St.+Kitts


 * Past PO Participants write about St. Kitts:**

**S. Sembaj (2014) - [[file:S. Sembaj.pdf|St. Kitts]]**
**A. DeFrancesco (2016)** **-**
 * L. Kearny, J. O'Connor, H. Hickey (2016) - [[file:St. Kitts and Nevis Wiki update (1).pdf|St. Kitts]] **

**Tips from P. Munroe (TL St. Kitts/Nevis 2014)/ D. McKie (TL 2015)**

 * ====**Temperature** - July's temperature is normally in the low 30's and quite humid, but the ocean breezes help considerably. Rain can be quite heavy at times.====
 * ** Money ** - Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$), although US dollars are widely accepted. There are some ATMs at banks which give out EC$ and nearby hotels.
 * ** Accommodations ** - We were fortunate to have stayed at Sugar Bay Club, in the Frigate Bay area. Comfortable, with friendly and helpful staff. In 2015, we were able to get a two bedroom cottage which allowed the team to live together and have a common work area. There were 2 swimming pools which were a welcome treat, nice gardens and laundry facilities onsite. It was about a 20 minute taxi ride to Basseterre.
 * ====Our PO team was picked up from there and driven to the school, Advanced Vocational Education Centre (AVEC) - approximately 15 minutes away - and back home each school day.====
 * ** Electricity ** - Many places have 220V current but many hotels have a 110V current available. We didn't need a converter at either the school or the hotel, but checking with voltage details before you go is recommended, just in case. There was Wifi at our hotel but it was frequently down for the afternoon/evening. The school and the hotel had A/C, a huge bonus.
 * ** Taxis ** - We had the name and number of reliable taxi drivers from our Course director that we used..
 * ** Food ** - There is a handy grocery store at Sugar Bay Club, where we got breakfast food and other provisions. A hot lunch for all PO participants was provided at the school. A number of beach bars/restaurants were a 10 minute walk away on Frigate Bay, serving fresh, delicious food at very reasonable prices; this is where we had dinner most week nights. The fish is fantastic! There are a number of restaurants, grocery stores and shops in Basseterre as well. The fruit here is amazing; you will be there during mango season and will discover the many varieties of mangoes and other fantastic fresh fruit. Try to go to the Saturday morning market in Basseterre.
 * **Water** - We were cautious and steered clear of tap water. We bought large containers of water at the store and filled smaller ones to take to school, etc.
 * ====**Clothing** - Teachers dressed professionally and were very well-groomed. Professional but comfortable, breathable and washable clothing, covering shoulders, is recommended, You will likely be taken to meet a number of officials, so you will need 1 or 2 better outfits. (Bring your own water for these meetings, if you want to stay hydrated.)====
 * ** Health and safety ** - Chikungunya is prevalent and it is highly recommended to take precautions against mosquito bites - bug repellent with DEET, long-sleeved shirts and pants especially at dusk/dawn, etc. PO team leader 2014 contracted it; reactions vary but it can be quite debilitating for a while. Because of some incidents later at night, we were strongly advised not to go out at night, so we respected their wishes. We felt safe at the hotel and going out but did try to get back by dark.
 * **Etiquette** - Kittitians and Nevisians are warm and hospitable, with a great sense of fun and humour. When referring to the country, it is important to be inclusive and mention both St. Kitts AND Nevis. There is much more formality in addressing those in higher positions and in meetings. Many activities run on "Caribbean time" and people may not be punctual.
 * ** Entertainment ** - nice beach at Frigate Bay on the Caribbean side to swim (bring water shoes as the shore is rocky). Beach bars/restaurants there are fun and sometimes have live music. Beautiful beach at the southeastern tip of the island. Behind the hotel is the Atlantic Ocean - great for strolling along, but strong undercurrents make swimming impossible. SKTU representatives will be very hospitable and will likely arrange a tour around beautiful St. Kitts
 * ** Exercise- ** There is a significant hill to climb behind the hotel and is a "busy" spot early in the morning. Team members in 2015 hiked it daily, an "up and over" route. The pool is a great place for laps at the end of the day. It is safe to go for a jog along the hotel strip, and into the golf course area.
 * ====**Other** - Religion permeates activities. Special events like funerals take place over school, work.====

**Project Overview: (TL Pat Munro, 2014 and TL Deirdre McKie, 2015)**
Project Overseas SKN (2014) and (2015) have had an emphasis on inclusive practices and differentiated instruction. PO 2014 consisted of two parts, as requested by SKTU. Part 1 focused on Special Education topics: Mild Intellectual Delay, Autism and Aspergers, Learning Disabilities, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The participants rotated through the four workshops. Part 2 took up a shorter period of time. Topics, also on a rotation basis, were Literacy, Mathematics, Learning Styles, and Strategies for Special Education Students. All participants rotated through each topic.

PO 2015 saw changes made based on the recommendations from PO 2014. The participants registered in one course for the two week program to allow a more in-depth approach. Four courses were taught: Behaviour Modification and Classroom Management; Developing an Individual Education Plan; Evaluation and Assessment; Emotional Intelligence. Teachers were assigned by SKTU to classes and registration numbers varied per course. We HIGHLY recommend that SKN adopt a pre-registration process so that participants can select the course they want. We also recommend that they permit more teachers to attend as we had many no-shows in the first week. Daily Schedule in 2015: 9am Devotions of group 9:15-10:30 Block 1 10 30-11 Mid morning break 11-12:30 Block 2 12:30-1:30 lunch ( hot lunch delivered to site) 1:30- 2:30 Block 3 2:35-3 Zone groups ( St. Kitts has three zones and we grouped teachers by zone to close the day; Nevis is the fourth zone) 3pm Staff Meeting with Course Director, tutors and co-tutors for planning time

Plan an opportunity to provide an overview of other courses through mini-sessions. We called these “ nuggets” ( as in gold nuggets) and we did this twice each week. This helped the teacher participants stay attentive in afternoon sessions. The Zone groups were good in theory but the teachers preferred the format of the Nugget Session than the Zone groups. We recommend eliminating the zone groupings.
 * Recommendations for Change. **

In 2015, we set up a Google SIte for the project and a Google Community for the teachers post-project.( ** St. Kitts and Nevis Teachers Working Together ** .) Each day we posted handouts and videos on our site which allowed the participants to look at content from all classes and download handouts or access resources. This site has been maintained and can be transferred to the PO 2016 team. This will encourage and foster continuity in the project. It is in the infancy stage right now and could be further encouraged as a resource in 2016.
 * USE OF TECHNOLOGY **

We held an in-service for all participants and assisted those without a gmail account to create the account and learn how to access the site. There is a computer lab at AVEC which was used for the course administration. A second lab was already booked for another group but should SKN want ICT in 2016, they may be able to reserve the second lab for the course work.

It is important to note that most teachers do not have access to technology in their classrooms. Schools do not have wi-fi. Secondary students use the computers in their labs but not in other classes. Teachers enjoyed the use of technology as a teaching tool for our inservice but are looking for hands on strategies they can use in their classrooms.

PO 2015 team brought down three laptops and three projectors to donate to SKTU. It was hoped these could be loaned out to zone groupings for in-service during the school year. These projectors will be available to PO 2016. We also gave a jump drive to each participant so that documents could be uploaded for sharing back at their schools. This was appreciated as jump drives are very costly on the island.