Island Primary Update #2

For the benefit of our readers new to this series, we'd like to let you know that our updates may be translated into over 100 languages with the click of a button.

When viewed in your browser, the ADA and Translation features will show to right side of the screen. When viewed on a mobile device, a small Translate button will appear at the top of the email, or to the lower right of the screen when viewed through your browser. Simply click the 'Translate' button and choose your desired language.

For readers where English is not their first language, or those looking to practice their language skills, give it a try!

Wow! Is really the best word to describe the progress made since our last update. Our roof is nearly finished, the parking and entry areas are being graded, and our interior works are well underway. Our gardens and outside play and sports areas are just about ready for us to start planting, and over the next couple of months we’ll begin installing our trees to allow them time to take root. Our central courtyard will also be made ready for the planting of our interior trees that will help shape the heart of the school.

We know that while walls, roofs and parking lots are great, our students are naturally more interested in what’s outside the building. With the space available to us there are so many exciting features being incorporated which include a dedicated 'Zen' garden to enjoy nature in a peaceful setting; an active vegetable and herb garden where the children will help with growing fruits, vegetables and herbs; an abundance of naturally shaded areas for children to play, climb and explore, and of course, a large sports field and hard court for a variety of PE activities both during class and playtimes.

In our next update we hope to share images of what the outside play, nature and sports areas will look like as we work towards finalizing the layout and plans. We also ask, ever so humbly, that if any of our readers have any shade or fruit trees that need a home, we’d happily provide a loving ground for them. We also have an abundance of mature coconut trees we’d be equally happy to relocate in return!

A VERY large thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions for our House names. We had a fantastic response with the ‘plants and woods’ giving the ‘animals’ a tough run for first place. After much thought and discussion, we’ve gone in favour of the theme most suggested, our animals, and we are excited to share a small introduction to our 4 Houses below.

And while each house (animal) is distinct, enhancing our school with its own unique qualities, it is their shared qualities of resilience, perseverance, adaptability, courage, and character which makes them so apt for Island Primary. These core values are integral elements of our whole school identity and we aspire to develop and demonstrate these each day.

Look up and listen, our Parrots are singing a warm welcome. Representing our beautiful skies, our Parrots symbolize our beautiful, colourful country, and soar our skies to remind us to look up and appreciate all that we have.

As one of our most protected animals, our Blue Iguanas are truly Caymanian as it's the only place on earth to find them. Having one of the longest life spans of it's species, the Blue Iguana symbolizes our heritage, and carry the strength and confidence befitting such a rare and proud animal.

Our Stingrays represent our island’s sea ambassadors, with their grace and welcoming nature to our island's visitors and residents alike, a true CaymanKind animal, we’re proud to have them in our family.

Holding a place on our country's coat of arms, our Turtles represent our seafaring history, and is one of the few species on our planet who are so ancient they existed when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Our Turtles represent our beloved isle, and our school family would just not be complete without them.

Part of living on a small island is the need to also leave it from time to time to get away to distant lands and see friends and family afar. After speaking with a number of people on the subject of travel, we’ve made a slight change to our 2023/24 school calendar, to allow our students, families and our staff to spend a little more time relaxing and being with loved ones over the Christmas break.

Our updated school calendar is available here, as well as on our website so please check it out when planning ahead.

Our staff are key to who we are, and we were so fortunate to have met some amazing people during our recruitment process. We are thrilled to have brought together a starting team of 32 staff that bring the very best to the school.

Our team is a fantastic multi-cultural mix, the majority of whom already work and live in Cayman, with a handful of returning Caymanian teachers and a few new faces who are moving to Cayman for the first time. Included in the team are full time specialists in special education needs, PE, computing and music, and we are very much looking forward to introducing them over the coming months.

We'd like to thank all our families for submitting their registration forms to join our school, and we also wanted to reassure our readers that our enrolment process remains open throughout the year, and we have spaces in most year groups.

Please spread the good word and for families still thinking about us, please let us know if we can help with any questions you might have along the way by emailing us at info@islandprimary.org

We understand that with anything new there is as much excitement as there is nervousness, and oftentimes a lot of questions come to mind. As we work towards our opening day, there are still some elements of our operations and daily life which are still being hammered out with the various stakeholders involved.

To help answer as much as we are able, we invite registered and interested families to join us on Tuesday, March 21st for an informal Almost-Open-House Event from 6:30-8:30 at The Compass Centre Loft.

To ensure we’re properly prepared, we ask that attendees first register HERE.

So, here we are. A new year is upon us. Only it’s not just a new year. It’s 2023. It’s the year. Our year. With every discussion, decision, and “drop in” visit to the new site, Island Primary becomes just that little bit more real. In what seems like in the blink of an eye we’ve gone from an idea, to a plan, to moving in. Almost. Soon Come!

These past few months have seen much in the way of startling progress and while there’s always work still to be done, we’re continually seeking to improve, and our successes to date fill us with confidence, energy, and enthusiasm for the journey ahead.

We’re so looking forward to being able to share all that’s been accomplished: our new site, our amazing staff, and our wonderful new curriculum - Learning Means the World, are just a few of the highlights to date. These, along with other anticipated developments, will be shared at our Open House Evening on 21st March. We hope that you can join us but until then, we wish you all the very best for 2023. What a year it’s going to be!

Best regards,

Steve

Email: info@islandprimary.org
Website: www.islandprimary.org
Location: Buttonwod Park, Grand Cayman
Phone: (345) 926 8185
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/islandprimary