2023-2024 School Year November Edition

Tokyo, Minato City, Motoazabu 3－8－15

Minato City, Nanzan ES

TEL 03（3403）5773

FAX 03（3408）4532

Principal Noriaki Kobayashi

MAIL：nanzan-es@minato-tky.ed.jp

On the Anniversary of the School's Opening

Principal Noriaki Kobayashi
Establishment of Nanzan Elementary School
October 21 marked the 147th anniversary of the opening of Nanzan Elementary School. I wanted touse this once-a-year anniversary as an opportunity to let the students feel the joy of being involved withNanzan Elementary School, so I gave a talk at the school-wide morning assembly. I spoke briefly to thestudents, but in the school newsletter, I will
Location and School Building Changes
elaborate a bit more based on past anniversaries. 1876
7 Azabu Miyamura-cho (Kurayamizaka)
Nanzan Elementary School was founded on Kurayamizaka
2 Story Japanese/Western Style Building
SchoolBuilding
Area: 497 Tsubo
December 19, 1876 at 7, Azabu Miyamura-cho.
69 Miyamura-cho(Current Roppongi H.S.)
The year 1876 was the year of the abolition of the 1894
sword ordinance. At first, the school was called Fujidana School Wooden 2-story building
Building(Double the size of the Kurayamizaka School Building）“Dai 2, Dai-ku, Dai 2 Chugaku-ku Dai 27 Koritsu
Nanzan Shogaku”. It started out as a two-story Azabu no Gakushuin
67 Miyamura-cho(Current Location)
wooden building with 10 classrooms measuring 68 1927
Uchidayama
SchoolBuilding
Reinforced concrete, 3 stories
tsubo, with 150 students and 4 teachers. Since
Kodai no Jyuko na Shiro(Double the size of the Fujidana School Building)then, the name and location have changed1978
Motoazabu 3-8-15 (Current Location)
several times. (See attached table).
Current School Building
A Temporary School building was constructed and used for 2 years.
Origin of the name of Nanzan Elementary School
The current building and grounds are still used with care to this day.
At the time of its founding, there were threeschools in Azabu City: Azabu Elementary School,
School Name Changes
Iikura Elementary School, and Nanzan ElementaryDai
2, Dai-ku, Dai 2 Chugaku-ku Dai 27
1876
School. Azabu and Iikura were named after places,
Koritsu Nanzan Shogaku
but only Nanzan was not named after a place. 1879
Azabu-ku Koritsu Nanzan Shogakku
Some people have looked into why this is, and there
1886
Azabu-ku Nanzan Jinjo Koto Shogakko
are several theories, but the real truth is not known.
1892
Tokyo Shiritsun Nanzan Jinji Koto Shogakko① “Nanzan's Longevity Theory” It is possible that the1908
Tokyo-shi Nanzan Jinjo Shogakko
name Nanzan comes from famous mountains in
1941
Tokyo-shi Nanzan Kokumin Gakko
China that have been written about in many
1943
Tokyo-to Nanzan Kokumin Gakko
poems. The actual mountains, "Zhongnanshan" and1947
Tokyo-to Minato Kuritsu Nanzan Shogakko"Lushan" have a similar level of recognition asJapan's Mt. Fuji, but apart from the actual
Nanzan ES at the time of its opening
mountain, the names are also a symbol oflongevity. ② “The Uchidayama Southern
Direction Theory” The area where the schoolbuilding was built in 1927 was called School name plaque by Sanjo Sanemi, GrandUchidayama. Some say the name comes from Minister of State at the time (located in thethe school being built in the southern area of principal's office)Uchidayama. ③ “The Sister School Theory” Nankai Elementary School inShiba was established in 1874 near the current Tamachi Station. Nearby was A plaque with the school namethe Tokaido Highway, which at that time was close to the coastline and written by Sanjo Sanetomi islapped by waves. The area was named "Nankai" because it was south of the displayed.
Imperial Palace. It is theorized that Nanzan Elementary, which was established two years later in Azabu,
was named "Nanzan" because it was hillier than Nankai Elementary. Nanzan Elementary, which has a lotto discover if you do your research, is truly a school with a lot of history and tradition. I hope that students
are proud to attend such a wonderful school. And I hope that they will always have "love for Nanzan".
The Sports Day was held on October 28. The next big event is the School Performance on December
9 (Sat). We hope that the students who perform will experience the joy of expression, including the
fun of transforming into someone they are not.
Details will be announced at a later date.

Tatewari Group Activities and Cross-Grade Interaction
Special Activities Coordinator
Special activities (Tokkatsu) time is a time to learn how to work on one's own life by realizing the value of “takinginitiative,” “cooperating with others,” “working on things to the end,” “being yourself,” and “being kind.” All of this iscondensed in the Nanzan Elementary School tradition of Tatewari group activities and cross grade interaction. 14 groupsof students from grades 1 to 6 work on various activities throughout the year, with the upper grades taking the leadershiprole in the school orienteering at the Nakayoshi Assembly in July, strengthening the bonds among the students. At theStudent Assembly, the assembly committee plans games for the groups to play and enjoy together, and at the Music
Assembly, the students sing as one.
Upper graders help lower graders in physical fitness tests, and students deepen their learning through presentations
and exchanges with other grades in various classes such as Japanese language, Life Studies, and Integrated Studies.
Each student is growing as
an individual, with the older
students serving as rolemodels for the younger
students, and the middle
grades supporting them incarrying on the goodtraditionsofNanzan
Elementary School.

Initiatives for International Understanding and Diversity

International Understanding CoordinatorInternational understanding means deepening "mutual understanding" and to live better together by understanding
differences through learning about each other's culture and ideas, and by respecting those ideas and other people. To thisend, we conduct educational activities based on three perspectives. ① Cultivating the ability to act independently,
cultivating a spirit of tolerance and having a broad perspective. ②Understanding Japanese culture for better international
understanding. ③Acquiring foreign language skills to listen to the thoughts of others and to express one's own intentions. At
Nanzan, students of various nationalities naturally communicate with each other using a variety o f languages, gestures, andtablet translation functions. There is no language barrier, but rather a large diversity of students who engage with each otherin a rich and interactive manner.
In the "World Friendship Project" conducted by the Representative Committee, students ofvarious nationalities introduce their country's culture and recommended dishes during theschool lunch broadcast. in November, at the "JRC Initiation Ceremony" and "UNICEF
Fundraising", students learn about the activities of the Red Cross for Youth and think about
service activities they can do. The Mina Eco Committee holds "Food Loss Week" as anopportunity to focus on global food issues. As part of the school's nutrition education program,school lunches feature dishes from around the world to coincide with international events, andthe school's Broadcasting Committee also introduces a variety of countries during lunchtime. School-wide activities include"Japanese Manners" for 1st graders, "Edo Komon" and "Wheelchair and White Cane Experience" for 4th graders, and the 5thgraders' exploration of the SDGs and the creation of a killifish pond in the Nanzan Forest. In the 6th grade, students givepresentations on their dreams and memories in the International Studies class. Many students also make use of the various
English books in the library on a daily basis. Through multifaceted learning, we nurture students who can play an active role incontributing to the peace and development of the international community.

November Schedule of Events
1 (Wed)6 (Mon)9 (Thu)13 (Mon)
14 (Tue)
17 (Fri)

Committee Activities
Wednesday schedule 5 periods
4 period day
Evacuation Drill
JRC Initiation Ceremony
Wednesday schedule 5 periods
Sugaku Kentei (Applicants Only)

18 (Sat)20 (Mon)21 (Tue)
27 (Mon)
29 (Wed)Minato City Ethics Lecture PTA Event
Unicef Fundraising (Until 24(Fri))G4 Social Studies Field Trip
Committee (December Meeting)Club Activities

November Goal

Use Proper Language <Fureai Month>