Netball Rally !!!

Hi All!! Remember the Netball Rally takes place this Saturday, November 20 2010 at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. The parade begins at 4:30 PM. Come out and support the girls!!

Netall begins this Friday!!

Our netball ladies take on Red Bay Primary and the Cayman Prep A team this Friday, November 5, 2010 at the Truman Bodden soprts complex courts.The first game is scheduled to begin around 1:00 PM. Give them all the support you can.

Donation to the Cancer Society

We are very happy to announce that we were able to make a donation of CI$1,000.00 to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society in the name of the Sir John A. Cumber Primary School. This represents the total collected from faculty and students on our recent dress-up day in support of the fight against breast cancer.
Thanks to all of you who helped the children by giving them the money to take part in this effort.

Telephone Contact List 2010

Dear Parent/Guardian,



In order to assist you with communication with your child’s teacher, we have provided below the current telephone contact list for the school. Every teacher does not have a school phone so you may call the teacher in the grade to which your child belongs so that a message may be passed to your child’s teacher. Please avoid calling while classes are in session. If you must call during class time, please call the secretaries at the numbers provided or call the school directly at 949-3314.

Sir John A Cumber Primary School

Telephone Contact List 2010/2011

NAME CLASS TELEPHONE #

Mrs. Bennett Year 1 (Head of Infants) 916-6634

Ms. Pat Year 1 925-3537

Mrs. Porter Year 2 916-0622

Ms. Ebanks Year 3 916-1445

Mrs. Williams Year 3 916-8630

Mr. Perrin Year 4 (Head of Juniors) 916-6192

Ms. M. Foster Year 4 916-8947

Mrs. Rodney Year 4 916-3418

Mr. Coles Year 5 916-3893

Mr. Smith Year 6 925-0436

Mrs. Binger Year 6 925-3407



Ester Rivers School Bus Coordinator 926-7276



Joy Morrison Secretary 925-3531

Grace Isabel-Dipre Secretary 925-0907



Mr. J. Wallace Principal 916-7584

Mrs. L. Lumsden Deputy Principal 916-6692

Mrs. Vaughn PYP Coordinator 916-8577

Mrs. Murray School Counsellor 925-3528

Mrs. Varona SEN Coordinator 916-8983

Mr. Toney LBD Specialist 925-6510

A gift from the Cumbers

Mr. Mervyn Cumber, son of the late Sir John A. Cumber promised, at the renaming ceremony of the school in honourof his father, to provide a monetary incentive for the development of writing in the Year Six classes.
Last Monday, the PTA President received a cheque for CI$10,000.00 from Mr. Cumber. This money is to be used over the next ten years to fund a writing competition among our Year Six students. Three prizes, totalling $1,000.00 will be awarded each year; a first prize of $500.00, a second prize of$300.00 and a third prize of $200.00.
On behalf of the school and especially the students who will benefit directly from this generous gesture, I want to say a very big "Thank you" to Mr. Cumber and his family.

We have a new name!!

The name of our school is now officially the Sir John A. Cumber Primary school. The renaming ceremony took place on Thursday September 9th, 2010 during a ceremony held in the school hall in the presence of members of Sir John's family, the Premier, the Minister of Education the student body and other government and education department representatives.
The school hall was named in honour of the late Shirley Kidd, a former principal of this school who died while still in office. It will now be known as the Shirley Kidd Memorial Hall.

Update (September 3rd)

Dear Parent/Guardian,




It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all back to school for the 20010/2011 school year. We have been so far blessed by a peaceful, trouble free beginning to the year and, with God’s grace, we pray that it will continue like this and indeed, get even better.



I want to extend a special welcome to our new parents. We are pleased to have you as the newest members of the John Cumber family. I trust that your association with the school will be a rewarding and enjoyable one for you and your children.



On that note, new parents are cordially invited to attend a special Meet and Greet night for NEW PARENTS only, next Monday, September 6, 2010 beginning at 6:00 PM in the Hall. Refreshments will be served.



We have had several changes at the school over the summer. Firstly, the Modulars have been temporarily relocated to the opposite side of the Infant playfield. This is to allow for the construction of a new suite of classrooms. Construction should begin within the next few weeks.

The expansion work on classrooms one through nine in the old block is finished. Our older children now have much more spacious classrooms in which to work.

The Computer room has been refurbished and all the desktops updated.



There have been several additions to our staff:

Mrs. Vera Williams is substituting for Mrs. Clark in Year One. Mrs. Clark is off on extended sick leave.

Mrs. Pamela Gayle joins us in Year Two to replace Mrs. Valrie Williams who has moved to Year Three; Mrs. Maylyn Beckford-Michelin and Ms. Jenive Franklin are our new Year Three teachers; Mrs. Winsome Wellington- Year 5 replacing Mr. Perrin who has now moved to Year 4; Mr. Flynn Bush, the new PE teacher replacing Mr. Wason and Ms. Rachel Klein, ICT teacher replacing Mr. Brendan Smith.



I know that you will give these new teachers a warm West Bay welcome.



Together for John Cumber.







J. Wallace

We're back!!

Welcome back everybody!! The new school year began yesterday for all students in primary schools across the islands. I am happy to tell you that almost every child , new and returning, settled in to the "back to school" routine with little or no trouble.
We're looking forward to a fantastic 2010/2011 for all our students, parents and teachers.
If we work together, we can do it.
Have a great year!!

JACPS takes cricket and basketball titles

The JACPS cricket team completed a fantastic season by winning the league competition on Friday. This team played so well that they did not lose a single match. Congratulations to the coach, Mr. Griffith, and to all the players on a job well done.
Also in the winner's circle this weekend was our girls' basketball team. They capped off a very successful season by taking the championship trophy at the finals held on Saturday. Several of our girls also made the All-Star team. Congratulations to these fine athletes and their coach and many thanks to Mr. Smith and Miss Hall for giving up their Saturday mornings to assist the team. Well done JACPS!!

Just so you know:The impact of road works

The National Roads Authority has begun a project to widen segments of Hell road and Fountain road. This will affect the school in some ways over the next few months. The most noticable impact will be that we will lose a few feet of our field perimeter that runs parallel to the roadway.
The NRA will have to relocate the fence and the trees that are close to the roadside. Work has already begun on some sections of Hell road and we should see this extending to around the area of the school during the next few weeks.

Look out for Oriental Dynasty

Junior Batabano takes place this Saturday, April 24, the main event being a Parade of the Bands on Saturday afternoon. Our school is represented by a group of our more senior students who will be parading under the banner, "Oriental Dynasty."

We need to thank Mr. Benedict John and Mrs. Diane Varona and the support crew of teachers and parents for preparing the Band for participation this year.

Look out for them this Saturday!!

Earth Week is here!!

We have one planet to call home! Earth Week will be celebrated next week, April 19th to the 23rd. The goal of Earth Week is quite basically to bring an awareness to our children of the need to protect the planet and the part they can play in doing that.

The following are some suggested activities that can be done during the week. Some of these were given by the student council




1. Clean-up day (we need volunteers to arrange this)

2. Poster competition

3. Slogan competition

4. Various games focused on saving the environment

5. Completing activities from activity pack



CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1. APRIL 19 :Launch of Science Club sponsored by Ritz Carlton Cayman (3:15)

2. APRIL 20: Earth Day Devotion: Mr. David Samms, Landscaping Manager and Mr. Justin Porter, Ambassadors of the Environment from the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman to speak about the importance of trees to the Environment.

3. APRIL 20: Year 3 tour of Cayman Water Company (1st group)

4. APRIL 21: Year 3 tour of Cayman Water Company (2nd group)

5. APRIL 21: Disney’s Environmental Challenge winners to visit and present their project to the Year Six classes. (11:30 – 12:00)

6. APRIL 22: Launch of Recycling Programme with Arie Barendrecht, Cobalt Coast (8:30 - General Assembly)

7. APRIL 22: Year 4 classes to visit the Mission House in Bodden Town as part of the National Trust Environmental Story Telling Day

8. APRIL 23: Visit to the Environmental Fair at the Governor’s Residence – Selected Students from Years 5 and 6.

Beaten but by no means disgraced!!

We ae no longer the "official" primary schools track and field champions. We lost that title to Red Bay Primary last Friday placing second by a slim margin of 8.5 points. Two of our Relay teams were disqualified and this allowed the Red Bay team to creep ahead by that slim margin.
No one can say though that we gave up our title without a fight. Our children performed magnificantly and we can all be proud of their efforts. There were several outstanding individual efforts as well as an alround fantastic team effort. We could not have asked for more and I want to thank each and every child who participated and the coaches for the fine job that they did.
We will be back!!

March updates

Inter-Primary Sports:

This event takes place over two days, Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19. There will be no classes on Friday since most of our children will be at the Complex. Children in Year One are not expected to be at the Complex or at school on that day.

Those of you who wish to take your child directly to the Complex on Friday may do so. If you wish your child to use the bus, please note that the buses must leave no later that 8:25 AM in order to arrive at the Complex on time. Please note that they must buy lunch at the Complex on that day. The school will only be able to provide lunch for the athletes.



