Blog Archives

Ending September with New and Old Friends!

9/30/2017

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All School Meeting
Celebrating "Random Acts of Attitudes"

K-2

Mya Crawford (Commitment)
Case Taseff (Respect)
Madeline Swol (Independence)
Allana Bolden (Commitment)
Jackie Garland (Commitment)
Princess Anno-Firempong (Integrity)

3-5

Tristan Williams (Curiosity)
Kai Pennington (Confidence)
Elliot Traben (Commitment)
Deonna McElrath (Independence)
Ariyan Johnson (Commitment)

6-8

Anaya Munro (Commitment)
Aaliyah Abdul-Basit (Commitment)
Dakota Hill (Commitment)

Celebrating our soccer team!

Meet Our New MYP Art Teacher, Mrs. Silberberg

My name is Mariela Silberberg, I am originally from Argentina, and I have always loved to paint and draw. As a child I did it as a hobby, whenever I could.
At one point in college, after pursuing a career in another field, I realized that painting was what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. That is when I decided to go to the University of Fine Arts. I explored several media (I was fascinated with printmaking and ceramics, too) and finally got my degree in Painting.
But life takes strange turns sometimes and I ended up moving to the United States in 2003.
In 2010 I graduated with a Masters in Art Education from Nazareth College of Rochester, and I started teaching visual arts soon after graduation.
I now live in Shaker Heights with my husband, three children and a sweet cat named Candy.
I am very excited to be your child’s art teacher at Campus International!

7/8 grade students showing off their "Surreal Eyes."

4th grade students working on "Color Wheel Creations" were they explore color theory by making their own secondary colors.

6th grade students working on Gesture Drawings. Students took turns posing for 30 second while the rest drew them. Some of them were hard!

"The Sun and the Wind"

My new kindergarten friends. They wait for me on the bench in front of my office, at dismissal time each day.

Campus Cafe Interview Day

First Day on the job

Spanish Flex just ended their first 6 weeks round. They focused on Colombia. In addition to cooking arepas, they learned about Carnaval, Molas, Tejo, and South American geography.

Nate and Elena were so inspired, they took action and made arepas at home with their family! Thank you, Ms. Lynn for creating such wonderful learning experiences!

Mrs. Hill's Guest Reader
Grade 2

In grade 3, they are learning about the different systems in a community and how they promote expectations. This unit focuses on local government and why we need rules and laws.

Writing Workshop in Ms. Glickman's 5th Grade Class

Socratic Seminar in Ms. Thomas' 7th and 8th grade Language and Literature Class

Boxed Elements Research Projects in Ms. Orbash's 7th and 8th grade Science Class

Mrs. Taylor's 6th grade Math class board

Kent State students in the IB PYP Teaching Program visited our school to see IB in action.

Fall testing has finally ended. The next two weeks, we will conduct data meetings to analyze results and create plans that meet the needs of all our students. Our data wall allows us to see how students are growing and where we need to make adjustments.

Each teacher keeps a Data Binder to monitor progress and inform their instruction.

The chart on the back shows the 6,000 hours that make up the Learning Gap, which is really an Opportunity Gap.

How can we close the gap on some of these hours?

Read with a child
More opportunities for quality Pre-School education
Scholarships for summer camps
After school enrichment activities
Weekend play dates

Let's Dance 2017 - PCO Annual Fundraiser
For three years CIS PCO has raised money to fund school social events, augment classroom technology, software, instruments, and help all students attend class field trips plus more. This year, if every scholar raises just $50 the PCO can meet this year's goal and continue to help our CIS community grow and make a difference in the world.

Dance-a-Thon Link

Family Picnic 2017
Edgewater Park

Our PCO (Parent Caring Organization) is doing their best to close the gap on some of these hours, by providing fun events for families to take part in. If you know of a child who doesn't have transportation to one of our events, please reach out and lend a helping hand.

Our family picnic at Edgewater Park was a huge success! A student hugged me and said, this is my first time coming to Edgewater!

What a great way to end the week...playing with new friends and old friends.

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Actions worth Celebrating!

