Recent News and Updates
Headmaster’s Update: 12/04/20
Good day Brent Family,
I wanted to take this moment to update you on the status of our Home Learning program moving into the holiday season.
It is now December, and we have no official word from the government on regulations for returning to in-person classes. With Christmas break approaching we feel it is important to give our families time to plan. The school will likewise need time to review any guidelines on returning to classrooms once those announcements are made. Furthermore, travel and family gatherings during the Christmas and New Year holidays increase the potential for spreading COVID-19, and make it prudent to include a time gap before any potential return to classrooms.
Therefore, all Brent schools have decided to continue with Home Learning after the Christmas break and have identified Monday, February 1, 2021 as the earliest possible date for returning to in-person instruction. Whether or not we actually do return at that time is still dependent on future government regulations.
As always thank you for your support and understanding during these times.
Stay safe and God bless.
Sincerely,
Mr. Brett Petrillo
Headmaster/Upper School Principal
What is IB DP?
Dear Grade 10 Parents and Students,
Good Day!
As we are halfway through the school year, it is one of the best times to learn and know more about the different tracks available for our students next year when they move up to Grade 11.
Brent Subic offers a unique and very enriching curriculum for our Grade 11 and 12 students, which is the IB Diploma Programme.
With this, I would like to invite you to please come and attend the IB information session for both parents and students. This will be on Thursday, November 26, 2020 from 7:45 to 9:00 in the morning through a Google Meet.
It is best that both parents and students come together to help you arrive at informed decisions when the time comes. This will be around April 2021 after we have spoken with the students one-on-one.
Agenda includes:
1. Tracks for HS graduation at Brent Subic
2. The IB Diploma Programme
3. The IB DP at Brent Subic
4. Timeline for choosing courses/preparing for Grade 11
5. Support System
I hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Sheila Marie M. Griarte
IB DP Coordinator
Resuming Late Start Thursdays
Good day Brent families,
For those of you who have been a member of our community for a few years you will recall our Late Start Thursdays. If you’re new to us this school year, these are mornings where students begin their first class one hour later than usual. This is done to provide our faculty time committed to continuous school improvement.
We will once again be programming for Late Start Thursdays beginning tomorrow, November 5. Students will begin their first class at 9:00am, one hour later than the rest of the week.
I have attached the Late Start Thursday Schedule (Home Learning) below.
Headmaster/US Principal
Headmaster’s Update: 10/08/20
Dear Brent Families,
I hope you are safe and adapting to the unique circumstances we all find ourselves confronted by each day. Our teachers have continued to adapt and improve the online delivery of class instruction, and we have endeavored to support our students socially and emotionally through chapels and counseling as well as clubs and activities. I’m particularly proud of our Student Council for pushing ahead with the upcoming Spirit Week, despite all the challenges.
The world is learning to manage business primarily online. That being said, we are all eager to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible. Unfortunately, our region will remain on a Modified General Community Quarantine until at least the end of October, and a foreign travel ban is currently still in effect. As always, we remain nimble, ready to adjust to circumstances as necessary, but we will most likely continue distance learning through the end of the first semester.
Thank you all for your patience and for extending grace to those around you. The pandemic has created many challenges for our families. Fortunately, our children are resilient. They will become stronger and more compassionate as a result of their experiences. We at Brent, from our staff to our faculty and administration, are proud to support the personal and academic growth of our students during these trying times.
God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Mr. Brett Petrillo
Headmaster/Upper School Principal
Headmaster’s Update: 07/30/20
Dear Brent Families,
Our prayers are with you and your families wherever you currently find yourselves. With a month left before the start of classes on August 24, a travel ban and limited flights have delayed the return to Subic of many members of our international community.
Brent International School Subic has therefore decided to start the school year online. We believe that, given the ongoing uncertainties looking forward, it will be both safest and least disruptive to students’ education if we start online. Families face a wide array of circumstances, and we want to give everyone time to plan now without waiting until mid August. Online instruction will likely continue through the first quarter, but we are prepared to transition to in-person instruction quickly should circumstances significantly improve.
Class assignments, access to materials and other questions will be answered before the August 24 start date. Our teachers have access to online delivery resources including Google Classroom and the whole suite of Google applications such as Google Meet. A variety of other online resources are available depending on the particular subject and grade level. With our experience online last quarter, we will continue to refine our skills in providing a distance education. Minimizing screen time while maximizing educational growth is a challenge that varies by student age and subject area, but we are up to the challenge, and we look forward to working with our students this school year.
Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.
I hope this provides the ability to begin making some plans during these challenging times. We will continue to update you and remain nimble going forward. Thank you for your support and patience.
Sincerely,
Mr. Brett Petrillo
Headmaster/Upper School Principal
Headmaster’s Update: 07/24/20
Good day Brent Family,
Our prayers are with you and your loved ones wherever you currently find yourselves. I wanted to once again send you a short update with regards to the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
With a month left before the start of classes on August 24, a Modified General Community Quarantine remains in effect for both Subic Bay and our surrounding areas. More recently, a travel ban and limited flights have delayed the return of many members of our international community, including many of our teachers. We are, however, currently in communication with the Department of Education and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and remain cautiously hopeful for an in-person start of the school year. This said, we acknowledge that we are in an uncertain time and we must prepare for all possible scenarios, one of which being that we may have to start the school year with Home Learning (online).
In an effort to help keep our community better informed we have added a Frequently Asked Questions page to our website.
Once again, thank you for your support and patience.
Sincerely,
Mr. Brett Petrillo
Headmaster/Upper School Principal