Newsflash: April 20, 2023

MHS Week Without Walls 2023

by Mr. Jon Denton, Assistant Principal-MYP

We in the Middle/High School are excited to share with you our plans for our upcoming Week Without Walls Experience on April 24-27

WWW23 was designed through a series of collaborative meetings between students and teachers. Student voice was a huge factor in selecting the type of activities we put together into a final schedule for our students. 

This year we have worked hard to include four key elements for students: 1) to develop new skills, 2) to participate in physically challenging activities, 3) to give back to the community, and 4) to engage in the arts. Specific outcomes for students include working collaboratively to gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication, and drive. 

On-campus activities include beautification projects in and around the school as well as sports events, and workshops in the arts, mechanics, self-defense, scouting, and first aid. We have invited experts to campus to deliver some of these courses. All experts are required to meet our health protocols – fully vaccinated with 2 shots – and will wear a mask while working with our students. A particular highlight will be working on a group sculpture under the guidance of members from James Doran-Webb’s workshop. 

In addition to the on-campus activities, each grade level will participate in a day-long field trip to the Umapad Community in Mandaue City. The focus of this trip will be Learning Through Teaching. Students from CIS and UES will have the opportunity to learn from each other through sports, the arts, and environmental care. Also, for CAS experiences, our G10 and G11 students will take into account possible long-term collaboration between Umapad students and CIS students. These days’ events will all take place at Pahara Park, which is only a 3 to 4-minute walk from Umapad Elementary School. As for our safety protocol, both CIS and UES students will be required to wear a mask. 

If you have any questions before then, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Here's a peek at our itinerary!

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Upcoming events of note

  • Apr 21: Public Holiday: Eidul-Fitr (No Classes); Invited educators: CIS Education Forum
  • Apr 24 – 27: MHS Week Without Walls
  • April 25 – Monthly Parent Coffee Meeting (8-9 am, Annex): Being/becoming Parent Ambassadors
  • April 27-May 19: IBDP Exams
  • Apr 28: PYP Exhibition (Grade 5)
  • May 1: Labor Day (Public Holiday)

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

Congratulations to our 38 Grade 12s on completing two years of the challenging IB Diploma Programme! Today is their last day of regular classes and we wish them the best of luck as they prepare to sit for the IB exams.

They have shown hard work and dedication throughout this journey and we believe that they have what it takes to succeed. The skills they have gained during their IB DP journey will serve them well, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Congratulations again Grade 12, and best of luck in the upcoming exams!

Join us for a fun-filled summer of activities and sports at Cebu International School! This is open to everyone, so feel free to invite your family and friends.

Click here to register

Click here to view the full list of program offerings, schedule, and fees

Elementary: Language Acquisition-English

by Ms. Evangeline Belono-ac, K-5 LA-English Teacher / Ms. Claudette Colinares, K-5 LA- English Educational Assistant

In Language Acquisition-English classes, students engage in interactive learning opportunities that enable them to develop proficiency in the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students explored and learned new vocabulary words that are closely linked to their units of inquiry. Through these connections, they were able to understand subject-specific concepts and themes, build their overall vocabulary, and improve their comprehension.

Students act out words from their unit vocabulary to help them understand and remember their meanings.

Kinder & Grade 1

The KG1 students have been developing their reading, writing, and grammar skills through various activities. In their recent unit of inquiry, Sharing the Planet, students explored a variety of informational stories that related to their unit and examined the cause-and-effect relationships between individuals and their environment to support their reading comprehension. Through close analysis of these texts, students were able to gain a deeper understanding of how our actions impact the world around us.

In their grammar instruction, students focused on forming plural nouns, pronouns, possessive nouns and pronouns, and ensuring subject-verb agreement. They practiced through targeted exercises and participated in classroom discussions to gain a better understanding of how proper subject-verb agreement impacts a sentence’s meaning.

In writing, the KG1 students created a book using cause-and-effect stories. Students were able to exercise their creativity while also strengthening their writing skills. This activity encouraged them to think critically about how different actions can lead to specific outcomes.

They were able to organize their ideas and ensure that their writing made sense.

KG1 students have been developing their writing skills by creating cause-and-effect stories.

