The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 21 | Issue 3 | March 2018

In this issue...
02...KIST Study Scholarships

17...Screen Time

04...Japanese New Year Party

22...Success in Academic Writing

08...K3 Friendship Bench

26...Beauty and the Beast Jr.

08...G4 Water Balloon Drop Challenge27...JMMUN Conference

09...G3 Mathematics Diagnostic Testing28...G9 Excursion to NAB

13...It’s Good to Be Me

36...Spring University Fair

From the Head of School

DATES TO REMEMBER

Dear KIST Community,
It seems that I start my opening letter in The Comet this way often, but it ishard to believe how quickly the school year is passing and that Spring is upon
us already.
There is much to mention since the last issue of The Comet!
World Cultures Day was held on February 16. Our KIST Library Team
organized another wonderful opportunity for our students to share about thecultures they associate with and learn more about the cultures of othermembers of our community. The Community Association held a very
successful bake sale once again, raising a record amount of over ¥80,000
which will be used to support the library programs at KIST. Thank you to ourCA and the many parents who volunteered on the day, thank you to all thestudents and teachers who contributed to the event, and thanks also to our
Library Team for the countless hours they contribute each year towards World
Cultures Day.
This year as well, the New Year’s Party was a huge success thanks to the
support of our Community Association. A very special THANK YOU to the
Sakamoto family, as well, for their huge support of this event each year. This isa very popular event for students and staff and we are so grateful for suchstrong community support in sharing about our host country culture with ourstudents in this way.
This year, with support from some of our teacher leaders, Mr Cowe hasarranged Coffee Mornings for Secondary School parents on a variety of topics,
from Service at KIST to how we assess in Mathematics and English. Each
event has been well attended – thank you to all parents who took the time toattend and learn more about programming in the Secondary School.
The various exhibitions we hold in the Spring are favorite school events for me,a time for our community to come together and celebrate student learning. First
to be held is our MYP Personal Project Exhibition, where our Grade 10
students share about their research and learning during the culminatingassessment of the MYP. This will have taken place by the time you read this,but there are two other exhibitions taking place between now and the Golden
Week holiday. The first is the DP Visual Arts Exhibition which will take placefrom March 13 to 20 in the lobby of the Elementary School building. This year,
the exhibition will take on a different format, with different students displaying
their work on different days. Please do be sure to drop in and enjoy some of
the wonderful artwork our students put together.
Continued on next page
KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life

March 2018
10 SAT@KIST
14 (G2-G3) Mathematics diagnostic
testing
15 (K1/K2/K3) Kindergarten concert
rehearsals
15 (K1/K2/K3) Kindergarten concert(*Morning)
16 DP Art exhibition
21 (W) Student-led conferences
21 (W) Spring university fair
21 (G10) DP options morning
23 Last day of quarter 3
24-Apr 1 Spring vacation

April 2018
2 School resumes for all students
6 (G1-G10) KIST cross country
meet
9 School photographs (for new andabsent students)
11 (K1/K2/K3) Cross country(*Morning)
13 Screening of SCREENAGERS(*Afternoon)
18 (G7-G11) KPASS Math field day(Hosted@Zama)
20 ISTAA cross country invitational(*Tentative)
20 (G12) Last day of classes
23-27 (G12) DP study week (G12teachers available)
26-27 (G5) PYP exhibition

PYP | MYP | DP2

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

Continued from previous pageAnd on April 27, we will hold our PYP Exhibition in theschool gym. The event is open to the entire community
so please do attend and support our Grade 5 students
in sharing their learning over the 10 weeks leading up
to the event. None of these events would be possible
without the hard work of those who coordinate them –Thank you Mr White, Mr Jones, Mr Grant, Mr
Archibald, and Ms Parkinson for the wonderful work
you do and to all of the teacher supervisors that havesupported our students with their efforts on thesetasks. Well done everyone!
Please mark your calendar for April 13 when KIST will
be hosting a screening of the very popular movie
SCREENAGERS: Growing up in the Digital Age. I do
hope that as many parents as possible are able toattend this special event and learn more about how we
can work together to best support our children in using
technology safely and responsibly. Thank you to our
KIST Community Association for supporting this event.
More details about the movie and how to reserve
seats is contained on page 18 of this issue of The
Comet.
This morning, one of the Grade 12 homerooms
informed me that there are only 98 days left until they
graduate from KIST and move on to the next stage of
their learning journey! The Class of 2018 is the firstgroup of graduates which includes students I haveactually taught (back when they were in Grade 8)
since I returned to KIST and hence is a special groupfor me. By the time this is published, our Grade 12s
will be finishing up their second set of Mock Exams,
the final preparation round of exam support we provide
at KIST before the ‘real’ IB DP exams which will takeplace in May. Results from our first round of Mock
Exams in January were strong, so we are looking
forward to another successful DP year for KIST.
Spring also marks the time of the year when ourGrade 12s hear from universities around the worldabout their applications. It brings me such pleasure tohear of our students’ acceptances that have resulted
from them working so hard. Well done – you deserve
it! Good luck everyone on your Mock Exams!
A closing ‘Thank you’ goes out to Mr Larsen, Ms
Wakasa, and all the other community members who
contributed to this issue of our newsletter. I hope thatyou enjoy this edition of The Comet and look forward
to seeing you at one of the many upcoming events.
Well done everyone, and enjoy
the hanami season!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Jones
Head of School

KIST Study Scholarships
KIST Study Scholarships are an initiative of the school's Founders, Mr and Mrs Komaki.
Through a generous personal endowment by the Founders, the scholarships are available tostudents during Grades 10, 11 and 12. The scholarships recognize students who make asignificant contribution to the school according to its mission, vision and guiding beliefs, and who
demonstrate qualities that truly represent the essence of the spirit of the school. This year, five
students out of a total of twelve applicants have received scholarships. Congratulations to all the recipients!

KIST Study Scholarships

Silver Awards

Emiri

Hyunjeong

Bronze Award

Igor

Nimit

Sara

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

From the Board President
Manners and greetings
Every morning, I stand inside the school gates to greet students andparents as they come to school. Outside of dates where school events
prevent me from doing so, I pride myself in regularly saying, “Good morning!” to the members of
our school community. In greeting students every morning, I am able to familiarize myself with thechildren and their families, and I strive to pay close attention to how they are doing each day. Even
though I can’t always remember the names of all the students, I worry when they seem unusuallyunwell or unhappy, and conversely, when I see the students’ bright cheerful faces and energetic
smiles, it raises my spirits, as well.
However, I’ve noticed more and more recently that there are many children who are negligent whenit comes to greetings. Many students don’t reply when I say, “Good morning!” to them, and amongst
those, there are even students who look in the other direction and hurry past me. These students
who don’t return my greetings are not limited to one age range or one nationality; there are
students from elementary and secondary and of all nationalities who behave this way. On rainy
days, I make a point to hold the gate open at times when the breezeway gets crowded, but very few
students ever say, “Thank you.” Of course, there are students who greet me out of their own
volition even before I have a chance to greet them, but the number of students who don’t return or
acknowledge my greeting is alarmingly high. Furthermore, there are parents who behave similarly.
I was speaking with the branch manager of a major Japanese bank recently, and he told me thefollowing story. One day, when he was returning to the bank after a business trip, one of the bank
employees happened to be returning at the same time. The bank manager reached the door firstand held it open for his employee, but the employee simply entered the building without saying aword. This employee had graduated from a highly prestigious university, so the manager wasshocked and disappointed at his lack of manners.
He clarified to me after telling me this story that it wasn’t a matter of being more respectful to those
who rank higher in the company hierarchy. He simply expected that when one person holds thedoor open for another, it is common courtesy to say a simple word of thanks.
In my opinion, greetings are a necessary and important form of common courtesy within thecommunity. Furthermore, I feel it is essential for those who are not courteous to others even within
their own community to spend more time considering their actions and how they impact others.
Last year, our school achieved a DP average score of more than 38 points, a score that isamazingly high not just in this country but also around the world. Moreover, for the past three years,
we have maintained our place as the top performing IB DP international school in Japan. This is afeat worthy of praise to all of our hardworking students. However, no matter how high our scoresare, if we are uncourteous and inconsiderate to those around us, we will never truly be able tosucceed in the world.
I would like to see our students be successful both in their schoolwork and in the relationships thatthey build with others. Please discuss this topic at home with your families, and going forward, let’s
all try to be courteous to others and create an even more praiseworthy school community.
Yoshishige Komaki
Board President3

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

Japanese New Year Party
We held our annual Japanese New Year Party on
January 31. This year the party was held at the end of
the month. The weather was great and everyone
seemed to enjoy the event, including the Japanese
instructional team.
As in previous years, there were many sumo wrestlers
who kindly visited KIST from Kise stable to perform
mock sumo bouts with the students. They also helpedwith the rice cake pounding and demonstrated forstudents how to make rice cakes. It was a great
opportunity for KIST and KIPS students to learn about
traditional rice cake pounding as well as taking on
sumo wrestling with sumo wrestlers.

Volunteer parents from KIST and KIPS
gathered to support the event as well.
This provided a great opportunity for theparents to get to know each other better as they
served the pounded rice cakes to the students, even if
they hadn’t met before. We would like to thank all theparents who came to help us; we couldn’t have done it
without you! We believe this year’s New Year Party
was a great success, and we look forward to holding
the event again next year, as well as continuing to
introduce Japanese traditions and culture to our schoolcommunity. Thank you everyone for your support!
The Japanese Instructional Team“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

Elementary School NewsPYP News

Multiple intelligences

A village revisited

In his 1983 book titled Frames of Mind, Howard
Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education
first proposed his new perspective on intelligence. His
theory, commonly known as multiple intelligences
theory, resists the idea of a single human intelligencethat can be measured with a single assessment.
Multiple intelligences theory opposes the idea that
there is only one way to be smart.

