The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 21 | Issue 4 | June 2018

In this issue...
06...Daily 5 in K1

17, 18...What Does It All Mean?

07…K2A Learning Outdoors

18...In a Word, a Champion

09...21 Day Kindness Challenge19...Math Field Day

13...Congratulations Michiru!

20...The Naked Truth

14...MYP Personal Project Exhibition

21...G12 DP Visual Arts Exhibition

16...Beauty and the Beast Jr.

22, 23...Grade 9 Camp

From the Head of School

DATES TO REMEMBER

SUMMER BREAK IS HERE!
As we head into the holiday season I would like to share withyou my reflection on another great year at KIST.
We started off the year with a proud announcement of our 2017 graduatingclass DP results, the best results in KIST history. 40% of our 2017 graduatesattained scores of 40 points or above (out of 45). DP exams for this year have
now completed, and we look forward to the release of exam results in July. For
three years in a row KIST has had the highest DP average in the country, andwe are optimistic that the Class of 2018 will have a great year of results aswell. Our Grade 12s work incredibly hard during the DP, and it is wonderful to
see them now enjoying these remaining days at school, preparing for
graduation and their final departure from KIST. Congratulations to all of our
graduates and to their families on completion of the DP, and best wishes as
you enter this next stage of your lives.
This DP success was a fantastic start to what has been another very eventful
year for our school. While each of our graduates worked very hard to produce
the results we celebrate each year, supporting them through the PYP and the
MYP and preparing them for success in the DP was a whole community effort.
Through all programming across our school, our staff and teachers are working
incredibly hard, our students are motivated to learn and are committed toattaining their best, and our parent support is second to none. Each year, thestandardized testing and the diagnostic exam results indicate that our students
are becoming even better prepared for their DP experience through our PYP
and MYP programming. (I encourage you to check out our how are students
are doing at the ‘Academic Performance’ section of our KIST website.) KIST
believes that ‘education is a shared partnership between students, caregivers
and the school,’ and KIST’s successful results reflect the strength of therelationships that our community has collaboratively developed between thesethree stakeholder groups. Thank you to everyone in our community for yoursupport of KIST, and for all the efforts you have made to further grow ourschool. The strength of our community is of great pride to our school.
Our students are not just strong academically – they demonstrate excellent
time management and organization in managing other commitments as well. In
addition to extracurricular clubs continued from previous years, we further grew
the variety of activities for KIST students to participate in outside of class.

June 2018
11-12 (G5-G11) Cross curriculardays
11-12 (G9) Career experience with
KIST program
13 Secondary awards assembly(*Morning)
13 (K1-G11) Semester 2 reports
issued13 (W) Last day of school forstudents (Half day for students)
13 (K1-G3) After care not available
on this day
14-29 Office open
18-29 Summer program session 1

July 2018
Jun 30-Jul 29 School closed
Jul 30-Aug 10 Summer program
session 2

August 2018
16 (K1/K2/K3) Parent welcomenight
20 First day of school for students
21 (G1-G10) Mathematics
diagnostic testing
22 (G1-G5) Parent welcome night
23-24 (G2-G5) English diagnostic
testing
24 (G6-G12) Parent welcome night
24 (G12) University informationnight

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

We became a full member of the KPASS association,
thereby allowing our students to compete against alarger network of schools located in the Kanto area.
We strengthened our robotics programming with new
equipment, participated in a few tournaments offcampus, and even hosted our first robotics tournament
here at KIST (and picked up an impressive number ofawards!). We established the KIST orchestra, whichhas performed at various KIST events and also atother locations in our local community. Our MUN teamwas expanded, we had solid student involvement in allof our sports teams, and tickets to the showing of oursecond ever musical—Beauty and the Beast Jr.—soldout immediately. We introduced service committees
this year through which our students have involved
themselves with meaningful efforts to make theircommunities better places to be. All in all, our students
are working hard in their studies, but they are also
demonstrating exceptional balance and responsibility
through their club activity involvement.
KIST joined a few key organizations over the 2017-18
school year. The East Asia Regional Council of
Schools (EARCOS), an organization of 158 member
schools in East Asia, offers us incredible networking
opportunities and professional development support
for our staff. This year Yuki (G11) won the EARCOS
Global Citizens Award and is currently working toreceive an EARCOS grant to support her service
efforts. We also gained membership to the Japan

Council of International Schools (JCIS), an
organization of 27 international schools across Japanthat work together to promote, support and sustain
quality English medium schools serving theinternational community. We are proud to announce
that KIST has also joined the Corporate Contribution
Program (CPP), which will allow corporations withdependants of their non-Japanese staff studying at
KIST to make tax-deductible contributions that support
our school.
At this time next year, we will commence constructionof our new gymnasium, another long-awaited
milestone for our school. Such projects would not be
possible without the cooperation and patience of ourschool community and the generosity shown by those
who have supported through donations. We are very
fortunate to have strong support that is allowing us tomove ahead with new construction. It is exciting tothink that after a brief few years we will have newbuildings and a very different looking school!
I wish everyone a safe, restful summer, and lookforward to welcoming everyone back in August.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Jones
Head of School

KIST Summer Program 2018
In order to help our students achieve their fullpotential, KIST will once again offer a wide variety ofsummer programs for students of all grade levels.
Whether to prevent “summer slide,” to further
expand their skills to a higher level, or to catch up on areas
where they may need a little extra help to succeed, we have asummer program suited to every student’s needs and goals!
Our summer programs for this year will run during thefollowing sessions:

Session 1: June 18 – 29, 2018
Session 2: July 30 – August 10, 2018
Session 3: August 13 – 17, 2018
Spaces are filling up quickly, so apply soon!
For more information and application details, please checkour summer program webpage at:https://www.kist.ed.jp/node/1447
For inquiries, please feel free to contact the Summer Program
Office at summer.program@kist.ed.jp.

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Elementary School News
Learning over the summer
As I reflect on the school year that isquickly coming to a close, my mind
slowly begins to wander, and soon
I’m thinking about summer vacation!
The thought of taking a break andspending time with my family bringsa smile to my face. Then the thoughtof summer learning loss snaps me back to reality.
Summer learning loss, which is also known as thesummer setback or the summer slide, refers to the lossof academic knowledge and skills over the summer
holiday. Quinn and Polikoff (2017) claimed that somestudents can lose up to a months’ worth of learningover the summer break. They found that this loss oflearning was sharper in math than in reading, and thatthe extent of loss was larger in the higher grades.
Oxford Learning (2015) also noted that over thesummer, the physical fitness levels of children can
decline.
There are many things we can do over the summer toprevent learning loss and maintain the physical fitnessof our children.
Reading can be fun and engaging anywhere! Takebooks with you on holidays. Read a few pages or achapter with your child every morning when they areused to learning at school. Read travel guides andwebsites together to plan your outings. Activities suchas these give your child a purpose for reading.
To maintain physical fitness, get your children moving!
Sign your child up for a team sport or a competition.
Encourage your child to learn a new skill such as
swimming, or take up a new activity like skateboarding.
Go on walks and explore Tokyo!

Shafer (2016) from Harvard Graduate School of
Education, suggests various ways to combat summer
math loss: Highlight math in everyday activities. Connections tomath can be found in everyday activities such as
shopping, statistics while watching a baseball game,and cooking.
 Read short mathstories. Math-focusedstories, such as thosefound at http://
bedtimemath.org,
can help boost mathscores while keeping
the content fun andengaging.
 Play math games.
Games such as
Monopoly, Yahtzee,and Equate utilize
math skills in a funand enjoyable way.
Jigsaw puzzles, using
blocks, and playing
games such as
Katamino help children to develop spatialawareness.
While summer vacation is an opportunity for fun andrelaxation, most of us can find the time to makelearning an enjoyable and meaningful activity no matter
where we go or what we do!
I wish you all a fun and stimulating summer holiday!
Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal

References: Oxford Learning. (2015). Summer learning loss statistics (And tips to promote learning all summer long). Retrieved fromhttps://www.oxfordlearning.com/summer-learning-loss-statistics/
 Quinn, D. M., & Polikoff, M. (2017). Summer learning loss: What is it, and what can we do about it? Retrieved fromhttps://www.brookings.edu/research/summer-learning-loss-what-is-it-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/ Shafer, L. (2016). Summer Math Loss. Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/06/summer-math-loss

IT News
With the addition earlier in the year of a third member to our team, Rodrigo (Raddie) Capiral, we
are working to improve and maintain our internal IT environment as well as supporting thelearning needs of students. Over the coming months, we will be working on new initiatives suchas the creation of a new design for the school website, and reconstruction of our data
management system.
IT Support TeamIf you have any feedback or comments for the IT Team, please feelToshi Naito – IT Manager
free to contact us at it.support@kist.ed.jp.
Dominic Arnold – IT Support Technician
Raddie Capiral – Systems Engineer

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PYP News
Reflecting on the year...
Every year around this time, typically I envision some way
to encourage parents and students to look foropportunities to extend inquiry styled models of learning
into their summer fun. Upon further consideration, I
realized that it had been a while since I had reflected on
all the successes that have taken place over the school
year. Thinking back, I’m reminded of all the great unit
plans that the teachers and assistants have investigatedthrough a variety of modes and perspectives. Here aresome of the highlights of the year in a quick “Flashback”
down memory lane.
The Mini Exhibition inK1 this year was afantastic way for the
students to share theirart work with thegreater community. It
offered the chance forthe students to exhibit
their skills to a new setof eyes and ears.

colour, whereas light becomes lighter and eventually whitewhen all colours of the spectrum are mixed together.
Grade 2 fashioned avariety of stories
told from different
modes of delivery toround off their unit
based on the Modesof Storytelling.
Genres included
G2 storytellingrock music, sports,
ballet and theater. Choices of ways to relay stories go on
and on, as far as your imagination.
Terraforming and urban
planning came into play for
the Grade 3 classes in theirunit on “Where We Are inPlace and Time”. They were
tasked with the problem ofliving in an alien world andhow to design their living
spaces. The class reallyenjoyed solving this problem
with their 3D model boards.

K1 mini exhibition

K2 was excited tohone their creativity in
the Storytelling unit.
Each week they
focused on a different
element of storytelling,each building on theother and in the end
crafted tales which
culminated in a story
they were proud of.

K3 friendship bench

G1 light unit

G3 terraforming

K2 storytelling

K3 teachers werebaffled and stumped
about how to erect
their Friendshipbench. If not for thehelp of their unit
focusing on the use oftools, they may never
have been able tobuild and position thebench into thekindergarten
playground.
Grade 1 students
celebrated the launch of
their brand-new unit “Howthe World Works”
featuring “Light” and how
it interacts in our world.
They were particularlyinterested in the quality ofcoloured light and how it
differs from painted
colours. The more paintyou mix, the darker theCatapults were the guise that
the Grade 4 classes seized
upon in order to demonstrate
their understanding of Newton’s
Laws of Motion. The classes
constructed their machines witha limited amount of resources,
and when all was said anddone, even topped it off with a
G4 catapultscompetition to determine whichgroup’s catapult could throw the furthest.
And finally, during the “Sharing
the Planet” unit, Grade 5s
decided to implement Conflict
Mediators through recess timeto help soothe tensions anddisagreements between
students on the pitch. The
students were quite adept atoffering strategies to preventand resolve conflicts.
Wow, what a year in review. If
you didn’t have a chance to
see at least a few of thesegreat projects, then be sure to keep close tabs on yourchildren’s school work and pop in and see what’s up in the
PYP.
G5 conflict mediators

Clay Bradley
PYP Coordinator / Elementary School Vice Principal

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Early Childhood NewsTime in kindergarten
Thank you again to all the parents for your continued
support during this school year. We believe that the
support you provide is crucial in helping our teachersand staff provide the best learning opportunities
possible. We hope you all enjoyed witnessing yourchild’s learning journey with us this year.
As this is the final issue of The
Comet for this school year, I
would like to review the year
through photos.

August – Gradual Entry
Program
For most of our K1 friends, thiswas their very first time being
away from their parents, but wedidn’t have many tears!!

February – World
Cultures Day
Look at all the different
costumes! Yummy foodto enjoy, too. The
children have become
very proud of their own
countries!

March – Spring
Concert andStudent-Led
Conferences
A very busy month withtwo big events. We hope
you were able to see
what and how your childis learning at school through the SLCs. And through the
Spring Concert, we hope you could actually see where
your child is heading. Each performance wasdevelopmentally appropriate for each grade.

April – Cross Country

October – K.20

The K1s to K3s all tried so
hard! Some of our reading
buddies came to cheer for the
young runners. Staff also ran
along with the students, too.

KIST celebrated its 20th
anniversary!! All theearly childhood
teachers were busy
preparing fun activities
for our children. Did youcome to see us in the
MPR??

May – 21 Days ofKindness Challenge
November – DEAR
Week
Thank you to all theparents who came toread stories to ourchildren. We love inviting
you to our classrooms!

December – Winter Concert
Some of thechildren were
nervousstanding on thestage,
performing infront of a big
audience!!

This was our first year trying this.
K1 and K2 classes joined inslightly different ways, but we still
followed the big idea: watching
videos, making kindness chains,and more. The differences were:
we had our own 21 Days of Kindness Challenge
Calendar that the children opened for their friends eachday. We also made our very own kindness key chain.
What a great way to spread kindness around.

May – Family Day
Family Day is always great fun;the children love running aroundwith their mums, dads or
siblings.

June – End-of-Year Party

January – Japanese New Year Party
This was another big
event that would nothave happened
without the support ofparents! Wrestling withreal sumo wrestlers
was a great
experience!!

I hope you are all looking forward to spending time inyour child’s class!!
What a big accomplishment, everyone! Thank you
again. None of these events would have been as
successful as they were without your support – thatmeans you, if you have read this far. Thank you, andhave a great summer holiday!
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1-K3) / K1B Teacher

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Daily 5 in K1
After the K1 classes finished learning the letters and sounds using Jolly
Phonics (s, a, t, i, p, n, c, k, e, h, r, m, d, g, o, u, l, f and b), we started aliteracy structure called Daily 5. The Daily 5 teaches the K1 students tobecome independent and gives them the skills required to build
appreciation, enjoyment and engagement in reading and writing. It
contains five stations, which include:

1. Read to self
Look at the pictures, sound out
the letters, blend the letters tocreate a word, stay in one place,read quietly.

3. Listen to reading

2. Read to someone
Sit EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee
to knee), read quietly, one
student reads and the otherlistens. Look at and describe thepictures and show to partner,
sound out the letters, blend
them to create a word or words.

Listen to a story on DVD/CD orcomputer stories (monitors arecovered) using head or ear
phones, listen quietly, stay in
one place.

5. Word work
4. Work on writing
Students write in their writing
booklet, trace and write all theletters using the formation
learned, color pictures that startwith the letter on that page, draw
a picture that has the same
initial letter, and phoneticallywrite words by sounding out andblending the letters.

Match upper-case to its lowercase letter, letter fishing to makea word, connect puzzle pieces tocreate a word, use letter blocks
to create words, look at picturesand letters, blend the sounds
and spell the word, flip theletters to create the word to
match the picture.

The students are knowledgeable
to choose a station independently.
They are principled to switch
stations when they have completed
their task. They demonstrate acaring attitude to their peers as
they quietly undertake their tasks
so as to not distract the class.
Claire Yoneyama
K1A TeacherV o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 1 8

K2A Learning Outdoors
Helping students to appreciate and value living things
In K2A, our students are learning about living things and our responsibility
towards them. Young children are naturally curious about their world, and enjoy
exploring their surroundings, so our kindergarten playground lent itself well as
an environment for them to focus their inquiries. Interacting directly with thisenvironment through hands-on experiences
enabled students to gain greater understandingof nature, and also appreciate the wonder of thenatural world.
Students had many questions about their
immediate environment, such as, ‘I wonder what
is under the rocks?’, and ‘Why can’t we see theants home?’ The students wanted to build aplace for the bugs they found to live, so together
we made a ‘bug hotel’ that the students helped tomake during our insect week. They spent timelooking for bugs to put in the hotel, and throughlearning about what the creatures need tosurvive, hopefully developed positive attitudes
towards living things and the environment.
Catherine Wells
K2A Teacher

PYP Exhibition
The following is a message from one of our G5 PYP Exhibition Groups:

Phone Zombies are Dangerous!
Phone zombies are people who use their phone while walking. Being aphone zombie can lead to deaths and serious injuries. Being a phone
zombie is an awful action to do. Phone zombies will regret being one.
We should teach our kids to not be a phone zombie!
Hana (G5B) and Nao (G5A)
PYP Exhibition Phone Zombie Group“ T h e Co m et ”

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Kindness

A picture of the ‘Thankful
Diary’ that G1A students
have been writing since
March 2018 to rememberthe ‘small’, kind acts ofother people aroundthem, that in the rush of
the day we would
normally forget toappreciate.

As you are reading this, our school’s
21-Day Kindness Challenge will haveended. Does this mean we can stop being kind? Get
back to minding our own business and forget aboutothers? Or rather is it just the beginning?
To me, kindness is something positive we do, notthinking about getting anything in return. Having a
positive mindset and thinking about the person next toyou, more than about yourself. I am rather shy andtaking that first step is not always easy. When yourheart is beating so fast, the thought of putting yourself
in the spotlight and offering help to someone can be
overwhelming. Especially if we are offering help tosomeone who does not speak our language. Will I be
understood? What if the other person gets upset?
Questions like this seem natural, but kindness is aunique language. Its beauty comes from the fact that
we all speak it with our hearts not words. Helping aperson with a stroller at the train station who iswondering how to reach the exit when there is noelevator or escalator, might not seem like a big
problem to us, but would greatly help someone who
might also feel ashamed to ask for assistance. It mightsound altruistic, but I believe that putting ourselves at a
disadvantage just to help someone is a good example
of such behavior.

