Author: Cebu International School

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)

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Dear CIS Community, 

I am extremely pleased to share with you that we have now received our official letter of authorization from the International Baccalaureate (IB), and are officially authorized to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP)! 

The addition of the MYP to the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) in our elementary school and the Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11-12 enables us to offer a seamless IB education throughout our Early Years-Grade 12 program. CIS now joins an elite group of IB Continuum Schools worldwide (IB World School which offers at least three of the four available IB programs). We are also the first and only IB Continuum school in the Philippines!

Congratulations to any of you who have contributed to this milestone in any way. We want to publically thank Mr. Jonathon Denton, our Assistant Principal-MYP, for effectively coordinating the implementation process over the last two years, and we recognize all of the work our MYP teachers have put into adapting to the MYP standards and practices. We are excited at the contributions the MYP will make to our provision of a high-quality education for our students.

Upcoming events and dates for your attention

• Parents, please join our last Parent Coffee Meeting next Tuesday, May 25 at 9-10 am. This time is provided to enable you to chat with fellow parents, receive news details directly for the admin team members, and discuss parent-related issues. 
• May 26 Wed: Whole School Celebration of Learning (virtual – details will be provided by the divisional principals. Students, note this day is not included on our day rotation so Thu will be Day B!)
• May 28: Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony (virtual)
• Refer to our online School Calendar a complete listing of school events

Have a safe, restful weekend!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Celebration  of Learning

This coming Wednesday, May 26th, is the CIS Celebration of Learning event. This is a significant event in the CIS school Calendar when all students have the opportunity to demonstrate the growth they have made in their skills, knowledge, and personal attributes during the school year. 

This week the students have been working with their teachers to design their Celebration of Learning Day so that each learning from each subject area can be represented. The CIS PYP Curriculum is designed to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, one where the traditional realms of knowledge and skill become quickly outdated. In order to prepare students for this world the curriculum places considerable emphasis on How to Learn, not just What to Learn. As parents who experienced a different kind of education, we sometimes struggle with this difference, because our children take a little longer to master some of the knowledge components of the curriculum. This is because we learned in a system that placed high levels of value on memorisation, viewing the ability to rapidly recall relatively simple pieces of factual  information quickly.  At CIS we recognise that it can be useful to recall such knowledge quickly at times, however we also recognise that the ability to know how to locate information, organize and interpret this information, and apply it to an unfamiliar context is of much greater value. Because we cannot teach everything of importance, this is where the focus must lie for a school who wishes to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. The Celebration of Learning is an opportunity for your children, our students, to demonstrate this type of learning growth.

There will be three parts to the Celebration of Learning in the Elementary school on Wednesday. 

Student-Led Conference: Firstly, your children will prepare a series of learning engagement demonstrations to share with you at home. We ask that you set aside the necessary time on Wednesday. If you are unable to spend this time with your child on Wednesday, please ensure you commit another time in the week or weekend when this will be made a priority. 

Three-Way Conference: Early this week you received an invitation to sign up for a Three-Way Conference. This conference is an opportunity for your child, the teacher and yourself to discuss the progress made over the semester, review your child’s personal goals, and together identify future areas for growth. 

Follow-up Specialist Learning Engagements: During the Celebration of Learning there will be no formal classes or regular synchronous calls. Each class will have two specialist learning engagements to complete on this day following the SLC and 3WC. Following the completion of the sections listed above, please have your child visit Seesaw to complete the Celebration of Learning Specialist learning engagements. 

We  do encourage you to ask your child about their Celebration of Learning plans so you are aware of what they are preparing. Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher if you have any questions.

Learning In Grade 5

With the school year drawing to a close, it is a significant time for the Grade 5 students as they finish their education in Elementary School and prepare to transition to Middle High School. 

Earlier this month, the students showcased their learning through the Virtual PYP Exhibition (PYPx). If you have not already done so, please visit the website and leave a comment.

The PYPx is designed as a learning journey for the culmination of elementary school. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate the ATL skills and Learner Profile attributes developed over the years. 

The students selected a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), then formed teams, centered around their interests and passions. They demonstrated their thinking skills through developing their own Lines Of Inquiry and Key Questions, then employed their research skills through in-depth inquiries into their Central Idea. 

Students were supported by a wonderful team of mentors (thank you to Mr. Sten Coppin, Mr. Glenn Davies, Ms. Leanne Gibson, Ms. Mau Juanson, and Mrs. Aimee Underwood for the time and effort you invested on the students.)

Students collaborated in their teams to create a visual presentation of their key ideas, and conduct an online live presentation to an audience. This was quite intimidating for some students, but they proved themselves risk-takers and knowledgeable communicators through capably conducting their live sessions. 

Reflection after the PYPx revealed that all students felt they had benefited from the experience, with greater insight into their strengths, a better understanding of their chosen SDG and action they can take, and appreciation of areas for personal growth to continue their development as learners. The students agreed it was helpful in their preparation for Middle School.

Our current Unit Of Inquiry centers around the theme: The human body is made up of interrelated systems that change and affect people at different life stages. We have been investigating the form and function of different body systems and how they are connected. Collaborative groups have each studied a specific body system. They will be passing on their new knowledge and understanding to teach their fellow classmates in the coming days. 

As we consider our bodies, we are gaining an appreciation of the many changes occurring within us right now. (physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, etc) For each person, the timing is different, and it is important that we understand the  process of puberty, and treat each other with respect and care.

If you are a Grade 5 parent, you are probably noticing some of the changes the students have indicated:

In other fields of learning, specifically in Arts, they are reading up about Cubism. Cubism was a revolutionary new approach to representing reality invented in around 1907–08 by artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. They brought different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture, resulting in paintings that appear fragmented and abstracted.​ 

Learning in the Early Years 

Story Workshop 

The Early Years participated in our story workshop and drew inspiration from the stories read during library classes. Having a story workshop process helped these young learner to  develop their writing skills. They were able to build stories using different materials. The EYs made use of their imagination, life experiences and other familiar stories to create their own stories.

As they continued with the process, they managed to identify the characters, settings, and plot of their stories by using the transition words. At the end of the week, our young writers shared their stories in small groups and their stories were published in our Seesaw blog to allow others to share their friends’ stories and give comments or feedback.

As we engaged in listening to the story, “So light, so heavy” shared with us by Ms. MJ, the author used seesaw as a tool for readers to explore the concept of heavy and light which allowed us to dive deeper and discover how heavy or light objects are. In math, our young learners made their own balancing scale to describe and explain their understanding of the concepts heavy and light. Now that we have a better understanding of the concepts heavy and light, we started to compare the length and weights of objects.

Our youngest learners continued learning about the concepts of long and short as well as the concept of more or less by demonstrating simple measuring experiments. The Early Years showed their understanding of the math concepts by using different objects as a tool to measure and compare things. They demonstrated and shared their knowledge of the concept of capacity and concluded that containers can hold different things based on their size and shape.

Family Traditions Show and Tell

As we continue with our unit on Where We Are In Place and Time, The Early Years collected some items that represented their families and traditions. They started to build on their understanding of where and how family traditions began by sharing some items from their families and the countries where they are from. As we are about to end our unit, we continue to inquire into the concept of Responsibility and we learn, respect, acknowledge and understand other families’ traditions. 

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School Principal

Grade 5 Transition

An exciting initiative that we started two years ago and are continuing this year is our Grade 5 transition/mentoring program. This was an exciting initiative that came about through a collaboration between the ES and MHS, together with the counseling office, to help our Grade 5 students transition more successfully into our Middle Years Program. We have created a series of events and activities to help build the relationships between each student and his or her MHS mentor and also prepare the Grade 5 students with experiences to help them feel more at ease and prepared as they enter Grade 6 and the MYP Program. 