Almost exactly one year ago in
the March edition of The Comet,
I wrote about the notion ofprimary education resembling a village. In the article, I
mentioned ideas relating to the students’ relationship totheir teachers, but moreover to the entire community ingeneral. I seem to remember making connections to
how young learners derive their knowledge from avariety of sources both within and outside the confinesof the school yard. The focus of the previous article’s
premise was that parents must consider themselves as
an integral part of the educational mechanism. Today,
as I thought of this article, I realized that I had forgotten
another important player in the learning process. Thatis the student themselves and the opportunity they
provide us to see what happens when they are left totheir own devices and allowed to take their learning ina direction of their own choice. For our Grade 5
students, that would be the PYP Exhibition.

At KIST, teaching and learning involves a variety ofactivities and assessments designed to provide for thedifferent personalities and learning styles present in ourclassrooms. As each child is unique, we attempt toprovide opportunities for all students to apply anddevelop all intelligences.
According to Gardner, humans possess at least eight
distinct intelligences used to process information atvarying degrees depending on the person. They are:









Linguistic – word smart
Logical-mathematical – logic/number smart
Spatial – picture/graphic smart
Musical – music smart
Bodily-Kinesthetic – body smart
Interpersonal – people smart
Intrapersonal – self smart
Naturalistic – nature smart

Every child brings with them a set of natural abilities
and others to be developed. Reflecting on our naturalabilities is a great way for us to learn about ourselves
and set goals for future growth. If you are interested inlearning about your own multiple intelligences, many
free, online self-assessments are available.
https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligencesassessment
As Gardner said, “It’s not how smart you are thatmatters, what really counts is how you are smart.”
Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal

The Exhibition is the culmination of all the learning andhard work that the students have invested their time
into over the elementary years. Defined by theInternational Baccalaureate, this requires that each
student demonstrate his/her engagement with the fiveessential elements of the program: knowledge,
concepts, skills, attitudes and action. This isconsidered a transdisciplinary inquiry conducted in thespirit of personal and shared responsibility. In order tobe successful each member has to bring their
particular skill set to the piece that they plan to share.
This consists of work that they’ve produced individuallyor through their exhibition group and is considered,molded and refined for presentation in the final project.
Creating this body of work is determined through thestudents’ choices and is a demonstration of how
competent learners can present logical, well formulated
questions, and well researched material gathered fromprimary sources such as interviews and first-handexperience. This is the moment when all the modelingfrom their mentors, teachers, administrators, parents
and the greater world in general has the chance to be
woven into an expression of ideas and concepts thatthe students feel are valuable to relate back to thecommunity. The importance and depth of the inquiries
is more than a simple Comet article can hold, but I do
recommend that you set some time aside and visit the
Exhibition this year and experience the “Giving Back to
the Village” that surely will take place.
This year the Exhibition will take place over two days in
April. The evening of the 26th there will be the initial“roll-out” presentation for Grade 5 families, and thefollowing day all community members will have achance to stop by and enjoy the fruit of the students’labors.

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2018, fromhttps://cf.ltkcdn.net/kids/images/orig/208337-2130x1812-multipleintelligence.jpg

Clay M. Bradley
PYP Coordinator / Elementary School Vice Principal

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

Early Childhood News
Our school year is always full of events and learning
opportunities, and these would not be as successful as
they are without the support of parents. One of ourguiding beliefs states that, ‘Education is a sharedpartnership of mutual trust between students,
parents/caregivers and the school.’ Involving andreceiving parents’/caregivers’ support in the children’s
learning is so crucial.
Here are somephotos from each
grade showing
children learning
new cultures throughinteracting with theirparents, and also
becoming curious byreceiving new
knowledge throughthose parents’presentations. Thankyou always formaking time for ourchildren.

If your child uses our after care program, you might
have noticed that there are some non-KIST highschool students supporting them, similar to our
secondary students. We have a Childcare Committee
in our secondary school, and this is our second year
having these secondary students from the outsideschool helping our after-care program. We have aliaison with Nakamura High School and theirsecondary students have also been coming to support
our students during after-care time through the monthof February.

Finally, please notethat the location signfor before care andafter care haschanged and is now asmaller size than theprevious one. When
you come to pick up
your child, pleasecheck the arrow on
the board just inside
the front gate.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood
Coordinator (K1-K3) /K1B Teacher

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V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

Celebrating Chinese New Year in K2A

As part of our World
Cultures Day celebrations,
we were lucky to have Mrs
Cao and Mrs Li come in to
K2A and teach us about
China and how theycelebrate their New Year.
We learned about how thecolor red is worn for luck,
what people wear and eat
during the 15 days ofcelebration, and the origins
of New Year. The K2A
students made lanterns that would
traditionally be hung with candles, which
are currently hanging outside of the K2Aclassroom. This parent-supported event
gave the students a fascinating insight
into another culture, and they had somuch fun asking questions andcomparing this celebration withcelebrations from other cultures,
demonstrating the very spirit of inquiry!
Catherine Wells
K2A Teacher

New Faces
Since the last issue of The Comet, we have welcomed a number of new staff members to our instructional support
and operational teams. On behalf of the school community, we wish you all the best in your new roles and hope thatyou enjoy your time with us.

Rodrigo (Raddie)
CapiralSystems Engineer

Emily Cobbs
Teaching Assistant(K2A)

Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Nobuko Matsumura
Preschool Teacher(P2)

Sohta Ohashi
Support Staff

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K3 Friendship Bench
Last year during the unit ‘Who we are’, the K3 students(current Grade 1 students) came up with idea to have akindergarten version of the ‘Friendship Bench’ in thekindergarten playground. The students decided that afriendship bench would be a good idea to have for building
and strengthening relationships. The bench was decorated
with the handprint of each student during art with thesupport of Ms Helen. On Tuesday, February 13 after ashort presentation, the bench was placed in thekindergarten playground.
However, just before the bench was placed in our
playground it provided us with one more learning
opportunity this year! During the unit ‘How the world works’
where we explore different types of tools, the teachers“needed help” assembling the bench together. We “lost”
the instructions and so the teachers tried everything likeusing tape and ribbons and trying to staple the pieces
together. The K3 students tried to help us by giving us
some advice like tying the ribbons tighter and using moretape. In the end the students told
us that we should use ascrewdriver and some nails, andit made our work a lot easier!
The K3 TeamG4 Water Balloon Drop Challenge
On Friday, February 9, Grade 4 students took part in an event to test
the laws of physics in a ‘How the world works’ investigation andcontest. The students were tasked with creating their own uniqueapparatus at home that would protect a water balloon dropped fromvarious heights. Apart from some basic rules relating to dimensions
and mass, the students were free to be as creative and innovative as
they wished!
Many of the designs were very well thought out, demonstrating aclear awareness of the different forces that would be acting on the waterballoon when dropped. Many of the apparatuses survived the drop from thesecond floor balcony of the Elementary building (there was definitely anelement of luck involved for some though!), but only thirteen survived the fallfrom the fourth and final floor. Regardless, however, of how far each student
progressed in the competition, all wereunited in their enjoyment of this event.
Bethan Thomas and Bart Miller
Grade 4 Teachers

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

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V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

G3 Mathematics Diagnostic Testing
Greetings parents and guardians! I am reaching out with some important news regarding theupcoming Mathematics diagnostic tests for Grade 3. As usual, these tests are taken a little
earlier in the school year and will be on Wednesday, March 14.
We are implementing these tests to accurately measure our students’ learning and to help
our educators pinpoint areas in need for improvement. I wanted to pass on an interestingarticle that I found, which gives some practical advice on how you can help prepare your childfor these tests. The article comes from www.theschoolrun.com, a UK-based website offering parents advice on
numerous aspects of primary and secondary education. I will include some points that I think are most important but
the full article can be found here:
https://www.theschoolrun.com/10-top-tips-sats-revision
I hope you find it helpful and good luck to all the Grade 3 students.
Oliver Sullivan
Elementary Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Coordinator / Grade 3A Teacher

Revision for tests is never easy for your children, but fear not, positive parenting expert Sue Atkins
shares her advice to parents who want to help their kids achieve their best.
 Schedule time. Help your child revise by rearranging your family’s schedules and usual priorities
around their work.
 Stay positive. Don’t nag, blame or criticise them about their revision. Try to talk to them in a relaxed
and constructive way, helping them to plan their time or to get the help they need.
 Create the right environment. Make sure the house is conducive to studying. Younger siblings
need to understand that they mustn’t interrupt study and the TV and music shouldn’t be too loud. But
also accept that some children actually study better with background music or noise.
 Give them a good start. Prepare a hearty breakfast every morning and be there to give them apositive send off.
 Offer encouragement. Be calm, positive, encouraging, kind and compassionate. Let your childknow that you love them, respect their efforts, and will be there to support them regardless of theirresults.
 Make time for fun. Remember to still have a laugh together. A smile is a curve that puts a lot ofthings straight!

http://exam-mate.com/pastpapers/?cat=7

http://exam-mate.com/pastpapers/?cat=49

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

Mamemaki (K1-K3)
Our annual mamemaki event for K1, K2 and K3 students was held on February 1.
In preparation for the event, all the children made many small, soybean-shaped
pieces from yellow paper clay while praying for good luck and for oni (demons)and sickness to disappear from around us. On the day of mamemaki, we all
chanted loudly “Oni-wa Soto, Fuku-wa Uchi!” while throwing the yellow paper clay
beans at the red and blue oni.

