The Coral Bay Community Council (CBCC) is offering a new, short-term, free tutorial program that will support public school students in Coral Bay, St. John, who need assistance to effectively adapt to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The in-person program will provide immediate assistance to students and parents and caregivers as they navigate the challenges of virtual learning.
It is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI). Since 1990, the CFVI has been a catalyst for positive change in the territory through initiatives committed to youth, learning, family support and the environment.
Initially, the program will focus on ensuring that students and parents are technically proficient at operating the devices and programs and have the resources needed for the completion of schoolwork. After basic technical skill levels are achieved, it will focus on assisting students with completing specific coursework. The program management will be responsive to requests for individualized assistance for students — by students, parents and teachers. The goal is to assure students can succeed in a virtual school setting and to give them the encouragement to do their best.
CBCC will oversee the program, which will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Community Center in the Calabash Boom Affordable Housing community in Coral Bay. Limited to Coral Bay residents, it will be in line with recommendations to slow down the spread of COVID-19, by reducing interaction with people who live in different geographic locations.
This service will range from one or two sessions for a student and parent/caregiver to twice-a-week ongoing school and homework assistance in subject matter, depending on the students’ needs. It will operate through December 2020 and into the future as needed, since it is not currently known if the V.I. Department of Education will be able to have in-person school for the second semester.
“We are looking forward to providing assistance to the students of Coral Bay as they deal with the challenges of learning virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools cannot meet in person,” said Jane Israel, CBCC Community Programs associate.
Anyone interested in having their child tutored or volunteering to be a tutor with the program is urged to call 776-2099 or email Tutor@CoralBayCommunityCouncil.org to sign up and learn more about the program. Parents/guardians of students interested in receiving tutoring services will need to fill out an application for each student that can be downloaded from the CBCC website or picked up at the CBCC office, which is in Coral Bay across from the fire station, or at the Calabash Boom Leasing Office.
The student application form, along with more information about CBCC, can be found on the website at www.coralbaycommunitycouncil.org.
