Principal’s Corner
by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-12 Principal
On Thursday our Student Council teams in both divisions of the school organized a Spirit Day with the theme of twins/ multiples. While it was great to see our students enjoy the opportunity to get creative with their outfits it was also another opportunity for some student-driven bonding. In this context, and with the end of the school year quickly approaching, I thought it worthwhile to spend some time highlighting the importance of school spirit.
School spirit may mean different things to different people but from my perspective it is about the development of a strong emotional connection with school. It helps to foster a sense of belonging for students, faculty, staff and parents. A strong sense of connection fosters pride and a school culture in which community members are happy, motivated and willing to work for one another. We recognise that when our students and teachers are invested in each other the whole community benefits in terms of social and emotional wellbeing along with academic performance.
As you will note, school spirit does not happen in isolation. While Spirit Days and other events such as House Activity Days bring our community together with a shared sense of purpose, it’s what happens on a daily basis that fosters spirit. Positive relationships are at the heart of this, and our faculty strive to ensure that learning takes place in a way that helps to foster and develop collaborative practices and relationships. A number of programs in place at the school, including our After School Activities also promote students working with their peers in different grade levels which helps to widen friendship opportunities and their sense of belonging. As one Grade 10 student put it, “the relationships that I’ve made with my teachers and peers have made me feel as though I am at home”.
When people work hard together for a common goal, they are typically more invested in each other. We see that in team sports and through our service learning projects. School spirit looks like teamwork. It involves collaboration and bringing members together in a way that celebrates success and creates togetherness. School spirit is contagious and when students and staff show enthusiasm it encourages greater participation, morale and increases the likelihood of success.
As we prepare for our Virtual Graduation this evening, I would like to highlight the spirit and determination that our 2022 graduates have shown during times of exceptional hardship. Many have been with us for much of their school lives and embody the values, core beliefs and school spirit that we hold so dear. They have needed to draw on deep reserves of spirit over the past year to work their way to graduation, but I know that this has made them stronger, closer and more resilient. We trust that as they look to begin new journeys as young adults, that they will remain connected to CIS and play active roles as alumni.
We encourage you to share in this event with us at 5pm this evening.
Congratulations Class of 2022!
Summer Activities & Sports Programs 2022
CIS is offering on-campus Summer Activities and Sports Programs for 2 weeks this June 13-24! Our programs are open to all, whether you’re a student of CIS or from another school. Health and safety protocols will be set in place to ensure that we follow all regulations.
*Please sign up by next Monday (May 30) if possible to ensure we know you want to join the activity, even if it is just to register intent (payment can follow). Some classes are nearly full, and some may need to be canceled if we do not get the required minimum number!
Please see the links to the activities and program information below:
Early Years
by Ms. Russell Aimee Sesbreño-Valenzona, Early Years Teacher and Ms. Freya Gae Abella, Teacher Aide
The Early Years started the week by reading the story, “Firenze’s Light” written by Jessica Collaco. The story is about a feisty firefly who discovers the beauty and power of her light. The EYs checked their understanding of the story and made connections to the importance of light. We shared our ideas about how light bounces off objects which allowed us to see things around us. Our EY explorers were also able to identify Firenze’s light as a natural source of light. We continued our inquiry by looking into different kinds of glasses such as eyeglasses to help us see things clearly, sunglasses to protect our eyes from the sun’s light, and goggles to see things underwater. These eye gears were mentioned during our discussion which led us to talk about how these objects are similar and different from one another. As we observed these eye gears, we noticed that they differ based on how it reflects light. Eyeglasses and some goggles are examples of transparent objects while sunglasses and some goggles are examples of translucent objects. Therefore, transparent objects allow all light to pass through while translucent objects allow some light to pass through. Then, we continued our discussion about shadows by participating in a shadow guessing game!
In literacy, we continued identifying and writing letters and letter sounds. A few of our EY learners have started identifying sight words through bingo games and book reading. Some have also started picture reading and creating their own stories using the story elements – characters, setting, beginning, middle, and end. Check out Baz, Declan, and Lincoln’s online books!
As we continue learning to solve minor problems through Kelso’s Choices (Reference: kelsoschoice.com), we also started solving simple math problems. We began solving simple math problems and started explaining our answers through drawings, tally marks, or by using counters.
Awesome week, EYs! We’re proud to see everyone’s growth and successes!
PYP World Language – Spanish
by Ms. Gloria Rodriguez, Spanish Teacher
In Spanish KG / G1 students have reviewed shapes, numbers, colors and sizes while using new vocabulary in our unit about homes. KG / G1 students have identified the shape, color and size of houses around the world. They have also named rooms and objects in a house. They are practicing expressions to locate family members in each room of the house and name the activities they do.
G2 / G3 students have practiced expressing likes and dislikes while identifying food items such as fruits and vegetables. The last two weeks students have started reading and writing about animals. They picked their favorite animal and described the animal´s color, size, likes and dislikes.
For the last two weeks G4 / G5 students have identified and named different landforms and water forms. They have practiced their research skills to find and recognize different landforms and water forms in their own countries and in some Spanish speaking countries.
MYP Language and Literature
by Mr. Corryn Smith, L & L Teacher
In Language and Literature for quarter 4, students have been analyzing aspects of dramatic visualization in literature through their exploration of key scenes in the novel Bamboo People by author Matali Perkins. To better understand how authors of fiction bring their characters and conflicts “alive” for the reader, students were asked to select one key scene from the novel to depict in a graphic, 6-panel comic strip like the example shown below. Additionally, students were challenged to develop their analysis into a “shout out” poster exploring the key features of a graphic comic strip and how those features contribute to aspects of dramatic visualization.
Dragon’s Print
This is our fourth issue of Dragonfruit, an online magazine that showcases the “Stories of Our Seniors”, which contains highlights of the Class of 2022’s experiences, along with artworks and written works created by CIS students.
Read the magazine over at http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.
College/Careers Counselor Corner
by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor Corner
Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs: (students & parents are welcome)
DATE
May 28
Saturday
1:00 – 4:30pm PHT
Link to register
EVENT
University of Sydney (Australia)
The Undergraduate Taster Series:This is a series of real-time online demonstration classes for potential international undergraduate students. The taster classes will include content from various faculties and schools presented by their world-class academics.
- 1–2pm B Pharmacy/M Pharmacy Practice: Medical Curiosities – From History to the Future of Pharmacy
- 1–2pm B Engineering (Honours): Solving the equation: Circular Economy = CE = Chemical Engineering
- 1–2pm B Advanced Computing: Deciphering First Year Data Sets
- 2:15–3:15pm B Commerce: Leading and Managing a business in a post-covid world
- 2:15–3:15pm B Arts (Socio-legal Studies): Discuss “settler colonialism” and its role in shaping social and legal relations
-
June 18
12:00pm – 6:00pm
Link to register
Study Abroad Expo 2022 (Virtual Event)
Meet representatives from these institutions
- Australian Catholic University
- Bond University
- CQUniversity
- Curtin University
- Deakin University
- Federation University
- Flinders University
- Griffith University
- Kaplan Australia
- Kirana Colleges Australia
- Macquarie University
- The University of Queensland
- The University of Sydney
- The University of Western Australia
- University of New England
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- University of Wollongong
- UNSW Sydney
- Western Sydney University
SAT Update for 2022-2023
Below are the confirmed test dates for the paper/pencil SAT at Cebu International School.
Scheduled Test Date | Status | Capacity |
August 27, 2022 | Open | 60 |
October 1, 2022 | Open | 60 |
December 3, 2022 | Open | 60 |