How to put up a club in Pisay in 3 easy steps

I’ve been asked this question a lot in the past two weeks. With the SA’s announcement of the club fair on July 7-8, I feel it’s a good time to share what I’ve been telling those who’ve come into my office to inquire.

I’ve always likened the PSHS to the Wild West — every man is free to make his own fortune provided he works hard enough and plays by the rules. And there comes a time when one can’t go it alone, so he bands together with others to form a posse — a club — to get more things done. Thus, there’s quite a bit of liberty when it comes to organizing and what I’ll talk about today is how to get you and your friends started.

There are actually just three steps in forming a club.

One, identify an interest that isn’t addressed yet by an existing school organization, project, or club. This is pretty self-explanatory but is in essence the most important step. I’ve encountered a lot of students in the past who each held certain hopes and ideas, but it’s almost lottery-like that two students meet, share the same idea, and initiate the formation of a club. I hope we have more interaction between the year levels (particularly the 3rd and 4th years) so that these common interests emerge.

Two, get an adviser, elect your set of officers, and build your roster. In getting an adviser, find someone who is passionate about what you want to do. A good adviser is critical in the first two to three years of the club because he/she will ensure continuity as the first set of officers graduate and move on. Do your best to find someone who’s thinking long-term. After that, everything else follows. Usually, the founding members serve as the officers for at least the first year in order to set the tone and direction for everyone.

Three, draft your bylaws or constitution which you’ll submit to SSD for approval. The key difference between the two is that bylaws are a bit more informal, more flexible, and easily amendable. This is good to have when you’re starting out. But as your organization grows, you’d want to have something more stable and constant through the years. You’d want to go for a constitution. There are tons of examples on the Internet which you can find inspiration from. My tip is to look up the bylaws of an existing organization that has a similar objective or structure to what you want to achieve.

Those are three easy steps to get you started. This is by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive guide. I’m not even getting into what to do once the club is there. But for those who want to know, you can start here.

I’ll try to write more in the future. I do have lots to tell but I have even more to do. NONETHELESS, feel free to Write Me or drop by the DISCIPLINE OFFICE if you need tips or advice. My door is always open for everyone. I’m a big believer in extracurricular activities and the value they bring not only to your high school lives but to your fuller development as persons.

I hope to hear from you guys soon!

Quick word: On playing sports after class

In the past two weeks, I’ve received reports that the campus security has been stopping people from playing games and sports way before the curfew time of 6pm. In the past few days I’ve spoken with student athletes, the administration, and the guards themselves to get a full perspective on the matter. Here is how the chips fall.

The curfew time of 6pm refers to all activities not just sports. By 6pm, facilities should be vacated, externs have left the campus, and interns are now in the dorms. In the past, allowing students to wrap up their sports by 6pm has led to the following problems: (a) their clean-up and fix-up time exceeds 6pm, (b) due to the rush to meet the curfew some bags are left behind and the areas remain untidy, (c) dormers end up having less time to eat before 7, and (d) those who order food from the outside end up waiting for their food until 7 and even beyond.

All these violate the curfew which is intended for two things: (1) save up on energy usage and (2) ensure the security of the dormers who are minors (and thus the school will always be liable) and reside within campus. I can see how point one can be a non-issue to those just using the field or even the basketball court. But matters of security — point two — are non-negotiable.

Unless you have a permit, you cannot go beyond the curfew. And even then, you’ll have to justify your activity to management who in turn will not easily approve of just any activity. Activities like Batch Night, Stargazing, and all others that are allowed to go beyond the curfew are the exception not the norm.

So how do things work now?

Sporting activities with a permit can be allowed until 5:45. But it has to agreed that everything is cleared out and fixed by 6pm.

Casual sporting activities (spur of the moment games with no permit) may be stopped starting 5:30.

Thus, it may be smarter to join a club. If there isn’t one, organize. Having an officially recognized group expresses to management that you’re willing to be responsible for yourselves and can thus be trusted with a little bit more freedom.

