The Comet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 17 | Issue 2 | December 2013

In this issue...
KISTival 2013…p. 3, 4

Sara Wins Writing Award…p. 16

Developmental Psychology…p. 6

Middle School Drama Festival…p. 17

Tokyo Holocaust Center Visitor…p. 8

The Role of Language…p. 17

Science in G9 and G10…p. 10

PTA News...p. 18

Leap into LEAP…p. 11

Inter-house Cross Country…p. 20

Bullying Prevention/Detection…p. 12

The Volunteering Spirit…p. 21

From the Head of School

DATES TO REMEMBER

Well, we are just one month away from the end of 2013 and once again I am
extremely grateful for the wonderful support received from the whole KIST
community. Without your support, KIST would simply not be able to achieve its
mission of, “providing highly motivated children from diverse cultural and social
backgrounds with a high quality education in a safe and nurturing environment
to become competent and moral individuals who make meaningful
contributions to the global community.”
In addition, thanks to the efforts of the whole community, we have been able tosuccessfully offer a variety of school events this year such as the New Year
Party, International Mother Language Day, KISTival and Cross Country events.
I would therefore like to once again thank the whole community for their efforts
and contributions throughout this year.
In particular, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the following
parents for their contributions to the school.
 Mr and Mrs Sakamoto (parents of G3 Tomoko) for organizing sumo
wrestlers to visit the school in January each year for the Japanese New
Year Party to participate with students and teachers in mock wrestlingbouts as well as mochitsuki (rice cake pounding).
 Dr Kobayashi (father of K2 Ami) for kindly donating a pulse oximeter andwho since last year has been working at the school voluntarily on
Thursdays as the school doctor. In this role, he has provided treatment toour students and has also been carrying out health examinations.
Furthermore, in addition to his help on Thursdays, he has been working onother days in an advisory capacity to our school nurse, Mrs Whittaker, andultimately providing support for a large number of students and staff.
 Dr Kawamura (mother of K1 Rumi and G1 Miki) for assisting at the school
during the health examinations.
 Mr and Mrs Ono (parents of G1 Kirin and G4 Tatsunori) for arranging the
speedy removal of trees blown over in the kindergarten playground during
the typhoon, thereby causing minimal disruption to lessons andmaintaining a safe environment for all.
 Mr and Mrs Lee (parents of K2 Jae) for kindly donating 4 high-spectransceiver radios to be used in emergencies and at school events.
On behalf of the entire school community, thank you for your generous supportof our school.
Continued on next page

KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life

December 2013
14-Jan 6 Winter vacation
16-17 Office open

January 2014
6 Staff development day (Noschool for students)
7 (W) School resumes for all
students
10 2014-2015 enrollment
applications close
11 (G9-G12) MUN scrimmage(@KIST)
13 School day
13 (G1-G12) Clubs program
resumes
20-22 (G9-G11) Semester 1
examinations
23 Semester 2 commences
24 (G10) IB DP information evening
2014-2016 (*Date changed!)
29 Japanese new year party
31 (K1-K3) School holiday(Enrollment interviews)

February 2014
11 School holiday
12-19 (G12) DP mockexaminations
12 Semester 1 reports issued
12 (G6-G8) Brain Bowl (@BST)

KIST is an
IB World
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Continued from previous page

Finally, I would like to announce the receipt of 90,279
yen raised from the PTA bake sale. These funds will be
used towards covering the cost of 40 simultaneousinterpretation devices (802,439 yen) for the upcoming
G10 DP Explanation Evening on January 17. Onceagain, thank you for your support and cooperation ofschool projects.

same as the instructional language adopted by theschool and yet, thanks to their hard work, they are able
to achieve success and progress to the top universities
around the world. It is my hope that through theimplementation of these interpretation devices, we canoffer an even greater level of support for our students
learning and advancement to university.

Up to now, all interpretations have been conductedconsecutively, a process which not only requires a lotof time and concentration to follow, but can be quite
confusing to listen to due to the intermittent nature ofswitching between English and then Japanese,
resulting in the listeners quite possibly missing
important information. To avoid this situation, we intend
to provide interpretation devices for the scheduled G10
DP explanation evening as well the G5 exhibition, IB
sessions and university explanation days.

Have an enjoyable winter vacation.
Yoshishige Komaki
School Director/Head of School

KIST’s mission is to accept students from diverse
cultural and social backgrounds. Therefore, ultimately
we have many students whose first language is not the

New Faces
Since the last issue of The Comet, we have welcomed a number of new staff members to our team. On behalf ofthe school community, we wish you all the best and hope that you enjoy your time with us.

Mignonette Castro
Teacher’s Aide
K3, G1

Emmeline Ettema
Teacher’s Assistant
K1

William Miller
MYP English /Humanities

Ching-Hui Wang
ELS Instructor
G1B

Phillip YoungELS Instructor
G6-G10Founders’ Awards
In the September issue of The Comet, we presented
the students who received KIST University Support
Scholarships as part of the Founders’ Awards
program. In this issue, we are pleased to present the awardees for the
KIST Study Scholarships for 2013-2014 which recognize students
who make a significant contribution to the school according to its
mission and founding principles, and who demonstrate qualities that
truly represent the essence of the spirit of the school.
Jiaying (G10A)
Bronze Award

Sara (G10A)
Bronze Award

Congratulations to the two students who have received awards thisyear.

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KISTival 2013
First of all, I would like to start off with a great big thankyou! This year was the first time that we have had topostpone our largest annual event to November, but
thanks to everyone’s hard work and perseverance, wewere able enjoy another successful KISTival.
The possibility of bad weather is a concern for us
every year, having a significant influence on the sales
and turnout on the day, so we always keep a close eyeon the weather forecast. This year, our worst fears
were realized when we suffered a direct hit by both
typhoons #27 and #28. For the first time in the school’s
17-year history, we had to consider postponing
KISTival.
Keeping in mind all of the hard work put into
preparations by the parents, we carefully deliberated
up until the last possible moment whether or not topostpone the festival. The final decision ended up
being for the best, but even after the decision had
been made, we were still worried whether it was thecorrect choice. In spite of our uncertainty and thesuddenness of the postponement, we were able tocommunicate quickly and efficiently, and successfully
held the festival on the new date. Additionally, we
would like to thank all the parents who contacted thosethat they had invited to inform them of the new date.
KISTival absolutely would not have been possible
without the cooperation of all of the students, parents,
staff and the KIST community. This became ever more
apparent with our first ever postponement. In
particular, thank you to the KISTival leaders who took
on a great responsibility, solved any problems that
arose and guided their teams to success. We wereable to see our KISTival leaders demonstrating
attributes of the IB learner profile to not only their own
children, but also to other students and parents. Thankyou so much for all of your hard work.
This year we were able to enjoy various new booths
such as the G11 exhibition and lectures, the G9
science experiment room, the G7 tapioca drink booth,etc. It seems like the secondary school is getting more
and more creative each year.
Every year we are looking for new ways to improve theevent even further, so we ask you to send us yourthoughts and feedback. We welcome constructive
criticism on anything; things that you noticed on theday, good points, things that needed improving, etc.
Please send them to me at sayoko.naito@kist.ed.jp.
I would also like to express my gratitude to all of theparents who made a donation to the KISTival bazaar,
games booths and various other booths. Furthermore,
I would like to thank those who donated a prize for theraffle and supported the KISTival flyer: K2 Kobayashi
family, G7 Jimbo family, G7 Ishikawa family, K1 Abe
family, G5 Tahara family, G4/G1 Williams family, K3

Koike family, G1 Nakamura family, G4 Yamano family,
G5 Kuroyanagi family, G5 Ishihara family, G11/G6
Molligoda family, G5 Meguro family, G1 Hiramotofamily, K3 Yoshida family, G10 Steiner family, G4
Virgilio family, K2 Oh family, G4/G1 Ono family, G3
Sakamoto family, G7 Collins family, G2/G1 Tamaki
family, G1 Okamoto family, Class of 2013 Brova
family, office staff Naito family, and a special note of
thanks to G3/K2 Minoura family for supplying a parking
space for the school buses, and G8 Kalima family forproviding an entertaining, professional dance
performance on the school stage. We sincerely
appreciate your support.
Finally, a very special thank you to Ms Miki Jimbo forproviding a glimpse into the world of radio through herradio show stage performance.
Sayoko Naito(on behalf of the KISTival Organizing Committee)
Director of Operations3

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Elementary School News
Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning has been defined as learning that is
pursued throughout life, in both formal and informal
settings, to foster knowledge and skill development for
personal and professional life. Lifelong learning comesin many forms. On our team at KIST we have artists,musicians and athletes who continually develop theirskills these areas. Other staff members are pursuing
postgraduate degrees or other studies for their own
growth.

To further our Elementary staff’s knowledge andunderstanding of the Writer’s Workshop model ofwriting instruction, we held an in-school workshop overthe long weekend in September. We were fortunate tohave literacy expert and consultant Mrs Laura Benson
lead our staff through this training. The energy andenthusiasm our teachers displayed through theworkshop and implementing these strategies into theirclassroom practice demonstrated their commitment tolifelong learning.
Life is a journey and there are so many wonderfulthings to be learned along the way! We are happy tohave all of you in our community of learners at KIST,
learning with us every step of the way!

In order to support professional growth and remain up todate on best educational practice, our teachers regularly
participate in professional development. Every year wehave staff attend training sessions off campus, online,or have experts lead in-school workshops here at KIST.

Keep learning!
Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal

PYP News
International mindedness
One of the most important objectives of the IB is to produce life-longlearners who demonstrate “international mindedness”. To understandwhat it means to be international minded, one must look at the “Learner
Profiles” that have been developed by the IB to facilitate international
education. The profiles are value laden attributes that are appropriate
and achievable by students in their primary years. These ten profiles
are the central personal attributes that we believe lead to students who
can go out into the world and make a difference by holding true to theirown beliefs while understanding that other people, with theirdifferences, can also be right.
Teachers throughout the elementary school have designed their inquiries withthe learner profiles in mind. Each unit of inquiry focuses on one or two profiles
that help highlight the central idea and thereby engage the students’imaginations while strengthening their overall understanding of the profiles
themselves. Looking around the elementary school will reveal the learnerprofiles displayed in all classrooms thereby reinforcing their message andlending strength to their importance in our learning environment. Parents canalso be part of the equation by learning more about the profiles and talking totheir children about their understanding of them. The lessons learned from such
conversations will help both parents as well as students move closer toacquiring international mindedness, a goal for all members of our schoolcommunity.
Clay Bradley
PYP Coordinator56

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Secondary School News
December already! As we are about to break for theholidays I feel it important to reflect on a few initiatives
already in place along with things to look forward to in2014.
In August a revised shorter period schedule wasintroduced. The students clearly seem to enjoy theincreased movement between classes but also thebreak between 2nd and 3rd periods. We areencouraging students to bring healthy snacks for thisbrief 10-minute period to recharge and keep theirminds fresh for the rest of the learning day.
Along with the new schedule you may have also
noticed the new chimes sounding at the end of eachperiod and announcing the beginning of the next one.
Currently our Secondary School Representative
Council is presenting the four chime options we havefor a student vote. Although the system has limited
options, it is great to see the students taking on suchinitiatives and providing students more opportunities to
get involved with our community.
In line with students taking initiative, just after theholiday the KIST Model United Nations Near East
Scrimmage will take place on Saturday January 11.
This event is intended for Grades 9 to 12 and will
welcome other area schools to engage in United
Nations simulated committee debates. The students
take on roles of being delegates and addresscontemporary issues in which they try to get

resolutions adopted through a voting process. Grade 8
students have the opportunity to become pages toassist with communication between committees andshould check the Daily Notices on how to get involved
if interested. This is a great way for students
interested in learning more about MUN to get involved
first hand, but places are limited.
The student photography club, student magazine andthe revitalization of the Habitat for Humanity club are
all areas inspired by students and only made possibleby the tremendous sense of community we have at
KIST. I am certainly very proud of all students taking
on such active and meaningful roles at the school andvery much looking forward to the rest of the schoolyear.
I wish all families a very happy and healthy holiday
season.
Stephen Rothkopf
Secondary School Principal

Secondary School forthcoming events
 January 11: G9-12 MUN scrimmage
 January 13: After-school clubs resume(information forthcoming) January 17: G10 IB DP Information evening January 29: Japanese New Year party

Developmental Psychology in Focus
Grade 12 psychology students welcome guest lecturer
Professor Peg Barratt holds many roles associated with The George
Washington University, Columbian College, which includes being a college dean andas an active researcher in the field of developmental psychology. KIST is fortunate tohave such a renowned visitor as her current research directly supports key topics
related to the DP psychology course. More specifically, Professor Barratt’s research is
focusing on Japanese governmental policies and their potential effects on childrearing decisions parents make.
Professor Barratt shared her research methodology in an interactive lecture during a regularly scheduled Grade 12
psychology class on November 13. Her presentation was perfectly timed for Grade 12 students as they are justbeginning their study of developmental psychology. Understanding the methods psychologists use and being able
to discuss advantages and disadvantages while analyzing published studies, as well as designing their own
studies, is an integral part of the course. We are fortunate to have visitors such as Professor Barratt as this
supports learning in such an authentic and contemporary context. Later that afternoon, Professor Barratt reverted
to her college dean role and presented on behalf of her university as part of our own college and careers
advisement program in the LMC.
For more information on Professor Barratt’s research visit:
http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/peg-barratt-awarded-fulbright
Stephen Rothkopf
Secondary School Principal/DP Psychology Teacher

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Spotlight on Clubs
Secondary photography clubAt the end of the last school year, Grade 11
student, Naishi (now in Grade 12), proposed to me
the idea of having a photography club wherestudents could learn techniques for taking photos,
share their pieces of work and build a community ofstudents passionate about photography. She
developed a plan over the summer and we started
the club in September. It is clear that her idea iswhat the students wanted as our club has 23 photoenthusiasts.
Every week, one of themembers proposes a theme,
technique or project for thegroup to focus on and we goout to take photos. We also dida photo shoot at the beautiful
Kiyosumi Gardens on abeautiful autumn day. The“shutter bugs”, as they callthemselves, have created a
photo wall outside of room 305
in the main building.
Please come and check it out.
Andre Ito
Photography Club Coordinator

Elementary Cross Country Club
During the first term, the Cross Country Club gathered on
Wednesday afternoons. After a brief stretching session at
school, club members headed over to the Onagi river (justa stone’s throw from KIST) and ran a 1.5 km loop circuit
along the banks. Each session, many runners completed
the circuit 3 or 4 times.
When asked for a comment about the Cross Country Club,
Saki, a club member from Grade 5B said, “If you practice
well, you can go to the ISTAA cross country competition.
You can make friends with kids from other international
schools.”
The training indeed proved to be beneficial as 11 of the
club’s members qualified for the ISTAA running meet this
fall.

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Founder of Tokyo Holocaust Center Visits KIST
On September 12, 2013, Fumiko Ishioka, the founderof the Holocaust Center in Tokyo, came to our school
and gave a talk about a little Jewish girl that died in
Auschwitz. In our English classes we have beenreading ‘Hana’s Suitcase’ by Karen Levine, which
describes the journey of Fumiko’s search for the story
behind the abandoned suitcase belonging to this little
girl.

Fumiko talked about the girl who was called Hana
Brady. She was born on May 16, 1931 in Nove Mesto.
She had an older brother called George Brady. Her
family had a wonderful life. They skied and skatedtogether. But in 1939, the Nazis took over Germany
and Czechoslovakia—now known as the Czech
Republic. Soon, Hana and George were not allowed to
do anything because Jewish people were not allowed
to go to parks, movies and could only go to shops at
certain times. In March 1941, Hana’s mother wasarrested by the Gestapo, Hitler’s secret state police.
She packed her things and on the next day she wassent to a labor camp.
In the autumn of 1941, Hana’s father was also sent to aconcentration camp. Then, in the winter of 1941, Uncle
Ludvik saved George and Hana’s life. He took care ofthem until May 1942. Soon after, there was a letterfrom the Nazis that ordered Hana and George’s
transportation to a concentration camp. Hana andGeorge arrived at Theresienstadt, a concentration
camp, in May 1942. The living conditions were horrible
there, a lot of people were so hungry they were likezombies. However, Hana managed to make friends
with some older girls. They supported her well and told
her to be brave.
In 1943, George was sent away from the camp. Before
he left he told Hana that they would meet in Nove
Mesto after the war. On October 23, 1944, Hana wasalso sent away from Theresienstadt. She thought that
she was going home but she was actually being sent to
Auschwitz. As soon as she arrived, she was sent to thegas chambers and died. Nevertheless, George Brady
survived Auschwitz. He was the only member of his

family that survived the war.
Fumiko started her journey when she asked the
Auschwitz museum if she could borrow an artifact
belonging to a child in the concentration camp. Fumikoneeded material that she could display in the museum
so Japanese visitors would understand theconsequences of discrimination in a child’s life. Finally,a suitcase arrived in Japan and it had Hana Brady’s
name on it. When Fumiko saw the suitcase, she knewthat she would need to find out everything about Hana
Brady. It was hard to find information about Hana
Brady but at last she found some information in the
Terezin museum in July 2000. There, she found outthat Hana had died in Auschwitz but her brother,
George Brady, was still alive. She sent a letter toGeorge Brady telling him about Hana’s suitcase inJapan. George Brady was surprised and overwhelmed
to hear this news so he decided to come to Japan toshare his memories of Hana and the holocaust to thevisitors in the museum.

We found Fumiko’s talk very informative because welearnt about the negative effects that discrimination canhave on innocent people like Hana and her brotherGeorge.
Moe Min (G8B)
Reference:
Levine, K. (2003). Hana’s Suitcase. Boston, MA:
Whitman, Albert & Company.

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9

MYP News
What exactly does an MYP Scienceclassroom look like?
If there is one major point of difference fromscience classrooms of the past, it is that theteacher is not always running the show. In general,
the MYP aims to put the student at the center oflearning. Research tells us that student directedinquiry, or what is widely called the “constructivist
approach”, leads to the most authentic learningand subsequent ability to retain and apply new
subject specific knowledge and skills. The reality isthough, that totally random, unguided, student leadinquiry will lead students to unreliable internet
sources, irrelevant content, academic articles
beyond their comprehension and too much timespent on too narrow topics.
So, how do we find the balance? Unsurprisingly, theclever people at the IB have asked the same question
when developing the MYP. The “solution” as I see it, isin the assessment model. In Criterion A: One Worldand Criterion B: Communication, we ask students tocomplete a 700-1200 word essay on a broad topic
decided by the teacher, for example, Environmental
Issues. The assessment level descriptors, shown
below for level 6, are defined by the IB. Teachers
provide “task specific clarifications” of the descriptors
for each separate One World Essay task. One World
enables students to gain a better understanding of therole of science in society and allows them to explore
how scientific developments and applications areapplied and used to address specific problems or
issues in local and global contexts. To achieve amaximum Level 6, in Grades 9 and 10, students shouldbe able to: explain the ways in which science is appliedand used to address a specific problem or issue
 discuss the effectiveness of science and its
application in solving the problem or issue
 discuss and evaluate two or more from; themoral, ethical, social, economic, political, culturaland environmental implications of the use ofscience and its application in solving specificproblems or issues.
Criterion B: Communication requires students to
use appropriate scientific terminology, essay structureand fully reference their work. The point here, is that
this assessment is almost entirely directed by thestudent as they decide a specific topic, undertake
independent research, process relevant sources into
an original monologue, locate connections to wider
disciplines, evaluate the wider implications and form
their own conclusions.
Conversely, Criterion C: Knowledge andUnderstanding of Science enables students todemonstrate their understanding of science by applying
scientific knowledge to construct scientificexplanations, solve problems and formulatescientifically supported arguments. Here, we have ourcriterion to assess tests. Consequently, instruction hereis much more “traditional” and teacher centered.
However, rather than the teacher always providing
notes and lectures, students are more often given
questions, tasks, worksheets, poster projects, andpresentation assignments that put the focus of learning
back on themselves. Teachers then ensure thatstudents can access reliable and age level appropriate
sources to guide their inquiry. The student textbooks
are invaluable in this regard.
Finally, Criterion D: Scientific Inquiry, Criterion E:
Processing Data and Criterion F: Attitudes inScience are all about lab work. Most importantly,
Criterion D requires students to design and carry out
scientific investigations independently. This is mybiggest headache and greatest joy as a scienceeducator. For a start, with only 9 lab benches it iscategorically impossible for 20 or more students to
conduct individual experiments. This problem isovercome by the teacher selecting the subject ofinvestigation, such as factors affecting plantgermination, growth or responses. Students are thenasked to come up their own research question,
independent variable, dependent variable, method andmaterials list. Students with similar variables are thengrouped together. The photos above and below show
Grade 10 students undertaking experimental work inbiology class. Notice that on every lab table, a different
experiment is being performed. Some of theseexperiments used sophisticated data collection tools
such as carbon dioxide gas sensors and colorimeters.
All of them involved data processing and presentation
using Microsoft Office Excel software.
Also very significant is that Criterion E: Processing
Data requires students to organize, process andinterpret quantitative and qualitative data,
independently! Here, we see how important math isacross the curriculum. Although most students use
Excel software to aid data processing andpresentation, understanding the math behind thisapplication is critical to actually getting it right.
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Although organization of resources for theseexperiments is difficult and time consuming, it ishelped greatly by the strong commitment of theschool to adequately resourcing our science labs
for the demands of the IB MYP and DP.
Assessment of these labs is also difficult andhugely time consuming, placing pressures onscience teachers that are not well understood byanyone who isn’t an IB MYP or DP scienceteacher! However, the advantages to students ofthis programme and its assessment areunquestionable. As a science teacher, I know ofno other curriculum or programme that allows highschool students to so closely model the fullscientific method and receive such detailed
feedback on their progress.
Andrew Young
MYP Coordinator

Science in G9 and G10
Science subject rotation
The KIST science course in Grades 9 and 10 thiscurrent school year has changed to accommodate theCambridge International General Certificate inSecondary Education (IGCSE) syllabus into the IB
Middle Years Programme framework. Additionally, there
will be a 3-term rotation throughout the year for Biology,
Chemistry and Physics disciplines so that students canbe taught by specialist teachers in each specific science
discipline. In each discipline, students will conduct three
types of assessment consisting of an essay,
examinations and an experimental report.
Currently the students and teachers have completed
their first rotation smoothly and effectively with thestudents nervous, but excited that they are changing ascience discipline and changing teachers. Students
have found the new syllabus challenging, but very
rewarding and as you can see from the photos below,
the students are thoroughly enjoying the challenge ofthe new syllabus.
The final rotation will take place in March 2014 with
Grade 9 and 10 completing an end of year examinationon all 3 disciplines at the end of the school year.
John Rose
Science Subject Area Coordinator
What the students say:
(Azzam G10A)(Joh G10A)(Hee Dae G10A)

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11Leap into LEAP
Learning Enhancement Academic Program(LEAP)We are well into our first semester of
LEAP for 2013-2014 school year. This
year, there have been a lot of big
changes to the LEAP program.
This year, classes are separated by grade level, andare limited to 6 students per class. While the course isstill an independent program, lessons are now
organized to be directly relevant to what is being donein class. All LEAP instructors refer to weekly classplans and work closely with the classroom teachers
when planning their lessons. This means that classes
are planned in a way to help reinforce concepts andgive students a chance to discuss and delve further
into the topics learnt in class. It also gives students who
had trouble grasping the concepts in class anotherchance to solidify the knowledge in their minds.
This year, LEAP has 4 different classes:
 English Grammar (Monday 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.)
This program focuses on English reading andwriting and grammar topics students are studying
in class. Through a range of reading, writing, andjournal activities, students will have the opportunity
to build on the reading and writing skills that at are
essential in the elementary school. They will also
have the chance to improve their vocabulary
through educational games and group activities.
 Math Basic (Wednesday 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.)
This program enables students to build on theirknowledge of the fundamentals of math and mimics
the topics being studied in the classroom.
Furthermore, through studying the meaning ofmath symbols, addition, subtraction, andmultiplication, they will also learn the vocabulary
associated with math and math problems.
 English Speaking/Discussion (Thursday 3:30 –4:30 p.m.)
This program focuses on English speaking andlistening. Through a range of activities such asdebates and small group discussions based on theunits being studied in their regular class, students
will have opportunities to build on their English
speaking and listening skills. They will also practice
making presentations to work on their presentation
skills.

Math Literacy (Friday 3:30 – 4:30pm)
This program is focused on building a strong basis
in math knowledge and the practical application of
math. The students will read word problems, workout what is being asked, and work out the problems
using their basic math skills. Students will also
learn the necessary vocabulary associated withmath and math problems.

Students recommended by their teachers are given
priority attendance at LEAP to allow the school to offer
support the students who need it most. So far, we have
had positive feedback from class teachers, LEAP
instructors and students alike regarding the new LEAP
format and we would like to thank parents for theirsupport.
Coordinating the program this year are Mr James
Kenyon (james.kenyon@kist.ed.jp) and myself, so if
you have any inquires about the program, please feel
free to send an e-mail or visit us in the main office.

Web LEAP
Web LEAP is back again this yearwith a brand new updated Moodle
system. Web LEAP is an entirely
online program that helps students topractice their writing skills withfeedback. Assignments range from creative writing,compare and contrast, persuasive writing, narrative
writing and more. Students have 2 to 3 topics a week,
and can submit up to 3 drafts per topic. Teachers givedetailed feedback and corrections, as well as advice for
future assignments. Students can also learn importantskills such as keeping to word limits, using appropriate
writing vocabulary, and how to construct a coherent
and logical essay.
Web LEAP is separated into 7 levels and the program
is available for Grade 4 to 10. I am in charge of Grades
4 to 6, and Mr Yuta Hino (yuta.hino@k-LEAP.jp) is incharge of Grades 7 to 10.
If you are interested in applying for Web LEAP, pleasecheck the website at http://www.k-LEAP.jp.
Anna Holdaway
LEAP Coordinator/Office Administration Assistantanna.holdaway@kist.ed.jp

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Bullying Prevention and Detection
As stated in KIST’s educational philosophy, our schoolcommunity believes that “maintaining a safe andcollaborative learning environment free from bullying
and harassment requires the support of the schoolcommunity as a whole in taking appropriate action
when necessary”. At KIST, whenever we havesuspected or detected any signs of bullying, we havedealt with it seriously in order to find a solution.
Echoing our philosophy, a new law concerning theprevention of bullying was enacted in Japan in June2013 and has been in force since September 28, 2013.
Due to this law, it has become clearer that the whole
school community has a responsibility to work together
to prevent bullying, to identify instances of bullying at
an early stage, and, if found, to take immediate action
to deal with it strictly.
The prevention of bullying and early detection is one of
the responsibilities of the school. During advisory
sessions in the secondary school, students areprovided with opportunities to think about bullying
issues. Three weeks ago, during Grade 8 advisory,
students learnt about the bullying prevention laws inJapan and had the opportunity to think about the
responsibilities of the school, students and parents
regarding the issue of bullying.
So, what are the responsibilities of parents? It is the
responsibility of parents to educate their child aboutbullying. Parents are expected to make every effort tonurture children who do not bully others. Talking aboutbullying issues at home can help prevent bullying.
Please take the time to talk about the following points
at home: What kinds of actions are considered as bullying?

What kinds of actions lead tobullying?
The effects of bullying (howwould you feel if you werebullied?)
Bullying is a type of criminal
behavior

In particular, I ask that you emphasize the last point:bullying is a type of criminal behavior. To give yousome examples, hitting or kicking others is assault;
hiding someone’s belongings is theft; and saying bad
things about others is defamation. Please explainthese clearly to your child.
It is also the responsibility of parents to protect children
when they are bullied. If you see any change in yourchild’s behavior at home, in addition to speaking withyour child, please also contact the school. In instances
when such concerns are received from parents, theschool also has a responsibility to investigate and deal
with the situation. We also have a responsibility toprotect children from bullying after they or their parents
have contacted us. We need to ensure that bullying
does not worsen because the child or parents haveconsulted the school.
In order for children to learn in a safe and secureenvironment, I would like to ask for the cooperation of
the entire school community in working together toprevent bullying and identify it at an early stage.
Nanami Komaki
Student Welfare Counselor

Nurse’s Notes
Influenza prevention
Flu season is here again
and there are a few simple
steps you can follow toprotect against infection
this winter. Actions such as
gargling and washinghands, wearing a mask,
keeping humidity levels
around 50–60%, getting sufficient sleep, maintaining abalanced diet, and just generally living a sensible
lifestyle are important to keep influenza at bay. Yet,
we sometimes neglect to follow these simple actions,
so it’s time to consider how you can help prevent
influenza at home.
One of the simplest and effective ways of preventing
influenza is to make sure you gargle and wash yourhands. Here’s a technique that’s sure to kill flu germs
on your hands.

1. Rub your hands together with soap to make alather.
2. Scrub both hands well.
3. Scrub between your fingers.
4. Wash the back of your hands and thumbs.
5. Scrub between your nails.
6. Rinse both hands thoroughly.

You should spend at least 15 seconds following theabove procedure. And be sure to also dry your hands
afterwards with a towel. It may seem overly complex,
but just by following these simple steps you can help
prevent against influenza. So, next time you arrive
home, please give it a try.
Maki Whittaker
School Nurse

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13

Library News
Hungry Readers and Yatta! cards
Congratulations to all the students who were selected
as winners in the Yatta! card raffle held last October 10.
The Yatta! card challenge promotes the attributes of
the IB learner profile and active class participation in
many classrooms. There were many students also in
the Secondary who participated by reading books andcompleting the Hungry Readers booklet available in the
LMC. The winners received gifts from the librarians and
PTA Library Committee.
Here are the winners of the Yatta! card challenge:
Arnav (G2A), Felicia (G5A), Remi (G6B), Chae Hyun
(G7A), Yuki (G7B), Muskan (G10A)

Geronimo Stilton won by a whisker, but Squish,
Babymouse and Harry Potter all gave him a run for his
fur! Jeff Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) made anappearance in the Elementary and Secondaryfavorites, while Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games) was
popular in the Secondary School.
DEAR continued throughout the month, with students
and staff joining for twenty minutes of sustained silent
reading every Wednesday morning during November.
Students read books both fiction or nonfiction, inEnglish or their mother tongue, to show their support
for reading as a 21st century lifelong skill.

International Mother Language Day

Sakura Medal books 2014
All books are now ready for check-out
on our library shelves. Students canpick up Japanese and English books
in different categories: picture fiction,
chapter books, graphic novels, middle
and high school books. Students whoread five books (four books in middle school and threefor high school) can vote on their favorite title from the
Sakura Medal 2014 list. A Hungry Readers booklet will
be used to log your Sakura books and will be available
on our library desk starting this December which is very
timely for winter vacation reading. To view the complete
book list for the Sakura Medal 2014, please visit the
Library Moodle pages.

Drop Everything And Read (DEAR)
Elementary students celebrated thestart of DEAR (Drop Everything And
Read) with a book character costume
parade! Students and teachers
dressed up as their favorite book
characters for the parade on
November 5. To view the photos taken
during this event, please visit the
Elementary Library Moodle page.
In the Elementary Library and LMC,
students were encouraged to share
their favorite book characters on our
DEAR wall. For Elementary students,

The United Nations International Mother Language Day
will be celebrated on February 21, 2014. To support
this, the KIST community will be celebrating this event
to honor cultural diversity and international mindedness
in our school. The concurrent planned activities led by
the librarians, PTA Library and Events Committees, will
include a national costume parade in the Elementary
School, parent story-telling, an exhibition of student
work and a bulletin board display. Further information
will be distributed in January.

Introducing the Mobile Library
To encourage fair use and increase the borrowing
statistics of new library items, Miss Leslie will bestarting a Mobile Library Return Cart system in the
Elementary School. The library cart will be moved
around the West Building to collect library books ofstudents who have completed reading after the
weekend. The mobile library schedule will be as
follows:
 Every Monday: 9:00 to 9:20—1F
 Every Tuesday: 9:00 to 9:20—2F
With this new library service, we would like to ask thehomeroom teachers located on the first and second
floors of the West Building to instruct students to drop
the books they want to return in a
box that will be placed outside
their classroom. As always,
students who would like toexchange their books are also
welcome to visit the library during
snack time and after school(except on Tuesdays when thelibraries are closed).
KIST Libraries Team14

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V ol u me 17 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 13

DP News
Grade 11: Setting up the Extended Essay
Since the middle of November, Grade 11 students
have been setting up their Extended Essay as part oftheir DP curriculum. The EE is an in-depth independent
research assignment where students are given theopportunity to explore an academic topic that interests
them. The EE is a compulsory aspect of the IB Diploma
as it develops student skills of research and time
management and their intellectually curiosity.
Ultimately students produce an essay of between 3 and
4,000 words on a research question that they develop
themselves from their chosen topic.
Currently students are in the process of thinking of a
subject and topic for their EE. In addition to choosing a
subject and topic that interests them students shouldchoose a subject and topic that they think they alreadyhave good background knowledge and skills. A
successful EE can help students work towards theaward of 3 points for TOK and EE that form part of theexternal assessment of the IB Diploma.
For some students, the EE is a challenging part of the
IB Diploma because of its independent nature,
therefore parents can help support their son/daughterby finding out about the EE on Moodle. The DP
Extended Essay Moodle Page has all the resourcesthat parents need to support their child and I would
encourage parents to do this given the independent
nature of the task. In particular, the timeline of the EE
and the examples of excellent EE`s are well worth alook. There are also copies of past KIST graduate EE`sin the LMC that students and even parents can look at.
Mark CoweEE Coordinator

Grade 12 IB predicted grades foruniversities/colleges
Around this time of year, many students require an IB
predicted grade (PG) to support a university/college
application. This can cause students some stress but
there is a clear policy and process that the school
uses to help guide teachers in making thesepredictions. The process is explained below.
The school appraises PGs for university/college
applications from the fall of Grade 12. This PG is not
an official report of a student’s progress and can only
be used to support a university/college application. By
its definition it is a prediction for student performancein the final IB Diploma external assessments andtherefore may differ from a school semester report.
Ultimately, the IB organization aims that every
individual subject grade has 95% reliability therefore
there naturally may also be a small difference
between a student’s overall PG and their final actual
grades. IBO (2004) “Diploma Programme assessment
principles and practice” p.13
Any Grade 12 parents who have questions about an
IB PG for university use should contact Mr Cowe.

KIST Predicted Grade Policy
IB instructions“The Predicted Grade is the teacher’s
prediction of the grade the candidate is
expected to achieve in the subject, basedon all the evidence of the candidate’s workand the teacher’s knowledge of IB
standards. It is important that eachprediction is made as accurately as
possible, without under-predicting or overpredicting the grade.” IBO (2013) “IB DP
Handbook of Procedures 2013-2014”
Section A10.6
Guidance given teachers at KIST
When making university PGs, teachers
should use their assessment and reporting
data right from the start of Grade 11, placingemphasis especially on the semester
examinations and summative assessments,
as the purpose of these is primarily tomeasure student performance withauthentic IBDP assessments. A predictedgrade can therefore be different from a KIST
semester reporting gradeMark Cowe
IB Diploma Coordinator“ T h e Co m et ”

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Staff 10!

Office Updates

In this month’s Staff
10!, we are pleased
to present Robert
Collins who joined
us in 2011 as a
Teacher’s Assistantin K1 and now
teaches music to allof our Elementary
students from K1 to
Grade 5.

Student absence notifications
We would like to take this opportunity to remind allfamilies of the procedures for notifying the school of achild’s absence. The type of notification required
depends on the length of the absence as indicatedbelow.
Mr Collins in action during a music
lesson with K2.

 Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
My hometown – Omagh – is a small town perhaps best
known for being the site of Northern Ireland’s worst
terrorist attack, which was back in 1998. On a morepositive note, it is also the birth place of Sam Neil, theactor from Jurassic Park.
 What is your favorite place in the world?
Probably Japan. I really love the nature and beauty ofseasons here.
 Who would you like to meet if you had the chance
and why?
I think it would be fun to go back in time and meetdifferent family members or historical figures at different
points in their lives, similar to Marty McFly in Back to the
Future.
 Do you have any special skills or talents?
I like writing music.
 Please share a little known fact about yourself.
I (and some friends) held a world record for the numberof Aikido breakfalls completed in a day. Didn’t last longthough – a Japanese team beat our number just threedays later!
 What is your most prized possession?
I have some collectibles, such as guitars and rare comic
books but I don’t really put much value in possessions.
Friends and family are what I prize most.
 What words would you use to describe yourself?
My friends describe me as someone who is kind, honest
and patient. At least to my face!
 If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
Yes, I would act on opportunities or chances that I waseither too shy or afraid to do at the time.
 Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Professionally, I am trying to improve my teachingability. Privately, I am trying to improve my Japaneseand fitness skills.
 Do you have any special message for your fans?
My old teacher used a phrase
which I took to mean rise up tochallenges and take care ofyourself. After every lesson hewould always say “Geton yer horse and drink
your milk”. I quite liked
that.

