Author: Cebu International School

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

What a fun and learning-filled Philippine Culture Week and CIS Sinulog Family Day we experienced last week! 

A special thanks to all involved in organizing, setting up, and running the day: The Philippine Language and Culture team for the Philippine Culture Week, the Student Council for HAD activities, the PTA Board and Parents for sponsoring and arranging the delicious lunch, the CIS Sinulog Family Day Committee members for the planning of the day and Sinulog activities, and the CIS Facilities Team for setting up and cleaning the venue!

Understanding Week Without Walls at CIS: A Guide for Parents and Students

As you start to get more detailed information about our upcoming Week Without Walls activities (February 11-14 for ES and Feb 18-21 for MHS), I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some information on what the WWW program is all about!

In a nutshell, CIS takes pride in preparing students to thrive in a dynamic, interconnected world. Our Week Without Walls (WWW) program exemplifies this commitment, offering a unique, immersive learning experience outside the traditional classroom setting. These activities are intentionally designed to foster service learning, teamwork, leadership, and environmental stewardship while nurturing a global mindset. Here’s a closer look at the purpose and benefits of this program for your child.

What is Week Without Walls?

WWW is a dedicated week of experiential learning where students engage in service activities, outdoor education, and leadership opportunities. Guided by our core beliefs, these activities align with our mission to develop students’ potential and inspire them to contribute positively to the world. The program connects real-world challenges with curriculum goals, fostering meaningful learning experiences that promote international-mindedness, collaboration, and a sense of responsibility.

Why is Week Without Walls Important?

The philosophy behind WWW reflects CIS’s commitment to constructivist, hands-on learning. By stepping outside the classroom, students gain opportunities to:

• Develop Key Skills and Attributes: These include leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and reflection, which are integral to the IB Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning.
• Engage in Service Learning: Activities emphasize sustainable, impactful contributions to local communities and the environment, encouraging students to consider ethical implications and global citizenship.
• Promote Intercultural Understanding: Experiencing diverse cultures and perspectives helps students grow as internationally-minded individuals.
• Foster Resilience and Independence: Facing challenges in new environments builds perseverance, adaptability, and self-confidence.

 

Benefits of Week Without Walls for Students

1. Holistic Development: WWW activities go beyond academics, nurturing creativity, physical well-being, and social-emotional growth.
2. Real-World Impact: Service projects enable students to connect their learning to genuine community needs, making a tangible difference while understanding global issues.
3. Leadership Opportunities: Students take ownership of projects, plan initiatives, and work collaboratively—skills that prepare them for future challenges.
4. Environmental Awareness: Outdoor education highlights the importance of sustainable practices and fosters a sense of stewardship for our planet.
5. Life-Long Learning Habits: By stepping out of their comfort zones, students develop curiosity, critical thinking, and a proactive approach to learning.

Supporting Your Child During Week Without Walls

As parents, you play a crucial role in reinforcing the value of WWW. Encourage your child to:

• Reflect on their experiences and growth during and after the activities.
• Embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
• Actively participate in planning and discussions to maximize their engagement.

Week Without Walls is more than an educational program; it’s a transformative journey that empowers students to explore their potential and impact the world meaningfully. Together, let’s inspire our children to become compassionate, innovative leaders ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Upcoming events of note

• Jan 22 – 26: ISAC2 @ BSM
• Tue, Jan 28: 100th day of school
• Tue, Jan 28: Chinese New Year Coffee Morning
• Wed, Jan 29: Holiday (Chinese New Year)
• Thu, Jan 30: Chinese New Year Assembly
• Fri, Feb 7: EE Cafe (DP2)
• Feb 10 – 21: G11 & G12 Art Exhibition

Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar for the complete calendar of school events.

PTA Coffee Morning

ISAC Season 2

by Ms. Demelyn Dargantes, MYP PHE Teacher

ISAC Season 2 Kicks Off!

British School Manila is hosting the much-anticipated ISAC Season 2, featuring thrilling competitions in Basketball Girls and Football Boys. Teams from across the region are set to showcase their skills, teamwork, and school spirit. The CIS Dragons are fired up and ready to battle for victory while embracing the values of camaraderie and sportsmanship. Let’s go, Dragons!