Japanese Culture Club
Making ehomaki (traditional sushi rolls eaten on Setsubun)
Historically in Japan, the Lunar New Year was considered the beginning of the
New Year, and therefore, Setsubun was considered New Year’s Eve. It was said
that eating a roll of sushi whole (rather than sliced) on that day would bring goodluck. The name eho (“lucky direction” in English) comes from the belief that thelocation of the Shinto New Year god, Toshigami, changed each year. The
students, many for the first time, tried out rolling sushi rice and fillings in seaweed.
Then, according to Setsubun tradition, they faced this year’s lucky direction, South-Southeast, and ate the rolls in silence while making wishes for the new year.

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8Really Rubbish Orchestra
G4 students are currently exploring how musical instruments can be created using recycledmaterials. As part of their Unit of Inquiry, students are designing and building existing and original
musical instruments.

Community Association (CA) News
Events Committee
Thanks to the cooperation of the Kise-beyasumo stable, the school staff and parent
volunteers, our annual Japanese New Year
Party was a huge success!
Members of the CA joined parent volunteers toorganize the making and distribution of mochi.
All the mochi rice was washed the day before
and had to be steamed early in the morning on
the day of the party. However, our hard work paid off when we saw the children
enjoying pounding the sticky mochi rice and cheerfully shouting traditional
Japanese words of encouragement. Sumo wrestlers helped the younger children
hold the heavy mallet as they pounded the rice. Once all the members of a class
had a chance to try pounding the rice, everyone enjoyed trying the fresh mochiwith azuki (sweet red beans), kinako (sweet soy powder) and seaweed with soy
sauce.
The children had a great time experiencing a traditional Japanese New Yearcelebration, and even had the chance to interact andtake photos with the friendly sumo wrestlers. We weredelighted to see students, staff, parents and guests all
enjoying the event together.
Yu Iori
CA Events Committee“ T h e Co m et ”

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Positive Discipline
On the 3rd and 4th of February, I attended the first
Positive Discipline workshop in Japan.
Positive Discipline is a programme designed to teach young people tobecome responsible, respectful and resourceful members of theircommunities. It is based on the understanding that discipline must betaught and that discipline teaches good behaviour, social skills and life
skills. The Positive Discipline Parent and Classroom Management
models are aimed at developing mutually respectful relationships andthey teach adults to employ kindness and firmness at the same time,and are neither punitive nor permissive.
Throughout the workshop, the importance of knowing the connection
between children’s behaviour and the emotional message behind it was
reinforced. It also taught us to understand ourselves and accept boththe positive and negative sides of our own characteristics.
Without realising, we often try to change, manipulate, or force otherpeople’s opinions and behaviour the way it suits us. We need to keep inmind that no one likes to be told what to do, and this negatively affects
our relationships. Instead, we need to try changing our own behaviour
with empathy, for the sake of positive relationships.
To start sharing this inspiring programme with our pupils, I asked Mr
Sullivan to participate in one of their activities called “Top Card” with
G3A during the community circle time. This activity is about getting toknow what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how we all canwork as a team to overcome and improve each other’s. It was theperfect time for doing this activity as it fits well with our “Good To Be
Me” theme in the SEAL programme too.
The pupils reflected about their personalities and how their behaviour
influenced their peers socially and emotionally. Then they discussed asa group on how they could come out of their comfort zone, and takedifferent approaches to their peers for better relationships. They
enjoyed the activity and learned some important social skills.
Positive Discipline is also designed for parents as well. If you areinterested in learning, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Kana Furnival
Elementary School Student Care Coordinator / G3 ELS Instructor

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

It’s Good to Be Me
Have you ever wished you were
somebody else? If yes, is it because
the person you want to be has better
abilities, talent or appearance than you
do? Or is it because of something yourfriends told you? Well, it’s time for us
to appreciate our strengths andcelebrate ourselves just the way weare!
We are currently working on the theme“Good to Be Me” during our community circle time. The
programme works very well across the whole elementary
school, and I was impressed to see some upper elementary
pupils such as G3B working well on the same project askindergarten pupils in K3A.
Why don’t you make a poster to embrace yourself too?
Kana Furnival
Elementary School Student Care Coordinator /G3 ELS Instructor“ T h e Co m et ”

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Elementary ELS
Dual-language reading: Capitalizing on our kids’ obsessions
We learn to read by reading. There is no otherway. Extensive reading helps students become
readers.”
Allowing students to select what they want toread is key. Again, this is related to the basis ofextensive reading… Students are more likely toread material in which they are interested.”—Richard R. Day, Dept. of Second Language Studies,
University of Hawaii
So, as parents and teachers of multilingual children,
does this pose a contradiction for us when our children
always seem to select books in only one of theirlanguages? How can we get our children to want toread in their other languages as well? There is not one
single, simple answer of course. However, giving themthe chance to do “dual-language reading” could be thecatalyst they need to become more balanced between
their languages when they make their reading choices.
“Dual-language reading” is reading the exact same
book in two languages, and the opportunity to do this isexpanding as more and more children’s books andcomics are translated into many languages. For
example, some of the most popular Japanese manga,
Korean manhwa and Chinese manhua are translated
into English. (There is a massive list of those that havebeen translated from Japanese to English on
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
List_of_manga_licensed_in_English).
The great thing about comics is that they come as aseries, so getting hooked virtually guarantees
extensive reading. Being addicted to a series alsomeans lots of exposure to both new and repeatedvocabulary. So, if your child is obsessed with aparticular series, author or subject, it could really beworth it to capitalize on this, help them build up a

Nami (G5B) and Haruka K.
(G5A) have recently beenreading their favorite manga
series in both Japanese andEnglish. As Nami says, “It’sgood to read in English andJapanese because if you know
how to say it in Japanese, you
can compare the two books andlook for the word in English.”bilingual collection and have them reading the samebooks side by side in two languages.

Notes and links:
The above quote from Richard R. Day is from his poston Oxford University Press’s Teaching English
Language Global Blog at: https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2017/01/11/extensivereading-and-language-learning/
Also, there is an organization called the Rosetta
Project, with a website that collects translations ofolder English language children’s books that can beread online for free: http://
www.childrensbooksonline.org/librarytranslations.htm. While some stories are dated, there
are others that many children will still enjoy reading in
two or more of their languages.
Lastly, KIST libraries stock several books in two or
three languages, for older and younger readers.
Among others, in the Elementary Library we have theclassic Totto-chan: Girl at the Window in English,
Japanese and Korean, and the LMC also has someclassics from around the world in dual languages.
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator / G5 ELS Instructor

63rd Annual Tokyo Prefectural Book Review Contest
We would like to congratulate
Lisa (G3B) and Ryo (G5B)
who were awarded prizes fortheir wonderful compositionsin this year’s Tokyo
Prefectural Book Review
Contest. Here are somephotos of the students
receiving the certificates theywon, which were presented
to them by Mr Bradley during
an Elementary School
assembly.

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

KIPS News
From the P1 classroom...
Hello from KIPS P1! In P1, we have Art class in the afternoon once or
twice every two weeks.
The school year at KIPS is divided into 8 terms, and currently, we haveentered term 4. During craft time, we’ve started telling the children, “Playquietly until your name is called,” and the children have gotten better andbetter at playing as they wait their turn. They have also started coming
over to the gate to watch their friends making crafts. We’re looking forward
to seeing them grow more and more as they learn to follow these types of
instructions!
In P1, we enjoy making crafts to go along with each seasonal celebrationof the year. At the beginning of the school year, the children enjoyeddecorating drawings of seasonal foods and ice cream with paint stamps. It
was their first time using the stamps, and all of the children had a greattime. Next, for Halloween, we made pumpkin masks and cat-themed
shoulder bags. The children used glue to affix both eyes and mouth madeof colored construction paper to the pumpkins and eyes, nose, and mouthon the cats. It was their first time using glue, but the children did their best
without complaining, and those who had trouble were able to do it with alittle help from the teachers. In December, the children enjoyed making
both a Christmas wreath and Christmas tree. We were proud of how hard
they concentrated as they had fun decorating their Christmas crafts! Most
recently, for Setsubun, the students colored in pictures of oni with crayons.
We used these oni for mamemaki on the day of the school Setsubun eventby throwing small balls at the drawings that the children colored!
The children also enjoyed making cars and trains together during Art class.
First, we cut the shapes of cars and trains out of cardboard boxes, andthen, the children had a blast coloring the cardboard with crayons. Finally,
we put the cardboard boxes together to make trains and cars that thechildren could “ride” in. When we finished the project, it was great to see
the children smiling and proudly saying, “We did it!” to the teachers. And
watching the children playing in the boxes with their friends was incredibly
sweet and charming.
Earlier this year, it was common to see children putting crayons in theirmouths or accidentally ripping and tearing their construction paper during
Art class, but as time has gone on, the children listen carefully to theteachers’ warnings and instructions before we begin making crafts, andhave learned to follow the rules, making Art time more enjoyable for all.
We also affixed bottle caps to the paint stamps in order to make themeasier for the children to use, and as a result, the children’s concentration
has improved, and they’re always eager to make crafts using the stamps.
When we explained to the children that they must wait their turn to get in
the cardboard cars and trains, at first, the children struggled, but soon,
they learned how to wait politely for their turn. As their teachers, we feelproud each day as we see how much the children have grown andlearned.
We’re looking forward to continuing to use Art time asa chance to teach the children both the importance ofgood manners and the joy of creating!
Hitomi Shimizu
P1 Teacher
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From the P2 classroom...
Nice to meet you! My name is Nobuko Matsumura, and I
joined KIPS as a P2 teacher from this January. After
graduating with a degree in English education forchildren, I have spent the last ten years working ininternational schools. I try my hardest to create a safeand fun learning atmosphere for children each day andstrive to give each child the best educational experience
possible. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyonein the KIPS and KIST community!
The children in P2 are currently learning to take notice of those aroundthem, and more and more each day, we see them share their toys with
their friends during playtime and giving foods they don’t like a second try
when they see their friends eating them at lunchtime. During our
excursions outside, the children do their best to stay quiet inside libraries
and temples that we visit together as we learn about public etiquette andrules. We’re excited to watch them grow up into little members of society!
In the midst of these important lessons and learning experiences, weenjoyed the chance to participate in KIST’s Japanese New Year Party
recently. The students had fun saying “Hello!” to greet the sumo wrestlers,
and we were able to take photos of all the children smiling and enjoying
the festivities together. They particularly enjoyed interacting with all of theguests who aren’t usually around the school, and had a great time trying
out holding the heavy mallet together with the sumo wrestlers andpounding rice to make mochi (traditional Japanese rice cakes). We had
watched videos together of sumo wrestlers making mochi before the party,
so the children’s eyes sparkled with excitement when they got to witness
the real thing!
Next, in February, we celebrated Setsubun. First, the children made beansfrom papier-mache during Japanese class. Despite it being a detailed
process, the students tried their hardest to focus, and did a great job withthe project! Then, on the day of the Setsubun event at KIST, the students
were able to use the beans they had made to try out mamemaki. They had
a great time grabbing handfuls of their homemade beans and throwing
them at the demons, yelling, “Get out demons! Come in good luck!” Last
year, there were a number of children who were afraid of the demons andcried, but this year, the students were all very brave!
Watching the children become more and more confident leaving theirhomes and joining in our little community at KIPS, and then once again
becoming confident enough to leave KIPS in order to explore andexperience the outside world, we as teachers feel extremely proud, andalso as if we too are learning just as much each day from the students. We
look forward to doing our best to help the children continue to grow in asafe and comfortable environment as they gain new experiences andknowledge of the world.
Nobuko Matsumura
P2 Teacher

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

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V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

SCREEN TIME
Surely all would agree that technological developments have benefited us all immensely in our work andpersonal lives. Screen use has become a ubiquitous element of everyone’s life. As such, learning to manage
screen time appropriately is most important in making the most of the benefits gained from using devices.
KIST recently implemented a comprehensive ‘Wellness
Survey’ for all students in Grades 6-12 (findings tocome out by E-Communication). One finding of concern
in our Wellness Survey was that KIST Secondary
School students are spending more time on screens forpleasure than they are on homework. On average,
KIST Secondary School students reported spending
more than 3 hours per day on recreational screenuse.
On a positive note, most grade levels reported doing
homework at or near KIST’s published expectations (10-15 minutes x grade level). However, as weekday sleep
levels were somewhat below Japanese age-groupaverages, it seems that screen time may be interferingwith some students’ sleep patterns.
Another concern raised from the survey results was
related to the quality of study time. While 73% of
students reported having a study area free from
distractions, this statistic decreased as students
progressed from Grade 6 (85%) to Grade 12 (65%).
Related to screen use, a significant number of students
reported that their phone/computer regularly distracts
them from their studies. While males reported being
distracted more than females, over 40% of the students
for each grade in G6-11 (52% for G9) reported being
regularly distracted by devices while studying.
Our findings are in line with published results of related
research studies. For example, Rosen et al. (2013)
found that: Study participants averaged less than six minutes
on task prior to switching attention to technologicaldistractions (social media, texting, etc.).
 Participants who preferred to task-switch had more
distracting technologies available and were more
likely to be off-task than others.
 Participants who accessed social media had lower
GPAs than those who avoided such sites.
 Participants with strong study strategies were more
likely to stay on-task.
Similarly, Junco and Cotten (2012) found that: Using social media and texting while studying were related to lower GPAs.
 Multitasking studying with social activities was negatively predictive of GPA.
There are many other studies that show similar correlations (I was not able to find one article that refuted theseclaims).
It is a challenge for adults to manage technology distractions, so it should not be a surprise that some of ourstudents are finding it difficult to manage their attention appropriately as well. They need our support.
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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

Continued from previous page

What can we as parents do to support our children with responsible use of technology, especially while studying?
Here are some ideas: Talk with your child about the potential negative impacts of devices and the need for device management andusage monitoring.
 Ensure your child has a study space free from distractions. When doing homework and/or research, turn off
the TV, put away the devices, and refrain from interrupting your child.
 Monitor your child’s device use. A variety of resources are available to support with this. Visit the
Screenagers website to find a list of parenting apps that can help.
 Come to the KIST viewing of SCREENAGERS (see ad below) on April 13 at 5:30 p.m. and educate
yourself about the challenges our children face and the potential dangers associated with screen use.
Jeffrey Jones
Head of School
Rosen, L.D., Carrier, M., & Cheever, N. A., (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying.
Computers in Human Behavior, 29 (3), 948-958.
Junco, R. & Cotten, S.R., (2012). No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance. Computers & Education, 59(2), 505-514.

Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span?
Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid
spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about thefriction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.
In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply
personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore
struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, andunexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists,
SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults canempower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

VIEW MOVIE TRAILER HERE

Screening commences at 5:30 pm
KIST ADULTS ONLY - student screenings will take place during school time
(Japanese subtitles will be displayed)Childcare will be available for a ONE COIN+ donation to the Habitat for Humanity club!

Brought to you by:Your KIST Community Association

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V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

MYP News
MYP students attend seminar to mark World
Cultures Day
Students in Grades 9 and 10 ended the recent World Cultures
Day with a student-led seminar in the LMC. The discussion,under the direction of Marlinah (G10B), touched on a variety ofsubjects connected to language, identity, culture andinternational mindedness. DP students Sophia (G11B), Tom(G11B), Natasha (G11B), and Jin Il (G11B) each had a chance G9s and 10s listen intently to the presenters. (L>R) Mr Cely,
Natasha, Tom, Marlinah, Jin Il, Ms Evelyn and Sophia.
to explain how their lives and their time as students has been
affected by complicated and rich connections to language and culture. The students were joined by MYP teachers
Mr Cely and Ms Evelyn, both of whom also have a lot of experience in reflecting upon such issues. The discussion
was wide-ranging and offered students an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences.

SmartBOWL
On Saturday, January 20, a group of students attended the event SmartBOWL, a quiz where they
competed against other schools and were also supporting local members of the community. It was along day for them and they were a fantastic representation of the KIST student community.
◄Two of our members, Ethan (G9B) and Sidaarth (G9B),
made it to the final of the student quiz… and WON! They
received some very impressive prizes. Congratulations!!
There were also opportunities for the audience members toanswer questions and win a voucher prize. The following
students participated in this and won! Congratulations!▼

Ewan (G4B)

Sidaarth (G9B)

Remi (G6B)

The Team

Arnav (G6B)(L>R) Kian (G6A) and Shreyas (G6A)

Riju (G9B)

Shaunak (G6B)

Simba (G6B)

Louise Green
SmartBOWL Coordinator / Brain Bowl Advisor
MYP Mathematics Teacher(L>R) Varun (G7B), Aditya (G9B), Yugandhar (G9A), Ms Green,
Kishore (G8A), Sidaarth (G9B), Ethan (G9B)

Ayaha (G7A)

Hamsika (G7A)

Heet (G7B)

Ishaan (G9B)

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G11 Geography and ESS Excursion
On January 11, 2018, Grade 11 Geography andEnvironmental systems and societies (ESS)
students went on an excursion to a water
reclamation center to study the process of water
treatment. At first, when we heard the words “water
reclamation center” and “sewerage plant” together
with “excursion”, not many of us were thrilled;
however, when we got to the center, we wereamazed by what goes on behind the scenes of ourused waste-water.

I had never visited a water reclamation
center before, therefore it was very
fascinating to witness the process
personally. We were given a presentation,
which gave us an overview on the water
reclamation process, and then taken on atour of the location. The visit allowed me to
explore the water reclamation processvisually, which helped me understand it withease, and it was overall a very engaging
experience.”
Samantha (G11B)

Clean water andproper sanitation is,
however, not a right,
but a privilege. 2.5
billion people
worldwide have noadequate latrines,
mostly because
they do not have aproper and clean
Earth-kun Mascot for the Tokyo
water reclamation
Sewerage systemsystem. In countries
like Pakistan, the country spends 47 times more onits military system than its water systems, eventhough 150,000 children die suffering from diarrhea
annually (George, 2013). So, whenever you visit
the lavatory and wonder where the waste water
goes, it is worth considering the long process of
purification and appreciate the privilege we have ina developed country like Japan.
Emiri (G11B)

It was a unique experience visiting the
sewage plant. Although I expected to see
more, I was impressed with the technology ofcleaning the water!”Yuuki (G11A)
Our used water from bathrooms and sinks travel along way to water reclamation centers and themechanism of water recycling is rather
complicated. It goes through a water pipe and along physical, chemical and biological process of
purification. The contaminants are removed andthe by-products (sewerage sludge) undergo
treatment so that it becomes clean enough fordischarging into natural
systems. I was surprised
to hear that the byproducts created wereused to make the brickpavements of thereclamation center that wevisited – a very efficientuse of waste and a great
example of a process inthe circular economy. The
water continues to go
through many processesof distillation before it
returns into a largely purestate.

