Basic Education Program – Saint Francis of Assisi College

Programs

FRANCISCAN ACADEMICS, A BRAND OF EXCELLENCE!

Saint Francis of Assisi College, in great momentum and known for its culture of excellence, continues to provide quality In 2017, SFAC formally created an administrative cluster called the Academic Council in response to an increasing Franciscan population throughout its eight (8) campuses. This strategic move was driven by the President’s desire to strengthen the Franciscan academics and to deliver up-to-date, meaningful, proactive and value laden quality education.

The Academic Council is headed by the School President himself, Dr. Arturo O. Orosco, Jr., and is monitored by the Managing Director and Executive Director for Basic Education, Dr. Edgardo A. Lu. On the other hand, the administrative functions and the day-to-day operations of the Council are managed by Mark Jhones P. Garo, the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Director for Academics. Other members of the Council are the Program Heads for each of the Learning Areas in the Basic Education. Currently, there are eight (8) Program Heads. Each of the Program Heads handle around 8-10 teachers carefully chosen from the different campuses, referred to as the Core Group. These competent educators form SFAC’s Academic Team (A Team).

As the learners’ educational environment changes, SFAC will continue to make bold decisions and strategic actions to fulfill its mandate of delivering quality Franciscan education and producing God-fearing and functionally literate citizens.

Academic Council's Areas of COncern

This area of concern encompasses the bulk of the work of the Academic Team. The team is tasked to review, update, improve and contextualize the curriculum. The team also ensures that the curriculum is appropriately translated into teaching guides, daily learning plans, assessment, projects, co-curricular activities, etc.

At SFAC, the team has been regularly conducting series of curriculum and assessment evaluations and revisions to make sure that we do not only comply, but exceed the standards set by Department of Education and the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC). Through an annual comprehensive and strategic Curriculum Review and Development Workshop, the team checks and ensures coherence between the school’s curriculum and the DepEd prescribed curriculum. Not only that, the team also makes sure that the learning competencies are in consonance with the existing school books and references along with the added Values Integrated Competencies (VIC) and that these are faithfully translated in the Daily Learning Plans of the teachers.

To assess the efficient and effective implementation of the SFAC’s curriculum through aligned learning plan and delivery, the team conducts Mid – Year Summits. During the summits, teachers and administrators share best practices in teaching, analyze performance indicators and share ways on how the school can improve further in terms of its curriculum and instruction.

The Program Heads together with the Director and the Assistant Director for Academics conduct regular campus visitation to check whether teachers correctly implement the curriculum and DLPs in their daily teaching. Program Heads observe teachers while they teach, check their DLPs and conduct conferences, with the presence of the Campus School Heads, to discuss points for improvement.

The different Program Heads and Core Group teachers are regularly sent to various INSETs. This also gives the school an opportunity to get updates on the latest educational trends. Participants attending INSETs are required to conduct cascade reports. Aside from the training outside SFAC, the school also conducts its own in-house regular training for teachers.

The Academic Council as a sector is also active in proposing data-driven school policies which directly or indirectly benefit the learners, as well as the teachers. The Basic Education Council also involves the Academic Council whenever major decisions are to be made.

CURRICULUM

The K-12 curriculum of Saint Francis of Assisi College is planned and implemented through the joint efforts of the teachers, administrators and other stakeholders and collaborators. It is organized putting into consideration of the learners’ abilities and interests, their changing needs, and their expanding interests. Computer education, at all levels, is an integral part of the curriculum.

The syllabi, lessons, and examinations are carefully planned and constructed so that teachers and students are properly guided in their day-to-day interactions. There is room for initiative, discussion, and opportunities for incidental learning

Early Childhood Learning Program (ECLP)

SFAC focuses on the following areas to help its preschoolers learn best.

Our preschool curriculum is based on what preschoolers should know and be able to do. Our teachers plan and adapt curriculum to help our children learn and grow. It focuses on the following developmental areas:

DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

It includes gross and fine motor co-ordination through supervised outdoor play and manipulative activities like blocks, games, simple works, etc.

It involves skills and social behaviors such as developing love for God, self, others and the community, health habits, independence, abilities to follow rules and routines.

It includes the development of communication skills and sensory-perceptual and numeracy concepts and skills. Communication skills refer to competencies in expressing ideas and feelings both in English and Filipino (oral expression and basic readiness skills of listening, pre- reading and writing). Sensory-perceptual and numeracy skills refer to the ability to observe, discriminate, compare and classify, and to understand, count, read and write numbers.

