The Comet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo

Since 1997

Volume 15 | Issue 3 | March 2012

In this issue...
ISA Results…p. 2

Middle School Spelling Bee…p. 11

Elementary School News…p. 3

Brain Bowl…p. 11

English Intensive Class…p. 7

KIST Goes Knitting Crazy…p. 14

Library News…p. 8

College Guidance News…p. 15

Comets Basketball…p. 10

Alumnus Report…p. 17

The Water Project…p. 10

PTA News…p. 18“Theblearni eautiful thi
n g isn g abnoo
it away from body can t ut
ake
you.”
—B.B
. KingFrom the School Director

DATES TO REMEMBER

Hello everyone. I am writing this message while on the plane returning from Singapore
where Mrs Komaki and I attended the 3-day MYP Head of School Workshop. I
understand that this has delayed the issue of this edition of The Comet and would liketo take this opportunity to apologize to those concerned for any inconvenience caused.
Earlier this month, Mrs Komaki also visited South Korea for 3 days as a member of the
Ministry of Education’s National Institute for Educational Policy Research’s “Building the
School of the Future” committee where she spoke at Seoul University and Korea
University as well as at the Korean National Education Research Institute. We hope toutilize the information and knowledge gained through these workshops and visits
effectively, and to share it with staff to help further develop KIST’s capacities as an IB
World School.
As I announced previously, our new English Intensive Class (EIC) will commence from
April 2. This class is designed for Grade 6 to 9 students and aims to: Develop through intensive study the English and numeracy skills vital for students
who wish to study at a school where the language of instruction is English.
 Help to better prepare students who challenge themselves to achieve a full IB
Diploma in the extremely challenging DP course.
Typically, in the MYP, there are 150 hours per year of English and mathematics withstudents at KIST having 3 blocks of each subject per week. In the EIC, students will
have 5 blocks and receive around 250 teaching hours per year in these subjects.
Furthermore, students will also receive one extra block per week for speaking andlistening; that is, students will receive the equivalent of 2 years’ worth of IB English
study time. In addition, they will also receive the same 3 blocks per week for humanities
and science that they would in the MYP, and will have one IT and PE class each week.
Our new EIC English and humanities teacher has previous experience as an MYP
coordinator. She will be ably supported by an IB Diploma Programme graduate who has
previously worked as a teacher’s assistant at KIST. The other subject teachers such as
math include a previous MYP graduate as well as a number of other teachers currently
teaching at KIST. I hope that the introduction of the EIC will help develop theeducational environment at KIST and in turn be positive for the whole school; and also
contribute to the realization of the school’s vision of, “...providing a high-quality
international education for children from all backgrounds, so that its graduates will
one day become a valuable asset to the world as global members of society.”
On a final note, a moment of silence was observed at KIST on Monday, March 12 inmemory of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. It’s unbelievable to thinkthat a year has already passed since the disaster claimed the lives of thousands ofpeople. The KIST community made the first of five visits to the affected area on March
25, just two weeks after the earthquake hit and I doubt anyone who visited will everforget the shock of witnessing the reality of the destruction, the towns which had been
destroyed, the cars which had been swept away, the stories of all the belongings which
had been scattered around the area the previous day, the people in the evacuation
centers who were living on one cold rice ball per day with no change of clothing, and all
the people who were simply carrying on as normal. I will keep with me the realizationthat the things we take for granted could disappear at any time, and that I have a duty tocomplete the mission I have been given. Together with fundraising events like KISTival,
we are continuing our community support to send aid to those areas affected and I
kindly ask for your continued support.
Yoshishige Komaki
School Director/Head of School

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

March
24-Apr 1 Spring break

April
2 School resumes
9 Clubs program resumes
13 Last day of quarter 3
16 School photographs (New andabsent students)
18 (G6-G10) Math field day(Hosted@Yokota High School)
20 Quarter 3 progress reports
issued20 (G12) Semester 2 reports issued
30 School dayMay
2-22 (G12) DP examinations
3-6 Golden Week vacation
18 (G5) PYP exhibition
19 Family Day
21 School holiday
24 (W) Free dress day
30 PTA Annual general meeting
31 (E) Athletics carnival
31-Jun1 Concert rehearsals

June
2 School concerts
4 School holiday
7 (G12) Graduation rehearsal
8 (G12) Graduation ceremony
8 (W) Clubs program ends
13-15 (G9-G11) Semester 2 exams
14 (G12) Graduation dinner****Date changed from June 8 due
to availability of venue.

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International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) Results
ISA tests were conducted with students in Grades 3, 5,
7 and 9 in October 2011. Individual results have been
sent to all students in these grades who took the tests.
Now that you have reviewed your child’s ISA results,
you are probably wondering how each grade level
performed when compared internationally. In October
2011 (when our students took this test), the averages
are drawn from over 27,000 students from 118 schoolsin 46 countries. Teachers have analyzed the results tolook for areas which were commonly missed in theirclass as well as the achievement of each student inorder to guide future instruction and differentiate whenpossible. Summary graphs of the overall results interms of averages for each grade level have been
forwarded separately with this edition of The Comet.
The graphs have been arranged to include the resultsof KIST students (in blue), the results of schools who
have a similar ratio of students learning English as anadditional language (in red) and the results of all
schools (in green). When looking at the graphs, you
may notice a few things. First, for every grade level,
G3, G5, G7 and G9, the KIST student average
exceeded the international average of all schools in thearea of mathematics (see the graphs below). With very
minor fluctuations, KIST students were on average inboth areas of writing for all grade levels.

One of the major purposes of giving the externally
graded assessment is to guide the improvement of
instruction for our students. For G3 and G5, the datasuggests we should focus our efforts on reading
instruction. We have been working on this before theschool year even began with consistent phonics
resources for teachers, massive purchases for the
Elementary library collection, more used and new
books for individual classroom libraries, and aconsistent reading benchmarking assessment given
three times a year to all K3-G5 students. But resources
alone are not enough. Ms Heard, our PYP Coordinator,
has been finding ways to support our literacy
instruction since she began this school year. She has
been working with teachers to learn more about abalanced literacy program, curriculum continuums, anda consistent way of looking at literacy instruction. With
our recently added literacy resources, current
professional development and continued professional
development next year, we expect to see our students
learning and performing even more.
Greg Brunton
Elementary School Principal

KIST on Stage
The school concerts, “KIST on Stage”, will be held at Funabori Tower Hall on
Saturday, June 2, 2012. Attendance is compulsory for all students. As in previous
years, the day will be divided into three sections:
Lower School Concert: For K1 to G1 (morning)
Elementary Concert: For G2 to G5 (afternoon)
Secondary Concert: For G6 to G12 (evening)
Auditions for the Secondary Concert and for the special performance items for the
Elementary Concert will be held soon after the spring break. Information has alreadybeen distributed. Students should see their music teacher for more information.
Details about arrangements for the concerts will be distributed to all families in May.

