Ministry staff help the Crisis Centre

Rather then spending money on Christmas gifts for each other this year, staff at the Ministry decided to contribute towards helping families at the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. The response was overwhelming and we were delighted to hand over a significant number of food boxes and baskets to a representative from the Crisis Centre on Christmas Eve. (GL)
(Pictured above, Deputy Chief Officer; Mr Vaughan Carter hands over the Ministry donations to a Crisis Centre representative, surrounded by a variety of Ministry staff.)

Ministry prepares for major international conference

Ministry staff working on the education transformation process have been extremely focussed recently as they prepare for a major international conference in January. 'Moving Young Minds'- the Ministerial Seminar on Technology in Education, takes place in London and will be attended by several dozen Ministers of Education.

For the first time, the Hon. Alden McLaughlin, Minister for Education, has been asked to present a major session on the holistic approach to the transformation of education work that is underway in the Cayman Islands, which is attracting such incredible international attention.

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Part of this presentation session is a one hour question and answer session to the Hon. Minister supported by a panel of senior MInistry staff and facilitated by Professor Stephen Heppell. This long session will allow real in depth discussion of the work that has taken place in Cayman.

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The fact that the Minister has been asked to speak, at the only conference of its type in the world, reflects real international credibility and interest in our transformation process and is a really very important milestone in the history of the development of education in the Cayman Islands. (GL)

Merry Christmas to all our readers

Seasons Greetings to all those who read this Ministry blog. All of us at the Ministry of Education hope that you have a restful, enjoyable and safe vacation and wish you all the best for the New Year.

The education transformation journey that we are undertaking is amazing - and it is humbling to learn that the readership of this blog has now grown to 78 countries around the world. This is remarkable for the relatively short time that it has been "live". The journey continues though and will continue to be recorded on this blog next year. See you soon! (GL)

The site of the new secondary campuses rise from the ground

Passing the sites of the new secondary campuses lots of people have commented recently on how they can begin to see the actual layout of the new buildings literally rising from the ground. Those campus buildings which also act as hurricane shelters must be 12 feet above sea level, so as the groundworks continue.... the ground really is getting higher! (GL)
(Photo above of the new John Gray campus opposite the University College)

Gifted and Talented Programme - Students visit the Legislative Assembly

Gifted and Talented students from the George Hicks Campus visited the Legislative Assembly this week to watch legislators in action. Following an official welcome from the floor of the house by the Leader of Government Business, elected members were given a full description of the work being developed in this area.

A vital element of the system wide Special Needs Review held last year was highlighting the urgent need for a strategic approach to the issue of Gifted and Talented students in our schools.

As part of the new Department of Education Services, a Gifted and Talented post has been created and filled, working under Mr Brent Holt, Head of Student Services. A draft Gifted and Talented policy has been written for full consultation - this will be finalised early in the New Year. A new Gifted and Talented Programme (GATE) has been designed to develop abilities of outstanding students.

Students visiting the Legislative Assembly were the first group in the pilot programme and were chosen based on outstanding performance in literacy and numeracy tests. Additionally recommendations from teachers, counsellors and school leaders were taken into consideration

Having a full time person in the DoES devoted to this vital aspect of our education service has already made a significant impact to the work being undertaken although there is, of course, much more to do as policies get implemented throughout all our schools. (GL)

Press Coverage of this story.

Ministry Staff represent the Cayman Islands at International Conference on Inclusive Education

In preparation for the UNESCO International Conference on Education 2008, the Chief Officer and Deputy Chief Officer presented the Cayman Islands Country Report on Inclusive Education at the preparatory Caribbean Symposium in Kingston, Jamaica, between the 5 and 7th December 2007.

The Report, which identifies and explains the multi-faceted and inter-linked education reforms currently underway in the Cayman Islands, struck a chord both with the Symposium theme and the regional and international representatives present. In the past, the definition of "inclusive education" has been restricted to students with special needs. However, more recently, the definition has broadened towards the notion that children and young people should have equivalent learning opportunities regardless of their cultural and/or social backgrounds or differences in abilities and capacities. This is precisely the belief that has underscored the range of reforms in the Cayman Islands, which are simultaneously building towards the provision of a world class education for all. If inclusive education is to be truly meaningful, it must embrace each and every learner.

