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All parents are invited to attend the Whole <strong>School</strong><br />

Assembly on Friday, 18 December at 11:00 am in the<br />

Gymnasium.<br />

Following the Assembly, all students will be dismissed at<br />

12:00 pm.<br />

We wish you a very happy holiday break!<br />

Sharing at the PYP 4<br />

Open House on<br />

25 November<br />

Inside this issue . . .<br />

please click below to go<br />

directly to each page.<br />

Letter from the Director<br />

Primary <strong>School</strong> News<br />

Inside the PYP<br />

Secondary <strong>School</strong> News<br />

Weekend with the MYP<br />

The Diploma Programme<br />

Operation Dagsværk<br />

Small World Projects<br />

Development News<br />

<strong>School</strong> Board<br />

Greening CIS<br />

PTA<br />

Athletics Programme<br />

Community News<br />

otionsdag a Smashing Success<br />

eam Peru is proud to announce that the participants of the Motionsdag Sponored<br />

Walk raised over 45,000 Dkk! This is phenomenal.<br />

he funds will pay for the entire cost of running Mamma Cocha for six months. We<br />

ould like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who helped us achieve this amazng<br />

goal.<br />

Pam Winthrop<br />

Development Director<br />

+45 39 46 33 03<br />

pamwinthrop@cisdk.dk


! profound and sustained.” East Asian " "<br />

" Regional Council for Overseas <strong>School</strong>s<br />

" “You represent the next generation of! ! !<br />

! environmental speakers who are not telling<br />

! us about the problems any more, but rather<br />

! the solutions” J.P. Morgan<br />

Peter Wellby<br />

Director<br />

Climate Conference<br />

We are very fortunate to have outstanding speakers<br />

coming to our school for our CIS COP 15 events.<br />

Please make sure you register early by clicking here,<br />

as space is limited and we shall fill vacant spaces by<br />

opening our conference to the wider public, if it is<br />

not filled by those in our community. I highlight below<br />

three of the seven events arranged at CIS.<br />

John Liu will be showing his film ‘Hope in a<br />

Changing Climate’ in the PAC on Monday, 7 December<br />

at 17.00 hrs. John is an eminent keynote<br />

speaker at international conferences. His thesis is that<br />

the eradication of poverty and the rehabilitation of<br />

ecosystems are inextricably linked. In rehabilitating<br />

ecosystems we not only ensure the survival of our<br />

species but also ’address the massive historic crimes<br />

that enriched some, but left billions of people in abject<br />

poverty.’ John believes that the headline solutions<br />

being proposed for COP 15 will achieve little more<br />

than Calpol: alleviating the symptoms but leaving<br />

the fundamental causes of the problem intact.<br />

‘The Age of Stupid’ , starring Oscar-nominated Peter<br />

Posthelthwaite and produced by an Oscar-winner,<br />

will be screened in the PAC on Tuesday 8 December<br />

at 17.00 hrs. This film has been shown in 23 countries<br />

and has a trailer featuring students from CIS. The<br />

BBC will be showing the film during COP 15. At its<br />

premiere in Australia it was shown simultaneously in<br />

over 40 cinemas. Its UK opening week enjoyed the<br />

highest screen average, beating even ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’<br />

It has been described as ‘essential viewing<br />

for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.’<br />

‘Ghost Forest Project’ Angela Palmer will be talking<br />

about her most ambitious art installation, at 16.00 hrs<br />

in the PAC on Wednesday, 9 December. She has used<br />

ten tree stumps, which she selected onsite from a<br />

rainforest in Ghana, as a metaphor for climate<br />

change: the missing trunks symbolise the lungs<br />

chopped from the world by deforestation.<br />

The stumps have been exhibited in London in Trafalgar<br />

Square for the last week and are now being<br />

shipped to <strong>Copenhagen</strong> where they will be displayed<br />

in Thorvaldsens Plads next to Parliament.<br />

These speakers would energise the walking dead.<br />

Now it looks as if the politicians may again have lost<br />

sight of the significance of their failure to be decisive<br />

and courageous, it is more important than ever that<br />

grass-roots movements put irresistible pressure on<br />

them to act. I look forward to seeing you there.<br />

He has directed 14 films for the BBC, Discovery and<br />

National Geographic channels.<br />

" “John Liu's message of Earth's Hope at the<br />

! recent Global Issues Network Conference in<br />

! Beijing empowered international students and !<br />

! educators from around the world to take<br />

! imme!diate action. The impact has been


Heikki Soini<br />

Primary <strong>School</strong> Principal<br />

Inquiry based Learning<br />

As a PYP school we believe that<br />

all children arrive to any learning<br />

situation with valuable knowledge<br />

and skills from previous experiences,<br />

which will further enrich<br />

the learning environment.<br />

This means that children at CIS<br />

who come from all over the world<br />

will each have a slightly different<br />

entry point to our PYP curriculum,<br />

often seasoned with different<br />

educational, linguistic and cultural<br />

backgrounds. How does a<br />

school plan and implement effective<br />

teaching for such a diverse<br />

and global community?<br />

Inquiry or inquiry based learning<br />

is often connected with or used as<br />

a synonym to characterize teaching<br />

by investigation, research or<br />

discovery. In the IB PYP inquiry is<br />

the leading pedagogical approach<br />

which has been given a rather distinct<br />

form and function. The process<br />

is seen as a cycle which is very<br />

similar to Kolb’s cycle of experimental<br />

learning. At the very beginning<br />

of the process learning is<br />

anchored to the prior knowledge<br />

and experiences of the child. This<br />

means shifting the focus from<br />

knowledge in the books and curriculum<br />

to knowledge within the<br />

child. By acknowledging where<br />

the children are with their understanding,<br />

knowledge and skills<br />

we can ensure developmentally<br />

appropriate content and phases in<br />

order to engage them with an optimal<br />

learning experience, either<br />

as independent or dependent<br />

learners.<br />

The following stage of inquiry is<br />

often called the invitation phase<br />

(Kathy Short). Children are given<br />

plenty of opportunities to explore<br />

and engage with challenging,<br />

meaningful and significant material<br />

collated by the teachers. The<br />

level of children’s prior knowledge,<br />

the programme of inquiry<br />

and the curriculum expectations<br />

determine the breadth and depth<br />

of the resources used. This phase<br />

leads into the most significant<br />

part of the inquiry: student initiated<br />

questions, provocations and<br />

wonderings. Usually, these will be<br />

recorded and refined in collaboration<br />

with teacher and peers. This<br />

is a design of study where the<br />

child is in the driver’s seat while<br />

the curriculum expectations are<br />

met.<br />

It is truly fascinating to observe<br />

the enthusiasm and time both the<br />

children and teachers are spending<br />

on the project at this stage.<br />

Parents will find their children<br />

describing what is going on in the<br />

classroom with excitement, asking<br />

questions, using internet and<br />

other sources to find answers to<br />

their questions. Children collect,<br />

sort and present data in different<br />

ways. They may be keeping a<br />

journal, developing a power point<br />

presentation, working on a dramatic<br />

play or designing a piece of<br />

art, a poster or a brochure to<br />

demonstrate their understanding<br />

of the concepts. The open-ended<br />

nature of the inquiry guided by<br />

the teacher allows the children to<br />

reach their fullest potential in understanding<br />

the big ideas, deveoping<br />

life-long learning skills<br />

and acquiring significant knowledge.<br />

Inquiry is not only limited to the<br />

units of inquiry which combine<br />

several subject areas and demonstrate<br />

interconnectedness of the<br />

scientific disciplines. Inquiry<br />

based learning happens also during<br />

a single subject lesson e.g.<br />

language, mathematics or PE.<br />

These are often shorter than the<br />

more holistic units and may focus<br />

on important subject based concepts<br />

like proofreading in language,<br />

commutative law in<br />

mathematics or problem solving<br />

through passing a ball in an invasion<br />

game introduced in the PE.<br />

Again students are given an opportunity<br />

to explore the authentic<br />

world of an author, a mathematician<br />

or a sportsman which will<br />

lead to the development of enduring<br />

understandings.<br />

The end of the first term has provided<br />

parents with many opportunities<br />

to observe student inquiry<br />

at the primary school. During<br />

Open Houses parents could<br />

see student questions published<br />

in the classroom, reflective writing<br />

in a unit diary or presentations<br />

of conceptual understanding<br />

in art work. Parents can see how<br />

their children have responded to,<br />

and reflected upon their performance<br />

regarding a specified expectation<br />

by observing the work and<br />

comments presented in the portfolio.<br />

However, the most important<br />

measure of inquiry based<br />

learning can be seen through the<br />

level of ownership children demonstrate<br />

towards their work. I<br />

must say that I can see that every<br />

day and I am impressed!<br />

Thank you to all the parents for<br />

your continued support and I<br />

wish you all happy holidays and<br />

all the best for the year 2<strong>01</strong>0!


Samantha Fern<br />

Deputy Principal of Primary and<br />

PYP Coordinator<br />

What has been happening<br />

in Primary?<br />

As is always the case in any inquiry<br />

cycle in the PYP here at CIS<br />

there comes a time for sharing<br />

discoveries and presenting learning.<br />

Nothing has been truer in the<br />

last month in the Primary <strong>School</strong>.<br />

Each and every child took home<br />

their portfolios for the second<br />

time this term, continuing the<br />

process of showcasing and discussing<br />

their progress with one of<br />

their favourite audiences, their<br />

parents. Feedback took the form<br />

of letters of encouragement to the<br />

children as well as questions and<br />

clarification of future goals, all of<br />

which help with student reflection<br />

and inspire renewed motivation.<br />

Another part of sharing our learning<br />

with the community is the<br />

‘Open House” where parents are<br />

invited in to school to view firsthand<br />

the results of their child’s<br />

learning at the end of a Unit of<br />

Inquiry.<br />

We had the PYP 4 who demonstrated<br />

their literary, artistic, dramatic<br />

and musical learning as a<br />

culmination of their Fantasmagorical<br />

unit. The children loved this<br />

unit and were excited throughout.<br />

They began with a dress up day<br />

of fantasy characters and ended<br />

with a summative expression of a<br />

fantasy or emotion through the<br />

arts. Videos of the puppet shows,<br />

YouTube clips, skits, poems and<br />

stories were made available to<br />

parents during the open house<br />

event, along with the presentations<br />

produced in collaboration<br />

with their arts teachers.<br />

The PYP 5 students shared discoveries<br />

about different forms of<br />

energy, focussing on questions<br />

and experiments as they gave<br />

parents a tour of their scientific<br />

process.<br />

The PYP 1 classes explored different<br />

homes during their second<br />

unit, inviting parents to give<br />

feedback on their creative designs<br />

and understandings.<br />

The PYP 3 class went on a journey<br />

to discover the structure and history<br />

of different cities, particularly<br />

<strong>Copenhagen</strong>, along with a<br />

comparison of a city in their origin<br />

country. They asked parents<br />

to help them in evaluating their<br />

creative brochures. It is significant<br />

to note that a natural link<br />

occurred during this unit when<br />

the primary students were invited<br />

to view the ‘eco city’ designs<br />

produced by MYP 3 and<br />

were encouraged to analyse the<br />

structures against relevant social<br />

concerns.<br />

The Kindergarten classes, as<br />

part of their age appropriate<br />

focus on discovery through<br />

‘play’ were involved in a variety<br />

of ‘game experiences’ and<br />

invited parents to participate in<br />

their learning. They taught parents<br />

games such as Marbles,<br />

Hopscotch, Sorte Per, Dominoes<br />

and Checkers and the children all<br />

agreed “It was great to be a<br />

teacher for the afternoon!”<br />

At the end of November the upper<br />

primary classes, under the<br />

guidance of their music teacher,<br />

created a concert. It was an ‘extravaganza’<br />

of musical talent and<br />

worth the hard work of all concerned.<br />

Similarly, the Jack and the Beanstalk<br />

pantomime produced by the<br />

primary drama club will undoubtedly<br />

be worth every ‘penny<br />

/ bean / giggle / pie in the face’<br />

invested!<br />

Worthy of note is the composting<br />

of organic materials quietly initiated<br />

by PYP 2 as part of their Reduce,<br />

Reuse, Recycle unit. Their<br />

investigations into the ‘greening’<br />

practises found in local businesses,<br />

alongside CIS efforts to<br />

minimise our carbon footprint<br />

and actively become a Green<br />

<strong>School</strong>, as well as the introduction<br />

of two solar powered computers<br />

through the Greenies club speak<br />

strongly of the commitment to<br />

sustainability in our community.<br />

Dates to Remember<br />

December<br />

5 Holiday Fair<br />

11 St. Lucia Assembly<br />

18 Whole <strong>School</strong> Assembly, 11:00<br />

Students Dismissed, 12:00<br />

January<br />

11 <strong>School</strong> re-opens<br />

21 PYP for newcomers , 18:00<br />

28 PYP round table discussion,<br />

13:00


such as wikis, podcasting, blogging, … for improving<br />

teaching and learning. There will also be a session on<br />

designing webpages so that teachers can start to use<br />

the website to communicate with their students. A<br />

session on the ethics and safety of internet use will<br />

provide us with further details to enhance our own<br />

internet use policy. We are in the midst of a discussion<br />

within school about the use of laptops and increasingly<br />

believe that all Secondary <strong>School</strong> students<br />

should have their own or access to a laptop for<br />

lessons. This is an ongoing discussion and we will<br />

give you more details next semester.<br />

Simon Watson<br />

Secondary <strong>School</strong> Principal<br />

Enjoy the vacation, and I hope to see you again in the<br />

New Year, refreshed and ready for the challenges of<br />

Semester 2.<br />

Already the first semester is almost complete, with<br />

only a few weeks remaining until the vacation. For<br />

MYP 4 to DP 2 students, their focus during December<br />

will be the semester examinations, culminating in DP<br />

2 with mock examinations. We have restructured the<br />

week before examinations for MYP 4 & 5, in order to<br />

utilize this time better. We have broken the week<br />

down into larger blocks of time for each subject so<br />

that students do not have to skip from algebra-topoetry-and<br />

