Working at Holy Trinity Primary School in Barbuda

Pat and I arrived on Monday, March 20 and after checking in at Celene’s cottages, we went to the Holy Trinity Primary School in Barbuda.  The school structures are similar to those in Antigua, made of concrete and stucco, and painted a soft color.  The school is large with multiple classes for each grade level.

Francene Headley, who is volunteering and working in the schools in Barbuda, invited us there.  We were also supported through the Ministry of Education. Francene is a reading specialist who works with the students who need extra help in literacy development.  She is also coach and mentor to the teachers and staff at the school.

Sue and Francene

Pat visited the preschool complex and grades kindergarten through two.  She had a wonderful time observing the little students, who felt compelled to touch her hair and arms and talk with her.

The preschoolers

She was entertained by singing in the pre-kindergarten, watching first graders complete a book that they have written and practicing for the reading pageant with the second graders.  In kindergarten she observed math lessons.

First graders enjoy circle time.

On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, she conducted a workshop for these teachers on Strategies for Teaching Writing in the primary grades.

These fifth graders were very distracted by my presence and my camera.

I observed in the grades 3-6 classrooms…it was fun to work with older students this week.  I found the students were excited to talk to me and have me in their rooms.

These sixth graders told me that the best beach in Barbuda is Access Beach and that there favorite thing to do, outside of school (of course), is to ride the donkeys that roam the streets of Codrington, Barbuda.

I helped out with a math lesson, observed an awesome lesson in grade 6 on story planning, and a grammar lesson in grade five.  The workshop for teachers in grades 3-6 was on the reading-writing process.

On the last day of our visit at Holy Trinity we were asked to judge the Reading Pageant, a concluding celebration of National Reading Month.  Francene had organized the pageant.  Each class  performed a chosen genre of literature, research the story, and  study the story grammar and genre.

Francene welcomes the parents, students and teachers to the pageant.

Each classroom performed a story to the entire school.  Parent and members of the community attended the pageant that spanned the entire school day.

Parents crowd the school hall for the performances.

Like the teachers we dressed as a storybook character: Fancy Nancy.  Unfortunately, we were so busy and excited that we didn’t get a picture of ourselves. But, here is the judge in “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.”

Silly Sally was a big hit with the fans.

The Little Red Hen by the kindergarten was terrific.

One of my very favorite authors, Eric Carle wrote The Very Happy Caterpillar.  Another kindergarten did an awesome performance of this story.

The sixth graders performed a wonderful rendition of “The Back of the Bus.”

The pageant was terrific.  From the first grade classrooms to the six grade classrooms the performances showed much hard work, creativity and helped reading come alive!