It includes exploration of sounds, music and rhythms, and the development of children’s creative expression through drawing, painting, manipulative activities, etc.

THE CENTERS

FAMILY CORNER

This area provides a location for parents to leave and receive messages and or talk with the teacher. This area is used for sharing the children’s milestones and accomplishments.

A message center or a bulletin board
Basket of folders
Display shelf or cabinet for children’s works and photos at work /play

TEACHER’S CORNER

A teacher’s table and chair
A calendar planner posted for the monthly activities
Book shelf/cabinet

Children strengthen all areas of their development as they play with blocks, toys, dice, jelly beans, numeral cards, puzzles and games.

Social/Emotional.

Children learn to cooperate with one another by sharing and taking turns, learn to respect viewpoints different from their own but develop confidence when they complete a task successfully.

Physical

Children’s small muscles develop and are refined, when they carry and carefully place blocks together, construct with interlocking cubes, practice and develop eye – hand coordination when they carefully balance blocks or lace cards.

Cognitive

Block play promotes a concrete understanding of concepts essential to logical thinking. They learn about sizes, shapes, numbers, areas, length, patterns as they select, build with and put away blocks. This area serves as the Math hub in the classroom.

In this area, children deepen their understanding of the world and develop the motivation and skills necessary to read, write and discover.

Science
The science center in preschool helps the children learn to investigate the world around them. This center is stocked with magnifying glasses, tweezers, safety goggles and kid-sized microscope. Depending on what the class is learning, they have vegetables to dissect, rocks, shells, insects to observe in the center.

Dramatic Play
A center just for pretend play, a home center acting out favorite stories, running a flower shop, selling produce in a roadside stand, and caring for patients in the ER.

Experiences in this area help develop both sides of the brain and explore their creativity. In this area, are art materials and various musical instruments.

SFAC ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

For correct enunciation and pronunciation so our children will learn to speak clearly and Concisely

It combines all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing in a meaningful context (monthly or quarterly)

It enhanced holistic development of the child so that the transition from preschool to primary be as smooth as possible. This helps the child attain the maximum growth and developmental milestones.

With a well-planned curriculum, a purposeful environment and a well-balanced program of activities, SFAC preschoolers develop positive relationships, are competent and aware, and respond positively to challenges, which lead them to be more successful in grade school and beyond.

Grade School Program

PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAM (Grades 1, 2 and 3)

Our primary program provides a strong academic and well- rounded education focused on language and culture, arts and science, information technology, and sports activities. Students are encouraged to become people who have character and integrity, hold strong positive values, know themselves, and will become better prepared for the intermediate level.

Homeroom advisers guide these children along the way. Teachers serve as second parents, molding these children in values and character. Positive Filipino values and traditions are reinforced, along with a deep sense of faith to the Almighty.

Students are given opportunities to participate in various co- and extra-curricular activities to further develop their skills in a wide-range of interests. Life skills, such as, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, the ability to communicate and collaborate, along with personal and social responsibility that contribute to good citizenship – are reinforced in school.

INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL PROGRAM (Grades 4, 5, and 6)

Our intermediate program allows students to explore and develop talents in academics, arts, athletics, leadership and research. The academic courses offered at each grade level ensure rigorous challenges with unique opportunities for success.

Boys and girls, at this age, have unique needs, and the teachers are trained to be sensitive to these needs. Each student has an Adviser to meet with regularly on academic matters and also on social and emotional issues of growth and development. Students have many opportunities to exercise leadership, to participate in group investigatory projects, to enhance their presentation skills, and to maximize their full potentials.

Students participate in sports activities, most importantly, they learn how to learn. Students are encouraged to understand and develop their individual learning capacities and strategies so that they are prepared for further academic study in high school.

Special Junior High School Programs

The Research-Enchaced Curriculum (REC) for Junior High School was first used Saint Francis of Assisi College Las Piñas Campus last school year 2016-2017. This year, REC is in its full implementation and it has been started to be used by all other campuses of SFAC.

In REC, there are additional subjects or electives that should be taken in preparation of the research writing. For Grade 7, REC comprises Functional English which covers the mastery of the basic grammar and basic macro-skills for the mastery of English language and a more effective communication in various situations. This also serves as the foundation of writing for the students. On the other hand, the Statistic I covers the concepts and variables, the different data presentation tools, the measures of central tendency and variations, and the sampling designs and techniques.

