Stipendiatenprogramm in Cordova und Kamagayan:

JPIC Fun Run und Fortsetzung der Elternarbeit
im step-by-step-Stipendienprogramm.
4. Quartalsbericht 2007

This report covers the 4th quarter of 2007 or specifically from October 01, 2007, to December 31, 2007. This quarter covers the second grading period and a portion of the third grading period in the Philippine educational system. Our schools have a total of 4 grading periods during which examinations to determine children's performance in class are being administered.

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.

Project Administration

Staff Training

This quarter, the Scholarship Officer, Ramonito del Campo attended the training on Child Development Checklist and Orientation on Children's Rights together with the pre-school teachers of JPIC. It was a 2-day training with a resource speaker from the Social Welfare Development. The Child Development Checklist is a tool developed to assess children's stage of development according to the 7 domains: fine motor, gross motor, self-help, receptive language, expressive language, cognitive, and social emotional.

Parents' Monthly Meeting

The monthly meetings of parents have been regularly done this quarter except for December because everyone was busy preparing for the Christmas season. Matters discussed were the about the needs of their children in school, the required forms for the school benefits, songs for the monthly faith celebration, transfer of the tent that serve as tutorial center of children, study circle and others.

School Benefits Administration

This quarter particularly during October, the Scholarship Officer has continued to collect the request forms for funds needed by the children.

Cordova children during their presentation...

Opening prayer through dance-drama of the youth volunteers and scholars of Cordova.

Getting ready for the run - Ramonito preparing the children.

In November, the request for uniforms for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts was processed and released to the Scholarship Officer. Also, in July of the previous quarter, funds for the practical projects in various subjects had been released to the children.

Quarterly Education Committee Meeting

The Education Committee chairman of Cordova and Kamagayan attended the quarterly Edcom meeting of all JPIC assisted communities in November. The meeting is intended to give us an update on the Scholarship activities, status of the community association's education funds and other Edcom initiatives in our assisted communities.
We also invited 2 children scholars from each community. We also had a seminar in the morning about the Rights of Children conducted by the Commission on Human Rights. Children also participated in the seminar on the Rights of Children and helped the Edcom during the reporting of their activities.

Project Activities

(1) Tutorials

Tutorials are continuously conducted to the sponsored children in Cordova and Kamagayan this quarter. The schedule of per grade level tutorials in Cordova was still being continued and the Sunday tutorial for all levels in Kamagayan was also followed. However in December, tutorial was only done during the first two weeks because here in the Philippines we celebrate the Christmas holidays as early as the first day of December and it would be holiday for us until the second week of January. Schools also had their Christmas break on the 20th but mostly they are quite lenient already with the children at this time. JPIC had its break on December 19 until January 3.

(2) Fun Run

The children in Cordova and Kamagayan together with the Education Committee members and some youth in the community participated in the JPIC Fun Run in celebration for Children's Month in October. This activity serves as the field trip for this quarter. The children ran from University of San Carlos along Osmeña Boulevard, the main road of Cebu City to the provincial Capitol.
It was about 3 kilometers. The youth from Cordova trained by a volunteer presented a dance-drama which serve as opening prayer during the activity. One of the scholars from Cordova presented a song and dance number during the program. The Fun Run has made the children feel important and appreciated during the Children's month.

(3) Song Practice and Faith Sharing Session

Parents have continued to have a song practice after their monthly meeting. This is done in preparation for the Monthly Faith Celebration or Holy Mass scheduled every third Saturday of the month. Children sometimes join with their parents in the song practice. The activity has continued to be a venue where parents can foster better relationship among each other.
This quarter, the weekly faith sharing in Cordova has been started as part of the community organizing activities. Parents of the scholars were encouraged to participate in the activity. The Scholarship Officer and the Edcom also helped in gathering the people for the activity and in facilitating the faith sharing sessions. There are also times during the quarter where faith sharing is not done because there are seminars and office activities scheduled.

(4) Study Circle

The Study Circle in Cordova, which started last September had been continued this quarter after the tutorial sessions however, this session has not been regular because the tent used as study center has been transferred to a spot, which has no electricity nearby. As mentioned in the last report, this is an optional group study session held in the evenings for those who have difficulty in answering their homework and for those who have examinations and need assistance in studying their lessons. The study circle starts at about after dinnertime usually at 7:00pm and ends at about 8:30 to 9:00pm. There are volunteer high school youth who will assist those who will join the study circle.

Project Concerns and Action taken

Concern: The movable tent had to be moved twice from where it was put-up because of the stormy weather during this quarter and to prepare for the typhoon season. As Cordova is a shoreline area, the people think it would be best to transfer it to a more secure spot.
Action taken: The first spot where the tent was transferred was not very good because it was near a wall that is no longer sturdy. After a few weeks, the people then transferred it to its present spot at the vacant lot beside the fence of the nearby private beach. However, there is no available electricity in this spot.

Concern: Ramonito was unable to release the funds for the Boy Scout and Girls Scout uniforms released to him.
Action taken: He said he is going to release it the next month (January 2008) because not all of them had completed their liquidation of their projects for each subject. I advised him to release the funds for the 20 or more who have already completed their liquidation and to call the attention of parents who did not comply.

The following are the planned activities for the next quarter, January-March 2008:

1. Continue the tutorial sessions.
2. Conduct field trip.
3. Continue the implementation of study circle in Cordova.
4. Participation of the children to the JPIC Scholarship Program Quiz Bowl.

Prepared by: Mimi M. Egot, Education Program Coordinator in consultation with Ramonito del Campo, Scholarship Officer.