The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 24 | Issue 3 | March 2021

In this issue...
04...K1 Transportation Provocation
05…G2 Virtual Visits
07...Staff 10!
07...Student Care
09...Artscape 2001
10...G6 RoboSumo

11...Japanese Calligraphy Contest
13...I&S Department Snapshot
15...KIST Middle School Spelling Bee
16...Service as Action
17...Nurse’s Notes
18...University Guidance News

From the Head of School

Dates to Remember

Time is a gift

In the age of coronavirus, social distancing
expectations and guidelines put into effect to slow the
spread are in place across the country, making life feel far from normal. While
we are no longer living the way we did just a year ago, it is possible to use thistime to our advantage. Rather than spending time at home watching Netflix
and using the Nintendo Switch, many people are utilizing this extra time athome to accomplish some of the goals they could not find the time to do
before.
Here are some suggestions I have found:
Spending more time as a family
Since the beginning of the pandemic, tabletop games
have been in high demand. The Japan Times
described many games that have become family
favourites recently, including Nanja Monja (ToddlesBobbles in English), Uno, Hanafuda, and Catan. Other
popular boardgames include Monopoly, the Game ofLife, and Scrabble. Tabletop games are a wonderfuland entertaining way to spend quality time together asa family.
Cooking with our children can also be a fun activity with many hidden benefits.
The biggest barrier to cooking with our children is often time, or a lack of it.
Due to the pandemic, many of us are currently having more meals at homewith our families and spending more time with our kids every day or on
weekends. Exposure to different foods and being involved in their preparation
can have a positive influence on eating behaviours. Other benefits include
honoring a family’s native culture, increasing a child’s willingness to try new
foods, and developing an appreciation for one’s food.
Another option is to read together as a family! It seems there is never enoughtime for families to read together. Turning off the TV and YouTube and diving
into a book as a family is a great way to make the most of this extra time.
Take up hobbies you always wanted toWith all the extra time people have had on their hands over the past year,
many have decided to take up hobbies. A surge in sales was reported this year
by many guitar manufacturers such as Gibson, Martin, and Fender.

March 2021

20 School day
20 (K1-G9) Student-led conferences
20 (G10) DP options session
20 (G12) DP Visual Arts exhibition
21-28 Spring vacation
29 School resumes for all students

April 2021

2 (G1-G10) KIST cross country
meet [*Postponed or cancelled]
5 School photographs (for new
and absent students)
5-13 (G10) IGCSE mockexaminations [*Cancelled]
8-9 School musical (workshop forstudents)
16 (K1/K2/K3) Cross country [*Datechanged]20-21 (K1/K2/K3) Kindergarten
concert (rehearsal and recording)
21 (G9) PSAT
23 (G12) Last day of classes
26-30 (G12) DP study week
29 School day
29 (G8) MYP Community Project
exhibition [*Cancelled]
30-May 21 (G12) DP examinations

May 2021

1-9 Golden Week vacation
12-21 (G10) IGCSE final
examinations [*Tentative]
12-13 (G1-G8) English writing
diagnostic testing
19-20 (G1-G5) Mathematics
diagnostic testingContinued on next page

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

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Continued from previous page

Practical arts such as sewing have also shown an
increase in interest over the past year. Sewing
machine sellers are also reporting a surge in sales.
Access to online lessons and free video tutorials has
made it much easier to take up a hobby.
Spending more time at home can be exciting andproductive depending on how we plan to use it.
Staying productive and trying to accomplish something
every day is a great way for us to remain positive

during this challenging time. People often talk about
what they would do if they had the time to do it. Let’s
make the most of this time, because as they say, time
is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside
for the future, but to be used wisely inthe present.
Kevin Yoshihara
Head of School/Elementary School
Principal

PYP News
Changes to writing assessments in the elementary school
Last year, I wrote an article to explain some new writing assessments that wewere introducing. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, these could
not go ahead as planned at the end of the school year. We have started using
them this year and are just about to administer the second round (the first for Grade 1), so I thought I would takethis opportunity to explain them again in a little more detail.
For the last two years, Grade 5 students at KIST have been taking the externally marked Pearson Edexcel
examinations in June. These assessments are globally recognized and allow us to level the progress of ourstudents against those in England and those using the international version of England’s national curriculum. In
writing, students are assessed across six criteria:
Form – how well the students organize their work
Communication – their word choicePurpose – their connection to the task and sense of audience
Grammar – the structure and accuracy of their sentences
Punctuation – the accuracy and variety of their punctuation
Spelling/transcription – their spelling and overall presentation
These criteria link very nicely with our focus on the six traits of writing (ideas, organization, word choice, voice,sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation) so our students are getting everything they need to be
successful on these examinations.
One way we hope to prepare students for this writing assessment and other assessments with rubrics that they
will encounter in the future is to adapt this test for lower grades in the elementary school, as well. We took thegrade 5 rubric and modified it with age-appropriate objectives for Grades 1–5. Now all students at KIST will sit
similar writing assessments, and it is hoped that this consistent approach will benefit our G5s come June.
Changes have been made to the schedule so rather than having writing assessments in August and May, we will
now be doing them in November (for G2–G5), in March (for G1–G5), and in May (for G1–G5). These writing tasks
will be a little shorter (30 minutes) and will be linked directly to the writing genre or topics covered by the units ofinquiry. This way, we can ensure that our students are being assessed on a wide variety of text types during theirtime at KIST, and that we also have the flexibility if we want to adjust some of our units of inquiry.
While the academic achievement of our students is extremely important, it is hoped that by spreading theseassessments out and by having them in a more familiar format, anxiety levels will be reduced, and the children will
enjoy the process as the topics are based around their own curriculum. The purpose of assessment at KIST isalways to celebrate achievement as well as identifying areas where our students can grow. By creating our own
personal writing assessments, we can ensure that this is happening and that there are no gaps in our assessment
process.
This issue of The Comet will be released just after the March assessments so please discuss theexperience with your child, and if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinatoroliver.sullivan@kist.ed.jp

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Early Childhood News
Hello KIST families. I hope you are all doing well.
It’s hard to believe that a full year has alreadypassed since the Prime Minister announced to close
all the schools in Japan! Just a few days later, KIST
began its first ever period of distance learning. This
was a very challenging experience not only for our
staff, but also for those of you who were supportingyour child/ren at home.

K1B
safe manner (e.g. each individual student has theirown stationery box, fewer students share eachtable, space between students during the day.)We were excited to welcome students back to campus
at the beginning of this school year, as we believe thatface to face education is much more meaningful forstudents, especially our youngest learners in K1–K3. Itis essential for children in this age group to develop
their social skills in an environment where they caninteract with their peers and familiar teaching staff while
they learn. We are so grateful for the efforts of ourfamilies, staff, and the children themselves in helping tokeep our campus disease free in order to make such alearning environment possible.

These new safety measures are not easy for young
children to follow. Especially now after spending morethan a half year together, the children are feeling safer
and more comfortable in their environment and want to
get physically close to their teachers and friends to play
together or give hugs, and this unfamiliar situation has
been a challenge for the staff, as well. But we areworking together and doing our best to keep everyonein the ECE community (and the KIST community atlarge) safe!

At school, the children in K1–K3 are working hard (withreminders!) to remember to:• Wash their hands before and after each activity.
• Not talk while they eat.
• Not make physical contact with others.

We will continue to take all necessary measures toensure a safe environment for our students, and tokeep encouraging the children to follow our school
safety measures so that we may all continue learning
together at school.

Teaching staff in K1–K3 have been:• Wiping and disinfecting toys and resources in theclassroom every day.
• Monitoring whether children are washing theirhands properly and spraying hand sanitizer on theirhands when necessary.
• Providing entertaining and educational videos andaudio materials for the children to watch and listen
to while they eat.
• Organizing and arranging classrooms andclassroom materials for each child to be used in a

Here are some photos of the ECE children eating theirsnacks and lunches in the classroom—I wish I wereable to record and share with you how quiet they arewhile they eat! We are so proud of their efforts to keep
our school safe.
Please stay healthy, everyone!
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1ꟷK3)/
K1B Teacher

K2B

K1A
K2A

K3A

K3B

3

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K1 Transportation Provocation
Our unit, ‘How we express ourselves,’ which focusedon transportation, was a fun unit for all the students inthe two K1 classrooms. For our provocation, the K1classes inquired into the students’ prior knowledge oftransportation. We set out a blue tarp in the classroom
in front of the mat. On one side of the tarp was Japan,
and on the other side was the Philippines (K1A)/
England (K1B).
We told the students the other side of the blue tarp
where they were sitting was Tokyo, Japan. The blue
tarp was water, and the big picture was the Philippines/
England. We then asked the students, ‘How can we go
to the Philippines/England from Japan?’ The students
had to use their skills as thinkers to figure out theanswer, and then reflect on possible answers. Eachstudent then role-played how to reach the Philippines/
England by using a tissue box as a type of transport.
They showed that they were risk-takers by acting out
their boxes to the Philippines/England.

Some of the students’ replies were:
Yuri: “Walk.”
Lola: “Swim.” “You ride the bike.”
Sebastian: “I just went to the boat.”
Runxi: “You ride the car.”Arisa: “The bus.”
Anika: “Swimming.”
Xiaoyu: “Walking.”
Kikka: “Bird, flag”
Shusei: “Blue, not Japan, blue flag”
Yoonie: “Castle”
Lui: “Shark”
Daiki: “Fish”
Riko: “Shark”
Claire Yoneyama
K1A Teacher

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G2 Virtual Visits
This year, for our year-long unit on How we organize
ourselves, the G2 students have been visiting theelderly care center, Fukagawa Yasuragino Sono, every
month through virtual meetings on Zoom.
The central idea of the unit is “Individuals impact thefunction of groups.” Previously, students of each classformed small groups, planned activities and games,and presented/shared them with the residents (inperson) at the elderly care center. Origami, magicshows, drawing and stretches/exercises were popular
activities. Fluent Japanese speakers supported the non-native Japanese speakers of the class as we all
worked together towards this event every month.
This year, due to COVID-19, students have been
limited to monthly meetings online and sharing theiractivities through microphones, speakers and screens.
It has been difficult as the students cannot physicallyteach the elderly how to fold origami or draw a picture,and share a magic trick, not to mention the technicaldifficulties where the sound gets lost or the connections

are weak, but students,
teachers, staff at the center,and the residents have all
been working together tobuild an experience thatflows across cultural borders. The students, in effect,
have been enjoying the time immensely.
Through the process, we aim for the G2s to hone theircommunication skills, social skills, thinking skills, andself-management skills as they each learn how all of us
have an impact on each other. As a big group of G2
students from KIST, we also hope to bring smiles andjoy to the elderly who are also confined to theirresidential spaces during this pandemic.
Aya McDonough andFernanda Guzman
G2 Teachers56

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Elementary ELS
How transdisciplinary learning supports language development“Transdisciplinary learning” is a key feature of the PYP curriculum. It is also one of the aspects that really helps ourstudents to push forward their English language learning. These photos from G3A’s recent literacy and mathclasses show how investigating different aspects of a concept and topic through different subject areas can makestudents’ language grow. G3A’s current Unit of Inquiry is “Natural landscapes have an effect on our communities”.

In literacy’s Word Work Center, Rury and Akiko
investigated the meaning of words related tonatural landscapes. This vocabulary is in the
Unit’s main text—The Land of Neverbelieve—
and will be useful for expressing theirunderstanding of the central idea later in the unit.

In literacy’s Read-to-Someone
Center, Takafumi and Seira read a
non-fiction book When the Earth
Was New and filled in a graphicorganizer about it. Learning phrases
and sentence patterns for describing
landforms through this book feeds
back into UOI class, where they willhear and use the same language
again.

In literacy’s Writing Center, Ashlesha and Kina
took notes about the island in The Land of
Neverbelieve and started writing a travel diary of
their “trip” there. The process of reading andwriting about natural landscapes helps to cement
the language needed to continue researchingand discussing the central idea.

Here are Chiwoo and Krishiv’s Geometrocity
projects from math class. The concept of thecentral idea applies in part to this project, too, so
conceptual understanding is reinforced as
vocabulary contrasting manmade environments tonatural ones is used.
Finally, the hands-on and interactive nature of all these
activities leads to a lot of talk and concretereferences for learning the meaning of unitrelated vocabulary. Bringing the same concepts
and same language into so many lessons
throughout the week is a massive boost for
language development.
Rachel Parkinson
ELS Coordinator (Elementary)/G3 ELS Instructor
rachel.parkinson@kist.ed.jp

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Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, we arepleased to present Rachel
Parkinson who joined ourElementary School team in
August 2011. Originally working
as a teacher’s assistant, Ms.
Parkinson subsequently moved
into an English language
support role. In August 2013,
she was appointed Elementary
ELS Coordinator, and this year,
is also the ELS Instructor for
Grade 3.

10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
I’ll tell them individually if I can find them.

Student Care
Ms Rachel, celebrating adecade of service tostudents at KIST!

1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
The town I grew up in Sydney, Australia—has colonies
of different bat species living in some of city’s big
parks, and if you live in a suburb with tall flowering
trees around, they may visit really close to your home.
I’m nostalgic about the sound they make at nighttime,
all chatting over a meal together.
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
It used to be Tokyo. But being stuck in a placechanges that perspective a little. So it’s hard to say
now. I’m looking forward to traveling more with myfamily and finding new favorite places. Any destinationsuggestions are welcome!
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
There are many, many people it would be amazing tomeet for so many different reasons—especially if time
travel were possible! Edward Jenner and Jonas Salk
are two of them—people from the past whose work we
can feel the effects of now even so many years later.
Thank you to them, and to those medical researchers
now who are standing on their shoulders and helping
us to get beyond COVID-19.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
Nope, but lots and lots of many varied interests andhobbies to keep me fully and happily occupied.
5) Please share a little-known fact about yourself.
I wanted to be a vet or biologist when I was a kid. One
day I found an already dead frog near our place andbrought it home to dissect, except since there wasn’ttime to dissect it immediately, I put it in the freezer todissect later, without telling my mum…
6) What is your most prized possession?
My memories and the things they live inside of, like myphoto collection.
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Inquirer, because life is bright when there is the hopeof new knowledge just around the corner.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
No, but there are plenty of things that I don’t want torepeat! And equally, plenty of things that I want to takethe chance to do from now on.
9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Yes! Many things, but as two examples, I would like to
be much fitter, and I would like to be able to read thenews in Japanese.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when we feelthat there are situations or circumstances that are
overwhelming or debilitating. Someone or something
stands in the way of you feeling the way you ultimately
would like to feel. Schools are equally susceptible,
possibly more so, to the types of stressors and stimuli
that can cause one to lose his or her balance andbegin to feel vulnerable. Whether the school is yourworkplace or the space you come to learn, we all needhelp from time to time.
KIST is no different. There are plenty of possible
triggers that can affect one’s life and wellbeing.
Younger students feel the separation from theirparents for the first time. Language issues can makeone feel excluded or insufficient. Power struggles on
the playground can lead to nervous reactions. Teasingor bullying both negatively affect one’s feeling ofsafety. Disputes over fairness, rules and regulations
can change the course of friendships, if not tended to
immediately at the time of occurrence, whether in theclassroom or on the pitch.
Home issues, anger management, academicpressures, emotional stability and issues are just a few
of the elements that can make life hard during one’s
school years. Through it all, people need someone
who they can rely on to help “right the ship”. Teachers,
administrators and counseling staff are the closest
adults that children can trust to help with issues thatmake us feel “out-of-control”. Here at KIST, we have a
student care coordinator in both the elementary as wellas the secondary school. Anytime you find yourself
feeling a bit out of sorts, ask your teacher or a staff
member in your respective office if you can speak with
one of the coordinators in the school.
In Elementary, please ask to speak with the Vice
Principal, Mr. Bradley; in Secondary, please ask yourteacher about the possibility of meeting with Ms.
Holdaway.
Most importantly, remember that you
are not alone and there is always
someone to talk to.
Clay M. Bradley
Elementary School Vice Principal/
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KIPS News
From the P1 classroom...
Hello from the P0 and P1 class! Recently, the children have been enjoying theirweekly Japanese class, which takes place each Friday after morning circle.
Each morning, we start the class by greeting everyone with an energetic “P0, P1
kurasu-no minasan, ohayo gozimasu!” (“Good morning, P0 and P1 class!”) At
the beginning of the school year, the children blinked back at us silently, butnow, we are pleased when they are able to greet us back!
The children have also been engaged in activities related to the seasons andthemes of the 8 terms of the KIPS curriculum. They love to repeat stories out
loud when we read familiar books, and they dance and sing along with theirfavorite songs. We have a lot of fun watching them learn and grow! Recently, we
introduced the children to the Japanese holiday “Setsubun” by showing themJapanese demon or “oni” masks and letting them touch a real holly leaf. They
were especially excited to hold the leaf in their hands, but some children were
surprised when the pointed parts hurt a little, and said “ouch!” or “itai!” toexpress themselves. After that, we sang the traditional Japanese song “oni nopantsu” (“The Demon’s Underpants”) and tried out “mamemaki,” the Setsubun
tradition of throwing beans, with the P2 children. The children were a little
startled by the “oni” who visited us, but they did their best to say “oni wasoto” (“get out, demons!”) while throwing balls at the demons.
Lastly, because the KIST Japanese New Year Party was unfortunately cancelled
due to the COVID situation, the KIPS classes got together to have a fun KIPSNew Year Party of our own! We discussed traditional Japanese New Year’s
games and tried out one such game, “fukuwarai.” After watching the teachers’
examples, the children lined up and tried out sticking eyes,
noses, and mouths onto the faces. It was the first time for all of the children to try “fukuwarai,” sothey had a blast and were very proud of their final products. It was also a great chance for us toshare Japanese traditions that have been passed down over the years with the children.
Hitomi Shimizu
P0/P1 Teacher

From the P2 classroom...
Happy New Year! P2 has been busy making new memories with theirfriends since the last article was published. With the weeks leading up
to the Winter Celebration in December, the children were abuzz withholiday cheer learning about Santa Claus and thinking about thepresents they were going to receive from him! Their eyes lit up as wesang “Jingle Bells” and other songs while we waited for Santa to
come. When he finally arrived, the children greeted him excitedly,saying “Santa! Santa! Santa!” Once Santa left, the students donned
their Santa hats and played at the park.
After returning from winter break, P2 had a wonderful time
experiencing different aspects of the new year such as making
shishimai, and we even held our own Japanese New Year’s Party
here at KIPS! All the children in KIPS got together to read a story
about mice who can do sumo called “Nezumi Sumo.” Then, thestudents laughed loudly as they saw the silly faces Ms. Yoshimi madewhile adding the different parts for the fukuwarai game.
More recently, we’ve had parents come to KIPS to introduce theircultures to the class for the P2 unit “My Family.” So far, we’ve enjoyedlearning about Chinese New Year and belly dancing!
We’ve also just begun to practice for the Spring
Concert, and the children seem very excited to performin front of their parents!
Brooke Esper
P2 Teacher

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MYP News
MYP students explore language, culture and identity
An essential element of an IB education is the qualityof international mindedness. The IB suggests that an
engagement with the world and its connections is a“primary aim” of each of the programs. In the past, afocus on international mindedness flowed out of theannual World Cultures Day celebration.
World Cultures Day served as a reminder across theschool of the central role of engagement with theworld around us. Because of COVID-19 restrictions,
we’ve had to change our approach to the celebration.
Instead, we’re encouraging students to look forinternational mindedness in other places.

MYP portfolios

One of the opportunities for MYP students to reflect
on their international mindedness is the MYP
Portfolio. Produced following a series of Advisoryclasses, the portfolio is used to offer focused time forstudents to engage with their progress over the past
year. In addition to examining their academic
progress, students prepare to speak to their families
in Student-Led Conference sessions on the topics ofschool life, their approaches to learning, and on
essential elements of the MYP.
It is during their reflections on the MYP Essentials thatstudents have the opportunity to consider how theirlearning is connected to the world at large. In each of
the MYP courses, students have repeated
opportunities to examine the complex web ofconnections that affects their lives. Whether explicitly
learning about other cultures and times or simply
being reminded of how interconnected the world is,students are challenged to review their view of theworld.

Artscape 2021
Every year international schools in the Tokyo region
organize an art exhibition known as Artscape whichcelebrates the creativity of students in the region.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it wasn’t possible
for an in-person show to be held this year; however,art departments at participating schools collaborated
and were able to organize an online exhibition.
Elementary students were included this year as well.
Check out the link below to view some work from ourtalented KIST students!
b
Web

Artscape 2021!

Andrew DiBella, Julian Dave, John McDonough
Visual Arts Teachers

Grade 7 Advisory

Each semester calls on
students to examine
Learning in the MYP. This semester’s Grade 7 MYP
Advisory lesson was tied directly to a consideration of
language, culture and identity. The students andtheir teachers reviewed and spoke about the complex
nature of their language backgrounds and how thishelped form their personalities. This reflection was
assisted by watching a short movie produced by
Community02.com, featuring the story of KIST
graduate, Yui (Class of 2020). Yui’s story arose froma similar reflection following a World
Cultures Day seminar for MYP
students.
Robert WhiteMYP Coordinator

Yui's story about language, culture and identity.

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G6 RoboSumo
Grade 6 students design, build and code Lego Mindstorms EV-3 Robots
The Interschool RoboSumo event was sadly cancelled this year, but it is still going strong within KIST.
Students will nominate their classmates for the following awards:• Collaboration Award – Collaboration involves two or more people sharing expertise and experience, working
together to solve a problem and realize shared goals.
• Form Award – Form concerns the overall shape and configuration of a product. It relates to aspects such as
aesthetics, shape, colour and texture.
• Function Award – The function of a solution refers to what it has been designed to do and how
effective it is at enabling that action to be performed.
• Invention Award – An invention is an entirely novel product or a feature of a product that is
unique.
Timothy Smith
MYP Design Teacher

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11Japanese Calligraphy Contest for G6–G8
The annual calligraphy contest for Grades 6–8 was held in all levels of Japanese classes again this year.
Students formed teams of three with one representative from each of the levels in our Japanese classes
and worked together to create a poem to fit this year’s theme, “let’s beat COVID.” Students voted tochoose the best team from each grade. The winning teams received certificates from Mr. Cowe.
Congratulations to the winners of the Japanese Calligraphy Contest!

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Vardaan (G6A), Riko (G6A),
Kokona (G6A)

Manya (G7A), Sasha (G7A),
Jacqueline (G7B) (not pictured)

Mano (G8A), Miki (G8A),
Pranav (G8A)

The 2nd Japan Kanji Aptitude Test

漢字

Students in Grades 6–11 once again took the Japan Kanji Aptitude Test (“Nihon Kanji Noryoku Kentei
Shiken,” or “Kanken” for short) on January 28, 2021. This is an externally scored test that provides
objective results. We will receive the official results from the organization that administers the tests (theNihon Kanji Noryoku Kentei Kyokai) in early March.
Although the test results are not reflected in students’ semester reports, the “Kanken” provides anopportunity for students to improve their kanji knowledge and take part in standardized testing todemonstrate their skills, especially as kanji is an integral part of Japanese language classes. The namesof the students who successfully pass the test will be displayed on the bulletin boards in the hallway.

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Secondary ELS
Language learning: some truths and tips
For both native and non-native speakers, language acquisition is a long and winding road;exhausting, but as you climb up the mountain the view becomes clearer and more vibrant.
As with any journey one needs adequate provisions to make it a great one. Here are somequick tips to keep you on your way.
•

Peaks and valleys are normal (and so are you)•

Consistency is key•

Know what you don’t know (and be cool with it)•

It never ends (and not in a bad way)

You may be surprised to find out that you are not a robot. Your motivation levels for all sorts of activities will wax
and wane throughout the year, month or even day. This is not a character flaw or a sign of laziness, rather, it
may be a sign that you need to reassess both your goals and learning methods to those which suit your needs.
A change of activity, pace or mode will reinvigorate your interest and, in turn, your learning.
There is a reason that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ is a cliché. As with any kind of study, cramming does notand has never worked, so don’t do it. Retaining any information is helped by timed repetition over a long periodof time. Five minutes of revision daily is far more effective than one day of mad cramming. It is also significantly
less stressful.
Approach your developing skills with a growth mindset. Only when you are aware of specific areas of concern
can you make plans for improvement. Use feedback from teachers as a tool to help you set concrete goals thatyou can work towards.
The nature of language is evolution. For both native and non-native speakers, communication is constantly
changing to reflect culture. Therefore, language learning has no endpoint. Rather than an representing an
enduring challenge this infinite nature gives opportunity for infinite chances to marvel at this fascinating tool ofhuman expression. Or, if that is a little too flowery (and I am quite sure it is), take solace in knowing that no one
is an expert and we are all learning and you are not alone.

English language resources—a reminder

Since the last edition of The Comet, the ELS Department has continued to develop the English Language
Resources section of PowerSchool Learning. Located under the ‘Extras’ tab on PowerSchool Learning, theEnglish Language Resources section is accessible to all members of the KIST community. Should any
teachers or students wish to see further resources in a particular area, please e-mail me.

Jade BonusELS Coordinator (Secondary)jade.bonus@kist.ed.jp

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

Grade 6In the second unit of G6 I&S, students explored how maps provide people with a sense oftime, place and space. Through the process students critically questioned the reliability ofmaps by examining their features and purpose. In the classroom we saw heated arguments onwhether schools should stop using the Mercator map. Students also became cartographers fora lesson by producing a topographic map for their very own clay mountain.

Grade 7The students took on different roles to discuss balancing sustainability and development in theCongo Basin. The students completed research to discuss the issue from their perspective
and tried to come up with a solution that all could agree upon. “One of the challenges weencountered was the fact that while we all had a common goal, our decision would have a
different effect on each person,” reflected Lander (G7A). Sasha (G7A) added that “different
perspectives have different opinions because they have different responsibilities.” Each groupcame up with a solution which addressed the environmental and economic needs of theCongo Basin.

Grade 8In G8, we have been exploring what makes up ‘Culture’, learning about
different aspects of culture, how it can be expressed, how it can change basedon time, place and space, and threats to culture. Finally, the students createda product to show how culture can impact one’s identity. Many students choseto create art pieces, videos, presentations, and some wrote written pieces too.
Here are some examples of artistic pieces exploring how culture can impact
their own personal identity.
Eujin (G8A)

Kirin (G8A)

IGCSE Business Management
In IGCSE Business Management, students have been
focusing on the topic of finance. Students learned aboutsources of finance, various financial documents, and tools toanalyze financial information. One interesting activity thatallowed students to apply what they learned was making abusiness board game. Students were challenged to make anenjoyable but educational game that included as manyfinancial concepts as possible. All the students’ final games
were very creative, unique and educational! Here is ascreenshot of a game a student has created. (Written by:Sara [G10A])

IGCSE Economics
Students have been learning about the key macroeconomic objectivesof a government, such as economic growth, low unemployment, low
and stable inflation, and equity in the distribution of income. The
students then considered the policy tools that governments use toachieve these macroeconomic objectives through adjusting levels ofspending, taxation, interest rates and regulation in an economy. To
place their learning in context, students worked in groups to investigate
the effect that the Japan government’s “Go To Eat” and “Go To Travel” campaigns have had on
progress towards one or more of the macroeconomic objectives. The students are currently
conducting both primary and secondary research throughout Semester 2 in order to examine
the effectiveness of these campaigns.

Image reference: campaign photos
from the official government
campaign websites

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IGCSE Geography
G9 students have jumped straight into the IGCSE content and began their core
topics of coastal and river environments. Students have showed a very strong
understanding of key concepts and theories behind how geomorphic landscapeschange over time. Students have also shown a brilliant understanding as to why
coasts and rivers are threatened by global warming and other contemporary global
issues. They have practiced debating, researching and presenting their ideas as partof their class work. Next, they have gone on to studying hazardous environments
particularly focusing on earthquakes, tropical storms and volcanic eruptions. Last
week students interviewed a volunteer who helped with humanitarian aid after the
Nepalese earthquake, to gain understanding of the challenges developing countries
face when recovering from disasters. Students were able to reflect on how Japan’s
responses to earthquakes are very efficient compared to other nations.

Students getting ready for their Zoom callinterview with a humanitarian volunteer.

Haruto (G9A)

IGCSE History
G9 IGCSE History students have begun our first depth study into ‘Dictatorshipand conflict in the USSR, 1924–53’. They are learning about how Stalin came to
power, and who the other contenders were for leadership at Lenin’s death in
1924. To help remember what each candidate stood for, students madecampaign posters to highlight the pros and attack ads to show the cons of eachcandidate. Note taking and discussions are vital to our learning in IGCSE History
class, but making something creative is always a fun way to consolidate ourlearning! It encourages them to think critically about the people and events that
we study and definitely helps them to remember!

Arnav (G9A)

DP Business Management
DP students have been examining the different business
functions: human resources, marketing and finance. We
recently studied the business function of finance, which
focuses on utilization and acquisition of monetary capital forbusinesses to carry out efficient operations. The previous classassessment was an accounting case study. Provided withfinancial accounts such as income statements and balance
sheets, we were tasked with identifying weaknesses in thecompany’s finances. After identifying financial weaknesses, wesuggested recommendations for the company justified throughthe case study and business theory. Provided is a photo of thefinancial statement. (Written by: Dharmik [G12A])

DP Economics
Recently, our class explored one of the many fundamental branches of
Economics: International Economics. While this unit focused on a range ofengaging topics from trade protectionism to exchange rates, one topic that truly
fascinated us was ‘Economic Integration’. In this topic, we analyzed thenumerous benefits of countries integrating and reducing trade barriers, which
lowers production costs, increases consumer choice, political cooperation,
increased employment and most importantly, trade globalization. Learning about
Japan’s acceptance into the world’s largest free-trade agreement (RCEP) blocwith 15 other Asian countries made us realize the growing significance of tradeinterdependence between nations and international cooperation. (Written by:
Leah [G12A])

DP Geography
During the first quarter, students in G11 have covered an array of core
Geographical units of population, global climate change and resource
consumption. Students have adapted well to the DP style of learning and haveshown to be hardworking, creative and critical thinkers. They have produced anumber of presentations where they were able to showcase their talents throughinfographic posters, debates and even videos. Here you see students
representing a country in our UN climate change talks. Each student represented
a country that was either a low income, newly industrialized or high-income
country. Students then had to conduct research on how their country contributedand or suffered the impacts of climate change. They had some great debating
points on the accountability and possible strategies to tackle this complex issue.
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DP History
In DP History students are in the midst of learning about
Japanese expansion in 1933–41. They have examinedJapanese militarism and nationalism as crucial factors
leading to Japanese expansion in Asia. To demonstrate
their knowledge of a key event in their learning, theycreated a skit for the Manchurian crisis. Students
collectively created a script and performed it on thefollowing day. The skit was also filmed so they are able towatch this in G12 as part of their final revision.

KIST Middle School Spelling Bee
On Monday, January 28, the KIST middle school spelling
bee was held in the LMC. We had an enthusiastic field ofeight participants in grades 6 and 7. There were several
very strong performances—and two very closely matched
top performers.
Thank you and congratulations to the 8 participants:

Grade 6

Allen, Abhinav, Avni, Jash, Youn Ho

Grade 7

Ananya, Divyansh, Dhriti
After thirteen rounds, the winner was Ananya (G7B) who prevailed withthe word “ivories.” She narrowly defeated Allen (G6A) after several
rounds in which the two were very equally matched.
Congratulations to our winner and thank you to all the participants andjudges, as well as our announcer, Mr. Davignon. Ananya moved on tocompete in the Japan Times National Spelling Bee on Saturday, March
6, which was held virtually this year due to the ongoing pandemicrelated state of emergency. Quite impressively, Ananya advanced
through several rounds, and out of 30 qualifying spellers
from across the country, she ultimately placed fourth.
Well done, Ananya and thank you for representing KIST
so well.
Steven Otis
Subject Area Coordinator—English

And the winner was...

Ananya (G7B)

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Service as Action
All thanks go to the students who continued to care!
This year, service has been a very tricky business,
indeed. The KIST service committee needed to beflexible to meet the requirements of the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government’s emergency guidelines but
still make sure the service clubs could continue.
It is only thanks to the truly committed students that wefinished the first semester with most clubs contributing
valuable service to the school community. Here are a
few of those students and their stories of KIST Service
as Action during the COVID-19 pandemic this year.
This group of students
from G6B wasdetermined to combine
work with friendship.
Meet Kanade, Joanne
and Nonoka. Here istheir advice to those
thinking of signing up for next semester:We would highly recommend other students
to join a service group because you could
get to know other students in different grade levels.
Often, I would not talk to people in other grade levels
since there is barely any connection. But after I
joined the Green Team, people in the team say hi tome when we pass each other in the hallway. I also
thought that participating and being interactive in aschool service would help KIST a lot.”We decided to join a service team because
we thought it was a great experience
joining into a group that we can all collaborate witheach other, and able to get new abilities. We didn’t
have the choice to join when we were in elementary,
so it was a new thing for all the Grade 6s. I knew
from the start that joining a service team wasn’t
necessary, but I wanted to help the school in apositive way. Many of the service groups at school
are fun, while being able to help the school, society
and even the environment.”

Next, here are the thoughts
about joining service from a G7B
student, Jessica:I

decided to join a service even if it was notmandatory because during COVID, otheractivities outside and inside the school werecancelled. Service was one of the few opportunities
to enjoy life when there is so little right now.”Thanks, Jessica. Now let’s hearmore insights on the effect of COVID
on service from Andrew in G8A:

D

uring the COVID-19
pandemic, services had toundergo rapid change in order toadapt. This came with many
consequences. In my experience,large service meetings were postponed or cancelledentirely, and the service had to be broken up into
groups of people or "departments," and I was placedin control of a department responsible primarily for AI
development. During the course of my time in thisservice, COVID made it challenging for our
department to meet and discuss important issues andlimited us to meeting only once a week.
However, especially during this time of boredom in
the COVID pandemic, this service challenged me to
manage people of a wide range of programming
abilities and to apply my own skills in technology on ascale that I had never anticipated before.
We ran into challenges, but ultimately overcame
them and developed our communication and coding
abilities.
This service helped me develop my leadership skills
and programming skills and most importantly,
enriched my school life with difficult challenges
involving both programming and management.”We signed up partly because of influence
from our friends, but partly the choice wasmade by ourselves. At first many people did not really know what service to choose, but the Green Teamseemed interesting and popular, so many of myfriends joined. Another reason we signed up for aservice group is because we heard about the Green
Team in Grade 5. The secondary students came tothe elementary building and gave a presentation
about service and the SDGs. That inspired us to join
Well done! It sounds as if it was a challenge but
worth it.

Wow, what great ideas and great Service participants
we have at KIST. Without you guys, Service as Action
would be no Action, and thus no Service. We are
grateful.
I hope all the kids at KIST in MYP G6–8 would
heartfully consider these outlined advantages to joining
Service and sign-up soon for a Semester 2 service.
We need you and appreciate you.
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Nurse’s Notes
Nosebleeds in children
What causes a nosebleed in a child?

Nosebleeds are caused by bleeding from broken
blood vessels in the delicate tissue inside the nose.
The most common causes of nosebleeds areenvironmental dryness, infection, hay fever/allergic
rhinitis, repetitive nose-picking, injury and the heat in
the summer. Many nosebleeds come from the front of
the nose, so they are not usually a sign of more
serious illness and can be treated at home.

The Kieselbach area

More than 90% of nosebleeds in children come fromthe Kieselbach area on the anterior nasal septum.
The area of this mucous membrane is thin andcontains many tiny blood vessels that can bedamaged easily. In addition, if the mucous membrane
becomes inflamed, dry or crusty, it is more likely to
bleed when it is disturbed. Children who suffer fromseasonal allergies or hay fever are especially likely toexperience nosebleeds from this area due to allergyrelated conditions such as scratching at an itchy nose,
picking of the nose, blowing the nose too hard, or
rubbing at the nose.

throat can lead to nausea,
vomiting or decreased bloodpressure. Hitting the back of thehead does not have a hemostatic effect. Do not haveyour child put his or her head between the knees.
This can make bleeding worse. Avoid putting dry,course tissues or gauze in your child’s nose as it may
damage the mucous membranes more and cause
further bleeding. Apply soft cotton with Vaseline
instead—this way, the mucous membranes will not bedamaged. Remove the cotton gently and smoothly
once the bleeding has stopped.
Exception: Nosebleeds that require medical
attention
If your child is showing symptoms of shock, such as
the following, visit a hospital or call an ambulance:• Pale face (e.g. lips and/or face are pallid or
purple)• Decreased level of consciousness (e.g. slow or
no response when being spoken to)• Clammy hands and feet
• Incidents when head or facial trauma may be thecause of the nosebleed

After the nosebleed has subsided
•
•

•
•

Avoid blowing the nose soon after, as this could
disturb the healing process.
Avoid taking long baths and eating spicy foodwithin the first 24 hours after a nosebleed asthese may expand the blood vessels in the liningof the nose, increasing the chances of bleeding
again.
Keep the head upright when bending down.
Talk to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist if
your child has frequent nosebleeds or your childunder two years old has a nosebleed.

How to prevent nosebleeds•

How to treat a nosebleed

If your child’s nose starts to bleed, instruct him/her tosit down, lean slightly forward and breathe throughthe mouth. Stay calm and try to reassure your child. If
your child’s nose bleeds back into his/her mouth,
instruct him/her to avoid swallowing it and to spit the
blood out. Gently pinch the soft part of the nose (justabove nostrils) or press the bleeding side for about
ten minutes. Applying a small icepack or a cold towel
on the top of the nose may help reduce the blood
flow. Nosebleeds usually stops within five minutes.
Cautionary points
Stay upright, rather than lying down or leaning back.
Tilting the head backwards or assuming a position
which may cause blood to flow down the back of the

•
•
•
•
•
•

Use a humidifier in your home to improvemoisture levels in the air you breathe. Clean thehumidifier regularly so germs and mold do not
grow in it.
Avoid nose-picking.
Blow your nose gently.
Always follow the instructions that come withnasal decongestants.
Apply medications to relieve the symptoms ofallergies, hay fever or rhinitis.
Use a saline spray or gel to keep the nasal
passages moist.
Wearing a mask is also effective.

Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Reference:
Michelle Pilar Tellado, MD. (2019, September). Nosebleeds for Parents. Kids Health. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nose-bleed.html

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University Guidance News
What’s new in university admissions? (and how does this affect applications?)
These days, the articles talking about COVID and theeffects of our new society are numerous. For better orworse, that applies to university admissions as well.
What does that mean for KIST students and how
can we best position ourselves for success in thisnew landscape?

SAT changes have come!

The College Board has decided to make drasticchanges to the SAT. They have moved forward withthe removal of the SAT with Essay and the SAT
Subject Tests. Now, our students will only have one
exam to prepare for if they intend to take the SAT,
which should streamline their study plans.
Until June 2021

August 2021 and beyond

SAT (3 hours)
SAT with Essay(3 hrs 50 mins)

SAT (3 hours)

SAT Subject Test
(1 hour each test)
How does this affect applications? (Counselor’s view):
Now more than ever, this means students should do theirbest to prove their efforts inside the classroom. We do not
yet know if universities that previously required and/or
strongly recommended subject tests will have a new test or
requirement they want to see. So, until that time, we need tostrengthen the things we do know will continue to affectadmissions applications, including classroom work, SAT
and extracurriculars.

Online courses are here to stay

Not only at KIST, but
at universities
around the world,
there has been aheavy investment inonline courses andplans are for thesecourses to remain
into the future. Even
after the pandemic
clears, expect that many schools will adopt what may
be called a “hybrid-model” of learning or “blended
classes”, where more and more lecture-style classes
remain online and smaller tutorial and lab work will bedone face-to-face.
How does this affect applications? (Counselor’s view):
Going to summer/winter programs at universities locally andoverseas is still a good way to make new connections andbuild your student resume. However, universities may also
want to see that students are prepared for a mix of bothonline and offline courses. Supplementing your holiday
plans with online programs/courses offered from universities
can show off your flexibility. A quick Google search willshow you some of the many options available. Virtually, you
can study almost anything, anywhere!
*NOTE – It is suggested to find programs offered directlyfrom universities before pursuing options with online
education agents.

IGSCE and DP choices time

Students in both Grades 8 and 10 have been thinking
carefully about what they want to take next year to best
prepare for their futures. These decisions continue tobe important, even with the increased flexibility that
universities are offering for applications. However,there is a key focus for each grade to consider.
• End of G8 (IGSCE decision): Choose what ismost enjoyable so you can get the best scores.
Universities will not consider whether you chose Art& Design or Business. They will, however, consider
if you scored a “5” in the class instead of a “7”. If
you enjoy your choice, you may be able to continue
it into the IBDP. If not, then you have freedom tochange to something else!
• End of G10 (IBDP decision): Choose whatmatches your future the best.
This can be especially important if you want tostudy in a country where you choose your major
before applying (UK/Canada/Japan/etc.). If you
decide to pursue a different major halfway throughthe IBDP, hope is not lost! Please meet with youruniversity counselor to discuss the best options.
How does this affect applications? (Counselor’s view):
This allows students to have some freedom at the end of
Grade 8 to really pick something that matches their personality and learn more about themselves. However, now thatSAT subject tests do not exist, we may want to be more
careful about our IB subject choices at the end of Grade 10
as we do not have as many backup options now.

Showing off our strengths

It can be easy to look at our weaknesses and areas weneed to improve. These days, it is just as importantthat we find ways to show off our strengths, too. The
MYP, IGSCE and DP curricula at KIST are designed tobuild well-rounded students. However, it is up to each
student to decide what they want to show off as anindividual.

Cialfo multiple intelligences: Students in
G9 and above can view this now!

During semester 2 of G9, students will take theMultiple Intelligences assessment within Cialfo. Insteadof considering weaknesses, this is where I want
students to examine their “superpowers”, start toconsider what makes them unique, and decide how
they can stand out amongst their peers.

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How does this affect applications? (Counselor’s view):
Having more universities allowing students to apply without
standardized tests such as the SAT or TOEFL means thatapplicants need to find other ways to show off what they
can do. This provides freedom because you are not limited
to all pursuing the same path. If you love volleyball, try tojoin some events outside school to really step up yourgame! If video games make you happy, start learning how
you could code your own or what it may take to join a parttime e-sports league (online sports are just as valid on an
application as real sports these days, especially if you can
win a competition).

The final summary

Global education is always changing. What worked forthis year’s graduates may not fit next year’s graduatesor those still a few years away. However, if students
continue to improve themselves to the best of theirabilities, they can be confident that when the timecomes, their application results will reflect the work
they put in and they will have no regrets.
Good luck!
Thomas Waterfall
University Guidance Counselor
thomas.waterfall@kist.ed.jp

Athletics Update
Winter season 2020–21
Though we started up our winter sports teams(basketball and soccer) last November, we wereforced to put practices on hold when the school year
resumed in January due to the state of emergency.
The extension of the state of the emergency meant acancellation of our U-18 boys’ and girls’ as well as our
U-14 boys’ basketball seasons.
The JV boys and girls football season may continue
in spring depending on the state of emergency anddrastic reduction of COVID-19 cases.
We were hoping to start MS girls’ basketball (Kanto
Plains) in preparation for the spring season as thegirls missed their season last year, but this may nothappen.
We hope to start up some of the ISTAA
League futsal seasons with a delayed
start, possibly in late April or mid-May.
Dennis Ota
Athletics Coordinator

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LMC News
A couple things havechanged in the LMC
since the last issueof The Comet! First,
we have added some
new furniture, which
we think makes thequiet study areacozier and more inviting. Now we have two sofas onwhich students can relax and recharge from a hard
day’s work. The green rug is deceptively comfortable!
This area has been especially popular with students
who stay and study until closing at 6:00 p.m.
Another change has been very
consequential for students. Half of thelaptops that were previously in the LMC
have been placed in a mobile cart on
the first floor, where they are often
used. This has significantly reduced theamount of time and effort involved in borrowing
laptops from the LMC for class and has encouraged
teachers to hold their classes in the library. The librarysupervisor has appreciated the shorter lines and thecompany! Students are urged to remember that
laptops must be plugged in when returned and powercords should never be on the floor.
Finally, the LMC is launching a campaign between
now and the end of the year sponsored by Library Elf,
Ami (G6A). She explains below:
The library elves are hosting a
new campaign that will let
students find books that theywould like to read. There is a poster
outside of the LMC with custom envelopes on it.
The envelopes include different genres; forexample, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Mystery, and so on. In
addition, there is an envelope including blankslips. Students should use these slips to write
the book they want to recommend and put theslip inside the envelopes. They should makesure that the slip is inside the correct genre.
These will be displayed on the shelf under“Student picks.” If the book chosen is not
currently in the LMC, we will try to buy it. If there
are any other questions, please contact:
ak3278@email.kist.ed.jp ormichael.davignon@kist.ed.jp. We thank you
and hope you have fun reading in semester 2!”

MichaelDavignon
LMC Supervisor