Bajan Mom Award of Service Excellence 2023: January Nomination – “High Trees”

View from “High Trees”

This site has had reviews of various services in Barbados before, but never as a dedicated series that examines concrete examples of customer service excellence. There will be 1 nominee per month for the Bajan Mom Award of Service Excellence 2023 (no monetary value, but a sense of pride is priceless), and then, in December, one of these monthly nominees will be declared 2023’s winner overall.

January’s nominee for the Bajan Mom Award of Service Excellence 2023 is the team that manages a short-term rental in the parish of Christ Church. High Trees, which is on St. Lawrence Main Road, is an exquisite 3-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom townhouse run by a host (Gloria) and property manager (Margot), assisted by Grace Anne, who understand how to give guests value for money. Just a stone’s throw away from the Divi Southwinds Resort and popular St. Lawrence Gap, this property is ideal for anyone who wants to be close to entertainment but tucked away enough to enjoy peace and relaxation as well. For those who are travelling as a family, note that the property houses a maximum of 6 persons.

I recognise the service excellence at High Trees based on the following 6 categories: Amenities, Cleanliness, Hospitality, Communication & Responsiveness, Family Friendliness, and Honesty in Advertising.

Amenities

When you visit this property’s link on Airbnb it advertises a whopping 52 amenities. These include a combination washer and dryer, as well as a kitchen with whatever you need to prepare meals for your family. I will mention a few more in the other categories but how the property is presented, and what is available, offer a perfect balance of being on a relaxing holiday and being self-sufficient. Wifi and a workspace are also available for those who need to work.

Cleanliness

When you first step into High Trees and want to lay your head down after a long flight, you can do so without concern. You do not have that sense of dread that first you have to sanitise every surface before you can go to bed. The air is fresh and the rooms and contents are pristine.

A housekeeper comes to the property once a week, for your convenience and at your convenience, and the bed and bath linens are laundered professionally by an outside service. There are also cleaning products available should you desire to do your own cleaning for maintenance purposes.

Hospitality

Never, in my family’s and my entire experience at High Trees did we ever feel like we were an inconvenience, unlike other experiences we have had at other properties where making money was king and hospitality was the jester. It was understood that we were guests and that our comfort was their first priority. Whatever we needed was made readily available and we were made to feel at home away from home.

They also sought to make navigation throughout the property easier by providing a manual which explained how appliances worked, gave the WiFi password, and the general rules of staying at the property.

Communication & Responsiveness

The lines of communication were always open and if there were any concerns, responses were prompt, within a few hours, or at longest, by the end of the day. The property manager or host did not allow the sun to set without offering assurances and actively finding solutions. That level of professionalism was very comforting.

Family Friendliness

The property is spacious and ideal for families. The homey atmosphere and the appliances for ease of taking care of needs are pluses.

Two cautions though: 1) there are some expensive and fragile décor items that may not be suitable for children, and 2) the Airbnb link warns families that due to the reflecting pools, despite their shallowness, that the property may not be suitable for small children.

Honesty in Advertising

There are no smoke and mirrors here, folks. What you see is what you get at “High Trees”. In fact, the photos are inviting but pale in comparison to the sense of serenity one feels in the airy, light and tranquil rooms, or stretched out on the rattan chairs in the patio next to the water garden and looking on to the beautiful flora concentrated in the centre of the complex.

The only caveat is that there is no agreement with Divi Southwinds as advertised. If one looks at any unit advertised for sale, long-term or short-term rental in this condominium complex, that alleged agreement is shown as a benefit, however, on visiting the hotel to ask about use of the gym facilities, we were told that several visitors have come asking but have left disappointed since no such arrangement exists. This does not seem to be the fault of the hosts/landlords, but some other entity, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so let me save you a trip across the street to the resort.

Overall Impressions

The High Trees team offers better hospitality than some hotels that I have visited at home and abroad. They are customer-centric, professional, responsive and knowledgeable. The main drawback is the property is not suitable for young children but this is advertised upfront.

