October 28, 2021

Hello Brent Families,

As many of you may have heard, we have good news on the continued quest to bring our students back for face-to-face classes. The Department of Education has released Memorandum No. 071, s. 2021, which recognizes “the unique nature of International Schools” and their “capacity to implement face-to-face classes outside the 120 pilot schools.” This is a very positive development, and it clears the way for independent approval via the Department of Education, Department of Health, IATF and our Local Government Unit.

This recognition by DepEd is greatly appreciated given that Brent’s social distancing space is immense. Brent International School Manila covers 10.6 hectares and includes 1.2 hectares of carpeted space for 710 students in nursery through grade 12. Class sizes in nursery to grade two currently average about 11 students. Grades three through twelve average about 16 students per class. Classrooms average 86 square meters, which provides nearly 4 square meters per person even for a class of 22. In other words, most classrooms at Brent will have a more socially distant seating capacity than restaurants operating at 30% capacity under alert level 3 where diners do not wear masks.

The layers of safety we have established were described in past communications, and many of those can be found posted on our website, but I would like to share two recent updates.

First, we have vaccinated approximately 98% of our employees and further vaccinated other vendors and individuals who have close contact with our campus or our employees.

Second, we have recently added 100 mbps to our bandwidth in anticipation of a period of hybrid education that may require increased online activity.

Once we receive permission to return to face-to-face instruction and know the final criteria, we will reach out to parents and students with a survey. With that information, we will then establish a timeline to make the transition back to the classroom as smooth as possible.

In the meantime, please enjoy our Forward Magazine’s October Edition.

I wish everyone a restful All Saints break. God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Jason Atkins
Headmaster