Principal’s Corner
by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-12 Principal
Dear Parents,
I hope that you were able to spend some quality time with your family over the holiday break. Given the significance of the season, it is a time in which family traditions contribute to the development of lasting memories and the strengthening of family bonds, which provide children with a sense of belonging and help shape who they will become and what they hold dear.
As we commence the second semester of the school year, we are excited about the return of a face-to-face Sinulog Family Day on Saturday, January 14th. For those of you that have been on campus lately, you will have noted the bright decorations that are appearing in anticipation of the event. As we move towards this tradition our students will be celebrating Philippine Culture Week, which is an opportunity for them to learn and celebrate the wonders of the country and the various cultures that contribute to such a vibrant way of being.
Our Middle and High School reports will be released to students and parents today. As with the Elementary reports that were distributed prior to the break, they provide an overview of your child’s progress so that you have a clear idea of their performance at this point in time. We hope that it enables you to have meaningful conversations with your child about specific subjects and their approaches to learning. Should you require further information about your child’s progress, please feel free to contact the relevant teacher.
With reports being released, and as it is the first week of a brand-new year, it is an appropriate time for students to engage in reflection on their strengths and areas for development. It is also a good time to begin to plan and implement routines that may help bring about positive change. This will look different for each student, especially given their various stages of development but could range from steps to gradually engage in more exercise and eat more healthily through to refining the amount and nature of study taking place at home.
Setting a goal can be easy but it is important to think about what it will take to accomplish a goal or resolution. For those wanting to make positive change, it is important to not only focus on the specific outcome but rather creating an action plan with small, short-term achievable goals that will lead to that long-term outcome. I know that many of our Grade 12 students will be thoroughly invested in this process as they plan out their final semester of school.
No matter what your goal or resolution is for the year, I wish you well, and I am excited that we are back on campus for what promises to be a busy and engaging semester.
Upcoming events of note
- Jan 9 : Sem 2 ASA/Club Registration
- Jan 9 – 13: Philippine Culture Week
- Jan 14: Sinulog Family Day/HAD2
- Jan 20 – 23: School Holiday (Chinese New Year)
Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar for the complete calendar of school events.
Sinulog Family Day
This year, we will commence our first face-to-face Sinulog Family Day since the pandemic. HAD 2 and Sinulog Family Day will take place on January 14, Saturday. Following our health and safety protocols, changes were made to the lunch set-up, food distribution, and limits to the number of guests per family. This year, the fiesta lunch will be individually packaged, not a buffet. Ticket prices are available in the Event Google Form – the link for which is provided in your email notification for this Newsflash.
Note: If families want to invite additional guests outside in addition to the immediate family limit (student and parents or guardian), a request for approval is necessary for monitoring purposes and crowd control (also via the Event Google form).
Please make your ticket payments via Ms. Loida our school cashier. The school will not be accepting payments on the day of Sinulog Family Day. Distribution of student tickets will be via the Homeroom teachers.
Please RSVP via the Event Google Form provided in your email notification for this Newsflash on or before Tuesday, January 10.
Medical Team Corner
by Ms. Cybil Risos (School Nurse) & Ms. Lory Romano (Administrative Secretary)
This is just a friendly Health and Safety message from the school’s Medical Team!
We have all been excited to have everyone back on campus after the holidays. As we prepare for next week’s Sinulog festivities both on campus and all over the City of Cebu, we wish to remind everyone of our responsibility, as a community, of reducing the risks of getting infected with COVID-19 and keeping everyone safe.
While we will continue to ease aspects of our protocols, we also need to continue to promote awareness and diligent practice of the key precautions that have proven to be effective at reducing Covid-19 risks significantly. These include the proper wearing of appropriate quality masks when in the vicinity of potential carriers, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and maintaining airflow in enclosed spaces.
Ms. Cebu 2023
We would like to wish Ms. Chynna Dorado (CIS G12 student) the very best as she enters the final stage of the Miss Cebu 2023 competition. As part of her campaign, Chynna has highlighted the importance of “Creating Young World Leaders”. This aim is very much in line with our school’s mission statement “which challenges students to be globally engaged, positive contributors in a competitive, changing world.” As the youngest finalist Chynna has had the added challenge of balancing her studies with the competition’s considerable demands. We are exceptionally proud of her efforts. If you would like to vote for Chynna as part of the competition you may do so online by liking or sharing this Facebook link.
PHE Invasion Unit
by Mr. Ace Pierra, Athletics Director
Basketball and Frisbee
This lesson focused on the value of teamwork, how to accept and give support, and how to cooperate in order to achieve a common objective. Additionally, the unit aids students in achieving higher degrees of success for the unit’s goal and promotes learning development across the MYP. At the end of the unit, students were offered authentic and challenging assessments to demonstrate what they know, understand, and can do.
College/Careers Counselor Corner
by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner
Question of the Week?
College Events (Virtual and Face to Face)
DATE
January 9
Monday
7:00AM (virtual)
Link to register
-a recording will be sent to registered participants
EVENT
Johns Hopkins University – Pre College Programs in Engineering
What’s summer without stimulation for the brain and engaging in amazing activities? The Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Pre-College Program is the perfect way for talented high school math and science students to spend the summer.
January 12
Thursday
Link to ask a question
University of Sheffield (UK) – Live Q & A: Studying engineering often brings prestige, leading many students to select this industry to study in university. But what does it actually mean to study engineering? A discipline dedicated to problem solving, engineering is the designing, testing, and building of machines and processes using mathematics and science. If you’re interested in building, creating, or maintaining structures, and you’ve had an interest in learning about how an engineering degree can benefit you in the long-run, this is the session for you. Join this session to hear from university representatives and undergraduate students how you can prepare for a degree in engineering and what exactly it means to pursue a degree in engineering in university.
January 17
Tuesday
9:15 – 10:00AM
Zoom link to follow
SUNY Korea: Live virtual information session with the university rep
January 18
Wednesday
9:15 – 10:00 AM
Zoom link to follow
Kyoto University of Advanced Science: Virtual Info Session with the university rep with Q & A including a chat with an undergraduate student.
February 10
Friday
9:15 – 10:00 AM
Canteen Annex
Istituto Marangoni (Italy) – Face to face info session with the university rep: Learn all about the programs and application process.
SAT Update
2022–23 School Year Test Dates
| SAT Test Date | Deadline for Registration, Changes and Regular Cancellation |
| March 11, 2023 (Digital) | February 24, 2023 |
| 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.