Elementary School Lessons

If you (yes, you, the parents) and/or your child plan to apply to Quezon City Science High School, here are the things you need to do:

Quezon City Science High School Requirements:

• 2 or 3 long envelopes (with stamps) with the child’s name and complete address written on the front
• 2 or 3 pieces 1 x 1 OR 2 x2 pictures
• 2 photocopies of Grade 5 grades/card
• grade 5 original grades/card
• for schools that have no numerical grades, ask the school guidance counselor or teacher-in-charge to give numerical equivalence of the grades
• letter of recommendation from the school principal

Grade Requirements for Applying to Quezon City Science High School:

•  For Math, Science and English: average of 85
• Other subjects: average of 83
• General weighted average should be at least 83

The first screening for Quezon City Science High School SY 2013 – 2014 will be on October 22, 2012. It will run for one hour only.

First screening test will mostly be about general subject areas.

For those who passed the second screening, an interview will be scheduled.

As a former homeschooling mom, I found it a bit difficult at first to know about homeschooling in the Philippines. It was really a blessing that we came to know about Bro. Bo Sanchez‘s Catholic Filipino Academy and for three years, this was where my two younger children were enrolled in. The two children are homeschoolers no more but we still look back fondly at the times we get to spend day after day learning new things and strengthening our bond as a family.

Homeschooling in the Philippines is a relatively new venture when it comes to educating the nation’s young citizens. It is in this regard that Homeschooling Association of the Philippines Islands (HAPI) will have its 4th Homeschooling Conference.

The Philippine Homeschool Conference is set to take place on May 19, 2012 5/F St. Francis Square, Julia Vargas Ave. cor Bank Drive, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City with the theme “Laying a Strong Foundation”.

International speaker Debra Bell a homeschooling authority in the U.S. and best-selling author, and our own inspirational speaker and author Bo Sanchez are slated as keynote speakers. The event will be honored by the presence of  Dep Ed officials.

To know more about the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) or how to register for the Conference, visit www.hapihomeschooler.com and/or email hapihomeschooler@gmail.com. You can download the registration form here. 

Like the HAPI Homeschooler on Facebook.

I have heard of Faith Academy in Antipolo/Cainta way back in the mid-90s but I have never seen the school. So when I got an email if I want to visit the school with other mommy bloggers, I said yes without hesitation.

Faith Academy is an International Christian school established in 1957 to cater to the children of foreign missionaries staying in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia.

The school has diversified these days and now accepts those who are not children of missionaries and those who are from different religions and denominations. Primarily a Christian school, all students are taught Christian values and enrolled in Bible classes.

Faith Academy aims to help parents raise their children to be  morally upright global citizens.

To date, there are 500 students from 25 different countries who are enrolled at Faith Academy.

Faith Academy has a curriculum based on the curriculum in the United States for it’s basic education from Kindergarten till Grade 8.

Students can choose courses being offered when they go to Grade 9. The International General Certificate of General Education (IGCSE) program from the University of Cambridge offers First Language English, English Literature, Physics, Biology, Math, World History, Religious Studies/Bible Knowledge, Geography are some of the courses being offered in the program.

Advanced Placement is where students from Grade 11 – 12 enroll for courses like Literature, Calculus, Chemistry, US and World History, Computer Science, Psychology and Biology.

Faith Academy has accreditation with Western Association of Schools and Colleges or WASC. WASC gives accreditation to public and private schools, colleges and universities.

Faith Academy has the following sports activities:

• basketball
• rugby
• soccer
• swimming
• tennis
• track and field
• volleyball
• taekwondo

For the artistically-inclined, there is:

• theater
• drama
• music
• arts

The youngest child (younger daughter) chose to make a comic strip (among five other tasks) for their English project for The Hundred Dresses book. We started conceptualizing and making sketches for the comic strip but she was a bit reluctant to finish. The hubby suggested that she use digital art drawing using MS Paint instead.

She finished the comic strip faster than the actual hand-drawn illustration.

Here is the first part of her comic strip, from the chapter “The Hundred Dresses” from the book with the same title, authored by Eleanor Estes. The book was written in 1944.

The Hundred Dresses is a sad, sad story, according to my daughter. It is, because ti was about bullying and being judged and being made fun of.

Do you agree that being better starts with being a better reader?

 Everyone has different learning styles which is the reason why schools offer different teaching styles and philosophies to cater to a diverse population of learners.

“Learning is self-improvement no matter what age or level“, according to Jerry Vicente and May Jovero-Catabijan, the educational entrepreneur couple behind Saint Mary’s Publishing Corporation.

To be a lifelong learner, one has to develop the love for reading and be a dedicated reader and have a source of guidance and inspiration to help with the learning process. This is the core of the publishing of textbooks for the last 47 years that keeps the couple team inspired. They try to keep their published books interesting to keep the students engaged and inspired.

Engaging in intellectual discussions and getting involved in worthwhile activities are also great help in paving the way to be better learners.

The role of the teacher in a learner’s life is given emphasis as most important instrument in the learner’s learning process.

Mr. Catabijan says “You can have all the fancy educational gimmicks and gadgets, the best books and even the most advanced facilities, but if your instructor is not competent and committed or more importantly, passionate, then you won’t learn as much as you should be.”

 That being said, teachers can now read about helpful teaching tips, book features, profiles of writers and educators in the website: BeBetter.com.ph. Be Better is composed of contributing writer/teachers plus a dedicated editorial team.

