The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 25 | Issue 2 | December 2021

In this issue...
02...School Calendar 2022–23

10...KIST Student Debater

04...Follow Us on Social Media!

12...Posting on Social Media

06...K1 ‘Papa, Please get the Moon for Me’13...G12 Economics BOJ Excursion

07...Winter Celebration

14...HiGEPS Program at Saitama University

07...Scarecrow Competition

15...Visit from Holly Thompson

08...Staying Positive

17...KIST Heart Club

From the Head of School

Dates to Remember

Student voice

Student voice is a term that describes how students provide
their opinions and ideas into what happens within their school
and in the classroom. Ensuring that students feel that their opinions and ideas
are valued by fellow classmates, school staff, and the wider school community
is important in any school. Listening to and acting on student voice is importantas it can increase student engagement, create and maintain a positive learning
environment, build respectful relationships, and it provides opportunities forstudents to develop leadership skills and practice problem solving.
At KIST, our Student Representative Councils in both the elementary andsecondary schools work to give classmates opportunities to share theiropinions. Over the past year, our SRC have provided various opportunities forour students to share their voice. Last year, when we were consideringchanges to our school uniform, our SRC looked at samples and shared student
opinions on various aspects of the new design. They organized the double freedress day which allowed each class to develop their own free dress theme.
The changes to the house championship, which were made with the intent offurther developing school spirit, were led by members of our SRC.
With the lifting of the state of emergency in Tokyo, many of our elementary
school students felt it was time to resume the use of equipment at lunch
recess. Mr. Bradley and I received a letter from our Grade 1A class stating
their desire to resume the use of equipment at lunch recess. They further
explained the types of equipment they would like, why these were good
choices, and how they would use the equipment responsibly. Our Elementary
Student Representative Council reached out to each class and surveyed ourstudents on the types of equipment they would like to have at recess. They
then presented the results of their poll to me.

December 2021

10 (G1-G12) Clubs program ends
10 (K3-G5) LEAP classes end
10 (K1-G3) After care not available
13-15 (G9-G11) Semester 1
examinations
16 (W) Winter celebration
rehearsals
17 (W) Winter celebration
17 (K1-G3) After care not available
18-Jan 9 Winter vacation
20-21 Office open

January 2022

10 School resumes for all students
10-17 (G12) Semester 1 DP mockexaminations
13 (G5) PYP exhibition explanation
session
14 2022-23 Admissions applications
close
21 (G6-G10) Mathematics
diagnostic testing
21 End of semester 1
21 (S) Half day for Secondary
students
24 Semester 2 commences
24 (K3-G5) Semester 2 LEAP
classes begin this week
26 Japanese New Year Party(*Tentative)

February 2022

1 (G1-G12) Semester 2 clubs
program resumes
1 Semester 1 reports issued
7-10 2022-23 Admissions
interviews

Continued 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

Based on this student voice, I am
happy to share that we purchased
a variety of new recess equipment
including volleyballs and soft
American footballs, and recently
resumed the use of equipment atlunch recess. This has provided
opportunities for our students tomove, play, interact in various
groups, and generally have fun!
Listening to and acting on theperspectives and opinions of ourstudents is valued at KIST, and
our Student Representative
Councils are critical in allowing us to do so. The members of our ESRC and SRC meet and complete their duties
outside of class time, often before school, during break times, or after school. Their commitment totheir fellow classmates and to our school is commendable, and we very much appreciate theirefforts!
Kevin Yoshihara Ed.D.
Head of School/Elementary School Principal

New Face
Since the last issue of The Comet, wehave welcomed a new staff member, Taylor
Draughn, who has joined the office team as ourAdmissions and Communications Officer.
Ms. Draughn said:
Hello everyone! My
name is Taylor, and I
am excited to be apart of the KIST
community. You may
see me aroundschool taking photosof classes andevents, so please
say hello! I’m looking
forward to meeting
Taylor Draughn
you all andAdmissions andworking together
Communications Officer
this year.”On behalf of the school community, we wish Ms.
Draughn all the best in her new role.

School Calendar 2022–23
To assist families planning overseas
trips, the dates of school vacation
periods for students and otherimportant dates for the 2022–23
school year are listed below.
Families are asked to makearrangements accordingly to ensurethat students are back in Tokyo ready to start school
after each vacation period on the correct date. The
complete calendar will be distributed in June.
• First day of school for students:
August 22, 2022
• Autumn vacation:
October 22 – 30, 2022
• Winter vacation:
December 17, 2022 – January 8, 2023
(Classes resume from Monday, January 9)• Spring vacation:
March 25 – April 2, 2023
• Golden Week vacation
April 29 – May 7, 2023
• Last day of school for students:
June 14, 2023

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PYP News
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals x KIST Units of Inquiry
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United
Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people
enjoy peace and prosperity.
The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and thatdevelopment must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are designed to end
poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.
The creativity, knowhow, technology, and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs
in every context.
b
Web

United Nations Development Programme (undp.org)

At KIST, we aim to align as much of our programme of inquiry as possible with the UN SDGs as they connect
directly with the IB’s call for student-initiated action as well as our mission to develop compassionate individuals
who make meaningful contributions to our global community.
Here, you will see just a few examples of the amazing work our students and teachers have been
doing and how they link with the UN SDGs.
Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinator

K2: Beaver dams

K2 have been learning about
different cultures and theirconnections to the world.
Here, students are making
beaver dams in theplayground.

Grade 2: Role models

Grade 2 have been exploring
the beliefs and values of rolemodels. They are learningthat role models can be any
age, gender, and can comefrom all walks of life.

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Continued from previous page

Grade 3: Body
systems

Grade 3 learned about themain body systems andhow they are connected.
They learned about theimportance of staying
healthy and maintaining
a balanced diet andlifestyle.

Grade 5: Migration

Covering all 17 of the UN
SDGs, Grade 5 exploredthe causes and impactsof human migration.

Follow Us on Social Media!
We are getting further along in the school year
now, and with winter break coming up soon,
all our students from K1 to Grade 12 arestaying busy with class activities,
extracurriculars and school events.
To keep up with what is going on, check out
our official KIST social media pages, and don’t
forget to click follow so that you don’t missanything! We will be posting regular featuresthat include snapshots of daily campus life;
student group and club activities; the many
achievements of our students, staff and the
KIST community; and more! We would love tohear from you in the comments, so pleaseshow your support for our students in eachpost.
You can find our official pages by clicking theicons or scanning the QR codes to the right.
All official school announcements and event
information will continue to be sent to families
through E-Communications, but we lookforward to using our social media platforms
throughout the school year to connect with the
KIST community andinternational schoolcommunities across the globe.
Taylor Draughn
Admissions andCommunications Officer

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

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Early Childhood News
Hello KIST families! How have you all been doing?
It’s hard to believe that we are already in December
and soon the winter holiday will begin! Since the lastedition of The Comet, K1–K3 had a nice, big event
together: the Autumn Festival in October, which wasjust before Autumn vacation. With COVID-19, it ischallenging to have an opportunity for K1–K3 children
to all get together for a big event, but it turned out to bea day where we could see a lot of smiles on thechildren's faces.
This year, the weather was not so good, so we tried
something new: a parade inside the West Building
from the 4th floor down to the 1st floor! Some children
were especially excited to see their elder siblings intheir classrooms. This is our 2nd year holding thisevent, and teachers spent time creatively decorating
their classrooms and preparing games and activities forthe children to enjoy. Last year, we only had the event
for a short time during the first and second periods, but
this year, even though we expanded the event time
until fourth period, time flew by because we were
having so much fun.
Despite the many worries that we may have at the endof this year, I wish you all a lovely winterholiday with your loved ones.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1–K3)/
K2A Teacher

