Newsflash: February 14, 2020

newsflash cover

Admin News

Dr Gwyn Underwood, ​Superintendent

The Music Man production accolades

Our Production team, led by Production Director Ms. Steffany Hermias and an army of support including students, faculty and the PTA/parents, can take a bow for the stunning performances viewers were privileged to see last weekend. Congratulations and thank you all so much, it really was an impressive performance!


​Coronavirus situation update

The health and safety of ​CIS’s community ​remains our highest priority, ​and we continue to monitor the coronavirus situation daily as we attempt to keep a balance ​between mitigating risks to an acceptable level in what is an evolving situation​. Overall, recent news from reliable sources is starting to indicate the situation may be easing, however, we are still in a very delicate phase and it is still very uncertain how it might proceed. We will ​continue to take necessary precautions as well as adapt our practices as the situation requires​, keeping the best interests of the health and safety of our community and visitors ​a priority. Some updates on the situation as it pertains to CIS include the following:​

  • ​The Health and Safety Committee have has updated our official Threat Matrix from three levels to four​ in order to be more specific on procedures that were previously in threat level two. We did this as we felt level two was  too broad, so teasing it into two levels helps to overcome this (so the old level two is now levels two and three, and the old level three is now level four). Parents, you have access to this Threat Matrix via the link sent in your last Info Brief (please let my secretary Azela know if you would like an updated PDF version and she can mail it to you adiapana@cis.edu.ph).
  • ​​We continue to evaluate events such as WWW activities, conferences and other professional development ​activities on and off campus on a case by case basis, and will cancel all activities when the risk mitigation assessment highlights a risk that is not acceptable for our students. Our faculty have been wonderfully flexible and creative in coming up with new activities for our WWW program when an activity needed to be changed, and I want to acknowledge their extra work to do this for our collective benefit. We look forward to the WWW activities running safely from next Tuesday!
  • We apologise to members of the public or CIS community who have been unable to enter the campus due not having appointments, and to students who have had to spend extra time at home to be sure they do not have the virus. Please understand we need to do this to protect our students and entire community. If I may please remind parents and students that our current precautionary measures include:

==> If you have travelled outside of Cebu within the past 14 days, please inform Ms. Arlene Villa (avilla@cis.edu.ph | Tel: 32 261 0247 | Mobile: 0949 704 4937) when and where you travelled, and any info regarding the potential exposure you may have had before you enter the CIS Campus.

==> If you have travelled to China (including Hong Kong and Macau) within the last 14 days, you are not permitted on campus.

==> Please keep your child home if they have any flu-like symptoms. You need to obtain a doctor’s note before returning to school. All returning students must check in to the clinic with their medical note upon return before going to class.

Thank you ​​for ​your messages ​of ​support​ for our actions and communication during this emergency​ time​.​ As always, please remember we appreciate your feedback​, both in the form of constructive criticism and compliment​s,​ as they both help us to continue improving our practice​s!

Have a safe weekend!

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

The Arts are Alive and Well at CIS

Too often today the arts are not given enough attention in general and sometimes in education is treated as a pleasant diversion in the middle of a school day full of other more important subjects. However, at CIS, we believe in the importance of the visual and performing arts as important aspects of our students holistic development and we make the arts an integral part of our schedule at all grade levels. Certainly we want our students to one day make a living, but we also want them to make a life. To quote John Keating from Dead Poet’s Society, “Medicine, law, business, engineering- these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life, but poetry, beauty, romance, love… these are what we stay alive for.”

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, a continuum teachers use to measure orders of critical thinking, creating is the most complex and highest level of thinking, for the student builds on a foundation of understanding and then makes it both unique and personal. Creativity allows students to play and experiment with what they have learned in order to create something new. Indeed, IB embraces the arts throughout all stages- PYP, MYP, and DP; in the DP, for example, Arts is one of the six groups of courses from which students must choose. Another example can be seen in MYP; there are six required Global Contexts, one of which must be present in every learning unit. One of these Global Contexts is Personal and Cultural Expression.

It is wonderful to see that the arts are thriving at CIS as we seek to create opportunities both in and out of the classroom for students to both perform works of artistic merit and express themselves through a variety of creative outlets. We have several after-school clubs that cultivate skills and passion within various forms of art, such as Chamber Ensemble, CIS Dance Crew, Ballet Club, Illustration Club, Yearbook, and Dragon’s Print. Last weekend’s production of The Music Man featured a combination of vocal and instrumental music, dramatic performance, a range of dance routines, and an array of visual arts, including costume design, beautiful stage sets, and backdrops paintings. 

This Wednesday the IBDP Grade 11 and 12 Art Exhibition was opened at Ayala Mall in IT Park with the overarching theme of Conflict. Conflict is an aspect of the human experience and something which we all encounter; thus, it is part of each student’s story and which our students’ artworks portray in various ways. Students were present to explain the message conveyed through their artistic pieces and the process of creating them to the parents, teachers, friends, and visitors who attended the event.

 Students, we are so proud of you all. We encourage you to keep creating.

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal/PYP Coordinator

Dear Elementary Community,

Over the past 5 years, CIS has developed a relationship with the University of South-Eastern Norway to support their teacher training program. The teacher training program run by the university is called the International Teacher Education Program for Primary Schools and is unique in that the university actively seeks to train students from countries both inside and outside Norway, and intentionally aims to develop International Mindedness in their student teachers. Student teachers are then encouraged to find teaching internships in different locations throughout the world and CIS has actively supported the university’s internship program.

Over the past six weeks, CIS has hosted three student teachers.  Ms. Jil Giannikos has been working with Ms. Marianne’s KG/G1 class, Ms. Ana Borba has been working with Ms. Mau’s Grade 2 class, and Mr. Balal Pasand has been working with Ms. Carolyn’s Grade 5 class.  In each class, a strong rapport has been formed between the student teacher and the class community and in each case, the community has benefited. Today CIS says farewell to our three interns and over the weekend they will return to Norway. We thank Jill, Ana, and Balal for their contributions to the school. As a CIS community, we are proud of the service we are able to provide locally, nationally and globally throughout various service-learning programs, our scholarships, and our internships. Reaching out in this way builds our capabilities as a community and encourages us to become increasingly internationally minded.

Next week at CIS we are holding our Week Without Walls program. Teachers have worked incredibly hard since November designing exciting, challenging and service-minded Week Without Walls projects for their students. As a principal, I am very proud of what they have been able to achieve and the extent to which students have been involved in designing the learning. Although a few of our planned interactions with local communities had had to be postponed due to managing the risks associated with the COVID-19, the majority of the learning and adventure experiences are able to continue safely. Some of these experiences include;

  • Grade 4 and 5 working with the Light of Hope to build and give solar lighting to communities with no electricity
  • Grade 4 and 5 camp to Adlawon Vacation farm
  • Grade 3 and 4 mangrove project
  • Grade 2 and 3 Sirao Peak Hike
  • Grade 2 and 3 Space Camp over sleepover at CIS
  • KG/Grade 1 day visit to Adlawon Vacation Farm
  • KG/Grade 1 book and furniture project to support Pulang Bato Elementary School

Thanks must go to our wonderful team of elementary teachers who have worked so hard and partnered so closely with your children to make design these experiences.

Grade 4 Camp

I’m so excited for February! We are going to have camp outside of school for two nights! I know I did this last year when I was in G3, but at that time it was in school, and now it’s outside school. When I was in G3 my teacher was Ms. Anjana. She was nice, she let us play Twister and we watched a movie called Ice Age. Later, half of the class saw the moon but the other half was already sleeping. Those who saw the moon, we slept
around 11 or 12pm. The next morning we ate pancakes with syrup.

This year I ‘m  just more excited, I think it’s because it’s for two nights and I’m going with our new teachers called Mr. Sten and Ms. Carolyn! I wonder where we will go and are we actually going to sleep in tents?

The Music Man Production

by Stefanny Hermias, Drama Teacher & Head of Production

The Music Man Production was the culmination of five months of rehearsals and hard work put in by the students in elementary and middle/high school. A big THANK YOU to all the teachers and staff who worked behind the scenes to make this production a reality.  Kudos to the cast and crew for giving us an awesome show last weekend!

