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Nearly-expelled pupil now at sister Hillside campus

ST. PETERS--A nine-year-old child has returned to school after an attempt to expel him from Hillside Christian Schools Asha Stevens Campus.

After a line-up of warnings by the school on the child and his brother, and a meeting with Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs (ECSY) Inspection Division Truancy Officers, a Court of Guardianship (CoG) representative and the child’s parents, the Hillside Christian Schools board arranged for the child to be enrolled in its Helmich Snijders Campus.

Switching the child to a school with Dutch as the language of instruction was not a preferred solution, but the school board made the decision after the meeting on the urgent case and a subsequent notification that the board would be solely responsible for enrolling him in another school Read more

Tourism industry stars honoured at 9th Crystal Pineapple Awards

MAHO--Top performers across the different sectors of the tourism industry were honoured once again at the ninth annual Crystal Pineapple Awards organised by the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) at repeat gala host Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino on Friday night, November 21.

Sonesta's conference room formed a mecca for the who's who of the tourism industry, as a jam-packed room of professionals enjoyed a five-star buffet dinner, silent auction, song and dance performances by ARIAS and Dance Theatre of St Read more

Pupil expulsion not valid, school seeks assistance

CAY HILL--A couple describing themselves as very "angry parents" reported to The Daily Herald that their nine-year-old child, who attends Hillside Christian Schools Asha Stevens Campus, has been expelled, a decision with which they fervently disagree and say is not allowed under St. Maarten's stand on compulsory education.

The school has described a situation of uncooperative parents and disruptive and dangerous behaviour by the pupil, stating that action is needed for both his safety and that of other pupils.

Amongst other warnings, the pupil was suspended for aggressive behaviour near the end of the last school year Read more

Most schools ready to reopen on Monday

PHILIPSBURG--All government-subsidised schools and "most" public schools are ready to reopen their doors on Monday after a weeklong closure due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, which pummelled the island on Monday evening, October 13.

High schools ready to reopen on Monday are Milton Peters College (MPC); Sundial School; both sections of St. Maarten Academy; Charlotte Brookson Academy for the Performing Arts; Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) Comprehensive Secondary Education; and St. Dominic High School.

Primary schools set to reopen are Seventh-Day Adventist School; MAC Browlia F Read more

King Yen Tae Kwon Do is moving

Grandmaster Theo Liu has held weekly training sessions at the Prins Willem Alexander School in St. Peters for nearly 15 years. As the school is closing and will be replaced, training will now be held from 5:00 to 8:00pm Thursdays and 4:00 to 7:00pm Sundays at Helmich Snijder Hillside Christian School at the Grape Fruit Road. "It's important Tae kwon do continues in St. Peters especially for those children that don't have transportation," said Liu. The Grandmaster also conducts training sessions in Middle Region at the Sister Marie Laurens School Read more

Pregnancy Market 2014

~ Focus on the fathers ~

In an effort to encourage, motivate and support fathers in their parenting role, the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour (VSA) will be hosting its third Annual Pregnancy Market on Saturday, September 6, at National Institute for Performance Arts (NIPA) in Cay Hill next to Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

This year's Pregnancy Market will be used as a vehicle to highlight and emphasize the importance of a father's involvement in the life of a child from the onset of pregnancy and beyond Read more

Healthy eating equals healthy education!

What to put in your child's lunch kit Packing healthy and nutritious snacks and meals for your child to take to school five days a week can be challenging for some parents, particularly if you're not quite sure what constitutes a "healthy" meal and if you have a child who constantly nags you for "junk" food. Nutritionist Swinda Richardson from the Ministry of Public Health says despite the challenges they face, parents should remain firm in their resolve to continue having their child consume healthy edibles: "Children are very active in school and need energy to focus on their lessons in class Read more