I think that as parents, friends, teachers, students,
colleagues or partners in learning, we should always
remember that kindness is contagious. It will return tous sooner or later. Maybe it already DID return. But wewere too busy looking at our smartphones, maybe we
missed our child’s smile full of pride when they drew a
picture and wanted to share it with us. Let’s all lookwith our hearts, not eyes. Appreciation is the key toopen our hearts and noticing those small things
happening to us every day. Although small, they matterthe most. It is never too late to be kind. You are never
too old or too young for it.
You do not even need any
special equipment. All you
need is YOU.
Wilhelm Merchel
G1A Teacher

It really struck me during the World Cultures Day, whensecondary school volunteers came to teach elementary
students greetings in a different language, I heard a
student who actually speaks that language saying:
Mr Merchel, I learnt something
today. I learnt how to say ‘thankyou’ in my home language. I
never thank my parents.”

New Face
Since the last issue of The Comet, we have welcomed a new staff member to our
instructional team, Shane Harris. Mr Harris has been working initially as a teacher in
the P2 class at KIPS, and will move to the Elementary School at KIST from August
2018 as an ELS instructor.
On behalf of the school community, we wish you all the best in your new role andhope that you enjoy your time with us.

Here is one of my favourite videos
that inspires kindness! You canscan the QR code to view it on
your phone.

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 1 8

21 Day Kindness Challenge“Why would anyone want to be friends with her?” “Oh, my goodness,
what is she wearing?” “Don’t you think he’s fat?” “Ew, he’s yucky!”Comments like these are not uncommon among children. Judging andcommenting about other people can be rude or vicious, therefore, it isimportant that we teach children to be nice to others.
Children tend to not be able to see the bigger picture. As they usuallyfocus on the now and not think too far ahead, they may not realise thefull effects of what behaviours like meanness, exclusion, or bullying canhave on other children. They aren’t always able to put themselves insomeone else’s shoes or make a conscious effort to think about how
someone else might feel.
To raise awareness of kindness and reflect on our behaviour, we held a“21 Day Kindness Challenge” this year.
Our pupils and teachers were asked to record five acts of kindness a
day on a strip of card and make it into a long chain. A short kindness
project was held every day throughout the challenge in order to teachour pupils a variety of kindness activities they can easily adopt in theireveryday life.
To finish off this challenge, we held a celebration assembly on 23rd of
May. We had a very special guest from America, Nimesh “Nimo” Patel, a
rap star who runs Empty Hands Music to spread seeds of goodness inthe world through selfless service, music and love.
We had great fun singing one of his songs called “Being
Kind” together and learnt a lot about how kindness would
positively affect other lives.
Kana Furnival
Elementary School Student Care Coordinator /G3A ELS Instructor“ T h e Co m et ”

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Elementary ELS
Songs for summer
Music is one of the highlights of school for our students.
We can tell from the way students gravitate to the musicroom during recess time, from their response to songs
played as classroom morning routines or transition time routines, by how theylatch on to songs that are part of a learning experience in UOI or PE classes,
and of course by the huge amount of joy brought by full-scale productions(Beauty and the Beast Jr. and the end-of-year concert).
I’m sure it’s not new to learn that apart from being fun, songs are also an
incredibly effective way to develop language – vocabulary, grammar structuresand pronunciation. This is one reason why songs and chants are a big part ofour routines in elementary! What’s more, songs are an easy activity to do athome, too, and a highly recommended way to keep up English language
learning during vacation time.

G4 rehearsing for Beauty and theBeast Jr. – the excitement of adding intheir own choreography and thechance to work together withsecondary student actors made this an
extra special learning experience.

The ELS department would like to pass on some free websites that have been
recommended by various teachers internationally for learning English throughsong:
https://lyricstraining.com
A fill-in-the-lyrics activity as you watch and listen to music clips. The greatthing about this site is that it has many genres, including pop songs for older
kids, as well as a “Children’s Music” section for younger kids, and songs fromsoundtracks. There is also a “Movie Scenes” section, where you can fill in theblanks for the lines from some popular movies. It would be good to check thissite out before you introduce it to your kids as you may want to supervise
which lyrics or movie scenes they listen to.
http://www.elllo.org/months/weeks/music.htm
Another fill-in-the-lyrics site; however, it is more challenging, as you have tolisten and read the complete lyrics first, then switch over to the fill-the-gaps
activity afterwards. A memory challenge! There is not as much variety ofmusic genres as the Lyrics Training site.
http://www.lyricsmode.com
A site with the lyrics to many current and older pop songs, and a function
where you can click to see the meaning of the lyrics, and even add an
explanation of the meaning yourself.
http://www.eflclub.com/2songs/songs.html
A site with a small collection of classic songs, and a fill-in-the-blanks activity
to do as you listen.
http://eflclassroom.com/songs/book.swf
A large collection of recommended music clips for English language learning,with blurbs explaining which part of English language each song helps us tolearn. The videos are free, however the worksheets will cost money.
https://www.themagiccrayons.com/songs
Our own Mr Tim’s Magic Crayons site has great original songs for our
youngest learners.

G2B’s Jiei and Zhe Hao perform thesong they wrote for their “How we
express ourselves” unit.

Fiona from K1B leads the whole classin singing the days of the week song.

Wishing you all an amazing vacation complete with you and your kids’ favorite
songs!
Lastly, thank you and credit to the following teacher bloggers for recommending
the above sites:(R>L) Airi (G3B), Riko (G3B) andArista (G3A) during a G3 rehearsal of
the song “Dirty Cash” for the end-ofyear concert.

Larry Ferlazzo – http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/01/30/the-best-music-websites-for-learning-english
Vicky Saumell – http://educationaltechnologyinelt.blogspot.jp/search/label/songs
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator/ G5 ELS InstructorV o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 1 8

LEAP NewsThe end of another year. It’s amazing
how fast time goes by!
The final newsletters for this semester
have been mailed out to LEAP families. There aresome really lovely activities within those classes. If you
received a newsletter, please do take the time to readthrough the fun learning activities your childparticipated in this semester.
One big announcement that many may already beaware of is that this will be my final year as LEAP
Coordinator and teaching assistant at KIST. The last
four years at KIPS/KIST have been an incredible
experience, most especially the last two in which I was
LEAP Coordinator. I have learned so much from thisexperience and will treasure the memories made.
Thank you all for your amazing support.
LEAP will be left in very capable hands, however.
Please warmly welcome Ms Katherine Millican as thenext LEAP Coordinator! I know she is very eager totake on the role, and is already excitedly working on
the planning for the upcoming Summer Program
sessions, as well.
A few words from Ms Millican:

I would like to start by thanking Ms
Guarente for her hard work during
her tenure as LEAP Coordinator.
Standing on the threshold of taking
over her role, I feel privileged tohave had a predecessor as kind and as
willing to answer my questions as Ms
Guarente has been. Based upon myexperience as a LEAP instructor, I believe
LEAP, as an integral part of the support
system at KIST, can have a positive impact
on students' self-esteem and success within
the classroom, and I am thrilled to have theopportunity to continue to build upon thelegacy my predecessors have created. I lookforward to learning together over the summer
and into the next school year!

Congratulations, Ms Millican! I wish you all the best in
the coming years as LEAP Coordinator, a role in which
I know you will truly shine!
Again, thank you to all the parents, students and staff
who have made this a truly incredible experience. I
wish you the best in all your future endeavors.
Amber Guarente
LEAP Coordinator /K1 Teaching Assistant“ T h e Co m et ”

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KIPS News
From the P1 classroom...
Summer is approaching, and during thisterm we are talking about different sea
animals and creatures. During circle time,
the children enjoy singing and dancing todifferent songs related to the sea. Two of
their most favorite songs are “Baby Shark” and “Shrimp and Crab.” They
usually request during play time and say, “Baby Shark song, please.” They
move their fingers and hands to make the shark poses while they walk aroundthe classroom. “Shrimp and Crab” is their favorite exercise song in themorning. The children try to copy how the teachers stretch and make theshrimp and crab pose while they make the “wooooh” sound. It isoverwhelming to witness how children at this young age enjoy moving theirbodies to a song they know.
In just a few months the P1 children will move up to P2. The progress anddevelopment that they are making has been noticeable. The younger children
who used to be fed by the teachers can now eat by themselves using a
spoon, and drink soup from a cup without spilling it. Some older children who
used to babble or say single words can now make a simple sentence such as“It’s rainy, we can’t go outside,” or express themselves in words by saying
what they want such as “More banana please”.
It has been just a year, but the children have learned and developed different
skills, physically, emotionally and socially. We hope to witness more of theirprogress in P2 class next year. Good luck P1 children!!!
Ma. Cielito Bautista
P0/P1 Teacher

From the P2 classroom...
Hello! My name is Shane Harris, and I have been working as a P2 classroom
teacher since April of this year. Reflecting on this school year, a number ofareas where the P2 students have grown really stand out.
Firstly, their emotional self-control has improved, as well as their ability tocommunicate thoughts and emotions using English phrases. During play time,they play much more cooperatively, often using polite phrases and taking
turns. They have also been taking increasing responsibility for their daily
routine: eating neatly, packing their bags, cleaning up toys, using the
restroom, washing their hands, etc. In the two months that I have been in theclassroom, I have also noticed that students’ creations during playtime (Legobuildings, train tracks, etc.) are becoming increasingly diverse and creative.
In recent weeks, we have set up activity stations during playtime and rainy-day
mornings, with a wide range of activities, such as puzzles, craft-making,origami and alphabet cards. At these stations, the students are showing
sustained mental focus and improved motor skills, particularly in terms ofusing their fingers to organize and arrange objects.
On behalf of the P2 teachers I would like to say thankyou to all KIPS students, staff and parents for a fantastic
year!
Shane Harris
P2 Teacher

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MYP News
KIST Families connect during student-led
conferences
Each year in March,
KIST students meet with
their families to share
their experiences andreflect on their strengths
and areas of
improvement. The
student-led conferences
offer the opportunity forstudents to take stockand see all that they’ve
accomplished.