K1B

K1A

K2A

K2B

K3B

K3A

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K1 ‘Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me’
As part of our unit, ‘How we express ourselves,’ the K1 classes used their imaginations to
express their emotions and creativity through the arts. They have created many arts and crafts
using different materials such as paper clay, recycled materials, bottle caps, egg cartons, coloredtissue paper, paint, and brushes. They performed on the stage and showed their talents bysinging and dancing. To make our unit more interesting, we read a story titled, ‘Papa, Please Get
the Moon for Me’ by Eric Carle. The students were fascinated with the story which tells the tale ofa girl who wished to reach the moon. She tried to grab the moon, but she was unable to grab it.
Her father grabbed a very long ladder, placed it on top of a very high mountain, and reached the moon. As themoon got smaller, the girl eventually was able to hold and play with the moon.
To make the story more realistic, the K1s made a craft that portrayed themselves reaching the moon. They painted
a big piece of paper with blue mixed with a bit of yellow and white. Then they cut a gray paper into a circle to makethe moon. They used white tissue paper to decorate the moon to look like a crater. They used paper straws to
make the ladder. They pasted stars around the blue paper to looked like the night sky. We took a picture of eachchild mimicking reaching their arms up as though they were trying to reach the sky. Then theypasted their pictures on top of the ladder with hands stretched up, trying to reach the moon.
The students enjoyed creating art depicting the story and trying to get the moon.
Claire Yoneyama
K1A TeacherV o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 1“ T h e Co m et ”

Winter Celebration
During November, students
from K1 through Grade 5
recorded parts for their wintercelebration. These
performances were linked aspart of a global project called“All Together Now”, involving
several thousand schools andtheatres around the world, allperforming musical theatre
songs as a means ofreinvigorating participation in
the arts. KIST student
performances will be available
to watch from December 17.

Scarecrow Competition
September 1 (Wednesday) – September 26 (Sunday), 2021
The 24th Annual Scarecrow Competition was held by the Fukagawa Shiryokan-dori
Shopping Street Cooperative Association in September. KIST students from G2 to
G5 participated for the first time this year by making scarecrows as part of the afterschool Japanese class during session 2 of the 2021 KIST Summer Program. The
scarecrows they made were displayed for a certain period of time along the shopping
street, and certificates were given to the students for their unique creations.
Thank you to all the students who played a role in helping to revitalize the shopping
street.

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Elementary ELS
Deepening skills during shared reading at home
We all know that there are so many reasons why timespent reading together with your child at home is time
well spent. One of those reasons is that it can make all
the difference in how successfully your child improves
their reading and thinking skills. An issue that the KIST
community is lucky to have is the issue of which
language to read in at home. In The Comet’s
Elementary ELS article from September 2021,“reading to your child in your native language” wasnoted as a very important way to support your child’s
language and literacy development. In other words, lotsof mother tongue reading will strongly support yourchild’s success in both home language reading andEnglish language reading, too.
A key point to add is that reading to your child is somuch more effective when you ask questions anddiscuss the book together as you go. Some examplesof questions to ask can be really helpful, and the Book
Smart website (see link below) is excellent—except forbeing unfortunately only in English. In brief, they
recommend two strategies by the acronyms of P.E.E.R.
and C.R.O.W.D., and they give examples of questions
and discussion prompts that show when and how to
use the strategies.
If it is hard to find examples of questions anddiscussion prompts in your home language(s), we want
to help. Early next year, the school will be conducting asurvey into home reading habitswith the aim of learning how to
support parents to do sharedreading in your home language.
We really encourage you toparticipate by responding to the survey when it is sentout, so we can know what kind of support KIST families
need for shared reading at home.
In the meantime, please see these links for more
information on shared reading:• Research on why reading in our home language is so
important:
https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/whyb-reading-your-kids-your-home-language-willWeb-help-them-become-better-readers• Information on how to do different types of sharedreading with your child, with examples of questions toask:
http://www.booksmartfamily.com/tips-forbWebparents-shared-reading.html
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinatorrachel.parkinson@kist.ed.jp

Staying Positive
It’s hard to believe that there is only one week of schoolleft before the start of the winter holidays. It seems as if
just moments ago we were all coming together straightfrom our summer holidays. Now it’s time to think once
again of relatives back in our home countries or
elsewhere around the world. With the widespread
vaccination rates in Japan, KIST families might havestarted to entertain, once again, the idea of travelingabroad. Just the thought of meeting friends and family
brings smiles to the faces of young and old alike. I truly
hope that the possibility of a visit is in the cards for
those who are beginning to feel displaced or out of
touch due to long separations from their loved ones.
The flip side of this positive feeling is the reality that theoriginal COVID-19 virus is changing and has alreadyreconfigured itself into yet another variant referred to as
the “Omicron” virus. This new variant was first reported
in South Africa and is seemingly on the move in quick
succession to other countries. As countries around theworld strive to combat another wave of the epidemic,
quarantine lengths and country closures may surely
affect our plans. I ask that all members of ourcommunity who plan to travel, check carefully with theappropriate embassies as well as Japanese re-entry
procedures in order to have the latest information
before striking out on holiday.

If your plans are altered by thisnew variant and you findyourself once again stuck inJapan, remember to keep a
positive face on the situation.
Adults with children should
consider how this will affecttheir well-being. It would be prudent to have some local
plans as a back-up in the event that drastic measurescome between you and your planned outing.
Simple outings and small gatherings with friends undersafe conditions can bring the same relief that we seek
in a grand outing. Children respond to love andfriendship in ways that we older adults sometimes
forget. Take a walk, visit the park, cook some festive
holiday food, any of these and hundreds of other ideas
will keep you emotionally and physically strong andready for whatever life throws at us. Remember to stay
positive!
Clay M. Bradley
Elementary School Vice Principal/
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KIPS News
From the P0/P1 classroom...
Hello everyone! It has been about three months since the school year started, andthe children at KIPS are enjoying their time here each day. When the P0s first joined
us, they often slept in their baby swings or on their backs and stomachs on the gym
mats, but now they crawl around the room, hold on to things, sit upright and steady,and happily enjoy their surroundings. They also babble happily when teachers orother friends talk to them. The P1s are also increasing their language skills, goingfrom one-word sentences to building up to two-word, then three-word sentences.
Every day, they have fun in their verbal exchanges with their teachers and friends,
and in taking care of their P0 friends.
I am in charge of Japanese classes again this year. At the beginning of class, ourteachers cheerfully say, in Japanese: “Everyone in P0 and P1, douzo yoroshiku
onegaishimasu!” At the start of the school year, the children would just stare back atthem, but recently, the P1s have started to respond by saying: “Onegai shimasu.”
During class, we use picture books and songs about seasons or those that match ourterm themes. At first, the children used to carefully watch the teachers who werereading or singing, but recently when reading, they call out the names of pictures andobjects they know, and when a song they know is being played, the P1s join in bysinging along and imitating the teachers dancing. When our P0 friends see this, theyjoin in, too, by swaying along in their seats. We are pleased to see how much thechildren are growing each day. We also prepare large illustrations of the seasons forthe children to understand easily, and we always try to speak slowly
and carefully when giving explanations. Additionally, I hope toincorporate other aspects of Japanese culture and activities such as
hand games so that the children can enjoy participating even more.
Hitomi Hirakawa
P0ꟷP1 Teacher

From the P2 classroom...
It has been 13 weeks since the first day at KIPS. The P2 children have grown up in somany ways.
First, they started to build friendships and practice social skills. One morning, a childasked me at the entrance whether her friend was there already. She smiled when I
answered “Yes.” I started to see more children holding hands to play together andshare fun experiences. It was so touching to see a child trying to help another child
who was struggling to put her socks on by herself. The children are learning thatfriends are good to have even when their mommies and daddies are not around.
Secondly, the children have started to take responsibilities and to cooperate. It isperfectly normal for children to want to play more without limits. However, they arelearning to stop playing and start cleaning up when they hear the clean-up song. They
also know where to put their toys. When they forget, they help each other out. They arelearning that being responsible and helping is fun, too.
Lastly, they are using English as a tool to communicate. During lunchtime, many of thechildren can say “Yummy” and “More, please” pointing at the empty plate. When thechildren were playing outside, one of them wanted to play with a kite that another girl
had, and he was able to say, “I want to play with the kite.” Most of the P2 children were
not born in a native English-speaking environment. It is not easy to communicate one’s
needs in another language. However, they are learning to do so.
We are just into term 3, and the children have already grown this much! The sky is thelimit for our P2 class. We hope the time the children spend at KIPS canprovide them with tools to achieve their dreams in the future. Thank you
always for your support and cooperation.
Jina LeeP2 Teacher

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MYP News
Parents new to the MYP explore learning at KIST during online presentation
Starting a new school year, of course, can be a
nervous proposition. This is especially true forstudents who are brand new to the experience. But
the change doesn’t only affect children. The transition
to Middle School (or to KIST itself for new families)
can be a big change for parents as well.
Each year, parents new to the MYP are invited to theschool to explore key ideas about the approach toteaching and learning in the IB’s Middle Years
Programme. This year, because of COVID-19
restrictions, the session was held through Microsoft
Teams.
Scheduled during the Japanese national holiday in
September, the online session drew a large group ofparents from across the MYP. The presentation had
two large areas of focus—an overview of thecurriculum structure for Grades 6–8 and an
introduction to assessment in the MYP.
As MYP Coordinator, I took parents through thestructure of the MYP itself, its basic framework—8
subjects exploring a list of concepts linked together by
Approaches to Learning skills, the IB Learner Profile,and a dedication to international-mindedness.

MYP subject groups

Discussion moved next to the implementation of the
MYP at KIST. Each school makes choices about thenature of delivering the program. These choices allow
schools to find areas of focus that lead to the best
outcomes for local circumstances. At KIST, forinstance, we have made choices about the delivery ofEnglish, Math and Japanese that have an impact on
students.

to think about how the MYP subject teachers arecalled on to use the relevant subject’s assessment
criteria and make judgements that are consistent. A
point of emphasis for parents is to help encourage
new MYP students to ensure that they’re clear about
what’s being assessed and how they can improve thenecessary skills required to show their best work.

The mechanics of assessment in the MYP

All in all, the online session allowedfamilies to gain insight into the natureof learning in the MYP at KIST.
Robert WhiteMYP Coordinator

KIST Student Debater
This October, I was given a chance to be a student
facilitator for the Koto-ku House of Representatives
debate. Koto-ku had one of the largest number ofcandidates, so I was excited to hear the active debatewith many perspectives. During the debate,candidates discussed issues such as COVID policies,
aging population and tax rates. As a facilitator, I
asked a question about the pros and cons ofJapanese education and how they plan to improve it.
Though I was nervous, I was glad that I could
introduce a topic to the debate that was not yet
discussed. Each candidate had various views about
the education system and provided me with detailed
approaches that I didn’t know about.
Overall, I think it was a valuable experience to be able
to bring my perspectives as a high school student andbecome involved with lawmakers that can affect the
future of Japan. Using what I learned
from this debate, I want to encourage
students to become more involved andinterested in local politics.
Sara (G11A)

English, Math and Japanese at KIST

With my help, parents reviewed the nature ofassessment in the MYP. In particular, I asked parents

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11Secondary ELS
Winter holiday fun time language development—“I can’t believe it’s still learning!”
We are all looking forward to the winter vacation: three weeks
of festive cheer and alarm clock free wake ups are the callingcard of this break. But did you realize that you can use thistime to continue developing your language skills across all
four literacy areas, too? Amazing!

Reading

In English

Whether it be books, magazines, or manga,
winter is the best time of year to curl up with agood one. If your eye is towards language
development, make sure you don’t skip those
unfamiliar words. Highlight while reading andbe sure to check the definitions once you
finish a passage or chapter. Once you think
you have the definition down, reread and see
how much deeper your understanding is.

committing words to paper or a computer
screen is enough to cause inspiration toblock and perspiration to flow. It does nothave to be like that. As with any otherskill, learning to write is one that can bepracticed and mastered. Find a genre orstyle of writing that intrigues you and just do it. It could bejournaling, poetry, zine making, lyric writing…the list goes on.
Remember while you are building your skills you do not needto show your writing to anyone. Do be certain to practice bothtyping and handwriting.
Fun fact: Much of our understanding ofspelling comes from the muscle memory in
our hands, so be sure to work them out!
Jade Bonus
Secondary ELS Coordinator

In English and a second language

For bilingual and multilingual students, one of the greatchallenges is building vocabulary across languages at thesame rate. One way to tackle this is to read the same text indifferent languages in tandem. Not only does this build word
knowledge but it will also provide valuable insight into
colloquial and idiomatic expression.

Listening

Binge that show

While we should all be trying to limit our screen time (youreyes will thank you) this winter holiday, on those days where
the wind is just too biting, digging down into a muchanticipated series can pay dividends with language
development. As it is likely that vocabulary is going to be oft
repeated throughout, watching a series gives opportunities for
new words to stick through repetition alone. Viewers can also
use subtitles in their target language to help make further
connections between the language heard and that which isread. Of course, students should be sure to only binge series
that are appropriate to their age range.

Walk it out

One plus of Tokyo winters is rain…namely,
the lack of it. As such, winter holiday offers abrilliant opportunity for the flaneurs amongst
us to traipse the pavements under a clear
blue sky. Every great walk needs asoundtrack. Should yours be songs with great
lyrics, be sure to pay close attention to theliterary devices used and steal a few for
yourself. If tunes and pavements are not your thing, there are
now podcasts on just about every single topic you could
name. Find one that fits your interest. Given the repetition of
vocabulary within specialist topics, one can build theirtechnical vocabulary quickly while being interested andentertained. While we are on the topic of the spoken word,
don’t forget that audiobooks are also your good friend.

Speaking
Reach out

Spectacular for both our emotional wellbeing and language
skills, be sure to keep in touch with your friends from KIST
over the break. Make a phone call or catch up for an in-person
meet up, just make sure to keep speaking in English when
you can!

Digital Citizenship
Grade 1, Unit 1
Each Grade 6 student produced a website that will inform youof the dangers that exist when using the Internet, and what
actions you can take to avoid them. The content is for theirfellow Grade 6 students, KIST students, and all parents.
Please visit the homepage below then click 2 to 3 links at
random. We hope that you may learn something. Please ask
a G6 student or Mr. Tim if you have any questions.
b
https://bit.ly/KIST-Digital-G6-2021
Web

For every Design unit, students in G6, G7 and G8 must havea clear understanding of the question and what they must
produce by the end of the unit. To help with this, students
complete a GRASPS table. Below is an example from Han(G6A) for the Digital Citizenship unit.

