PISA Back in Action with Safety in Mind

It was a cheery Monday morning as students from all ages returned to their beloved school in Setia Alam after a five-month long break from physical learning.

Peninsula International School Australia (PISA)’s Malaysia Campus was delighted to open its doors once again to its multitude of eager students and educators. March 8th saw many smiles, despite being behind masks, around the school grounds, as friends – both students and teachers – were reunited.

Reopening a school amidst a pandemic may not be an easy feat, but with the current SOPs in place, it is now possible. The school day began at PISA with temperature checks in the morning while practicing social distancing, before carrying on with an enthusiastic welcome-back and briefing on the new SOPs by the principal.

“We could see that the students were filled with joy and happiness as they returned to school this morning. It was buzzing with excitement as it had been a while since they had last met each other in person,” said the Principal of PISA, Mr. Guy Cassarchis, sounding just as excited at his first day back at school.

He went on to describe how virtual learning had “created some anxiety”, especially in the younger ones, who tend to fare better with more tangible learning platforms, and the relief on their faces at being back in school was apparent that morning.

The school is now giving extra emphasis on safety, with young children being among the high-risk groups with their higher susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus. This has elevated the need to go above and beyond with keeping the school safe, and ensuring parents that their children are in safe proximities with each other.

As PISA focuses on a progressive visual learning programme which supports students’ social and emotional development, the students are used to in-person interaction with each other and with their teachers. This helps not only to stimulate their social and emotional well-being, but to enhance their mental growth, which in turn leads to better performance in their studies and extra-curricular activities.

Here’s hoping that PISA would continue with their new safety protocols for as long as needed, and maintain the trust of parents by strictly following the SOPs set by the government and their schools, so that learning may resume to its full potential in due time.