Author: Cebu International School

Admin Notes

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

As we finish up the week with only one more week before our mid-semester break, it is heartwarming to see and hear how our students doing well in both classes and school-related activities, such as ASAs and last Friday’s House Activity Day (HAD). Please enjoy the various report below from representative classes and events!

SEL Competencies: Self-Awareness and Self-Management

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework introduced in a previous Newsflash article indicated five broad, interrelated areas of competence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. 

These “CASEL 5” competencies can be “taught and applied at various developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and across diverse cultural contexts to articulate what students should know and be able to do for academic success, school and civic engagement, health and wellness, and fulfilling careers.”

This week, we will be highlighting the attributes of two of the CASEL 5. As we reflect on our week and prepare for next week, we encourage you to take some time to go over these competencies, and consider: 

• To what extent am I (and/or my child/ren) aware of, and understand, these areas?
• What can I (and/or my child/ren) do to recognize what behaviors I can choose to develop my competencies in these areas? 

SELF-AWARENESS: 
The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one’s strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose. Such as:

• Integrating personal and social identities
• Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets 
• Identifying one’s emotions
• Demonstrating honesty and integrity
• Linking feelings, values, and thoughts
• Examining prejudices and biases
• Experiencing self-efficacy
• Having a growth mindset
• Developing interests and a sense of purpose

SELF-MANAGEMENT: 
The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation & agency to accomplish personal/collective goals. Such as:

• Managing one’s emotions
• Identifying and using stress-management strategies 
• Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation
• Setting personal and collective goals
• Using planning and organizational skills
• Showing the courage to take initiative

(Source: CASEL’S SEL FRAMEWORK: What Are the Core Competence Areas and Where Are They Promoted?)

PTA Matters

Please join us for our September virtual Parent Coffee Meeting next week, 29 September from 9-10 am. (The meeting link will be emailed to our registered email address prior to the meeting.) 

We will be forming our PTA Board for the year, looking at our classroom parent reps and a WhatsApp group system, and providing time for discussions and any questions you might have!

Grade 5 Philippine Language and Culture Class

by Ms. Freshal Abcede, Grade 5 PLC Teacher

The Art of Weaving
In our unit How We Express Ourselves, the Grade 5 students have been learning about the different traditional arts in the Philippines. One of the traditional arts we have been exploring is the art of weaving. The students shared that weaving highlights Filipino artistry and creativity. This kind of traditional art is a form of expression and part of the culture and heritage of the Filipino people.

The students made their basket-weaving out of paper with the colors, patterns, and styles they chose. This activity helped the students better understand how weaving culture is distinct among the various Filipino indigenous people. The experience of doing the weaving process made them realize that weaving may differ and be distinct but it has the power to unite people. 

KG1 Class

by Ms. Belen Tubilan and Ms. Claudette Colinares, KG1 Teachers

In our Unit, Who We Are, our KG1 students have been inquiring about how our daily choices and routines help us be balanced and healthy. We identified the four pillars of a balanced and healthy life. These are having a balanced meal, sleep and exercise, hygiene, and a positive attitude. 

We named our favorite food and sorted it into five groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. We planned our healthy meals and made breakfast together. We shared the exercises we do at home and what our bedtime routines are. To connect this to literacy, we made a book about our habits at home, including practices during bedtime, brushing teeth, and washing hands. We also learned about hygiene and its importance. We experimented with soap and pepper to prove how washing our hands can make germs disappear. We have also been learning alongside our friends, Katie and Mojo. Their experiences help us to reflect and think about how we can develop a growth mindset. 

We are very impressed with how our KG1 students demonstrated their understanding of their new knowledge and skills!

IB Math Class

by Mr. Nick Arnsby, IB DP Math Teacher

Paying it Forward is one of my favourite films. As a teacher (and a human) it inspires me. Simply put “paying it forward” is when someone does something for you, and instead of paying that person back directly, you pass it on/forward; ideally to more than one person. Personally I see this mantra as a mechanism to create a utopian society and a life that we deserve. This theme appears throughout CIS’s guiding statements to paraphrase, we believe students should positively contribute to a better world. Indeed, our ATL skill indicators of helping others to succeed and practising empathy align with this lofty goal; as does the IB Learner profile trait of being principled. I encourage my students to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves how are they paying it forward? I’ll let you into a secret, CIS students never disappoint.

The video above from Jhon Kim is an excellent example of this philosophy. She created this instructional/reflection resource for the juniors which gives a taste of the challenging Maths Internal Assessment (IA) worth 20% of their IB diploma. The IA allows students to explore the awesome power and beauty of Maths by applying it to a real life situation that intrigues them.  

Jhon modelled tuition fees for one of her prospective colleges, giving insight into her budgeting decisions. She uitilised linear and quadratic regression techniques. However, Jhon did not just want to use the linear regression formula (we’re far too curious to rely on another person’s formula), she derived it from scratch using calculus (partial derivatives), and then used matrices to solve the normal equations generated. All of which are beyond the rigour of this course. I’m sure Maths savvy parents will be impressed by this video and the copy of her full IA.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”…….Winston Churchill

“Together, we can change the world, one good deed at a time.”…… Ron Hall.

Grade 6-7 Science

by Ms. Haydee Montero, Grade 7 Science Teacher

Grade 7 Science Class

Introduction to The Changes that Rock the Scientific World!

In search of evidence and patterns as the related concepts covered in Unit 1: The Changes that Rock the Scientific World, the Grade 7 students went off to explore Matter. They were exploring concepts on What makes up Matter? while they Built an Atom and gained an understanding of how temperature and heat change on the Heating & Cooling Curve Diagram, which shows the Phase Change of Matter to be a Physical Change only. 

Build an Atom emphasizes the idea that all matter is made up of atoms. While noticing some patterns, the students were brought to “Aha” moments through their explorations. Here’s what a few shared:

When adding protons one by one, it will change elements. The number of protons (atomic number) determines the element in the periodic table. – Hinata

The net charge can be determined from the number of protons and electrons. More protons mean a positive charge, while more electrons make it negative. – – Chloe

Phase Change of Matter, on the other hand, emphasizes phase change as a reversible process, hence it is only called a Physical Change. As evidenced, there was no new substance formed in any of the phase changes. Boiling Point and Melting Point as intensive properties of matter are inherent to a certain matter. From their explorations, they realized that:

The temperature of the water rose while it was being boiled. This was the process of vaporization. When reaching the boiling point the temperature doesn’t rise until the process is completed. While the water was melting the temperature also rose but stopped at its melting point. This was because to change solid to liquid the temperature had to change for it to melt. – Niño

At 0 degrees Celsius temperature and 10 (KJ) heat,  the ice cube started melting. It starts to melt little by little. The temperature starts rising again when it turns into a gas. – Hana

Grade 6 Science Class

How does the planet work?

In Knowing how the planet works, the Grade 6 students explored natural calamities that occur on Earth, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, typhoons, and many others. These are natural occurrences that play a role in shaping the Earth. Understanding these occurrences is a very important part of the mitigation of their adverse effects on humankind. Thus, understanding the Earth’s system using models and patterns of natural events helps us realize the impact of humans on the environment.

Working on the Related Concepts: Models and Patterns, the students navigated Google Sheet as they transform data into a model representation through graphs such as pie, bar, or column graphs in order to see patterns and gain a  better understanding of how things work as a system based on what the patterns reveal.

The Dragon’s Report Card

Get your ears and headphones ready because The Dragon’s Report Card is back for a second year! Meet the new voices and talent for the podcast and entice yourselves with all the exciting things coming up this year.

Dragon’s Print

Christmas in the Philippines is a treasured event, and boy do we like it early. It’s as if the world transforms at the stroke of midnight on September 1st — suddenly there’s red and green everywhere, the lights are warmer, the air is cooler, and everyone’s spirits become jollier than ever. But how did this all begin? Why does the Philippines have the world’s longest Christmas season? To find out, read more at https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

Here are a few common acronyms used in college applications:

Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs (students & parents are welcome)

DATE

September 27
Monday
8:00 PM PHT
LINK to register

EVENT

Brown University, Columbia University,
University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University

Links to register
Tuesday Sept. 28
7:00AM Pacific time
Tuesday Oct. 2
9:00AM Pacific time

University of California – Los Angeles (USA)
Information Sessions: You will have the opportunity to learn more about the academic and student life at UCLA, the admission process and meet guests such as current students and alumni.

September 25
Saturday
9:00AM PHT
LINK to join

New Zealand Universities Info Session:
Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago

September 25
Saturday
9:00PM
LINK to join

Alumni Chat Series: Focus on Stem Careers

September 27
Monday
9:00 PM PH time

September 28 & 29
Tuesday & Wednesday
5:00-8:00 PM PH time

Application Review and Financial Aid at Harvard,
Pomona, Stanford and Wellesley
LINK To register

European Universities Virtual Fair 2021
• Study in Europe Live Session
• Careers in Europe Session
• Country and University Specific Sessions
•Virtual booths
•1-on-1 meeting options
Participating universities:
Bocconi University (Italy)
EHL (Switzerland)
IE University (Spain)
Jacobs University (Spain)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)
Modul University (Vienna)
Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
Brussels School of Governance (Belgium)

September 30
Thursday
7:00 PM
Link to register
(zoom link will be sent after registration)

Parent Conversations: Studying Abroad
A Question/Answer session for parents to learn about the experiences of parents when their child studies abroad. 
Guest Panel:
• Mr. Bernard Villamor : father of Bianca who studies at UCLA (USA)
• Mrs. Chorie Chan: mother of  Andie who studies at UBC (Canda)
• Mrs. Mylene Suarez: mother of  Catrina who studies at Polimoda (Italy) and Joaquin who studies at Simon Fraser University (Canada)
• Dr. Clementino Diez: father of Dominique who studies at University of Toronto (Canada)

September 30 – 
October 14

NYU Virtual Events in Southeast Asia
Link to the Registration & Schedule per Event
Topics:
• The “Why NYU?” Supplemental Essay
• Meet your NYU Rep – Southeast Asia
• Common App 101 – Southeast Asia
• Standing Out in the NYU Application Process ( 1 in 100,000)
• Selecting a Major & Professional Pathways
• High School Visit

October 5 – Tuesday
8:00 PM –  LINK to join

National University of Singapore (NUS)
Information Session on:
• NUS and NUS Scale
• NUS Learning & the Campus Experience

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-Grade 12 Principal

We’ve had a busy week at CIS with a number of significant events taking place in addition to our regular classes and After School Activities. The Elementary School held Student Goal Setting Conferences which provided students, parents, and teachers with an opportunity to reflect upon the start of the school year and work together to set preliminary goals for the year ahead. Our Grade 11 Values Meeting took place through a series of virtual presentations, which provided our students and their families with an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the IB Diploma Programme courses while also reflecting upon the values that underpin CIS, and the commitment we all share to supporting our students. And we ended the week with our first House Activity Day and an afternoon of Professional Development for our teachers.