Photo: Reo (G11B)
Reference:
George, Rose. (2013, April 15) Let’s talk crap. Seriously. [Video
File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZmSF9gVz9pg

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

Recognizing Student Achievement
MYP reports
Those new to the MYP at KIST may be unfamiliar with the reporting structure that wehave in the Secondary School.
Different from the PYP, the IB uses a 1-7 grade scale for the MYP (and DP). You canfind detailed descriptors of progress on page two of your child’s Semester report.
The IB does not allow schools to ‘rank’ students, nor do we calculate ‘averages’ for each course. It is best to thinkof the grades as ‘levels’ (like levels in a video game is what we often use to explain to our students). As such MYP
grades are more ‘quasi-qualitative’ than quantitative.

Well done Secondary School students
Although IB grades are more qualitative at an individual course level, the nature of the IB report scale for MYP and
DP allows us to calculate student and cohort averages across all subjects to appraise overall student performance.
In that context, an average of 6.0 indicates that a student is performing at a very good level overall.
Each semester, Mr Jones sends out letters of congratulation to MYP and DP
students who attain averages of 6.0 or above. This year Mr Jones was extremely
pleased to send out a total of 58 letters to students in the MYP and 32 letters tostudents in the DP. In other words, 24% of our MYP students and 42% of our DP
students are attaining averages of 6.0 and above (on a scale of 1-7). Very well done!
Further congratulatory words are sent to students with averages of 6.0 or above who
attain a 7 in Mathematics. This year, 7% of our MYP students and 26% of our DP
students received recognition.
Congratulations to all recipients on a job well done!
The number of congratulatory letters that went out to KIST students for Semester 1 of this year represents a 45%
increase over the number of letters that went out last year. As our students, teachers and parents continue to work
hard, we look forward to further increases in years to come.

New Communication Tool
Recently we introduced a Parent Notification Form for Summative Assessments in an effort
to give KIST parents/guardians a better understanding of the types of assessments students
are doing, how those tasks are assessed, and the students’ performance.
Students in Grades 1 to 5 should be bringing home these forms for each Unit of Inquiry. The form will be attachedto their summative assessment task.
Students in Grades 6 to 10 are expected to bring homethese forms at least once per semester for each courseof study.
When a form comes home, please review the task withyour child, reflect on their progress and sign the form toindicate you have reviewed the task. Feel free to also
include any feedback for the teacher as well (optional).
This is a relatively new initiative and your support of it isappreciated. Hopefully you find this tool informative!
Please contact your respective Area Principal if you
have any feedback.

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18

Success in Academic Writing
Semester two is under way! The Secondary ELS team would like to highlight some strong
performances in Academic Writing, a before-school support class that seeks to help students
with their writing skills. Due to the strong progress these students made during semester one,they will no longer attend the morning class – their hard work has paid off. The ELS team, alongwith other staff, is confident that they have the skills to succeed in their coursework without
structured assistance. We commend their efforts and hope they still come see us once in a while! Congratulations!
Secondary ELS Team
Lance (G6A)

I

learnt how to write an essay well with good structure. I also learnt new vocabulary and to use
better words when writing. This academic writing class was just not learning, but it was a very
nice atmosphere and a fun way to learn new things. When we were not doing academic writing
but reading texts and answering questions on the texts it was always exciting.
Leika (G6A)

I

n A.W., we wrote some reports about different topics and now in English class, we are writing
them, too. I got good grades on them because I practiced in my A.W. class. It also helped mewith my reading skills, like comprehending and being able to answer questions easily. I think A.W.
helped me a lot for my English class and it helped me get good grades.
Su Yeon (Helena) (G7A)

I

had struggled with using the correct vocabulary to make my writing detailed. Also, I tend towrite the paper like the form of a journal entry, so the teacher made us write a lot of papers so
we can improve. At first, I thought I was just annoyed about it and thought it was a waste of time.
But as I wrote more papers, I was able to avoid to write it like a journal entry. Also, I learned how
to describe one thing very precisely using a wider range of vocabulary. Academic Writing helped
me to succeed very well on my English semester test and other summatives.
Miyabi (G8B)

A

cademic Writing has allowed me to be confident at different kinds of writing, such as
discussions, book reviews and narratives because of the helpful feedback I got. Moreover, italso made me improve on my vocabulary range which was useful in other classes. Academic
Writing was a really expedient class for me to improve on my English skills as well as my writing
skills.
Sung Guk (G9A)

B

y practicing reading and writing using different types of sources and various kinds oftechniques, I could gain some understanding of sonnets and the structure of persuasive andcritical essays. In addition, I could pick up some new vocabulary words and learn some new
sentence structures. Moreover, I could apply those techniques or skills I obtained to the otherclasses such as English and I&S where we needed very high-quality skills and wide range
vocabulary. I feel that this class was a great opportunity for me in the process of perfecting myEnglish.
Chae Young (G10A)

A

cademic Writing is a great opportunity for students to improve their writing skills. I learned
the structures of diverse types of essays in greater detail than in the past. This allowed me
to clearly convey what I wanted to say. Additionally, the skills I practiced helped me in othersubjects, such as English and I&S, when I had to express my opinions through writing. I could
also follow the classwork more easily. We sometimes practiced skills needed for summative
assessments for other classes. It was a big help that I could ask questions about them anytime I
wanted.

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V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

23

The Power of Collective Empathy
Over last summer break, Ms Aoe and I had theamazing opportunity to attend a week-long workshop in
Washington D.C. to learn about how best to support
KIST students’ social and emotional well-being.
Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence is vital as apart of our well-being and happiness from childhood all
the way through our adult lives. We attended thisworkshop to find techniques and strategies to best
support our students throughout their time at KIST to
be not only academically successful, but also
empathetic and socially aware.



One strategy that we walked away with was so exciting
to us that we had to implement it immediately. It iscalled Open Session and we are thrilled with theresults so far.
Open Session is an open forum where students canaddress real-life decisions and issues with their peers.
Students write down an issue, a worry, a personal joy,a positive happening, or a call for advice onto a blankindex card. These cards can be submitted
anonymously or with a name. There is a clear structure
for ways to respond to these cards, and the teacher
acts as a facilitator. Students can respond with:
 Support and encouragement response (e.g.
“know that you have people around you who reallycare”, “I hope things get better for you at school”,“that sounds really tough”, “I’ve dealt withsomething similar, so that person can come andtalk to me later if they want to”)
 Clarification response (e.g. “I wonder if there aresome assumptions the person is making about…”,“I wonder if this problem is happening only at
certain times, which could mean…”)
 Wisdom, solutions, ideas response (e.g. “Isuggest…”, “In my experience, it has been helpful
to…”, “I’ve done some reading and researched,and I tried…”, “My mum always says to…”)
Usually, 80-90% of the cards are submitted
anonymously. This is not surprising, as anonymity canallow teens to sense if and how to trust. Throughpractice, students begin to see that ‘if it were their own
issue’ they could identify with the social or personal
decisions or challenges that all students of this age
often encounter. This common understanding builds
group cohesion through empathetic, collective problem
solving.
Below are some examples of types of issues thatstudents may put forward:
 I’m worried that I will get bad feedback at myparent-teacher-student conference.
 Someone is bragging about doing well on a test. I
feel embarrassed about my score.
 We got a new puppy and I am having so much fun
with it. How do you teach puppies tricks? All it does
is bite me and play.







I’m having aparty, but myparents have alimit on thenumber of kids.
I don’t want tohurt anybody’s
feelings but there are some people in my class thatI’m just not that close to.
I think I’m gay, but I’m worried my friends won’t
understand and I don’t know how to tell them.
What if you think somebody likes you, but you’re
not sure and you want to find out?
My mum and I have not gotten along recently. One
second we will be fine; the next we will be fighting. I
don’t want to fight but she has been getting on mynerves.
I’m always sleepy even though I get enough sleep.
What should I do? Am I normal?
I am excited that my birthday is coming up!
My friend just told me that they are cutting
themselves. They made me promise not to tellanyone, but I think they need professional help.

If there is a card that expresses an extremely difficult
social or emotional issue (e.g. self-harm, mental health,bullying, etc.), teachers may choose to follow up with
the individual student or to work through the issue withthe whole class at another time. This gives thehomeroom teachers the opportunity to have their finger
on the pulse of the class, and overall bring the groupcloser together.
We have had positive feedback from students, and willcontinue to host Open Session during Advisory time. If
you have any questions about this new initiative, pleasefeel free to contact me.
Anna Holdaway
Student Care Coordinator (G6-G8)

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

G12 DP Economics BOJ Visit
On the 11th of December, 2017, the Grade 12 DP
Economics students were given the opportunity to visit
the Bank of Japan Head Office, 日銀 (Nichigin) for
short, in Nihonbashi. As DP Economics students, ourgroup takes a keen interest in the Japanese economy—
this may explain why we jumped to the opportunity ofvisiting the Central Bank. Prior to the field trip, in ourdaily economics classes, we were studying different
policies within Macroeconomics, and came across
one—the monetary policy—that caught our attention(the monetary policy is a policy that a Central Bank of anation can impose to readjust the economy). After
studying the Monetary Policy and the important role theCentral Bank plays in the economy, we were excited tosee beyond our PowerPoint slides and textbooks, andsee such policies in action.
Despite being such a large group of students, wemanaged to get to the venue promptly, where we waited
to be lead into the BOJ. Entering the building required
security checks and a registration with our school ID
cards, which only felt appropriate for the importance thebuilding has in our society. I remember having
numerous conversations with peers about how official
the atmosphere of the building felt. Upon entering theBOJ, we met our guide, Mr Shinji Isaki, who firstgathered us in a small room where he gave us
pamphlets and books while explaining the brief historyof the Central Bank. He then led us to a hallway
decorated with images from when the old building was
first constructed by architect Tatsuo Kingo, also
famously known for designing the red brick building of
the Tokyo Station. Unfortunately, during our visit, theOld Building was closed for refurbishments as anearthquake resistant structure, and our tour was limited

to the new building.
However, we did learn
that the old building
contains underground
vaults where the Bank
used to hold gold andother currencies for 108
years. After learning thebrief history of the Bankof Japan and its architecture, we were given theopportunity to view and hold replicas of bank notes,
worth a million yen, and gold, where the picture on theright was taken. Mr Isaki’s explanation and tour of the
Bank of Japan put the importance of Central Banks inperspective, motivating us to gain further knowledge on
different banks, which would help us in our Final Examin May.
This trip was agreat opportunity for
us students to see
the relevance of ourlearning and its
application tosociety. We would
like to thank our
economics teachers
Mr Boyd and Mr
Nakamura, as well
as KIST staff thatmade this trip
possible.
Rachel (G12A)
2018 DP Economics classV o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 8

The KIST Secondary Students’ Orchestra
Our Secondary
Students’
Orchestra has
begun performing
as part of the
Monday Concert
Series which will
be held twice amonth onMondays at theRose Garden
Fukagawa seniorcitizens’ home.
Our orchestra
members will be
performing solo
pieces at theconcerts and thiswill provide themwith wonderful
opportunities to share their musical achievements withmembers our local community.
We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr
Komaki, the Secondary SRC and the KIST community for
donating money towards the purchase of musicalinstruments. We are very happy to announce that wepurchased three timpani drums and a clarinet in late
February. We are still accepting instrument donations
from the KIST community. If you have any unused
instruments at home, please consider passing them along
to us! Please contact Mrs Duran for more information.
Please stay “tuned” for news from the KIST Secondary
Students’ Orchestra, and please come see us play at theupcoming concert.
Makiko Duran
MYP/DP Music Teacher“ T h e Co m et ”

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Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Thanks to your help, we were able to raise money to commence preparations for our musical production of Beauty
and the Beast from January.
It was amazing to see so many talented students at the auditions which took place in early January. Choosing themain cast was very difficult, but I am pleased to announce that the following students were selected:

Belle – Sara (G10B)
Beast – Conan (G10B)
Mrs Potts – Srinandhitha (G7A)
Chip – Mirea (G3A)
Lumiere – Maya (G6A)
Cogsworth – Rebecca (G5A)
Babette – Emani (G10B)
Madame de la Grande Bouche – Saanvi (G7B)
Maurice – Rintaro (G6B)
Lefou – Riu (G4A)
Gaston – Thilo (G9B)

I hope to see you all at the performance which will be held on Friday, May 11 at the Fukagawa Edo Museum.
Further details will be distributed to all families via E-Communications at a later date.
Makiko Duran
MYP/DP Music Teacher

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Japan Metropolitan MUN Conference
JMMUN Conference from a high school delegate’s perspective
For the first time in its history, KIST took part in the 4th
annual Japan Metropolitan Model United Nations
Conference (JMMUN) conference. The KIST MUNclub, consisting of 14 high school delegates and 2
middle school delegates, attended the two-day
conference at Senzoku Gakuen, Kawasaki, fromFebruary 10 to 11. Interestingly, it was also the firsttime that students from Senzoku Gakuen participatedin the KIST MUN Scrimmage back in November.
During JMMUN, delegates were invited to attend a talkby the keynote speaker, Mr Fabien Clerc, a World
Economic Forum staff member, who gave insights into
his experience with world leaders. He told thedelegates about many interesting stories including asudden meetup with Bill Gates and Bill Clinton in the
restroom! The talk set the lively mood for the rest of
the two-day event.
The conference was divided into four different councils
based on levels, with up to 320 delegates representing
23 different schools. The high school delegatescreated resolutions to address poverty in developed
countries, while the middle school delegates drafted
resolutions on the stance of their countries regarding
sustainable energy. The delegates were engaged inheated conversations while interacting with students
from various international and Japanese schools. In
the end, the well-prepared KIST MUN team walked out
with a best position paper award as well as twohonorable mentions. Well done team!
Yuki (G11B)

JMMUN Secretary General with the delegate ofIndia, Yuki (G11B), honorable mention for best
position paper

Delegate of Estonia, Ji Hye (G10A),
winner for best position paper

Thoughts from the middle school delegates:W

hen I got into the debate groups, I
was actually quite surprised and a bit
nervous to see quite a lot of delegates fromdifferent countries! However, as I delivered the
speech and debated with others, I realized how
exciting and interesting it was to discuss andeven argue about the issue. I felt like aprofessional delegate in the UN! The chairs(student leaders) were very supportive and funloving, and on the second day, I was able to get
rid of my shyness and talk to others to come up
with an effective resolution for the problem.”Hanna (G8B), middle school delegateUpon entering the room that our debate
was held in, I had to admit that Hanna
and I were quite surprised. A lot of the
discussions took place in Japanese! I felt a bit
overwhelmed as, I cannot speak Japanese thatwell. It wasn't what you would call a language
barrier, but a communication problem we were
facing. During the conference, we wereconstantly reflecting about how we felt... But, allin all, it was a fun and worthwhile experience! I
will feel more confident when I go back to the
JMMUN conference as a high schooler next
year!”
Mehak (G8A), middle school delegate

Delegates of Nigeria, Mehak (G8A)
and Hanna (G8B), honorable
mention for best position paper

Keynote speaker Mr Fabien Clerc, First
Secretary of the Embassy of Switzerland
in Japan, with Yukino (G9A), the delegateof Switzerland.

The 2018 KIST JMMUN delegates

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G9 Excursion to NAB

Athletics Update

The G9 students went on an excursion to the
National Australian Bank (NAB) in Tokyo on 19
February. When we first arrived at the building in
Nihonbashi-muromachi, we were introduced to thecompany’s operations. We learnt about the bankbusiness, such as how the company works
throughout the world and their various functions.

ISTAA basketball
The season will wrap up in two weeks and KIST
participation has been great as the Comets wereable to field a U-14 girls’ team as well as the usual U14 boys’, U-18 girls’ and boys’ teams. The addition of
LFIT (Lycée Française International de Tokyo) thisseason has added to the level of play of ISTAA.
The U-18 boys have been up-and-down this season
with injuries and the loss of three of their seniors at
the end of January. They can still finish as high as
third seed (with a win at Columbia) and as low as
fifth seed for the 6-team ISTAA tournament. The U18 girls are in a similar predicament with upcoming
matches against Columbia and BST.
The U-14 girls lost their only match thus far in a very
close game at Columbia but will have anotherfriendly or two coming up. The U-14 boys, withstrong play from captain Kaiser (G8A) and hard workfrom others, has remained unbeaten through fourgames this season (including a 62-61 thriller at
LFIT), an unbeaten streak which has extended fromthe beginning of last season.
Please wish your basketball Comets luck in theseason-ending ISTAA tournaments!

At NAB, some of us were able to deliver apresentation on business ideas we developed in
Individuals & Societies and Economics class.
Selected groups presented before two bankers,
introducing their business idea as well as answeringa couple of questions from the bankers. Rather
different from the presentations in school, the student
presenters received feedback from actual bankers
with years of experience, and so got a more realistic
experience of what it would be like to present before
real-world investors.

U-14 Boys Comets

Swimming

Through the exchanges, I was able to see what realworld business investors would consider. Although I
did not present at the bank, I was able to learn more
about businesses and how to start one in a different
way. Overall, it was a very fun and new experiencethat made me learn a lot more about concepts in
Economics.

In the Winter Kanto Plains swim meet,
Igor (G11B), representing KIST, won
gold in the 50-meter backstroke and took
silver in both the 50 and 200-meter
freestyle in the 15 to 18-year-old category. He wasstill able to finish fifth in the overall rankings for thatage group though he did not participate in any of theteam relay events which help towards the overall
points. Both Igor and likely Tom (G11B) will again
represent KIST in
March at St. Mary’s.
Let’s wish them thebest!

Michiko (G9B)
Igor

Tom

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29

Secondary SRC
This year started with the SRC executive elections.
The results are as follows:

President
Krisha (G11A)

Vice President
Chae Hyun (Alice) (G11B)

Secretary
Marlinah (G10B)

Treasurer
Nimit (G10A)

Public Relations Officer
Akino (G10A)

L-R: Nimit, Akino, Krisha, Alice, Marlinah

And a big welcome to the two newly elected Class
Representatives:

G10A – Hinako G10B – Gaon
It has been a busy semester for the SRC with many
initiatives and fundraising events. All proceeds havebeen used to fund new instruments for the KIST
Secondary Students’ Orchestra. Below is a list of what
the SRC has accomplished so far:★Autumn Colors Free Dress Day
A festive free dress day was awonderful start to Autumn.
Students were able to celebrate
the beauty of the season through Let your voice be heard
wearing clothes that represented
the colors of crisp Fall leaves.
★Comets Cheer
The SRC has also created a variety of cheers to be
used during Comets matches in order to lift the school
spirit and create unity amongst all students supporting
the team.
★Valenlines
For Valentine’s Day, the SRC organized “Valenlines”
where students were given the chance to express their
feelings through anonymous messages which werethen sent out by the executives accompanied by asnack.
★Train Manners Awareness Posters
The SRC is currently working on a “Train Manners
Awareness Poster Competition” where students areable to create a poster reminding their peers on theappropriate way to travel to and from school according
to the KIST Code of Conduct.
★Arts Committee
The Arts Committee has worked on the Autumn andWinter photo contests. All photos submitted (for theWinter Photo Contest) are posted on the KISTimesboard by the cafeteria and the KISTv. The Arts
Committee also helped support the decoration andlogistics for the SRC dance and the Winter Concert.
★Media Committee
The Media Committee has helped promote many SRC
held events, through posters and the KISTv.
Additionally, the Media Committee has recently
released a video raising awareness of the danger ofcrowding in the hallways to prevent traffic and injuries.
★Sports Committee
The Sports Committee has worked on organizing thefield during recess, ensuring that all areas are being
used effectively by a variety of activities. The Sports
Committee has also held their annual KIST League
where students were given the chance to enjoy adodgeball game during recess with a prize for thewinner.
Stay tuned for more exciting news from the SRC in the
coming months!
Secondary SRC★SRC Dance – Blast from the Past
Our first SRC dance was a tremendous success,with an attendance of more than a hundred
students. The evening was filled with dancing,musical chairs, delicious pizza, hotdogs anddrinks and an exciting photo booth.
Arts Committee members with Mr Smith following the “Blast from the Past” Dance.

