Newsflash: January 17, 2020

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School News

Ocular visits for Week Without Walls courses

Our Week Without Walls experience is just over four weeks away. The past two weeks many of our MHS teachers have been working behind the scenes to prepare for their WWW courses. Several groups have conducted ocular visits in order to accurately conduct Risk Management and Assessment appraisals and evaluate various aspects of the student activities and experiences; others will be happening soon. These visits are particularly critical for overnight courses such as the Kool Adventure Camp and the Great Luzon Adventure, for courses which are new, or for courses that contain new elements which need to be assessed. We will also be planning mandatory parent meetings leading up to the overnight courses (much like we do for other student travel experiences like ISAC and MUN). This careful planning and intentional risk evaluation will help to ensure our students’ safety on these Week Without Walls courses.

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary Principal/PYP Coordinator

Dear Community, 

Friday concluded our cultural activities with a jeepney ride between the two CIS entry and exit gates. As I moved between the various experiences this week I noticed just how respectful and engaged our CIS students were toward our local culture.

Another area of success within the elementary school this year has been the EY1, 2 and 3 composite classes. A composite or a multi-grade class is when students from two or more grade levels are in the same homeroom class. This has been the common educational practice in many national and international schools throughout the world and has proven to have a number of educational benefits within elementary schools. In the 2018/2019 school year, CIS moved to a composite class model for KG and Grade 1, then during this 2019/2020 school year, CIS moved to an EY1 & 2, and EY 2 & 3 composite class model. This has built a stronger academic community and having teachers work more closely together to ensure academic and social/emotional programs are more closely aligned. When visiting our early years area of the school, the learning energy is very tangible.

In addition to this CIS has created greater alignment between the grade 2 and 3 classes, and the grade 4 and 5 classes. Much of their planning is done together in a collaborative manner and many of the learning and teaching experiences are taught in mixed groups together. It really is powerful to see students from different grade levels engaging in the development of skills and knowledge in a collaborative way, as this is a philosophy that lies at the heart of our IBPYP programme.

As a principal, I am very grateful for the caliber of teachers we have at CIS. They are skilled, knowledgeable and work together as a collaborative team to design and implement the best possible learning experiences for your children.

A Grade 4 Story

by Grade 4 and Grade 5 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 slept around 11/12pm. The next morning we ate pancakes with syrup.

This year I ́m  just more excited, I think it’s because itś 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?

Wellness for the Whole Child (and their parents)

Part 2: Movement

by Mr. Dale M. Wood, Middle and High School Principal and Ms.Evangeline Villagonzalo, Guidance Counselor

Back in November, Ms. Villaganzalo and I shared some thoughts from the book How to Make Disease Disappear by Dr. Rangan Chattergee. To recap, for our lives to be free from illness, there are four pillars of health that we need to maintain which are simple aspects of daily life whose impact and importance is often taken for granted. The four pillars are: RELAX, EAT, MOVE, and SLEEP, and the idea is to create a balance across all of these pillars. As we begin the second semester we want to remind students to maintain balance and holistic health by focusing on the third pillar, MOVE, and suggest some ways that we might practice it more effectively.

We are starting to appreciate how critical physical movement is as research demonstrates just how damaging sitting can be- both to your body and your brain; it has been observed that our brain activity slows down and our brain waves resemble those of a sleeping person after just 25 minutes of passive rest. 

As an encouraging point, since the day I began serving the MHS community at CIS, I have been impressed with how intentionally our teachers incorporate physical movement within their classrooms. In too many places, teachers can become so caught up in delivering their lessons that they forget their students have been sitting for too long. Since the teacher is engaged physically and cognitively, he or she may mistakenly perceive that the students are experiencing an engaging lesson. However, as I visited classrooms this week at CIS, I was again struck by the amount of physical movement our MHS teachers are incorporating into their lessons. Our teachers at CIS are striving to engage students and place them at the center of learning, enabling them to be active participants which often involves physical movement. This was not only in PHE class, but also in core academic classes like I&S, Design, and Mandarin.

One of Chattergee’s key suggestions for all of us (parents, students, and teachers alike) is to walk more, the aim being to reach a threshold of at least 10,000 steps per day. This could be as easy to accomplish as going for a morning stroll or using the stairs instead of an elevator throughout the day at work. For students this could mean taking a walk around the field after lunch or during their morning break rather than hanging out with friends (or they could walk together). Another suggestion would be to take part in some form of strength training regularly (at least twice per week).

For parents, Dr. Chattergee suggests that we can incorporate movement in the office or at home while going about our daily activities, but it must be intentional in order to become a habit. For example, he recommends the 5-minute kitchen work-out, where the following exercises can be practiced for a 5 count using just your kitchen counter as support:

• Squats
• Calf raises
• Push-ups
• Triceps dips

The benefits of movement as part of your daily routine include a reduced risk of cancer, improved mental well-being, a better overall quality of life, and a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes. Some simple exercises to promote physical movement can be viewed on Dr. Chaterjee’s website: drchaterjee.com. For our students, Semester 2 After School Activities are beginning January 28. Consider joining at least one active option when choosing clubs, such as soccer, dance, cooking, or badminton in order to have a more balanced, healthier semester.

Sports and Activities Director’s News

by Mr. Ace Pierra, Sports and Activities Director

Community Service: The Culture of Giving

We’d like to thank the faculty and staff of CIS for sponsoring the Noche Buena package of the Umapad Dumpsite families during the holiday season. CIS has been in partnership with this community for years. A couple of years ago, a CIS family donated a covered activity center for the community and this year we turned over two new classrooms for their preschool learning center.

CIS Receives an Award from the Department of Education

The Department of Education and LGU at Lapu-Lapu City handed a plaque of recognition to Cebu International and its partner Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation. The recognition was made due to the unwavering support and invaluable cooperation that CIS extended to the local schools of the divisions of Lapu-Lapu City.

The highlight of the event was when the annual report was presented to everyone, which showed significant change on the Promotion Rate and Drop Out Rate of students who benefited from the yellow boats. The data shows that a significant number of students are now going to school and have been given support by stakeholders in establishing continuous and sustainable learning experiences. 

CIS has been in partnership with Caohagan Elementary School 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.

College/University Visits for Jan to March 2020

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

SAT Test Dates for School Year 2019 – 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.

Book Drive

by KG and Grade One Team

Dear Parents

We are looking forward to Week Without Walls. 

During this week we will be hosting a local school for a playdate.

The KG and Grade 1 classes would also like to take this opportunity to donate picture books that are either new or used that are in a reasonable condition.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could contribute and place these books in the lobby of the elementary school beginning next week.

Thank you.