Mariam Al Batool School’s Covid-19 Basic Protocol

Brian Vassallo | News-Archives

MARIAM AL BATOOL SCHOOL
COVID-19 GUIDELINES
Re-opening of School
September 2020

8th September, 2020.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Hope this note finds you and your families in the best of health. As you are aware, scholastic year 2020-21 will commence on Wednesday 30th September, 2020 for primary students and Monday 5th October for kindergarten pupils. I, together with all the staff at Mariam Al Batool School, are looking forward to welcoming your children back to school.

These past months were both extraordinary and challenging, and we did our utmost to continue providing the students with high quality education, given the circumstances. The same goes for the re-opening of the school. Our desire is to provide a fulfilling educational journey to our students, as well as taking their health and safety seriously. For this reason, I am sending you the school’s Covid-19 basic protocol which the school will be implementing for the re-opening of the school. Your cooperation is of utmost importance. While I encourage you to read it carefully, I thank you in advance.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Kenneth Busutti

With regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, the school has incurred additional costs related to hygiene. This is understandable, given the current situation. However, the school’s administration would like to make it clear that the following protocol should be adhered to for the health and safety of every individual connected to the school, including the students, staff members and parents. Kindly be aware that the situation is very fluid. We have taken note of the procedures being followed by the relevant authorities. These guidelines are in force until further notice.


SCHOOL RE-OPENING

1. Basic hygiene: includes temperature checks, physical distancing, handwashing, cleaning of desks, chairs, knobs, railings, and all surfaces.

2. Sickness policy: DO NOT send your child to school if he/she shows signs of illness. Temperature should be taken before the child leaves home. Please check your child daily for these symptoms:

 A temperature of 37.2℃  Sore Throat  New uncontrolled cough (for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline)

 Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain

 New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever. If the child exhibits any sickness symptoms, the school will phone the parents/ guardians. The child will be kept out of the classroom, in isolation until the parent collects the child. The sick child has to be picked up immediately. Staff members are not allowed to give medicine. No child will be admitted back to school, without a clearance certificate from a doctor.

3. The school is not responsible for individuals who enter the school, and who do not form part of the school community, that is: staff members, students or parents.


4. Students are to bring their own personal hand sanitizers, masks/visors and labelled water bottles. The school’s drinking water fountains will be forbidden.

5. HW: this is to be given and received online. The HW is to be corrected by the students in class or online. Textbook use is to be kept at a minimum. Softcopies will be encouraged.

6. Upon arrival at school, the students will have their temperature checked. All students, including those that arrive by van and those dropped off by parents, are to enter the school through the brown door at KG level (through the yard). These will have their temperature checked by the supervising educators. Students are to enter their respective classrooms. There will be educators supervising on each floor. The same procedure applies to dismissal.

7. There will be no mass gatherings, including assemblies, outings, and special occasions.

8. Break times will be staggered across year groups.

9. Temperature checks will be done by the class teachers upon dismissal from class.

10. Parents will not be allowed to enter the school premises, except with a permission in particular circumstances. Parents’ meetings will strictly be held online until further notice.

11. Students will need to wear masks/visors at all times, except during lessons and when taking their break in the yard.


Sickness policy in case of a positive Covid-19 test: The school is to inform the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit. 14 days of quarantine apply, together with a clearance certificate from the Unit for admittance to school. Should the need arise, contact tracing will be done by the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit. Your duty is to inform the school immediately if a member of your own household has tested positive.


Protocols by sector:
Kindergarten (1 & 2)

 Students will be grouped in bubbles. The number of students in a bubble is still to be decided, following the guidelines from the Health Authorities.

 Parents please check the temperature of your children in the morning prior to bringing them to school.

 The classroom set up will be different. All resources, indoor and outdoor, will be used by rotation and will be sanitized after each use.

 Hand sanitizer – parents have to provide a labelled hand sanitizer/alcohol rub. This is to stay in class and will be handled by the class teacher.

 Parent/Teacher communication will be solely online.  Attendance will be taken daily as usual.


Primary (Years 1 -6)

 Parents please check the temperature of your children in the morning prior to bringing them to school.

 Hand sanitizer – parents have to provide a labelled hand sanitizer/alcohol rub. This is to stay in class and will be handled by the class teacher.

 Routine hand washing will be in place.

