don't think, just post, she says. Okay.
"Don't think, just post," says 
drinkingcocoa . Okay.
There's too much to tell for a list, so I'll go subject by subject. There's things I definitely want to say, and things I definitely need to tell, but I'm not going to go in any particular order, so here we go.
Part of the reason I haven't been posting much in the last few months is because I've found it increasingly difficult to talk about what life is like for us during the pandemic. That isn't because life has been particularly hard - but in fact, because it hasn't. We've been extraordinarily lucky so far, in that we've been able to keep to something approximating normal.
Part of that is because Poland locked down fast and tight at the beginning, a year ago, and the numbers in Europe remained okay throughout the summer. But largely, it's because the kids were able to return to school in August, and for the most part, have continued going to school - even when a lot of the schools in Poland closed. The school put in various protocals from the beginning of the year - beginning with testing every. single. person at the beginning at the school year - and not letting a single person in the door who didn't have a negative covid test on record.
(To clarify: this is not the PCR test that goes all the way up your nose; it's the lesser version, with a q-tip, that goes maybe a half inch up. Still not pleasant, but I've seen both boys take them now, and neither even bat an eye. It's very quick, and they do the testing in batches, so you get results in 20 minutes.)
The tests continue - staff, students, cafeteria ladies, bus drivers, janitors, anyone who spends any amount of time on campus at all. At least once a week at first, and lately, twice a week, every person gets a mandatory tickle test, and if yours is negative... you're out for two weeks, minimum, with re-entry testing at the end of your quarantine.
None of the grades mix, except for siblings and on the buses. Everyone wears masks at all times, except for meals. Lunch is in their classrooms at their desks - there's no cafeteria service for anyone. After school activities are on - but within grades only. No field trips. No assemblies. No sports games with other schools.
The rules have shifted since the beginning of the year too, as new information pops up. Everyone has to fill out an online form every morning, listing daily temperature and confirming that there has been no exposure to confirmed covid cases or even suspected covid cases. Every kid has their temperature checked every morning on arrival. If someone has a positive case, the entire family (regardless of test result) is kept out of school for two weeks. If you're a close contact, you're kept out of school for a week. If you have symptoms, you're out of school for three days or until symptoms disappear.
And anyone who misses school for any reason - you have to retest before you can return. Period. No exceptions.
It's strict, but it's working. There have been maybe 100 positive tests across the school since August - but very, very few outbreaks within classrooms or cohorts. There's been a few cases where an entire grade has been kept out of school for overexposure for a day or two - but usually no more than a week. We've been really lucky, and neither the kindergarten (Charlie) or the 5th grade (Andrew) has had to deal with that yet. We had some close calls - but none close enough that the boys had to remain out of school while the rest of their friends kept going.
The entire school went virtual for one week following Christmas break, so that there was time to test everyone twice before they walked in the door. And they went virtual again for two days before Easter break last week, because Poland's numbers are skyrocketing and there'd been an outbreak in the high school at the same time. But otherwise, no full-school virtual for a while.
And it's been great... but at the same time, I know we've been so, so privileged in having it. Even here, because for the most part, schools in Poland have been closed since October. They finally shut down the preschools and kindergartens last week, too. There's been a few weeks where the boys' school was literally the only school in Poland still operating... and I'm pretty sure the reason is because the government just hadn't noticed.
(Though to be fair... with the amount of testing going on, school was probably the safer place to be. I cannot tell you how many of my kids' classmates had travel plans this week - and not just to the other side of the country either, we're talking people flying to Costa Rica and Dubai and Greece and so on.)
On the whole, it's incredible. It's an outrageous amount of work and resources to keep a very small number of people working and learning - because omg, I don't even want to think about how much this is costing (we're not paying any extra for the testing, btw, except for what will undoubtedly show up in tuition later, and even that I suspect I won't see spelled out). I'm not sure it could be carried out on a grand scale, if I'm going to be honest.
But it's also the main reason why we elected to change our plans, and we're going to stay in Warsaw for another year. We were supposed to come back this summer, but when Fairfax kept delaying their opening, and delaying and delaying and delaying...
Andrew can't learn in virtual school. I mean, we knew this already, that virtual or homeschooling was never going to be a good fit for him. But last spring reinforced it. And even if Fairfax does reopen its schools... I don't know. The kids will have been at least a year out of school, they're going to be stressed and confused and there's going to be so much chaos.
I don't want Andrew to get lost in the chaos. Andrew is exactly the kid who would get lost in the chaos, especially as a new kid. Especially if the school realizes that he wasn't at home for the previous year. They're going to assume, "Oh, he's fine then"... and he won't get the help he needs, because the school won't know him and realize he needs it, no matter how much I yell.
We trust that the school here will do everything in their power to remain open, at all costs. And they know him. Staying here, Andrew would get to start middle school in a familiar environment with familiar classmates and teachers who know him and also what he's capable of handling and where he needs help.
It's kind of an easy choice to make. In that respect, anyway: on a personal respect, it's gonna suck, because the only way we can stay here for another year is to do a stay-at-post, so Bill is going to head to a War Zone and the boys and I will remain in Warsaw. We get to stay in the house, keep diplomatic status, keep the boys at the school... but Bill's going to be in another country.
Anyway, there it is. I feel like I've glossed over some stuff - I'm not thinking, I'm posting! - and omgosh, there's been times when some of us have wanted to strangle the school's admin, because their learning curve was steep and they weren't always super sensitive to people who ended up with positive covid tests early on (or even now, to be fair). I joke that I live my life so that I don't get yelled at by the school superintendent. I'm not entirely joking about that, either.
Which is to say: ask away, if you want clarification on anything.
Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment in either location.
drinkingcocoa . Okay.
There's too much to tell for a list, so I'll go subject by subject. There's things I definitely want to say, and things I definitely need to tell, but I'm not going to go in any particular order, so here we go.
Part of the reason I haven't been posting much in the last few months is because I've found it increasingly difficult to talk about what life is like for us during the pandemic. That isn't because life has been particularly hard - but in fact, because it hasn't. We've been extraordinarily lucky so far, in that we've been able to keep to something approximating normal.
Part of that is because Poland locked down fast and tight at the beginning, a year ago, and the numbers in Europe remained okay throughout the summer. But largely, it's because the kids were able to return to school in August, and for the most part, have continued going to school - even when a lot of the schools in Poland closed. The school put in various protocals from the beginning of the year - beginning with testing every. single. person at the beginning at the school year - and not letting a single person in the door who didn't have a negative covid test on record.
(To clarify: this is not the PCR test that goes all the way up your nose; it's the lesser version, with a q-tip, that goes maybe a half inch up. Still not pleasant, but I've seen both boys take them now, and neither even bat an eye. It's very quick, and they do the testing in batches, so you get results in 20 minutes.)
The tests continue - staff, students, cafeteria ladies, bus drivers, janitors, anyone who spends any amount of time on campus at all. At least once a week at first, and lately, twice a week, every person gets a mandatory tickle test, and if yours is negative... you're out for two weeks, minimum, with re-entry testing at the end of your quarantine.
None of the grades mix, except for siblings and on the buses. Everyone wears masks at all times, except for meals. Lunch is in their classrooms at their desks - there's no cafeteria service for anyone. After school activities are on - but within grades only. No field trips. No assemblies. No sports games with other schools.
The rules have shifted since the beginning of the year too, as new information pops up. Everyone has to fill out an online form every morning, listing daily temperature and confirming that there has been no exposure to confirmed covid cases or even suspected covid cases. Every kid has their temperature checked every morning on arrival. If someone has a positive case, the entire family (regardless of test result) is kept out of school for two weeks. If you're a close contact, you're kept out of school for a week. If you have symptoms, you're out of school for three days or until symptoms disappear.
And anyone who misses school for any reason - you have to retest before you can return. Period. No exceptions.
It's strict, but it's working. There have been maybe 100 positive tests across the school since August - but very, very few outbreaks within classrooms or cohorts. There's been a few cases where an entire grade has been kept out of school for overexposure for a day or two - but usually no more than a week. We've been really lucky, and neither the kindergarten (Charlie) or the 5th grade (Andrew) has had to deal with that yet. We had some close calls - but none close enough that the boys had to remain out of school while the rest of their friends kept going.
The entire school went virtual for one week following Christmas break, so that there was time to test everyone twice before they walked in the door. And they went virtual again for two days before Easter break last week, because Poland's numbers are skyrocketing and there'd been an outbreak in the high school at the same time. But otherwise, no full-school virtual for a while.
And it's been great... but at the same time, I know we've been so, so privileged in having it. Even here, because for the most part, schools in Poland have been closed since October. They finally shut down the preschools and kindergartens last week, too. There's been a few weeks where the boys' school was literally the only school in Poland still operating... and I'm pretty sure the reason is because the government just hadn't noticed.
(Though to be fair... with the amount of testing going on, school was probably the safer place to be. I cannot tell you how many of my kids' classmates had travel plans this week - and not just to the other side of the country either, we're talking people flying to Costa Rica and Dubai and Greece and so on.)
On the whole, it's incredible. It's an outrageous amount of work and resources to keep a very small number of people working and learning - because omg, I don't even want to think about how much this is costing (we're not paying any extra for the testing, btw, except for what will undoubtedly show up in tuition later, and even that I suspect I won't see spelled out). I'm not sure it could be carried out on a grand scale, if I'm going to be honest.
But it's also the main reason why we elected to change our plans, and we're going to stay in Warsaw for another year. We were supposed to come back this summer, but when Fairfax kept delaying their opening, and delaying and delaying and delaying...
Andrew can't learn in virtual school. I mean, we knew this already, that virtual or homeschooling was never going to be a good fit for him. But last spring reinforced it. And even if Fairfax does reopen its schools... I don't know. The kids will have been at least a year out of school, they're going to be stressed and confused and there's going to be so much chaos.
I don't want Andrew to get lost in the chaos. Andrew is exactly the kid who would get lost in the chaos, especially as a new kid. Especially if the school realizes that he wasn't at home for the previous year. They're going to assume, "Oh, he's fine then"... and he won't get the help he needs, because the school won't know him and realize he needs it, no matter how much I yell.
We trust that the school here will do everything in their power to remain open, at all costs. And they know him. Staying here, Andrew would get to start middle school in a familiar environment with familiar classmates and teachers who know him and also what he's capable of handling and where he needs help.
It's kind of an easy choice to make. In that respect, anyway: on a personal respect, it's gonna suck, because the only way we can stay here for another year is to do a stay-at-post, so Bill is going to head to a War Zone and the boys and I will remain in Warsaw. We get to stay in the house, keep diplomatic status, keep the boys at the school... but Bill's going to be in another country.
Anyway, there it is. I feel like I've glossed over some stuff - I'm not thinking, I'm posting! - and omgosh, there's been times when some of us have wanted to strangle the school's admin, because their learning curve was steep and they weren't always super sensitive to people who ended up with positive covid tests early on (or even now, to be fair). I joke that I live my life so that I don't get yelled at by the school superintendent. I'm not entirely joking about that, either.
Which is to say: ask away, if you want clarification on anything.
Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. Comment in either location.