The portfolio students develop focuses on reflection.

Ishan (G7A) shares his portfolio withhis parents during student-led
conference day.

Planning for the SLC
begins with students
compiling portfolios of their work and reflections. This
year’s portfolio process was changed to encouraged
students to take a broader view of their time and KIST.
In addition to their academic success, students also usedtheir portfolios to explore life skills, MYP essentials andlearning strategies, along with extracurricular experiences
they found to be rewarding.

Students review their development of their Approaches toLearning skills.

All of these reflections were framed by the IB’s Approaches to Learning Skills. The ATLs are a good measure of
progress for all students.
All in all, the MYP Portfolio and the Student-Led Conferences both offered great opportunities for students andparents to get a clear view of school life here at KIST.
Rob White
MYP Coordinator

Congratulations Michiru!
Congratulations to Michiru(G10A) on her wonderfulachievement in gaining second
place in the Tokyo division of
the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu
Karuta (traditional Japanese
poetry card game) tournament
held as part of the 42nd All
Japan High School Cultural
Festival on May 4. We hope
she will keep aiming for aneven higher result next time.

Students competing in the tournament.

Michiru receiving her award.

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MYP Personal Project Exhibition
G10 Personal Project exhibition
showcases student inquiry
The 2018 MYP Personal Project exhibition
was held in the school gym on Friday,
March 2.
The G10s work to complete their projects
from the beginning of the year. The PP is
the culminating project for the MYP. It is an
opportunity for students to demonstrate theknowledge and skills they’ve developed overtheir time in the MYP. The project,completed independently and in addition to
the students’ other subject work, involves
producing a product or outcome, a process
journal documenting their work, and a
Personal Project report that highlights theirachievements.

47 G10s completed the project this year.

The exhibition was an enjoyable day and included visitsfrom elementary and secondary students as well as theparents of G10 students. Following the exhibition, MYP
Personal Project supervisors worked to complete
assessments of the students’ work. Judging by thevariety of topics covered, the quality of the products, andthe high degree of student interest, the 2018 G10 classshould be proud of their work.
Rob White
MYP Coordinator

Mai (G10A) (right) shows her product to a group of G8s.

Noa (G10A) (left) shares his project with elementary students.
G9s, who will take on the Personal Project next year, have aparticular interest in seeing how they’re completed. Here, Min Woo(G10B) goes through the details with Saki (G9A) and Ethan (G9B).

Among the visitors this year were MYP students from Tamagawa
Academy. Tomoyuki (G10A) (left) explains his work.

V o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

SNS iRules
While Instagram, Facebook and other Social Networking Services (SNS’s) usually have an age
requirement of 13 years or older, we do see many incidents of misuse by students younger than 13 yearsof age. Also, even students 13 years and older require parental support and monitoring in using theseresources appropriately and safely.
As we start the summer holidays, our children will surely be spending more time on their various devices.
As such, it is a good time for us as caregivers to reflect on the support that we are providing our children
with using devices responsibly.
Janell Burley Hofmann is the author of the book, iRules: What Every Tech-Healthy Family Needs toKnow About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up. To support us with supporting our kids, below
is Janell’s list of iRules for Instagram (and other SNS’s). Why not take some time to review this with yourchild(ren) and adopt them for your house as well?

1. Pause before you post. Ask, does this feel/sound/seem like something I should share? Yes?! Go for it!
2. Be tech positive and post only comments, pictures and shares that lift up. It’s contagious!
3. No inappropriate posts like swears, pictures, comments. If you wouldn’t want Grandma to read it, don’t
post it.
4. Followers/following must be from the classroom, sports field or neighborhood – otherwise get parent
approval (including celebrities and famous accounts).
5. Don’t post to exclude. No one likes an Instie friend that tries to convey “look at all the fun we’re having
without you!”
6. Do not announce A, N, L (age, name, location) in profile or posts.
7. Account must be set to private.
8. Mom and Dad follow.
9. Parents know password.
10. “Parent scan” at random – especially during the trial period. But I’d prefer you just show me because
you want to!
11. Only 1 user name, no secret accounts.
12. Permission to post pictures required from friends and family. No pictures of unsuspecting humans(unsuspecting animals are ok).
13. You don’t have to follow and be followed by everyone you know. You can make a choice to connect
with the people you want. Quality not quantity!
14. You can always block, unfollow or change your mind.
15. Be choosey about what you “like”. That double click also represents you too.
16. Have a lot to say? Pick up the phone and call or hop on your bike and knock. We don’t all need to see
your business or witness your chats.
17. Unsure about something you saw, sent, shared? Don’t know if you should? Just ask! We can figure
this out together!
By Janell Burley Hofmann, created in partnership with her 12-year-old son.

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Beauty and the Beast Jr.
On Friday, May 11, we held two performances of themusical, “Beauty and the Beast Jr.”, which was
performed by Grade 4 students and a number of MYP
students. Thank you so much for your support fromthe beginning. As we didn’t begin rehearsing until
January, there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare, buteveryone put in so much effort and we were able topull off a great show.
A video of the performance is available for viewing by
KIST families on the Library Moodle page at the link
below:
http://bit.ly/KISTBeautyAndTheBeast
Please see the reviews below, written by our G10
students.
Megu (G10A)
I thoroughly enjoyed our school's version of
Beauty and the Beast. All characters were
engaging and entertaining and the songs
were performed very well. I am very glad tohave been able to watch and support mypeers.

Namiki (G10A)
The actors remembered their lines, sangvery well, and the props used on the stage
were very good. We all clapped after eachsong.

Rithwik (G10A)
It was my first time to see a musical andwas a lot better than I had expected. The
audience was very lively and created agood atmosphere for the performers to
perform well.
Robert Collins
PYP Music Teacher

Makiko Duran
MYP/DP Music TeacherV o l u me 2 1 | I s s u e 4 | J u n e 2 0 1 8“ T h e Co m et ”

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What Does It All Mean?
After completing the first half of the DP
course, Grade 11 English Language andLiterature students reflect on theirstudies...
The British cultural theorist Stuart Hall has famously
claimed, ‘Things don’t mean; we constructmeaning.’ In fact, I find this quote so fundamental to
the study of language in the DP, I have posted it –along with a large photo of Mr Hall – in every classroom
I teach in. Clearly, I’m a fan. I hope that by the end of
Grade 11, most of my students are too.
When asked to explain the significance of Hall’s
position, Igor (G11B) stated that ‘everything isarbitrary, that language is not something that isnaturally determined, but made by humans.’ Thus, hecontinued, ‘meanings have been completely made byus.’
What follows are a few of the many thoughtful
responses to the end of year survey I recently sharedwith my class. Questions covered a broad crosssection of topics and works from throughout this year.

What is significant about the statement‘Truth = Knowledge + Power’?
Truth can be manipulated by power; An idea or
knowledge that is repeatedly said to be true
becomes true.
Xiang Yu (Tom) (G11B)

Which Edgar Allan Poe story was yourfavorite? Why?
My favorite Poe storywas ‘The Pit and thePendulum' because
the idea of repetitive
arousal of newchallenges was apattern also seen in
my personal life.
When we think theprotagonist of thestory has solved aproblem, immediately
he is faced by a new
problem, and this cycle is very familiar in the DP
program too! I have often experienced cases
where I finish a tiring task that I put a lot of effort
into, and the next day, surprise! Another big
assignment is introduced from another subject!
So this notion of being constantly faced by newchallenges related to me, which made me likethis story.
Kevin (G11B)

I liked The Fall of the House of Usher, because
there are so many things ambiguous about it. Is
Madeline a ghost? Are they actually sick? Do
any of them ever exist? It’s all up to the reader
to figure out.
Sophia (G11B)

What is something you are proud to havelearned or mastered in DP English thisyear?
[Stuart Hall’s] ‘The Work of Representation,’ as
it helps me to think about linguistics through adifferent perspective.
Varsha (G11A)

What arcane knowledge have you acquiredin the course this year?
The meaning of the word ‘milieu’: The societal
culture and environment in which a text or
person exists.
Sophia (G11B)

Why do scholars sometimes use ‘The
Handmaid’s Tale’ as an example of thepostmodern theory of ‘the death of theauthor’?
As Atwood has
answered in one of herinterviews, she did notwrite the story toconvey a theme. The
novel was just a book
she wrote [in order tocontinue her career] asa writer, but she alsocommented how thepolitical and socialfeatures at the time also influenced the plot andcharacters of the story. Therefore, theinteraction between the novel and the reader is
not decided (not intentional) by the author.
Tom (G11B)
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Continued from previous page

Why is ‘Are there any questions?’ such a
wonderfully appropriate way to conclude
Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?
The novel is full of questions. [It] ended
ambiguously, as the readers do not knowwhether Offred was able to escape Gilead with
Mayday, or was sent to the colonies. Therefore,
Professor Pieixoto ending his speech with "Arethere any questions?" is ironic as the readers
and audience are filled with questions.
Meng Ting (G11A)

My favorite character in Pride and Prejudice is
Mr Darcy, because I enjoyed his transformationfrom an unloving character to a charming
gentlemen. As the story went on, I found his
awkwardness funny, and I enjoyed the scene
where Elizabeth visits Darcy's estate in
Pemberley.
Meng Ting (G11A)

Who is your favorite character in Jane
Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’? Why?
Mr Collins. The sycophantic qualities of humannature were expressed very nicely throughcaricature. His behaviours and language alsocomments on the polite nature of the society
and the need to speak formally and not show
emotions.
Varsha (G11A)
Mrs Bennet. Not only is her relationship with Mr
Bennet humorous, the development of her
character is quite interesting.
Sophia (G11B)

One of the most pronounced and sustained pleasuresof teaching comes in the moments in which we, as
parents and educators, recognize that the passion andjoy we feel for learning has been passed on to anothergeneration. I cannot overstate the satisfaction I feelupon sharing great works of literature (and thequestions they imply) with KIST students. Thank you to
all Grade 11 students for a wonderful year of deep
reading and powerful thought.
Steven Otis
Secondary Subject Area Coordinator—English

In a Word, a Champion
KIST 8th grader will represent Japan at Scripps
National Spelling Bee in Washington
In March, Grade 8B student, Hanna represented KIST in the
Scripps/Japan Times National Spelling Bee. After a strong
performance in winning the KIST bee for grades 6 to 8 in
February, Hanna was both excited and nervous to participate in
the all-Japan regional bee, competing against the top spellers
from dozens of other schools. After a nail-biting, nine round
showdown with another young speller, Hanna emerged
victorious, becoming KIST’s first ever Japan Times National
Spelling Bee Champion. Among the words Hanna successfully
spelled in the final rounds were emulate, parsonage,intermission and execute. The final word? Insubordinate.
Winning first place comes not only with great recognition for
Hanna’s accomplishment as the subject of a front page featurein the Japan Times newspaper, but also the opportunity to travel
to Washington, D.C., to compete in the annual Scripps National
Spelling Bee as the top speller in Japan. Hanna will attend thecompetition at the end of May, and is, once again, both ‘excitedand nervous.’ We wish her the best and are so proud of what
she has already accomplished. Congratulations and well done,
Hanna!

8B Hanna with the champion’s trophy
Photo by Satoko Kawasaki, The Japan Times

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Math Field Day

Congratulations!!!!

G6 Category (solo)
Kaito (G6B) 1st place
Arnav (G6B) 3rd place

G10 Category (solo)
GaOn (G10B) 1st place

Tech Challenge (teams)
In April, KIST took part in the Math Field Day
competition hosted by Zama High School in
Kanagawa.
The students worked hard, both individually and withingroups, competing in many different activities. The day
was spent not only exploring new mathematicaltechniques, but also making friends and connections
from all over Tokyo.

Sara (G7A) 1st place team – Junior
Ji Hye (G10A) 1st place team – Senior

Energizer (teams)
Anish (G8B) 1st place team – Junior
Shimpei (G11B) 1st place team – Senior
Seojin (G10B) 1st place team – Senior
We had 3 more winners than last year.
Amazing work, Team!

We look forward to seeing more of you next year in
the preparations for 2018–19 Math Field Day! And
taking some of the current Grade 5s too!
Louise Green
MYP Mathematics Teacher

KIST Secondary Students’ Orchestra
Thank you so much for yoursupport in purchasing anddonating musical instruments
this year for our musicprogram. Because of your generous support, wewere able to purchase three timpani, a clarinet
and a trombone.
As a club this year, we performed at a nursing
home, various school events and a number ofcharity events.
We were fortunate to have had the support of acouple of parent volunteers throughout the year.
Thank you Mrs Jun and Mrs Morimoto forteaching the brass and woodwind sections.
We plan to continue expanding our orchestra
club opportunities next year. Please stay tuned
for next year’s repertoire. Please contact Mrs
Duran at makiko.duran@kist.ed.jp if you would
like to donate any musical instruments to theschool.

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The Naked Truth
Nudity is okay…under certain circumstances
Look at the The Bath of Psyche (on the right). What are some words that cross your mind?
Beautiful? Arousing? Seductive? A déshabillé?
Now, imagine a mob of naked women standing on the streets. How would you describe
these women? What would be your thoughts on them? Does your description of themgreatly differ from the impression you got from the woman in the painting?
Nudity is controversial. Over the course of history, we have developed a social construct inwhich we perceive public nudity as ‘wrong’. Most of us have been educated that we should
be ashamed if we were to ever show the “private” parts of our body. In many social
commentaries and public protests, there are cases in which we are presented with the bareflesh of both men and women’s bodies, either as an act of rebellion or a mode of exposé. In
terms of TOK (Theory of Knowledge), the controversy of the naked body extends to theareas of human sciences, ethics and the arts.
On May 11, grade eleven students visited the Nude
Exhibition held at the Yokohama Museum of Art, as part of
our Visual Arts and TOK lesson. The gallery (which will be
opened until June 24) displays a collection of a wide rangeof media. Some works are representations of mythology
and history of the late 19th century, while others are moreof a modern-day outlook of the human body. We looked ataround 130 works, which altogether showed the overall
progression in how we view and feel towards the subject of nudity within the 200
years of western art history.
The words ‘naked’ and ‘nude’ are often used interchangeably. However, in thecontext of art, the two becomes slightly distinguished – the word “naked” appears todenote impurity or vulgarity, while “nude” on the other hand, is understood to beintentional and holds a purpose, especially for the sake of art. Nonetheless, we still
identify the two words as synonymous, in which both deliver ideas of ‘sexuality’, oras some may say, ‘empowerment’.
Yet, even in the world of art, there are still controversies thatrise, even if we have established that the works are
representation of history or the perceptions of the artist. The
varying views towards nudity across cultures and religion dates
back to thousands of years ago, where ancient Greeks
worshiped nudity as it connoted the notion of heroism (as we
see in many of the statues of mythological gods andgoddesses). The ancient Romans, however, found nudity to bea public disgrace and offensive. Even today, works that are
depictions of the naked female body are found to be quite
subjective, as there are both those who find the concept of the‘male gaze’ as sexist, and those who find these works as arepresentation and/or reflection of love.
Emiri (G11B)

NUDE: ART FROM THE TATE COLLECTION
http://yokohama.art.museum/eng/exhibition/index/20180324-497.html

References:
Tate. (n.d.). 'The Bath of Psyche', Frederic, Lord Leighton, exhibited 1890. Retrieved from http://
www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/leighton-the-bath-of-psyche-n01574

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G12 DP Visual Arts Exhibition
The second week of March marked the culmination of works for
Grade 12 Visual Arts students. The final exhibition represents two
years of work by those students undertaking the IB Diploma Visual
Arts program. The students created works in a range of different
media, exploring personal themes and concepts from a diverse
spectrum within the Visual Arts.
We thank the elementary staff for use of their beautiful foyer, whichshowcased the works in a wonderful natural light and kept us all
engaged and excited with daily changes in the works exhibited.
The exhibition offered a showcase of students work to be enjoyedby the whole school community, and enabled students from bothelementary and secondary to discuss and explore the works
created and ask the creators themselves, “WHY?”

Moe Min (G12A)

On behalf of the students and faculty of KIST, we would like tocongratulate our graduating class of DP Visual Arts students. Welldone and good luck in all your endeavors.
Luke Jones
MYP/DP Visual Arts Teacher

Ellen (G12A)

Taimu (G12A)

Rachel (G12A)

Ibuki (G12B)

Su Bin (G12A)

Manato (G12A)

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Grade 9 Camp
Grade 9s build community through camp
experience
Following the Golden Week holiday, G9s participated in acamp trip to Yamanashi. At the YMCA camp at Yamanakako, the students enjoyed a combination of recreational
activities in the beautiful nature at the foot of Mt Fuji. They
also shared time working with one another in a series ofexperiences led by G9 teachers.
The academic focus of the trip was preparing for the G10
Personal Project. Students had a chance to discuss theirthinking about how they’d like to approach the project. They
also received advice from past KIST students in the form of aletter. KIST teachers shared their advice about approaching a
project in which they have a chance to explore a meaningful
topic over an extended time.

Arriving at Camp Yamanaka-ko. The last dry moment of the trip.

Noah, Yukino and Uri from G9A each wrote reflections on
their time at camp.

Noah

M

y overall expression of the camp was positive. I
personally enjoyed both days of the camp. The
first day was energy riddled and exciting, while day two
was more reflective.

Students read and reflected on letters to them from the current
Grade 10s about the Personal Project.

So, there were three activities for the first day, cycling,boating and team building. Our group (there were
three of them as well), were fortunate enough to do all
three activities in time. First of the three was boating.
We got in groups of three, then kayaked close(enough) to the shore. We still got to explore quite a lot
though. Not only was it good exercise, but also a goodteambuilding experience. We sometimes raced to theshore with other boats, and the coordination of ourG9s arriving back from a session of boating.
team was very nice, and it felt like we built greatfriendship. Before moving on to cycling, we
had to wait for the other team to finish
Yukinocycling. So, during the wait, we decided toplay a little game we got to plan beforehand.
ight after Golden Week, we (G9) had the privilege to stay
To put it succinctly, the idea was a teamovernight at Yamanaka-ko in Yamanashi to have our
pursuit of carrying water over our heads. The
Personal Project, that we will be delivering next year, introduced.
team to get the water to the last person fasterNot only was it a great opportunity to learn and prepare for what
and better (less water dissipated) won. We
is to come next year, but I feel that we were, as a group, able tohad some fun moments, like water pouringbuild our teamwork through various fun activities such as boating,into a hoodie (that was me). Then finally, it
cycling, games and hiking. I got to know the people in my grade
was cycling. Unfortunately, it was raining, butbetter and interacted with many I hadn’t had the chance to. Being
still it was a nice long cycle around the lake.
in an environment full of nature was a good change for once, andWe sometimes talked along the way andstaying with the G9 students and teachers made me imagine
despite the rain it was a great experience.
what it would be like in a dormitory at college: would it be as fun?

R

There were more activities to come, but they
all shared a common theme of building G9 as
a team. Either they needed cooperation, or
they were activities which had moments toshare. I was somewhat worried about thecamp before it, but everyone came out of it
positively.

I’d have to wait and see.
It was raining all throughout the camp and we rowed our boats in
the rain and cycled in the rain, soaking wet. Believe it or not, that
was actually fun; it’s not something you’d normally do! Laughingat our soaked selves and the fun we had, it was full of adventureand smiles throughout. This camp is now one of my unforgettable
memories that I know I will cherish and carry with me for a longtime.
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Continued from previous page

Uri

F

ollowing Golden Week, we were given an opportunity tostay at the YMCA facility near lake Yamanakako at
Yamanashi. The venue was a beautiful place that was
surrounded by forests; which provided us an extraordinary
experience. During the camp, the whole grade was divided
into three groups where we interacted with different people
that we never got a chance to.

Mr Lee leading students through a team-building activity in theevening.

On the first day (May 7), we did indoor team-building
activities, canoeing and cycling. Despite the heavy rain, theoutdoor activities were enjoyable. Especially I felt thecanoeing activity was spectacular and thrilling. Within thegroup, we formed groups of three to row the boat together.
Rowing the boat consistently required power andcollaboration within the teammates. We were luckily able tosee swans swimming at the lake as well. After all of theactivities, we were exhausted as our uniforms were soaking
wet. Following the activities, we took a shower, ate dinner andended the day with salsa. Although the day was bad in
weather, it became a memorable experience that made us
laugh.
The second day started with the mountain birds singing at
dawn. We had an hour-long session about the personal
project where each of us received letters from current G10s.
The letters were very helpful to get prepared for the upcoming Camp finished with a hike to a small shrine.
project. After the session, we went hiking to the Ishiwari
shrine to end the camp: we climbed 403 steps up, then hiked at the mountain. We experienced the naturegreens in the trail which were pleasant. After all, this activity was tiring yet enjoyable.
Overall, the camp was a very memorable and enjoyable experience. The whole grade got bonded closer
after the camp as it was full of activities requiring collaboration. We had a great time :)

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Library News
Summer reading
New! This year KIST Libraries are sponsoring a
Summer Reading Bingo Challenge! Want a chance to
win free books? Here’s how it works: Come to the LMC
or the Elementary Library and pick up your Summer
Reading Bingo Challenge card between now and thelast day of school. Over the summer, record yourreading – title, author and date(s) read – and have an
adult sign off. Bring it back on the first day of school fora chance to win fabulous prizes! You get one raffle
entry for every bingo you complete, and a bonus two
entries if you cover every space.
If you want to get a head start on your bingo card, stopby KIST Libraries on the last day of school to borrowten books for the summer!

Scholastic International Book Club
Thank you to the KIST Community Association forsupporting the Scholastic International Book Club. Thisis a great opportunity for students to pick up hot new
releases and classics in English, delivered right to ourschool for free! But the books don’t arrive ready to go:
the CA Library Committee volunteers always come inand organize the books so everyone gets what theyordered.
Every time you place an order through the Scholastic
International Book Club, KIST Libraries receive 10% of
the cost to put towards new books. We use those funds
to make sure we have enough copies of high interest,
exciting titles like Wimpy Kid, Dog Man and Geronimo
Stilton, and new movie releases like A Wrinkle in Time!

2018 Sakura Medal Book Bowl TeamIn addition to general knowledge questions (such as “In
which book does a girl get caught eating chocolate inclass?”*) about all 20 books, each Sakura Medal Club
member was responsible for being the expert on one
book in particular. The questions were extra tricky thisyear!
Ms Kar from Yokohama International School was ourjudge. Ms Kar said that our students showed good
teamwork. KIST Sakura Medal Club members madeour school proud!
If you’re in G3 or G4 and you love reading, consider
joining the Sakura Medal Club next year! You’ll get firstdibs on all of the 2019 Sakura Medal chapter books,
too – and there are some really exciting ones on the list
this year.
* The first five students who visit the Elementary Librarywith the answer to this question get a ticket to borrowan extra book for the summer!

Thank you for your generous support.

Book donations
The KIST libraries are always grateful to receive
donations of books from the school community.
Recently graduating G12 students have generously
donated any fictional books that they have read for
leisure over the last six years that they no longer
require, no doubt making space at home as they
prepare for their future studies or work.
Please feel free to donate books that may be suitable
for reading by K1 to G12 at any time. Any books that
we already have sufficient copies of will be sold tostudents in the LMC used books store and future KIST
events, including KISTival.

Sakura Medal Book Bowl
On April 20, the KIST Sakura Medal Book Bowl teamwent to St Mary’s International School to compete in
the annual All Japan Sakura Medal Book Bowl!
Students from 10 other schools were there to show off
their knowledge of the 2018 Sakura Medal chapter
books.

Pre-read book sales
We are delighted to report that the LMC raised ¥12,200
from sales of pre-read classroom texts in just one hour
during family day! The funds will be spent on buying
additional copies of popular titles and new texts.

I’m not sure what book to read next?
If this sounds like you or your child, then you will behappy to know that we can help.
www.kist.ed.jp (scroll down to Students menu atbottom) > Destiny Discover > Log in
If you are familiar with shopping on
Amazon, you already know how to
use this software! Type the title of abook that you have enjoyed reading
and it will suggest books that you may
also like. Most titles include a blurb
plus further subject tags. If you findsomething you like, click Hold, and the book will bereserved just for you. You can also of course ask thelibrary staff.
Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

KISTv
The KIST Libraries blog continues to host videos from the school’s major events plus
selected classroom videos.

Disney’s Beauty and the BeastJr.

21 Days of Kindness – theElementary School video

If you were able to attend you can relive
the wonderful performances; if it is yourfirst time to see, then you are in for atreat. (1 hr 15 mins)
http://bit.ly/KISTBeautyAndTheBeast

Elementary school students show us
what kindness means to them, with
examples of letters and notes ofkindness written for their friends andteachers. (6 mins)
http://bit.ly/KIST-21-Days-Elementary

Robo Sumo 2018
Students from Mr Downey’s and Mr Tim’s
Lego and robotics clubs represented
KIST at YIS. (6 mins)
http://bit.ly/kist-robot-sumo-2018

Spring Concert K1-K3, KIPS
A delightful hour of musical entertainment
from the schools youngest members. (55mins)
http://bit.ly/2DG4OSSKIST Libraries Team

Brain Bowl
This year, the winners of the Brain
Bowl club took part in the KPASS
Brain Bowl tournament, hosted at St
Mary’s International School.
The students had a fantastic time,even though some had bad colds!! They were a fantastic
representation of the school and did a brilliant job of talking to thestudents from the other international schools.
The clubs over both semesters were a huge
success, and I hope that students will join once
again!
Congratulations everybody, and especially
Devaj (G7B) who was part of one of the winningteams!