Goal• Inform people about cyber bullying and how to deal
with itRole (This provides useful insights into future
university courses and careers)• Website Designer

Audience• Grade 6 students, the KIST community
Situation• As a student
Product• Digital citizenship can be a challenge for G6s andparents without access to meaningful and relevant
information. Produce a website that supports andinforms this target audience of a specific issue.
Software: Adobe Spark Post, Adobe Spark Web.

Standards• Criterion B: Developing ideas• Criterion C: Creating the solution

Writing

Pen to paper

Many people find the idea of writing intimidating. The idea of

Timothy Smith
Design Teacher

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Posting on Social Media
Think before you post
In Quarter 2, Grades 6–9 are
focusing on developing theirawareness of staying safe online
and considering how to support
others with concerns they have.
This article is designed to support
families with one of the moredifficult aspects of the online world:
posting on social media.
One of the most common
suggestions for talking to young
people about posting on social
media is to give them the advice:‘Think before you post’. However,this advice can be easy to give, yetdifficult to apply in practice.
For example, if you were standing
in front of a person and you wereangry or upset about something,
the likelihood is that you would
hesitate for a second. Why?
Quite possibly, you are (or are not)close with the person, there is thepotential for professional or
personal repercussions, or you arewithin a group situation and areconcerned about how it will beperceived by those around you. We
hesitate as part of a subconscious
process that allows our brain to run
a scan of the potential outcomes
and risk assess the situation.
We should try to consider:• Past experiences• Body language• Familiarity with the person
However, even with this real time
analysis, sometimes that thought,
or opinion is still expressed. We
apologize and reflect that making
mistakes is human.
When behind the safety of thescreen, online disinhibition takes
effect. With this, there are two main
aspects: benign and toxic.
Sometimes people may share very
personal information, reveal secretemotions or fears, or even show
unusual acts of kindness to people
they do not know. This is benign
disinhibition, and it is mostly
harmless. This was often observed
during periods of social restrictions
where many people were struggling
with diverse types of issues thatwere affecting their emotional

wellbeing. People went online,
seeking help and support. As well
as friends and family, complete
strangers were trying to offer advice
and guidance, in an attempt atshowing empathy.

It can also help
us to understand when things gowrong (falling out on LINE, or why
children talk to people online they
do not know, despite continually
being told not to).

However, there can be hatred andanger that crosses the line,
becoming offensive. This is toxic
disinhibition; it can be very
harmful, even illegal under certain
circumstances.

Therefore, it is important tounderstand the online lives ofchildren: what they are doing, theirmotivations for doing it. It is why themost common ‘keeping safe’
strategy for parents and teachers ishaving a meaningful dialogue withchildren.

Most of these posts are not meant
to be harmful; it might be thatsomeone has had a difficult day
and is using the format as an outlet
for their frustration. There could be
issues at home and that person isfacing difficulties with their mental
health, or maybe the comment wasinsensitively worded or rushed.
The aforementioned ‘think before
you post/share’ advice, whilst wellintentioned, is extremely limited. It
is not something children canalways apply to their online
experiences such as gaming orgroup chats; for example, games
like Fortnite, Roblox or Minecraft,which are fast-paced and thrilling
yet frustrating. Children freely admit
to ‘raging’ at the difficulties facedwith their games.
It is important to reflect that it canbe difficult for an adult to hold backwhat they are thinking when behinda screen. What must it be like for ayoung person who is stilldeveloping a mature sense of
impulse control?
It is important to understand thatthe theory of online disinhibition is
not a reason nor is it an excuse forgood or immoral behavior, it issimply one explanation of how
things can go wrong. As much as
we like to have solutions toproblems we see, for issues suchas these there is no single solutionthat will help. Much of this is aboutdeveloping those invaluable criticalthinking skills and primarily that isthrough lived experience.
However, the knowledge of aspects
such as online disinhibition can help
us when we are talking to children,
young or old, at school or at home.

To help, we have provided a
selection of questions to help
instigate a conversation at homeabout posting and commenting.
These are conversation starters forhome but are also linked to thediscussions being had in advisoryclassrooms. Importantly, try toapply it to the students’ online lives,
such as gaming or use of social
media.

Questions• Is “think before you post or
share” an appropriate
message? Why? Does italways work? (Think fast
paced games or
miscommunications to groupchat messages).
• Have you ever posted
something and then realizedthat you shouldn’t have posted
it? What did you do when you
realized? If not, what would
you do if it did happen? (Think
delete, apologize if it is too lateto delete).
• Do you think your emotional
state can determine what you
post? (Think fast-paced
games, using social media
when feeling down or upset).
Hannah Cowie and Matthew
ArcherStudent Care Coordinators(Secondary)“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 1

13G12 Economics BOJ Excursion

On November 8th and 9th, 2021, the G12 Economics classvisited the Bank of Japan (BOJ) located in Chuo, Tokyo. We
received a one-hour tour of the bank, learned about its functions,discovered its rich history and explored its vast, grand architecture.
What exactly does the Bank of Japan do? The BOJ is the central
bank of Japan, also called the bank of banks. It is the sole issuer ofbanknotes and loans them to commercial banks as well as thegovernment. The BOJ plays a crucial role in the economy byconducting monetary policy to achieve price stability andsustainable economic growth. The bank does this by alteringinterest rates and controlling the money supply, such as enacting
open market operations by selling or purchasing assets fromfinancial institutions.
Although we learned about monetary policy and the role of central
banks through our Economics class on macroeconomics, there wasa lot of shocking information that we heard for the first time. Did you
know that the BOJ facilitates over 100 trillion yen worth oftransactions through its online system BOJ-net? Or that there areover 120 trillion yen in circulation right now?
After the explanation on the role of the BOJ, we were taken to thecorridor of past governors. We were all immediately impressed by
the grand interior, with paintings of each governor hanging on bothwalls of the hallway. We then entered the main hall, an octahedronroom with an office where past governors worked. Although we did
not visit the modern building where all the work is done nowadays,
we heard music playing throughout the entire building at around 4
p.m. signaling everyone to do their daily exercise.
The highlight of the trip was when we went underground to visit thevast vault which had been used in the past to store banknotes.
After entering the 90 cm thick, 25 tonne steel door, in front of us
were numerous bundles of banknotes contained in plastic
containers, each holding 60 million yen. There was also an oldmachine which automatically sorts damaged money at 500 notes
per minute. On the ground, we could also see the tracks of a trolleysystem which was used previously to transport money.

As an extension to our in-classlearning in economics, we also
visited the Bank of Japan Currency
Museum located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The Currency
Museum was comprised of a display of different
currencies and currency-related historical materials,
which were collected and preserved by the Bank ofJapan over many decades. Inside the exhibit room,
the displays were positioned in a chronological order
beginning from the Ancient Times (7th to mid-12th
century), ending at the Modern Times (late 19th to20th century). The displays showcased the evolutionof the physical appearances—in terms of the material,
shape and size—of the currencies that were
circulating in the Japanese economy, while illustrating
the changes in the way people viewed and valued
money.
Examining the exhibits, we were able to learn thatJapan issued its first coins in the 7th century, whichwere modeled on the metal coins that had been
circulating in China. However, following various socioeconomic changes including wars, regime changes
and opening of borders between different countries,
this has led to the constant replacement of currencies
with new models that adapted to these changes
occurring in Japanese society. At the end of theexhibit, we arrived at the display of the Modern Times,
which illustrated Japan’s employment of a new
currency system and currency that is familiar to us
today: the Japanese yen (¥).

The Bank of Japan has been the witness of Japanese history andwill continue to play an important role in the Japanese economy as
economics becomes more important to the functioning of society
and our daily lives. Vising the BOJ was an extremely
valuable and educational opportunity, and we’relooking forward to our future trips!

This visit to the Currency Museum connects to ourstudies in economics as we are currently examining
the role of the Central Bank in controlling the supply of
the nation’s money and stabilizing its currency toachieve a variety of macroeconomic objectives upheldby the government. As a part of this topic, we havediscussed the significance of “money” and its influenceon our society on both a local and global scale.
Although fiat money such as banknotes may appear
as something that has a value on its own, it is in fact
an object that does not have any intrinsic value;
however, our collective faith in money gives theseobjects a value that allow individuals to use them andengage in economic transactions. Visiting theCurrency Museum was a significant opportunity as wewere able to directly learn about the fundamental
characteristics of money and the changes in the valuethat Japanese society held towards these different
forms of money. This field trip provided me with aparticular insight: as we progress into an era of digitalcurrency growth, we will be required to
re-evaluate the role of money and its
relation to our culture and society today.

Stephen (G12A)

Hanano (G12A)

Throughout our tour, we were able to gain insight into the richhistory of the BOJ. The bank was built in 1882, after Japan sufferedfrom inflation. The building had been damaged by the Great Kanto
earthquake of 1923 and the Bombing of Tokyo in 1945, but bothtimes, resumed operations immediately on the next day as its
operations were too important to be stopped. Learning about thehistory of the BOJ really enhanced our understanding of Economics
from a classroom setting to a wider context.

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V ol u me 25 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 21“ T h e Co m e t ”

HiGEPS Program at Saitama University
Eight students from G11 (Archita, Devaj, Gi Jeong,
Gun Hyuk, Heet, Jiaying, Reed, Tomoko) and one
from G10 (Yudai) are currently participating in auniversity-level science and mathematics program held
at Saitama University, called the ‘HiGEPS’ (High-grade
Global Education Program for Sciences) Program.
There, high school students participate in seminars andlectures taught by experts in various fields of science,
ranging from Chemistry, Physics, Information
Technology, Biology, Astronomy to Mathematics. We
are then tasked to compile a written report that includes
a summary of the lecture, the answer to a prompt given,and any thoughts the students may have, based on thecontent covered. Thus, the program challenges
students from an academic standpoint by covering
topics that would usually be taught to first-year
university students and offers students the opportunity
to develop their critical thinking skills. In addition, it
drives students to apply and create connections
between prior knowledge and newfound knowledge.

We hope to continue to try our best in
the program and conduct research thatmakes a meaningful contribution to theacademic world and the greater society.
Reed (G11A) and Tomoko (G11B)

Out of the 75 students partaking in the program, only 15
are accepted in the program’s second stage, called the‘Advanced Course’ The second stage allows students
to research with students and faculty members of
Saitama University. Students then present the research
conducted in seminars, online conferences, andscientific conventions held domestically in Japan andabroad. These experiences, such as university-levelresearch activities, are especially crucial for high school
students as it is an opportunity for students to conduct
active learning to apply and deepen knowledge.

Archita (G11A)

Devaj (G11A)

Gi Jeong (G11A)

Gun Hyuk (G11A)

Heet (G11B)

Jiaying (G11A)

Reed (G11A)

Tomoko (G11B)

Yudai (G10A)

IGCSE Science Lab Snapshot
The G9B IGCSE Physics students had an enjoyable lesson recently when
they learned about the center of mass of an object. The lesson also provided
an opportunity for transdisciplinary conversations involving geography andmathematics. It was a great learning experience both for the students and forme!
Cesar Cely
Subject Area Coordinator—Science“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 1

Visit from Holly Thompson
On Friday, 5th November, the author, Holly Thompson—whose novel Orchards is studied in the
MYP at KIST—came to speak to Grade 8 students.
She gave a fascinating presentation explaining how she planned and wrote the novel. The story
takes place in mikan groves in a small Japanese village, and we were amazed to discover that she
had actually spent months working in mikan groves herself while collecting ideas for her book!
Students then had an opportunity to ask Holly questions about her writing process, and she gave some inspiringand practical ideas and tips for all the budding writers in the room. We were disappointed to learn that she was nota fan of the Harry Potter series; however, she went on to recommend some of her favourite Young Adult novels,
many of which feature Asian settings or protagonists (please see the list of titles below).
The final session involved the students producing poems in pairs and small groups. Holly gave a few brief prompts
to get the students’ ideas flowing, and then off they went. It was amazing to see how original, creative andthoughtful the students’ work was in such a short space of time, and there were many students desperate to share
their work with the group afterwards. I hope you enjoy the few example poems!
We are very grateful to Holly for coming to visit (and for staying on after the session had ended tosign many students’ own copies of Orchards!) Grade 8 were very enthusiastic and well-behaved, sothey should be very proud of themselves. Fingers crossed we have persuaded her to write a sequel!
Isobel Duncan
Subject Area Coordinator—English

Holly’s suggested reading list:
White Rose – Kip Wilson
Show Me a Sign – Ann Clare LeZotte
A Wish in the Dark – Christina Soontornvat
When You Trap a Tiger – Tae Keller
The Weight of our Sky – Hanna Alkaf
We Are Not Free – Traci Chee

Student poetry examplesW

hen your heart speaks two languages
How can I translate from one to the other?
I cross the bridge to link, but fall into the abyss
Clinging onto your warm words
But you let go
Leaving me suffocating in the grey ashes of pain
Onions make me cry
But they’re also sweet and caring
Cooking in the flames, lighting up my pathBurning off burdens
Floating on two languages, my heart speaksWM

y heart is a blank space
I eat food, noodles, like everyone else.
So why does death come stealing my food?
Why not eat it together?
Sharing is the wonder of love.
Stop killing the seed of love.
Let it grow, even if it makes me cry.

hen your heart speaks two languages
You don’t know what to say
On one side you may want to express your deepest desire
On the other you may be hiding from view
One part of your heart can’t understand the other
And the other part may also not comprehend
Now there is a division in the heart, so which side will you choose?
The black or the red?
The choice is up to you.

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V ol u me 25 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 21

Athletics Update
Fall season update

We were fortunate to be able to start up
some of our athletics teams in the middleof September for in-house practices—
these included MS Girls’, HS Girls’ and HS
Boys’ Volleyball; MS Boys’ Soccer; and JV Girls’ andBoys’ Tennis. By early October, we were able to start
playing some league games, mostly with Kanto Plains
league schools. Our cross-country team were also able
to get practice up and running in early October. Though
the Fall season was shortened, and KIST did not attend
any tournaments except for the cross-country final,
many students participated and hopefully enjoyed theexperience.
●

●

●

●

●

The MS Boys’ Soccer team had 3 games against
other schools and were a little overwhelmed thefirst 2 games but finished strong with a 3–3 tie vs
ASIJ’s B-team.
The MS Girls’ Volleyball team were overpowering
in games vs CAJ and Columbia winning bothgames 2 sets to 0.
Our JV / HS Boys’ and Girls’ Volleyball teams
had some mixed results with Kanto and ISTAA
schools. KIST had strong showings against most
schools, losing some very close sets with CAJ and
BST, were overwhelmed by an experienced
Columbia side, but easily beat CIS and TIPS.
The JV Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis teams had limited
action with the boys crushing CAJ 5–0, and thegirls winning 3–2 at CAJ but losing to Seisen 4–1.
The Cross-Country team ran one race at
Ajinomoto Stadium. Difficult circumstances
prevented the team from starting earlier, however,the 6 KIST students who participated ran well in the
JV races with Ethan (G10B) finishing in the top 10
and Shota (G9B) just outside of that in 12th place.

