Newsflash: May 31, 2024

Principal’s Corner

by Ms. Maureen Juanson, Elementary School Principal, PYP Coordinator, & Accreditation Officer

Celebrations of Learning in the PYP

This week, our PYP classes have been highly engaged in their summative tasks and celebrations of learning, wrapping up their final unit of inquiry for the school year. These celebrations are highlights of the students’ learning journey, providing opportunities to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and understanding they have developed throughout their inquiry in joyful and creative ways. Additionally, these collaborative learning experiences allow students to showcase the Approaches to Learning Skills (ATL skills) they have been developing throughout the year. Through these summative tasks, students see how their learning in different subject areas is connected, demonstrating the interdisciplinary approach of our program.

The EY 2/3 students prepared an immersive experience of their inquiry about lights and shadows for community members to explore. This immersive experience includes the EY shadow play, neon lights dance, shadow-making stations, and fun experiments. 

The Kinder and Grade 1 stage performers have been busy writing their own stories and scripts, choreographing movements, and creating props and background music to create an original stage performance. This stage performance demonstrates their understanding of how music and movement can tell stories.

In the upper elementary, the Grades 2 and 3 poets and podcasters have been busy writing and revising their original poems that they will feature in their podcasts. In these podcasts, they will get to share the inspiration for their poems and demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas effectively.

The Grade 4 filmmakers have been hard at work creating original films that feature the stories of Malala, Anne Frank, and the Civil Rights Movement and Tuskegee Airmen. They wrote the script, filmed, and directed the cinematic films themselves to share their understanding of how ​​access to human rights impacts opportunities in a changing world.

The Grade 5 junior pediatricians have been creating presentations and brochures for their medical conference to share their learning about the different body systems and management of social-emotional changes. Their medical conference will focus on physical transformations, emotional, social, and cognitive changes, and how to be responsible during adolescence.

As we approach the last week of school, our PYP teachers remain committed to sustaining our momentum and supporting our students in achieving their learning goals. Both at home and in school, we must maintain high expectations, keep our students engaged, and hold them accountable to ensure they reach their potential and are well-prepared for their transition to the next school year.

A huge congratulations to our PYP students for a very successful school year! You should all be very proud of the growth and accomplishments you have achieved!

Upcoming events of note

• 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

Early Years: Lights & Shadows

by Ms. Aimee Valenzona, Early Years Homeroom Teacher

Exploring Light and Shadow

The youngest learners in the CIS community are down to our last unit for this school year! Engaging in a science unit is something we all look forward to especially having possible hands-on experience and play opportunities for our students. At the beginning of the unit, The early years have their definition of light and shadows and through these responses, you get to see students’ prior knowledge. 

The students explored various light sources in the classroom, distinguishing between natural and artificial sources. To better understand the concepts, we redefined these as light sources that either produce light on their own or require people to create light.

Early learners have benefited from hands-on activities related to light, such as lighting a bulb using a simple circuit. We thank Sir Sidney, our facilities manager, for being our guest speaker and demonstrating how a battery powers a light bulb.

The students explored the concept of shadows by observing how an object blocking light creates a dark area. How are shadows formed? Simply put, shadows appear when any light source is blocked by an object, including yourself. Our indoor shadow-hunting experiment and sundial experience demonstrated how shadows form with both natural and artificial light sources.

Building on our understanding of shadows, students became curious about how the type of material affects shadow formation. This led us to introduce the properties of light: transparent, translucent, and opaque. We defined these concepts as follows:

• Transparent materials create no shadows because light passes through them easily.
•  Translucent materials create blurry shadows because some light gets through.
• Opaque materials completely block light, creating the darkest shadows.

To further explore light and shadows, the Early Years took a trip to PlayLab in Robinson’s Galleria. Through hands-on learning, real-world applications, and innovative activities, the children investigated the properties of materials, discovered the importance and impact of light in our lives, and developed critical and creative thinking, research, and communication skills through engaging light and shadow activities. They also got the opportunity to experience the innovative use of light and technology to eliminate trash in our waters by playing the “Save the Reef” game.

We deepened our understanding of light’s importance by combining reading, engaging activities, and an experiment using our I Spy Box game. In this exciting game, students used a flashlight to explore how light allows us to see the world around us. Through this activity, they discovered the role of light in stimulating our sense of sight.

Our celebration of learning together with the EY families concluded our exploration of light and shadows! It was a joy to see the EY families learning alongside their children, joining us for a fun morning filled with activities, experiments, and displays showcasing the student’s discoveries.

Kinder and Grade 1: How We Express Ourselves

by Ms. Bebelin Tubilan, Kinder and Grade 1 Homeroom Teacher

What does collaboration look like in Kinder and Grade One? 

“We need to work together,” said one of the Kindergarten and Grade one students as they tried to figure out how to keep the ball afloat above the colored parachute. Their goal was to never let the ball touch the colored parachute, requiring them to find solutions collectively. Some students showcased their leadership skills by instructing others, while some preferred to follow instructions.

Reflecting on the game, the Kinder and Grade One students highlighted the positive and enthusiastic attitude of some towards group work and collaboration. They used phrases like “We need to make the ball go up,” “Let’s do it up and down,” and “Guys, listen.” When asked about the game’s success, most cheered “YES,” but a few responded “NO.” When probed further, they explained that some did not perceive success due to unkind and disrespectful communication. But how can one express these words kindly? Students then shared collaborative sentence starters such as “Can I please..,” “Sorry, but..,” “Excuse me..,” and “May we please..,” aiming to improve their communication.

As their collaborative activities progressed, the Kinder and Grade One students were tasked with creating steps to accompany the song “Together” by Songs for School, a piece emphasizing unity, community, and belonging. Utilizing collaborative sentence starters, they shared their ideas on the best dance steps for the song. To ensure smooth and efficient task completion, they assigned various roles and defined their responsibilities, including directors, choreographers, stage managers, and dancers, all working together to bring their vision to life. 

The Kinder and Grade One students dazzled the audience with their performance during the recent Elementary Assembly on May 24, 2024, held in the Media Center. The event drew in fellow students, faculty, and proud parents.

In the coming weeks, our exploration of ‘How We Express Ourselves’ will come to a close with the central idea, “Music and movement can be used to tell stories.” Armed with newfound knowledge of collaboration and understanding of various roles and responsibilities, the Kinder and Grade One students are embarking on an exciting journey to create a story together. They will incorporate diverse music and movements, assigning roles and responsibilities along the way. 

Stay tuned for details about their upcoming Celebration of Learning, where they will showcase their creativity and invite fellow students and parents to join and witness their collaborative performance.

College & Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College Counselor

DATE

June 1 Saturday
12:30PM
Link to register

EVENT

SAT Update

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.