The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 26 | Issue 4 | June 2023

In this issue...
02...New Building Construction Update

14...Connect to Hisaichi

05...A Balancing Act

17...Spelling Bee

07...G5 Short Story Competition

20...Visit to Bloomberg Headquarters

08...Sakura Medal Book Report Contest

21...World Book Day

10...Model United Nations Events

22...Real-World Investigations

13...School Calendar 2023‒24

31...Turnitin Draft Coach

From the Head of School

Dates to Remember

ChatGPT and education

In late 2022, ChatGPT was launched by the research company
OpenAI. The accessibility of this new artificial intelligence tool has
been somewhat polarizing; while it is feared by some, there are those whowant to embrace it. I am going to discuss some of the implications that
ChatGPT will have on education and what we need to know as parents.
What is ChatGPT?
According to ZDNET, ChatGPT is “a natural language processing tool driven
by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations and much
more with the chatbot.” It is able to understand and respond to natural
language, making it useful for tasks such as language translation, answering
questions, and text completion.
Within an educational context, ChatGPT is being used by students in a numberof ways including but certainly not limited to:• Generating new ideas• Helping to solve problems• Writing e-mails• Summarizing and paraphrasing• Generating practice questions
One of the biggest concerns regarding student use of ChatGPT involves
plagiarism and academic honesty. While various AI detection applications areavailable for school use, it is our view that students must first learn anddemonstrate academic integrity. The goal is not to catch students who use AI
maliciously, but to have them learn to use it responsibly, in a way thatenhances their learning. The IB has stated that they will not ban the use of AI
software but will instead work with schools to help them support students on
how to use these tools ethically in line with their principles of academic
integrity. The IB’s statement on ChatGPT can be found here:bWebhttps://www.ibo.org/news/news-about-the-ib/statement-from-the-ibabout-chatgpt-and-artificial-intelligence-in-assessment-andeducation/

We are entering a new era of education with the launch of AI software such as
ChatGPT. While the concerns of academic honesty are valid, it is important topoint out ways in which AI can possibly enhance learning. The University ofPennsylvania, for example, suggests that teachers can use ChatGPT to create
learning activities or generate project-based learning scenarios.
Continued on next page

KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life

June 2023
14 Last day of school for students(Half day for students)
14 (K1-G11) Semester 2 reports
issued14 (K1-G3) After care not available
on this day
15-30 Office open
19-30 Summer program session 1

July 2023
1-30 School closed
31-Aug 11 Summer program
session 2

August 2023
17 (K1/K2/K3) Parent welcome night
21 First day of school for all students
21 (K2-G3) After care begins thisweek
21 (G6-G10) Mathematics diagnostic
assessments (*Afternoon)
21 (K2-G3) After care begins thisweek
21-23 (G12) DP diagnostic exams
23 (G1-G5) Parent welcome night
25 (G6-G12) Parent welcome night
26 SAT@KIST
30-Sep 1 (G11) Camp

September 2023
4 (K1) After care begins this week
4 (G1-G5) Semester 1 LEAP
classes begin this week2

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Continued from previous page

It can also be used to generate readingmaterials based on student interest at
various reading levels. As any educator
knows, it is always a challenge to provide
engaging, level-appropriate readingmaterials to all students, based on the same topic.

they are applying AI to support student
learning through their learning guide
known as Khanmigo is very intriguing.

As we move into the summer vacation, hopefully mostof you will have more free time to relax and dedicate toyour hobbies and personal learning. For those of you
interested in learning more about the ways in which AI
technology can be used to enhance learning, I highly
recommend watching the TED Talk by Sal Khan, thefounder and CEO of Khan Academy. The way in which

I wish you a safe and rewarding summer vacation!

bWebhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=hJP5GqnTrNo

Warm regards,
Kevin Yoshihara
Head of School/Elementary School
Principal

References:• What is google bard? here’s everything you need to know. ZDNET. (n.d.). https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-google-bard-hereseverything-you-need-to-know/• IBO. (n.d.). Statement from the IB about CHATGPT and artificial intelligence in assessment and Education. International Baccalaureate.
https://www.ibo.org/news/news-about-the-ib/statement-from-the-ib-about-chatgpt-and-artificial-intelligence-in-assessment-andeducation/

New Building Construction Update
As announced to the school community recently via ECommunications, construction of the new school building has
been delayed by approximately two weeks, and the move tothe new building has been rescheduled for mid-November. We
will continue to prioritize safety as we work towards the
project's completion.
For this issue, we interviewed students regarding their thoughts about theconstruction of the new building by asking them: What are you looking forward towith the new school building?

End of March 2023

Ann (G6A)• The school grounds will be larger. The gym will be bigger, therestrooms will be cleaner, and the floors won’t make creaking
sounds anymore!
• I'm excited to see how the new building will look.
Edward (G9B)• We will have a gym again!
• The toilets will be clean.
• I’m looking forward to daily school life in the big new building with improved facilities.

End of May 2023

Taiga (G5B)• I’ll be in G6 next year, and I’m glad that I will be able to use all of the new facilities, like theclassrooms.
• I’ve heard that the gym and school grounds will be larger, so I’m looking forward to being able to do
more sports and activities than before.
Lia (G4B)• The gym will be new and bigger.
• The new building will be bigger, and more people will be able to use it.
Finally, as you may have noticed on the KIST School Calendar for 2023‒24, we will hold a “New Building Opening
Celebration” on Saturday, June 15, 2024. Although we will be able to start using the new building from November,
we have decided to delay the official opening event in order to maximize attendance and to allow participation frompast members of the school community who may be visiting their families in Japan for the summer. We hope tomake this an event that can be enjoyed by everyone, from current students to alumni. Please mark this event on
your calendars! Let’s celebrate together with current students, graduates, transfer students, and KIST families! We
will send out formal invitations closer to the event.

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Message from the Board PresidentO

n June 2, we held our G12 graduation ceremony. Congratulations to all our graduates! On the day
before the ceremony, the G12s paraded throughout the school in their graduation gowns, and current
students and staff were able to cheer them on with a rousing round of applause. Many of this year’s
graduates have been at KIST since kindergarten, so those of us who have known them for many years
were particularly moved to see them wearing their gowns. This is only possible at a school such as KIST
that offers a continuous education from a young age. We look forward to hearing about the future
successes of all our graduates.
The core of KIST’s mission is to: “provide academically motivated children with a high-quality education inorder to develop competent, academic and compassionate individuals who make meaningful contributions
to our global community.” It is the responsibility of the school’s Board of Directors to continuously checkthat the school is operating in accordance with it’s mission and related policies. At KIST, we have adopted
the use of various external official tests in order to measure and verify that we are developing
academically competent individuals in accordance with our mission.
The official GL test, based on the British curriculum, was recently conducted for G1 through G5. We arepleased to report the results for G5, the final grade in Elementary. The GL test is scored on a 9-point
scale, with a score of 4 to 6 indicating ‘Meeting expectations’ and a score of 7 or higher indicating‘Exceeding expectations’ in the British public school system; however, as our educational goals andstudent population are different from those of the British education system, KIST’s ‘Meeting expectations’level for English and Mathematics is higher than that of British public schools, with 6 points indicating ‘Just
meeting expectations,’ 7‒8 points indicating ‘Meeting expectations,’ and 9 points indicating ‘Exceeding
expectations.’
The results of the G5 English GL are as follows:
Stanine score
9
7 or above
6 or above
4 or above% of students
16%
70%
84%
98%

At KIST, 84% of students achieved ‘Just meeting expectations’ or above, and 16% achieved ‘Exceeding
expectations.’ However, by the standards of British public schools, 98% of students achieved ‘Meeting
expectations’ or above, and 70% achieved ‘Exceeding expectations.’
The results of the G5 Mathematics GL are as follows:
Stanine score
9
7 or above
6 or above
4 or above% of students
39%
89%
99%
100%

As indicated above, despite taking the test at one grade level higher, 39% of students received a perfectscore, and 99% scored ‘Just meeting expectations’ or higher.
Although omitted for reasons of space, students in G1 through G4 also achieved excellent learning
results. I believe that these results are the result of the hard work of our students as well as the support ofour dedicated faculty, support staff, and parents. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thankyou all.
I wish you all an enjoyable summer vacation!
Takako Komaki
Board President/Associate Head3

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Early Childhood News
Hello, KIST Families! It seems like another hot summer isapproaching. This is the final issue of The Comet for 2022–
23. As we started to lift some of the COVID regulations
towards the end of this school year, I feel like we have justwoken up from a long hibernation. We have our excursions
back, finally, many children are not wearing masks inside andoutside, and parents are finally welcome back on campus! I
hope all the children in K1–K3 enjoyed not only these events
but also their school life itself.

K1

Pyjama Day

The K1s spent timelearning about
patterns and finding
patterns all aroundus. To show off ourfavourite patterns,
we hosted a PatternPyjama Party in ourclassrooms! We
wore our favourite pair of pattern pyjamas and showed themoff in a fashion show catwalk, show and tell and then enjoyeda popcorn party with everyone!

K2
100th Dayof School

On February
8, the K2scelebrated the100th day ofschool! To tie
in with ourmathcurriculum,
we spent the day playing games such as dot stamping 100
gumballs, making a 100-cup tower, and building structureswith 100 kapla blocks. We also made a special 100-day
poster, choosing and gluing images of our most cherishedand favorite memories of the year so far. This day was agreat chance to reflect on all the progress we have made inK2 and acknowledge that we are 100 days smarter.

K3
Water Science
MuseumIn May, K3B went on a
fun adventure to theWater Science
Museum. The children
were overjoyed as theylearned fascinating facts
about the importance of water in our lives and theenvironment. They got to experience a unique opportunity to
see the different stages of water, its importance in theecosystem and how it is purified. The museum exhibits werequite engaging and hands-on, which made the experience all
the more memorable. Through this remarkable field trip, thechildren were able to grasp just how essential water is insustaining life and our planet. It was a fun and educational
outing that will surely stay with them for a long time!

For this issue, I asked the K1–K3 staff to write about some of
the fun activities they have been doing in each class. I hope
you enjoy reading their stories. I wish all
KIST families a wonderful summer holiday!
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1–K3)/K2A
Teacher

Pirate Day

To bring someexcitement to our
UOI focusing ontransportation, theK1s took part in apirate day! We spenttime discussing how
pirates travel
around, what
transportation they use and how pirate ships are different tothe big boats we see now. We used our knowledge ofshapes and construction paper to craft our own pirate ships
to become real pirates, then we hopped on our pirate ship
and went on a treasure hunt!

Theatre ShowTo celebrate the K2s’
UOI focusing on
storytelling, the children
took part in creating aplay in three groups andperforming it at the K2
Theatre Show for theirfriends and family. We
spent a lot of time throughout this unit learning about different
story elements such as characters, settings and plots byfocusing on a wide range of stories that not only come frombooks but from movies and plays as well. We took our
newfound knowledge of story elements and created our own
original stories or modified versions of classics such as “TheThree Little Pigs” and “Billy Goats Gruff”. To add anotherlayer of excitement to our theatre show, we also used
construction paper to craft our own character hats. All theK2s were able to put on some amazing, fun and creative
shows for our families and teachers.

Ainu Cultural
Exchange Center

The K3s have been
exploring how peopleinteract with and value thenatural environment. They
began the unit thinking
about where things they need daily come from. The mostcommon answer was from the store, but throughout the unit,
they began to realize that everything we use originally comesfrom the natural environment (e.g. a toothbrush comes from astore but is made from plastic which is made from oil originallyfrom nature). They also explored how indigenous
communities interact with and value the natural environment.
Students realized that the connection such communities havewith nature is much deeper. They remember to show respectand be appreciative of gifts from nature. To learn more about
indigenous communities, the K3s visited the Ainu Cultural
Exchange Center where they got to try a traditional Ainu
instrument called the “mukkuri”.

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V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3

A Balancing Act
As the school year comes to a close and summer
break approaches, I want to take a moment toemphasize the significance of relaxation during thiswell-deserved time off. As Vice Principal, I recognize
the hard work and dedication you have put into yourstudies, and now it's time to recharge, unwind andenjoy the summer to the fullest.
Summer break offers a unique opportunity for you toengage in activities that promote relaxation andrejuvenation, aligning with the core principles of theInternational Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile. By
embracing relaxation, you embody the following
attributes:•••

Balanced: Take this time to strike a balance
between leisure activities and personal growth.
Engage in activities that bring you joy while also
investing in your well-being and personal
development.
Reflective: Use the summer break to reflect on
your learning journey so far. Consider yourstrengths, areas for improvement, and set goals forthe upcoming academic year.
Open-minded: Embrace the diversity ofexperiences the summer offers. Step outside yourcomfort zone, explore new interests, and engage••

with different cultures andperspectives, whether throughtravel, reading or connectingwith people from diverse backgrounds.
Caring: Show kindness and care not only for
yourself but also for those around you. Spendquality time with loved ones, connect with friends,
and engage in acts of service that contribute to thewell-being of your community.
Inquirers: Embrace curiosity and a love forlearning even during your break. Pursue yourinterests, read books that inspire you, and explore
topics that ignite your intellectual curiosity.

By prioritizing relaxation and embodying these IB
Learner Profile attributes, you will make the most of
your summer break. Allow yourself to unwind, reflect
and grow. When you return to school, you will beequipped with renewed energy, a broader perspective,
and a readiness to excel academically and personally.
Wishing you all a delightful and relaxing
summer!
Clay M. Bradley
Elementary School Vice Principal/
Student Care Coordinator

Elementary ELS
Bilingual math glossaries to support math discussions at homehttps://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/language-rbern/resources/bilingualglossaries-and-cognates
We are excited to announce that this summer you will have access to good quality mathresources from White Rose Maths to use at home! These resources are in English;
however, at the link above you will find a great set of bilingual math glossaries that will help
with understanding the math vocabulary in White Rose Maths.
Remember, it is very helpful for your child’s conceptual development if you use yourfamily’s home languages when you discuss math with them. Remember also that letting
children explain their reasoning in their most comfortable language is a good way to help
them develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. Having the English languageof the White Rose Math resources together with lots of discussion in your home languages
is a great combination that can really help your child enjoy and gain confidence inunderstanding the concepts in math and the words used to work with those concepts.
See the links below for more information about mathematics and language learning. Also,
we would love to know if you have found any other free bilingual resources for mathlearning. Please get in touch at the e-mail address below.
• Moschkovich, J. (2013). Principles for Mathematics Instruction for ELLs. Stanford
University. Retrieved from https://ul.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/resource/202102/2.Principles%20for%20Math%20Instruction%208-14-13.pdf• https://www.kist.ed.jp/files/pdf/TheComet/The%20Comet_2016.12_E.pdf (p.10)• https://www.kist.ed.jp/files/pdf/TheComet/The%20Comet_2022.03_E.pdf (p.5)
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator/G3 ELS Instructor
rachel.parkinson@kist.ed.jp

Math Glossaries

Elementary School Math
• Albanian• Arabic• Bengali• Burmese• Chinese (simplified)• Chinese (traditional)• Dutch• French• Fulani• Greek• Haitian• Hindi• Italian• Japanese• Karen• Kinyarwanda• Korean• Kurdish (Kurmanji)• Malay• Mandinka• Nepali• Pashto• Polish• Portuguese• Punjabi• Romanian• Russian• Slovak• Spanish• Swahili• Tagalog• Thai• Tibetan• Turkish• Twi• Ukrainian• Urdu• Uzbek• Vietnamese• Wolof5

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PYP News
How to use the six traits of writing to support your child at home
For this issue of The Comet, I would like to draw yourattention to a new document that has been added to
the Community portal of the KIST website: the KISTPYP Academic Handbook.
As we approach the long summer vacation, many ofyou may be considering how to support your child with
their writing. You may have been given advice such as
writing short stories, writing letters to friends andrelatives, or keeping a diary. This is all fine, but you
might be unsure of what you should be looking for in
their writing.
As you know, at KIST, we follow the Six (plus one)
Traits of Writing which is a widely used framework forassessing and improving writing skills. It provides acomprehensive approach to evaluate and enhancevarious aspects of writing. Let’s explore each trait
briefly:
1. Ideas: This trait focuses on the content and themain message of the writing. It assesses the clarity,
originality and depth of the ideas presented.
2. Organization: Organization refers to the structure
and coherence of the writing. A well-organized piecehas a clear introduction, body paragraphs, andconclusion, with smooth transitions between ideas.
3. Voice: Voice represents the unique style andpersonality of the writer. It examines the tone, word
choice and the overall impression the writing
creates on the reader.
4. Word choice: This trait emphasizes the selection of
precise and appropriate vocabulary. It encourages
the use of vivid, descriptive language to engage thereader and convey meaning effectively.
5. Sentence fluency: Sentence fluency assesses therhythm and flow of the writing. It looks at the variety
of sentence structures, the balance between longand short sentences, and the overall readability.
6. Conventions: Conventions refer to grammar,punctuation and spelling. This
trait ensures that the writing
follows standard rules oflanguage usage and is freefrom errors that may distract or
confuse the reader.
The "+1" trait is Presentation,
which encompasses the visualelements of the writing. It
considers aspects such asformatting, neatness and overall
appearance.
By focusing on these traits, writers
can identify their strengths andareas for improvement, leading tomore effective and polished
written communication. The 6+1
Writing Traits framework provides
a valuable guide for writers of alllevels to enhance their skills andproduce high-quality written work.

Obviously, what to look out for canvary a great deal across the gradelevels. At KIST, we have developed our own writing
rubrics which integrate the objectives of the national
curriculum for England with the six traits of writing. To
help you support your child, these rubrics have been
published on pages 18–65 of the KIST PYP Academic
Handbook. You will find the homeroom writing rubrics
on pages 18–45, and Japanese class writing rubrics on
pages 46–65. For homerooms, except for G1, which
has two, each grade has three rubrics (one for eachwriting assessment), and you can see how each“assessment focus” is described across the SAME
leveling system. (See the example in the image at thebottom of this page.)
When supporting your child, it is important tounderstand that these descriptors are for end-of-year
expectations, so be careful to select the correct rubric.
For this summer, I would suggest using the rubric forthe class that your child has just graduated from.
While there may be changes to the rubrics over thecourse of the school year, these will be minor, andupdated versions will be uploaded each summer.
These resources should be helpful for you in
supporting your child with their writing, however, please
try to ensure the experience is fun and supportive. Ifthey are old enough, it is best to encourage your child,to engage with the rubric themselves and self-assess
their own work, then you can discuss their thoughts
and set achievable targets.
If you have any questions of how you
can support your child’s learning overthe summer, please do not hesitate toask.
Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinator“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3

G5 Short Story Competition
G5 held a short story competition for our last unit. The students were asked to write a story no longer than 500
words on the theme of science, and to include at least one higher level punctuation (e.g. colons, semicolons,
dashes, hyphens or brackets), an expanded noun phrase, a relative clause, and to build suspense.
We had lots of amazing entries with outstanding plots and excellent use of higher-level vocabulary, grammar andpunctuation. The overall winners of the competition were Taiga in 1st place, Max in 2nd place andMing in 3rd place.
Please enjoy reading Taiga’s short story below.
Chloe Kniveton
G5A Homeroom Teacher

The 119th Element
10...9...8...7...6...alarms were blaring a deafening sound as panic spread across the room. But before I destroy
the world, let me take you back a few days.
3 days earlier...
I had finally done it. I, James Hubble, and my team discovered what no one ever has—the 119th element. A
plethora of scientists had believed that after the 118th element, that the Periodic Table was complete; yet we had
discovered, “Energenium”. Energenium is so powerful that it could power the entire world for a decade, and I
have discovered it! I work at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)—the world's largest particle accelerator—in
Geneva, Switzerland. It is a 27-kilometer long, circular tube wrapped in magnetic coil, 100 meters underground,with machines and detectors everywhere. At this very facility, on November 7, 2023, I discovered Energenium—
that’s pretty amazing.
The team decided that we would launch Energenium into the world on November 10th a.k.a., World Science
Day. Our finding took the media by storm: every news station wanted front row seats for our launch, offering
millions. During that time, we were as busy as bees preparing for the launch. Everything had to be perfect.
November 10, 2023
The big day had arrived. My anxiety was like an anchor dragging me down. The huge, historical machine looked
as good as ever. It was now officially one-hour before launch. We had checked, double-checked, and triplechecked everything; we couldn’t be more prepared. Now all we had to do is wait.
We had the timer set to release Energenium at exactly 14:00 in Switzerland. There was no turning back now.
Everything was going to be perfect. Or so we thought...
With only 10 minutes left, Energenium sped around the accelerator: the entire world was on their feet eagerly
awaiting release. Then, suddenly, as if on cue to the timer hitting 9 minutes, the accelerator started shaking
violently. The converters used to safely transfer the energy had been overloaded. If Energenium was released
now, it would cause a massive explosion; destroying the world. How could I have missed this?
There was no time to waste. The world watched in horror as we tried to stop the launch. The tension in the room
was unbearable. This was the end. I would be the one who destroyed the world. There was only 1 minute left.
That was when I got it! If we launch Energenium into space and away from Earth, there just might be a chance.
10...9...8...7...6...alarms were blaring a deafening sound as panic spread across the room. I worked as hard as I
could to try and change the launch trajectory. Would this work, there was only one way to find out.
3...2...1...! It had happened, yet we were all still alive. Thanks to my split-second thinking, the world had beensaved. Although we were unable to launch Energenium (for now), we could always try again. The world is safe,
and that’s important.
10 years later…
Energenium has just been launched for the second time, and this time nobody came close to dying.
We had upgraded the converters 10-fold to make sure it could contain Energenium. The world has
now been powered for a decade, and I can officially say I have changed the world.
Taiga (G5B)

7

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Sakura Medal Book Report Contest 2022‒23
Once again this year, KIST students participated in the
14th Annual Sakura Medal Book Report Contest, heldby the Japanese teachers at international schools
around Japan. This year, five KIST students submitted
works in the “Lower Elementary” division, and three inthe “Upper Elementary” division.
As a result of the judging, in the Upper Elementary
division, Amane (G4B) won a prize for excellence, andTakuto (G4A) won a prize for effort. And in the Lower
Elementary division, Masayuki (G3A) won a prize forexcellence. Congratulations to all students.

Upper Elementary division

Takuto (G4A)

Sho (G4A)

Amane (G4B)

Lower Elementary division

Masayuki (G3A)

Erika (G3A)

Lia (G3B)

Sara (G3B)

Arisu (G3B)

School Uniform—Lia Takes Action
When I came to this school, I didn’t really think about the school uniform. I didn’t think about how
everyone needed to wear something and not something of their free will. But as I got older, I was
thinking that you can wear anything even if you’re a boy or a girl. So that’s when I started toquestion. Why do girls need to wear skirts? Why can’t they wear trousers like boys? In theelementary school, when it’s not school time, there are students who don’t want to wear skirts.
However, girls needed to wear skirts while at school.
When I got to Grade 4, I suddenly noticed that secondary girls could wear trousers because
students in secondary took action and said that girls can wear trousers. So, girls can now wear
trousers in the secondary school. However, I was thinking, why only secondary? Why can’t elementary girls also
wear trousers? I asked some of my friends about what they thought about skirts, and some said that they just want
to wear trousers. I asked my parents what I should do, and they suggested I ask people who know why only
secondary girls get to wear trousers. I asked four people who we know of.
I asked Dr. Yoshihara, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Bradley, and Ms. Mitsuyo. Mr. Bradley and Mr. Sullivan didn’t know why
only secondary girls got to wear skirts. Dr. Yoshihara said that when they discussed the new uniform, they simply
didn’t consider that some elementary girls would prefer to wear trousers. When I asked Ms. Mitsuyo, she said that
only secondary girls get to wear trousers. I could’ve just waited 2 more years until I’m in the secondary school andI get to wear trousers, but what about the other elementary students? When I go to the secondary school, I was
afraid nothing would change in the elementary school. So, I asked for help from my parents, and they emailed Dr.
Yoshihara about my feelings and asked if KIST could consider changing the school uniform policy. A
week later, I talked to Dr. Yoshihara, and he said that from then on, everyone could wear trousers. I
was thrilled to hear that news. I think that if you believe that something’s wrong or something shouldn’t
be the way it’s done, just take action.
Lia (G4B)

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V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3

KIPS NewsWe are almost 10 months into the2022–23 school year, which began ina state of uncertainty regarding COVID-19. Fortunately, we have not had any
closures at KIPS this year, and boththe P1s and P2s have maderemarkable progress.
The P1 class, with a total of 6
children—the largest P1 group so far—have demonstrated amazing growthand language acquisition as they work hard during the day with various routine tasks, while learning English, Art,
Music, PE and Japanese. During the year, the children have also shown a growing awareness of each other as
they play together, say sorry to each other when they get into fights, and ask about their friends when someone isabsent. Did you see the P1’s first stage performance at the Kindergarten Concert? If you did, I think you’ll agree
that they’ve progressed so much.
For the first time in P2, we held a parent-child visit that was a bit different from previous years. The visit was very well received
by the parents who shared many positive comments such as: “It was very good to see how the children are doing at preschool,”and “My child can’t clean up at home, but seems to do it well at preschool.” We are pleased to report that children who were notable to not speak any English when they first joined us have started to do so, and have even been speaking English at home!
The P2s also have a “Science” class during which they learn through inquiry. The children’s eyes shine with excitement as theyobserve the results of experiments. We don’t know what the children will be interested in in the future or what direction they will
take, but we hope to help them even just a little in building a foundation for theirlives.
The P2 Completion Ceremony will be held on Friday, June 16, and all the P2s
are practicing hard for it. This year, the P1s will also participate in order to say
farewell to their P2 friends.
Let’s enjoy the rest of the year together until the end of June!
I hope you all have a wonderful summer vacation.
Yukiko Murai Jones
KIPS Office Coordinator

From the P2 classroom...
Have you ever heard of the term “non-cognitive skills”? At
KIPS, we focus on improving the children’s non-cognitive
skills as they become accustomed to an English-speaking
environment. The children learn to do many things, andeach time they do something properly, they are praised.
When they realize how happy they feel when they arepraised, they in turn praise and encourage their friends.
When a friend cries, the other children run up to them andtalk to them gently or pat them on the head. Of course,
there are times when they cannot do something or have disagreements with their friends, but
at such times, they learn how to solve the problem in their own way, whether by thinking forthemselves or asking for help from their teachers. We see the children’s inner growth as theylearn to lend and borrow toys without the intervention of an adult, learn to take turns witheach other, and learn to help their friends with difficult tasks.
Now that the coronavirus pandemic has settled down, we are once again able to hold eventswith parental participation. In the “Tummy Exercise” sponsored by Yakult, we learned thatmaintaining a good intestinal environment is the secret to good health! By looking at the stateof our feces, we can understand our intestinal environment and what we should do in orderto improve the state of our feces. At the Spring Concert, we were very proud and impressed
to see the results of our practices at KIPS fully demonstrated on stage. At the picnic, throughvarious activities, we had a chance to see how the children played with each other, and how
they interacted with their own and other parents. During Observation Week, parents wereinvited to hide from the children in order to observe how the children spend their time at KIPS
(free play time, morning circle, lessons, communication). The children are
now working hard toward graduation and progression to K1. We willcontinue to support the children so that they can enjoy their life at KIPS untilthe very end, and develop further both internally and physically.
Yoshimi Machida
P2 Teacher

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Model United Nations Events
ASIJMUNOur experiences at the 2023 ASIJ Model United Nations
Conference
Arshiya (G11A)

T

his was my second ASIJMUN
conference, and this time I was excited
to see it on an even larger scale. We had
students travelling internationally from
Korea, just for the conference. This, apart fromelevating the importance of the conference itself, gave
me a chance to communicate with students fromdifferent cultures and become knowledgeable about
diverse perspectives on my committee’s topic. Thistime, I was placed in the ECOSOC Committee; it wasquite a competitive experience as all of us raised
continuous points of information and gave speeches onamendments and resolutions.
At the start of the conference, things were a bit hazy as
I was still getting used to the rules of procedure andthe people around me, but as it progressed to the othertopics, I saw an increased relevance towards mycountry and was able to contribute more often. Thistime, I saw myself communicating more with otherdelegates than I had at any other conference and wasable to make new friends and meet people.
Despite the conference getting somewhat tiring, withthe two days packed with speeches, amendments,
relaxing breaks and small talks, I was glad to be able
to see myself understanding the modus operandi fastereach time. This was, undoubtedly, a very
knowledgeable and interesting experience for me as I
could see how far I had come in terms of public
speaking. My gratitude to my advisors, delegates, andsecretariats is benevolent.

Kiichiro (G11A) and Arshiya (G11A)

KIST delegates

Kiichiro (G11A)

T

his year, I had the opportunity toparticipate in a fully in-person MUN
conference for the first time at ASIJ. There
were eight international schools involved in
the conference including two schools from Jeju, Korea.
I was selected to be the delegate of Japan in the‘Crisis’ committee out of the seven committees at
ASIJMUN. Naturally, I was a little nervous as I had
never participated in a ‘Crisis’ committee nor a
conference of similar size.
My committee, the ‘Crisis’ committee, focused on the
Vietnam war. The committee started from the end ofWorld War II, and individual delegates represented
each nation to navigate their country through a periodof high tensions. Although the ‘Crisis’ committee isknown for having a wider range of flexibility because
anything is possible, I felt that my country assignmentof ‘Japan’ may be an irrelevant nation before theconference due to Japan’s little involvement in the
Vietnam war.
However, as the committee progressed on the firstday, I noticed that I was the only delegate positioned to
broker peace deals and negotiations. Other delegates
had formed ideological blocks, separated between the‘communist’ and ‘capitalist’ blocks. Despite thecommittee’s many wild occurrences such asassassination of national leaders and many coupd’états, I was able to stay as the only one nation
capable of calling for a cease fire on both sides tosway other delegates to come to negotiations. At theend of the second day, the committee was able to passan open directive which ended the war with Japan,
country represented by myself, as the main submitter.
Unexpectedly, ASIJMUN became my most memorable
and favorite MUN event in all my MUN experiences. I
was able to become proficient in being involved in a
new committee and rediscovered the importance of
having nonpartisan parties at the negotiation table
during times of high tension. Most importantly, it was
extremely entertaining to be involved in a very fast
paced committee with friends from international
schools in Kanto as well as Korea. I’m hoping that
KIST can continue to participate in similarly larger andin person conferences, possibly even international
events, or even host our own KISTMUN next year.
Continued on next page

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11

Continued from previous page

JMMUN
2023 Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations ConferenceOn March 25 and 26, several KIST students had the opportunity to represent a range ofnations at the largest student-led MUN in Japan—Senzoku Japan Metropolitan Model United
Nations (JMMUN). KIST students participated in a range of levels and addressed a range of topics under
the common theme of Renaissance including topics such as preventing deforestation and sustainablegrowth in the realms of nuclear technology.
Zayan (G10B) and I represented Spain as a double delegation in the Intermediate 1 committee with the
topic of abolishing modern slavery. Over the course of the event, Zayan and I discussed a range of new
ideas and solutions with delegates from various schools and backgrounds. We constructively debatedwith several other delegates regarding the various issues each member nation was facing, and viable
solutions to the growing problem of modern slavery.
The passion shared by each delegate inspired every delegate in the room to participate and learn fromthe experience. In our committee the two resolutions proposed passed, with Zayan and I acting as
signatories for both resolutions. Hence, it was an enjoyable and awarding experience for all in ourcommittee.
This outcome was not limited to our committee! There was a plethora of fruitful and collaborative
discussions occurring in every committee at various levels. Judging from the enthused faces of thedelegates as they walked from the auditorium to the committee rooms, and the sounds of discussion
echoing through the wide hallways, every delegate present had a delightful experience at the event.
At the end of the event, two KIST students from the Intermediate 2 committee won awards for excellent
performance at the event:• Remi (G11A) won Honourable Mention.
• Aryan (G10B) and Zayan (G10A) won Best Delegate.
Looking back at the event, JMMUN 2023 was an excellent learning experience for all participating
delegates. I personally made many friends at the event, whom I keep in touch with to this date. Most
importantly, I remember the passion felt by each delegate in my committee, which inspires me
to keep discussing and inventing solutions to the world’s problems in hopes of eventually
representing my country at the UN stage.
Aryan (G10B)

KIST delegates

Zayan (G10B) and Aryan (G10B)
Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

SMISMUN
2023 St. Mary’s Model United Nations Conference
On April 22, twelve KIST delegates participated in the inaugural St.
Mary’s Model United Nations Conference. Delegates drafted
resolutions on a range of issues including combating plastic pollution
in the oceans, addressing the global rise of authoritarianism, tackling
the global mental health crisis, and responding to cyber warfare andstate-sponsored hacking. The following are thoughts from first-timechairs Arshiya (G11A) and Sadhika (G11A).

Kiichiro (G11A)

T

his conference was the first time I have ever chaired at a MUN conference. Although I had participated in
two large scale conferences prior, being a chair was a completely different experience. It was equallystrenuous and collaborative, and I was happy to communicate with loads of people from different schools.
Usually, in the past MUN conferences I have attended as a delegate, I have often only communicated withpeople from my own school and a couple of others. Being a chair really pushed me out of my boundaries andenabled me to gain a better outlook on the procedures of the conference itself.
My committee began a bit slow, so there were a lot of times where my co-chair and I had to specifically engage
delegates and remind them of the rules of procedure; however, with some support from our talented
secretariats we were able to kick-start our committee and received an increased number of POIs andspeeches. Apart from this, my communication skills really improved as I was required to work alongside my cochair, and I learned many new things from him, we were able to share our past MUN experiences and share alaugh or two.
After many debates on amendments and amendments on top of amendments, our conference ended, and I
was required to give a speech and announce the winners of our committee. Being able to draft and deliver theclosing speech in front of a huge crowd felt surreal; it felt great to announce my committee’sachievements in my speech. We all wrapped it up with a photo, as I shook hands and said my last
goodbyes to the secretariats and my co-chair. Overall, it was an extremely memorable, yet tiringexperience and I am so glad that I was able to gain essential chairing experience in MUN.
Arshiya (G11A)

Arshiya (G11A) and Sadhika (G11A)I

was apprehensive at first, knowing that well-experienced
delegates depended on my Co-Chair and I to facilitate theirdebate; I could only thank the SMIS secretariats for preparing me well and cooperating with me before-hand sothat I could chair my committee with confidence.
I chaired the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), in which delegates discussed the global rise of
authoritarianism. My committee had a fruitful conference to begin with—the delegates in my committee almost
immediately formed blocs and resolutions for this issue. Throughout the day, I was able to hear a range ofviews and solutions from delegates such as those representing China and Saudi Arabia (who supported
authoritarianism), compared to those representing India and South Africa (who spoke against authoritarianism).
During this event, I saw numerous delegates walk up to the podium and reveal their excellent speaking styles
and arguments, and I was able to learn some skills that I could as a delegate in future MUN conferences.
Towards the end, my committee did become quite chaotic. This is when my duty as a Chair truly became
challenging. Fortunately, my Co-Chair and I worked well together to bring our debate to an end by passing ourcommittee's final resolution.
Despite any hardships during this conference, I was honored to chair the UNHRC. I am glad thatevery delegate in my committee contributed to the debate and hope that the SMISMUN conference
was a memorable experience for everyone who attended, just as it was for me.
Sadhika (G11A)

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13

Coping with the Summer ERA (Exam Result Anticipation!)
Another year has flown by at KIST! Another year where
we have felt privileged to support students develop
their self-regulation skills and find creative ways tobalance their study and social scales. However, eventhough we have much to celebrate at the end of thisyear, we wanted to take the opportunity to look ahead
to important milestones that are fast approaching.

Maintaining a daily routine is another strategy to help
you feel like you are in control. Sticking to your daily
routines (which you can set and perform with certainty)
will provide a sense of familiarity and a consistentsense of achievement. Every step in the routine that isstuck to will deliver the dopamine release that helps
distract from any result related anxiety.

It might seem a long way away now, but the start of the
new year in August will be with us in the blink of an eye(possibly quicker for teachers and slower forparents...!)

Staying on top of exam result related anxiety is not a
simple task. It requires self-reflection and determination
not to wallow in the hypothetical apocalypse level
outcomes! However, we know our students are very
resilient and we hope that these tips can help kickstarta worry-free summer.

One of the biggest milestones for the start of the newyear is the much-anticipated reveal of exam results.
It is natural that there will be several types of anxiety
around these situations. For the students in G10 and
G12, these results are the culmination of years ofdemanding work and represent more to them than justan exam result: these grades will be keys that have thepower to open a variety of doors in their futures. This
Comet article will give families some practical tips for
dealing with these anxieties over the upcoming
summer break.

We look forward to celebrating, and continuing tosupport, all the students upon the receipt of theirresults. Good luck, everyone!
Matthew Archer and
Hannah Cowie
Student Care
Coordinators(Secondary)

Waiting for exam results?
1. You cannot change the past!
It is easy to focus on the ‘what
ifs?’ of exams. The nature of
exams forces us to focus onwhat we did not do, rather thancelebrate what we did!
However, at this point, nothingcan be changed. The anxiety can often come fromthe lack of control over the exam results—
everything is in the hands of an unknown person.
Instead of reflecting on what was not done, reflect
on the revision process. What did you find useful?
Which exam did you find easiest? What did you do
differently to prepare for that? It is this reflectionthat can help you look to the future so that the nexttime an exam situation arises, the preparation canbe tweaked to suit your personal learning style.
2. Take control
As we mentioned in the previous point, the lack ofcontrol over exam results is often the main driver
for anxiety. Taking control of other aspects of one’s
daily routine can be a significant help in reducing
this anxiety. Channel into action all that nervous
energy buildup by preparing yourself for different
outcomes. Consider, in advance, what you will do if
specific anxiety inducing situations arise. For
example:• If I do not get the grade I wanted in this subject,
I will do this from now on.
• I am worried about the content for this aspect ofnext year’s course. I will do some reading in
advance.
• I am feeling lethargic. A walk to buy a drink/snack will clear my head.

School Calendar 2023–24
As a reminder to families, the datesof school vacation periods for the2023–24 school year are listed
below. Please check carefully as anumber of changes have been
made since being announced in
the December issue of The Comet.
For details of the year’s events and activities, pleasecheck the full calendar that has been distributed to allfamilies via E-Communications.
• First day of school for students:
August 21, 2023
• Autumn vacation:
October 28 – November 5, 2023 [*Changed!]• Winter vacation:
December 16, 2023 – January 7, 2024
(Classes resume from Monday, January 8)• Spring vacation:
March 23 – 31, 2024
• Golden Week vacation
May 3 – 6, 2024 [*Changed!]• Last day of school for students:
June 12, 2024

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Connect to Hisaichi
At the beginning of this year, the G11 Geography
students were introduced to Mr. Jordan Hatter, thefounder of Help4Refugees, who works in Syria to help
refugees displaced by the civil war. Mr. Hattar ensuresthat refugees receive direct help and that all donatedfunds are clearly shown to where they were used.
Following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and
Syria earlier this year, Mr. Hattar flew to Antakya,
Turkey and got into contact with a family of eight,
including the father, Yasser. At the time, the family
was living on the sidewalk in a metal street stall withurgent need for assistance.
During this time, the KIST Connect to Hisaichi (CTH)team got into contact with Mr. Hattar and learned
about the needs of the family he was assisting. This
prompted the G11 Geography class and CTH toorganize a fundraiser to assist Yasser’s family. The
total proceeds of the fundraiser were ¥169,082, andthis was equally split between two NGOs: Ahbap* andHelp4Refugees. Additionally, the CTH teamcollaborated with The American School in Japan’sEnglish Circle Club to raise funds at ASIJ for
Help4Refugees.
Through Help4Refugees, the donations from KIST
were able to provide partial funding for a newcontainer home for Yasser’s family with additional help
from the American School in Warsaw.
This occurred around the same time as the Islamic
holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which the family was very
thankful for.
Thank you all for your continued support. We
appreciate the KIST community’s donations in helping
us make a difference in this world.
The CTH Team
*Ahbap is a Turkish organization which actively provides
humanitarian aid and coordinates natural disaster relief measures.
Following the earthquakes, they have been providing water, food,tents and other crucial supplies for the victims.

Container home being
delivered next to Yasser’s
family’s street stall.

Karam (center) waving to the CTH team and theAmerican School in Poland.

Yasser’s family with Mr. Hatter (right).

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15

Service Activities Report
HiGEPS (High-Grade Global Education Program for Sciences

This was an internship I attended at
Saitama University. In the internshipwe covered many university level
topics in the sciences (Physics,
Chemistry, Biology) and even a few
in mathematics. Professors from
Saitama University hosted lectureson these topics both online and at
the university. As all the lectures
were given in Japanese, I often found myself struggling
to understand them. Nevertheless, my co-interns helped
me a lot throughout the course and explained the many
topics I was struggling with. Towards the end of theinternship, we had to do a presentation and write an
Zayan (right) with fellow KIST participants: Fumie (G10A),
essay describing a recent development in the field of
Diya (G11A) and Shota (G10B).
science or mathematics. In addition to this we also had totake tests which allowed the internship hosts to track ourprogress and see if we were understanding the course material.
I have always held a great interest in the sciences and this internship allowed me to meet many people like me whilst
expanding my knowledge and interest in the natural sciences. Great and very knowledgeable experience overall!

Manila x Tokyo SDG speech contest

The Manila x Tokyo SDGs Speech Contest was an international
exchange program and competition with students from thePhilippines. The main theme of the speech contest was the 17
sustainable development goals; speeches were given on the sheer
necessity of these goals for the betterment of society and on the
progress that the world has made to comply with these goals andpave the way for a better world for the future generations.
In my speech, I gave a desperate call for climate action. I talked
about my personal battles with climate change and used it to show
the need for climate action in Japan. With my speech, I won 2ndplace and I hope I can get other platforms like this to address my
passion in combatting climate change.
In the contest, I listened to talks from many other passionate students from Tokyo and the Philippines. The speeches
given made me realize the necessity of complying with the SDGs and the speeches made me question thecontribution of my actions to society.

Blind jogging (Achilles International)

I participated in a Blind Jogging event wherein I assisted a blind runner, run
throughout Yoyogi Park. Achilles International which is a blind runner group
allows volunteers to assist blind runners, run; because of this I was able toget a great opportunity to run with a blind runner. With my blind teammate,
we jogged around 10 km, and it was a wonderful experience.
My blind partner shared his experiences being blind, such as
how he lives his day-to-day life and his life before he was blind. It was one my most humbling
experiences, and I gained great respect for people with visual impairments.
Zayan (G10A)

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17

Spelling Bee
In March, I took part in the Tokyo Academics Spelling
Bee where I won 2nd place in the competition. The
memorable event took place in the Tokyo Academics
building in downtown Roppongi and here is how I would
encapsulate my whole journey:
Before I entered the building, I encountered a lot of
entrants of the Spelling Bee holding a thick list ofcomplicated words hole-punched inside of a binder. As
they vacuously condensed the information, I was
dubious if I had prepared enough for the contest. For
the whole time at home, I had prepared for the Spelling
Bee by learning and studying some of the critical,
distinct etymology and their respective languages. I
believe that studying for the Spelling Bee this way ismuch more resourceful since the English language has
150,000+ words in the dictionary and exponentiallymore including proper nouns (which come up in theSpelling Bee).
When I entered the building and into the room, there
were rows and rows of chairs for the audience(guardians of the contestants) and that really built onto
the pressure. Before our tournament started, we had ago with a practice round to get comfortable around themicrophone. Simultaneously, a twitch livestream wasbroadcasting the whole event for the whole world to pry
its eyes on. The first few rounds were trivial since it had
easy, short words.
However, as it went on, the words were quickly getting
harder and harder with some unlucky contestants
getting challenged with city names and proper nouns
like the words ‘Andean’. When I could not spell themmyself, failure seemed inevitable and the thoughts of ‘I
am going to fail’, ‘OH NO, it’s my turn next,’ kept
crossing my mind. I got words like ‘volumetric’,‘shamrock’ and ‘amphibian’ which were easy words tospell. Another contestant got the word ‘memorandum’
which I thought was much harder. With these harderwords, more and more people got disqualified. There
was another word ‘hula’ for ‘hula hoop’ and thecontestant spelling that word spelt it as ‘hoola’ and thatwas the most brutal of them all.
For the third to last round of the Spelling Bee, there
were three contestants left. When it was my turn, ‘Next
contestant, please spell the word ‘Tarmac’’—oh no. Asthat word was presented to me, time seemed to slow
down, as my heart amplified its rhythmic pulse andechoed through my mind. This was a challenging word.
I thought that there might have been a lake, an anxious
lake forming around me—chipping my endless memory
for a clue.
‘Have I heard that word before?’ Time was ticking, ‘Tick,tock’ as it went on—‘30 seconds left,’ answered the
pronouncer. I strained through my memory, looking fora clue; the only motivation to keep me going was myvoice, following through in my head.
‘Tarmac, termite, video...’ and then I finally remembered
where I heard that word. I had heard of it in a video
about experimenting with termites.

‘Tarmac, T-A-R-M-A-C..., tarmac,’
I answered.
‘Correct,’ answered the
pronouncer. Yes, I had done it—I
had made it onto the final round.
For the final round, there were only two contestants
left including me and another contestant. It was myturn to spell the word and I got the word ‘Whelp’. I was
extremely unsure of this diction, and I might haveconfused it with the word ‘Welp’ commonly used incasual conversation. However, I asked for thedefinition, usage in a sentence and the etymology.
The definition was different from the ‘welp’ I thought it
was and I was getting unsure. Since the etymology
was old English, there were only two possibilities thatcrossed my mind when answering—either ‘Welp’ or‘Whelp’. I took my chances and answered ‘Welp’, theincorrect spelling. There were two possibilities, twochances—a 50-50 and I had got it wrong.
Even though I made it to the podium with the 2nd
place, it was a tough defeat as I was aiming for the
pinnacle. Nevertheless, it was a great, astounding
experience with a lot of fun moments andan explosion of emotions. We got to meeta lot of incredible people and sharing thismoment with everyone was amazing!
Noah (G7B)

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Lance in Spain
In the early months of 2023, I learnt about a program at
ie University.
To provide some background, ie University is a private
institution in Spain with campuses in Segovia andMadrid. The school is considered to be one of the top
universities in Spain, if not Europe.
When I applied for the Junior Advisory Board program,
I was unsure if I would be successful as the program
only accepts 15 students worldwide each year. Thereis a theme at the heart of the program which allactivities are centered around. This year, it was “Cities
without cars”. One of the key aspects of the application
process involved a four-minute video pitch supported
by a presentation addressing this theme.
This five-day, all expenses paid program consisted of aseries of engaging workshops, conferences, interactive
sessions, and teambuilding projects led by the facultyat ie.
When I first landed in Madrid, I was surprised by thepeople I met. I soon realized that out of the 15
accepted participants, 13 countries were represented,
as well as all the continents. Despite being fromvarious nations, there was no language barrier, and we
had multiple opportunities to learn about each other’scultures and share our opinions.
The lectures we attended ranged from data collection
and analysis to sustainable development of buildings.
By delving into statistical methodologies, datavisualization techniques, and data-driven decisionmaking processes, these sessions taught me theimportance of data processing in addressing issues. By
intertwining economic principles with the study ofgeography and business management, the lectures
highlighted the multidimensional nature of real-world
challenges and the need for interdisciplinary
approaches in addressing them.

Down time with friends

Ultimately, at theend of the
program, the 15 of
us presented tothe executive
board of theschool. The
presentations had
the goal ofaddressing theissue of cars
within cities anddevising methodsof tackling theissue. My grouppresented“Hyperloops”
All of us going to a lecture in Madrid
which are highspeed transportation modules that are capable oftaking passengers from point A to point B without a set
track. There were no strict guidelines, so we chose toportray the hyperloop as a venture capital/shark-tankstyle investment.
The Segovia campus, part of a UNESCO world
heritage site, had a medieval Spanish feel. Studying
here slowed down the pace of life with a close-knit
community feel. The Madrid campus, however, wascompletely different; with its building standing at over
180 meters tall, in the heart of the financial district ofSpain. Madrid had a beautiful urban culture.
During the program we were given plenty of time totour Segovia and Madrid. I had the luxury to try manyof the cultural foods of Spain, and visit historicallandmarks with my new found friends.
The program was an unforgettable experience that I
will cherish forever.
Lance (G11B)

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Secondary SRC
Chess tournament

On April 13, 2023, the SRC organized a chess tournament inwhich 18 chess players from G6–G12 competed to see who the best chessplayer in the secondary school was.
Every player played four rapid games (ten minutes given to each player),receiving two points for each win, one point for each draw, and zero points
for each loss.
Congratulations to Anant (G11A) for winning the competition having won alleight available points from four games. Six other players ended thetournament with six points indicating three wins from four games.
There was strong competition overall and it was great to see passion forchess transcend grade levels.
Overall, the event was a success and the SRC hopes it can organize
another chess competition soon!
Congratulations to all participants, especially some of the younger
contenders, for coming out and competing against a variety of opponents.
Special thanks to Mr. Cely for helping to supervise the event!
Arnav (G11B)
SRC Co-President / Competition Organizer

Amazon Web Services
On Monday, February 27, 2023, guest speakers from AWS (Amazon Web Services)delivered an enlightening presentation regarding AWS to the Grade 10 Business
Management class. The guest speaker, Mr. Babikov, delved deeper into cloud computing,Amazon’s principles, as well as Amazon’s hiring procedures. Particularly, Mr. Babikov
provided exceptional insights into the foundation principles of AWS; even discussing how these principles played a
key role in Amazon’s operations by providing an example of the working backwards method.
Mr. Babikov provided many interesting applications of Amazon’s web services; such as its recent integration of AI
models with Shimamura Music, one of Japan’s biggest music brands. Additionally, he also delved into aspects of
Machine Learning and AI which were used to optimize Amazon’s Web Services processes, which gave the G10s acompletely new perspective on the uses of AI. Mr. Babikov also explained Amazon’s unique approach towards thehiring processes; in this he talked about the multiple
different stages which included interviews and skill tests
that helped output the candidates which were best
suited for the job. He showed the importance of hiring
the best equipped candidates and how this standardized
process has helped Amazon grow.
Overall, Grade 10 Business is grateful to Mr. Babikov
and the AWS team for allowing us to gain a perceptive
understanding of AI and ML and its applications inindustry, as well as Amazon’s complex hiring processes.
Zayan (G10A) and Aryan(G10B)19

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Visit to Bloomberg Headquarters
Recently, we as 10th-grade students in Economics and Businessclasses had the unique opportunity to visit the Bloomberg head officein Marunouchi, Tokyo. This visit gave us an idea of how theBloomberg offices are run and even included a demo of the Terminal
service they provide.
Bloomberg staff—Kate, Hana and Sakura—greeted us and led us
through their cutting-edge offices. They were wonderful and gracious
hosts who inspired us to consider working at Bloomberg in the future!
We were toured around the various departments, including the video
room, trading area, and customer service room, but the pantry wasdefinitely our favorite. This demonstrated to what extent Bloomberg
cares for not only their staff, but also visitors to the office. The degreeof technology prevalent in the office was amazing (some had 6monitors!), and we had the opportunity to see directly how these
services are used to make informative decisions.
During the visit, we had the opportunity to interact with Bloomberg’s
experts and ask them questions about the world of finance andbusiness. In the trip, for me I learned how data is crucial to succeed in
the finance and business world, and how we can transform this data
into being more useful for decision making.
The tour of the Bloomberg headquarters was eye-opening for me. It introduced us to the fast-paced and demanding
world of finance and business, and to be candid, it encouraged me to become a successful entrepreneur who can
one day benefit from their world-renown services. I left the Bloomberg office with a new outlook on the world offinance.
Overall, this excursion provided us with a wonderful opportunity to see our IGCSE knowledge being portrayed in
the real world (flat hierarchical structure, employee motivation, unique selling points to name a few). It
gave us a one-of-a-kind experience that encouraged us as 10th graders to pursue our aspirations in
the world of business and finance. Thank you again to Kate, Hana and Sakura from the Bloomberg
HQ, and Mr. Gombya and Mr. D’Rozario, for organizing this wonderful opportunity.
Pranav (G10B)

New Faces
Since the last issue of The Comet, we have welcomed two new staff
members to the school—Tomoya Matsuda who is working as a Japaneseteacher in the Secondary School, and Venessa San Juan who has joined the
Elementary School as a Learning Support Instructor for the remainder of thisschool year, and will move into a classroom teaching role from August.
Mr. Matsuda said of his new role:
I am happy to say hello to the KIST community. At KIST, I find newchallenges and enjoy them every day. Outside school, I love to playmusic with my friends and have conversations with others. In
particular, Japanese 80s rock is the best for me. Nice to meet you all.”Ms. San Juan said of her new role:
I am Venessa, I have lived and worked in the Philippines, China and
now Japan. It has been more than a decade since I started teaching
children, but I am always a student in and outside the classroom. I
believe that everybody has the potential to succeed no matter what. I
am excited to learn and grow together as we share goals that establish
positive learning atmosphere and nurture the whole child. It is mypleasure to be in KIST community. So happy to be here!”
On behalf of the school community, we wish you both all the best in your newroles and hope that you enjoy your time with us.

Tomoya Matsuda
Secondary JapaneseVenessa San Juan
Learning Support Instructor

“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3World Book Day

Costume winners

Sunday, April 23 was the birthday ofWilliam Shakespeare, who is widely
considered to be the greatest writer of all time.
April 23 is also celebrated as World Book Day.
This is a day that encourages students to develop
their love of reading and appreciate the importanceof books in their lives. Many schools around theworld celebrate World Book Day in different ways,
with activities that promote reading and encourage
students to explore the wonderful world ofliterature. Here at KIST, we were delighted tocelebrate this day on Monday, April 24, with anumber of different activities across the secondaryand elementary buildings!
On the day itself, many students and teachers
came to school dressed as their favorite literarycharacters. The corridors were filled with Harry
Potters, handmaids, and horses. This fun andimaginative activity encouraged students toengage with their favorite books and characters,
and promoted the joy of reading. Thank you somuch to everyone who came in costume!

Most creative:

Yutong (G7A)—Charlotte’s Web

Most accurate:

Erika (G7B)—Coraline

A very popular activity during World Book Day was
the book parade. Elementary students paradedthrough the elementary and secondary buildings,
showcasing their fantastic costumes. This fun
activity encouraged students to engage with books
in a creative and imaginative way, and was a great
way to build community spirit within the school!
Throughout the day, students were encouraged tomatch up a list of teachers and staff with theirfavourite books. Clues were placed around theschool to help students with this. Well done to
Carys (G7A), Amy (G7A), Akanksha (G7B), andTianlin (G7B) for guessing the greatest number offavourite books!
During lunchbreak, students were invited toparticipate in a special LMC treasure hunt. They
had to solve clues and find ideas from books tocomplete tasks. Two prizes were awarded formost ideas found and the most imaginative ideas
found. Well done to Gaurav (G8B), Tianlin (G7B),
and Lauren (G7A) for winning prizes here!

Best pair:

Moka and Rena (G8B)—Boxer from Animal FarmIn conclusion, World Book Day is an important
event for schools around the world. It encourages
students to engage with literature and promotes
the joy of reading. By hosting a range of activities
and events, the English department at KIST hoped
to inspire students to explore new books andauthors, and to develop a lifelong love of reading.
We look forward to seeing your costumes nextyear!
Isobel Duncan
Subject Area Coordinator—English

Best group:

L>R Mirea (Benvolio), Sara (Friar Lawrence), Rumi
(Lady Capulet), Joanne (Rosaline), Ankita (Romeo) andArista (Juliet) (G8A)—Romeo and Juliet

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Real-World Investigations
G9 and G10 IGCSE Geography field trip

Grade 9 and Grade 10 IGCSE Geography students
recently participated in a field trip to Makuhari toinvestigate coastal erosion and conduct a beach clean-up. The trip provided an opportunity for students toapply their classroom knowledge to real-world
situations, to identify sources of pollution and learn
about measures being taken to protect the area fromcoastal flooding. The students were enthusiastic
about making a
difference andcollected several bagsof rubbish from thebeach. We are proudof the students’ hard
work and the write-up
they produced withthe results of theirresearch.

G10 Geography fieldwork—Kiyosumi-shirakawa

G10 Geography students conducted an impactful fieldwork investigation in Kiyosumi-shirakawa, examining theeffects of urban renewal. Their focus was on whether the proliferation of coffee shops indicated gentrification.
Through surveys and visits, they found that the influx of coffee shops positively attracted more visitors to the area,
revitalizing its appeal.
The phenomenon of gentrification often yields a mix of positive and negative consequences for local residents andthe cultural fabric of an area. After comprehensive analysis, the students reached the conclusion that the influx ofcoffee shops in Kiyosumi-shirakawa has positively influenced the area by attracting a greater number of visitors,
invigorating its appeal.

Continued on next page

V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3Continued from previous pageG11 and G12 DP I&S visit by Robin Lewis

Robin Lewis, the visionary founder of mymizu, delivered an
inspiring talk to G11 and G12 I&S students onsustainability, community movements, and crowdfunding.
Mymizu, a startup dedicated to reducing single-use plastic
in Japan, developed an app to locate free water refills.
Robin’s engaging presentation ignited the students’entrepreneurial spirits and encouraged them to pursue theirambitions and ideas.

b
Web

b
Web

https://www.mymizu.co/https://youtu.be/oL1mTcQ827U

Visit by Schneider Electric

We would like to express our sincere gratitude
to the team from Schneider Electric for
graciously visiting and addressing both theG11 and G7 I&S classes. Their insightful
session shed light on how Schneider Electric
assists companies in adopting a moresustainable approach to their business
operations.
The students were presented with astimulating challenge, wherein they were
tasked with devising strategies to enhance theenvironmental friendliness of KIST and identify
opportunities for conserving electricity.
We extend our utmost appreciation to ouresteemed guests for their valuable
contributions and the enriching experiences
they imparted to our students. Their visit has
undoubtedly left an indelible impact on theirunderstanding of sustainable
practices in the business realm.
Hannah Cowie
Secondary Geography/I&S
Teacher“ T h e Co m et ”

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Library News
Elementary Library
Celebrating Book Week: Fostering a love for readingBook Week, celebrated as part of World Book Day, proved to be anenriching and engaging experience for our students. The week-longevent aimed to ignite a passion for reading among students,
encouraging them to explore new literary worlds and embrace themagic of storytelling.

Throughout the week, various activities were organized, including a
Character Day parade, ‘Drop-and-read’ time, teacher-led read aloudsessions, and a book exchange reading among students.

Character Day and character parade

To kick off Book Week, both students and the staff participated in
Character Day, a special occasion where they dressed up as theirfavorite literary characters. The school buzzed with excitement as
students arrived in colorful costumes, transforming into beloved heroes, heroines, and intriguing personalities fromtheir most cherished books.
The highlight of Character Day was the character parade, where students proudly paraded through the school,flaunting their costumes, and bringing their favorite characters to life.

Drop-and-read time

During this designated period, all students andstaff were encouraged to set aside their regulartasks and immerse themselves in the joy ofreading, creating an atmosphere of tranquility
and fostering shared literary experiences.

Read aloud sessions by teachers

students to a diverse range of literature.

Another integral component of Book Week
was the read aloud sessions conducted byteachers. These sessions took place acrossdifferent grade levels, with each teacher
selecting a captivating story to share with
their students. The power of storytelling cameto life as teachers expertly animatedcharacters, enlivened plotlines, and invokedemotions. The read aloud sessions not only
showcased the importance of fluency andexpression in reading, but also introduced

Swap and shine

The book exchange event provided an opportunity forstudents to share their favorite stories with others and discover
new tales to delve into. The event promoted a sense ofcommunity, as students engaged in conversations about theirpreferred genres, recommended books to one another, andshared their excitement for reading.
These activities not only highlighted the importance of books but also fostered a sense ofcommunity and togetherness among our students. Through events like Book Week, we
strive to nurture a lifelong love for reading, empowering our students to become avid
readers and lifelong learners.
Priyanka B P
Elementary Library Supervisor
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Library Media Center (LMC)
Sakura Medal winners

The Sakura Medal is a reading list of books chosen and curated by librarians ininternational schools in Japan. A winning book is voted on at the end of theschool year.
Throughout the year, students have been encouraged to read the Sakura Medalbooks, and many students read this year’s books for their English reading
portfolios.
The winning books have been announced, and are as follows:
Middle school:
1st: When the World Was Ours—Liz Kessler
2nd: Ground Zero—Alan Gratz
3rd: Amari and the Night Brothers—B.B Alston
At KIST, the most popular books in middle school were:
1st: Hide and Seeker—Daka Hermon
2nd: The Supreme Lie—Geraldine McCaughrean
3rd: The Girl from the Sea—Molly Ostertag

New books

Thanks to the kind support of the CA Library Committee, the Secondary andElementary libraries were able to buy an extra 144,040 yen each worth ofbooks! This is made possible in part to book donations, and the hard work of theCA, which are then sold to raise money for KIST Libraries. Here are some of the
new titles coming soon to the LMC thanks to the money raised by the CA
committee! Posters designed by Library Elves service students.

World Book Day

On April 24, both Elementary and Secondary Schools celebrated World Book Day. World Book Day celebrates
reading and literacy, and aims to foster a love of books.
We saw some fabulous costumes from both students and staff, and had some fun events like a Library‘treasure hunt’ and matching teachers to their favourite books.
Shannon Goan
LMC Librarian

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Secondary ELS
Something we’ve all discovered over the course of theschool year is how important it is to expand an alreadyexemplary and extraordinary vocabulary to amplify yourEnglish abilities, so, before you leave for the holidays,
let’s have a quick chat about how we can keep yourEnglish levels up over the summer. Maybe, just maybe,
we can push them further and farther while you’re out
and about enjoying the holidays. We’re talking aboutbuilding confidence, amping up those already ambitious
vocabularies, and strengthening those speaking
strategies!
Good habits make happy homes
When you get home, there’s a chance that a lot of you
will immediately switch your English conversation brains
to “off” in favor of communicating with your friends andfamilies in a different language, whether that’s Japanese,
Hindi, Russian, Swahili, any number of the multitude oflanguages represented here at KIST…and I get that. No,
really, I do. When I fly home to see my family, I’m almost
desperate for the chance to order a cheeseburger inEnglish, so there’s a level of mutual understanding here.
But at the same time, please think about this: it can takea month or more to build up a habit, but only a day or two
to break down that same habit you’ve just spent fourweeks building up. You’re used to speaking English rightnow, so don’t throw that away. You’ll just end up feeling
frustrated at why you’re having such a hard time when
you come back after the holidays.
Read what we told you not to (for class)!
With the doom and gloom out of the way, maybe we canlook at some fun ways to keep English in your lives andmaybe, just maybe, have some fun at the same time.
Think back to your IRPs and how devastated you all
were that you weren’t allowed to do reports on manga.
Well, now that it’s the summer, go wild: read all the
manga in English that you can, because you might end
up picking up some phrases or word usage you wouldn’t
have otherwise. I’m not saying that it’s all going to be
100% useful, but language absorption comes in all
shapes and forms.
If you want to challenge yourself, try reading
the Japanese or native version of a mangaor other easy bit of text, and then read theEnglish version and see what’s different.
There can be a shocking amount ofdifferences in even the simplest things
sometimes, and you can see where translators andeditors have to try and patch the holes or build bridges tomake the stories work.
Singing to stay cool
If you enjoy karaoke, I highly recommend that you give
English songs a try. There’s a very interesting side effectof singing in different languages that you might not beaware of, but it’s that you’ll start to parrot the accents or
pronunciations you’re trying to sing! The more you’re
focused on having fun with it, the less you’re going to belistening and picking apart how you sound. Your mouth
gets more used to the foreign sounds and makes it
easier to get out those words in normal conversation, so
you might find it even easier to speak English when you

get back, and you might even be able
to apply this to other languages, too (Iknow a lot of you love K-Pop, so haveat it)!
Video games: not just for adults!
If you want to try something that will definitely throw you
for a loop (but in a good way), change the language
settings on your game console to English. Will it bechallenging? Definitely. Will it be fun? Possibly. Will you
get to tell me in the fall that you tried it and it was at least
a fun little experiment? Almost certainly! A lot of yourgames these days do have language options that let you
listen in Japanese or English with
subtitles, so that’s an option you can usethat won’t mess with your gameplay, butwill also give you a different, not-asdisruptive experience.
A teacher is telling you it’s okay to watch movies andTV!
Before you run off and tell your parents I’ve given you
permission to plug your frontal cortex into a YouTube andNetflix feed for the entirety of the summer, let’s have alook at a couple of caveats: you’ve got tobalance indoor and outdoor activities, social
media is not a replacement for real humaninteraction, and there’s an educational
purpose to all this glorious media binging.
Watch things in different languages and turn the subtitles
on. Pretty much every streaming service has this feature,and you might be surprised that even some of yourteachers will listen to things in their native languages with
subtitles on, because some of us are old and can’t hearquite so well anymore. Also, because some of us (likeme) want to watch anime in Japanese and don’t
understand it, so if we want to follow what’s happening,
we need the subtitles or we’re lost.
If you go to the movies, try and see a screening inwhatever native language the film comes in, you might
enjoy it! And I’m not just saying that because it feels likethe subtitled screenings have fewer people on averagethan the dubbed showings, and that means it’ll be easierto get tickets, but it is a very handy bit of ticketing trickery
that I’ve used to my advantage in the past whensomething popular has come out.
English is everywhere
Just like that, it’s probably harder to avoid English thesedays than to just accept it’s around, so why not embrace
it? There’s more than one way to experience it, so while
you’ve got some free time, enjoy it however you can.
Meet up with KIST friends, and try to speak English witheach other for at least part of the time. Play games inEnglish. Order off the English menu at restaurants. Anyof the million little ways you can keep it in your lives, givethem a shot; the choice is yours.
Charlie Owen
Secondary ELS InstructorV o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3“ T h e Co m et ”

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Athletics Update
Winter season (ISTAA basketball) update

The winter issue of The Comet was distributed before
the completion of the ISTAA basketball season.
• The U-14 boys beat LFIT and CIS but lost 33–23
to Columbia in the ISTAA final.
• The U-18 girls had an unfortunate 27–26 loss to
Columbia in the semi-final.
• The U-18 boys crushed KAIS (payback for theirloss with a depleted team in the season) 64–41
and lead LFIT most of the game to win thetournament 45–41. ISTAA champions 2023!

little time they had to practice.
In particular, they seemed torealize the importance of cooperating with other teammembers and showing good teamwork in the course of
the games. I look forward to their further growth next
year by making the most of this experience.

Overall, a great effort from these teams this season!

Spring 2023 athletics news

Spring season conclusion—KIST teams finishedtheir full spring schedule in the Kanto Plain league andwill finish up their ISTAA futsal season in the first andsecond weeks of June. Below are some shortsummaries from the spring season from the coaches!
JV girls’ soccer teamThis season, the JV girls’ soccer team grew to its
biggest numbers, with 25 players joining the squad.
Though the desire was there, results were hard tocome by and we found ourselves taking some toughlosses despite the effort in training. With that said, I am
extremely proud of all the players who came out, andwe have a ton of potential for the future with G9making up over half of our squad. I also want to thankall of our G11s for what will be their final JV girls’soccer season. Great job this season everyone, and I
hope to see you all on the pitch next year!
Coach BuckMS and JV boys’ baseball teams
Middle school teamThis year, we were able to participate in the Kanto
Plain league and tournament even though our teamconsisted mainly of beginners with little baseballexperience. During the league games, KIST lost to YIS
and St. Maur, but beat ASIJ. Although we lost twogames in a row at the tournament, the players did agreat job of showing the skills they had acquired in theHigh school teamThis year we were able to hold our first JV practicegames with teams from the Kanto Plain league. It was
the first time for the players to play with hardballs. At
first, they were a bit confused, but as the gameprogressed, they became accustomed to the speedy
feel of the ball and played with vigor. We were able toplay St. Mary’s and ASIJ once each this year. We plan
to have more games next year. We are especiallylooking for people who want to pitch.
Coach Nogami

MS girls’ basketball teams (Kanto League A and B
pool)
After a couple seasons off due to COVID-19 and alimited schedule last season, our MS girls’ basketballteam was back in action for a full season for the firsttime since 2019. Naturally we had many inexperienced
players—many of the B team players coming in with nobasketball experience whatsoever. Despite this, thegirls were motivated and worked hard in practice eventhough we had to travel to many different local gyms
for practice.
Our B team started the season slowly but gradually got
stronger and won 3 games against 7 losses. Two of
the losses were very close. I really look forward to thisgroup developing further next season.

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Our A team finished the league in 5th out of 10 teams
with 6 wins and 4 losses. It was a great result, though
the team were extremely unlucky with injuries late in
the season, particularly one of our top players in thesecond last game of the season. Hence, we lost to astrong Seisen team (who lost in the final to ASIJ) 22–
10 in the QF. The game was tied 8–8 at the half whichshows just how good the team had become. It was apleasure coaching them again this season.
Mr. Ota

ISTAA futsal season (to date)U-14 boys
After keeping the core of the successful 2021–22 futsal
squad intact, hopes were high for another successfulstring of results for the U14 boys.
The initial two games were successes with the wholesquad making contributions in convincing wins against
KAIS and Shinagawa International.
The first challenge came against BST and, despite
going into an early lead, the team were unable to taketheir chances and were ultimately punished by moreruthless finishing from the opposition.
A mini tournament at LFIT gave the team an
opportunity to bounce back. Bounce back they did witha fantastic squad performance against LFIT, withnearly every member of the squad getting on thescoresheet. The second game was against Aoba, ateam that provided the only narrow defeat for the teamin a thrilling game from the previous season. This
game was similarly tight with both teams exchanging
goals. KIST peppered the Aoba goal, yet every
combination of footwork and goalkeeper somehow
kept the ball out. However, as KIST pushed for awinner, they were caught out on the break and Aoba
were able to sneak away with the win.
Thank you to all the G8s who have played over the
past two seasons and contributed to the success of theteam. We wish them well for the step up to the U-18s
squad next year.
Coach Archer
U-14 girls
Building from their progress with the MS girls’ soccer
team in winter, the girls have quickly made theadjustment to 5-aside futsal. Thus far we have had afriendly against a team of G9girls from LFIT in which the
KIST MS girls (with the help of
two G9 girls because a few
players were unavailable) won
2–1 and clearly had the better
opportunities. Our first official league game was at BST
in which we did not have a regular goalkeeper but
were still able to finish with a 3–3 draw. Overall, thegirls still have a few things to work on; however, they
have done a great job in a short period of time keeping
their shape on the pitch. We play DSTY, Horizon, andUIA over the next couple of weeks to see how far wehave come.
Mr. Ota
U-18 girls
This year, KIST U-18 girls’ futsal have had an excellent
start to the season! With a 2–1 record, including ahuge 3–2 comeback victory against BST, the girls arepoised to finish the season in the top 2. This will putthem in good stead for the end of season tournament!
All the girls who have participated have grown and
excelled, especially considering we have been limited
to only a couple practices. Good luck in the rest of theseason girls! Let’s end with some big victories!
Coach Buck
U-18 boys
The HS boys’ futsal team have had a great season.
Starting off with wins against Columbia and our big
rivals BST, we had high hopes. With a couple of toughgames that followed, the team were determined andfocused from this point on. With stellar performancesfrom all involved, the team showed just how good they
can be and should be proud of the work that they have
put in this year. I wish them every success in theseasons to come.
Coach Smith
The futsal season will finish with tournaments in thefirst and second weeks of June. Updates will beavailable in the next issue of The Comet!
Thank you to all the coaches for making the spring
season possible!
Results, team rosters, schedules and otherinformation can be found on Schoology
under KIST Athletics by any member ofthe KIST community.
Dennis Ota
Athletics Coordinator“ T h e Co m et ”

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29

Experimental Sciences Department Snapshot
Welcome to the Experimental Sciences Snapshot, which as the name suggests, provides insight intosome moments at each grade level and subjects explored during the current semester.
Cesar Cely
Subject Area Coordinator—Science

LSP Grade 6

In G6, students completed a heart dissection to deepen their understanding of the structureof the heart. Students used scalpels and tweezers to dissect a pig’s heart and explore its
chambers, valves and vessels. This activity helped students to gain awareness of what theheart looks like in real life and contributed to the development of their practical skills.
Students also completed a flower dissection to better understand the functions of thestructures within a flower. This activity helped students to connect what they had learned inclass to things they observe outside the classroom on a regular basis, and helped tostrengthen their memory of the names of the parts of a flower and the roles they play in sexual reproduction.

LSP Grade 7

In G7, students took part in a “Mini Science Fair” this semester. In small groups,
students picked an aim and came up with a research question to address their aim.
They then worked collaboratively to design an investigation to answer their researchquestion. Students then carried out their practicals and collected data. They thenprocessed their data and analyzed their results. Students drew conclusions from theirresults, evaluated their method, and thought about potential further investigations.
They displayed their findings on a poster and presented their investigations to a groupof judges. We then had an awards ceremony where students received prizes andwere commended for their performance. This activity really helped to develop
students‘ practical skills, critical thinking skills, and collaboration skills.
Students conducting their experiment for the Mini Science Fair.

LSP Grade 8

In G8, students have been finishing with the LSP curriculum and consolidating theirknowledge with a lot of practical work to link their theoretical knowledge to real-life
applications. Throughout the year they focused on turning circuit diagrams to reallife circuits, making force diagrams of observable interactions, and thinking likeindustrial chemists by altering the rate of reaction through various means.
Students using circuit diagrams to correctly place the components
in the right orientation, using ammeters and voltmeters.

IGCSE Biology

In Biology, G10 students have been able to focus on applying practical skills todemonstrate their understanding of several life processes, such as measuring
rates of key reactions that happen in living organisms, and examining variousorgans to see how structure is related to function. Grade 9 has had theopportunity to delve into looking into rate of photosynthesis in the aquatic plant
Elodea. They also had the opportunity to look at some organs such as thekidneys, the heart, and the lungs to enable them to spot key structures,consolidating what they have gone through in the unit.

IGCSE Chemistry

In Chemistry, students have been learning about many different types of reactions. We lookedat acid base reactions and made a universal indicator rainbow by diluting acids and alkalis.
We continued learning about different chemical reactions with experiments to put metals into
order of reactivity based on their reactions with water and acids, as well as with metal salts.
Students in G10 have recently finished the IGCSE course and at the end of the course used
what they know about organic chemistry to name and then make different esters, which areused in perfumes and flavourings, and the room was filled with a range of interesting fruity
smells.
Testing the pH of acids and alkalis with universal indicators.
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IGCSE Physics

I found this year’s physics class to be highly engaging and fascinating. Fromthermodynamics to electromagnetism, every unit had its own challenges andopportunities for growth, which allowed me and all my classmates to develop a
deeper love for physics. One unit that I especially enjoyed was electricity andcircuits. In this unit, I got the chance to experiment with many interesting circuits
and components which I had never seen before. Not only did this help me grasp
the fundamental concepts of electricity, but it also stimulated my creativity andSample of data collection of the
problem-solving skills. One specific practical that I remember involved designing resistance of a thermistor sensor using a
multimeter and a thermometer.
our own experiment to explore the temperature-dependent resistance propertiesof NTC thermistors. In my experiment, I applied my understanding from thethermodynamics unit and used the concept of thermal dissipation to design an experiment to find the temperature
coefficient of resistance for an NTC thermistor. Many other groups in our class also designed very interesting
experiments. Overall, it was a very engaging and enlightening experience which amplified my love for physics.
Zayan (G10A)

DP ESSIn DP ESS, we explored the threats to biodiversity and the conservation strategies in place
to reduce those. One of the main threats we focused on was the introduction of invasive
species and the damage they can cause to endemic species by increasing competition andspreading disease. Students produced “Wanted” posters to illustrate a series of case studies
of invasive species and strategies that can be adopted to minimize the loss of biodiversity.
Example of student work.

DP Chemistry

In DP Chemistry we have completed a range of experiments using mole calculations aswell as measuring rates and enthalpy changes. The practical chemistry skills students
have learnt will be invaluable for their independent investigation next year. The difficulty
and complexity of experiments is significantly greater than in IGCSE and it has been rewarding watching students develop their skills throughout this year.
Investigating rates of reaction.

DP Physics

These are pictures of a bubble and a diffraction
grating. At first glance, it may not seem likemuch other than a clear plastic film covered bycolorful material, soap, water, and lots of fun;however, when viewed from a different angle, awhole new world of colors is visible. This is theworld of thin film interference and diffraction,
which is what we studied in Physics recently.
Provided with the opportunity to experience
these two phenomena firsthand, we used soap and diffraction gratings to view theireffects, observing an array of fascinating patterns and colors of the rainbow. The
physics behind this explained the behaviors of light, specifically when it passes
through thin films and slits. It was quite an engaging lesson!
Kushagra (G11B)

Experimenting with thin film interference in soup films and diffraction gratings.

DP Biology

Over the two years in DP Biology we have explored a lot of micro and macro systems
within our living world. These activities have highlighted how much fun learning about life
can be! How to denature an egg, how exactly do bubbles work and why they are an
excellent analogue for the cell membrane. In G11 we explored how light affects
photosynthesis as well had a go at creating our own self-sustaining mesocosms. No DP
course is ever complete without microscope investigations and dissections.
Various practicals were carried out during the semester.

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31

Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, we are pleased to present
Julian Buck who joined us in August 2020 as a PEteacher in the Elementary School. He also hasteaching duties with selected classes in the lower
Secondary School.
1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
My hometown is a tricky one. I moved a lot as a kid, so
I do not have a set hometown. However, if I had topick one, it would be Hong Kong because I spent themost time there. When living there, I at one point lived
on the most densely populated island in the world (ApLei Chau).
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
Though there are many places I love, sitting at myuncle’s house in Sea Cliff, Long Island (New York),
overlooking the Long Island sound with a coffee and aproper New York bagel is definitely my favorite placein the world to be.
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
If I could meet anyone, it would be Leslie Nielsen.
Leslie Nielsen is one of the funniest actors of all time. I
love every movie he is in, and if he were alive, I would
love to meet him and just laugh in his presence. If not
Leslie Nielsen, I’d love to meet Mel Brooks, thegreatest comedy writer of all time.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I can turn most popular songs into songs about
whatever I happen to be doing. This has become
particularly common now that I have a young son.
Diaper change time has become song change time aswell.
5) Please share a little-known fact about yourself.
I am dichromatic, or red/green colorblind.
6) What is your mostprized possession?
For a long time, my mostprized possession was acanvas tapestry that has
travelled the world with me
and has grown as I andothers have added artworks
to it. However, my mostprized possession now,which really isn’t apossession, is my son.
Nothing else compares!
7) Which IB learner profile
attribute do you most
Mr. Buck and his most prizedclosely identify with and“possession”.
why?
This is a tough one. I am a strong communicator, but
I am also a risk-taker, and I am principled ineverything I do.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
I don’t think I would. The only thing I might change
would be to put more effort into my sports when I wasyounger as I genuinely had a chance to play a few
sports professionally but did not take them seriously
enough.

9) Is there anything you aretrying to learn/improve about
yourself at the moment?
I am constantly trying to be the best
father I can be. Having a child really changes yourperspective on what is important and needed in life
and is something you can constantly improve.
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
You all have homework – do something fun!

Turnitin Draft CoachWe recently announced the trial of a new tool forsecondary students called Turnitin Draft Coach. Thispowerful writing tool, accessible via Word Online, aims
to enhance students’ academic writing skills andpromote academic integrity. It will be available for all
secondary students using Microsoft Word online.
Turnitin Draft Coach for students offers real-time
feedback and guidance, helping students improve
grammar, clarity, coherence and originality (avoiding
plagiarism) in their writing assignments. It provides
access to valuable resources, such as similarity
reports, citations reports, and a grammar guide,
which further aid students in their writing development.
While Turnitin Draft Coach for students cannot
currently identify AI-generated text, it is important tonote that the Turnitin tool version used by teachers ismore powerful than the Draft Coach and can check
work for plagiarism by checking for AI-generated text,
as well as originality. Please be aware that at KIST, theuse of AI-generated text for academic assignments
without proper citations is not allowed, unless explicitly
permitted by the teachers.
We believe that Turnitin Draft Coach will empower
students in their writing, produce higher-quality
academic work, and gain confidence in their abilities.
Parents, we encourage you to support your child’s use
of Turnitin Draft Coach by familiarizing yourselves with
its capabilities.
Some resources are available on Schoology in the IT
Support (Family Page) Group Resources page.
Should you have any questions or encounter any
technical issues, please don’t hesitate to contact our IT
support team at it.support@kist.ed.jp. If you haveany general questions about academic integrity, pleasecontact Secondary School Vice Principal, John Rose,at john.rose@kist.ed.jp.
IT Support TeamV ol u me 26 | I s s ue 4 | J u ne 2 02 3

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32

Nurse’s Notes
Food allergies (Part 1)
Fifty to sixty years ago, food allergies were almost non-existent in Japan; however, changes in diet have led to ahuge increase in the intake of eggs, milk and meat, and it is thought that a diet high in animal protein and fat is themain cause of food allergies. The body mistakes food that is not harmful to the body for a foreign substance andthe immune response becomes oversensitive and tries to attack the foreign substance. It is estimated that 5–10%
of infants and toddlers today and 1–3% at school age and beyond have food allergies. This article provides
information on symptoms caused by allergies. In the September issue of The Comet, I will discuss the treatment offood allergies.

Common food allergies
0-year-olds

1 year olds

2–3-year-olds

4–6-year-olds

7–19-year-olds>20-year-olds

1

Eggs (58%)

Eggs (39%)

Fish roe (20%)

Fruits (17%)*Crustaceans (17%)

Wheat (38%)

2

Milk (24%)

Fish roe (13%)

Eggs (14%)

Eggs (16%)

Fruits (13%)

Fish (13%)

3Wheat (12%)

Milk (9%)

Peanuts (12%)

Peanuts (11%)

Eggs (10%)

Crustaceans (10%)

4Peanuts (12%)

Nuts (11%)

Buckwheat (9%)

Wheat (9%)

Fruits (7%)

5Fruits (9%)

Fruits (9%)

Fish roe (9%)

Buckwheat (9%)

From the Guidelines for the Treatment of Food Allergies (2018 revised edition)*Crustaceans include shrimp and crabs

Symptoms
•
•
•
•
•
•

Skin symptoms (>80% of total): Itching, swelling, urticaria, eczema and skin redness
Mucosal symptoms (23%): Itchy or bloodshot eyes, nasal discharge, nasal congestion, itching, discomfort,
irritation in the throat and oral cavity
Digestive symptoms (13%): Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloody stools, nausea and vomiting
Respiratory symptoms (28%): Cough, asthma-like wheezing, difficulty breathing and breathlessness
Neurological symptoms (5%): Headache and decreased vitality※Anaphylaxis (11%): A severe acute allergic reaction that appears in multiple organs and throughout the
body within minutes to hours after eating.
① Skin conditions (generalised rash, itching or flushing), mucosal symptoms (e.g. swelling of lips andtongue etc.)② Rapid (within minutes to hours) onset of one of the following symptoms: respiratory symptoms(dyspnoea, airway narrowing, wheezing/whistling: wheezing, hypoxaemia) or cardiovascular symptoms(decreasing blood pressure, decreasing level of consciousness)(※Anaphylaxis has one of the symptoms of ① ＋ one of the symptoms of ②)
In addition to anaphylactic symptoms, anaphylactic shock can cause a drop in blood pressure and loss of
consciousness, leading to a state of shock. In such cases, as there is a life-threatening risk, call an ambulanceand seek medical attention immediately.

Special food allergies

Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis
Rare anaphylactic shock caused by a combination of food and exercise (e.g. after ingestion of wheat, fish or
shellfish), and during strenuous exercise such as playing football during breaks, urticaria may appear, followed byrespiratory symptoms such as laryngeal oedema and wheezing, which may lead to a state of shock.
Oral allergy syndrome
When hay fever sufferers eat fruit (kiwi, melon, peach, pineapple, apple etc.), vegetables and nuts, they may
experience redness around the mouth, swelling in the mouth, sore throat and discomfort. However, most cases
resolve spontaneously after a while. This occurs when the protein components (allergens) that cause hay fever
and the proteins in these plant-derived foods have some similarities in structure (common
antibodies), causing an allergic reaction in the mouth. It is important to note that repeated ingestion,even if initially only in the oral cavity, can lead to systemic urticarial symptoms, asthma andanaphylactic shock.
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Reference:
Japanese Society of Allergology. (n.d.). Food Allergies. Retrieved
May 11, 2023 from https://allergyportal.jp/knowledge/food/“ T h e Co m et ”

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33

KIST Community Association (CA) News
2022–23 events throughout the year
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Oct. 10, 2022:
Nov. 23, 2022:
Dec. 2, 2022:
Dec. 16, 2022:
Jan. 9, 2023:
Jan. 24, 2023:
Feb. 23, 2023:
Feb. 23, 2023:
Feb. 27, 2023:
Mar. 13, 2023:
Mar. 13, 2023:
Apr. 22, 2023:
Apr. 24, 2023:
Apr. 27, 2023:
May 10, 2023:
May 17, 2023:
May 16, 2023:
May 29, 2023:
Jun. 12, 2023:

Coffee morning (Secondary)Book sale and secondhand uniform sale
Christmas wreath workshop event
Bake sale
Coffee morning (Secondary)(ISC) 2 safe and secure online session
Coffee morning (Secondary)
CTH Turkey disaster relief fundraising support
G10 Amazon Web Services corporate session
CAS and Service session
G10 IBM corporate session
Cultural workshop—English afternoon tea
Book Week—Honesty box book saleBook Week—Library and Japanese bags sale
Parent talk session—Mrs. Branka
ESRC/SRC popcorn machine trial
CA coffee morning—Thank you meeting
Secondhand uniform sale
ESRC/SRC Popcorn and movie Monday support

Welcome all parents! 2023‒24

CA funds contributions
List of books for Secondary LMC
List of books for Elementary Library

English-style afternoon tea event

Items that the
CA supported...

New CA Officers 2023–24

President

Book Week, Honesty box
book sale

Talk session with Mrs. Branka,
parent of Igor, Class of 2019

Treasurer

Secretary

Priyanka Nadkar Harumi Yamamoto Ikuyo Matsuda

Fumiko Travin

Parent of
G5 Ashlesha,
G2 Aneesha

Vice President
Parent ofG5 LenParent ofK3B Reina

Parent ofK3A Sai,K2B Ori

We express our sincere gratitude to all CA members for their dedicated support throughout 2022‒23!

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V ol u me 26 | I s s ue 4 | J u ne 2 02 3

University Guidance News
Let’s all get an internship! Or, do we notneed that?

There has been a lot of talk within the KIST hallways
this year on the topics of internships. I would like totake this opportunity to discuss this in more detail. Fora similar topic, I recommend checking out The
Comet June 2022 issue where competitions werediscussed in a similar manner.
What are internships?
An internship is generally considered as work
experience at the most introductory level. It is often
unpaid and considered a learning experience for the
person doing the internship, known as the “intern”. Thisis commonly done during university as the soon-to-be
graduate is moving closer to going out into society andenrolling in the work force. These days, however,internships have become a popular option for highschool students as well.
Are they required?
NO! Only students pursuing direct entry medical
programs NEED internships or work experience in aplace that has patient care/customer service
opportunities. For everyone else, an internship is but
one option by which you could show off yourself andyour interests. Research opportunities, summer
programs, speech contests, music performances andthe like, are of a similar value. Students should show
off what is important to them and what makes themunique in any way they can. As can be seen by the
below chart from the admissions office at Stanford
University, “work experience” is one of the parts they
may consider for application, but more important is
how that may impact your talent/ability or character/personal qualities.

What benefits would an internship bring?
The benefits are many and would often depend on
length of time spent, company policies, and tasks
assigned by the respective company. They could be
including but not limited to the following:• Experience to add to a resume and/or university
application, especially if in a relevant field and somepotential real skill development.
• Understanding of what a real job may be like at asimilar company in the future, which may help forchoosing a major.
• Being able to get your “foot in the door” and develop
a relationship with a potential future employer.

• Having a letter of referenceor certificate fromcompletion of the programthat may help with futureinternships, jobs and university applications.
Sounds great, but what are the difficulties ordrawbacks?
While the benefits generally outweigh the negatives,
there are many key points to consider:• There may be language barriers or difficulties for
those who are not proficient in Japanese to acquire
an internship in Japan, even with the number ofglobal companies in Tokyo.
• Because working days for companies are generally
Monday–Friday, most internships would only bereasonable during summer or winter breaks.
• Companies are more likely to want to work withcurrent university students as that person may be
more productive and knowledgeable while having
potential for entering the workforce sooner.
• Because of the above points, international schools
do not receive as much information about potential
internships for high school students, so more
personal research may be needed.
For those wanting to consider internships, whatcomes next?
Families wanting to consider internships in the end
should take the following steps:• Speak with our office to see if there are any
opportunities available within the field you areinterested in.
• If not, consider those connections you have withfamily and friends in or outside of Japan. Like job
opportunities after graduation, sometimes goodconnections can help when first starting out!
• Lastly, if the options above do not work, do someresearch on the local companies that are nearest to
your house or ones that have international offices.
Reaching out to the owners of smaller shops or the
Public Relations (PR) teams of larger offices are thebest bets. Explain that as a high school student, youhave a large interest in what they are doing andwant to learn more about how things work andpossibly even help with small tasks if there isanything at all. (You want to provide a benefit tothem, not be a hindrance. Remember, at this point,
they are 100% doing a potential favor for you, so
make it worth their consideration!)• And while this is a last consideration, there are also
sites online such as GoAbroad that offer options,but please keep in mind that many of these options
may be from paid companies.

Inaugural Cialfo scholarship award winner
We are pleased to announce the first of hopefully
many years of a successful scholarship partnership
between KIST and our university software partner
Cialfo for the “Tech for Good Scholarship”. This year
our Class of 2023 graduate, Heet, received theaward.

Continued on next page

“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 6 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 2 3Continued from previous page

Cialfo is a platform that we use for university
research, data tracking, and in some cases, applying
to universities. To qualify for the scholarship, thefollowing criteria needed to be met:
• Overall estimated GPA of 3.8 or higher• Used the Cialfo Direct Apply option for university
applications• Outstanding academic/personal conduct
throughout the high school years at KIST
There was also a prompt issued from Cialfo tasked toanswer the question of “How do you plan toleverage technology to create a positive social

impact in or after university?”
Heet’s reply can be read below.

In response to an ineffective roll-out of rentable electric-scooters in Japan, I thought, ‘why
is something so fun, convenient, and cheap, barely used?’ And then I came to realize
the issue: ‘why would millions of aging Japanese use something that isn’t accessible tothem?’ Statistics by the WHO confirmed this; with the projected estimate of 1 out of 6 people
being over the age of 60 globally by 2030, we MUST leverage technology to increaseaffordability of healthcare, innovate to enhance mobility, and much more. Observing a lackof innovation assisting the elderly has driven me towards joining the effort to provide ouraging societies with more accessible infrastructure boosting mobility.
I gained experience tackling this issue by leading a group of high-schoolers to 3D-design asocietally inclusive electric-scooter alternative. We conducted field/desk research analyzing
shortcomings of existing models, learned to utilize computer-aided design andcomputational fluid dynamics to obtain a reliable and tested prototype, and implemented
accessibility-boosting features—including a heavier base to lower the center of gravity andimprove balance, and a thicker stem to increase drag and reduce risks of sudden
accelerations. I have found satisfaction in continuously striving to refine designs andcontemplate new prototypes; a recent example involved a mechanism attaching a
motorcycle front wheel and engine to wheelchairs, transforming them to more mobile, agile,and convenient methods of transport when required, thus enabling the elderly or disabled toexperience greater independence.
At university, I plan to continue pursuing this project exploring technological solutions aimed
at strengthening mobility. In particular, using resources available to me, I wish to transition
from digital to physical development and testing of these various prototypes. For instance, I
am excited to join makerspaces and use machinery such as 3D-printers to bring digital
prototypes to life. Moreover, as a mechanical engineering student, I am confident thatparticipating in clubs including formula racing will allow me to acquire the technical knowhow of producing functional vehicles. Additionally, it would be an incredible opportunity tomake use of sophisticated equipment to test physical models; for example, using windtunnels to aerodynamically test prototypes would be hugely productive.
Ultimately, either at or after university, my long-term goal is to bring these prototypes tofruition and make this project accessible to the public. I am deeply committed to joining
others in paving the path towards a more inclusive and resilient future catering to today’s
aging societies.

We are always excited to share the successes of our
graduates and hope that our current students canremain inspired to show off the best versions ofthemselves both while students, during university
applications, and past graduation.
I will see you again next term, please e-mail me withany questions throughout the summer and I’ll respondas quickly as I can!

Thomas Waterfall
University Counselor
thomas.waterfall@kist.ed.jp
Office hours: Monday–Friday,
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
University Guidance Office (3FSecondary Building)

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V ol u me 26 | I s s ue 4 | J u ne 2 02 3

Class of 2023

(Back row L>R) Rinka, Su Yeon, Junyung, Keanu,
Gijeong, In Kyu, Heet, Amey, Samii, Varun, Shin,
Hibiki, Gun Hyuk
(Middle row L>R) Hajime, Hamsika, Nehal, Calder,Shuonan, Akanksha, Reed, Hriday, Tatsunori,
Mariko, Devaj, Gini
(Front row L>R) Hinano, Jiaying, Tomoko, Sara,
Archita, Shreya, Saanvi, Nidhi, Yuki, Mai, Shona,
Eanya
CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK!