Group starts delivery of supplies to primary schools
An organisation dedicated to helping students’ education has kicked off its sixth year of delivering supplies to the island’s public primary schools.
Support Public Schools Bermuda stopped at Elliot Primary School but will deliver supplies to all 17 primary schools today and tomorrow. There will more delivery days in June.
SPS founder and main organiser Juliana Snelling said: “Studies show that students who are equipped with good-quality school supplies are motivated and excited to learn, leading to improved grades, creativity and positive behaviour.
“Having a creative classroom experience also promotes greater confidence and the development of essential social skills.
“In short, having good school supplies positively impacts the life of the student from the ground up, and directly impacts their success.
“SPS wants to foster this success by giving our students the instructional resources they need to reach their full learning potential.”
Over the two days, SPS will deliver $55,000 of school supplies, bringing the value of supplies donated since the group was founded in 2018 to more than $520,000.
Repeat supporters this year include Butterfield Bank, the Green Family, Butterfield & Vallis, Deloitte, MS Reinsurance, Chubb, Enstar Ltd, KPMG, Mosaic and ABS.
The goal of SPS
The goal of SPS is to equip Bermuda’s public school students with the instructional resources that they need to enhance learning in the classroom.
Each year public schoolteachers provide SPS with “wish lists” of what will improve their classroom experience.
This year the items included fidget chair bands, electric sharpeners, board games, Stem kits, CDs for Listening Centres, wobble cushions, noise cancelling headphones, geometry sets, laminators and sand timers.
Supporters can respond to the specific classroom need that inspires them.
These items are then made available for purchase at discounted prices by SPS’s two retail suppliers, AF Smith and Phoenix Group.
The stores then deliver the supplies directly to the classrooms free of charge on designated delivery days overseen by SPS.bm volunteers at least twice per year.
Additional good-quality second-hand office and school supplies, including 50 PCs and monitors, 50 desks and cubicles, binders and paper, have been donated by various companies including Fidelity, Appleby, Kennedy’s and the Freisenbruch Group.
A new sponsor this year was The Meritus Foundation, which donated $10,000. SPS was selected as a Meritus Foundation Fellow Award Winner for 2024, which recognises community leaders who help people and demonstrate the foundation’s promoted values of passion, courage, humility and empathy.
Michelle Wolfe, chairwoman and family counsel of the Meritus Foundation, said: “We firmly believe that by supporting education we are shaping a future where every child in Bermuda can thrive. This contribution is a reflection of our dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of our next generation.”
Jody Feldman, Butterfield Bank’s managing director, added: “Butterfield has worked with the Support Public Schools team since its inception, and we are proud to have done so once again this year.
“Investing in the future of our community, and ensuring it thrives, is important to Butterfield. Our support and purchasing of supplies is aimed at ensuring our teachers have everything they need to enrich the learning experience of their students, and to empower Bermuda’s students to achieve their aspirations.”