Bajan Mom score: 8.5/10

Congratulations and A Brief Word on Transfers

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Author’s edit: It has been reported that transfers will be considered this year, a variance from the usual stipulation of waiting an academic year.

Congratulations to the students who received their results for the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination today. Well done! You worked hard and no matter the result or school, we are all proud of you. Preparing for and taking such an important exam during a pandemic is no small feat. You are a warrior and you remain undefeated!

I know that with this time there is not only celebration, but also some frustration, especially when it seems as if the grades and the allocated schools do not seem to match. Do not forget, the cut-off marks for schools change every year and depend on the overall performance of students. Each school has a specific number of spaces to fill. Trying to break it down to its simplest calculations (The Ministry’s system is a bit more sophisticated), if School X has 100 spaces in 2032, and the 100^th student who has that school as the first choice gets an average of 85%, then the student who gets 84% is allocated to their second choice. If that same school has 100 spaces in 2033 and the 100^th student who has that school as the first choice gets an average of 91%, then the student who gets 90% is allocated to the second choice. So there really is no predictable marker for “HC marks” or “Foundation marks.” This is not something that can be forecast or determined by history.

For parents who are still not satisfied with my explanation above, pounding down the doors of the Ministry of Education today or tomorrow will not give you the solution that you desire. The Ministry of Education has clearly documented annually that transfers will only be considered after a student has spent one academic year at their allocated school.

I understand the disappointment, but celebrate the achievement. Your child has been through the storm of the pandemic exam and came out unscathed on the other side. A new school brings with it new opportunities for excellence and adventure, so even though you are frustrated, don’t let them see it. Let them face their future with positivity, and maybe feeling their joy may help you face the future with positivity as well.

Congrats again to all of you.

Best wishes,

Bajan Mom

Are Bounce Houses Safe For Our Children?

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“Mom! Dad! Can I go in the bouncy house, pleeeeeeeezzzzzzeeeee!!”

How many of us have been the recipients of this request at a party or a fair? Our children’s eyes light up with glee and their bodies wriggle in anticipation as they watch their barefooted and sock-footed peers gleefully propelling themselves airborne in brightly-coloured, dancing structures. Who can say no to that pleading face in that air of amusement and excitement? The better question may be, should we say no?

Today reports came out of Tasmania, Australia where five children were killed and other children were injured after a “significant gust of wind” sent a bounce castle and other inflatables, flying through the air, with children falling catastrophically to the ground thirty feet below. This is months after similar incidents happened this year such as what occurred in Arizona in May and in Iceland, then Belarus in July.

We send our sincerest condolences to these families that have suffered such a tragic loss. Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon. Here are just a few which have occurred over the years:

• 2011 – 13 children injured in New York
• 2014 – Two incidents within two weeks of each other in New York and Colorado
• 2016 – Fatality in Essex, England
• 2016 – 10 children injured in Texas
• 2017 – 5 children hurt in South Carolina
• 2018 – Bounce house flies away and lands on highway in California
• 2019 – Fatality in Nevada after bounce house flies away and gets caught on power lines.
• 2019 – Two fatalities and 20 injuries in China

These amusements flying away have not been the only cause of injuries either. In 2018, The Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics reported other mechanisms of injuries included falls inside and off of inflatable structures, overcrowding, and collisions between children who differ in age and size. In 2015, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission published a report that identified 113,272 emergency department-treated injuries and 12 deaths related to amusement inflatables during the period 2003 – 2013. These fractures, strains, sprains, dislocations, contusions, abrasions, lacerations, paralysis, and sadly, deaths, were caused by various circumstances including falling badly, suffocation after a motor was accidentally unplugged, and drowning by bouncing out of the inflatable and into a lake or swimming pool. The inflatables that triggered these events were not only bounce castles, but included inflatable slides and other forms of inflatable entertainment as well.

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Is this article saying that bouncing houses should be banned? No. The trajectory is more in line with the recommendations made in the aforementioned study in The Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics. Care needs to be taken at the regulatory and personal levels. In other words, there needs to be national safety guidelines that need to be enacted at the legislative level, higher standards of regulation re manufacturing and safety regulations at the business level, and increased effective adult supervision at the personal level.

Suggestions for prevention in the article include the aforementioned:

• adult supervision,
• rotation of age and size groups,
• age limits and limiting the number of children at a time,
• a safety distance of 3 – 6 feet around the facility leaving entrance and exit points free.
• proper cushioning materials around the inflatable,
• no climbing or hanging from the walls of the facility,
• nothing that would be dangerous to fall on in the perimeter including trees and benches,
• the set-up, operation and supervision of equipment by the inflatable hire company’s own staff,
• the inflatables should be regularly inspected.
• bounce castles, etc should not be used in adverse weather conditions such as high wind or wet weather,
• only socks should be worn on feet,
• no sharp objects should be worn such as jewelry, buckles, pens or other sharp pocket contents,
• and, of course, the castle must always be adequately moored to the ground and away from fences and overhead power.

So now that you have the information, what will you choose to do? Share your views in the comments below. Do you have additional suggestions that you would like to share?

Activity for the 14-18 Set: WorldSkills Barbados Future Skills Camp

“Robotics Camp 2017” by Georgia National Guard is licensed under CC BY 2.0

It has been some time since I made a recommendation for places to which you can take your children. Here is an opportunity for your child to delve into 21^st Century Skills by enrolling in the WorldSkills Barbados Future Skills Camp. These online classes run from September 6 – 10, 2021 and include learning the following skills:

• 3D Digital Game Art
• Aerial Robotics
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Mobile Applications Development
• Internet of Things

Registration opens on Sunday, August 22, 2021 and ends on Sunday, August 29, 2021.

Help your child to take Barbados into the future! For more information, click here.

YOUR CHILD IS ENTERING CLASS FOUR – WHAT TO DO THIS SUMMER

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2021 Primary School Graduates are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that they have completed their examinations. In the meanwhile, the next crop of Class 4 students are preparing for their turn. The last academic year taught them new skills in online learning, but the subject matter of their courses took longer for them to grasp. Face-to-face school provided opportunities to socialise with friends at a safe distance and more comprehensive attention from teachers, but some did not benefit from the completion of the curriculum.

Parents have been left to wonder if their children would have sufficient time to prepare for the impending exam. Some may make the choice to defer, as some did this year, but for the parents and children who have decided to stay the course, what are some of the things that they can do this summer?

Let Children Be Children

The first thing I am sure many parents realised was that it was necessary to let their children rest. The academic year of 2020 – 2021 needed to roll off their little ones and dissipate like a mist through slumber. They also needed time to play and other fun activities. All of this can occur continuously through the summer to rejuvenate your child after a hard year, but it is a good idea to intersperse this with other activities that help your child feel settled and prepared in September.

Extra Lessons

One or two extra lessons a week with your child’s teacher or other chosen tutor can benefit some children. The pressure of school is off but they are able to get the close attention they need to fill any academic gaps. They also benefit from completing practice papers under teacher supervision, which helps to give them confidence in September.

Check Google Classroom

Some teachers are still using this critical tool to help their students during the summer. While online class sessions may not be available, work may be posted so that your child can get the necessary practice. While new work may not be posted, there may be sufficient information there that you may see what your child needs to review.

Previous Academic Year Review

Summer is a time that seems to wash children’s brains of what they learned during the year. Reviewing what they did during the academic year with the help of their textbooks and notebooks could be useful to your child. Also, some teachers and parents from this year’s yield of students may be willing to share past papers and answers with you to help your child. The Ministry of Education has past papers as well, which you may purchase at a cost of $50.

