Principal’s Corner
by Ms. Maureen Juanson, Elementary School Principal, PYP Coordinator & Accreditation Officer
CIS as a Hub for Educational Exchange and Collaboration
This month of April, Cebu International School had the pleasure of welcoming teams of educators from Stockbridge American International School (SAIS) – Davao, recently authorized to offer the IB PYP, and the International School of Cagayan de Oro (IS CDO). These benchmarking visits were a valuable opportunity for both schools to deepen their understanding of the IB programmes through observation and collaboration, drawing upon CIS’s established practices across the continuum.
The visits focused on the implementation of the PYP and MYP at CIS, with classroom observations enabling our guests to witness inquiry-based learning, student agency, and concept-driven teaching authentically embedded in our daily learning environment. These engagements also provided our faculty with the opportunity to reflect on and share the intentional strategies we use to foster a culture of thinking, collaboration, and lifelong learning.
At CIS, we believe in the power of shared professional learning to strengthen practice and build collective capacity across the educational landscape. This visit reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of IB World Schools in the Philippines and the region, while reaffirming our role as a learning community that actively contributes to the development of others.
We look forward to continuing this dialogue with SAIS as they build momentum in their IB journey and with and IS CDO as they explore and strengthen inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. Both schools expressed sincere appreciation to the CIS community for our openness in sharing practice and for our ongoing support.
In further support of professional collaboration, CIS also hosted the CIS Education Forum on April 25, welcoming about 200 educators from across the Philippines. This bi-annual event provides a platform for CIS teachers and invited speakers to share best practices in teaching and learning with colleagues from both public and private schools. It is a meaningful opportunity to highlight practical and inclusive approaches to learning, aligned with our school’s mission and the IB philosophy.
Together, through authentic sharing and purposeful connection, we continue to foster a culture of professional excellence that benefits not only our students, but the broader community of educators we serve alongside.
Upcoming events of note
- Fri, Apr 25: Half-day Remote Learning Classes (AM only) / CIS Education Forum (for faculty on campus)
- Apr 28 – May 21: IBDP Exams
- Tue, Apr 29: PTA Coffee Morning
- Wed, Apr 30: PYPx Exhibition
- Thu, May 1: Public Holiday (Labor Day)
- Fri, May 2: School Holiday
- May 5-9: Busking Week
- Mon, May 12: Local Elections – No School
Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar for the complete calendar of school events.
Grade 5: PYP Exhibition
by Mrs. Aimee Underwood (Asst. PYP Coordinator / Grade 5 Co-Homeroom Teacher) and Ms. MJ Cordova (Grade 5 Co-Homeroom Teacher / Media Literacy Teacher & Media Center Coordinator)
Thinking Deeply, Acting Purposefully: The 2025 PYP Exhibition Journey
At Cebu International School, the Grade 5 PYP Exhibition (PYPx) is more than a culminating project—it’s a celebration of what it means to be a learner. It brings together years of thinking, questioning, reflecting, and connecting. It’s where students draw on all they’ve learned in the Primary Years Programme to explore the world, their place in it, and how they might shape it for the better.
While the PYPx often draws attention for its visible outcomes—performances, showcase events, websites, advocacy campaigns, design prototypes, and community partnerships—this year, we’re shining a light on something equally powerful: the thinking behind it all.
Inquiry in the PYP isn’t a checklist—it’s a living process. Each PYPx journey begins with a passion but unfolds as students ask questions, encounter challenges, and build new connections.
Students explore their topics through three Lines of Inquiry, each guided by key PYP concepts. These concepts help students look at their passions from different angles, deepening their understanding as they go.
As Robeen shared during our mid-journey workshop:
“We start with Form and Function questions because we need to know what our passion really is like and how it works. Then, we make connections by looking at Change, Causation, and Connection to find out how our passion connects us to issues and opportunities around us. Once we know this, we want to take action, so our third Line of Inquiry is about Responsibility and Perspective—looking at how others are taking action, how we can take action, and how it affects others.”
The process is rarely linear. Students revise, reflect, and rethink constantly. This flexibility is where the deepest learning happens.
A key part of this year’s journey has been learning how to think strategically. Students crafted different types of questions—factual, conceptual, and debatable—to guide their inquiries and push their thinking further.
As Evan explained:
“We start with Factual questions to build our basic knowledge. These are things that have straight answers. Then, we ask Conceptual questions to help us connect ideas, compare and contrast, cause and effect, or analyze ideas. Finally, we ask debatable questions like ‘What is the most important factor in…’ to consider perspectives, too. This helps us think deeper.”
He also described how students use different tools to support each stage of thinking:
“In each of these steps, we learned to use different graphic organizers—like the Frayer Model to define, bubble maps to explain, Fishbone diagrams to explore cause and effect, Futures Wheels to predict outcomes, and Force Field Analysis to evaluate.”
These tools help make thinking visible and purposeful. With mentor guidance, students have developed the confidence to choose and use them independently, applying them across contexts and disciplines.
The Exhibition is challenging but deeply collaborative. Students reflect with mentors, share ideas with peers, and engage with the wider CIS community. Through it all, relationships play a key role.
As Fiona put it: “What we love about the PYPx is that we are powered by our friendship and teamwork!”
Inquiry isn’t just an individual pursuit—it thrives in dialogue, shared effort, and mutual support.
An Invitation to Celebrate
The Grade 5 students have been busy taking action, leading workshops, organizing community events, and preparing to share their learning and action with the CIS community. Their work—shaped by deep thinking, authentic feedback, and tools like the Sustainability Compass and Force Field Analysis—is making real-world impact!
Join us for the PYP Exhibition Showcase on Wednesday, March 30, 2025.
Come see what happens when students are empowered to lead their learning—with purpose, confidence, and care.
🔗 Revisit last year’s PYPx and learn more about the process here:
https://sites.google.com/cis.edu.ph/pypx2024/pypx-news
The PYPx is not just a celebration of Grade 5—it’s a reflection of our entire CIS learning community. The skills, mindsets, and values on display have been nurtured from the Early Years onward, supported by specialist teachers, mentors, families, and peers. It is also a living expression of our CIS Purpose Statement and Core Beliefs—where joyful inquiry, intercultural understanding, and responsible action come together in powerful, personal ways.
We look forward to sharing this inspiring journey with you!
Grade 11: Biology Class
by Ms. Rebecca Devadoss, DP Biology Teacher
Photosynthesis, seemingly a simple process where plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, a process that sustains nearly all life. By converting light energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, it directly enables plant growth and indirectly provides the energy source for the entire food web. Moreover, photosynthesis releases the oxygen essential for the respiration of most organisms, making this a vital process for the survival of all ecosystems. While its basic principles are introduced across different grade levels, IBDP students explore this essential process in significant depth, investigating photosystems, the electron transport chain, and the Calvin cycle, highlighting its complexity and fundamental importance.
Grade 11 students conducted investigations based on the factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. Students, in groups, manipulated either the light intensity by varying the distance of a light source from the aquatic plant Elodea, or explored the impact of light wavelengths using different colored bulbs, or altered carbon dioxide concentration by introducing varying masses of sodium bicarbonate to the water. Throughout these controlled experiments, they meticulously recorded the number of oxygen bubbles produced by the Elodea over a set period to quantify the rate of oxygen production, which directly correlates with the rate of photosynthesis under those specific conditions.
Preparing the aquatic plant for the experiment
Process of counting the minute oxygen bubbles
Counting the oxygen bubbles
The Outcome
Increasing the concentration of sodium bicarbonate enhanced the rate of photosynthesis up to an optimal level, beyond which the rate plateaued.
The rate of photosynthesis decreased with the increase in distance from the light source.
Blue and red wavelengths of light are more effective than green wavelengths.
Grade 11 students also made a presentation on artificial selection. Artificial selection, also known as selective breeding, is the process where humans intentionally breed plants and animals for specific, desired traits. By choosing individuals with desirable traits to breed, humans can influence the genetic makeup of future generations, leading to the development of distinct breeds and varieties over time. This process contrasts with natural selection, where the environment dictates which individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce.
SAT Update
SAT Registration Is Now Open
| Test Dates | Registration Deadlines | Deadline for Changes, Regular Cancellation and Late Registration Deadlines* |
| May 3, 2025 | April 18, 2025 | April 22, 2025 |
| June 7, 2025 | May 22, 2025 | May 27, 2025 |
*Additional Fees apply
To register for the SAT, you may click on this link. If you need assistance or have any questions, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph.