The SCS Year in Review and Year Ahead

The Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) educates its students for continuing education or direct entry into the labor market. As educators, we facilitate the hollistic development of our students and seek to enable them to make the right decisions when they leave the school or the island. In striving toward this end, the school reflects on its past academic year in order to make the following academic year even stronger. With the aim of transparency, we would like to share our reflections with you.

The SCS has continued to grow; particularly with regard to quality education in ensuring that all students received quality secondary education and care. The SCS celebrated achieving the basic quality standard in Secondary Education at the beginning of 2015/2016 school year. However, the school is determined not to simply rest at basic quality but will continue to work on improving the quality of education in the upcoming school year by, for example, increasing collaboration with its stakeholders on the island and in the region. In the upcoming school year, the SCS will focus on maintaining the basic quality in secondary education, reaching the basic quality for Vocational Education, promoting Vocational Education, improving (parental) participation, focusing on Care and the Career and Guidance and the further implementation of the Olweus Anti Bullying Program.

The curriculum and learning strands have been adjusted and, at the start of the new school year, these will be available for students and parents via the SCS website. Meetings have been held with the Dutch Ministry of Education (OCW) and the Gwendoline van Putten School to phase out the Dutch MBO and to start with the Caribbean Vocational Qualification per school year 2017-2018 as we are fully aware that the current system causes problems for students to continue tertiary education.

The Academic Year 2015-2016 can be characterised as having been a very active year: students made their awareness video for the WE CAN Young campaign; several sporting events were held (including the house activities) in which students (and staff) actively participated; the SCS participated in the Island Wide Clean Up; the Student Body had meetings with the Director to improve the quality of education and even organized their school party; the Participation Council held their meetings and gave the SCS Management and School Board feedback which also contributed to the further development of the school; and six SCS students participated in an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange between Saba and Turkey. Importantly, teachers have also attended workshops from the SCS teacher coach and curriculum developer. After 4 years, the time has come for them to move on and for the school to take up the coaching and development of the curriculum itself.

The SCS collaborated with key stakeholders, not only to improve the quality of its own education in St. John’s and Cove Bay but, to contribute to the further development of Saba. The SRF and SCS started their collaboration to ensure that SRF students are able to obtain a level 2 diploma. SCS Teachers have been teaching the SRF-students and in doing so the schools share knowledge and resources. The SCS further strengthened their educational partnerships with the primary school, EC2, BMS, Child Focus, CY&F, ROA CN and the Public Health Department.

Without the support of all its stakeholders, the SCS could not have progressed as it did in the past year. As such, we are asking for all of your support again in making the 2016-2017 school year another success. Pursuant to our custom, the school is reaching out to all parents, guardians and students to always share what is on your mind throughout the upcoming school year. You can do so via homeroom teacher, teachers, department leaders, the director, the MR and/or the Student/Parent body. The results of the July 2016 questionnaire for parents will be shared in the upcoming Academic School Year.

Press release SCS.