Devaj (G7B) on left.

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Comets Futsal
Our U-18 Boys and Girls teams arein the midst of the ISTAA season
and will be playing in the ISTAA
tournament in June. Both teams
have few senior members, but they
are working hard and improving
every week. We have had somegreat wins and a few tough losses
but are expecting good results inthe tournament this year.
Our U-14 Boys’ Futsal team had ashort but spectacular season
winning all five of their games
against U-14 teams and losing avery close game against an U-18
team. A range of boys from grade 6
to 8 met in early March to train andrepresent the school. The football
was open, fast-paced and built on a
combination of teamwork andpassing. The team is now
preparing itself for the upcominginter-schools competition, to beheld at BST on Saturday, June 9.
While we have high hopes, it
ultimately does not matter if we win
or not, as long as the boys continue
to improve and enjoy the game. It
was a great pleasure coaching theteam this year, and I am sure it is aseason that they will not forget.

U-18 boys futsal

U-18 girls futsal

The team consisted of the following
students: Kemo (G8A), Kishore(G8A), Ryuta (G8A), Andrew(G8B), Daigo (G8B), Hugo (G8B),
Parsh (G8B), Ross (G8B), Kaiser(G8A), Sammy (G7A), Varun(G7B), Aidan (G6B), Tatsuto(G6B) and Daiki (G6B).
Campbell Boyd
U-14 CoachU-14 boys futsal

U-14 boys in action

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Spotlight on Clubs
The Olympics Club (Elementary)
The Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger”
exemplifies the spirit that we aim to cultivate within the
Olympics Club. This motto extends beyond physicalpursuits and speaks to the idea that we can always
better ourselves in any domain of life, if wepossess the wherewithal to do so. With the Tokyo Olympics justtwo years away, The Olympics Club, open to students from
Grades 3 to 5, introduces students to a wide variety of Olympic
sports, as well as some sports that are not yet Olympic sports,
but perhaps should be!
I have been constantly impressed by the unceasing enthusiasm
and curiosity of these KIST Olympians, their willingness towholeheartedly throw themselves into each new activity andtheir ability to reflect on their performance and makeadjustments, so that they can perform even better next time.
Although the current crop of Olympic Club students aren’t quite
ready to make the cut for Tokyo 2020, wouldn’t it be something
truly special to see any of them competing in a future Olympic Games?
After all, every great achievement starts with an unwavering commitment
to a goal. In the words of the legendary Olympian, Michael Phelps,“Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get”.
Cliff GreenClub Supervisor

Electronic Music Club (Secondary)
The electronic music club was developed to teach students of all
different skill levels about making music, primarily with computers. Our
primary focus has been learning the basics of music production andinner-workings of a digital audio workstation called LMMS, which is afree music production software with a variety of functions andcapabilities, perfect for both novice and expert producers. As a producer
myself with over a decade of experience creating music electronically, I
realized how beneficial it is for students to learn about the creative
process and how technology can often assist us in our work.
At the beginning of the year, none of the students had any prior experience in music production. My job as an
instructor was to give them the fundamental skills used for producing music so that they could develop an originalpiece of their own. By the end of the year, all of the students were comfortable with LMMS and were able to turntheir ideas into a reality and show their final work to friends and family. A lot of music these days is based in thecomputer and so the primary goal of the club was for the students to learn about the basics of the software. This
was to allow the students to gain a better understanding of how to not only conceptualize music, but also create
finished products from their visions. It is very important for younger generations to see that in the 21st century, asingle individual can create and share works of art with very few resources.
Over the course of the year, some of the students even decided to switch to different programs once they werecomfortable enough working with LMMS. Many of the students had
managed to devise their own workflow and turn their drafts into final
pieces. At the end of the year, two students collaborated on a songusing only a Nintendo Switch to produce all of the sounds. It seems thatby the end of the year, all of the students were comfortable enough withthe digital audio workstations to seamlessly transition to others, which
was a priority for the first electronic music club at the school.
Douglas McGillivrary
Club Supervisor

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Staff 10!

9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Trying to learn Japanese is a lifelong goal of mine.
And by lifelong, I really think that it will take that long to
be able to speak it coherently!
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
I really enjoy coming to school every day, and working
with everyone here. I look forward to being here for along time to come!

In this month’s Staff 10!,
we are pleased topresent Dominic Arnold
who joined us in January
2017 as a teachingassistant in the
Elementary School
before moving to themain office in October
2017 as an IT Support
Technician.
Mr Arnold and his daughter after
a water fight festival in Odaiba.

1) Tell us somethinginteresting about yourhometown.
I’m from Rochdale, which is just north of Manchester in
the UK. It’s famous for being one of the firstindustrialised towns of the industrial revolution. It wasalso the birthplace of the global cooperative
movement. In fact there is (or was) a sign that says
“The Birthplace of Cooperation” as you drive into
Rochdale, which I always thought was rather a boldclaim. We also have a town hall that looks like Big
Ben!
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
Other than Japan, my favourite place is Italy. I’ve beenfour times I think. I like it for the food, the lifestyle, theculture, the surroundings. There’s so much history
there, and who could get bored of hearing the Italian
language. I also lived in Canada and Australia for ayear each, and would happily live in either of thoseplaces.
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
I’d have to say my grandfather on my dad’s side. I
never met him but heard so much about him growing
up. I’d love to meet the man who helped raise my dad.
I can’t think of anyone else I’d like to meet more.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
Umm, not particularly. I used to DJ but that is so long
ago now I’m not sure I can claim it as a skill anymore!
5) Please share a little known fact about yourself.
I come from a pretty big family; I have four sisters (nobrothers!), and even our three dogs growing up werefemale. There was a lot of girl talk in our house! I also,
for some reason, love the TV show Columbo.
6) What is your most prized possession?
In a material sense, I’m not actually sure I own
anything I could be without. It used to be my record
collection, but I don’t know if I even have it anymore; it
may have been disposed of by someone in England bynow!
7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
I think, perhaps…balanced. I try to enjoy life withfriends, family, and follow a variety of other interests…
although perhaps I should exercise a bit more.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
I don’t think so.

Office Updates
Requesting documentation
Recently, some schools are requiring
applicants to submit teacher recommendations online
rather than on paper. If you are planning to transfer
your child to another school that has an online
application system, the process for requesting
recommendations from KIST teachers is the same forboth paper and online formats. To request
recommendations, please complete theDocumentation Request Form (available at http://
www.kist.ed.jp/node/5) and submit it to the office
together with the required payment. For online
recommendations, please inform the school you are
applying to that they should send details and a link totheir online recommendation form to info@kist.ed.jp
only, not to individual teachers.

School lunch orders
We would like to remind families that thelast date for changing or cancellingschool lunch orders for 2018-2019 is thelast day of school, Wednesday, June 13.
Requests received after this date will
not be accepted.

FOR SALE
Looking for new ways to support our schooland show off your KIST pride? Now, for only¥200 per item, you can be the proud owner ofyour own personalized KIST clock or travel
mug. The functional digital clock, which also
displays the date and temperature, andstylish navy blue
mug also makegreat presents
for all occasions.
Contact Ms
Mitsuyo atreception toreserve yours
today!

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Nurse’s Notes
The benefits of eating breakfast for children
Why is breakfast the most important mealof the day?
Breakfast is important because it refuels the body withenergy and nutrients, kick-starting the day. Skipping
breakfast can result in children feeling lethargic andtired, and can also lead to difficulty concentrating andbehavior difficulties in school.

Why is breakfast important for children?
Eating a healthy breakfast provides children withenergy and essential nutrients, including
carbohydrates, protein, fiber, iron, calcium andvitamins, which are necessary for healthy growth anddevelopment.

The positive effects of eating breakfast on
academic performance
Studies show that children who consistently eat ahealthy breakfast score higher and perform better inmost academic areas. Because eating breakfast has
been linked to better behavior, longer attention spans,and stronger memory in children, it is important for
students to start their day with a healthy breakfast inorder to do their best during the school day.

Psychological and physical benefits
eating breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast…
 provides students with more strength andendurance to engage in physical activities
 supports immunity and helps prevent disease promotes brain growth increases hand-eye coordination (which in turnhelps students succeed in penmanship, sports,
visual art, musical instruments, etc.)
 helps students concentrate on learning improves cognitive skills
 gives children’s brains the boost they need tohave an easier time focusing, solving problems
and handling stress stabilizes moods and lowers stress keeps students feeling happy and healthy, rather
than hungry and tired!

