The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 22 | Issue 2 | December 2018

In this issue...
02–04...KISTival 2018

19...Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Trial

05…From Mister to Doctor

21...G12 Economics Excursion

06...School Calendar 2019–20

22...Global Citizenship Workshop

08...K1 Parents Share Their Talents

23...G8 Visits the National Diet

10...G5 Meet Writer24...Connect to Hisaichi

11...Anti-Bullying Week 2018

32...Peer Support Leaders

From the Board President

DATES TO REMEMBER

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost to the end of 2018,
and soon the winter holiday will be upon us. I hope thatyou have all made plans to enjoy the holiday season.
In Japan, we have a tradition of eating “New Year soba noodles” on New Year’s
Eve, December 31. Because soba noodles are long and thin, eating them at thestart of the year is said to bring good luck to live a long and healthy life. This
year, I’m looking forward to eating New Year soba noodles with my family andfriends and starting off the year with a festive celebration.
As we announced previously, Mr Jeffrey Jones resigned from his position as
Head of School earlier in the year due to health reasons. I have assumed therole of Acting Head of School until the end of this school year. Having once
previously filled this role in 2011, this is my second time taking on the job in
concurrence with my role as Board President.
Last time I held this position, the Board of Directors made the decision to change
the direction of the school, aiming to make KIST an “academically high-levelschool.” In 2013, Mr Jones, who had previously worked with us as amathematics teacher, returned to KIST, and with his strong leadership, heworked tirelessly with the other members of the educational leadership team andthe staff to implement the changes. Thanks to their passionate contributions, thestudents’ outstanding effort, and the unwavering support of parents, two years
later, in 2015, KIST achieved the highest IBDP average in Japan for the firsttime.
However, as our students graduate and go out to make contributions to society,we feel that the time has come for KIST not only to aim to be the best in Japan,
but to become an even more competitive IB school on a global level. To give ourstudents an even stronger foundation to reach their full potential and makesignificant contributions internationally in the future, we believe that it would benaïve of us to be satisfied with our current position as the top IBDP school inJapan, and that instead of becoming complacent, we need to keep working hard
to improve our programs and make further changes to our school to help support
our students’ futures. In this vein, with the authorization of the Board of
Directors, our educational leadership team is developing and preparing further
educational reforms to push KIST to the next level and give our students evenbetter tools to pursue their dreams. We look forward to announcing these plansin the coming months.
On that note, I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season. As we say inJapanese, “Yoi otoshi-o omukae kudasai;” have a happy New Year!

December 2018
7 (G1-G12) Clubs program ends
7 (K3-G5) LEAP classes end
7 (K1-G3) After care not available
8 Lego robo-jousting tournament(@KIST)
10-12 (G9-G11) Semester 1
examinations
13 Winter celebration rehearsals
14 Winter celebration
14 (K1-G3) After care not available
15-Jan 6 Winter vacation
17-18 Office open

January 20197 School resumes for all students
7 2019-2020 enrollment
applications close
7-14 (G12) Semester 1 DP mockexaminations
11 (G4-G5) Mathematics diagnostic
testing
14 School day
18 (G6-G10) Mathematics
diagnostic testing18 (G6-G12) End of Semester 1(Half day for students)
21 Semester 2 commences
21 (K3-G5) LEAP classes begin thisweek
22-25 2019-2020 enrollment
interviews
25 (K1/K2/K3) School holiday

Yoshishige Komaki
Board President/Acting Head of School

KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for LifePYP | MYP | DP2

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KISTival 2018
This year, we returned to the normal KISTival format, andalong with it, the familiar sight of parents, staff andstudents coming together to prepare for the event on
preparation day. I would like to sincerely thank all of theparents who supported us at KISTival, especially the
KISTival leaders.
Despite initial concerns about the weather, by afternoon it was so pleasantly warm and sunnythat we were even beginning to sweat a little, and all in all, it was a fun day. While we were
unfortunately not able to meet our profit target of ¥10,000,000, entrance numbers, sales andrevenue this year were our highest ever (details below). Proceeds will be put towards our new
gymnasium and school building project.
We welcome feedback regarding the event from parents as well as students. If you have any
comments about this year’s KISTival or ideas for next year, please e-mailsayoko.naito@kist.ed.jp. Furthermore, to enable KISTival 2019 to proceed smoothly, we also
welcome early volunteers for KISTival leaders for next year.

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Special Thanks to KISTival 2018 Supporters!
The success of KISTival relies on the support of the entire school community. Thank you once again to all families
for your assistance in helping to make KISTival 2018 a great success! In particular, we would like torecognize the following families for their generosity in supporting the operation of KISTival.

T H A N K Y O U!

Isozaki family:
KISTival 2018 Special Sponsor and donation towards the operation of the event
Minoura family:
Donated space to park our school buses for the duration of KISTival
Takeuchi family:
Donated items for the Hokkaido support booth

T H A N K Y O U!

Additionally, many families and staff donated items for the raffle and sponsored our KISTival flier. Pleasefind their names below (in no particular order).

G8 Sato family | G1 Fujii family | K3 Suzuki family | G2 Terao family |G5 Toda family | K3 Itoyanagi family | G1 Hayashi family |G4 Ogawa family | K3 Ogawa family | G6 Sim family | G1 Wu family |G2 Lyu family | K2 Abe family | G3 Abe family | G9 Ono family |G2 Ono family | G10 Ishihara family | G8 Suzuki family |G8 Meguro family | G4 Matsudaira family | G3 Ideas family |K3 Akamine family | G5 Deng family | G4 Oh family | G1 Usui family |G8 Moore family | G8 Shindo family | G3 Koskinen family |G3 Raj family | K1 Matsuura family | K1 Wang family | Jones family |Ozawa family | Naito family | Sakuma family

T H A N K Y O U!

We also received support from a wide variety of businesses and companies. Please find their names
below (in no particular order).

Nisso Sangyo | Goethe House | Doctor Ci:Labo | Tele-net | Yunika |Matsuda Hirata Sekkei | Yurindo | Tobu Top Tours | Itoen |Kajima Sekkei | Kajima Tatemono Sogo Kanri |Sumitomo Fudosan Tatemono Service | Mitsubishi UFJ Bank |Kiraboshi Bank | Mizuho Bank | Resona Bank | Roppongi Hills Club |Mercedes Benz | Rikashitsu | Glass Lab | Tokyo Central | Print Boeki |Prologis | Tanaka Hifuku | Duskin | Sakuma Physical Conditioning |Janat | Ichigaya Kaikei | Nack Planning | Tocollo |NTT Data Getronics | Win Technology | Taisei Net | Mizuno | KidZania |Beltz | Croster | Oedo Fudosan | Hikari Home | Classy | YCM |ITJ Law Firm

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Elementary School News
Raising resilient children
Being a parent is a challenging yet rewarding
endeavor. At the heart of our families are our children,
and as parents we want what is best for them. Included
in our roles as parents are providing for our children
and protecting them. It can be a difficult balance caring
for our children while also developing their resilience.
Tartakovsky (2016) explained that childhood is notstress-free for children. She described that while
growing up, children take tests, learn new information,change schools, encounter bullies, make new friends,
and occasionally get hurt by those friends. It is
important that our children learn resilience to deal withthe changing nature of growing up.
So, what are resilient children? Resilient children,
according to Healy (2014), have the ability to bounceback from failure and understand that by trying again
things can get better. She further explained that
resilient children learn to pick themselves up andcontinue forward after encountering setbacks. Newman(n.d.) described that resilient children think of obstacles
as opportunities. Resilience, she explained, helps
children cope with problems on their own, when theirparents aren’t physically there to help.
Tartakovsky (2016) and Newman (n.d.) comprised listsof many ways in which we, as parents, can develop
resiliency in our children. Tartakovsky first explainedthat we should not accommodate every one of ourchildren’s needs. When we over-provide for ourchildren, she continued, we get in the way of allowing
our children to develop their own problem-solving
strategies. Another recommendation of hers is to let
our children make mistakes. She explained that while
tough and painful for parents, it
helps children to learn to fix
mistakes and deal with theconsequences on their own.
Newman (n.d.) suggested that
we, as parents, encourage agrowth mindset with our children. Growth mindset isthe belief that intelligence is not fixed, and that talents
and abilities can be developed through perseverance
and hard work. She suggested reinforcing a growthmindset by praising our children not for being smart,but for working hard and persevering.
The world is a dynamic and ever-changing place. It is
filled with wonder and beauty, as well as challenges
and difficulties. Developing resilience anddetermination within our children can help to prepare
our children for life in the real world. We won’t always
be able to be there for our children every time they fall.
Allowing our children to grow up and manage the worldon their own is one step towards developing
independence and confidence in our children.
Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal
References: Healy, M. (2014, July 10). The resilient child. Retrieved fromhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creativedevelopment/201407/the-resilient-child Newman, C. (n.d.). 7 Ways to raise a resilient child. Retrieved
from https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/
advice/ways-to-raise-a-resilient-child/ Tartakovsky, M. (2016, July 17). 10 Tips for raising resilient kids.
Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/10-tips-for-raising-resilient-kids/

From Mister to Doctor
Congratulations and a few words of acknowledgement
At K. International School Tokyo, we believe in the importance of being
lifelong learners and in modelling this for our students. Our Elementary
School Principal, Kevin Yoshihara, is no exception, and for the past few
years he has been working towards an advanced degree in education. We
are proud to announce that in December, Mr Yoshihara will graduate with adoctoral degree in educational leadership. It has been a long journey and weare happy to see him accomplish this achievement.
Congratulations Dr Yoshihara on a job well done!!

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PYP News
The new enhanced IB PYP
social studies solely within the Programme of Inquiry.
Thus, there will be more opportunities to have standalone lessons in those subjects. Approaches toLearning skills can either be chosen from the PYP
guidance or schools may choose their own. These arejust a few of the changing approaches to teaching andlearning in the PYP that you can expect to see coming
to your classroom soon.
As you can see, the entire Elementary has a bit ofstudying to do, but we will maintain a level of
excellence in all our classes as we make our way to afull understanding of the bright future ahead for all IB
PYP schools under the “Enhanced PYP”.

Last month the International Baccalaureate released its
PYP: From Principles into Practice or the“Enhanced” digital resource version of the PYP
standards and practices. As a long rumored, muchanticipated reworking of the educational standard ininquiry-based learning, Making the PYP happen: A
curriculum framework for international primaryeducation, it promises revisions chosen to reflect bestpractices that have been garnered from professional
educators, parents and instructors.
The initial release is intended to give IB educators time
to review, discuss and integrate the revised frameworkof the standards and practices into daily school life.
This revised framework is comprised of four focusedareas: purpose, environment, culture and learning. The
document itself is quite lengthy and is composed ofthree sections that fill over 200 pages making theinvestment in implementing the changes dependent on
training and discussion. Having said this, there are a
few changes that one notices quickly and help makethe reading exciting.
Some of the enhancements include a heightened focus
on agency and self-efficacy. Schools will ensure thatstudents have a voice, choice and ownership in theirlearning. This structure relies on the teacher andstudent becoming partners in the search for knowledge.
The strengthened individual will be allowed to bring astronger sense of agency to their interactions with otherclass members. Classrooms will move towardsupporting agency and self-efficacy as an integral
element in the students’ experience.
This is only one example of the changes that are on theway. Along with this more theoretical adjustment there
are some more practical changes making a differencein how the PYP will be implemented. K3 classes now
have the option of 4 units per year, allowing them tofocus on issues in a more in-depth manner. The IB has
also removed the requirement to embed all science andClay M. Bradley
PYP Coordinator/Elementary School Vice Principal

School Calendar 2019–20
To assist families planning overseas
trips, the dates of school vacation
periods for students and otherimportant dates for the 2019–20
school year are listed below.
Families are asked to makearrangements accordingly to ensurethat students are back in Tokyo ready to start school
after each vacation period on the correct date.
The complete calendar will be distributed in June.
 First day of school for students:
August 19, 2019
 KISTival:
October 26, 2019
 Autumn vacation:
October 27 – November 3, 2019 Winter vacation:
December 14, 2019 – January 6, 2020
(Classes resume from Tuesday, January 7)
 Spring vacation:
March 21 – 29, 2020
 Golden Week vacation
May 2 – 10, 2020
 Last day of school for students:
June 17, 2020

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Early Childhood News
Hello to all the KIST early childhood families. I hope
you all enjoyed the parent/teacher/student interviews
that were held on Friday, November 23. As educators,
we believe that the impact of parents on a child’sdevelopment is very important, and we sincerely
appreciate your continued support towards your child’s
education. Working together, we can raise intelligent,compassionate and well-rounded children.
This year, in the early childhood department, we havestarted to hold our own assemblies for K1 to K3classes that are separate from lower and upper
elementary students. We feel that having a smallergroup for assemblies provides more opportunities foreach young learner to stand in front of the group, andthat students have an easier time speaking in front of asmaller community with whom they feel more
comfortable. These
opportunities for
public speaking allow
the students achance to develop
their social andverbal skills andimprove theirconfidence.
The K3 children
presented our very
first early childhood
assembly in
September. Their
topic of discussion
was our playgroundrules. The K3s wereable to present this
topic in manydifferent ways, including role play, slide shows, andmaking a big poster with lots of pictures and phrases.
The assembly took place in the MPR, where thechildren felt much more confident in comparison to thelarge stage in the gym, where assemblies usually takeplace. The children from K1 and K2 were able to makecomments and ask questions, as they know K3children well and they felt more comfortable in asmaller location.
At the end of November, the K2 classes presented an
assembly about ‘Respect’ for our anti-bulling week.
Even the young K2s were able to speak in front of thelarge audience! They showed us how our hearts can be
broken when we hear unkind things from our peers,and how they can be repaired when we hear kindwords or are shown kindness by our peers. The K2s
demonstrated this by using a big red heart puzzle.
They also used apples to demonstrate how words

affect us inside where people normally cannot see.
When the two apples were cut in half, we saw that theapple that heard unkind things was bruised inside. It is
important to understand someone can be hurt eventhough we cannot see it. Finally, they shared a video
that they made! The QR code for the video is above.
The K1 classes will lead an assembly in February. As
our youngest children will have had such a great
experience learning from our older students, we arelooking forward to seeing what they can achieve with
their assembly!
I hope this early childhood assembly brings each child
more confidence by allowing them to try something
new and challenging, like presenting in front of the K1–
K3 classes.
Finally, our early childhood team has been working
hard to make some changes in our playground. Our
children areinteracting morewith nature andwith their friends
in theplaygroundrather than justrunning aroundand playing on
the equipment.

I wish you all anice, relaxing
holiday season.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1–K3)/K1B Teacher

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K1 Parents Share Their Talents
During our unit, ‘How we express ourselves’, focusing on using
our imagination to express our emotions and creativity throughthe arts, parents of both classes volunteered and showed theirsupport to our classes by sharing their talents.
Izuru and Kazuma’s moms came to cook gyoza with the class.
The students were taught how to flatten the dough to make the
gyoza wrapper. They were also taught how to wrap the
ingredients by folding the wrapper and sealing it by folding theedges.
Kaito, Lisa and Kazuma’s moms did a workshop on dried
flower and ornament arrangement. They used a cake slice
shaped ceramic and decorated the inside by sticking different
natural ornaments.
Julie, Kaito, Izuru and Lisa’s moms did another workshop on
decorating photo frames using different natural ornaments suchas pine cones, twigs, acorns, leaves, etc.
Riu’s dad came to show his talent as a stage actor by
performing in front of both classes. He performed a short scenefrom the musical ‘Grand Hotel’.
Julie’s mom showed her talent by teaching an exercise called‘pilates’ to both classes. Pilates is an exercise to improve ourmuscles, flexibility and enhance mental awareness.
Julie’s dad showed his talent to both classes by teaching us
how to dance hip-hop. The students learned some basic steps
such as bending knees-up and down with the music beat while
clapping our hands. The students were also taught how to movefrom right to left while bending knees and clapping hands.
Thank you so much to all the parents who gave up their time tosupport our K1s.
Claire Yoneyama
K1A Teacher

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G3A “Blast from the Past” Magazine Project
G3A’s second unit of inquiry was ‘How we express ourselves’ andthe summative assessment task was to produce a pop culture
magazine titled “Blast from the Past”. Throughout this unit, we
inquired about how modern popular culture has been influenced by
the past. We have also developed certain literacy skills to be applied
during the assessment. These include writing structured magazine
articles, film reviews and different types of puzzles that are often
found in magazines.
In order to find some connections between the past and the present,
the students sometimes had to research aspects of pop culture thatthey were either unfamiliar with, or not previously interested in. They
also made new discoveries about their favourite things. For
example, some of the pupils thought Pokémon was a new thingfrom their generation and couldn’t believe that it existed when I wasa teenager! As the unit progressed, they realised that they all havedifferent interests and passions and became more open-minded
about different types of pop culture as well as becoming more awareof each other.
The students also had to be effective communicators whencollaborating with each other during the summative assessment
task. They had to make sure that their magazine had a theme,
including a different range of different articles in order to maintainthe readers’ interest. To enhance their social and self-management
skills, each group appointed a leader who kept all of the resources
safe and well-organized, a timekeeper who made sure they kept asteady pace, a designer who created the magazine cover, and aquality controller who made sure each article had all of the featuresthat they were required to include.
At the end of this unit, I combined the articles and printed all fivemagazines, sharing them with the G3A students so that they could
reflect on the skills that they had built throughout this project.
You will find the QR codes for each magazine on this page.
I hope you enjoy finding out about our pupils’ interests as well as
remembering your glorious youth!
Oliver Sullivan
G3A Teacher“ T h e Co m et ”

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G5 Meet Writer, Ching Yeung Russell“I have never met a writer.
I think a writer is someone
very far away,
out of touch andunreal.”Here are some thoughts from our G5s about what theylearned from Ms Russell’s insightful Skype
presentation:I

was very impressed about Ching Yeung
Russell writing 13 (or more) drafts. I always thought about spelling and grammar
even on my first draft...I learned that including your feelings as well as your ideas (aremore important).”
Mamiko (G5B)

An excerpt from Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell.

As part of our ‘How we express ourselves’ unit, theGrade 5 students studied poetry. To expose ourstudents to free-verse poetry, we read Tofu Quilt by
Ching Yeung Russell, a wonderful collection of poems
based on the author’s childhood experiences growing
up in Hong Kong in the 1960s and her journey to
becoming a writer.
As we were reading her book, we were excited to learn
that Ms Russell gave Skype presentations to schools
and even more thrilled when she kindly accepted ourrequest to speak with us. To help her prepare for our
meeting, we sent a list of student questions about her
book and approach to writing.
The students thoroughly enjoyed her presentation andlearned a lot about the hardships Ms Russell went
through before becoming an author, especiallypublishing her books in her second language, English.

Ithought that Ching Yeung Russel wasvery stubborn. Even though her husband
said that she shouldn't try to write English
books, she kept going.”
Minu (G5B)
Thanks to Ms Russell and the wonders of the Internet,
our Grade 5 students have now met a real writer.
If you are interested to learn more about Ching Yeung
Russell and her books, you can visit her website at:b

Web http://chingyeung.homestead.com/
Scott Grant
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Anti-Bullying Week 2018
Anti-bullying week 2018 was held from November 26 to 30.
This year, the theme was “Choose Respect”. The various
effects of bullying can have serious damage on all
individuals. Anti-bullying week is a great way for the schoolcommunity to get involved, take a stand against bullying andraise awareness across the school.
This year, I
asked theElementary
SRC toorganise some
activities topromote theinitiative. One
event they held
was a special
day called“Odd Socks
Day” which
took place on
October 25. It was an opportunity for pupils to express
themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes
us all unique. It was interesting to see our pupils’ choice ofsocks. They clearly showed their different interests andpersonalities through them.
I was very impressed with the Elementary SRC members as
they showed the IB Learner Profile attribute of being
principled and took the initiative in organising and runningthese activities by themselves.
G3 pupils also held an anti-bullying assembly on November
26. They focused on what bullying is, how the victims ofbullying feel, and how we can solve the problems thatbullying causes. Our music teacher, Mr Collins, helped us
practice singing a rap song during his music lessons so thatthe pupils could sing it with confidence on the big day.
Here is the link to the assembly video. I
hope you enjoy watching it.
Kana Furnival
Student Care Coordinator (Elementary)“ T h e Co m et ”

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12Elementary Assessment
Greeting parents and guardians! As we approach the winter break, some of you may bethinking ahead to the upcoming diagnostic assessments in January and the ISA tests in
February.
These tests are an important part of our annual assessment process as they canhighlight areas to work on before the end-of-year assessments. I wanted to pass onsome general advice for helping your child be better prepared for this period, as well as
relieving some of the stress that they, and yourselves, might be feeling.
The article comes from www.satspapersguide.com, a UK-based website offering parents advice on testing as wellas practice materials. I will include some points that I think are most important, but the full article can be found at
the link below.
 A positive attitude. Children pick up on your emotions so if you are grumpy or stressed, they willprobably feel the same. Try your best to have a relaxed and positive attitude when helping your child.
 Schedule time. It is important to set a study schedule for your child so that they can be sure to get somequiet time. This should be a convenient time for both yourself and your child.
 Reward effort not just results. It can sometimes be difficult as a parent to look past the errors that yourchild is making. These simple mistakes can often be frustrating but try to focus and praise your child’s
effort and attitude as much as possible.
 Bed time. All children are different and have different home schedules, but if your child is consistently
tired in the mornings, you may want to set a specified bedtime during this busy period.
 Have fun. Try to make these study sessions as light-hearted as possible and the learning will be more
effective.

b

Web https://www.satspapersguide.co.uk/sats-information/top-ten-tips-sats-revision/
I hope you find it helpful and good luck to all the students taking part in these assessments.
Oliver Sullivan
Elementary Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Coordinator/G3A Teacher

Admissions Directors Meeting
On Tuesday, November 13, KIST hosted the annual meeting of the Kanto Admissions Directors Network—agroup comprised of admissions staff from international schools in the Kanto region—for the very first time.
Around 40 representatives from 25 schools attended and enjoyed firstly a sumptuous lunch provided by the schoolcafé, before taking part in a meeting to share news and updates from each school and discuss enrollment trends
and other issues related to admissions. It was interesting to note that many international schools are seeing
increases in student numbers, and many are considering, or are already in the process of, moving to larger
premises or constructing new buildings. For KIST, we were thrilled to be able to share our own plans for theupcoming construction of our new school building.
The day ended with tours of both areas of the school. In Secondary,
the tours were conducted entirely by student representatives. Thankyou to Mai (G11A), Emiri (G12B) and Igor (G12B) for their
enthusiastic assistance with this, and for the professional way they
conducted the tours.
Craig Larsen
Director of Admissions and Personnel

Mai

Emiri

Igor

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Elementary ELS
What students are saying about their Unit of Inquiry
discussions at home
It’s easy to see from the huge amount of vocabulary on our Inquiry is
Universal board that there are many conversations happening at homeabout our units of inquiry.
Units of Inquiry are difficult! But your discussions at home are making iteasier for your child to understand them. How?
Helping your child add words to our Inquiry is
Universal display is a great way to start
discussion at home about their unit of inquiry.

Here’s what students are saying:

Halona (G4A)

F

or unit 1…I did
Buddhism, and mymom and my dad helped
me to research…the words…
and I translate some. [Thishelped when] we went to LMC
and we read books about the
topic. Because I understood thewords which I didn’t know andalso told me the histories about
it and I understood well.”

Reshma (G5A)

T

here’s many different
types of migration,and I learned the words inmy language and also thewords in English. It helped
when I was listening to Mr
Archibald. It helped me with the
SAT because we had to learn
about migration, the pushfactors and pull factors.... I
learned there’s lots of words I
never knew existed in mylanguage and it’s quite
interesting to learn about them.
[…] My parents also found it
really fun because it’s nice toteach someone who isn’t used
to my language.”

Rena (G4A)

I

didn’t know what“communism” means
and I asked my mom anddid some research and then I
knew it. [It helped because] I
understood what the difficult
words meant [in the books].
And we also did some role playabout democracy and othertypes of government [and] I
understood what Ms Thomas
meant.”

Sasha K (G5B)M

y Mom, when I was
researching about
nuclear energy she told me
my grandfather was a nuclear
scientist. I knew he used to be ascientist but I didn’t know he’s anuclear scientist. I can call my
grandfather and ask him
questions and he can tell me.”

Shido (G4A)

F

irst I didn’t evenunderstand what“currency” meant so my
mom told me […] I sometimes
do teach her English and if I
don’t know what someJapanese words mean she
often tells me what it mean.
[This helped because] I felt
some confidence so I could
read without fear…. [Whentranslating UOI words] I alsokind of played a game…. First, I
thought what it means in otherlanguages and [then] actually
searched it and I saw if I waswrong or right.”

Reshma from G5A (migration) and Sasha K.
from G5B (nuclear energy), tackled Unit ofInquiry with more confidence throughdiscussion with family in their home languages.

Rena, Halona, Hiroki and Shido from G4A
translated many Unit of Inquiry words fromEnglish into their home languages and useddiscussions with their parents at home tosupport their understanding during UOI lessons.

One reason why talking at home helps so much is that your discussion works as a “pre-reading” and “pre-listening”
task. What you are doing is hooking your child onto the topic, making it feel relevant to them, and building up theirbackground knowledge about it. Those are all key steps to have in place before reading a book or listening to aclass discussion. Being hooked and having background knowledge make a book easier to process and to learn
from.
Remember that talking in your home languages truly helps. Your child will be able to transfer into English all theconnections you have helped build for them at home, and at school we support them with this transfer.
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator/G5 ELS Instructor

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18

LEAP News
Thank you for your hard work thissemester, LEAP students! Before wehead off to a well-deserved holiday,
having finished LEAP courses for theyear, let’s take a moment to reflect on what students haveachieved this semester.
Ms Emma’s G5 math class

As previously featured in the LEAP newsletters, issued threetimes this semester, students involved in LEAP undertook avariety of creative and engaging projects, under theguidance of their instructors, a few of which I would like tohighlight here. In K3, students in Ms Wang’s morning
English support class built proficiency with sight words byplaying Jenga, having fun while also developing motivation
towards reading. While our younger students worked on
foundational language skills, older students in Ms Rachel’s
G5 morning English support class practiced strategies fororganizing and expressing ideas through activities such as
think alouds, preparing them to participate more actively inthe classroom. In our after-school programs, some of ourG5 math students, taught by Ms Emma, even created theirown mystery algebra problems which were displayedoutside the elementary office for their peers to try andsolve. Photos of some of these activities have been postedon the LEAP board outside the elementary office, so
please stop by to take a look!
Looking over how the LEAP classes are taught, I think it’salso important to reflect on their efficacy in helping ourstudents become successful learners, particularly in regard
to the support our English language learners receive.
While thirty minutes before school may feel like a trivial
amount of time, when calculated over the thirteen weeks
LEAP classes lasted this semester, students in 5-dayclasses gained 5 entire school days of instruction time,
assuming a six-and-a-half hour school day. Students inother classes also gained vital instruction time, which whencombined with the low-pressure, small-group setting,allowed students to make important gains in language
production and confidence. It is my hope that our students
will continue to make important strides forward in theirlearning through the support offered to them through LEAP.
Thinking ahead to semester two, it has been decided that
LEAP recommendations will be emailed to parents on
December 14. After being informed of LEAP
recommendations for their students, parents can use thetime over winter vacation to support their children in areas ofneed, in addition to thinking about LEAP applications.

Ms Emma’s G5 math class

Ms Rachel’s G5 morning
support class

Ms Lina’s afternoon
extension class

Ms Lina’s G2 morning support class

Applications for the second semester of LEAP will open after
the winter vacation. LEAP classes will begin on January 21.
If you have any further questions, you can access the LEAP
homepage or contact me directly at leap@kist.ed.jp.
Katherine Millican
LEAP Coordinator

Ms Wang’s morning support classV o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

KIPS News
From the P1 classroom...
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 3months since the beginning of the school year!
At first, many of the children were scared to be
separated from their fathers and mothers andcried when they came to KIPS, but now, they look forward to playing with their friends atpreschool, and all the children have fun together every day. As they play together, enjoy
their specialist classes together, eat lunch together, and take a nap together, the children
are forming strong friendships with their classmates.
Each day after circle time, the P1 children have either music, art or Japanese class. The
content of each class is planned by KIPS teachers to go along with our seasonal themes,
and we take great care to make sure that the lessons are all easily understandable for the
students, so that they can engage happily and successfully in their preschool routines.
Now that the season has changed to autumn, the children are enjoying a variety ofseasonal activities, such as spotting the various colored leaves as they change color andcollecting acorns during their daily outside playtime. To help the children understandfurther, we have been singing the song “Why Do Leaves Change Color” in music classwhile watching a puppet presentation about leaves that goes along with the song. Afterenjoying collecting leaves and acorns during outside playtime, the children made crafts outof them during Japanese class, and then sang the seasonal children’s song “Donguri
Korokoro.” In art class, we used colorful cellophane to make stain glass leaves which wethen put together to make an autumn tree for the class.
In this way, we take care to create an integrated curriculum that allows children to deepen their understanding ofmany aspects of a single theme. We’re looking forward to creating more activities for the various themes yet tocome this year to help develop the children’s inquiry and allow them to enjoy learning while at KIPS.
Mai Inagaki
P1 Teacher

From the P2 classroom...
With the support of their P2 friends
and teachers, everyone has gained
the confidence to challenge newthings every day.
KIPS students celebrated Halloweenwith curious smiles and a loud “Trickor Treat” when they received their cookies and stickers. Over the course of
the term, they learned several new songs and dances and were able toperform them perfectly during the party.
We have begun working on the 3-finger grip, and after its initialintroduction into the classroom, the children have implemented it into
lesson and meal times. In addition, with the latest introduction of Jolly
Phonics to P2, many children have begun to enjoy various rhymes andafter much practice, can sing it by themselves. They have particularly
enjoyed “Copy Cat” and “Cuckoo, Where Are You?”
Halloween, the 3-finger grip and Jolly Phonics are now some of theirfavorites! Even though these activities were scary and difficult at first, thechildren are now tickled pink when they get to participate.
Brooke Esper
P2 Teacher

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

Secondary School News
Message from the Secondary School Principal, Mr Cowe
This is always a busy time of year at KIST with many
events taking place to support classroom learning. You
will find in this edition of The Comet a student article
about our recent Grade 7 Camp. You can also find out
about the Grade 11 Camp which took place earlier inthe year. There is also information about some of the
sports events, both continuing and new, that KIST
students have been involved in recently. Also in The
Comet this year, you will get the chance to find out alittle bit about student classroom learning. In thisedition, it is the turn of the English and I&S departments
to share some of the learning.
This year, I have been continuing to hold my monthly
coffee morning events, “Coffee and Cookies with Mr
Cowe”. One of the questions that I often get fromparents is how to help their child with a research taskthat they are doing at school. As a school, we aredeveloping a research framework for students which
will also have guidance for our teachers. The mostimportant guidance that I have for parents regarding
research is that if your child seems to be having
difficulty doing a research task or they seem to be
taking too long, please contact the teacher or evenmyself for more guidance. Then we can try and provide
more support or guidance if it is necessary.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you an
enjoyable and safe winter holiday. Please don`t hesitate
to contact me with any more questions that you may
have at any time.
Mark Cowe
Secondary School Principal

Staff Professional Development at KIST

According to many educational leaders, capitalizing on the expertise of a school’s professional teaching team is oneof the most effective methods of professional development. At KIST we call this “Working Together, Learning
Together” and we held our first session of the school year on Saturday, September 16.
This year we had a total of 14 staff members lead sessions based on the following topics:

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Teaching and Learning with Comic Books and Graphic Novels
Differentiation
Building Positive Teacher-Parent Relationships
Action Research – Towards a Better Use of Qualitative Data Analysis
Flipped Learning
Building Self-Directed Learners through ATLs (Approaches to Learning)
Fostering an Authentic Writing Culture at KIST
Applying Music Concepts to Classroom Learning and Behavior
Microsoft Teams
Making Inquiry Walls Using Visible Thinking Routines
Learning Through the Process: Creating Meaningful and Memorable Learning
Experiences

We would like to recognize all of our staff members who led these interactive and informative professional
development sessions for our staff. Your continued contributions help us grow as educators and benefit our entire
school community. Thank you!

V o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

17

MYP News
MYP parent workshops provide a deeper
understanding of KIST students’ work

Mr Cowe and KIST
parents explore the
MYP semester
report.

The first few weeks of school are always busy forstudents as they get used to a new set of challenges.
This is particularly true for students new to the MYP—
including Grade 6 students and those just starting at
KIST—and those in Grade 10 who work to complete
the Personal Project.
These afternoon parent workshops are scheduled onJapanese national holidays, and the hands-on events
allow parents time to explore the key ideas
associated with learning in the MYP. With theassistance of Ms Wakasa, the sessions include both
English and simultaneous translation for Japanese
speakers. Parents enjoy the opportunity to talk to one
another to gain insight on the issues connected toeducation.

Assessment and reporting
In September, parents of students new to the MYP
met with Mr White, the MYP Coordinator, andSecondary School Principal, Mark Cowe. The focus of
the workshop was Assessment and Reporting.
Parents did a series of activities to introduce theconcepts that drive assessment in the MYP. The
assessment session led by Mr White highlighted how
teachers in the MYP focus on standards establishedby the IB and how these standards inform their
judgments applied to summative assessments. Mr
Cowe then took parents through the reporting process
in the MYP. The focus was on how parents can use
the reports to gain a deeper understanding of what
students are doing well and how they can improve inthe future.

Parent workshops
allow parents toshare their own
understanding of
the MYP.

Here, parents arereflecting on the
key role of clear
standards inassessment.

Remi (G11A) offers
Japanese-speaking
parents an
overview of her
Personal Project.
She created a bookof photography
exploring Tokyo
Disneyland.

Introducing the Personal Project
The Personal Project session for parents of Grade 10
students happened in October. The Personal Projectis the culminating activity in the MYP and is ademanding activity. Mr Tim and Mr White led parents
through an overview of the project and the
expectations it would place on students. Parents thenhad a chance to work with Grade 11 students who
had successful projects last year. These student-led
sessions provide a clear vision of the skills andapproaches that students can use to produce quality
work.
Both parent workshops offer rich, rewarding
experiences for all of the participants. The chance forthe KIST community to stop and reflect on howlearning happens at the school is valuable. The
commitment that parents bring to this work serves as
an excellent model for students to emulate.
Robert WhiteMYP Coordinator

Shu (G11A)
demonstrates his
Personal Projectproduct in which headapted Internet ofThings technology
to everyday tasks.

Megu (G11A)
shares her
Personal Project
where she explored
the genealogy ofher family.

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18

Science Department NewsIn your heart
Twenty-one students from G9A took a journey into the hearts of chickens and cows respectively.
The objectives of the lesson and practical were to:
1. recognise and describe major parts of a heart and its blood vessels; and2. plan and acquire basic dissecting skills, using appropriate tools and materials.
The two-hour lesson commenced with an overview of a selected cow heart that had a mass of approximately 7 kg.
This was utilised as a simulation of how the human heart functions, with both the cow and human heart serving thesame purpose and function. The students then individually planned and executed their own practical of dissecting achicken heart and presenting the major parts and blood vessels that they could identify.
As both objectives were achieved, thisactivity seemed to be a brilliant way tounderstand the pathway of blood inhuman hearts and to encourage
students to be risk-takers and develop
confidence with their actions, since one
wrong cut of the chicken heart would
hinder them from observing the best ofit.
Peter Jamal
MYP Science Teacher/G9A Homeroom Teacher

Grade 7 Camp Reflections
The G7 camp made sure that we took a break fromschool, to relax. We could bond with classmates andreflect! The main activity for the camp was a tree cutting
service one. A message that we could interpret fromthis would be how the service actions we do at schoolbuild towards making the world a better place for thegenerations to come, even if we worked on it for only 3hours. Another point we could derive from camp would
be that, working together is a virtue that needs to be
informed to people at a young age (i.e. G7). Using
teamwork, we cut down trees that were at least 20
meters in height and a meter in diameter. We also
managed to hike up a mountain that brought us to abeautiful scene with Mt Fuji in the back drop.
So the things we did at camp include: cutting down
trees for a process that makes sure that the forest
survives, use an ‘outdoor’ toilet, team building activities
at night which brought us all closer together, and finallythe best for last, we went on a hike that brought us to a
spot where we explored and soaked in. The main thing
we learnt from camp was why we cut down the trees—
we helped cut down trees to make space for the light tohelp other ones grow. We think the camp taught us all
different lessons. The lesson it taught us was that every
action counts.
Haruto and Anant (G7B)

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V o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8

19Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Trial
This year, we are excited to be able tooffer selected Secondary students anannual license for the full Adobe Creative
Cloud suite—for free!
Purchasing the suite is usually very expensive forindividuals; but we have been able to take advantage
of an especially low price offered to educational
institutions that started this fiscal year.
We believe this is an exciting opportunity for students
and staff to have access to a wide range of world classdesign and editing tools covering web design,
graphics, animation, video, audio, document editing
and more. Skills required to use the software in the
Adobe Creative Cloud apps are similar to those gainedusing Office, and could be invaluable for students evenafter graduation, and in their further careers.
Students will be given an Enterprise User License
enabling them to download and use any of the 20+
Creative Cloud apps on their personal laptops.
Students can also use the apps on other devices bysigning-in with their school Enterprise ID.
Initially, licences will be issued to students in Grades 9–11 only on November 22. If the initial trial goes well,
we will issue licenses to other Secondary students laterin the year.

This school year is intended to be used as a trial of thesoftware, and a period of familiarization for students
and teachers. It may take time for users to become
comfortable using the apps, so this year, teachers may
or may not be asking students to use the Adobe apps
for classes, projects etc. If we feel the Creative Cloudcan be used positively for educational purposes, we
may renew the licenses for the following school year.
We will be offering a training session on Photoshop to
Grade 9 students during this year’s Week of Code in
December. In future we hope to build up a level ofexpertise so that students and teachers feel
comfortable using the apps—in the same way we dowith Microsoft Office365 apps.
There are over 20 apps available, so feel free to checkthe official Adobe website to get an idea of what theydo. Some of the apps are quite technical but there aremany resources and guides on the Adobe website,
within the apps themselves, or on websites such as
YouTube.
We hope these world-class tools will help our students
and teachers to further their creative and academic
successes.
IT Support Team20

V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

Athletics Update
Fall season sports
Kanto Plains Cross Country
KIST had 22 runners across the MS (3.3 km) and HS(4.4 km) races. The forest terrain was tough, and theweather conditions were not always good, but thestudents trained hard and made improvements as theseason went on. Thanks to Coach Florent andAssistant Coach Ms Biggs for their support.

Kanto Plains MS Boys Football
Overall it was a fairly successful first season playing on asoccer field as the Comets won 3, tied one, and lost 4. Witha little luck, the Comets could have made the top 4 finals
tournament. Better luck next year!

Kanto Plains JV Boys Football
The season just got underway. The Comets had two friendly
matches against tough opponents (The German School in
Yokohama and Tamagawa Gakuen) to help prepare for theseason. Both games were losses, but progress wasapparent, and they opened their first season ever with a 3-2
win at St. Mary’s on November 17.

ISTAA U-18 Girls and Boys Volleyball
The Girls and Boys both had strong seasons and showed
improvement from last year. The Girls beat Columbia
International School in the semi-final but lost to a verystrong CIS in the final, finishing the season-ending
tournament at Columbia in second place. KIST hosted theBoys tournament in which our Comets beat TIPS, lost to
BST, and beat CIS for 3rd place out of 6 teams. Both KIST
teams have a number of returning members next year, so
the future looks promising.

ISTAA U-14 Girls Volleyball
KIST had 7 girls on the U-14 team this year, but
unfortunately not many ISTAA schools were able to put inteams, so our Comets were limited to matches against 2
Kanto Plains schools in Seisen and Nishimachi (two close
losses), and TIS (a win) of ISTAA.

ISTAA Badminton
The first ever ISTAA badminton tournament was held at
LFIT and the U-18 team dominated, going undefeated to
win the tournament. The U-14 tournament was set a little
differently with schools having pairs. KIST placed first, sixthand seventh of 9 teams.

Kanto Plains Swimming
At the Fall swim meet on September 22 at St. Mary’s, Igor
(G12B) and Tom (G12B) won medals.
Tom – 200 m Freestyle Silver Medal
Igor – 50 m Freestyle Silver Medal, 100m Backstroke Gold
Medal
Dennis Ota
Extra-Curricular Clubs and Athletics Coordinator

Tom

Igor

V o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8

G12 Economics Excursion
G12 Economics students visit the Bank of Japan
Upon hearing the phrase “Bank of Japan”, one may initially
imagine a building containing large vaults of money. While thisassertion may be considered accurate to some extent, the G12
Economics class may not entirely agree. After visiting the Bankof Japan on Tuesday, November 13, we discovered that its
role is much more than simply loaning money to different
stakeholders. From reducing inflation rates in Japan tomaintaining interest rates, the Bank of Japan is vital for the
wellbeing of Japan’s economy and promoting both economic
growth and development.
After leaving school at lunch time, we made our way to
Mitsukoshimae-eki, the location of the bank. We arrived a bit
earlier than the scheduled time and thus decided to visit theCurrency Museum, which was adjacent to the main Bank ofJapan building. I was surprised to see such extensive and richhistory of the Japanese currency outlined throughout themuseum’s displays. In one particular instance, lifting thereplicas of the hefty coins used centuries ago made me ponder
about the historical and cultural lifestyle in contemporary times.
Apart from exploring the gradual transformation of theJapanese currency, we also discovered the evolutions ofcurrencies from all around the world, which was a memorable
experience for anyone intrigued in the fields of Economics andFinance.
Though certain parts of the Bank were under construction, andwe were not able to see the actual vault itself, we experienced
several other aspects of the bank which were important as wellto understand its operations. Firstly, we were welcomed by oneof the members of the staff of Public Relations, who gathered
us into a room and delivered a brief presentation explaining themain aims and policies which the Bank of Japan employs toensure efficiency and economic growth. Before this trip, wewere introduced to monetary policies and other major
macroeconomic objectives in our Economics classes; however,experiencing a real-life
application of these
theories was a way for
us to observe theapplications of thecontent we learnt.
The overall tour was agreat experience for the
G12 Economics class.
Our gratitude goes to Mr
Gombya and Mr
Erickson for organizing
this event.
Jimin (G12A)“ T h e Co m et ”

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Global Citizenship Workshop
On October 19, 2018, two members from theInternational University Alliance in collaboration with
UNESCO, were kind enough to host a Global
Citizenship Workshop at KIST. Grade 12 students andstudents who are part of the KIST MUN club joined this
two-hour workshop that took place in the school gym.
As a group, we first discussed the knowledge, skills
and qualities that are required for one to be a “global
citizen,” as well as the different reasons as to why it isimportant to be a global citizen in the scale of the wholeworld.
We then participated in an activity in small groups tofind a common ground with each other, for example,“we are all bilingual.” After this we combined withanother group to create a larger group and searched
for common ground again. We kept combining groups
until we stood in a circle with everyone in the room. It isdifficult to find common ground with such a large groupof people, but after some discussion, we landed on anagreed common ground that was “we are all against
animal testing.” This activity was more challenging thanany of us imagined since we were mixed up withstudents from different grades, we didn’t know eachother so well and with such diversity in our
backgrounds, we felt as though no one had much incommon at all.
For the next activity, we looked at different pieces of art
and discussed our personal views on what exactly wesaw in that artwork, what we believe it is trying toconvey and personal connections we feel towards the
topic of the artwork. A large component of this
discussion was about culture and “how the invisible
aspects influence the visible ones.” This was a very
enlightening experience, giving us a chance to talkabout perceptions, what they mean and what it makes
us feel.

We then were
given a numberof different
images and asa groupclassified themas Accept,
Tolerate, Likeand Dislike.
No one hadmuch idea ofwhat theimages were orwhat they
represented.
However, we
still had to
discuss inwhich corner
we had toclassify the images under. This allowed all of us to think
about the difference and the fine line between
acceptance and tolerance.
The IUA UNESCO Global Citizenship Workshop wasvery much connected to our everyday learning as IB
students on international mindedness through thedifference in cultures. There was such a diversity innationalities of students who took part in the workshop
which made for depth in discussion as we all havedifferent ways of thinking, beliefs and values due to ourpersonal experiences and upbringings. It was anopportunity where, as international students, we talked
about global topics without clashing with each otherand were reminded of the importance of opening ourminds to become global citizens and the power ofdiversity.
Marlinah (G11A)

V o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

G8 Visits the National Diet
On November 20, Grade 8 went on an excursion to the National Diet
as a part of the first unit in I&S regarding governments. We first
visited the residential area of the Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives. The building had a traditional Japanese theme withreligious carvings and painting as well as tatami and other native
Japanese materials that had been used to build the house. This area
was to be used when foreign representatives were invited by thegovernment. The architecture of the house represented Japaneseculture. The tour guide explained that each of the decorations wascreated in order to preserve and respect Japanese heritage. The
residential area also had multiple gardens and ponds that were all
there to represent the sea and the mountainous terrains that cover
the Japanese land. I felt like the way they managed to incorporate
culture into the design of the House was really amazing.
We next went to visit the official Diet building. Here we were taken to the top floors to see the red carpet, and thento see the paintings on the ceiling of the Diet. The building held a lot of different sculptures, paintings andengravings that were used to decorate the walls and the roof. The guide stated that the Diet had taken 20 years tobuild and was completed in 1936. The architecture of the boardrooms, and the building itself was marvelous.
Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. The Diet and the residential area were beautiful and the artwork wasincredible. I found this experience very interesting. This visit was extremely memorable.
Saanvi (G8A)

KIST Model United Nations Scrimmage
On November 17, 2018, KIST held the annual KIST MUN Scrimmage.
On this warm autumn day, KIST’s high school MUN delegates had theprivilege of interacting with students from the British School in Tokyo,
St. Mary’s International School, Yokohama International School,
International School of the Sacred Heart, and Senzoku Gakuen, with
the number of delegates totaling 135 students.
This year, the MUN Scrimmage started off with a guest discussion with
Ms Eriko Takahashi facilitated by the secretary generals Jinil (G12B)
and Yuki (G12B). This discussion allowed delegates to better
understand the works of the United Nations and the attributesdelegates should develop in order to actively engage with the UN. Overthe course of six hours, delegates discussed, debated and createdresolutions for two global issues.
The first topic was, “The political and economic impact on thosecountries accepting asylum seekers and victims of forced migration,”and the second one was “Protecting the right of journalists to speak,
and broadcast without fear of retribution.” The delegates did an
excellent job representing their country and reflecting their country’s
stance on the topics discussed. Although, this MUN Conference was afirst-time experience for many delegates, everyone was engaged andactively debated the issues.
As many schools attended, it was evident that the delegates were able
to interact and socialize with delegates from other schools. We hope to
see more intense and exciting MUN conferences like this one in theupcoming years.
Yuki (G12B) and Jinil (G12B)

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18

Connect to Hisaichi
Helping victims of natural disasters through CTH!
‘Connect to Hisaichi’ is a newly formed service project at KIST, initiated by Kaito
and Yui of G11A. The intention of CTH is to help victims and areas affected bynatural disasters in Japan through the KIST community.
CTH takes opportunities to fundraise during events held at KIST. We are flexible in donating the money raised
to areas recently affected by natural disasters. This means whenever natural disasters occur, we are always
able to act instantly and make donations.
On October 8, during the Elementary Field Day, our first fundraising event was held. A total amount of ¥11,000
was raised with the help of CA parents, staff and manufacturers. We sold snacks from Hokkaido and the profit
was partly sent to an organization (Open Japan) that works closely with the locals of Hokkaido. The remaining
amount was kept by CTH to expand our ability to keep donating to areas affected. Currently we are supporting
the Hobetsu Elementary School in Hokkaido, which was heavily affected by the earthquake in September. As
their sports gym got damaged by the earthquake, the students are using a small room to do their PE lessons.
We are planning to buy sports equipment for them so that they can have more interesting, fun and safe lessons.
Our team consists of 9 members: Kaito (G11A), Yui (G11A), Justin (G11B), Megu (G11A), Shu (G11A), Izumi(G10B), Marin (G11A), Saki (G10A) and Shota (G6A).
CTH is an opportunity for you to contribute to life quality improvement in areas affected by natural disasters. The
next fundraising event will be during the Winter Celebration on December 14, where we will have a variety of
Hokkaido exclusives. Profits will be donated to Hokkaido. Please come by and have a look. The more youcontribute, the bigger our donation can be!

