EAGLE TRACTS
CORNERSTONE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards every member of the Eagle Family as the year draws to a close.
The season is a cheerful one to celebrate and appreciate one another, taking inspiration from the quote of Halford E. Luccock, ‘’No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it."
I am proud of our staff for taking up once again, with competence, commitment, and enthusiasm, the challenge of supporting students learning in these unusual times. The journey has not been an easy one but I am glad we have made it this far together.
It is refreshing to state that, the support from parents have been continuous and unwavering. I have observed with delight your participation throughout the learning process, school projects, and other events. Parents have become true partners in implementing the IB programme in C.I.A. I acknowledge the resilience, hard work and courage of our students who were enrolled for the virtual mode of learning as well. The commitment of all our parents in nurturing our students is worth commending.
Our students have throughout this semester/term put forth their best, in spite of the hurdles and unfamiliar adventures this pandemic era keeps hurling at them. I am very proud of your seemingly small steps which yielded mostly great results. Your participation in the events and programmes such as Student Council Investiture, Spelling Bee, Voice of an Eagle, Math Matrix - season 1, Children’s Day, Science Exhibition, Unit Celebrations, and etc. was a demonstration of student agency. You deserve a pat on your back and as well, be reminded that 2022 gives another opportunity to achieve even more.
I wish the entire school community the best this season has to offer. May you have a restful, thankful, and joyful holiday break.
I look forward to having you back and safe in school on January 11, 2022.
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2022.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Vani Joseph
Principal
GLOBAL CONTEXTS IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Teaching and learning in the MYP involves understanding global context. It provides a common language for powerful contextual learning, identifying specific settings, events or circumstances that provide more concrete perspectives for teaching and learning.
INVESTITURE CEREMONY
C.I.A. held its investiture ceremony on Friday November 19, 2021. The ceremony was held across all campuses, that is Masua, Edward Scott and Antiwaa. The 2021/2022 Students' Union includes the Head Prefect, Assistant Head Prefect, AClean Ghana Secretary and the Anti-Bullying Secretary.
BOOK CHARACTER DAY
"You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a BOOK” – Dr. Seuss.
Book Character Celebration is a way to allow students to participate in the fun of dressing up while meeting curriculum objectives. It is a day when students and facilitators dress up as a character from their favorite book. It's a great way to celebrate and encourage the love for reading in students and the entire learning community. Students are able to make a better connection of their favorite stories when they dress up in their various characters in reality.
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney
HAPPY BOOK CHARACTER DAY!!!!
A new month is here, and we're excited about it because we get to share our picks for the month with you. So, what book are you currently reading? In fact, did you know that the brain just like any other muscle in the body requires exercise to keep it healthy and strong? I bet you did! The phrase 'use it or lose it' is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Once again, it's time to stimulate the brain! Kindly visit the e-Resource center any time to grab a book for your reading pleasure. Have fun!!!
MANAGING AGGRESIVE BEHAVIOR
Aggression is a behavior that threatens or causes physical or emotional harm to others. In early childhood, aggressive behavior often results from frustration and a lack of verbal skills to express feelings. Language skills may not be fully developed, therefore, hitting or biting a playmate might be the easiest way for a young child to express his emotional stress.
Some causes of aggression among students include
1. Inadequate Social Skills: Children may lack important social skills which are crucial in resolving differences, hence they resort to aggression.
2. Attention-Seeking Behaviors: Children tend to act aggressively because they want to get noticed. To explain, some students like to be aggressive because they find that hitting or biting, ultimately gets them what they want since they would be eventually given the attention.
3. Medical Conditions: Underlying medical conditions can contribute to aggressive behavior.
4. Irritation and Anxiety: Anxiety can also leave children on edge of easily getting irritated and aggressive. For example, children, who experience stressful situations at home (eg divorce by parents), are likely to express anxiety through aggression.
Preventive measures
a. Parents and Teachers could help children to emotionally regulate their emotions. This involves teaching children to identify their emotions, identify the triggers to those emotions, and manage those emotions by themselves.
b. Modeling appropriate behaviours for the child to learn is another important preventive measure. It is advisable to teach your child how to react to anger appropriately. Research suggests that children learn from adults' actions, and children who are exposed to many negative emotions are more likely to struggle (Maughan & Cicchetti, 2002).
c. Setting limits to create the safety of the child and the people around him/her. Here, if a child is lashing out, or overwhelmed and acting with anger, it is important to confidently (not aggressively) block them from hurting anyone.
Ultimately, helping children manage their emotions begins by validating those feelings and providing an environment where they feel safe to express them.
Reference
Maughan, A. & Cicchetti, D. (2002). Impact of child maltreatment and inter-adult violence on children's emotion regulation abilities and socioemotional adjustment. Child Dev., 73(5):1525-42.
Ms. Akpene Ocloo
School Counselor
GET IN TOUCH
Email: correspondence@mail.cia.edu.gh
Website: https://www.cia.edu.gh
Phone: 0265055439 0202068221
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cia.pyp.5/
Twitter: @CIA_Ghana