LUBAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FERVENTLY IMPLEMENTS “CATCH-UP FRIDAY”

February 24, 2024 Educator's Corner

Charlie B. Cadap

In concurrence with the DepEd Memo No. 001, s. 2024 titled Implementation of Catch-Up Fridays, Lubas Elementary School is committed and responsive to the said memo. According to DepEd, all Fridays throughout the school year shall be designated as Catch-Up Fridays, with a focus on operationalizing the National Reading Program (NRP) during the first half of the day’s schedule and on fostering Values, Health, Peace Education, and Guidance Program for the second half. Lubas Elementary School is in unison with the Department of Education in strengthening the MATATAG Education Agenda – to produce competent, jobready, active, and responsible citizens, equipped with essential competencies and skills for lifelong learning.

The teachers of LES are exerting all their efforts in finding ways and means to produce educational resources needed in the implementation of Catch-Up Friday. Despite the challenges and obstacles encountered such as the immediate availability of learning materials, they still managed to maneuver and find possible solutions. They cannot simply give up because they are true-blue educators. A huge responsibility is resting on their shoulders as they are educating and molding the future nation builders. According to the teachers, with the responsibility entrusted to them comes great satisfaction especially when they see their pupils transcend.

Before the reading program gets down to business, the grade 4 teachers, Josephine F. Paris, Charlie B. Cadap and Marina M. Dacpano, have deliberated and decided who their story teller be. As these teachers believed in the old African proverb that states “It takes a village to raise a child”, they are convinced that shared effort holds the key to satisfy the aspiration where reading difficulties of every child be addressed. After careful consideration, they unanimously agreed to invite barangay councilor Mark Njel M. Santiago as part of their initiatives in realizing the dream where every learner can read and comprehend.

They opted him as their guest story teller because of his prowess. Mr. Santiago is a teacher by profession and currently the barangay councilor of Lubas who is in charge of the education committee. In the pursuit of attaining their goal, the grade 4 teachers crafted their formal letter of invitation addressed to Mr. Santiago. It was a pleasant surprise to have him respond without hesitation despite his hectic schedule. The pupils were very eager and excited. His presence added vitality to the reading activities of the pupils which in turn inevitably influenced their love for reading. The pupils were captivated and enthralled by his creative delivery of the story.

To ensure that they understood the story, he posed several questions and highlighted the moral lesson of the story. The importance of instilling values in every fiber of our being and showing decorum at all times were explicitly emphasized by him. Lastly, he took the moment in igniting and inspiring the learners to continue learning because this will benefit them at the end of the day. The teachers were truly delighted because the presence of Mr. Santiago and his words of wisdom left a great impact to the learners.