Category: Newsflash

Admin News

Dear CIS Community, 

We welcomed our students back from our Christmas and New Year’s break this week, and despite the disappointment of still not being able to get back on campus, it was pleasing to get the notes of encouragement and understanding that it is beyond our control, and for our community protection, so we just need to do our best. Until we can get back on campus, then, we continue learning via our quality Remote Learning (RL) which is working well. Additionally, we are exploring various ways of boosting aspects of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to help raise awareness for students, parents, and staff/faculty, and to try ways we can look after our individual and group social and emotional wellbeing during this challenging time. Please read Mr. Wood’s section below (MS news) for more information on this.

CIS Sinulog Family Day 2021 Cancelled/HAD2 to continue virtually

Every January, the CIS community comes together to celebrate Sinulog Family Day. This is a day celebration with a Sinulog and Philippine Culture theme, where the entire community is engaged in various activities such as Sinulog street dances, on-campus field demonstrations, games, and a “fiesta” motif lunch. The aim of the day is to appreciate and spread awareness of the culture of the Philippines as our host country. 

Due to the continuing modified GCQ safety levels mandated for Cebu City, we are saddened to announce that we will have to cancel this year’s Sinulog Family Day activities. 

We will, however, continue with our scheduled House Activities Day #2 (HAD2) for students, in virtual mode to stay safe. Despite missing regular Sinulog Day activities, HAD2 activities will focus on Philippine Culture, as usual, and there will be a variety of Philippine Language and culture activities in the week leading up to HAD day (Saturday, Jan 16). More details regarding HAD2 will be sent via email by the organizers.

Thank you for your understanding. Please do take time to look at the Sinulog celebrations Cebu City is putting on, as this year is the 500th anniversary of Sinulog so they will be particularly meaningful this year! (More information on the Sinulog festivities schedule can be found on this link, as well as the official Facebook page of the Sinulog Foundation, where links to the Livestream will be posted). Pit Señor! 

Regards,

Sinulog Organizing Committee, Dr. Gwyn Underwood (CIS Superintendent), and the CIS Admin Team

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

We would like to formally welcome you all back to school after the Mid-Year Christmas and New Year holiday period. For many, this break away from our computer screens was needed and appreciated. We were also fortunate that the Cebu province remained open during the break period, allowing some families to travel within Cebu and appreciate many of the beautiful areas the Philippines has to offer. 

During this break some of our families moved back to their home countries due to changes in their companies and in response to family needs, naturally, it is always sad to say goodbye to people we have come to value as part of our community. As the new semester has begun we have also had some new families join CIS, some have been returning families while others are new to our community. This is very encouraging and we give a warm welcome to our new CIS families. 

Looking through our CIS calendar there are a number of exciting events coming up for us all to enjoy. Firstly the CIS Philippine Language and Culture week from January 11th to 15th, where each morning your child will be involved in additional cultural activities during their homeroom time. This week will conclude our House Activities Day2 (HAD2).

We then have our Three Way Conferences during the weeks of January 18th and the 22nd January and 25th to 29th January, where you and your child will have the formal opportunity to meet with the classroom teacher to discuss the goals your child will be working toward over the coming semester. You will be receiving a sign-up schedule for these conferences next week. Following this, the next exciting event we are planning for is our Annual Week Without Walls. Although it is highly likely that Week Without Walls will be a Remote Learning event, the teachers are already making plans about how to create an exciting and meaningful week of experiential and service-learning activities for the elementary students.  As you can see, it has been one of our goals during these challenging times to keep learning alive and to honor the important events on our school calendar which help form much of who we are as a school community. 

Keep on keeping on!
For many of us, either our parents or our grandparents had a common challenging experience that defined who they were as a generation, and which caused a level of closeness and understanding to form among them. While planning with Grade 2 and 3 teachers on Monday, we discussed how these common experiences bring us together and help form some of the perspectives and values we hold important. Something these common experiences help us realize is that together we have the strength and that together we can support one another. There has been no official indication of when we may be able to return to campus, but whether we are Remote Learning, Hybrid Learning, or Face to Face Learning, as a school we continue to be committed to providing your children with the best possible education and we are excited by the academic progress we see CIS children are making.

The Gradual Release of Responsibility
The Gradual Release of Responsibility is a model of learning we like to use to help describe how students best learn. The model helps teachers to design learning that creates life-long learners filled with confidence and self-efficacy and prepared to take on the challenges they face with a Growth-Mindset. Teachers begin by setting learning goals. These goals may be set by the teacher based on a curriculum outcome, or they may be set with the student based upon an identified learning need. The teacher then designs the learning experiences to gradually move the responsibility of learning from the teacher to the student being the one in charge. Once the skill has been obtained and the learning outcome has been achieved, a new goal can be set. The cyclical model of learning is based upon the research and theories of Vygotsky, and his Theory of the Zone of Proximal Development. Many parents are actively involved in supporting their children’s learning at home and understand how learning can be enhanced by gradually moving the responsibility of learning from the adult to the child can be helpful. Our children are so capable and seeing them take responsibility for their learning goals is such an exciting journey. 

Sharing the Planet

Kinder and Grade 1 Tamaraws

The Kinder and Grade 1 students have been exploring the transdisciplinary theme of Sharing the Planet with the central idea “People can change their environment through their actions.” At the beginning of the unit, the students explored how the environment is changing. The Kinder and Grade 1 students demonstrated their thinking skills as they observed different pictures of how an environment has changed over time. The students noticed that there is a lot of garbage in some of the pictures and now they are thinking of ways on how we can make sure that our environment stays clean. 

During Design Day, the students were given the opportunity to design a Clean Up Machine that can help the environment. The Kinder and Grade 1 students took part of the Design Process as they planned and worked on their machines. They gave feedback to their peers on how they can make their design better. They were very excited to share their inventions during our synchronous calls and in the blog.  Other students created a poster to send a message on stopping plastic water bottles from going to the river and into the ocean. They want to promote a clean, safe and beautiful environment for their future. As one of the students shared, “We only have one Earth so we should take good care of it.”

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

Social and Emotional Learning in MHS

As is our practice at the start of the new semester each year, this past Monday the entire CIS faculty and staff partook in a Professional Development Day to reflect on Semester One and plan for Semester Two. As we will move forward, at least for the foreseeable future, with remote learning, we spent part of our day focusing on the need to continue to intentionally address the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) needs of our students and community as a whole.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified the following four critical domains as schools continue through remote learning, develop hybrid forms of learning, or physically reopen their campuses.

All four of these domains have several specific sub-categories, and we focused in MHS solely on one aspect of the first area, cultivating and deepening relationships as feelings of isolation and disconnectedness due to the lockdown has been an issue for many. Collaborative teacher groups reflected on some of the ways we have been effectively addressing and meeting these needs, as well as looked forward to this new semester and to ways we can continue to cultivate and deepen relationships.

All of our students are in HR/Advisory groups which meet every Monday and Thursday. When we began RL last spring we had initially only set aside one day per week for a homeroom period, but moving into the current year we realized that more time was needed to more fully attend to our students’ needs beyond the academic sphere. While some students may view and treat this time as optional, Homeroom is actually a requirement for all students, and it is vital that we encourage our children to both attend and engage with their HR teachers and peers in this non-academic setting designed to offer guidance and support, as well as connectedness, during this challenging time. Upon reflection, students have shared that they really enjoy and benefit from our homeroom sessions. The advisory program creates the opportunity to build relationships and creates a venue where students may share more casually and personally.

Another area that has facilitated SEL has been our revised daily schedule, where our afternoon “extension time” provides students the opportunity to seek out help from teachers or work in small peer groups on assignments or learning engagements. Encourage your children to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to engage one-on-one with their teachers or work with peers if they have not been doing so. Also, as one of our teacher groups observed:

Our daily schedule helps to maintain the boundary between academic and SEL time.

Our MHS After School Activities (ASA’s) are currently forming for this semester and will begin on January 21. While certain ASA’s (like Student Council and The Student Support Club) are overtly geared toward supporting students in the midst of this situation, all of our ASA’s intrinsically serve to build relationships and connections. While ASA’s will be optional once again this semester, this is really a great chance for students to get involved and cultivate friendships and a sense of belonging.

Week Without Walls is just six weeks away. This is another excellent way for our students to connect with each other and remain “engaged, positive contributors in a competitive, changing world.” While many of us may have struggled with understanding how we can reach out and remain engaged in this way in the midst of a quarantine, some of our students have been extremely resourceful and creative in seeking out ways to practice service learning. In Week Without Walls we have sought out and are carefully planning ways for our students to get involved and engage collaboratively in principled action.

Finally, please know that we are committed to helping our students to maintain their social and emotional health during this difficult time, but we don’t always know what they are going through, made even more challenging when we aren’t seeing them in person. Though we have already highlighted this resource, our Student Support Club is an effective SEL platform for helping students reach out to counselors and peers, and it is available to all of our CIS students in the Middle and High School.

Class of 2021 College & University Acceptances

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!

Here is an updated list of acceptances that were received over the holiday break. More decisions will be released later this semester.

CAS & Service Learning Updates

by Ace Pierra, Athletics Director & Service Learning Coordinator

Plaque of Recognition for CIS

From last year’s rank 13th as a stakeholder, this year Cebu International School together with Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation rank 2nd overall as an Education Stakeholder and Benefactor for Calendar Year 2020 of the Division of Lapu Lapu City Department of Education. The Plaque of recognition was given last December 21, 2020. 

CIS has been working with the Department of Education Lapu Lapu City Division for years  and will continue  to support other local schools in the city, in the region and in the nation through its service learning and CAS Program. 

Congratulations CIS!

Controlling the Population of Crown of Thorns (COTs) Starfish

As tourism and outdoor activities slowly become available again, our family started advocacy for controlling the population of the crown of thorns starfish. These starfish are damaging the corals in our reefs and if we don’t try to stop them, they can ruin our reefs by eating up all of the corals. The group of divers used kitchen tongs and a small net to pick them up and send them to a larger crate, after which we dispose of them properly. We wanted to take action because seeing our reefs get destroyed by these starfish can ruin the wildlife underwater. As we know underwater wildlife is important to our ecosystem, so I took it upon ourselves and the rest of the team to do our best and try to get as many crowns of thorns as possible. We ended that day with around 550 crowns of thorns. To sustain this project, we want to invite more divers and teach them about this ongoing problem of crown of thorns. We plan to do this on a weekly basis and hopefully make an impact on the reef by getting more people to join us in the future. Overall we feel that we were successful in doing our part to save the ocean. – Sean, Keenan, Liam

Info about COTS https://reefresilience.org/stressors/predator-outbreaks/crown-of-thorns-starfish/

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

In any admissions website, the checklist of requirements will include an English Proficiency requirement.  Students from our school fulfill this requirement through the following:

1. CIS provides a certification that English is the medium of instruction and assessment (except for World Language courses)
2. CIS is accredited with Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and Council for International Schools and most universities globally recognize this thereby waiving the English proficiency requirement
3. If a student is taking English A: Language and Literature, and earns a passing mark, the requirement is waived.

For some programs that require clinical practice like Nursing, an English Proficiency exam result is required  regardless of high school qualifications.  

Virtual Alumni Chat Series:

Starting this semester, a series of virtual talks with alumni will be scheduled to chat about what it is like to study in a specific country and institution.  The initial chat will be with alumni who are studying in Australia.   Confirmed sessions will be published and sent via email to high school students.  Parents are welcome to attend.

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

DATE

January 14
Thursday
9:00 PM

January 18-20
Monday – Wednesday
All sessions at
4:00 – 5:00 PM

February 6
Saturday
6:00 PM

EVENT

Creating a Balanced College List
Speaker:  Mr. Christian Gregorio, Director of International Admissions
York College, Pennsylvania – LINK to join

University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) – LINK to register
HKU Programme Deep Dive Series: 3 interactive online dialogues offered by HKU Business School, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Engineering.
Jan. 18 Monday: HKU Business School
Jan. 19 Tuesday: Doing Research at HKU Science
Jan. 20 Wednesday: -Bring your Innovation Beyong HKU Engineering

Breda University of Applied Sciences(Netherlands)
Digital Discovery Day – LINK to register
You can register for as many sessions as you want, but please note that you have to register for each session separately. If you’re not able to join “live”, please still register, so you can watch the recordings back later.

Programme:

6:00 – 7:00PM   Studying in the Netherlands: the education system
45 min. webinar + 15 min. Q&A by staff and international students

• What is it like to study in the Netherlands?
• What is a university of applied sciences?
• What is the teacher style?
• And what are the costs?

7:00 – 7:45PM  Studying at Breda University of Applied Sciences: an introduction to our university and study programmes
30 min. interactive webinar + 15 min. Q&A by students and staff

• Why should you study at BUas?
• What kind of programmes do we offer?
• Project examples
• International experiences from our students

7:45 – 8:30PM  Studying at Breda University of Applied Sciences: the practical matters
30 min. webinar + 15 min. Q&A

• Application procedure
• Scholarships
• Housing
• Side jobs

8:45 – 9:15 PM  Discover our Campus and the City of Breda
20 min. video tour + 10 min. Q&A by our international students

• Our brand-new green campus
• Our modern facilities
• The lovely city of Breda
• Student life
• Our students favourite spots in the city

9:15 – 9:45 PM How to survive studying in the Netherlands
30 min. interactive quiz + 15 min. Q&A
Get to know the Dutch culture with questions about.

• Dutch food
• How to deal with the Dutch?
• The weather
• Transport
• And much more!

10:00 – 10:45 PM Job opportunities
30 min. webinar + 15 min. Q&A

• What’s the value of a Dutch degree?
• Which job opportunities do students have after graduation?
• Stay-back year
• Job examples of our graduates

SAT Update

With the cancellation of the test dates in the first semester, it is highly likely that future test dates below may be cancelled too due to the pandemic.  An update will be announced as soon as confirmation is received from the College Board.  At the moment, these dates are open for registration.

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

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 News

Dear CIS Community,

As we reach our Christmas break, I want to thank you all – students, parents, faculty, staff and supportive CIS community members – for everything that you do to support our students. When considering the evidence of learning we have over this semester, you can all be proud of how you have done your part in facing the challenges to learning during a pandemic.

Regarding the question on when we can return to having classes on campus, based on current and projected conditions, we will need to continue with our remote learning program when we resume classes on January 5th.

For those of you who are longing to return to campus, please hang in there, things do seem to be getting better, even if it is much slower than expected, and we hope to get back sometime in semester two, as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. In the meantime, as I mentioned in my assembly message, it is reassuring to have current research from the company that produces the Measure of Academic Performance (MAP) test that we use, indicating students can maintain academic progress via remote learning. Please also help us to help our students to manage the challenges to social and emotional learning (SEL) while they are stuck at home. This is a huge challenge as students have different preferences and personalities, so their needs when facing relationship challenges are different. With support, we can mitigate potential feelings of isolation, however, and we continue to trial various ways of supporting SEL remotely.

We look forward to working together with our community to strive to deliver the most impactful learning program we can, regardless of the limitations we face and the mode we use, so as to reach our mission and vision. I encourage you to read the sections below from our principals Mr. Davies and Mr. Wood, as they also elaborate on our efforts in each division.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Please have a wonderful, safe break, and I look forward to seeing you all back refreshed in January.

Regards,

Dr. Gwyn Underwood,
Superintendent

College & University Acceptances 2021

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear CIS Community

As I sit here reflecting over Semester 1, my mind is drawn to the afternoon of Friday, 13th March 2020. This was the last time each of us were here on campus learning together. No one could have imagined at that time that our lives were about to change so drastically. ‘Maybe a couple of weeks away from school while the dust settled’, is what most of us thought. The following Monday my calendar said, “No school due to Covid 19”, as you can see in the screen-shot below.

Once it became clear that we would not be returning to school within two weeks the conversation began to explore the possibility of not returning to school before the summer break, but honestly, no one thought it would last that long. Then as our summer break faded into long days of watching Netflix, the conversation began to explore whether it would be possible to begin a school year remotely. I can now say with certainty and conviction that indeed we can finish, and begin a school year remotely, and succeed in ensuring all students are engaged in a quality program of learning and teaching. Each week in this newsflash we highlight learning that has taken place in our classes. We have learned that school is not defined by a building or a campus, rather school is defined by a community of learners who live, work, and learn together. During these months, despite our distance, we have stayed in relationship, and we have progressed as a community. I am so proud of our community!

To our CIS parents: What has been achieved would not have been possible without you. As a school, we acknowledge Remote Learning not what you signed up for, and in many cases, you have been co-teaching your children at home with us over these past months. We are indeed grateful for your support.

To Our CIS Teachers: You have courageously embarked on a very steep learning journey. As professionals who derive their motivation, enthusiasm, and energy from face to face contact with students, you have recreated yourself as facilitators of learning through mediums of technology, This is an incredible achievement and I feel privileged to be working alongside such an incredible group of professionals.

To our students: You are the real champions here! The levels of independence you have developed have been truly astounding. Day in and day out you have managed your complex schedule of classes to connect with peers and teachers to explore important concepts, gain new knowledge, and develop new skills. You continue to surprise us, and we adults have learned how capable you really are.

I wish you all a very restful and enjoyable break, and for those who choose to celebrate, a very merry Christmas celebration. 

Remote Learning in the Elementary School

Learning in the Early Years
In our unit Sharing the Planet, the Early Years shared their knowledge and understanding on Living things and how they depend on each other for survival. As part of our Unit of Inquiry, we explored different opportunities to expand our understanding, formulate questions, and respond to each others’ questions by looking into different resources available to us. As we end our unit, we read the book “Pattern Bugs” written by Trudy Ludwig. This week, we focused on the Integration of knowledge and ideas by comparing, contrasting and categorizing to develop our literacy skills. Based on the book that we read, students chose two insects from the story and began to compare them by looking at their physical appearances, how they move, and the food they eat. In addition, our young learners also compared how living things are similar and different from non-living things. Through our video calls and Seesaw Engagements, it gave our young inquirers the opportunity to share their knowledge of the characteristics of living things by playing our very first virtual board game.

The series of engagements had led the students to reflect on how important living things are to each other. Our responsibility towards living things has helped them to reflect on different scenarios in order to find ways to respond to situations and show our responsibility to all living things. It’s absolutely important for our students to understand the value of every living thing on this planet. Definitely a productive, reflective, and meaningful way to end our unit!

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

As we reach the end of a semester most of us are likely to never forget, I want to reach out and thank our parents for their steadfast support throughout these challenging months. We know that helping your children manage their courses and assignments, as well as navigating times of internet disruption, has not been easy.

I also want to thank all of our students, who have met this semester’s challenges with courage, hope, and resilience and have helped to make our school situation somewhat resemble what we would have experienced on campus. While you may not know it, you have certainly helped us in navigating these challenging times over the past 5 to 10 months. Your resilience, positivity, and empathy is extraordinary. We are so thankful to be working with students who truly are so genuine, responsible, respectful, and who appreciate the fact that we have been able to be in school and learn effectively when so many in the Philippines simply have not had that same opportunity.

Last but not least, I want to publicly thank all of our teachers and support staff in MHS. When I think of the incredible work our teachers have done over these five months of Semester One, the word that comes to mind is tenacity, defined as “the ability or fact of being able to grip something firmly.” Whether teachers have always felt able to hold on, the fact is that they have done so admirably. What we love, what really motivates us as educators, is the excitement and joy of working with young people and contributing, whether in big or small ways, to their growth both as students and as human beings. We also genuinely like our students, and CIS students are very easy to like; it has been more difficult nurturing the kinds of relationships we cherish without being able to see our students face-to-face each day. Our teachers have also worked hard to develop new skills and to incorporate (with care and discretion) technology tools to help make learning dynamic and student-centered, all the while committing additional energy and creativity in helping to implement the MYP program.

What this past semester has shown to me is that, in spite of our frailties and imperfections, we can make it through anything when we have the right mindset and when we commit, with stubborn optimism, to work together toward fulfilling shared and noble goals.

At the end of the day, we want to know that, as a school, we have done an effective job of helping our students to learn and grow, both academically and as persons. To this point, the following homeroom reflections from our students serve as heartwarming testimonials as to the learning that has taken place within this challenging context:

“All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” 

This is an Immanuel Kant quote that I have selected to describe this semester of remote learning at CIS. Over the course of the semester I have reflected on the reasons for learning and how it has been accomplished through new and interesting methods. I have particularly enjoyed the Personal Project. Being based on personal interests and experiences, I appreciate the level of creativity this emancipates and is limited only by my imagination. Based on the feedback I have received from teachers, I have set myself the goal of learning and thinking more about how I can apply knowledge to the real world. This would let me know I have really understood the true meaning of the lessons, and have figured out the reasons for them.

“In the rush to get back to normal, use this time to decide which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” 

This is a Dave Hollis quote I have selected to best describe this semester of remote learning at CIS. As everyone waits for quarantine and corona to end, I recognise this will not be happening anytime soon. Instead I have seen the importance of taking advantage of the situation, using the time to reflect on myself as a person and how I might better myself. In addition to participating in Dragon’s Print, the Social Club, and the School Production, I have helped set up a Student Support Club for those not coping so well with the reality we find ourselves in. A highlight from this semester has been the times in Homeroom when everyone – students and teachers – would be talking randomly about their day, just casually communicating. I remember those moments because they are some of the few times we get to just talk to each other like we are still in school. This is something quite important to me, and why I remember those moments. One constant message from teacher feedback has been to ‘explain further’ or develop my writing more. Reflecting on this feedback, I have been trying to make brief outlines of what I specifically want to write, then expanding further, developing the writing so it is more specific and clean.

“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don´t give up,” and, “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” 

These are a pair of quotes from Tew and Darwin that I have selected to describe this semester of remote learning at CIS. As a new student I have needed to adjust to a new system, socialise, and make friends on-line; however, I feel going through these obstacles and hardships has made me a better and stronger person for tomorrow.

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie,” – David Mamet ‘Pie’ symbolizes breaks, and these breaks have done a lot to keep me going. I have been able to recognize moments when I am not in a state to work, and allow myself to take a break, ‘to go get some cake’ so that I can be in the mood to work again. In addition to participating in Guitar Club and Dragon’s Print, I have co-run the Student Support Club, for those students not coping with remote learning as well as others.

Thank you to all our wonderful students, we take as much inspiration from you as we like to think you take from us.

Happy Holidays All!

Dragon’s Print

With the semester over and Christmas rolling around, what better way to have fun during the holidays than with food? Dragon’s Print has listed some simple Christmas-themed recipes that you can try to make and share with your family this Christmas break. Find them on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

Admin News

We recently reached one year since the first case of Covid-19 was identified! What have we learnt about the psychology of keeping our community safe?

The following are points that have been gleaned from various articles and discussions over the past year, but based largely on information from the Truman Group in AAIE’s Community Conversations Webinar and COVID-19 BRIEFING #145, December 2, 2020. 

The challenges:

• People can tolerate and get used to lots of things and learn to live in many different ways if they’re given parameters. When we do not see any end to the pandemic, however, we’re mostly not able to do well due to the way that we organize ourselves psychologically and functionally. This all takes a toll, wearing us down, and making it difficult to plan ahead or know what success looks or feels like.
• Most of us define ourselves by doing our jobs well, but expectations and conditions have changed, and at times become ambiguous and/or are constantly changing. We end up having so much more work to do, while we try to cope with changed “goalposts” as to what we should be achieving. This can lead to uncertainty creeping in, which ultimately wears away at self-esteem, a feeling of helplessness, and/or causes you to freeze up to the point you end up becoming ineffective. 
• We attempt to redefine the meaning of our profession/tasks and what our goals are to cope with the new situation, but without a defined end to the situation, we shift away from our original goal and try to redefine them again and again.
• Another problem we may face as a community is, when you put people in a situation with a great deal of deprivation and high levels of emotional strain, they tend to move to extreme poles of thought. A lot of gray “tolerance” areas disappear and people become more extreme in their thinking. This impact is being observed in schools when they restart after a long closure and the resulting polarization of thought can cause significant differences in opinion between groups – which can lead to conflict if not dealt with appropriately. 

Suggested solutions:

• We often feel like there is no sense of a beginning, middle, or end to the pandemic, but there is! We need to look beyond and through the media hype that tends to promote sensationalism and sometimes even fake or misrepresented news. This is especially difficult when it even comes from a number of different countries and industry leaders around the world. This all contributes to leaving us feeling like the situation is uncontrollable, however, we can make an informed projection on what will happen! Firstly, we have past epidemics and pandemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu, Ebola, Swine flu, and so on, to learn from. Secondly, we have an amazing level of scientific knowledge and capability now that helps us to determine how we can best protect ourselves (such as wearing masks), and have been able to develop numerous vaccine options in an unbelievably short space of time. 
• We actually know more right now about what’s going to happen in the next 100 days than at any past date, so we can focus on that instead of some ambiguous future. There’s really good evidence that at least some of the vaccines being produced will be safe and effective. Assuming the vaccine rolls out occurs as currently expected, we can consider ourselves to have, say, a “100-day problem”…not an infinite problem! (*In reality it will be more than 100 days for many regions and groups in the Philippines, but at least the endpoint is observably finite). This means we can now start to think about what’s about to change in our specific community, and how. Having this parameter is more manageable than ever-changing goalposts!
• We’re going to be okay … we’re going to get through it! We still have to continue to work to keep safe through our “100(+) days”, and we still have to prepare and adapt as we develop our “new normal”, but it’s manageable and it’s going to end and we have systems and support structures in place that we’re going to use to overcome the adversity that we’re facing.
• We also need to be prepared for differences of opinion to arise (more than the usual), and to anticipate that some members of our community might act “differently” to what we would expect them to be like before the pandemic. We need to respect differences, be empathetic and caring, and work together on problems and issues that impact our community keeping our shared objectives (as outlined in the CIS Guiding Statements) in mind to guide us. 

CIS Core Beliefs that guide us as we travel upon our journey:

1. Learning is a joyful, creative, and open-ended exploration.
2. Each child’s curiosity needs to be identified and nurtured (morally, socially, physically, and academically) to reach her/his potential.
3. Collaboration, communication, and contribution are essential for learning.
4. As world citizens, we have respect for self and others, and value diversity in all forms. 
5. Learning includes contributing to the world through service learning and sustainable environmental stewardship.
6. As an IB World School, the Learner Profile Attributes and Approaches to Learning are embedded in all that we think, say, and do.

Together, we are respectful, responsible, and prepared!

Guidance for large or extended families living in the same household

One feature about living in Cebu is many of our community members live in extended families. This presents specific challenges needing special attention to counter the threat from COVID-19. The CDC has published a helpful article that I wanted to share with you. It includes:  

• How to protect your household when you must leave the house (first tip –  “Don’t leave the household unless absolutely necessary!”… but if you must leave the household, nine tips are given to help!)
• How to protect members of the household who are at higher risk for severe illness
• How to protect children and others from getting sick
• How to care for a household member who is sick
• How to isolate a sick household member when household space is limited
• How to eat meals together and feed a household member who is sick.

Please note this week’s Newsflash is a little less detailed than usual due to being a 3-day week (Friday, Dec. 4th has been declared Osmeña Day holiday for Cebu City and Province). We wish you another restful long weekend, productive studying for our middle and high school students who have end semester assessments to complete next week, and as always, keep safe!

Regards

Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

Promoting Student Agency in MHS

Three weeks ago we began exploring the five GOA (Global Online Academy) Online Learning Norms and focused specifically on Norms 1 and 2, Building Trust and Challenging Students, and examined how these have been intentionally addressed and incorporated within our school-wide program. This week I wanted to focus on how the MHS has been addressing GOA Norm 4- Supporting Student Agency. This is an educational concept which has been heavily emphasized in our Elementary School, as it is a primary focus within the PYP. Student agency is also an aspect that we expect to be present implicitly within our MHS courses, especially as our students continue to develop their ability to make sophisticated cognitive choices.

Our new paradigm brought about by remote learning has created greater space for enhanced student independence and flexibility (in terms of students’ daily learning and, when appropriate, due dates). We have set clear and high expectations for them so they understand the targets for required content knowledge and skill development in each unit of study, but have also allowed for a much greater range of choice, voice, and ownership as to how they reach those targets. Our daily morning time and HR are the only mandated periods of the day, creating a defined structure for half of the academic learning time. Our daily attendance during remote learning has been measured not by a “clock”, but rather by student engagement and completion of work.

Our entire afternoon each day, which we have termed “extension time,” provides an opportunity for students to choose what they feel they need to do in their respective courses, whether it be:

• working further on learning engagements 
• reaching out to the teacher for clarity or assistance 
• collaborating with classmates
• reviewing that morning’s lessons
• previewing for the next day’s class sessions

Our emphasis on project-based learning, particularly in our MYP classes, where we have moved away from an emphasis on tests and exams which tend to be more teacher-directed, provides a great example of how we are promoting student agency in our assessment of student achievement. This is demonstrated and captured most clearly in the MYP capstone, the Personal Project, where student voice, choice, and ownership are all essential throughout the entire process from start to finish with assistance and guidance from Mr. Denton, our MYP Coordinator, and their respective supervisors. 

Let’s take a look at how we can see student agency at work in one of our MYP courses and in one of our DP courses.

In Grade 8 our Design Class, taught by Ms. Jumao-as, students learn through the process of design. The students in this class have been investigating and evaluating different methods of communication within their unit on Delivery of Message. Each student group is now in the process of creating a collaborative video that will explain and raise awareness about the specific UN Sustainable Development Goal it has chosen. To plan for their videos, students designed a storyboard to outline the flow and details of their final product. Here are some of the examples created by our Grade 8 students.

The storyboard I made is about the third Sustainable Development Goal, which is Good Health and Well-being. This storyboard will introduce and discuss the goal in detail and what are its aims. It also includes the important details about the aspect of the goal that I will be focusing on, which is mental health, such as what it is, what it affects, and why it is important. The relevance of the goal to us, students, who are part of the school community and how mental health affects many areas of students’ lives is explained here as well. Then, it offers some tips or ways on how students can improve their mental health and well-being so that the audience could get an idea of how to apply them in their lives. Lastly, the storyboard ends in an encouraging closing statement and the list of sources where the information came from. – Fiana

I edited up my storyboard and added the colors. I made more frames to show what I’m going to add in detail. Lastly I added more facts, my sources and a closing statement to impact the audiences. – Sengo

For my first frame I asked with the question of “What is SDG# 6?” to start off my video, it includes a voiceover which might only last for 2 seconds. The next frame is when I start to define SDG# 6 and it aims to give the viewers a deeper understanding of what it’s about. I’m also adding photos related to it to show people how it is visually, this frame also has a voice over and will probably last for about 43 seconds. In the 3rd frame, I start talking about the aspect of SDG# 6 I’m gonna focus on which is Personal and Community Hygiene. I chose to focus on this goal because it’s something that’s been around for a long time but not everyone has it or performs it, focusing on this aspect more will lower the risk of diseases and illnesses. – Gabrielle

Our task for these couple of lessons was to create a storyboard for the video we are going to create. The point of creating a storyboard is to plan out what your video is going to look like. Normally you would draw a series of boxes and draw what you want in the video inside those boxes and give special instructions under like the dialogue ( what music is going to be playing if there is any, how long each frame is gonna stay for, etc.) Since my video was about climate action I started off my story board with 3 frames about different natural disasters with the first one being a tsunami, the second one an earthquake, and the third a flood. I want to put these in the start so I could explain how climate change causes these natural disasters. Then the next few frames explain what climate change is. The frames after that talk about what climate change causes and how it is caused. After those frames the next are about how people can help stop global warming and prevent climate change. – Miguel

This story board is based on my SGD goal: Quality education for all kids. I have shown this on this storyboard but it is put into separate PDF files. Each frame explains different things but some of them just have questions like “why is this important to accomplish?” so that the viewer can understand the next frames. – Aaryan

Grade 12 TOK Presentations

As part of both our IBDP and CIS Diploma programs, all students in Grade 12 complete significant work within what is called the “IB core” (i.e. CAS, Extended Essay, and Theory of Knowledge) which is designed to broaden their educational experience. The “core” also allows students to draw connections between their different subjects and helps them develop and apply important skills, both academic and dispositional (e.g. research, communication, caring, being principled), which will serve them well in the future.

This week our Grade 12 students have been working on the culmination of their last three semesters in the TOK course with one of the two primary assessments: the TOK Presentation. TOK is a unique course in the IB curriculum as it guides and challenges our students to investigate what they know and how they know it, and it helps them develop critical skills which are relevant for analysis across their other courses.

Of course this year our students have negotiated the unique challenge of making their presentations virtually, which are twenty minutes in length when working in pairs, ten minutes if done individually. They engage in cognitive “heavy-lifting” to develop a coherent line of thinking, formulating well-considered knowledge questions, claims, counterclaims, and then reach logical conclusions- all backed by relevant and convincing evidence. At the end of the presentation the teachers and students ask questions to help them clarify their points or fill in possible gaps in their argument. The words that come to my mind when I consider these student performances are knowledgeable, insightful, articulate, and polished. Students are, by nature, curious and often struggle to find their own beliefs, identity, and voice, and TOK creates a space and framework where they can explore and develop these areas.

One of the requirements for the TOK Presentation is that students incorporate real-life situations (RLS) to show how their knowledge questions apply to relevant happenings in the real world, whether personal to them or in the area of current events.

Admin News

Final two weeks of Semester One before Christmas break

Would you believe there are only 2 more weeks of Semester 1 before we break for the Christmas holidays?! Please note we have classes on December 8th so as to enable us to start our holiday break on Friday, December 11. December 10th is a half-day of classes.

Please also note December 4th (next Friday) has been decreed a public holiday for Cebu Province to celebrate  Osmeña Day. We are still waiting for official confirmation if Cebu City will also observe this holiday, as Cebu City is independent of Cebu Province. If Cebu City officially joins this holiday, CIS will also have no classes on December 4th. For those new to the system here in the Philippines, decreed holidays are sometimes presented to us that are not on our official calendar, which we typically make a year in advance. We do try to anticipate any such holidays, and add in two emergency days to cater to emergencies, however, so note we will not need to take a day from elsewhere to cover this day.

*MHS Students, please note that if  December 4th is a holiday, this will impact your summative assessment (G6-10) and exam (G11/12) schedules. 

Note, we only act on official statements, not news outlet reports. Please refer to our school calendar for our official calendar which will show any updates cis.edu.ph/explore/school-calendar/.

Are we going to get back on Campus in Semester two?

As we wind up semester one, I know this is a recurring “FAQ”! The short answer is… yes, we would love to get back on campus during S2! While there is a chance it could be in January, however, we are sorry we cannot be definite if this will be the case yet, and we still need to wait for the authorities to grant permission for this to happen. 

In the meantime, we will continue working on our successful Remote Learning program, and continue to prepare procedures and facilities to ensure it will be safe for us to return to campus when we are able. We understand it is frustrating for many to wait, but we need to trust the authorities to make a safe decision so as to avoid any unnecessary illness and/or deaths. 

There has been some notable good news that we can be happy with! There are very positive results emerging about possible vaccines for multiple sources becoming available very soon. We are also learning how to fight the virus better with each passing week of experience, which will make our move back on campus safer, and we are learning from other schools’ hybrid/blended learning programs, so ours will also be successful too when we are able to start. We are also pleased to note that the evidence indicates our Remote Learning program is providing the academic support our students need so they can continue to learn and not fall behind like some feared. We also continue to place an enhanced focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which is an area that many students (and adults!) are finding most challenging through the pandemic.

Please keep positive and carry on resiliently. We have done so well as a community thus far, I am very proud of what we have all accomplished since the pandemic started. We are now looking at positive signs that indicate we are moving forward towards a conclusion to the pandemic now, so hang in there – we can do it!

PTA Coffee Meeting 

Thanks to the parents who joined our PTA Coffee Morning last Thursday at 10 am. It was great to just chat with each other and share our experiences! Please take the time to join our next event (details will be published).

Have a wonderful long weekend (Monday is Bonifacio Day holiday)!

Regards

Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Don’t forget our Tree of Giving is happening soon, as well as our PTA Online Bazaar. Boxes are available in the CIS Main lobby where you can drop off these items!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

The Language of Learning

Organizations are known to spend many hours and large sums of money developing statements that describe who they are, what they do, and how they do it. These Mission and Vision Statements, and the related core values, are so important to organizations, yet they are only groups of words clumped together in various ways. Bradley Chalkers from the Louis Sachar student novel, There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom, says it so well, “You mean to say you have these 26 letters, and you move those letters around and then they say so many different things!”  These letters make words, and these words that create meanings that reflect who we believe we are, and represent the values that we live by. At CIS we have a Mission and Vision Statement, and a set of values that drive us as educators. It is very difficult to be an educator at CIS and not adopt these values as our own, because they drive everything we do.

Metaphors are a powerful way to describe concepts and beliefs because they describe one thing as if it is another. I would like for a minute to describe the metaphor between school and work. Many of the metaphors we have traditionally used to describe school come from the factories of the industrial revolution. The factory is a place where a product is produced. This product travels through a production line and is measured against certain quality control standards as it passes through various stages. The people in the factory do work, and complete the tasks the managers have set for them, then they listen for the bell which indicates that workers can take a break from the work. At the end of the production process, products that pass a certain  standard move off to do a job that they have been shaped to do, and those who do not meet the standard may be used from some other menial job, or cast away. The important types of  language in this metaphor are phrases like:

• Students do work
• Students complete tasks
• Children need to be managed and disciplined
• Students must be tested against the standards
• Students pass and fail

As we have gradually modernised education to reflect the needs of the 21st century society, we have moved away from the control of this factory metaphor toward the metaphor of entrepreneurialism. Entrepreneurs tend to operate in conditions of uncertainty, they see opportunities and act on these opportunities. They are technological and organizationally innovative, highly flexible and are able to respond to market conditions. Although knowledge recall is important to an entrepreneur, it is secondary to the ability to quickly identify what new knowledge is of most importance, then interpret and synthesize new knowledge so it can be applied within a given context. Creativity and innovation are two key aspects that underpin the metaphor of entrepreneurship. 

Entrepreneurship is a culture driven by values, where the process is as important, or more important than product, where individuals are valued as more than a number, and where customers value why and how something is done as much as they value what is produced. When the metaphor of entrepreneurialism is applied to education,  the language in this metaphor is phrased in this way;

• Students are engaged in learning
• Students dive deep into inquiry
• Children are coached to manage their own choices and learning
• Students assess themselves against outcomes and receive feedback on how to make improvements in their next learning steps
• What a student can do now is less important than what they can achieve in the future with focus, coaching, and perseverance

As adults who have experienced the factory metaphor of school, it can at times be difficult for us to understand why school should be different to the way we experienced it. School worked for us, so why should it be different for my children. The answer is simply this: the world is a different place than it was when we were in school. An example of this could be my grandfather. My grandfather was born in 1918, at the very end of the 1st World War. He was educated during the Great Depression and attended his last day of school during his 12th year of life. He then worked in a factory until he joined the army and went to war. Following the war he became a builder and built houses from 1945 until his retirement in 1980 and during that time the building standards and the building materials remained largely unchanged. There was no need for new knowledge. 

In today’s workforce knowledge, standards and materials change constantly. The content taught in year one of university is largely out of date by year 3 of university. Letting go of the factory metaphor of education and adopting the entrepreneurial metaphor enables schools like CIS to respond to the pressures presented by a rapidly changing world and prepare students with the skills and attributes they will need to navigate an exciting and unpredictable future. 

References

• How Children Talk, Write, Dance, Draw, and Sing their Understanding of the World – Harvard educational review
• Metaphors
• Metaphors of Entrepreneurship among Polish Students
• Metaphor Perceptions of Primary School Administrators and Teachers
• The Power of Language – how words shape people and culture: Stanford News

Elementary Learning on Seesaw

Please spend a few minutes looking at the learning in Physical Education and Early Years over this past week.

Learning in Grades 4 and 5 Physical Education and Health

Grades 4 and 5 students are currently learning to play ‘bowling’. These past few days, we have been engaged in class discussions about  the history, rules, equipment, choosing the right ball, etiquette of playing the game as well as scoring. Students shared brilliant ideas on what equipment they could possibly use as substitutes for bowling pins and bowling balls. Some of their responses were water bottles, paper cups for bowling pins and rolled shirts or socks to replace bowling balls. 

Learning in KG,  Grades 2  Grade 3 Physical Education and Health

Students are currently working on their PHE activity log. The activity log is a smart and easy way to keep track of and measure their progress. This can help them gain a sense of satisfaction, boost their confidence and keep them committed to regular physical activities. Students need to record the number of minutes they were active while doing the physical activities. After recording, they must sum up the total number of minutes for each day. Kindergarten and Grade 1’s goal is to be able to reach a 60-minute physical activity. Grades 2 and 3 on the other hand,    need to reach 90 minutes of physical activity each day! 

Design Day in EY 2/3

Last week, we had a successful Design Day where students were encouraged to engage in activities that were more hands-on and creative with lesser use of technology. As part of our unit of inquiry, Sharing The Planet, our young learners were given the opportunity to think of a space where their chosen animal could live. During our video call on Thursday, students drew their plans and together brainstormed possible materials that they will need to prepare to build their designs. They thought of using recyclable resources and toys they have available at home. On Friday, students went ahead and made these. With some adult support, each of our students showed their creativity by building their spaces with such a variety of materials. All of them were engaged and committed to complete their work beautifully. The EY 2/3s collaborated by giving meaningful and helpful feedback to their friends. Each of them demonstrated their resilience by trying to improve their designs before sharing them with the class. Through this process, our young learners demonstrated critical thinking and great self-management skills. Aside from producing creative spaces, they were also able to demonstrate their understanding of how living things are connected to each other as they explained the reasons behind the things they chose to include in their designs. 

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

MHS Week Without Walls 2020-21 Preview

Our Week Without Walls experience is scheduled to take place in mid-February (February 16-19), and much of our planning for this event is already underway. Teachers have been working diligently to create rich opportunities for our students again this year. While we want to begin planning and communicating early in order to allow our students and families to make informed choices, at this point we do not know for certain whether or not we will be back on campus then, and if so, to what extent. For this reason, some of our courses are being planned as online options while others have been planned to allow for either online or on-campus versions. We want to continue offering meaningful service-learning opportunities for CIS students and also work on helping them to develop important life skills, enhance their cultural appreciation, and foster awareness of and interaction with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals through experiential learning.

Our school’s philosophy undergirds all of our Week Without Walls efforts, as follows:

• Cebu International School’s Guiding Statements highlight our belief in the importance of experiential, constructivist learning and the explicit development of a wide range of skills and characteristics identified as Approaches to Learning (ATL) and Learner Profile (LP) attributes. 
• We believe providing an extended period of time outside the classroom to engage in purposefully planned activities enables our students to develop many of these skills and attributes in ways that are not possible, or are more difficult, in a traditional classroom setting.
• All of our WWW activities are designed around the promotion of one or more of the following areas: creativity, activity, service-learning, and intercultural mindedness. In addition, interdisciplinary/curriculum links are encouraged when possible.
• CIS has identified service learning as a particular focus for us as a school, and therefore aspects of Service Learning will be included in all WWW course options (unless there is approval not to do so for a specific reason), and activities will therefore follow the objectives of Service Learning at CIS.

This year’s WWW course options are as follows:

Everlasting Hope (Grades 6-10)
The primary aim of this course is to design and deliver some remote interactions and activities to enrich the daily lives of the residents of the Everlasting Hope facility whose mission is to bring hope to children with cancer and their families. Option 1 is that our CIS students will record themselves reading individual parts of local/Cebuano stories to present to the children at Everlasting Hope. Option 2 is that CIS students will record themselves cooking various recipes and present these as “how-to” videos. Option 3 involves CIS students recording themselves creating various art projects and presenting them as virtual “how-to” videos. This course is planned as an online option.

Social Media Campaigns for NGO’s (Grades 6-11)
Students will create Social Media Campaigns for a variety of selected Non-Government Organizations which they then may use for fundraising or other activities aimed at broadening their ‘reach’. We will reach out to organizations we have previously partnered with to serve them in this way. Students will develop and apply skills in video editing, graphic design, communication, and interviewing in order to create the content needed.

The Transformers (Grades 6-11)
The aim of this course is to teach a local group or community a valuable life skill(s) and promote a livelihood program through making environmentally friendly products (e.g. cooking, biodegradable containers, soap/detergent, candles) so that individuals within this community may be able to start and sustain a small business. Students who plan to participate in this course will have an opportunity to use their technological skills to share their instruction with others.

CIS Service Learning 4×4 (3.0) (Grades 6-11)
The objective of this course is to engage students in one unique activity per day for four days. Each day’s activity would be focused on developing skills, outdoor education, collaboration, and/or leadership.

The options we are considering for each day are as follows:                                   

• Day 1- Online Collaboration for Action with other International Schools 
• Day 2- Relief Effort Actions for Typhoon Victims
• Day 3- Turn over of Output
• Day 4- Basic Survival Skills

Educators of the Galaxy (Grades 8-11)
Students from Cebu International School (CIS) will prepare online or video tutorial instructional materials. During this week CIS students will produce and create online lessons that are of interest (e.g. Art, Science, Mandarin, Spanish). CIS students will then save these materials online or create a Youtube channel so others may upload and benefit from these materials.