MS Boys’ Soccer

JV Boys’ Tennis

JV Girls’ Tennis

Thank you to all the coaches for making the Fallseason possible!

Winter season 2021–22

KIST has started up Winter season sports,
continuing to follow school and Kanto
league COVID guidelines. Games will startin December, and we expect a very busy
month in January.
The following teams are participating in Winter sports in
the Kanto and/or ISTAA leagues:● MS Boys’ Basketball (B Pool)● MS Girls’ Soccer (A and B Pool)● JV / HS Boys’ Basketball● JV / HS Girls’ Basketball

MS Girls’ Volleyball

Members of the KIST community may view results,
team rosters, schedules and other information on the
KIST Athletics page in PowerSchool Learning.
Dennis Ota
Athletics Coordinator

HS Girls’ VolleyballV o l u me 2 5 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 1“ T h e Co m et ”

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Library News
Library Media Center
What is the Sakura Medal?

The Sakura Medal books are chosen by international school librarians inJapan. The selected books represent diverse countries and cultures, witha focus on Japanese and Asian themes and authors. Included are
popular and literary works to provide rich reading sources for students inJapanese international schools!
Here are my reviews of the three Sakura medal books I
read recently.
Shannon Goan
LMC Librarian

Everything Sad is Untrue

The Things She’s Seen

Dark Blade—Daniel Nayeri—Ambelin Kwaymullina—Steve Feasey

A boy named Khosrou (who everyone
calls Daniel) tells his stories…of escaping
Iran, the histories of his family andcountry and…poop.

Beth Teller died in a car crash,and is now a ghost helping her
father solve a murder mysteryin a small Australian town…

Lann is an ordinary farmboy until he learns more
about his past and isgiven a magic sword by
the gods…

“Mrs. Miller says I have ‘lost the plot,’
and am now just making lists of things
that happened to fill space. But I
replied that she is beholden to aWestern mode of storytelling that I do
not accept and that the 1,001 Nights
are basically Scheherazade stalling fortime, so I don’t see the difference.”

This book is set in Australia,
with Indigenous Australiancharacters, so I was very
curious to read this one, and it
did not disappoint! The mysterygets deeper and deeper, with afinal twist at the end. There aresome dark themes in this story,
but the ending was ultimately
hopeful.

I loved this book! So far, it is my favourite
out of the Sakura Medal books I haveread.
The personal history of a 5th grade
Iranian refugee in America, his family’s
history and Persian history and culture
are wonderfully woven together in a tale
told in ‘the tradition of the 1001 nights’.
Also, there are lots of poop stories,
philosophic musings, and sometimes
poop stories and philosophic musings on
the same page.

Even though I am Australian, I
don’t know much about theculture of Indigenous
Australians, so it was reallyinteresting to see how theculture of the writers of thisbook influenced the novel, with
its alternating prose and verse
chapters.

I liked the basic plot andworld of this book, but it
felt like it wasn’t detailed
enough! I loved books likethis when I was in juniorhigh school so I was
excited for some classic
sword and sorcery fun, but
I wish you learnt more
about the world andcharacters.
The story moves very fastand doesn’t spend a lot oftime describing the world.
I do think this would makeit a quick and easy readfor many people though!

Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

Elementary Library
Read aloud sessions

Reading aloud is one of the most effective ways to improve fluency among the students, and it’s also one of theeasiest. To improve fluency during our read-aloud time, all we need are a few books and the undivided attention of
students.

G2

G4

G5

G3
Sakura Medal book reviews

These books were read by students during the read aloud session.
Priyanka BP
Elementary Library Supervisor

Hair Love—Matthew A. Cherry
This story is about so much morethan just hair. It’s about sickness,love, and the strength of family! It
is such a great story, especially
now during these challenging
times! Seeing the characterspersevere can teach kids to keepon going, no matter what, out oflove for their family. Zuri learns
that not hiding your true, uniqueself is the most important thing
and that you should always be
proud of who you are, and if
something or someone is stopping
you from doing so, ignore it andkeep being your best, true self.

The Singer and the Scientist

Bug Boys—Lisa Rose

—Laura Knetzger

A look at a true-life but little-known
event between Albert Einstein and asinger name Marian. A great way tolearn about segregation of various
people. It is a wonderful book about
an unlikely but beautiful friendship ina world of discrimination between thesinger and the scientist. The writingflows well when read aloud and theillustrations are delightful. This may
be best for upper elementary school
children as the content may be too
heavy for younger children. It
mentions racism and the persecutionof Jews in Europe.

The sweetest little big
book I’ve read in a while.
Each page is filled withlove and charm. The
artwork is simple andgreat to look at, too. Will
entertain anyone wholoves a good adventurewith friends. It’s bright,
joyful and irresistible.

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Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, we arepleased to present one of ourlongest serving staff members,
Claire Yoneyama, who joined us
initially in 1999 as a relief teacher
in the Elementary School, before
becoming a K2 classroom
teacher in 2001. Celebrating 20 years of full-time
service this year, she is currently the homeroom
teacher for K1A.
1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
I grew up in the capital city of the Philippines, Manila,
which is the most populous city in the nation. In theheart of Manila, I loved going to Intramuros, where I
can feel the history of the Philippines being occupied
and influenced by Spain from the 15th to 18th century.
Intramuros is a place in Manila where the mostinfluential and wealthy citizens of the Spanish colonial
period lived. In Manila, Rizal Park—often simply called
Luneta or Luneta Park—is the largest urban park. A
monument of our national hero, Jose Rizal, is locatedin this park to commemorate his execution by the
Spaniards.
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
I have traveled to a lot of different places, but the bestplace for me is the Philippines. There are more than
7,000 islands in the Philippines. Many islands arestunningly beautiful and great to visit. One of them is
El Nido in Palawan. Palawan is known as the ‘Last
ecological frontier’ of the Philippines. El Nido, or ‘thenest’ in Spanish, is located in the northern part of
Palawan and has 64 islands and islets. And it is home
to biodiverse ecosystems, stunning beaches, crystal
waters, spectacular views, and magnificent limestone
cliffs and formations. The locals are very hospitableand easy to communicate with.
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
Apart from my parents, who live healthily and safely in
the Philippines, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I
would like to meet my mother-in-law if I have anotherchance. I consider her as my second birth mother, andshe had the best heart of all. I had not seen her for
more than a year due to the pandemic, and my heart
broke when she passed away in a hospital that I could
not even visit.

V ol u me 25 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 21‘Don’t worry, I am here to fight for you.’ I would show
my skinny arms and tiny fists to his friends as if I had
big muscles. And funny thing, that was my big brother!
6) What is your most prized possession?
My family is always my most prized possession, andnothing else can take their place. I am very familyoriented. I was raised to show importance,
commitment, and care within my family. Now that I
have my own family, I feel the same way. I love myfamily so much that I cannot live without them.
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Communicator, because communicating yourthoughts and not just keeping them to yourself is vitalto everyone’s health and mind and maintains excellent
relationships.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
I am satisfied with who I am now and what I am doing.
However, I’d like to do more while I am alive andkicking. For example, I will travel to all the places I
haven’t been to yet. I’d like to see more of the beautyof the world.
9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Throughout my life, my body has been very flexible,
but I feel that this flexibility is diminishing, probably
because of my age or by neglecting to do regularexercise. I am improving my body balance byattending yoga, especially ‘hot yoga.’ I feel great after
each lesson. I am also trying to improve my sleeping
routine. One thing I learned is to drink cold barley tea
before going to bed. It contains the amino acidtryptophan and the chemical melatonin, which helps
stimulate a good sleep.
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
Smile and greetings! I love greeting and smiling at
people I know. Sometimes, I even smile at people I
don't know and greet them by bowing my head. I think
I got this (bowing) beautiful trait from Japaneseculture. I feel young and healthy when I smile at andgreet people.