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Elementary School NewsECE playground improvements update
The planning for ECE playground improvements arewell underway. Current bids from contractors arebeing revised, additional sources of revenue are being
investigated and most amazing is the involvement of
our Secondary School design classes.
Grade 9 design technology classes, led by Mr Dennis
and Mr Duxbury, are finalizing their playground
improvement proposals. Students started byassessing the current playground and talking with me
about what I would like to see happen. Then, thestudents talked with parents, students and teachers togather their ideas for improvements. After some ideas
were generated, students researched different
playgrounds and playground equipment in order tomake a proposal for improvements. The final
proposals include a rotational, 3D drawing to help
communicate their vision. I hope to have the latest
drafts from the contractors and students for you toview by the end of the month.

and are using music to learn new concepts. Grade 4
and 5 students are partnered up with either a Grade 2
or 3 student they call their “amiguito” (little buddy).
In the French club, students have been playing
vocabulary games to learn greetings, colors and partsof the body. They have been practicing how to ask
and answer “What’s wrong?” through roleplaying, andhow to tell someone their preferences. Students alsochose a French name and have started making theirown profiles.

T he F r enc h c l ub d i s pl ay i ng t h ei r pr of i l es .

Grade 5 Nissan excursion

T o m o mi ( G 9 A ) a n d h e r p ro p o s a l .

Because our ECE playground is located in nature,
rocks often surface, especially after a rain storm. In
addition to teachers, staff
and myself, K1-K3
classes are collecting therocks in order to help
keep our playground as
safe as possible. ManyK3B and K1 students
stayed after school
recently with their moms
to start the hunt. Thank you for your help!

The Grade 5 classes recently toured the Shonan plantof the Nissan Corporation which was built in 1949.
The students and staff toured the factory which isabout the size of seven Tokyo Domes and with 6,000
employees. The plant operates 24 hours with day
workers, night workers and even robots. This plantmakes about 650 cars a day! On the tour, students
received books describing the cars and the plant.
Students learned about the systems and procedures
used to efficiently make cars andmost importantly how they test thecars for being safe before being
sold. Even though photos could
not be taken inside the plant, it isan experience students will surely
not forget.
Greg Brunton
Elementary School
Principal

Elementary language clubs
In addition to the many other elementary clubs
offered, this is the first year we have ever offered a
Spanish and French club. The Spanish club is taught
by Mrs Theilen and the French club is taught by Ms
Parkinson.
In the Spanish club, students are learning vocabulary
through a variety of games, using drama to act out
skits demonstrating emotions or actions in Spanish

M r B ru nt on di s c us s i ng E C E
p l ay g ro und des i gn p ro pos al s w i t h
J a mi e (G 9A ).

3

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PYP News

ID Cards

The IB learner profile

The school issues ID cards to all students
from Grades 1 through 12 and to allparents from K1 and above. The cards
have various uses; one being to open themain gate. But more importantly, when
scanned at the gate, the scanning system
records the time students enter and leave
the grounds. Obviously, this is importantfor security and safety reasons.

The learner profile is a part of the IB curriculum that unites the PYP,
MYP and DP. The learner profile aims to develop thinkers,
communicators, inquirers and risk-takers who are reflective,
open-minded, balanced, principled, caring and knowledgeable.
Learner profile awards are one
ways the Elementary School is
promoting the learner profile.
Students, parents and teachers
can give and receive profile
awards. The learner profile isalive at present in the
Elementary School. Stop by thebulletin board in front of the
Elementary Office to check who
has demonstrated one of the
profiles and received an award.
Another way the Elementary School is promoting the learner profile
is by introducing a ‘profile of the month’. This month, students were
working on being risk-takers. The K3B class agreed that risk-takers“try new things, do something new and are not afraid.” In the K2class, students are working on being risk-takers by trying puzzles
with many pieces and by trying vegetables. Grade 2 students
thought they could be risk-takers by playing with new friends or trying
a different game.

G ra d e 2 A ri s k -t a k e rs , K i s h o r e a n d P a t ri c k .

Our next profile will be balanced. You can support your child and thedevelopment of the learner profile by speaking about different ways
to be balanced.
Elementary SRC
The Elementary Student Representative Council has been working
hard to solve problems in the Elementary School and to make surethat all students have a voice. As mentioned in the last issue of The
Comet, the ESRC sponsored a free dress day in November.
Approximately 67,000 yen was collected from donations. As
reported, the ESRC decided to donate half of the money toearthquake victims in Tohoku and half to purchase new books for our
Elementary Library. I am pleased to report that the money was
donated to an organization called “Save MLAK” (Museum LibraryArchives Kominkan) and was put towards purchasing shelves for a
new library in Tohoku. Thank you to everyone who made a donation
to help support these two important causes.
Elizabeth HeardPYP Coordinator

Throughout March, Administration and
Office staff have been on duty at the maingate in the mornings to observe students
using (or not using) the cards. The results
have been quite pleasing as the majorityof students are using their cards correctly.
However, there are still those who are not.
A number of students were also observed
attempting to leave the grounds to visit theconvenience store after they had enteredin the morning.
As a reminder, please note the following
points: All students are required to scan
their cards when they arrive in themorning and when they leave in theafternoon, regardless of whether thegate is opened by someone else.
 Students are not permitted to leave
the grounds to makes purchases atthe convenience store. All
purchases should be made before
arriving at school.
 All parents are required to bring
their cards when visiting the school
and to scan them at the gate whenentering and leaving. This includes
visits during the day as well as
attendance at evening events andfunctions.
Random spot-checks will continue to be
conducted over the coming weeks andmonths to ensure that all students (andparents) are using their cards correctly.
Thank you for your cooperation.

H a v e yo u s c a n n e dyour ID card??

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V o l u me 1 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 2

5Secondary School News
Personal learning
environments
In the last edition of The Comet, Iwrote about the three main
systems the secondary school isusing to empower individual
student learning. These systems
include Live@Edu, Moodle and theeventual presence ofPowerSchool. If you are notaccessing the school provided‘parental’ Live@Edu e-mail, please
get in touch with the IT Office forusername/password information.
This is the same system students
are using to access their Personal
Learning Environments (PLEs).
Parents can also arrange to havethis e-mail account forwarded to apersonal account if they wish, but
this requires individual users toarrange the set up. The IT Officewill be happy to help if needed.
With regard to Personal Learning
Environments (see below),
students now have things
centralized in one place to find outclassroom teacher updates,
supporting material to help
increase learning and the ability tosearch the school’s LMC (LibraryMedia Center) print resources, ormore traditionally known as a card
catalog. The Secondary Blog is
also made available throughMoodle. All of these systems areassessable through the school’s
webpage with an appropriate
Live@Edu username/password
thus making up each student’s
Personal Learning Environment.

When looking at the recent
semester 1 reports, many will
notice they look very similar to lastyear’s reports. In format they are,but there are several significant
changes behind the scenes.
Reports for the first time weregenerated from PowerSchool
teacher grade books. Attendanceis only reported for homeroom
currently, but teachers also record
individual student attendance withregard to both absences and latearrivals for each subject block
meeting. During semester 2,
teachers will become more familiar
with the grade book features which
will ultimately empower student
learning further. Beginning next
academic year (2012-2013)secondary students and parents
will be able to access thisinformation via a secure
PowerSchool web-based portal.
This will allow students andparents to receive teacher
feedback and regular attendance
reporting throughout the school as
it is happening, in addition to
traditional reporting measuresalready in place.
More details will be provided
before the school year ends about
PowerSchool in particular. I highly
encourage parents/guardians tohave your children show you their
Moodle pages, including the LMC,
so that you can get a personal
insight into the learning tools being
utilized at KIST.

Student action
There are many examples ofstudent action at KIST, but I
wanted to take the opportunity to
discuss Habitat for Humanity andthe school yearbook club inparticular.
As many know, Habitat for
Humanity is designed to raise

H4H Café with some ‘regulars’.

awareness about the plight ofpoverty and provide direct action in
the form of building homes for
those in most need. This year, theclub is being led once again by Mr
Bates. The club meets regularly todevelop ways to increaseawareness and also raise funds forthe home building effort planned
for in Eastern Thailand at theconclusion of semester 2.
The club sponsors dances, freedress days andmost recently
began theHabitat Café.
This is a
student effort inwhich coffee isbeing sold on
Monday andFridaymornings in thefront of the elementary school toparents and other school visitors.
Each week different members of
the club help out between 8:008:30am. The club organizer
estimates students are raising on
average 3,000-6,000 yen per week
thanks to community support. This
money joins a fund that will be
spread equally amongst all
members going to Thailand to build
houses and raise the standard ofliving for those very much in needof our support. The cost of the trip
needs to be considered and byhaving community support tosubsidize travel expenses we aremaking it possible for all clubmembers to participate.
C ont i nu ed n ex t pa ge

Note the Live@Edu icon on the school
website homepage.

Students can access the Personal Learning Environment
feature by logging into their Live@Edu account.

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V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12“The Comet”

C o n t i n u e d f ro m p re v i o u s p a g e

The school yearbook has
something very much in common
with Habitat for Humanity from alearning design. Although they
have different community goals,
both are student focused. The
activities in the yearbook clubcenter on skills learned and thenshared between students. This
year’s yearbook is being
completed through student
volunteer efforts and also meetsregularly as a school club beingorganized by Mr Ito. Students inthe club learn basic photography
and digital editing and will trainother students to make homeroom
pages. Although students ingeneral in this club are not DP
students, they are modelinglearner-to-learner interaction in asimilar way but differently than the
Habitat for Humanity Club. Theirculminating effort will be the
yearbook while Habitat for
Humanity will be better homes for
those living in a current state ofpoverty. This learning model allows
students to develop essential
lifelong learning skills and taps into
the natural social nature of
students in general.

Moderation vs.
Standardization
In Grade 10, all subjects moderate
specific samples of student work.
For example, 3-4 culminating
assignments in all eight MYP
subjects are discussed between
subject teacher groups. During
these discussions (SeptemberApril), the levels of achievement
are discussed to ensure a common
understanding. The moderated
results are then sent to the IB for
validation. Reports are then sent
back to the school in Octoberhelping ensure the school is
working within IB directives.

This is also happening in Grades 6-9, but for one assignment type persemester. This process is known
as standardization as it is not sentout to the IB, but rather reviewed
internally to develop common
understanding amongst teachers. I
firmly believe this is helping tofurther teacher collaboration andproduce even greater consistency
amongst criterion achievementlevels awarded to students.

Student parental support
There are several areas thatparents can help with regard tolearning in general. The school has
required all parents to provide theirchildren with Internet connectivity
so that they can accesseducational resources, but also theability to print. Many students areclaiming
they cannot
print.
Pleasekindlyensure thisfacility isavailable athome.
The use of Facebook is once again
becoming an issue. We continue tobe very concerned about the way
some students are using Facebook
and parental assistance is highly
needed as this is a non-school
affiliated website. In aninternational school setting, thismedium is an excellent way to stay
in touch with friends and family all
around the world. Our concern iswhen conversations become
inappropriate between students
and hurtful statements are made.
Comments made on Facebook are
not easily taken back and lack thehuman interaction traditional faceto-face communication has withfacial expressions and gestures
helping things stay in context. The
language some students are using
is particularly alarming and would
not be condoned at school. As aschool we will not tolerate any kindof bullying, which includes cyberbullying. I am therefore asking
parents to be more involved with
their child’s account and to talk tothem about proper etiquette whencommunicating on line.
Facebook is a public forum and assuch is seen by a wide audience
with a potential historical record
lingering in cyberspace years after
the initial postings. If you do notwant the school or anyone else tofind out about something or know
the language is inappropriate, do
not put it on Facebook.
Some general pointers parents
may find useful include: Children under the age of 13
years of age are not allowed tohave an account.
 Check the Privacy Settings, toensure only ‘Friends’ can see
your child’s personal
information.
 Parents should know the
password of their child’s
account.
Warm regards to all,
Stephen Rothkopf
Secondary School Principal

Mr Rothkopf

Moment of Silence
The Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Tohoku region of north-eastern Japan on Friday, March 11. In
commemoration of this catastrophic event, we observed a school-wide moment of silence for one minute at 2:45
p.m. on Monday, March 12. In conjunction with this, we also held earthquake and tsunami evacuation drills on themorning of the same day. As part of the tsunami drill, all students, teachers, staff and visitors evacuated to theupper floors of the West Building. As this was the first time we had held a tsunami drill, feedback received fromobservations of student movements during the drill was collected and will be used to refine the evacuation
procedure.

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New Faces“ T h e C o m et ”

Welcome to Emma Hall and Shana Graves. We
wish you all the best in your new positions.

Emma Hall has joined the Secondary
School as the English and humanities
teacher for our new English Intensive
Class (EIC). She is a qualified andexperienced teacher and has completed
her Master of Education.

Shana Graves has joined the
Elementary School as a new Teacher’s
Assistant for K1, replacing Catrina
Christian who has moved to the new
English Intensive Class. Ms Graves
will also work with students after
school in LEAP.

Emma said: “Hello. I’m Emma and I have recently
arrived in Tokyo from Dubai where I was the MYP
Coordinator for a K-12 IB school. I am a New Zealandtrained teacher with experience in all levels of
secondary school. I am looking forward to working with
the EIC students and helping them to improve theirEnglish language skills.”

Shana said: “Hi everyone. My name is Shana and amvery excited to be part of the KIST family. I am looking
forward to growing and learning with the K1 students
and being a part of the LEAP program. If you see meon campus please say “hello”.

English Intensive Class

School Beautification

As announced earlier this year by the School Director,
Mr Komaki, KIST’s English Intensive Class (EIC) for
new students in Grades 6 to 9 will commence from
April 2, 2012. EIC lessons will focus on developing
students’ English and mathematics skills that serve as
tools for learning. The aim of the EIC is that throughthese lessons, students should acquire skills that are
required for them to move to the regular Secondary
School and achieve success in the IB programs.

Plans are currently being finalized for this year’s school
beautification project that we hope will commence fromlate March and continue through April and May. The
project will involve painting the internal walls and doorsof the school buildings to freshen them up in order toimprove the physical appearance of the school.

Currently at KIST, in-class English language support(ELS) is provided, however, by offering the separate
EIC for students who need extra English support, theEnglish level throughout the school as a whole should
improve. As the goal of the EIC is for students to moveinto the KIST secondary school, the nationality andgender balance of our current student population isconsidered in the admissions process for the EIC.
I am pleased to introduce new staff member, Emma
Hall, who will be teaching English and humanities inthe EIC. Mrs Hall has experience teaching at all levelsof secondary school and was the MYP Coordinator ather previous school. Other subjects in the EIC will betaught by qualified KIST teaching staff:
Matthew Archibald: G6 math, G6/7 science
Nanami Komaki: G7 and G8 math, G8/9 science
Jun Hishiyama: G9 mathChristian Thompson: Technology
Masumi Hori: JapaneseAkihiko Nogami: Japanese, PE
In addition, Catrina Christian, formerly a Teacher’s
Assistant in K1, has joined the EIC to support Mrs Hallin G6/7 English and humanities lessons.
We are looking forward to the commencement of the
English Intensive Class!
Nanami Komaki
EIC Coordinator

As in previous years, volunteers from all sections of theschool community will bewelcome to join in the fun.
Secondary students who
participate will have theopportunity to apply to havetheir efforts recognizedthrough Community andService or CAS.
Further information on this project will be distributed to
all families very soon, but we expect the procedure will
involve setting up and preparing equipment on a Friday
afternoon and then painting on Saturday. We hope you
can join us.

78“The Comet”

Library News
What’s been happening at KIST Libraries?
International Mother Language Day
We celebrated International Mother Language Day on
February 22 with lots of fun activities for Elementary.
Students, teachers and parents enjoyed dressing up in
their national costume, sharing a story or learning a few
words in another language, and visiting the exhibition ofinternational crafts, books and interactive activities.
Many thanks to the PTA Cultural Connections
Committee and the Library Committee, parents,
secondary students and staff who volunteered their timeto help out with this great event. We hope this will be anannual occasion to celebrate all languages and culturesthat the whole KIST community can look forward to!
Many new world languages books are available in the
LMC and the Elementary Library, and we will continue
to grow this collection. Please contact library staff or the
PTA Library Committee if you are interested in donatinga book to this collection.
Please enjoy the pictures of the national costume
parade, exhibition, and storytelling/language sharing
with parents and students. What a great day!

Sakura Medal
Sakura Medal books are popular in both libraries. G2G5 students are reading picture books and chapter
books selected by the international school librarians ofJapan. Secondary students are also enjoying readingthese new titles from around the world. Students canshare a book review for English or Japanese Sakura
Medal nominees on the Moodle page for the LMC or the
Elementary Library. All students who read four books
from a section can have one vote for their favourite.
Voting will take place at both libraries in April, with the
Sakura Medal winners announced before Golden
Week.

Future developments
The LMC is in the process of setting up a ‘marketplace’for secondary students to buy and sell used textbooks.
We realise many students moving on to other gradelevels or graduating may want to recycle their
textbooks. This can potentially save many families
money, but also be good for the environment. Moredetails will be available in the next few months.

V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12

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V o l u me 1 5 | I s s u e 3 | M a rc h 2 0 1 2

DP News
Grade 11: Continuing the
Extended Essay
Since the last newsletter entry,
Grade 11 students have been
continuing their Extended Essay aspart of their DP curriculum. They
should now have decided on theirresearch topic and question and befinding out all about it!
In March, each student is required
to give a 5-10 minute Extended
Essay presentation during
Advisory class to their peers, inwhich they need to give a detailed
outline of what their EE will be
about. This is an important part ofthe process and will help thestudents to focus on what theyneed to research in depth.
Grade 11 parents can help support
their child by finding out about theEE on Moodle. The DP Extended
Essay Moodle page has all the
resources that parents need tosupport their child. Parents canalso ask their child about their EE
presentations which will take placeon March 16 and 23.
The next important deadline in theprocess is late May when students
need to have completed a firstdraft of their EE for verbal
feedback from their supervisor.
There are some fascinating topics
and research questions and welook forward to hearing what theGrade 11 students find out!
Mark CoweAndi Licuanan
EE Coordinator Teacher-Librarian

Grade 11 TOK: What ishappening at the moment!
Last block on a Friday afternoon
continues to be a hive of activity for
Grade 11 students as they
continue their TOK course. As was
explained in the last newsletter
issue, TOK is a different type ofclass for the students than the restof their taught courses in their DPschedule. To further demonstrate
this, at the moment, the Grade 11
TOK classes are actually rotating
between the three Grade 11 TOKteachers, Mr Cowe, Mr Young and

Mr Jun as they explore the Waysof Knowing.

“

Grade 12 DP
assessment
updateThe Ways ofKnowing are
the “lenses” or“tools” withwhich we gain
knowledge.

March and April isa very busy timefor G12 DP students all around theworld! KIST is no different andduring these months students will
be completing important
assignments that go towards theirexternal assessment and preparing
for their final examinations in May.

The Ways of Knowing are the“lenses” or “tools” with which we
gain knowledge according to thestructure and terminology of the IB
TOK course. The reason eachclass is moving between teachers
in a monthly rotation is that they
are able to have lessons deliveredby relative specialists in that Way
of Knowing. For example, Mr
Young, our DP biology teacher is
exploring Perception as a Way of
Knowing with the students asperception is fundamental toscience and the scientific method.

On student-led conferences day,G12 students will not present their
KIST portfolio but will actually
deliver a TOK presentation that will
be recorded and assessed on thatday. This is a very reflective
academic assignment and parents
are invited to come and watch theirchild present.

”

The Grade 11 TOK Moodle page
has all the resources that teachers
are using to deliver TOK! Parents
looking to find out more about TOK
should go to the Moodle page orlook at the DP course descriptions
on the school website. They canalso ask their child what sorts ofactivities they are doing in TOK,
and also to ask them about their
TOK journal.
An important activity coming up in
G11 TOK is in April and May when
the students will attempt their first
TOK essay, one of the mostchallenging academic experiencesof their school career thus far.
G11 parents will also get a chance
to find out all about TOK, EE, CAS
and the rest of their child’s subjects
on student-led conferences day
when students present theirportfolios to their families.
Mark Cowe
Andrew YoungTOK Coordinator Jun Hishiyama
TOK Teachers

In April, visual arts students will
create their exhibition under thewatchful guidance of their VA
teacher Mr Bates and we lookforward to having the chance tohear about their artwork when they
officially open their exhibition.
G12 parents can also ask theirchild about their exam schedule aseach of the students already has
their individual schedule for theirdifferent examinations in May.
Unfortunately, there is no Golden
Week holiday for G12 students asthey have exams on May 3 and 4,
but they can celebrate the end of
two years hard work at the end of
May when they will be finished withregular classes after their lastexams and can look forward tograduation!
Mark CoweDP Coordinator

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V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12“The Comet”

Comets Basketball
A slam dunk season!
As the basketball season here at KIST comes to a close,
we would like to acknowledge the achievements anddevelopment of all our teams. From mini-basketball(Elementary) all the way up to the varsity level, our boys
and girls have had great success this year.
The mini-basketball team will be travelling to The British
School in Tokyo (BST) to take part in the annual
tournament on March 9 where we competed with two
teams. Both teams competed very well and came back withwinning records. The boys middle school team fought hardin their championship tournament at BST and came out insecond place in the ISTAA standings. The middle school
girls travelled to Tokyo International School where they
played the TIS girls and came away victorious, becoming
the 2012 ISTAA champions!
Our varsity programs this year showed vast improvementand dedication. As a result we brought home many awards
this year. The varsity girls finished in second place to roundout the ISTAA regular season. This year the girls also
attended the Yokohama invitational held at YokohamaInternational School (YIS) where they were the underdogs.
The girls played their best basketball of the season andcame home with the title! The girls beat teams from YIS, St.
Maur and Osaka. They surprised themselves and all theother schools with their superior play and made KIST
proud! Great season, ladies!
This season, the varsity boys made a very big impression.
The boys went undefeated through the regular season andfinished in the top position going into the playoffs. The
championship tournament saw us up against our rivals,
International Secondary School (ISS), for the third time thisseason, but just as in previous meetings, the Comets cameup on top with a score of 42-26. As a result, we sent four
players: Ryosuke (G12), Brandon (G12), Salam (G9B)
and Adam (G10B) to the ISTAA all-star game held at ISS
on March13 where they represented their school. KIST wasteamed up with BST and KAIS players to take on the otherhalf of the league consisting of ISS, Columbia Internationaland Canadian International. Our squad dominated by ascore of 54-30 and one of our players, Brandon, wasnamed MVP of the game.
Congratulations to all the basketball players this year!
Thank you for all your commitment and dedication to yourcoaches, your team and most of all your school! I lookforward to another successful season next year!
GO COMETS!!
Jay Leroy and all the KIST coaching staff

How I Raised Awareness
About Water Borne Diseases
I had always been fascinated with how the water
treatment system works. I was inspired by how wereuse water on a day-to-day basis. But in somecountries, people are unable to treat water properly andthis affects the people who drink it.
I was nine years old when I was diagnosed with typhoid
fever. I had been visiting my home country, Pakistan,where I had accidently ingested contaminated water.
My family and I returned to Japan where I was admitted
to three different hospitals, when I was sent to a Red
Cross hospital, and even there it had taken the doctors
a little over two weeks to find the correct diagnosis.
I used my personal project to try and solve the issue ofignorance of the knowledge of water borne diseases. I
decided I would try and raise awareness about thedangers of contaminated water and I wanted everyone
to know that it was everywhere in some parts of theworld where people strive to find access to a cleaner
source of water. Over a billion people don’t have accessto clean water, and over three million people every year
are affected by water borne diseases. Through myresearch, I had found an organization called The Water
Project.
The Water Project collects funds from all over the worldand visits different communities in Africa to build wells. I
decided to join this group, so I could raise awarenessby having a fundraiser from which the funds I will
donate to The Water Project.
After some time we came up with an idea to have a freedress day at the school. I sold many wristbands at the
Valentine’s Dance we had earlier as well. Through thecontribution of everyone we raised over 48,000 yen.
The money collected will go to a community in Africa
and will be used to make a well which will possibly savethe lives of over sixty people.
I would like to thank my supervisor, Ms Thomas, for
guiding me through all of this. I would also like to thank
Mr Rothkopf who supported my decisions and went
through a lot of things to help me, but most of all I would
like to thank the KIST community for joining join mycause and helped donating money to help the lessfortunate.
I hope that this becomes a process for future
generations, where they could raise money fororganizations such as The Water Project so they could
help the people in need. For more information, please
visit:
http://thewaterproject.org/how-togive-clean-water.asp
Bilal (G10B)

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Middle School Spelling Bee
KIST middle school students spent the month ofJanuary studying for the annual middle school spellingbee. Language teachers designed special assignments
to work on vocabulary, pronunciation and general use ofspelling in everyday writing. Each grade level held theirown formal spelling bee to select participants for theschool-wide competition.
The students selected were:
Grade 6: Yi-Ting, Amina, Rachel and Liang
Grade 7: Kotone, Armina, Arjun and Akshara
Grade 8: Angela, Jung Yup, Aditya and Shah Raj
The school-wide event was held on February 3 during
the school day and all middle school students attended.
Some of the more difficult words included
extemporaneous, pituitary, circumlocution, phylum,
scythe, feign and whimsical. Each of these high levelwords were spelled correctly. The only remaining
seventh grade student misspelled the word
philosophize to leave three sixth grade students andone eighth grade girl in the final round. In a very
dramatic ending there was one word that four of theremaining spellers struggled with. Each of them
misspelled the word negotiable, and Angela (G8A)
walked confidently to the microphone and spelled itcorrectly without hesitation. The spelling bee lasted for 9
rounds and 45 minutes, and all spellers did very wellwith some very tough words. Congratulations to allparticipants!
As a result of her win, Angela then went on to compete
at the National Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 10
where she faced serious competition and represented
KIST very well.
Kara Haines
Secondary School English/Humanities Teacher

KIST Hosts Middle School Brain Bowl
“How many times a month does the moon circle theEarth?” “What was the most popular Twitter hash tag
in 2011?” “How many Roald Dahl books can you
name?” A buzz of energy circled the room as students
frantically wrote down their answers, not wanting tomiss a point. What was all this action about? Middle
School Brain Bowl, of course!
On Wednesday, February 8, ten international schools
from Tokyo and Yokohama gathered at KIST andcompeted in three rounds of trivia and generalknowledge. What was unique about the Middle Schoolcompetition was that students were not versing eachother in school groups, but rather were put in mixed
school groups to allow them to meet new people andfoster friendships.

The students representing KIST; Arjun, Radhika,
Hardik, Akshara, Oshin, Yasmine (G7), Hee Yongand Kunthu (G6) all did extremely well on the day andwere all able to contribute effectively to their groups. A
big congratulations to Arjun, whose team came in at
third place.
All of the students need to be thanked for their
dedication and willingness to help out on the day. Withlots of smiles and laughter, it was a great day for all!
Wendy Gore
Secondary School English/Humanities Teacher

11

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V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12“The Comet”

Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff
10!, we are pleased topresent Wilhelm
Merchel who joined
the school in 2010 as
an instructor for theafter-school LEAP
program, before
becoming our K1
classroom teacher inAugust 2011.

Office Updates
Mobile phones on campus

Mr Merchel examining the
intricacies of art by 3-year-olds.

 Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
I was born in Gdansk, a city located in the north of
Poland. Gdansk and the two neighboring cities, Gdynia
and Sopot, are called Tricity as there is a strong
relation between those three cities!
 What is your favorite place in the world?
I cannot say that it is my favourite place, but I would
like to visit a place with a beautiful azure beach, where
I can look at the sky and listen to the sound of waves.
 Who would you like to meet if you had the chance
and why?
Steve Jobs; I could talk with him about taking risks inlife.
 Do you have any special skills or talents?
I don’t think so.
 Please share a little known fact about yourself.
At some point in my life I pursued a goal of becoming
an air traffic controller. It required a lot of preparationand self-study to acquire the terminology, rules, etc. I
also had to undergo a rigorous process of testing.
Nevertheless, it was a great experience for me that I do
not regret.
 What is your most prized possession?
I do not believe that material things can give us
happiness. Material things can break, or become
obsolete. I do not own an iPad, newest computer, fancy
cell phone, or extraordinary clothes. I prefer to use mymoney to cherish the ones I care for.
 What words would you use to describe yourself?
Hmm.. optimistic – I try not to give up even if thecircumstances are not favorable; patient – some things
just take time and to see the results of our hard work
we have to wait; balanced – I like to be spontaneous
sometimes, and on the other hand I like to have thingsplanned and execute the plan in order.
 If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
Maybe it sounds like a cliché, but I would not doanything differently. As in everybody’s life, I have hadsome ups and downs, but the path I have chosen formyself has brought me where I am now. I am happy.
 Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Yes there is. I am working on improving my Japaneseskills and I am hoping to pass N3 Japanese Language
Proficiency Test in the near future. I also would like todevote more time to improve my German as well.
 Do you have any special message for your fans?
I would like to thank the whole KIST community for theircontinuous support and for the sense of integrity
between all of its members.

Elementary students are not permitted touse mobile phones at school, except to inform theirparents when they arrive at school in the morning or toarrange pick ups after school. For Secondary students,
mobile phone use is generally not allowed on campus,
except when they have received express permission
from a teacher at the beginning of a lesson to use thephone for a specific educational purpose in class.
Secondary students are not permitted to use theirphones during recess and lunch breaks for any reason.
Parents who need to contact their child during school
hours are required to call the office.

Use of the bicycle parking area
Students using the bicycle parking area
near the school entrance are asked topark their bicycles well inside the area
behind the West Building. Bicycles should
not be parked near the entrance as this blocks accessto the emergency exit door (the yellow painted area)
and also makes it difficult for other users to pass.
This bicycle parking area is strictly for students who
travel to school by bicycle only. Parents are also
welcome to use the area to park their bicycle if they are
visiting the school for a specific purpose (e.g. PTA
meeting, SSP duty etc.); however, due to the limited
space, parents are asked to refrain from using it as apublic parking area when visiting the area for personalreasons.
A red boy’s bicycle has been left in the bicycle
parking area for some time. It will be removed fromthe school premises if not claimed by Monday,
April 2.

Canon ink cartridge recycling
A recycling box has been placed near theentrance of the West Building for used
Canon ink cartridges. Returning these to
Canon allows the school to receive
Bellmark points which can be exchanged
for school supplies. If you use Canoncartridges at home, we ask for your cooperation in
supporting the school by disposing of them in the box.
Please note that only Canon ink cartridges can berecycled. Please refrain from placing other cartridges,
boxes, tape or any other packaging in the box.

School nurse
As mentioned in the ‘Nurse’s Notes’
section of this newsletter, our school
nurse, Ms Nameshida, will leave KIST
in early May due to personal reasons.
Although her time at KIST was short,
we would like to thank Ms Nameshida
for her efforts and wish her all the best in China where
she will move with her husband. We are currently
searching for a new nurse and will inform the schoolcommunity when a suitable replacement is found.

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13

MYP News
Personal project exhibition
The final stage of the Personal Project journey that allof our Grade 10 students took part in this year opened
its doors to all KIST students, teachers and families on
Friday, February 24 in the school gym. Students began
the day by presenting their work to Grade 6-9 student
groups throughout the day and then to parents andother community members later that evening.
An interesting variety of different projects were
presented by the authors themselves and revealed our
greatest KIST success: educated, knowledgeable
young people with creative ideas and essential
planning skills for their futures. These traits are acornerstone of the IB Learner Profile which we hope all
our students embody when they graduate from ourschool.
Personal projects varied from investigations of cultural
diversities through technological experiments;
personal, physical and mental health and other sociallyengaging topics. This year’s personal projects showeda vast variety of interests, skills and talents connectedto each and every IB Learner Profile attribute and thus

Nurse’s Notes
The cold weather seems to be leaving us behind, springis on the horizon, and with it arrives the season ofmeasles and hay fever.

Measles
Measles, while not as common a disease as it once
was, is still an infectious disease prevalent from spring
to summer. I know that a lot of children have alreadyreceived their immunizations, but I urge those who
haven’t to do so as the potential complications ofmeasles can be fatal. Please contact your local clinic formore information regarding immunizations.
The initial symptoms of measles are a high temperatureof 38-39 degrees continuing for three to four days,
followed by a sudden drop in temperature, and then arash and a sharp rise in temperature to 39-40 degrees
for several days. Other symptoms may include
conjunctivitis, coughing and phlegm in the throat.
Initially, a rash with 2-3mm round red spots will appear
around the face and throat and can spread to the chest
and arms, and even to the stomach, back and legs.
Measles is an airborne infection which can easily
spread at school and infection is still possible even if
you have received immunization. If you discover any of
the symptoms mentioned above, please consult yourdoctor at once.

Hay feverHay fever is becoming more common in children inreconfirming the view of education as a continuous
inquiry cycle.
With the guidance of their supervisors, all students
succeeded in satisfying the personal project objectives
and experiencing what is considered a culminating
MYP celebration of learning. But what is more
important, through the personal project process, Grade
10 students showed themselves and their communitythat they are ready for the exciting challenges their
future educational choices may present them.
Vedrana Pavletic
MYP Coordinator
The Nurse’s Room is located next to the main
office and is open daily from 8:30 to 3:30.
recent years. There is no cure for hay fever, but there
are several things you can do to mitigate yoursymptoms. These include getting proper rest and eating
a balanced diet to strengthen your immune system,
wearing a mask, and avoiding wearing woolen clothing
as it attracts pollen.
Pollen is prevalent in the Kanto area fromthe end of February but it has been
predicted that this year’s pollen count will
be lower than last year. Please take thisopportunity to evaluate your current
lifestyle and identify alternative options toimprove your overall wellness.

Finally...
Unfortunately, due to my husband’s transfer abroad, I
will be leaving KIST on May 2 and moving to the Anhui
province in China during Golden Week. The staff andstudents at KIST have been wonderful and I hope wehave the opportunity to meet again.
Although my time here has beenshort, I would like to thank you for all
your support.
Mari Nameshida
School Nurse
mari.nameshida@kist.ed.jp
Ms Nameshida

14“The Comet”

V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12KIST Goes Knitting Crazy
The second term has seen an explosion in the knittingclub at KIST. What started as a small elementary clubin the fall has now become a club of 27 elementary andsecondary students plus affiliate parents, teachers andsiblings!
The elementary Knit Wits have joined forces with thesecondary Knitting Club and meet every Wednesday tohone their skills. These skills have extended to garterstitch, stocking stitch, ribbing, basket weaving and evencabling and lace stitches. These marvelous creations
are shortly to be joined together, making the club’s
second cozy afghan.

In the third term, we look forward towelcoming knitters of all abilities(new and returning members) andgetting started on some new projects. Knit on!
Allison Rabenau and Jenny Thomas
Club Leaders

In addition to this regular club, an intrepid band ofknitters met for two Friday workshops to knit scarves for
Knit for Japan with Bernd Kestler. Knit for Japan is acharity initiated by Mr Kestler that collects knitted goods(or the materials need to create knitted goods) anddelivers knitted items to victims of the Tohoku
Earthquake. This industrious combination of parents,
teachers and students was great fun and contributed
approximately 40 scarves, hats and neck warmers toKnit for Japan, in addition to the blanket of squares
created by the first term’s Knit Wits.
A big thank you to those who attended the workshops—
your hard work and laughter made this a truly enjoyable
experience. The workshops were organized by our PYP
Coordinator, Ms Heard, a regular helper at the knitting
club, and veteran knitter herself.

Secondary Yearbook Club
The yearbook club is a new club at
KIST this year. In the club, students
take photos at various events held
throughout the year and also takepictures of KIST students actively
participating in sports and academic
clubs. The members are also
responsible for coordinatingschedules, managing photos,
designing page layouts andcomposing articles. In addition, they
will have an opportunity to teach what
they’ve learned to student
representatives from all grades to help
give each homeroom page apersonalized touch. All of the students
are working hard to create a book that
the KIST community can be proud of.
If you see a student sporting the
yearbook armband, be sure to givethem your best smile!
Andre Ito
Yearbook Coordinator

Students discussing whatmakes good page design
and working collaboratively
on page layouts.

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15College Guidance News
College acceptances and offers for theClass of 2012 (current G12)
Although each university/college has its own
application period/s and application procedures varyfrom country to country, in general this is a busy time ofyear for the College Guidance Office, especially as thisis the main period for admissions to universities/
colleges in the northern hemisphere such as the UK,
US, Canada and Japan. Some of our applicants have
had responses from universities and some are still
anxiously waiting to hear. Acceptances as of March 10,2012 are listed below. Congratulations! There will be
more in the next issue of The Comet.
(*Scholarship offered)
USA
WILLAMET UNIVERSITY*
SEATTLE UNIVERSITYPACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY*NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITYSAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN*OTIS COLLEGE OF ARTS AND DESIGNCANADAMCGILL UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIOJAPANSOPHIA UNIVERSITY (Liberal Arts) (Green Science)
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY (ICU)
WASEDA UNIVERSITY (SILS)
An important note about university offers:
There can be different types of university offers such as“unconditional” offers or acceptances where the place
has been given to the student already, or “conditional”
offers where the offer will only be confirmed if thestudent’s level of performance continues for the rest of
G12 and is demonstrated in the final Diploma
examinations. Obviously, a strong performance inthese exams is vital for students with “conditional”
offers, but even for students who have been given“unconditional” acceptances, there have been cases inother schools where such places have been withdrawn
by universities due to poor academic performance inthe final few months of G12. Therefore, all G12
students need to continue to work very hard until
May.

Keep
studying
hard!

In addition, very good performance in the May DP
exams can provide students with extra credit when they
get to their chosen university and may qualify them fora scholarship under the new KIST Founders’ Awards
program for students who receive high marks in the
final DP results issued in July of each year (see ECommunications No. 125: “University Support Award”,
January 20, 2012). Students should also be aware thatthe final results will be their permanent academic
records for life and may affect their future career
options or applications for postgraduate study.

College acceptances and matriculations
for the Class of 2011 (G12 last year)
There are some students who sent their applications
after graduating from KIST. This is mainly because theyplanned to apply for the February or April intakes of theregular academic calendar of Australian or Japanese
education systems. Acceptances received sincesummer 2011 for the Class of 2011 are listed below.
Bold type indicates where students decided to enroll.
Congratulations and best wishes to students for theircollege success!
AUSTRALIA
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLANDUK
HULT BUSINESS SCHOOLJAPANKWANSEI GAKUIN UNIVERSITY
MEIJIGAKUIN UNIVERSITYSOPHIA UNIVERSITY (Liberal Arts)
LAKELAND COLLEGERITSUMEIKAN ASIA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY (APU)

G11 college guidance
During semester 1 Advisory classes, general
information regarding college applications and career
options was introduced to G11 students. Semester 2
will focus on searching for suitable colleges andapplication preparation, including college essay/
personal statement writing as delivered by Mrs Okude
and Mr Cowe. A booklet titled “My Post-KIST Plan” wasdistributed to students to help them organize these
activities, which include a self-survey of their interests,
interview questions to be completed for an individualinterview with Mrs Okude, and space for university lists
and summer action plan. We would like to ask parents
to take a look at this booklet and the College Guidance
Moodle page and assist your child to complete theactivities. Personal interviews with Mrs Okude havealready started and will run until April. In addition, acompulsory G11 College Night has been scheduled
for the evening of Monday, April 16. Further
information about this event will be distributed tofamilies of G11 students soon.

C ont i nu ed n ex t pa ge

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V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12

C o n t i n u e d f ro m p re v i o u s p a g e

Secondary SRC Update

College visits and college fairs

The KIST Secondary School Student Representative
Council continues to meet regularly to help develop
innovative and constructive ideas for the benefit offellow students. Generally we have meetings every
Thursday after school where all of the classrepresentatives and executives meet to discuss issues
and ideas that have been brought up by students at our
school. These meetings are run by our president, Yubo
(G12) and with guidance from Mr Fishman. Everythingthat is discussed during the meeting is documented byour secretary, Airi (G11B). If the SRC decides topursue a suggested activity, cause or idea, a proposal
is developed and submitted to the Secondary School
Principal before further steps can be taken. These
proposals will include a comprehensive plan whichhelps determine if it is approved.

A number of events are scheduled during spring
including college presentations at KIST and college
fairs in Tokyo. Please use these valuable opportunities
to explore higher education around the world.
★College presentations at KIST for G9-G12
students (parents also welcome) Laureate International Universities [Hospitality],(Switzerland, Australia)
Tuesday, March 6, 15:30-16:30
 University of Southhampton (UK)Friday, March 9, 16:30-17:30
 University of Melbourne (Australia)
Monday, April 2, 15:30-16:30
 University of Sheffield (UK)
Tuesday, April 3, 14:20-15:30★College fairs in Tokyo beo International Education Fair (UK, Australia)
Saturday, March 31, 13:00-18:00, Shinjuku L Tower
http://www.beo.co.jp/fair/english
 SIUK UK University Fair (UK)
Sunday, April 1, 12:00-17:00, Shinjuku First Building
http://www.ukeducation.jp/unifair
 Study in Canada Fair (Canada)
Tuesday, April 3, 16:00-19:00 / Wednesday, April 4,
12:00-19:00, Canadian Embassy
http://www.canada-ryugaku-fairSummer programs
If you are interested in summer programs in Japan andoverseas, please come to the College Guidance Office.
There are some information that we can provide you.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding yourchild’s college and career options, please feel free tocontact Mrs Okude by e-mail or phone to make an
appointment.
Mrs Keiko Okude
College Guidance Counselor
Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
10:00-17:00
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp

V i s i t f ro m G l i o n I n s t i t u t e o f H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n,
S w i t ze rl a n d o n M a rc h 6 .

We are in the proposal stages for a KIST League which
would be intramural team building and sports activities
to be held during lunch recess. We are also in theprocess of making school calendar suggestions fornext year.
From all of the SRC members, we would like to thankall of the KIST community for their ongoing support of
the Secondary SRC.

Staff Achievement
DP Japanese teacher, Etsuo Kamo, hasreceived official recognition from the IB
as an IB assistant examiner forJapanese A Language and Literature. In
this role, Kamo-sensei will be
responsible for marking Japaneseexaminations from DP students aroundthe world. Congratulations Kamo-sensei!

Softballers Wanted
The school softball team for parents andstaff (as featured in the December 2011
issue of The Comet) is still in need of
new members! The team promotes
friendly sportsmanship amongst members throughpractices and tournaments with other adult teams. The
team usually meets twice a month on Sundays on the
KIST playing field or at other local Japanese schools
and baseball grounds in Koto-ku. A wide range of ages
are represented, with members ranging from their
twenties to their sixties.
The next match will be held on Sunday, April 1 at 8:30
a.m. at the Shinsuna sports ground. If you areinterested in joining, or even just coming along for alook, please contact Akihiko Nogami atakihiko.nogami@kist.ed.jp.

