Annual Theme

To enhance the curriculum for long-term students, our Executive Board’s Curriculum Committee selects an annual theme for every academic year.  This theme integrates into all of our student’s Areas of Study.

Many themes focuses on regions of the Philippines, for example: indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range in Northern Luzon. With the Cordillera Mountain Range theme, our students learned Kalinga dances during Dance Class, Ifugao chants in Music Class, and explored weaving Bontoc patterns and making traditional Benguet clothing during Arts & Crafts Class. During our student’s Buhay Pinoy Class, they studied the customs, traditions, and history of the indigenous ethnic groups in the region. Themes may also be topical, such as Philippine values or the various countries that have influenced Philippine culture.

IP has repeated themes from previous years, however we design lessons for age-appropriate exploration. We provide our lower school students an introduction to the annual theme, whereas our upper school students move beyond introductory topics. Upper school students also study more complex historical, environmental, and sociological dynamics aligned with each year’s theme.

Our Annual Themes have included the following:

• 2023 – 2024: Beauty in Diversity
• 2022 – 2023: Kwentong Bayan (Philippine Folklore and Storytelling)
• 2017 – 2018: Bisaya Gid!
• 2016 – 2017: Wow! Mindanao!

Areas of Study

Through our Areas of Study, we strive to provide our students age-appropriate opportunities and lessons about the Philippines and Filipino-Americans. Students are divided into Binhi, Ilang-Ilang, Sampaguita, Bonifacio, and Rizal class groups based on age. Our Areas of Study are divided into the three categories below: courses for all students, Ate/Kuya combined classes, and courses only for our upper school students.

For All Class Groups:

Buhay Pinoy (“Filipino Life”)

During Buhay Pinoy, students learn about Filipino culture and gain language exposure through activities, discussion, and creative expression via crafts, songs, games, role-playing, interacting with class visitors, and more!

Dance

Within Dance Class, students learn traditional folk dances and gain the skills and confidence to perform at the annual New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA)’s Festival and our own Dance Recitals! Our Dance Recitals include an annual Christmas Performance Show and our end of year Graduation Ceremony.

Music

In Music Class, students gain exposure to Filipino folk, traditional, and contemporary music and instruments.

Ate/Kuya Combined Classes:

Respectively, Ate and Kuya translate to older sister and older brother. In Ate/Kuya Combined Classes, lower school students are paired into groups with our upper school students to complete activities together. Ate/Kuya Combined Classes provide tremendous benefits to all of our students. Alongside our volunteer teachers, our Bonifacio and Rizal students gain leadership experience while supporting our younger students. Simultaneously, our lower school students gain exposure to more advanced lessons under the guidance of their Ates and Kuyas.

Arts & Crafts

In Arts & Crafts, students make native Filipino crafts and props/accessories for our performances. For example, around the holiday season our students create Parol (Christmas Lanterns) which we display during our Christmas Performance Show. During Ate/Kuya Arts & Crafts Classes, students may also cook simple ethnic foods together!

Palarong Pambata

We introduced playing through sports and traditional Filipino games to our students in 1997! Formerly known as Palaro Olympics, Palarong Pambata is our version of physical education! Students play traditional Filipino games such as sipa, patintero, luksong tinik, and tumbang preso. During Palaro Olympics, students compete in teams (Pula, Puti, Bughaw, and Dilaw – respectively translating to Red, White, Blue, and Yellow) which helps foster team spirit and cooperation while they develop an appreciation for the simplicity of Pilipino life.

For Upper School Students Only:

Filipino-American Experience

Introduced to our upper school students in 2009, the Filipino-American Experience Class is the best of both worlds! This class is a student-centered exploration of the rich 400+ year history and current experience of Filipinos in America.

Lutuan (“Cooking”)

During Lutuan, our upper school students learn to prepare and cook Filipino dishes and learn Filipino culinary methods. Annually, we host a Cook-Off between students similar to Food Network’s Chopped!

Class Fees & Registration

Our Class Fees & Registration information are subject to change each academic year. Each year, we offer approximately 12-13 lesson days and 4-6 additional special events.

Registration Process

We offer open enrollment throughout the year. But, in order to gain the full benefit from our programs, we recommend that all students start when we open in September. We encourage parents of continuing students to register their children at the end of the school year for the following academic year. Registering early helps jumpstart preparations for the succeeding year.

Information Required for Registration

• Adults: Parent/Guardian name(s) and contact information. For family membership, you will need the same information for all adults residing in your household.
• Children (Age 3-18): Student’s name, age, grade level, and allergy information.
• Emergency Contact Information: The emergency contact must be an individual other than a parent/guardian.