The website Be Better has several features:

• articles on practical tips like “How to discourage cramming” or how to use a journal
• feature articles like “Notable Pinoy Scientists”
• resource materials for teachers
• sections like “Feed your need to read” for a list of recommended books based on different themes, “Shaping the self-learner” and “Be Better Spotlight”, which features profiles of educators.

 The word BETTER is an acronym for “Better Education Thrives Through Endless Reading”. “When we talk about ‘endless reading’, we’re not only referring to the students but the teachers as well,” adds Mr. Catabijan.

Check out the Be Better Facebook page.

Sign up for regular updates here: Be Better

Indeed, we can be better through reading!

 “Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another.” — Marva Collins

It has been almost a year since we joined Run United 1 2011 so it’s about time we join Run United 1 2012.

I know it doesn’t look good that we didn’t go to the other runs since the youngest daughter, who placed 71st among 384 participants in the Ceelin 500 meter dash wanted that limited edition shirt they gave away, 😀

She won’t be at that standing this year because we have upgraded her run to 3k for this Run United 1 2012. I registered to 3k (from 5k last year) to be with her and the little boy.Yes, I registered the son, whether he is fit to be with us is still a big question though.

Run United 1 2012 consists of Run United 2 on June 17 and Run United 3 on September 16.

Categories are:

• Ceelin 500-meter dash for kids aged 5 to 12 years old,
• 3km
• Dolfenal 5km
• Enervon 10km
• Enervon HP 21km

Registration for Run United 1 is ongoing at the following stores

• Riovana at Bonifacio Global City and Katipunan, Quezon City
• Toby’s at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
• The Athlete’s Foot at Robinson’s Galleria, Ortigas.

For online registration, check details at www.runrio.com. Registration is until February 26.

Run United is for the benefit of Gawad Kalusugan (the health program of Gawad Kalinga) and Hero Foundation. It is part of Unilab’s advocacy through Unilab Active Health to promote an active lifestyle among Filipino families.

For more inquiries, check out www.unilabactivehealth.com and www.facebook.com/unilabactivehealth.

Bullying is one of the most important concerns that parents with school children face.

Bullying accounts for a big chunk of the stresses that our school children go through in school. Some of the sources of their stress are exams, lack of sleep, completion of requirements and more exams. With all these things related to the academics that they should be focusing on which also includes maintaining friendship, peer-to-peer relationships, managing schedules and doing some functional organizational tasks, being bullied is one they should not be thinking about. Aside from bullying, some schools have school violence issues as well.

How can one know that his/her child is being bullied? Here are several tell-tale signs that a child is being bullied:

• torn, damaged and missing school supplies, uniforms, and other things that belong to the child
• scratched and bruised body parts but child won’t disclose what happened
• has a few friends and refuses to join other school-related activities like clubs
• shows apprehensions in going to school or walking to and from school or riding the school bus
• if walking, takes a longer route from home to school or vice versa
• looks sad, depressed, tired, and not in the mood when child comes in from school
• complains of different aches just so he/she won’t go to school
• loss of appetite
• if there is packed lunch, food has been eaten but the child is hungry when he gets home
• has bad dreams or trouble sleeping
• has low self-esteem

These are signs that parents and guardians should look for if they think their child(ren) are being bullied.

Children who are being bullied in school do not usually say that they are being treated as such so it is best that parents take these steps to know what is happening:

• Talk to your child. You can either use direct questions: ” Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you or bullying you? saying mean things to you? “ or use a subtle approach: “Are there any kids at school who you like or really don’t like? Why do you like or don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?”
• Set an appointment to talk to the school staff and report what you have observed with the child.

If the bullying still persist, perhaps it is time for the school to do something about the bullying episodes which may include not just your child but other children as well.

With bullying being rampant in the country as seen in this study of 2,442 children from 58 public schools in 3 provinces in the Visayas,it was found out that “At least 5 out of 10 children in Grades 1-3, 7 out of 10 in Grades 4-6, and 6 out of 10
in high school have experienced some kind of violence in school.”

Senator Miriam Santiago’s Senate Bill No. 2677 mandates all schools, whether public or private, including colleges and universities, to craft policies that will address the problem of bullying in their respective institutions. Further more, Senate Bill No. 3177 entitled An Act Defining Cybercrime focus on crimes done in the cyber world and may very well include cyber bullying.

With all these bills being filed, still bullying persist.

As parents, we prefer that the schools our children go to have measures to counter bullying from happening.

In a recent open forum with other parents and Reedley International School, (RIS), we learned about the school’s Anti-Bullying Campaign or ABC.

The Reedley International School Anti-Bullying Campaign or Bully Proof Campaign states that: “I am Bully Proof At Heart, In Mind and In Spirit”

What activities were lined up with RIS Bully Proof Campaign?

• contract signing and pledging of students and teachers
• new students have “I an NOW bully proof” while old students have “I am bully proof” pins
• essay writing contests
• poster-making contests
• film showing
• pirate family month
• video presentations of students who used to be bullied
• kindness overdose

How does this Bully Proof Campaign work?

According to Reedley International School’s Director of school development Emil Ong and Middle School principal Jo Anne Bilo, students are encouraged to be pro-active and involved by reporting if they witness or experience any form of bullying. They are also encouraged to show kindness to each other. Reported and confirmed incidents are investigated. The life coach consults with the students and parents, conducts interviews and seeks to resolve the conflicts the soonest possible.

There are appropriate penalties for those who initiated the bullying.

Now, if only schools put more effort in curbing the bullying among their students, our children need not go through all these emotional pains.

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