1997

2012

The Comet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo

Celebrating 15 years

Volume 16 | Issue 1 | September 2012

In this issue...
Welcome to new staff…p. 2

Library news…p. 12

Elementary SRC…p. 4

Secondary SRC…p. 14

English intensive class…p. 7

Founders’ Awards…p. 14

Using the Internet at home…p. 9

Summer internship at Keio…p. 16

Leaders of the future…p. 10

Alumnus report…p. 18

Evacuation drills…p. 11

PTA news…p. 19

From the School Director“Educawhen tion is whawt
has be hat has be survives
en leaen forrnt
gotten.”—B.F. Skinner

DATES TO REMEMBERThis year marks 15 years since the foundation of K. International School Tokyoand the first time a class, which included my own son, progressed all the way
from K1 to Grade 12. Looking back, I am invigorated by our many
achievements, but am also reminded of the importance each year and the
responsibility that we have each day towards our children’s education. I am
determined to continue carrying out my duties while always remembering theschool’s founding vision.
As you know, KIST is currently undergoing various reforms to return the school
to its founding vision.
This June, we introduced our new school song which I hope offers another way
to express the KIST philosophy to the whole community.

For Tomorrow
Never forget that all through time
We make the future together
Side by side, hand in hand
Building a better world for tomorrow

どんなときも わすれないで未来は皆で 作ってくよ
輝く未来 築くために
あしたに向かい 歩こうよ

We are all sharing the earth
We’re not alone
Neighbors and friends helping us learn
All through our lives

人や自然に ささえられ

Anytime you see someone who is in need
Just stop and think what help we can give
Just trust in yourself, believe in yourself
And you can change the world
For everyone

いつの日か 誰かのために何かができるかな
誇りを持ち 生きてくために
さあ未来へ
For everyone

私たちは 生きてる

The message I would like to convey through this song is as follows:“Never forget that we are the ones who shape tomorrow, and as such, it is ourduty to work together to ensure that peace prevails in the future. Just as we aresupported by people and our environment, we must ensure that we help
support others. If you support people and the environment, or are in some way
able to help build a brighter future, you can take pride in your own life.”
Continued on next page

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

September 201217 School closed (National holiday)
18 (S/EIC) Field Day
19 (E) Field Day
19 (G1-G12) Clubs program begins
20 (G5) Camp explanation evening
21 MYP New parent informationnight
22 High school drama festival
25 (W) Free dress day
26-28 (G8) Camp
26 (PYP) New parent information
sessionOctober 2012
1-2 School photographs
3-5 (G5) Camp
5 World Teachers’ Day
8 School day
9-11 (G3-G10/EIC) ISA testing
13 School explanation day
15 2013-2014 enrollment
applications open
17 (G10) PSAT tests
19 KISTival preparation day(K1-G5) No school for students(S) School day
20 KISTival 201221-28 Autumn break
29 (W) School resumes

November 2012
2 Last day of quarter 1
2 (W) DEAR literary character
dress-up day
2 (S/EIC) SRC dance
5/12/19/27 DEAR reading initiative

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Continued from previous page

To improve the present state of turmoil in the world weneed talented, caring individuals with a sense of
responsibility. It is our hope to develop similarly minded
young people at KIST who, working together, cancontribute to society. As founders of the school, thesewere our thoughts when writing these lyrics.

I always listen to this song in my car on the way towork and am delighted whenever I pass a student in
the corridor who I hear humming it. I hope that thewhole school community can also take the time tolisten to and familiarize themselves with our school
song, “For Tomorrow”.

Additionally, the composition for our school song, “ForTomorrow”, was kindly provided by a member of ourschool community, the well-known musician,Tomoyasu Hotei, with English lyrics by Craig Larsen
who was able to match our original thoughts with his
English version. I would like to take this opportunity to
express my sincere appreciation to you both for yourcontributions to the song.

Warm regards,
Yoshishige Komaki
School Director/Head of School

Mr Komaki

Welcome to New Staff
The new school year always brings a number of new faces to the
KIST family from both within Japan and from overseas. On behalf ofthe school community, we would like to welcome our new staff andwish them all the best for a great year!
E-mail addresses for all faculty, both new and continuing, areavailable on the Contact >> Faculty Directory page of the school
website.
New teachers learning the art of Japanese cuisine
under the direction of Japanese language staff.

Clay Bradley
Grade 3A

Susan Hirakawa
Secondary English
Language Support

Robert Johnson
Lang. A English /College GuidanceCounselor

Julia Lupone
Grade 3B

Lucila ZornosaSanchez
Grade 1B

Chien-Hsuan Chen
Teacher’s Assistant
K2

Anna Holdaway
Teacher’s Assistant
K3B

John McDonough
Teacher’s Assistant
K2

Aaron Ross
LEAP Instructor

Yuki Tanabe
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3

Elementary School News

K1-K2 News

Welcome back for the start of the 2012-2013 schoolyear!

Welcome everyone! My name is Claire
Yoneyama. I am the K1-K2 Team
Leader and the K2 classroom teacher.
The K1 and K2 children have settled insmoothly into their new classroom
M rs Y o ney a m alives. In K1, there were a few tears in
the mornings as it was their first time tobe separated from their parents, but they haveadjusted to their new surroundings well!

I hope you all had a wonderful and rewarding summer
season and return to school refreshed and ready foran exciting school year, I know I am! I spent thesummer travelling with my family around Japan andspending lots of time playing with my two sons. Finallyhaving plenty of time to spend with them, I was
reminded of the value of providing children with avariety of experiences. Every time we went
somewhere or tried something new they would ask
what, why and how? Every time their wonderings took
us on an exploration or adventure that just seemed sonatural and fun! As an adult I must also remind myselfof that sense of wonder, and how magical it is forchildren.
Wonder and inquiry, they go hand in hand. This is oneof the reasons why I have so much confidence in the
IB Primary Years Programme. We allow students toquestion the world around them, test their own
theories and put their learning into action. While we
still put significant emphasis on skills and knowledge,
combining them with this sense of wonder draws thestudents into their subjects and helps them to makeconnections to the world they live in.
As the new Elementary School Principal, I will strive tokeep that wonder alive in our students and theirinquiries!
Welcome back and I hope that you
and your children also had someinteresting explorations andadventures of your own!

A gradual entry program is implemented in the K1class to help these little ones adjust to school life
slowly. It is a two-week transition period where theycome for acouple ofhours in themorning or
afternoon
during thefirst week.
During thesecondweek, thestudents
come only inthe morningand go home with their parents after they finish theirlunch. They start their normal school day during thethird week.
The normal school day for K2 students is from 9:30 to
3:20; however, a lot of our K2 students come early
from 8:30 and are supervised until school begins. The
first two weeks is their transition period where theylearn the rules and routines in the classroom. It is very
important for the K2 students to learn from the
beginning how to be responsible and independent.

All the best in 2012-2013!
Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal

M r Y o s h i h ar a

KISTival 2012
The annual school festival, KISTival, will be held on
Saturday, October 20 from 10:00 to 3:00. Particularduties will be allocated to each grade level. We ask forthe support of the entire school community in assistingwith the preparation and running of the event to ensurethat maximum funds are raised. On KISTival
Preparation Day (Friday, October 19), all Elementary
students from K1 to G5
have a day off; however,G6 to G12 students are
required to assist with the
preparations. Further
information will be
distributed soon.

The K1 and K2 classes are both beginning the newschool year with their “Who we are” units of inquiry.
K1 is exploring the different ways to learn with thesupport of those around them. This unit for the K2class is a year-long unit. They learn about their bodies
and their surroundings using their senses.
If you happen to pass by the K1 and K2 classrooms
and meet some of the little ones, please don’t hesitate
to say ‘Hello’ to them and they will say ‘Hello’ back to
you with a sweet smile!
ClaireYoneyama
K1-K2 Team
Leader, K2
Classroom
Teacher

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PYP News

ESRC

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! The newschool year is off to a great start. Students were eager
to come to school, see old friends and make newones, and to see their new classroom and teacher.
Students jumped right into some exciting learning –exploring new units of inquiry and inquiring into maths,
literacy and more. This year promises to be a great
one filled with new learning, discoveries and growth.

The Elementary Student Representative Council(ESRC) is up and running for 2012-2013. The ESRC
is the student voice of the Elementary School and is
responsible for helping to solve problems and makedecisions.

Already at the start of the year, students have been
exhibiting the learner profile. The learner profile is apart of the IB curriculum that unites the PYP, MYP and
DP. The learner profile aims to develop thinkers,
communicators, inquirers and risk-takers who arereflective, open-minded, balanced, principled,caring and knowledgeable. The Elementary school
promotes the learner profile in a variety of ways. One
way is the ‘Learner Profile of the Month’. Each month
the Elementary School chooses a profile to put in the
spotlight. This month we are all working on being risktakers. You can support your child at home bymodeling risk-taking and discussing what it means toyou and to your child to be a risk-taker.

Learner profile awards are another way the
Elementary School is promoting the learner profile.
Students, parents and teachers can give and receive
profile awards. The learner profile is alive and present
in the Elementary School. Stop by the bulletin board infront of the Elementary Office to check who has
demonstrated one of the profiles and received anaward.
On Wednesday, September 26 there will be a PYP
Information night in the MPR at 6
p.m. This information session isintended for parents new to the PYP
and to those who would like arefresher on the PYP philosophiesand curriculum. I hope to see you
there!
Elizabeth HeardPYP Coordinator

Ms Heard“PYP New Parent Information Session”
Wednesday, September 26
6:00-7:00 | Multipurpose RoomThe ESRC is composed of the Executive Committee
which includes a president, vice president, secretary
and treasurer, made up of Grade 5 students, and aclass representative from each class, K3 to Grade 4.
The ESRC meets each week to discuss important
Elementary School issues. The class representatives
and executives serve as the voice of their class andcan bring items and problems to discuss at the ESRC
meetings. Discussing recess rules and new
playground equipment was the first order of businessfor the ESRC.
All of the ESRC members are enthusiastic and readyto help contribute to the Elementary community. It
looks like it is going to be a productive year for the
ESRC.

Elementary SRC
2012-2013
Executive Committee
President
Goki (G5A)
Vice President
Shridhar (G5B)
Treasurer
Ushani (G5A)
Secretary
Katherine (G5B)

Class Representatives
Renzo (K3A) | Sophia (K3B)
Ethan (G1A) | Haruto (G1B)
Harunosuke (G2A) | Mai (G2B)
Hanna (G3A) | Kishore (G3B)
Hee Sung (G4A) | Ian (G4B)

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5Secondary School News
IT updates and K. OneNote
The 2012-13 academic year
started very smoothly. This year
we are moving further ahead with
our long-term IT goals of greater
integrated technology in the
curriculum and digital literacy skills.
We launched our 1-to-1 laptop
initiative for Grades 10-12. Having
students gain experience andexpertise working with personal
laptops before they graduate andattend college or university isessential for academic success.
This initiative also greatly helps
keep tuition costs down whileproviding greater access to laptops
for Grades 6-9. For our younger
secondary students, we encourage
the use of school provided laptops
to ensure a safer and productive
learning environment which ismore developmentally appropriate.
We are trialing a new student
learning scaffold with our Grade 10-12 students. We are calling it ‘K.
OneNote’. This was introduced toall students bringing laptops toschool in special IT sessions
during the first week of school.
This particular initiative is designed
to provide a ‘personal learning
environment’ (PLE), greatly helping
with student organization. For G10
students we will be using anelectronic process journal with the
Personal Project to be introducedin the next few weeks. This isimbedded in K. OneNote. We will
be using something similar with
G11 students to help guide themthrough the Extended Essay.
These journals can be shared withan advisor over the Internet,
greatly improving dialogue
between students and supervisors.
For non PC users there is a webbased version, but Evernote orsimilar software may be a goodalternative for our Mac friends. I
highly encourage parents todiscuss how your child is taking
notes and keeping organized in all
grade levels. As our K. OneNote isrefined this academic year, we areconsidering making it available forall grade levels as it may be usefulfor students to use on their homecomputers.

ParentWelcomeNight
I would liketo thank allfamilies forattending.
Based onparental
feedback inprevious
years, wekept the gym-style rotation making
it easier for parents to meet
specific subject teachers. We will
be using a similar set up for parent-teacher-student conferences on
November 23. We havedeliberately timed the 1st quarter
reports to be issued on November
9 so that parents are better
informed before the conferences.
Not all parents may need to seeeach of their child’s subject
teachers. Teachers will arrange
conferences with students theywish to see and parents will havethe opportunity to do the same.

During Parent Welcome Night,
more details about PowerSchool
parental/student access wasshared. We plan to allow access toPowerSchool at the beginning ofNovember. This will allow parents
and students to see assessment
data as it is entered in teacher
grade books. Having this sort ofaccess will greatly help students
know exactly what they need towork on for improvement, which
will include attendance. We will rollthis out to a small group of parents
initially and then to all parents/
students in the secondary school.
More details to follow.

The 2012-2013 timetable

Image from K. OneNote

Important appeal for classparents
During Parent Night, eachhomeroom/advisory team put out
an appeal for class parents. We
had several parents offer to fulfill
this role, but some homerooms stillneed parental representation. At
the time of writing this article thefollowing homerooms still need akind parent to volunteer for thisrole: 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B,
10A, 11A, 11B.
The parental role is vital in order toeffect positive communication andrelationships within our schoolcommunity. More specifically, therole of class parents is designed
primarily to support theorganization of school events suchas the KISTival. In addition to thisrole, class parents are asked to beavailable to support teachers withthe supervision of class events
such as field trips. As a school wewill continue to reflect on this rolein order to best meet the needs ofour students and the schoolcommunity. If you are able toassist, please email me directly at
stephen.rothkopf@kist.ed.jp andmention which specific grade/homeroom you are able to assist
with.
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MYP News

Continued from previous page

Grade level trips
This year we have scheduled 3 trips similar to last year.
Each trip is specifically designed to offer students
unique activities that they could not take advantage ofat school related to curriculum and designed to improve
the learning environment when students return toschool. All grade levels will be accompanied by theirrespective homeroom/advisory teachers wherever
possible. More detailed information will be provided via
KIST parental e-mail accounts, but please keep thefollowing dates in mind: September 26-28 (Grade 8)
 November 8-9 (Grade 6) Updated
 March 6-8 (Grade 10)
As we embark on our 16th year, I
am looking forward to working withour community to ensure anothergreat year in the Secondary School.
Warm regards,
Stephen Rothkopf
Secondary School Principal

Mr Rothkopf

Arts subject guide changes
The new school year brings excitement for students,
parents and teachers. The Middle Years Programme(MYP) continues with developing further changes aspart of the already published “MYP: The Next Chapter”
document. As part of the announced changes, new
MYP subject guides are being piloted all over theworld. KIST art teachers are very proud of taking anactive role in piloting the new Arts guide in this year’s
art classes in all MYP grade levels. During the school
year our MYP art teachers are obligated to stay incontact with the IB headquarters in The Hague,
Netherlands, and report of their experiences with the
new subject guide. Feedback from schools piloting the
new Arts guide (including KIST) will be taken into
consideration when creating thefinal version of the guide which will
be published in 2014. Having a
new subject guide will ensure theuse of the newest educational
standards and developments.

Training for future IB Japanese workshop
leaders
KIST is active in local MYP developments. During thefirst week of this school year, three of our MYP
teachers, Ms Kanazawa, Ms Johnston and Ms
Yamashita, participated in the MYP training for future
workshop leaders in the Japanese language.

Explanation Day 2012
For the 2013 - 2014 school year
KIST will hold an Explanation Day for parents
interested in enrolling children for the 2013 2014 school year.
Administration and teaching staff will beavailable to answer questions regarding
admissions procedures, the school
curriculum, progression to universities, andgeneral features of the school. Visitors will
also be able to view the school facilities.
Date:
October 13, 2012 (Saturday)
Session times:(1) English: 9:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
(2) Japanese: 1:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Reservations close:
October 12, 2012 (Friday)
Reservations essential!

www.kist.ed.jp

Ms Kanazawa

Ms Johnston

Ms Yamashita

Responding to the newest project of the Japanese
Ministry of Education, which announced last summer
the desire to have 200 additional IB schools within thenext 5 years, the IB organized this training for bilingual
MYP teachers in order to be able to provide educatedworkshop leaders for the next stage of the project. It isan honor for our school to have teachers educated as
IB workshop leaders. Skills they acquired in thistraining will surely be used in their everyday teaching at
KIST.
As the only IB World School in the
Kanto Plains area offering all three
IB programs, we continue to beproactively involved with MYP
curriculum developments.
Vedrana Pavletic
MYP Coordinator
Ms Pavletic

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DP News
IB Diploma results

During the summer vacation the IB Diploma results were issued to the students of the “Class of 2012”. The tablebelow summarizes the performance of the candidates and also KIST graduates from 2007-2012.
Year of
Graduation

KIST mean
points*Number of
Grade 12 fullDP students

2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007

29.06
30.5
27.05
31.80
30.88
30.50

17
16
18
10
8
2

Number of
students
awarded the
IB Diploma
14
14
11
9
5
1

Mean pointsof students
awarded the
IB Diploma*
30
32
30
32
35
36

HighestKIST
Score*

Worldwide
mean
points**

37
40
38
45
39
36

TBA
29.61
29.55
29.51
29.57
29.56

*Maximum score: 45 points
The results of the “Class of 2012” were positive, especially as their two-year IB Diploma curriculum had beeninterrupted by the March 2011 earthquake. As the table above shows, 14 out of 17 students achieved the award of
the full IB Diploma. Eight students achieved a good to very good IB Diploma of 30 points of more. Congratulations
to Su Ah who achieved the highest score of 37 points, a very good bilingual IB Diploma.
This year, 7 students were awarded a bilingual IB Diploma; 5 as they chose to study both English and Japanese as
first languages whilst two students took Polish and Korean along with English as “A” languages. In the Class of
2012, nearly 50% of students were working towards the award of a bilingual IB Diploma. This is a 100% increase
compared to the Class of 2009, three years ago. The school also had 25% of its full candidates take Mathematics
HL, all of whom achieved a satisfactory result (4) or better. This average is much higher than the % of DP
Mathematics candidates around the world who choose to take the Mathematics HL course.
Parents who would like more general information on IB Diploma results should go to http://www.ibo.org/diploma/
assessment/results/. The IB publishes a “Statistical Bulletin” summarizing IB Diploma results, a link to which is on
this webpage. The “Statistical Bulletin” for the May 2012 Examination Session should be published in November.
Congratulations to the students on their individual successes in the DP curriculum, and thanks to all the Grade 12
teachers from last year for all their hard work!
Mark Cowe
Secondary School Vice Principal/IB Diploma Coordinatormark.cowe@kist.ed.jp

KIST IB Diploma examiners

KIST has five teachers who have beenrecognized for their assessment experience andexpertise in a number of subjects by being
employed as DP Examiners by the IB
organization. This means that they can be called
upon by the IB to assess students work andexaminations from other schools in the IB world,
usually in the period between March and June.
We are hopeful that in the next year or two, thisnumber will increase.
The following is a list of current KIST staff withthe subjects they are recognized to examine inby the IB organization:
 Kiyomi Kanazawa – Japanese B
 Etsuo Kamo – Japanese A Daryl Bates – Visual Arts Marina Babaeva – Music Mark Cowe – History, Theory of Knowledge

Ms Kanazawa

Ms Babaeva

Mr KamoMr Bates

Mr Cowe7

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English Intensive ClassThe English Intensive Class (EIC) began in April 2012 to support
the development of English skills in students before moving into
the MYP at KIST or a similar program at other schools. There are
currently 17 students in the class from Grades 6 through 10.
Every student in the EIC has been working hard since we began
studying at KIST. All of us were very nervous at first, but theteachers and other students helped us to be confident and not tobe shy as well as to share our opinions and ideas with everyone.
At KIST, our rules are to be responsible in doing our homework,
to respect our fellow students and teachers. The EIC students
enjoy studying at KIST because of the school facilities, especiallythe field which everyone likes to play on or relax on, during their
free time. I really enjoy studying at KIST because the teachers
have different ways of teaching us. The teachers help us not only
in our studies, but they help us enjoy our daily life at KIST. They
always make sure that students understand the topics they areteaching us. That’s why in the last semester the EIC students
improved a lot, and I would like to thank all the teachers for doing
their best to help us to be successful. Last semester we had
LEAP and that helped every student to do their homework.
Being at KIST is a great pleasure for me because it can help me
to be successful someday and it helps me to be open minded.
Last semester we enjoyed the dance party, concert, and thefamily day. I enjoy learning every day; it makes me feel happy
and comfortable. The EIC is different from other classes because
our friendships and relationships with one another are amazing
because we often play together and we always help and support
one another.
Everyone in the EIC is looking forward tolearning more and achieving more thissemester.
Cherokee (I9A)

Short Tuesdays
As indicated on the school calendar, there are 18“short Tuesdays” scheduled for 2012-2013. We
would like to remind families that on these days,
school finishes at 2:10 p.m. All students from K1
through Grade 12 are required to leave the school
grounds at this time.
On short Tuesdays, no after-school activities arescheduled; however, the separate after-school LEAP
program is not affected and will continue asscheduled.
The system of short Tuesdays was introduced in2011 for the purpose of increasing school-wide
collaborative planning time for teachers in response
to IB recommendations.

August 28
September 11, 25
October 9, 30
November 13, 27
December 11
January 15, 29
February 12, 26
March 12April 2, 16, 30
May 14, 28

Short

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Nationalities at KIST

Using the Internet at HomeOne of the most visible characteristics of aninternational school is the wide range of nationalities
represented in the school community, not only in thestudent population, but also amongst the staff.

Tips from the Welfare Counselor

This year at KIST, 47 different nationalities are
represented in the student body and 18 nationalities
amongst the staff. These are shown in the Wordle
diagrams below. Can you find your nationality?

Student nationalities

Trying to seek out helpful information regarding
appropriate use of the Internet for our kids can be achallenge for parents. The following are some online
Internet safety and appropriate use of the computer tips
to share with your children.
Set up rules:
Post clear, simple, easy to read rules on or near themonitor or in a place that is seen on a regular basis.
Create computer rules that are initially discussed withyour children, so they have a say in how they will use
their computer and Internet at home.
Use filters:
Consider using filtering or monitoring software for yourcomputer. Look into safeguarding programs or options
your online service provider might offer. These can
include monitoring or filtering capabilities. Have yourchildren use child friendly search engines whencompleting homework.
Look at history files:
Take the time to view history files and see which sites
your child has visited. If the history files have been
deleted, there may perhaps be a reason for that;
therefore, a discussion with your child is necessary.

Staff nationalities

Free Dress Days
As indicated on the school calendar, freedress days will be held during 2012-2013
as follows:
September 25 (Tuesday)
November 28 (Wednesday)
February 8 (Friday)
May 16 (Thursday)
All free dress days during the year are for the whole
school. Separate notification will not be distributed, so
please highlight the dates on your calendar. Students
who choose to wear free dress on these days are
required to pay a fee of 200 yen per student which isput towards particular projects or specific purchases.
Families are reminded that although students do nothave to wear their uniform on these days, the clothes
they wear must be conservative and uphold the imageof the school. Furthermore, all students are expected tofollow the regular school dress code in terms of generalappearance. Please check the School Handbook if you
are unsure of these expectations.

9

Talk about the dangers of e-mail and chat:If your child uses chat or e-mail, talk to them about
never meeting an online friend in person. Talk to yourchild about not responding to offensive or dangerous email, chat or other communications. Know whom yourchildren are exchanging e-mails with, and only let them
use chat sites that you have discussed and approved.
Know what's going on:
Keep the computer in the living room or another open
area of your home so you can informally monitor their
computer and Internet use.
Internet Safety Resources:
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internetsafety/extra/47
Benjamen Fishman
K-12 Student Welfare Counselor

Mr Fishman

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Min in Seoul

Leaders of the Future

Volunteering at Severance Hospital

KIST students at GYLC

In August of this summer, I had a precious experience
as a student volunteer at Severance Hospital of Yonsei
University Health System (YUHS) in Seoul, South
Korea. YUHS was founded in 1885 as the first modern
medical institution in Korea; it has been the leader of
medicine and is respected as one of the mostprestigious medical colleges in East Asia.

In late June to early July 2012, several students fromthe Grade 10 Class of 2012 (Daniel, Min, Naishi, Moyu,
Sashank, Adam, Leticia, Miku, Eun Ji) were enrolled to
go to the Global Young Leaders Conference, which islike the UN, in Washington DC and New York for a
fortnight to meet hundreds of students of their age fromacross the world. In this diverse cultural conference,the students learnt how politics and decisions in the UN
worked whilst also learning and developing theirleadership and courage. Other than the early mornings
and the regular conferences, the students were able togo shopping and visit several sightseeing spots suchas the Lincoln memorial, The UN Assembly, Ellis Islandand more including a night cruise of New York.

After an orientation, I and other local high school
students were assigned to different departments which
all take a crucial role in operating the hospital. I was
assigned to a department called “Health Insurance
Review Team” and my main duty was to assist theofficial administration of the department. Although I was
not assigned to a department where I would be able todirectly interact with the patients, the volunteer activity
allowed me to learn that there are a great number ofpeople, other than doctors and nurses, who work
behind the scenes to sustain the health care systemthat millions of people
I believe abenefit greatly from.

“

During the two weeks, the students were able tobecome a leader in their own chosen national groupwhere they played a key role in the Global Summit
Simulation, whilst meeting key figures in the American
government.

hospital volunteer
activity is reallyenriching, especiallyfor those interested
in the medical
profession.

In fact, it was my second
year participating as a
student volunteer at YUHS
and the experiences were
extremely valuable andbeneficial for me. As a
CAS or C&S activity, I
believe a hospital volunteer activity is really enriching,especially for those who are interested in the medical
profession. The best aspect of hospital volunteering isthat there are numerous departments representing
various aspects of a hospital. For example, last year, I
worked in the rehabilitation hospital of YUHS where I
was able to interact with the patients more closely than I
did this year.

”

I strongly recommend young students of KIST to havevaluable and special experiences at hospitals, where
they can widen their intellectual horizons by learning
about the preciousness of life and significance of healthcare systems to a human society.
For more information on student volunteering at YUHS,
please visit http://www.yuhs.or.kr/en/ or simply askme!
Min (G11B)

This is a key example of a CAS activity as the students
were able to create several items such as speeches
and activities for their nation group in the UN whichwere not only able to benefit their own knowledge, butalso benefited their group as they were able to create
speeches and debates making several groups win
certain cases in the simulation. GYLC is a greatchance for students to fulfil all of the points of CAS as it
fits in all Creativity, Action and Service as they also
acted as a leader in a country where most of thestudents hadn’t been to on their own, so they could be
a contribution to their group in the summit, and also to
be able to bring new skills back to Japan so they could
use it in school and in daily life and become a young
leader here in Japan as well.
Not only did they meet new friends, but they learnt
more about themselves and gained new skills in theirleadership and confidence, which would help them liveon their own in the future, whilst having one of thegreatest times in their life.
Daniel (G11A)

S e v e ra n c e H o s p i t a l , S e o u l“ T h e C o m et ”

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LEAP Update
Thank you to those who attended the LEAP Summer Academic
Program which was held during the summer holiday. It was wellreceived by many students and parents. We have heard many students
saying that the program helped them prepare for the coming school
year.
LEAP is also offering a number of after-school programs that aredesigned to support students by focusing on their language andnumber skills. Our curriculum helps students improve their reading,writing and speaking abilities. In addition, we help students with theirmathematical skills so they can obtain a well-rounded learning
experience.
This semester, we are offering the following programs:
Days

Grades

Mon-Fri

K1-K3

CourseLiteracy and Numeracy (3:30-4:30)(*Mon-Thu: waiting only)
Homework Support and Childcare (4:30-5:30)

Mon, Wed,
Fri

G1-G3

English—Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking(3:30-4:30) (*Waiting only)

Tue, Thu

G1-G3

Mathematics (*Tue: waiting only)

Tue, Fri

G4-G5

EnglishMon, Wed

G4-G5

Mathematics

Please visit our website (http://k-leap.jp) for more information. If you
have any questions regarding LEAP, please e-mail us at
leap@kist.ed.jp.
The LEAP TeamEvacuation Drills
Evacuation drills are held periodically during the year for thewhole school. This year, four drills are scheduled throughout
quarters 1, 2 and 3. These will cover the possibility ofearthquake, tsunami, fire and intruders. The first drill was anearthquake drill held on August 22. In the event of anearthquake, students are instructed to move into a safe
position such as beneath a desk and wait for the shaking to
subside. When instructed, students then proceed to the main
playground via the nearest and safest exit with their class.
Students practiced these procedures during the drill.
Evacuation drills are particularly important in light of theearthquake and tsunami disaster of March 2011 and are part ofan ongoing effort by the school to raise student awareness ofsafety matters. They also help us identify potential problems or
areas that need further consideration in the event of an actual
evacuation.
For parents and visitors who may be on campus during anevacuation drill, we also ask for your cooperation inparticipating in the drill together with students and staff.

11

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Library News
Welcome back from KIST Libraries!
We have so many wonderful new books in the
Elementary Library, which were purchased using
proceeds from KISTival 2011. Students are alreadyenjoying reading them or using them in their Unit ofInquiry, and there are still more new resources to come!
Thanks to the whole school community for helping us toupgrade library resources. The Library Media Centre(LMC) also has lots of great new resources, so pleasecome and check them out on the new books shelves!
We have renewed our subscriptions of Destiny,
QuestiaSchool, Britannica School Edition and Turnitin.
Students will be learning to use these during the LMC Orientation sessions with Mr Andi.
We have made some changes in the borrowing procedures for Elementary students thisyear. The changes make borrowing books more flexible, and will allow the books to circulate
faster, so popular titles will be easier to get hold of! Previously, all students in G1-5 checked out four books once aweek when they came with their class to the library. Sometimes, students wanted to read more, and sometimes
they couldn’t finish all of them in time. This year, students can check out two books when they come for their classvisit, and then change them as many times as they like in the free library time during the school day. Students,
please remember to ask the teacher for a library pass if you want to visit the library. Students are already enjoying
the increased access, with some students reading six books in the first week! Parents, you are always welcome tovisit the library after school to check out books with your students.
Library hours:
LMC
Elementary LibraryStudents
8.15am to 4.30pm*
8.30am to 4pm**

Staff
8.00am to 5pm
8.00am to 5pm*On short Tuesdays, both libraries are closed to students after school.
**Elementary students must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver in the libraries
after school.
In the LMC, students from G6 and 7 and EIC I6 and 7 have started the newreading activity Hungry Readers. This program encourages students to read,
review and share books with others using Destiny Quest. Students who complete
the Hungry Reader booklets will go in the draw for a PIZZA PARTY! September
28 will be the first draw of the winners, so make sure that you turn in all your
Hungry Reader booklets to Mr Andi on or before September 26. Thanks to Mrs
Hall, Ms Haines, Ms Scardino and Ms Gore for endorsing this reading activity with
their students.
We greatly appreciated the help we got from the PTA Library Committee members, parent and students
volunteers last year. But with all these new books, the work is not over yet! We always need help from parents withcovering new books to protect them and make them last longer. Please consider joining the Library Committee orjust dropping in to the LMC to help out. The first meeting will be September 19, at 9am in the LMC (second floor
Main building), all parents are welcome to come and see how you can help and support the libraries.
Important upcoming dates
September 19
First PTA Library Committee meeting, 9am, LMC
September 28

First Hungry Readers prize draw for secondary students

November 2

DEAR Dress Up Day book character and costume parade for elementary students

Thanks to the school administration for their continued support to make KIST
Libraries learning places for the whole KIST community.
KIST Libraries Staff

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Staff 10!

Office Updates

In this month’s Staff
10!, we are pleased
to present ChristianThompson who
joined KIST’s IT
office team in 2009as the Education
Technologies
Mr Thompson—well-known for
Integrator. Since April
his lively presentations—shares2012, he has also been
his thoughts on technology.
teaching technology
within the English Intensive Class (EIC).

School fees due Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
York, Pennsylvania is the home of York Peppermint
Patties, the 90’s band Live, and the largest HarleyDavidson motorcycle factory in the United States. It is
known by locals as the true First Capital of the UnitedStates.
 What is your favorite place in the world?
On the back of my motorcycle dodging taxis in Seoul,
South Korea. I spent six fantastic years there and wasvery reluctant to leave. To this day, you can often findme in Shin-Okubo, which is a kind of “Koreatown” here
in Tokyo. Seoul will always be my home away fromhome.
 Who would you like to meet if you had the chance
and why?
Winston Churchill. More than any single individual, he
was responsible for saving Western Civilization from
itself, and the world from the Nazis. I still getgoosebumps when I hear his “Fight on the Beaches”
speech.
 Do you have any special skills or talents?
I don’t know about special, but I play guitar, can fumble
through conversations in 5 languages (English,
Spanish, Korean, Japanese and Romanian), and havean uncanny ability to keep it all in perspective and notstress about the little things in life.
 Please share a little known fact about yourself.
When I was in grade 2 in elementary school, I won theschool spelling bee. However, on the trophy I received,
my name was spelled “Christine”. That’s irony for you.
 What is your most prized possession?
I’m not very much into material possessions, but if I had
to choose, I would have to say my guitar, The Shiva.
We make beautiful music together. That and a very fastInternet connection - viva Japan!
 What words would you use to describe yourself?
To paraphrase a line from The Simpsons, “Moodle isall things to all men, and one lucky woman, Mrs.
Moodle.” If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
Cripes…where to begin?
 Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
I’m taking a PHP programming course with mycolleague, Mr Whittaker, trying to slim down (well, I
switched to Diet Pepsi instead of regular pepsi...thatcounts, right?), and improving my Moodle skills.
 Do you have any special message for your fans?
I have fans? If so, make yourselves known to me…Icommand it!

13

The deadline for payment of the 2nd installment ofschool fees for 2012-2013 is Monday, September 17.
Please check your annual invoice for details. Please be
reminded that invoices are distributed once only perschool year with details for the whole year. If you havemisplaced your invoice or require further information on
payment, methods please contact the office bytelephone or e-mail.

School bus one-way service

In response to requests from parents, we are pleased
to announce the introduction of a new one-way bus
service from this school year. Prices for the one-way
service for each route are half the cost of the regularround-trip service. The following conditions apply: The one-way service is limited to usage in themorning only or the afternoon only for the full week.
Requests for usage on specific days during theweek cannot be accepted.
 Children registered as one-way users will not be
permitted to use the round-trip service at any time.
 Due to the limited numbers of seats available
preference will be given to those applying for roundtrip services.
 If seats are not available on a particular route,students will be added to the waiting list.
Families who wish to use the one-way service should
submit a School Bus Application Form to the office.
The form is available on the Community >> Forms
page of the school website. Children already using theround-trip service may also apply for the one-way
service. The due date for applications is September 25.
Any refunds due will be arranged at a later date.

School ID cards

Are you using your ID card?
All students from G1 and above are required to scan
their ID card at the gate on each and every occasion
when entering and leaving the school grounds,
including situations when the gate is opened bysomeone else. The only exception to this is forstudents who take the school bus. Students who fail toscan their card may be marked absent from school.
All parents are also required to scan their card whenentering and leaving the school so that we have arecord of all visitors on campus for emergency
purposes. Please be sure to bring your card with you
every time you visit the school during the day as well as
for parent sessions held after school hours. Additional
parent cards may be ordered through the office at thecost of 2,000 yen per card. An application form isavailable on the Community >> Forms page of theschool website.
Please be reminded that: ID cards are easily damaged so we strongly
recommend that you keep your card in a hard-type
case.
 ID cards will not scan correctly if used next toanother smartcard such as Pasmo or Suica. Cards
should be separated or placed in a card holder withseparated sleeves.

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V ol u me 16 | I s s ue 1 | S ept em b er 20 12“The Comet”

Secondary SRC
Welcome back to school from the SRC!
We are very excited about the upcoming year in the SRC!
We've just finished up the homeroom elections and arelooking forward to meeting with all the new SRC members,
including our new representatives from the English Intensive
Class (EIC), for a very productive year.
Over the past week, homeroom representative candidates
campaigned among their classmates. They gave shortspeeches to their respective homerooms in order to give theirclassmates more information about why they would be goodcandidates to represent their peers on the SRC, after which all
homerooms (G6-12) voted and elected homeroom
representatives.
This year we are looking forward to building on the goals andaims from last year that we shared with our peers in theexecutive elections, and also maintaining traditions such as
our upcoming dance. Using our ‘draft’ Constitution andproposal-writing system, we hope to bring many
improvements to the school this year, and will keep thecommunity posted on what we are doing.

Executives
President
Monica (G12A)
Vice President
Miri (G12B)
Treasurer
Min (G11B)
Secretary
Kouta (G10B)

Congratulations to the newly elected homeroom
representatives.

Homeroom Representatives
Grade 6Jin Il (G6A) | Kevin (G6B)
Grade 7
Selena (G7A) | Hee Young (G7B)
Grade 8
Moana (G8A) | Akshara (G8B)
Grade 9Shah Raj (G9A) | Keun Woo (G9B)
Grade 10
Mikio (G10A) | Tatsuya (G10B)
Grade 11
Akiko (G11A) | Taisei (G11B)
Grade 12
Chaitanya (G12A) | Airi (G12B)
EIC
Jong Won (I6A) | Hee-Eun (I10A)...and Mr Fishman as
Teacher Representative

S e c o n d a ry S R C E x e c u t i v e C o m mi t t e eFounders’ Awards
The Founders’ Awards program was established three years ago by the school’s
founders, Mr and Mrs Komaki, with the aim of recognizing students who make significant
contributions to the school community, and to encourage students to maintain motivation in their studies. There are
two types of awards: KIST Study Scholarships and KIST University Support Scholarships. Further information
about the program is available in the “Support” area of the school website. Specific details for the next round ofawards will be uploaded later in the year and families will be notified accordingly.
Congratulations to the following three students who have received awards this year.

KIST Study Scholarships
Kouta (G10B) - Silver award
Daniel (G11A) - Bronze award

Kouta

DanielKIST University Support Scholarships
Su Ah (Class of 2012) - Bronze award

Su Ah

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V o l u me 1 6 | I s s u e 1 | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

College Guidance News
Greetings from the College Guidance Office! We are very pleased toannounce that Mr Robert Johnson has joined the office as anotherCollege Guidance Counselor from this year. Mr Johnson has had 28
years’ experience in teaching English in public high schools in
California and has also provided college essay writing workshops formany years. His “Personal Statement Workshop” for KIST G12
students has already started during Friday G12 Advisory andstudents are working on their personal statements/college essays fortheir college applications.
The “Class of 2012” final destinations by country:
14 students enrolled at universities in Sep. 2012
USA: 3 students
Canada: 3 students
Japan: 7 students
Korea: 1 student
4 students are applying for March/April 2013 intakes
Japan: 3 students
Korea: 1 student
1 student is taking a gap year in Japan
As indicated above, Japan was the most popular destination,
followed by the USA and Canada. One of the reasons for this might
be recent trends among Japanese universities to open new English
courses, including the School of International Liberal Studies at
Waseda University, College of International Relations at
Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Department of Global andTranscultural Studies at Meiji Gakuin University and Ritsumeikan
Asia Pacific University in Kyoto where our students haveopportunities to continue their higher education in English in Japan.

Live@edu to Office365
In June, KIST upgraded its e-mail systemfrom Live@edu to Office 365. As
explained during the Parent Welcome
Night sessions, there are many benefits
to gain from this changeover.
All parents, students and teachers needto access their school e-mail accounts
via the following address:
https://login.microsoftonline.com
If you have trouble accessing yourschool e-mail, please try deleting yourtemporary Internet files and cookies inyour preferred browser. If the problems
persists please contact the IT Office.

News in Brief
Uniforms and generalappearance
 Jewelry and accessories (including

Upcoming events
College Fairs (open to the public, free entry)
 September 29 (Saturday) 11:00-17:00“JASOO Study Abroad Fair”
htttp://www.jasso.go.jp/study_a/info_fair.html
 October 13 (Saturday) 13:00-18:00“Education UK Exhibition 2012”
http://education-uk-fair.jp
 October 14 (Saturday) 13:00-18:00“International Education Fair”
http://www.beo.co.jp/fair/english/index.html
College Visits at KIST (for KIST G9-G12 students and parents)
 October 10 (Wednesday) 15:30-16:30
The Arts University College at Bournemouth, UK October 11 (Thursday) 11:30-12:30
The George Washington University, USA
PSAT at KIST (compulsory for G10 and optional for G11)
 October 17 (Wednesday) during school hours (see the separate
PSAT letter for more details)
Keiko Okude and Robert Johnson
College Guidance Counselors

earrings and earring posts) should not
be worn at school, including freedress days.
Hair that is longer than collar length
should be tied back. Fringes which
cover the face when looking downshould also be tied with a hairpin. Hairties, ribbons, hairpins and hair bands
should be plain black or navy blue.

School photographs
Class and individual student photographs
will be taken on October 1 and 2. All
students should be present on thesedates as class photographs can only betaken once. Further details will be
distributed soon.

Lost and foundAll school uniforms currently in lost andfound will be sold at the bazaar at thisyear’s KISTival if not claimed by
September 28. All other items will bedisposed of accordingly.

Arrival time at school

Mrs Okude

Mr Johnson

15

Families are reminded that students arerequested not to be on school grounds
before 8:15 a.m. as limited teacher
supervision is available. In the event thatthey arrive earlier on a certain occasion,
they must wait quietly in the breezeway
area near the reception counter.

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V ol u me 16 | I s s ue 1 | S ept em b er 20 12“The Comet”

Summer Internship at Keio University
Grade 12 students, Preeti (G12A), Marie (G12B) and Monica (G12A),
participated in an internship program at Keio University during the summer
vacation. We hope you enjoy reading about their fascinating experiences.
Our first encounter with Professor
Inami, the person to permit, mentor
and supervise our internship, wason a TED Talk show that wewatched on YouTube. He
presented brilliantly, exhibiting the‘Optical Camouflage’ system that
he and his team had just recently
invented. One can only imagine
the feelings of awe and respectthat we harbored as we preparedourselves to meet this highly
acclaimed university professor.

prototype, and conversing with
graduate students to gain
adequate knowledge andunderstanding of the physics
involved. I then approached the
project by devising a mathematicalmodel, which proved to be quite
tedious: many hours of sleep weresacrificed, many sheets of paper
thrown away. Nonetheless, thefinal model was constructed ontime, and to my delight it worked
successfully.

Added onto our layer of anxiety
was of not knowing what to foresee
or expect as we met our college
guidance counselor, Mrs Okude, atthe silver ball, Hiyoshi’s central
trademark. The summer heat was
stifling and overbearing, and wewere relieved to be soon ushered
into the prestigious building of the
Graduate School of Media Design,
Keio University (KMD).

This internship was a great
opportunity for me to gain insight
into the real-life process ofinvestigating, prototyping, andevaluating my product for mypotential future career as anengineer. Moreover, I was able tounderstand the application ofphysics and mathematics to solve
real life problems.

On the first day, we wereintroduced to the four different
projects we had a choice ofparticipating in within our two
weeks at KMD: the OpticalCamouflage, Popuppy, Thermo
Haptic, and Tele-existence. The
three of us agreed to work on
separate projects in order to know
about each separate one. The
following is a summary of ourexperiences, narrated separately
by each person:

Preeti: Optical Camouflage

My project aim
was to extend
the opticalcamouflage
technology, andcreate an“invisible chair”– literally, achair thatdeludes one’s thinking in making
them think that they are floating in
mid-air. Even with somebackground knowledge obtained
from my physics classes, I had
some difficulty in grasping thecomplex concepts behind myproject. The first few days involved
reading literature, creating andexperimenting with a smallMarie: Thermo Haptic
Project

Haptics refers to the sense of
touch orcontactwith ourskin thatweperceivethroughinteracting
withobjects.
One present, basic example of theimplementation of haptics in a
device is the vibration mode ofmobile phones. Preceded by theterm “thermo”, the project title only
naturally refers to the branch ofscience that incorporates thermal
sensations to technology. My
project thus aimed to create a
prototype of a thermo haptic setup,
in which a biconvex lens was used
to collimate the rays of a lightsource onto a mirror, which in turncan be moved to manipulate thelocation of the light’s focal point on
the user’s skin.
With no diploma experience ofphysics or design technology
subjects, I had to patiently while
my hours researching andinvestigating the fundamental

I n f ro nt of t he s t at u e of
Y uk i c hi F uk u za w a, f o u nd erof K e i o U ni v e rs i t ytheories underlying thermo haptics.
However, as I added onto mylayers of skills and knowledge on
the topic, I was gradually able tohelp aid in the design of the setup.
The internship had allowed me tolearn and use the programs
Inkscape Portable, SolidWorks,
Lenstoy, Processing and Arduino,
to operate the laser cutter, andhow to build a feasible designusing acrylic materials. These areknowledge and skills that I may
have never otherwise gained if I
hadn’t taken the internship!

Monica: Tele-Existence

As part of myproject, I
created a
basic
prototypesimulating
visual teleexistence.
Teleexistence involves using
technology to let people feel thatthey are present in and caninteract with a remote environment,in real-time. Imagine being in one
place and being able to control theactions, as well as see, hear, andfeel your environment as if you
were in the place of a surrogate
robot. It may sound like a plot in a
sci-fi movie, but this is what theteam of researchers at Keio
University had achieved, and what
I was lucky enough to learn about
and experience this summer. I
worked in the same lab where thetele-existence surrogate robot(named TELESAR V) was created,
and in one of my days there, wasallowed to experience teleexistence myself. Wearing astereoscopic head-mounted
display, and a jacket and gloves
Continued on next page

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C o n t i n u e d f ro m p re v i o u s p a g ewhich sent signals to the TELESAR, therobot would imitate my movements suchas turning my head, moving my hands
and torso, and feeding me back the
texture and pressure sensations that its‘fingers’ felt. (One of the strangest andmost interesting feelings I’ve everexperienced is bringing my hand up in
front of my face expecting to see myfingers, only to be met with a big, scaly
robot hand, moving its fingers the same
way as me!)This experience taught me so much, notonly about human physiology andtechnical skills related to programming,mechanical design and engineering, butalso encouraged me to think about howhuman perception can be simulated. It
was amazing to see how science andtechnology could be applied to bring theconcept of visual, auditory andkinesthetic tele-existence to life, and to
think about the implications this has forthe future.
Working under the guidance of graduate
students and spending time at theuniversity campus gave us a snippet ofthe expectations of what university life
can be like. We were stunned at thelifestyle of the graduate students, which
was centered on anything but sleep andfree time. Even still, their enthusiasm
towards their projects could be felt; andwho can argue, enthusiasm is thegreatest asset in the world, as well as
being the engine of success.
The eve of the final day was the latest
we had all ever stayed at Hiyoshi, one of
the latest we had ever stayed up in thenight to work and prepare for our final
reports and presentations. Despite ournervousness and tension in presenting to
Mrs Okude, Professor Inami and his
graduates the next day, the final
outcome was highly rewarding and all
too short-lived. Looking back, we evenmiss walking toward the sweeping
architecture of the university building, thefriendly cafeteria in which we held
conversations and ate our meals
voluptuously, and the intense but
enriching hours spent working with our
supervisors. Overall, the internship had
provided us with an invaluable
experience that we feel extremely
grateful for. Despite the many challenges
we had to face before our final
presentation and report, it was a very
beneficial experience, one of which we
can only hope to repeat when we enter
into college.

17

Athletics Update
Welcome back students and parents!
Another school year is upon us and thatmeans another successful year of clubs
and competitive sport here at KIST. We
have many athletic events scheduled thisyear including volleyball, cross country, basketball, soccer/futsal andathletics, not to mention the many sporting clubs being offered.
The selection process for our ISTAA (International Schools of Tokyo
Athletics Association) competitive teams has gone through somechanges over the summer. This year our ISTAA competitive teams
will be selected from a series of tryouts and clinics to ensure that weoffer the top level of competition within this league. Not only skill andathleticism are measured in these tryouts. Coaches are looking for
those student athletes who are committed to learning anddeveloping as balanced young adults.
If students are not selected to the competitive teams, they will havechances to further develop their skills in the off-season throughinvolvement in club sport. These clubs will take place outside of thecompetitive season, meaning in the next club session. We have justcompleted this process for our U14 and U18 volleyball teams and it
has been a great success. In some cases, such as volleyball,coaches will choose to have a “practice team” who will join in
training but not travel to compete in ISTAA-sanctioned matches.
This ensures that the children all receive the same developmental
privileges while providing a goal to strive for. This process wasintroduced in an attempt to build students’ sense of accountability
and commitment to their teammates, coaches and school in hopesof building a stronger sense of competition and school spirit here at
KIST.
If you have any questions about this process and clubs offered,please contact Mr Jay Leroy directly at: jay.leroy@kist.ed.jp.
Events to look out for on the KIST Athletics Calendar: Secondary Field Day—Tuesday, September 18 during advisory Elementary Field Day—Wednesday, September 19, 8:40am10:10am
 ISTAA Boys U14 Volleyball Clinic—Saturday, September 29,
9am-2pm @ KIST
 Yokohama J/V Girls Volleyball Tournament—Friday, October 5-6@ Yokohama International School
 ISTAA Girls U14 Volleyball Clinic—Saturday, October 13, 9am2pm @ Tokyo International School
 ASIJ Elementary Soccer Jamboree—Saturday, November 3 @American School in Japan
 ISTAA Cross Country Championships—Friday, November 30 @hosted by KIST
Thank you for your ongoing support andparticipation.
GO COMETS!!!!
Jay Leroy
Athletic Director/PYP PE Teacher

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V ol u me 16 | I s s ue 1 | S ept em b er 20 12“The Comet”

Alumnus Report
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo (PPO) is an alumnus of KIST’s “Class of 2011.” Heis currently in his second year at the University of Chicago.
Hi everyone! Some of you may notknow me, but I’m PPO, and I
graduated KIST with the “Class of2011”, and now I attend The
University of Chicago in the Class
of 2015 (uchicago.edu).
I’m writing this from a volunteer
house of “It’s Not Just Mud” inIshinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. I’mhere on a volunteer trip
coordinated by the Habitat for
Humanity and Japanese Student
Association at the University of
Chicago. I was able to helporganize a trip to bring 7 students
from the university to Japan. Thisis only one part of my college life.
College life is “BIG”. There are somany parts to it from the hours ofstudying, tons of sports, numerous
concerts, days of talking in thecommon room, and all the timespent in the city.
Honestly, studying is hard. It’s notan easy task at uChicago. We are
known as the place ‘where funcomes to die’ because of theschool’s focus on academics. Thatline is pretty debatable, I guess. It
just depends on how you manage
yourself and the workload. As an
example, during my first quarter at
uChicago, I started off by reading

Adam Smith, Karl Marx and Emile
Durkheim for my social scienceclass. NO IDEA WHAT WAS
GOING ON. They weren’t evenarticles ABOUT those writers, I had
to read what they actually wrote!
Their writings were so dense andpacked, that it took me ages to‘decipher’ it. But on the other hand,
I get to take classes likeeconomics taught by Steven Levitt(the author of Freakonomics),
elementary ballet, or pilates!
I get to do pretty much whatever I
want at school! Usually I go to thegym in the morning before class;it’s really nice to get sports donequickly. If I can’t, I squeeze asession in at 11 p.m. with a friendor head over to the Midway
Plaisance (a giant row of soccer
fields) for midnight soccer! Or I
might participate in the week-longzombies vs. humans going onaround the campus. In college, I
get to do whatever I want,whenever I want! (To a certain
extent).
But I guess my favorite thing atcollege is just being there. Living ina dorm, and being able to ‘access’
my friends all the time, opens mymind up. Just chatting with myfriends is DEEP. We can debate

endlessly about any topic, fromhummus to life, and argue against
each other, helping us see all
points of views. Or I can take awalk with them over to Rockefeller
Chapel for a break, through theevening breeze and into the
Neogothical chapel that has themost beautiful architecture. My
mind just moves into a whole
different world. College is a liminal
experience, and it’s great. I feelgreat. You will too, if you can findthe right one for you.
Every university will have a lot tooffer. But it all depends on how you
take it. You could go to Harvard
and end up nowhere, or go to acommunity college and have thegreatest intellectual experience ofyour lifetime. If it doesn’t work out
at first, it’s fine. You’ll learn toadapt or you can just change
schools if something goes wrong.
University is malleable, don’t stress
too much, and go with your guts;
it’ll all work out in the end.
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo, Class of
2011
University of Chicago

Photos b y Daniel Tracht

Rockefeller Chapel

PPO enjoying lunch with his friends in the city

“ T h e C o m et ”

V o l u me 1 6 | I s s u e 1 | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 2

PTA News
We, the Executive Members of the PTA for thecurrent school year, would like to introduce ourselvesto the KIST community. Since last year when the
PTA was re-established, we have been working
actively launching the PTA and trying to ensure thatits operations run as smoothly as possible. Using our
experiences from the past year, we hope to offer avariety of new activities during the school year. We
are dedicated to supporting our children, and bylistening to opinions and ideas from other parents,
will work hard to solve any issues which students
currently face.
PTA operations have improved immensely thanks tothe support of all of the KIST community and wewelcome you to attend our committee meetings. Your
support and cooperation is needed by all committees.
You can feel a real sense of achievement whenplanning each event and it is also a great opportunity
to meet parents from other grades. All parents arewelcome to join.
Each committee can be accessed via the school email system.

Committee reports

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PTA Executive Committee 2012-2013

President

Vice President

Akiko Inoue

Mitsuka Ishikura(Emiri G6A, Taisei G11B)(Hikaru G7B)

Treasurer

Secretary

Scott Smith

Charlotte Jacobsen(Shu G11B)(Harriette G3B, Magnus G1B)

Please check out the new PTA news board across from the reception
counter. We will post information about upcoming events on the board.
If you have any news you would like to share with the KIST community,
please e-mail it to pta.news@family.kist.ed.jp. The PTA News
Committee is looking for volunteers to assist in creating a PTA
newsletter so please share your skills!

1. Cultural Connections Committee
As KIST’s student and faculty body is composed of different nationalities, this committee (CCC) aims to promote mutual
understanding and enhance cultural connections among students, parents and faculty members. The committee’s main activity
is to support the school’s National Costume Day/International Mother Language Day which will be held on February 21. The
committee also sponsors cultural coffee mornings where a particular culture is introduced and featured over a cup of coffee in acasual atmosphere. Feel free to contact pta.cultural.connections@family.kist.ed.jp for more inquiries.
2. Library Committee
This committee works with the library staff to update and improve library and media resources and services for students andstaff, to include planning events such as book fairs, read-a-thons, textbook sales, book clubs, Scholastic book orders, etc.
Please contact us at pta.library@family.kist.ed.jp.
3. Newcomers Committee
This committee welcomes families new to KIST by providing support, information and resources on the school and local
community, and general advice on settling in, and is planning to introduce a buddy family system and provide a KIST welcomebasket. The committee assists with the Parent Welcome Nights held at the beginning of the school year for new families joining
KIST. Please contact us as pta.newcomers@family.kist.ed.jp.
4. Student Activities Committee (formerly known as the “Parents Booster Committee”)
This committee supports the extracurricular programs to ensure the students have a positive and rewarding experience. We
are seeking new and interesting ways to enhance these programs. We also sponsor occasional programs for parents/staff.
Activities planned for 2012-2013 include: 1) Fundraising for sporting equipment; 2) Cross Country safety support (Nov. 16 and30); 3) Recruiting volunteers for extracurricular programs; 4) Supporting athletes’ visits; 5) Recruiting for new committee
members—We are looking for many more participants this year! Please contact pta.student.activities@family.kist.ed.jp.
5. News Committee
Parents on this committee are the key source of disseminating news and information about the school and the PTA to the KIST
community, to include posting up-to-date information about upcoming events and activities on the PTA website, in newslettersetc. Please contact us as pta.news@family.kist.ed.jp.
6. Events Committee
This central organizing committee is comprised of parents who enjoy planning events, activities and fundraisers. The
committee seeks to bring the KIST community together by soliciting ideas and assistance from other parents to plan social
events, fun activities, and excursions that appeal to various constituencies within the KIST community. The committee also
works with other committees to establish and plan fundraising events and activities. Have you seen the new gym and pool?
Help us make this dream a reality. The committee will have big fundraisers toward this goal, smaller fundraisers for smaller
goals, and of course, just-for-fun events as well. Your ideas and support are needed. pta.events@family.kist.ed.jp
7. Bell Mark Committee
The purpose of this committee’s is to establish and promote the Bell Mark Scheme within the school for the collection of these
coupons for the benefit of the school community. We will be establishing a calendar of meeting times in the next few weeks soplease keep an eye on the new PTA notice board across from the reception counter at the entrance to the school! If you have
had experience with this scheme before and can help us to figure it out, we would be really appreciative! Even if you have noexperience and are interested in joining us, please contact us by e-mail at pta.bellmark@family.kist.ed.jp.