Help Prepare Your Child For Any Eventuality

If there is one thing that children learned this academic year, it was to expect the unexpected. It is important that they are prepared for anything to happen again this coming academic year. Children can be quite resilient but the calm support of parents does much to help them stand strong. Remaining calm and focused is half the battle when it comes to exam preparation. For more tips on how to keep your child calm and focused this academic year, click here.

Final Thoughts

So, to recap, this summer, let your child have fun, but also help them to remember their curriculum from the academic year that has just passed. This may be through paid means such as extra lessons and purchased past papers, or a simple review of what they learned previously via their textbooks and exercise books or work left by their teacher on Google classroom.

In the new academic year, work closely with their class teachers. Remain aware of the topics taught so that you can reinforce them with your children. Teachers are important to this process, but the adults who always make the most difference are you as their parents.

Best wishes,

Bajan Mom

YOU’VE DONE IT!!!

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Congratulations! You did it! You have completed your BSSEE! No matter what happens, your parents are proud of you, and I am too!

Best wishes for the future.

Bajan Mom

PRAYERS AND BEST WISHES FROM BAJAN MOM

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Good morning, everyone! To our Common Entrance Exam sitters, we are all rooting for you! Today is going to be a wonderful day and will be over before you know it!

Keep calm, stay focused, and do your best. No one can require more from you.

See you after exams!

HELPING YOUR CHILD TO COPE BEFORE A BIG EXAM

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Your child has been through so much this academic year. Literal storms such as Hurricane Elsa, figurative storms such as the aftermath of those literal storms, and the consequences of the medical and socio-economic storm that still rages in the form of COVID-19. Exam stress has its own metaphorical, meteorological impact, and on the eve of the Common Entrance exam (BSSEE), it is important to keep your child calm . . . not the calm before the storm, but rather to encourage calm so that the exam is not viewed as a tempest but rather a gentle breeze that will nudge them to the next stage of their academics.

Here are a few tips to help your child feel more at ease before the big day. . .

Get a Grip on Your Own Stress and Anxiety

It is natural as a parent to feel stress and anxiety on behalf of your child as they face an external examination. What is not healthy, however, is when your child is made aware of your stress and absorbs your feelings of anxiety and make them their own. Do what you need to do handle your own stress, whether it is through exercise, talking with other parents, a soothing lavender bath, whatever you need to do to curb your feelings of disquiet. If these techniques do not work, worry secretly, your child should not be privy to your fear.

Look out for Signs of Stress in Your Child

You may ask your child how they are doing and the answer is “fine,” however, pay attention and look out for outward manifestations of stress such as social withdrawal, irritability, negative thinking, headaches, digestive upsets or sleep irregularities. You can help them handle their stress in ways that you have found helped you such as exercise, calming music, social activity or a good night’s sleep.

Open Communication and Active Listening

Talk to your child. Ask open-ended questions and actively listen to their responses. Do not talk over them and ask follow-up questions for clarification, letting them know that they are heard and understood.

Be Rational about What Happens in the Case of Poor Performance

If your child articulates that they are worried about bad grades, be logical about what happens if this does occur. Life will not be over and assure your child that you have considered every eventuality and whatever happens, they will be fine because their parents have them covered. Furthermore, let them know that you know they have done their best to prepare and no matter the result, you support them.

Focus on What Can Be Controlled

Keep your child rational. Focus on what can be controlled such as limiting their screen time before bed, ensuring they get to bed early, they are eased into their exam morning, they eat healthily, and plan for any eventualities that could impact getting to the exam in a timely manner.

Plan A Treat or Activity to Do Together After The Exam

This is already a Barbadian tradition, as has been indicated over the years by droves of Class Four students in fast food restaurants after exams. Still instead of surprising your child or making a unilateral decision about what will happen, divert them by allowing them to be engaged in the planning process. It is fun, distracting and gives them something to which they can look forward.

Good luck and God bless. I will continue to keep your children and you in prayer.

