Newsflash: November 13, 2020

Elementary News

by Mr. Glenn Davies, Elementary School Principal

Dear Elementary Community,

Each week I am inspired by our young learners at CIS. There is no doubt that each of us experience days of lower energy and times when we need to dig deep for inspiration. For me the answer to such days often comes from the varied and creative learning I find the students sharing on Seesaw. Our teachers invest incredible resources of time and energy into planning, teaching and providing feedback, but they too continue to be inspired by the learning your children so enthusiastically and passionately engage in. At this time of the year it is also natural for our student to feel a little less motivated as we draw to the end of the first semester, and this may be particularly so in the remote learning context. This is a wonderful opportunity to help your children develop the PYP ATL self-management skill of perseverance. We do appreciate all the feedback you give us which helps to respond to individual needs, and sometimes it is helpful to just encourage each other that there are times when we just need to pick ourselves up and carry on, as challenging as this may be as the semester break will be upon us very soon.

I am excited to be able to share this week’s learning with you.  Grade 3 have been collecting data about the environment, making connections across the Social Studies, Science and Mathematics curriculum standards. Ms. MJ meets with her Media Center classes once every four days and collaborates closely with each of the homeroom teachers to ensure the learning in the homeroom and the learning in the Media Center lessons is as closely connected as possible. Finally, Ms. Thea shares how the EY and KG/G1 students have been inspired by the famous artist, Piet Mondrian, while the G4 and 5 students have explored camouflage painting. Please do take a few minutes to learn a little more about the student learning in Elementary School. 

Learning in Grade 3 – The Changing Natural Environment

Grade 3 has been researching on how our natural environment changes. The students worked together in groups and chose a topic to learn more about. When they were finished with their research they then shared their learning with their peers through various online tools.

We have also been practicing how to collect data and represent that data through Bar Graphs and Pictographs. The students sent questions and surveys to their classmates and families to ask about their thoughts and opinions. Once they had their data, they could then create an appropriate graph to demonstrate their findings.

Learning in Library/Media Center Class – Connecting with the Homerooms

For the past few weeks, Library/Media Center classes have been collaborating with Homeroom’s unit of inquiry especially for upper elementary. Early Years students continued sharing read alouds and reading different books about animals during our synchronous calls to support their unit.

K/G1 students continued to explore the systems that we use to organize our books in the Library/Media Center. Students have been exploring the Dewey Decimal system that we use to organize our nonfiction books. 

The grades 2 & 3 have been discussing natural disasters in their homeroom classes. To collaborate with their unit in the library, we’ve been reading books about volcanoes – what causes volcanic eruptions and its effect on the environment. We also read a story about how volcanic eruptions affect the lives of the people who lived in Pompeii years ago. 

Grades 4 and 5 have been discussing adaptation in their Homeroom classes. To collaborate with their unit in the Library, we’ve been exploring books about adaptations of night creatures. The students research their chosen night animal. We also learned about the legend that attempts to explain why bats fly at night.

Learning in Art – Piet Mondrian Art and Camouflage Art

The students learned about Famous Artist Piet Mondrian and created artworks inspired by his style, focusing on red, blue and yellow (primary colors), horizontal and vertical lines. The students were given the option of drawing/painting, collage, and abstract style art. Allowing the students to choose between drawing, collage and abstract is one way to allow them voice, choice and ownership of their work. On the right of their submitted painting, you can see a photo of the video of themselves that they made wherein they describe their work. This shows their thinking and communication skills when they describe their idea, their process and the story behind their art. 

Grade 4 students collaborated with the HR units on animal and plant adaptation by doing some hand painting. The students were asked to choose an animal, to research and look for a close-up shot of that animal’s skin or fur, and then to paint this on their hand using poster color. Another goal was to paint it in such a way that their hand camouflaged into the painting, hiding their hand from immediate attention of the viewer’s eye. This was in connection to the HR discussion on camouflage.

Middle and High School News

by Mr. Dale Wood, Middle and High School Principal

Character Parade

Our MHS students participated in Book Week throughout all of last week. As always, this week-long event culminates in our Book Character Parade on Friday where, rather than dressing up for Halloween, we ask that our students wait for one additional week and then don costumes for a specific and educational purpose, celebrating books and reading rather than scaring each other or collecting unnecessary amounts of candy. Although we were not able to hold our typical Character Parade which, under normal circumstances, proudly processes through the halls of our school, we were still able to work in our homerooms and celebrate the books that are significant to us.

Grade 6

For the Character Parade the Grade 9 HR class did a read aloud from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and these are the screenshots from the recording.

Grade 10 did a great job of celebrating Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, a book they studied this year in their Language and Literature class.

Grade 7

Grade 8

Videos:

• Julie
• Elijah
• Gabrielle

Grade 11 came together to celebrate a modern children’s classic, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief.

Our Grade 12 never disappoints when it comes to the Character Parade and this year was no exception. Our grade 12 homerooms joined together to conduct a dramatic reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Click on the image to view the video!

Dragon’s Print

Korean dramas or K-dramas, for short, is a popular staple in contemporary Filipino culture. Some of the notable Netflix K-drama releases this year include Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, and It’s Okay to Not be Okay.

K-dramas must have some form of magic that has Filipino audiences spellbound, aside from the unworldly attractiveness of the lead actors and actresses at least. Well, we’ve rounded up a few possible reasons why Filipinos love K-dramas so much, and you can read them on http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/.

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip for the Week:

When checking the website of a university, here are the items to look for:

• Undergraduate admission requirements
• Deadlines
• Pre-requisite subjects for the program you are applying for
  • Example:  Math Analysis & Approaches SL or HL is required to apply for a Bachelor of Science degree in a number of Canadian universities
• Read the admission handbook or guide if provided on the website
• English proficiency requirement: most universities will accept a letter from school indicating English as the medium of instruction and assessment.  Our accreditation with Council of International Schools  (CIS) and Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) is recognized by universities which means that the CIS HS diploma is recognized by many universities as an entrance qualification.

Upcoming Virtual Events and Fairs: (students & parents are welcome)

DATE

November 19
Thursday
7:00 AM

November 19
Thursday
5:00 PM

November 21
Saturday
7:00 PM
PH Time

EVENT

Rutgers University-Newark (USA)
Open House from your House
Link to REGISTER

SIM Global Education (Singapore)
Career Prospecting Workshop
Link to JOIN

Experience Japan Exhibition 2020 Online
Website:  https://experience-japan-online.jp/
Link to REGISTER
The online seminars will cover topics such as scholarships, employment opportunities, researching in Japan, and more. There will also be a Q&A session where participants can ask questions to students who have studied in Japan, while universities and other institutions will each have virtual booths to introduce their unique programs.
List of universities attending: Hokkaido University, International Christian,  University International University of Japan,  Japan College of Foreign Languages, Kanazawa University, Keio University, Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Nara Institute of Science & Technology, Okayama University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Ritsumeikan University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Sophia University, Tohoku University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, The University of Tokyo, Waseda University

November 21
Saturday
2:00 PM

Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (Japan)
Tips for applying to the Global BBA Program
Link to Register

SAT Update

Please note that most universities have gone test-optional.  This means they do not require test scores for students to be eligible for admission.

November 7 and December 5  have been  cancelled by the College Board.  Test-takers registered on these dates will receive an email with instructions.

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.

Finance News