Newsflash: February 2, 2024

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Benjamin Martin, Middle High School Principal & Ms. Julie Sykes, Asst. Principal-MYP

Last week Middle-High School participated in the second ISAC tournament of the season. The boys football team, girls basketball team, coaches and chaperones travelled to Subic on Wednesday and spent the next three days competing against other schools in the Philippines. We were accompanied by a small but very vocal group of parents, who supported our teams tirelessly throughout the tournament. Thank you parents!

The CIS football team dominated most of their games, winning all but one of the group games. The team qualified for the finals, and lost 2-0 in a very exciting final game against the team we lost to earlier on, placing 2nd overall in the tournament. Our team played valiantly the whole tournament and placed 3 players (Liam, Brian, and Sengo) on the 11 person all-ISAC team!

The CIS basketball team had one of their best tournaments for many years. They fought tirelessly in every game with a stellar defence, excellent teamwork and some sharp shooting from eventual all-ISAC player, Ariana! They qualified for the finals in 3rd position, and their 2nd-3rd place game was the most exciting and tightly fought game of the tournament. It left not only the players exhausted but the audience too as it went deep into overtime.  With the determination and hard work shown by all members of the team during this tournament, we can expect great things from them in the future.

We would like to thank Brent Subic for being welcoming hosts and to our travelling families. We look forward to hosting the first ISAC tournament of next academic year at Cebu International School. We hope our school community will come out and help us with the home advantage!

Upcoming events of note

• Feb 8-18: G11/G12 Art Exhibition
• Feb 9 (Fri): School Holiday
• Feb 10 (Sat): Chinese New Year
• Feb 12 (Mon): Chinese New Year Assembly
• Feb 15-23: G12 Mock Exams
• Feb 20-23: Week Without Walls
• Feb 24 (Sat): Public Holiday (Cebu Charter Day)
• Feb 25 (Sun): Public Holiday (EDSA)
• Feb 27 (Tue): G5 Students & Parents Info Session
• Feb 27 (Tue): PTA Coffee Morning

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

Grade 4 & 5: Music Class

by Ms. Marie Vic Briones, PYP/MYP Music Teacher

Diving into Dynamics

In our recently started PYP unit on Dynamics, the G4/5 students have begun to explore the impact of changing the volume and intensity of music in order to influence the listeners’ emotions. The central idea, “Understanding the causes behind changes in sound enables musicians to make well-informed expressive creations” is underpinned by key concepts of Change, Causation, and Perspective. As a unit that falls under the Transdisciplinary theme “How we Express Ourselves,” it aims to help students understand that music is an art that uses Scientific and Mathematical concepts, such as Dynamics and Rhythms, and that these concepts are often employed by composers and musicians to create stories and emotions with sounds.

Student Learning and Skills Development
During this unit, students take part in various engagements that hone their approaches to learning and develop their learner profiles. For instance, they demonstrate creative thinking by interpreting songs from different perspectives using dynamics, thus becoming risk-takers. They also apply information transfer skills in understanding concepts across multiple disciplines, such as what causes changes in sound, thereby enhancing their knowledge. Additionally, the students develop their research skills by comparing, contrasting, and drawing connections among different media resources thus becoming more open-minded.

Practical Application: Playing the Ukulele
To demonstrate their understanding of manipulating sound and varying dynamics, students perform on their ukulele while one student takes on the role of a conductor, providing directions on the volume and intensity of the music with hand gestures for “pianissimo” (very soft) or “forte” (loud), “subito piano,” (suddenly soft), etc. allowing the class to manipulate the dynamics in real time.

With the fundamental knowledge and skills gained from this unit, students can continue to explore the “dynamic” world of music. They can experiment with different instruments, genres, and styles, and apply the concepts they have learned to other areas of their lives: public speaking, acting, sports- the possibilities are endless!

Grade 8: MYP Science

by Mr. Rey Carl Jumawan, DP Chemistry and MYP Science Teacher

Grade 8 Eco Exploration

As Cebu International School (CIS) thrives on providing quality and relevant
international education, it seeks to implement a holistic approach to teaching and learning guided by the principles and ideals of an IB World School.

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) Integrated Science offered by CIS aims to foster independent and collaborative learning towards discovering the interdependencies of science, society, and the environment. It bridges the gaps between the classroom and the real-world setting by providing concrete experiences through observation, experimentation, and research.

The grade 8 students recently had a field trip to Archival’s Eco-house in Ylaya Talamban, Mandaue City. This is in cognizance with their current unit on sustainability tackling practices that help address one or more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG). This activity aids students to recognize that sustainability is anchored in three pillars: society, economy, and environment. The interdependency of these pillars becomes the basis for implementing sustainable programs.

The Archival Eco House is a sustainable place founded by Hon. Nestor Archival, one of the city councilors of Cebu City North District. It showcases different setups aiming to reduce carbon footprints. It is fully dependent on renewable energy sources and has a waste processing facility through vermicomposting and Black Soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larva compost. Vermicomposting is the process of using worms to accelerate the process of decomposition (Vermicomposting for Beginners – Rodale Institute, 2019). This in turn will produce vermicompost which is then sold by the facility to be used as organic soil. Black Soldier Fly larvae composting uses the larva of a non-pest fly to produce a nutrient-rich compost (Purdue University, 2015). The larva is also being used as a source of protein for chickens.

Grade 8 students went on to observe and investigate the aquaponics and
hydroponics facilities and learn the intricacies of plastics-to-bricks processing. Aquaponics is a farming method incorporating the concepts of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) (Vergeer, 2023).

Here are some of the students sharing their experiences during the field trip.

Grade 11: DP Psychology

by Mr. Andrew Powell, Psychology Teacher

When people think about how best to approach solving a difficult problem, the quickest way to drive to the mall in the heavy Cebu traffic or that hard to remember item on a long shopping list, they engage in cognitive processing. As part of their current unit, the Grade 11 Psychology class is looking at these and many other conundrums, as they examine how psychologists are involved in finding out how the human mind makes sense of the world. 

The students have learned that the brain does an enormous amount of cognitive work all of the time; taking in information and transforming it, storing it, recovering it, and putting it to work. Such processing allows us to interact intelligently with the world around us. These mental processes include perception, thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, memory, language, and attention.

As we interact with the world around us, we create mental representations – that is, conceptual understandings of how the world works. Engaging in new tasks leads to more and stronger connections between the cells of the brain. More connections mean more pathways for information to travel; more pathways means faster processing speed. Since people have different experiences, they have different mental representations – for example, of what is right or wrong, or what boys and girls can and and can’t do. This influences the way they think about the world and how we behave. 

Please take some time to explore the infographics the students developed that help to explain some of the concepts studied in class. Topics include the way in which verb choice can be utilized to change perceptions, how mental shortcuts help us make sense of the world, and how strong emotions impact our memory.

(Click on the infographics to take you to a bigger view)

Grade 12: DP Extended Essay Cafe

by Ms. Emily Cornet, IBDP Coordinator

One of the core components of the IB Diploma Programme is the Extended Essay, a 4000-word piece of research that the DP students begin working on in Grade 11 and complete in Grade 12.  This significant piece of work allows students the opportunity to engage in academic research in a subject and topic of their own choosing, learning valuable research skills which will be utilized through their Diploma Programme years and in their future university years. 

On Thursday 1 February, the Grade 9, 10, and 11 students gathered in the Media Center to listen to the Grade 12s present their Extended Essay process and reflections.  This year’s Grade 12s have completed EEs in Business Management, Psychology, English, Mathematics, Visual Arts, Film, and World Studies.  Their research questions explored diverse topics such as the marketing strategies used bythe NBA, the authenticity of companies advertising to LGBTQ+ community, sports psychology, gender and power in the novel Lolita, mental health’s effects on artists, accent bias, the influence of perfectionism on procrastination, and many more!

The Grade 11 students, who are just starting their own Extended Essays, were able to listen to the advice of our Grade 12s while also asking questions that will help guide them as they move forward on their own journey.  The Grade 9 and 10 students were able to get a preview of one piece which they will experience when it is their turn to enter the Diploma Programme.

College & Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College Counselor

Canada applies a cap on Student Permits for 2 years

To stabilize growth, the government of Canada will set a cap on international study permit applications this year. Approximately 360,000 applications will be processed which is a 35% decrease from the previous year. Renewal of study permits will not be impacted. For more details, you may check this link.

DATE

February 15, 2024
Thursday
10:00PM (PH time)
Link to register

EVENT

Ask the Professor: Why Study AI and Financial Analytics at TrentU? –These sessions are for undergraduate applicants, parents and counselors who want to learn more about Trent University.

SAT Update

2023–24 School Year Test Dates

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.