SDO-San Juan City seals SIP and SRC roll-out with personal commitment

SDO-San Juan City held a two-day follow through to complete the roll-out of the enhanced School Improvement Plan (SIP) and School Report Card (SRC) on February 23-24, 2016 at the SDO Conference Hall. The initial activity was done on December 8, 2015 which enabled the school heads to plan for their preparatory activities and gathered their data with their team members as they went back to their respective workstations. This endeavor was also attended in by the education supervisors and program specialists in the School Operations and Governance Division (SGOD) who will be involved in the monitoring and giving out of relevant technical assistance in the field.

SGOD Chief Virgilio A. Santos initiated the team composed of Marnelli A. Bautista, the Division Focal Person for SIP, and Orlando D. Claor, Senior Education Program Specialist for Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Mobilization, Networking and Linkages. They mapped out the necessary processes to mount the said activity in cooperation with the City Government of San Juan through its school education fund. Acting Superintendent Joel T. Torrecampo, CESE, gave his inspirational message as he reminded the body to work together as one community in coming up with a brand of service that only SDO-San Juan can deliver. He started with a priming of products and services available in the market like which fast food or drugstore they would prefer and he went around asking for the reasons of their choice.

The coming of minds of the different education leaders present in the room allowed for the melting pot of brilliance, ingenuity, critical thinking, and passion to serve, among others, to define the perspective of the Office in the next three years as stipulated in the SIP cycle. As mentioned, this is where all programs, projects, and activities in the schools will emanate in response to the articulations of the mandate entrusted by the Department in the three key results areas of Access, Quality, and Governance. Division targets were also solicited on the last day after the discussion, workshop, and open forum took place, which all the more grounded the essence of teamwork as everyone agreed on acceptable parameters, bringing to mind the mental framework of SIP in the name of systems thinking, evidence-based, innovative thinking, continuous improvement, and learner-centeredness.

Two participants gave significant insights as to how much of the discussion was internalized in their understanding. They were Ma. Elena C. Alunday, teacher from San Juan Elementary School of District I, and Joseph E. Villegas, teacher from Pinaglabanan Elementary School of District II. A number of them also participated in the workshop as they presented their outputs on the Gap Analysis, flow chart of school processes, root cause analysis, to name a few. The sessions also provided the venue to clear out certain concepts and processes such as in the management of data, the organization of teams, the conduct of activities in the different stages, and transparency measures. Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) Chief Dr. Lydia C. Abeja informed the body of a support system assigning each supervisor to work with a partner school so there will be a clear sense of accountability and focus in the giving of technical assistance.

Kabayanan Elementary School principal Dr. Felicito M. Angeo delivered his impression on the SIP roll-out and highlighted the need to remain united in pursuit of excellence. The challenge was given by the SGOD Chief to which everyone replied a personal commitment written on colored paper and read out loud in front of the body to witness the ceremonial offering of one’s dedication to the demands of SIP in honor of the name and memory of that one special student who represented the learners in general. Each participant hung out their pledge of allegiance for the future as they envision helping the students cross the path and bridge the gap from where the learners are to where they want to be in this lifetime. This symbolic act was made to the tune of Jessie J’s Flashlight with the interpretation of the uplifting tribute of El Gamma Penumbra for teachers shown on the occasion of Gabay Guro last September 27, 2015. The participants took turns in front as they got their certificates of completion and posed for the camera in remembrance of that fleeting moment. They bring home with them the entire concept of the enhanced SIP and SRC as they start to craft their own plans guided by the schedule of activities reflected in the handbook.

Here are some pictures that depicted memorable scenes from the activity.