WHAT YOUR CHILD COULD EXPECT ON JULY 28TH, 2021

After so many delays and so much uncertainty, your child is several steps closer to the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination which convenes on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. They have been taught, they have learned and they have practised, and now they are on the cusp of finally sitting the examination for which they so ardently prepared. There are some important tips and reminders for this year’s exam which you can find here. I will briefly outline what their day could be like in the simple scenario below, with important considerations appearing in bold:

Lisa does not live very close to her examination centre, so her mother wakes her at 6:30 am. Ideally the centre is thirty minutes away by car, but with the anticipated traffic, Mrs. Brown anticipates an extra half an hour could be added to their commute.

Lisa had been so anxious about the possibility of being late that she had asked her parents to let her have an alarm clock, at least for that morning. Mrs. Brown, however, did not think that was a good idea to have her daughter startled into consciousness. She was concerned that such a sudden waking may cause or exacerbate any anxiety so she chose instead to gently wake her little girl at the appropriate hour.

Lisa says her prayers beside her bed, then goes to brush her teeth and get her shower. She feels the last sediments of sleep drain off from her as she turns the faucet off. She temporarily dons home clothing since she does not want to get her uniform dirty. She heads to the dining room to eat and her mother has prepared a balanced and healthy breakfast which she enjoys. By the time she finishes she feels full yet alert and it is around 7:00 am. As she leaves the table and goes to brush her teeth and dress, she sees her mother emerge from the kitchen with her light healthy snack for her break and puts it next to the Ziploc bag full of stationery and supplies that her father had placed on the dining room table.

The family completes their last minute preparations and leaves home by 7:30 am. As anticipated, once they reach the highway they sit in gridlocked traffic, slowly easing forward in between short bursts of free movement. Thankfully, they reach their destination at 8:25am and Lisa enters the examination centre at 8.30 am after sanitising at the gate and having her temperature taken.

The invigilators ensure that the children are settled at their desks that are separated by the appropriate social and exam distance. The first paper, Composition, starts at 9.00 am, and is collected after thirty minutes. The English paper is then distributed and Lisa and her friends should be completed in one hour and twenty minutes. Once those papers are collected, the children earn a well-deserved thirty-minute break where they can use the bathroom and eat the snacks at their desks. Once they have returned, the Mathematics exam is convened.

Lisa finishes everything by approximately 1.15 pm and leaves the examination centre to go to greet a very happy and relieved Mr. and Mrs. Brown.

I’M BACK!

“New Year Celebration at Marine Drive” by Omii Todarmal is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

A pleasant day to everyone! It has been so long! Since we were last together so much as happened to all of us. One thing that we each had in common was the unexpected pandemic that upended our lives in ways that we could not imagine . . . but we are making it, we are conquerors. Even as we grieve the loss of loved ones, jobs, certainty and stability, we celebrate the blessings seen and unseen because we are still here, and we are still standing. That in itself is much for which to be grateful, even as we come to terms with what lies heavily on our hearts.

One of the blessings for which I am grateful is the opportunity to return to you with a little more regularity than in recent years. The site has a new look but the heart and commitment to bring you the information that you need has not changed. One important difference that I would like you to note is that there is no longer an email address to reference on the “About” page. This is because of the unfathomable amount of spam that resulted from such transparency. So there is a new method of contact, which is the utilisation of the contact form on the Contact Page. This lessens the chance of your important messages being lost amidst the scripted barrage of inconvenience that I must wade through to find your messages.

I have been happy to help hundreds of you in the past, and it will be my utmost pleasure to continue to do so. I am back and forth to and from our beautiful home for years at a time, but I am thankful for a Barbadian network who has been willing to assist me in my research to help me bring what you need to you. This will continue, whether I am on the island or thousands of miles away, because as we say in Bajan parlance “We is We.”

Take care and look out for new articles in the coming week, including information regarding the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination 2021 which takes place on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or to send me a message directly by using the contact form. If the questions pertain to the exams and I am able to procure the information that you need, I will try to incorporate answers into the intended article.

Best wishes,

Bajan Mom