Steps for Registration

1. Complete our Online Registration Form – in one sitting. If you exit the form before completing it, the information may not save properly.
2. Submit your tuition payment(s).
3. Submit your completed registration paperwork. This includes our Consent and Release Agreement and a state-required IP CORI Form for volunteers and parents. For the CORI Form, you must show your driver’s license for verification.

In order to gain access to our Online Registration Form, Class Fees, and registration paperwork, you must contact us.

Waitlist

In the unlikely event that a class group becomes full, we will put your student on the waitlist and a member of our IP Board will notify you via email.

Registration Fees

Iskwelahang Pilipino charges a minimal registration fee that covers only a small portion of the expenses associated with running the School Age Children’s Program and our extracurricular activities. Donations, grants, generous family participation, and our fundraising efforts cover a majority of our operating expenses.

We publish registration fees at the start of each academic year. Each additional child in a family may enroll at a discounted rate. A family’s fourth child, and additional children, may enroll for free. If you need any assistance making the annual registration financially accessible, please feel free to contact us.

Payment Options

• In-Person (Preferred Method):
  • During a lesson day or community event, you can pay with our Executive Director, Program Director, or an IP Board Member.
  • Accepted payment types include: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Zelle, PayPal, Credit Card, Check, and Cash.
• Online:
  • You can send payments directly to IP (@ipbahay) through our PayPal.
  • Please note your family name and reason for payment (ex: “school tuition” or “rondalla tuition”) in the memo.
• Mail a Check:
  • Checks must be made payable to “Iskwelahang Pilipino.”
  • Our mailing address is: Iskwelahang Pilipino at 12 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA  01730.
  • Please note your family name and reason for payment (ex: “school tuition” or “rondalla tuition”) in the memo.

Extracurricular Program Fees

Rondalla Registration

The IP Rondalla Program classes require an additional registration fee per student. Rondalla Registration Fees follow the same structure as our School Age Children’s Program as each additional member in a family may enroll at a discounted rate. A family’s fourth member, and additional members, may enroll for free.

We welcome children and parents alike to join our rondalla! Students may register for the rondalla at the beginning of each school year. Eligibility requirements for new rondalla students can be found here.

Dance Performance Group Registration

Participation in the IP Dance Performance Group requires an additional fee per participating family. We welcome all students who attend regular IP dance classes to join our Dance Performance Group! Prior dance experience is not necessary. 

Lowell Service Program Fee

As a majority of our operating expenses are covered by our fundraisers, registered families who do not fulfill the service requirement at our Lowell Folk Festival food booth will face a service fee per family. This helps ensure that we can continue offering our resources and programs to the community.

Class Groups

Generally, we divide our students into the following five Class Groups:

All of our students participate in all of our community assemblies and Special Events. However, in following our philosophy of age-appropriate learning, our class groups are divided into lower school and upper school student groups. As lessons are designed for each age group, what and how students learn differs per group.

Binhi, Ilang-Ilang, and Sampaguita make up our lower school student group which participates in the following Areas of Study: Buhay Pinoy, Dance, Music, Arts & Crafts, and Palarong Pambata.

Bonifacio and Rizal make up our upper school student group and participate in all of our Areas of Study. Bonfacio and Rizal students also help lead Ate/Kuya Combined Classes, plan our Christmas Pasko show, and organize our Tea Musicale.

Inspiration Behind the Class Groups’ Names

If you are interested in what Binhi, Sampaguita, Ilang-Ilang, Bonifacio, and Rizal mean, you can read more about them here!

The Class Schedule

Our School Age Children’s Program runs from 1:30 pm until 5:00 pm. Our Class Groups rotate around our Areas of Study in forty-minute periods and have a thirty-minute break for the Pilipino snack time called  “Merienda.”

We start IP Sessions with a general assembly of our entire community and student body. Together at the beginning of each assembly, we sing the Philippine National Anthem (Lupang Hinirang) and our IP School Hymn. Then, we make announcements related to the day’s schedule and upcoming school activities.

Rondalla Class Groups meet before and after the regular IP Class Schedule, depending on the group. More information about the rondalla’s schedule can be found here.

The School Calendar

At the beginning of each academic year, we release Class Schedules and the School Calendar to all registered families. Generally, we meet 2-3 Sundays per month and begin classes in early or mid-September and finish the academic year in May with our Graduation Ceremony.

During the summer, we have special events, such as Rondalla performances, Dance Performance Group performances, and additional community outreach. Most notably, our entire community participates in our largest annual fundraiser at Lowell Folk Festival in July.