Here are a few comments from the cast:

I really enjoyed the production. It was a great experience. I got to meet a lot of new amazing people. It was very tiring at times but it was all worth it in the end. I really loved the experience even though I had a smaller role. We all cooperated with each other so well that when the last show finished I didn’t want it to be over! I felt so nostalgic seeing the decor from the production still up in the assembly on Monday! I will join the production next year, too! I would like to thank Miss Stefanny for giving me this experience! AADYA, Grade 6 

This year’s production, The Music Man, was quite the experience. As one of the dancers, the others and I experienced through the stress of learning the dances by ourselves and teaching the dances to the other “townspeople” as well. Before the actual performance, we had to promote the production by dancing during assemblies and the school’s Christmas Bazaar in Oakridge, so we crammed to learn the dances in time. I felt extremely overwhelmed after all the shows we had done and sad that we were no longer going to be performing. Overall, I would say that despite all the challenges and stress we faced, the outcome was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better cast and crew. LEA, Grade 9

I enjoy acting yet it was never the first thing I’d want to do in a musical. I’m glad I tried it out because I never knew how fun it was to be acting on stage in different settings and costumes. Performing in general was so thrilling with the lights, the cameras, the microphones, and the amazing backdrops. True, there have been times where hope was lost, but we pulled through anyway. Looking back, I feel proud and satisfied. Overall, it was a great experience and I’ve learned a lot from it! KATRINA, Grade 9 

Joining this years’ school production The Music Man was an arduous but rewarding experience. Weeks and months of practicing and acting really took a lot of time, but when we got to the final performance it was all worth it. The day of the first show I was extremely nervous, worrying over the little mistakes and if I was going to get something wrong. However, I tried my best and put full energy into every show and I have absolutely no regrets. It was really fun getting to meet new people, make friends, and along the way have fun to make a remarkable recreation of an established musical. Altogether, I wish the best and congratulate everyone involved in this production for absolutely putting their hearts and souls into it, and I’ll never forget it. SEAN, Grade 9

Our production “The Music Man” took 6 months to prepare. The beginning stages of practice were relaxing because at that time we were still trying to adapt and create ideas to perform a certain scene. However, as time came by it started  to get challenging because of the amount of time we had to stay after school for practices (especially being an IB student). The fact that we had to show commitment towards our play meant that I was able to apply the ATL skills: self-management skills. Self-management skills aren’t the only thing that could be applied to production, but risk-taking and social skills can also be applied here. Although production was a tiring process overall, it was all worth it in the end. I was able to meet new people and create new friends. Not only that, I was able to realize my strengths as an actor. All in all, I am proud of all my efforts that I put in production. Looking back at the production it may not be perfect, but it was strong enough to make the time we exerted worth it. Whatever the outcome was, it’s always the journey that matters.  MASAKO, Grade 11

Dragon’s Print Club

Dragon’s Print is back for the second semester with two sweet surprises! First, please enjoy “0214”, a playlist curated by Karen Y. that will pull at your heartstrings this Valentine’s Day. We recommend listening to the songs in order as they tell a story–from falling in love, breaking your heart, and moving on.

Afterwards, learn how to express your affection with a list of pick-up lines from all over the world. If you’ve been struggling to find the right words to talk to someone, maybe you’ll find them in a different language.

You can find both the playlist and the pick-up lines on our website, https://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

Grade 11 & 12 IB Art Exhibition

by Ms. Geraldine Ancajas Jumao-as, IB Visual Arts/Design Teacher

The IB Visual Arts 11 and 12 students opened their exhibit titled “Conflict” last Feb. 12, 2020 at Ayala Malls Central Bloc.  “Conflict” showcases the work done by the Senior IB Visual Arts students and the Junior Visual Arts students exploring a wide variety of themes and media.  This year’s show is located at 2nd Floor Bridgeway-Padriga, Near Watsons and will be open until the 26th of February.  The exhibit commenced with an opening reception on the 12th with performances from the talented Grades 8, 9, 10 and 11 Band students, speeches from our School Principal, Mr. Wood and Superintendent, Dr. Underwood, and a formal cutting of the ribbon.

It was a worthwhile evening indeed as numerous people including parents, relatives, School Administration, teachers and students came by to support these students for their hard work.

