Ulat ni: Carl Jharvey Joaquin VIII
SAN PABLO CITY, LAGUNA – San Jose National High School (SJNHS) in San Pablo City, Laguna is now in its full implementation of face-to-face classes for all grade levels, as they admitted the last batch of Grade 9 students last April 25.
SJNHS has already started its pilot limited face-to-face classes last February 21, starting with Grade 8 students, followed by Grade 10 students on March 21, and Grade 7 students last April 18.
The gradual opening of limited in-person classes in SJNHS was for the students’ improvement of academic well-being following the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) health protocols and guidelines.
“Marami sa mga bata ang naexcite pumasok, lalo na at mas ginusto nila ang pag-aaral, inaasahan din namin na tataas ang rate ng mps ng mga bata at, lalo’t higit na makaka-adapt sila with the new normal” said Grade 9 chief adviser Annalyn Abitong in an interview.
Currently, SJNHS has a total of 2,241 enrollees, and 305 of those students are participating in the limited face-to-face classes, which were all chosen from those willing students that are close to the school facility, fully vaccinated, and have the permission signed by their parents.
SJNHS noted a significant increase in enrollees for the school year 2021-2022, as they now offer limited face-to-face classes on all grade levels for their students. The school also does not have records of drop-outs for the current school year compared to the previous school year.
With the increase, SJNHS has prioritized the wellness and safety of their students through their mandatory monitoring of temperature, and sanitization before entering the room facility, asking students to answer survey forms for easy tracking (QR codes), and orienting students on other health protocols.
“Maayos ang naging first week ng limited face-to-face classes namin, walang nagkakasakit, kung nagkasakit man, sakit lang ng tiyan. Wala naman naging ibang problema,” said Grade 7 chief adviser Sherryll Buera.
SJNHS faced only small issues in their recent implementation of limited face-to-face classes such as the teacher’s overwhelmed short schedule of 45 minutes per subject, student’s deficiency of supplies, and the school facilitators’ adjustment to the gradual implementation of Grade 9 students.
Lujille Malpal, a Grade 7 student in the limited f2f of SJNHS also said in an interview, “Okay naman po, at feel na feel ko naman po ang pagpasok, mas madali po ‘yung pagtuturo ng teachers compared sa modular, at kakaiba po talaga yung personal na nakikita ang mga guro,” she said.
The students who attended the limited face-to-face classes found the classes more comfortable for learning as there are teachers that will guide in their learning. They only found the new normal set-up difficult since students are not permitted to engage with their peers or purchase refreshments from the canteen.
The school maintains zero infections of COVID-19 since their first pilot of limited face-to-face classes.5
SJNHS has also no specified plans for the future expansion of limited face-to-face classes, thus they are waiting for the new protocols, and guidelines to be handed over by IATF.