For Grade 8, REC includes Introduction to Campus Journalism which provides students the knowledge on the development of journalistic writing skills and strategies for effective communication using mass media. The Statistics II now covers the hypothesis testing, the discussion of the statistical relationships among variables, the Chi Square test, and the statistical differences between groups. This second step will prepare students for research writing, specifically on quantitative research writing.

For Grade 9, REC offers Creative and Technical Writing which brings in the development of imaginative and methodological writing skills and strategies, on both creative and technical write-ups, for effective communication. This part provides students specifically on the communication processes of Research writing. In this level, the Introduction to Research (Practical Research I) will also be taken where students would know the rudiments of research, it is designed to further develop the research skills of the students by presenting concepts with practical applications specifically on qualitative researches. Students are also required to conduct, defend, and publish qualitative researches on this level.

For grade 10, REC involves Communication Arts which covers the mastery of the macro skills specifically the speaking. Speaking and public speaking strategies are the main concern of this subject as an enhanced preparation for oral defences. This level also includes Research Writing (Practical Research II) which allows students to learn the nature of quantitative researches and be able to apply quantitative data analysis techniques which have been learned in Statistics II. Students are also required to conduct, defend, and publish quantitative researches on this level.

These subjects from the new curriculum were made to ensure that students of Saint Francis of Assisi College, specifically the Junior High School students, be equipped with advanced lessons on research which they can use when they enter tertiary level.

Truly, Saint Francis of Assisi College continues to live with its vision and mission which is to provide progressive and holistic education and deliver well designed quality from the basic education to the tertiary level.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Research-Enhanced Curriculum

An optional Science Program for Grades 7 – 10 was conceived to better train students who will ultimately contribute to the development of our country as we move into the 21st century. This century will be an era characterized by rapid developmental studies. Our country will need citizens who will be familiar with these trends. The Science Program offers extensive training focused mainly on Science and Technology, Mathematics, English, and Information Technology. The Science Program aims to produce graduates who will be:

better prepared and highly motivated to pursue a career in Science or related fields of studies;
mathematically and scientifically literate who can cope with a more technologically advanced society;
better prepared and highly motivated to pursue a career in Science or related fields of studies; and,
better prepared in the processes of research.

The SFAC Franciscan Home Study Program or FHSP, duly recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd) and officially accredited by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) to accept foreign students, is one of the forerunners or prime movers of the Home Study culture or movement in the Philippines in the early 1990’s when such an alternative program was not that popular yet.

The revitalized Franciscan Home Study Program seeks to provide a curricular environment that promotes meaningful learning and positive academic engagement to High School leavers. These boys’ and girls’ particular student conditions and personal circumstances compel them to drop out of high school and make it difficult for them to accomplish their high school competency levels and complete their high school education on time.

It is one of the very few viable Catholic-Oriented Home Study Programs that can boast of its long, proud and dynamic tradition of home study education and other allied services. It has produced a steady stream of successful local and foreign graduates (i.e. in the fields of entertainment, sports, advertising, politics, commercial modeling, etc.) equipped with experiential learning and coping skills that will prepare them for Senior High School.

The FHSP has likewise opened its doors and extended its services to the marginalized sectors of our society, the disengaged students who are struggling as learners and who once again will be ready, willing, and able to take on the regimen and the rigors of home study.

Over-aged students and senior students;
Unsupervised children of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers);
Working students and student family breadwinners;

FHSP aims to reach out to these displaced students, give them a sense of direction, and their self-esteem and personal worth. By bringing them back into the fold of mainstream education, FHSP would be able to improve students’ chances of finishing high school.

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Senior High School Program

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STRANDS

TVL-ICT

STEM

TVL-HE

ABM

GAS

The SFAC Senior High School (SHS) program provides opportunities for young adults to develop necessary skills and attitudes that will allow them to make informed choices about their future. A wide choice of tracks and strands cater to students’ individual needs, interests and strengths. Students are intellectually stimulated and personally engaged with their learning in order to become mature, responsible, independent, and God-fearing graduates.

The program produces fine ladies and gentlemen that are ready to:
1.) become an entrepreneur;
2.) go to work;
3.) pursue middle-skills training and development; or,
4.) pursue further studies in college.

We provide authentic and effective learning opportunities to equip graduates for life beyond the gates of the school. Prior to graduation, students undergo immersion and/or NCII certifications to strengthen their social, organizational, and work skills.

Know more how to choose the right SHS track or strand for you by watching our SHS orientation below: