Newsflash: March 24, 2023

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-12 Principal

We have had an exceptionally busy week with a range of events on and off campus, which started with the opening of our IB Visual Arts Exhibit. This was an opportunity for our Grade 12 students to showcase their work to the community, starting with their parents and peers. Our Grade 3-5 students traveled to Aldawon Farm for a variety of engaging experiences relating to their units of inquiry, while a group of our older students traveled to Manila to participate in ISAC basketball and soccer competitions. Our Grade 10 students are nearing the end of their Personal Project and they engaged in evaluative meetings with students and teachers across the school to get feedback on the degree to which they met their learning product goals. We have also had an array of college preparatory events on campus this week that concluded with a highly successful College Fair for our Grade 9-12 students. Our elementary students, led by the Student Council, also celebrated their learning with their monthly assembly.

A common theme in all of these events that has been very apparent to me as I have worked with students and teachers during my time at the school, is the degree of collaboration that takes place between students of different ages and grade levels. As a small school our students have the opportunity to engage with each other in meaningful ways. This has significant benefits and places them in an advantageous position compared to many of their peers at schools where this sort of engagement is limited.

As a result of these cross-age learning experiences, our students are viewed as unique individuals who have the opportunity to develop into progressive and successful learners. They share a deep sense of “family” with their classmates and are provided with opportunities to support and care for each other in a variety of ways.

All of our students, regardless of age, have the opportunity to act as mentors and to take on leadership roles. Working across grade levels provides students with the opportunity to act as mentors and model more sophisticated approaches to problem solving. They are also encouraged to take charge of their learning and this dynamic leads to a greater sense of ownership and self-direction, a foundation for successful life-long learning.

Our students are also provided with positive role models for academic, behavior and social skills. They learn how to work and play with others of mixed ages and learn how to build diverse friendships. They also learn how to negotiate, support and compromise, which are particularly important skills to have as an adult.

I feel confident saying that our students are kind, caring and compassionate towards others. And I am proud of the way in which our whole school community works together to support the development of our leaders of tomorrow.

MYP Personal Project Promo

Grade 4 Class

by Mr. Sten Coppin, Grade 4 Teacher

This week, the upper elementary classes were able to enjoy a wonderful day at Adlawon Vacation Farm. A bit later than first expected, but we made it! Some of our activities included a hike up the hill, harvesting vegetables, meeting farm animals, starting fires using friction, setting up and taking down tents, and a gardening workshop. It was wonderful to see the students learning, working together, helping each other, and having a blast outdoors! Please read on to see some reviews written by our Grade 4 students.

Biology Class

by Ms. Rebecca Devadoss, Biology Teacher

Grade 10: MYP Biology

As a culminating activity for the unit on “The Twisted Shape of Life,”, students researched and made a presentation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which is one of the many applications of genetics. 

To promote “communication” as the chosen ATL skill, each presentation was peer reviewed using a TAG (think of some positives about the presentation, ask a question, and give a suggestion for improvement) feedback form.

Here are some of the presentations.

Click on the video links to watch two presentations.

Glow in the dark fish – by Gabrielle 

Ruby Puppy – by Fiana

These are some of the advantages of GMOs that were identified by the students.

These are some of the disadvantages of GMOs that were identified by the students.

Grade 11: DP Biology

Photosynthetic pigments play an important role in the process of photosynthesis by capturing different wavelengths of light.

Grade 11 students performed a simple experiment to isolate  and identify the different pigments present in differently colored leaves.

Step 1: Extraction of the pigments by crushing the leaves with acetone in a mortar and pestle. – Victoria

Step 2: Isolating and loading the pigment solution onto the chromatography paper.– Bella

Step 3: Placing the chromatography paper in a test tube/graduated cylinder with 5 mL of ethanol and allowing the pigments to separate. – Patrick

Step 4: Calculate the Retention factor (Rf) values for the isolated pigments, process and present the data. – Victoria 

Step 5: Compare it with the published chart to identify the different isolated pigments.

Grade 12: DP Biology

can be broadly classified into categories such as health and fitness, impact on the environment, benefit to the economy, and testing of different plant growth factors. 

The following are some of the graphs generated by the students after they completed their investigations. The trends seen were helpful for them to arrive at a conclusion for their research questions.

Health and fitness

Effect of jogging on different degrees of inclined planes on the breathing rate and time taken to reach homeostasis. – Jooha 

Effect of weight training exercises on the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. – Stephanie 

Effect of jogging for different distances on the breathing rate and time taken to reach homeostasis. – Heinz 

Impact on environment

Impact of NPK fertilizers on Eutrophication leading to hypoxia (oxygen depletion in water). –  Chesca 

Effect of acid and alkaline deposition on plant growth. – Anya 

Effect of using organic fertilizers (cow manure) on root length and shoot length of seedlings. – Andrew 

Plant growth factors

Impact of micronutrient, zinc on root mass. – Sophia

Impact of macronutrient, potassium on the daily growth rate. – Renoa

Effect of the photoperiodism on seed germination. – Lea

Effect of UV light on yeast respiration measured by the circumference of inflated balloons. – Camille 

Effect of acid and alkaline deposition on plant growth . – Anya 

Effect of application of Sodium bicarbonate to mimic the alkaline soil in Cebu on seed germination. – Akeisha 

Dragon’s Print

Basketball remains the most beloved sport in the Philippines, trumping other famous sports such as football and volleyball. As the CIS boys basketball team heads to ISAC, one may be wondering why basketball is so popular in the country.

To learn more, visit dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph!

The Dragon’s Report Card

In this episode, the Grade 12 IB Visual Arts Students share their experiences with art such as their early foundations in the field, all the way until the upcoming art exhibition!

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner

A big thank you to all the parents and students who participated in this week’s events.  It was a wonderful learning  experience for all!

DATE

April 19
Wednesday
9:15 – 10:00 AM
Canteen Annex

EVENT

Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (Japan) – An info session with the university rep.  He will talk about the admissions process, the programs they offer and what it is like to study in Japan

SAT Update for 2022-2023