We have just been informed by the Education Department of the Cabinet decision to close all schools and nurseries in the TCI with effect from 3.20PM on Friday 20th March. Schools are scheduled to re-open on the morning of Monday 20th April; however, this will be subject to review. Government continues to inform us that there are still no cases of coronavirus in the TCI and that the closure of schools is a precautionary measure.

As of today, following government guidelines, and until further notice, there will be no after-school activities at the Collegiate. All students must be collected from school by 3.45PM, and the school gates will be locked at 4.30PM. This is to ensure that none of our students are congregating on campus after hours, and as an obvious deterrent to those not connected to the Collegiate, especially in the current climate, that they may not enter the school. We regret that former students of ours who may have returned to Providenciales for their Spring Break, will not be allowed admittance to our campus.

In the light of the school closure, we are bound to cancel the Yrs 12 and 13 Parents Evening scheduled on 26th March and the Yr 11 Parents Evening due on 2nd April. This also means that our Sixth Form Open Forum, advertised for 28th March, is also postponed until further notice.

Last Friday, we tested our teaching and learning contingency plan by having all students log in to their new @bwic.tc email address under staff supervision in the ICT Lab. From today, we have asked that all staff set homework for their classes using the email system, so that teachers and students become used to the process this week. From Friday, staff will use the same email system as their primary means of conducting asynchronous digital lessons. This means that lessons will take place, but students and parents should not expect them to occur at the same time as their normal face-to-face classes. Students are expected to follow all instructions from their teachers and to respond to the assignments set by the deadlines given. While some work will be in a format that students can easily email back (e.g. Word, Excel), other work may be better returned to the teacher as an image. This may be done as a photograph taken by smart phone, or by using a scan app designed specifically for the Android or iPhone.

In summary, our campus may be closed, but teaching and learning will still continue using the flexibility of digital media. Whether on island or elsewhere, your child’s schooling is still being provided for through ‘anytime, anywhere learning’.

We wish you all well as we face this month of social distancing – something we should all be doing whether imposed upon us or not. We look forward to everyone’s collaboration in these challenging times, and to a happy and healthy return to normality soon.

God bless! Stay safe!

With best regards,

Mr Anthony Wilkinson

Vice-Principal