Dear ACS Families,

I am writing with two updates.  The first is regarding the calendar; the second is an update on the Covid situation.

We have two changes to make to the calendar.  First, as per the decree by Prime Minister Mikati, all schools, public and private, will be closed on Monday, February 14.  This day is not on the ACS school calendar.  To compensate for this lost day, we are adding Wednesday, February 23, as a regular school day, not a faculty/staff professional day as it was on the calendar.  I am aware that this has been a challenging month for parents, and I can assure you that we are making changes to the '22/'23 school calendar with this in mind.

Regarding covid, we are holding steady in terms of our positive case numbers and student absences, which we are monitoring daily.  As you can see from the chart below, student attendance has improved steadily since we returned to school on January 10.  We've had a recent uptick in absences at the high school, but we are not overly concerned about this right now.

Percentage of Students Absent by Division 

By week since our return after Winter Break. PTC is a conference day; students were not in school.

We currently have 7 active covid cases in Early Childhood division, 5 in Elementary, 13 in Middle School, and 8 in High School.  Whenever there are 3 cases in a particular class in the Lower School or in a single classroom in the Middle and High School, we will ask that group of students to quarantine as per the recommendation of the Ministry of Education.

We report all positive covid cases to the Ministry every day, and we have a productive dialog regarding the measures we should be taking.  We are being cautious, of course, but we are also trying to keep our students on campus for their classes.  This has been working well since we returned.

We ask parents to report any covid symptoms and positive PCR test results to our Response Team.  Everyone has a responsibility to keep our community safe, and we all must do our parts.

We are hoping for a swift end to the Omicron wave.  Our faculty and staff have been doing a remarkable job of covering classes and duties for absent colleagues, but this has also taken a toll on them.  The few days we have off in February are helping them to hold it all together.

Thanks so much for your patience, understanding, and support of our teachers and staff.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Thomas Cangiano

Head of School

Empowering students to solve problems with creativity and integrity, to lead well-balanced lives, and to serve Lebanon and the world community with understanding and compassion.

American Community School Beirut

Beirut | 67 Nigeria Street, Jal El-Bahr

+961 (1) 374370