COVID 19

COVID 19 has changed the way we look at education

COVID 19

COVID 19 has changed the way we look at education, forcing a move toward more online and flexible learning and making schools adapt rapidly to meet the changing needs of teachers and children who haven’t known from one week to the next whether they will meet in a classroom with their friends or through a screen at home.  

Green Shoots is prepared for further disruption, if it comes, and has used the lessons learned from the pandemic to increase older students access to online learning so that they are well prepared for the changing world of higher education when they leave our school.

Online Learning

Green Shoots’ first online learning programme launched when the school received two days’ notice to move online in early 2020. Taking advantage of government permission to continue operating a bus service, it developed a system combining online teaching with physical resource packs for students. 

  • Early Years children received regularly alternated Activity Boxes containing themed toys and creative resources for use in conjunction with teacher-generated video content
  • Primary children had scheduled online lessons (group and individual) with classroom and specialist teachers which were supported using worksheets and other printed resources delivered to their door. Practical resources delivered to the home supported home-based experimentation and scientific discovery.
  • Secondary students shared group lessons online, expanded their use of web-based collaborative learning tools, and used ‘drop-in labs’ with teachers where individual support was needed to keep learning on track. 
  • Students of all ages had access to a pop-up mobile library that regularly delivered a selection of books from the school library.

The system grew organically during the three-month lockdown and, once on-campus learning resumed, was developed further to ensure that Green Shoots is now fully prepared for more online learning if needed. 

The school does not offer a hybrid online/on-campus option for students wishing to learn from home. Please contact us if you would like to know more about Green Shoots’ preparation for further COVID closures.

Pastoral Support

Being separated from friends and adjusting to new routines at home can be stressful for children and hard work for their parents. The early experiences of COVID closures made us all understand this. 

Green Shoots was proactive in providing emotional and pastoral support to students when our campus was closed for three months in 2020, and the lessons we learned during that time prepared us for future closures. If we have to close our doors again, we will:

  • Share information and links to resources that help children and parents cope with isolation, anxiety, loneliness and the other impacts of home-learning
  • Offer students one-on-one online support sessions with our counsellor 
  • Ensure that sport and art are scheduled into our online programme to help children maintain their physical health, keep their creative juices flowing, and have fun with their peers
  • Schedule weekly advisory periods for secondary students, and joint parent/teacher/student sessions at the primary level during which participants can discuss issues of concern
  • Provide space for parents to talk with each other and to school leaders, either online or face-to-face (dependent on any social distancing controls in place at the time)
  • Consider other measures if new areas of pastoral concern emerge 

Campus Safety

While the spread of COVID 19 remains a concern within Vietnam, Green Shoots will retain a series of hygiene and safety measures that it first put in place in response to government requirements for schools. These include:

  • Temperature checks upon entry onto campus
  • Limited access to campus for visitors and parents 
  • Mask wearing requirement for all visitors and parents 
  • Signing in and out for those who visit the campus, so that contract tracing can be carried out quickly and effectively if needed
  • Regular hand washing by all students and staff, and age-appropriate reminders of the importance of cleanliness 
  • Ongoing oversight of food hygiene and protocols to prevent contamination or infection via shared utensils
  • Mask wearing on school buses