“This is now the direction of our country.”
Explaining the initiatives of the school for the reopening of classes next school year, Mrs. Maria Cristina Silamor emphasized in departmental town hall meetings that Montessori De Sagrada Familia, Inc. (MDSF) is ready to embrace the “new direction” of education this pandemic through its CREATE Program, February 22-24.
After discussing the negative impacts of prolonged school closures as signified by UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Bank, Silamor introduced the reopening program to be implemented next school year, the Campus Reopening for Authentic and Transformative Education (CREATE) program.
In this program, Sagradan parents can enroll their children in a limited face-to-face class which will only be allowed if Bulacan is on Alert Level 2. However, this program is optional which means that parents still could choose to enroll their children in pure online classes should they want to. Hence, parents could still choose to enroll their children in the present programs of MDSF, the SAFE and FLY programs.
The school administration ensured that all of their preparations are anchored on DepEd’s Shared Responsibility Framework that includes four pillars: (a) having safe operations, (b) focusing on teaching and learning, (c) including the most marginalized, and (d) ensuring the well-being and protection of all the stakeholders.
Silamor highlighted the strict implementation of health protocols and screening before entering the campus next school year to ensure the safety of the students and the employees.
Moreover, part of the preparation for the reopening is the transformation of the activities that are suitable for on-site classes. Meanwhile, Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS) will still be used in the lesson preparations of the teachers. In connection, the school will still implement inclusive programs and activities to cater to the varying needs of the students which include: (a) subscription to Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) which is a subsidy funded by the government, (b) parent-teacher partnership, (c) remediation programs, and (d) accommodation programs for students with special cases or conditions.
Lastly, SIlamor also discussed the school’s plan to ensure the well-being and protection of the students. To make it possible, she explained the provision of COVID-19 insurance for those students who might be infected by the virus while in school. Also, she said that psychosocial support will also be provided for the students to help them cope with the struggles brought by the pandemic.