Silverstone Basic School plans improvement - Institution one of five to receive $500k donation from D&G Foundation

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools across Jamaica are finding ingenuous ways to establish a new normal.

The Silverstone Basic School is no different. The Portmore-based institution, which caters to 270 students between the ages of two and five years old, not only faced difficulties in transitioning to virtual education but also lacked the resources to resume physical classes.

“There were several issues we had to deal with which included enrolment, Internet access, suitable equipment for remote teaching and learning, repacking lessons for virtual delivery and supervisory support for the children at home. Because they are such small children, they require a lot of daily interaction and guidance from our teachers because their attention span is short,” said Asana Downer, principal of Silverstone Basic School.

Despite these issues, the teachers found creative ways to keep their students engaged and continued to deliver an exemplary teaching experience under the guidance of the Early Childhood Commission with the guidelines of the Jolly Phonics Curriculum. It’s a method that has distinguished them in their community, giving the school a reputation for grooming students who are sought-after by the preferred primary schools in Portmore.

The school’s efforts were bolstered by a $500,000 prize that was recently secured in the Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation’s ‘5 for 5’ Promotion. The initiative, powered by Malta, saw the foundation donating $2.5 million shared among five schools across the island. Silverstone’s prize money will go towards a school improvement project.

Downer said, “This money will be very useful because without it the resumption of face-to-face classes would not be possible. It will allow for the provision of school furniture to accommodate face-to-face learning, while abiding by Government’s health and safety protocols. We will be able to purchase additional desks and install table dividers between each one. We will also be able to do daily temperature checks, install sanitisation stations and limit movements of students and teachers. We want to do everything in our power to keep our children and teachers safe.”

IMPACTING LIVES

Dianne Ashton-Smith, board member of the D&G Foundation, noted that the organisation strives to impact lives and enrich communities, and so she was happy to know that their donation significantly contributed to the school’s development.

“Youth development is one of the values we champion at the D&G Foundation, and so we are always grateful for the opportunity to support schools in big ways. As we continue to make the adjustment of living in a pandemic, we must make an extra effort to support the school community, as the changes they have to make require resources. The health and safety of the staff and children are top priority as they resume learning and teaching in a face-to-face environment, so we are happy to play our role in improving their facilities,” said Ashton-Smith.

Other beneficiaries of the promotion were Denbigh High School, Westwood High School, The Queens School and Merl Grove High School, which had varying projects, including improving their digital infrastructure to better facilitate online learning, and the distribution of care packages to members of the school community.