Grade 2/3

During their most recent unit, Where We Are in Place and Time, the Grade 2/3 students read autobiographies and biographies and gained an understanding of the key differences between these two genres to enhance their reading comprehension. Through close analysis of these texts, students examined the cause-and-effect relationships within biographies, exploring how specific events and circumstances can profoundly impact an individual’s life. 

As part of their grammar instruction, students focused on subject-verb agreement and simple verb tenses, particularly emphasizing the past tense of verbs. Through targeted practice exercises and classroom discussions, students developed a stronger understanding of how verbs change to indicate the past tense and how these changes impact sentences’ overall structure and meaning. 

To connect their reading to their writing, students actively engaged in creating timelines of their own lives and using these as foundations for writing their autobiographies. Through this process, students explored the various elements of narrative writing.

Applying their learning in a real-world context, the G2/3 students explored small moments and wrote about their experiences on their field trip at Adlawon Farm. As they shared stories about their experiences on the farm, students were able to apply their understanding of verb tenses, using the past tense to describe events during the trip.

Writing about their experience at Adlawon Farm allowed the G2/3 students to develop narrative writing skills and improve their understanding of subject-verb agreement and verb tenses.

Grade 4/5 

Throughout their last unit, Sharing the Planet, Grades 4 and 5 worked separately.  Grade 4 focused on Energy, while Grade 5 used the class time as an opportunity to receive additional support for their PYP exhibition. 

The Grade 4 students worked hard to develop their grammar and writing skills through a range of activities. As part of their grammar instruction, they revisited verb tenses and formed plural nouns. To connect their reading to their writing, the grade 4 students actively engaged in creating procedural writing pieces, specifically focusing on the topic of windmills. Through this process, students were to explore the various elements of procedural writing and nonfiction text features, developing a deeper understanding of how to communicate complex processes and concepts in a clear and simple way. 

The Grade 5 students, on the other hand, used their reading and research skills to gather information that they can use for their PYP exhibition. They revisited and employed the grammatical skills they previously learned in writing their paragraphs and essays related to their exhibition. 

Although they had different foci, there were still times when they were together to engage in different activities to develop their English language proficiency. One activity they did together was writing a narrative about their Adlawon field trip using small moments.  

The Grades 4 and 5 worked separately to focus on different topics. Grade 4 focused on Energy, while Grade 5 received additional support for their PYP exhibition.

Grade 11: Physics and Mathematics Analysis and Approaches SL

by Ms. Maria Rosandee Tabada, Physics and Mathematics Teacher

Introduction to the Expectations of Internal Assessment

Now that the Grade 11 students are in the last quarter of the school year, they are closely studying the expectations of the non-examined component of each course—the Internal Assessment (IA). The IA allows students to demonstrate the transfer of learning and, at the same time, pursue their interests without the limitations associated with written examinations.

The Grade 11 Mathematics AA SL class just completed a guided investigation on determining the optimum dimensions of a soft drink can. This formative task was a chance for students to use processes and interpret results that will be valuable when they work on their IA. The Math IA is an individual exploration that involves investigating an area of mathematics.

The Science IA is an investigation based on generated measurements or secondary data. To help students familiarize themselves with the expectations, the recent practical for Grade 11 Physics students was an investigation of factors that could affect the rate of evaporation. They collaboratively planned and conducted experiments based on their chosen independent variable.

Best of luck to the Grade 11s as they complete the first year of the IB Diploma Programme!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner

If you are in Grade 11 and planning to apply to university via the CommonApp, here are the essay prompts for next school year. The essay should be between 250 – 650 words.

Common App Essay Prompts for 2023 – 2024

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

You may refer to Breaking Down all 7 Common App Essay Prompts for further details. 

Note: There are no college events scheduled next week since all students from Grade 6-11 will be in Week Without Walls.

SAT UPDATE for 2022-2023

SAT Test Date Deadline for Registration, Changes and Regular Cancellation
May 6, 2023 (Digital) April 21, 2023
June 3, 2023 (Digital) May 19, 2023

Test dates labeled Digital means that students will bring a device to the test center and take the exam using their device.  The College Board may provide devices for test-takers who do not have access to a device.  All test-takers for Digital SATs are still required to report physically to the test center to take the test.

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.

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