THEY GOT NEWS OUT TO ALL EXCEPT...

School closed due to H1N1 flu, but one student still turned up

HE WAS 'on' when the rest of the school was 'off'.

PUZZLED: (From top) A student turned away by a guard at Westwood Secondary School. TNP PICTURES: BENSON ANG, SHEA A JOHN DRISCOLL, MOHD ISHAK

Unfortunately, he picked the wrong day to be 'on', because his schoolmates were all online yesterday.

He was the only one to turn up at Westwood Secondary School yesterday morning, having somehow missed being told that the school was to be closed for a week after a teacher got infected with the Influenza A(H1N1) virus over the weekend.

Westwood is one of two schools which postponed the re-opening of the new semester till next Tuesday as a precaution against further H1N1 infections.

The students were immediately informed through an extensive network of phonecalls of the closure.

But at 7.12am yesterday morning, a brown Nissan pulled up outside Westwood's school gates at Jurong West Street 25.

Out stepped a boy with a school bag slung over his left shoulder.

He appeared puzzled and took a few steps towards the school gate.

But the security guard at the gate, Mr Fremont Chan, was quick to point out to the boy: 'Hey, today no school. No school.'

Mr Chan made a No 7 sign with his fingers, signalling that the school classes would resume only on 7 Jul, which is next Tuesday.

The boy looked puzzled for a second, then turned to walk back to the car. In the drivers' seat was a middle-aged woman.

He opened the front door of the car, and again looked around him with a confused expression, before re-entering. From within, the woman said: 'Closed today, ah?'

When The New Paper asked the woman if they knew that school was closed, she replied: 'No, we don't know.'

When we continued to ask if she was informed about the closure in any way, she repeatedly said: 'No.'

Then she drove off.

The principal of Westwood Secondary, Ms Betty Chang, told The New Paper in an e-mail that form teachers telephoned students to tell them of the week-long closure.

The Westwood teacher who was infected was a facilitator at a staff seminar attended by 74 school staff.

The teacher had also been in contact with 58 students.

As of yesterday, there have been no more confirmed cases among staff and students.

Westwood Secondary students will be provided with home-based learning lessons with materials, assignments, and worksheets, all posted online.

There is also a timetable on the school's website, which lays out the students' lessons for a week. Students are supposed to attend lessons online from 8am to about 1.30pm, with a break from 10.30am to 11am each day.