Bacolod Central Elementary School: The School that Stands for Excellence
RSP Photo @ Principal Hadja Salma A. Amboloto of Bacolod Central Elementary School.
BACOLOD KALAWI, Lanao del Sur: School Principal Hadja Salma A. Amboloto best described her school as the School that stands for Excellence, where One Enters to Learn and Leaves to Serve - a prologue she utterred when she recently delivered her School of the State Address (SOSA) here as principal of Bacolod Central Elementary School.
SOSA is a lauded activity that the present administration of the Department of Education of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) under Secretary Rasol Y. Mitmug Jr. requires of all school heads and principals to do yearly.
The important event was held at the quadrangle of the mother school of Bacolod District last July 31, 2018 where other five heads of schools also delivered their SOSAs.
Principal Amboloto began her State of the School Address (SOSA) with what she called a funny saying about school and life. It says, "In school, you are taught a lesson and then given a test. In life you are given a test that teaches you a lesson.
She said that left her ponder over and over again.
SCHOOL BRIEF BACKGROUND
In giving a brief background of the School, Principal Amboloto related:
"Bacolod Central Elementary School is the oldest aside from being the mother School of this District. It was established in 1959 which was originally operated at Mizakad in the upper part of Barangay Ampao. Mr. Macaagao Bucua was the first principal of this school under Superintendent Muzor Mangadang. I happened to be the 3rd principal of this school.
"After a long fruitful years at the Mizakad area with its population growing as well, the municipal mayor during that time, the late shiek Zaman Masacal relocated it to what is now barangay Ampao to make the school more accessible to school children.
"Site ownership is guaranteed by a deed of donation by the Alongan-Tumug Families to the local Government of then Bacolod Grande to Department of Education (DepEd.
"Currently the School has a school population of 642 with a teaching force of 26 regular teachers headed by one regular Elementary School Principal 1.
"The school is comprised of 10 buildings including one makeshift classrooms for Grade 5 section B. Save for the Principal’s office and the feeding Room, all 10 buildings are currently used as classrooms.
"The principal said Bacolod Central Elementary School is a school that produces pupils, who are well disciplined, value laden, and academically competitive.
"Through the years, with the support and commitment of teachers there was a remarkable transformation of Bacolod Central. Up to now, our school still bagged the large no. of school children in the district. Our feeder barangays are coming from as far as Madanding area to Barangay Bagua Ingud."
Amboloto said that in their endeavors, their "stakeholders didn’t left us particularly the parents of our pupils spearheaded by the former chairman of Ampao Abol Hassan who are always with us starting from the conduct of Brigada Eskwela every year to other programs and activities where we need them the most."
She said they were leading the massive cleanliness in the school premises aside. "It is a great help that is beyond measure. I would like to note also that for the past three years, members of the AFP assigned in this municipality was also very supportive of us."
She also said that their school hosted many of the Division Big events like the launching of the hand Washing Facility and Signing of MOA by BEAM and the three schools division superintendents of Lanao del Sur in 2009. "We have also piloted the implementation of some DEpED most significant programs."
One of the teachers in the school, Hadja Noaima Mitmug, had been awarded as most outstanding teacher in both district and division levels. She was also awarded with many faces of teachers by the Bato Balani in the national level followed by her bayaning guro award by Geny Lopez Award.
For several years, Bacolod Central was able to produce many professionals who are pride and promising leaders of the municipality and in the province. A few of them included the school heads of Bagua Ingud PS, Pindulonan ES, Dilabayan PS, and Raya ES. "They have played in this wide open court as small children," Principal Amboloto pointed to her school's playground.
EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
Principal Amboloto mentioned that evaluation and assessment results are developed as bases for remedial of poor performing students and for teachers LAC sessions in school.
She said: "Assessment is not only for students. Teachers are also assessed as they are the ones who facilitate learning situations in the classrooms. We are not a READ ALLL school but we used the MASCOT and RCPC during classroom observation following the classroom observation plan as it is prepared with the consent of involved teachers to be observed in their classrooms. Most of them take good insights in their hearts during our clinical supervision and feed backing resulting to a better performance in classroom instruction."
Bacolod Central has always been resilient to challenges. "We have always bounced back after every trial. As a victim to the typhoon Vinta and other problems, we were able to put back in shape our classrooms, stage and flag pool to be functional again," she stressed.
Principal Amboloto said her teachers have conducted several LAC sessions on instructional development in the languages which were fruitful as evident in the overwhelmingly beautiful classrooms beaming with relevant and innovative visual aids and instructional materials.
"In support of the ECARP goal of the DEpED ARMM, we initiated to conduct school wide reading activities like school-based reading festival in the languages (Filipino, MTB and English) and installed functional reading corners in our classrooms for remedial sessions," she emphasized.
Bacolod Central Elementary School also committed to provide quality classroom instructions through competent and well trained teachers who demonstrate desirable values and traits, classrooms that are conducive to learning with adequate relevant instructional materials.
"In this era of competitiveness," said Amboloto, "we have strengthened our best practices to continually provide the best services to our major clientele, the learners of our school."
ACCOMPLISHMENT
"In our quest to provide conducive learning environment for our pupils, the following activities are successfully accomplished through the unified effort of our teaching force with the support from the Bacolod District Teachers Association and our district supervisor:
· All classrooms are functionally ready for the opening of classes fully beautified and replete with relevant instructional materials;
· Teachers have prepared required reports;
· We have distributed free learning materials for our pupils from kinder to grade 6 like notebooks, ball pens, and crayons courtesy of our school MOOE.
SCHOOL BEST PRACTICES
As the mother school of Bacolod District, the following best practices are strengthened and sustained:
1. Provided support to the area coordinators in the conduct of school-based mentoring.
2. Provided opportunity for teachers who have attended trainings to cascade what they have learned so that it can be useful and implemented properly.
3. LACS sessions are based on the profiling of teachers’ strengths and needs observed during classroom observations and walkthroughs conducted by school heads and district supervisor.
4. Sustained coordination meeting of school head with the District Supervisor and other school heads for educational programs, policies and guidelines compliance, positive feedbacking and sharing of insights to resolve challenges and issues.
5. Conducted Monthly celebration of classroom-based programs as stipulated in the school calendar
6. Monitored and supervised pupils' Nutritional status by District nurse for the Feeding program for severely wasted learners
7. Sustained Departmentalized Conduct of periodical exams.
8. Immediate implementation of DepEd programs as stipulated in DepEd memos.
9. Use of assessment results for the profiling of both teachers and pupils' strengths and weaknesses as one of the basis for District Policy guidelines in implementing intervention programs.
10. Sustained instructional supervision and monitoring of schools and teachers.
11. Updated reports of all school heads and teachers.
12. District initiated funding of volunteer alive teachers.
13. Participated in Division Competition and activities.
IDENTIFIED IMPROVEMENT AREAS
Based on their three-year school improvement plan, there are 11 identified improvement areas to address to.
She said: "As of now, three of the Priority Improvement Arenas (PIAs) under the quality aspect are included in our Classroom Instruction (CI) projects particularly the problems with student’s comprehension and mathematical skills.
"On the aspect of Governance, we have successfully addressed the Identified PIAs as evident in the repair of our damaged wash out roofs and ceilings of Marcos-Type Building and the school stage caused by the tropical cyclone in November 29, 2016.
"On the ACCESS aspect, we have a very good relationship with our stakeholders, infact as a recipient of the SBFP, the parents of our school children actively supported and spearheaded the preparation of food to be served for the students every feeding time. Particularly clean up time.
"We have 89% support and attendance rate of parents in most of our programs and activities which we consider relatively high in this time where every people in all walks of life are busy.
"This is my opportunity to say thank you so much my dear stakeholders for the support, may you continue to support us, to patronize our programs for our school children.
"We are also very grateful to have a district supervisor who is always behind us in all the way possible. Thank you so much maam.
My years in DepEd will soon commence, but I would say that I have a glorious years working with wonderful people in the district and in our Division, I am overjoyed with gratefulness for working with the teaching force of Bacolod Central, they are like my children and my sisters, they always treated me with high regards and I love them dearly.
“We have arrived now at the close where we began.” Yes, our school is an institution of learning that produces young people who will serve our community even in the country as a whole as leaders and models, and we will continue to be that instrument.
"Remember, 'Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is a Progress, and working Together is success'." - RSP
