GBC JLS/NAKAYOSHI PRESCHOOL SCHOOL-PTC NEWSLETTER

3rd term 2023

Notes from Nakayoshi Preschool

There are only a few days left of this school year. This is
the time when I reflect on the past days and feeloverjoyed that each child has grown big and strong.

pleasantly surprised me. One day, all of a sudden, I heard
the children saying, “i, ko, shi, ku, he, shi, mo, tsu, ya,,,,se,ya!” I had no idea what it meant. According to theteachers, they memorized the Hiragana letters that theylearned in order.

I can’t help but smile when I see the children from theclassroom window, hear their voices from the hallway, andobserve their behavior when I stop by a classroom. And I
am very impressed.

I felt joy in seeing the children mature, and I also felt gladin being able to have the traditional events.
ThePerformance Day was held at the social hall in December,and the Sports Event was held in the nearby park in March.
There was also a Halloween Parade and a Mamemaki Bean
Throwing. Also, birthday parties were held monthly. Thankyou very much parents/guardians for taking time out ofyour busy schedules to participate in these events.

I see the children in the Penguin and Risu classes taking
care of themselves as much as possible. For example, many
children wear a red-white reversible cap on their backs
before going outside to play because they take it out of
their bag and put it on themselves. When they take a nap,
some children do their best to cover their beds withsheets. After a nap, all the children put their blankets andsheets in their bags. I am touched by the hard work anddiscipline of these children.

Next on a personal note, I will be retiring at the end ofJune. I have worked at the Gardena Buddhist Church as aPreschool Director for ten years. I was very happy togreet our children and families every day. And I received a
lot of energy to see the children grow day by day. The
Nakayoshi Preschool, which celebrates its 50th anniversary
this year, is a wonderful preschool with the support of theGardena Buddhist Church and its wonderful staff. I think
it will be a long road for children growing up in the UnitedStates to maintain and improve their Japanese language
skills, but hopefully you’ll create an environment in which
they can continue to learn Japanese language and culture.

When the children of the Banana and Melon classes are
lined up in the hallway, I can hear the following
conversation. When the teacher asks, “How many friends
are there today?” The children count and answer, “Eight!”
After that, the teacher asks, “How many people are there
if you include the teacher?” Then they say, “Nine people!”I think that the bond between the children has also
deepened. For example, if a child is feeling sad andhesitant to go to their classroom in the morning, a friend
comes to the entrance and says, “Let’s go together.” Thenthe children go to the classroom.

To the parents/guardians of our graduates, I’ll always bepraying for your child’s success even after entering
Kindergarten. And to all parents/guardians of the current
children, I hope that your child will continue to come to theNakayoshi preschool eagerly every day, learn many things,
and have a happy preschool life.

I can see that the children of the Bara and Suimire classes
are studying intently Japanese. On the whiteboard in theclassroom, there are many words and pictures that begin
with Hiragana letters that they practice every day. Somechildren can read fluently Japanese picture books. Thechildren who used to speak only English when they were in ayoung group can now speak to me in Japanese. For example,“○○ (little sister’s name) can poop in the bathroom.” Or“Next time, ○○ (little brother’s name) is coming toNakayoshi Preschool.” There was also something thatFinally, thank you to all the parents/guardians for yourwarm support, understanding and cooperation. Thank you
from the bottom of my heart.
Director Keiko Damiata1Messages from the Teachers

Bara and Sumire classes
Just when we thought that the Sports Day was over andthe spring break was over, it was already June. Then thegraduation ceremony will be held in a few days. Our
children started learning Hiragana letters in September,and there is only one character left. Some children canread Japanese picture books aloud, and some can even write
their friends’ names or write letters while drawing apicture.
When we think back to when they first entered theNakayoshi preschool and they were 2 or 3 years old, wefeel that their mind and body have grown a lot.
In particular, the Bara and Sumire classes were small
groups this school year, but they got along well and wereable to enjoy playing outside together. The children who do
not speak Japanese at home can now express their feelings
in Japanese and even make small jokes. We hope that they
will not forget Japanese after they graduate. It’s only lessthan a week left in this school year, but we hope to cherish
each day and create wonderful memories

Penguin and Risu classes
Almost a year has passed since we first met our children.
The days have passed by so quickly.
I remember the first morning when they started school;
our hearts were pounding with seeing crying children. Also,
most were too embarrassed to say hello or reply, and they
had a hard time cleaning up in the beginning, but now they
can say hello and reply in a loud voice, and they can clean up.
It seems that the children who used to play alone havelearned to enjoy playing with friends and have started
caring for their friends.
They say, “I could do it by myself,” and there have been
many things that they can do on their own. The children
have grown up in their own space, both physically andemotionally.
We will be able to finish this school year without asignificant injury. We think that there were some things
that we could not achieve as a teacher, but we would like tothank all the parents/guardians for understanding andcooperation.

Appreciation for the Donation fromFamilies
We received a lot of donations this school year from thefamilies of the Nakayoshi preschool. There were toys, playsets, picture books, clothes, COVID antigen test kits,
COVID gloves, and office supplies including copier paper,folders, ballpoint pens, etc. Thank you all so very much foryour generosity.

Banana and Melon classes
At the end of March, Keigo left preschool, and after spring
break in April, a new friend, Kelsey joined the Banana class.
The friends in the Banana class showed her about theirroutine such as morning preparations and cleaning up, so wehope that she has become accustomed to preschool life.
It’s been about 10 months since the class started in Augustof last year. In the beginning, some children were confused
until they got used to the new class and environment, but
now they are engrossed in chatting with their friends evenwhen they put down their bags on their desks. They often
help their friends clean up. We are happy to see thegrowth of the children, as they have nurtured a gentle
feeling of caring for their friends. The Melon and Banana
classes played games together and had a lot of fun saying,“Today let’s play tail tag!” or “Today let’s play Kokoro Ball(rolling dodgeball)!” Even some friends who were frustrated
because they didn’t win are now able to support theirfriends who won, saying, “Even if I lose, I’ll do my best nexttime!”
Our children have grown both physically and emotionally.
We would like to thank all the parents/guardians forcooperation and understanding, and for sending your childto our school.

Appreciation to Church Volunteers
To Brian Imada, Dave Mitani, Daniel Iwamoto, Joe Nshihira,James Yokota, and John Tsuruta, thank you for repairingclassrooms, setting up the sound system for school events,
taking care of supplies such as paper towels, toilet paper,tissues, etc. and taking overall good care of the premises.
The two Boy Scout groups led by Ms. Patty Nishimura also
helped with the work to replace the preschool yard mats,installed protectors for the yard pillars, planted flowers
and vegetables, painted the balance beam, bought toys, andmade bookcases. Thank you to all the Church volunteers
for your continued support throughout the school year.

Commendation for Long Service
Ms. Kazue Higa will be commended by the Gardena Buddhist
Churchforfiveyearsofcontinuousservice.
Congratulations!

Notice2023 Summer program start date: Monday, June 26th
2023 New school year start date: Tuesday, September 5th2