Organizing and securing a permit also ensures that you get to use our grounds and facilities which, as you all well know, are very limited. Especially with the recent spike in the interest in extra-curricular activities (not just sports), we all have to be smart about how we share our common space.

The truth of the matter is, there has been no change in the rules. They’re only being implemented the way they’re supposed to be.

Nonetheless, I do acknowledge that some issues raised by the students are legitimate and must be taken into consideration namely: That the 4:30 dismissal time does not provide such a generous window like 4:10 did. Students do have to change into sports clothes, warm up, and 20 minutes can make a big difference. Understood.

For now, I have two suggestions for everyone:

One. Try to think of the time slot for sports as 3:30 to 5:45. Balance your schedules and organize around the times when most of you are free. Arrange your activities then. File your permits. Make sure your adviser is with you as much as possible.

Two. Start discussing how to do the Intrams. I know for a fact that the 1:40 dismissal time was designed with the Intrams in mind. I just don’t have the full details how. I suggest that the SA start looking into it this early. Coordinate with the PEHM unit.

I wouldn’t be so brave to suggest that we can change the curfew time. I think that is a little out of our reach for now. Nonetheless, I believe that if students can show management that they’re responsible and can address the issues raised by the guards (see above), we can open a window for the rules to lighten up. I’m sure of that! But the rest is up to you guys.

For discussion: Fair Use Policy (draft) — UPDATED with poll question

I’ve presented this today to the management and I’m glad to say that we’re all optimistic we can get this done. The next step for me is to present this to the faculty and solicit final comments before I deliver the final version for management’s approval. Thus it is my sincerest hope that by July we have better, more sensible rules governing the use of today’s generation of electronic devices in school.

Here are the three things the Fair Use Policy will put in place:

1. A new mindset in regulating electronic devices where we regulate them according to their use and not their nature. This is to address the ambiguity of the current generation convergent devices where it is possible for a mobile phone to function similar to a camera, music player, and small handheld computer.
2. A flexible policy where students can freely use their devices for academic purposes, use their devices for personal entertainment during specific times, and teachers are empowered to set their own device usage rules in class.
3. A sensible penalty system that emphasizes personal responsibility that comes with the privilege of getting to use the devices freely in campus.

I am opening up this draft to accomplish several things:

• Solicit feedback that can improve and further enhance the policy,
• Solicit questions that may help me address something the policy fails to, and
• Acknowledge all those who wrote in about electronic devices; your feedback has definitely not gone unheard.

Without further ado, here is the concept paper and policy draft in its entirety.

UPDATE: I also want to get your opinion on something. Simply cast your vote in the poll below.

New (2001) edition of the Panatang Makabayan

We’ve been using an edition that has been out of date since 2001. Here’s the new one that was adopted during the term of DepEd secretary Raul Roco:

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, aking lupang sinilangan
Tahanan ng aking lahi, kinukupkop ako at tinutulungang
Upang maging malakas, masipag at marangal
Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas,
Diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang,
Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan,
Tutuparin ko ang tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan,
Naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal nang buong katapatan.
Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, pangarap, pagsisikap
Sa bansang Pilipinas.

For comparison, you can look back at the older version here.

SS2 this week: Add Ethos to your vocabulary

This week in SS2, I’ll wrap up the story about Sitio Target and will reveal what that has to do with our lessons for the year. All I can tease is that the word ethos will tie everything together.

Your homework remains to have a copy of a map of Asia. For those downloading and printing off the net, I recommend this one. And as a team, I’d like you to come to class on Tuesday with the following information on the countries in your region: geographic area, population size, economic goods imported and exported, religions, languages and ethnicities. You may print or write down in any way you want. What matters to me is that you all have something to contribute to an upcoming activity.

Part one of our class texts will be available starting tomorrow. They’re chapters from World History Connections to Today and can be purchased for P63.50 at the photocopiers near the library. If you’re on a budget, get a copy of at least Chapter 1 and start reading. Your first quiz will be on Thursday. (I’ll say more on Tuesday.)

