step by step Stipendiatenprogramm in Cordova und Kamagayan:

Stipendiaten machen Abschlüsse und gewinnen Preise beim JPIC Quiz Bowl

1. Quartalsbericht 2008

This report covers the 1st quarter of 2008 or specifically from January 01, 2008 to March 31, 2008. This quarter covers a portion of the third grading period and the fourth or last grading period in the Philippine educational system. As mentioned, our schools have a total of 4 grading periods at the end of which examinations are administered to determine children's performance in class.

We have a total of 63 scholars sponsored by step-by-step this school year of 2007-2008. 51 are from Cordova and 12 are from Kamagayan. This school year, a total of 5 sponsored children graduated in High School, 2 are from Cordova and 3 come from Kamagayan. There are 4 children who graduated in the Elementary level. All of them are from Cordova.

One of the children also from Cordova graduated in the Kindergarten level. We have 2 honor students this school year and they are from Cordova. Jasson Singculan, a graduate in high school is the top 7 of his class and was awarded the 5th Honorable Mention. In the elementary level, Glendel Mark Pacaldo, a grade 3 pupil got the 1st honors of his class.

Project Administration

School Benefits Administration

As mentioned above, this quarter covers a portion of the 3rd grading period and the 4rth grading period of the school year, therefore there are various school contributions and requirements that have to be paid. The Scholarship Officer and Education Committee have informed and given orientation to the parents regarding the forms required for the request of funds. They are also taught how to fill up the forms.

Also, the parents this quarter visited the schools and asked for the signature of the teachers to verify the amount needed for school contributions. The Education Committee on their part collected the filled up request forms in coordination with the Scholarship Officer. Benefits for Boy/Girl Scouts uniforms have been released this quarter and school end contributions are processed for release during the end of the quarter.

Parents' Monthly Meeting

The parents had their monthly meeting on the months of January and March. In January and February, it was still conducted by Ramonito. In March, Teacher Rosalyn conducted the parent's meeting and asked their support in the making of a blackboard and bulletin board. They were also encouraged to continue to send their children to the tutorials. Other matters taken up were the graduation benefits and the status of their children's studies.

Hiring of Scholarship Officer

During the 3rd week of March, JPIC posted an advertisement in a local newspaper for the position of Scholarship Officer left vacant by Ramonito. We gave about 2 weeks notice for those interested and another week to contact them and to gather at least 3 of JPIC's Management Team members to conduct the panel interview. Only 2 out of the 4 came to the interview and the panel members were not so convinced that these applicants are fit to the position.

We want to be at least reassured that this person we are going to hire has the heart and the passion for less privileged children. We informed the pre-school teachers about the vacancy and waited for another week for applicants. We were able to hire Ramonito's replacement on the 3rd week of April and he was one of those referred by JPIC's pre-school teachers.

Project Activities

(1) Tutorials

Tutorials have been conducted to the sponsored children in Cordova and Kamagayan this quarter except during the last two weeks of February and during the Holy Week in March. The schedule of per grade level tutorials in Cordova has been continued. The tutorial lessons in Cordova have been conducted by Teacher Rosalyn who was appointed temporarily as tutor while we were still hiring.

The tutorials in Kamagayan in March were supposedly to be conducted by the Education Committee as instructed by Ramonito before he left but they were only able to do it once in March because most of the children were busy practicing for their presentations during the end of the school year. Most of the scholars in Kamagayan also are active in the parish activities so that they had to practice for the Holy Week religious activities two weeks ahead.

In Cordova, tutorials were made more fun and interesting by Teacher Rosalyn as she introduced playing of board games such as scrabble, snakes and ladders, Chinese checkers as part of the tutorial sessions. Another thing that she did was to put some charts in the bulletin board including the alphabet and written nicely the list of children in the tutorial schedule.

(2) Quiz Bowl

The children in Cordova together with the Education Committee members and Teacher Rosalyn participated in the Quiz Bowl of JPIC's entire Scholarship Program for Elementary and High School children last March. They were represented in the Spelling, Math, English and Bible Quiz in both elementary and high school categories. There were 8 children who joined the Quiz Bowl.

The children were so participative during the conduct of the quiz and were asking to have another quiz bowl for next year. Glendel Mark Pacaldo won 2nd place in the Spelling competition elementary category and Jasson Singculan got the 2nd place in Mathematics competition high school category. There were 12 assisted communities of JPIC that joined in the quiz bowl last March.

Jasson Singculan, High School Graduate of Cordova National High School

Glendel Mark Pacaldo with his parents & little brother when he received a medal for being an honor pupil

Jean Rose Inoc, Elementary Graduate of Cordova Central School

Julywayne Angelica Pacaldo, graduated in Kindergarden

Glendel Mark Pacaldo receiving his medal and gift for winning 2nd place in spelling during the JPIC Quiz Bowl

Jasson Singculan (third from left) receiving his medal for winning 2nd place in Mathematics during the JPIC Quiz Bowl

(3) Study Circle and Review for the Quiz Bowl

Teacher Rosalyn resumed the Study Circle in Cordova during her short term as tutor and especially during the last 2 weeks of March in preparation for the final examinations in school. There is no electrical connection in the new location of the study center tent so that the Study Circle is done in the small chapel and during rainy nights in the house of Teacher Rosalyn located within the housing site. Teacher Rosalyn also conducted a review of the contestants for the quiz bowl during the last two weeks and until the first two weeks of March.

Project Concerns and Action taken

Concern: The present spot where the "study center tent" was transferred has no electrical connection. It is not possible to conduct the study circle here. The study circle is usually done during nighttime.
Action taken: It is fortunate that it is vacation time in April and May so we still have time to prepare for this. We will provide the place with a rechargeable lamp to serve as light during study circle time. In this way, we don't need to have electrical connections we will just pay a small amount to one of the houses to recharge the lamp during daytime.

Concern: There are 4 high school graduates (2 from Cordova and 2 from Kamagayan) who expressed their desire to continue their college education.
Action taken: JPIC will request justiceF if they are willing to send these children to college and fund their tuition fee and textbook expenses.

The following are the planned activities for the next quarter, April-June 2008:

1. Continue the tutorial sessions.
2. Conduct summer workshops.
3. Purchase Rechargeable lamps.
4. Participation of the children to the JPIC Scholarship Program activities such as summer field trip.

Prepared by: Mimi M. Egot, Education Program Coordinator