Olongapo City—With classes set to begin this coming October, SGV & Co., through SM Foundation, provided the teachers of Kalalake Elementary School (KES) in Olongapo City with laptops which they can use in holding their virtual classes.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, mass gathering is prohibited to help curb the spread of the virus. Thus, schools are now using modular, virtual, and other learning strategies to ensure that students still have access to education despite the pandemic.
In 2019, KES received a newly constructed two-story, four-classroom school building from SM Prime, through SM Foundation. The school was fully furnished and equipped with basic equipment, including 20 desktop units from SM Olongapo for the teachers.
The recent donation of 18 laptops, which is a product of collaboration between SM Foundation and SGV & Co., further complements SM’s social good initiative for KES.
The recipients of the laptops expressed their gratitude for SM Foundation and SGV & Co.
KES Principal Marcial Mortera said, “Through these laptops, we won’t have to worry about our paperless reports and online communication. Efficiency in the service can be more achievable during this pandemic through distance learning through these laptops.”
“I can now do my work from home and stay connected to everyone anytime. Monitoring the teachers’ accomplishments and planned activities for the week can be easily and safely achieved despite our current situation,” he added. Butch Gunio
Teacher Elizabeth Sto. Domingo shared: “The laptop that we received is a big help for us, since PCs have become a necessity for remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic. With this support from SGV and SM Foundation, we can now effectively weave various online pedagogical methods into lessons to enhance the digital learning of our students.”
Master Teacher 1 Cecilia dela Fuente highlighted that through this initiative, they can now better communicate with their students, as well as their parents, to keep everyone in the loop for this new mode of learning delivery. “It also provides us easy access to relay messages/communicate and imparting knowledge and learning to our learners and their parents,” she said.
SM Foundation, through its School Building Program, is an active partner of DepEd’s Adopt-a-School program. This social good initiative of SM Foundation aims to promote quality public education by building classrooms nationwide.
To date, it has turned over more than 100 school buildings to grassroots communities nationwide. Butch Gunio
