Newsflash: May 24, 2024

Admin News

by Dr. Gwyn Underwood, Superintendent

Gratefulness: A Powerful Force

Gratefulness, simply defined as appreciation and thankfulness, is a powerful force! Research shows that gratefulness can improve well-being, happiness, and health, and strengthen social bonds, fostering feelings of connection that build stronger relationships. It’s time to embrace gratefulness! Here are a few things we can be grateful for at this time:

First, we will come together this Friday evening (May 24) for our Class of 2024 graduation ceremony. We are grateful for their success and the opportunity to celebrate it together. As they transition to CIS alumni, we are confident they will continue to be responsible, respectful, and prepared. I hope to see many of you there!

Our accreditation self-study report is in its final stages of completion. We look forward to the IB, WASC, and CoIS accreditation visiting teams coming in September to verify our report and provide valuable feedback on how we can further improve our program. We are grateful for our self-study results, which highlight what a unique and caring school CIS is. Our evidence clearly demonstrates the quality program we offer. We are also grateful that CIS provides our students with the tools they need to develop their unique potential and confidently face future challenges, contributing to creating a better world.

We are grateful for the various celebrations we have held over the past few weeks. These included Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Extended Essay, Personal Projects, and PYPx showcases, as well as numerous topic and unit assessment presentations and displays throughout the school. On the sports front, we also hosted touch rugby and soccer tournaments, with the second week of our CIS Friendship Cup scheduled for this coming weekend.

We are grateful for another year of in-person learning! Please continue to take precautions, as we have had several COVID cases over the past week, particularly in Grades 10 and 11. We want to finish the year strong and healthy.

While we are excited about the upcoming summer break, we also feel some sadness as we approach the end of the school year and say goodbye to a few faculty members and families. We are grateful for the time we have had with them and wish them all the best in their new journeys. For those who haven’t read it yet, please take the time to review the transition “RAFT” introduced in the May 10th Newsflash. Using the concepts of RAFT can help both adults and students approach upcoming transitions positively.

Have a restful weekend to be ready for our last two weeks of the 2023/24 school year!

Upcoming events of note

• May 24: G12 Graduation (no classes in PM)
• May 25-26: MFC x CIS Friendship Cup
• May 28: Parent Coffee Morning (last meeting for SY)
• June 6: Moving-Up Ceremonies (students on half day) / Last day of School
• June 10-21: Summer School Activities
• Aug. 5: New Family Orientation
• Aug. 6: Public Holiday (Cebu Provincial Charter Day)
• Aug 7: Classes Start SY 2024-2025
• Aug. 7-31: CIS Literacy Month

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

CIS is offering on-campus Summer Activities and Sports Programs for 2 weeks this June! Our programs are open to everyone.

 Dates: June 10-21, 2024
 Location: Cebu International School, Pit-os
 Registration form: https://go.cis.edu.ph/summer2024

Have fun while learning new skills and making new friends in a safe and nurturing environment!

 More information: https://go.cis.edu.ph/summer2024info

Grade 8 & 11: Language & Literature

by Mr. Damon Freeman, Language & Literature Teacher

Our Poetry units in grade 8 and 11 Language and Literature class were all about searching through the souls and circumstances of the poets and peeling back layers of meaning hidden within figurative language, themes, and other poetic techniques. We’d discover how a single, well-chosen word could conjure a world – a bustling market with vivid imagery or a battlefield etched with raw emotion. Poetry transcended its dusty textbook status, becoming a living language that resonated with the complexities of life. We analyzed poems that ignited a fire within, sparking discussions about defiance and resilience. Others offered a poignant exploration of loss, prompting a contemplative silence. But the journey wasn’t just about analysis; it became a wellspring of inspiration. Students, hesitant at first, were motivated to find their own voices, crafting lines that expressed their joys and sorrows. The challenge, though demanding, empowered them. Below are showcase poetry pieces from each of the classes. 

Ela wrote her poem modeled on the style of the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, creating strong imagery and emotion in an easy and eloquent flow.

Ela wrote her poem modeled on the style of the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, creating strong imagery and emotion in an easy and eloquent flow.

Rishabh created a heartfelt poem about a beloved family member using an array of fascinating techniques. Besides more conventional tools such as personification and anaphora, he has creatively highlighted single letters to highlight the poem`s main theme, and highlighted entire words to form a sentence expressing deep emotion.

College & Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College Counselor

DATE

May 28 Tuesday
1:00 – 1:30pm JST
LINK to register – a recording will be sent to registrants.

EVENT

Kyushu University:  Do you want to study Bioresource and Bioenvironment?
Lecture Series: How to form a piece of meat in the laboratory

SAT Update

2023–24 School Year Test Dates

SAT 2024-2025 Test Dates

August 2024–June 2025 SAT Registration Is Now Open

*Additional Fees apply

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.