9/23/2017

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I think this post will be one that I go to at any point this school year when I need a smile. I have looked at these photos several times because they overwhelm me with so much joy! The fact that this school has grown so much, but has stayed true to the core values and IB mission that make this school like no other school in the city, is amazing!! This is what happens when you surround yourself with people who share in a vision and passion to improve the lives of children and make the world a better place. Thank you to all who stopped by to volunteer or attend a function. Your helping hands, words of encouragement, service, and smiles made this week special. We are making memories that will last a life time...while modeling that kindness does in fact, matter!

I like to start each blog post with the school meeting so that I can keep coming back to this quote by
Nelson Mandela.

Grades 3-5 Monday Morning Meeting

Congrats to our PYP Grades 3-5 August Ambassadors who came to school Ready to Learn by being Principled!
Names (nominated by)
Sterling Garrett (Miss Webb)
Nidea Stevenson (Mrs. McCafferty)
A’Miracle Garrison (Ms. McCarthy)
August Swetel (Mrs.Wells)
Rachel Su (Ms. Outrich)
Karyn Stokes (Mrs. Grzelak)
Roddy Semrad (Mrs. Hawley)
Isabella Swol (Mr. Bubbett)
Michael Dew (Mrs. Nasca)
Aliza Mutillo (Ms. Glickman)
Spencer Baniszewski (Dr. Kirby)
Christian Douglas (Ms. Guardado)

Mr. Bearden stopped by to make smoothies for our August Ambassadors!!! What a wonderful treat and they got to eat lunch on the stage together.

Alta and Emma representing Mrs. Hawley's 4th grade class with their action to support Hurricane Harvey families

Ms. Glickman's 5th grade class made signs to support their collection for hurricane donations

Ms. Guardado's 5th grade class took action to make our school and world a better place...starting with a smile!! Sounds simple, but this little action can make a BIG difference in someone's day and their posters have made our school feel like home! We love seeing the student work that is slowly filling our new space and bringing so much joy to everyone who sees.

Here are the new buckets that replaced the globes and destination tickets from last year.
Now students can earn Random Acts of Attitudes tickets from any staff member who sees them demonstrating one of our 12 IB Attitudes! We will pull 5 tickets from each bucket at our all school Monday Morning Meeting. These students will eat together at our brown celebration tables for lunch on Monday.

Our Dance-A-Thon is now live!! We are dancing on Friday, October 6th. Click the link below to learn more about this cool fundraiser!

Dance-A-Thon Donation Link

Prepping for Father's Walk 2017

Fathers Walk 2017
The successful annual Fathers Walk 2017 was held Wednesday, September 20th throughout Cuyahoga County and in other Northeast Ohio counties. Fathers and other male mentors were encouraged to take their kids to school on this date and throughout the school year!

Fathers, uncles, grandfathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, brothers and mentors all stepped up to support the education of children in their lives.

Search #NEOFathersWalk or #FathersWalk on twitter for inspirational videos and photos.

Over 200 came for our Father's Walk! We completely wrapped the block. As the last group was heading out, the first group was walking towards the building. Amazing!

Thank you to our Cleveland Police Department and Cleveland State Police. Our students felt so special and loved by the ENTIRE CITY!!!

Did you know that Cleveland Police and Cleveland State Police officers stop by our school daily to assist with traffic, visit with students, and check in with staff? They are committed to building positive relationships with children and are often seen giving high fives, shaking hands, or having conversations with students.

Best T-Shirt Designs

Our guest speaker, Dr. Julian Earls
Dr. Julian M. Earls is the retired Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, Ohio where he served from October 2003 until December 2005. Previously, he served as Glenn's Deputy Director. As Director, Dr. Earls was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the activities required to accomplish the missions assigned to the Center. Dr. Earls joined the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University as Executive in Residence in 2006. Dr. Earls was a part of the CIS founding committee.

Click the link below to see more photos from our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

More photos by: BTHOMASHART PHOTOGRAPHY

Click the link below to see a recording of our ceremony

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

SOLE in Mr. Dudik's Individuals and Society Class

Watch video below to learn more about S.O.L.E (Self. Organized. Learning. Environment.)

