Twenty-seven months since it closed its facilities, Kings’ Montessori School is ready to welcome its students and faculty on Monday confident of the measures undertaken to ensure a clean and safe environment.
The family-run school is located in a four-story building that sits on an 800-square meter lot inside Kingspoint Subdivision, a gated community in Novaliches, Quezon City. It caters to fewer than 600 students from pre-school to high school.
“We just had our simulation tests to ensure the sound quality of the system we put up for our ‘hybrid/hyflex’ classes,” said owner Dr. Leonard Farochilen on the eve of the opening.
Classes will be held on-site and online with no more than 20 allowed inside the classroom.
“One batch will attend classes onsite, the other online. They switch places every week,” said Farochilen, adding they made arrangements that those present online can participate in the discussion, including recitation.
He said they will continue to operate the learning management system, a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses.
“The system allows recording so that students unable to attend classes can keep up with the lessons,” Farochilen said.
He said no stone is left unturned to ensure the safe conduct of classes.
“Each air-conditioned room is equipped with 40-inch television monitors, a desktop computer, and a microphone attached to the ceiling,” he said.
Students will be required to keep their masks on and will be seated one seat apart to ensure social distancing.
“We have also placed air purifiers and electric fans in each of the 13 classrooms. We will also keep the door open so the rooms will be well ventilated,” Farochilen said.
He said they also placed ultraviolet lights in each classroom that would be turned on to kill viruses and bacteria.
“This would be done only for several minutes after the morning classes and before the start of the afternoon classes,” he said.
Farochilen said except for a few minutes when students are allowed to take their sandwiches in the classroom, there will be no class recess.
“We have closed the cafeteria temporarily to prevent students from gathering in one place,” he said.
Traffic will be a problem, according to Farochilen, because the road leading to the school is narrow.
“We have to temporarily make the street fronting the school one way to avoid heavy traffic,” he said.
The school takes pride in its sports program, particularly women’s volleyball.
“We’re No. 1 in Quezon City and among the top three in Metro Manila,” Farochilen.
Some of the school’s products include Lorie Bernardo of Creamline and Maristela Layug of Cignal.
Several standouts are now playing in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, namely: Louie Romero, Rizza Cruz, Lucille Almonte of Adamson, Christine Ubaldo, Stacey Lopez of Far Eastern University, and Sunshine Layug of University of the Philippines.