NEWS ASJ Conducts First F2F Classes After Two Years

ASJ Conducts First F2F Classes After Two Years ETHAN NIVERA

PHOTO SOURCE | FILE

After two years of online modality, ASJ students are finally back in school for limited face-to-face classes on Monday, August 1.

Group 1, consisting of Grades 1, 5, 8, and 11, will be reporting in ASJ from August 01-05. Meanwhile, Grades 2, 6, 9, and 12, who will comprise Group 2, will then report to school the following week, August 08-12. Grades 3 and 7 and Grades 4 and 10 will constitute Groups 3 and 4 respectively.

The schedule will follow a weekly rotation, while the preschool department will still use a full online modality.

ASJ’s Campus Minister and MAPEH and TLE/HELE Coordinator Mrs. Eva Balais shared how she feels seeing students in person again after two years of online learning.

“Well, at first I felt scared because the pandemic is still here, the virus is still around. But at the same time, I’m so excited because once again, we will be seeing our children, once again we are going to have our personal touch in our classroom encounters. And at the same time, I am so excited to establishing again a personal relationship with my students, which I was not able to do during the time that we are having this online modality,” Mrs. Eva said. High school teacher Ms. Zeny Timajo also expressed her excitement and her nervousness towards the face-to-face modality.

“I’m excited, especially that the kids are here, I get to meet them personally, so in that part, I’m really excited. I’m feeling nervous as well because it’s been two years that we are in virtual set-up, so it’s like I don’t know how to begin with the face-to-face classes once again,” she said.

Members of the ASJ community also expressed their thoughts regarding the return of face-to-face classes.

Gleizie Fernandez, a Grade 8 student, said she missed being in school again because it’s different from what occurred during the past two years.

“Being here, in school, is, siyempre, nakakamiss kasi iba na ngayon. Mas kasama na natin yung mga teachers natin and, my classmates, especially my friends. And now, since it’s face-to-face na po, sana magpatuloy and hindi na po maglock-down,” she said.

Grade 11 student Joana Frando said she feels glad to see her teachers and friends in person and stated that seeing her lessons face-to-face brings up her mood during studying. She also wishes for the pandemic to stop in order for face-to-face classes to continue without issue. A grade school parent remarked that she feels happy and at the same time, anxious for her two children now that in-person classes have commenced.

“First, siyempre excited for the kids because, lalo na yung youngest ko kasi grade 1 siya, so first time; nacomplete niya yung kinder kasi nang online. And then nervous, at the same time, because aside from the coronavirus, we also have Monkeypox, though we hope naman it will not spread as fast as coronavirus,” she said.

The face-to-face schedule will overlap with the students’ Product/Performance week, therefore, some outputs will be produced in-campus. However, all quarter exams are still to be conducted online.

The Academy of Saint John is one of the private schools in General Trias which were given a safety seal by the Department of Education Region IV-A last April 21, signifying ASJ’s readiness to conduct a limited face-to-face learning modality. [R]