The Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce that Anguilla’s six (6) public primary schools are now open with students and teachers quickly building momentum in the teaching-learning process for the new academic year.
The school year began with a week of professional development that focused on the teaching of reading and student assessment methodologies. This culminated on September 1 with the DOE’s Welcome Back Ceremony supported in part by the Anguilla Teachers Union (ATU), for teachers across the early childhood, primary and secondary schools.
On 4th September, the first official day of the school year, five of the six primary schools opened as planned. An additional week was required to complete preparations at the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School (VVPS) in Island Harbour due to complications arising from the build-up of Sargassum and mould, and at the Valley Primary School (VPS) where specific rooms (for Kindergarten and Grade 1) needed to be re-tiled. Within a week both projects were completed and school began on Monday, 11th September for all students at VVPS. The VPS Kindergarten and Grade 1 students were also able to join their school mates.
Parents and guardians should note that the other key dates for the Michaelmas Term are Midterm Break which will run from the 18th to the 20th of October and End of Term on Friday, 8th December 2023.
Especially for the Primary Schools, the month of September has been designated Attendance Awareness Month. This is an initiative of the Education Welfare Unit (EWU) of the Department of Education. The unit is manned by three Education Welfare Officers; Ms. Natasha Carty, Ms. Conisha Gumbs and Ms. Marcia Rogers.
Attendance Awareness Month is not new. Some might recall the innovative “Sock it to Truancy” Campaign in 2020 when students wore fabulously decorated socks to celebrate attending school regularly. This year’s slogan is “Too Cool, Not to Attend School”. Flyers have been prepared for circulation and each primary school will have specific activities for students. On September 29th there will be a special “Too Cool Not to Attend School” event. According to Education Welfare Officer, Ms. Marcia Rogers, “Regular attendance is said to be correlated with improved performance in learning. Therefore parents are being encouraged to ensure that their child is in school every day and on time, thus paving the way for better learning opportunities, and great work ethics for future employment.”
Curriculum Officer Literacy, Mrs. Vanessa Hobson confirmed that another vital area for attention in the first term will be literacy. She listed the Grade 4 Literacy Fair organised in collaboration with the Public Library, the Jym Jam Jamboree, a literacy filled pajama party for Grade 3 students, the Scotiabank Rotary/Rotaract Spelling Bee, the Butterfly Writing Competition, the Inter-Primary Schools’ Debating Competition organised in collaboration with the Anguilla Community College and finally the James Ronald Webster Essay Competition which will launch in December.
Other projects are also expected to continue and expand throughout the school year. The School Lunch Programme which is now run at four schools should be extended to the remaining two; namely Valley Primary School (VPS) and Orealia Kelly Primary School (OKPS). Project Inspire, the technology integration in education project, which was piloted at OKPS, where each student was given a laptop and teachers used new electronic learning platforms, will be replicated at Vivien Vanterpool Primary School (VVPS) followed by Alwyn Allison Richardson Primary School (AARPS).
The Department of Education looks forward to a productive year and encourages parents, guardians, students and the general public to play their part in making school year 2023/2024 a success.