Eating a healthy breakfast can help
prevent overeating
Academic studies show that when students skip
breakfast, they are more likely to overeat fatty foods
during the day, rather than nutrient-rich meals. The
nutrients in breakfast are also essential in boosting

metabolism, which is an importantpart of healthy digestion andpreventing weight gain. While it
may seem contrary to logic,
skipping breakfast is not aneffective way to lose weight or maintain a healthy diet.

Why do some students skip breakfast?
Some students don’t feel hungry first thing in themorning and therefore don’t prioritize eating before
coming to school, while others may often be runninglate and don’t feel they have time to have breakfast.
However, no matter the reason, skipping breakfast
can have a negative effect on learning, so it’s
important for all students to make time for breakfast in
the morning. Developing healthy habits now can leadto academic success not only at KIST, but far into the
future.

Creating healthy habits
Here are some tips and tricks to help even busy
families make time for a healthy breakfast: Just ten minutes can be enough to squeeze intime for breakfast! While morning routines areoften rushed and hectic, waking up even just a
few minutes earlier can help start the day right!
 Prepare as much as you can the night before(gets dishes and utensils ready, cut up fruit, makeboiled eggs and keep them in the fridge).
 Stock the kitchen with easy and healthy breakfast
options (e.g. milk or soy milk, fresh fruit andvegetables, yogurt, cheese, whole-grain foods,
etc., depending on your child’s food allergies andculture).
 Let children help plan and prepare breakfast.
Getting children—especially younger children—
involved will not only help the preparation go
faster, but it will also get them interested in andexcited about breakfast.
 Find interesting toppings for toast (e.g. scrambled
eggs, veggies, cheese and fruit) to make a quick
and healthy breakfast on-the-go.
 Don’t forget that a simple glass of milk can add
protein for a well-rounded breakfast.
 Even when you don’t have time to eat a full meal,
there are grab-and-go alternatives such as fresh
fruit, muesli bars, sandwiches and rice balls.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
me at yukiko.yamazaki@kist.ed.jp.
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

References: Kids health from Nemours: Breakfast basics. (2018, May 21).Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/breakfast.html

 Adolphus, K. Lawton, C. & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents.
Human Appetite Research, 7, 425-432.doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00425

 Brown, R. & Ogden, J. (2004). Children’s eating attitudes and behavior: a study of the modelling and control theories of parental influence,
19(3), 261-271. doi:10.1093/her/cyg040

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Community Association (CA) News
Service Committee
We, the members of the
CA Service Committee,
have been collecting
Bellmark points as part ofour volunteer activities. We
are thrilled to announce
that we have been able toexchange the points wecollected for a newtrombone, which will be awonderful addition to theschool’s music program.
Through this activity, it was
gratifying to see all thestudents contributing and displaying theirvolunteering spirit. We hope to continue working witheveryone in the future throughthis activity and ask for yourcontinued cooperation.
CA Service Committee

Members of the CA Service Committee with the G7A music class.

Library Committee
With sales proceeds of ¥85,050 at the international food festival at World Cultures Day which was held on
February 17, we were able to purchase three air purifiers. We have installed one in the elementary library and twoin the library media center. Thank you for your cooperation!
CA Library Committee

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University Guidance News
Thank you for visiting the University Counseling boothin the gym on Family Day. As you may have seen fromthe list of acceptances posted at the booth, we have
had another successful year for university admissions.
A complete list will be published in the September
issue of The Comet. Congratulations and best wishes
to the Class of 2018!

KIST Spring University Fair
March 21, KIST Gymnasium
We are very pleased to announce that the KIST Spring
University Fair was a great success this year once
again with hundreds of participants from the entire
KIST community and various groups of students,
parents and counselors from other international
schools in Japan. This year we hosted more than 30
universities mainly from Japan which offer English
programs and/or a special entrance examination for IB
students to enroll in their regular Japanese programs,
as well as three universities from Australia, UK andHong Kong. Thank you to those who attended the fair;
I hope you were able to gather information directlyfrom the university representatives at their tables. And
special thanks to the KIST CA officers who kindly
prepared a reception and refreshments for the
representatives after the fair.

Dinner at the Swiss Ambassador’s residence.

Open campus and information session
during summer
Summer is one of the best seasons to visit university
campuses. Please check the website of each
university for information about open campuses,
campus visits and information sessions. I will postsome, but limited, information on the University
Guidance Calendar if I receive details fromuniversities.
Have a nice summer break, and look forward to seeing
you in August!
Mrs Keiko Okude
Career and University Guidance Counselor
Office hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00-17:00
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp

Class of 2018

KIST Spring University Fair 2018 on March 21, 2018 in the KIST
gymnasium.

Mrs Okude meets the Swiss Ambassador
A group of college counselors from international
schools in Tokyo area was invited to have dinner with
the Ambassador of Switzerland Jean-Francois Paroz at
his residence in April. The event was organized by analumnus of Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL), theworld-famous top-ranking hotel and hospitality schoolin Switzerland. It was a great honor for me to meet
Ambassador and Paroz and distinguished guests,
including notable alumni members of EHL in Japan at
the event. I also enjoyed meeting with several current
EHL undergraduate students who came to Japan forinternships at high-end international hotels.

(Back row L>R) Manato, Kensei, Rachel, Rinchin,
Donghyuk, Ahmed, Ke Yi, Moe Min, Chae Min,
Shouheng, Taisei, Su Bin, Chan, Qifei(Middle row L>R) Taimu, Sara, Amina, Jiu, Ellen,
Seina, Keita, Ayaka, Hyo Won, Ibuki, Fiona, Nikita,
Leia(Front row L>R) Ji Hye, Natalie, Hyunjeong, Aska,
Riko, Kevin, Hana, Sneha, Miu, Sarah, Yurika
CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK!

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Alumna Report
Airi is an alumna of KIST’s “Class of 2013.” She enrolled
in the University of Groningen, the Netherlands in 2013
and earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2016.
She is currently studying at the Graduate School of
Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU Munich) in
Germany and will complete her Master of Science inLearning Sciences this summer.
This time five years ago, I was in
Grade 12, less than two months
away from graduation. I remembera growing sense of panic as
everyone around me seemed tohave decided what to do with theirlives after high school – and I had
absolutely no idea.
Originally, my plan was to get ascholarship and study abroad in
the United States or Canada. That
was the “ideal” vision of university
life that I had been picturing formyself since Grade 10 or so. But
things didn’t quite go as planned.
In the middle of April, I foundmyself staring at multiple lettersdeclaring that I had not been
granted a scholarship at any of theplaces I have applied to.
My first thought was that I didn’t
want to go to university at all
anymore (something my mom
clearly thought was ridiculous).
She came up to me one day andtold me, “Why don’t you go toEurope?” I thought that was
ridiculous, at the time. Anythingthat didn’t fit my glorified image ofstudying in North America was notgood enough for me. However, I
also had nothing to lose. So, I
applied to yet another university inMay, took an entrance exam in

Airi (second from left) wearing a “Dirndl” – atraditional dress worn in Bavaria.

June, and by some strange
luck ended up in the
Netherlands by the end of
August.

Airi (bottom middle) and friends exploring thebeautiful nature around Munich.

I was homesick for at least sevenmonths. The different culture,people, language – all of the things
that would excite me as a shortterm tourist – suddenly camecrashing down as the harsh realitythat it was. I was stuck here for 3
years, 9000 kilometers from home.
For an 18-year-old who barely
knew what an airport looked like, it
felt like a huge jump.
I gradually started to realize that I
had to change my environment to
get the most out of my experience.
It was the one thing I never had to
do in the close-knit community at
KIST – to make an effort to talk to
people, make connections; to get
out of my comfort zone. I tried toimmerse myself in as manydifferent communities as
possible, be it the international
students, the honors college, or
being part of a student
academic journal. The
experiences I’ve had in thesecommunities and thefriendships I’ve made there
surprisingly turned everythingaround. Suddenly I wasn’t
homesick, and I wanted tostay.
With a similar mindset, I started
applying for Master’s programs
in my final undergraduate year.
Some were places which I
considered to be out of myleague – my current university
in Germany being one of them.
It was yet another experiencethat I never saw coming. I havebeen lucky to have amazingclassmates and supportive
colleagues here in the vibrantcity of Munich. After such
unexpected events, I try to make ita habit to go for things which I
initially have doubts about. If it
doesn’t work out in the end, atleast I can say that I tried. In fact, I
am desperately trying to live by
those words this very moment as I
now apply for jobs (it never ends,
does it?).
Although they say that everything
looks better in hindsight, it might
have been for the best that I didn’t
receive those scholarships. Had I
not discarded the “ideal plan” in myhead and set foot in Europe, I
would not have had theexperiences I’ve had, and would
not have met the people I know
today who made me feel so athome, so far away from home.

Airi (left) and friend at the famous Christmas
markets in Germany.

Just like five years ago, I have toadmit that I don’t really know
where I will end up next. But if
there is anything I learnt from mytime here, it is to always be open
for options, and not be afraid to try
them out.
Airi
KIST Alumna, “Class of 2013”

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Family Day 2018
Saturday, May 26

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