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Spotlight on Clubs
Paper Aeroplanes Club (Elementary)
Everyone knows how to make a paper aeroplane, but
how many different types of plane can you make, and can
you make your planes do different things?
This semester, I wanted to share several aeroplane
designs so that we can eventually enter them in the KIST
Paper Aeroplane Olympics. Teams will be judged on how
accurately their planes fly, how fast they are, how longthey can fly for, and what kinds of cool tricks they can do.
This club is a great opportunity to use our mathematic,scientific and artistic skills to learn, teach and work
collaboratively. So far, the students are having a greattime, and I am
sure they will teachme a thing or two.
Oliver Sullivan
Club Supervisor

Further Physics Club (Secondary)
The Further Physics Club is running again during the second semester of this academic year. After having soaredin the difficult DP exams the last couple of years, Physics is becoming a strong subject choice at KIST for students
with academic intentions in their future. We had students gathering from G9 to G12 in the Physics lab during thefirst semester, where we expanded the learning experiences occurring in regular lessons into some new ones.
In the first semester, we had the chance to study the physics of simple pendulums and modeling pendulum waves.
We explored standing waves and how harmonics are linked to energy levels in atoms. We also had the chance toexplore emission spectra and learned to determine the bands of wavelengths emitted by discharge tubes throughdiffraction gratings. The picture on the right was taken through a diffraction grating.
We had the privilege to wrap up the first semester witha guest speaker, who just by one degree of separation,connects KIST with the LIGO team, and their massiveinterferometer that detected gravitational waves for the
first time. Doctor Stefan Ballmer, who is the father of
one of our G1 students, gave a guest lecture to a large
number of students in the secondary school. It was anamazing learning experience for all of us, and we could
witness how cutting-edge physics is progressing.
Although it is a new club, and we are all learning in theprocess, we hope to have more motivated students
wanting to learn a little more about the most important
knowledge developed by the human mind, that perhaps
addresses the most important questions we can ask.
Cesar Cely
Club Supervisor

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31

Library News
World Cultures Day 2018

MoviesWorld Cultures Day 2018 was a huge
success, and we couldn’t have done it without help
from the whole school community! Thank you so muchto all the parents, students and teachers who
volunteered to share their languages and cultures with
the KIST community.

Are you looking for books that inspired certain movies
you want to watch? We would like to introduce our new
Collection, Movie tie-ins!
http://bit.ly/2EZUI41

We were happy to see our students wearing theirnational costumes at the Elementary parade and in theSecondary hallways. It was great to see Secondary
students visiting the Elementary School to teachlanguage and dance and talk about their experiences
living overseas. Teachers, parents and even
grandparents shared their languages, cultures andmusic with our students.

We have loads of books that you might be interested inreading first before watching the movie. If you needhelp in locating these books or would like to suggest
books that you think would be great additions to ourcollection, please don’t hesitate to approach the Library
team. Thank you!
Ms Erika

Destiny Discover collections
Destiny Discover, launched at
the beginning of the school
year, offers an increasing
number of resources for KIST
students. The software allows
all community members tosearch through the Elementary
Library books, LMC books, andonline subscription services.

In the Secondary School, the identity round table andpanel discussion was sharp and insightful.
KIST is a vibrant international community, not just on
World Cultures Day, but every day. The Library teamsponsors the event, but it’s everyone at KIST who
makes our school so special. Thank you.
Ms Hynes

Here are some recommendations for this issue of The
Comet.
 Grade 6 and 7 – Recommended reading:
http://bit.ly/2Dip1SG
English Language and Literature reading
assignment suggested books. Hand-picked by the
English Department and Library staff!
 Sports – LMC:
http://bit.ly/2ERNT1p
Biographies and stories of the game Japanese works in English:
http://bit.ly/2Dbar05
Classic Japanese texts available to read in English.
Popular with students and staff alike!
Remember, if there is a book you see that you would
like to read, click ‘Hold’ and the Library team will put it
aside for you. Happy browsing!

Parents and Destiny DiscoverIf you would like an introduction to Destiny Discover sothat you may support your child in finding books andother online resources from KIST Libraries, please
complete the brief form at the link below:
http://bit.ly/2CGcWTf

KISTv
 Japanese New Year Party video:
http://bit.ly/2EQc2JD
 World Cultures Day
Parade:(To be confirmed)
Mr TimV ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18“ T h e Co m e t ”

32

Nurse’s Notes
Hello KIST families. Nice to meet you! My name is Yukiko Yamazaki and I
am excited to join the KIST staff as the new school nurse. After receiving
certification as a registered nurse, I worked in a variety of healthcare
settings in Japan, and also gained experience abroad when I obtained a
Bachelor of Nursing at Australian Catholic University. I am passionate about advocacy for
healthy school environments, and I am looking forward to working with KIST staff and students
this year.

For my first contribution to The Comet, I would like totalk about the importance of sleep in maintaining ourhealth.

How to sleep betterWhat is sleep?
Sleep is a state of being that is essential to ourbodies’ overall wellness, both physically andemotionally.



Why do we need sleep?
To maintain a healthy body (sleep allows yourvital organs, muscles, nerves and brain to rest
and recover).
To keep your immune system working well.
To boost your energy level, learning abilities andconcentration.
To help your brain store things in your long-term
memory.

Keep a regular sleep schedule (Go to bed and get
up around the same time every day, and keep
bedtimes and wake-up times on school days andduring the holiday season to within 2 hours ofeach other. This helps your body clock get into aregular rhythm.).
Keep computers, TVs and smartphones out of the
bedroom and avoid using these items at least 1
hour before going to bed (exposure to blue lightnegatively affects the quality of your sleep).
Finish eating 2 to 3 hours before bedtime(Digestion can prevent the body from being able
to sleep).
Make sure your bedroom is comfortable for you(temperature, light, noise etc.).
Relax before bedtime (e.g. take a warm bath,read a book, listen to gentle music or practicebreathing for relaxation).
Engage in physical activities and get plenty ofnatural light, which can help your body produce
melatonin at the right times in your sleep cycle.
Avoid consuming too much caffeine (in energy
drinks, coffee, tea, chocolate and cola).

What happens when we don’t get enoughsleep?

Without healthy sleep, our bodies slowly shut
down in various ways as follows: Fatigue (We feel more tired during the day) Impaired memories
 Problems with working memory (It becomes moredifficult for our brains to process our thoughts)
 Less sustained attention (It is harder for us tofocus, causing us to make more carelessmistakes) Trouble with concentration
 Difficulty learning Need to take more naps

Several academic studies have found that the speed
at which information is processed, concentrationlevels, working memory and executive function arepoorer in children and adolescents who reported
sleeping for shorter periods. Therefore, in order to bea successful learner at KIST, it is important for
students to get enough good quality sleep each night.

If you have any inquires, please feel free to contact
me at yukiko.yamazaki@kist.ed.jp.

Suggested hours of sleep needed
according to age
3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
6-13 years old: 9-11 hours
14-18 years old: 8-10 hours
Adults (under 65 years old): 7-9 hours

Thank you for reading and I am looking forward togetting to know everyone at KIST!
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

References: June, C.(2016). Cognitive performance, sleepiness, and mood in partially sleep deprived adolescents: the need for sleep study, 39(3),687-698. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep5552
 Mitsuo, Nagane. (2015). The relationship between sleep-wake cycle and academic performance or psychosomatic complaints. Facultyof Education, Chiba University, 63, 375-379.
 Raising Children Network: Sleep. (2018,Feb 15). Retrieved from http://raisingchildren.net.au

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Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, we arepleased to present Steven Otis
who joined our instructional teamin August 2015. Originally fromthe USA, Mr Otis is the Subject
Area Coordinator for English in
the Secondary School.

Mr and Miss Otis

1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
My hometown of Portland, Oregon, USA, has gotten alot of attention in the last few years thanks topopulation growth and being featured in several TV
shows and movies. But the two things I like most about
the city are quite simple: summer weather andbreakfasts. The weather from July to September isabsolutely perfect; the days are long, warm and sunny,and the nights are cool. The city also has dozens of
comfortable, unique breakfast restaurants, oftenfeaturing vegetarian options, local meat and produce,
and affordable prices. I really miss going out for
breakfast with family and friends on weekend
mornings.
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
Big Lake Youth Camp in Sisters, Oregon. I spent partof every summer here from when I was 7 until I was 19(13 summers). It’s located high in the Cascade
mountain range, next to the pristine waters of Big
Lake, right at the foot of majestic Mount Washington.
This is where I learned to waterski/wakeboard,windsurf, canoe, mountain bike, ride a horse, play theguitar, and so much more. Plus, we played Capture
the Flag every day for an hour! The smell of the pinetrees and bear grass carries with it so many happy
memories.
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
Amongst musicians, I’d pick Paul Simon and Bono(Paul Hewson) of U2, so I could tell them how much I
love and appreciate some of the words and melodies
they wrote. For authors, an obvious choice is William
Shakespeare; the plays are so funny and clever, hemust have been a great person to hang out with.
Another is Barbara Kingsolver, who, judging from her
novels, must be very funny and kind. For politicalfigures, I’d pick Barack Obama (partly because wewent to the same college and could discuss some ofthe professors/classes we had in common) and
Abraham Lincoln, both of whom are great writers anddeep thinkers.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I’m quite skilled at crying when giving a speech. My
students already know this. It’s a wonderful talent
inherited from my mom, who hates public speaking.
5) Please share a little known fact about yourself.
In 1993, when I was in 7th grade, I had a small part in
an independent film, playing the role of Bobby, the sonof a man who is diagnosed with lung cancer—a resultof smoking. The movie was produced by a local
hospital group to encourage people to quit smoking. I
worked 3 or 4 days, and I think I was in 3 scenes. I

33

was paid $75, which I used to buy my first CD/cassette
stereo for my room. Sadly, this was my last (and only)
film role. Fortunately, however, the film has not yet resurfaced on YouTube.
6) What is your most prized possession?
Probably either my guitar or my music collection.
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Caring. Life is endlessly complex, challenging andconfusing, but for me, establishing a sense ofcommunity and connection with others brings out theoverwhelming beauty of being alive.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
This question is too difficult to answer in one
paragraph. I’m sure I would do hundreds of things
differently because every day is filled with chanceoccurrences and minor decisions which can end up
radically impacting the trajectory of a life. So if I lived itagain, knowing what I know now, I’d try to be lessafraid of making the wrong decision and a bit more
focused on building joyful relationships. Furthermore,
I’d also put my foot down and insist on learning to play
the piano or drums (as I wanted) instead of the Frenchhorn (the teacher’s request) in 5th grade.
9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
I am trying to read more for pleasure. I already love toread, but I’d like to do it more outside of work. As
many students know, I am also trying to keep losing
weight and end the year closer to my target fitnesslevel. This involves going to the gym, playing
basketball, going jogging when I can, and eating more
tofu for dinner!
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
Thanks for laughing at (most of) my jokes andtolerating the occasional dance interlude in myteaching.

Office Updates
Requesting documentation
We would like to remind all families of theprocess of requesting documentation such as proof of
attendance statements, letters of recommendation,transcripts and copies of school reports.
All documentation requests are coordinated through theschool office. To request documents or the completionof forms required for admission to other schools(including summer or other specialist programs), please
complete the Documentation Request Form at thelink below and submit it to the office. Please do not
approach individual teachers regarding letters ofrecommendation.
http://www.kist.ed.jp/node/5
Please be aware that documentation may take sometime to prepare so please be sure to submit yourrequest as far in advance as possible.

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University Guidance NewsFirst KIST student enrolls in Japanese
medical school
I am very excited to announce that KIST alumnus,
Haruka (Class of 2016)’s longtime dream has cometrue. She successfully passed the entrance
examination and will start her medical education at
Juntendo University Medical School soon. In order to
get into this top Japanese medical school, she had
been studying so hard after her graduation from KIST
because she needed to sit seven subject tests (all inJapanese) at the Senta Shiken in January as part ofher application requirements for admission. We arevery proud of her and wish her continuing success inmedical education and practices in the future.
Congratulations, Haruka!
If you would like to know more about medical school
options in Japan and other countries, please let me
know. I will be happy to share details about theeducation system of each country, application
requirements and preparation needed.

Takumi (Class
of 2017) on
campus. I wasvery pleased
to see themenjoying theircollege lives
and studying inthis unique
Motoi (2016) and Takumi (2017) atand rich
NYU Abu Dhabi campus
environment.
(Please see my article and Motoi’s report in the
December 2016 issue of The Comet for more details
about this university.)

Alumni talk by Raj(Class of 2016)

Good news from current G12 students has reached myoffice; in particular, from students who applied early to
UK and US universities. Congratulations! We arelooking forward to hearing more from students who
sent their applications during the regular application
periods at the end of December and early this year.
Most of the students will receive their results by theend of March or early April. Good luck to you all!

On February 6 during
lunch, KIST alumnus,
Raj (Class of 2016)
came to school to talkabout Keio University,
PEARL, the English
program at the Faculty of
Economics. He met agroup of KIST students
to share his experiencesand give some advice as
the first student fromKIST enrolled in thisRaj (2016)
program. Thank you, Raj!
(Please see Raj’s report in this issue of The Comet.)

Mrs Okude revisits NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE

Upcoming university events in Spring

University acceptances and offers for G12
students

I accepted an invitation
to attend the NYU Abu
Dhabi event for
educators in Abu
Dhabi, UAE in
February. It was mysecond visit to thecampus since myprivate trip to Dubai/
Abu Dhabi during theAutumn break in
October 2016. Thistime, I was able toexplore this unique
campus and meetfaculty members and
Mrs Okude at Sheikh Zayed Grand current students with agroup of counselors
Mosque, Abu Dhabi
from 20 high schools in
Asia-Pacific, Europe and South America. The event
included visits to beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand
Mosque, the recently opened Louvre Abu Dhabi, andthe exhibition of Abu Dhabi’s past and future at Qasr Al-Hosn which inspired me a lot! And I was able to meetand chat with KIST alumni, Motoi (Class of 2016) and

The sixth KIST Spring University Fair is scheduledon Wednesday, March 21 (Student Led Conferenceday) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the KIST gymnasium. We
will host more than 20 universities at the fair. We
mainly invited Japanese universities that offer English
programs and/or IB special examinations for entry totheir regular programs. But there are a couple ofuniversities from outside Japan including Imperial
College London, UK and Ryerson University, Canada,
as well as an official agent for major Australian
universities. This event is open to the whole KIST
community. Please see the flyer attached to this issueof The Comet.
There are a couple of university visits to KIST andevents in the Tokyo area in March. Please check the
University Guidance Calendar here.
Looking forward to seeing you at an event.
Mrs Keiko Okude
Career and University Guidance Counselor
Office hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00-17:00
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp

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Alumnus Report
Raj is an alumnus of KIST’s “Class of 2016.” He is currently in
his second year of the PEARL program in the Faculty of
Economics at Keio University in Japan, and is majoring ineconomics.
Konnichiwa to the KIST family! As
some of you may know, I am
attending Keio University andregardless of my strong urge andwill to escape the country at one
point in life, the land of the rising
sun has surely made me realize
how much I love, respect andenjoy being here in Japan. The
people, culture and the liveliness ofthe city are just a few of the things
which add to the beauty of thisplace and look where this broughtme to! Another four precious andprivileged years to spend at Keio.
In my all-English economics
program PEARL (Programme inEconomics for Alliances, Researchand Leadership) which I am
attending at Keio, there is a hybridof individuals, which is what I likebest about the program. Just as I
had the privilege of studying
amongst international students at
KIST, similarly, in university I havea chance to interact with domestic
and international students of all
backgrounds and experiences, too.
From young entrepreneurs,
interstate award winners andinnovators to multitalented
individuals. Realizing my ambitionand eagerness to move forward
and be innovative, further
encouraged me to grab every
chance to network and learn fromas many people around me as
possible. I have tried to expand to
as many student bodies, student
groups (or “circles” as they are

known amongst Japanese
universities) as possible, and mostimportantly, drawing on mybackground with the KIST SRC to
become part of the establishmentof the very first student council
program at Keio, too.
Academically, I have always beeninterested in the subject ofBusiness Management as
marketing and finance have been
two topics which have deeplyinterested me. So apart from mymajor subjects related toeconomics, I have recently been
engaged in some very interesting
business classes as well. These
classes offered at Keio are to dowith FinTech, block chain
technology and automatedintelligence. I personally have beenable to work closely with one of myBusiness classes’ professors, whois studying FinTech, and am able
to understand and learn from him
some important information thathas had a significant impact on theway in which I view the importanceof this technology in this time andage.
With so much more to share andcountless memories since my timeat school all the way till now, if I
were to share something with theupcoming youth of KIST, I would
definitely say find what you LOVEto do. The point of any class or life
is not wanting for time to pass byor simply getting things over with.

Raj (bottom right) and his class at a gathering with new first year students
who entered Keio in September 2017.

Raj (holding the Keio sports flag) and aclassmate at a Sokei-sen soccer game –Keio against rival Waseda.

You’ll find real joy and satisfaction
in life when you’re excited for what
you’re doing and when you lookforward to doing it once again.
I, too, would be happy to hear
when you know and finally findwhat you love to do. Because thatsmile on your face and theeagerness and excitement in youreyes is what one would be able tosee. Be confident and keep
smiling 
Raj
KIST Alumnus, “Class of 2016”

The entrance of the Hiyoshi campus in
Autumn, a pleasing entrance to walk throughevery morning.

Students wearing hoodies designed and sold by Raj (bottom left)
and his friend to 70/100 students, the first ever merchandise for
Keio’s PEARL program!

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“ T h e Co m e t ”

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 18