Heron Bay Primary Students: “Save Our School”
Students at Heron Bay showed support for their school today, displaying signs saying “Save our school” and “No to school closings,” making their voices heard following the release of the SCORE report.
Minister of Education Wayne Scott recently said that closing Gilbert Institute, Prospect Primary School, St. David’s Primary School and Heron Bay Primary School are among the possible scenarios of school reorganisation detailed in the SCORE report, noting that he is sharing the report’s findings, and has “not made a decision regarding school reorganization or school closures.”
Starting this evening, the Ministry will be holding meetings about the SCORE Report, designed to allow people to share their views., This evening’s meeting will take place at 6pm at Sandys Middle School Auditoriun, tomorrow’s will take place at 6pm at Clearwater Middle School Auditorium, and then on Wednesday a meeting will be held at 6pm at the CedarBridge Cafetorium.
All consultation submissions are due by March 4th, and can be emailed to educationconsultation@moed.bm.
That’s low, having small children partake in political
They don’t have anything to do with the legalities of the matter…
@Ray , This is not low, this is their future and it is bad enough that most kids went through rezoning a few years back, and now we are pushing them even further from their homes.
What about the strain being put on the family and in particular the single mother, who has to get the child to these schools and then get themselves to work, and it is no different in the afternoon.
I look at 5 and 6 year old’s having to walk along the street alone going to school, and going home and it is disheartening,I think that all schools should rally together and rise up against this poor decision, and that the parents and teachers should come together with the students and rally against this government, and that all public schools should come out in support.
I don’t want to hear about their laws and by-laws,affirmative action is what I am calling for, they can not over rule the majority, they are trying to in so many other areas, such as the immigration reform and same sex unions, but this will all result in a backlash, sooner or later. If they are not careful they may get a taste of what they are dishing out and unfortunately cause a revolt in this Island.
I am sure that there are facilities in the same parishes around the Island that can assist with the temporary closures, if you stagger the closures during school breaks.Then allow the schools to function as normal, even if they can consider shutting down have of the school facility and let the students and teachers utilize the other half while the work is going on.
Attention Duane P Santucci: In the States,(and other countries)they send children to school in buses and I’m sure it’s cheaper than hiring so many unnecessary people to teach or do anything else…
In Bermuda many classes are small, it’s also a good time to renovate many buildings…So just maybe (for the time being)renovating them few schools can save some dollars?
By the way Zane, if you’re as serious about the school/s why don’t you pay for the repairs / and wages out of your “deep pockets”?
Lets get rid of he rodents in the class rooms,and rotten floors in some classes.Every yr a school should be selected and do major upgrades.
Then lets look at all teachers re train and accountability.If you are a teacher and say “Liberry” How sad is this
The matter has nothing to do with legality it is to do with education. You are far removed from the matter and have less room to comment on it than these children who will be directly affected by it. The limited connection you have is only connected to you being a zealous disciple of everything OBA. Your prejudice towards the feelings of children about their school and you turning it into some political twist is what’s low.
If you care about children, perhaps it would have been wise to try to prevent the PLP selling them into economic slavery for generations.
Here we go again everything turns political.
I am proud of these young children, speaking up for their rights, this is their island so let’s help them to have a bright future.
What’s low is cutting education budgets and closing schools so that these rich people can have a boat race.
What a pathetic manipulation of the kids. These ‘teachers’ should be ashamed of themselves.
Think before you speak. I’m pretty sure that was not the intention of the teachers to manipulate the kids for their own personal gains or for what ever reason you are assuming. Heron Bay is an excellent primary school (I would know I went there). And I know if I attended the school during these times I would do my part as a student to keep my school up and running. I loved every moment I spent at that school and I would hate to see it close. I could only imagine how the kids feel. You are ignorant to even think these kids are being used or manipulated. No matter how much they protest it probably won’t change the governments mind. If they don’t have the money… They just don’t have the money. But at least they can say they tried to save their school.
It’s possible that the children themselves have a voice. I have two primary aged children and they most certainly would have something to say if their school was slated to be closed. Being young does not mean that you have no say in your future! It is the children who are most affected, has anyone met with or discussed this with them?
@ Family man,I am sure you have supporters that think just like you, and equally sure that most of them don’t have a child in either of these school’s, so you will get a lot of votes from your O.B.A clan whose children are either in private schools, or overseas in boarding schools, and a large majority whose children are already grown and finish school.
In my final thoughts, you should consider changing your name from Family Man to something more appropriate, cause you sound like anything other then a family man. I do not have children at the primary level and one day soon hoping to have my grand children enjoy the schools that are close by them.
Defenetly he is far from being a family man, children have the right to said in this.
It was the PLP that cut the Education budget, not the OBA. Paula Cox cut the education budget by $15m in one year. The 2016 education budget ihas no reduction from last year.
The PLP sold our children into financial slavery so that they could send money overseas to foreign consultants. $100m a year spent on foreign consultants.
Amd now the mess has to be cleared up.
So soare us your manufactured indignation, Duane. You got us in this mess.
For your information, this had nothing to do with the teachers – there were no teachers out there with us (they were working hard, getting classrooms ready for the school day, as teachers do).
This event organised by concerned parents keen to make our local community of Southampton and Bermuda at large more aware about all the potential schools closures. The kids spent hours making the signs and were keen to be there – it’s their school facing the axe after all. It is their right to protest. If you feel manipulated I’d suggest you need to take a look at the cynic in you.
(PS I’m not sure why you put ‘teachers’ in inverted commas, but you were right in your wrongness – no teachers were there.)
Well done to the teachers and the students, I think that the education minister has to come up with another plan, show us why these schools could not have been dealt with all last year through the holiday’s from summer until now, even if they have to stagger the work load, so since you are late in reacting, plan now as Summer will be here soon. if it is that extensive, then find a facility for the students to be at as of May 30th, and get crews in there day and night seven days a week, we can find $77 Million for Americas cup that will bring us damn nothing, you can invest in our Children that will be of future, that will bring them everything, and to the minister remember that some of these same youth will have to take care of you when they are adults and you will be a senior citizen.
Careful what you do today, life has a way of biting you in the ox and reminding you later.
“SAVE OUR SCHOOLS’ and Protect our Children from more failures that started under the U.B.P, who was only concerned about the Bermuda they were shaping to look like them.
And all you can add to the conversation is to pray to an imaginary friend. That is the same as doing nothing. Oh and you are wrong about the Americas Cup. You are just upset because you and your church won’t benefit from it.
In fact you represent the true leeches of society. You get stupid people to give you money to buy tickets to a place you go when you die. Religion poisons everything.
Amazing that when you say pray how much it gets under people’s skin. Funny they forget Bermuda was once a lighthouse to the world. SMH…People have personal issues with God church and so on but always seem to put it on front street when someone is looking for a positive outcome.
I.E. Funny it’s almost impossible to prove that God doesn’t exist and almost simple as taking cake from a baby to prove the opposite. Funny…But don’t worry bout me…Im just going to sip my Tea.
There is no proof that god exists. It is an imaginary being, like santa and unicorns.
“it’s almost impossible to prove that God doesn’t exist”
So presumably you believe in Santa, leprechuns, and the tooth fairy, since it is almost impossible to prove they don’t exist.
W0W Dwayne…you sure get under the skin of Satan when you talk…
I am got a determination to kick his OX when ever and wherever I can, I left school at 14 and a half, so I know why I am passionate about education, never earned a degree in my life, never went back to get a a G.E.D, Gone 50 and don’t have a desire to do so now either, but it don’t stop me from who I am and who God has called me to be.
@ Keep it real!…4 real, It is people like you that give people like me what it takes to keep going, and I don’t say it likely, because the difference is that I am not perfect but I do know how to pray and I do know the power of Prayer, and in return I present people like you to my Heavenly Father to command the blessing upon your life, for under-girding people like me.
If you notice for real, I don’t respond to some, cause my father always taught me, when the crap rises, just keep on your warrior boots, eventually you will be on the top looking down at the crap, and watching those in the crap wallow in their own folly. some say Karma, I say Jesus has a way of showing us the end from the beginning, so I pay the nay Sayers no mind, I know the end result.
I thought this was about the school kids and school closing. Someone says pray and you all go all crazy….Seems you all got a problem with someone praying…lol and its not even doing anything to you…lololol…Hilarious…
WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT NO NO MONEY…….
That borders on exploitation.
ex·ploi·ta·tion
ˌekˌsploiˈtāSH(ə)n/
noun
noun: exploitation; plural noun: exploitations
1.the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.
Putting millions of borrowed money into a sporting event which will increase the debt that these children will be left to pay off. This is exploitation.
I’m not a PLP supporter so spare the PLP created the debt routine. They sure did but two wrongs don’t make a right and one cannot excuse themselves by accusing the others of doing the same as them. OBA is gambling with burrowed money when they should be investing into the future members of our society. Gambling with burrowed money is the dumbest thing that anyone can do.
I don’t know about gambling with burrowed money, but with all the bank charges now I’m thinking of burrowing my money too.
The education ministry costs $125 million per year to ‘teach’ less than 6,000 students. That’s almost $21,000 per student. Private schools don’t charge that much and they do a better job. At least their students can spell.
You are judjing hard when 90% of these students are Bermudians, if you have issues about this island is your problem, no one forces you to be here.
“Private schools don’t charge that much and they do a better job. At least their students can spell.”
You condescending little fruitcake. If the public school students didn’t know how to spell they wouldn’t pass their IGCSE & go onto colleges and universities.
You’re talking about others being less educated when you don’t even know how ministry costs are broken down. The $125 million a year doesn’t just go to the teachers.
Private school tuition’s would be a heck of lot more if it wasn’t for the amount of donations and fund raisers they have. Besides there are less than 6000 students in the islands total private school populace so your comparison is inaccurate.
You seem as though YOU don’t get the severity of Bermudas plight…We are in intensive care with vital signs diminishing…investing in bermudas future shoulda been done years ago…its too LATE now…WE are dying…what you may deem as unorthodox…others may see its NO other viable options…The PLP had their turn to heal us and failed miserably SO let the OBA have their turn…MOVE! B!T@#! GET OUT DA WAY!…
i salute you young brave #realbermudians , keep fighting for our future….
Evil hands have sunken to a new low.
Those children know nothing except what mommy/daddy-teacher has said in front of them or mini washed their thoughts.
No to ‘LOW’.
Shalom and God help us.
@ Terry , just because you may have been ignorant at that young age, please don’t think that of today’s youth. They are far more advance then what we were, and I say this very respectfully but true. The technology that we have today and the greater level of advancement we have in learning tools, that we were not afforded before the mid 80′s and prior, are far more advantageous to today’s youth.
Just look at any electronic device and they have it down packed, while the older generation is doing everything to keep up with them.My grand kids are post primary students and blow me away with what they can do on a computer and on the Galaxy phone, I am so smart I stay in my lane and stick to a pre paid phone that allows me to make and receive calls, and text, they call me ancient old, but I told them that I am staying in my lane.
If their brain can function at that level, their voice is good enough to be heard. I throw out a challenge that we should allow the students to speak, but maybe you think that only the private schools can produce smart children, and maybe you don’t cause your ox is suffering from your own inabilities.
Duane, the way those children were used was nothing less than shameful. It is exactly the same way that children are indoctrinated with a load of religious rubbish before they are old enough to know any better.
You have to catch them while they are young and fill them with superstitious nonsense. Again, religion poisons everything.
The island is broke. There are far less students than in the past. Something has to be done.
I do not understand the people that do not understand that in order to survive we must make changes. If we keep the status quo we are done
Our population is shrinking. The buildings housing these children are third-world at best. Why don’t people get this? Yes something should have been done years ago to remedy these problems, but nothing was; so here we are. I’m tired of ex-pupils claiming they shouldn’t close a school because they went there, it was a great school, it will be sad to see it shuttered etc… who cares? Unfortunately we are in a capitalist market that depends on the all-mighty dollar and some austerity measures are needed! If a school closes, these children will not go without, they will only go to an under utilized building. Common sense should prevail over this issue, sadly, a lot of ppl in and for the opposition lack it.
I would like to make this very clear…. No one forced those children to go out there. It was choice they made, and really it had nothing to do with their teachers. If you noticed the children are actually there with their VERY supportive parents.. The teachers / faculty were not involved in the excercise at all.
Unless you are in this situation and it affects your child, you can’t say much.
Heron Bay, Heron Bay, Heron Bay!
Support our children, not abandon them.
The whole philosophy that they will adjust accordingly is so crazy. This plan has not even been thought out properly, government has failed to consult the people these disissions affect, they cannot provide substantial data to support their descisions. Overall it’s poorly managed.
Signing out!
Keep it up Heron Bay !
