Snacking, chatting, group meetings, bonding – these are the memories of the missed 4th-floor school cafeteria before the pandemic. Striving to capture this experience, the Junior High School A (JHA) Department officially launched the Zoom Cafeterias for its students last August 8, 2021. This is accessible through separate Zoom links every school day from Monday to Friday, 1:30 until 3:30 PM, except Wednesdays.
JHA supervisor, Mrs. Karen B. Fulgencio, expressed, “It is very important for our students to bond, especially with this online setup. They need to be intentional in building a relationship and reaching out to their classmates and friends.”
Designed for students to find support and assistance from both teachers and their peers, the Zoom Cafeterias created for Grade 7 Nazareth and Grade 8 Berea students, respectively, were organized due to the collective passion of the teachers to assist JHA students adapting to DLIFE. Through Zoom's breakout room feature, students can study with one another, hold group meetings, and have fellowship amongst batchmates. Nathan Andrew T. Alviar of Nazareth B commented, "The Zoom Cafeteria is a great place to meet with group mates for projects. With this, we do not need to create our separate Zoom room."
The Zoom Cafeterias also serve as convenient venues for teachers to hold consultations or make-up sessions, and at the same time, form a familiar "teacher-student relationship,” remarked Fulgencio, “that will let them feel our (the teachers’) support and concern."
"It is the perfect digital cafeteria wherein if you have any problems with a certain topic or thing; it would be helpful for the students to learn more peacefully," Sean Liam Xavier R. Panganiban of Berea C mentioned.
The concept of the Zoom Cafeteria originally stemmed from the Middle School recess Zoom room of S.Y. 2020-2021, which aimed “to give them (the students) some semblance of normalcy,” as expressed by Middle School (MS) Supervisor Ms. Mary Ann M. Papey. The MS Department teachers decided to form the recess Zoom room for students to connect, socialize, study, and play with friends from other classes or other batches as a response to students’ and parents’ suggestions. Mrs. Charity Sabe, who was part of the MS Department last year, proposed this innovative idea when she moved to the JHA Department. Sabe, currently a Grade 7 teacher, explained that the online cafeteria aims to encourage collaborative learning among the students and enable them to foster better relationships with their batchmates. “I like it when students join the cafeteria with their peers or group mates to complete their school work or just bond with their friends,” Sabe remarked.
The Zoom Cafeterias are facilitated by a rotation of seven teachers each for Grades 7 and 8. They are closed every Wednesday to give way for Cell Group, department meetings, and Teacher's Wellness Wednesday. The Middle School recess Zoom is waiting for its launch for S.Y. 2021-2022.
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