A Step into the changing normal: School's preparations for the limited face-to-face setup
Excited for face-to-face classes? Malate Catholic School has been preparing for “homecoming.” That’s right Malateans! After two years of online distance learning, the school is finally opening up the gates for students to enter again!
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Written by Maria Althea Tirzah R. Ferrer
Layout by Joshua Paul C. Shimizu
Posted on August 5, 2022 | 12:40 PM
We’re back! Another school year begins at Malate Catholic School. As is standard procedure, we began with a week-long class orientation in the first week of August; subject classes (including subject orientations) will begin the week after that. However, this year may be different from last year because MCS, together with most of the schools in the country, will be experimenting with a new learning modality - blended learning.
That’s right Malateans! After two years of online distance learning, the school is finally opening up their gates for students to enter again!
MCS officially announced during the enrollment period that students and parents have the option of choosing between purely ODL and blended learning (which includes both online classes and scheduled face-to-face classes.) It has already been two years of online classes and understandably, teachers and students are ecstatic about the news! Several students have expressed their gratitude and support for the school's decision, stating that they have missed seeing their classmates and friends. They have also stated that while online learning is a good alternative to physical classes during the pandemic, it cannot completely simulate face-to-face learning, besides there are also things that students miss out learning in a pure virtual learning setup. Teachers are also excited to be back in their classrooms, teaching young minds without having to worry about whether or not their students are distracted by various things hidden beside or behind the screens of a camera.
Of course, we cannot let our excitement get to the best of us. While the country's health situation has improved, we are still in the grip of the pandemic. This is also why, rather than implementing a full face-to-face setup, MCS is taking baby steps. Students are to attend physical classes twice a week. Class sections will also be divided into two groups, with each group having a different set of face-to-face classes on different days. This way, the students will be able to have limited interactions with each other, making things safer for everyone.
Many matters were discussed in the back-to-school orientations during the first week. The usual basics are let known to the students: school policy, grading system, expected behavior, Google Suite basic knowledge, and more. Teachers are also highlighting the coming limited face-to-face classes which will start in October.
As stated in the orientations, blended learning will not be implemented immediately. The school has decided to continue with online distance learning for two months (August and September) before beginning face-to-face classes in October. This not only ensures the students’ gradual blending into the new learning method, but it also gives the school more time to adapt to the changing normal and prepare for face-to-face classes. Slowly and surely, (and safely!) MCS renovated the campus and school facilities. Repairs have been done, walls have been repainted, and old equipment has been replaced. A lot has been done, however the principal and the priest administrators have more plans in mind. They are always in the works to improve the school and make it a better learning environment for the students.
Renovations! Various parts of the school have been made to look fresh again. One of them is the AVR or the Audio Visual Little Theatre. Upon entering the AVR, the most noticeable thing is the new and much more comfortable seats, courtesy of Malate Catholic School’s very own Alumni Association (MCSAA) through the generosity of Ms. Carmen Cortes Faber of Batch ‘81. From before when the AVR was filled with red plastic seats, it has now been replaced with soft movie theater-like seats, surely leaving everybody comfortable inside the little theater! Not only that, the high school campus, along with the Jaime Cardinal Gymnasium, has been repainted to give everyone who will be coming by a cleaner and fresher feel of the campus.
Newly added facilities will surely help everyone in school! MCS has installed brand new water fountains in the school for the students to utilize. In case of emergencies and disasters like fires, the school has also added smoke detectors and sprinklers to aid in preventing and extinguishing fires.
Curious about more of the school’s preparations? You’ll only have to wait for a few months to find out just how much the school has changed! Don’t worry! Whatever it is, is most certainly worth the wait! One thing we know for sure though is that the school year 2022-2023 will be an exciting and special one. It marks the rest of our many steps as we enter the changing normal and learn to live while battling the Covid19 pandemic.