 Parent/Teacher communication will be solely online.

 Parents are not allowed to enter the school.  Attendance will be taken daily as usual.

 One-way movement in corridors and stairwells.

 Online resources will be used as much as possible. The use of books and hard copy resources will be limited.

 Hands have to be sanitized before and after every lesson.

Vacancy: Primary School Teacher (Junior Years)

Brian Vassallo | News-Archives


Mariam Al Batool School is inviting applications for the post of Primary School Teacher (Junior Years). Applicants must be in possession of B.Ed (Hons) Primary (Early Years) or MTL or equivalent qualifications. Applicants are to send their c.v. together with photocopies of qualifications to The Headmaster, Mariam Al Batool School, Dom Mintoff Road Paola or by e-mail to info@mariamalbatool.com. Applications are to reach the school by not later than 22nd June 2022.

Thank you.

The School Administration

Message from Head of School- Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, Circulars- Archive, Events- Archive, News-Archives

Dear Parents,

with this message I would like to show my heartfelt thanks towards your cooperation and collaboration throughout this extraordinary scholastic year, especially during the last months we worked from home.Kudos to you for the initiative and dedication you showed towards your children. I fully understand the sacrifices you had to make for your children not only because of your belief in them but also because of your honest wish to see them move forward.I wish you all the best for the summer holidays, and please encourage your children to revise and read.God willing, we will be meeting again next September.

Take care and kind regards,

Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Head of School

Parents’ Day June 2020

Brian Vassallo | News-Archives

Dear Parents,

Hope that you and your families are doing well.

This note is to inform you that up until the end of June, educators from KG to Year 6 have been asked to make contact with you in order to give feedback on the progress of your child during this scholastic year.At this stage, due to logistic issues, contact is going to be made by the class teachers. For this reason, subject teachers who wish to pass comments about something in particular, will make contact with the class teacher.Regarding mode of delivery, each teacher will use his/her own choice of media, such as by telephone, email, Messenger, Zoom, etc…I would also like to remind you that in the absence of exams, for this year, online lessons will continue up to the end of the scholastic year. In our case, the last day of contact with students is Friday 26th June. During the last week (form the 22nd June to the 26th), teachers will be working on students’ assessments too. Therefore, kindly understand that contact with students will be minimal.Thank you for your attention.

Kind regards,

Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Head of School

Eid El-Fitr Message from Head of School

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, Circulars- Archive, Events- Archive, News-Archives

Dear parents,

First and foremost I hope that you are fine and in the best of health.

I would like to wish a Happy Eid to you and your families. May you all celebrate this lovely and meaningful time with your families and friends.

Please note that there will be no lessons on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th May as these are Eid holidays for the children.

Thanks for your attention and may the goodness of Eid al-Fitr remains there to inspire you to live each day of your life with love and care. Eid Mubarak to all!

Kind regards,

Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Head of School

Government subsidy for Mariam Albatool School

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, Circulars- Archive, News-Archives

Dear parents,

I hope that you are fine and in the best of health.

During the past years, the government of Malta has always supported Mariam Albatool School through a financial package every year. As you are all aware, at the moment we are facing an extraordinary time because of the Covid-19 situation and because of these circumstances, our school will also be receiving additional financial aid by the Maltese government. In concrete terms and as recently stated, parental fees will be reduced by 35% .

The government will in turn be subsidising the salaries of every staff member. I fully understand that the current situation is difficult, so much so that I am aware that a number of parents have had a substantial reduction in income. However, with these measures in place and with your contributions, the school will be in a much better position to continue functioning. 

During the holy month of Ramadan, I wish you all the best! May Allah ease your hardships and shower you with loads of peace and prosperity. Have a blessed time and Ramadan Mubarak to all!

Thanks for your attention and cooperation. Please send my best regards to your children and tell them that I am missing them. Remind them to read, study and revise regularly. May Allah guide them and bless them all.

Take care and stay safe!

Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Head of School

Message from Head of School

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, Events- Archive, News-Archives

Dear Parents,

First and foremost, I hope that you and your families are well. I still emphasise to stay at home as much as possible. Unfortunately, we are still far away from the closure of this gloomy phase!

This note is to inform you about these issues:

(1) End-of-year assessment will include the tasks being done online. For this reason, I encourage all students to participate in these lessons.