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V o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8

25

Theory of Knowledge Election 2018
“To know oneself is to know the world”. The IBDP
Theory of Knowledge programme is designed toenhance students’ knowledge of themselves aslearners, assessing how their gender, culture andreligion can affect the way they both acquire andmaintain knowledge. This allows students to undertake
learning with open-mindedness and willingness of
accept others’ point of view, even if it conflicts with theirown. At KIST, the TOK programme is designed to allow
students to appreciate diversity, celebrate theirindividuality and feel confident in expressing their own
viewpoints.
The Grade 12 cohort have worked extremely hard to
progress to this point in the two-year programme. Uponfinishing the final unit, Ms Neill and Mr Smith decided tohold a ‘Theory of Knowledge Election’ as a fun,summative task that would allow students to re-explore
their learning from the course and help each otherrevise the subunits. For all teachers of TOK at KIST, it
is important that learning is conducted through activity
and exploration, as it is believed this allows for greater
personal understanding and deeper absorption of
information.
We had six ‘parties’ vying for knowledge supremacy;
Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, The
Arts, Ethics and History. Each group had ten minutes toargue why the historical development,
scope and methodological practices
within their knowledge area meant that
it was the most valuable discipline ofthem all. This was a pressing challenge, of course, aseach of these knowledge discipline relies on the others;
it was difficult for groups to claim supremacy without
unknowingly giving advantage to the other groups!
The fierce debate took place in the LMC, with all 38
students fired and ready to demonstrate their rhetoricalskills. Mr Tim the Librarian’s flashy disco lights andambient setting definitely gave the event some edge.
The students were so impassioned by their cause, it
became difficult for Ms Neill and Mr Smith to manage
those who wanted to vehemently disagreed with thepresenting speakers. To the teachers, this is a secretly
pleasing thing to do, as it is a sure-sign all students areengaged with the learning process.
While all groups valiantly fought for supremacy,
adorned in costumes and props; it was the mighty
Mathematics group who stole the throne. Well done toTom, Shimpei, Natasha, Tian Wei, Dong Wook and
Chae Hyun for their efforts!
Heather Neill
DP Core Coordinator

The Winners—The Mathematics GroupThe Natural Sciences GroupThe Arts Group26“ T h e Co m e t ”

V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18“Sun’s Out, Fun’s Out”
Class of 2020 camping trip to Atami,
Shizuoka
The midsummer heat, the clashing waves of thesea, and the memories of what would be the lastcamp for the Class of 2020.
On August 29, 30 and 31, the current Grade 11s
went on a trip to Atami for a fun introduction to the
DP. Through the camp, the G11s learned manythings—from time management all the way tolearning how to make perfectly delectable chocolate
caramel slices. Of course, while the camp’s main
purpose was to educate the students with the brandnew changes and shifts they have to face from the MYP to the DP,
the three days they spent together certainly united the grade as awhole.
During the trip, the G11s learned about study skills such as ‘Critical
Reading,’ a technique that will surely help the students as they gothrough the DP. Other informative and engaging activities also
helped the students ease into the DP such as Mr Hiro’s university
lectures and Ms Pang’s CAS introduction. According to several
interviews with the G11, they mentioned that these events havehelped them become less apprehensive about the DP.
There were also many team-building activities that required
cooperation and collaboration, two qualities that aren’t just neededin the DP, but in life as a whole. Although these ice-breaking
activities—such as cooking, dominoes and dancing—don’t seemapplicable in real life, what the students got out of the ice breakers
was something much more powerful than simply learning a newrecipe to try out or a dance routine to practice. They learned
patience, progress and participation. We also tried to give back to
the community by cleaning up a shrine that we visited.
Speaking from personal experience, as we reflect on the camp,other than the activities, the sole idea of communication was, in myopinion, the most important aspect of behavioral development that I personally
saw in the grade. With the camp being set in the second week after coming backfrom our summer break, the camp almost acted like a 3-day ice breaker activity.
The culmination of working together, competing, and finally, learning how toeffectively communicate with each other were some of the many things the grade
had done that truly made us feel that even though we are entering into a newchapter of our lives (the DP), there are many individuals around us that could help
us get through it. The sense of companionship, support and understanding weresome of the evident ideas that were effectively delivered to the whole grade
through this camp. And with confidence I state that this will in the long term
contribute to great success that we will see as a grade.
To wrap it up, though the camp will always be a memory for each and every oneof us, it is our fundamental belief that it wasa stepping stone in the right direction for the
KIST Class of 2020 to act as one with theutmost support, dignity and respect as wecarve our paths to the future of our dreams
through the IB at KIST.
Aryan and Aya (G11B)

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Individuals & Societies Department Snapshot
Welcome to the Individuals & Societies Snapshot, which
provides you insight into what each grade level andsubject has explored so far during the year!
Keith Erickson
Subject Area Coordinator—I&S

Grade 6Students took a look at how maps can represent
time, place and space. They created maps
showing the same place from different
perspectives. Here are some student reflections
on the project.
Each map is different. There is no such thingas an accurate map.” Kate (G6A)

Grade 9Not everybody is born a natural presenter, buteveryone can find their voice. In the MYP,
verbally sharing information is part of almost
every class. Some students are more comfortable
getting up in front of the class than others, so in
G9 I&S, we focused on developing our strengths
to be effective presenters. We focused on two
Approaches to Learning skill clusters: Affective
Skills and Communication Skills. Communicating
to larger audiences is a life skill and I hope that
the G9s can continue building on what they
developed during these activities!

We cannot always trust a Mercator map, but
we can always trust a globe!” Sumire (G6A)
I want to know if an accurate map can be
made.” Hoyuki (G6A)
When on the final task, you need all of theaction and research that you have done inclass.” Noa (G6A)

Grade 7
Students havebeen considering
the balance of
naturalenvironments andhow humans canimpact them. They
are currently busy
researching towrite an in-depthfeature magazine
article on a natural
biome.

Grade 8In the first unit, students
considered how thegovernance of societies isorganized by different
systems that are used to
distribute power, affecting
fairness and development.
During the unit, thestudents examined different
types of governments toinclude monarchies,
democracies and dictatorships. The students thenhad the opportunity to visit the National Diet.

Grade 10In the second unit, the students considered
whether trade and exchange promotedcooperation or led to exploitation. The students
explored three historical case studies: the Silk
Road, the Opium Wars, and the Atlantic Slave
Trade. During the section on the slave trade,
students wrote a creative piece based on an
aspect of the triangle trade.
“Life of a Slave”
Taken from a land far away,
In ships that hold hundreds of men,With no idea where they’ll go,
And no sense of hope.
Held by shackles around their necks,
Forced by white men to give up their names,
What they have left is nowhere to be found,Yet they keep on going.
Now forced to work day and night,
To serve their masters in perpetuity,
Bound by their masters in life and death,With no freedom or free will.
This is the life of an African slave,
Held by chains and forced to serve,
For who they were did not matter,As they’re an object without a name.
Aditya (G10A)
Continued on next page

27

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

Continued from previous pageDP Business Management
This side of the semester, G11s have completed
their understanding of the first unit in Business
Management. They were introduced to theconcepts of Business Management and haveused these to achieve a deeper learning of thesubject content. Below is a summary from thestudents of each topic that was covered in theunit.
Corporate Social Responsibility is how acompany manages its business to produce
an overall positive impact on society.”
Marlinah (G11A)
The vision of a business is what theorganization would like to achieve or
accomplish in the long-term, whereas
mission is a broader statement of the firm’s coreaims” Kaito (G11A)

DP Geography
In November 2018,
the G12 DP
Geography Higher
Level students
investigated theglobal flows ofgoods andservices, including the illegal flows of narcotics,
trafficked people and counterfeit goods. In a classactivity where they gathered related information,
they placed themselves in the shoes of a ‘yakuza
head’ (spot the meanest looking one from thephoto!) so they could identify the different
networks and flow patterns of illegal goods
around the world. This activity allowed them tounderstand how different places can become
interconnected by global interactions, albeit of amost unorthodox nature.

DP Economics
During the first quarter, students discussed the arguments for andagainst trade protection. Some arguments in favor of tradeprotection included protection of domestic jobs, protection of infantindustries, and protection against unfair competition, while somearguments against trade protection included the danger of tradewars, higher prices for domestic consumers, and increased cost of
production due to lack of competition.

Community Association (CA) NewsIT Committee
The KIST Community Association (CA) has launched a new IT Committee this year. The committee currently
consists of 5 members, eachwith a strong background in the
IT industry. The committee aims
to build the best IT support
environment possible for all
students and families in line withthe school’s mission, vision andguiding beliefs, and welcomes
your enthusiastic participation.
If you are interested in joining ageneral committee or finding out
more about the CA, pleasecontact the Officers by e-mail at
ca.officers@family.kist.ed.jp.
CA IT CommitteeV o l u me 2 2 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

29

Secondary SRC
This school year began with elections for new class representatives, and we were thrilled to see some familiar
faces, as well as some new ones!

Members of the SRC including the executives and class representatives.

Below is a list of things that the SRC has accomplished so far, and some things that we are currently working on.

★Denim Day – Free Dress Day
Our first Free Dress Day was held during the Autumn season, with “denim” as the theme. With a highparticipation rate, this Free Dress Day was a great success. Half of the proceeds raised from this event will be
donated to the “Kodomo-no Chikara” foundation that supports families of children with pediatric cancer, and therest will go to funding sporting equipment for the students. In total, approximately 70% of students participated in
Denim Day, and we were able to raise ¥50,000 in the Secondary School.

★KPASSAs of this year, the SRC has been given the opportunity to participate in KPASS meetings, where presidents/
vice presidents from various international schools collectively share and discuss their work to further improvetheir respective schools. The first event held by KPASS is coming up early next year: the KPASS dance,scheduled to be held at St. Mary’s.

★SRC dance
Our first SRC dance is scheduled to be held on February 14, on Valentine’s Day. Themes and events will bedecided in the coming months.

★Proposals
The SRC is currently working to pass as many proposals as possible to ensure that students’ requests are being
considered and worked on. The most recent proposal that was submitted was one that suggested ways in which
the bicycle parking area could be altered to make for a more effective and safe parking space. In addition tothat, we are also working on proposals regarding the extermination of cockroaches found around the school, as
well as requesting the school to fund the transportation fees for sports groups when visiting other schools for
tournaments.

★Arts Committee
The Arts Committee is currently working on an Autumn Photo Contest, a lunch concert and a film festival.

★Sports Committee
The Sports Committee is working to create a banner that can be used during sports tournaments to support
KIST’s sporting teams.

★Media Committee
The Media Committee will be working on advertising events through posters and KISTv.
Stay tuned for more exciting news from the SRC in the coming months!
Secondary SRC
Let your voice be heard

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Library News
Elementary Library
Drop Everything and Read – ElementaryThis year we decided to shake things up a bit for
DEAR! Students participated in a variety of activities toinspire a love of reading. Students read silently,
listened to audiobooks and parent volunteer readers,
and threw lots of books in the bin!
Wait, what? You read that right! Students in the
Elementary School designed criteria for weeding theirclassroom libraries to make space for some new books.
Weeding is an important job. Just like you need to trim
back dead plants at the end of summer so they can
blossom again in the spring, sometimes you need topull out old books so new books can take that space on
the shelf.
Don’t worry. None of the weeded books will actually goin the trash. Some will become art materials for
Secondary art students and some will be recycled.
After making space for new books, students
brainstormed what new titles and topics they’d like for
their classroom libraries. Students were actively
involved in the selection process for new materials.

Library Media Center (LMC)
Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)
New for 2018 Drop Everything and Read…and
Watch movie nights
Students from Grades 6–8 and 9–12 nominated thenvoted for the movies they would most like to see, under
the proviso that the movies were adapted from books.
Grades 9–12
Movie: Love Simon, directed by Greg Berlanti (2018)
Book: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky
Albertalli
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay, Simon Spier,prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But
when an e-mail falls into the wrong hands, his secret is
at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is
actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman
for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become
everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, thepen name of the boy he’s been e-mailing, will becompromised.
Grades 6–12
Movie: Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg (1975)
Book by Peter Benchley
The classic, blockbuster thriller of man-eating terrorthat inspired the Steven Spielberg movie and mademillions of beachgoers afraid to go into the water.
Students experienced the thrill of helpless horror!

Sakura Medal
Sakura Medal voting has already begun! Please see
Ms Leslie, Ms Erika, or Mr Tim for a voting slip andfurther information. As of this writing (November 13), 17
votes have already been submitted in the Elementary
Library. Help us reach 100 votes for some libraryprizes. You can drop by the Elementary Library to write
down prize suggestions. Do you want more cushions?
Another 10 copies of Dog Man? The entire Peanuts
collection? Let us know!
Leslie Hynes
Elementary School Librarian

Grades 9–12
Movie: Murder On the Orient Express, directed by
Kenneth Branagh (2017)
Book by Agatha Christie
What more can a mystery addict desire than a muchloathed murder victim found aboard the luxurious
Orient Express with multiple stab wounds, thirteen
likely suspects, an incomparably brilliant detective in
Hercule Poirot, and the most ingenious crime everconceived?
New for 2018 Drop Everything and Read…and
ListenSecondary students for 20-minutes each week took theopportunity to sit back and listen to a quality selectionof audio books from authors including Philip K. Dick,
Kurt Vonnegut, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, MarkTwain, Stephen King, and The Brothers Grimm.
You too can listen to these now on the DEAR event
website.
b

Web http://bit.ly/DEAR-audiobooks-2018
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31

Continued from previous pageNew for 2018 Drop Everything And Read…AloudFor 20-minutes, students read the first few pages of
their favourite book to their peers, with many teachers
taking part too. Those who read with passion andenthusiasm then read aloud to the whole class, withsweets and chocolates provided by Mr Tim and Ms
Erika as a thank you.
Snacks for movie night were provided by Sahil(G10A) as part of his research for the Personal
Project.
DEAR—inspiring reading
Teachers (and the chefs!) submitted the title of thebook they are reading this month. These became
engaging posters around the school where students
learned that reading a book is not just something thatteachers recommend, it is something we do too! The
library staff observed many engaging conversations
around the school by students, staff and guests.
If you would like to see what Secondary teachers arereading, and maybe discover a recommended book toread yourself, please got to the inspiring
reading website below.

KIST Week of Code 2018
New for this year is the Week of Code event website(built and maintained by Mr Tim using Adobe Spark).
Visit now to see the current line-up, with more details
as the event unfurls.
b

Web http://bit.ly/Code-2018

New in the LMC
This year, the LMC team is trying their hardest to
support students and teachers, so we have acquired awhole new selection of magazines that anyone fromKIST can access online one at a time. You canapproach us in the LMC and check out the username
and password. We also added lots of new fiction andnon-fiction that you can borrow for your research andleisure reading! Feel free to visit the LMC from
Mondays to Fridays from 8:10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
Mr Tim | Ms Erika
Teacher–Librarian | Library Assistantb

Web http://bit.ly/DEAR-inspiring-2018

Local Author Visits G8
On September 10, an accomplished local author, Holly
Thompson, visited our Grade 8 English Language andLiterature classes as the culmination of a memoir
writing unit. Throughout the unit, students composed
their own short stories about the complexity of summer
in response to Thompson’s own verse novel, Orchards,
which tells the story of a half-Japanese, half-American
8th grader who is sent to live with relatives in Shizuoka
for obon after the suicide of a classmate in New York.
Ms Thompson gave a very engaging and constructive
workshop on tips for adding richness, subtlety andcomplexity to writing through the use of imagery andmetaphor. The author spent two hours working withstudents, offering detailed feedback on technical skills
and revision strategies for improving writing.
Summative assessments for the unit focused on theuse of motif, dialogue and ambiguity to increase thecomplexity and richness of narrative stories. Ms
Thompson’s workshop addressed each of these andoffered clear, insightful advice to students and teachers
alike. Students had the opportunity to ask Ms
Thompson’s dozens of questions, both generally about
working as an author and specifically about their own
narrative compositions.

After the student workshop, Ms Thompson hosted aprofessional development session for English teachers
and language support instructors from grades 5–12
which covered a variety of techniques for prompting
writing, providing feedback, and guiding students
towards richer, more reflective compositions. It was anenlightening and rewarding experience for everyone
involved and we hope for an opportunity to invite Ms
Thompson again in the years ahead.
Steven Otis
Subject Area Coordinator—English

32

V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”Peer Support Leaders
Grade 11 and 12 Peer Support Leaders explain why they took up this role and offer somegood advice!
Ayumi (G11A)

I

became a peer support leader because as we enter
DP, many of us may forget the importance of taking
care of our feelings. I would want to support not only myfriends but my classmates as well in this area.

Karen (G11B)

Advice to peers: Make sure to always take some time to do what you
enjoy.

Nimit (G11B)

I

chose to become a peer support
leader because as our grade enters the IB DP curriculum, there aremany in our grade who would be stressed due to the workload and pressure. I am keen on getting our grade to work
together to face this challenge as a team, to be supportive
and there for each other when needed, to not let us getstressed and pressured by the DP.

I

chose to become one of the peer support
leaders, because I thought I would be able
to make my classmates feel a little better after
talking about their concerns by sharing similar
experiences of mine. I also thought this was agreat opportunity for me to get to know myclassmates well and understand many of the
problems that our grade has, while hopefully
resolving many of them.
Advice to peers: With the exams coming up
soon, I think many of you are starting to feelstressed about whether you will be able to doyour best on the exam day or score 7 and 8s
or even be fully prepared for whatever that’s
going to be on your exams. While I do understand those worries a lot myself, I think it’svery important to have confidence in yourself,
so relax and just try your best. I strongly believe that you will earn yourself good results inthe end. Personally, whenever I feel stressed, I
like to listen to music and take short breaks for
snacks in between study sessions—try it out
sometime!

Advice to peers: We understand the coming days aregoing to be very busy for all of us, but it is best to nevergive up, stay determined and be supportive to each otheras we make it through these challenging days together.

Gopal (G12B)

Tom (G12B)

I

consider the act of helping someone an‘egocentric’ act, as it makes me feelbetter about myself. I have the opportunity
and time to help my friends—so why not
seize the opportunity?
Advice to peers: No matter how stressful
times may become, please never forget tohave fun.

I

want to be a Peer Support Leader because it is a great
opportunity to improve my leadership and communication
skills and understand the problems of my peers better. Not only
that, I have always thought about things logically and I wanted
to help my peers find solutions to whatever problems they arefacing, huge or minor, and I would feel really happy as well if
my help can contribute to them in any way possible.
Advice to peers: Don’t get too
stressed about anything and if you
think that there’s no solution currently,
giving things time is always the bestthing to do.

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33World Scholar’s Cup
Attending the World Scholar’s Cup was a once-ina-lifetime experience for me.
For two weeks during November, I participated in the
final round of a program called the World Scholar’s
Cup held at Yale University. The World Scholar’s Cup
is an academic competition where you debate, write
and answer quizzes about topics you are given
beforehand in a team of three. There were threerounds you had to pass. First were the regionals
rounds, which were held in Tokyo. Then, there was theglobal round where more than 3000 scholars
participated. In the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur, I
competed for a week, and surprisingly, passed for the
final round: the Tournament of Champions, at Yale
University.
On the first day of the Tournament of Champions, I
was so nervous. There were smart people from allround the world, and I felt I was unprepared. But soon,
the hosts of the event came out and started rapping
about pineapple pizza and my worries were gone―for
a while. However, on the next day was the Scholar’s
Challenge, a debate and collaborative writing. The
scholar’s challenge was a 120 multiple-choice quiz,with in-depth questions about the topics all scholars
have been studying all year. Of course, since it was
the last round, it was really hard, and after the quiz I
was completely drained. And it didn’t end there.
Having heated debates about whether diplomacy ismore like romance than friendship, writing essays inan hour…it required a lot of energy. By the end of theday, my team and I were about to fall asleep.
There were many other events too, such as the
Scholar’s Ball where you could dance with fellow
scholars, and the Scholar’s Scavenge, another event
where you could mingle with students you had nevermet before!

Overall, this experience was something I’ll neverforget. Although it was an academic competition, it
was so much fun. There were scavenger hunts,
dances and lots of singing! Every person wasappreciated, and I really felt like I belonged. Also, I
was lucky enough to join a mixed team; I was put in agroup with 2 girls from India. We were complete
strangers in the beginning of the journey, but we foundinterests and by the end of the competition, I mademany friends from all around the world.
I definitely recommend World Scholar’s Cup to
students because it also provides an opportunity tolearn about things from different subjects. What you
learn in this competition is interesting, and it
sometimes relates to what you study in KIST. You also
learn a lot about public speaking, collaboration andtime management. I promise that the energetic
atmosphere will keep you encouraged and I willdefinitely try again next year. After the competition, I’m
pretty sure you’ll have new knowledge, a great
experience, and a giant, fluffy alpaca stuffed toy!
Sara (G8A)

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V ol u me 22 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 18

Spotlight on Clubs
Origami Fun Club (Elementary)
Did you know that origami and math are heavily intertwined? Origami is full ofcreativity and fun, and it is also great for mathematical thinking. Spending timeinquiring into the world of origami will help create a more mathematically sensitivemind.
In Origami Fun, students are not only making origami objects, but also honing theircritical thinking skills. If you have ever tried, you will know that even understanding thevisual diagrams/instructions is already quite the task. You need to read picture
diagrams, follow multi-step instructions, and plan ahead, all of which are challenging
for the growing mind. Simultaneously, as with any other mathematical concept,
accuracy is key. Fine motor skills are needed to make strong creases in the paperand creating sharp folded corners. These are just a few of many skills students havebeen developing in Origami Fun.
Coming from a background of two cultures, I have strongly felt amazement for origami
as something existing nowhere else. I remember my own middle school math teacher,
who was somewhat of a genius, being enraptured by origami and would often have us
investigate the angles and folds we made with origami during class.
The possibilities in origami are endless and I have enjoyed giving the students theopportunity to flourish in their skills and understandings. The pure joy they show when
taking home an origami polygon, the feeling of accomplishment after
long periods of concentration and effort, has been rewarding for me.
Aya Kurosaki
Club Supervisor

Yukata Sewing Art Club (Secondary)
I had a quick skim through the list of clubs when it
came out, I wasn't expecting to join any, especiallywith my increasing responsibilities as a 10th grader,but I could not resist when I saw the Yukata Sewing
Art Club. I had always been interested in fashion,
and with my personal project involving sewing, it wasa perfect opportunity. With only four people in theclub, the atmosphere is relaxed, and fast-paced, but
not too fast-paced. We somehow manage to beefficient while having fun thanks to Mr Jones’
guidance and support in learning new skills.
Although we aren’t finished with the yukata yet, it’sinteresting to see the process a piece of fabricundergoes to form a yukata. I am glad that I joined
this club and I look forward to finishing my yukata
along with seeing my peers’ finished yukatas as well.
Anya (G10B)

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Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, weare pleased to present
Heather Neill who joined ourSecondary School team in
August 2017. This year, she
is teaching MYP and DPEnglish Language andLiterature, and DP Theory of
Ms Neill
Knowledge, and is also thehomeroom advisory assistant for G9A. Additionally,
she was appointed this year as the DP Core
Coordinator.
1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
I come from an area in Scotland called Fife, known for
its beautiful shorelines and successful fisheries. In
fact, the fish and chip shop consistently voted as ‘TheBest in the UK’ belongs to where I come from; very
unhealthy, yet so delicious!
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
There is a little village in northern Laos called Luang
Prabang that is the most beautiful, quaint place I haveever visited. It is surrounded by mountains, rivers andtemple shrines tucked away in deep caves. There isdefinitely an ‘old world’ feel to the place, like being lostin the past; the people are very friendly and the local
cuisine is extra spicy—just the way I like it!
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
My Great Uncle Tom was a decorated WW1 war hero
who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery. I
have a national newspaper clipping detailing the event
where his actions saved men in his battalion fromdeath—it makes me so proud!
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I was a competitive gymnast as a youngster and havemanaged to retain some of my special tricks—I canstill do front flips on demand and have been known todrop down into splits as a go-to party trick.
5) Please share a little known fact about yourself.
I have eaten wild rat—and enjoyed it.
6) What is your most prized possession?
My passport.
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Thinker—I am very ‘right brain’ and like to consider the
big questions in life. This does have its benefits anddrawbacks.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
With all negative experiences in life; events whichcaused you pain, people who hurt you, it is importantto reframe them as having value—shaping who we
become and helping us to make the right choices. I
would not change a single thing about my life; we say
in Scotland ‘what is for you, will not go by you’…

359) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
At the moment, I am studying for an MSc in
Psychology with a London university by distance. On
average, I have to study for 20 hours a week in myown time which is extremely challenging as sometimes
I have no real time to kick-back and relax. However, it
has made me a more dynamic Theory of Knowledge
teacher and increasingly empathetic for my DP
students, who are going through exactly the same
experience!
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
I’ll leave you with a quote by the great A.A. Milne:‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were
underneath it?’ said Piglet.
‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh.
After careful thought, Piglet was comforted by this.

Office Updates
School fee payments
The payment date for the 3rd
installment of school fees for 20182019 is December 17. Please
ensure that you make your payment
by this date if you have not alreadydone so.

School lunch orders
The closing date for changes or cancellations to school
lunch orders from January 2019 is December 14. For
all changes or cancellations, the School Lunch Order
Form must be submitted to the office by this date.
Requests to change or cancel school lunch orders
will not be accepted after the closing date.
The form is available from the school website at:
http://www.kist.ed.jp/files/pdf/enrolment/b
Web School%20Lunch%20Order%20Form.pdf

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Nurse’s Notes
Norovirus
What is norovirus?
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes
acute gastroenteritis. The virus is sometimes called“stomach flu” but is not related to influenza viruses.

How do people get norovirus?
Norovirus can spread quickly in closed and crowded
environments such as schools. Norovirus is found in
the feces and vomit of infected people and canspread easily from person to person. The virus canstay in people’s feces for two weeks.
Methods of transmission include: Touching your hand to your mouth after your hand
has been in contact with a contaminated surface orobject. Norovirus can survive outside the body forseveral days.
 Eating food or drinking fluids that are contaminatedwith norovirus through being handled by people
who have not washed their hands properly.
Unfortunately, people can get norovirus infection
more than once because our bodies are unable tobuild up long- term resistance to the virus.

What are the symptoms of norovirus?
Common symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, wateryor loose diarrhea and abdominal pain or cramps.
These symptoms begin 12 to 48 hours after first
exposure to the virus and last one to three days.
Other symptoms may include: low grade fever,headaches, and muscle pain. However, some people
with norovirus may show no signs or symptoms but
they are still contagious and can spread the virus toothers.

How is norovirus treated?
Currently, there is no specific medication or vaccine
for norovirus infection, and recovery generally
depends on the health of your immune system. In
most people, the illness usually resolves within a few
days. You need to drink more than usual to replace
the fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhea to avoid
dehydration. Medications to prevent vomiting or
diarrhea should not be given, especially for children,
except on a doctor’s advice.

Get medical advice if:
 You have watery diarrhea
six or more times in thepast 24 hours, or havevomited three or more times in the past 24 hours.
 You have symptoms of severe dehydration, suchas passing small amount of urine or no urine at all.
 Having bloody diarrhea.
 The symptoms have not started to improve after a
few days.
 You have a fever.
 You experience abdominal pain.

Complications of norovirus
Norovirus can cause severe dehydration, andmalnutrition. Please seek a medical advice if you
have fatigue, dry mouth and throat, listlessness ordizziness.

How to prevent the spread of norovirus
infection?
 Stay home from school until at least 48 hours after
the symptoms have cleared, to reduce the risk of
spreading norovirus at schools.
 Wash your hands frequently and properly withsoap, particularly after using the toilet, changing
diapers and before preparing, handling and eatingfood.
 Do not rely on using only alcohol hand gels, as
they do not kill norovirus.
 When someone vomits or has diarrhea, wear
rubber gloves and a mask and then start cleaning
the entire area immediately. Apply a bleach-basedhousehold cleaner (10 ml of household chlorine
bleach per 500 ml of water) as disinfectants andflush away any infected feces or vomit in the toilet.
Dispose of the gloves and mask after use.
 When you are sick, avoid preparing food or caring
for others.
 Cook all food thoroughly (at a temperature above
90 degrees and over 90 seconds) to kill norovirus.
 Wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
 Avoid sharing towels.
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Reference:
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2018, Nov 18). Retrieved fromhttps://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/kenkou/kekkaku-kansenshou19/norovirus/

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37

University Guidance News
University applications
University application cycles for major countries in the
Northern Hemisphere usually start from September,and many of our current G12 students have applied to
one or more universities by now. There are a couple ofstudents who have already received conditional offersfrom US universities and/or UK universities—
Congratulations! There are many other students who
are waiting for their results and some others wereinvited for an interview from highly selective schools
such as Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Harvard andothers. Most students—including those who havealready applied to some universities—will be sending
applications to other universities in various countries
during and after the winter break.
Good luck and keep on going! We are looking forward
to another successful year of university acceptances at
KIST.

KIST alumni talk by
Carmina (KIST 2010,
Princeton 2014, Yale
2018)
Thank you to the Secondary
students who came to see
Carmina at lunch time on
Monday, November 5.
Carmina talked about her
experiences as anundergraduate student at
Princeton University where
she earned her BS in Engineering, and as a graduate
student at Yale University where she earned her MBA
and MA in International Relations. She also sharedwonderful memories of her days at KIST, answeredquestions from students, and provided advice on how
to prepare DP and university applications.

Carmina (front, center) shared her experiences with students.

Raj (KIST 2016) in The Japan Times
In addition to his appearance in the new brochure of
the Keio University PEARL program (see The Comet
September 2018 issue), Raj (KIST Class of 2016) wasfeatured as one of 10 students and recent graduates in
The Japan Times’ “Internationalization of Japanese
Universities.” (October 22, 2018)

Raj appeared in The Japan Times.

Sara (G8A) wins essay contest
I’m very pleased to announce that Sara
(G8A) won the grand prize in the Tsuda
University Essay Contest Jr. forelementary and junior high school
students conducted by Tsuda’s
Department of English. Tsuda
University, which is my alma mater (BASocial Science ’78) is one of the oldest women’s
universities in Japan and was founded by Ms Umeko
Tsuda who was the youngest female exchange student
to the US by the Meiji government nearly 150 years
ago at the age of 6. Congratulations Sara!
b

Web

http://www.tsuda.ac.jp/open-college/essay-jr/
index.html

Sara said of her win:
I’m really honored to receive this award! The
topic for this contest was “The World and Me”,
and I wrote about how even one person couldchange and effect the world. On the award
ceremony, I went to Tsuda University, and it
was great seeing the campus. Plus, it was theschool festival, so I had a lot of fun, too!”

The Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun featured Sara’s at the award
ceremony at Tsuda University.

Have a nice winter break and a happy new year!
Mrs Keiko Okude
Career and University Guidance Counselor
Office hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00-17:00
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp