The Comet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo

Since 1997

Volume 14 | Issue 2 | October 2010

In this issue...
Habitat for Humanity…p. 2

High School Drama Festival…p. 8

Creativity, Action, Service…p. 3

Grade 8 Camp Report…p. 9

Violin Virtuoso…p. 5

PSAT at KIST…p. 10

Founders‟ Awards…p. 6

Sharing Cultures…p. 10

LEAP at KIST…p. 6

Secondary SRC…p. 11

Tackle Your Troubles…p. 7

KISTival 2010…p. 12

From the Head of School“Imagithan k nation is more imnowle
pdlimited; ima ge. Knowle ortant
ginatithe woon enc dge is
rld.
ircles~ Albert Einstein

DATES TO REMEMBER

Greetings to everyone! We have finished our 7th week of school and KISTival 2010 isjust around the corner. I would like to thank all parents, students and staff for theirefforts and participation in the planning and organizing of this event, as it takes many
hands to make it a worthwhile success. The proceeds are always used to directly
benefit students and this year, the focus will be on technology.
The parent turnout so far at various meetings and events has been overwhelmingly
fantastic, and we are very much looking forward to working with you this year. In
addition, as we prepare to begin the accreditation process, we are spending the autumn
months collecting input from parents, staff and students about the school and its
mission.
At the first coffee morning a few weeks ago, parents participated in a SWOT Analysis(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) of the school. The intent of thisexercise is to provide information for the Board of Directors in their efforts to develop a
strategic plan for the school. In addition, as a requirement for accreditation, we will besoliciting your input for the Board to use in re-examining the philosophy of the school toensure it is still relevant to the needs of our students.
Many of you have voiced a desire to participate in the school development process, so
we have planned additional forums in which you are invited to participate. Please markyour calendar: Fri, Nov. 19:

KIST SWOT Analysis
9:00 a.m. / 6:00 p.m.
Multipurpose Room – These sessions are for parents who did not attend the first
SWOT Analysis coffee morning.
 Tues, Nov. 23: KIST Philosophy Workshops 9:00 a.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 6:00 p.m.
Gym – Please attend any one of the workshops scheduled; each should last 1 to 2
hours.
 Wed, Nov. 30: Friends of KIST Meeting
3:30 p.m.
Multipurpose Room – This will be an organizational meeting of Friends of KIST, theschool‟s Parent Association.

October 16:(S) PSAT tests
October 22:
Festival preparation day −(E/P) No school for students /(S) School day
October 23:
School Festival (KISTival 2010)
Last day of first quarter
October 24 − 31:
Autumn vacation
November 3:(E/S) Parent/Teacher/Student
interviews (Attendance compulsory)
Middle School Drama Festival at
KIST
Board of Directors meeting

Thank you all for joining with us in partnership aimed toward CommunicationCollaboration-Community, working together to provide a quality international
education for your children. In an effort to promote communication between parents andstaff in the KIST community, we will be compiling a KIST Family Directory. We
understand that some parents may not wish for their contact information to be available
to the KIST community. If this is your situation, please be sure to contact the office.

November 5:(G2-12) Inter-House Cross Country

I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone at KISTival. This will be the firsttime there will be a real field of grass. Please help us gently remind people that there
should be no food or drinks on the grass…not an easy task! Thank you very much, andsee you there!

November 19:(G2-12) Inter-School Cross Country

Warm regards,
Nanci Shaw, Ph.D.
Head of School

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

November 10 − 12:(G6) Trip

November 22 − 24:
Staff development days (No schoolfor students)
November 30:
PYP parent information session (2)2V ol u me 14 | I s s ue 2 | O c t obe r 2 01 0

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Habitat for Humanity 2010
Dear Friends and Families of the KIST Community,
It is with great pleasure and pride that I share with you thereport from one of our dedicated team members on thesummer volunteer excursion students and teachers undertook
together to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project from
June 20 through 29.
This project was partially funded by donations and funds raised
throughout the 2009-2010 school year. On behalf of the Habitatfor Humanity Team KIST, I would like to extend a heartfelt
thank you to all members of the community who contributed toour efforts. As you can read in the student report below, theexperience was rich and rewarding for the people of Gitgit
village as well as our students.
Again thank you for your selfless support in this cause.
Daryl Bates
CAS Coordinator and Team Leader
Selamat Pagi! A week before the summer vacation, 12
students from Grade 11, (Argi, PPO, Matt, William, JC,
Jeff, Jessica, Aki, Hikaru, Dingyun, Tahlia and Faye)and 2 teachers (Ms Hudson and Mr Bates) travelled toBali in Indonesia after a year of fundraising to help build
a house for a family that needed one. We arrived in
Kuta, a heavily tourist area of Bali in the south andtravelled by car through the mountains to Lovina Beach
where we stayed during our work days. The house wewere building was located in Gitgit, in the mountains, so
we traveled to and from the work place every day.
At the workplace, we worked side-by-side with local
Indonesian workers, other members of Habitat (amongwhom were Martun and Yogi who helped us a great
deal and we miss), and the family we were building thehouse for. And, of course, the eager neighborhood
children.
The family served us some delicious Indonesian foodand coffee, and taught us some of their language, like
„Hati-hati‟ which means „dangerous‟ which was a usefulterm to use at the energetic children who were runningaround the slopes in the work place. Also „enak‟ meant„delicious,‟ so we could convey our appreciation for thedelightful food and drinks they served us.
Unfortunately, we were not able to completely finish thehouse, but we contributed a lot. When it was time to go
back to Kuta, most of us wanted to stay to finish it but,alas, back to Kuta we travelled. In Kuta, we spent a
couple of days on tour, enriching our already strong
cultural appreciation for the country with anunforgettable tour guide.
We would like to thank everyone who helped andparticipated in our fundraising that made this amazing
cultural life experience possible. Terima Kashi Banyak!
Faye (G12)

Admissions for 2011-2012
Applications are now being accepted for new admissions to KIST for the 2011-2012 school year.
The application deadline is December 17, 2010. Interviews and tests will be conducted in mid-January and results
will be issued in early February. To ensure that you do not miss out on a place for any children you wish to enroll,
we recommend that you adhere to these dates. Furthermore. if you have any acquaintances interested in joining ourschool, we would appreciate you passing on this information to them.
You will find details on the application procedure in our Admissions Handbook available on the Admissions >>Documentation page of the school website.
Craig Larsen
Director of Admissions and Personnel

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V o l u me 1 4 | I s s u e 2 | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0Creativity, Action, Service
I would like to take a moment tointroduce the Creativity, Action,
Service (CAS) program at KIST.
CAS is a compulsory core elementin the Diploma Program hexagonof learning. This means, along withthe students‟ six subject groups
and Extended Essay, to receive an
IB Diploma, students must also
complete the CAS program.
My name is Daryl Bates and I
coordinate this program for theschool. For any CAS related
inquiry, I can be reached atd_bates@kist.ed.jp.
To better give you an
understanding of what CAS is, I
quote the IB published guide forthe program:“CAS enables students to enhance theirpersonal and interpersonal development
through experiential learning. At the sametime, it provides an important
counterbalance to the academic pressuresof the rest of the Diploma Programme.
Successful completion of CAS is arequirement for the award of the IB diploma.
CAS is not formally assessed but students
need to document their activities andprovide evidence that they have achieved
eight key learning outcomes.”

At KIST, CAS is managedwith an online database
where students can upload
the required evidence andmaintain their personalreflection journals
electronically. Each student
has an individual profile andaccount password to accessthe database from any
computer anywhere with an
Internet connection. This is theprimary communication medium
between students and their CAS
Advisor, as well as the storage
place for all of their CAS
documents.
At the completion of their Diploma
Program, students are provided
with a detailed report on theirachievements in this program that
can accompany their applications
to university and employment.
With the first few months of school
well underway, most of the Grade
11 students have started their CAS
activities, and all of the Grade 12
students are well into, if not close
to finishing their CAS programs.
Students are constantly looking forinteresting ways toengage the learning
outcomes, through thethree areas of the
program, Creativity
activities, Action activities,
and Service activities. I
would like to extend an
invitation to parents andother community
members to e-mail mewith suggestions forpotential CAS activities
that you may havecontacts for. Here are someexamples of activities students
currently participate in:
Habitat for Humanity, Free theChildren, Junior APEC Conference,
Polish Embassy volunteer, Model
United Nations, piano lesson, guitar
lesson, judo, tennis, basketball,
Jogwa dancing, ikebana, Drama
Festival, hip-hop dance, yoga, peer
tutoring, cable skiing, Disabled
Adult Center volunteer, and many
more.
Parents of students in Grades 11
and 12 should be aware of this
aspect of their child‟s Diploma
Program (it is outlined in the DP
Handbook), and it is good forparents of students in Grade 10 tobe aware of this invigorating„experience learning‟ component of
the DP.
I welcome any questions,comments and particularly yoursuggestions toward further
developing this program in our
school. Thank you.
Daryl Bates
Subject Area Coordinator, VisualArts
CAS Coordinator

Community Connections
This is short message to inform you of the newly developed Community Connections
Committee at KIST. This group has the aim of creating networks of outreach among the schooland local community. We are looking for parents who are interested in working together with thiscommittee to develop programs and resources, and to provide assistance at school functions orfor academic needs. Please ask about our informational sign up board at the upcoming KISTival
on October 23, 2010. We have a blog site under construction at www.kist.ed.jp/blog/9, and you can contact thecommittee chair, Ms Cahill at n_cahill@kist.ed.jp. We look forward to meeting interested parents and working
together in the coming year.
KIST Community Connections Committee3

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Elementary School News
Progress reports for G1 to G5
As you may be aware, written reports are issued twicea year with the first coming home after the firstsemester in January and the other after the second
semester in June. Starting this year, we will also be
issuing progress reports in between those times. You
can expect to receive the first progress report during
the Parent/Teacher/Student interviews on Wednesday,
November 3. At that time, the homeroom teacher will
explain the report and talk about your child‟s generalprogress to date. In addition to the portfolios, we hope
this will help you to understand more of how your childis progressing in between the semester reports.

Assemblies for K3 to G5
K3 to G5 classes would like to welcome parents to ourassemblies which are held on Mondays usually twice amonth in the gym. Some of the items will include
performances by everyone, grade levels, classes or byindividual students. Please check your classroom‟s web
site regularly for dates of the assemblies and forclassroom news in general.

Supervising K1 to K3 children after school
As a reminder, K1 to K3 students are released at 2:00
when their school day comes to an end. If your child is
not enrolled in the aftercare program or a school club,please provide supervision for your child by keeping
them with you at all times if you choose to remain on
campus to socialize with other parents. This will help
keep our young students safe and out of the way ofother classes which are continuing after 2:00. Your
supervision of your child is appreciated.

G5 trip to METI and Better Place JapanOn October 5, the Grade 5 classes had an excursion to
METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and
Better Place Japan Co. to support their current unit ofinquiry.

Grade 5 students enjoying their
excursion to METI.

Our students were the first students to represent aninternational school at these places and asked curious
and thoughtful questions for their research. In addition
to presentations at METI about Japan‟s economy andenergy usage, students visited Japan‟s only EV (electricvehicle) battery swapping station. The automatedstation allows electric cars, mainly taxis in the Roppongiarea, to replace a drained battery in less than 60
seconds.
We would like to thank one of our Board members, Mr
Ichikawa, for making the excursion possible and to theGrade 5 teachers, Mr Yoshihara and Mrs Astrop forarranging the details of the excursion. It was a very
exciting and enjoyable excursion which has motivatedstudents to inquire more as a class and on their own.
Greg Brunton
Elementary School Principal

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V o l u me 1 4 | I s s u e 2 | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0Elementary Science

Secondary School News

Science Skills: Observation
Scientists observe in order to gather data
(information). Here are some ways we can observe:
 Look closely at living and non-living things to learn
more details about them. Use all your senses:
Sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste.
 Look at how things change over time; either 24hours, a week or even a month.
 Remember to always write down yourobservations in a useful tool, like a table or a
flowchart.

It is hard to believe that it is almost the Autumn Breakand KISTival!

Cool science fact #2:
Many scientists believe that anasteroid impact caused theextinction of the dinosaurs around65 million years ago.
Susan Lee
Elementary Science Coordinator

One area that the Secondary School is focusing on thisyear is communication with families. This year, we are e-mailing all letters home so you will receive them in atimely manner; KIST‟s newsletter, The Comet, isdistributed to families six times a year; there will be
numerous coffee mornings with the Principal andCoordinators throughout the year; and last but not least,
our class parent representatives.
This year, the class parents are going to be playing alarger role in communication and school improvement.
The class parents will be meeting a few times
throughout the year to reflect and discuss KIST and thefuture. I understand that some parents are shy abouttalking with the Principal. It is KIST‟s hope that the classparents will help break down this communication barrier.
I would like to thank all of the class parents for stepping
forward and being willing to help and support KIST.
Below is the list of class parents to help with
communication and support for KIST.

Violin Virtuoso

Grade
6A
6B
7A
7B
8A
8B
9A
9B

On Saturday, October 9,
Alyssa (G8A) played theVivaldi Double Violin
Concerto in d minor with theArce e coda String
Orchestra in a performance
held in the grand concert
hall at the Yotsuya
Community Center inShinjuku.
She played beautifully to an
adoring audience. Some
members of the Grade 11 DP music class and Mr
Adams went along to hear her perform. Alyssa also
played some Tchaikovsky and the music used in
Ghibli‟s Mononokehime with the orchestra. Afterwards,
Alyssa organized an interview between the Grade 11s
and the conductor about the concert. They learned
more about conducting and the extended orchestraltechniques used by Hisaishi for the movie soundtrack.
The conductor also allowed Mr Adams to borrow thescore to use in class with the Grade 11s.

10A
10B
11
12

Student’s name
Parent’s nameArminaMarie
We are still looking and hoping for help.
HamishIdo
KoharuJoy
Rino
ChinamiYuka
HiromiShu
Scott
Taisei
Akiko
Miku
Shinobu
Chaitanya
VandnaJoe
JulianeCameronYuko
ShreyaPriya

My door is always open (3F of the Main Building), myphone is always on (03-3642-9993), and my e-mailaccount is always active (r_schneider@kist.ed.jp), so
please do not be afraid to contact me about anything.
Robin L. Schneider
Secondary School Principal

Congratulations
Alyssa and a big
thank you forproviding ourGrade 11students withsuch a richlearning
experience.
Trevor Adams
Secondary Music Teacher

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G ra de 7 s t u de nt s l ea rni ng t h e f i n e a rt of di s s ec t i o n.

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V ol u me 14 | I s s ue 2 | O c t obe r 2 01 0

Office Updates

Founders‟ Awards

Student absences

The KIST Founders‟ Awards are an initiative of theschool‟s Founders and Directors, Mr and Mrs Komaki.
Through a generous personal endowment by theFounders, the awards are offered in the form ofscholarships to students who make a significant
contribution to the school according to its vision andfounding principles, and who demonstrate qualities
that truly represent the essence of the spirit of theschool. There are three categories of awards asfollows:

We have noticed that a number of students have beenabsent with no prior notification. We would like toremind families that notification must be given directly tothe school office for all absences in advance where
possible. As indicated below, the type of notification
required depends on the duration of the absence.
For 1 or 2 days:
 Notify the office before the start of school bytelephone, fax or e-mail.
 Provide your child‟s full name, class and a reason for
the absence.
 Notification must be given by parents only, notstudents.
For 3 days to 1 month: Submit an Application for Temporary Absence
form (downloadable from the school website) directly
to the office.
For 1 month to 1 year: Submit an Application for Extended Leave ofAbsence form (downloadable from the school
website) directly to the office.
More detailed information on procedures for notificationof absence is included in the School Handbook
available on the Admissions >> Documentation page ofthe school website. All families are asked to pleaseadhere to the procedures outlined.

Gold Award: Full scholarship covering 100% of thetuition fees for one school year.
Silver Award: Half scholarship covering 50% of thetuition fees for one school year.
Bronze Award: Quarter scholarship covering 25% of
the tuition fees for one school year.
Students currently in Grades 9, 10 and 11 are eligible
to apply for awards this year for the 2011-2012 school
year. More information on the criteria for the awards
may be viewed on the school website. Students
considering applying should be aware that thesecriteria are based on the current school year. Thismeans that their grades, behavior, attendance andgeneral commitment to the school are already underreview.
Further details regarding the awards and the due date
for applications will be announced later in the year.

Faculty e-mail directory
A directory of e-mail addresses for all administration
staff, coordinators and general teaching staff is now
available on the Contact >> Faculty Directory page ofthe school website. We hope this is useful as areference to assist families in communicating withteachers directly.

Changes to registered details
We continue to notice incorrect registered details suchas telephone numbers and even home addresses. We
remind you again that if any of your details change, it isyour responsibility to inform the office immediately. We
may need to contact you in an emergency situation, so
for the sake of your children, it is imperative that you
keep these details up to date.

ISA Testing Results
During the last week of September, students in Grades
3, 5, 7 and 9 took the International School‟s Assessment(ISA) and those tests have been sent out for grading.
We are expecting the results back during the holiday
break in December and will send home the results tofamilies when students return in early January.

LEAP at KIST
LEAP (Learning
Enhancement
Academic Program) is a
new initiative developed
to support the learningof students at KIST. It is
not inquiry based, but isdesigned to operate alongside the IB programmes by
providing additional support for students who needextra assistance with developing the core knowledge
and skills that form part of the building blocks throughwhich deeper understanding is developed. It focuses
specifically on developing students‟ skills andknowledge in the English language and mathematics.
LEAP is currently being run as an after-school
program and will also be expanded to incorporate
programs held during the summer and springvacations.
Because LEAP is not tied to the specific curriculum
followed at KIST, it is also open to students from otherschools who wish to enrich their learning. However,some of the classes are already full so please checkthe LEAP website at www.k-leap.jp for more
information.

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Staff 10!
In this month‟s Staff
10!, we are pleased topresent Secondary
science and G10B
homeroom teacher,Elsa Taylor, who has
been at KIST since2009.

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7 Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
I am taking a course in sumi-e, and am (very slowly)
trying to learn Greek.
 Do you have any special message
for your fans?
Embrace life and keep an open mind!

Dr Taylor enjoying nature at thePeriyer Wildlife Sanctuary in
Kerala, India.

 Tell us somethinginteresting about
your hometown.
Since we moved every year when I was growing up (Iwent to 13 schools in 12 grades), I don‟t really have ahometown. However, I raised my family in Tome, New
Mexico, a small farming community, located on the
Camino Real, a road that connects Mexico City toSanta Fe, NM. Tome only has a small post office, aruined jail and a few houses, so we commuted every
day to Albuquerque for school and work. New Mexico isa very multicultural place with people from around theworld, as well as large Hispanic and Native American
populations.
 What is your favorite place in the world?
There are many places that I have travelled to andenjoyed. Europe is amazing, particularly Greece. I also
enjoyed travelling around India, which is such a variedcountry with such interesting, friendly people.
 Who would you like to meet if you had the chance
and why?
After reading several books by Bill Bryson (e.g. A ShortHistory of Nearly Everything), I would like to meet him
because he is so well read and has such a delightful
sense of humor.
 Do you have any special skills or talents?
In a past career, I was an architect and interior
designer and so designed laboratories, banks,
restaurants, a high fashion boutique, a museum, offices
and did landscape designs. I also practice belly
dancing.
 Please share a little known fact about yourself.
I have a son in Los Angeles who is a computer
animator and my daughter, who lives in San Francisco,will graduate with a degree in financial planning, in
December.
 What is your most prized possession?
For the past 4 years, I have been remodeling an old,stone farmhouse in a small village on a mountainside in
Greece. Last year a roof was put on the house and aretaining wall to keep it from sliding into the sea, andthis year I am hoping to divide the lower level into
rooms and add plumbing and electricity.
 What words would you use to describe yourself?
I asked a friend and she said “flower child – it‟s a goodthing!” Also, I am a consummate reader.
 If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
I would have gotten into international teaching while mykids were young so that they could have been raised in
an international school environment around the world.

Tackle Your Troubles
Donate your true story; help me save orphans.
My name is Aryo, a 9th
grader at KIST. I want to ask
you to send me your true
story about a personal
experience on how you
solved a problem you
encountered in life like: family
troubles, bullying, friends,
grades, health/disability,
moving to anotherenvironment, appearance,others.
My goal is to publish a book(in English and Japanese) and donate sales to anorganization called “Gawad Kalinga”, which helps
educate and provide decent living conditions fororphaned children in the Philippines. Their website iswww.gk1world.com and I ask all Secondary students
to participate. You can help me by:
Submitting a short story about a problem you had
in your life and how you overcame it.
Details: You can write it in English or Japanese using MS
Word.
 About 600-1200 words (2-4 pages).
 Include your name (can be an alias or anonymous)and age.
 Send your story by email to:submit@tackleyourtroubles.com
The due date for submitting stories is Monday,
November 29.
Please visit my website at
www.tackleyourtroubles.com. By donating your story,
you can help make a difference in other children‟s lives.
You can also be an inspiration to others who read yourstory. All profit will go to this cause. Please think aboutit.

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High School Drama Festival
Saturday, September 25 marked the annual HighSchool Drama Festival, this time held at Saint Maur
International School in Yokohama. The High School
Drama Festival is an opportunity for Grade 9 to 12
students with a passion for the theater arts in different
international schools in and near Tokyo to cometogether, and KIST is honored to be a part of it. Every
year, the Drama Festival assigns one theme upon which
the students need to create a 10-minute performance.
We were all eager to find out what the day‟s theme was!
This year, KIST was represented by nine students –Yeon Soo from G10A, Abeer, Airi, Fenella, Jeeho,
Monica, Su Mee and Yeon Soo from G10B, and Shreya
from G12, accompanied by Mr Marson and Ms Ura.

memories made, though, and everyone who went
agrees that it was an extremely enjoyable andunforgettable experience. If you‟d like to hear more
about the Drama Festival, feel free to ask any of thestudents or teachers who went.
We‟re looking forward to hosting the Middle School
Drama Festival here at KIST, on November 3! Any
Grade 6 to 8 students interested in participating, orolder students wanting to help out on the day should
talk to Mr Rentoule, Mr Marson or Ms Ura.
Monica (G10B)

ADVERTISEMENT
After an early start and long commute on Saturday
morning, the KIST students arrived excited and eager
for the day‟s events. After gathering in the auditorium
with students and teachers from other schools,
everyone was split into six groups of around 10 people,
who they would be working with for the rest of the day.
The groups were a mix of ages, genders, and schools,
so it was more than likely that we would each end up ina group where we didn‟t know anyone, but of course,
this was all part of the fun!
It was then announced that the theme for the day was
simply, „Trap‟, and the groups got down to business!
They worked determinedly, only stopping for a break toenjoy delicious snacks provided by the host school, andlater for lunch.
Time flew fast, and at 3:00 in the afternoon, rehearsal
and preparation time was up! All of the groups gatheredback into the auditorium, where it was time for everyone
to show the rest what Trap-related performance theirgroup had come up with. The show was a lot of fun, andas always, fascinating to see how differently each ofthem had turned out! We saw several musicals, drama,
pastiches, comedies and even a touch of the surreal.
Needless to say some extreme talent was on display!
After the final performances, the day had come to an
end. It was in no way the end for friendships orV o l u me 1 4 | I s s u e 2 | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0“ T h e Co m et ”

Grade 8 Camp Report
This year’s Grade 8 camp was held at the Saitama Prefectural Youth Outdoor Activity Center in Chichibu
from September 29 to October 1.
We met at Ikebukuro station andtravelled to Seibu-Chichibu stationand from there, we took a bus tothe campsite. The site was veryrural. Our tents were in the middleof the forest and there were mostly
trees around us. It was the firsttime we slept in tents and it was allvery new to us!
The first activities we did wereteam building games, including the
Human Knot, “mingle”, and othergames which required lots ofteamwork. After that, we cooked
our own dinner using a „Dutch
Oven‟. We had never experienced
this type of cooking before so it
was very interesting. We madechicken which was stuffed withvegetables. Each group of people
had a specific job to do to prepare
the meal so a lot of cooperation
was needed. The meal was perfectsince it was a cold day and themeal was nice and warm.
It got much colder at night. Most ofus used over three blankets, yet
we were still cold! But even though

it was cold, the tent was
comfortable enough for us. On thesecond day, the girls were slow towake up so we couldn‟t help
prepare for breakfast. However, wewere surprised to see the boys
already there helping! The wholegroup divided into two classes andone went to make art in nature andthe other class went to the gym. At
the gym, we played a lot of teamgames and had some free time.
For the nature art, we divided intoeven smaller groups and made artout of the things we saw in theforest. Then, we went rappelling(abseiling) which was a completely
new experience for all of us. Someof us were too scared to do it but
almost everyone was able to walk
all the way down the building.
There aren‟t too many chances totry something like this near our
houses so even though we werescared, we wanted to try it. And
after we started climbing down withthe rope, it was fun and exciting,even though it was pouring rain
and freezing cold.

To end the day, we had a warm
campfire. We sang fun songs,
roasted marshmallows (which were
just delicious) and went to bed
tired but satisfied. When the final
day came, we hiked all the way tothe station which took about twohours. We passed a beautiful
temple and shrine on the way.
Everyone slipped or fell at least
once.
Overall, camp made some great
memories for us, and even made alot of us much closer friends. We
were also able to experience many
new things and we will never forgetit.
Finally we would like to thank thestaff from English Adventure who
kept us amused, challenged andsafe, and the teachers from KIST
who kindly accompanied us for thethree days: Mr Nogami, Ms
Gibbons, Mr Marson, Ms
Kanazawa and Mr Farquhar.
Alyssa and Anna (G8A)

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PSAT at KIST
Important notes for students taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) at KIST.
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, KIST will be hosting
the administration of the PSAT for Grade 10 and 11
students. The PSAT is a standardized test which isadministered to students throughout the United States.
It provides a good indication of where students standacademically in regard to other students throughout
the United States. At KIST, the test is mandatory for
Grade 10 students and optional for Grade 11 students.
The test assesses a student‟s competence in reading,mathematics and writing. The test is in a format that
KIST students seldom are exposed to; mostly multiplechoice. Many US colleges and universities use the test
results to determine what level of scholarship money isavailable to US citizens who take the test. At KIST we
use the test to expose students to the standardized
testing which is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
This ensures that our students have an opportunity to
prepare for this type of testing if they are intending toapply to US colleges and universities.
We recommend that students take both the PSAT and
the SAT several times so as increase their scores. As
a note to parents, it is important to remember that yourstudent will likely obtain a score lower than you would
expect. This is perfectly normal and these results
should only be used as a preliminary gauge. KIST‟s
College Counselors, Mrs Okude and Mr Wagner, areavailable to explain the PSAT and the results toparents and students at any time.
Below are the special instructions for the students
regarding testing on October 16. Please ensure thatyour child arrives at school not later than 8:45 a.m.
To G10 and G11 students:
This is a reminder that PSAT will be held at KIST on

Saturday, October 16. Please read the following
carefully and follow the supervisor‟s instructions during
the test.
Date: Saturday, October 16
Time: 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Place: KIST Main Building
The room and seating arrangements will beannounced on the test day.
Your test book will be handed out at 8:45 a.m. and you
will be given 25 to 30 minutes to fill out the information
on your answer sheet according to the supervisor‟s
instructions. Please be aware that students who arrive
late will not be permitted to join the test once the otherstudents have started section 1.
Section 1:
Section 2:
Break:
Section 3:
Section 4:
Break:
Section 5:

Critical Reading, 25 minutes
Mathematics, 25 minutes
5 minutes
Critical Reading, 25 minutes
Mathematics, 25 minutes
1 minute to stretch
Writing Skills, 30 minutes

What to bring: Two No. 2 (HB) pencils and erasers
 An approved calculator (see p. 17 of PSAT
Student Guide) Social security number (optional for US citizens) Your current address Your e-mail address (optional)
No food or drinks are permitted in the test room.
School uniform is compulsory for all students.

Sharing Cultures
A big thank you goes to Mrs
Deshmukh who shared apresentation with Grade 7‟s about thereligions, languages and cultures ofIndia. Students are studying many
aspects of Indian history andgeography this semester as part of their Humanities
course and it was a great opportunity for students tolearn more about these topics from someone who could
share their first hand insights and experiences.
Mrs Deshmukh was very generous with her time andshared many stories, photos and artifacts with thestudents in order to help bring their learning to life.
Students commented afterwards that it gave them amuch better understanding of their own cultures, andthose oftheirclassmates,
as MrsDeshmukh
was evenable toshow
pictures ofthe Hindu
goddess Sarasvati (a goddess of knowledge, music
and arts) being honoured in a local temple in Koto-ku!
Stephen Marson
Secondary Humanities TeacherV o l u me 1 4 | I s s u e 2 | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0“ T h e Co m et ”

Autumn Volleyball Report
The autumn term thus far has been a very busy one interms of volleyball at KIST. Our under 14 and under 18
boys and girls teams have been training hard and haveplayed in several games so far against otherinternational schools in Tokyo. The under 18 boys
opened up their season last Thursday against a very
determined team from Columbia International School
and we ended up going down in three very tight sets.
Since then we have defeated Canadian International
School in straight sets and have had excellent games
against the British School in Tokyo and Columbia
again. The team has been well led by the captain
Ryosuke and vice-captain Frank.
The under 18 girls team, coached by Mr Farquhar, hasalso had an excellent start to the season beating
International Secondary School and having a very good
encounter against the American School in Japan. The
girls have been well led by Karlee, Shifa and Monica.
They have an upcoming tournament in Yokohama
where they will be playing Yohohama International
School, Saint Maur International School, Osaka
International School and the Canadian Academy(Kobe). Best of luck to the girls for the rest of theseason.
The under 14 girls have beenvery well coached by Mr
Heppenstall and have justplayed the one game so far
against Tokyo International
School and they all showed great signs ofimprovement. It has been fantastic to see theenthusiasm of the girls on training nights and earlymorning sessions.
The under 14 boys have yet to play a game and arevery short of numbers at the moment. If you areinterested in joining the boys, please let Mr Spring or
Mr Ferris know as we have several games scheduled
and would really like to be able to field a team.
Thank you to all of the coaches, players, parents andsupporters who have been there to support our teams
during the autumn term.
Will Spring
Sports/PE Coordinator

Secondary SRC
New class representatives announced.
There was excitement in the air over the last couple ofweeks as all the homerooms of the Secondary School
voted to elect their new class representatives for thisschool year. Last year, each grade had one representative,
but this year there will be one for each homeroom.
The SRC would like to thank all the candidates for theireffort and enthusiasm, and the teachers and students fortheir cooperation. We heartily congratulate the newlyelected representatives and wish them luck for a year ofleading the student body in making our school a better
place! Do your best. Feel free to talk to any of us if you
have any ideas or concerns about your school life. We‟realways ready to listen!

Secondary SRC Class Representatives
G6:
G7:
G8:
G9:
G10:
G11:
G12:

Tuhina (G6A) / Eimi (G6B)
Mihir (G7A) / Pranita (G7B)
Kouta (G8A) / Junka (G8B)
Takuma (G9A) / Miku (G9B)
Marie (G10A) / Su Mee (G10B)
Su Ah
SalehaSecondary SRC Executive
President:
Shreya (G12)Vice President: Ryosuke (G11)
Secretary:
Matthew (G12)
Treasurer:
Pyay Phyo (G12)The Secondary SRC would like to thank all students who participated in the Free Dress Day on September 28.
Money raised on this day totaled 92,849 yen. This will be put towards an as yet undecided cause. The next Free
Dress Day is scheduled for February 2011.

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KISTival 2010
Open to all!
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. (Gates open 9:40 a.m.)(In the event of rain, the festival will go ahead as planned.)
Visitors to KISTival 2010 will enjoy a variety of international cuisine, fun games,
a grand raffle with great prizes, musical performances and much more! This
year, we are excited to announce special appearances by comic magician,Maggy Shinji; the Halau Na Mamo O Pohai Kalima Hawaiian Dancers; androck band, X-24.
Other attractions will include a bazaar, a games arcade, face painting, henna
painting, nail art, a haunted mansion, competitions, a jumbo air slider andmore!

Costumes
On the day of the festival, all visitors (including adults) are encouraged to wear
a costume to add to the festive atmosphere. Individuals are free to choose thetype of costume they wish to wear; for example, in previous years, popular
costumes included those related to seasonal celebrations.

Entry fee 100 yen per person (Free entry for children under 3)

Maggy Shinji

The fee will be used to fund the cost for disposal of garbage produced on the day.
Please note that entry to the campus on festival day will be through the bus entrance off Kiyosubashi-dori.
The regular school entrance near the reception counter will be closed.

Raffle tickets 300 yen per ticket
A highlight of the festival is the grand raffle that is drawn just before the end of the day. To enter the raffle, fillin your name, address and details on the number of tickets you wish to use and put them in the boxes of the
prizes you would like to win. The boxes will be located in the raffle tent on the school grounds. The draw will
begin around 2:45 p.m. on the day. As names will be written on all tickets, it is not necessary to be present at
the draw. Prize winners will be notified. Again this year, we have some great prizes to win including: Kyoto travel vouchers
 Disney entry tickets
 Laptop computer Digital camera
 iPad, iPod Dyson vacuum cleaner…and many more!

Coupon tickets 1,000 yen for a book of 8 tickets
For the most part, festival day is cashless. In place of cash, coupon tickets are required to purchase food,bazaar items and to participate in games.

Car and bicycle parking
On the day of the festival, only official vehicles (e.g. food booth operators etc.) will be permitted to enter theschool grounds. No space will be available for general parking of cars or bicycles. Please use public transport.
Parking on the streets around the school is strictly prohibited. In previous years, there have been
several unfortunate incidents where local residents called the police to complain about illegal parking.
We ask that all families show respect for local residents by refraining from parking on the streetsaround the school for any reason.
Please join us for KISTival 2010 and help to make it a success!

Entry tickets, coupon tickets and raffle tickets will be available on the day of
the festival or in advance from the school office.