4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I love dancing and singing. Even at this age, I still love
dancing and am still very flexible, maybe more flexible
than most others in my age group. I love to dance toMichael Jackson, Bruno Mars, and many more pop
artists.
5) Please share a little-known fact about yourself.
When I was a little girl, I was so energetic that my new
friends would mistakenly think I was a boy. Every time
my brothers would fight with their friends, I would
stand in the middle and protect them by saying:

The always happy and bright, Ms. Claire, leading the K1As in alesson on how we express our emotions.

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21

Nurse’s Notes
Prevention and control of seasonal influenza
As we move through the month of December, thetemperature is dropping, the air is getting drier, and it
has become that time of the year when influenza isspreading. Seasonal influenza (the flu) is an acuterespiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. In
most years, flu outbreaks tend to occur from aroundDecember to March in Japan. Here at KIST, we willcontinue to work diligently to prevent the spread of
infection from COVID-19 and the flu.

•

How does influenza spread?

•••

Infected people can spread the virus to othersfrom up to 2 meters away when they cough,sneeze or talk.
Less often, people might catch the flu by touchinga surface or object that has the virus on it, andthen touching their own eyes, nose or mouth.

Common signs and symptoms ofinfluenza
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Sudden onset of a high fever (over 38 degrees)
Feeling feverish/chills
Aching muscles
Headaches
Sore throat
Cough
Runny or stuffy nose
Joint pain
Fatigue and weakness
Loss of appetite
Vomiting/stomachache or diarrhea (These
symptoms are more common in children thanadults)Symptoms for the flu and COVID-19 can be similar,
so please consult your physician.

How to prevent the flu
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Annual vaccination is one of the best ways toprotect yourself from serious complications of theflu.
Regular handwashing with soap can help protect
you from germs.
Stay hydrated.
Wear a mask.
Gargling with warm salt water can help clear
mucus from the back of your throat.
Brushing your teeth gets rid of bacteria and keeps
your mouth clean.
Use a humidifier in a room to make breathingeasier.
Have a healthy and balanced diet.
Getting good sleep can strengthen the immune
system.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth withunwashed hands.
Clean and disinfect high touch surfaces andobjects often that may be contaminated with thevirus.

Improve ventilation in living
spaces by opening thewindows for a few minutes.

What to do if someone in your family is
infected with the flu•••

Even if a diagnosis has not been made, please try
to avoid contact as much as you can with those
who have a fever or feel unwell.
If someone in your household is infected with theflu, try to isolate the infected person in anotherroom, where at all possible, to prevent the spreadof infection in the home (if a young child is
infected, try to minimize the number of adults who
provide care).
Good respiratory hygiene: cover your mouth andnose when coughing or sneezing to prevent thevirus from spreading. Put used tissues in a plastic
bag and throw them away.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after
coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

Flu treatment
•
•
•
•

•

Rest: Get more sleep to help your immune
system fight the infection.
Gargle with warm salt water to soothe your sorethroat.
Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
Your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs to treat
flu illness. These medications can be effective in
reducing the length of time you are unwell withthe flu, the severity of symptoms, and reducing
complications. Antivirals provide the most benefits
when taken within 48 hours of symptoms
developing.
Avoid taking aspirin, as it can cause a rare but
serious illness called Reye’s syndrome in children
and young people with the flu.

How long should I stay home with the flu?
According to school health and safety rules, you must
keep your child at home for a minimum of 5 days after
contracting influenza, as the illness can be infectious
for up to 48 hours after fever has subsided.
Furthermore, if your child’s fever continues to persist,please keep him/her at home for an additional 2 days
(for G1–G12) or 3 days (for K1–K3) after the fever
subsides. Thank you for your understanding andcooperation.
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

Reference:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (November 2021).
Influenza (Flu).
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

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KIST Community Association (CA)A big THANK YOU to all the parents who volunteered at CA activities from September toNovember! We sincerely appreciate your continued support.
Details about the KIST Community Association can be found on the KIST CA Page on PowerSchool.
KIST Community Association
October 8, 15:
We supported the Koto Adopt
Program for G6 students.

October 20, 21:
We had a CAS and Service session
with Ms. Wakasa and Mr. White. Thiswas our first time to hold a CA event
online!

October 16:
We held a secondhand
uniform sale.

November 23:
We collected used book donations
from KIST families. Even though it was
only for one day, we received
donations of about 300 books.
THANK YOU!!

Reminder! – Bellmark collection locations...
Please drop Bellmarks, Tetra Paks and used ink
cartridges next to reception in the Elementarybuilding! We can only collect cartridges
manufactured by Epson, Canon and Brother.

Tetra Paks must be opened, washed and dried.
The CA sends these to the Bellmark Foundation
at the end of the school year. Please be sure toinclude your child’s name, grade and class.

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23

University Guidance News
Catching up with graduates and awards

It has been a very busy time for KIST students, faculty
and families in the secondary building. Our G12s havebeen frantically making their university applications,and the G11s are close to finishing their first semesterin the DP. Classmates in lower grades are considering
what classes they should take in future years and eventrying to figure out exactly who they are. With all thesethings taking place, in this issue I want to take a stepback and look at a few things that have been
happening with our graduates as well as discuss the
topic of awards and things current students can do toshow themselves off.

Show yourself off!

Each year during G9 advisory class, I pose a question
to students: “What makes you interesting?” I am often
met with the response of, “Nothing, I think I’m normal.”This is quite common from students in high school.
This is the time in life where being different is notexactly the top priority. Being an amazing soccer
player is something everyone would like to show off.
Being the student who is super interested inbeekeeping during G9 may seem “weird;” however,when getting older, those weird things are often themost impressive and interesting. Universities
agree.

Our first steps in trying to open students up to theseideas is a project done to show themselves off in one
minute, similar to making a first impression. Thesesame students that said they had nothing interesting toshow off quickly demonstrated their skills in cooking
and digital artwork. Some had obsessions with dessert
searching or even with anything colored green. In theend, everyone had something to say that was uniqueto them. These are the areas we want to promote in
our kids. Embrace being different.

How does this relate to universities?

Universities want differences amongst their student
body. They want to build a diverse class with faces
from unique backgrounds, kids that have something
new to offer. Therefore, there is a larger chance to be
accepted as a female student in engineering than amale student. Similarly, you have a better chance to be
accepted by a top school in Korea, if you are not
Korean.

We cannot easily change ourcitizenship, gender or identity;
however, we can show off otherthings about ourselves. As a student,
if beekeeping is your passion, why not
explore it more deeply? (Check out the Ginza
Honeybee Project if that’s you!) We live in one of thelargest cities in the world. If there is an interest you
have, a quick Google search will lead you to something
you can do here to explore that. There is no right orwrong answer. I have seen star students who pursued
sheep herding, women’s rugby, and poetry.

Academic awards

Some students have passions that mirror theiracademic interests. Recently we have seen more andmore students participate in internships, competitions
and events. These are some of the best ways to show
off. Taking part in an in-school event is a great way to
discover if you enjoy something. Building that into
something outside school is what really sets somestudents apart in a crowded and competitive world.

EHL Business Case
Competition

Recently a KIST student,
Tomoko (G11B), was able
to show herself off by
joining an online Business
Case Competition with EHL,
a top hospitality businessand hotel management
school in Switzerland. She
was placed into a team withstudents she had never met, and their team wasawarded 3rd place overall with more than 100 teams
competing.
Tomoko’s remarks:• The competition required teams to come up with abusiness idea for an existing company and add a
hospitality twist to their service.
• In Round 1, over 100 teams proposed theirbusiness idea.
• In Round 2, only 5 teams were chosen to advanceto presenting their idea in front of a “board of
inventors” (the judges panel of business experts).
• It was a great opportunity to learn more from realexperts and think outside the box.
• She thinks it will provide a great addition to
university applications (I agree!).
• Tomoko’s advice to classmates: Keep applying
for opportunities outside of school. You may havea chance to get in and have your work
acknowledged too!
Thomas Waterfall
University Counselor
thomas.waterfall@kist.ed.jp
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.
–5:30 p.m.
University Guidance Office (3FSecondary Building)24

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KIST Graduate Corner
KIST Virtual Forums—Winter 2021

Thanks to the success of our previous virtual forums, we have planned to make this an
ongoing event. The sessions taking place during this winter are from some more recent
graduates, with more to follow during the spring. While these forums are led by Mr. Waterfall (and Mr. Kei Komaki
in Japanese), graduates are advised to be as open and honest with their experiences as possible. These students
know KIST, Tokyo, and the IBDP well. I cannot think of a better resource to ask questions to. Please look out for emails about upcoming forums or check our KISTv page to see past recordings.
Date/Time(Monday JST)

Name

Class of…

Forum
languageNov. 8 | 6 pm

Justin2020

EnglishNov. 22 | 8 am

Yukino2021

Japanese

Dec. 6 | 6 pm

Yui

2020

Japanese

Dec. 20 | 8 am

Shubhankar

2020

EnglishUndergraduate
university
University of New South
Wales, Australia
University of California
Davis, USA
University of British
Columbia, Canada
University of Melbourne,
Australia

Other countries
applied to

CanadaUSA/Japan
UK

Justin (Class of 2020)—University of New South Wales, Australia
As a preview, I have included a few questions from thefirst virtual session with Justin. He led off the winterforums and was one of our high scoring graduatesfrom the Class of 2020. The presentation and Q&A
session lasted about one hour with families andstudents from G8–G12 participating. Justin is now
studying at the University of New South Wales(UNSW).
According to the QSWorld Rankings 2022,
UNSW is ranked #43
worldwide and ranks #36
globally for Engineeringand Technology majors(#1 in Australia).

Mr. W: What do you like about your university so
far and why did you choose it?
J: It is one of the leading schools for engineering,which is what I wanted to pursue since being a student
at KIST. I also really wanted to live in Sydney, so it
was a perfect fit. My favorite thing so far has been theconnections I have had with my tutors and teachers.
Everyone has been not only helpful, but also trying to
make sure my classmates and I are enjoying
ourselves.
Mr. W: So how was the application process? For
Australia you apply after you graduate?
J: At KIST, you take your final exams in May, finish
Grade 12 in June, graduate in July. From there you
have three months or so to get started on applications,figure out where you want to go, and submit yourapplications. It all happens after you graduate and getyour final DP score back. Australia is a bit morerelaxed when applying for universities.
Mr. W: On that same topic, when you wereapplying, it was transparent as to what you
needed, specifically just your final DP scores.
When you were looking into programs before
graduation, were you worried you may not meetsome of the scores necessary?

Mr. Waterfall:
Today we are talking with Justin, a KIST
graduate from 2020.
Justin:Hello thanks. Yes, I graduated in 2020 andstudied Economics, Business Management, andPhysics at a Higher Level (HL) and am now at
the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney,
Australia, studying a Bachelor of Quantum
Engineering.

J: For each university, I could review the different
courses and the expected IB scores. If a student
scores above that score, they are in most cases
guaranteed admission. If they score below, there is
still a chance for admission, it just is not guaranteed.
Unlike the UK, there are rarely restrictions for certain
subjects such as HL requirements. So, once I had anidea of what score I was going to get because ofPredicted Grades (PGs) and mock exams, it let meknow where I could consider.

Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

Mr. W: How did your PGs relate to your actual
grades though? Were you able to use thoseaccurately?

classes are smart and classes are rigorous. So, I
would not recommend Australia for students thinking
they will get an easy three-year degree.

J: My last predicted grade was 41 and then my finalscore went up slightly. The courses I considered
required between 38–40 points, so I was confident thatas long as I kept doing what I was doing that my
choices were on target, and everything worked out
quite well in the end.

Mr. W: You jumped right into courses then?

Mr. W: Did you have anything in your mind just incase you surprisingly had your actual scores comeback lower than anticipated?
J: Of course. I considered other courses that had lower
score requirements. Thankfully I didn’t need to makethat consideration, but if I needed to, I had threemonths after graduating to consider and make thosedecisions.
Mr. W: So, that may have meant you needed topursue a different pathway than you are now?
J: Yes, but there are always alternative pathways togetting to your same result. You may sometimes entera university with a broader course choice and thentransfer or choose another major. If you are performing
well as a university student, you have options that
open up.

J: Well, our courses started in January. So, I could
enjoy the break after finishing the DP. I know somestudents want to start immediately in July after
graduation, but I think having a nice break before going
would be my suggestion. Finishing the DP is quite
tough already, so I felt lucky I didn’t have to makeuniversity applications during that time and could focus
my efforts just on my exams. Even with that, I enjoyed
the break in between high school and university to
prepare everything I needed to travel and live
overseas.
Mr. W: What are some tips you would give tocurrent students?
J:• Pick up good study habits. No one in university isholding your hand. It’s all up to you.
•Get comfortable talking to teachers and tutors.
Your work gets difficult and talking to these people
helps a lot. If you are the type of student who
never seeks advice or feels uncomfortable doingso, you might struggle a bit.

•

Don’t limit yourself. Apply for things that seem outof reach. You never know what opportunities may
come your way if you don’t try.

•

Look for inspiration proactively. You don’t knowwhat you might find interesting later down the line.
So, it’s good to speak to universities, try different
internships, ask questions to classmates, pick up a
hobby.

Mr. W: Did you need to consider SAT scores?

•

J: No, Australia is very simple as far as extra things
go. I just needed an IB score. Luckily Australia is very
lenient towards IB and our scores convert rather well.
So, doing the IB already puts you at an advantage.
You may fill out an extra essay or do an interview if
applying for a scholarship, but otherwise, justcompleting the IB Diploma is the main goal.

Do things that look “juicy” on applications.
Basically, do service work, try to be a leader of ateam, and build on the things that can make you
unique and standout.

Mr. W: Thank you for your time.

Mr. W: It seems nice that you didn’t need to apply
to multiple schools then. If you have the necessary
score, you can confidently know you’re in. So, you
applied to just one school only?
J: Correct. I applied with the right score just to one
school and with the guaranteed entry, I didn’t have toconcern about other options. It was much less stressfulcompared to others I saw applying across a wide
variety of countries and universities.

Mr. W: So, you mentioned earlier in our interview
that your courses during university are quite toughalready. Some students consider Australia as a
backup or safety option for their applications. Do
you feel like that is a correct choice, or does it feelthat way as a student there?
J: I believe because of the timing of application; it canbe a smart choice as a backup option if not considered
your first choice. You don’t need to commit to anything
until after graduation and application; it gives you
freedom of choice. However, the classes arechallenging from day one. Many students will use
Australia as their first choice, so the students in the

J: Thank you all for listening.