Recognising that this is undoubtedly complex, the Cayman Islands’ experience suggests that an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, combined with innovative ICT integration, the construction of agile learning environments and a commitment to professional development are certainly key ingredients. (VC)

Christmas Community Cheer

Carollers from George Town Primary School spent lunch time today singing carols to patients at the hospital and also outside Elmslie Church, to the delight of cruise ship passengers passing by. All schools are increasingly finding ways to give to and support the community. This annual carol singing by GTPS students is always popular and is itself now a tradition. Everyone enjoyed it and had fun - isn't that a key part of Christmas? (GL)

A good idea goes international as part of another original idea!

A simple but effective idea by Red Bay Primary School has attracted the attention of Stepping Stones School in the UK who have done lots of work with the Little Cayman Education Service this year. An image of Red Bay's cheery seasonal message using plastic cups pushed through their chain link fence now appears as an image on Stepping Stones "on line" Advent calendar - which is in itself a fantastic idea. This just demonstrates the ever developing international relationships that we are encouraging between schools using ICT and also the ease of sharing ideas between schools in different countries.

To see the Red Bay picture on the Stepping Stones "on line" Advent Calendar click on the link below and again on 9th December. (GL)http://www.steppingstones.org.uk/advent/2007/calendar.php

"My hope for the new high school is ........"

"My hope for the new high school is to get the right mix of education so that I can not only be noticed on the island but also be noticed worldwide"
Krista Samuels, Year 10 student at John Gray High School wrote these words recently ago when asked about her hope for the new schools. They really sum up student aspirations. Her words have featured not only in the Ministry "Putting you in the education picture" brochure but were also an important part of the recent public meetings chaired by the Minister as he updated all districts of Cayman about progress in the education transformation process.

Krista's words now go international as they are being used for a major international education conference in the UK in January where the video of her speaking will be played to numerous Ministers of Education during a presentation about the education transformation process in Cayman by the Minister.

The filming of Krista speaking her words took place today on Seven Mile Beach, allowing us the opportunity to also show another aspect of the Cayman Islands at the same time. (GL)

Strategic approach to the way forward by the newly expanded Educational Psychologist Team

l–r: Educational Psychologists Ms. Sophia Chandler, Ms. Lisa Jackson, Ms. Diane Schultz, Ms. Susie Bayles, and Ms. Sara Brown. (There is real hope for an appointment for a Cayman Brac based Educational Psychologist shortly.)
The Ministry acceptance of the Special Needs Review last year has resulted in a significant increase in the specialist support team this year. The greatly expanded Educational Psychologist team now take a strategic approach to the provision of services throughout the country and bring a wealth and breadth of experiences and perspectives with roots in the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Barbados, England, and the United States.

Led by Mr Brent Holt, Head of Student Services, the Educational Psychology staff now meet regularly in a series of scheduled strategy sessions targeted at achieving the united goal of "removing barriers to learning" for children in the Cayman Islands

The most recent meeting this week, held in their new “office base” at the newly-opened Countryside Learning Communities Office in Savannah, included vital topics such as: schedule coordination to ensure equitable service for all Cayman Islands' schools, uniform practice aligned with the newly released Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, and introduction to the Ministry of Education's child abuse prevention initiative recently endorsed by Hedge Funds Care Cayman.

Brent Holt noted that it was a pleasure to have such progressively-trained Educational Psychologists on staff. Rather than the outdated models of psychologists conducting formal assessments and attending meetings, this Educational Psychology group is foremost thinking "intervention, intervention, intervention"! The earlier we can start interventions in a child's school career, the less impact any barrier may present in future educational attainment. (BH/GL)

Economists monitor progress!

(Ms Christine Dawson and Mr Clarence Hinkson with Mr Gareth Long, Ministry of Education)

The Caribbean Development Bank’s Country Economists, Mr. Clarence Hinkson and Ms Christine Dawson visited the Ministry today to continue conducting an assessment of the performance of the economy during the year for inclusion in the Caribbean Development Bank’s Annual Report.

Meeting with Mr Gareth Long, Strategic Development Advisor (Education), a number of issues were discussed including: the ongoing initiatives to enhance education system in the Cayman Islands, the Curriculum review, school enrollment and pupil-teacher ratios at September 2007 and progress on new schools construction.

They were extremely impressed with the work that had been undertaken, the breadth of the projects under way and the progress that had been made so far. This is just one of the many organisations watching our progress with considerable interest. (GL)

Increasing numbers of countries log onto this blog!

Over 1,200 people from 52 countries have looked at the Ministry of Education blog in the last calendar month. The power of the internet for ease of communication continues to amaze many people, the interest in our blog is increasing daily - literally! (GL)