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Alumnus Report
Hiro Komaki is an alumnus of KIST’s “Class of 2008.”
He is currently in his final year at the University of Bath(UK), majoring in mathematics.
I still remember the time when I was in an analysis
lecture in semester 2 of year 1. I did not understand asingle lecture, not because of the way it was taught, but
simply because it was just too different from high schoolmathematics. Before even attempting to understand theproofs, I was struggling with the Greek alphabet,especially(pronounced as eta) and (pronounced
as xigh in Britain). The former looked like (and still looks
like!) “n” in the alphabet, and the latter looked like ascribble. Thus, I gave up on my attempt to understandwhat the lecturer was saying and instead decided to findthe ratio of males to females taking maths in my year.
While counting, I expected a ratio of around 5:1, since I
always had a feeling that males tend to likemathematics more. However, I was stunned to see thatthe ratio was in fact close to 1:1! From this moment I
started to wonder why this was the case.
Looking back in time, I encountered a similar incident insemester 1. In one of the analysis problem sheets, there
was a question on convergence and divergence of aseries. Suppose we want to determine whether theseries(meaning add the sum from n=1 toofthe series) converges or diverges, intuitively it makes
sense to say that it converges since as “n” increases,
the denominator becomes larger so dividing 1 by a verylarge number results to a very small number; i.e. theseries converges. However, in university mathematics,
understanding by intuition was not enough. For theentire semester, I was questioning the point in proving
everything I saw, even when I understood themintuitively.
The above incidents finally linked when I was talking to
my personal tutor about internship and future options. I
was told that mathematicians had the highest
employment rate over any other fields of study. Most ofyou may be wondering why this is the case, but theanswer is relatively simple. It is because
mathematicians can think logically, and this is thecharacteristic that the world is looking for. For example,“If A, then it’s B. If it’s B, then it’s C” is logic. Similarly, “I
will eat because I am hungry” is also logic. However, life
is not as simple as “If A, then it’s B”. There are many
steps between A and B, and when these steps increase,things get much more complicated. Yet mathematicians
can still follow even after 10,000 steps. This is because
mathematics itself is logic, and through pursuing the
subject we are naturally trained to think in a logicalmanner. Omission of one step, or even a single letter ina proof could lead to invalidity. Under such conditions,
we develop our logical thinking skills.
Logical thinking skills are vital in real life, and we usethem every day. Whether having a discussion, trying to

17persuade someone, buying second-hand goods, reading
newspapers...all require some form of logic. Without
logic, the world would not be viable. We use logic inother subjects as well. To write a coherent essay
requires logic. To present a report coherently requires
logic. We are actually using mathematics unconsciously
in any field of study.
So what is the catch of this article? Do not disregard
mathematics from your life simply because you hate it or
you are good at another subject, since “mathematics is,in its way, the poetry of logical ideas” (Albert Einstein).
I have had many queries about the current university
situation in the UK so I would like to take this opportunity
to share my thoughts on some of the common
questions.
Q. I have seen a number of demos on the news
regarding the rise in tuition fees. Is it safe to study in theUK?
A. As many of you are aware, in 2010, the government
agreed to allow universities in the UK to charge tuition
fees up to 9,000 pounds per year for home students. As
a result, thousands of students marched and protestedon the streets in large cities including London,
Manchester and Birmingham. However, the situation issettling at the moment, and I have not heard any news
on student protests for a long time. Also, note that
universities have not increased tuition fees for overseas/international students, so the fees still remain between
9,000-14,000 pounds.
Q. How did the economic crisis in Europe affect the UK?
A. It is indeed true that more students are struggling tofind a job in the UK. If it is hard for the home students tofind a job, then it is even harder for overseas students!
Thus, if you are planning to study in the UK, I
recommend you to not only look at the rankings of thesubject you wish to study but also the graduate
employment level, and internship levels/names. For
instance, during an internship talk held at the Universityof Bath last year, the careers advisor mentioned that
Imperial College London and the University of Bath are
the two universities with the highest internship rate forcompetitive firms such as Lloyds TSB and Airbus. Thisshows that firms don’t necessary look for university
names, so this may be something to keep in mind.
Hiro Komaki
The University of BathKIST Alumnus, “Class of 2008”

H i r o (f a r r i ght ) a nd f r i en ds .

18

V ol u me 15 | I s s ue 3 | M arc h 20 12“The Comet”

PTA News
Hello, everyone! This is news from the PTA Executive
Committee. The structure of the PTA was revised lastAugust after a period of absence. Although it took alittle time for the Executive to get into the swing ofthings, more than half a year has already passed andwe would like to report on some of the PTA’s activities
and provide feedback from our monthly Executive
meetings.
1) From this month, we will release news to all PTA
members from the Executive Committee meetings thatare held at 2:00 p.m. on the 1st Wednesday of every
month. These meetings are attended by the membersof the Executive Committee and also representatives ofeach of the general committees, and at times, schoolstaff representatives.
2) We established a bank account for PTA use only.
From this month, PTA funds will be managed throughthe PTA instead of the school3) PTA-related expenses such as expenses forcommittee events and support activities for school
events should be recorded on special invoices to be
reimbursed in the month following discussion andapproval at Executive meetings.
4) In order to support the school, we have asked boththe Elementary and Secondary School Principals to
submit via the office wish lists of items they would likethe PTA to purchase. Items will be prioritized anddiscussed by the Executive Committee. Then, PTA
members will have the chance to vote on these at the
PTA AGM on Wednesday, May 30.
5) Committee reports
Newcomers Committee
 In consultation with Mr Larsen in
the office, we have prepared awelcome letter for new families
that will be included in theenrollment package children
receive on initial enrollment. This letter includes
contact details for the committee representatives
so that new families can contact them for support
with difficult issues or to ask questions.
Furthermore, we are finalizing details of our plan to
introduce a buddy system in order to better support
incoming families and develop closer friendships.
Library Committee
 In response to one of last month’s
meeting agenda items, it is difficult
to accept orders for English books
any time due to the complexity of
the administrative work required.
Instead, the period of the Book
Fair will be extended to 3 weeks from the current 2
weeks.

 Last month, the Executive Committee approved thecreation of a stamp to improve the efficiency ofvolunteer work in the libraries. The design of thestamp is now being considered.
 This year’s Sakura Medal activity has commenced
so please encourage your children to read many
books at home.
Parent Booster Club The establishment of the PTA bank account has
made it easier for us to access sporting facilities in
Koto-ku such as the swimming pool. However, as
reservations are required 3 months in advance, itwill be difficult to arrange activities this year. As
such, we will continue to plan ahead for next year.
 Through the PTA, we hope to launch acheerleading club in the next school year.
To promote this activity, we plan to invite
a well-known cheerleading team to theschool to perform at Family Day in May or
early in the new.
 We are planning to hold a second roundof CPR training for parents.
Events Committee We are now finalizing arrangementsfor our next ‘Wine & Cheese’evening on May 25. After the
success of the previous event, wehope that even more PTA members
will be able to join us.
6) Schedule of forthcoming committee events

Knitting Summer Shawls (Parent Booster Club)
April 19 (Thurs) | Morning (time to be announced)

Wine & Cheese (Events Committee)
May 25 (Fri) | Evening (time to be announced)

Further updates on PTA committee events will be madeperiodically through Moodle. If you have any questions,comments or suggestions, please contact the
Executive Committee or a member of any of thegeneral committees. Furthermore, all of the generalcommittees are always on the lookout for new
members. Why not join in and enjoy the activities
together?