Sorry for the typos/ spelling.
No one sad they were “forced”. But they were certainly used.
Our grandparents had large families of six and eight and even more children during the 1950,s and 1960,s, the economy was healthy with hotels and lots of construction going on, middle schools, senior schools, a college, a pris on, the development of dock-yard, the general post office, the court comple x, the incinerator, wider cars and bigger taxis as well as a national stadi um, college weeks and cruise ships in every port. At one end of the city is the Ace and Execel office complex and the John Swan building complex at the other,and all in between lots of office space. Was the local population able to pay cash up front for all of this activity ?? And where did this 60/40 rule come from ? And the closure of the bases ! Technology is here which is great, information in seconds in the palm of your hand. Dollars flow from Europe to China to Hong Kong to the Middle East and along the way to Canada and the USA services are needed in Bda and the Carribean, thus the dollars that we have what we have. How do you break that information to the children at Heron Bay and other schools ?
Not sure how you break that information to anyone. This is a rant worthy of Sarah Palin.
Tough call this one
I hope the teachers gave the kids a crash course in economics and informed them that this is a consequence of bad policy from 1998-2012.
I applaud the students for doing this and it is heartbreaking to see them have to resort to this as a last ditch effort to save their schools across the island. What burns me up is that their parents should have been holding ALL Governments to account for the past 30 years of wreckless spending habits that have led us to this unfortunate conclusion. LET ALL YOUR VOICES BE HEARD ACROSS ALL GOVERNMENTS AND HOLD ALL PARTIES TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR MISUSE OF OUR FUNDS…THE PEOPLE’S FUNDS PAID FOR BY OUR TAXES!!!!BERMUDIAN TILL I DIE!!!!!!
“Here, hold this sign.” Those kids don’t have a clue of what this is all about.
Fact is, there is a surplus of buildings, teachers & most of all administrators, for the public school system. Even if Bermuda was not broke it makes no sense at all paying out for what is not needed.
Government has to shed unecessary costs. Tacky stunts like children holding signs don’t change the facts.
Judging by the apathy being shown to this issue (and many others) by the majority of Bermudians, not many have a clue what this is all about.
Bermuda often talks about re branding, opening and closing doors of opportunity, suggesting that as jobs are no longer require in the light of progress , re education of our population to different skill sets seems to be the norm.
Becoming a jack of all trades seems to be the way of the future no body want to here ” Not my job ” We are a very resorseful multi-talented people we can do any thing if we put our mind to it.
Our School building are not being used to their full potential.
Other countries do night school, are we missing that opportunity ?
@Duane – “My grand kids are post primary students and blow me away with what they can do on a computer and on the Galaxy phone”
Hence the illiteracy of many of our young kids. (sad but true). Back in our days we were taught to retain information in our brains. We could not even carry a calculator to school. Now-a-days technology has turned our kids into illiterates. Half can’t spell to save their azzes. (even with spellcheck) No concept on how to draft a resume, how to construct a sentence, don’t even know what 2 + 0 is. Now before I get the IT manual thrown at me…..this is not for all kids but it is for way too many of our kids.
Just my aopinion.
Ty
Way to go Heron Bay! Let’s keep this positive and focused as we are ALL fighting the good fight to keep our children in school and educate our future leaders. #knowledgeispower
Gilbert Institue is proud to say WE too are rallying Wednesday morning! We will not sit idly by, BUT welcome the Ministry of Education to have a positive consultation of what can effectively be done. Perhaps consolidation could be an answer, but dealing with this delicate matter is necessary and when the word “closure” is thrown out there they need to understand we have a voice as well.
And for those of you who disagree with students voicing their love of school and theirs in particular, shame on you. My children LOVE their school Gilbert Institute and they will say that loud and clear!
#education #knowledgeispower
Good for you Gilbert Institute – there’s so many supporters out there, and it is so important to break into people’s self-centred worlds and raise awareness in our local communities and Bermuda as a whole. Heron Bay will be out every morning this week. #strengthinnumbers #saveourschools #shouldertoshoulder with you!
SHAME on the rhetoric coming from the naysayers who obviously, don’t have kid/s that will be gravely effected by this testing merger.
… now look at what you have made me do; play in the mud with you
HERON BAY SMALL & MIGHTY.. NO CHILD IS JUST A FILE…. THEY ALL HAVE NAMES