Last week we invited our Grade 5 students to “come and try” our Grade 6 classes by joining them virtually. A small group of students each day had the opportunity to join at least 2 of our Grade 6 classes that day in order to get a better sense of what classes and structures in MYP were like.

We have also planned a series of weekly transition activities to help students connect with us and with their MHS mentors. For example, this week the Grade 5 students will take part in an Escape Room activity, created by Mr. Denton, where the clues needed to escape with their group are all related to MHS life, teachers, and classes.

On Tuesday afternoon, we also held a Transition Talk for our Grade 5 parents to better acquaint them with MHS and specifically the MYP program. Again, the transition team worked collaboratively both to create and deliver this presentation. Some of the key aspects that we discussed with parents were as follows: 

We have once again paired all of our rising 6th graders with a MHS mentor who will connect with them over the next few months and help them with the transition next year. Our mentors are a group of outstanding students who had to apply for the role and were hand-picked to mentor specific students in the rising 6th grade class. They serve as a resource for the Grade 6 students, providing help, guidance, wisdom, and accountability.

Maths Personal Project

Discovering maths through games and puzzles

When students in Grade 10 select the focus of their MYP Personal Project, a few brave souls choose to challenge themselves with exploring a subject like Math. On the surface “The Tower of Hanoi “ is an entertaining puzzle, accessible to a wide range of students. This year it became the focus for Thomas Kim for his MYP Personal Project. Throughout the year, Thomas has invested the time to dig deeper into this problem, discovering for himself how to sum a geometric series, the concept of recursion, and how a physical situation can be better represented in a binary base.

One at a time, he could have learnt about these topics in the classroom; instead, as any true mathematician appreciates, he has discovered that mathematics is not a succession of disparate topics but a connected whole. His success in this guided exploration reinforces his connection with mathematics and it has given him the confidence and motivation to aim higher. Who knows where this journey will take him?

Here are Thomas’ own words concerning his project:

Hello, my name is Thomas from Grade 10A. For my personal project, I chose to work on math. Most students feel math is scary and stressful. Often this is because of the ambiguity of the use of math in a real-life situation. People think that the calculation of real numbers is only knowledge used in the real-life. However, other mathematical theories also apply in real-life situations, such as the Tower of Hanoi.

The Tower of Hanoi is a mathematical puzzle consisting of three rods and multiple disks of different sizes that can be inserted and removed anywhere on the rods. The player should play the game according to these rules. 1. At first, all disks are stacked sequentially with small ones facing up on the left rod. 2. One disk can be moved to another rod at a time. 3. Large disk cannot be placed on a small disk. Regardless of three simple rules, there are numerous mathematical patterns. Now, let’s explore those patterns and disclose the answer from the unknown monk. 

The recurrence relation is one of the solutions to find the number of movements.  f(n) = 2 n – 1, n ∊ N, is the minimum number of movements needed. This formula is induced by a theory called recursion. It means calling its function inside the function itself. Now, let’s define a function as function f. A number of disks should be inserted into the domain and the range will represent the number of disks. For step 1, the number of movements is f(n-1). For step 2, only 1 movement is required. For step 3, we also need f(n-1) movements. If we add up all the ranges, the result will be f(n). So, a recurrence relation that expresses the number of disks is f(n) = 2{f(n-1)} + 1. If we transform this equation.

f(n)+1 = 2{f(n-1)+1}
f(n-1)+1 = 2{f(n-2)+1}
f(n-2)+1 = 2{f(n-3)+1}
…
f(2)+1 = 2{f(1)+1}

Multiply Both Sides

(f(n)+1)(f(n-1)+1)(f(n-2)+1)…(f(2)+1) = 2n-1{f(n-1)+1}{f(n-2)+1}{f(n-3)+1}…{f(1)+1}

Divide Both Sides By (f(n-1)+1)(f(n-2)+1)…(f(2)+1)

(f(n)+1) = 2n-1*{f(1)+1}
Set f(1) Into 1
(f(n)+1) = 2n-1*{21} = 2n
∴ f(n) = 2n-1

As you can see, there is a mathematical theory hidden inside one simple puzzle. Accordingly, we need to look for the interaction between scientific principles and human society to understand how the natural world works. I hope everyone will be able to understand the global context of “Scientific and technical innovation” throughout mathematical thinking.

Language & Literature 10

by Mr. Corryn Smith, Language & Literature Teacher

In their final quarter of Grade 10 Language & Literature, students are studying various genres of film & commercials (PSA’s, consumer advertisements, movie trailers and political attack ads) to better understand the purpose and structure of non fiction texts and how producers use these texts to appeal to their audiences. 

As a final assessment of their understanding of these concepts, students have been tasked with creating their own film/commercial spot (Media Presentation) to demonstrate such structural aspects of film as camera angles and shots, montage, voice over, composition, lighting, make up and pacing. 

In the student sample here from last year’s Grade 10, you’ll see a creative exploration of the PSA (Public Service Announcement) addressing issues of teen depression:

G10 Language & Literature Summative Media Presentation

Grade 9A Visual Arts Class

by Ms. Gerri Ancajas Jumao-as, Visual Arts Teacher

The Grade 9A class are working on their unit ‘Still Life Portrait’. They are developing their drawing skills and addressing the key concept of form by looking at perspective and how objects can be arranged to lead to multiple representations (related concept).

Here are some students’ documentation of their progress. 

It felt very difficult when drawing details, especially money. The painting in the money was very complicated and elaborate. What I drew doesn’t match the actual money, but I did my best and I’m satisfied with the result. I started coloring, but I quickly modified the iPhone sound and power button during coloring. I was very satisfied because the color of the cell phone was well added with the tonal value. – Minseong

I feel that, generally, the background needs more work at this point. The forms are all put in, but if I colored it now there would just be a lot of blank color, and while with a lot of shading and work with tonal value that could look good, I still want to provide a reason to look at the middle piece other than just it’s placement. To address the problem of the wide expanses, I’m thinking of adding a scenic background to the computer screen. – Zeke

I think that I developed my overall art skills and thinking because before I didn’t even bother with shading and these format compositions. This helped me arrange my thoughts and gave me better ideas when I wanted to draw, especially in art class. After the formative tasks and the 4 study drawing tasks, I do feel a bit more confident in drawing. – Clark

After all of the formative tasks, I think I’m a little bit more confident, not in the drawing part but in the item placement because I was able to figure out how to place different items on the drawing and how to overlap them if needed. Before it really took me a long time to figure out how to overlap each of the items while I was drawing, but now it’s a little easier to see which parts of the items I should cut off and which parts should stay. – Natalie

After the formative tasks and the 4 study drawing tasks, I am more confident in drawing this because I have drawn something similar before and I have drawn the objects multiple times. My confidence grew because I remember how to draw the objects and now I am already used to drawing them. That is why I find it so much easier to draw the objects. – Liam

Because I did the study beforehand, I was able to understand the importance of a good composition better. I did not expect this to have such an impact on my final choice. From the study, I chose to do the triangle composition since out of all my photos this, to me, created the most pleasing interest. – Sofia

I used colored pencils for the paint tube because of the details and size of the object. I think I can try using the oil pastels for the background, cloth and maybe parts of the book. I really felt more confident drawing and coloring this piece because of all the exercises we have done in class. Now, I know how to use the color pencils better, as well as other tools that I have at home that have been of great use to me. I think I made lots of good progress today; I finished coloring in one whole object, and I have a relatively good plan in mind on how to fill in the rest of the image. – Mahati

I started doing a bit of shading, it was a bit easier to do the drawings on a bigger piece of paper because there was more room and I had more space to draw the background. I like how it looks right now; it was really fun to see how the drawing improved after a couple times. I drew the table underneath so it would look more like the picture I took. – Sealoa

During this summative task, I feel like I’ve improved in adding tonal value with colored pencils. In the formative tasks it was hard for me to blend different shades of the same color together but I think I applied that really well when coloring the statue. Overall, this session was mainly for me to get some of the small objects and details colored in so that in the next two sessions, I could focus more on finishing the wallet, timer, and adding some shading to the background. – Esther

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner

Tip for the Week:  Are you interested in studying in Europe?

