PTC/TLI/TTC/CTC 2022
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)
Coronavirus Update #5: Decision
As you are likely feeling yourself, what is driving so many decisions right now is uncertainty itself—uncertainty regarding travel, quarantine requirements, gatherings of large groups, school reopenings, personal and family health. The level of uncertainty is just too high for us to ensure the safety and wellbeing of you and our trainers and to ensure the quality and integrity of our programs.
So now, we look to the future! You have two options:
1. You may choose to roll over your course and accomodation fees (if purchased) to the summer of 2021. Choosing this option saves transaction fees for all and overall is very helpful to managing as a non-profit.
You are guaranteed a spot at the same rate, in the same course or any other PTC course, through an early registration process which will begin on 5 November 2020. Details for this process will be emailed to you in October 2020.
You will receive a one-year subscription to TIE (The International Educator newspaper and recruitment services)
We will extend the timeline for the completion of the certificate for those whose final courses are impacted.
2. You may request a 100% refund via bank transfer which takes up to 10 days, frequently less. Once we receive your details, timing is in your bank's hands.
To make your choice, please complete this Google Form by 22 May 2020:
3. Please make your choice by 22 May 2020. If we do not hear from you by then, we will automatically roll over all your fees to apply to a future course
If you have any problems with the form or other questions, email Zach or Gary in our office at registrations@theptc.org or refer to Summer Institutes 2020 FAQs
Additionally:
1. If you did not book accommodation through the PTC, please make sure you cancel your accommodations
2. If you booked extra nights at the PTC hotel, contact the hotel directly to cancel using the details on the extra nights form.
Staying connected as a TC community is an important lifeline in these uncertain times. If you haven’t joined our schoology group, Teaching Online in International Schools, please join. We have curated resources for you and we have discussion threads going so you can connect with colleagues. We are also looking at other ways to help you with your professional learning this summer and into the school year so stay tuned!
Here’s to next year in Rome or Miami—we will go forth together!
Cancellations policies
Coronavirus update 22 April 2020 ( not posted to participants- web only)
We are now just weeks away from the opening of our summer institutes. And things that will impact your attendance are still as uncertain as ever. No later than 25 April we will post our decision about whether we are able to go ahead with our programs. For now, if you are considering cancelling, here are your options:
For cancellations received by 22 May:
You may roll over your course and accomodation fees (if purchased) to the summer of 2021. You are guaranteed a spot at the same rate in the same course or any other course from the same program (PTC or TLI/TTC/CTC) offered in 2021 through an early registration process which will begin on 5 November. Details for this process will be sent to you in October. You will also receive a one-year subscription to TIE (The International Educator newspaper and recruitment services).
You may request a 100% refund via bank transfer which takes up to 10 days. Once we receive your details, timing is in your bank's hands. To make your choice and to help us better track your cancellation, please complete this google form: https://forms.gle/58tYSbEXQTj6qkDEA .
Coronavirus update #4 9 April 2020
We have come to a decision that we will not offer an online equivalent for any summer institute courses this summer, 2020.
The “Why” behind the decision
With your input (thanks to the hundreds of you who completed the survey), we looked deeply at whether online alternatives could be an adequate substitute for your TC experience. Our summer institutes are designed around in-person, interactive, adult collaboration practices, uniquely for those in international schools. As we analyzed the data, we concluded that several of our design principles would be severely compromised if courses were converted to an online model including: Gaining the perspective and experience of dozens of others; experiencing the modeling of expert trainers teaching ‘content’ and simultaneously demonstrating collaborative strategies and teaching strategies for use both in the classroom and in leadership; accessing the learning from the non-course features which are deliberately built into all programs; and, the one that virtually everyone who has attended a course before was reluctant to part with, bonding with others for years to come after the course. We find it unfair to you and your learning if we reverse engineer each course using digital tools and platforms and expect the same learning experience and outcomes.There is still the possibility that we may be able to run some or all of our summer courses in both sites; we continue to monitor daily. Below is a new set of deadlines and related actions and plans for each program.
Coronavirus update #3 24 March 2020
As the travel and movement restrictions change, we are monitoring daily to help us determine next steps. Still, as of today, there are no firm closures or restrictions that are forcing us to change plans. We are still planning to keep our commitment to you and go ahead with all PTC, TTC, CTC and TLI programs scheduled for summer 2020. Precluding any factors outside our control, we are using 24 April as the soft deadline for next steps.
We continue to explore online/blended possibilities. The overall consensus continues to be that too many of the central design principles and core learnings could be compromised in an online learning environment, But we are keeping the door open. We have determined that should we create a quality online option, it would happen in the same time frame/dates as each original course and would have very limited, if any, synchronous time ( participants are from times zones around the world). We will make the decision by 24 April.
We have your health and safety at the top of our list and monitor multiple times a day to inform our decisions. See below steps that our venues are taking.
Coronavirus update #2 11 March 2020
As of today, we are still planning to keep our commitment to you and go ahead with all PTC, TTC, CTC and TLI programs scheduled for summer 2020. Registrations continue to come in for those courses that still have some space and we have no more cancellations than in any other year. All our trainers are also fully committed.
We are exploring online/blended possibilities. So far, the consensus from our 50 + trainers, all of whom are experienced international school leaders.so far, is that too many of the core learnings would be compromised were we to go fully, or even partially online. Yet, we will continue to keep it on our radar as things develop.
We have your health and safety at the top of our list and monitor multiple times a day to inform our decisions. See below steps that our venues are taking.
Coronavirus update #1 4 March 2020
As of now, PTC, TTC, CTC and TLI programs scheduled for summer 2020 are going ahead as planned, both in Miami and Rome. All our trainers and venues are ready to go!
Travel restrictions that would keep our trainers from being at the sites or government requirements barring us from using the course venue would be the only two circumstances under which we would cancel. Neither of those is in any way in the picture right now. We are staying in touch daily with multiple sources to monitor potential travel restrictions or other government mandates and curate advice.
Our current cancellation policies remain in place.
SITE HOTELS PRECAUTIONS
Miami
The JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa has a protocol in place regarding the awareness, preparedness and response to contagions/biohazard such as COVID-19.
The resort has placed recommended, alcohol-based, hand sanitizer stations in all public areas throughout the resort.
Additional disinfectant supplies stocked in public areas to include tissues, hand soap and disinfectant wipes.
The resort is currently using recommended disinfectant and cleaning supplies that are effective against similar viruses.
Commonly used public areas such as hand railings, door handles, countertops, etc. are continually serviced throughout the day and during the overnight.
Associates are trained in the proper use of universal precautions to help protect themselves and guests which assists in reducing the potential of the spread of cross-contamination.
There are also department-specific measures that have been implemented on how to interact with a guest during/post stay for anyone that’s ill in such a way that resembles such symptoms.
Rome
The Barceló Aran Mantegna has also instituted a protocol regarding the awareness, preparedness and response to contagions/biohazard such as COVID-19.
The hotel will be cleaning and disinfecting critical areas such as switches, buttons, telephones, and door knobs, multiple times a day.
Staff are trained in the proper use of universal precautions to help protect themselves and guests.
There are also department-specific measures that have been implemented on how to interact with a guest during/post stay for anyone that’s ill in such a way that resembles such symptoms.
GENERAL COVID-19 INFORMATION
For a live map of the COVID-19 outbreak and daily updates by country, please see this page: https://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/c88e37cfc43b4ed3baf977d77e4a0667
For up-to-date information on the virus itself, please see this page: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540747/all/Coronavirus_COVID_19__SARS_2_CoV