back again in the same day.<br />

When preparing for examinations it is important that<br />

students plan their revision. Working in a comfortable<br />

room without distraction with scheduled breaks<br />

will help most people. Switching off MSN, mobile<br />

phones and YouTube would certainly help me concentrate,<br />

but I am told that I am too old to understand<br />

the complexities of how the young mind works. Making<br />

a list of questions to ask teachers is essential to<br />

overcome obstacles in understanding. All examination<br />

results will be available after the vacation and<br />

Semester 1 reports will be ready by the end of January.<br />

<strong>School</strong> starts again for the students on Monday 11<br />

January 2<strong>01</strong>0. However, teachers return to school on<br />

Thursday 7 January and have two days of Professional<br />

Development, led by Alan November<br />

http://novemberlearning.com/. Alan November is a<br />

much sought after consultant and recognized<br />

throughout the world for his ability to inspire and<br />

support teachers in their use of technology. The focus<br />

of the two days will be how to best use web 2.0 tools,<br />

Dates to Remember<br />

December<br />

2-4 MYP 1 & 2 Lübeck Trip<br />

3-4 DP Study Days - No <strong>School</strong><br />

5 PTA Holiday Fair<br />

7 PTA Meeting<br />

8 Language B Information<br />

Meeting , 9:30-10:40, PAC<br />

7-10 CIS Climate Conference<br />

7-17 DP 2 Mock Exams<br />

11-17 MYP 4 & 5 Exams<br />

14-17 DP 1 Exams<br />

18 Whole <strong>School</strong> Assembly, 11:00, Gym<br />

Students Dismissed, 12:00<br />

January<br />

11 <strong>School</strong> re-opens<br />

18 PTA Meeting<br />

22 NECIS U12/U14 friendly game<br />

with Hamburg<br />

22 NECIS Varsity Basketball<br />

friendly game at Sigtuna


Darren Davies<br />

Deputy Principal MYP<br />

Weekend with the MYP<br />

Still awake at the MYP 5 Lock-In<br />

As usual I awoke somewhat disorientated;<br />

this time however was<br />

different. Reaching and turning<br />

off the alarm on my phone I found<br />

myself on the sofa in the staff<br />

room. It was 07:00 Saturday morning<br />

and I was in school. In fact I<br />

hadn’t left, as the previous night<br />

two colleagues and I had chaperoned<br />

the MYP 5 lock-in and judging<br />

by the various states of consciousness<br />

I witnessed entering<br />

the Atrium I had made a good<br />

decision going to sleep at 04:30.<br />

As one group helped clear the assorted<br />

pizza boxes and empty<br />

chips bags they proudly proclaimed<br />

they had now<br />

been awake for twentyfour<br />

hours! Their rush<br />

of triumph was shortlived<br />

though as the<br />

morning light poured<br />

scorn upon them, revealing<br />

their drawn<br />

faces and bedraggled<br />

attire. At which point<br />

Lena arrived, ever present<br />

and ever cheerful,<br />

carrying bags of bacon,<br />

sausage and eggs.<br />

Thirty minutes later we were sitting<br />

down to a hearty breakfast<br />

and ready to take on the world<br />

once more. Fortunate, as it was<br />

about then that Ms. Wykes arrived.<br />

I’d promised to take pictures<br />

of Craft Day and to write<br />

about it for the newsletter, or<br />

more to the point Ms. Wykes was<br />

going to tell me what to write. So<br />

we said farewell to MYP 5 and<br />

began welcoming the students<br />

from MYP 1 - DP 2 who were<br />

ready to get crafty! Seventy-five<br />

she would tell me later in the day,<br />

that’s a record, make sure you<br />

write that down now won’t you. I<br />

did.<br />

Up on the D-floor the students<br />

went to work, in the Tech room<br />

there was one group making<br />

wooden stars that were going to<br />

be candleholders, another making<br />

Christmas wreaths from horse<br />

chestnuts Ms. Wykes had been<br />

collecting throughout the autumn,<br />

and another painting and gluing<br />

spangly sequins to clay figures. In<br />

the Middle <strong>School</strong> science lab<br />

there was a group making fabric<br />

hearts filled with lavender seeds<br />

and another threading beads onto<br />

invisible wire. In the Art room<br />

they were making cards and the<br />

like, and on the landing area a<br />

large group had been put to work<br />

making lanterns, a Dutch craft<br />

from Holland Ms. Wykes informed<br />

me, forty of which had<br />

been ordered by the school as table<br />

decorations for the Staff<br />

Christmas party. And so it continued,<br />

until 15:00 at which point<br />

all manner of arts and craft creations<br />

were ready to be sold at the<br />

Winter Fair with all proceeds going<br />

to Team Peru.<br />

I didn’t make it to 15:00, instead,at<br />

lunchtime I had retired to my sofa<br />

at home and was reflecting on<br />

how many of the Diploma students<br />

had been present, remembering<br />

that this was their second<br />

Saturday doing this, the first<br />

when they had learnt the various<br />

crafts that they then had taught<br />

the younger students this day. I<br />

had asked them why they would<br />

do this, when after a grueling<br />

week at school surely all they<br />

would want to do was spend their<br />

weekend doing their homework!?<br />

Not funny I was informed. They<br />

did it to hang out with their<br />

friends, they said, they did it because<br />

they never get a chance to<br />

do this kind of thing in school,<br />

and of course they did it because<br />

they get their precious CAS hours.<br />

On reflection however I think they<br />

did it for much the same reasons I<br />

had for chaperoning the lock-in,<br />

because it was fun, because sometimes<br />

you get more out than you<br />

put in, and you can’t put a price<br />

on that, be it hour or dollar! And<br />

as such we’d do it again, gladly.


Shandana Mufti, Class of 2<strong>01</strong>1<br />

A Student’s View of the Diploma<br />

Programme<br />

Somewhere between June and August of this, I<br />

stopped being an MYP student and became a DP<br />

(Diploma Programme) student. Personal Project<br />

would be replaced with Extended Essay (apparently,<br />

the IB is a big fan of alliteration), and tutorials<br />

were now free periods.<br />

One of the first things done by returning students<br />

like myself the night before the new school year was<br />

to access our schedules and compare the times at<br />

which we and our friends started, resulting in several<br />

proclamations of hate upon the discovery that the<br />

day you start at 8 am, your friend does not have to<br />

come in until 11 am.<br />

This “hate” was forgotten the first day back at school.<br />

We all stood outside the Atrium, clustered in groups<br />

of friends while curiously eyeing the new people. To<br />

clarify, there were two categories of new students.<br />

There were the Rygaards people, who had transferred<br />

from Rygaards to CIS. Then there were the new-new<br />

people, the ones who had just moved to Denmark or<br />

who had no previous contact with each other. Today,<br />

we’ve all settled into various groups of friends featuring<br />

a mix of people from the old, the Rygaards-new,<br />

and the new-new.<br />

The most daunting aspect of the DP is the independence.<br />

If you can’t pull yourself together and work,<br />

chances are that you’re not going to be wearing a hat<br />

with a tassel after two years. However, the independence<br />

is also one of the best things about the DP. We’re<br />

not told what to do every step of the way; as long as<br />

we get there (without plagiarism), that’s what counts.<br />

Teachers have finally backed off and given us some<br />

breathing space, which is startling after the constant<br />

reminders of assignments throughout the MYP.<br />

Nothing could have prepared us for the workload<br />

that would be thrust upon us from the week we retuned<br />

from the DP Retreat onwards. Tests, quizzes,<br />

presentations, essays, commentaries; by the end of<br />

the year, I expect we’ll all have mastered and perfected<br />

the art of surviving all-nighters, then rushing<br />

to school for an 8 o’clock lesson and arriving with just<br />

seconds to spare.<br />

A lot has happened since August this year. We’ve<br />

been introduced to Theory of Knowledge, a class we<br />

have yet to understand. By January 2<strong>01</strong>0, two people<br />

will have left our grade. We’ve gotten to know the<br />

people with whom we’ll be graduating in less than<br />

two years. Most importantly, we’ve made it this far<br />

without burning out, so we’re quite unstoppable at<br />

this point – as long as none of us build up immunity<br />

to caffeine. In the words of Queen, “We Are The<br />

Champions” – so far.


Again this year DP students<br />

joined tens of thousands Danish<br />

high school students in collecting<br />

funds for youth projects in developing<br />

countries. This year Operation<br />

Dagsværk is supporting a<br />

Zimbabwean non-governmental<br />

organisation dedicated to giving<br />

schooling options to the many<br />

disenfranchised youth suffering<br />

in the aftermath of political violence<br />

(see link in next mail). Operation<br />

Dagsværk expects to raise<br />

6,300,000 DKK which will go a<br />

long way towards changing the<br />

lives of many young people in<br />

Zimbabwe.<br />

CIS students did a myriad of jobs<br />

in homes, such as raking leaves<br />

and cleaning attics, and at<br />

parents’ companies. A large<br />

group worked at school doing<br />

odd jobs in the office or outside.<br />

The administrative coordinators<br />

and janitors really put them to<br />

work.<br />

Another large group chose to<br />

work for DSB and CIS students<br />

were so expert at cleaning at Nørreport<br />

station that they were<br />

“promoted” to work at <strong>Copenhagen</strong><br />

Central. You can see from the<br />

photos that they seemed to enjoy<br />

it. DSB let them keep the high<br />

fashion hats and jackets.


S<br />

SMA LL W O RLD<br />

PR O J E C TS<br />

Small World Projects (SWP) was established this year<br />

to provide MYP 1-3 students with a meaningful<br />

Community and Service opportunity. We’ve begun<br />

work on a series of projects designed to positively<br />

engage students with the world around them and<br />

people in their community. Through participating in<br />

these projects, students will have a chance to take a<br />

close look at what is going on around us, and then<br />

ask the question ‘what can we do?’<br />

We will select projects that provide us with positive<br />

learning experiences and good opportunities for<br />

service.<br />

Projects scheduled for this school year include:<br />

• UN World Food Programme awareness week.<br />

• Inviting disadvantaged groups into school for<br />

activities.<br />

• Collaborating on climate projects with students<br />

from around the world.<br />

• Supporting Doctors without Borders.<br />

• Assisting Team Peru<br />

• Various other awareness campaigns.<br />

SWP is a chance for students to get their voices<br />

heard, to develop their own opinions on important<br />

issues and to make and act on their own decisions.<br />

Participants will be presented with problems that<br />

need to be solved by utilizing their skills in new and<br />

different situations. Most importantly, opportunities<br />

will arise for students to learn about themselves and<br />

how they relate to others from the service and learning<br />

they experience.<br />

The aims and goals of SWP:<br />

• To use technology to collaborate effectively with<br />

other students from around the world on the same<br />

or similar projects.<br />

• To present our findings or campaigns in creative<br />

and unique ways<br />

• To involve the whole CIS community in what we<br />

are doing.<br />

• To develop a sense of others.<br />

• To become global citizens.<br />

Our first project fell during the last week of November<br />

when we hosted a UN World Food Programme<br />

awareness week, with information and interactive<br />

activities for the community. The World Food Programme<br />

is the world’s largest humanitarian organization<br />

reaching nearly 90 million people every year<br />

with life saving supplies after conflict, disaster or<br />

drought. We wanted to bring you their amazing<br />

story, and the story of the people they help.<br />

Small World Projects meets on Thursdays after school<br />

15:00 – 16:00. Students earn Community and Service<br />

for all the time they commit to SWP.<br />

We will specialize in awareness campaigns, choosing<br />

a cause or issue that deserves publicity, attention or<br />

help. We will investigate and research it using a variety<br />

of different methods, work to create an alternative<br />

or solution and then decide upon an appropriate<br />

way of presenting our information and discoveries.


