Interim Principal's Message |
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Hafa Adai,
My name is Victorino N. Borja and I'm the Interim Principal for Admiral Herbert G. Hopwood Middle School for School Year 2020-2021. I hope you and your family are staying safe as we get through this pandemic. COVID-19 has affected the way we live, behave, think, and also the way we teach and learn. Hopwood Middle School (HMS) is in the process of transferring back to our campus at Chalan Piao. Because it is not yet 100% repaired, we will only have 23 classrooms available this school year instead of 42 like in previous years prior to Super Typhoon Yutu.
As a result of the limited classrooms and in order to effectively implement social distancing on campus especially in the classrooms, we had to decrease our population of over 900 students by rezoning the villages of Puerto Rico, Navy Hill, and China Town (including Mihaville) to attend Tanapag Middle School (TMS) and the villages of As Terlaje, East of Chalan Kiya Mobil Gas Station, Kannat Tabla, Joeten Dandan (main road), As Lito, and Fina Sisu to attend Dandan Middle School (DMS). Buses for those villages will no longer transport students to HMS and instead will transport them to their assigned schools. We understand and appreciate the sentiment from many students and parents who prefer their child to attend HMS.
However, allowing over 900 students to attend HMS this school year with only 23 classrooms would not only potentially negatively impact their education but also their safety. Rest assured that for those affected by the rezoning, TMS and DMS are wonderful schools with excellent staff. To those who will be attending HMS this school year, we ask for your understanding and cooperation in complying with COVID-19 safety practices such as conducting pre-checks for COVID-19 symptoms before leaving home to go to school, properly wearing a facemask, maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet, frequently cleaning your hands, and staying home when sick.
In addition, teaching and learning will be done remotely at the beginning of the school year and might later transition into a hybrid schedule of both remote learning and face to face instruction at school when the state of our community is safe to do so and based on the Governor's Executive Orders.
Eventually, we hope that COVID-19 will be eliminated and things can go back to normal. Until then, please take care and stay safe. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Victorino N. Borja, M.Ed.
HMS Interim Principal
My name is Victorino N. Borja and I'm the Interim Principal for Admiral Herbert G. Hopwood Middle School for School Year 2020-2021. I hope you and your family are staying safe as we get through this pandemic. COVID-19 has affected the way we live, behave, think, and also the way we teach and learn. Hopwood Middle School (HMS) is in the process of transferring back to our campus at Chalan Piao. Because it is not yet 100% repaired, we will only have 23 classrooms available this school year instead of 42 like in previous years prior to Super Typhoon Yutu.
As a result of the limited classrooms and in order to effectively implement social distancing on campus especially in the classrooms, we had to decrease our population of over 900 students by rezoning the villages of Puerto Rico, Navy Hill, and China Town (including Mihaville) to attend Tanapag Middle School (TMS) and the villages of As Terlaje, East of Chalan Kiya Mobil Gas Station, Kannat Tabla, Joeten Dandan (main road), As Lito, and Fina Sisu to attend Dandan Middle School (DMS). Buses for those villages will no longer transport students to HMS and instead will transport them to their assigned schools. We understand and appreciate the sentiment from many students and parents who prefer their child to attend HMS.
However, allowing over 900 students to attend HMS this school year with only 23 classrooms would not only potentially negatively impact their education but also their safety. Rest assured that for those affected by the rezoning, TMS and DMS are wonderful schools with excellent staff. To those who will be attending HMS this school year, we ask for your understanding and cooperation in complying with COVID-19 safety practices such as conducting pre-checks for COVID-19 symptoms before leaving home to go to school, properly wearing a facemask, maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet, frequently cleaning your hands, and staying home when sick.
In addition, teaching and learning will be done remotely at the beginning of the school year and might later transition into a hybrid schedule of both remote learning and face to face instruction at school when the state of our community is safe to do so and based on the Governor's Executive Orders.
Eventually, we hope that COVID-19 will be eliminated and things can go back to normal. Until then, please take care and stay safe. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Victorino N. Borja, M.Ed.
HMS Interim Principal