(2) All our teachers are working online. As Head of School, please bear in mind that I cannot oblige teachers to use a specific online platform. The most important thing is that teaching and learning is ongoing and being followed. Everyone has his/her own methods to get the message across.

I have been receiving messages from various parents – those that feel that they need more work, while others think that the work being given is too much. I recommend that you keep direct contact with the teachers to discuss the specific needs of your children.

(3) School will be closed for the Spring Break between the 8th and 17th April. During this period, work will not be given. School commences on Monday 20th April.

(4) Please appreciate that fees need to be collected. It is important to understand that teachers are still doing their job and delivering lessons and therefore the school has to pay the teachers. Unfortunately, the school is not in a position to waive the fees and if the fees are not collected, the future of the school will be at stake.

Having said that, those parents who had a reduction in their income, are being asked to pay the amount they can afford, and then settle any outstanding debits after the pandemic is over.

Thank you for your kind attention. Take care and stay safe!

Best regards,

Mr Kenneth Busuttil

Head of School

Message from Head of School

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, News-Archives, Y1- Archive

Dear Parents,
Hope you and your families are keeping well.
This note is to inform you that the school will remain closed for this scholastic year to combat the spread of Covid-19. The plan right now is to have schools re-opened next September.
Educators at Mariam Albatool will continue delivering their lessons online, as is happening at present. This process will come to an end in June.
Kindly inform the teachers directly if you encounter any difficulties. Students are highly encouraged to do their work and revise regularly because as a general rule, children are not expected to repeat this scholastic year.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.


Kind regards,
Mr Kenneth Busuttil
Head of School

Important Message from the School Administration

Brian Vassallo | Admin- Archives, Circulars- Archive, Events- Archive, News-Archives

As Salaamu Alaikom wa Rahmatullah,                                                                            circular12/2019-20

Dear Parents’

Following the directive from the Government on 12th March 2020, MARIAM ALBATOOL School closed on Friday 13th March and will remain closed until further notice.

How will we stay in touch while school is closed? Throughout the school closure we will keep in regular contact with parents by email (albatool@melita,com; info@mariamalbatool.com) and by phone, 21664791, 21820644. Mr. Kenneth will be in his office every Tuesday and Ms Debbie every Thursday. The secretaries’ office will be open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 0900hrs till 1200hrs, while you may contact Mr. Brian on the school’s facebook page ~ Mariam Albatool School or the website:  www.mariamalbatool.com.

How will the school deliver a continued education to my child during closure? Many of you and your children will have received emails from teachers piloting teaching methods, giving instructions and generally setting things up. We are working hard with a common goal that is to ensure that our students continue with their education. Our teachers and Learning Support Educators are constantly providing online lessons while sending and receiving students’ work on their class facebook page and other mediums. Please ensure that your child is daily accessing the class page and is in regular contact with his or her teachers.

Will my school fees be affected? There will be no change to the fees payable for pupils. I am sure you can understand that the closure happened as a result of a  Force Majeure (i.e, circumstances beyond our control). Notwithstanding this our teachers and LSEs are doing their utmost in order that your children continue to receive their education. Therefore kindly take this as a formal reminder that the fees for the third term are now due. It is appreciated that for the safety of all, payment is effected online or deposited at the bank in order that we limit contact (details hereunder). Should this not be possible, you may effect payment at the secretaries’ office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We kindly appreciate that you produce the exact amount as we may not have change. Also kindly observe the distance of at least one metre between one person and the other as recommended by the Health Dept.

We are expecting your total commitment and cooperation and thanking you in advance for your payments. The school is in dire need of the fees and failing to effect payment may inhibit the children’s education. While we appreciate wholeheartedly the ongoing Government’s financial assistance to the school the expenses cannot be covered without your payments and contributions.

In these difficult, anxious and stressful times, Mariam Albatool will be there for you and your children, providing a sense of continuity and stability.

Please try to stay well and stay at home.

Ms. Simone Palmier Arab

for The School Administration

BANK DETAILS:

BANK ACCOUNT NAME: MARIAM ALBATOOL SCHOOL;  

ACCOUNT NO.: 40010083035;

IBAN:             MT07VALL22013000000040010083035

ADDRESS: BANK OF VALLETTA 212/215 MARINA STREET PIETA PTA9041 MALTA