By Gina Fonesca
After almost two years of lockdown, on January 10, 2022, the St. Martin de Porres school compound came to life once again. The excitement was palpable. Everyone was relieved to be back on the road to normalcy. The school opened and implemented a shift system to safely accommodate the approved number of students in keeping with the country’s protocols, as put forth by the Ministry of Education.
For St. Martin’s, this meant that half of the students would attend classes in the morning, and the other half would be on campus in the afternoon. This allowed for less exposure for both teachers and students, and for proper sanitization. So far, it has been working very well. The teachers and staff have been working diligently to teach the students the new protocols, and the students have been quite receptive and open to embracing this new normal.
St. Martin students in March 2022.
The administration implemented an “integration plan” to reintroduce the students to the curriculum. This integration plan focuses on the important subjects such as Reading, Language, and Math, and it attempts to reinforce concepts that may have been missed during the months spent away from the classroom. The students have been responding positively. This will help everyone to be on the same level by the time the new school year begins.
Another initiative underway is the high school application incentive for the graduating students. This initiative covers the application fees for students who wish to apply to high schools. We are hopeful that this will encourage our 63 Standard Six students to apply to high schools to continue their education.
The Project Heal counseling program is ongoing and continues to be instrumental as we reintegrate the students into the classroom setting, as it has not been easy for everyone to transition back to in person learning. We are grateful to our counseling team who continue to work tirelessly and compassionately with our parents, students, and teachers.
Since reopening our doors, the daily attendance has been constantly increasing. This is due in part to parents becoming more comfortable with sending their children back, as well as the consistent daily reports of lower number of Covid cases countrywide.
As we celebrated Child Stimulation Month in March, we celebrated the opportunity to come together once again to watch firsthand as our children grow and develop at all levels in this “new normal environment”. We are ready for the challenges that lay ahead. <