efficient distance learning.

I am writing today to reinforce our plan for distance learning which our staff are working hard on. We ask for your patience as we work through these challenges. During this time of social distancing and uncertainty, we want to ensure that each of our secondary students continue to have access to a high-quality curriculum, teaching, and assignments. The secondary team would like you to know that we will continue to offer educational plans, activities, and assignments for students to work on. We are delivering instructions through a virtual learning environment and we need your support to ensure the success of our efforts!

Please take a moment to review our plan below and talk with your child about the importance of continuing their education during this time:

Ø E-Learning platform: All subjects are being taught through Microsoft Education. To engage in online learning at home, students will need access to a computer or IPad (or similar), with internet access.

Ø Logins and passwords to access Microsoft Education: We ensure that students have the necessary logins and passwords to connect with KNES Microsoft Education. Students should login each day for their lessons and to check for assignments and instructions from their teacher.

Ø September13, 2020 formal time table and formal e-lessons: Since Sunday September 13, 2020 online teaching has started for the first term of the academic year 2020/2021. A formal timetable has been given to all our students. Instructional videos have been uploaded by teachers. Currently, all our teachers report to work in the school premises, teaching on-line. Teachers are uploading assignments, homework, and relevant resources. Face to face lessons is not allowed until the Kuwaiti Government advises us otherwise. Teachers have been posting relevant supplemental materials to support students with instructional delivery of content such as annotated notes, PowerPoint presentations and website links. Students will need to complete all required assignments and submit these as directed by their teachers. Students in the secondary department are expected to spend 5 hours each day in their virtual timetabled synchronised classes with their subject specialist and spend an additional hour working independently. We know that this is sometimes difficult, however, Examination boards from the United Kingdom still require schools to meet the number of hours of learning before students can registered for external examinations. Our teaching staff are available from 8:30 am – 1:20 pm to teach our students online. They will also monitor and respond to students’ emails from 7:00 am until 3:00 pm every day, regarding questions about assignments and instructional materials.

Ø Questions and Answers (1:30 pm – 2:30 pm): Furthermore, from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm (working days), staff are online to answer questions from our students. etc.

Ø Textbooks: It is essential that students have their appropriate textbooks and other required learning materials. If a student does not have appropriate textbooks and other required learning materials at home, they will need to purchase these materials.

Ø Health and Safety of our students: The health and safety of our students and staff is always our number one priority. We are working hard to provide and support distance learning for our students.

Ø Instagram: If you have not accessed our Histogram, I encourage you to do so. This is where we post urgent updates about Covid-19 and other potentially helpful information about the school.

We look forward to working with you as we all tackle this challenge.  If you have other questions, you can reach out to our receptionist.

Sincerely,

Dr. Raouf Khodabocus, BSc, MSc, PhD, FCIC (Canada)

Head of Secondary, Kuwait National English School