Football Raffle:

The boys’ football team is raising funds to assist with a planned visit to Fort Lauderdale in Florida during the Summer Break. They are expected to play at least three matches while there. Raffle tickets and donation stickers are being sold in support of this venture. If you are willing to assist with the sale of tickets, please contact Mr. Smith in Year Six or Miss Grace or Miss Joy at the Office.



Queen’s Baton Relay:

Part of the tradition leading up to the Commonwealth Games is the display of the Queen’s Commonwealth Baton in the different countries of the Commonwealth. This year, the games are being held in Delhi, India. The Baton has already begun its trip around the world and will be visiting the Cayman Islands on March 31, 2010. I am pleased to inform you that one of the stops while on island will be the John A. Cumber Primary School. Our children will become part of the history of this year’s Commonwealth Games.

End of February update

February 22, 2010




Dear Parent/Guardian:

Allow me the opportunity to bring the following to your attention:



Sports Days:

The Field events take place on the school field beginning at approximately 9:00 AM on Wednesday.

The Track events take place at the Complex on Thursday also beginning at 9:00 AM.

We should have staff at the Complex from as early as 8:00 AM so if you prefer to take your child to George Town yourself that should be fine. We are arranging to provide bus transport for the majority of students. The buses should leave no later than 8:15 AM to allow us to get to the Complex on time. Children who hope to use the buses must be on time.



Year Six Transition Meeting:

The parents of our Year Six students are specially invited to attend a meeting with personnel from the Department of Education Services to discuss the transition to the new schools later this year. Any other interested parents are also welcome to attend. The meeting takes place in the Hall beginning at 6:30 PM this Wednesday, February 24, 2010.



Early Drop-Off:

Infant parents especially are reminded that if you are taking your child to school early, please drop off the child in the waiting area near the office rather than take him/her to the empty classroom.

All parents are reminded of the need to check with the Office is you are removing your child before dismissal. Please remind your child to not approach strangers or to take anything from people they do not know.





Thank you.









------------------------

J. Wallace

Letter on Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

A letter was sent to the school on February 1, 2010 from the Department of Education Services regarding Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.  You can download and read the letter here.

Football finals this Saturday!!

This Saturday, February 6th, both the A and B teams play their final football matches for the 2009/2010 season.
 It has been a long and hard fought journey and special thanks to the members of both teams and their decicated parents and coaches for all that they have done since the season began back in October.
This weekend, the B Team will play against Red Bay Primary School for third place and our A Team play Catholic for the 1st place trophy.
The B Team game begins at 9:00 AM while the A Team match kicks off at 1:30 PM. Both games take place at the George Town Annex.

Positive reinforcement for good behaviour.

We find that often, we tend to focus on correcting improper behaviour rather than recognizing and celebrating  those who do their best to be good citizens.  Our school has therefore initiated a Behavior Management and Rewards Programme, intended to encourage those students among us who have consistently shown positive behavior.


The criteria to be used include mode of dress, attendance, good citizenship (observance of classroom rules) and portrayal of PYP attitudes.
At the end of each month any child or set of children selected from each class will be highlighted at the school’s General Assembly. Their photographs will be taken and placed on the notice board next to the school’s office under the caption: “Parade of Stars’.
These children will also receive a special treat as an extra incentive to maintain that standard each month.
As there is no limit to the number of children who can be selected from any one class it is hoped that this will encourage those who have fallen short in the past to make a little more effort to follow the rules.
Please encourage your child to do his/her best to attain this kind of recognition.

Winners all!!

The results of the Student Council elections are in and the Executive Body has been elected. The officers are as follows:
President: Jake Bennett
First Vice President: Kamiesha McKenzie
Second Vice President: Grace Christian-Welcome
Secretary: Shakira Ebanks
Public Relations Officer: Hugh Thomas
Congratulations to the newly elected body as well as to all the candidates who took part in this election.
On behalf of the school community, I wish these students well and look forward to working with them to improve the ethos of the school.

J.W.

Student Council Elections

The elections for positions on the governing body of the Student Council takes place on Wednesday January 13, 2010. The candidates were allowed to present their campaign speeches at a special assembly Tuesday afternoon. I must congratulate the children and parents involved on a fantastic job of preparing the speeches. The presentations were outstanding, but what was more impressive was the ability of members of the student body to formulate intelligent questions and the candidates' ability to provide appropriate, well-constructed responses. Our children continue to give us reasons to be proud of them.