Rethinking Rules: Structures and systems

Over the past week, I’ve been laying down the ground work for some of the changes and improvements we want to see in campus. Everyone will get a clearer idea on July 1, the target date for the release of the new DO Primer.

For now, just a quick reflection. For rules to make sense, there must first be structures. A lot of the problems in the past emerged because rules were in place but had no structure to either contextualize or even implement them. A literal example would be the problem with confiscation. It wasn’t so much a case of students being too lazy or sloppy with their things, but more of that their bags are too heavy and no structures were available for them to temporarily leave their things in order to attend to business throughout the campus. Other schools do have bag deposit areas. And I am glad that in a week or two, we’ll have the same. Once we do, then we’ll establish a set of sensible rules governing their use and making it clear when things will be confiscated.

It can also be a case that the structure has become obsolete, such as in the case of our rules governing electronic devices. The current rules have been drafted in a world where the mobile phone, music player, and game system were all separate devices. I’m currently drafting rules that make more sense in a world where these devices have converged.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more structures we can put in place to make things more orderly and sensible in campus. That said, I’d like to know: What other things in campus would you like structured or systematized?

The attitude I’d like us to have is that once it’s clear how things go, then there will be less need for random or arbitrary-rule making. Expectations will be clear and a definite standard for what behavior we want to see from our scholars can be set.

Quick answer: I have a lot of NCRs but I still have excellent in the card. How does that happen?

I’m sure you’ve noticed this a lot. You get a lot of NCRs and maybe even minor offenses but you walk away with a straight E (Excellent) in your character grades every quarter. How does that happen?

Each of your subject teachers inputs your character grade, and the average of all their marks is then reflected on the card. Even if you’ve made some bad judgment calls in one subject, the fact that the ratings from your other subjects are averaged with it make the likelihood of walking away with an ‘E’ really high. Moreover, from my own experience as one such subject teacher, the information on your NCRs and other offenses never gets to us. It’s not a fault of the DOs in the past. It’s just that there has been no system in place to inform all of us of how you guys are doing. That began to change towards the latter part of last year, and I intend to continue this.

Essentially, each of your teachers will receive a report on your NCRs and offenses from now on. Starting this year, they’ll have a neat summary of everything just in time for them to input their character grades.

Rethinking Rules: Updating our technology policy

I promised the sender a reply so here goes. I’ve decided to post his actual letter here since I’m sure a lot of you are thinking the exact same thing.

I would just like to clarify, say I have an Iphone/touchphone sir, and i have like an app that displays notes/ Powerpoint slides/ ebooks or the like, would they be allowed during study hours? But of course only the apps that do not require WiFi or 3G connections, just the offline ones. Well the technology today offers ultra convenient, as well as environment (paper)friendly solutions.

The current rules are designed to minimize losses and theft. Basically, the only device allowed is your mobile phone and a laptop upon submission of an object permit form. Cameras, radios, printers, and other devices are also subject to the form.

However, it is becoming more difficult to delineate these devices especially today’s phones which can now do practically anything a small-scale personal computer can. Though we can always mandate that students can only bring certain types of phones to school (no touch screens, QWERTY key pads only), that sort of policy seems preposterous on its face. Do we really want to go to that extent? We may come across as too cynical then, and run against the spirit of innovation and advancement we hope to inculcate in our students.

I like this particular e-mail because it strikes the responsible tone that I like. If more had this sort of attitude towards the technology, I would have no problems allowing more of these devices in campus.

So what am I thinking of?

I am finding ways to relax our technology policy a bit while making everyone responsible for what they bring into school. One solution I am thinking of is a device registry where students log the devices they intend to bring to campus. This will allow the student to freely use his/her device under fair use terms for an agreed upon time (quarterly, semestral, yearly?).