Pam Winthrop<br />

Development Director<br />

Reflections on Staff<br />

Professional<br />

Development<br />

As I write, appeals for the The<br />

Fund for Excellence are being<br />

posted and we have received the<br />

first two gifts from parents. This<br />

is wonderful; thank you!<br />

Teachers are at the heart of CIS<br />

and every day they show their<br />

commitment to understanding<br />

and changing our world by investing<br />

in their students.<br />

Supporting our teachers through<br />

immediate and collaborative<br />

training is the most concrete way<br />

of ensuring excellence, which is<br />

why this year 100% of the gifts<br />

given to The Fund for Excellence<br />

will be used to provide training<br />

through conferences, by bringing<br />

speakers to CIS and by enhancing<br />

skill building for our faculty.<br />

Participating in The Fund for Excellence<br />

is a great way to have an<br />

immediate impact on the education<br />

our current students receive,<br />

as all monies raised will be used<br />

during this academic year.<br />

Recently, faculty who have received<br />

Professional Development<br />

this year were asked, What new<br />

things will you try in your classroom<br />

after having received Professional<br />

Development?<br />

Here is a sample of their answers:<br />

“Incorporate the SmartBoard<br />

more effectively in my lessons.”<br />

DP Teacher<br />

“We spent five hours discussing<br />

the profile of the 21 st -Century<br />

learner. I have now understood<br />

what major changes are needed<br />

in our attitudes and practices.<br />

Fantastic!” Administrator<br />

“To include more threedimensional<br />

studies/sculpture.”<br />

DP Teacher<br />

“I attended the workshop 2G Action<br />

in the PYP this October. The<br />

workshop originated from the IB<br />

mission statement. The main focus<br />

was that when learning takes<br />

place during a unit of inquiry,<br />

you change for the better and<br />

don’t accept the world as it is and<br />

you should have the passion to<br />

take action to change things for a<br />

better world.<br />

Some of the things you as a<br />

teacher can do:<br />

• Model Action yourself, I have<br />

tried it at CIS and it has made<br />

functioning smoother;<br />

• Teachers can be more proactive<br />

during a unit of inquiry in facilitating<br />

Action by the students;<br />

• Celebrate Action taken by students<br />

at assemblies and at the<br />

Action Board in the classroom;<br />

• Inform parents about it as<br />

some action could be taken<br />

outside the school and " "<br />

they could report it back;<br />

• Action is one of the most<br />

effective summative assessments;<br />

• I am giving a short workshop<br />

to PYP faculty to make<br />

it more inclusive in the<br />

Primary <strong>School</strong>.” PYP Teacher<br />

“I recently attended a conference<br />

on differentiation in the classroom<br />

for English as an Additional<br />

Language, resource, and<br />

gifted students in all subject areas.<br />

I attended sessions that focused<br />

on using strategies to reinforce<br />

vocabulary and concept development<br />

and critical and creative<br />

thinking. These strategies are<br />

not new to me but by working<br />

through them again in yet another<br />

context and connecting<br />

them to the books and articles I<br />

am reading, it becomes easier to<br />

make them a part of my daily<br />

classroom teaching. In addition to<br />

school PD, I do school visits at<br />

the request of the IB regional office<br />

in Geneva, am a member of<br />

the Association of Supervision<br />

and Curriculum Development<br />

and constantly buy new professional<br />

books (at my own expense,<br />

of course).” PYP Teacher<br />

Not only do CIS teachers appreciate<br />

their Professional Development<br />

opportunities, funds devoted<br />

to Professional Development<br />

really do improve the education<br />

our children receive.<br />

Please support The Fund for Excellence<br />

by clicking here. All gifts,<br />

big or small, will benefit and sustain<br />

CIS.


