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OCTOBER 23, 2020 | AY 2020 - 2021
HONEY BADGER HERALD
Domuschola International School Newsletter
Message from the Head of School
Jourdan Shanley C. Gan
Dear Domuschola community,
United Nations Day is an event that we all look forward to as a whole school community to celebrate cultural diversity and promote international-mindedness. We are an interconnected world with lots of different cultures, languages, and food. Along with the advancements in technology, the communication and influence between cultures becomes more prominent than ever. Thank you to the various members of the Domuschola community for making this year's United Nations Day a success despite the pandemic. Our secondary students were also treated with a talk from a member of the United Nations about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a tour around the United Nations office in the Philippines. With this annual activity, we hope to inspire our students into becoming productive global citizens.
We also thank the parents for participating in our PYP ATL conference. As mentioned in my message last week. The IB ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills are essential to ensure the academic success of all our students in all subject areas and grade levels.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
November 2
NO CLASSES All Soul's Day
November 3
NO CLASSES
We also continue with our professional development for faculty members and our collaboration with teachers from Chinese International School Manila. Teachers from both schools hosted and participated in various workshops on Wednesday, October 21, to share their expertise in various distance learning strategies.
We have also analyzed the results of the recent survey sent to parents and students. The good feedback we receive from many families about our classes, not only from the survey but from simple messages sent directly to the school, is testimony to the commitment and hard work of our teachers.


OCTOBER 23, 2020 | AY 2020 - 2021
The survey results also indicate that screen time is one of the top concerns of parents and students and this is one of the unique challenges brought about by the pandemic in education. Screen fatigue can have adverse effects on anyone, whether child or adult, especially in terms of academic performance and overall health. In order to maximize learning, we have to recognize that sometimes less is more. By giving ourselves enough time away from screens, it will make our time in front of screens even more productive. We are actively addressing this problem by giving students more opportunities for asynchronous class periods where students can independently complete homework and other activities that do not require being in front of a screen.
In line with our efforts to strike a balance between on-screen and off-screen time, we are declaring Tuesday, November 3 as a day of celebration for each individual's achievements, big or small. There will be no classes on this day. Instead, use this time to look back at your achievements during this quarantine period, either as a parent or as a student, and reward yourself for a job well done! We have been in quarantine for more than
seven months now but we are still here and we are still pushing forward. Along with All Soul's Day on Monday, November 2 we will have a 4-day weekend break to dedicate to our mental and physical health.
Lastly, we look forward to our Halloween celebration on October 30 and 31. Thank you to our Domuschola parents who have prepared some fun activities for the kids!
Thank you for your continued support for the school and its efforts to balance quality education with other aspects of life during this extraordinary time. Stay safe and healthy!


PRIMARY DEPARTMENT
3
FITNESS CLASS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Regular exercise is good for us. It strengthens our bones, muscles, and improves your mental health and mood. In these times that we are in remote learning, students’ day-to-day physical activities were minimized. In their PE class, the students have the opportunity to still stay fit and healthy through our exercise routines. The class performs high intensity workouts, Zumba sessions, and even yoga. These activities help us to maintain our physical well-being despite the remote learning.


PRIMARY DEPARTMENT
4
MY EXERCISE PLAN
In relation to their Unit of Inquiry, the Grade 4 students were asked to create their own workout plan for five days. Also, students were tasked to identify the body systems involved and body/organ parts used during the exercise routine.
Here are some samples of work from Grade 4!


PRIMARY DEPARTMENT 5
HEALTHY EATING PLATE
The Grade 5 students were asked to take a photo of their meals for five days. They identified what are the components found in their healthy eating plate such as carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, proteins, whole grains, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, fat-free or low-fat milk, and milk products and most especially, their water intake.


SECONDARY DEPARTMENT 6
SECONDARY SCHOOL AND UN SDGS
This week is the school’s United Nations Day celebration. In line with the theme of “Sharing the Peace," the Secondary Department invited members of the United Nations Development Program to facilitate a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) workshop for all grade levels. The speakers, Ate Jo and Ate Danie, reinforced the knowledge of the secondary students on the different goals of the UN, as well as further encouraged them to continue their efforts in service learning. These efforts are small steps to progress that show how each individual can contribute to the world’s developmental work.


SECONDARY DEPARTMENT 7
CAN YOU SAVE THE ROMAN REPUBLIC?
The Grade 8 students talked about the three major crises that the Roman Republic needs to solve. In this activity, the students will portray the character of a senator or a consul. They need to look for a way to solve the rising crises and save the Roman Republic from self-destruction. They must please and follow the will of the people. Everyone is expected to give their own solution to the problem.


STUDENT LIFE 8
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” –Mahatma Gandhi
Part of the school's continuing efforts this year is to create and sustain a fun, engaging, and meaningful school life. The UN celebration on Wednesday did not just showcase collaboration amongst teachers, staff, and students, but it also reinforced student life geared towards making a difference through the various Service Learning initiatives that students are carrying out.
The lockdown has not prevented the students from experiencing fun, engaging, and meaningful school life through simple, yet profound ways of extending their skills, time, and resources through their Service Learning initiatives. The presentation on the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals validated students’ efforts along their small or simple projects towards those big goals. Certainly, no man can create changes alone; but together we can continue working towards creating a dynamic school life through the varied platforms and avenues, curricular or otherwise.


GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT 9
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ACTIVITIES
The new normal of working or studying at home, being physically distant from relatives and friends takes a lot of time to get used to. In times like these, we should not only take care of our physical health, but our mental health as well. As the world celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month this October, the DIS Guidance Team has prepared activities that are being enjoyed by the Domuschola community.
Thankful Thursdays is an activity of filling someone’s bucket with appreciation and gratitude. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly associated with greater levels of happiness. Gratitude helps people remember good experiences, improve health, deal with challenges, build stronger relationships and feel more positive emotions. The faculty and staff sure had an awesome way of showing gratitude to each other.
Another activity and a way to cap off the week is Feelings Friday! In this activity, you are to wear your emotions based on the common feeling throughout the week. Emotional expression is simply the acknowledgement of these emotions we are built to feel. Healthy expression allows us to understand the emotions, truly feel them and move on. (Whitener, 2018). Even the leadership team of DIS showed their emotions and inspired the rest of the DIS Community to participate.


GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT 10
These activities run for the whole month of October. What are you waiting for? Have you thanked someone lately? Have you been able to express your emotions? The guidance and counseling team continues to invite and encourage everyone to participate.


CLINIC 11
GLOBAL HANDWASHING DAY
October 15, 2020 marked the 12th Annual Global Handwashing Day. Is there a better time than in the middle of a global pandemic where handwashing is of utmost importance? But why do we need to wash our hands? According to globalhandwashing.org, washing your hands with soap and water is “an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save
lives.” By doing a simple rub of your hands with soap and water, you can save lives!
So how does this work? Well, when you wash your hands with soap, soap separates oil, dirt, disease and other nasty things on your hand from your skin. It gets washed away by the water, and that is why in 2008’s Global Handwashing Day, over 120 million children in 70+ countries washed their hands together.
In celebration of this special day, some of our DIS students showed their support by promoting good handwashing practice. During times like these, handwashing remains to be the primary means of preventing disease and viruses. So, the next time you ask your parents, “Why do I need to wash my hands?” you should already know the answer.
Here are some photos from our Global Handwashing Day activity.


CLINIC 12


CLINIC 13
Washing our hands throughly is extremely important, especially during this time. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it is imperative that we maintain vigilance and have great discipline. To protect ourselves and others, we need to make handwashing a habit. Sashay away viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms. Happy Global Handwashing Day!
-Miguel Oteyza
Thank you to all the students, parents, and support staff who celebrated in this activity. Stay healthy and safe and with clean hands always.


PARENT SUPPORT ASSOCIATION 14
PSA LAUNCHES OFFICIAL LOGO
designed and written by: Jennie P. Raymond Upper Primary Representative
Designing Parent Support Association's Official Logo was a task that I was really excited about. PSA represents all of us parents and parent figures showing our support to the Domuschola Community.
The family symbol consists of two hearts together as one to represent the love shared between parents and their children. LOVE will always be the core value of PSA. Love for our children, love to one another and love for Domuschola.
The box around the family symbol, forming a house, represents Domuschola being our second HOME.
The moving circles that tie it all up symbolize all of us parents working together as one unit to provide a continuous SUPPORT not only to our children but to the Domuschola Community.
Lastly, the colors used (Maroon, Yellow Ochre and White) symbolize Domuschola International School.
We strongly believe that with our genuine support and partnership with Domuschola International School, a great promise is possible for the betterment of our children and our community.
We are grateful to Domuschola for this platform, our partnership and the value they always give the Parent Support Association. Thank you very much!


OCTOBER 16, 2020 | AY 2020 - 2021 15
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAP TESTING
Please see the updated MAP Testing schedule below:


OCTOBER 23, 2020 | AY 2020 - 2021 16
ANNOUNCEMENTS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Amidst the pandemic, Luis Gabriel Samonte from Grade 2A continues to excel in his chosen sport. Last October 17, 2020, he ranked third place in Speed Kicking and fourth place in Poomsae in the 2020 SMART/MVP NCR Poomsae and Speed Kicking Taekwondo Championship. We admire your excellence and perseverance. Congratulations, Luis!
HONEY BADGER LOGO MAKING CONTEST
We wish to thank all the students who submitted entries to our Honey Badger logo making contest. All were beautiful and truly represented not only the qualities of a honey badger, but also the qualities of Domuschola International School. We already have a winner! We will unveil our new logo in a special event very soon. Please look forward to that as this is a special milestone in our school's history. Congratulations to all of us!


OCTOBER 23, 2020 | AY 2020 - 2021 17
DIRECTORY
For any questions and concerns, please get in touch with the following:
Academics - [email protected] Administration - [email protected]
ASAC - [email protected]
Athletics - [email protected]
Registrar - [email protected]
Finance - [email protected]
Admissions - [email protected] Learning Resource Center - [email protected]