Actions in regards to covid-19

Part-time distance learning for secondary students

2020-11-11 The situation with the spread of covid-19 is worsening again and we have had several cases of infections in students and staff at the school.

To halt the development, we have therefore decided to start with part-time distance learning for secondary students;
– in years 2-3 from 16 November
– for year 1 students from November 30.

This applies until 15 January.

Action plan for autumn term 2020

The school year started somewhat different this year, due to the current situation. Only students of year 7 and MYP guardians were invited for the traditional welcome gathering at the school. All other classes had their information meetings online, including our Principal’s welcome speech.

• School Uniform – no student will wear a uniform during the first two weeks of school, as we will hand out the uniforms during that period. The previous schedule for trying on uniforms has been cancelled and replaced with individually booked appointments.
• In case of illness – if a student becomes ill this student must immediately go home to their parents/guardians or Swedish guardians. A separate boarding home will be opened for boarding students who may not have parents/guardians in Sweden and who do not have a Swedish guardian; any sick students will be moved here immediately.
  – Any students who become ill must get tested for covid-19 as soon as possible. In the event of a positive result, students must stay home, alternately in the separate boarding home until they have been symptom free for two (2) days.
  – In case of a negative test result, for example in case of a common cold, the student must stay at home until they feel better and only then return to school.
• Dining Hall – we will be separating the student lunch times into several different buildings at different times. This is to avoid crowding and queuing.
• Café Humlan – fewer students will be permitted in the cafe at the same time.
• We will space out the tables in the classrooms as much as we can to make it as airy as possible.
• We will be using more rooms in order to spread out as much as possible, and, among others, we will use the outdoor classroom.
• Student Lockers – our boarding students will keep their belongings in the boarding homes to minimize crowding by the lockers.
• Hand disinfectant will be available in all classrooms and other areas.
• Aula Assembly – all Aula assemblies are cancelled through the Autumn term.
• School Photos will be scheduled at a later time.
• The school’s sport exchange with Herlufsholm’s Boarding School in Denmark as well as the Autumn term competitions are, regrettably, cancelled. Our other extra curricular activities will follow the rules and recommendations that are in place for Sweden.
• Extra cleaning – our expanded cleaning schelde continues.
• Face Mask – the wearing of a face mask is voluntary. It is up to the individual to get their own face mask if they want to wear it. Each and every person is also responsible to ensure they wear it correctly according to recommendations and that any school rules are still followed.
• Distance Learning will not currently be offered, but it can be something that we may need to return to in the event that the infection rate increases, or if problems arise with public transportation.

We are all very happy to start our new school year. If everyone respects and follows the rules and regulations put in place, it will increase the chances that we can continue to keep the school open. We must all adjust to the current situation and take responsibility.

2020-06-24 Highschool students back on campus from autumn 
2020-05-22 2020 graduation celebrations
2020-05-18 A very different spring term 
2020-04-29 Graduation ceremonies reduced

Boarding houses stay open with remote teaching

2020-04-20 In response to recommendations from the Swedish authorities, our students in the Swedish gymnasium, IB MYP5 and DP are studying from home as of 17 March. This situation is unchanged.

Additionally, we follow the authorities’ guidelines for middle school, which means that students in the Swedish grundskola and IB MYP 2-4 go to school as usual.

Remote lessons and distance learning

2020-03-17  On Wednesday 18th March all lessons for students are cancelled as teachers will be planning for the delivery of remote lessons and distance learning.

• From Thursday 19th March onwards all high school lessons, Swedish high school, MYP5 and DP, will be held remotely.
• Our Middle school students, both Swedish and IB MYP, can choose to attend lessons or continue their studies remotely.

We are doing our best to provide as effective distance learning as possible as well as considering all the possible measures that need to be taken for those students that are remaining at school.
We encourage all our students to continue to take their learning seriously and to be aware that distance learning is very demanding.

Boarding
Our boarding houses are open and extracurricular activities are continuing as normal, as far as possible according to the current situation. We hope that as many boarding students as possible will choose to stay. We plan to increase contact with our house tutors.

High school students, Swedish gymnasium, MYP5 and IB DP
The authorities recommend that all high school introduce distance learning immediately. We have therefore instructed all high school students to stay away from school and study via distance learning.

This is in accordance with the new guidelines from the authorities. For further information please see the internal communication channels, Schoolsoft and Managebac.

Middle school students, Swedish and MYP2-4
The authorities have judged that middle school will remain open for the time being. We therefore see no reason to close the school for year 7-9/MYP2-4. Students who have not chosen to follow distance learning can continue to attend school as normal.

We ask everyone to continue following all the earlier recommendations in order to avoid infection, most importantly stay at home if you show any symptoms or with others in the home that are infected.

Further changes due to covid-19

2020-03-11  SSHL has followed the BSA (Boarding Schools’ Association) recommended guidelines to deal with the threat of Coronavirus. SSHL is consequently taking stricter precautions than those recommended by the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

We have adopted the following policies until further notice:

• Visits to the school are restricted to an absolute minimum.
• Students and staff that have come in direct contact with someone infected by the Coronavirus are to stay at home, away from SSHL, regardless of symptoms.
• As always, anyone who is sick in any way is to stay at home, away from SSHL.

All assemblies and larger gatherings on campus are cancelled until further notice. All types of off-campus events and trips are cancelled, including the NECIS tournament.

Visitors to the SSHL campus
Visitors to SSHL are required to sign a statement confirming that they are not at risk of carrying a COVID-19 infection. Visitors that cannot meet this requirement are asked to postpone or reschedule their visit. The document is to be signed at the reception in Alhem and can be emailed in advance on request.

All the actions needed to manage the situation around the Coronavirus are, of course, very frustrating, but it is part of the school’s preventative work. We are very grateful for your understanding.

More information is available for students and parents/guardians at the schools’ internal channel Schoolsoft.

Regarding the coronavirus disease

2020-03-28  At SSHL, we follow current advice from the BSA Boarding Schools’ Association, with regards to the continued spread of the Coronavirus.

According to the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the risk for a continued spread of the Coronavirus in Sweden is very low. However, as an international boarding school, we have decided to be extra precautious and add additional safety measures.

• We have earlier advised our students not to travel to China, or other areas where authorities assess the risk of exposure to the Coronavirus as high.
• Due to the continued spread of the Coronavirus disease, we now also ask all students who have traveled to Iran, South Korea, northern Italy and Tenerife during the holiday to stay at home or with a guardian, and not go back to school the coming weeks.
• As of Monday 2 March, we also accept no visitors who have traveled to any of the affected regions recently.

We kindly ask that any student or family who has travelled to/from, or have had direct contact with anyone from a Coronavirus affected area, to inform us immediately via info@sshl.se.

We follow the development closely, staying prepared for any changes in the situation.

More information and answers to frequently asked questions are available for students and parents/guardians at the schools’ internal channel Schoolsoft.

All students and staff are asked to stay alert to symptoms such as cough, fever and/or difficulties breathing. If these symptoms occur, the student or member of staff should stay at home and if needed search medical advice via telephone.

When should I stay at home and seek medical advice?

As a day student you should, as always, stay at home if you have symptoms such as cough, fever or other symptoms of illness. If you are ill and any of the below apply, you should also contact Vårdguiden tel no 1177 (Sweden) or your local/regional medical institution by telephone:

• During the past 14 days, you have visited China, Iran, South Korea, northern Italy or any other area infected by the Coronavirus.
• During the past 14 days, you have been in direct contact with anyone from a Coronavirus affected area.