Newsflash: October 1, 2021

Principal’s Corner

by Mr. Andrew Powell, EY-Grade 12 Principal

The first quarter has positively flown by and I’d like to extend my appreciation to everyone that has helped to make my transition to the school a smooth one, and trust that all of our new students have had as equally a positive start to the year.

I’m sure there have been many highlights. In reflecting on the quarter, I would like to recognise our youngest students who have navigated their school journey for the very first time. They have certainly taken on a new challenge and have been supported by teachers and caregivers who have helped them to explore new possibilities through a range of creative activities.

Many of our students will be looking forward to the break as it provides an opportunity for them to relax their focus, sleep in and enjoy some downtime. With the increased screen time that our students have had to engage in as a result of our Remote Learning situation I do hope that computers are set aside and time in front of gaming consoles is limited. Getting as much physical activity as possible over the next week is strongly recommended.

While the majority of our students will be able to take a break, I know that many of our older students have already committed themselves to using some of this time to make a start on their Personal Projects, work on Internal Assessments and finalise their Extended Essays. This is commendable but it is also important that it is done in a balanced manner and enough attention is given to recharging batteries. Our Kindergarten and Grade 1 students recently reminded me that the keys to a healthy lifestyle are having balanced meals, getting enough sleep, exercise, practising good hygiene, and having a positive attitude. Please do heed their advice.

I’d like to thank all of our families once again for their positive support and know that through continued communication and commitment we will achieve the best possible emotional and intellectual growth for our children.

I look forward to the commencement of the second quarter and the opportunity to share in our community’s diversity during our International Day which will shortly be upon us.

Early Years Class

by Ms. Freya Abella, EY Class Assistant and Ms. Mary Jean Cordova, EY Teacher

In the Early Years, we read the story Not a Box by Antionette Portis. This book showed us different ways of what we can make out of our box. Our young learners used their imagination and created their own interpretations of their boxes. One student says it’s their house, and the other one made a car. We have asked the young learners to describe what they made and what materials they used. By using different kinds of materials, we have also developed a sense of resourcefulness. Our young learners have created their own stories from what they have made, and through this, we also developed our communication and thinking skills. We have encouraged them to have characters, the setting, and the plot. With the help of several guiding questions, they were able to narrate their stories. 

Our young learners continued to have different adventures. We drew our favorite toys during one of our drawing parties and described what materials we used and how we made them. Our EY students made stories out of their drawings with the help of guiding questions. Through this, we aim to develop our thinking and communications skills. We made interpretations, and we expressed our thoughts by creating and narrating our stories.

We have now started practicing our letters, as this is one of the goals we want to learn for this school year. We begin with our names by identifying the letters and their sounds. To better understand our letters, we sound them out first, then think of words that start with letters in our name. We also looked around our house and searched for things that began with the letter asked. We used various materials to create each letter, such as playdough, clay, or painting.

Grade 9: Individuals and Societies

by Ms. Florimee Joy Pierra, I&S Teacher

This quarter in I&S, the Grade 9 students explored the topic “The Impact of the Past to Present” focusing on the impact of technological breakthroughs and how they changed people’s lives. Students identified different technological innovations and discussed their roles in improving the lives of people. 

Then, they were asked to choose one innovation that is very useful to them and explain its significance.

Here are some of the responses from our Grade 9 students:

How about you, what do you think is the most important technological breakthrough and how did it help you at present?

Grade 11: Math Applications and Interpretation SL

by Ms. Maria Victoria Bacus, Grade 11 Mathematics Teacher

Celebrating our 11th Graders’ 1st Quarter of the DP Maths AI-SL Course

Mathematics (Applications and Interpretation) Standard Level is a course that emphasizes the topic of Statistics, modelling relationships and use of technology. 

In the first quarter, students were introduced to the unit of Number and Algebra which is comprised of the following subtopics.

Major conceptual understandings highlighted this quarter are the following:

“Modelling real-life situations with the structure of arithmetic and geometric sequences and series allows for prediction, analysis and interpretation.”

“Different representations of numbers enable quantities to be compared and used for computational purposes with ease and accuracy.”

The students who are new to the DP Math AI-SL course completed different explorations, modelling and investigation activities independently and collaboratively. They maximize the use of technology in and out of the classroom to justify their conjectures and explain their reasoning using appropriate mathematical language. 

Here are some reflections from the Grade 11 Math AI-SL students; from their expectations, to the use of technology in the classroom, to the things that they look forward to over the two-year DP course.

Things Students Look Forward in the Math AI-SL Classes

College/Careers Counselor Corner

by Ms. Jenny Basa, College/Careers Counselor

Tip of the Week

Three basic differences  between the CommonApp Essay and the UCAS Personal Statement:

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

DATE

October 1-14

EVENT

NYU Virtual Events in Southeast Asia
Link to the Registration & Schedule per Event
Topics:
• The “Why NYU?” Supplemental Essay
• Meet your NYU Rep – Southeast Asia
• Common App 101 – Southeast Asia
• Standing Out in the NYU Application Process ( 1 in 100,000)
• Selecting a Major & Professional Pathways
• High School Visit

October 5 – Tuesday
8:00 PM
LINK to join

National University of Singapore (NUS)
Information Session on:
• NUS and NUS Scale
• NUS Learning & the Campus Experience

October 7
Thursday
7:00PM
LINK to register

Explore 7 Universities: From the East Coast to the Rockies

SAT Update

The dates below indicate that registration is open. However, it is highly likely for future dates to be cancelled depending on quarantine restrictions.

The Optional SAT Essay and Subject Tests have been discontinued.

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.

Dragon’s Print

Do you ever get the random feeling of wanting to go back to your childhood days? Although we can’t go back in time, what we can do is remind ourselves of that childhood feeling by reminiscing on movies we all loved as kids and no movie can bring back memories like Disney movies can! Read about some of our favorite throwbacks at http://dragonsprint.cis.edu.ph/