Fair use terms essentially dictate the allowed and prohibited uses of the devices. Note taking on an iTouch in class? Check. Using a tablet to present? Check. Taking notes on a laptop during a lecture? Check. However: Playing Angry Birds while waiting for the teacher to arrive? No. Carrying an iTouch around and playing music through the halls? No. Texting in class or checking Facebook during a lecture? No.

Violations of the fair use terms will result in confiscation for 48 hours (1st offense), suspension for one quarter (2nd offense), or revocation of fair use privileges meaning no bringing of devices at all (3rd offense or 2nd offense during the last quarter).

Moreover, students caught using an unregistered device and violating fair use terms will be stripped off fair use privileges and be charged with a corresponding major offense.

The device registry is for your protection. I’ll be providing your teachers a copy of those who have registered. Moreover, it is also a waiver. I’ll seek the permission of your parents and you’ll guarantee me that you alone will be responsible in the event of losses or theft.

That’s what I’m thinking about right now. Your thoughts?

DO Presentation to the Incoming Batch 2015

This will be my presentation tomorrow as we welcome the incoming Batch 2015. Everyone else should be familiar with what’s in here, but the slides give you an idea of how I intend to ‘simplify’ what has been established in the handbook. I also share some thoughts into the making of this presentation.

The cover slide represents what I feel about the Discipline Office. If I do my job right, I should just be calmly looking on as everyone goes about their business. I could have easily used a picture of a teacher watching over detention but that really isn’t what I’m all about.

That Aristotle quote is my primary axiom in thinking about how to form our students. Excellence is a habit of doing the right thing in every minute of every day.

Central to my approach is championing the PISAY vision. I begin the meat of my discussion with that. I’ll be touching on the Character Grades as well. Current students may feel that they’ve gotten away in the past with character grades averaging excellent most of the time. I’ve identified why that is so and how the Discipline Officer can change that (more on this soon).

After going through heavy stuff (such as minor and major cases), I’ll speak directly to the 2015 students and parents about what to expect in First Year. I’ll also identify the usual discipline trouble spots (ie. fighting), what causes the usual problems, and how to avoid them.

And in the last slide, meet the DO GOOD baby!

 

Upcoming DO Bulletins for the month of June

In my remarks this past week to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th years, and the Faculty, I mentioned that in the weeks leading up to July 1, I’ll be releasing a series of BULLETINS addressing various DO-related concerns. A lot of these have to do with the e-mails I’ve received on different school issues. At the end of June, all these bulletins will be compiled into the 2011 edition of the PSHS DO Primer.

All DO Bulletins will be available in both print and digital form. Print copies will posted around campus and distributed through HR advisers and Batch advisers. Digital copies will be posted on this blog (via Slideshare and downloadable PDF) and distributed through the SA and the PTA. All updates will be announced during the FlagCem as well.

Here is a quick preview of what bulletins may come out this June. I’m sharing this information so you guys know what I’m thinking about. So if you’d like anything to add or share, feel free to write me!

1. I’ll be clarifying the hair cut rule to say that the 2×3 rule need not be white side wall or cleanly shaven for 1st to 3rd year students. NONETHELESS, monitoring of the hair cut will be more frequent and a student will receive an NCR the moment the hair touches the brows, ears and nape.

2. I’ll be issuing new guidelines about the prohibition of wearing earphones and playing music phones in academic and administrative buildings during official hours. I’m still identifying possible exemption zones within these buildings in consideration of those who need the music (but earphones only) in order to focus and study.

3. I’ll be working with management to assess the feasibility of designating certain areas for bag deposit during the lunch break and dismissal time. Leaving your bags scattered in all other places at all other times will be prohibited. I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS HERE. Feel free to write where you think we can have them and what time it will be best to open them.

4. I’ll be working with teachers to create a handy guide on how to do honest research on the Internet. We’ll be emphasizing tricks some of you already know (just use Wikipedia for the bibliography entries!) and some you may not (contact real people via e-mail and or telephone).

This is just for June. I am working on a few other things of a more confidential nature. I hope to release all of them in the new DO primer this July.