Students Reflections:

I thought the art exhibit was a success; I really enjoyed presenting my artwork to the school community and the public. I was also able to play in the band after half a year, so that was an added bonus for me. As the one who put together the program, I am surprised that the program went really well but it surprised me as well that it went so fast.  Zandro, Gr. 11

The art exhibit was a really thrilling experience. It allowed me to express my artwork to my family, friends, and to people which I believe as an artist, is one of the best things an artist can do. – Kevin, Gr. 11

I like the setup because there was enough space to move around and everything could be easily located. People got to learn about the concept of conflict from different perspectives. So the concept is relatable and a lot of the spectators had questions. –Denise, Gr. 11

The art exhibition this year was fantastic, a lot more parents came to support the event and a number of individuals in the Ayala vicinity were interested and wanted to learn more about our artworks. The performance from the CIS band was excellent, the songs selected were recognizable and a crowd started to form as they played. The artworks featured on the second floor of the Ayala Central Bloc mall display the wonderful abilities of the grade 11 and 12 students and we highly recommend that you view the works in the exhibition. – Liam, Gr. 12

As a senior, this was my second time participating in the annual Grade 11 and 12 IB art exhibitions. I always look forward to displaying my work because I believe it is a way for me to share my ideas and thoughts with the public. Above that, it is also interesting to hear different interpretations of your own artwork from a fresh perspective. Most importantly, this exhibition is meaningful to all of us as it commemorates the progress we have made as art students. – Alya, Gr. 12

During our Art exhibit yesterday, I exhibited two pieces. My first piece is a 5 series embroidery piece about Seasons and the second piece is a 3 series pen on paper piece. I was able to talk to different people about the significance of my artwork. A lot of the audience were amazed with the details that I incorporated. Through this event, I learned how different people interpret my artwork. – Chinatsu, Gr. 12

Sports and Activities News

PTA Announcement

College/University Visits (Feb-March 2020)

by  Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor & Alumni Liaison

All visits are open to interested students and parents. Feel free to join in any of the sessions in the schedules below.

DateTime/VenueGuest/Institution
February 26 - Wednesday9:15 - 10:00AM - Rm 311University of British Columbia (Canada)
February 28 - Friday9:15 - 10:00AM - Dragons Dome- Aviation Institute of Maintenance
- Columbia College Chicago
- Embry-riddle Aeronautical University
- Hawaii Pacific University
- Johns Hopkins University School of Education
- Kent State University
- Missouri Western State University
- New York Film Academy
- Nova Southeastern University
- Ohio University
- Pima Community College
- San Mateo Colleges of Silicon Valley
- Savannah College of Art & Design
- South Puget Sound
- Stony Brook University
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of Arizona
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Virginia Tech University
March 2 - Monday9:15 - 10:00AM - Rm 311Bond University (Australia)
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (USA)
March 3 - Tuesday9:15 - 10:30AM - Rm 311Canadian Education Fair
And an Info Session on the Canadian Visa Stream
1. Algonquin College
2. Bow Valley College
3. Cambrian College
4. Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
5. Fanshawe College
6. Kwantlen Polytechnic University
7. Mohawk College
8. NorQuest College
9. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
10. Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology
11. Northern Lights College
12. Red Deer College
13. Seneca
14. Sir Sandford Fleming College of Applied Arts and Technology
15. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
16. St. Lawrence College
17. University of the Fraser Valley
March 11 - Wednesday9:15 - 10:00AM - Rm 311Griffith University (Australia)
March 13 - Friday9:15 - 10:00AM - Rm 311Australia Education Fair (list of institutions to be confirmed)
March 19 Thursday9:15 - 10:00AM - Rm 311University of Redlands (USA)
Creighton University (USA)
Whitworth University (USA)
San Jose State University (USA)

SAT Test Dates for School Year 2019 – 2020

2019-2010 Test Dates Test Registration Deadline
March 14, 2020 SAT only (no Subject Tests) February 14, 2020
May 2, 2020 SAT & Subject Tests April 3, 2020

For students who are planning to study in universities/colleges that require the SAT exam, below is the schedule of the SAT tests. Please take note of the test dates and registration deadlines.

To register for the SAT, you may log on to www.collegeboard.org.  If you need assistance, please feel free to email Ms. Jenny Basa at jbasa@cis.edu.ph or call 261-0247 local 112 to set an appointment.  You may also visit her office from 7:15am to 3:30pm

Share this:
Subscribe
Notify of

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments