Committing to its goal of uplifting students who were having difficulty in reading, the City Government of Valenzuela, under the leadership of Mayor WES Gatchalian and in partnership with DepEd Valenzuela and Synergeia Foundation, kickstarts another year of Reading Camp for all 42 public elementary schools, starting from August 8 to August 22, 2023.

The Valenzuela Reading Camp 2023, formerly known as Summer Reading Camp, is a remedial reading program and a branch of the award-winning Education 360 Degrees Investment Program which caters to Valenzuelano students who face challenges in reading and comprehension; particularly categorized as “non-readers'' and “frustrated readers”. This program usually takes place during the end of the school year, preparing students for the next one. The official launch of this year’s reading camp was set in Gen. T. de Leon Elementary School last August 4, 2023.

From the latest assessment conducted by DepEd Valenzuela through Philippine Individual Reading Test (Phil-IRI), the post-test results reported that there were 32 non-readers and 1,297 frustrated readers from Grades 3, 4, & 5 for this year. Altogether, a total of 1,329 participants from all 42 public elementary schools shall be the focus and main beneficiaries of the program. 

In her welcoming remarks, Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja emphasized the goal of the annual Valenzuela Reading Camp which is to minimize the number of learners having difficulty reading and successfully transform them into independent readers. She also encouraged the parents to play an active role and support the learning of their children, starting from their own homes. 

The Valenzuela Reading Camp 2023 will start on August 8, 2023, to August 22, 2023, spanning ten (10) half-day sessions. Students who will complete those 10 sessions shall receive incentives such as gift certificates courtesy of the local government, as a means of encouraging them to participate actively.

Prior to the launch, the selected teachers for the reading program underwent comprehensive training, entitled Teaching Camp. The Teaching Camp was held last August 1, 2023, and was facilitated by the Synergeia Foundation. It was conducted in order to equip teachers and teacher’s aides with appropriate and efficient teaching methods for the students. A total of 64 teachers and 132 volunteer teacher’s aides from PLV were prepared for Valenzuela Reading Camp.

Also joining the launch were Councilor Sel Sabino-Sy, former Councilor Tyson Sy, DepEd Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Alejandro Ibañez, Synergeia Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Milwida Guevara, SPTA Federation President, Kagawad Arzel Delesmo, SK Chairman Justine Joy Rivera,  Gen. T. de Leon Elementary School Principal, Dr. Eufelia Corales, PLV teacher aides, elementary school principals, and parents.

To conclude the kick-off program and set the mood for learning, Mayoress Tiffany Gatchalian, along with her children, Tara and Liam, held a storytelling for the students. A question-and-answer portion followed suit, and the students who answered correctly were rewarded with PhP 500 worth of gift certificates courtesy of the family of Mayor WES Gatchalian.

The Valenzuela Reading Camp was first launched last May 2014, and has been running for six (6) years; excluding the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reading program has amassed a total number of 85,059 beneficiaries, as of the latest report.

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