The daily schedule will mirror our current remote learning instructional schedule:

1. Mornings will be spent planning and creating the instructional materials
2. Afternoons will be used for synchronous presentations of student products to faculty sponsors for feedback and revision

By the end of the week, students will produce three online tutorial videos on a specific topic of their choosing.

Time Travelers (Grades 6-10)
If you can’t move in space, you can certainly move in time. In this course, our students may spend a week as a Roman, a Viking, or an individual within any other historical epoch. This course involves eating food from the time period, as well as experiencing the music, dress, and other aspects of living. There will be various sponsored activities and charity fund-raisers, as well as preparing authentic meals and conducting dress contests (with charity prizes), There will be planned “no computer and/or power times” to build authenticity into the students’ experience.

The UN SDG approach will be to consider the nature of these issues in the past and to evaluate to what extent they were addressed.

Principled Action for this course may include making educational video clips for elementary students or inviting them on a trip.

IBDP Mock Exams (Grade 12 only)
As is our usual practice, our grade 12 students will participate in their DP mock exams during Week Without Walls to gauge their current achievement level in their DP courses and help prepare them for the actual exams in May.

Student Course Selection
We have shared a Google Form with your children this afternoon, and they will have a week to complete this form, indicating their first, second, and third choices. They have been instructed to discuss these options with you prior to selecting an option and/or filling out the form. Course placement will be made according to seniority (according to grade level) and then by the promptness of their response. We will do our best to place students in their preferred courses. We are still estimating costs for some courses, but in light of the fact that we are not planning on leaving campus and that some courses are online, the costs will not be very high this year for any of our options.

Disaster Relief

by Justin D., Grade 11 Student

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines has faced two of the strongest typhoons in the world within the past month alone. These natural disasters have left many of our countrymen in Luzon suffering for survival. These dire situations seek for a great communal response to help rebuild impeded lives.

With this, Grade 11 and 12 students Venise, Deandra, Luna, Pristina, Sakura I, Bianca, Sakura S. and Justin, with the guidance of Mr. Ace Pierra, have initiated the Disaster Relief Operation to heed to the call of service. This operation aims to bring assistance and support to those affected in Tabgon, Caramoan, a municipality in Camarines Sur. In addition, this project aspires to revitalize the conditions of 3-5 families in the target community and provide them with a sustainable livelihood for the betterment of their future. This operation will consist of the donation drive where items such as essential goods, toiletries, and cash are accepted, as well as a series of fundraising activities to gain additional financial support. This operation also allows extensive collaborations with local and international schools and other initiatives to establish a strong foundation. However, the true key to the success of this operation is the involvement and participation of the entire CIS community. We need your help to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos who need our service the most. A single ounce of your support can go a long way.

Dragon’s Print

Santa Claus is well-known for being the holiday cookie monster, since the popular tale says that he likes to eat cookies and milk every time he visits someone’s house. So now that it’s almost Christmas, Dragon’s Print has compiled reviews of online stores in Cebu that sell cookies. 

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

After you have applied to a university through the CommonApp or directly through their website or a registered platform, check your email regularly (check the email address used in completing the application).   After an application is submitted, there may be further documentation required to complete your application.   Forward the message to your college counselor so you can be advised on the next steps. 

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

DATE

December 2 & 9

EVENT

Wentworth Institute of Technology (USA)
Sign up for Wentworth Wednesdays – Info sessions
Click to REGISTER

December 3
4:00 PM

December 5
2:00 – 4: 00PM

Study in the UK (sponsored by Imperial College London & University of St. Andrews) Click to REGISTER

Enderun College (Philippines)
“Enderun Hand in Hand with Korea”
Open to Korean student in Grades 10, 11 and 12
Click to REGISTER

December 10
4:00 pm PH time

Ulster University (UK)
Virtual Open House – Click to REGISTER

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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.

PTA Announcement

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

Today your child will have taken part in the first of our CIS Elementary Design Days. It has been an exciting journey bringing this together with the Design Day Team. Several weeks ago one of our elementary teachers raised the idea of a day that was based around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics), so in response to this several teachers came together to develop this idea further. The key elements of the day were to teach the student a design process that would help them to become problem finders as well as problem solvers, enabling them to become increasingly familiar with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and to provide a different kind of learning experience to the regular remote learning day. We are excited to see how engaged the students have been throughout this day and as always, we would value any feedback you have for us from your perspective at home that may enable us to improve this experience for your children and yourself.

This week we are excited to share with you the learning that has been taking place in Music across the elementary school, and in the Eagles KG/G1 class.

Learning in Elementary Music

Early Years
Early years students are continuing to explore how animals move and sound by singing fun songs, playing musical games, and responding to listening provocations.

Grade 2 and Grade 3
Grade 2 and 3 students continued to explore how we can change music through the lens of “the elements of music”. They have also started investigating composing and notating rhythms, focusing on 4/4 time signature and crotchets and quavers.

Kinder and Grade1
Kinder and Grade 1 students have been furiously making final preparations for their home concert. They have been practicing for their performance; organizing costumes; making posters and tickets and decorating their performance venues.

Learning in KG/G1 Eagles

Sharing the Planet

This week, the Kinder and Grade 1 students started a new unit of inquiry, “Sharing the Planet”, with the central idea: People can change their environment through their actions. Previously we read a book called “And the People Stayed Home” by Kitty O’Meara. This book encourages us to look within, listen deeply, and connect with ourselves and the earth in order to heal.

Here are some book responses from our students:

What were some of the changes that happened while people stayed at home? 

The earth began to heal. The people listened to each other more deeply.  – Erin

The people began to live differently. – Ben

The people made good choices by planting trees and not killing animals. They also meditated. – Catherine

In what ways did the people create new ways to live?

Some of them began to plant trees. – Erin

The people look closely and listen deeply to what earth was trying to say. Ben

The people prayed and stayed home then the earth began to heal. – Masa

People meditated and prayed. Some people also read stories and listened more deeply. – Catherine

They are now working on creating solutions on how we could keep the Earth healthy. Our students are drafting plans for their own inventions- a clean up machine. 

Grade 4 and Grade 5

Grade 4 and 5 students have been exploring a number of musical genres such as orchestral music, popular music, and holiday music.  They have learned songs using a variety of instruments and sound sources, which include band instruments, body percussion, recorder, and voice.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

A few weeks ago, Mr. Davies and I co-led the monthly Parent Coffee wherein we revisited our journey as a school from the beginning of our remote learning period on March 16th to the present. It has been quite a journey, indeed, and while it may seem like this has been one long and monotonous stretch, there have been several significant milestones along the way which we highlighted in the Parent Coffee meeting, moments where the school made significant adjustments to our approaches to remote learning in order to better meet the academic and social/emotional needs of our students.

Even prior to lockdown we had “rehearsed” remote learning days, setting aside one day per year to practice as a community in the event of such an eventuality as the one we are experiencing that might result in school closure. Once the lock down began, our teachers engaged in courses, webinars, and other forms of professional development to enhance their understanding of effective remote learning, as well as enhance their technology skills, skills that would enable them to maximize their effectiveness and impact student learning more powerfully during remote learning. These efforts intensified over the summer as our teachers remained in Cebu and had the time to engage in professional development. The administrative team was likewise quite busy learning about important aspects of how to improve the learning experience for our students in our remote learning context.

At the start of the school year we reviewed our instructional practices and worked together as a faculty to understand, embrace, and incorporate the 5 GOA (Global Online Academy) Online Learning Norms. These five norms are: 

• Build Trust
• Challenge Students
• Redefine Time
• Support Student Agency
• Diversify Interactions

In our faculty meetings at the start of the year the respective sections of the school (ES, MS, and HS) reviewed our RL practices and evaluated the extent to which they aligned with these Five Norms; we also identified areas where we needed to strengthen our practice in light of these norms. In all three areas of the school, we added components to our daily instructional approaches with the help of this new set of lenses.

While there would be too much to share if we tried to address all five GOA norms at once, I would like to explore the first two norms and explain how these have impacted our approach and learning in our Middle and High classes during this RL period.

The first GOA Norm- Building Trust

Most would agree that trust is the foundation for any healthy relationship, and this is true for our school community as well. There really does need to be a high degree of trust between all of our CIS members- parents, school, and students- in order for us to have a strong and healthy culture. In the classroom, the trust between teachers and students is pivotal. Teachers need to cultivate within their students a confidence that they are trustworthy and reliable. Students must believe that those teachers care about them and are there for them, and that they are willing and available to help when needed. Students also want to have confidence that their teachers are masters of the subjects they teach even if they don’t have all the answers all the time. It can be a challenge to build trust when students aren’t able to see their teachers face to face, so this is something we have intentionally worked to develop.

One of the key ways we have endeavored to build trust with our students is through developing strong relationships. Teachers have been striving for much more direct contact with students this semester compared to last spring. Our goal is to “meet” with students at some point during the synchronous portion of each class session even if it is just to check in at the start of class and get them started on a learning engagement. Teachers are also working with students one on one or in groups in our afternoon “extension” time to ensure that they receive personalized feedback and support. We are continuing to reach out to parents with our protocols of active reporting to include them in the learning process. At the start of the year we also moved back to meeting with our Homeroom groups twice per week to demonstrate care and meet the SEL needs of our students. Finally we are facilitating groups like StuCo and the Student Support Group in order to support student agency and help our students help each other.

Establishing and maintaining consistency and predictable procedures as well as carefully designing our instructional units also helps to make students feel secure; an example of this would be teachers posting all class announcements, assignments, and materials for that day’s classes on Google Classroom before 8:00am each day. When students and parents know what to expect, it is easier for them to develop trust. Furthermore, maintaining our school rhythm and rituals like morning assemblies, House Activity Day, and events like Book Week and Culture Week also serve to develop relationships and also help to create a sense of stability as these important events are carried forward as unifying aspects of our community experience.

The second GOA Norm- Challenging Students

This second norm speaks to our practice of appropriately ushering our students to a place where they must build on their prior knowledge and skills and must now take the next step in further developing both (often by applying what they know within a novel situation to extend and crystalize that knowledge) in order to successfully accomplish the task. It is important to not miss the connection between these first two norms, for when trust has been developed between the teacher and students, they will be much more willing to embark on new challenges knowing that the teacher is there beside them (even if virtually) and has their best interests at heart. To be sure, the challenge has to be appropriate and realistic; we cannot expect a student to run four miles if he or she has never even run one. However, if the student has already run three miles, we can work on gradually building up their fitness and stamina until they are able to reach that new goal. Experts concur that healthy people, at their core, want to grow and learn, so we actually do a disservice to our students when we don’t challenge them.

In MHS we have demonstrated our commitment to challenge students within the RL context by setting high (and clear) expectations for them. All of our summative tasks in grades 6-10 follow MYP Assessment Criteria and our DP assessments align with IB content and skill standards. Student work is measured against robust rubrics (which delineate different achievement levels) so they can understand the “target” they are aiming for. We also use anchor papers (exemplars) which are former student papers or projects, shared anonymously, which help to demonstrate and clarify for students the kind of product required to reach those achievement levels.

With the adoption of MYP, we are even more committed to project-based learning and assessment. Projects are carefully designed according to IB standards and involve complex tasks that measure numerous standards as well as develop ATL skills. Challenging students means that we are more concerned about the quality of student work and thinking as opposed to the quantity. We also challenge students by providing timely and specific coaching along the way, offering regular, timely feedback on formative assignments to provide appropriate guidance as students progress toward mastery on their summative tasks.

Grade 7 Homeroom meets to discuss the Tree of Giving

Grade 8 Homeroom “jamboard” activity as students share ideas on the ATL skill of collaboration.

Grade 10 Maths

This year for the first time we have differentiated our Math classes in Grades 9 and 10 into “Core Math” and “Extended Math” to meet the distinct needs of students in each of these levels. The Extended group has created an opportunity for a unique challenge; the aim is to expose students to as wide a range of mathematical activity as possible and help them prepare for AA (Analysis and Approaches) Math in the DP when they reach Grade 11.

The Grade 10 Extended class began the semester with the abstract concept of Complex Numbers, studying their algebra and then looking at the Argand diagram (Complex plane) as a means of representation. The second unit of the semester was Trigonometry, we have considered this topic from both theoretical and practical viewpoints: as periodic, circular functions and as tools for surveying and navigation.

The final assessment for the semester which students are currently working on is a project where students have been asked to model the time of the sunrise over a period of one year. This was an opportunity for students to apply trigonometric theory to a real-life situation. It also mirrored a similar exercise which will be required as coursework for the IB Diploma, so it is stretching them and preparing them to be ready for challenges yet to come.

Model United Nations challenges students while developing relationships

Our Model United Nations (MUN) After School Activity (ASA) wonderfully demonstrates the connection between trust and challenge; this activity challenges students to grow cognitively and expand their understanding of the world around them while building relationships with their coaches and peers and also honing valuable research, communication, and collaboration skills.

Over the past few weeks, students in the after school Model United Nations ASA have been exploring new topics and sharing this new information with each other.  The areas they are investigating are based on the topics that will be explored in February’s BEIMUN Conference, hosted by the International School of Beijing.  While the upcoming conference, held February 25-28, 2021, will not be something we can attend in person, we are pleased to have a contingent of Cebu International School students who will participate virtually.  

Students have explored topics ranging from international money-laundering, the global waste crisis, systematic racism in the workplace, the weaponization of artificial intelligence, protecting whistleblowers, establishing a framework for emergency global health responses, and the militarization of outer space.  Through their research, students have explored the background and causes of these issues, determining which key terms need to be understood for each, and have evaluated what countries are involved (and may represent differing perspectives) with each of these issues.

Our next preparatory step involves our students digging more deeply into the perspective of the country they have signed up to represent in the February BEIMUN Conference in order to fairly and accurately mirror that country’s perspective.

Here is what some of our student participants shared in reflection:

“A topic that I found interesting was the artificial intelligence race. Much like the militarisation of outer-space, I didn’t think it was something that would happen in real life.” – Sofia, G11

“I learned that the informal economy is most present in developing countries and that many countries still have not carried out necessary actions to ensure the welfare of these employees. One insight I also got was that the extent to which the informal economy is present in a country is a reflection of other societal determinants such as unemployment, poverty, and bureaucracy.” – Logan, G11

“The advanced research I have started will help me be better prepared and more knowledgeable about the issues that are currently happening. Moreover, it also allows me to learn more about the world and what international organizations plan to do about these issues.” – Dana, G12

Tree of Giving

by MHS Student Council

Hi All!

Our annual Tree of Giving is coming up but due to current circumstances, the event cannot be held in person. However, the MHS Student Council will still push through with the gift-giving aspect of the event.

The MHS StuCo would like to encourage everyone to donate wrapped shoe boxes that contain personal care items and basic school supplies which will be given to those in need.

Thank you in advance! Your little help will go a long way, especially given that the children (and families) at the Umapad Dumpsite in Mandaue – our community beneficiary – have gone through really tough times through this pandemic and the recent floodings in Cebu. 

All the best!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

The English Proficiency Requirement:

Most university websites have this on their list of requirements. How does an applicant fulfill this?

• A passing grade in English A:  Language & Literature (HL or SL). Some universities will require a 3 or 4 and specify the level.
• A certificate from the school indicating English as the medium of instruction & assessment. 
• A certificate from the school indicating accreditation with Western Association of Schools and  Colleges (WASC) and Council of International Schools (CIS)

Some students take the TOEFL or the IELTS.  This is an additional item one can submit but it is not required unless the university specifically states that it is required for a specific course or purpose. A specific course that requires the English language test is a medically allied course  such as nursing which will involve working in a clinical setting in the community. 

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

DATE

November 24 – Tuesday
2:30 PM

November 25
Wednesday
1:30 – 5:00 PM

EVENT

National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Link to follow

Virtual University Fair (Australia & New Zealand)
Link to Register
Attending Institutions: Lincoln University (NZ), Macquarie University (AU), University of Adelaide (AU), University of Auckland (NZ), University of Canterbury (NZ), University of Melbourne (AU), University of New South Wales (AU), University of Queensland (AU), University of Sydney (AU), University of Western Australia (AU)

November 27
Friday
1:30 – 5:00 PM

Virtual University Fair (Canada, UK and Ireland)
Link to Follow
Participating institutions: (Canada) Cape Breton University, McEwan University, Mount Royal University, Ontario Tech University, University of Winnipeg – (UK/Ireland) Leeds Beckett University, Nottingham Trent University, University of Portsmouth, Swansea University, University of Leeds, University of Southwales

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

Each week I am inspired by our young learners at CIS. There is no doubt that each of us experience days of lower energy and times when we need to dig deep for inspiration. For me the answer to such days often comes from the varied and creative learning I find the students sharing on Seesaw. Our teachers invest incredible resources of time and energy into planning, teaching and providing feedback, but they too continue to be inspired by the learning your children so enthusiastically and passionately engage in. At this time of the year it is also natural for our student to feel a little less motivated as we draw to the end of the first semester, and this may be particularly so in the remote learning context. This is a wonderful opportunity to help your children develop the PYP ATL self-management skill of perseverance. We do appreciate all the feedback you give us which helps to respond to individual needs, and sometimes it is helpful to just encourage each other that there are times when we just need to pick ourselves up and carry on, as challenging as this may be as the semester break will be upon us very soon.

I am excited to be able to share this week’s learning with you.  Grade 3 have been collecting data about the environment, making connections across the Social Studies, Science and Mathematics curriculum standards. Ms. MJ meets with her Media Center classes once every four days and collaborates closely with each of the homeroom teachers to ensure the learning in the homeroom and the learning in the Media Center lessons is as closely connected as possible. Finally, Ms. Thea shares how the EY and KG/G1 students have been inspired by the famous artist, Piet Mondrian, while the G4 and 5 students have explored camouflage painting. Please do take a few minutes to learn a little more about the student learning in Elementary School. 

Learning in Grade 3 – The Changing Natural Environment

Grade 3 has been researching on how our natural environment changes. The students worked together in groups and chose a topic to learn more about. When they were finished with their research they then shared their learning with their peers through various online tools.

We have also been practicing how to collect data and represent that data through Bar Graphs and Pictographs. The students sent questions and surveys to their classmates and families to ask about their thoughts and opinions. Once they had their data, they could then create an appropriate graph to demonstrate their findings.

Learning in Library/Media Center Class – Connecting with the Homerooms

For the past few weeks, Library/Media Center classes have been collaborating with Homeroom’s unit of inquiry especially for upper elementary. Early Years students continued sharing read alouds and reading different books about animals during our synchronous calls to support their unit.

K/G1 students continued to explore the systems that we use to organize our books in the Library/Media Center. Students have been exploring the Dewey Decimal system that we use to organize our nonfiction books. 

The grades 2 & 3 have been discussing natural disasters in their homeroom classes. To collaborate with their unit in the library, we’ve been reading books about volcanoes – what causes volcanic eruptions and its effect on the environment. We also read a story about how volcanic eruptions affect the lives of the people who lived in Pompeii years ago. 

Grades 4 and 5 have been discussing adaptation in their Homeroom classes. To collaborate with their unit in the Library, we’ve been exploring books about adaptations of night creatures. The students research their chosen night animal. We also learned about the legend that attempts to explain why bats fly at night.

Learning in Art – Piet Mondrian Art and Camouflage Art

The students learned about Famous Artist Piet Mondrian and created artworks inspired by his style, focusing on red, blue and yellow (primary colors), horizontal and vertical lines. The students were given the option of drawing/painting, collage, and abstract style art. Allowing the students to choose between drawing, collage and abstract is one way to allow them voice, choice and ownership of their work. On the right of their submitted painting, you can see a photo of the video of themselves that they made wherein they describe their work. This shows their thinking and communication skills when they describe their idea, their process and the story behind their art. 

Grade 4 students collaborated with the HR units on animal and plant adaptation by doing some hand painting. The students were asked to choose an animal, to research and look for a close-up shot of that animal’s skin or fur, and then to paint this on their hand using poster color. Another goal was to paint it in such a way that their hand camouflaged into the painting, hiding their hand from immediate attention of the viewer’s eye. This was in connection to the HR discussion on camouflage.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

Character Parade

Our MHS students participated in Book Week throughout all of last week. As always, this week-long event culminates in our Book Character Parade on Friday where, rather than dressing up for Halloween, we ask that our students wait for one additional week and then don costumes for a specific and educational purpose, celebrating books and reading rather than scaring each other or collecting unnecessary amounts of candy. Although we were not able to hold our typical Character Parade which, under normal circumstances, proudly processes through the halls of our school, we were still able to work in our homerooms and celebrate the books that are significant to us.

Grade 6

For the Character Parade the Grade 9 HR class did a read aloud from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and these are the screenshots from the recording.

Grade 10 did a great job of celebrating Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, a book they studied this year in their Language and Literature class.

Grade 7

Grade 8

Videos:

• Julie
• Elijah
• Gabrielle

Grade 11 came together to celebrate a modern children’s classic, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief.

 

Our Grade 12 never disappoints when it comes to the Character Parade and this year was no exception. Our grade 12 homerooms joined together to conduct a dramatic reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Click on the image to view the video!

Dragon’s Print

Korean dramas or K-dramas, for short, is a popular staple in contemporary Filipino culture. Some of the notable Netflix K-drama releases this year include Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, and It’s Okay to Not be Okay.

K-dramas must have some form of magic that has Filipino audiences spellbound, aside from the unworldly attractiveness of the lead actors and actresses at least. Well, we’ve rounded up a few possible reasons why Filipinos love K-dramas so much, and you can read them on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

When checking the website of a university, here are the items to look for:

• Undergraduate admission requirements
• Deadlines
• Pre-requisite subjects for the program you are applying for
  • Example:  Math Analysis & Approaches SL or HL is required to apply for a Bachelor of Science degree in a number of Canadian universities
• Read the admission handbook or guide if provided on the website
• English proficiency requirement: most universities will accept a letter from school indicating English as the medium of instruction and assessment.  Our accreditation with Council of International Schools  (CIS) and Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) is recognized by universities which means that the CIS HS diploma is recognized by many universities as an entrance qualification.

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

DATE

November 19
Thursday
7:00 AM

November 19
Thursday
5:00 PM

November 21
Saturday
7:00 PM
PH Time

EVENT

Rutgers University-Newark (USA)
Open House from your House
Link to REGISTER

SIM Global Education (Singapore)
Career Prospecting Workshop
Link to JOIN

Experience Japan Exhibition 2020 Online
Website:  https://experience-japan-online.jp/
Link to REGISTER
The online seminars will cover topics such as scholarships, employment opportunities, researching in Japan, and more. There will also be a Q&A session where participants can ask questions to students who have studied in Japan, while universities and other institutions will each have virtual booths to introduce their unique programs.
List of universities attending: Hokkaido University, International Christian,  University International University of Japan,  Japan College of Foreign Languages, Kanazawa University, Keio University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Nara Institute of Science & Technology, Okayama University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Ritsumeikan University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Sophia University, Tohoku University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Waseda University

November 21
Saturday
2:00 PM

Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (Japan)
Tips for applying to the Global BBA Program
Link to Register

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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.

Finance News

Admin News

Dear CIS Community,

What an interesting Book Week we had this week! It was great to see the CIS community raise awareness of the benefits of reading, and engaging our students in a variety of ways. In addition to the class focus on literature at the various class levels and Book Week Design Challenge in the ES, we have enjoyed a daily DEAR (drop everything and read) time, Living Library guest speakers, Story Time Videos from our community, parent and faculty guest book readers, our Guess What I’m Reading contest and our annual Book Parade which was virtual this year! Thanks to the Book Week Committee for all of their efforts in organizing this enjoyable week that was full of learning!

As per our calendar, please note this coming weekend (November 7-10) is a 4-day long weekend, with no classes on Monday and Tuesday. (*Nov. 9th is a  compensatory holiday for the Nov. 2 Special Non-working national holiday, and Nov. 10 is a school holiday to allow for faculty PD from the IB, although we have had to move this PD to February!). Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend, and stay safe!

Regards
Dr. Gwyn Underwood
Superintendent

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

This week we have enjoyed the celebration of our annual CIS Book Week, which encourages all of our community members to experience the wonder, pleasure, and learning that comes from reading; this week always culminates with the fun of our Book Character Parade on Friday which we will highlight next week. In a year full of unprecedented firsts, this was our first-ever virtual book week at CIS. We have grown accustomed to creatively adapting events throughout the year which remain an important part of our school culture. Once again this week, our community, led by our inventive Book Week Committee, with optimism and a growth mindset, came together to share and celebrate Book Week within our current learning context necessitated by the Covid crisis.

Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) Time

We wanted to start our Book Week simply with a concerted focus on reading. On Monday our entire CIS community enjoyed a session of DEAR time where we paused to take time to read. Our MHS grades used our homeroom time on Monday for this activity where teachers and students alike were able to lose themselves for a while in a book of their choosing.

Story Time Videos 

One of the newer features of Book Week this year has been the creation of a book week website, artistically produced by the Book Week Committee and accessible to our entire community. This website features a series of “story time” videos, where teachers, parents, and students were invited to submit a video of them reading their favorite children’s book, short story, poem, or novel excerpt. These videos serve to represent the vast diversity of the CIS community, something we also experienced last week during our Culture Week, so please feel free to explore the website and enjoy these stories from a variety of cultures and mother tongues.

Music 10 Film Music Projects

While our school this week has focused on celebrating reading, our students have been working creatively in their other classes as well. For example, the Grade 10 Music students studied film music as their unit for quarter 1 and how it can be used to make significant social, cultural, and geographical references. For their unit summative project, the students took well-known film themes and made modifications to the original music in order to suggest certain geographic settings. This was a challenging project because the students were introduced to a wide range of new techniques and music materials, such as scales and rhythms that are specific to Japan, China, India, and Indonesia.  Here is what the students had to say about this project within their end of unit reflections:

Now, I understand the SOI (Statement of Inquiry) on a deeper level. In addition to using certain timbres, drum beats, and scales from a specific country, one must also understand how to work with them while fusing a western theme into it. – Katrina

I have gotten a better understanding of identifying elements of music in film and how they are communicated to the audience in order to match the feeling of a scene. – Stefen

As the unit came to a close, I achieved much knowledge from the summatives I completed. I was able to open my eyes to the different cultures and sounds in music around the world through these projects. – Lea

Music can change peoples mind, drive them to feel the same emotion. Music is an expression of myself towards the audience. – Hyeonjun

Here are the links to their videos:

G10 Star Wars Intro.mp4

G10 Rocky.mp4

G10 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.mp4

G10 The Godfather.mp4

G10 Harry Potter.mp4

Grade 12 Math AI SL visits and learns with AA SL

Over the past few months our grade 12 DP Math students in all three levels (AAHL, AASL, and AISL) have begun working on completing their Internal Assessment (IA) projects for the Diploma Programme. In order to deepen their understanding and skills, three students from the Math Applications and Interpretation (AI) class visited the Math Analysis and Approaches (AA) class from August 28 to September 3 in order to learn more about interpreting and analyzing the data that had been collected for their IA’s. Those three students were then able to bring back their insights and understanding to the rest of the class to assist them in conducting deeper levels of statistical analysis through applying the advanced tools they had acquired. While joining the AA class pushed these students out of their math “comfort zone”, it means that they will be able to demonstrate a deeper level of understanding which should allow them to achieve stronger results on their IA’s.

The AI students reflected on the experience as follows:

I was grateful for the experience I gained from the math AA class. I most especially appreciated the fact that we were personally invited for the benefit of our IA grades. However, we also got the chance to share our knowledge with our math AI classmates, so that we could all have an equal opportunity to boost up our IA grades. This experience enabled me to develop inquiry skills, communication skills, and expound my knowledge on math concepts. – Denise

Joining the Math AA class was interesting and a bit intimidating as they taught topics that were outside of the Math AI syllabus but would be quite useful for analyzing our Internal Assessment data. Additionally, having the opportunity to learn from Math AA students and teach Math AI students was the highlight of this experience. As Confucius said, “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand. – Amanda

Being able to sit in the Math AA class and learn about certain topics that aren’t part of the syllabus in Math AI was fun and challenging. However, being able to then share the knowledge we learned from Math AA to our fellow classmates in Math AI was the true takeaway for the entire experience because we were able to engage as communicators and share key concepts that were beneficial for the entire class. – Yoji

Students are shown here bringing their knowledge back to their class and each sharing with a group of their classmates.

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

This weekend everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy an extended weekend away from Remote Learning. As a group of CIS educators, we continue to be so encouraged by the perseverance of our incredible group of students as they meet daily with their teachers, and show such a high level of enthusiasm and creativity. I know several of our classes have been actively using the class blogs to share learning, as as I listen in on the various class meetings, I am reminded about how much has been achieved by you, our parents, by your children, and by our teachers. Please do take a few minutes to read the posts below that highlight the various pieces of CIS student learning. This week we see how Grade 2 have become Researchers and Thinkers, we learn about the Kinder and Grade 1 Common Space Project, the Early Years Story Workshop, and Philippine Language and Culture across the school. 

I wish you all a very lovely long weekend.

Learning in Grade 2 – Researchers and Thinkers

by Ms. Aimee Underwood and Ms. Maffy Ocleasa, Grade 2 Teachers

The Grade 2 students are inquiring into how “natural phenomena and human activities change the earth in a way that affects people’s lives” for our unit on How The World Works. To support this inquiry, they have been busy developing their Research Skills and Thinking Skills as they explored various informational texts, videos, and the world around them.

This week, the Grade 2 Researchers and Thinkers participated in a shared experiment during one of our synchronous Google Meet calls, using crackers and spread to visualize tectonic plate movements. They were able to quickly make connections between the movements and different natural disasters. They are now working in teams to consider ways to take action and inform others of their knowledge and understanding.

Learning in Kinder and Grade 1 Tamaraws – Common Space Project

by Ms. Tara Bersabal and Ms. Belen Tubilan, Kinder & Grade 1 Teachers

The Kinder and Grade 1 embarked on a two week project for our unit How We Organize Ourselves, with the central idea: Common spaces can develop the well-being of a community.” We started with the question “If you can build your own common space in your house, what would it be?”. Some of the students shared that they would like to make an art room, a pool and even a coffee room for their family. 

The students used their thinking skills as they started designing their common spaces. They drew their plan and mapped out the things that they would put in their common spaces. They also interviewed some of their family members on how they can help to improve their project. 

When they were ready, they gathered their materials and most of them used recycled materials to build their common space. As they built on their project, they checked on each other’s project and gave feedback on how they can improve it. There were some students who shared that they were having a challenging time to work on their project but the rest of the class gave suggestions on how they can make it work. 

On the final days of their project, we introduced a feature in Seesaw where they were able to see each other’s project and had a virtual show and tell. It was indeed a fun and exciting process and the Kinder and Grade 1’s were proud to be able to showcase their common space project! 

Learning in Early Years – Story Workshop

by Ms. Aimee Sesbreño, Early Years Teacher

In celebration of Book Week, the Early Years continued on the concept of a story workshop where our young learners created their own stories. Our learning goal is to develop their understanding of storytelling and the importance of the three elements of a story which are – the characters, the setting, and the problem. In this learning engagement, our young learners built the characters and setting of their stories using different materials found at home. 

In our small groups this week, we invited some parents to be our guest storytellers. Our learners were surprised and excited to have their parents share a story with us in our classes. 

It has been a productive week for us in EY as we showed our love for stories by using our creative thinking in planning and constructing. 

And the Book Character Parade was an awesome way to end Book Week! We would like to recognize the parents for actively supporting our students in participating in this year’s Book Week engagements. 

Learning in Lower Elementary Philippine Language and Culture

by Ms. Jeralyn Monton, Lower Elem Teacher

In lower elementary’s Philippine Language and Culture  we started exploring the different local animals that are significant to the lives of the Filipinos. In relation to Culture Week, we looked into the importance of the national animal “carabao” and the life of a Filipino farmer. Carabao is known to be a hard-working animal, this being one of the characteristics of the Filipinos. Then we dug deep as to how a carabao helps farmers on the farm. 

In Kinder and Grade One, we focused more on farming as one of the sources of livelihood of the indigenous Filipinos. We then linked the role of the Tatay (father) as the head of the family. In a traditional family setting, Tatay is in charge of the farm. He cultivates rice fields and plant crops to earn money to sustain the needs of the family.

In connection to Book Week, we enjoyed listening to an interesting story about the origin of “Pineapple” in Filipino Folktale. Then, we put the events from the story in the correct sequence as our dive deeper activity.

Philippine Language and Culture – Upper Elementary

We kicked off our new unit in Philippine Language and Culture by going on a virtual field trip to a museum looking into the different landforms and water forms that we can find in the Philippines. The Grade 2 and 3 students shared what they noticed, thought, and wondered about. We also learned the Filipino names of the landforms and water forms and used hand gestures to help us remember each of them. The students asked if they could take a closer look into Volcanoes and so we explored the changes before and after the Taal Volcano erupted and the effects not just on the environment but to the people living near the area. The students noticed that Filipinos can easily cope with any disaster, like the Taal volcano eruption. Even though their homes were covered with ashes, their livelihood got affected and some even lost their families, they were able to pick themselves up and continue to live their lives and did not give up. This shows how resilient Filipinos are. The Taal volcano eruption also showed how FIlipinos are willing to help one another in times of adversity or what we call “Bayanihan Spirit”. Filipinos will go out of their way to help their kababayans in need. The Bayanihan spirit is one of the many beautiful things that Filipinos own and can be proud of.

Grade 4 and 5 students started the new unit by going into a nature walk to look into the animals endemic in the Philippines. Similar to the other upper elementary students, the Grades 4 & 5 also expressed their thoughts and wonder about the animals in the Philippines and how these animals help the Filipinos in their everyday lives and in Philippine tourism and economy. They also dove deeper into their learning by inquiring about other animals that are endemic in the Philippines. After they did their research, they shared some interesting facts that they discovered. We talked about caring to the animals and gave some reasons why we should save and protect animals, especially those that are endemic in the Philippines. 

Aside from animals, we also learned about a plant that FIlipinos consider as a miracle plant, it is called Malunggay or Kamunggay. The students mentioned how Filipinos believe in herbal medicine that’s why this plant is very important to them. They also noticed that we can find Malunggay or Kamunggay almost everywhere in the Philippines and that FIlipinos especially those who are living in the mountains or in remote areas have limited access to hospitals tend to look for alternatives just like using malunggay or kamunggay to cure illnesses, boost the immune system and even make a dish out of this plant.

A Filipino dish called Tinolang Manok with  Malunggay leaves. -Kieth, Grade 4

When I was in Cebu, I used to have a malunggay tree that was almost as tall as my house. -Yahvi, Grade 4

My mom and I used to buy malunggay powder at the supermarket and make tea together. – Frances, Grade 5

It’s important because it can be food, or even medicine. People in the remote area/mountain, they are limited of going to the hospital. But they have much malunggay. So, they use malunggay for medicine. And malunggay can grow fast. So, they can just plant the branch of the malunggay into the soil. Then, after a while, new leaves will born. – Haruki, Grade 5

Athletics Director’s News

by Mr. Ace Pierra, Athletics Director 

ISAC Volleyball Challenge

Dragon’s Print

Stress is a feeling everyone is familiar with as there just seems to be a never ending amount of projects, obligations, and summatives due all the time. Read more about how members of our school community have learned to manage their stress and stay calm during this time of uncertainty on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

Additionally, one good way to distress is by reading books! In celebration of Book Week,  Dragon’s Print has created a few dazzling Instagram story book-themed templates for you to enjoy! Check out the templates through the CIS Instagram account as well as on our website.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

If you are in high school but not yet a Senior, attend virtual events and fairs.  Listen to presentations and check out the university websites for any programs that may interest you.  Ask what career opportunities are available for a specific field of study.  This practice can help you narrow down your options before you enter your final year in high school.

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

DATE

November 8 – Sunday
8:00 PM

November 10
Tuesday
8:00 PM

November 11
Wednesday

November 13
Friday
3:00 PM

November 13
Friday
2:00 – 5:00PM

November 13
Friday
6:00PM

EVENT

Binghamton University (State University of New York, USA)
Link to register

Metro NY Group: Fairfield University (CT), Hofstra University (NY), Mercy College ( NY),New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJ), Pace University (NY), St. John’s University (NY) – Click HERE to register

Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Application Workshop for International Students – Click HERE to register
Presentation at 3:00 – 3:30PM / Live Chat at 3:30 – 4:00 PM

Macquarie University (Australia)
Masterclass on Professional Writing
Click HERE to register

Study in Japan Virtual Fair
Participating universities: University of Tsukuba, Kyushu, University, Temple University Japan, Hiroshima University, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, iCLA Yamanashi Gakuin University, Nagoya University and Kyoto University of Advanced Science
Link to Virtual Fair: Study in Japan Fair

Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
Admission Webinar for International Students
Click HERE to register

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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.

Media Center News

by Mr. Daniel Monfre, Media Center & eLearning Coordinator

Greetings CIS Community!

We are excited to announce the first-ever virtual book week at CIS! This year’s Book Week is November 2nd to the 6th and we have tons of fun activities planned for you!

Please visit the book week website at bit.ly/2020bookweek for details on all of the events mentioned below.

Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R) Time

We want to start Book Week with BOOKS! On Monday, Nov. 2 we ask that everyone in the CIS community DROP EVERYTHING AND READ! Snap a photo of you reading in your favorite spot and share it with your class on Seesaw or Hangouts! MHS will DEAR from 12:30-1 pm, Lower Elem will DEAR from 9-9:30 am, and Upper Elem will DEAR from 8:30-9 am.

Character Parade

This year students are going to truly bring their favorite characters to life in the new version of the Character Parade! Students should dress up as their favorite character and then record a 10 to 20-second video of them reading one of their favorite quotes from that character. We will post these videos together on the book week website by grade levels. Please submit videos by Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, at 7 pm.

Story Time Videos

Parents and students are invited to submit a video of them reading their favorite children’s book, short story, poem, or novel excerpt for our Story Time Video collections. We would love to have stories representing the vast diversity of the CIS community, so please feel free to share stories from your culture and in your mother tongue. These videos will be available on the CIS book week website for students to view on their own time. Please submit videos by Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, at 7 pm.

Living Library

The Living Library is a chance for students to hear first-hand stories of a wide variety of professions. This year we are honored to welcome 7 guest speakers who are all CIS alumni. Check the Book Week website for details about these guests.

Guess what I’m reading contest.
Take a look at the photos on the “Guess what I’m reading” page of the website and see if you can identify the books your teachers are reading. We’ve covered up parts of the title to make it a little tricky. Good Luck!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

As we enter the last six weeks of semester one, and the last weeks for 2020, many CIS community members are feeling the strain of this long-term pandemic. We often hear stories of the power of the human spirit, and during this journey of pandemic, each and every one of us has been required to draw deep upon this powerful human spirit to pull through each day. As a school we are aware that this has taken a toll on our students, and although the feedback from our parent survey has been helpful and often positive, we know there is always more we can do as a school to support learners and their families.

In line with our committment to respond to the feedback we receive from families, and our committment to continually review and make incremental imptovements to our remote learning program, we are acting on an initiative that has emerged from our CIS teachers, to introduce a Design Day into the remote learning curriculum. We have several goals for this day, including;

• focus on developing the skills associated with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)
• expose students to the Design Thinking process 
• introduce the UN Sustainable Goals
• promote creativity and innovation
• provide a day where there is less need for a digital device

Our first Design Day will take place during the month of November, and based upon the lessons we learn from our first Design Day we will be able to make adjustments to ensure the experience is purposeful and engaging for students, and meets our design day objectives. This day would be very much a class learning day and will begin and end for most classes with a synchronous class call, however, the middle section of the day would involve a lot of hands on problem solving, designing and making.

The UN Sustainable Goals

Today in the elementary assembly you will have seen an interview with a CIS highschool student, Zoe, who has been finding was to address some our the UN Sustainable Development Goals by serving people in need within his community. As time progresses, we aim to link our elementary school Design Day with the UN Sustainable Development goals, which would become the elementary school focus during CIS Week Without Walls, in February 2021. If you would like to learn more about the UN Sustainable Development goals, please follow this link.

Learning in Grade 4 – Animal Adaptations

Before the October Break we started our new UOI, inquiring into animals’ adaptations to survive the ever changing world. This week we had the students create a report of an animal of their choosing. They have investigated their animal’s evolution and  habitat, and the different adaptations developed to enable the animals to survive. The students were fascinated by how their animals came to be.

Alongside their learning, students have been encouraged to engage in family fun activities, taking time off their screens, and enjoying the company of parents and siblings. As part of our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) we regularly reflect on what we are grateful for.

Learning in World Languages

These past weeks in World Language Mandarin and Spanish students have been practicing successfully different learning engagements.

K / G1 days of the week, months of the year, celebrations and seasons.

In Gr 2 and Gr3 students practiced naming  places in the city and asking and giving directions in English and Mandarin.

In Gr 4 and Gr 5 students have been practicing vocabulary related to stores and have been talking about legends and folk stories from China and Mexico.

PE in Elementary

by Mr. Jaydil Hermias, Elementary PE Teacher

EY2/3
Early Years students have been learning basic dance moves like hopping, jumping, leaping and sliding. They are also imitating animal movements and making them into dance steps like ‘Flamenco’ dance. During our PE synchronous sessions, students are given opportunities to come up and lead different warm-up exercises.

KG/1
Kinder and Grade 1 students have been learning different types of dances such as traditional and modern dances. It helps them improve their rhythmic skills, gracefulness, timing, and confidence in dancing. Another goal for this unit is to help them improve health and fitness. As of the moment, students spend time reviewing all the dances that we have been doing in the past few weeks.

Grades 2/3 
PE in Grades 2 and 3 focuses on developing students’ creativity in dancing. They were tasked to analyze the beat of the music in order for them to  improve timing and creativity. They have been learning simple techniques to improve their movements such as coordination & expression. Students were also provided with challenging activities like showing emphasis on the dance steps, gracefulness and confidence.

Grades 4/5
Grades 4 and 5 students are quite busy preparing their ‘Dance Collage’ which will be presented in our synchronous sessions. This helps them understand the importance of dance. They also started rehearsing and compiling dance moves from the pasts. This will be put together and come up with an ‘Evolution of Dance’ dance presentation.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

Last week the entire CIS community celebrated our annual Culture Week, which culminated with our International Day celebration held on Friday, October 24. Undeterred by the impact of the Covid restrictions, we were still able to hold this event, albeit virtually, which is always a highlight of our school year.

Students in their homerooms and classes, as well as outside of class, prepared an array of cultural presentations as well as both synchronous and asynchronous activities for our community to enjoy. More than just providing some fun, these experiences open portals for us to better understand and appreciate the diversity we share as a community. Teachers and students worked hard for two weeks preparing, and it was impressive to see how we were able to create a wonderful International Day morning for our community. We are also thankful for all of the parents who participated throughout the morning in our activities and contributed to our “Parade of Nations.”

The morning began with our virtual International Day welcome assembly/presentation, including our annual Parade of Nations, which provides us with a panoramic scope of all of the nationalities represented in our community, including introductions in the respective languages spoken in those various countries.

This virtual presentation also included cultural performances from our students across all grade levels. Here are just a few examples from MHS:

I think we all found our special international and multilingual rendition of “Let it Go” both inspiring and unique:

Prior to Culture Week, the school, led by the Culture Week and International Day Committee, created a google site as a platform to help guide the community through the following activities which were available to our students all week long. https://sites.google.com/cis.edu.ph/ciscultureweek/cis-culture-week-2020

These asynchronous activities, created by students across all grade levels, were made available throughout the week. Our entire community was invited to join our students as they shared information and engagements centered on different countries around the world, including asynchronous activities such as instructional art videos, songs and dances, and even cooking exhibitions! If you missed any of these experiences, you can still access them via the following links.

Asynchronous Links/Activities:

• Art activities and instructions
• Children’s Stories from around the world
• Cooking videos
• Country Web Pages with Activities
• Elementary Presentations
• Language Challenge
• MHS Presentations

An example of one these presentations, for example, focused of the country of India

India is VERY diverse. The main religion is Hinduism, but many other religions flourish, such as Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. 

Students were also able to learning to count in Filipino

The Korean page featured trivia, k-pop, and language.

Every day of Culture Week we also engaged our students in a daily “Language challenge”. For example, on Thursday our students were able to access and watch the tutorial video to learn how to speak Korean.

Students were able to record their responses to each of the following statements or questions in Korean and check them for accuracy.

1. Annyong haseyo. (Hello)
   Annyong haseyo. (Hello)
2. Gam sa ham ni da. (Thank you.)
   Chun man hae yo. (You are welcome)
3. Jue song hap ni da. (Sorry)
   Guen cha na yo. (It is OK)
4. An nyong hi ga se yo. (Goodbye)
   An nyong hi ga se yo. (Goodbye)
5. Yi ru myi mo ye yo.？(What is your name?)
   Che yi ru myi _________. (My name is ___________)
6. Odi hakkyo danyoyo? (Where do you study?)
   Jeonen sebu gukje hakkyo e danyoyo. (I study in CIS)

Takeaways- Student reflections:

For us as educators and parents alike, one of the most rewarding aspects of an event like Cultural Week is being able to hear from our students and appreciate what they have learned and gained from the experience. Their perspective helps us to gauge how effective such an event has been. Here are the voices of some of our Middle School students reflecting on Culture Week.

I think that it was really interesting to see what Culture Week would be like considering these strange circumstances. I was able to check out a few culture week websites and I learned a lot about many different countries. Additionally, I was able to work with my fellow classmates to make our own website where we explored the country of Kyrgyzstan. It certainly exceeded my expectations as I was not even sure if there would be a Culture Week or International Day this year. This was definitely an eye-opening experience as I learned about so many different cultures in such a short amount of time and I appreciate the effort the teachers have shown during this tough time. I am glad that CIS has been able to adapt so well. – Bella, Grade 9

Culture week this year was not the same due to the pandemic. Even with that it was still very fun to look at different sites and complete a few quizzes. This was my first culture week that I experienced in middle school so it made it even more fun. My favorite part of culture week was working with my classmates and finishing our site. This to me exceeded expectations because I thought that there would be no international day and no culture week this year. Even though we could not do this physically, it was still very fun learning about different countries. The country that I had to write about was Zimbabwe. I really had fun doing this task because I didn’t even know what Zimbabwe was at that time. To me it is always fun to learn about different countries and see how their culture is different to mine. – Xavi, Grade 7

During this culture week, our class collaborated really well in order to make our activities and websites for International Day. It was fun exploring different cultures and simply working with classmates in order to complete certain tasks. – Maximus, Grade 9

Although this year’s international day was held virtually, it was still fun and educational.  There were activities which you could sign up for and learn about different countries, play games, and take quizzes. During the parade of nations, it was nice to see the different cultures of those who are part of the CIS community. – Fiana, Grade 8

I love international day, all the different activities, foods, traditions, dances, and performances; it is generally quite exciting and fun. This year however is different, Covid19 has the world staying home and social distancing. This means all activities involving many people are banned. So instead of having our normal international day we will be having it in the very comforts of our homes. So far international week has been fun, with so many activities, sites being made, games being played, costumes being planned is quite exciting and all. Though I am sure every student wishes they could go back to school, I am personally very excited to see how the school videos are going to look and how the games and presentations are going to be played. – Amelia, Grade 7

As a newer student who joined during grade 6, this was my first culture week and it happened to be the first online one as well! I wish I were able to experience it physically, but due to the circumstances of this pandemic it wasn’t possible, so I’m glad to be able to attend the culture week virtually. I enjoyed the activities that were given throughout the week, and becoming more knowledgeable about each country that me and my classmates did research on. At first, I really didn’t think that there would be any activities available this year because of the pandemic, but this was much more than I could have asked for. In total, I believe that this was a really nice event and I’m thankful to all the teachers who took part in making this. Hopefully, next year we will be able to go to a physical culture week. – Yi Chen, Grade 7

International day was a really fun experience. As this was my first year in middle school, everything was new for me, it was a really fun experience making our own booths and doing online booths in class together. I really enjoyed the different activities and videos that we watched in the assembly. Overall, It was a really cool and creative way to show different cultures. – Chloe, Grade 6

Dragon’s Print

Who doesn’t enjoy watching a thrilling zombie apocalypse movie to get yourself in the Halloween spirit? But have you ever watched a zombie movie wondering whether or not you’d survive? Well, wait no further! To celebrate the spookiest time of the year, try and see for yourself how long you’d survive in a zombie apocalypse on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:
When writing your personal statement for your UCAS application, start with a statement that catches one’s attention. Below is a chart of the most common introductions in UCAS personal statements in 2018.

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

November 3 – Tuesday
4:30PM

November 3
Tuesday
7:00 PM

November 4
Wednesday
9:00 PM

November 8 – Sunday
8:00 PM

November 10
Tuesday
8:00 PM

November 13
Friday
2:00 – 5:00PM

Enderun Colleges (Philippines)
Click HERE to join

Behind the Scenes of the California College Application
Click this LINK to register
Participating Institutions: University of Redlands, University of La Verne, San Jose State University, Cal Poly Pomona, Pasadena City College, Orange Coast College, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego.

Penn State University (USA)
Session for International Students with Student Panel
– Admissions Overview – Click this LINK to register

Binghamton University (State University of New York, USA)
Link to register

Metro NY Group: Fairfield University (CT), Hofstra University (NY), Mercy College ( NY),New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJ), Pace University (NY), St. John’s University (NY) – Click HERE to register

Study in Japan Virtual Fair – Participating universities: University of Tsukuba, Kyushu, University, Temple University Japan, Hiroshima University, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, iCLA Yamanashi Gakuin University, Nagoya University and Kyoto University of Advanced Science – Link to Virtual Fair: Study in Japan Fair

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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 News

CIS Virtual International Day, 2020
Please refer to the email sent to your registered email address for information and links to the activities and videos for this day.

We look forward to a wonderful morning of building community virtually. See you there!

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

Culture week has been a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with a wide range of teachers in ways that we have not been able to over these past months. Each day this week students have met with different teachers to learn about the cultures, celebrations, and food of the continents of the world. I have had the privilege of assisting Ms. Gloria with the Upper Elementary South America visit. It really was such a pleasure to see the students’ excitement and interest when exploring such a colorful and diverse part of the world.  This Saturday is our CIS International day and again we will witness students taking active part in the CIS International Day Activities that will include the Parade of Nations.

International Day is such a significant part of the CIS Calendar, and part of all IB World Schools Calendars. The reason for this significance is that International Day is an opportunity for CIS to put the IB Learner Profile into action. The IB Learner Profile is a central component of the IB Curriculum framework and is put into action every day within every IB school, but International Day is time to showcase the Learner Profile.

The IB Learner Profile represents 10 attributes valued by IB World Schools. We Believe these attributes, and others like them can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national, and global communities. The aim of the IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their comment to humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world (International Baccalaureate Organisational, 2017).

At CIS, Culture Week and International Day is a way to step back for a moment and place a little more focus on the attributes and values we build into our lives every day as part of an IB World School community. We have valued your input over this week and look forward to your participation tomorrow as we celebrate CIS International Day.

What is an IB Education Video

EY2 and 3
Our youngest students have been learning songs, playing musical games and dancing to frog inspired music. They have explored how frogs move and sound, and have had the opportunity to create their own verses in the little frog song and act out 5 little speckled frogs.

Kinder/Grade 1
Kinder and grade 1 students are exploring how to organise their own home concert. They have started to think about where they could perform in their homes and what they could perform. They have also watched an inspirational video, and discussed ideas from this provocation.

Grade 2 and 3
Grade 2 and 3 students have been exploring ways of changing music, looking through the lens of “The elements of Music”. They created posters to represent dynamic levels, and help them remember Italian terms and shortened terms for dynamic levels.

Grade 4 and 5
Grade 4 and Grade 5 students have been exploring form in music and how to identify simple structures such as question/answer phrases. They have also been learning how to play songs that exhibit these structures. In addition to form, the students have been learning how to use a music technology app called Noteflight. This is helping them to become more proficient at reading and writing music using music technology.

Library/Media Center Class 

Over the past weeks of Remote Learning, students have been learning about book organization. They have been introduced to ways on how we organize our books in the library as well as at home. Our students’ self-management skills have been put in practice in organizing their books at home. Here are some of our learning engagements in the Library/Media Center. 

Students shared their mini library at home. They also shared how they organize their books at home. Some of them organized their books by sizes , authors , publications and type of books.

I put my books on a shelf where I can reach them. It is organized this way because it is easy for me to find where my books are. – Fiona

We have a library in the playroom. The board books go at the bottom so they’re easy for the babies to get. My mom also sorts the language books: English , Spanish and Dutch. We also separate reading books and picture books. – Sierra    

I organize my own books and all of them go from big to small. Why do I organize them that way? You can’t make them stack them and then put something different on top you need to like to make a mini library in that space. There’s a time and place for everything. This is my mini library and I don’t want it to get mixed up with other things. – Ariya

Students were also  introduced to call numbers. They explored what call numbers are and how these are used in organizing the books. Students made their own call numbers using the books that they have at home. They also sort the books according to their call numbers and put them in the correct section/shelves. 

Students also explored the Dewey Decimal System. They responded to a variety of learning engagements for the Dewey Decimal. Grade 4 and 5 did a scavenger hunt using the library catalog. Grade 3s did a sorting activity  wherein they needed to put the popcorn with the topics to the correct popcorn bucket that has the dewey decimal category in it. For grade 2s, they identified what dewey decimal category for the topics given. 

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

This week we are highlighting some of the learning engagements our Grade 10 students have recently been enjoying. Grade 10 is the culminating year for the MYP program and our students are immersed in learning that both serves as a capstone for their current program and also serves as a launching pad for their experience and success in the DP courses to come next year. One of the unique aspects of our Grade 10 curriculum is that our students are able to sample all three Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) and Group 4 (Sciences) subjects for a semester, creating a foundation and understanding of the parameters of each discipline within the group, thereby helping to guide the selection of their IBDP courses for the following year.

MYP Psychology 10

Our students in Grade 10 Psychology class have been exploring various research methods that are used to study human behavior and mental processes. Students in grade 10 have been tasked with evaluating a common psychological myth, perceptions that are generally accepted by the public as truths about human behavior but may not be accurate or supported by the evidence (such as the idea that “opposites attract”). Students compared previous studies in the areas relevant to their chosen “myth” and collaborated to reach conclusions and then shared their findings with their classmates through virtual presentations. The exciting part of this project is that students have also been tasked to create their own hypotheses and design their own experiments exploring the basic components of the experiments tackled in class. Students are able to apply concepts they have learned in class, specifically research methods, in order to evaluate those ideas in light of the evidence they discovered. This project also mirrors, on a reduced scale, the kind of learning engagement and product they will encounter should they continue to study Psychology in the IB Diploma.

Grade 10 Art 

The Grade 10 Art students have been entirely responsible for creating and developing their own unit for Quarter Two this school year. Driven by the statement of inquiry, the process of artistic creation provides opportunities for self-discovery, students worked collaboratively to select the key concept, the related concepts, and global context they deemed most appropriate for this unit. The students also developed the inquiry questions and initial ideas for the summative assessment for this unit. It is exciting to see our students thinking independently, yet responsibly, and also taking ownership of their learning.

One of the areas of focus for us as a faculty as we implement MYP has been to diversify the variety and level of questions we use to facilitate stronger student inquiry. We are seeking to incorporate questions that go beyond factual recall (though these are still important questions to answer in terms of building content knowledge) to include ones that are more conceptual and debatable in order to activate higher levels of student cognitive engagement (such as analysis, application, and evaluation). Generating high-quality questions requires a commendable level of critical thinking on the teacher’s part, and in this case it was the students who took on this challenge. Some of the inquiry questions that our students generated for this unit are as follows, including the category of question for each (whether factual, conceptual, or debatable):

• What is the process of artistic creation? (factual)
• How are artists influenced by their surroundings? (factual)
• How do artists incorporate their own identity in the art they create? (factual)
• What is self-identity? (conceptual)
• How can self-discovery be obtained through the creation of art? (conceptual)
• What is the purpose of expression in art? (conceptual)
• What is identity based on? (debatable) 
• Which art form promotes self discovery best? (debatable)
• To what extent does artistic creation provide opportunities for self-discovery? (debatable)

You are invited to take a moment and visit our class virtual gallery.

MYP Physics 10

Students in Physics have been engaged in designing their own experiments to explore and test concepts they studied in class, combined with utilizing the design cycle to envision, create, and implement their procedures. Our science teachers are inspiring innovation and creativity, as well as facilitating student agency, as they engineer safe and relevant science explorations for students to conduct in their homes.

This is Thomas and Joo Ha’s group design for MYP Physics. Their investigation tested the effect of different forces on the acceleration of an object down an inclined plane.

This is Victoria and Kat’s design for MYP Physics. They investigated and tested the effect of mass on speed.

Grade 11 CIS Student now a published reporter

While our students may have been inhibited from leaving their homes since last March, including over their summer break, they certainly weren’t prevented from learning, or even serving the community while they were under quarantine. I have heard stories of MHS students who started learning a new language over the summer, began playing a musical instrument, and even found creative ways of participating in virtual service learning. Soo-A Hong, one of our 11th graders and an aspiring screenwriter, was able to explore this interest and meet with professional screenwriters in Seoul over the summer. Her first article, focusing on these scriptwriters, was published in July in the Herald Insight, a Seoul-based publication, and her relationship with this news outlet has continued to develop over the following months. Please find the link for Soo-A’s third article, The Leggings War, focusing on one of the latest fashion trends, which was recently published on the Herald Insight website. Congratulations to Soo-A, for her hard work, risk-taking, and accomplishment. We are very proud of her and look forward to reading more articles in the future.

Dragon’s Print

As a yearly tradition at CIS, it is time that we celebrate the amazing variety of nationalities and representation we have at our school. Even if we are currently not in an ideal situation to celebrate, the CIS Dragons are still going to find a spectacular way to show pride for our nations! Learn more about the International Week celebration at http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

Studying in Germany:
If you are interested in studying in Germany, you may check this website: https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/. There are hundreds of universities that offer programs in English. Germany accepts the IB Diploma as a university admission requirement.

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

Date

Until end
of October

October 26 – Monday
11:00 PM

October 28
Wednesday
2:00 PM

October 28
Wednesday
5:30 PM

October 29 – Thursday
6:00 PM

November 8 – Sunday
8:00 PM

November 13
Friday
2:00 – 5:00PM

Event

Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong) – Register here: HK Poly
(for personal consultations or faculty-specific webinars)

Columbia University (USA)
International Student Panel – Click here to register.

Waseda University (Japan) – Zoom Link to join
Meeting ID: 969 7519 2704
Passcode: 31603

Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Live Talk:  Innovation through Engineering
Click here to register

University of St. Andrews (UK)
Link – to follow

Binghamton University (State University of New York, USA)
Link to register

Study in Japan Virtual Fair
Participating universities: University of Tsukuba, Kyushu, University, Temple University Japan, Hiroshima University, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, iCLA Yamanashi Gakuin University, Nagoya University and Kyoto University of Advanced Science – Link to Virtual Fair: Study in Japan Fair

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional. This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5 have been cancelled by the College Board. Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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 News

Dear CIS Community,

It has been great to have students return after their October end-of-term holiday and immediately get back to focusing on their learning activities. Please remember to take the time to discuss with your child how they are progressing with their learning, and how they feel about it. For example, you could celebrate their achievements, listen to areas they show an interest in, and discuss areas they might be struggling with. You do not necessarily have to teach them or resolve these issues, just show interest, and suggestions on how they could resolve the areas themselves! If you have any questions or concerns, please do share these with their teacher at any time. Your interest in their learning has been shown through research to have a positive impact on your child’s performance!

A big THANKS to all CIS Corporation members who made time to join our Corporation Meeting (AGM) last Tuesday. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Jill Figueroa onto the CIS Board of Trustees for the coming year, replacing Mr. Marcelino Ugarte, who is leaving after six years of valuable service to the school. I am sincere when I share with you that CIS is fortunate to have such a dedicated, focused, and forward-looking Board, who volunteer their time willingly to govern and support learning at CIS.

