Principal’s Corner
by Mr. Benjamin Martin, Middle & High School Principal
ManageBac to the Future
ManageBac provides a learning management system for the world’s leading international schools. Founded in 2006, ManageBac serves over 800,000 students and 3,000 schools in 130 countries.
Cebu International School adopted the ManageBac platform at the beginning of the 2021 academic year and MHS families were given full access to their child’s learning at the beginning of the 2023 academic year. Our MHS teachers use Google Classroom as a tool to facilitate delivering lessons, and ManageBac for most of the planning, assessing, and tracking of student learning. With ManageBac, our families now have a holistic view of their child’s learning as they can see the units that they are studying and view the gradebook to see how they are progressing in real-time!
We (thanks to our Assistant Principal-MYP Ms. Julie Sykes!) have created a simple, informative document for our families to better understand and use ManageBac to view their child’s learning on a consistent basis.
Upcoming events of note
- Nov. 20 – 24: Book Week
- Nov. 24 – 25: School Production (Honk)
- Nov. 27: School Holiday (official optional date for Nov. 30 Bonifacio Day)
- Nov. 28: PTA Coffee Morning
- Dec. 1: End of Sem. 1 Clubs
- Dec. 2: Tree of Giving
Please refer to the CIS Event Calendar for the complete calendar of school events.
Grade 2 and 3: Philippine Language and Culture Class
by Ms. Jojie Malinao, Grade 2 & 3 Philippine Language and Culture Teacher
Influential People
The Grade 2 and 3 classes delved into the lives of influential figures in the Philippines, exploring their values and beliefs and understanding the impact they had on the community.
In our “Who We Are” unit, the Grade 2 and 3 classes explored the reasons behind the influence of these individuals and how they contributed to the community. The students identified influential people as those who actively contribute to and assist the community. They drew connections between these figures and influential individuals in their own country, while also comparing and contrasting Filipino influential figures with those from their own nation.
To conclude the unit, the Grade 2 and 3 classes created magazine covers featuring themselves as influencers. In these magazines, they described their values and beliefs and envisioned what they would be known for in the future.
Design & Visual Arts Classes
by Ms. Gerri Ancajas Jumao-as, Design & Visual Arts Teacher
The Grade 8 Design class has been investigating different methods and strategies in communicating a message for their unit on Delivering a message. Students have been exploring the concepts of collaboration, perspective and form to understand and develop awareness of how, why and when to ensure that clear messages are given. Students created murals for the subjects Mandarin, Music, and Math to promote awareness for the concepts involved in these subjects.
The Grade 9 Design class has been investigating different sewing techniques and processes for their unit on Textile. Students have been exploring function and resources to explore and understand the process of development in order to cater to a specific function. Students are in the process of creating the accessories and headdresses for the different characters for the school production ‘Honk’.
The Grade 8 Visual Arts class explored communication as the key concept in their ‘Portraits’ unit. They investigated the related concepts of style and expression through a series of formative drawing tasks. They planned and created their own portraits to apply their creativity and art skills to communicate who they are through personal expression.
Grade 12: Psychology Class
by Mr. Andrew Powell, Psychology Teacher
The Grade 12 Psychology class is preparing for their Internal Assessment, which requires students to investigate and replicate a published study by conducting an experimental investigation and reporting the findings. The students have selected cognitive activities that draw on theories and models studied in class.
In order to prepare for the practical nature of this experience the students worked with Grade 4. This connected nicely with their Unit of Inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme of How the World Works, which is a scientific exploration that allows students to understand, explain and respond to the world around them.
Grade 4 students were split into two separate groups and asked to view and rate the painting Fleeting Touch by the Czech artist Vaclav Bláha. One group was told that it took ten hours to complete, while another group was told it took three months to paint. The reason for doing this was to determine if effort heuristics were at play. This is the notion in which the quality or worth of an object is determined from the perceived amount of effort that went into producing that object. This follows a tendency to judge objects that took a longer time to produce to be of higher value. From a theoretical perspective this draws on Dual Process Theory in which moral judgments are the result of two competing processes: a fast, automatic, affect-driven process and a slow, deliberative thinking process.
The Grade 12 students are now working with the data collected from the Grade 4 activity, as well as data from a group of Grade 11 students to learn how to work with descriptive and inferential statistics in the domain of Psychology. They look forward to running their formal experiments during the week of November 28 and are planning to invite parents to be part of this process. Look out for an email from the students some time next week.
Here’s what some of the Grade 4 and Grade 12 students thought about the experience:
It was fun to participate in the activity and testing out how different people say different things about the same thing. We learned that this was because they got different information about the painting, and this made a difference as to how people rated it and how good they thought it was.
I was thrilled that we got to work with the Grade 12 class as we don’t usually do this. I look forward to them coming again.
My favorite part of the activity was rating the painting because it was interesting. I learned that psychology is about how people think and behave, which is why some people rated it higher because they thought more effort was put into it.
Personally, running the experiment was a very insightful experience! Despite it being my first time, it was not as nerve-wracking as I expected it to be. When we run ours in the coming weeks, this gives me a great headstart on the things I should and should not do.
As a student pursuing a career in the field of psychology, this small experiment has been a slice of what a bigger experiment looks like. This definitely will be helpful for me as I enter a field where experiments are a must. It was also nice to be able to interact with younger grades, especially nearing graduation, a reminder of how far we’ve come.
Working with Grade Four students not only allowed us as Seniors to connect with some of the younger members of the CIS community but also to gain insight into what the students’ thought processes may be while completing the experiment. The Grade Four students were all very enthusiastic to participate in our study and they have certainly given us an idea of what we might expect when we carry out our IAs for Psychology. Overall, it was a fun yet engaging experience.
Replicating the study conducted with fourth-grade students provided a valuable opportunity to connect with younger learners. The student’s enthusiastic participation and positive engagement made the experience truly memorable.
Book Week 2023
by Mary Jean Cordova, Media Center Coordinator
Get ready for an amazing Book Week from November 20th to 24th! We’re diving into the magic of stories with activities everyone can enjoy. Imagine a school buzzing with reading excitement during Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) Time, where all of us will be caught up in fantastic tales.
You’ll team up with friends from different grade levels for Buddy Reading, reading stories and having a blast together. Then, discover the excitement of engaging with an inspiring author during Book Talk—a fantastic opportunity to dive deeper into the world of storytelling!
But that’s not all—prepare for the grand return of the Living Library, where stories step off the shelves and come alive in person! Experience the thrill of meeting living books, sharing their journeys, and diving into their narratives. Don’t miss out on Spirit Day on Thursday, November 23, 2023, your chance to transform into your beloved literary characters and walk among the pages.
Get ready to showcase your creativity with our contests! Join the Book Cover Makeover Challenge to reimagine book covers with your unique artistic talent. Test your limits in the Extreme Readers challenge and flaunt your adventurous reading habits. And can you guess who’s lost in the world of books? Engage in the Guess Who’s Reading challenge for a chance to showcase your literary detective skills!
Book Week is about stories, fun, and the magic of reading. It’s a time to enjoy, learn, and have a fantastic adventure through books!
College & Careers Counselor Corner
by Ms. Jenny Basa, College Counselor
DATE
EVENT
November 18
Saturday
8:45am – 3:50pm
Each topic is a 1-hr session, you may choose to register for more than one.
Link to register
National University of Singapore – This event, conducted via Zoom, will be hosted by the NUS Office of Admissions and various faculties. Students will have the chance to hear from professors and students from the different colleges.
SAT Update
2023–24 School Year Test Dates
| Test Date | Deadline for Registration, Changes and Regular Cancellation |
| December 2, 2023 | November 17, 2023 |
| March 9, 2024 | February 23, 2024 |
| May 4, 2024 | April 19, 2024 |
| June 1, 2024 | May 16, 2024 |
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.