GBC JLS/NAKAYOSHI PRESCHOOL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

2nd term 2023

Notesfrom
fromNakayoshi
NakayoshiPreschool!
Preschool!
Notes!

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 Preschool Calendar

There are still cold days although it is the first day of spring
according to the calendar. We adults wear jackets to endure
the cold. However, the children are playing energetically towarm the cold.

February 17 (Fri)February 20 (Mon)
March 3 (Fri)March 26 (Sun)March 27 (Mon)
April 3 (Mon) ~7 (Fri)
April 10 (Mon)Time flies. It’s been more than a month since the second term
started. The children are growing every day, and I think they
are very reliable. I can see the growth of children even as I
look through the window of the classroom. For example, in thePenguin and Risu classes, they sit on the carpet and listen
intently to their teacher during circle time. During lunchtime,the helpers in the Banana and Melon classes are class leaders
by standing at the front of the classroom, singing the lunch
song and saying, “Itadakimasu” (Let’s eat). The children of theBara and Sumire classes study hard to learn the Hiragana
letters and numbers.

Vision ScreeningPresidents’ Day School Closed
Hinamatsuri (Girls’ – Dolls’ Day)
Undokai (Sports Event)
School Closed
Spring Vacation
3rd Semester begins

 Let’s ask the teachers how the children are
doing in the preschool.
Penguin and Risu classes

Continuing the Performance Day in the first semester, we held
the Setsubun Mamemaki on February 3rd. The children
appeared wearing masks that they made themselves, andthrew beanbags (instead of beans) to drive out ‘Grumpy
Demon’, ‘Crybaby Demon’, and ‘Picky Demon’ from theirhearts. Thank you very much for attending this event. I amglad that many family members came. We are planning to holdUndokai (Sports Event) on March 26th. I am grateful thatmany events that were cancelled due to COVID-19 haveresumed little by little. We have devised various ways to makethe Undokai fun for children and their families. Please lookforward to attending.

The children came back to preschool full of energy after theNew Year. They seemed to be happy and a bit embarrassed
to reacquaint with their friends after the long vacation.
In January, we talked about New Year’s games while showing
them to the children and incorporated “Fukuwarai” (a game
similar to pin the tail on the donkey). They played this gameafter making the game pieces. They blindfolded themselves
and put their face parts on paper, looking at the finished faceand saying “It’s funny” and “It’s fun” and everyone had fun.
Our intention is for the children to familiarize themselves withJapanese culture through play.

Lastly, I would like to talk about the earthquake evacuation drillthat was held in January. In advance, the teachers read
Kamishibai (storytelling using picture cards) about theearthquake or told them what to do when it happens. During
the drill, all the children pretended to be roly-polies byprotecting their heads using their hands and going to under
their desks. Then they quietly evacuated outside with a signal
to stay calm.

Recently, they have become interested in their friends, andthey are learning how fun it is to play together, such as drivinga toy car or building blocks together. They enjoy playing whileinteracting with their friends. When they sometimes fight overtoys, they say “Kashite (Lend me)”, “Issho ni Asobo (Let’s playtogether)” and “Junban (Take turns)”.
The children are
maturing and show consideration to their friends.

In the second term, I hope everyone stays healthy while paying
attention to preventive measures against coronavirus, colds,and influenza. Thank you.

We welcomed some new friends. Oliver has joined thePenguin class, and Kai the Risu class. It looks like theseclasses are going to be more livelier in the coming months.

Director Keiko Damiata!

1!

 Attention

Banana and Melon classes

Please take care to hold your child’s hand and promptly
leave the preschool. With the constant flow vehicles it isunsafe for the children to run around in the parking lot oron the asphalt in front of the temple.

After the New Year, a new friend, Siyyon, joined the Melon
class. It was very heartwarming to see the children teaching
and helping him out in various ways, such as how to put away
their toys, how to play with them, and how to line up with theirfriends. It was a great opportunity for the whole class to abideby the rules.
After the holidays, the children were happy to see their friends
and teachers again after the long absence, and it didn’t takelong for them to enjoy laughing and playing together again.
We think that the children are gradually becoming able tocommunicate with each other as they play with their friends
and have a lively conversation.

We are planning a birthday
party on Friday, March
17th.
Family members ofchildren born in March andApril are welcome toparticipate.

At the Setsubun Mamemaki event on the other day, there weresome children who bravely faced the red demon and the blue
demon by shouting, “Demon out!”, and other children who werescared and ran away. At the last parent-child dance, there
were smiles all around.

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It’s a season where the temperature fluctuates a lot and it’seasy to get sick. After the Setsubun Mamemaki there aremany upcoming events such as Valentine’s Day, Hinamatsuri(Girls’ Day), and Undokai. We would like you to review yourchild’s lifestyle habits such as sleep and meals so that he/she
can fully enjoy these planned events.

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Thank you for your Oseibo donation. (Please let theoffice know if your name is missing or if there are anycorrections.

Bara and Sumire classes
The Bara and Sumire children, who had spent time with theirfamilies during the winter break, were full of excitement andwanted to tell everyone about the events of their vacation. In
the class, each child presented a story about Christmas, a trip
they went on, or a story about meeting their grandpa andgrandma. They were able to talk to their friends who don’t
speak Japanese at home without forgetting what they hadlearned before the two weeks off.

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Anna & Tim Grauerholz
Appel Family
Aya Gerpheide and Micah Silver
Bidwell Family
Cheriton Family
Chris & Beverley Date
Dawn Kawasaki
Dong Kirk Family
Hutchison Family
Jake and Kacy Turelli
Kenta Fujiwara
Koyanagi Family
Marcello & Julia Cavallo
Mayu Matsuda & Jason Terry
Masako Mizuno
Mizufuka Family
Nao & Evan Morgan
Nate Yun & Kristyn Lum
Scott & Christina Tsurudome
Tarzynski Family
Tatsuya Arakawa
The Robbins
The Schubert Family
Yoshinaga Family
Yutaka NoyaIn January, we played Karuta (traditional Japanese playingcards) and made Fukuwarai with friends as a New Year’sgame. Karuta, in particular, was very exciting for the children
who had learned Hiragana letters, and they played it almost
every day. We are also planning Undokai in the second term,
therefore, we plan to move our bodies a lot to ward off the cold.
During outside time, they enjoy playing a relay and Korokoro
Ball (rolling dodgeball). Korokoro Ball is a game where they
have to run away from the ball rolled by the teachers, but ifthey get hit, they are eliminated and have to get out of thecircle. Everyone tries hard to be the last one; however,sometimes, they get frustrated when the ball hits them at an
unexpected time. We are happy that they can enjoy games
that can be played with a large number of children, and we feelthat they are caring for their friends and growing.
We plan to perform Paraballon at the Undokai. We started
practicing it little by little. The children remind each other that
we can’t do well unless we all work together. Please lookforward to our performance.

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