HOPE CONNECT
August 28, 2020
Upcoming Date: September 16 - 18 - Pchum Ben Holiday
Further information has been requested by and submitted to the Ministry this week.
We await (along with Logos) further communication from the Ministry.
A Farewell Message from our Primary Principal,
Damien Gainsford
A massive thank you to all our Teachers, Aides, and support staff for the fantastic start to the school year. Whilst we all agree that the online learning model is not what we would prefer, our staff, both individually and collectively, have engaged your children in a variety of tasks as well as have met with them regularly in Google Meet and Zoom.
As we close in on a physical re-opening of the Campus, please ensure you are staying in touch with the Noticeboard Communication, emails from the school and Facebook posts. There will be explicit instructions given regarding where and when to enter and exit the campus grounds (including health processes like mask wearing and temperature checking, social distancing, etc), where students will eat and have break time and even seating plans. This will all be new to everyone and will require us to learn new ways, so students and staff will need your support, patience, and guidance over the coming days. This will be our new norm for now, to ensure we stay open and safe for your children, and in time these restrictions may ease. I believe, it will be in His time and we must stand strong together until He opens this path.
On a personal note, it was an exceedingly difficult decision to chose not to return to Cambodia. Our entire family was committed to our new lives in Phnom Penh and they are now heartbroken at the realisation that we have decided to remain in Australia. God moves in mysterious ways and I am calmed by this thought and His presence. On behalf of my family I would like to thank all my Primary Team, the Primary families, students and our Khmer staff for their love, support, and acceptance over our short time at HOPE.
Damien Gainsford, Primary Principal
Thank You!
On behalf of the students, staff and parent community I would like to say thank you and wish Damien and family all the very best for the next stage of life's journey. To join the community and journey with us at such an unusual and challenging time was never going to be straightforward, but no one could have anticipated quite how this would play out. We send the whole Gainsford family off with our prayer from Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
For now, if you have any Primary related questions or enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher, or me.
Cheryl Flight, Campus Principal
principal.sec@hope.edu.kh
NOTICE:
No students or children are permitted on campus at any time prior to our physical reopening of school.
If students need material from campus they will need to inform the guard and a staff member will bring the material to you.
If a parent arrives with a student / child, the student / child will be required to sit with a supervising staff member outside of the gate while the parent attends to their matters. OR, a staff member can bring the requested materials out to the parent.
Campus Entry for Resource Pick Up
Before 7:45am - Gate 4 (Black Stream side)
Between 8am - 4pm - Gate 1 (Front Entrance Gate)
A Message from the HOPE School Board
Dear parents and HOPE School community,
Two weeks ago we informed you of the decision made by our current landlord, the Wesleyan Church, to sell the property currently leased by HOPE School in Phnom Penh. The purpose of this communique is to update you on the Board’s steps in responding to this development in accordance with our commitment to keep you abreast of how the situation progresses.
Although our current lease includes safeguards to assure HOPE School of a secure tenancy for the next nine years, we as a Board feel it is important to explore the option of ownership. We want to acknowledge God’s guidance and provision in the formation and growth of HOPE School and we continue to seek His leading as we examine future direction, whether that be purchasing the school or continuation of the current lease arrangement for the next nine years. We ask for your partnership in prayer as we negotiate this uncharted territory.
As referred to in the previous communique, our current landlord, the Wesleyan Board, is required to give HOPE the 'right of first refusal'. Some clarification of what this means may be helpful. In our situation, essentially it provides HOPE School with the first option to make an offer to purchase the property before the Wesleyan Board is entitled to negotiate a sale with a third party. Alternatively, if the Wesleyan Board wanted to make an offer to a potential buyer, they would first be required to extend the same offer to HOPE School. HOPE School’s Board has assigned to our Property Task Force the responsibility of examining the viability of such a purchase.
Already the Property Task Force has begun meeting with experienced business advisors who share HOPE’s vision. Four different property valuations are currently underway, paid for by a donor. The Task Force will essentially examine the viability of different courses of action, their long term implications and make recommendations. This group will next be meeting on 14 September to explore financing options including reaching out to potential donors and to engage in strategic planning. At our next HOPE Board meeting the Task Force will then lay out options and associated risks so we can consider our next steps well-informed.
We are engaging in this process acutely aware of our need for God’s leading and mindful of our school’s purpose and mission. As we are still in the very early stages of this process, we may not be able to answer all of your questions but you are most welcome to make enquiries via email, sent to the Board Secretary at boardsecretary@hope.edu.kh.
The HOPE School Board
TEMPERATURE CHECK AT FRONT GATE
Please assist our staff in this process. If your temperature tests at above 37.5 degrees you will be asked to wait 10 minutes to do a second test. If your temperature is still high you will not be able to enter the campus.
Thank you for your continued support.
Masks
Wearing masks will be required for all who enter the campus the whole time they are on campus.
Health & Wellbeing App
We are launching Pulse (by Educator impact): our new Student Wellbeing and Engagement check in.
On Monday students in Y4-Y12 will receive an information email about the check in process... but in short 60 seconds of their time each week will allow us to hear from all of our students from Year 4 - Year 12. It is an opportunity for students to let us know how they are feeling about school, but also an opportunity to give feedback on other aspects of school, all in around a minute a week.
Identification Cards / Lanyards
Student and Parent ID cards are available for pickup in the HOPE office
Monday - Friday, 8am-4pm
These ID cards are required for entry to campus and are to be worn by everyone on campus at all times
Primary Workpacks
Primary Work Packs are available for pick up every Friday in the office between 8am and 4pm, in preparation for the next week's work while we are still operating online.
Chromebooks
Certain Chrome extensions have been causing problems with Google Meet, particularly on the school Chromebooks. If you have "Virtual Backgrounds for Google Meet" installed (or anything that does something similar) can you please uninstall it.
We are currently collecting a list of approved extensions from teachers. On Monday we will disable all extensions that have not been added to the approved list.
Welcome to our New Faculty Staff
Micah Coats
Physics and Math
Maheira Kasumputri
Math
Daniel Hatch
English
Grace Hatch
English
Tim Hatch
Physical Education &
Christian Perspectives
Paul Hodges
PE / Athletics Director
Mark Twine
Computer Science