The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 25 | Issue 3 | March 2022

In this issue...
02...Artscape ’22
04...Early Childhood News
05...Elementary ELS
06...KIPS News
08...Athletics Update
09...The Art of ‘Being Kind to Yourself’10...Understanding Economics through Film
11...G6 Mouthwatering Invitations to a Meal
12...Debate Club
12...I&S Department Snapshot
15...MYP Service as Action
18...University Guidance News

From the Head of School

Dates to Remember

Public transportation etiquette in Japan
etiquette
et·i·quette
the set of rules or customs that control accepted behavior in particular socialgroups or social situations.
Public transportation in Japan is world-renowned for being punctual, efficient,safe and clean. It is also known to be exceptionally orderly and smooth. The
cleanliness, safety and orderliness that passengers appreciate, including manyof us, can be attributed to a set of unwritten rules that define acceptablebehavior while on public transportation. These unwritten rules are known as
etiquette.
Every year, we receive concerns from people in the local community regarding
student behavior on public transportation. As an international school, we arerecognizable when out in the community, and it is important that
we all understand and respect the local public transportation
etiquette in our host country. According to the KIST Code of
Conduct (log in required), KIST students respect themselves,
they respect others, and they respect their community byfollowing local customs and demonstrating appropriate manners.
Go!Go!Nihon has compiled a list of guidelines which are a good reminder ofpublic transportation etiquette in Japan.
1. Do not take up too much space. Take off your backpack and keep itclose to you.
2. Keep it quiet. Keeping noise to a minimum is the polite thing to do.
3. Mobile phones. Refrain from talking on the phone while on the train.
4. Line up and do not rush onto the train.
5. Do not eat and drink. It is uncommon to eat or drink anything other thanwater on public transportation.
6. Priority seats. These seats are designated for the elderly, those withdisabilities, and pregnant women.
7. Do not litter. Be sure to take all of your belongings and garbage whenleaving the train.

March 2022

12 SAT@KIST
21 School day
21 (K1-G7) Student-led conferences
21 (G8/G10) IGCSE/DP options
events21 (G12) DP Visual Arts exhibition
25 Last day of quarter 3
26-Apr 3 Spring vacation

April 2022

4 School resumes for all students
4-12 (G10) IGCSE mockexaminations
8 (G1-G10) KIST cross country
meet (*Tentative)
11 School photographs (for new
and absent students)
14-15 School musical (*Tentative)
15 (K1/K2/K3) Cross country
18 (K1/K2/K3) Kindergarten concert
rehearsals (*Tentative)
19 (K1/K2/K3) Kindergarten concert(*Tentative)
20 (G9) PSAT
22 (G12) Last day of classes
25-29 (G12) DP study week
29 School day
29-May 20 (G12) DP examinations
30-May 8 Golden Week vacation

May 2022

7 SAT@KIST
9-13 (G1) English reading/writing
diagnostic testing
11-12 (G2-G7) English reading/writing diagnostic testing

As explained in the KIST Code of Conduct, “In Japan, everything that students
do reflects upon the school. People observing KIST students make judgments
about our school more than they do about the individual student.
Continued on next page

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

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Continued from previous page

Hence KIST expects all KIST students to contribute
positively to our community by behaving appropriately
both on and off campus.”
We ask that all KIST families discuss public
transportation etiquette with their children and ensurethat they know and understand the expected behavior
set by our host country.
Your assistance is very muchappreciated.
Kevin Yoshihara Ed.D.
Head of School/
Elementary School Principal

Artscape ’22
Even in the face of adversity, art finds a way to persevere.
You don’t need me to tell you what the adversity is, any more than you need to be told to wear a mask, wash yourhands, or keep your distance from your friends. However, you might be happy to hear about something that occurs
in our community every year and affects a crowd without much fanfare.
Artscape ’22 just wrapped up last week after its run in the Hiroo area near Azabujuban. Every year, the two-week
event displays some of the best offerings of art from 15 international schools around the Tokyo area. The artists
range from kindergarteners to seniors in high school with a wide variety of media represented in the visual arts.
At KIST the entries are nominated by the art teachers and final selections are voted on through a student ballot.
The selections are displayed at the “Azabu Kids-to-Teens Hall”. Most notable is the variety of selections andmoreover the quality of the work. It really is a testament to the artistic ability of our students and young people ingeneral.
The organizers of the yearly event created a book with all the entries represented within. If you would like to have alook at the artwork, please stop by the art room and ask Mr. Dave or Mr. John in Elementary, or Mr. DiBella in theSecondary School if you can have a look. You’ll not be disappointed.
Next year, I hope that we all will remember to go down to Azabujuban and have a wonderful time enjoying theartwork live.
Clay M. Bradley
Elementary School Vice Principal

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PYP News
Exploring parental roles and support during shared reading activities
For this issue’s article, I want to build on what our ELS
Coordinator, Rachel Parkinson, wrote in the last issue
about deepening skills during shared reading at home.
At KIST, we encourage our students to read every
day, but with younger, developing readers, parents/
guardians play a vital role in this. Your child’s teacher
may set reading homework using online programs like
RAZ-Kids or Epic; however, sitting together andsharing a story in whatever language you feel most
comfortable with is extremely important.
Shared reading styles may differ between households
but there are various things that you can do toenhance the experience for all involved. This includes
choosing a comfortable place and time so that stresslevels are reduced, and you can all relax and enjoy thebook together. There are also a number of reading
strategies that you may use. Our teachers use many ofthese strategies during shared reading (K1–K3) andguided reading (G1–G5) sessions, both in English andin Japanese, and they can help, not only to develop
your child’s reading abilities, but also to bring the bookto life.
The types of reading strategies that we use at KIST
with our younger students (K1–G1) are:

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Discussing the front cover of the book
Discussing the main idea of the book
Asking simple comprehension
questions
Discussing the sequence of events
Discussing the pictures
Discussing the meaning of words
Comparing and contrasting
characters, settings, or things in thebook
Discussing the layout of the pages andfeatures such as titles and captions
Predicting what might happen next
Making connections to your own life orother books/movies/TV shows etc.

With the following also being used for our older
students (being introduced between G2 and G5):

•
•
•
•
•

Asking inferential comprehension
questions
Summarizing main ideas from more than
one paragraph
Discussing cause and effectDiscussing fact and opinion
Encouraging the reader to ask their own
questions

Please don’t feel that you haveto use these strategies; they
are not designed to be used inevery reading session, but you
may find it interesting to try
some of them out.
By developing these skills in class, we feel that ourstudents will be better placed to think more deeply andmake inferences about what they are reading, andthese skills will also help them as they move into thesecondary school where they are expected to regularly
analyze texts. More importantly, using some of thesestrategies may help you to engage better with thebooks that you read with your children, making themcome to life in new and possibly unexpected ways.
To better support our KIST families, we would like toprovide more guidance on how you can support yourchild’s reading. An important first step is to build apicture of how our younger students are reading athome, so in the next few weeks, all K1–G1 families will
receive a link to a short, anonymous survey. We would
like as many of you as possible tocomplete this survey so we can better
understand reading habits within our
school community.
Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinator

New Face
Since the last issue of The
Comet, we have welcomeda new staff member,
Rebecca Lam, who has
joined our Elementary
School instructional teamas an ELS Instructor in
Grade 1B.
On behalf of the schoolcommunity, we wish Ms.
Lam all the best in her newrole.

Rebecca Lam
ELS Instructor (G1B)

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Early Childhood News
Hello, KIST families!
Since the last issue of The Comet was published in
December, we had another challenging period with the
COVID-19 Omicron strain, not only in Japan, but also
all around the world. Now as Spring approaches, I do
hope things are going to settle down.
Our school year has already passed the halfway point
and we are in the second semester. The children in thekindergarten are getting used to their own routine atschool and are all growing a lot, and getting ready tomove up to the next grade level!
In this issue, I would like to take a look at our literacy
program in K1 to K3.
At KIPS, the children in P2 are introduced to thesounds and rhythms of English using Jolly English 1,
and in the K1 class here at KIST, the students are
exploring a variety of sounds through different activities
and beginning to learn the relationship between lettersand sounds using Jolly English 2. In K2, students learn
the 42 sounds that are used in English, the different
ways to spell the same sound, and tricky words that do
not fit the regular phonics rules. In K3, students review
the 72 ‘tricky words,’ alternative spellings, short vowels,long vowels, and many other aspects to master what
they have learned so far, and practice how to use themin their daily lives.
Through this process, K1–K3 teaches children to
vocalize and write their own thoughts based on thesounds they hear rather than being confined to thecorrect spelling of English.

By starting with lower caseletters, which are found inover 90% of English books,
and by learning the most frequently used letters first, by
the time they learn the third letter, the children canalready start blending the sounds and reading on theirown. It’s really amazing that they can read words fromsuch a young age. The children are so proud to knowthat they can read by themselves. While the children
show these amazing skills, please keep a few things in
mind:
•
•
•
•

Praise your children as much as you can.
Support them as they cannot do this all alone.
Remember that being able to read a word does
not mean that they understand the meaning of it.
Continue to read lots of fun books to yourchildren.

Please support your children to become book lovers!
By reading with loved ones, children will be motivatedto pursue independent reading. Being exposed to avariety of books will aid them to become fluent readers,
better at deriving meaning from words as well as
extending their vocabulary knowledge.
If you are interested in supporting your child at home,
you can download the Jolly Phonics app
from your mobile phone app store.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1–K3)/
K2A Teacher

K1

Forming single letters ‘b’ and ‘m’ with transcriptions by teachers of what the children said.

K2A

K2B
K3

“Unicorn baby, unicorn
baby is sad.”I think you can read these sentences without transcriptions.
“The boy sees the butterfly.”V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2“ T h e Co m et ”

Elementary ELS
Communicating about mathematical ideas
Explaining their reasoning is one of the most important
things students can do to develop their understandingof mathematical concepts. That is why at KIST ourmath lessons are often full of students’ talk. In fact,
while a lot of this talk is an explaining kind of talk—where students say the reasons behind what they
think—the other kind of talking students do in class isthe “working things out” kind of talk, where they
discuss a problem or an object to discover more about
it and how it connects to a mathematical concept. No
matter a student’s level of English language, boththese kinds of talk are possible with the right kind of
support.
Likewise, whenever we help our children with theirmath at home, listening to them talk about it is a goodstrategy. Here are a couple of hints from Judit
Moschkovich (a mathematics and bilingual education
researcher from the University of California):••

Home languages are helpful in constructing
understanding of mathematical concepts—so it
is good to use home languages when
discussing math.
Everyday language is also a support and can beused to build up conceptual understanding andacademic mathematical language step by step.

See these links for more information about the tips
above and the kinds of activities we do at school tocreate and support communication aboutmathematical ideas:••

Students in G4A mingle to discuss the connections
between different fractions.

Krishiv and Ishika explain to their G4A classmates thereasoning behind the connections they made.

Moschkovich, J. (2013). Principles forMathematics Instruction for ELLs. Stanford
University. Retrieved from 1-2.Supporting ELLs 8-14-13 (stanford.edu)
https://www.kist.ed.jp/files/pdf/TheComet/
The%20Comet_2016.12_E.pdf (p. 10)

Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator/ELS
Instructor (G4)

A group discussion about an object to work out
how it relates to equivalence of fractions.

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KIPS News
Although the end of the coronavirus pandemic is not
yet in sight, KIPS has been holding events to provide
children with enjoyable memories and wonderfulexperiences, while taking countermeasures against
infection.
At the Winter Celebration Party held before the winterbreak, the children sang and danced together and were very happy to receive
presents from Santa. In the New Year, we had a Japanese New Year Party. The
children played traditional Japanese games (fukuwarai, hagoita, koma, origami,
otedama) with their parents, and learned about the origins of these games, while
experiencing how fun, yet difficult, they are.
In line with our theme for Term 4: “At Home” and our theme for Term 5: “MyDay,” we asked parents to be our teachers so that we could learn about theirown cultures, occupations and special skills. Seeing and experiencing things forthe first time at KIPS together with their parents is very stimulating not only forthe children, but also for us, the staff, and we are very grateful for thecooperation of the parents.
I am happy to see how much the children have grown over the last six months inareas such as taking care of themselves, caring for their friends,
and paying attention to their surroundings. All the staff at KIPS
will continue to support the children as they
progress on their learning journey.
Yoshimi Machida
P2 Teacher

Ever since the new coronavirus pandemic began toaffect us here in Japan, KIPS has been working
hard to strengthen measures to prevent infection.
Such measures have included: taking the children’s
temperatures before they leave home and again
when they arrive at KIPS in the morning, opening
windows all year round, increasing the number oftimes we disinfect KIPS to at least three times aday, and many other activities in cooperation withthe staff and families.
As you know, children eligible to join KIPS in P0
through P2 are still very young. Some people may
think it is difficult for such young children to take preventive actions against
infection, but all the students at KIPS cooperate by washing and disinfecting
their hands, and cover their mouths with their elbows when coughing or
sneezing. The older children even say "That's yucky!" to the P0s when they try
to put toys in their mouths. Despite the concerns of adults, the children are
showing their resilience by carrying out what they have learned on a daily basis.
With only a few months left in this school year, through thecooperation of the KIPS staff and the parent community, we willcontinue to do our best to support the children so that they cancontinue to come to school with peace of mind.
Minami Nose
Nurse

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V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2

MYP News
MYP students joining the Wall of Honor:
Recognized by their peers for demonstrating IB
Learner Profile attributes
At the end of the first semester, students in Grades 6–8 took time to reflect on their experiences and the work of
their classmates. The students below were all recognized by their fellow MYP students as showing
how to embody the qualities we associate with the IB’s Learner Profile. The range of evidence
offered by the students’ peers, detailed below, show the range and depth of the good work being
completed by MYP students at KIST.
Robert WhiteMYP CoordinatorIrem (G6A)

Shrish (G6A)

Sarah (G6B)

Manato (G6B)

Irem wasnominated forher ability to be
open-minded. Her
peers noted that she isopen when dealing withother cultures and otherperspectives. She canshare thoughtful ideas
about her understanding
with other people with careand confidence.

Shrish has
beenrecognized forthe attribute ofbeing knowledgeable. His
classmates recognize hisability to understand arange of topics in different
classes in MYP. He can
explain his thinking clearly
and is willing to take risks
and offer his views.

Sarah wasnominated forher ability totake chances andher confidence to share
her ideas with everyone.
Also, she is very
knowledgeable about the
subjects she studies andshows tenacity when
expressing her ideas.

Manato wasnominated for
his ability totake chances andhis confidence to share his
ideas with everyone. He isvery knowledgeable about
the subjects he studies
and shows tenacity when
expressing his ideas.

Mihika (G7A)

Fuwa (G7A)

Yuri (G7B)

Brhas (G7B)

Mihika is not
only a focused
student, but she
is willing to shareideas and encourages
others to do so as well.
She is very approachable
to talk to and contributes
to better understandings ofany topic.

Fuwa values all
opinions ofothers andcontributes to ourschool community throughhis friendly manner andacceptance of everyone.
He helps create a warmer
atmosphere in any group.

Yuri wasnominated forbeing a caringclassmate. She
was especially praised forlooking out for others andassisting students in need,even when unasked. Suchconsideration makes theclassroom a warmer place.

Brhas wasnominated forthe knowledge
he shares with theclass. He can often be
seen explaining difficult
concepts clearly andhumbly to others. He also
encourages a classroomof inquiry by asking
pertinent questions andhelping others share theirideas.

Hana (G8A)

Divyansh (G8A)

Edward (G8B)

Devika (G8B)

Hana wasnominated for
doing theseemingly
impossible in G8—beingbalanced. She is funny,yet sensitive; enthusiastic,
yet stoic; an idealist, yetpragmatic. She has beenrecognized by her peersfor demonstrating thebalance between caring
for others, herself, and heracademics.

Divyansh wasnominated forbeing
enthusiastic aboutcommunicating his
learning, especially withmathematics. He waspraised for being
enthusiastic when learning
new things and for also
imparting his own
knowledge about different
subjects to other students.

Edward wasnominated forbeing openminded andcaring. He was describedas always being
supportive. Sometimes hehelps his classmates with
their homework,sometimes he gently
guides new students andalways tries to include
others.

Devika wasnominated forbeing acommunicator, forbeing caring and a risktaker. She is always
smiling and brightens up
the people around her.
One of her classmatessays that Devika always
talks to everybody andmakes sure they are
happy.

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Athletics Update
Winter season 2021–22
KIST started the Winter season with a few games but they were then put
on hold for the main part of the season due to COVID and government
guidelines. We were able to resume play in the last week of February
and able to get in a couple of games to finish off the winter season.

Soccer

The JV boys’ soccer team had twogames at St. Mary’s in December beating
St. Mary’s 3–2 and losing to ASIJ 6–0. As
the season was limited, the Kanto League
fall soccer schools have allowed KIST toparticipate this Spring. We look forward toplaying YIS, St. Maur and CAJ.

The MS girls’ soccer team played at CAJ and BST—
both A and B pool games. The A team played a strong
defensive game with great goalkeeping to defeat CAJ 1–0, while the B team lost 4–0. BST proved too
experienced and beat our A team 13–1 and B team 5–0.
KIST were the only team to score against BST thisseason.

Basketball

MS girls’ soccer

Our MS boys’ basketball team had three
B pool games losing to TIS (35–31) and
BST (50–26), and beating CAJ at home35–26. They are waiting for a possible
ISTAA league game in early March before
wrapping up the season.

Our JV/HS boys’ and girls’ basketball teams saw
extremely limited action with many game cancellations.
The girls beat BST 30–10 with an exceptionally good
defensive effort. Unfortunately, the boys lost a nailbiter
to BST 48–47, though at one point were up by 9 in the
2nd quarter. Foul trouble and fatigue set in and we wereunable to recover. Both teams will play CAJ andpossibly one or two ISTAA schools before finishing forthe season.
Thank you to all the coaches for making the Winterseason possible!!

Spring season sports

KIST has started up some Spring season sports alreadyin preparation for the Kanto Spring league. ISTAA
league futsal will start in April.

HS girls’ basketball

The below teams are participating in Kanto:• MS girls’ basketball (A and B pool)• JV girls’ soccer• JV boys’ soccer (to be included during Spring thisyear)
• MS boys’ baseballResults, team rosters, schedules andother information can be found on
PSL under KIST Athletics by any
member of the KIST community.
Dennis Ota
Athletics Coordinator

HS boys’ basketball

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V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2

9

The Art of ‘Being Kind to Yourself’
As Semester 2 progresses, our students will begin tofeel numerous pressures across all areas of thecurriculum. If we add to the mix the continuing specterof the coronavirus and the uncertainty it brings, it
continues to be a challenging time for all the schoolcommunity. With this in mind, it is important torecognize that when things are not going perfectly, we
often look inward first, pinning all perceived failures, nomatter how big or small, on ourselves.
As a tool of self-reflection, this can be emotionallydraining. No one can only hear negativity all the timeand feel good about themselves. Which is why, in thisedition of The Comet, the care team wish to promote
the Art of ‘Being kind to yourself’. This article will focus
on how we can all process feelings of inadequacy andfailure in a more healthy and productive way.

Self-kindness

Try to be caring and understanding with yourself,
rather than being harshly critical or judgmental.
If you start to feel your inner critic creeping in, focus on
being gentle. It could be helpful to try to change how
you view your situation—imagine you are offering
advice to someone close to you instead. We would
rarely be blunt and harsh to one another for fear ofdamaging that person’s self-esteem. Therefore, holdyourself to the same standards and focus on looking at
how you can change the context of your situation,
make adjustments and move forward positively.

Shared common humanity

This means that acknowledging that, as humans, weare imperfect, fail and make mistakes.
This also means acknowledging that each and every
one of us is different. Although we might beexperiencing the same storm, we are navigating
through it in different ways. Being part of a community
means that we can draw on the experiences of others
and reflect on how we would deal with situations
happening for others, ourselves. At this point in time,
empathy has never been a more important tool topromote universal kindness.

Mindfulness

Being mindful helps you learn how to pay attention to
the present moment without being judgmental.
Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is to allow
negative emotions to process. Show your feelings
acknowledgement and tune into what has made you
feel this way.

Appreciation
exercises

Try to connect withyour inner champion
and showappreciation for yourself. Every day, you should find at
least five minutes to connect with things that havegone well in the day. Focus on what you did well, what
seemed to make others happy, and compliments thatwere received. Not sure if anything positive happened?
Reframe something that you previously saw as anegative.
••••

Made a mistake in class? Learn from it—you
won’t make the same mistake again.
Had an argument with a friend? Think about
how good you will feel when you resolve it.
Forgot your commuter pass? Brainstorm
creative ways to make sure you don’t forget
it in the future.
Try to end your day, every day, by reminding
yourself that tomorrow is another day filledwith opportunities to be a success.

Imagery exercises

One of the most popular stress management
techniques is the bucket or wastepaper basket
technique. Focus on all the things that have bothered
you during the day, week or month. One by one, placethem out of sight and out of mind in the basket,
releasing the stress attached to them. Not satisfied
with doing it mentally? Find some scrap paper and arecycling bin before doing it for real!
These are just a small number of ways we can practice
the Art of ‘Being kind to yourself’. Please rememberthat the care coordinators are always available to talkto students, and families, about techniques that canhelp navigate the pressures of all we are living throughright now.
Matthew Archer and
Hannah Cowie
Student Care Coordinators(Secondary)10

V ol u me 25 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 22“ T h e Co m e t ”

Understanding Economics through Film
The Matrix movies
While The Matrix movies may be known for totally
redefining science-fiction storytelling in the 21st
century, there’s also a lot of unexplored thematic
material within them—most notably, a condemnationof capitalism.
The first film in the series, The Matrix, introduced theworld to Neo, an amateur hacker who quickly
discovers that his monotonous 1990s reality is actually
a powerful simulation, created by a sentient race ofmachines who are using humanity’s collective
bioenergy to power themselves.
He also discovers that he’s The One, a prophesied
messianic figure who can manipulate the internal
coding of The Matrix, turning him into a kind-of
cyberpunk Superman.
The Matrix exists as a sci-fi meditation on late-stage
capitalism, its faults, and ultimately the overturning of
the system by people within it.
As part of their study of economic systems andeconomic agents in Economics, the G12 Economics
HL/SL students went to the cinema in Kinshicho towatch the film The Matrix Resurrections. The film
helped students to gain a contextual and deeper
understanding of the complex (economic) systems
that govern our lives. Their understanding of the film
helped them to analyse many different aspects ofhuman behaviour and decision-making within andbetween economic agents (consumers, producers, thegovernment).
The students then used some of the contents of thefilm to make notes back in school on how the film
covers the economic concepts of scarcity, efficiency,

sustainability, equity, intervention, choice, wellbeing,change and interdependence. They also used the film
to review the circular flow income, explaining thecircular flow matrix and how products, resources, andmoney flow in a market economy, keeping in mind thathouseholds and businesses both demand and supply.
Lastly, using real world examples, students completed
an inquiry activity that focused on the discussion that
capitalism enslaves more than it liberates economic
agents. As a first for Economics students at KIST,
despite the restrictions imposed on us
by the coronavirus pandemic, the trip tothe cinema was quite an unforgettable
experience.
Edwin Gombya
DP Economics Teacher

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G6 Mouthwatering Invitations to a Meal
Grade 6 English students have been learning about the power of persuasion throughdescriptive writing. Here, some of the students from one of our G6 English classes
tempt us with persuasive and descriptive writing skills about their favorite homemeals. Oh, and thank you moms and dads!

Imagine your favourite food. Then imagine that one hundred times better. That is what my
Carys (G6B)
Mum’s cooking is like. You should come and try my Mum’s fried pork on rice with shredded
cabbage, coleslaw and yuzu banana cake. First of all, the pork is crispy and full of delicious
soy sauce flavour. The rice is sticky and fluffy, and is lightly salted. The cabbage soaks up the soy
sauce, and is crunchy. The coleslaw tastes of lemon, and is extremely refreshing. And last but notleast, the cake is fluffy, and gives off a delicious aroma. Having this meal will make you feel like
you are in a hot tub whilst having ginger ale! Relaxing! That is why you should come over and try
my Mum’s meal!

Do you want a meal that leaves you wanting more and more, even if you are full? Do you
Tyler (G6A)
want an amazing dinner everyone enjoys? Come over to our house! There is the white,warm rice mixed with the delicious umami flavor of the natto beans to make an amazing bowlof soft natto rice exploding with flavor. And, hot juicy gyoza dumplings burst with deliciousness,with the help of the soy sauce. And finally, appetizing, sweet salmon is enough to knock yoursocks off. Best of all, it is free! That along with a sprinkle of love from the cooks, my mom and my
grandparents, make this dinner the best you will ever have. Come over to our house, for a mealthat will send you off to flavor-town.

I

Han (G6A)
magine being able to get a feeling of excitement just by eating an amazing dish! Well, you
can come over to my house to taste the succulent Hayashi Rice! You can taste and feel the
creamy stew explode in your mouth and have a sense of excitement circulate through your body!
You can also taste the juicy meat that is added into the stew. You can even adjust the spiciness toyour liking. And don’t worry, if you don’t like it, we can always provide you with something else
exciting. Come over!

S

andwiches are of millions of flavours. Taste of it depends on the fillings. One of my
Aaryan (G6B)
favourite breakfast at home is a multigrain bread sandwich. One of the main ingredient is
the meat called salami that controls the rest of the flavours. Salami is spicy, colorful and filledwith peppers. It has a slight taste of garlic and salt which helps to explore a new taste. Along withmeat there are veggies like hardy, green textured lettuce and juicy ripe, red tomatoes that melt inyour mouth. A perfectly toasted, crunchy multigrain bread forms the covering. A combination ofmustard sauce and mayonnaise adds to the color, moisture and flavour. Overall it is an awesome
breakfast. You will have the feel of a big meal.

C

Xintong (G6A)

M

Luna (G6A)

hilli peppers with noodles. The ultimate combination for any person who loves spicy food.
They blend together to create a perfect combination that is a tantalizing treat for anyone’s
tastebuds. While it may seem a nightmare for someone who hates spicy food, the different typesof chilli peppers provide a solution to it. There are types of peppers that don’t even have a spicy
taste so you can be assured that your noodles may not be as spicy as the name suggests.

y mother’s pasta is the best ever. It is hot, a little spicy and delicious. The pasta smells a
little like tomato paste and meat. Your fork will easily be able to twist the pasta and it is very
easy to eat because it is not hard. It is very flavorful. Don’t worry! If it’s too spicy for you, my mom
can adjust the flavor or give you something else. It may not be your most favorite food, but it might
become one of your favorite pastas.

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Debate ClubThis year, the debate club
drastically increased in size
compared to previous years andgrew from a handful of members tomultiple junior varsity and varsity teams. Despite thegraduation of knowledgeable club leaders, the club
definitely became more vibrant with new members fromall grade levels: especially from middle school.
Through this year, the new debaters improved
astonishingly from learning the speaker roles and basic
rules, recognizing their strengths, and collaboratingclosely with teammates to provide a strong andcohesive argument for various prompts.
We are proud of the new debaters who won multiplecompetitions through their development as well as theaward winners including Ashmita (G9A), Dhriti (G8A),
and Alexandra (G8B). The varsity team, led by award
winners including Saanvi (G11B), Arnav (G10A) and
Lance (G10A), also had a remarkable year while
overcoming the age gap between them and theiropponents.
We are glad that we were able to participate in inperson tournaments and hope to strengthen andimprove our club. Most importantly, we thank Ms.
Snow and Mr. D’Rozario for their constantsupport and encouragement.
Kiichiro (G10A)
Debate Team Captain

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

Grade 6
In G6 I&S, students explored ancient civilizations and how societies have developed
at different times and locations. Recognizing the importance of effective note-taking
both for processing and learning and for revising, the students experimented withdifferent note-taking styles to create an “interactive notebook.” These notes were fun
to take, process and share!

Grade 7

Khant Woon, Vardaan, Dipin (G7B)

In G7 I&S students have been learning about natural environments throughthe key concept of systems. We have studied numerous case studies focusing
on the mutual impacts between individuals and land including: blood diamondsin Sierra Leone, wolves in Yellow Stone National Park, and avocadoes in
Mexico. After the case study of blood diamonds, students participated in a
debate arguing which actor in the system is most responsible for producing
blood diamonds. The class saw heated debates between students arguingthat it is the consumer’s responsibility, while some argued that government ofcountries exporting diamonds should be held accountable.
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V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2

13Continued from previous page

Grade 8In G8, we have been learning about the 4 Ps of marketing (price, product,
promotion and place) and using these concepts to create a pitch for a new
product or service. Many of the students marketed their product or service
towards the winter holidays. G8A entrepreneurs Yuri, Alexandra, Naoki
and Hal introduced the “Snug Mug” which is a woolen bottle sweater thatkeeps your hot drinks at the right temperature throughout the winter.

IGCSE Business Management
To contextualise their understanding of the importance of location
for a business, G9 IGCSE Business students were divided into
groups of three and asked to design and make a one-minute TV
advert for an I&S subject such as Geography, History, Economics,
Business and Politics. For this task, the groups had to rename(rebrand) the subject, create a slogan/strapline and a storyline for
their chosen subject. Most importantly, the advert had to berecorded in a location that was appropriate to the subject. As agroup, G9A’s Taiyo, Pramiti and Prithika produced a video for
Geography that was assessed as meeting all the necessary criterion
in terms of quality, appropriateness and creativity for the location,
brand name (Planetia) and slogan (Planetia is your familia).

IGCSE Economics
In Semester 1, we covered the Market System which
included topics such as supply, demand and elasticity,which was interesting as they can model complicated reallife phenomena, giving us a chance to link it to context. We
then learnt about externalities and the effects on
individuals and firms towards the economy and how thegovernment manages these. One time in class we had topresent short skits of different economies which was quite
engaging (the Command Economy in particular!) We arelooking forward to studying more about BusinessEconomics and seeing the overlap between IGCSE
Business and Economics.

Arham (G9B), Shuntaro (G9A), Zayan (G9A)

IGCSE Geography
Students in G9 have adapted and settled well into Geography IGCSE
content. Here you will see the class creating stop motion videos todemonstrate how river formations vary. Students have been creative in
infographic poster making. Students researched how our natural resources
such as water are managed and treated. Students enjoyed learning about
how water treatment techniques vary around the globe.

IGCSE History

Pramiti (G9A)

G10 IGCSE History students have finished their final unit of core content:
the thaw of Cold War relations. In order to understand reasons for détente,
students looked at a range of factors including the Vietnam War, SinoSoviet relations and arms limitation treaties. Another key reason for
détente was Ostpolitik pursued by West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt.
To demonstrate their understanding of Brandt’s policy towards East andWest Europe, students created cartoons to visualize Ostpolitik. One of the
cartoons made by Selin (G10) displays West Germany holding a party
which all its European neighbors are invited to, except the Nazis. Thisaccurately represents the friendly foreign policy pursued by West Germany
with humor.
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Continued from previous pageDP Business Management
In Business Management Unit 5, Operation Management,
students have been learning about factors that affect thelocation of business. To put this theory into practice, they
made a video to rebrand all I&S subjects. For example,
Economics was rebranded as "Econo-matrix," to show that
it is the study of how everything in our world works. They
decided to make a parody of the Matrix (movie) todemonstrate the similarity between the message in the film
and the course itself. The students tried to select anappropriate location, storyline and slogan for the video topromote Economics to G10s who may be interested intaking the course at DP level. Students found the project
exciting as it allowed them to develop their creativity andcommunication skills.

Ye Won (G12A) and Rei (G12B)

DP Economics
Behavioral Economics is a new topic on the most recent syllabus
update. The “Nudge Theory” is one concept of Behavioral Economics
that attempts to influence people’s behavior by modifying their choices.
One example would be putting healthy snacks at “eye-level” so they are
noticed more by consumers. G11 Economics students created their own
projects on improvements to the school community. Saanvi (G11B) and
Keanu (G11B) designed a method to encourage students to recycle.

DP Geography
For their internal assessment, students in G12
designed and conducted their geographicalfieldwork where they researched an issue ortheory relating to the unit of Urban Environments.
Students visited Otemachi and the imperial
palace to see how green spaces improved theurban environment and reduced urban stresses
relating to living in a megacity. Some students
focused on air pollution and how green spaces
reduced the problems associated with Urban
Heat Island effect. Another group conducted
fieldwork in Shimokitazawa, assessing theimpacts of urban renewal and gentrification.
Students used creative ways to figure out how
much our urban landscapes change over time,using a range of digital media and primary
fieldwork techniques. Students researched,planned and wrote fantastic reports whichallowed them to apply theory to real life andenabled them to extend their geographicalthinking and enquiry. You can see some of the
fantastic resources they created for theirassessment below.

DP History
On February 21, the DP History students visited the
Yushukan Museum located inside Yasukuni Shrine. The
museum displays the military history of Japan including thespirit of Bushido, Russo-Japanese War and the Second
World War. These are topics students have covered in theirlearning in Paper 1 – Move to Global War and Paper 2 –Causes and Effects of 20th century wars. Students were
fascinated by the Japanese narrative of events which were
not included in their Eurocentric textbooks. Students will becreating a study tour poster to critically reflect on thelocation’s significance in educating Japanese History andits links to the DP History curriculum.
G12A: Nanami, Mehak, Manaka; G12B: Shiro, Miku

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MYP Service as Action
Take a look at what great Service as Action was accomplished at KIST
during the first semester this year!

Grade 6
The Poster Press Service Club: An originalG6 service created by some handy kids who
saw a way to use what they learned in Design
into a useful service for others. The service isavailable for teachers, other clubs, and office
staff. The students really impressed me byactively recruiting work with visits to otherservices and teachers in person. Great work!
Here are some examples you may have seenaround the school:

Grades 6 and 7
The Art, Library and Music Elves: Watch
out Santa’s Elves, you are no match for our
Service Elves. The Art room, the Libraryand the Music rooms all benefited from help
from MYP Service as Action students thisyear.

Grade 7
Lots of Service as Action from two
new services for G7 this year with the
PHE Support Service and theOnline Tango Dance. Supervised by
Mr. Buck, the PHE Support students
not only tidy up in the gym but support
the elementary kids in learning new
movement skills. And the Online Tango Dance lessons (run by Hands
on Tokyo) help the elderly keep flexible. They even have an expert
from Brazil leading the sessions!

Grade 8Great service this year from G8 includes ourservice with a sister city in Tohoku, Connect
to Hisaichi, where participants help withEnglish language translation and awarenessprojects, supporting its recovery from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011. And another creative
new service from G8 is the Blackboard Beautification service, which benefits classroom teachers in thesecondary school building. Wow! What a difference!
All in all, the first semester of Service as Action at KIST has proven again that our students step up
and get the jobs done, with principle, thoughtfulness and creativity.
Thanks for a great semester!
Susan Hirakawa
Service Coordinator (G6–G8)

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Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!,
we are pleased to present
Julian Buck who joined
us in August 2020 as a PEteacher in the Elementary
School.
1) Tell us somethinginteresting about yourhometown.
Although I was born in
New York City, I spent a
Sporty Mr. Buck sharing some ofconsiderable amount of
his dietary requirements...
time in Hong Kong, theplace I would consider my adopted hometown. Did you
know that Hong Kong is more than 70% national parkwith tons of hiking, beautiful mountains and hidden
islands? Hong Kong really is an amazing city that has
everything, but it is also a place with an uncertain
future. Gai Yau Hong Kong!
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
This is a really tough question, but my first instinct was
Epcot Center in Disney World, Florida. Though I havebeen to cooler and frankly better places, Epcot reallyhits home for me. As a kid in New York, my family
would vacation in Florida, and Epcot was always thehighlight of our trips.
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
If I could meet someone, it would probably have to be
Mel Brooks or the late Leslie Nielsen, both comedic
pioneers with very different rises to fame andapproaches to comedy genius. I love to laugh, andthough there are plenty of more influential people I
could meet, these two would be the best.

V ol u me 25 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 22

spoken and quiet all the time, (just kidding, I am
definitely heard before seen), I would probably have togo with communicator. I use my voice all the time,and being able to effectively communicate with others
is one of my strongest attributes.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
Although I really like the professional choices I have
made, my dream as a kid was to own my own summer
camp. As a kid growing up, summer camp was
everything to me. As a teen into young adulthood, I
spent summers working at summer camp and was
lucky enough to make some of the best friends andgreatest memories I could have possibly made there.
Summer camp is awesome—you should go if you
have the chance!
9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
I am currently attempting to learn some Japanesethrough the CAS Service group that offers language
lessons at KIST. I have never been very good atlearning languages, but being here in Tokyo has reallymade me want to expand my communication skills. So
far, the only Japanese I have mastered is my sushi
shop Japanese!
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
Make good choices, and don’t forget to have fun along
the way! Life can be full of amazing experiences if
you’re willing to take some risk and put yourself out
there.

4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I do not know if this counts as a special talent per se,
but I can do a pretty great impersonation of Simbafrom The Lion King for the song “I Just Can’t Wait to
Be King”; so much so that a friend of mine started
calling me Simbuck after hearing me sing it.
5) Please share a little-known fact about yourself.
Although I am more known for coaching team sports, I
am also a certified Arial Yoga instructor through AntiGravity Fitness! Fly high everyone!
6) What is your most prized possession?
My most prized possession is my canvas tapestry that
I have had since I was in college. It is currently
hanging on my bedroom wall. It has travelled the world
with me, and I have brought it with me on numerous
camping trips, music/art festivals, and friends’ outings.
People continue to add to it, and the memories
contained within continue to grow.
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Since I am known around the school for being soft

“Does anyone know where mysnowboard went? I had it with me
a moment ago...”“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2

Nurse’s Notes
The benefits of bathing
Do you like taking a bath? The origins of bathing canbe traced back to the Mesopotamian civilization
around 4000 B.C. In Japan, it is said that bathing wasintroduced with the arrival of Buddhism from Chinaaround the 6th century. Bathing culture varies
between countries and individual lifestyles, but in thisissue of The Comet, I would like to focus on theJapanese tradition of bathing.

What is a goodtemperature for bathwater?
•The main purpose of bathing

Bathing is good for personal hygiene, which helps
prevent skin irritation, inflammation and sores caused
by dead skin cell accumulation. Maintaining
cleanliness reduces the number of pathogenic andnon-pathogenic bacteria and reduces the risk ofinfection.

Physical benefits of bathing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Helps dilate the blood vessels and increase blood
circulation.
Raises body temperature and metabolism.
Boosts lymphatic flow, improves the immune
system and reduces swelling in the feet.
Improves blood circulation and facilitates theremoval of fatty substances such as waste
products and lactic acids.
Makes breathing easier by opening the nasal
passages.
Activating body cells: supplies more nutrients andoxygen to cells, which helps you to recover fromfatigue.
Releases tension from muscles and reduces
cramps, thereby helping to relieve shoulder andlower back pain.
Allows observation of the skin and detection ofskin trouble at an early stage.
Promotes cleaner, healthier skin due toperspiration through the pores.
For people with dry skin, the use of bath oil iseffective in improving the skin’s function as aprotective barrier.
A warm bedtime bath can help you cool down andsleep better: your core body temperature needs todrop by about 2 to 3 degrees to initiate good
sleep and then maintain deep sleep.

•

The water temperature
should be between 38
and 40°C if you would like to relax and improveyour sleep quality. Soaking in warm water helps
the parasympathetic nerves become dominant,relaxing your mind and body. Warm water is also
suitable for taking a half-body bath before going
to bed in summer.
If you would like to refresh your mind and become
more alert, water temperature between 40 and
43°C is suitable. The stimulation of water at thistemperature activates the sympathetic nerves andreadies your body for action.

Safety precautions for bathing
•

•
•
•

After meals: rest for between 30 minutes and anhour before entering the bath. Bathing decreases
the blood flow to the digestive organs, thereby
causing one’s metabolism to slow down.
Avoid bathing when you feel unwell, taking aquick shower may prevent fatigue.
Bathing immediately after exercise increases theburden on the heart, so taking a break of at least
30 minutes is required to maintain your heart rate.
Warm water bath is best if you are hypertensive
as water that is very hot increases bloodpressure.

Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Improve mental and emotional heath••••

A hot bathe can elevate your mood.
Warm baths are linked to decreases in stresshormones.
Immersion in warm water causes a rise inoxytocin and serotonin hormone levels, which
regulate your mood.
Baths have a relaxing effect.

Reference:
Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D. (December 2020). Seven benefits of soaking in a hot tub. Healthline.
Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/hot-tub-benefits

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University Guidance News
What’s new in university admissions? (and how does this affect applications?)
Around this time each year, universities and othereducational organizations make changes in
preparation for the following application season thatwill begin in six months’ time. Similar to last year, there
have been a few major changes that people may haveheard about, so I would like to focus on these.

SAT changes havecome…again!

Last year, the College Board decided to remove theessay component to the SAT as well as discontinue
SAT Subject Tests. This was the first step towards
moving into a more streamlined future where
standardized testing should be quicker, easier andmore accessible. This year, they have decided to takethe next step and have introduced an all-digital test for
the future.
What’s the big change?
The SAT will be entirely done on computers now.
This change will take place over time. Please check
the KIST SAT Timeline below to see when that will
happen.

•2025+ graduates – There is no need to rush andtake the SAT now; wait until the digital format.

Will the test be taken at KIST or at home?
The test will continue to be held at KIST. The SAT
will still be on Saturday mornings and may finish a little
earlier than usual due to the new format. Students willbring their own computers/tablets. It may be like the
ISA testing many students took this year. The PSAT
likewise will still be held during school hours.
What about other questions?
The College Board has made a site for Frequently
Asked Questions here.

Test optional university announcements

Universities (mostly in the United States) have been
sending out a lot of announcements in the media about
either continuing their “test-optional” or “test-flexible”
policies for an additional few years, or even indefinitely
in some cases. What do these messages refer to?
What is “test-optional” referring to?
This is referring to whether you need to submit an
SAT or ACT exam to a school.
Do we still need to prepare for the SAT?
It means that it’s optional for most (US) schoolsthese days. For students applying for very competitive
programs or wanting to show off as much as they can,submitting a strong SAT score would still provide abenefit. However, if the score is not as strong as you
may like, you are still able to apply without it and theywould review your other academic/personal strengths.
For schools in Japan, students normally have theoption of applying with their SAT scores “or” with theirpredicted IB scores. So, this does not change much forour students locally.

Will previous scores not be counted? Should we
wait to take the test?
The scores will be unchanged and still out of a
maximum 1600 for the Standard SAT. Please follow
the guidelines below for taking the test in order to havethe least disruption and predict the best scores.
• 2023 graduates – Prepare normally; the paper
option is all you will have before application.
• 2024 graduates – Ideally, prepare for the SAT
during the summer of 2022 and take August,October and/or December before the transition
happens. I recommend taking a maximum of threetimes anyway.

Will this change after the SAT goes fully digital?
I do not anticipate a meaningful change going
forward. The SAT was always the most useful when
applying for the most competitive schools. For lessdemanding universities, it was never the largest
concern anyway. So, I think going forward, schools willcontinue to allow students to apply with what they thinkprovides the strongest version of themselves. Locallythat would be very similar to the AO entrance
scheme.
The ACT is not often mentioned?
The ACT is valued similarly to the
SAT; however, it tends to provide
more favorable results to students
studying in a US based school/
curriculum and has a slightly higher
emphasis on the English
component compared to Mathematics. Plus, because
our students will have already done both the PSAT 9
and PSAT 10 (Practice SATs), it tends to be easier tocontinue with the same format.

Continued on next page

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V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 2 2Continued from previous page

Outside of the classroom activities

One of the most important things that can benefit a
student regardless of the country they are applying tois that of pursuing activities outside of the classroom.
The reason these are so highly valuable is because
they require the students to engage in something they
were not required to do from the start.
Taking initiative
The toughest part of any extra-curricular activity is thestart. At KIST, we are striving (and during COVID
sometimes struggling) to add recommendations for
activities that students can join that are safe but also
engaging. We understand that online class burnout
has affected everyone and recommending online
focused classes, activities and seminars is sometimes
difficult. However, the strongest extra-curricular
activities are always the ones that students participate
in or create using their own initiative. When it
comes to applying to universities in the future, thedifference between “I participated in an activity as apart of my school” vs. “I found this activity outside ofschool while pursuing…” is large.
Create something for yourself
It sometimes becomes tough to find our own activities
even outside of the school during times of lockdown
and trying to keep ourselves safe. So, another option
is to create something of your own. Over the past

couple years, a variety of groups have been createdeven within our community so that students canmention they founded a new initiative or idea. Some
examples of newly founded or newly re-foundedgroups are HEART, Language Exchange andCommunity Shokudo.
Jump on the bandwagon!
If the above two ideas are not possible, be open whenother ideas come up. For example, one of ourstudents was invited to participate on a national dietvisit and to meet some representatives from aroundTokyo. Because of her efforts, a few other students
were able to join in too. When e-mails are sent out
regarding internship opportunities or other efforts fromour office or even outside of the school, take a minuteto read into it more carefully. A small opportunity may
turn into a life-changing event if you make proper
efforts.
Thomas Waterfall
University Counselor
thomas.waterfall@kist.ed.jp
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.
–5:30 p.m.
University Guidance Office (3FSecondary Building)G10 and G11 students visit the National Diet

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