Academic calendar
Fall 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall 2026Relevant now
- Spring 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 29 of 29 terms
C
- Carey
- The Turtle house, one of the four competitive school spirit teams.
- Careys
- Members of the Yellow House, named after the hawksbill sea turtle.
- CAS
- Creativity, Activity, Service; a core requirement for students in the IB Diploma Programme.
D
- Delfines
- The Dolphin house, one of the four competitive school spirit teams.
F
- Family Day
- A major annual community event hosted on campus for students, parents, and staff.
G
- Gavilanes
- Members of the Blue House, named after the Ridgway's hawk.
I
- IB
- Common shorthand for the International Baccalaureate program and its associated heavy workload.
- Iguanas
- Members of the Green House, one of the four competitive student houses.
K
- Klk
- Common Dominican Spanish slang for 'What's up?' frequently used by the bilingual student body.
L
- Lunch Plan
- The prepaid meal service provided to students, often managed through the school administration.
M
- Manatíes
- Members of the Red House, named after the West Indian manatee.
- MUN
- Model United Nations, a popular extracurricular club where students simulate UN conferences.
N
- NHS
- National Honor Society, an organization for high-achieving secondary students.
- NJHS
- National Junior Honor Society, the middle school equivalent of the NHS.
P
- PCIS
- The standard abbreviation used by students and staff to refer to Punta Cana International School.
- PCIS
- The common acronym used by students and staff to refer to the Punta Cana International School.
- Phidias
- Used as a verb (e.g., 'Did you Phidias it?') meaning to check the school's digital portal for grades or announcements.
- PTA
- Parent Teacher Association, which coordinates school-wide community events.
- PTO
- Parent Teacher Organization, which coordinates community involvement and school support.
S
- Snack
- The designated mid-morning break period when students eat a light meal brought from home or purchased.
- Spirit Week
- The highly competitive annual week of themed dress-up days and house competitions.
- STUCO
- The Student Council, responsible for organizing school events and representing student interests.
T
- The Cafeteria
- The primary on-campus dining hall where students eat lunch.
- The Palapa
- The iconic open-air thatched-roof structure used as the primary gathering space for lunch and school assemblies.
- The Village
- Shorthand for Puntacana Village, the surrounding community and primary hangout spot for students.
- The Village
- Refers to the nearby Puntacana Village commercial area where older students often go for food after school.
- Tiburones
- The Shark house, one of the four competitive school spirit teams.
- Tiguere
- Dominican slang used to describe someone who is clever, street-smart, or a 'cool' person.
V
- Vaina
- A ubiquitous Dominican filler word meaning 'thing' or 'stuff' used in casual student conversation.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Admin
- The administrative building containing the main offices and reception.
- After School
- The common term for the extracurricular clubs and sports programs held after the main school day.
- Civvies Day
- A designated day where students are permitted to wear non-uniform clothing, often for a small fee.
- Early Dismissal
- Scheduled days (often for teacher training) where the school day ends earlier than the standard time.
- Early Years
- The dedicated wing and playground area for the youngest students (Toddler through Kindergarten).
- Elementary Wing
- The area of the school grounds reserved for primary education students.
- Family Day
- A major annual community event involving parents, students, and staff on campus.
- hawks_cafe
- Hawks Cafe
- House Points
- Points earned by students for their respective school houses (e.g., Iguanas, Parrots) during competitions and spirit weeks.
- House System
- The school's competitive structure where students are sorted into four houses: Iguanas, Dolphins, Pelicans, or Turtles.
- IB
- The International Baccalaureate program, referring to the rigorous curriculum followed by students in their final two years of high school.
- IB DP
- The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, the rigorous curriculum followed by students in their final two years.
- Phidias
- The school's official management platform used for all academic communication, grades, and attendance.
- PlusPortals
- The digital platform used by students and parents to check grades, attendance, and school announcements.
- Primary
- The wing or section of the campus dedicated to elementary/primary school classrooms.
- Secondary
- The wing or section of the campus dedicated to middle and high school students.
- Secondary Wing
- The section of the campus dedicated to middle and high school classrooms.
- The Bus
- The school-provided transportation service that shuttles students within the Puntacana Resort & Club and nearby areas.
- The Field
- The main outdoor sports area used for soccer, PE classes, and Field Day events.
- The Gate
- The main security entrance where all student drop-offs, pick-ups, and visitor check-ins occur.
- The Gazebo
- A central outdoor covered structure used for student gatherings and small assemblies.
- The Library
- The central resource center for research, reading, and quiet study.
- The Palapa
- The central architectural landmark of the school used for multi-purpose gatherings.
- The Pavilion
- The large, covered outdoor multi-purpose area used for sports, assemblies, and major school events.
- The Science Wing
- The section of the campus dedicated to secondary school science laboratories.
- The Uniform Shop
- The on-campus store where students must purchase their required school and PE uniforms.
- Uniform
- The mandatory daily attire consisting of a branded polo shirt and khaki bottoms.
- Uniform Policy
- The mandatory dress code consisting of school-branded polos and specific bottoms, strictly enforced at the entrance.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 runs Aug 15, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 29 approved campus terms and 28 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.