Dear Parents:
Engineers completed an initial inspection of the Kindergarten playground on Monday afternoon and although we are still waiting their report and recommendations pending further inspections, we are now able to provide you with additional details about what happened and what is being done to repair the area and make it safe for all students.
As you know, TIS is built on reclaimed land. The actual playground and sunshade structure are built on pilings that are anchored to bedrock like the main school building. The areas between the school and the playground are not. As a result, we face land settling every year. Typically, this requires us to fix the sidewalks and steps every summer and to address issues as they arise during the school year. The land around the playground has been settling over the past few years causing numerous uneven spaces. This space was scheduled for a full renovation for the upcoming summer.
On Friday morning a section of land near the playground equipment failed, revealing a hole of approximately 1m in depth. Due to the speed and size of the failure, the engineers believe that this is likely due to some damaged drainage pipes causing the soil to be washed away.
Instead of just backfilling and repairing the obvious gap, the school has decided to excavate the full area to make a better assessment of the ground integrity. Once the area has been excavated, the engineers will be able to advise us on an appropriate course of action. During this time, the playground and surrounding space will remain closed to students.
I apologize that we have not been able to keep parents as informed as we would like. Student safety is our utmost priority; we will continue to share developments about the playground as we receive information and are able to develop a plan.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Howard Stribbell, Head of School
親愛的家長：
於週一下午，工程師完成對幼稚園操場的地陷初步檢查，學校目前仍在等候其報告及進一步的建議。學校現向家長說明意外事故及已開展的工作進度以保障學生之安全。
眾所周知，澳門國際學校建於填海地區，但遊樂設施區均以打樁方式建設，但當中不包括非遮陽位置，因此，有關區域每年均出現沉降。
學校一般會趁暑假期間進行人行道維修以。而不在地基上建設的操場因持續沉降問題，地面已出現面積高低不均勻的情況，學校有計劃於今年暑假進行全面茸修。
上週五早上，靠近玩樂設施某區域下陷，造成約1米深的洞。工程師根據現場情況判斷，相信是損壞的排水管導致地下土壤流失所致。
學校不希望僅靠回填來修復地面，因此已決定對有關區域展開挖掘，以便進一步評估問題及工程。在此期間，操場範圍將持續關閉。
對於未能及時向各位家長通報意外事故及處理的最新發展，本人在此表示歉意。學生安全是本校的優先考量。當地面修復工程有新進展，學校將繼續對家長發報訊息。
若有任何疑問或疑慮，歡迎直接與本人聯絡。
Howard Stribbell，澳門國際學校校長