“Onward, Dragons! CIS athletes gear up to leave the campus with unwavering determination and pride as they head to British School Manila for ISAC Season 2. A huge shoutout to all our AMT,  Faculty and Staff, Parents, Alumni, and Guests for your unwavering support—your cheers fuel our journey! Let’s soar high, Dragons!”

CIS Goes International!

College & Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College Counselor

SAT 2024-2025 Test Dates

SAT Registration Is Now Open

Test Dates	Registration Deadlines	Deadline for Changes, Regular Cancellation and Late Registration Deadlines*
March 8, 2025	February 21, 2025	February 25, 2025
May 3, 2025	April 18, 2025	April 22, 2025
June 7, 2025	May 22, 2025	May 27, 2025

*Additional Fees apply

To register for the SAT, you may click on this link.  If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.

Elementary Principal’s Corner

by Ms. Maureen Juanson, Elementary School Principal, PYP Coordinator, & Accreditation Officer

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Mission in Action at CIS

CIS offers three programs of the IB, namely Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP). If you look closely into the program models, you will find that the IB Learner Profile is in the center of all three. “The attributes of the learner profile represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that encompass intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. The development and demonstration of these attributes are foundational to students becoming internationally minded, active and caring community members who respect themselves, others and the world around them” (IB 2018). By promoting the attributes of the learner profile in our different classes, we are working together toward the goal of all IB programs for students to develop and demonstrate international-mindedness.

At CIS, students have several opportunities to develop, demonstrate, and reinforce attributes of the learner profile in their daily interactions and engagements with the learning community. The IB learner profile attributes are embedded into the units of study and subject-specific investigations or inquiries. They are also reinforced and practiced during their interactions in the different learning spaces at school. The IB learner profile attributes are promoted during school events such as assemblies, school productions, HAD, and cultural events. Most importantly, the attributes are demonstrated by students when interacting with families, friends, and other community members.

During the first two weeks of school, students across the school have had the opportunity to engage with the IB learner profile attributes in conversations with their teachers and classmates. In elementary, students have been unpacking what the IB learner profile attributes mean in the context of their units of inquiry and subject areas. They have been looking at ways on how they could demonstrate and develop these attributes as they inquire into the concepts they are focusing on in their first unit of inquiry. In middle and high school, students have been reviewing what each of the IB learner profile attributes mean and how it relates to the approaches to learning (ATL skills) that they have been developing to become successful learners.

As members of the CIS learning community, we have a collective responsibility to support and nurture students in developing and demonstrating these attributes in varying levels. We all play a significant role in ensuring that the IB learner profile attributes are valued, appreciated, demonstrated, and celebrated. Familiarizing ourselves with these attributes provide us with a common language to describe and reflect on what it means to become internationally minded.

This week’s newsflash features how our Grade 5 students are learning to approach learning with the IB learner profile attributes and how our DP Psychology students are demonstrating what it means to be Inquirers and Knowledgeable as they begin to look into the Science of Psychology. As you read through these, I invite you to reflect on how you can reinforce the IB learner profile attributes in conversations and interactions at home with your families.

Upcoming events of note

• Aug. 21: School holiday
• Aug 22: ASAs start 
• Aug. 28:  National Heroes Day (Public Holiday)
• Aug. 29: Parent Coffee Meeting (CIS Annex 7:30am)

Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar for the complete calendar of school events.

Grade 5: Approaching The Learning Pit with IB Learner Profile Attributes

by Mrs. Aimee Underwood, Assistant PYP Coordinator & Grade 5 Homeroom Teacher and  Ms. Jade Berdon, Grade 5 Co-Homeroom Teacher

Think about a time when you tried to learn something new. It might have been difficult and frustrating. If so, how did you overcome your challenges and succeed? The Grade 5 students started the year by inquiring into how “expert learners” approach learning to set themselves up for success.

Together, we explored the concept of “The Learning Pit” and realized that having a positive attitude and growth mindset is important, but simply telling ourselves to “try harder” or “never give up” is not sufficient. Learners must also intentionally equip themselves with specific tools and strategies to help them navigate the learning process effectively.

Then, listening carefully to all experiences and perspectives, the Grade 5 students collaboratively explored a variety of tools and strategies from across subject areas and reflected on how they were all connected to the IB Learner Profile attributes.

