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Students of Pinyahan Elementary School, supervised by their respective teachers, initiate their 'Catch-up Fridays' program by reading storybooks inside their classrooms on January 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Students of Pinyahan Elementary School, supervised by their respective teachers, initiate their 'Catch-up Fridays' program by reading storybooks inside their classrooms on January 12, 2024. The Department of Education has designated all Fridays starting  January 12 and throughout the school year as Catch-up Fridays, focusing on operationalizing the National Reading Program (NRP) in the first half of the day’s schedule and on fostering Values, Health, and Peace Education in the second half, to address learning gaps among grade school and high school students. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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ARRA PEREZ

ABS-CBN News

<figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments" id="isPasted"><img alt="Students of Pinyahan Elementary School, supervised by their respective teachers, initiate their &#x27;Catch-up Fridays&#x27; program by reading storybooks inside their classrooms on January 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News" src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1706638946361.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><figcaption>Students of Pinyahan Elementary School, supervised by their respective teachers, initiate their &#x27;Catch-up Fridays&#x27; program by reading storybooks inside their classrooms on January 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure>MANILA -- Lilian Quidan and Monina Escorial bring and fetch their grandson and child, respectively, to Cubao Elementary School in Quezon City for taekwondo classes--the kids&#x27; extracurricular activity.   But both are worried they still have to do this during the peak of hot weather during April and May.   If it were up to them, it is only timely to revert the school break to the said months.   &quot;Mainit. Lalo na last year, hirap na hirap sila kasi ang init nga daw. Masyadong ma-perspire, nagiging sickly pa. Hindi lang siya, pati iyong ibang mga bata,&quot; Quidan told ABS-CBN News.   For Escorial: &quot;Kasi pagka-vacation, summer, gusto nila nagpupunta ng beach, nagbabakasyon sila, punta sila ng Baguio. Ngayon hindi nila nagagawa iyon.&quot;   Classrooms in some public schools like Cubao Elementary have up to eight electric fans when the weather is hot.   That&#x27;s why teachers point out that it is not just about the weather but its effect on how they teach and how the students learn.   For them, the hot weather is a form of distraction.   &quot;Instead na madali nila ma-catch up iyong tinuturo namin, ang nararamdaman nila ay init. Nawawala sa focus ang mga bata,&quot; said Gerry Bernandino, who has been teaching for over 20 years.   &quot;Even though si teacher ay willing na talagang magturo, there&#x27;s a time na nararamdaman ang init, nauubos din ang energy,&quot; he added.<ul><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/29/23/sws-half-of-filipinos-dissatisfied-with-k-12" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/29/23/sws-half-of-filipinos-dissatisfied-with-k-12">SWS: Half of Filipinos dissatisfied with K-12 curriculum</a></li><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/29/23/students-return-to-schools-as-philippines-set-to-test-new-curriculum" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/29/23/students-return-to-schools-as-philippines-set-to-test-new-curriculum">Students return to schools as Philippines set to test new K to 10 curriculum</a></li></ul>  &#x27;LEARNING IN COMFORT&#x27;   The Department of Education (DepEd) said it is consulting with different concerned sectors on the plan to return to the June-to-March school calendar, which many have been accustomed to.   The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has also approved a resolution on the said proposal.   The National Parent Teacher Association agrees with this - but beyond the timeline on the comeback of the June school opening, for them, DepEd&#x27;s preparedness is of utmost importance.   &quot;Paano na iyong pahinga ng ating learners at saka ng ating teachers... Hindi lang break iyan, gagawa pa ng grades iyan, maghahanda ng materials para sa susunod na taon. Maganda rin iyong ginagawa ng DepEd na unti-unti niyang nilalapit para hindi masyadong mabigla din both for sa pagsasara ng taon at pagbubukas,&quot; explained Reg Sibal, the group&#x27;s spokesperson and vice president for community partnership.   &quot;Iyong mga classrooms ba natin ay ready na? Iyong load ng teachers hindi naman overworked, iyong learners ba lahat ng pangangailangan nila ay na-satisfy na,&quot; she added.   Sibal said top of mind should be to identify which weather will bring more comfort for teachers to teach, and for students to learn.   &quot;Nagsalita ang PAGASA, regardless of the date, pipili ka lang kung anong battle mo: ulan o araw... Pero ibang sitwasyon ang ulan at araw. Pag lumakas ang ulan, pwede kang mag-suspend ng klase. Pero kahit gaano kainit, nakakita ka na ba ng mekanismo na pag ganito ang temperature, automatic suspension?&quot; she shared.   &quot;Pareho iyang may level of discomfort so ang thing lang is, choose your battle. Saan kayo mas handa? Kasi kung umulan, nag-suspend ka, safe iyan sa bahay. Kung mainit, ang estudyante nasa eskwelahan. Ano iyong mas kaya ng ating sistema, ano iyong bqgay na mas may control tayo,&quot; she added.   PRIVATE SCHOOLS COULD REVERT MUCH EARLIER<figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Teachers assist students exiting the Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School in Manila on the first day of classes, August 22, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File." src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1706638946685.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><figcaption>Teachers assist students exiting the Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School in Manila on the first day of classes, August 22, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File.</figcaption></figure>Eleazardo Kasilag, president of the Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators (FAPSA), is happy that the school calendar is slowly going back to the old schedule, which &quot;may take three years&quot;.<ul><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/23/deped-return-to-old-school-calendar-may-take-3-5-years" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/11/23/deped-return-to-old-school-calendar-may-take-3-5-years">Return to pre-pandemic school calendar may take 3-5 years, says DepEd</a></li><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/31/23/slow-transition-needed-to-revert-to-pre-pandemic-school-calendar-deped" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/31/23/slow-transition-needed-to-revert-to-pre-pandemic-school-calendar-deped">&#x27;Slow transition&#x27; needed to revert to pre-pandemic school calendar - DepEd</a></li></ul> But private schools, being autonomous, may revert to the pre-pandemic class routine &quot;much earlier&quot;.   &quot;We are happy that the old school calendar is slowly going back to old schedule although it is not automatic. It may have to take three years to do it. However, the private schools--being autonomous in our schedule, may come to pre-pandemic class routine much earlier,&quot; Kasilag said in a statement.   &quot;I guess, so long as the school can have 185 contact days in a school year as well as the opening of school year is within the prescriptive June to August, then, there is no problem for us. We are actually faced with non-reading and not-writing pupils who had no school exposure for two years during the pandemic and parents missed to tutor them properly. Because of the situation, they shall report first time to pre-schooling and they are already 7 years old. This is our problem. Expect the bad effect of the pandemic among our pre-schoolers,&quot; he added.   Justine Raagas, executive director of the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), suggested a &quot;fixed schedule&quot; for the school calendar.   &quot;Our current one, which starts in August, has more class days than the former school calendar. We cannot control the weather or typhoons coming into our country but what we can be in control of is to ensure that... our classrooms are well-equipped and well-ventilated so that learning continuity is not disrupted,&quot; Raagas said.   The current school year began on August 29, 2023 and will end on May 31.<ul><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/23/to-revert-to-old-school-calendar-dialogue-needed-not-law-gatchalian" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/21/23/to-revert-to-old-school-calendar-dialogue-needed-not-law-gatchalian">To revert to old school calendar, dialogue needed, not law: Gatchalian</a></li><li><a data-cke-saved-href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/12/23/teachers-group-renews-call-to-revert-to-old-school-calendar" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/12/23/teachers-group-renews-call-to-revert-to-old-school-calendar">Teachers&#x27; group renews call to bring back old school calendar</a></li></ul><div> </div><div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zVsfXeDD6Dk?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure>Watch more News on <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a><div> </div><div> </div>

DepEd is consulting with different concerned sectors on the plan to return to the June-to-March school calendar, which many have been accustomed to.

DepEd is consulting with different concerned sectors on the plan to return to the June-to-March school calendar, which many have been accustomed to.

'Learning in comfort': Teachers, parents weigh in on reverting to June-March school calendar

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'Learning in comfort': Teachers, parents weigh in on reverting to June-March school calendar

ARRA PEREZ,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 31, 2024 02:30 AM PHT

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