Visiting Speakers making connections with our unit of inquiry

Architects from Perkins Will spoke to our 6th grade science class about how decisions were made in the building of our school that related to the physical and chemical properties of the materials used.

In Mrs. Weber's 7th and 8th grade Individuals and Society Class students heard from the director of the Cleveland Model United Nations, Cleveland Council of World Affairs. Students who participated are interested in becoming a part of the program. To learn more, click link below.
https://www.ccwa.org/programs/model-united-nations/

Having fun with our language instructors

Mandarin songs

Spanish Class made arepas

Mrs. Hawley's 4th grade zoo trip

Mrs. Hill's class at the History Museum

Stedman Graham speaking to our 8th graders during their true2u trip.

True2U youth mentoring program

CIS New Spirit Wear Design is now available!!

What a great week!!! Johanna's note to Ms. Beers made it even better. She ran over to the window after the ribbon cutting ceremony to deliver this message to Ms. Beers.....
"Ms. Beers, I am proud of you!"

These little things are what keep us pushing forward and remembering our "Why" each and every day!

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Open House and so much more!

9/16/2017

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If you missed Open House...or only attended one night, here's a look at what was shared during PYP and MYP.

Below is a picture of our PYP Programme of Inquiry (referred to as our POI). It shows the central idea for each of the 6 units that will be taught in grades K-5. As you read the chart vertically, you can see how each grade level goes deeper in concepts and standards. There are 6 units of inquiry:

1. Who We Are
2. Where We Are in Place and Time
3. How We Express Ourselves
4. How the World Works
5. How We Organize Ourselves
6. Sharing the Planet

As students move grade to grade, the concepts taught during each unit, reflect the standards for that grade level. Each unit is transdisciplinary...all of the subjects are taught together. Students in PYP will not come home and say, "Today during science we...." Science and Social Studies are taught during the Reading block. Once students are in MYP (6-8), subjects are taught separately as students have 8 core subjects and change classes.

Carol Hochman (PYP, IB Coordinator) and Sheila O'Rourke (MYP, IB Coordinator), were busy during Open House providing parents with information and fun activities to do at home to support the IB curriculum. We will offer PYP and MYP parent information nights this semester. Stay tuned for information.

Mr. Mathis, our Dean of Students, is in charge of the Planning Center. The Planning Center is a place where students can visit to reflect and make a plan for improvement. Mr. Mathis enjoys finding positive ways to reinforce our Essential Agreements. This year we are adding more ways to help students find their balance.
We have:

Dance Class
Yoga
Chess Club (starting soon)
Young Men's Club
School Jobs (Leadership)
Service Club
Cooking Club
Art Club
Current Events Club (MYP)
Student Advisory (MYP)

We are hoping to add more clubs and ways to support positive reinforcement while improving our Social Emotional Learning.

We are so lucky to have our Partnership with Cleveland State University. Dr. Ron Abate is our Professor in Residence and works closely with our Mandarin teachers. CIS students begin Mandarin classes in Kindergarten.

This is Nurse Gwen. She shared important information during Open House regarding medical paperwork, our Case Nursing program, and ways to prevent sickness.

CIS Instructors presenting their grade level curriculum and classroom expectations.

Help Wanted!!
The Campus Cafe is now accepting applications. Students in grades 3-5 who are interested in working in the Cafe may apply. Applications are due Tuesday, September 19th. Interviews will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Remember to dress up for your interview.

Practice answering these questions at home with a family member. There are over 50 people applying for jobs!! We want you to do your best during your interview.

Note: Jobs are seasonal, but you may apply during each hiring period and for different positions each time.

This week in PYP...

K-2 Monday Morning Meeting

Congrats to our PYP Grades K-2 August Ambassadors who came to school Ready to Learn by being Principled!
Names (nominated by)
Malia Clark (Miss Dottore), Evelyn Ahluwalia (Miss Ferguson), Sebastian Lee (Mrs. Hubeny), Tristin Pipkin (Mrs. Snyder), Desmond Stevenson (Mrs. Fairman), Robert McCain Jr. (Ms. Wightman), Braydon Reinhardt (Mrs. Meaker), Kyra Starks (Ms. Mori), Calvin Fill (Mrs. Humphrey), Kinley Camp (Mrs. Hill), Jada Steward (Mr. Morris), Elijah Schwab (Miss Chambers)

Marble painting

Lunch Bunch with Mrs. Hill

Fab Lab from Mc2 Stem School

Parents as Guest Readers

Parents making healthy birthday treats

This week in MYP...

Mr. Levy's music students creating body percussion pieces in Rondo form. Following the performances, students had to say what they noticed or appreciated. One student said,
"I appreciate that no one laughed at each other if we made a mistake." Mr. Levy noted how great it is that our students can appreciate things for their imperfection and that in it of itself is beauty.

THIS I BELIEVE ESSAY
Ms. Thomas' ELA Class

What are the core values and beliefs that guide your daily life?

What is the relationship between your story and your identity?

This I Believe is an international organization engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing their core values that guide their daily lives.  This I Believe is based on a 1950s-radio program of the same name. During a divisive time in the United States millions of Americans gathered by their radios to hear compelling essays from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Robinson, Helen Keller and Harry Truman as well as corporate leaders, cab drivers, scientists and secretaries—anyone able to distill into a few minutes the guiding principles by which they lived.
Based on a 1950s-radio series of the same name, This I Believe, Inc., is a non-profit organization engaging people from all walks of life in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide our daily lives. Featured on public radio since 2005, these 500-word essays get to the core of one’s personal philosophy of life. The This I Believe project has spread across the globe and the response has been overwhelming. Nearly 50,000 people have submitted essays to the online platform.
            The goal of This I Believe is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs. Rather, the hope is to encourage people to begin the more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.

Get outside and enjoy your weekend!!
We get to do it all over again beginning on Monday with
grades 3-5 Monday Morning Meeting!

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Living the Learner Profile and Demonstrating our IB Attitudes!

9/9/2017

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MYP students chosen for Living the Learner Profile in August by being Principled and coming to school Ready to Learn

In Mr. Morris' room we watched a Ted Talk by Sam Berns about how to live a happy life. We reflected on the things we can and can't do and how we can be happy with who we are and what we have! We also discussed how to show empathy towards others. Sam's story is inspiring!!

We took action this summer to make the world a better place and recorded it in our Action Journals. We were rewarded with Mitchell's Ice Cream and lunch on the stage!

We donated $1.00 to wear our Cleveland Browns shirts/jerseys and raised $365.00 for families impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

Fun in First Grade!

Learning about our history in grade 2 through historical fiction books written from the perspective of 8-10 year olds.
I Survived....book series by
Lauren Tarshis

Art Puzzles in MYP with Mrs. S

Kindergarten PE with Mr. Albright

Messages about LOVE on bananas in the Campus Cafe!

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Welcoming New Mandarin Teachers and New Units of Inquiry

9/2/2017

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The Confucius Institute at Cleveland State University was established in 2008 as a way to further Chinese language and culture education in the greater Cleveland area. Sponsored by the Office of Chinese Language International Council, or "Hanban," the Confucius Institute works with local partners to directly support programs and activities that help to deepen the relationship between Cleveland and China. We love having Mandarin at CIS and are thankful for our partnership with CSU and the Confucius Institute.

Grades 3-5 at Morning Meeting

Digging into our first units of inquiry

Kindergarten
How We Organize Ourselves

First Grade
Who We Are

Learning the rotations of the Daily 5 framework in Grade 2
The 5 Stations are...Read-to-Self, Read-with-Someone, Listen to Reading, Word Work, and Work on Writing

A gum investigation in Grade 3

Grade 4; How the World Works

Grade 4; Ms. Outrich
These questions were used in a vocabulary activity to activate prior knowledge of ecosystems. They could only create words using half of the alphabet, so they had to be deep thinkers!

Ms. Outrich noticed a group using a strategy similar to "Scrabble" and wondered where they could find a lab in the ocean. They justified their idea with a great connection...labs can be found inside submarines exploring oceans!