Jisoo and Caitlin shared, “It reminded us of a quote from a novel we’re reading called Esperanza Rising. When Esperanza struggles to learn how to crochet, her Abuelita tells her, ‘Don’t be afraid to start over.’ When you learn something new, you should study good examples, learn from experts, and have the courage to redo things until you can get them right. We need to be Reflective and also a Risk-Taker.”

Here are some other examples of connections made:

Knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do is an important aspect of self-management skills. The IB refers to learners who know where they are going in their learning and who can self-assess, self-monitor, and self-adjust toward that goal as “assessment-capable learners.”

As we begin this school year, the Grade 5 students remind us that learning is a journey and that it’s okay to face challenges along the way. By embracing The Learning Pit and developing our IB Learner Profile attributes and strategies, we can develop a resilient and proactive approach to problem-solving and experience success.

How will YOU use the IB Learner Profile attributes and related tools and strategies to help you when you approach new challenges this year?

Grade 11: Psychology

by Mr. Andrew Powell, IBDP Psychology Teacher

The Grade 11 students have commenced the year with an orientation to The Science of Psychology. This has involved learning how psychologists engage in the study of human behavior in order to study correlational or cause-and-effect relationships. In the first few weeks of school the students have been introduced to some key studies and theories in the field, in order to develop a better understanding of why people behave the way they do. They have also been introduced to a number of research methods and approaches used in psychology.

Some student highlights are as follows:

College Visits this Week @ CIS

SAT Update

2023–24 School Year Test Dates

Test Date	Deadline for Registration, Changes and Regular Cancellation
August 26, 2023	August 11, 2023
October 7, 2023	September 22, 2023
December 2, 2023	November 17, 2023
March 9, 2024	To be confirmed
May 4, 2024	To be confirmed
June 1, 2024	To be confirmed

To register for the SAT, you may click on this link.  If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.

Welcome to the 2023/24 School Year

by Dr. Underwood, Superintendent

Welcome to our first Newsflash post for the 2023-24 School Year. It has been a pleasure reconnecting with returning learners and families, as well as welcoming new teachers, classmates, and their families to the caring CIS community.

I am pleased to report things have started off smoothly. Our first half-week of school has been full of positive vibes as we settled into new classes and schedules, and began to focus on our learning objectives for the year.

Each week, please take the time to look over the Newsflash to get general announcements, and see a selection of what is happening at school each week! This edition is just a short introductory post considering it is only a two-day week!

I would like to thank you in advance for your support to help us work together to nurture our students to become lifelong learners that will enable them to develop their unique potential, so they can contribute to a better world.

May 2023 IB Diploma Results

by By Ms. Emily Cornet, Assistant Principal-DP

Our recently graduated students received their results in early July, showing very strong results in our first year back to the Exam Route after the pandemic. The May 2023 Exams also marked a return to the exams covering the full content of each syllabus (there were some modifications during the previous years due to the pandemic).

As you can see in the infographic, our students performed above the world average in most subjects – with a number (Business Management SL, Psychology SL, Biology HL, Math AI SL, and Visual Arts HL) earning more than a full point above their world average! Our graduates and teachers are to be commended for all their hard work.

Upcoming events of note

• Aug 14-18: S1 After-School Activity (ASA) Registration
• Aug 22: ASAs start
• Aug. 21: School holiday     
• Aug. 28:  National Heroes Day (Public Holiday)  
• Aug. 29: Parent Coffee Meeting (CIS Annex 7:45am) 

Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar (http://cis.edu.ph/school-calendar/) for the complete calendar of school events.

Principal’s Corner

Mr. Andrew Powell, EY – Grade 12 Principal

As we head into the second week of our hybrid learning (blending on-line and face-to-face learning) with concurrent students (having some students in class face-to-face while others join remotely), I thought it appropriate to cover some of the aspects of the ways in which our program is being delivered. These methods were also the focus of our teachers’ professional development sessions this afternoon and continue to be part of our commitment to leading the region in innovative school practices.

It is fair to say that as educators we are mapping new instructional landscapes. As there is limited formal research on concurrent learning practices in schools, we are looking at the experiences of our colleagues around the world and adapting practices to suit our circumstances. These can vary from grade level to grade level depending upon the developmental level of our students, number of students present on campus and the nature of the desired learning outcomes. The quality of our educators at CIS also means that we have teachers that are truly leading the way with the nature of their practice.

The opportunity for students to (re)-connect with each other has certainly been a highlight for those students that have been able to be on campus. It has been wonderful to watch students socialize with each other, work collaboratively in group situations and in the case of our younger students, explore the campus and have fun with physical and creative play. For many of our newer students, it is their first opportunity to sit down with their peers and get to know one another without a computer screen. I know that many of our parents have also appreciated the opportunity to meet each other and have a little time to themselves during the day.

While it’s wonderful to celebrate “life on campus” our teachers are also encouraged to be mindful of those working from home and ways in which they can ensure equity of access to the hybrid experience. The need for routines that incorporate welcoming our students are critical to relationship-building and relationship-maintenance. These instances are often built into the beginning of class while purposefully concluding activities, and student feedback at the end of classes helps teachers to understand what is working and what can be modified. Students, whether situated at home or on campus are entitled to individual help from their teachers and we want our community of learners to take advantage of this.

We have known for a long time that traditional, teacher-led whole class instruction is not the most effective way to engage our students day after day. This is even more so during concurrent learning. As I have walked through various classrooms over the past week, I have seen some innovative approaches. These have included but are certainly not limited to:

Station-rotation: in which the teacher organizes a series of learning engagements (stations) for students to rotate through. These will include a teacher-led station as well as individual or small group activities for students that are both on campus and online. In the elementary school there will often be an additional teacher present at stations to support student learning.

Two station rotation: A modified version of the station-rotation, the teacher begins with a welcoming activity and sets expectations for the class before working intensely with one group of students while the others work in groups or independently before switching so that the teacher may support the remaining students.

Flipped classroom: This model was already being employed by several teachers before the pandemic and involves providing students with short lectures or explanations prior to class so that during synchronous class times the teacher can work on answering questions, work through problems while being provided with real-time feedback or have students work in small groups to apply knowledge to various scenarios.

Menu model: This approach involves teachers providing students with learning engagements that they may complete at their own pace. It allows a high degree of differentiation as well as student choice, which increases engagement. It also enables the teacher to individually monitor and meet with students to provide explicit feedback and shape further task engagement.

In highlighting some of the approaches that we are taking at CIS to support our students’ concurrent learning on and off campus, I’d like to draw on the thoughts of one of our current seniors.

“School is an experience; it’s about creating connections that last a lifetime. It’s about making friends. It’s also about meeting different kinds of people and adjusting the way in which you work with them. School is our first step towards adapting to the world and sets up a foundation for life.”

I’m glad that we have the opportunity to be back on campus and trust that our efforts will be appreciated and help our students to be well placed to contribute to a better world.

Grade 4 Class

by Mr. Sten Coppin, Grade 4 Teacher

Grade 4 decided to celebrate the transition to face-to-face learning by learning about haiku poetry and writing our own poems. Haiku poems have a strict code to follow, they are always 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. These poems do not have rhymes and sometimes have a surprising or funny last line. Our students who are still learning remotely also contributed, writing about how school is going in general for them. Now it’s time for you to brush up your knowledge about syllables and enjoy our grade 4 writer’s hand-written poetry, enjoy!

DP Art Exhibition

by Mr. Jessie Saclo, DP Art Teacher

The Exhibition is the internal assessment component of the Diploma Programme Visual Arts course which students at SL and HL complete by the end of their senior year. Students submit for assessment a selection of resolved artworks that show evidence of their technical accomplishment. The selected pieces demonstrate the exploration, experimentation, and application of materials, ideas, and practices that students utilized to realize and communicate their artistic intentions.

During the Exhibition, students showcase the skills, techniques, and art styles they have explored and developed to produce independent work through a variety of media and art-making forms. Each resolved artwork is supported by an exhibition text which is a brief outline of the work’s original intentions, and any reference sources that have influenced the individual piece. In addition to the exhibition text, students draft a curatorial rationale, a written description of why specific artworks have been chosen and presented in a particular format. It further explains the challenges, influences, triumphs, innovations, issues that have impacted the selection and presentation of the artworks, and the context of how the body of work presented connects and communicates with the viewer.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Upcoming Virtual Events and FAIRS: (students & parents are welcome)

SAT Update

To register for the SAT, you may click on this link.  If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.

2021-2022 TEST DATES	Registration Deadline
May 7, 2022	April 8, 2022

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

IT Reminders