PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Board of Trustees Meeting

June 25, 2005 

I. Enrollment: 

As of June 23, 2005, 152 students have enrolled in St. Mary’s School: 

1^st Year            33*                  (8 scholars, 8 grantees, 1 pending grantee)

2^nd Year           44                    includes 7 transferees (5 SNHS, 2 MPGCHS)

3^rd  Year          28                    includes 1 transferee (SNHS)

4^th Year           47                    includes 3 transferees (2 Baguio, 1 Bangaan) 

Total:             152 

*17 Sagada Central, 7 Ambasing ES, 3 Bangaan, 1 Bontoc, 1 Baguio, 1 Tabuk, 3 others 

II. Faculty and Staff: 

First-year Probationary Faculty: 

1. Cora Dilgen (Math)

2. Nemia Lite (Math, Physics)

3. Leones Gonsoden (Social Studies)

4. Nelson Bustamante (PE)

5. Philip Fiar-od (Computers, English, Website – 80% appointment 2005-6) 

New Faculty: 

1. Marjorie Hangdaan from Ifugao (Biology, Chemistry)

2. Menchu Takinan from Ifugao (Filipino)

3. Evelyn Balisong from Sagada (English, Postboy, Youth Ministry)

4. Beverly Ticobay from Sagada (English, TLE)

5. Michael Benter from Baguio (Economics, Filipino Literature, TLE, Library) 

Part Time Faculty: 

1. Aurea Dangkiw from Sagada (20% appointment, 1 class Math)

2. Alma Bagano from Sagada (20% appointment, 1 class Biology)

3. Jill Easton from Australia (honorarium for 4 classes in Art) 

Staff: 

1. Ardeth Angway 

2. Kym Ledesma  (50% appointment, shared with STH) for Board, Principal, PPTCA, and Scholarship matters 

III. Academic Matters: 

1. An 8-period school day (40 periods a week) has been set to accommodate 2 extra
tutorial periods for Math and 2 for English.  School begins at 7:30 (flag
raising ceremony), breaks for lunch at 11:35; resumes at 1:00 p.m. and
finishes at 4:55.  There is a15-minute break in the morning, and another
in the afternoon). 

2. Curriculum: 

            English            5 periods a week plus 2 tutorials

            Math                5 periods a week plus 2 tutorials

            Science            6 periods a week to accommodate laboratories

            Filipino            5 periods a week

            Social Studies 5 periods a week

            PE/Health        2 periods a week (4 total for MAPEH)

            Art                   2 periods a week for 1^st and 2^nd year students

            Music              2 periods a week for 3^rd and 4^th year students

            Computer        2 periods a week (integrated in TLE for 3^rd & 4^th year students)

            School Mass    1 period (every other Wednesday)

            Vespers           1 period a week including Church Hymn practices)

            Homeroom      2 periods a week (to tackle values education) 

3. New textbooks that support the new curriculum have been purchased and issued
to students in English, Filipino, Social Studies, and Math.  Science (1^st
and 2^nd Year) classes are using the donated IS textbooks.  Computer will
be tackling proficiency in Word and Excel. 

4. Students (particularly 1^st year) have been given pre-assessment diagnostic tests
in literacy and numeracy to determine level of proficiency.  The results
will be taken later as a separate discussion item. 

IV. Student Activities 

1. SGO elections were held yesterday, culminated by the School Welcome Dance. 

2. Having opened later than other schools, SMS has taken its first make-up day (1/2
school day) this morning.  On the agenda were Math tutorials, general
area cleanup, and preparation of  the school garden in preparation for
coffee planting. 

3. School clubs/activities and sports tryouts are currently being conducted.  The dates
of the first Friendship games (with Sagada National HS and St. James HS)
are currently being negotiated. A cultural exchange (music, art and dance), a SJHS/SMSS press conference (journalism, school paper, creative writing, and yearbook), and a interschool quiz bee, and forensics competitions (debate etc), are also being negotiated. 

4. CAT or Citizens’ Advancement Training has been organized to monitor and implement the school’s Code of Conduct, train the student body in marching, and develop student leadership.  The corps of officers will also
serve as the Judicial/Police arm of the SGO.  The presidents of clubs and organizations and the representatives of the Year Level Councils compose
the legislative body that will review and revise the Student Handbook,
and provide the process by which student activities are run. 

V. Facilities and Capital Improvements 

1. The cistern donated by the Manila SMS Alumni Chapter is operational.  It provides
water for the toilets.  Drinking water is coursed from the church system
to two tanks in the school. 

2. The Principal’s Office and Faculty Lounge have been renovated. 

3.  The Biology Lab will be operational next week.  The water supply valves has been tampered with by vandals. 

4. Construction is ongoing in the Chemistry and Physics lab.  The labs are expected
to be finished by the start of second semester. 

5. The Computer Lab has 17 new networked computers and is used by students in all
levels.  All students are expected to be proficient in Microsoft Word and
Excel.  Powerpoint, Publisher, and Front Page (website making) are also
in the offing.  Internet and Microsoft Outlook will be introduced once the Internet is available. 

6. Nothing is being done with the Library until we receive the go-signal on funding
for library renovations.  However, the electronic cataloging of the Fiction Collection is currently being undertaken, so that fiction books and pocket
books can be checked out by student once the system is ready.

7.  All teacher files, curriculum documents, and grade records are now stored in
computers networked with the Principal’s Office. 

8. The Longid Columbarium and Amphitheatre is almost completed. 

9.  Student Lockers are now in use in the Student Center.  Canteen tables donated
by ISM are also in place if and when a canteen is operational. 

VI. Community Relations 

1. The PPTCA elections were held last June 10.  Details will be provided by the PPTCA president, Atty. Soledad Bangsail. 

2. The Principal’s weekly newsletter has received good feedback from the community. 
 The PPTCA has come out with its own quarterly newsletter. 

VII. STATUS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN 

Considering the fact that the original time frame of the Strategic Plan was to commence on June 2005, we are about 1 and ½ years ahead of schedule.  We are
halfway finished with the 2^nd phase of capital renovations.  We are now starting with
the first year of the new curriculum that would meet our objectives of becoming truly
college preparatory.

 I personally believe that little by little, trust in St. Mary’s School is gradually
being built up in spite of unexpected set backs like diminished enrollment, continued misinformation, and the wait and see attitude that Sagada is known for.  St. Mary’s
now, in my opinion, is better than before, in terms of learning, faculty morale, student involvement, and formation of appropriate Christian values. 

However, we are still far from where we hope to go.  The 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th phases still need to be started, and this will depend on our institutional partners like St. Theodore’s Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital (for the renovation of the dorms), and sister schools like St. James and All Saints to pave the way for an Episcopal schools confederation that would in turn address the 5^th phase of our strategic plan.  The financial records of the school are a total mess, so much so that we cannot even come up with an income statement, much less an statement of assets and liabilities.  

Meanwhile, back at St. Mary’s, we are confronting behavioral issues that affect learning and motivation such as absenteeism, lack of parental involvement and supervision, and lack of study habits, while addressing student deficiencies in content and skills resulting from a deficient elementary education. 

I believe that within the time frame given, we will achieve all what that we have
set to accomplish.  My personal focus as Principal for this year is still the development
of curriculum, student learning and faculty development, since this is the very core of
why St. Mary’s is in existence.  We are already far ahead of our colleagues in the area.  But this is not what we had agreed to do.  We need to be the best in the Cordilleras, so
that future generations of St. Mary’s alumni can take their turn in sharing what they
have with the community of Sagada and its environs.  I enjoin you, the Board of
Trustees, to continue your quest for financial and moral support from our global
community, so that all our efforts will not be in vain. 

Dennis Faustino

Principal

June 25, 2005