Piero Marotta<br />

Buildings and Facilities Committee Chair<br />

<strong>School</strong> Board member<br />

Buildings & Facilities<br />

Committee<br />

The building and facilities for<br />

schools are a vital factor in giving<br />

the students and faculty the best<br />

possible framework for their studies<br />

and teaching. The buildings<br />

that CIS use are a mix of a main<br />

building that is more than 100<br />

years old, a section built during<br />

the Second World War and the<br />

new additions, i.e. the primary<br />

school and the gym added in the<br />

last 12 years.<br />

The Building & Facilities Committee<br />

is comprised of Board members,<br />

field experts and members of<br />

the administration who meet<br />

regularly to plan and follow up on<br />

all the actions necessary to implement<br />

the physical objectives of<br />

the school’s Strategic Plan.<br />

Below are a few highlights of<br />

what has been done during the<br />

last year:<br />

Maintenance Plan<br />

Before summer the Building &<br />

Facilities Committee prepared a<br />

comprehensive Maintenance Plan<br />

for the school, covering a time<br />

span of ten years. It is extremely<br />

important to take care of our most<br />

valuable physical asset and the<br />

ten year Maintenance Plan will<br />

ensure that the facilities we are<br />

using will be healthy and functional,<br />

minimizing the risk of unexpected<br />

failures or costly repairs.<br />

In order to plan effectively the<br />

maintenance activities, CIS has<br />

acquired a software package that<br />

can be used to plan and schedule<br />

regular maintenance as well as<br />

keep track of what is being done<br />

during the year. This will help the<br />

service staff to identify problems<br />

areas in the buildings and conduct<br />

preventative maintenance in an<br />

even more structured way.<br />

Indoor Climate<br />

As part of general maintenance<br />

CIS commissioned a Danish engineering<br />

and consulting company<br />

to review the indoor climate of<br />

our buildings and facilities. The<br />

general conclusion is that the<br />

buildings are fine and improvement<br />

projects have been initiated.<br />

Security Wall<br />

The security wall along Hellerupvej<br />

has been completed thanks<br />

to a generous grant from the US<br />

State Department. The last test of<br />

the automatic gates are taking<br />

place providing higher levels of<br />

security and give parents and<br />

students more flexible access to<br />

the school grounds.<br />

Roof of Main Building<br />

The black tiled roof on the old<br />

Main Building is more than 100<br />

years old and needs renewal work<br />

as soon as practically possible. In<br />

the meantime, a “barrier” has<br />

been put up along the roof by the<br />

gutter to catch any tile that might<br />

come loose while CIS works to<br />

develop the specifications for the<br />

renovation. As the windows and<br />

the façade of the Main Building<br />

are also in a very poor condition<br />

this is also planned to be renewed.<br />

The plan is to install “intelligent<br />

windows” that measure the CO2<br />

and oxygen levels in the rooms<br />

and open and shut the windows<br />

as required. This will address the<br />

issue of ventilation identified in<br />

the indoor climate survey done<br />

earlier in the year without having<br />

to install an energy consuming<br />

mechanical ventilation system.<br />

These renovations will be a very<br />

costly undertaking and the school<br />

will be seeking donations and<br />

gifts-in-kind to help with the project.<br />

Providing more space and facilities<br />

A key concern of the Board and<br />

administration is the lack of space.<br />

The current economic crisis has<br />

caused us to be cautious with our<br />

resources and extremely careful<br />

with planning for expansion. The<br />

Building & Facilities Committee<br />

will continue to support the Board<br />

and the administration in mitigating<br />

the issue of the space and in<br />

looking into all of the opportunities<br />

to accommodate our space<br />

requirements.


Greening CIS<br />

December is a pivotal month for Go on Green,<br />

and for the global climate community, as COP15<br />

will be held at the Bella Center in <strong>Copenhagen</strong> 7-18<br />

December. COP15 is the 15 th conference of the parties<br />

(COP) held as part of the United Nation’s Framework<br />

Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For 2<br />

weeks the world will watch as global leaders carve<br />

out the rules for climate change, right here in <strong>Copenhagen</strong>!<br />

Although COP15 is only open to governments, UN<br />

observer organizations, and the press, there are ways<br />

to be involved. To find out more about COP15, and to<br />

access links to events in <strong>Copenhagen</strong> during the conference,<br />

please visit the Links and Facts area on the<br />

Greening tab of the school web site.<br />

To support the global climate community and COP15,<br />

CIS will hold a Climate Conference the evenings of 7-<br />

10 December. Whereas the focus of many COP15<br />

events in <strong>Copenhagen</strong> will be the official negotiations<br />

at the Bella Center, the focus of the CIS Climate Conference<br />

will be to highlight climate change in fun and<br />

creative ways that are accessible to our school community.<br />

The CIS Climate Conference events will<br />

range from film screenings, to a climate change game<br />

show, to seminars. Please visit the CIS Climate Conference<br />

area on the Greening tab of the school web<br />

site to read more about the conference schedule, and<br />

to register. Please register now, as space is limited!<br />

PYP 2 students recently conducted a<br />

Waste Audit at local businesses. Here, students<br />

inspect Super Brugsen’s recycling<br />

procedures.<br />

The Greenies, under the guidance of Mr. Simon Watkin,<br />

have been busy developing the questions for the<br />

climate change game show that will be held on the 2 nd<br />

day of the CIS Climate Conference. Go on Green has<br />

made significant progress toward the goal of obtaining<br />

a Green Flag. And stay tuned for a very exciting<br />

event for Earth Day 2<strong>01</strong>0!<br />

We hope to see you at the CIS Climate Conference 7-<br />

10 December! Go on Green!<br />

Fun fact: Why did we form the number 350 for the<br />

all-school photo in October? Because 350 parts per<br />

million (ppm) is the acceptable upper-limit of C0 2 in<br />

the atmosphere. CIS shares the worldwide commitment<br />

to reach the goal of 350 ppm.<br />

Beyond COP15, Go on Green has many exciting upcoming<br />

events. Roots & Shoots is still preparing for<br />

their Trashion Show on 28-29 January. If you can<br />

help, please contact Ms. Faye McAuley<br />

(fayemcauley@cisdk.dk).


Ra Chel Moran and Kerry Carswell<br />

PTA Co-Presidents<br />

TA News<br />

ovember was a very eventful<br />

onth for the PTA. We started the<br />

onth off with a successful SuerBest<br />

grocery store outing.<br />

hank you to our Newcomers<br />

ommittee for organizing this<br />

opular event, and to Rasmus at<br />

uperBest for the wonderful<br />

oody bags everyone came away<br />

ith.<br />

ver 150 foxy mamas and cool<br />

ats came out to strut their stuff at<br />

he 70’s Disco Party. Thanks again<br />

o Peter and Marlene Lundy for<br />

etting us turn their home into a<br />

rue disco stage. The Pure Gold<br />

ancers entertained us twice<br />

uring the night. Who knew CIS<br />

arents could boogie like that?!<br />

The Book Fair was held on the<br />

17th and 18th of November.<br />

A big thanks to the Book Fair<br />

Committee for putting together a<br />

fantastic collection of books.<br />

Smiles were seen on the faces of<br />

parents and students as they<br />

spotted their old favorites, and<br />

discovered new ones. Students<br />

enjoyed the cozy book nook<br />

where they relaxed and looked at<br />

their new purchases. All proceeds<br />

from the Book Fair will benefit the<br />

CIS Library.<br />

We look forward to the Holiday<br />

Fair on Saturday, 5 December<br />

from 13:00 to 16:00 in the Atrium.<br />

All are welcome to join us for a<br />

day of holiday cheer! Come enjoy<br />

crafts for the kids, home baked<br />

goodies, a Holiday café, magical<br />

gingerbread houses, holiday<br />

shopping and perhaps a visit from<br />

Santa! There is something for everyone!<br />

The PTA thanks you for your support<br />

and we hope to see you at the<br />

PTA meetings on 7 December and<br />

18 January. Happy Holidays!<br />

PTA Meeting Dates<br />

7 December<br />

18 January<br />

1 February<br />

8 March<br />

19 April<br />

10 May<br />

7 June<br />

STILL AVAILABLE<br />

Boys and girls vintage CIS<br />

logo t-shirts.<br />

Sizes from 5 years old - 11<br />

years old. Available in navy<br />

blue, pink, and white.<br />

50 Dkk each.<br />

Please contact Jill Millnor<br />

(jillmillnor@yahoo.com) if<br />

you are interested.


Important Basketball and Swimming Dates:<br />

• U 12 and U14 Hamburg Friendly Games at CIS, 22-<br />

23 January<br />

• JV and Varsity Herlufsholm Games at Herlurfsholm<br />

(This is tentative) – 23 January<br />

Robert Reynolds<br />

Athletics Director<br />

Coaches<br />

U12 Girls – Toni Heisterberg<br />

U14 Girls – Daniel Haines<br />

U12 Boys – Martin Jensen<br />

U14 Boys – Thomas Orr<br />

Junior Varsity Girls – Pete Butler<br />

Varsity Girls – Lina Bluteau<br />

Practice Schedule<br />

U12 Girls<br />

Mondays, 17:30-19:00<br />

Wednesdays, 16:00-17:30<br />

A Heartfelt Thanks to<br />

All!<br />

We first want to express our<br />

heartfelt thanks to the athletes, coaches and parents<br />

for all of their commitment to the NECIS soccer and<br />

volleyball seasons. After intense training and the<br />

building of team spirit, we all felt disappointed with<br />

the unexpected turn of events that led to the cancellation<br />

of our participation in the tournaments. This single<br />

event reminds us of how connected we are to the<br />

world and the inherent responsibility to others that<br />

exists in every decision we make. The Athletics Department<br />

wants to thank Peter Wellby for his leadership<br />

in this difficult time! With the past now behind,<br />

we are looking forward to the upcoming seasons with<br />

basketball already underway.<br />

Basketball Season has begun!<br />

We have begun the tryout phase for the basketball<br />

season and have been impressed with the turnout! 26<br />

boys were suited up and ready to play for the U14<br />

Boys team on the first day of practice. Additionally,<br />

we are pleased to welcome Mike Kearse, who plays<br />

for SISU’s Men’s Elite team, to our lineup of coaches.<br />

His basketball expertise and professional demeanor<br />

will be invaluable to the development of our U12 and<br />

U14 teams. Please be attentive to the information provided<br />

here and mail me with any further queries.<br />

Junior Varsity Boys – Max Andersen<br />

Varsity Boys – Jawad Nazi<br />

!<br />

U14 Girls<br />

Mondays, 17:30-19:00<br />

Wednesdays, 16:00-17:30<br />

U12 Boys<br />

Mondays, 16:00-17:30<br />

Wednesdays, 17:30-19:00<br />

U14 Boys<br />

Mondays, 16:00-17:30<br />

Wednesdays, 17:30-19:00<br />

JV Girls<br />

Tuesdays, 16:00-17:30<br />

Fridays, 16:00-18:00<br />

Varsity Girls<br />

Tuesdays, 16:00-17:30<br />

Fridays, 16:00-18:00<br />

JV Boys<br />

Tuesdays, 17:30-19:00<br />

Thursdays, 16:00-18:00<br />

Varsity Boys<br />

Tuesdays, 17:30-19:00<br />

Sundays, 13:00-15:00


Looking for Volunteers<br />

Math and German LAP volunteers needed<br />

I am looking for a math and a German LAP volunteer. If you are<br />

interested, please contact Cindie Juul-Larsen, cjl@cisdk.dk, tel. 39<br />

46 33 92 / 31 72 55 50<br />

Also in general if you are interested in helping out as a LAP volunteer,<br />

please send me your resume and we will arrange for a<br />

time to meet.<br />

Cartoon by Camilla Siig, Class of 2<strong>01</strong>2

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