If you are interested in studying in Europe, below are links to country-specific websites that can provide you with general information about universities, degrees offered, the application process and relevant information. 

Resource link  per Country

Austria – www.studyinaustria.at
Belgium – www.studyinbelgium.be/en
Bulgaria – www.studyinbulgaria.com
Croatia – www.studyincroatia.hr
Cyprus – www.studyincyprus.org.cy
Czech Republic – www.studyin.cz
Denmark – www.studyindenmark.dk
Estonia – www.studyinestonia.ee
Finland – www.studyinfinland.fi
France – www.campusfrance.org/en
Germany – www.daad.de/en
Greece – www.studyingreece.edu.gr
Hungary – www.studyinhungary.hu
Ireland – www.educationinireland.com
Italy – www.studyinitaly.it
Latvia – www.studyinlatvia.lv

Lithuania – www.studyin.lt
Luxembourg – www.luxembourg.public.lu/en/work-and-study/studying-in-luxembourg.html
Malta – www.integration.gov.mt/en/Education/Pages/Education-In-Malta.aspx
The Netherlands – www.studyinholland.nl
Norway – www.studyinnorway.no
Poland www.studyinpoland.pl
Portugal www.study-research.pt
Romania www.studyinromania.gov.ro
Slovakia www.studyinslovakia.sk
Slovenia www.studyinslovenia.si
Spain – www.studyinspain.info/en
Sweden – www.studyinsweden.se
Switzerland – www.studyinswitzerland.plus

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

DATE

May 22 & 23
Saturday & Sunday
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

May 29 Saturday
3:30PM – 7:00 PM

EVENT (*IDP Webinar Series)

Australia & New Zealand Virtual Fair
Institutions from Victoria & Queensland
LINK to register & to view participating schools

UK Virtual Fair
LINK to register & view participating schools

Virtual Summer Programs

We invite you to join the Virtual Summer Programs hosted by Cebu International School! This is open to everyone, so go and tell your friends and family!

For full list of programs and fees, please visit this link https://bit.ly/Summer2021CIS

To sign up for the programs, visit https://bit.ly/Summer2021CISJoin

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

As we move toward the end of the month of May, CIS will hold the annual Celebration of Learning event where students will take the opportunity to demonstrate their personal growth. As an IB PYP school, CIS measures student growth in a range of ways because we recognize that students who are learning to navigate a rapidly changing world need to master a wide range of skills and competencies.  Traditional schooling places great importance on excellent grades, high test scores and the rapid recall of knowledge. However we all know that a high test score is a poor predictor of life success.  Rather, measuring students’ success against a wide range of skills and competencies is a more accurate way of determining growth and improvement over time. In an IB PYP school we measure growth by observing the nature of students’ inquiry over time, by observing for depth and breadth of their ability to self manage the learning process. We measure students’ awareness of authentic challenges that require solutions based on the integration of knowledge that spans and connects across different subjects. We do assess their subject knowledge, but also how students  apply their conceptual understandings to further their own investigations successfully. We are deeply concerned with how students demonstrate and develop the approaches to learning skills and attributes and how students demonstrate both independence and an ability to learn collaboratively.

CIS teachers employ 4 types of monitoring process to measure student growth. The most valuable tool is our daily formative assessment practices where learning progress is monitored daily in a partner relationship between students and teachers. As students who have agency (a sense of ownership over their learning), daily negotiation takes place between the teacher and the student. The teacher provides the student worth feedback regarding their learning, and students equally seek advice as they engage in productive struggle to grasp new knowledge, concepts and skills. As this relationship between the teacher and student matures, the teachers and students form a learning partnership. Our CIS celebration of learning, held on Wednesday 26th May, is an opportunity for our students to demonstrate how this learning partnership has equipped them to be self directed learners who make meaningful decisions about the direction of their learning. We ask that you highlight the Celebration of learning date on your calendars so you  can be a part of this important day.

How We Express Ourselves

Kinder and Grade 1 Tamaraws

As we embarked on our last unit for this school year, How We Express Ourselves, we started by reading a story about a girl who manages to convey her emotions through a series of actions until she finally made herself cool off away from everyone, especially her younger sister. The students then shared their experiences on how they show their feelings toward a certain situation. Most of them said reading a book can help you cool down, drawing, painting, taking pictures and even walking your dog. 

We carried on the second line of inquiry which is  “Appreciation of the different ways people express themselves”, and focused on looking deeper into one´s art and how it varies to everyone. We showed students some of the world’s famous paintings and artwork on how it makes them feel. The students discussed how the colors, strokes and subjects of the painting affects the artwork and the eye of the beholder. Then, we talked about the story How Artists Tell Different Stories and highlighted that artists are not just those who paint and do art rather they are people who express themselves responsibly and effectively through different mediums. 

Finally, we encouraged the students to be an artist themselves and asked them to make an artwork using paper and coloring materials. They put together the things that they have learned from the different artists like Vincent Van Gogh and his style in painting but they centered their piece on how they felt at that time of the day and how they see themselves in the future.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School Principal

As we approach the end of the academic year, we also are moving toward the culminating summative assessments in our respective courses. In keeping with a bit of a philosophical shift in alignment with our transition to MYP, you will find that the majority of our end-of-year assessments are performance assessments, where students demonstrate their understanding and highlight their skills through a performance of some type, or a product/project performance where students demonstrate their knowledge and skills through creating a substantial product.

In this final month of school we continue to provide instruction for our students that helps them reach academic standards and we continue to strive to keep the classroom student-centered, as we know that the person doing the most talking is, provided that this talking is on task and relevant, doing the most thinking, and the one doing the most thinking is doing the most learning.

This week we take a look into our Design and Science classes to see how our students are thinking critically and creatively to conduct experiments and produce designs while they are at home. 

Grade 8 and 9 Design Classes 

by Ms. Gerri Ancajas-Jumao-as, Design Teacher

The Grade 9 Design class is currently working on their unit on Textile. They are developing their sewing and textile related skills and addressing the key concept of development by looking at processes through improvements and textile materials to create a product.

Here are some of our students’ documentation of their progress. As you can see student agency, ownership, as well as peer-feedback and collaboration play important roles in the students as they follow the design process.

Embroidery will be used in the final design because of the branches. I plan to embroider the branches on the cloth by using the satin method. Because I would have to cover a lot of length I might use yarn to do this or just stick to normal thread. I will be using this skill because I do not have a complete piece of cloth since they are all leftovers. This will be used when I put together the cloth for the base frame. I need to join my largest green clothes just to make sure I get the right and proper length. I will be using this technique in my design because I do not have the exact lengths of what I need (in this case some might be too large for the desired shape). This will also be used in the petals because not only does it shorten the length; it gives the cloth a smoother edge. – Sofia

Skills that I have learned from my formative tasks that will be used for my summative are: shortening a cloth, joining two pieces of fabric, and repairing a hole.  I will be using the skill of shortening a cloth just in case there is still some more space on the shirt that I didn’t use for the rug, even though the rug is done. I will be using the skill of joining two pieces of fabric when I finish using one shirt and I need to transition to another shirt, I will join the two pieces of fabric together. I will be using the repairing a hole skill just in case there is an unwanted hole on the shirt that messes up the rug. With that skill, I can cover up that hole. – Liam

This is my final design. Reflecting the opinion in the survey group, I changed the background to clothes instead of boxes and changed the design. There is another change here: making a pot holder, not a cup holder. In the survey, my mom told me to make a pot holder, so I added a pot holder. When I make these holders, I will use running stitch back stitch and satin stitch. – Minseong

For my final design, I decided on the Table Runner, because in my survey, more people thought it would be better to have a table runner for people to see rather than a pillowcase that no one would see. Also you can use a table runner as a centerpiece and It would also be a lot easier to make considering the fabric is less. The design is also more neutral so it would match people’s houses better. I am using Cotton sheets and dish towels to make it. I will also use yarn to make tassels at the two ends of the table runner. – Sealoa

The main change to the designs is really just the top flap. Instead of having a loop at the end to close the case, the flap has a buttonhole so that it can be used to close up the case. I think the best method is what is normally used for bags; a separate piece of fabric that is attached to the back so that it can fold forward. I have 4 different fabrics that I plan to use; a bright yellow cotton one, a dark blue cotton fabric, a dark greenish blue fabric, also cotton, and a light greenish blue fabric, which is a bit silkier. Now, thinking about the textures of the fabric, I think it’s better to use the dark green-blue fabric as the inner lining instead of the lighter one, since it’s a bit stronger and made of more cotton than the lighter fabric. The yellow fabric is probably the stiffest and toughest one I have, so that is definitely what I’ll be using for the lining. The embroidery on the cover of the case will be contrasting colors, like yellow, orange, or gold. – Mahati

Things I learned from our formative task was obviously how to sew and the different techniques and different sewing styles to use. Another technique I learned during the formative time was embroidery- about the different designs and techniques they use while putting designs on different fabrics and sometimes even words. The last memorable thing that I learned from the formative task was weaving and that was our first task ever and to be honest it was the easiest for me to learn since it didn’t involve a needle and thread which is great for me since I’m not the best at using them. The weaving was so easy and it actually was really fun to do and I learned it to the point that I was able to do the task while watching tv which is something really rare for me to do and only if I really understand how to do something. – Natalie

We practiced lots of skills in our formative tasks, so I’ll be applying them to my final design. I’m using the tools of backstitch, hemming, and joining two pieces of fabric together. I’m also going to be using the hemming technique when sewing my pillowcase for the open end. This is a very useful technique for a pillowcase because it will be easier to cover a pillowcase because I won’t be sewing the opening together. Instead, I’ll be hemming it. I’ll be using the backstitch for sewing the outer edges of the two fabrics together because it’s an easy and reliable stitch to use and it holds the fabric together well. I’ll also be joining two pieces of fabric together because one piece of fabric will be on the front of the pillowcase, and I’ll sew that together with the plain white piece of fabric that will be shown on the back of the fabric. – Esther

The final design chosen is a denim jacket with minimal embroidery in exchange for a simple and utilitarian look. There is an embroidered piece on the right breast of the apron. Cutting open the legs of the old jeans makes it easier to source long and wide planes of material, and preserving the waist area with the pockets is easy enough to do. There are also a lot of seams already sown in, meaning less edges that need to be smoothed down. The things I will be applying the most to this project are the skills of embroidery, joining cloth, and adding seams. These are especially important as denim is not only thick, but also very rough around the edges when cut, and the wide expanse of blue may throw off a lot of people. The embroidery might be harder to do, and the motif might not stay the same depending on what colors I have, but really this design hasn’t changed from when it first was made, to when it was shared in a survey, and now when it’s on the final leg of the summative. – Zeke

The Grade 8 Design class started their unit on Upcycling.  They are developing their recycling and upcycling related skills and addressing the key concept of development by looking at processes through improvements and recycled materials to create a product.

Here are some students’ documentation of their progress.

My initial struggle creating my product was that my paintbrushes weren’t really working so I decided to just use my finger because I could smooth it out and it would be even and not clumpy. Some skills I am developing are painting skills and open-minded skills because of what I did to solve my problem. I think after doing several formative tasks it was easier for me because we had done things like this before and I think it helped me in making my summative one. – Avery

I think one of the initial struggles I had making this was the time aspect, it took much longer since it took about 30 mins to stick the scrabble pieces together and form one coaster, which means I spent extra time apart from class time to work on it. I think that because we did multiple crafty formatives beforehand it helped get more crafty and I think I would’ve worked slower without the previous formative projects. – Miguel

This product will be made out of wood. It will have screws sticking out of it acting like hooks. It is like a wall itself so that you can just hang items on it and so you don’t have to drill the wall. I think having enough time might be my struggle because it took a lot of time to take nails out. Not having all the tools that I need is another challenge. Rounding the corners was also challenging and I addressed it by putting a lot of effort and time into making it round. – Caleb

Creating the product was much easier during the session and much more realistic after doing several formatives because I have more experience and I have a clear vision on what I will have to do in the future. I also have received multiple feedback from my teacher for me to understand what I had to improvise in detail, which was also a factor that contributed to my performance this session. – Roland

I think it was kind of easier because of the formatives we had beforehand. The formatives helped me prepare for making something kind of complicated. The things I had to do were kind of simple like cutting and glueing but the base of the lamp I had to improvise. Since it will be difficult if I actually used the base of a lamp then how will I attach the lamp shade. – Aaryan

This project is helping me develop my innovative and creative thinking skills. I was able to make necessary changes to the upcycling process of my product, and I came up with a more convenient way to go about the steps I had trouble with. Having done several upcycling projects before and doing research prior to that have made the creation of my products easier. Since we continuously did those for many sessions, I’ve gotten more familiar with the entire process in terms of the preparation, planning, and the necessary descriptions of my required materials and their purposes. With that said, I feel that it won’t take a long time for me to complete this project. – Fiana

I changed the basket design, especially size and color. I changed the colors to yellow and orange. I also put in a bee and flower so it makes the basket more attractive. I made the size bigger so when someone uses it, more items are fitted inside, making it useful and comfortable. I made the basket holder by using the rest of the plastic bottle. I think the basket is practical. I think I use my creative skills while I make the basket because I create the design and shape of the basket. – Yeseul

My initial struggle when creating this product was that the top would not have a proportionate size; therefore I cut the topside of the plastic bag to tried and make it proportionate while also folding it to the inside. This product was harder than expected since my formative tasks were much easier and took less effort. In this summative, I have to use multiple coats of spray paint to make the bag look white but if the bag has any creaks on them the paint can start to fall off. This was also harder since it required more thinking and creativity to make. – Sengo

My initial struggle was to place the first tape because the paper kept falling and I had to use one hand to cut the tape and the other to stabilize the paper to the bottle. I think that my taping skills are really developing due to the amount of tape I’m using in this project. It was easier to do what I did because I had practice with cutting, sketching, and piercing. so now it took me less time to do all of the actions and I reckon it’ll get better and better with more practice. – Noam

Having done several formative tasks beforehand really came in handy in creating this final product and it’s much easier now. This is because, from the formative tasks, I’ve learned ways to make my creations or products more effectively and also come up with a good design. From the formative assessments, I’ve learned to do things in a better way and also avoid certain things that may damage or ruin my product. So in conclusion, through formative assessments, I’ve learned my lesson and have applied what I’ve learned to my final product, which I’m currently in the process of making. – Gabrielle

Grade 10 Science

Grade 10 students recently did a presentation on Genetically Modified Organisms. They were provided with a range of categories, such as, Insulin production, Spider silk production, Frost resistant crops, Drought resistant crops, Flood tolerant crops, Bt crops, Herbicide resistant crops, etc. They chose a particular organism and conducted research on the techniques along with steps that are involved in the engineering and the transfer of the desired gene to the target organism. Also, they evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of GMOs. Their presentations were made using PPTs. To promote the chosen ATL skill of communication, each presentation was peer reviewed using a TAG feedback form.

Grade 11 DP Biology

Grade 11 students were involved in setting up home based lab investigations. 

The first one was, Estimating the Osmolarity of Potato cells. Students conducted the experiment at home, collected data, and have completed a detailed lab report.

Preparation: Chae Eun

Preparation: Jaschia

Set up – Pristina

Set up: Umi

Set up – Jenny

Preparing for data collection: Elena

Data collection: Kyoung Min

Data collection: Deandra

Visual representation of data: Deandra

Graph 1. Graph showing the effect of different salt concentrations on the average changes in mass (%).

Qualitative Data Collection: Deandra

Set up: Luna

Preparation: Keenan

Set up – Jodi

Set up – Luna

Preparing for data collection: Bianca

Qualitative data collection: Deandra

Visual representation of data: Jenny

Visual representation of data: Sakura 

Graph 1. Graph that shows the effect of different concentrations on the average change in mass (%).

Investigation 2: Students are in the process of another investigation based on Factors that favour Cloning. Most students are in the experimental phase. A couple of them are already in the data collection phase as well.

Set up: Deandra

Set up: Chae Eun

Set up: Sakura 

Grade 12 Biology

Grade 12 students, after completing their IAs and mock exams, prepared and made a presentation on the topic, “Career Options in Biology”. The prompts provided were to  choose their current favourite career option that is related to Biology, why they are interested in this career, and give an example of a person who is leading in this field and explore their failures and accomplishments. Students were also asked to identify further studies that may be required to pursue this career, and also the ways in which the IBDP program has helped them in laying the foundation for this career. Finally, students identified ways they could contribute to their local community and possibly on a global scale as well. 

The students expressed themselves with passion about their interest in the following specialized fields that relate to careers in Biology. Here are a few examples:

Grade 7 Science

May the force be with You! 

Forces play a crucial role in our everyday lives. Force allows everything to fall into place. Scientifically speaking, force can cause a moving object to: accelerate, decelerate, change direction, and even change shape. With the help of force, people may also then be identified as powerful dynamos that create materials into something that is useful for them, if not improve the quality of our living. These past few weeks, the Grade 7 students have been busy putting together their understanding of non-contact forces such as: gravity, magnetism and electrical forces. 

In a most creative way, they were able to cite how these three non-contact forces have affected their lives.

I fall
You fall
We all fall down
The force of gravity
Pulling us to the ground
You can never see it
It never makes a sound
It makes our mother earth
Go round and round and round
The planets have their orbits
Because of gravity
Pulls on flying objects
Pulls on you and me
Pulls on flying objects
Makes an apple fall
Lets up slip down slides
Makes a yo yo go.
—Xavier

With these students’ reflections on the importance of force specifically the non-contact forces, it reminds me of the Star War’s famous line, “May the force be with you”.  The speaker is saying that they wish the force to work in favour of the addressee, so he can do more.  Although ‘May the force be with you’ obviously originates in science fiction, many use the phrase in everyday life, as it is seen as a nice way of saying goodbye, good luck, ‘may you be protected’ or ‘come back safely’. It was often used as people parted ways, or in the face of an upcoming challenge. The phrase originated in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and has continued to be a classic part of Star Wars stories ever since.

Grade 6 Science

Go Solar!

The sun is considered our main source of energy. It emits these photons (units of light energy) which are then absorbed by plants and are transformed into chemical energy, which then flows readily through a system. But this is not the end story of the sun’s energy transformation; in fact, it can be transformed into power– an electricity that lights every household on the planet.

The Grade 6 students are hooked into understanding the important considerations for the most appropriate ways solar panels will be installed at  homes. These include seasonality, tilt, azimuth and shade. It’s a good investment to avail of the sun’s energy–because no one owns it.  

In need of any Solar Power information? –Call the Grade 6 students. They have a lot to say…

This type of energy resource is said to be renewable, and poses less harm to the environment–thus a cry to GO SOLAR! is the motto of the Grade 6 students. 

Here’s a piece of their brilliant thoughts that might help change our perspectives and avail of the solar power that is already available in the market.

“Solar power is the last energy resource that isn’t owned yet – nobody taxes the sun yet.” – Bonnie Rait

So, what are we waiting for?—Let’s Go Solar!

CIS Esports Club

by Mr. Ace Pierra, Athletics Director

The CIS Valorant team has worked hard throughout the past months to be able to compete with other schools. In fact, a few players in the CIS Valorant team have reached the top 11% of global players in Valorant which has 3 million daily players. Valorant is a tactical team based shooter in which team coordination is the key to winning games. Throughout the past weeks the CIS Esports Club has had friendly scrimmages with Faith International Academy. While the results were not what we would have hoped for, the CIS team was able to learn a lot and bond together as a team and also with the FIA students. The CIS Esports Club had also made a new set of friends that they can collaborate with. Further along the club’s life we hope to see more support and even be able to establish a streaming system in which you guys can watch and support us from the comfort of your own computers. We also hope to be able to continue this ASA for the next school year. 

Media Center News

Dear Students and Families, 

We are now in our few weeks before the school year ends. The library/Media center would like to inform you that you may now return the books that you currently checked out before May 28th. You may return the books to the main office, with Ms. Lory. If you wish to keep the books over the summer, please send an email to Mr. Monfre (dmonfre@cis.edu.ph ) or Ms. MJ (mcordova@cis.edu.ph ) and attach a photo of the books. You can also borrow books for the summer and send your requests in the first week of June. Please be informed that the turnaround time of the books that you’ll be checking out for the summer can be delayed due to COVID restrictions.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of the Library/Media Center Staff Mr. Monfre (dmonfre@cis.edu.ph) and Ms. MJ (mcordova@cis.edu.ph).

Dragon’s Print

As the school year finally comes to a close, here is twelfth-grader Venise T. as she reminisces the journey of Class of 2021 in their last year of high school. Read more at https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner

Scholarships in the USA: “Where can I find them?

One of the challenges of studying abroad is to finance your education.  If you need a scholarship to attend an institution, check the website to see if the university offers scholarships. There is usually a wide range of scholarships and eligibility to these grants are indicated.  In addition, here are a few websites you can check:

• The College Board
• Institute of International Education Scholarship Database
• Education USA
• International Education Financial Aid
• Scholly

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

DATE

May 15 Saturday
11:30 AM – 3:00 PM

EVENT (IDP Webinar Series)

Canada Virtual Fair
Institutions from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan
 LINK to register &  view participating schools

May 16, Sunday
11:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Canada Virtual Fair
Institutions from Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada
LINK to register &  view participating schools

May 18 Tuesday
6:30PM

Study Michigan Virtual Fair
Connect with 28 Michigan colleges/universities
Check the LIST of participating institutions
To register, click HERE

May 22 & 23
Saturday & Sunday
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

May 29 Saturday
3:30PM – 7:00 PM

Australia & New Zealand Virtual Fair
Institutions from Victoria & Queensland
LINK to register & to view participating schools

UK Virtual Fair
LINK to register & view participating schools

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Dear CIS Community,

Congratulations Grade 5 students for a successful PYP Exhibition (PYPx) this past Monday! It was great to see the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that you have developed in the PYP confidently demonstrate through your projects and presentations on your selected UN Sustainable Development Goals. A big thanks to Ms. Carolyn Pynor (G5 Class teacher) and all faculty mentors (and parents!) who guided students throughout the process. See the elementary school section below for more information and samples.

“Resilience is not the exception, it is the rule” 

Over the past few months, there has been a wide-ranging debate on how much “learning loss” the Covid-19 pandemic has caused. Some commentators paint a gloomy picture of students who are desperately behind in their work, while others have found their students have coped relatively well and are doing fine. The reality is the actual impact will be variable for individual schools, and also between individual students.

The data we have at CIS indicates that, while results vary between individuals, in general, CIS students have continued to learn at, or close to, levels that would be expected even if we were not in a pandemic. Much of the global research on this issue to date suggests that this is the case in most schools that have effective programs in place. We do also appreciate that as a premium international IB World School, CIS is in a position to avoid or overcome many of the challenges less well-resourced schools have faced. 

What has changed is how teachers have adapted to facilitate student learning via our remote learning program, and the social-emotional learning (SEL) aspect. This SEL remains a focus for us, as we continue to seek ways to compensate for the loss of face-to-face contact and changed relationship-building capacities that are necessary for students to develop their social intelligence. On a positive note, it is interesting to see that the loss of some aspects of on-campus learning (such as less face-time) has directly or indirectly led to the growth in the development of other skills (such as improved ATL skills like communication and time-management) that have been required for remote learning. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been struck by the consistency of messages being given by many reputable educational psychologists. The general message is, while some students have struggled (and we must remember this is a normal phenomenon and an integral part of learning), children are exceptionally resilient and most have adapted to face the situations they are in. I would like to end by sharing a short CNN health video (2min 50sec) by author and psychologist Dr. Angela Duckworth, where she tells Anderson Cooper why she thinks most kids will bounce back from the negative impacts of the pandemic, and that “resilience is not the exception, it is the rule”. 

Source: Anderson Cooper, CNN https://edition.cnn.com/videos/health/2021/04/01/author-angela-duckworth-emotional-learning-resilience-kids-pandemic-sot-acfc-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/anderson-cooper-full-circle/

Events and dates

• • May 10-14: Arts Week 
  • May 12 (Wed): Eidul Fitr Holiday (*anticipated date, this is still not confirmed!)
  • May 14 (Fri): Last day of Semester 2 ASAs (After School Activities)
  • May 25 (Tue):  Final Parent Coffee meeting for the year at 9-10am (virtual).
  • May 26 (Wed): Whole School Celebration of Learning
  • May 28 (Fri): Graduation (virtual)
  • Refer to our online School Calendar a complete listing of events

Have a wonderful weekend!

Elementary News

by Ms. Maureen Juanson, PYP Coordinator

The 2020-2021 Virtual PYP Exhibition took place on Monday, May 3rd. Through Google Meet, our Grade 5 students presented their PYPx journey to the different members of our learning community. Parents, teachers, and students from both elementary and MHS, attended the sessions to learn about the issues that our Grade 5 students have collaboratively inquired into and the lessons they have learned throughout their exhibition process. 

Our Grade 5 students worked in groups to investigate the UN Sustainable Development Goals that they felt most passionate about. Throughout the process, they further developed their understanding of various issues and applied the ATL skills that they have learned throughout their PYP years.

As I read and listened to each of the Grade 5’s PYPx reflections, I was reminded of the book “Say Something” by Peter H. Reynolds. The book talks about how the world needs our voice and how each one of us could do something to change the world through our words, actions,voices and creativity. Through this PYP exhibition, every single one of our Grade 5 students answered this call. They used their words, actions, voices, and creativity to raise awareness and bring attention to the global and local issues that our world is facing today. 

We are extremely proud of their achievement and are amazed at how much they have grown as learners and individuals because of this experience.  We are truly grateful to the Grade 5 team- Ms. Carolyn, Ms. Lana, Ms. Freya, and Ms. June, for the leadership and guidance that they have provided to the students.  We would also like to express our appreciation to the mentors, and other faculty and community members for providing support, encouragement, and sharing their time and expertise that allowed the students to dig deeper into the issues that they were researching on. This is evidence of how we, as a community, are able to create a collaborative culture that creates a positive impact on our students, our community, and the world. 

If you have not had the chance yet, we invite you to visit the PYPx website to learn about the students’ PYPx research, journey, and action. We hope that their words, actions, voices, and creativity will also inspire you to share your voice to heal and transform the world.

Music

Music in Early Years 2/3
Our youngest learners have been exploring music which connects to families. As part of these inquiries they sang and moved to lullabies.

Music in Grades 2 and 3
Grade 2 and 3 students have been continuing to practice their performance skills. Grade 2 have been working on tuned percussion and keyboards and Grade 3 have been working on recorders.

Music in Kinder and Grade 1
Kinder and grade one students have been continuing to hone their singing skills, focussing on solfege.

Music in Grades 4 and 5
The students have been exploring form and meter through body percussion. They learned that following a rhythm with body percussion requires coordination, motor timing, and body awareness.

K/G1 News

This past week has been another fun week of inquiry and learning for our KG1 students. As we wrap up our Unit of Inquiry, How the World Works, we look into conditions that cause materials to behave differently and how their properties affect their purpose. Together, we shared ideas on which materials would fit a situation. To show our learning, we did the egg drop challenge. We designed a model to protect a fragile object[egg] from breaking.  We learned that there are plenty of materials we can use to protect something precious.

Here are some responses from our KG1 students when asked about what they learned from the egg drop challenge:

• I learned that if you wrap it[egg] a lot, it will stay safe. –Sierra
• Using fluff[pillow stuffing] was not helpful; it made the egg bounce. I changed it to cotton instead. –Erin
• I learned to use strong materials to put together my design. I also learned that my model needs to fit perfectly. If there is an extra space, the egg will bounce. –Ben
• If you drop the egg into a soft, folded blanket it will not break. –Masa

We are continuing to grow as a reader and a writer. We made a Science Journal and documented our learnings there.

For Math, we made our own Board Game. We made a board game from our favorite math concepts like addition, subtraction, skip counting, and telling the time.

Here are some reflections from making our own balance scale: 

• I learned that even though an object is small it can be heavy. For example, metal is heavy like a small padlock. –Erin
• When an object is big it doesn’t mean that it is heavy. For example, a sock is big but it is light. –Sierra
• To make my own balance scale, I used one of my clothes hangers and used some strings and buckets. –Catherine
• Bigger materials usually weigh the most. –Ellaine

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School News

As we draw nearer to completing a full academic year of remote learning, we have repeatedly revisited the importance of the Social and Emotional Learning of our students and maintaining our health and well-being across the entire community. Our school program and curriculum have been intentionally designed to be holistic- from fixtures in our daily schedule like ELO and Homeroom and through emphasis on service learning (even in the midst of the pandemic), Week Without Walls, After School Activities, and other elements which serve to cultivate our students´ development as multi-dimensional human beings. 

Within our academic program In MHS we also seek to meet the various and holistic needs of our students; while this is true generally within the student-centered practices our teachers employ within our daily classes, courses like Art, Drama, Music, and PHE directly address the physical, aesthetic, and emotional dimensions of our students.

Celebrating Arts Week

by Mr. Jessie G. Saclo III, Head of Department, Arts and Design

“The arts especially address the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one in which your senses are operating at their peak; when you’re present in the current moment; when you’re resonating with the excitement of this thing that you’re experiencing; when you are fully alive.” The late Sir Ken Robinson, during his inspiring talk, ‘Changing Education Paradigms’, emphasized the importance of the arts in 21st century education. Similarly, the IB acknowledges the arts as a universal form of human expression, a unique way of knowing and understanding that engage us in effective, creative, imaginative and productive activities. 

The PYP, MYP, and DP are frameworks for learning that allow students of the arts to explore their sense of identity and individuality to openly experience opportunities to function as artists as well as learners of the arts. By providing age-appropriate opportunities to holistically develop their social, emotional, intellectual and personal intelligence through the arts, students at CIS learn to create, perform, and present arts in methods that engage as well as convey feelings, experiences, and ideas. Development in the arts is a dynamic process where students practice to acquire new skills and master those skills developed in prior learning. 

Thinking creatively is a natural fit in the arts and at CIS students engage in activities through the Arts subjects of drama, music, and visual art where they acquire, learn, refine, and master the skills necessary to develop learning. This year has been practically challenging for our students as they were restricted to online class engagement, may have felt isolation, and had limited access to materials. However, creativity as an essential objective in the arts addresses the need for student-centered learning that leads to innovative strategies in resolving the huge changes happening within education at this turning point. 

The late Sir Ken Robinson couldn’t be more precise in stating that the arts truly address the idea of aesthetic experience as our students have shown through their creative work this entire virtual school year. As teachers we have been astonished to witness our students´ grit, self-expression, skill, and creativity in performing the various tasks required in their arts subjects amidst the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.

We invite you to take part in supporting our students as we launch and celebrate Arts Week, a full week dedicated to celebrating and appreciating the arts, beginning on May 10. Please visit our Arts Week Google Site (which will launch on Monday) where we will feature the creative work of our students in the areas of drama, music, and visual art all week. 

Arts Week 2021

Most arrangements the CIS band students learn are performed only once.  They are typically performed for specific occasions, such as International Day, the Ayala Art Exhibition Opening, Arts Week, etc., and are usually archived after that.  There is one arrangement, however, that the band students have performed year after year, namely Star Wars.  Because of its stately tempo and majestic theme, Star Wars has been a suitable processional for many of our graduation and moving up ceremonies.  This familiar tune is easily accessible to band students in the second year of study and is considered a “rite of passage” for CIS band students.   

Keeping with tradition, the CIS band students have performed Star Wars once again in a video made specifically for Arts Week 2021.  Similar to previous virtual performances, all the parts were recorded separately then synchronized together using video and audio editing software–the new normal for performances in the time of the pandemic.  This video features Bryan C. (violin), Deandra R. (alto saxophone ), Esther (flute), Hana K. (trumpet), Jiwoo K. (clarinet), Niño V. (alto saxophone), Roland S. (trumpet), Ron Michael C. (trumpet), Saki M. (trumpet), and Seohyun P. (flute).  Look for it in the upcoming Arts Week 2021 website.

PHE Classes Explore Mood Charts for better Physical and Mental Health

As we continue to provide Physical and Health Education (PHE) through remote learning, the PHE department deemed it also important to consider the student’s mental health as they go through a very challenging time in their academic life.

In one of our current units entitled Happy Hormones – our aim was to consider the effects of physical exercise on the students’ mental health and one way for them to accomplish this is to use a Daily Calendar or a Mood Chart wherein each day they add an emoji for the morning and afternoon that reflects their mood and energy level or for higher levels, write a short statement of how they felt during these times. Additionally, they plan two (2) quick 20-/30-minute workout sessions within the week but outside our PHE synchronous blocks and plot these in the same calendar.

In the latter part of the unit, they used these data to analyze how their mood was affected on days when they had a quick workout versus those which they haven’t done one.  When the unit ends this semester, they will be then tasked to evaluate what they did to improve your health and skill related fitness and evaluate what effect physical exercise had on their physical and mental health.

This task was considered to help students cope with academic work through spurts of physical activities that could produce ‘happy hormones’ which, hopefully, would give them a boost when dealing with academic tasks. We believe that when it comes to personal well-being, one’s mood plays an important role in determining energy levels, where attention is focused, and what actions are taken.

One study suggested that: “when participants were in a happy mood, they processed information more globally compared to when they were in a sad mood.” (Schmid, Mast, Bombari, Mast and Lobmaier, 2011) “ This study shows that, when individuals are more positive, they gather more information from the outside world. With more information, people can make better and more clear choices, which is always a good thing. Furthermore, psychologists define mood as a number of persistent feelings that accompany our perception and evaluation of incoming stimuli. Mood has a huge influence on the way we react, specifically in the actions we take and the feelings that get created throughout that process. (Amado-Boccara, Donnet, and Olie, 1993). 

With enough data and information from the students’ Daily Calendar, a pattern of the highs and lows can be identified, as well as the factors that may have caused them. This tool is handy for those who may want to be more optimistic and be mindful of how their daily mood affects their work in school – hopefully for the better.

Here are sample mood charts from our students:

Dragon’s Print

Throughout the quarantine, artists have been able to work on their music, gifting us with plenty of fresh beats and incredible songs. A variety of albums have recently come out, and Dragon’s Print has put together its go-to recommendations for you to enjoy. Read the latest article to find some new artists and songs to listen to at https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Common App Essay Prompts 2021-22

For the current 11th graders who are planning to apply to an institution via the CommonApp next school year, it is highly recommended that you start planning for your college essay and work on it over the summer. Please note that some institutions may have an additional (supplemental) essay to submit an application. To find out if a college is under the CommonApp, please click this Link.

Below is the full set of Common App essay prompts for 2021-2022.
(minimum: 250 words, maximum: 650 words)

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

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

DATE

May 11 Tuesday
6:00 PM

EVENT (IDP Webinar Series)

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland)
Learn about the EHL Junior Academy Programme:

• Hospitality in a digital world (100% Online) 
• Hospitality Business & Innovation (EHL Campus Lausanne)
• Culinary Experience (EHL Campus Passugg)
• International Hospitality & Luxury Brand Management (EHL Campus (Singapore)

LINK to register

May 13 Thursday
7:00AM – 8:00AM

Duke Kunshan University (China)
Virtual Info Session: LINK to register for May 13 or pick a date/time from this LINK if the schedule doesn’t work for you.

Learn about:

• Their unique academic model
• The connection to Duke University
• Merit Scholarships & Need-Based Financial Aid
• Interdisciplinary Majors
• How to Apply

May 18 Tuesday
6:30PM

Study Michigan Virtual Fair
Connect with 28 Michigan colleges/universities
Check the LIST of participating institutions
To register, click HERE

 If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Congratulations to our Grade 10 students for a wonderful showcasing of their Personal Projects this past week. It is always such a pleasure to see such creativity, knowledge, and intellect on display through these projects, which are a culmination of a year of inquiry into a personally selected topic. Please find some time to visit the Personal Project Website to see these for yourself, and scroll down for some samples in Mr. Denton’s article.

It was great to have a lineup of special guest speakers sharing information and activities about a variety of HEALTH topics at our monthly PTA Coffee Meeting this past Wednesday. Thanks to those who attended. Please pencil in the date for our next meeting: Tuesday 25th May. (Note it is not Wednesday as usual, as the 26th is our whole school celebration of learning day – more details of that event will be coming shortly.)

Enjoy looking over a selection of our student’s learning below, and have a restful weekend!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Last week in the elementary assembly I took the opportunity of walking the students around the CIS campus to show the care that the gardeners and maintanence staff have taken of CIS while we have been away. The gardens are full of flowers and the grounds really are looking beautiful.  This week in our newsflash, we have contributions form our art classes, where we are able to see the creativity and color shared by our elementary students. This too is beautiful. The Early years students have explored was resist painting, something I have not done for many years, while the KG students have linked their art work closely to their unit if inquiry investigation into materials and their properties.  What I am most impressed with is the quality of the learning taking place in art, despite our physical separation. I am keenly aware that this is only possible with the support of you, our parent community. 

Something that I am looking forward to next week is the staging of our PYP Exhibition. The PYP Exhibition is the culminating experience for our grade 5 students, signifying the completion of the PYP Programme as they prepare to move into the MYP in Grade 6. On Monday, May 3rd, our Grade 5 students will be presenting their learning to the community during three 30 minute synchronous sessions. Our grade 5 parents and various members of the school community will be attending these sessions. If you do not have a child in grade 5, but would like to see what the Grade 5 students have been learning their PYP Exhibition, please make contact with Ms. Lory, the Elementary School Secretary, and she will be able to arrange access to the PYP Exhibition for you. This Year the PYP Exhibition has been developed around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and I for one, am excited to see what our students have to share with us. I also want to acknowledge the huge amount of additional work from our Grade 5 teaching team, our specialist teachers, and our PYP Coordinator. It is this additional investment of time and effort that has made this PYP Exhibition possible.

Art in the Early Years

Sharing the story, “The Rainbow Fish” our youngest learners explored the wax resist art technique and gleaned the value of “sharing is caring.”

The Early Years students have also learned to create ice paint by mixing watercolor or food coloring with water and placing the mixture in an ice tray and freezing it. Students then used the ice to color draw images.

Art in KG and Grade 1

The KG and G1 students have been exploring the science concept of ‘materials and their properties’. The students selected various materials to test. Their goal was to discover which material was best for each type of media; Fabric Painting, Wire Sculpture, and Wax Resist.

Art in Grades 2 and 3

Grade 2 and 3 have been investigating Habitats, Endangered Species and Ecosystems. The students used what they had learned during their inquiry to create a diorama of an ecosystem for an endangered animal. They designed their diorama to have a background, middle ground and foreground. Creating this diorama  was the culmination of their semester learning about drawing habitats, research, and 3 dimensional art skills.

Art in Grade 4

The Grade 4 students have been learning to draw in the style of Betty Edwards which teachers students to use edges and lines,  negative space, perspective and proportion, and shading).  The students did blind contour drawing, face-vase drawing,  and right-side up vs. upside-down drawing. These exercises help students develop their observational drawing skills. 

Learning in Grade 4

Did you know there are several ways to make electricity? These include hydro power, nuclear power, solar energy and fossil fuels. The grade 4 students have been exploring the benefits and side effects of each energy source.  Please study our poster identifying the advantages and disadvantages if using nuclear power to create energy.  

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle & High School Principal

It’s been another busy week at CIS, with all of our regular academic courses, After School Activities, and preparations for the end of the school year already underway. One of the significant events of the week was our Grade 10 Personal Project Showcase, which took place on Monday.

The MYP Personal Project marks a significant milestone in the journey of an IB learner. It serves as both the culmination of the students’ MYP studies and also serves as a stepping stone towards future academic work and the DP core.

The project itself is an extended independent research project, which (at CIS) is introduced at the very start of the Grade 10 school year. Students work on this exploration throughout the year with the guidance of their respective faculty mentors and Mr. Denton. The aim is to complete a product of significant quality that reflects the research, exploration, careful and mindful planning, and reflection they have engaged in throughout the year. 

On Monday our Grade 10 students were able to present their Personal Projects to the CIS community during our lunch/homeroom time and then after school. It was amazing to see the variety and quality of the students’ work, and I was also struck by the level of insight into their own learning they were able to exhibit. The Personal Project Website remains the place for you to see for yourself.

One of the goals of the Personal Project is to give students the opportunity to demonstrate the ATL skills and subject specific knowledge they have developed throughout the middle years. The project report, among other things, assesses self-management, research, communication, critical and creative thinking, and collaboration skills. In doing so, it helps develop our students’ confidence and the attributes to help them become inquisitive lifelong learners. One other thing that was clear in the showcase was that, when students had selected an area they were passionate about, they really enjoyed doing it. This was an important revelation for some of them as they look forward to their subject selections next year in the DP and think about their DP Extended Essay project, and even toward the career they will pursue.

As we continue to effectively transition into an IB Continuum School, we have seen amazing development of the Personal Project as this important element becomes an understood and celebrated aspect of our school culture.

Grade 8 Individuals and Societies

by Mr. Jonathan Denton, MYP Coordinator

I am sure we all have spent a moment marvelling at globalisation; how companies like Lazada and Shopee have made it possible for us to order something from Tokyo and have it in our hands by the end of the week. But how far back do we need to go to truly understand the concept of globalisation?  Do we not also need to know about the merchants who trading materials along the Silk Road on three continents centuries ago, the history of humanity, or even where the earth and the stars come from? These are called ORIGIN STORIES. 

By looking at the really big picture we have been able to make unexpected connections, how everything we are made of came from exploding stars, and how we are able to share and build upon each other’s ideas sets us apart from all other terrestrial creatures. 

This unit asks students to create their own origin story in order to explore an object of personal interest – pizza, ballet, coffee, horses – and produce a portfolio-worthy piece of work that traces its history to pre-human times. The idea for  the project came from Esther Quaedackers, a lecturer in Big History at the University of Amsterdam.

We have broken the project down into three stages, each with guiding questions to help students come up with their own research questions.

Stage One: how is everything connected (prehuman times)

• What are the raw materials in your object?
• What are the chemical elements?
• Can these chemical elements be found in other things?
• Where do those materials come from?
• Where can we find those materials on earth? 
• Are they organic or synthetic?

Stage Two: first contact with humans

• When did humans first start to use these elements?
• How did humans share and expand their knowledge of — even if our earliest ancestors probably did not use it?
• How did the way humans use these elements change over time?
• How did humans adapt/innovate/domesticate?
• When and why did it become most popular?
• How and why did this change from this beginning until 1800 or when the Modern Revolution began?

Stage Three: the modern revolution and beyond

• Over the last 150 years, what were the most important changes in how — has been grown / produced / distributed / used?
• How did humans adapt and innovate?
• What will this object look like in 50 years time?

Below are some of the short formative clips completed for stage one. We are only at the very beginning of this project, so please keep that in mind.

Click here to view clip

Click here to view clip

Click here to view clip

Click here to view clip

Grade 10 Business

Grade 10 Business students have been developing their own unique products or services that they will pitch in a ‘Shark Tank’ style exercise at the end of the semester. In teams, they were tasked with creating brief presentations in order to receive feedback before moving to the next phase of the project. These presentations involved devising a company name, logo, slogan, visual representation, and rationale for their product or service. Not only does this project challenge students to think both critically and creatively, but it also requires effective communication and collaboration. Simulating the “Shark Tank” experience with actual products allows students to see the relevance of the content they have been learning in their Business course.

Here is an example from Julianna, Lea, and Chewon’s project:

CIS Dragon Responders

REAVO (Rescue Emergency Assistance Volunteers Organization)

Dragon’s Print

Now if there is one thing that has been keeping everyone sane during quarantine it’s probably binge-watching new shows or movies. Running out of shows to watch on Netflix? Dragon’s Print has got you covered with an anime recommendation, Fruits Basket!

Read more about the Japanese series at https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week:

Applying to Australia & New Zealand:

If you are interested in universities in Australia & New Zealand, book an appointment with the college counselor at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.  The application process of AU & NZ universities is processed through a designated agent that the universities recommend to facilitate the legalization of documents submitted for an application.  There are no application fees. In senior year, interested students apply in February or March of their final semester to gain admission.  You may view the Academic Start Dates – Australia  These dates are for this year and may be used as reference for the succeeding years.

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

DATE

May 6
Thursday
6:00 PM

May 6
Thursday
10:00PM

May 11
Tuesday
6:00 PM

EVENT (IDP Webinar Series)

Tips on Application & Winning Scholarships
Lingan University (Hong Kong)
LINK to register

Introduction to Financial Aid for International Students
University of Pennsylvania (USA)
LINK to register

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland)
Learn about the EHL Junior Academy Programme:

• Hospitality in a digital world (100% Online) 
• Hospitality Business & Innovation (EHL Campus Lausanne)
• Culinary Experience (EHL Campus Passugg)
• International Hospitality & Luxury Brand Management (EHL Campus (Singapore))

LINK to register

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.