Page 20 SectionA The Abaconian September 15, 2008 Literacy will be stressed during this school year Forum From Page 20 1st. On August 27th at New Vision Minis- tries, the Abaco District Education Office held a back-to-school forum and grand- fathering program for daycare and pre- school operators at which time the Min- ister of Education, the Hon. Carl Bethel, and the Director of Education, Mr. Lionel Sands, were present to address the edu- cators. The theme chosen for this school year is Achieving Our Dreams through The Minister of Education, the Hon. Mr. Bethel. Carl Bethel was keynote speaker at the forum held on August 27. During the meeting, Mr. Bether presented certificates to pre-school operators who had completed required courses. Shown here is Director of Education, Mr. Lionel Sands, Mrs. Annabelle Cross, opera- tor or the Tiny Turtles Preschool on Green Turtle Cay; and Excellence in Literacy. Min. Bethel was the keynote speaker and was elated to share with Abaco edu- cators how well this island has performed on the standardized tests this year. He was especially proud of the students of S.C. Bootle High School since 97 percent of the students who took BJC examination in math received grades of C or better. Overall, he stated that the students’ per- formance was outstanding for the district. He also congratulated Ms. Vanessa James, the Acting Principal of Abaco Central High School, for the work she has done because the students there have greatly im- proved on their stan- dardized tests as well. He encouraged all of the educators to con- tinue to work hard in pursuit of excellence. Mr. Bethel told the students that they can achieve so it is im- portant that they do not allow anyone to speak negatively into their spirit by telling them that they can- not achieve. He re- minded them of how *) well Abaco performed in the National Spell- ing Bee, the National Student of the Year Competition and in the National Teacher of the Year Competition. He told them that they FRUIT & VEGETABLE SALES Always Fresh * Excellent Quality You can't beat our prices ¥ PY 4 E 3 >. ’ a Ss 4 Se. A b oO ‘ f Std ‘é , x ‘ can excel as well. The Minister thanked the teachers for carrying the load they do even when they are tired and get burnt out. He hopes that this new outlook that the Ministry of Education is working on to bring a more holistic approach to edu- cation will make teaching more fun and meaningful for them. The Ministry of Education also has responsibility for daycare facilities and preschools that provide the foundational education for children within their first few years of learning. Finally, the Min- ister officially launched the Grandfather- ing Program for care givers in day cares and preschools which is a certification program that will give those persons 40 credit hours by the completion of the pro- gram in March 2009. These persons will be governed by certain standards that will be followed by public and private opera- tors. There are approximately 14 centers on the island that he is aware of but he en- courages others to get registered and take advantage of this certification training which is being offered by the Ministry of Education at no charge. The training will give these care givers skills and education needed for them to provide quality educa- tion in a safe environment. Guidelines will be put in place to al- low inspectors to know what to look for at each daycare and preschool facility when they visit them to ensure that they are meeting the standards as set by the Ministry of Education. He explained that all centers will be given ample time to become standardized. Once that time has expired, no excuse will be accepted. The training will be offered here on the island. Care givers from Exuma and Long Island also traveled to Abaco to begin this certi- fication process. Director Lionel Sands expressed how proud he is of all of the accomplishments of the schools in the district this past school year. The students performed so well on their exams, he explained, that it has raised the standard for Abaco. Now the challenge to the teachers, he explained, is to exceed what they have achieved. He told them to remember that the students are the beneficiaries of their efforts, and he is sure that they will be eternally ap- preciative. He encouraged the superinten- dent to continue to work hard and sup- port her teachers so that the district will continue to excel. He told the parents that nothing can be done in the district without their support and input. 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