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the gvp school Care system​

The GvP School’s team is dedicated to working in full support of our students, their education, and their well-being. We wish to offer students an environment that enables them to develop all their talents, to build their self-esteem, to find their sense of self. We hope that they enjoy being at school, that they feel safe, respected and part of the GvP School community. An important educational pillar of our mission is that we cater to the strengths of each student. Some students have special
educational needs. For example, they may have reading difficulties, educational backlog, attention deficit problems, or social or emotional issues. The school has a system of student evaluation put in place to identify learning, social-emotional and /or behavioral issues at an early stage and to intervene adequately.

To address these special needs as best as we can, we have a team of trained personnel and teachers ensuring that our students receive the extra care and support they may need in the classroom. The Care Team is active and involved across the four departments at GvP School: PrO, CCSLC, CVQ, and CSEC. Each Care Team member functions as Care Officer for certain Forms and/or classes. As the Department Heads are responsible for their department’s students and their development, the members of the Care Team always involve the Department Head in providing guidance, care and support to the student, and in the communication with and consultation of our stakeholders.

In 2024-2025 the Care Team consists of:

  • Care Coordinator: Ms. Lois Hassell
  • Remedial Teacher: Ms. Frida Boltjes
  • School Social Worker: Ms. Ann-Marie Blaise 

The school can also call on specialized institutions such as the Unit Social Support at the Public Entity St. Eustatius and the Expertise Centre Education Care St. Eustatius (ECE) for assessment and support.

The GvP School care system is organized as follows:

  • When a teacher realizes that a student has a special educational need, the teacher will speak first to the student. The teacher reports this to the Mentor, who in turn will contact the student’s parent or guardian.
  • The Mentor is the teacher assigned to a class to take good care of the class. The Mentor gives support and encourages students to manage their own learning, so they can maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the best students they can be.
  • A Mentor has regular meetings with the Department Head and the Care Officer, so that students with a special need can be discussed with all teachers concerned.
  • If then the special need still needs to be addressed, it will be discussed with the Care Team. This small group of specialized people will discuss the issue and will assign the student to one of the persons within the scheme, according to the special educational need.
  • If the special need persists, the Care Team will discuss the issue either with specialists from ECE (Expertise Centre for Educational Care), which specializes in learning problems, USS (Unit Social Support at the Public Entity St. Eustatius) which specializes in emotional and social problems or MHC (Mental Health Caribbean) which organizes psychological, psychiatric and addiction care. All these institutions may call in help from outside.
  • The consent of the parent/guardian has to be obtained regarding referral to a specialized institution.
  • Students may be discussed during one of the regular multi-agency meetings. These meetings are between representatives from the various institutions on the island, which are involved in young people’s wellbeing.
  • In any case, when a serious incident with a student occurs, the parent/guardian is immediately called in and involved in every step that is taken.