Dear System Leaders and BPSS Staff, Protocol for Staff who Need to Access School Buildings to Collect Resources When Schools are Engaged in Remote LearningEffective Wednesday, 21st April, 2021 1.       The school leader will ensure that a minimum number of staff are permitted in the school building at any given time to ensure the safety, health and well-being of staff; and to facilitate contact tracing.2.       Staff members who need to access the school building to secure resources to support remote learning will write to the school leader with the request and indicate the amount of time needed.3.       The school leader will assign each staff member a designated day and period of time to ensure there are a minimum number of staff in the building at any given time.  The school leader will factor in the number of staff who have been approved to work remotely from the school building when assigning dates and times.  4.       Staff who are approved to go into the building to secure resources will be given a period of time between 8:00am to 3:45pm and on a day and time which does not prohibit teaching, learning and the delivery of services.5.       School leaders will keep an electronic register of all staff who are approved to access the building to secure resources.6.       The register is to include the name of the school, the name of each staff member  (Last, First) and all date(s) and periods of time that each staff member went into the building to access resources.7.       A record of the register will be submitted to the Commissioner’s Office at the end of the remote learning period and, if requested, to the Department of Health.8.       Staff who are approved to go into school buildings to access resources must adhere strictly to  the Government’s Regulations; and the safety and health procedures that are included in the Remote Learning Guidance for the Bermuda Public School System dated April 12th to May 7th, 2021. This includes wearing a mask at all times, other than when staff are in their rooms and accessing only the staff member’s assigned classroom. Respectfully,Commissioner Richards          Kalmar Richards      Commissioner of Education      Government of Bermuda | Department of Education                          44 Church Street | Hamilton |  Bermuda HM12                          Extension: 3312                          Direct Telephone: 441 278 3312 | Cell: 441 534 0005 | Email: krichards@gov.bm                           Department of Education Direct Line: 441 278 3300

Welcome from the Minister for Education, The Hon. Diallo Rabain JP, MP Welcome to our fourth Learning First newsletter. In this monthly email, you will be able to learn about the work being undertaken in Bermuda to realise our vision that all students are educated to lead personally and professionally, compete locally, and contribute globally.  This month, I want to thank the members of the community who came out to participate in covid-safe pop-up prototyping with design teams and offered their kind, helpful and specific feedback. I would also like to commend the Learning First design teams on the energy, critical thinking and creativity they have invested in their ideas, and their commitment to collaboration along the way. It is only through working with you - teachers, students, parents, businesses and communities – that we can bring our vision to life and make sure that Bermudian young people can thrive in the 21st century. Look out for the details below on how to register for the zoom pop up prototypes this week!       What's been happening? Pop-up prototyping across the island After over three months of planning and creativity, design teams ran their prototypes with members of the community in pop-up sessions over the course of a day in mid-March. Teams were joined by students, parents, educators, community members and business leaders, all passionate about the opportunity to reimagine education. In fast-paced and covid-safe environments, participants stepped into the prototypes so that they could visualise how the ideas might work, and offer their thoughts on how to make them even better. Prototypes included LEGO simulations of new learning environments, card games in which participants could map out their own personalised learning journeys, and role-plays of new partnerships between schools and the business community.  Did you participate in a pop-up? Share your experiences and any photos you took in the Learning First Facebook group, on Twitter or on Instagram using the #learningfirstbda tag! Interested in joining online pop-up prototyping this week? For those of you that were not able to participate in the recent sessions, the opportunity to engage in pop up prototyping continues this week. Be sure to sign up for the virtual pop ups using zoom that are happening this week as places are limited: 6pm - 7pm Wednesday, 24 March & Thursday, 25 March Register: http://bit.ly/LFPopUps21 Prototypes are mock-ups and test-runs that bring new ideas to life, and can take the form of role-plays, storyboards, models and even games. They help us make ideas seem real so we can find out more about how they could work.     Bermudians of Learning First and their ideas for transformation In late 2020, people from across Bermuda put their hands up to participate in design teams to reimagine our education system. Since then, those teachers, principals, parents, young people, community members and businesses have been collaborating on new ideas and creating a groundswell for change. You can find out who is participating in each of the six design teams here, and explore some of the ideas emerging through their storyboards too.  If you would like to learn more about these ideas and how aspects of them could work in practice, register to join an online pop-up prototyping session this week: http://bit.ly/LFPopUps21         Deep Dive: 'Discovery Week' In this idea developed by the Learning Environments design team, students collaborate with their teachers and experts within the community on a project to solve a ‘real-life’ problem. This might be a local problem in the community, or a global challenge that the students could help to address. Through Discovery Week, students have an opportunity to learn beyond the four walls of school, take on new roles and responsibilities, develop new skills and knowledge, and demonstrate their learning through public exhibition of their work. You can read the full storyboard here, along with other examples of ideas that are emerging so far.         Signature schools engagement   In April, we want to engage with as many people as possible about proposed ‘signatures’ for our senior schools. The signature learning programmes will enable students to follow their passions, talents and interests and develop the skills, knowledge, values and relationships needed to fulfil their career and further education aspirations. The details of the learning programme for each signature will be developed by School Design Teams during the next school year. But first we want to involve everyone in helping decide what these signatures should be.  More information on opportunities to engage wth the proposed signatures will follow in a special eNews edition coming soon.         Interested in getting involved? There are a number of ways you can participate in Learning First and help to redesign education in Bermuda. Follow Learning First on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share your thoughts about the future of education in Bermuda Register to participate in this week's online pop-up prototyping sessions here: http://bit.ly/LFPopUps21 Have your say on the proposed signatures for senior schools: follow Learning First on social media to keep informed and look out for an email arriving shortly about how you can get involved. Thanks for reading and we look forward to sharing more with you next month!

  

  Welcome from the Minister for Education, The Hon. Diallo Rabain JP, MP Welcome to the second Learning First newsletter. In this monthly email, you will be able to learn about the work being undertaken in Bermuda to realise our vision that all students are educated to lead personally and professionally, compete locally, and contribute globally. Over time, this newsletter will share opportunities for you to contribute to the transformation of our education system. You will also learn about our impact as we travel towards a 21st century education system that supports every child to reach their full potential. I thank you for joining us on this ambitious journey, and hope you will share this newsletter with other family members, friends and colleagues who want every child to succeed. It is only through working with you that we can realise our vision.               Future World of Work interim report Countries around the world are waking up to the scale of change their economies, societies and people face. The global COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the technological, societal and environmental shifts that are having a lasting impact on how we live and work, and how we learn and relearn in the face of change. In response, there is a growing focus on understanding the future world of work, to better inform how education and skills systems should respond to this age of uncertainty.  The Future World of Work Bermuda - a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Department of Workforce Development and Innovation Unit -  recently published an interim report containing new insights about this changing world of work. The interim report hopes to prompt fresh thinking about what this changing world might mean for Bermuda’s education and skills system, and those who have a stake in their success. The report will be updated over the coming months as more insights are gathered from research about the future of work across the island. What does the Future World of Work report make you think about the future for Bermudian young people? What resonates with you, or has challenged you based on your own experiences of work in the 21st century? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!         What might the future Public School System in Bermuda look like? Design teams are currently working in small project groups on six aspects of the Public School System that require a national plan and approach. In Learning First we call these the Core and National Priorities, which are: Curriculum - what students learn (in and beyond school) Pedagogy - what teaching and learning looks like Graduate Outcomes - what students need to achieve and how they evidence learning Learning Environments - where and when learning takes place Education Workforce - what support teachers and principals need to bring about these changes  Design Principles - the core values and vision that hold everything together. The work of each team is guided by an ‘imagine if’ statement, which helps them to explore what might be possible for the future of learning and work towards an energising ambition. You can find these ‘imagine if’ statements here. Do these statements capture the possibilities for the future as you see it? What do they make you think about? Share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.         What's been happening? What have we learned about Bermudian education through user research? In the last newsletter we shared that design teams, drawn from across our communities, were undertaking research to gather people’s experiences and perspectives on the Bermuda Public School System, and their ideas for how the system can be improved.  Over 60 interviews were completed and the findings were analysed by the design team members, resulting in ten insights about the Public School System in Bermuda that will inform initial designs for aspects of a new education system. You can find these insights here. If you would like to share your ideas as a ‘user’ of the public education system, or have thoughts about these ten insights, please log on to the Learning First Facebook group and invite friends and family to do the same.   Testing new ideas for our education system - Learning First needs you! The design teams working together in Learning First are using design techniques to develop their new ideas and plans for the Public School System.  One of these is prototyping. Prototyping involves testing concepts and ideas at an early stage to learn about how  ideas might work in real life - and how they need to change and improve in order to meet a diverse range of needs. Prototyping can take different forms depending on the idea to be tested test: it might look like a role-play of an experience, a model of a physical space, or even a game of scenarios.  Learning First is looking for people across the island that might be interested to participate in prototyping activities over the coming months: teachers, school leaders, parents, young people, community members or business people of all ages and life experiences are very welcome! You can express interest to find out more here.           Each month you can meet members of Learning First design teams, and learn what has compelled them to get involved in transforming Bermuda's public education system.  Name: AJ Peets Design Team: Graduate Outcomes Tell us a little bit about yourself! I am 21 years old, and currently a full time college student at Mount Saint Vincent University pursuing my Bachelors of Child and Youth Study. I am passionate about the education system, and in particular Bermuda’s outstanding bright young people. What led you to join a Learning First design team? Bermuda Youth Connect received an invitation to join Learning First, and as a youth-centered organization we felt necessary to take part in something that would directly impact us as students. What is your vision for the future of education in Bermuda? I would like to see education in Bermuda transform in a way like it’s never been before: more modern, more inclusive, and more diverse. Offering programs and initiatives that benefits all students and breaks the traditional status quo. What skills, knowledge or dispositions feel most important for young people to develop now and into the future? As a young person myself, I feel as though I was done an injustice - there are so many aspects of young adulthood I felt were not taught to prepare me for the next step after High School. I had no knowledge of or possessed certain skills such as personal finance, and access to employment opportunities. How will we know if Learning First has been successful? We know now. Learning First is the first step to success, the work we are doing now in terms of laying out a decisive blueprint is phenomenal. The community involvement of young people, working class, retired, shows that all generations are invested in seeing Bermuda’s education flourish.         Interested in getting involved? There are a number of ways you can participate in Learning First and help to redesign education in Bermuda. Share this newsletter with someone who you know is interested in the future of learning, and the futures of Bermudian young people Follow Learning First on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share your thoughts about the future of education in Bermuda Express interest in participating in prototyping activities across the island over the coming three months - you can share your details to receive more information here. Thanks for reading and we look forward to sharing more with you next month!   Learning First (learningfirstbda.com)

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