I will send community members more details via an Infobrief to your registered email shortly. Enjoy your weekend!

Dr. Gwyn Underwood
Superintendent

International Day

International Day is coming soon to you virtually on Saturday, October 24, 2020!

Elementary News

by Ms. Maureen Juanson, EY 2/3 Homeroom Teacher, PYP Coordinator, Accreditation Officer

Dear Elementary Community,

As we welcomed our learners back to our virtual classrooms this week to begin quarter two of the school year, a lot of wonderful stories of students engaging in their learning have also been shared during my collaboration meetings with our PYP teachers.

• At the end of their PE class, two of our EY 2/3 learners asked their teacher if they could do the dance one more time because they really liked it. Even though there was only a minute left before the end of class, their teacher happily obliged and played the song again to let them dance to the music. At the end of the class, the students commented how much they had fun and enjoyed the class.
• After receiving instructions on how to create leaf mobiles for Culture Week, one of our first graders decided to create one a week early. With support from her parents, she was able to find alternative materials to make her own version of the mobile. With enthusiasm, she sent a photo of her work and proudly shared it with her teacher.
• During music class, our second graders explored connections between dynamic levels and familiar things. They associated loud dynamics with things such as elephants and loud trucks, and soft dynamics with mice and small fish. The class was very much engaged in the discussion which led to a lot of wonderings. A number of them eagerly asked questions and didn’t even notice that it was already time to end their synchronous call, while their teacher willingly listened and responded to them. Even after the call, some students continued to seek for answers by messaging their teacher on Google Hangouts.
• One of our fifth graders pursued her interest to create sketches of still life at her own time. She sent some examples of her work to her art teacher and asked if she could have extra lessons with her to learn more about sketching and improve her skills. Upon receiving this message, her teacher decided to make adjustments to her plan for their next lesson in order to cater and support her student’s interest.

These are just some snippets of how our CIS learners continue to demonstrate agency during this period of remote learning. Amidst all the challenges of this new way of learning and lack of face-to-face interaction with their teachers and peers, our students continue to engage meaningfully in their learning, take risks, have inquiring minds, take ownership of their learning, and contribute not only to their social, emotional, and cognitive growth, but also of others. These stories also highlight the vital role of parents and teachers in supporting and nurturing learner agency. Your willingness to listen and respond while students make choices empower them to pursue their interests and wonderings, and become independent learners. 

It is encouraging to see how we, as a learning community, are able to realize our commitment to develop the unique potential of our students and become agentic learners by creating a supportive, nurturing, and collaborative environment. These are the stories that inspire us and define the purpose of why we continue to seek ways to navigate these changing times.

Remote Learning in Art

by Ms. Thea Raagas, Elementary Art Teacher

Ezra shared his process of creating his artwork. On the two photos on the left, he is shown painting and coloring the Very Hungry Caterpillar, (a story that the students tackled in their Homeroom Class), on the two photos on the right, he cuts strips of paper to create a Paper Chain Craft of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Voice, Choice and Agency are practiced in ART Class by giving the students options on which craft or type of artwork they would like to produce on that day. In this class they got to choose between Finger Painting, Paperchain Craft and Finger Puppet-making.

This is Yeosan’s (KG1) Cool Colors Landscape. We are discussing Cool Colors as well as Drawing Landscapes in KG1 Art Class. I Yeosan’s audio comment he says,  “This is the sky, the sea, and these are cool colors. This is not a red flag, it is purple or violet, and that man in the boat is me”. His work shows that students are not only taught painting skills but they are also encouraged to think about their work and share these thoughts with others. This fosters communication and thinking skills in the students. They are asked to explain their work by taking a video of themselves and posting this on Seesaw.

Edgar of Grade 3 has put a lot of detail into this Covid Mask Design. He has drawn three figures on his mask using Colored Markers, and has colored these very well. The effort that he has put into this work is admirable. Keep up the good work Edgar!

CIS Culture Week and International Day
Next week, during Culture week, students will be exploring various continents through a series of Games, Art activities, Cooking, Dancing and Virtual tours. For South America, Ms Lyn and Ms Thea have asked the students to prepare leaves, branches and other available materials to create a Mobile in the style of the Art of Alexander Calder. Fiona surprised us with an early submission of the activity. In these photos, she proudly holds up her mobiles for Culture Week. She created them using recycled bottles and colored papers as her material.

Grade 3
In grade 3, we have been practicing the use of prepositions and demonstrating them with our favorite toys.

We are also practicing to describe our physical environment by creating informative maps of our surroundings. These maps will then be used to write preposition sentences to describe our surroundings.

The students also explored their physical surroundings by going on a virtual field trip. We flew to the edge of space, recorded our thoughts and described what we saw through pictures and drawings.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School News

Diploma Programme (DP) gets the year started

During the month of September each year, our grade 11 and 12 students, families, and teachers come together for an evening (for each grade) to introduce the year ahead and review the IB Diploma Program for students in those grades.

This year we have held these meetings virtually- the 11th graders in the middle of the month, and the 12th graders at the end. The goal for these meetings is primarily to introduce our courses to the students and their families, as well as preview the year in each course. For the grade 11 students this meeting comes at the beginning of their IBDP journey. For the grade 12 students it occurs as the students and their families are preparing to make their IB Decisions for the year.

Each year, we also make a visual commitment to the IBDP values with students and teachers signing a tarp that will hang in the Media Center for the rest of the year. This year we are doing these signatures digitally, and the tarp will be printed and displayed as soon as we are able to do so.

Please feel free to check out our DP Program through this link:

Diploma Program at CIS

MHS Science in the Remote Learning Classroom

A few weeks ago we focused intentionally on our Design classes in MYP and on how we are using remote learning instruction and technology tools to lead our students to understand and implement the design cycle across the curriculum.

This week we would like to highlight some of the exciting things that are occurring in our Science Department. One of the most exciting aspects within a student-centered science class is watching students experiment and learn from the eureka moments that emerge organically from these engagements. So much of science, especially for us, is to lead students to learn by actually doing, and in science this means exploring through conducting labs and experiments. The question that we may spring to mind, then, is: How can we replicate these moments remotely; that is, how can we do science when we don’t have access to a science lab or to lab equipment?

Our teachers have been using a creative array of video, simulations, interactive apps, and virtual labs to help bring the science classroom alive for students while they are at home. We will be sharing a number of these experiences below to give you an idea of how our science classrooms continue to be active, engaging spaces even when we are not able to physically gather together in our science labs.

Grade 7 Science
Students have been led virtually through a tutorial on how to safely use the bunsen burner using Edpuzzle. They begin with a video which pauses intermittently to check for understanding so that students are able to  master the steps to using a Bunsen burner safely, The students engaged in a Bunsen Burner Experiment which was conducted virtually, where they can see the relationship between the amount of air entering into the airhole (by adjusting the collar) and the color of the flame produced by the bunsen burner. A yellow flame ”safe flame” is produced when the collar is closed, preventing air to mix with the gas whilst “blue flame” is produced when air is sufficient. This virtual training will help students once we are physically on campus and using this equipment.

Science 8:
This class has been working on a formative task on the important idea of Conducting Scientific Investigations. Unit 1 in Science 8 focuses on exploring the use of the scientific method in real-world applications. Part of their formative tasks has been to conduct individual scientific investigations on natural phenomena. This simulation has allowed students to investigate the effect of altitude on the boiling point of water and relate the role of atmospheric pressure in the boiling process. They used a correct design in their experiment to establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

How does altitude affect the boiling point of water?

https://interactives.ck12.org/simulations/chemistry/boiling-point/app/index.html
Another formative task related to conducting scientific investigation involved collaborating with a partner.  This task guided students to investigate the effect of minerals on the growth of plants.  The students were challenged to use critical thinking skills as they developed a correct experimental design.  They considered the independent and dependent variables, controlled variables, and the control and experimental setups.  

How do minerals affect the growth of plants?

http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/minerals.htm

Chemistry 10:
Formative task: Atom Builder Challenge

Unit 1 of Chemistry 10 emphasizes how atomic structure affects different elements’ properties, uses, and how these elements are arranged in the periodic table. This simulation challenged the students to specify the number of subatomic particles in each of the missing elements by identifying and interpreting patterns in the atomic structures of other elements.

Can you build the atoms of the missing elements?

https://interactives.ck12.org/simulations/chemistry/atom-builder/app/index.html

DP Chemistry 11
Home-based lab: Measurement and Data Processing

Taking accurate and precise measurements with proper consideration of absolute uncertainties is a basic skill in conducting scientific investigations. In this unit, the students learned that all measurement has a limit of precision and accuracy. This limitation must be taken into account when reporting and processing data as well when evaluating experimental results. In this simple home-based lab, they are tasked to determine the volume of a box. They considered proper reporting of data as well as propagation of errors in calculated results.

Simulation: Absorption and emission line spectrum

The unit on atomic structure involves the analysis on why the atoms of different elements give out light of a distinctive color when an electric discharge is passed through their vapors.  The absorption and emission line spectra of different elements provide valuable information regarding their atomic structure and identity.  This simulation allowed the students to investigate how the frequency and wavelength of a transmitted or absorbed radiation are related to the energy levels of atoms of elements.

 How do we know what the stars are made of?

https://interactives.ck12.org/simulations/physics/atomic-colors/app/index.html

DP Chemistry 12
Our unit on Equilibrium introduces the different applications of Le Chatelier’s Principle in daily life. This principle states that if a system in a dynamic equilibrium is disturbed by altering the conditions, the position of equilibrium moves to counteract the change. This simulation involves keeping CO2 gas in a solution which is a delicate process to produce carbonated drinks. The students are able to investigate how changes in pressure, volume, and the amount of CO2, and temperature affect the position of equilibrium and the quality of the soda produced.

Why does soda go flat?

Our students developed their skills in the unit on Acids and Bases by designing an experiment distinguishing between strong and weak acids or strong and weak bases. This simulation allowed the students to set the conditions within their own experiments and develop a methodology to distinguish acids and bases according to their strength.

http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/acid-base-solutions/latest/acid-base-solutions_en.html

Grade 10 MYP Biology 
The unit on the study of DNA and Genetics concluded in the sub-unit, “Forensic Science”. One of the activities was for them to learn the technique of lifting  fingerprints.

Grade 11 Biology
Students studied the concept of osmosis in unit 1. This virtual lab involves different concentrations of solutions that could be manipulated both inside the cell and in the immediate environment of the cell. It also allows the students to hypothesize the direction of the movement of water molecules and verify whether or not their hypothesis was validated.

http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab1/types.html

Grade 12 DP Biology

Students performed an investigation on the rate of respiration in germinating seeds.  Here, the choice of variables were limited, yet it was a great tool for them to compare the amount of oxygen consumption by germinating pea seeds along with non-germinating seeds with a control group of glass beads. Students were able to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of having a control group for their experiments.

http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab5/intro.html

Grade 10 Students Take the Lead with Social and Emotional Learning in Homeroom Collaborations

In the midst of our current pandemic, the entire student body has had to learn remotely, resulting in fewer interactions with our peers. To bring back the joy everyone wishes to experience, the grade 10 students have set up collaborative circles across MYP grade levels with different activities that would best suit their interests. We had a range of interesting activities such as Netflix, Cooking, Basketball, Gaming, Music,  and Kpop/Kdrama. Through this experience, the grade 10 students were put in their teacher’s shoes as they were the ones asked to lead the activities. They quickly realized that being a teacher in a remote environment was not as easy as being one in a face to face environment. We now better understand how hard and awkward a remote environment can be at times for teachers. The grade 10 students would like to thank all the hardworking teachers that have been setting up lessons to teach us from work. Thank you, teachers!!!!

Netflix has really helped us to quarantine because of the various shows and movies we could choose from. Selly, Victoria, Hayun, and Joo Ha have decided to come up with ideas to talk about with people who have similar interests on Netflix. The activities consisted of bingo, scribble.io, charades, and a discussion about their favorite show they watched during quarantine, or one they are currently watching, and more! We really enjoyed talking with the younger grade levels, and although it was awkward at first, we got a laugh out of it and realized how important and fun school could be (and could have been all along) if we all came together. – Joo Ha

The beginning of the meeting was really awkward and quiet since we didn’t know each other. But, as soon as we began discussing gaming, people started to be interested and spoke out loud about their own opinions. Everyone had experiences and enjoyed gaming which made our meeting more lively. During the online class, I think interacting with different people and talking about our own opinions is a great experience.  – Thomas 

It was a little awkward at first since we were all not very familiar with each other. However, as we went on with the activities, some students started to speak up more. Everyone seemed to have some experience with instruments, which was great. We did activities that made us work together, such as building an instrument tier list and guessing what note was played. We also played musical charades. It was an interesting experience. – Katrina

As everyone else has probably said, it was very awkward at first. In the beginning, when we went on with our introduction activities, it was hard to get everyone to participate since they must’ve been shy. Once we got to the later activities, everyone started getting comfortable and goofy. We talked about our different interests in k-pop and k-drama and even created our own k-drama storyline. It took a while, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. This was a great experience for us to learn what it may be like for our teachers to lead our class and I think some of us might even feel bad for our teachers now that we experienced what it might be like for them every single day. – Lea

Dragon’s Print

Excerpt:
Despite being a less than ideal situation, it must be acknowledged that remote learning has its fair share of benefits that can be highly useful even when we resume traditional classes in the near future. A student shares his insights on the important takeaways we can get from “Riding the Remote Learning Wave” on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

College Essays:
If you are applying to multiple universities and the college essay prompt is similar, you may opt to reuse an essay as long as you revise it to fit the prompt and the institution you are applying to. The most important value of an essay is to demonstrate who you are. The transcripts are merely figures that show your academic potential and performance but the essay shows what kind of person you are and this could determine if you are the right fit for the university.

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

Date

Until end of October

October 20
Tuesday
3:15 PM

October 21
Wednesday – 5:30 PM

October 22
Thursday
3:00 PM

October 22
Thursday – 6:00 PM

October 22
Thursday

October 23
Friday – 5:00 PM

November 13
Friday
2:00 – 5:00PM

Event

Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong)
Register here: HK Poly (for personal consultations or faculty-specific webinars)

Alumni Visit:  Evangeline Gerodias – NYUAD Class of 2020 and CIS Class of 2016
Click here to join: https://meet.google.com/vnp-jywo-mgv

Chat with a Yale NUS student
Link to join: Yale NUS student chat

Yale NUS College (Singapore)
Link to register: https://apply.yale-nus.edu.sg/register/CIS (students will receive the Zoom link upon sign-up)

Jacobs University (Germany)
Link to join: to follow

Student World Virtual Fairs
Click to see List of Universities
Link to register and join: https://fairs.thestudentworld.com/cebuis

University of St. Andrews (UK)
Link to join: to follow

Study in Japan Virtual Fair – Link to Virtual Fair: Study in Japan Fair
Participating universities: University of Tsukuba, Kyushu, University, Temple University Japan, Hiroshima University, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, iCLA Yamanashi Gakuin University, Nagoya University and Kyoto University of Advanced Science

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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.