While these activities are diverse in nature there are some common threads that are worth highlighting:

A sense of connectedness
We strive to provide our whole school community with a sense of connectedness. This is of paramount importance, especially during a time when physical connectedness is so difficult. Research on student leadership indicates that in addition to increased educational outcomes, students who are connected to school have improved longer-term health and wellbeing benefits. Providing students with opportunities to have meaningful engagement with school decisions and show leadership at school are ways of enhancing students’ sense of belonging. They are also an important way to develop social competencies.

Active student involvement
Student agency is an important facet of the IB programmes and in the context of CIS it involves a firm commitment to the principle that students have the potential to positively influence in their own lives. Student agency involves setting goals, reflecting, and acting responsibly to effect change. We encourage our students to make responsible decisions and choices rather than simply accepting those determined by others. When students are actively engaged in their learning and wider community events, they are more likely to be motivated and achieve long-term goals.

Community approach
The power of school-community relationships is transformative in nature. When schools and their communities work together to support learning, everyone benefits. Partnerships serve to strengthen, support, and transform, resulting in a better alignment of goals and learning outcomes. While a focus on curriculum, instruction and student engagement with the learning process is important, parent involvement makes a significant difference in academic achievement and school success.

CIS strives to be an innovative school. The way in which our student leaders have been able to plan and run our House Activity Day online, is testament to the incredible commitment our teachers have made over the past few years to foster a space and place for student agency. As is evident from the current global situation, it is not possible to eliminate challenges from our lives but providing students with opportunities to learn and overcome them ensures that they are well positioned for the future. We could not do that without the support and involvement of our parent community.

Diploma Programme Update

by Ms. Emily Cornet, IBDP Coordinator

September DP update!

September is a busy month for students in the Diploma Programme at CIS.  While the Grade 11 students are only in the second month of their DP courses, the Grade 12 students are busy working on completing their Extended Essay, as well as working on their Internal Assessments in many classes.

This week, Grade 11 students and parents were sent a link to the Grade 11 DP Values Meeting website. While we would normally gather in person to mark the beginning of their two-year journey towards High School Graduation and the IB Diploma, we presented the information virtually. Students and parents had the opportunity to watch the videos presented by their teachers, introducing the journey that they will take in their classes over the next two years. They were presented videos about where they should be, as Grade 11 students, in their path towards university, as well as videos about the CIS Diploma Programme. Lastly, students and teachers signed a digital version of the banner that we normally hang in the Media Center, showing our shared commitment to making sure that all students will be successful in the first year of the Diploma Programme.

On Wednesday 29 September, Grade 12 students and their parents will have the opportunity to view a similar presentation, aimed towards their 12th grade year and their recommitment to being successful in this final year of high school. Grade 12 students will also be learning more in the second half of September about their IB Diploma options, as they meet with the DP Coordinator, the Principal, and their parents, to discuss their Anticipated Grades. Grade 12 students and parents—stay tuned for more about these upcoming events!

Grade 4 Art Class

by Ms. Thea Raagas, Elementary Art Teacher

Google Art Coloring Book

Our Grade 4 students have been examining color as an element of Art. We have discussed warm and cool colors as well as making a color wheel. To further explore this element our students took a break from the traditional art materials and explored color through a digital medium.

The  Google website “Art Coloring Book” provided students with the opportunity to engage with famous works of art and our students thoroughly enjoyed their opportunity to learn about and individualize these paintings. Their results are absolutely amazing. Many thanks to Mr. Jessie Saclo III for sharing this resource.

Grade 4 Class

by Mr. Sten Coppin & Ms. Freshal Abcede, G4 Teacher

The Grade 4 students have been exploring and learning about the economy in our unit “How We Organized Ourselves”. We’re looking at supply and demand and  cause and effect, as well as hyperinflation and how this has impacted countries such as Germany (Post WW1), Zimbabwe (2000s) and Venezuela’s current situation. These students made this presentation especially for Newsflash so that they could share their learning.

Biology Class

by Ms. Rebecca Devadoss, MHS Biology Teacher

Grade 10: Unit 1 – The twisted shape of life

Students started this unit by studying about the structure, functions and replication of DNA. They also studied that a parent cell divides to form two daughter cells that are identical to the parent cell. This is possible because of the replication of the DNA and other events that take place during Mitosis, a type of cell division. Remote learning conditions did not hinder them in taking part in group activities to be engaged in the learning process.

JamBoard was used as a primary tool to enable students to learn about the “Structure of DNA”, “Replication of DNA” and stages of cell division by “Mitosis”.

“Structure of DNA”

Stages of Mitosis:

Students drew the various stages of mitosis. They were able to infer that the daughter cells are identical to each other and to the parent cell.

Grade 11: Topic 1 – Cell Biology 

In cell biology, apart from exploring the various parts of the cell, students are also studying the structure, composition and functions of the plasma membrane. Several factors can cause stress to the cell membrane. For example, change in pH, salinity, change in solute concentration, temperature, etc.

Students performed a home based lab investigation, “Stress on Plasma Membrane” due to change in temperature. Beetroot tissue samples were placed in a range of temperatures to observe if extreme temperatures fractured the plasma membrane to release the betacyanin pigments into the water.

House Activities Day (HAD)

by Mr. Ron de Villa, Activities Coordinator

At the beginning of a student’s studies here at CIS, they are assigned to one of the four Houses (Acacia, Mahogany, Molave, and Narra). HAD stands for House Activities Day, an inter-house event conducted three times a year. It is a fun day where every house team competes against each other through different  activities. While members are supporting each other and working together to win activities, friendships are formed between students of different grade levels. HAD serves as a school day where students don’t have to learn in a classroom setting, but instead,  practice valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Given the online setting, the Student Council put in an enormous effort to make the remote HADs just as much fun as they were in previous years. Instead of solely relying on ideas for activities from council members, we now send out surveys before every HAD to give each student a chance to share their input and use the results to organize a line-up of more fun and engaging activities!

Additionally, with the extra time we have allocated during the homeroom session before HAD, the House Captains fruitfully used this time for the members to get to know one another and to get the team spirits high in preparation for HAD. With the help of all faculty and staff, every HAD is a success as all students – whatever house they belong in – are sure to be engaged and are having a blast while participating in these fun activities!

At the end of the day, a House is awarded the Overall winner and by the end of the year, the House winning most points from all 3 HADs are declared the Champion! This just makes HAD more exciting and a much-awaited event every year! Here’s a list of past Champions:

Dragon’s Print

Looking to play a new sport or find out which sport is best for you? Choosing which sport to play can be a tricky process, there are a couple of factors to consider before trying something new like your athletic ability, interests, and goals. Find out which sport best suits you at https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/

HAD 1 Winners

by CIS StuCo

After much anticipation, here are the winners for our very first HAD for the school year 2020-2021! In fourth place, with 77 points, we have Acacia!! Coming in third place with 83 points, we have Molave!! That leaves with two more house teams… the runner-up for HAD 1 with 88 points is house Mahogany! Coming in the first place, with 101 points, the winner of HAD 1 2020-2021 is none other than Narra!

Congratulations everyone for participating in our first every HAD of the school year!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Question of the Week:

Q: Will I need a letter of recommendation (LoR) for my college applications?

A: Most universities will require a letter of recommendation from a subject teacher and your counselor.  LoR’s can either be

• An Open letter – required by most US & UK universities
• A prescribed form with a checklist and specific questions 

Some universities do not require a letter of recommendation.  The application checklist will indicate if a LoR is needed. Most Canadian universities do not need an LoR for a student to submit an application.

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

DATE

September 18
Saturday
8:00 AM PHT
LINK to register

September 27
Monday
8:00 PM PHT
LINK to register

Links to register:
Sunday Sept. 19
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 20
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 21
7:00PM EDT

EVENT

Brown University, Columbia University,
University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University

Exploring College Options : A special informational program hosted by USA’s top leading universities. You are invited to a 90-minute webinar  hosted by admission officers to help you explore your college options and prepare a strong and reflective application in this time of change and new challenges.

If you have questions about accessibility or these programs in general, see our FAQs. Please note that the schedules indicated are all in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 12 hours behind PH time.

Links to register
Tuesday Sept. 21
4:00PM Pacific time
Friday Sept. 24
8:00PM Pacific time
Tuesday Sept. 28
7:00AM Pacific time
Tuesday Oct. 2

University of California – Los Angeles (USA)
Information Sessions: You will have the opportunity to learn more about the academic and student life at UCLA, the admission process and meet guests such as current students and alumni.

September 25
Saturday
9:00AM PHT
LINK to join

September 25
Saturday
9:00PM
Link to join

New Zealand Universities Info Session: Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago

Alumni Chat Series: Focus on Stem Careers

September 27
Monday – 9:00 PM PH time

September 28 & 29
Tuesday & Wednesday
5:00-8:00 PM PH time

Application Review and Financial Aid at Harvard, Pomona, Stanford and Wellesley
LINK To register

European Universities Virtual Fair 2021
• Study in Europe Live Session
• Careers in Europe Session
• Country and University Specific Sessions
• Virtual booths
• 1-on-1 meeting options
Participating universities:
Bocconi University (Italy)
EHL (Switzerland)
IE University (Spain)
Jacobs University (Spain)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)
Modul University (Vienna)
Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
Brussels School of Governance (Belgium)

September 30
Thursday
7:00 PM
Link to follow

Parent Conversations: Studying Abroad
A Question/Answer session for parents to learn about the experiences of parents when their child studies abroad. 
Guest Panel:
• Mr. Bernard Villamor : father of Bianca who studies at UCLA (USA)
 • Mrs. Chorie Chan: mother of  Andie who studies at UBC (Canda)
• Mrs. Mylene Suarez: mother of Catrina who studies at Polimoda (Italy) and Joaquin who studies at Simon Fraser University (Canada)
• Dr. Clementino Diez: father of Dominique who studies at University of Toronto (Canada)

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

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.

Admin Notes

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

We hope you all enjoyed having a catch-up day yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 9) with it being Osmeña Day holiday. Such days are great for social and emotional learning (SEL) activities – relaxing, reflecting, spending time with family and friends, learning… and so on! This year, we will be focusing a lot on SEL, so I wanted to provide a little information on what SEL is. For some, this will be a refresher, but it is a critical area for us all to consider – and not only during the COVID-19 pandemic!

So, what exactly is Social and emotional learning (SEL) anyway?!

PTA Matters

CIS Corporation Meeting Notice

Thanks to parents who signed up for membership to the CIS Corporation. Please be reminded our AGM is on Sept. 22 at 7pm. Details will be sent to your registered email address next Tuesday.

Grade 3 Music Class

by Ms. Natasha Arnsby, Music Teacher

MYP Visual Art Class

by Mr. Jessie Saclo, MYP/DP Art Teacher

In visual art class, the Da Vinci group of grades 6 and 7 students explored the key concept of communication. In art, communication is the process that transpires between the artist’s work and the audience. Intended communication through the effective application of images, symbols, and visual composition enhances the understanding of concepts, ideas, and experiences. As artists, students visually interpret their experiences through the reference frame of their own reality and contexts to give meaning to their creative work and artistic expression. As the Da Vinci group explored the statement of inquiry, ‘artistic expression communicates a message between the artist and the audience’, they began to investigate the art-making form of ‘illustration’. Guided by the MYP criteria for the arts, students conducted an inquiry on different illustration types and styles. Using the information they have gathered about illustration, students developed their art skills with drawing exercises that aimed to enhance their confidence in creating their own stylistic approach. The Da Vinci group is now at the phase of creating their final summative for this unit.

Grade 12 Mathematics Classes

by Mr. Nicholas Paul Arnsby, G12 Math (Analysis and Approaches SL) Teacher & Ms. Maria Victoria Bacus, G12 Math (Applications and Interpretation SL) Teacher

G12 Math AA SL and AI SL IT Collaboration

The Grade 12 Math AA SL and AI SL students got together for a few classes to talk about using IT for Linear Regression. After previously learning about the topic, the AA SL seniors were assigned to teach some AI SL students all about it. In groups, they were assigned to create an instructional video applying their knowledge onto their own data sets. Through this experience, the two Math sections were able to develop many of their ATL skills, 

In addition to that, they were introduced to a new concept that may be used in their internal assessments worth a staggering 20% of their diploma!- Deandra G12

G12 AA SL Students’ Reflections

What did you learn by being a
peer coach?

Why do you think it’s important to do activities and collaborate like this?

G12 AI SL Students’ Reflections

Name one thing you learnt that was your WOW moment?

You are going to be a peer coach soon, how do you think being a peer student helped you with this?

Student Support Club

Dragon’s Print

Welcome the SSC Weekly emails! SSC Weekly was created for those who may not be able to fully commit to the club but still want to learn more about mental health and what goes on in our club. The SSC Weekly emails are sent out once a week on Thursdays, around lunch time. This gives students the chance to join the club session for that day if they are available.

If you are interested look out for the next Google Form to sign up for SSC Weekly which will be sent out via email later this month!

Dragon’s Print is back!

Back for another year, our Dragon’s Print members, from Grades 10-12, are here to bring to you another annual meet the team video!

Look forward to Dragon’s Print’s articles every Friday on dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph

S.Y. 2021-2022 – Meet the Team

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

What is our school’s CEEB Code?  705230

CEEB stands for College Entrance Examination Board.  The CEEB code is a standardized number assigned to a high school, college or organization.  Students who apply to the USA usually have to fill in the name of their high school.  To find the name of your high school, you search by typing in our school’s CEEB code. 

Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs (students & parents are welcome)

DATE

September 18
Saturday – 8:00 AM PHT
LINK to register

September 27
Monday – 8:00 PM PHT
LINK to register

EVENT

Brown University, Columbia University,
University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University

Links to register:
Sunday Sept. 12
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 13
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 14
7:00PM EDT
Sunday Sept. 19
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 20
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 21
7:00PM EDT

Exploring College Options : A special informational program hosted by USA’s top leading universities. You are invited to a 90-minute webinar  hosted by admission officers to help you explore your college options and prepare a strong and reflective application in this time of change and new challenges.

If you have questions about accessibility or these programs in general, see our FAQs. Please note that the schedules indicated are all in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 12 hours behind PH time.

Links to register
Tuesday Sept. 21 4:00PM Pacific time
Friday Sept. 24
8:00PM Pacific time
Tuesday Sept. 28
7:00AM Pacific time
Tuesday Oct. 5

University of California – Los Angeles (USA)
Information Sessions: You will have the opportunity to learn more about the academic and student life at UCLA, the admission process and meet guests such as current students and alumni.

September 25
Saturday
9:00AM PHT
LINK to join

New Zealand Universities Info Session:
Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago

September 25
Saturday
9:00PM
Link to follow

Alumni Chat Series: Focus on Stem Careers

September 27
Monday
9:00 PM PH time

September 30
Thursday
7:00 PM

Application Review and Financial Aid at Harvard, Pomona,
Stanford and Wellesley
LINK To register

Parent Conversations: Studying Abroad
A Question/Answer session for parents to learn about the experiences of parents when their child studies abroad. 
Guest Panel

• Mr. Bernard Villamor: father of Bianca who studies at UCLA (USA)
• Mrs. Chorie Chan: mother of  Andie who studies at UBC (Canda)
• Mrs. Mylene Suarez: mother of  Catrina who studies at Polimoda (Italy) and Joaquin who studies at Simon Fraser University (Canada)
• Dr. Clementino Diez: father of Dominique who studies at University of Toronto (Canada)

SAT Update

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

The dates indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

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.

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-Grade 12 Principal

This week I took some time to reflect on the first month of school, prompted in some way by a group of Grade 2 students who interviewed me about my role and purpose at the school. A feature of their questioning revolved around my “needs”. This was a great question as it prompted me to think more deeply about the way in which I had started a new role, in a new school while being based in a different country. Who would have thought?

 In reflecting upon my needs, which were many and varied, I realised how crucial certain skills were and how they aligned nicely with the IB Approaches to Learning (ATL) that feature prominently and are categorised into five areas: social, communication, self-management, research, and thinking. As a school we are committed to supporting our students developing these skills through a continuum that stretches from the Early Years through to Grade 12. Students are expected to grow in their confidence in the use of these skills in a developmental manner as they move through the programs.

 While all of these skills have been essential for our students to utilize as they have commenced the new school year, one that has certainly stood out to me has been self-management. With the nature of schooling changing due to the pandemic, students of all ages have had to really step up to be able to self-manage themselves and their learning. This can, and has been a point of difference, especially for some of our older students who are in the process of developing and managing complex projects and commitments.

The IB breaks self-management skills into two areas: 1) organization skills – managing self, time management and goal setting, and 2) affective skills or “states of mind” – mindfulness, perseverance, emotional management, self-motivation, and resilience. Our faculty are committed to explicitly teaching and supporting our students in their development of these skills, which I believe are even more crucial to student success during Remote Learning.

 Some parents have asked me how they can support their children’s balance and regulation of time, resources and emotions. Some quick tips include:

 Creating a daily routine: Keeping to routines and daily rituals can lead to a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment, especially when students have a voice and choice over how their day is spent.

Using a weekly schedule: Learning to create, manage and follow a larger schedule helps students to take an aerial view of tasks and projects that need to be completed. It also provides a good point of reflection, especially with respect to scheduling and committing to a healthy and active lifestyle.

 Supporting children with deadlines: It’s easy for students of all ages to get stuck, to procrastinate or become easily distracted, especially if they don’t have a plan or schedule. Checking in with your children about the nature of the tasks they need to do, along with deadlines can be helpful. While most due dates are clearly assigned through Seesaw (Elementary School) or Google Classroom (Middle & High School), it can also be useful to write these due dates down on a physical calendar, especially for more visual learners.

 Planning for breaks and self-care: In order to learn effectively our students need to be in a good physical, mental and emotional state of mind. Ensure your children take adequate breaks from their devices, that they are moving and that they know that they are loved. Good work-life balance requires down time and a degree of relaxation to recharge those batteries. Please check-in to see how they are doing and know that our teachers are here if you need to reach out for support.

Early Years Class

by Ms. Mary Jean Cordova, EY Teacher and Ms. Freya Abella, EY Teacher Aide

As we started our first UOI “How We Organized Ourselves”, we have been exploring routines for different situations and places. We started by looking at the routines that we do to get ready for the day. Our young learners shared what different routines they do right after they wake up in the morning. As we continue to reflect on their responses about our unit, we have fashioned different learning engagements with different adventures every day to ensure that learning in the Early Years is fun, meaningful, and authentic.

Our EY students shared their morning routines at home. We have encouraged them and their families to let them do their morning routine by themselves or with limited help.

Drawing/Painting adventure – Students looked around their room and drew the things that they liked. 

Here we have Basquiat drew one of his balls and Lincoln drew his T.V. and Drawer. 

Building adventure – Students built their tallest tower using different materials available at home. By letting the young learners choose their different materials, they develop their creativity and resourcefulness. This engagement has also helped in enhancing their gross and fine motor skills. 

DP Chemistry Classes

by Ms. Christine Enrile, DP Chemistry Teacher

The class continues to use different forms of technology to sustain inquiry-based learning in the course. The Grade 12 students had used a simulation to investigate a real-life application of Le Chatelier’s Principle: a soda drink. In addition, the Grade 11 students conducted a simple measurement activity at home which challenged them to practice good techniques in reporting and propagating errors in measurements. These skills are important as they collect and analyze data and write lab reports.

Furthermore, these chemistry enthusiasts use ThinkIB resources as well as Adaptive Practice in CK-12 online platform to supplement their learning.  Adaptive Practice helps each student to improve gradually by building knowledge at each student’s skill level.  This extends to lessons in Grades 1-5, Math and English (Spelling).  

Grade 8 Math Class

by Ms. Maria Victoria Bacus, MYP Math Teacher

Grade 8 Math students are currently learning about the language of Algebra, which uses symbols in place of numbers. They first played a game which we accessed through their MyiMaths account, then solved a puzzle. This can also be called an assessment for Criteria B and C, which is ‘Investigating Patterns’ and ‘Communicating’ (or explaining) what they have discovered.

Part 1: Spot the Patterns

In class, the students read the rules of the game:

After reading the rules, students can then try to solve the puzzles and change the number of frogs to be able to investigate the minimum number of moves to swap the places of the blue and red frogs.

Part 2: Communicate (Explain) their Discoveries

For each example, the students then put their findings on a table and try to identify a pattern from the results. Students then find an algebraic expression either based on the sequences of numbers or on a description of the relationship between the two variables( in this case the number of blue and red frogs). 

Here is an example of a student communicating her recording strategies and discoveries:

YiChen, G8
Putting Results on a Table:

Pattern: With every increase in the number of a red/blue frog, a consecutive odd number is added . 3+5 = 8, 8+7 = 15

Writing a Possible Formula:

Spanish Class

by Ms. Justine Condor, Marketing Manager and translated by Señor Antonio Melgar, DP Spanish Teacher

¡Enhorabuena a nuestros estudiantes por su esfuerzo colaborando con el Museo de Cádiz, España! En su clase de castellano, su profesor, Señor Antonio, les encomendó enviar un correo electónico al Museo de Cádiz , hablando sobre la belleza y la historia usando las exhibiciones del Museo como referencia. ¡Estamos muy agradecidos con el Museo de Cádiz por su cálida acogida a nuestros estudiantes, y por guiarlos en esta maravillosa oportunidad de aprendizaje!.

Congratulations to our students for their hard work in collaborating with Museo de Cadiz! In Spanish class, their teacher Señor Antonio tasked students to write an email to the Museo de Cadiz, about beauty and history using the museum exhibits as a reference. We are grateful that Museo de Cadiz welcomed our students with positivity and guided them in this learning opportunity!

CIS Health Advisory

Student Support Club

Clubs are in session! Get to know CIS’s Student Support Club. With our club, we aim to advocate mental health to the student body through creative discussions and fun games. Make sure you keep an eye out and click this Instagram link to follow us and keep up with what we do: @studentsupport.cis

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

Applying to the UK?  If you are, you need to write a UCAS Personal Statement.  Check this LINK for tips on what to write and how to write it and a worksheet to help you plan your statement.  Remember, you are allowed 4000 characters and 47 lines for your personal statement.

Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs (students & parents are welcome)

DATE

September 9
Thursday – 1:00 PM

September 18
Saturday
8:00 AM PHT
LINK to register

September 27
Monday
8:00 PM PHT
LINK to register

Links to register:
Sunday Sept. 12
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 13
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 14
7:00PM EDT
Sunday Sept. 19
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 20
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 21
7:00PM EDT

September 25
Saturday
9:00AM PHT
Link to follow

EVENT

University of British Columbia (Canada)
LINK to join

Brown University, Columbia University,
University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University

Exploring College Options : A special informational program hosted by USA’s top leading universities. You are invited to a 90-minute webinar  hosted by admission officers to help you explore your college options and prepare a strong and reflective application in this time of change and new challenges.

If you have questions about accessibility or these programs in general, see our FAQs. Please note that the schedules indicated are all in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 12 hours behind PH time.

New Zealand Universities Info Session:
Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

Admin Notes

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

As we finish up our week in preparation for our long weekend, I wanted to send a quick thank you to students for the effort they have been putting into their learning, and to cover a few parent matters involving how we can support our students learning this school year.

The success of any parent group at school is dependent on the proactive collaboration of a key number of members. Our vision of what we can do as a PTA is depicted in this slide.

As the pandemic limits our ability to operate in a number of areas, the PTA has discussed keeping things simple this year and focusing on relationships and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

How can you contribute? I am glad you asked! As the slide notes, we would love for you to actively support class, school & PTA activities through participation and volunteering to assist with the organizing. More specifically, in order to help us reach our goal, we need your support by:

• Attending parent meetings and volunteering to help with PTA events
• Volunteering to be a Class Parent for your child’s grade
• Volunteering to become a CIS PTA Board member

We will be emailing you directly with more information about these opportunities soon. A good reminder of what is important for any group to succeed is given by Nafeez Ahmed, who highlights, “Getting through coronavirus will be an exercise not just in building societal resilience, but relearning the values of cooperation, compassion, generosity and kindness, and building systems which institutionalize these values.” Your involvement in CIS PTA activities will contribute to ensuring the CIS community is one that supports student learning and health and wellbeing, both in and out of the classroom. I look forward to seeing you at our next Parent Coffee meeting on September 29th at 9am (typically held last Wednesday of each month).

Enjoy the Monday holiday (National Heroes Day), and have a wonderful long weekend!

CIS Corporation Membership

Early Years Arts Class

by Ms. Thea Raagas, Art Teacher

In Early Years, our Central Idea is “The Elements of Art allow us to represent and appreciate ourselves.” Some of the questions we are asking ourselves as we explore this unit are: “How can we use the elements of art to create an effective artwork?” And, “How can we use the art elements to share who we are?”  We hope to be able to look at lines, colors, shapes and texture as elements of art as we explore this unit, and we are currently focusing heavily on LINES.

Artwork by Basquiat

In Early Years, during our class synchronous call with Ms. MJ, we looked at the lines on Basquiat’s helmet. Basquiat was showing us his blue helmet that had yellow lines on top of it. We used his sharing as a springboard, to connect to our Art Unit which is all about Lines. We explained to him that he had to make different lines using materials like yarn and straw, and then take a screenshot and upload this to Seesaw. Here are some photos of what Basquiat uploaded on Seesaw. Good job Basquiat! Keep those lines coming!

In our second class, the following week, Basquiat demonstrated how to create Squiggly Lines using the tools on the Seesaw Creative Canvas Template. He created this artwork after listening to the story called, “Lines that Squiggle”, by Candace Whitman. In his artwork we can see blue lines, yellow lines and a variation between thick and thin lines.

Artwork by Lincoln

In Early Years, Lincoln has submitted this photo of his popsicle sticks on Seesaw. This is in connection to our discussion about lines. We can see that Lincoln was able to form zigzag lines and straight lines using his materials. These even combined to form triangles and this shows that Lincoln is already learning about shapes. (Shapes are lines that meet at both ends!)
Great job Lincoln! Keep up the good work!

Here is a photo of Lincoln with his Squiggly Lines. He created these after listening to the book, “Lines that Squiggle”, by Candace Whitman. His artwork shows blue, purple, red, yellow and green squiggly lines.

Grade 11 Psychology Class

by Mr. Michael Stewart, IBDP Psychology Teacher

Diagnosis of a Zombie Brain

Grade 11 IB Psychology students are currently learning about the brain and behavior. Because studying brain anatomy can be a dry subject, we decided to learn about the different structures of the brain and their functions by diagnosing the brains of zombies. Why do zombies walk so strangely? Could it be that their motor cortices are damaged? Maybe a problem arising in the cerebellum? Why can’t zombies create meaningful speech? Perhaps they’ve suffered trauma in Broca’s Area, a structure located in the left frontal lobe. Watch the videos below to find out what some of our budding neuroscientists came up with in answering these and other intriguing questions!

Click for the students’ videos below!

Health Advisory

Dragon’s Print

To start of the school year strong, Dragon’s Print’s interviewed some of our seniors to give our newly DP1 students or future IB students advice on starting the rigorous curriculum the right way.

Read about their IB experiences at dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

When applying to universities, the first step is always to create an account using the application portal using your email address.  Here are some important tips:

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs

(students & parents are welcome)

DATE

Sunday Aug. 29
11:00AM PHT

Links to register:
Sunday Sept. 12
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 13
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 14
7:00PM EDT
Sunday Sept. 19
6:00PM EDT
Monday Sept. 20
7:00PM EDT
Tuesday Sept. 21
7:00PM EDT

EVENT

Study in Japan Virtual Fair
Link to register – Please refer to the LIST of participating institutions.

Exploring College Options : A special informational program hosted by USA’s top leading universities. You are invited to a 90-minute webinar  hosted by admission officers to help you explore your college options and prepare a strong and reflective application in this time of change and new challenges.

If you have questions about accessibility or these programs in general, see our FAQs. Please note that the schedules indicated are all in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), 12 hours behind PH time.

CIS Parent Coffee Morning

CIS Corporation Info

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-Grade 12 Principal

It has been a whirlwind start to the year and my time as EY – 12 Principal at CIS. Testament to the community nature of the school, I have found myself immediately welcomed and feeling valued despite working from Jordan, close to 9,000km away from Cebu; such is the strength of the community and the power of technology.

I have spent my first month actively engaged with faculty and getting to know students throughout the school. The year has commenced in an incredibly positive manner and our students from the Early Years all the way through to Grade 12 appear to be genuinely happy to be back in their “virtual classrooms”. For many, they are thriving on the ability to reconnect with each other. The importance of personal connections has been a consistent feature of conversations with students and the provision of such experiences by our teachers was an intentionally planned priority throughout the school. It will continue to be a focus of our attention throughout the year.

At CIS there is a belief that the wellbeing of each student is vital for personal and academic success. Our teachers are cognizant of the complex world of our students’ personal lives and they have been particularly responsive to the immediate challenges that our sustained engagement with Remote Learning have presented. The time and energy that our teachers have devoted to constructing a truly engaging and developmentally appropriate experience under the circumstances should not be understated and is testament to the professionalism and quality of our staff.

As our students return to the routines of a new year a key focus that I have been particularly pleased with has been the commitment to the development of formal and informal leadership. Being an effective leader requires students to develop qualities in themselves and to nurture those of others.

Formal leadership has been encouraged through classes representation systems such as Student Council across the Elementary, Middle and High School. I was particularly impressed with the maturity of the students that were prepared to put themselves out there and campaign for President and Vice President positions. Doing their best for others was central to their campaign messages. In the Middle and High School, we have also had the recent election of House Captains which also carry important formal responsibilities. Student leadership elections link strongly with learning about citizenship and the processes involved in democracy. It is important to note that all these leaders were elected by the students themselves.

The commitment of the school to nurturing our students as leaders has meant that by the time they reach their senior years, they are well equipped to lead committees and clubs across the school. The number of students that have been excited and willing to lead After School Activities has been incredible and this aspect of our ASA program sets the school apart from most others around the world.

I am excited for the year ahead and the wonderful opportunities that CIS presents our students and staff. I look forward to doing my best to contribute to the community and  further develop and challenge our students as globally engaged contributors to a better world.

MYP Personal Project

by Mr. Jonathan Denton, Assistant Principal-MYP

Grade 2 Class

by Ms. Maureen Juanson, Grade 2 Teacher & PYP Coordinator, and Ms. Maffy Ocleasa, Grade 2 Teacher

In our Grade 2 class family, we continued to reflect on who we are as learners and as we looked into our hopes and dreams, many of our Grade 2 learners expressed that they hope to improve their math skills this year. This then led us to dive deeper and wondered about the word Mathematics, what mathematicians do, and what math means. Using the Color-Symbol-Image routine, our Grade 2 mathematicians reflected more deeply by choosing a color, symbol, and image that will best represent Math. Let’s take a look at how our Grade 2s visually represented such an abstract and big idea. 

Congratulations!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week:

If you are interested in applying to any of the University of California campuses, you should create an account and apply through the UC system through this LINK.

Part of the application process is to answer 4 of 8 personal insight questions. Below is one of the questions: ( Source: https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/personal-insight-questions.html)

Question: What would you say is your greatest talent or skill?  How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

Things to consider: If there’s a talent or skill that you’re proud of, this is the time to share it. You don’t necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you? Does the talent come naturally to you or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent?  Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in and outside the classroom? If so, what are they and  how do they fit into their schedule?

Check the link above to view the rest of the personal insight questions. 

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

DATE

August 21
Saturday
Part 1 – 11:00am PHT
Part 2 – 2:00pm PHT

August 25
Wednesday
5:00 PM PHT

August 25
Wednesday
8:00PM

EVENT

Study in Japan Virtual Fair
Link to register
Please refer to the LIST of participating institutions.
Future sessions:  Aug. 29 and Sept. 4

Doctors on Call Webinar for Students in Southeast Asia
Meet one of the graduates from St. George’s University Medical School to talk about her experience with a Q & A session. LINK to register

Virtu-8 University Info Sessions
LINK to register with info on future sessions
Participating institutions:
Chapman University (USA)
Lynn University (USA)
Northwestern University (Qatar)
New York University (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Rollins College (USA)
Sewanee: The University of the South (USA)
Santa Clara University (USA)
University of Tampa (USA)

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

Admin Notes

Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Welcome to our first Newsflash Blog of our 2021-22 School Year. It has been heart-warming to see students return to class, meet up with old classmates and make friends with new students, and return to their “job” of joyful learning! 

There really is a positive vibe to the new school year that bodes well for another successful year of learning, and I think this reflects a general feeling amongst our community that we just have to get on with doing the best we can under the circumstances the pandemic forces us in. 

I therefore thank you in advance, CIS community, for your support as we continue to do our best together to nurture our students’ resilience, in order to develop lifelong learners that will enable them to develop their unique potential, so they can contribute to a better world.

How are You? Who are You? Who do we want to be moving forward?

As we begin a new school year, let’s take some time to find a quiet time and reacquaint ourselves with ourselves and each other. 

How are You? Really, how are you? Have you managed to take time to evaluate how you are doing? Are you coping with the pandemic? Are there areas that continue to bother you and are getting you down? What can you do about it? Who can you talk to about it?

Who are You? After 18 months of living in a quarantine lockdown, what has changed for you? What has your attention now? Are the changes good for you/your family? Are they sustainable?

Who do we want to be moving forward? We have all encountered new and varied experiences since the pandemic interrupted our lives, and these have impacted us in different ways. As we process these changes, let’s give some thought to how they might create our new norms, and if they are really the type of norm we want.

Credits: Mini-post applied using ideas from Jennifer Abrams blog post

As we complete our first full week, I hope you can find some time to reflect, learn and grow. We look forward to another wonderful year of learning. Have a restful weekend!

IB Diploma Programme Results

by Ms. Emily Cornet, IBDP Coordinator

In July, our Diploma Programme students received their results from the IB.  We are pleased to report that 100% of our students who pursued the IB Diploma passed!  In addition to setting a new overall high score, the 2021 cohort also earned scores above the world average in many of their classes.

As we enter the 2021-2022 school year, our new Grade 12 students have entered their final year in the Diploma Programme and are working towards finishing their Internal Assessments, Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and CAS requirements.

Our new Grade 11 students are getting settled into their new courses and the expectations that come with that.  They are searching for the right combination of classes to fit their goals and future dreams, trying out different classes during the three-week trial window that starts the new year for our First Year DP students.

We look forward to an exciting new year in the DP, and wish all of our students the best!

KG1 Class

by Ms. Tara Alagao, KG1 Teacher

Welcome to a new school year! This week the KG1 class got to know each other more. We read a book called, Our Class is A Family by Shannon Olsen. We learned that a family is a place where we feel safe, valued, and cared for. We shared ideas on how our class is like a family. Like in our homes where we have roles and responsibilities, we have roles and responsibilities in the class too! We also talked about what we can do to help everyone in our class feel safe, valued, and cared for. We created essential agreements to help us become caring and responsible learners.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

Apply Early
If you are a senior, you will be meeting with the college counselor in the next two weeks to revisit your college list and start with applications if the application platform is open for the institutions on your list.  Applying early alleviates the pressure from having to balance IBDP internal deadlines, writing your essays and submitting applications. Some application platforms open later in the semester. Make sure you are aware of the application timelines of the universities you are applying to.  Important reminders:   Keep communication lines open with your college counselor and always check your email for google meet invitations.

Thank you Class of 2021 Alumni

SAT Update

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

The August 28 SAT test has been cancelled. 

Students are advised to check the university websites for test-optional announcements.

IT Department Update

by Carlo del Rosario, IT Manager

The CIS IT department has completed the project in adding Wireless Access Points to rooms with slow wifi signals. A total of 29 Wireless Access Points are now working.

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood (Superintendent) and the Admin Team

Dear CIS community,

No one would have believed that in the final years of Cebu International School’s first century, a microscopic organism would throw the world into disarray. As people busied themselves with their various concerns, the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutated and spread to the furthest reaches of the globe.

…but in challenging times, the resilience of our kind has come to the fore and I am proud to say that congratulations are in order to all members of our CIS community. You have all strived to show perseverance, overcome the repeated challenges we have faced, and successfully continued to learn, grow, and create lasting memories together.
Students, well done for completing the school year. As we take a break from school, I encourage you to rest, but also continue learning. Spend time with your friends and families, pursue individual hobbies – but do take a break from your electronic devices – and read, read, and read. Reading and thinking critically about what you have read is an excellent way to develop both language and critical thinking skills for next year!

Of course, a community is only as strong as its collective members and it can only flourish with their input and involvement. On behalf of the CIS community, thank you to all who contributed to our community this year both at home and from afar. Thank you to all the parents/guardians (and in particular the PTA and our supportive Board of Trustees), faculty and staff, extended family members, alumni, friends, and of course, our wonderful students.To our families, faculty, and staff who are leaving CIS to pursue new adventures, we wish you farewell and all the best. Thank you for being a part of our CIS family. We hope you will think back to your time here with fondness, as we will surely treasure the many experiences we have shared together.

We are hoping to be able to return to campus in August, but of course, this depends on what happens over our summer break. Regardless of whether this is possible, CIS will continue to provide for our community and we will remain anchored in our guiding statements.

Have a wonderful summer break, everyone. The 2020-21 school year is complete!

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

We have just finished our last full week, and students are looking forward to our last few days together with mixed emotions. On one hand, I think it is fair to say we are all fairly tired after an eventful year and are looking forward to a nice summer break! On the other hand, classes have provided a sense of stability and connection – even if they have had to be virtual. We also now face the annual social upheaval caused by leaving community members. As I wrote in my Info Brief (sent to registered email addresses on June 1st), this is a sad annual occurrence whereby a few of our community members move on to new challenges around the world. On behalf of CIS, we wish all faculty, graduates, students, and families who are leaving best wishes as you continue on your journey, and we thank you for your contributions to CIS over your years at CIS.

For updated news regarding planning for next year, please refer to the June 1 Infobrief. Here is the schedule for the last day of school next Wednesday 9 June:
8:30 AM: G5 Moving Up Ceremony (recording*)
9:00 AM: G10 Moving Up Ceremony (recording*)
10:00 AM: Class Parties for Students (synchronous – in person)
11:00 AM: EOY Whole School Assembly (recording*)

*The link to these events will be distributed prior to the event via registered email

This will be our last full Newsflash as next week is a half week, however, there will be a short admin Newsflash next week to finish up the school year. End of Semester Two Reports for students will be also published on Wednesday 9 (you will receive an email notifying you when this has been done).

Have a wonderful weekend and I trust your last week is meaningful!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear CIS Community,

It is with some sadness that I write this Newsflash article. Not only is this the final Newsflash article from me for the year, but it is also my final CIS Newsflash ever. As I move on from CIS I, I have so many special memories to take with me,  yet I am sad to be moving on from such a special community.

It is these memories and reflections that cause all of us to be happy and grateful. Our interactions with students, and the memories we form together through the process of learning, are unforgettable. As a PYP school  we believe that learning is a social enterprise. Knowledge is constructed within a social context, and quality relationships are formed with the people that this knowledge is discovered with. It is often said that during times of hardship, our relationships with others deepen. Over these past 12 months, many of us have found aspects of our daily lives to be filled with hardship. Yet, as we reflect on this full year of remote learning, the connections we have with each other, within the CIS community are as strong as ever. It is this level of connection that I will miss the most. 

When preparing for this final Elementary Newsflash, I felt it would be appropriate to invite the most important people in our CIS community to contribute to the Newsflash article, our students. I connected with our talented group of CIS Educational Assistants and asked them to gather some information from our students about their memories throughout the 2020/2021 school year. Our students had so much to say, and our EA team did a simply fantastic job of collating these student voices for us. We asked the student three questions;

• What did you like most about this year at school?
• If you could change one thing about school this year, what would it be?
• What has been your most memorable occasion this year?

In answer to the first question, a common theme from the students across the school was ‘learning with their friends each day’ with the various subjects that are offered by CIS. It seems that although we were not physically connected, the students still felt as though they had progressed academically, and had connected with their peers in meaningful ways. 

The second question brought a wave of expected responses that could be summarised with the statement, “We want to be back on campus together!” Everyone has missed the face to face connection that we all so desire as learners and as human beings. 

The third question then led to a wide range of interesting responses that indicate the students have connected meaningfully with the strong and rigorous academic and Social and Emotional Program of learning that has been designed by our dedicated team of CIS teachers and academic assistants.  

Early Years

• I like when there’s a party, we play kahoot and eat snacks 
•  I like it when I do many things and do  fun stuff like in PE. We do games and dance, and hear things.
• I like learning alphabet and numbers

KG and Grade 1

• My friends, it felt like we were all at school together
• I like reading books and we take screenshots
• Being with my family all the time, this made me very happy
• Starting school and meeting new friends
• PE because we can do push up, push up is my favorite exercise
• Playing KAHOOT
• The assemblies
• Spending my time with Mommy and Daddy
• Week Without Walls
• Science experiments
• My baby brother was born

Grade 2

• The Christmas Pageant and Secret Santa wirth so many elves
• Our Sharing the Planet unit
•  It was nice to eat lunch together and roast marshmallows together during Week Without Walls. It felt like we were all at school together
• 100 days of school and celebrating our birthdays virtually playing Kahoot!
• Having a fun Friday social chat and a tell-a-joke day

Grade 3

• Diorama making in Art class.
• I liked the Christmas party. We had lots of fun games.
• HAD was the most memorable occasion this year
• My first day in Grade 3
• Camp Chronos. We made s’mores and shared stories.
• The ecosystem project 

Grade 4

• Meeting  with my classmates
• Doing remote learning for an entire year is quite memorable
• HAD because we had a lot of activities and it was so fun!
• The first call of Grade 4. I remember I was very happy to see my friends.
• The 3-Way Conference. I felt so happy because I feel proud to share my activities with my mom.
• Sinulog Celebration
•  Book week! I enjoy reading books at home

Grade 5

• Escape room with the MHS teachers. It was really fun and memorable. 
• The PYP exhibition and it’s journey 
• 3D book scenes from one of our design days.
• Week without walls
• Performing in the assembly
• HAD 2
• Many occasions were memorable for me

You can view the feedback slideshow here!

Feeling Grateful,

Glenn Davies
CIS Elementary Principal

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School Principal

Dear parents and members of our CIS community, 

We have come to the end of another academic year, and this is one I’m sure we will never forget. In light of the fact that Covid-19 radically altered the way we conducted school for the entire academic year, it is easy to forget all of the great things that have happened at CIS throughout the past 10 months. In taking a few moments to review retrospectively, we can see that we have still been able to have a great year, both in terms of our learning, but also in developing our students’ holistic growth.

This year’s final assessments in Grades 6-10 continue to be a positive shift in our assessment structure. While traditional exams may feel like a “gotcha” enterprise where students are trying to cover all content areas and predict pitfalls, it is not the intention of teachers to trap or trick them. When we are trying to cognitively challenge students, however, questions that ask them to apply their knowledge to a new situation may seem like a curveball, and not all learners have the proclivity to problem-solve the same way or at the same pace. Project-based (product and performance assessments) allow students to mull over problems and work toward solutions in a way that matches their unique learning styles.

This year we have been able to carry on with the majority of our events and activities that serve to sustain our school culture. We have also added some new events this year, like our new Grade 11 TOK Presentations, which reflect the changes in that specific course, and the MYP Personal Project Exhibition.

With our implementation of the MYP program, our Grade 10 students completed and hosted an exhibition to present their MYP Personal Projects. Last year’s Personal Projects were also commendable, and this year we showed further progress and demonstrated that the Personal Project is becoming an important and valued milestone within our CIS culture.

Some of our events we have been able to carry forward with this year are as follows. This is not an exhaustive list, but demonstrates a sample of the range and scope of our activities this year. In all cases, we have had to be innovative problem-solvers as we have sought to provide quality experiences within a remote learning context. While it’s almost always better to hold these events in person, it was definitely worth moving forward with them as best we could. In all cases, these virtual events required a team effort of teachers and CIS faculty, often students, and parents sometimes as well.

• Weekly Opening Assemblies
• Weekly After School Activities
• Arts week
• DP Visual Arts Exhibition
• End-of-year celebrations, such as Moving up ceremonies and Graduation
• End-of-semester and End-of-year assemblies
• STEM Week
• DP Visual Arts Exhibition
• CIS Production
• All 3 HAD Days (organized and led by our MHS StuCo—thank you to their faculty sponsor, Mr. Ron deVilla)
• Week Without Walls
• Culture week
• Celebration of Learning

Thank you for a wonderful year and for all of your resilience, patience, and fortitude as we worked hard to make lemonade when life gave us lemons.

Grade 7 Math

This year has been an exciting opportunity for students to use technology to explore new content in their classes. In grade 7 Math the students have created online games, slide shows, inactive quizzes, videos, and more. One of the more recent units allowed us to look at transformations of images. While this is usually a lesson that involves a lot of graphing by hand, this year students were able to use the online graphing software GeoGebra. This tool allows students to graph images and equations and use built in tools to transform the graphs.

Once the students had practiced using the tools they were able to unleash their creative side and create a graph of reflections and rotations to design a kaleidoscope style image.  The interactive nature of this tool allows the students to then spin and change their image.

Here are screenshots of the designs the students made.

Here is a video of one of the designs being manipulated and rotated:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/138sd_0JqkLCjHfG0ceXI6p2pRDc6zfO4/view?usp=drivesdk

Grade 10 Visual Art

by Mr. Jessie Saclo, IB MYP/DP Visual Art Teacher

‘Art’ is one of the few words in the English language that shares the same origin in English, French and Italian. From its archaic French origin in the early 10th century, art meant ‘skill as a result of learning or practice’. Around that period of the Middle Ages, the word ‘art’ was utilized for English to also mean ‘skill in scholarship and learning’. At that point the distinction for art was generally between decorative art and applied art. It was not until aesthetic theories developed during the Italian Renaissance that the term ‘fine art’ would come to existence defining the highest art that allowed for the full expression and display of the artist’s skill and imagination. Historically, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry were considered as the five main fine art disciplines with the addition of theatre and dance to include performing arts. With the advent of technologies emerging during the industrial revolution leading to the present, opportunities for artists to explore new media developed into modern art-making forms such as film, photography, video, design, digital, and conceptual art. 

Visual art in the MYP arts curriculum reflects the collective concepts and culture of great thinkers in the arts enhancing the way in which our students approach art-making through a creative and stimulating process that aims to generate in them a strong sense of agency. The MYP acknowledges the contribution of different cultures and experiences throughout time adding a life-long experience of a wide range of creative and cultural dimensions of art activities to benefit students in their artistic development. An integral part of the MYP curriculum is the process of making ideas a reality through the application of the skills and practices of the visual arts. Students of the MYP Visual Arts study to understand art styles, art movements, artists’ practices, art terminology, and specific artworks to allow a language of visual communication to flourish. Through studio work, students develop their technical skills, observation skills, and intellectual aspects of visual art such as critical and creative thinking, providing them with the ability to incorporate ideas into their own work. 

The grade 10 (year 5) MYP visual art students recently concluded their unit for this quarter where they explored the statement of inquiry, ‘the effective application of symbols through art presents a narrative of creative expression’. In this unit grade 10 students explored the key concept of communication through the exchange or transfer of ideas and symbols to convey meaning. Students also considered the related concept of the audience; examining strategies for engaging the audience, identifying different types of audiences and how the audience–artist relationship affects and influences their work. Another related concept the students explored was narrative; a visual account of connected events; a story, which may be fictional or non-fictional, aimed to manipulate the viewpoint of the audience. Focusing on these concepts, students reflected on their personal concerns that they interpreted using an art form of their choice. By deconstructing the elements of art in an artwork and reconstructing them differently using symbols and visual narrative, students developed an artwork in response to the works of a particular genre, style or artist they have studied.

To view and appreciate the collective work of this year’s grade 10 MYP visual art students please visit the link below.

Grade 10 Visual Art Gallery

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week:

PH universities (Documents required)

If you are applying to Philippine universities, these three documents are usually on the list of requirements:  

• Form 137 or 138
• PSA birth certificate
• Certificate of Good Moral Character

Form 137 is also called the Permanent Record Form which is equivalent to what we issue as the Transcript of Records.  This contains all your final grades from Grade 9 to the present.  Form 138 is the document that shows the student’s academic progress within the school year which is equivalent to our Report Cards which are released every quarter.

The PSA birth certificate is the document labeled “Certificate of Live Birth”(if Filipino) issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority.  Filipino citizens may request a copy through  this LINK and the document is delivered to your address for a reasonable fee. If you are a dual citizen, it is recommended that you use your Filipino citizenship when applying to a local university while indicating your other nationality if required. 

