Author
Abigael V. Nalzaro, SST III
As an institution of learning, ZNNHS adheres to the continuing improvement of the learning environment of the new normal.
Confronted with the unceasing threats of the coronavirus and its new variants, the school through its learning continuity plan ensures the community, its stakeholders, and teaching and administrative staff that their well-being, safety, and health are of topmost priority. Moreover, the school’s learning environment despite the restrictions and limitations of the new normal is ensured of its competence and readiness comes the new school year.
A. Establishment of Health Protocols
ZNNHS conforms to the health standards set by the National Inter-Agency Task Force Against Covid-19, DepEd memoranda related to Covid-19 and its Learning Continuity Plan, executive orders, and pronouncements from the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Norte, and the Local Government of Dipolog. The updates of these hierarchies of offices have effects on the school’s observance of the mandatory safety and health protocols.
As such, the school establishes the following health and safety protocols for all employees, parents, and students to warrant safety to both ends:
1. Adoption of Alternative Work Arrangement or the skeletal workforce observed by all teachers and employees;
2. No Facemask and Face shield, No Entry policy;
As one of the Covid-19 precautions, the school adopts the “No facemasks and face shields, No Entry” policy. Signages are conspicuously posted near the gate and the entrance and also among offices of the school.
3. Entrance help desk with temperature check, alcohol sanitation, and safe passcode control ;
Upon entering to school premises, a help desk shed welcomes the parents and the students where their temperatures are checked, hands are disinfected, and safe passcodes are registered. This is to ensure safety and reliable contact tracing should the needs arise.
4. Observance of physical distancing;
A school marshal sees to it that physical and social distancing is observed inside the school premises. Order of the traffic flow of people is also given attention t. Using a loudspeaker microphone, the marshal announces and reprimands people inside the campus to strictly observe physical distancing and thus to no-fail on this practice. Moreover, line marks are placed on the pavements and hallways of the school buildings to ensure at least a meter distance is observed for all.
5. Remote enrolment through drop-box and online registration;
To minimize face-to-face enrolment, the school ensures that students through their parents can enroll in the most approachable and convenient system for both parties. The enrolment procedure is done through the drop-box procedure and through online with the help of teacher-focal persons and class advisers. Procedures for the enrolment process are posted on the school’s official social media accounts, on teachers' and staff’s accounts, and class advisory’s social media group messages for updates.
6. Teachers wearing PPEs and health protections;
The school ensures top priority for teachers who are most exposed to parents’ interactions, especially on the physical distribution and retrieval of modules. Personal Protective Equipment is provided to teachers for them to use during their assigned distribution and retrieval of modules schedule. The PPEs suffice the warrant of teachers to be physically protected.
7. Scheduled release and retrieval of modules;
Schedule for the distribution and retrieval of modules are greatly contemplated, planned, and observed to avoid traffic flow and crowd among the school-goers, especially parents. This is to regulate the expected student/parents population ratio of the school knowing the latter’s big number of enrolment. As much as possible, the school encouraged all learners to get digital copies of their modules. However, due to economic reasons, most parents and students prefer printed copies of modules and on-hand submission of the module outputs. The school designs a schedule and flow of expected school-goers for this purpose.
On the other hand, classrooms, where distribution and retrieval of modules are held, are also regularly cleaned and disinfected. Parents'teachers' and teachers' interactions are strictly limited to a considerable distance suppressed by the wide see-through cover. The school’s plight to make both parties healthily safe is observed.
8. Distance learning arrangements between subject teachers and their classes.
Thelearning setupp under the Learning Continuity Plan is all through distance learning. Whether it is modular printed, modular-online, online synchronous and asynchronous,o blended learning with TV and radio platforms, all these aredesigned forrlearner'ss distance learning education under the new normal.
Subject teachers and class advisers closely monitored students’ submission of module outputs digitally or through face-to-face encounters with parents during the release and retrieval of the modules. Moreover, teachers created digital classrooms and groups to gather students in one class for updates and further instructions that will aid the latter in their self-learning through distance education.
B. Communication Infrastructure
ZNNHS is a recipient of the “Free Internet Access of in Public Places Act” as expressly provided in R.A. 10929.
This covers the installation of free internet access in public places and aims to accelerate the government’s efforts in enhancing internet accessibility to bridge the growing problem of the digital divide. As far as the Department of Education is concerned, this is also addressed to push the blended and distance learning so that education will continue despite threats of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) installed the free wifi internet access equipment in school last June 2020 and this can be accessed by all teachers and employees including visiting parents and students 24/7.
Furthermore, the school also procured additional internet connectivity from PLDT and Globe providers amounting to more or less Php 11,000 per month subscription. These connectivities are made available and can be accessed by the administrative offices of the school.
As DepEd starts to distribute sim cards with connectivity to approximately 1 million teaching and non-teaching personnel, the school is also expecting this provision to be given totally to teachers and staff. These sim cards will be utilized by teachers as they exhaust the data available usage for connectivity to various internet-related works.
Few teachers have been provided tablets and DepEd issued laptops as gadgets are also complementary to communication infrastructure that can aid teachers in effectively delivering distance education to the learners.
C. Equipment (Printing and Health Equipment)
The school’s procurement of more equipment to address the urgency and demands of the new normal is of top consideration. The more visible equipment the school acquires clientele for the new normalizing the things needed in its first-hand delivery of services to the clients. Covid-19 Help Desk tent, counters, and signage are procured and set up. Classroom counters with transparent shields are installed. Speakers and sound systems for announcements are geared up.
Further, the school’s printing equipment including office printers, faculty printers, and the riso machines is enough for teachers and the school in general to meet the demands of printed outputs and modules.
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