The Certificate of Good Moral Character is a letter issued by the school that you are of good standing and have no disciplinary issues.  This certificate can be obtained from the Registrar’s office.  Most Philippine universities have adopted an online application system and waived their entrance examinations since the pandemic.  For next school year, we are not certain if they will revert to their entrance exam system.  For more information, contact Ms. Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS and FAIRS: (students & parents are welcome)

DATE

June 10 Thursday
8:00PM PH time

EVENT

Alumni Chat Series Episode 6:  Annyeong Korea!
LINK to join (see posters below)
Alumni Guests:
Changwoo “Edge” Choi – CIS Class of 2011, Yonsei University
Yoori “Veronica” Seo – CIS Class of 2009, Dongguk University & Kaywon University of Art and Design
Minwoo Cho – CIS Class of 2017, Seoul National University
Chihoon Song – Class of 2017, Yonsei University 
Ko Eun “Chloe” Choi – Class of 2019, Hanyang University

June 16
Wednesday
8:30 – 9:30AM
PH time

Studying in Japan – Mini Fair (Japanese University Consortium)
LINK to join
Participating Universities:
University of Tsukuba
Tohoku University
Temple University – Japan Campus
Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan – Asia Pacific University
Osaka University
Okayama University
Nagoya University of Commerce and Business
Nagoya University
Lakeland University Japan
Kyushu University
Kyoto University of Advanced Science
International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) at Yamanashi Gakuin     University
International Christian University
Hiroshima University
Doshisha University

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Today is the CIS Class of 2021 Graduation day.

Please join us for our virtual Graduation Ceremony tonight, premiering at 5 pm (link will be sent to registered email addresses).

CONGRATULATIONS Class of 2021!

Building your transition RAFT!

As we near the end of the school year, we are all faced with various levels of pending change. Students are finishing up their year and some families will be leaving, so there are upcoming changes we are being presented with. During this time of change, research has suggested that it is beneficial to consciously consider how transitions can affect us, and our family. The following is an adaptation of an article I have shared in the past so we can consider how to build a transition raft!

 David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken* outline the transition process as a normal process that uses the following associated feelings:

It is helpful to consider emotions involved during transitions, so as to understand and be ready to deal with any stress these emotions may cause. Failure to cope with these will result in an unhappy transition and poor re-engagement in your new environment. For students, this will certainly affect their social and academic achievements.

Dr. Pollock also developed the acronym and visual image “RAFT” to help explain pre-departure processes needed for successful transitions. Here is a summary for your reference:

 Reconciliation – Begin building your raft by asking yourself if you have any relationships that need mending. Is there any unfinished business between you and someone you are in a relationship with? This is the time to give and receive forgiveness. Bitterness and regret stemming from lack of closure and resolution inhibit good grief and adjustment to a new location.

 Affirmation – This is the time to thank the people who have been involved in your life. Affirm the relationships you have made and what they have meant to you. Take the time to tell people what you have learned from them and how grateful you are for them. Try to leave as little unsaid as possible when you leave a place.

 Farewells – Say good-byes to people, places, pets, and possessions that have mattered to you. Take lots of pictures. Take the time to say culturally appropriate good-byes. Some cultures require a lengthy departure process. Particularly difficult farewells are the ones that are generally rushed or put off, so plan ahead and give the farewell its due.

 Think destination – Think and dream about where you are going and what it will be like. Be very honest about the expectations you have for the people and situations that you are going to. Be honest with yourself about how you feel about this transition. Think ahead to what scares you or excites you about where you are going. Research the realities of your destination. If at all possible, put concrete plans in place.

 As we move into our last 2 weeks, please take time to build your RAFT as you transition, and go out of your way to help your friends build theirs. Consider how change may impact the feelings of all of our students whether they are leaving or not, as the process will help them face new situations as they move into a new grade, and as some of their friends and teachers leave.

 Have a great weekend!

*References & Credits:
– Third Culture Kids: The experience of growing up among worlds by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken
– Adapted from: http://theirrationalseason.blogspot.com/2008/04/raft.html
– Class of 2021 Photo credit: Shayna Douglas on Unsplash.com
– Raft Photo credit: Joshua Earle on Unsplash.com

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear CIS Community,

The final days of school  for the 2020/2021 academic year are falling upon us. This past week has been a wonderful opportunity to review the learning growth of our students as they have prepared for the Celebration of Learning.  I know our teachers valued the opportunity to meet with each family who signed up for the Three-Way Conference, and we know our students were excited to share their Student-Led Conference sections of the day with you. As we draw toward the end of the year it is also promising that we see progress being made that will facilitate the return to the school campus next year, although this may be gradual at first,  with a hybrid learning model likely being employed in the initial stages as described by Dr. Underwood in previous publications.  We have all certainly made the very best of the last twelve months and we are all looking forward to being together as a community again.  Currently our teachers are completing the end of year formal written reports and these will be released to the community on the afternoon of Friday 4th June. Also next Friday, the elementary school will host the final ES assembly of the year and currently our student council team is working hard on creating this production.  

Amidst the end of the year business, it is valuable for us all to reflect on the incredible achievements of the past twelve months.  Both our CIS faculty and students have let no obstacle get in the way of their learning. Each class has a virtual classroom which reflects their school classroom and video conferencing has become the norm for us all, enabling us all to feel connected despite the physical barriers. I am incredibly proud of what each student has accomplished, they way each family has enabled this, and the perseverance and commitment of our CIS teaching faculty.  We never stop learning. 

Summer Family Directory
Over the summer period there are likely to be a number of families remaining in Cebu. Some of these families may be seeking to have playdates or social contact with other families. To assist with this CIS would like to provide an opt-in directory for those families who wish to connect. Only families who choose to share their contact details will be shared in this closed group.

If you would like to share your contact information, please send an email to the Elementary Secretary (lromano@cis.edu.ph ) before June 9th, the final day of school. Please include the following information.

Student Name:
Student’s Class:
Contact name and phone number:                          Relationship to student:

Learning in Visual Arts 

Grade 5 has been exploring different Art Movements such as Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism and Pop-Art. In our Seesaw learning engagement, we identified the characteristics of each movement and looked at examples from some famous artists. The students then created an artwork inspired by that particular art style. 

Here are some of their artworks:

The Grade 4 students have been practicing to draw and shade shapes. As a culminating activity we moved towards creating 3D Shape sculptures. These are sculptures made using any materials that were available in the household with a goal of creating 3D Shapes.

For Celebration of Learning Day, the Grade 2 students had the choice of drawing one family member, focusing on facial expression or body gesture, or drawing their whole family, while making sure that the whole family sketch had a background, middle ground and foreground.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School Principal

We are approaching the end of the academic year in MHS, and I wanted to thank all of our parents for their support and trust and for partnering with the teachers and administration this year. We appreciate your trust and support. Given the unique challenges of remote learning, we are so proud of our students and what they have been able to accomplish this year.

I am sharing our End of Year Schedule for MHS, including our Assessment Schedule for next week. The MHS teachers have collaborated to create a schedule that we feel allows us to assess student learning appropriately while not overburdening them with too much work being due on any given day. Although our students are sometimes anxious about assessments (especially tests), these can actually be seen as an opportunity for students to powerfully demonstrate what they have learned and what they can do. With our shift to more product and performance assessments this is now the case more than ever. Students striving to reach the explicitly laid out Assessment Criteria means that they have a clear target to aim for as they complete these assessments.

The following schedule will apply to all students in grades 6-11 and to their respective courses. Each course will be allocated a 2-hour time slot for students to complete and/or submit their end-of-semester assessments. To help our students balance their final assessments, no additional assignments will be due during the period of June 1-4, unless it falls on the designated assessment day for that specific course according to the schedule above. This will serve to support our students’ success in all of their academic courses.

In these final weeks, our students have continued to engage in creative and powerful learning experiences, crafted by their teachers, to help their understanding of course concepts to be deep, relevant, and meaningful.

Physical and Health Education

COVID19 Awareness – A talk  with a COVID19 Survivor

On May 24, our Grade 8 and 9 students had an opportunity to listen to a Covid 19 survivor- Mr. Jason Cardente who is from Mindanao and suffered a severe case of covid 19. Here’s a short summary of the experience written by Alessandra Gabrieblle “Bea” F. – Grade 9. 

In P.H.E. class today we were visited by Sir Jason Cardente, a person who had a severe case of COVID-19. He covered many topics such as how he contracted the virus, his mental health during that time, and tips for prevention. This experience was very insightful and he taught us a lesson on how serious this pandemic is. Although I knew the virus was deadly, this new perspective opened my eyes to how it can affect people’s lives. This made me realize that anyone can get the virus and it is better to be safe than sorry. I will move forward by always taking the proper precautions and warning others about the gravity of the pandemic. 

Something that struck me the most during the talk was the fact that he went under a stage of deep sadness and thought of ending the pain he was suffering permanently. This struck me the most because it showed how much suffering he went through both mentally and physically and yet did not give up, but instead listened to the experts and followed all their advice. The way he faced and fought covid also inspired me. I am glad that Sir Jason was able to visit our class as I think that his story is one of great importance. It is crucial that students hear this kind of talk online because some students do not take the virus seriously and this can be a real eye-opener for those who believe they are immune to the virus. It can help students fully understand this threat and protect themselves from it. This relates to our physical health education class because we have been discussing updates on the coronavirus and how it affects people around the world. Additionally, it relates to our current fitness unit because the talk teaches us to prioritize our health and take care of our bodies during this seemingly bleak time. 

Grade 11 Spanish

The Cave of Altamira represents the apogee of Paleolithic cave art that developed across Europe, from the Urals to the Iberian Peninsula from 35,000 to 11,000 BC. Because of the cave’s deep galleries, isolated from external climatic influences, these caves are particularly well preserved. The caves are inscribed as masterpieces of creative genius and as humanity’s earliest accomplished art.

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/310/ 

Source: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/310/gallery/

Source: https://thinkglobalheritage.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/the-altamira-cave-endangered/

This cave in northern Spain is Nicknamed “the Sistine Chapel of paleolithic art”. We have used this artistic expression as a touchstone to understand a different aspect of Spain, and we have used it to answer some deeper questions like: why did early humans paint on cave walls?

Shark-Tank Week in Grade 10 Business

by Mr. Michael Stewart, MHS Business Teacher

This week, our student–entrepreneurs pitched their ideas for their new business products or services to the ‘Sharks’ (Ms. Cornet, Ms. Condor, and Mr. Denton – our sincerest thanks to them), seeking investments in the companies and product/services that they’ve been developing throughout the Quarter. Students were required to incorporate what they’ve learned over the semester- about supply and demand, competition, marketing, market research, pricing, and cost analysis– in order to convince the Sharks that they have hit upon the ‘next big thing’. The Sharks weren’t readily inclined to part with their ‘money’, asking challenging questions and probing the pitches for oversights, but they were impressed by the knowledge and hard work so clearly on display. Here is one of the best pitches of the week, from Stefen and Edrigu. Their company – ‘Dragons’ Delivery’- had the Sharks circling immediately!

Click here for the link to their presentation

Here are a few slides from their presentation showing how they used feedback to refine their logo to attract more customers.

IB Business Management 11

by Ms. Emily Cornet, IB Management Teacher/IBDP Coordinator

During the final quarter of Grade 11, the IB Business Management students begin work on their Internal Assessment (IA), a required component of the IBDP course.  For the IA, students need to create a research question which allows them to examine a real-world business.  

Higher Level (HL) students must choose a business which they have access to, because the IA will require them to conduct primary research over the summer as they interview different internal stakeholders about a problem that the business is facing, and then formulate suggestions for how that business should resolve the problem.  

Standard Level (SL) students will complete a secondary source-based commentary on an aspect of a business.  The IA is actually one of the biggest differences in the HL and SL course for Business Management students, as the approach the student takes in their research differs greatly (primary research versus secondary research).  

Thus far, students have created their Research Questions, and have formulated a proposal for what they will complete over the summer months when they do the bulk of their investigation.

Psychology 10

by Ms. Evangeline Villagonzalo, MHS Psychology Teacher

Psychology 10 is a semester-long course designed to give students a basic overview and understanding of the subject. Unit Two’s key concept centers on perspective, where students will explore how our brain processes the world around us through a study into the interaction of our basic senses, our prior experiences, and knowledge. Perspective is the position from which we observe situations, objects, facts, ideas, and opinions. It may also be associated with individuals, groups, cultures, or disciplines. Different perspectives can often lead to multiple representations, interpretations, and different perceptions.  In this unit the students will explore how the human brain determines how we experience the world, and what impact it has on our daily decision making process. 

Here are some of the student’s sample slides, drawings, and reflections:

We learned about how the brain uses our past experiences (perceptual set) in order to dictate how we perceive the world. This unit had really opened my eyes to how our brain deciphers the sensations that are collected by our sense organs. Overall, it was really interesting to see everyone’s depiction of the processes of sensation and perception and how different illusions can trick our minds. – Selly

I learned that most of what we experience is determined by our mind. There’s a lyric of this song that goes “You don’t see with your eyes, you perceive with your mind.” and I never really understood that until now. Our perception of the world can definitely shape the life we live by influencing our perception. It opened my eyes up to how important our brain is for finding our way around the world, and that we must make this world more accessible for those whose brains function differently from ours. – Katrina

After all of our summative assessments and activities for this unit, I feel like I was able to obtain a deeper understanding about myself. I learned how we sense things on a day to day basis and how we perceive certain objects. I learned how and why we sometimes get tricked and that our senses have limitations. From one of our activities, The Man who Mistook, I was able to learn how different disorders affect perception. I found this study particularly interesting because I really wanted to understand why the man couldn’t detect faces but could detect objects and geometrical shapes really well. All of these have helped me understand the human body and behavior. – Heinz

In this unit I created a presentation about hearing. I went over the parts of the ear, sound waves, hearing loss and what to do to treat it, and more. This has helped me understand the world we live in as well and how to act in it. What I find most interesting about this unit is vision. I didn’t realize how much processes the eye has to go through to pass on images to the brain. There was so much to learn about it making me even more interested to learn about vision.  – Andrew

I think the topic is especially interesting and insightful because it helps us understand ourselves through understanding the processes that take place in our minds and bodies. I learned to be more aware of my thoughts and actions. I realized that we cannot fully trust our senses because our mind can also perceive things as what they are not based on our past experiences and opinions. I found the illusion aspect the most interesting because we have yet to figure out how they really work since we are only stuck with a bunch of theories. – Reona

My presentation focused on the somatosensory system which is the huge network that allows us to touch an object and interpret it with our brain and different receptors. It was meaningful to learn deeply about the process of how sensation and perception works in every second of our lives.  – Thomas

Learning from the sensation and perception unit, I have realized how they are different and how they support the way we perceive things and the world around us. I better understand now how our senses work and why common visual illusions work. – Vicky

My personal favorite activity was the Man Who Mistook. I enjoyed the Man Who Mistook activity because the story was very interesting to read and answering the questions itself was also a fun activity to do. I specifically found this activity interesting because I watched a show that had a character with a similar disability and I didn’t think it was real until I read about the Man Who Mistook in psychology class. – Hayun

One thing I have found interesting about this topic is that our sense of smell is more linked to our memories and emotions than other senses. At first, I thought that our sense of vision relates better to our memories and emotions since we are under the impression of what we see. However, it has been proven that the nose and the sense of smell make you remember things. – Joo Ha

The TOK Exhibition 2021

by Mr. David Gibson, MHS TOK Teacher

This year was a new and challenging year in TOK. For the first time the previous Presentation assessment had been dropped and the new TOK Exhibition introduced. It would also be an introduction coinciding with the adaptive and innovative requirements of the pandemic.

The Exhibition differs considerably from its predecessor in that there is no requirement for a live component. Rather, students are required now to attempt to ‘place’ TOK in a real world environment. Indeed TOK can be a very abstract subject and one that has a tendency to remain in the realms of the hypothetical and philosophical. And yet properly grasped, TOK has many practical applications, indeed. It was in an attempt at addressing this that the TOK Exhibition was created.

“The TOK exhibition was something completely new none of us had experienced. We had to think about a question we’ve never thought of before which was a challenge for a lot of us. However the process overall was fun and fruitful.” – Youngseo

The exhibition itself comprised students’ selection of one of the provided 36 TOK prompts and their relation of that prompt to one of the TOK Options or Areas of Knowledge. This was then investigated and represented by students via means of three real world objects encountered personally by the student in their daily lives, studies, or reading. Their task was to demonstrate how these objects, illustrating their particular prompt, showed how the prompt was met with in a real world situation. Each object, though a separate investigation in itself, made up a part of the three towards a single student-directed whole which they offered as an overall expression of their prompt.

“The TOK exhibition was challenging [as] part of the new syllabus… however, I enjoyed creatively showing how TOK exists in the world around me.” – Deandra

Students found challenges in various ways. Firstly it was not easy to take the sometimes abstract and conceptual content of TOK and fashion it into an exhibition comprising mundane or otherwise everyday objects. Objects could range from content heavy items such as an article focused on a particular topic or something quite commonplace such as, in one example, the family dining table. This process then defined the TOK thinking in ways students could see and utilise for themselves; thus encouraging a highly practical understanding of philosophical principles.

“The TOK Exhibition has really allowed me to be in touch with my human self, in the sense that I still have yet to understand a lot of things about the true breadth of knowledge and how it affects the real world.” – Justin

Various skills were utilised and developed along the way. Critical thinking was to the fore, while practical application made up the body of the students’ work. Their written skills were developed also in terms of illustrating a complex topic in writing while simultaneously making connections between areas of thought and understanding to produce a single well-crafted exhibition, organisation, coherency, lucidity all being necessary to the exhibitions success.

“During the exhibition I had faced some challenges like time management, writing within the word limit, and balancing information [in terms of] order of most important to not important.” – Luna

Given remote learning the students were also challenged to create this exhibition, not necessarily intended for online access, in an accessible online manner. Students utilised their creative abilities and electronic media awareness by creating their part of the exhibition within an online Prezi environment including, text image and video. The overall result was a well-handled crafted TOK exhibition the students should be fully proud of. 

“The exhibition was undoubtedly challenging and truly tested my ability to unfold such complex theories into simple objects I’ve encountered in my personal life. However, it has allowed me to grow substantially as a conscious thinker with a more informed perspective of the nature of knowledge.” – Justin

Well done, Year 11 TOK students!

(CAS) Creativity Action Service  Learning

by Mr. Ace Pierra, IB CAS/ Service Learning Coordinator

A Sustainable Livelihood Support for the Super Typhoon Victims in Caramoan Bicol

CIS PROJECT SICAP: Seaweed Income Collaborative Aquaculture Program

During our last Week Without Walls in February, the 4×4 Group worked together to come up with a livelihood program for the victims of the super typhoon in Bicol. Combining the efforts of the entire school to extend help to the super typhoon victims, we developed the Project SICAP for the chosen families. We would like to thank our community for all of the donations that were made. The next step for CIS is to bring students to this community and let the families teach our students the process behind aquaculture and seaweed production.

Here’s what Ms. Jean Naval our community leader there in Caramoan has to say;

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” – Sir Winston Churchill

A life-given gift to share despite the creeping difficulty brought by pandemic. Devastating leftovers of typhoons brought tears to the 7 families of Campo St., Tabgon, Caramoan, Camarines Sur. Many years living along the coastline and fed from fishing kept them living, but after the typhoon, nothing was left, including their source of income.

A spring of hope once again was seen on the horizon when, on a day of November just after the typhoon, Cebu International School contacted me. This started the journey and opened the door for new beginnings through Project SICAP (Seaweed Income Collaborative Aquaculture Program), a joint Livelihood project that aims to help the 7 families to rise again.

The agar farming has already launched and we look forward to the successful process and equitable income for the 7 families. 

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week:

School Profile
When applying to a university, one requirement that may be required is the School Profile.  This is a document created by the school that contains relevant information about the school’s curriculum, grading system, accreditations and a brief history.  It also includes a list of the universities the graduates have been accepted to. This document is updated every year and is submitted to universities if required when a student applies for admission.  Here is a link to the CIS School Profile 2020-21 which can be accessed on our school website. 

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

DATE

May 29 Saturday
3:30PM – 7:00 PM

Alumni Chat Series Episode 6:  Annyeong Korea!

EVENT (IDP Webinar Series)

UK Virtual Fair
LINK to register & view participating schools

To be confirmed (Final date will be sent to interested students)