15

For 1 to 5 days:
Absence notification >>> info@kist.ed.jp
All short absences must be reported directly to theschool office (not through individual teachers)
before the start of school.
 E-mail notification is preferred so that a written
record is kept. If you are unable to access e-mail,please call the school office between 8:00 and 8:30.
 Please provide your child’s officially registeredname, grade and class, and a reason for theabsence.
 Notification must be given by parents/guardians
only, not by students themselves.
 In the interest of student safety, if a student isabsent and the school has not received notification,
parents/guardians will be contacted by telephone toverify the absence.
For 6 days to 1 month:
Submit an Application for Temporary Absence form
(available from the school website) directly to the office.
Approval by the school administration is required for allabsences due to reasons other than illness.
 The application form should be submitted to theoffice as far as possible in advance of the absence.
 After receiving an application, a response will besent by e-mail to your Office 365 school address. In
some cases, families may be contacted directly to
discuss issues of concern.
 For absences of six days or more due to illness, a
medical certificate should be attached to the form
upon return to school.
 For sudden absences of six days or more, please
notify the school immediately by e-mail or
telephone, followed by submission of the form (andmedical certificate if appropriate) upon return.
For 1 month to 1 year:
Submit an Application for Extended Leave of Absence
form (available from the school website) to the office.
Further information and conditions regarding extended
leaves of absence may be found on the form.
School fees 3rd installment
The payment deadline for the 3rd installment for school
fees is December 16. Families who are yet to submit
their payment are kindly reminded to do so by this date.
School lunch orders
Changes to lunch days or cancellations to lunch orders
should be made by December 13 by submitting the
School Lunch Order Form (available at http://
www.kist.ed.jp/node/5) to the office.

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V ol u me 17 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 13“ T h e Co m e t ”

Sara Wins Writing Award
One day, while checking my emails, something
unfamiliar caught my eye. It said, “You have been
awarded a prize in an essay contest. Please attend the
ceremony.” I screamed and my parents rushed into myroom. They thought something bad had happened.
I wrote the essay in our Japanese class at school. The
title was, “The world and myself in 10 years.” Before
writing it, I had been thinking a lot about my own
future. I had decided I wanted to work in the media
industry because its influence will become more
important in the future, and the work is likely to be verystimulating. On the other hand, this is also a great
responsibility. Mistakes can lead to many people being
hurt. The media is also used as a weapon.
In the essay, I wrote about my future and how I
believed the media should work in the society. As an
example I took a Japanese city mayor, whose
comments were broadcasted around the world a whileago. I concluded with the saying, “the pen is mightier
than the sword.” This used to mean that we should
express our opinions in writing, not by fighting.
However, today, the power of the pen is so great that I
think we should take it as a warning.
Our Japanese class teacher, Mr Kamo, read this essay
and kindly suggested that I should apply for the essay
contest held by Josai International University, where
the Japanese poet Gozo Yoshimasu was to be thejudge. I was happy to be recommended to apply, but I
did not expect to win anything. To my surprise, I was
the only winner from an international school in Japan.

in my face.
We had the honor of being congratulated by thepresident of the university, Mr Hakuo Yanagisawa, who
is also a member of parliament, and of course by thepoet himself. At the end, Mr Yoshimasu kindly praised
our work in a speech, pointing out how many different
approaches we had been able to come up with from thesame theme. In his speech, he used a lot of beautiful
expressions and each word touched my heart.
I would like to thank all the teachers at KIST, andparticularly Mr Kamo for giving me this opportunity. This
will motivate me to put even more effort into realizing mydream.
Sara (G10A)

When we got to the university on the day of theceremony, there were about ten other winners. All ofthem were accompanied by their teachers or parents
and were rather nervous. Local TV stations andnewspapers were also there, and for the first time I felt
like a movie star with all the camera flashes going off

Congratulations
KIST students were recently invited toparticipate with Nakamura Girls’ Juniorand Senior High School (located near us
by Kiyosumi Gardens) at a Presentation
Festival which took place late November
at Atomi Secondary School. KIST’s
Jiaying (G10A) demonstrated her
inquirer and risk-taker attitude bycommitting to represent KIST at this unique event.
Students worked in collaborative groups to make apresentation on the topic of ‘What message do highschool students in Japan want toconvey to the world about Japaneseculture and tradition?’ Mr Hayakawa
from Nakamura Girls’ Jr. and Sr.
High School commented that Jiaying“played a key role on her team’s
excellent performance”. In the presentation, Jiaying
showed her strong communication skills as a TV news
correspondent introducing Japanese culture to theworld. Overall, her team was awarded a prize for thebest presentation.

WELL DONE JIAYING! Thank you for representing KIST well!

“ T h e Co m et ”

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17

Middle School Drama Festival
The power rangers
In the middle school drama festival held on November
14, I was put into a group with 8 others, all in the age
range of grade 6 to 8. This year’s theme wasSuperheroes which meant that the variety of superhero
stories included Spiderman, Batman, Superman, etc. I,
however, was put into the group about Power Rangers.
Our supervisor was a woman who had a major indrama and assisted drama lessons in the school she
teaches in. We started off with some games thatallowed us to remember each other’s names and get
into the mind set of creating a story. First we sat in acircle and starting from one end of the circle, one by
one said our names. After that, as a group, we said
everybody’s names and tried to see if everyone knew
each other’s names. We then played the“unfortunately, fortunately” game where someone says
fortunately or unfortunately and proceeds to tell a story.
Each person has to continue the story, one sentence ata time. However, each sentence must start with
fortunately or unfortunately, always alternating.
Our story ended up being extremely unrealistic andfunny which was of use for our skit, because our aim
was to make our story funny as there was no way
people could take it seriously. Then we decided who
would be what character. Five girls, including me, were
the power rangers who in the end, combine our powers
and fight the bad guys. Two boys were the evil
enemies and 1 boy and 1 girl were the friends of thepower rangers who were turned evil by the enemies. In
the end, we made a slight twist where 3 of the power
rangers die, and the enemy who supposedly diedduring the skit, comes back to life. Throughout the day,we practiced this about 10 times, always adding andtaking out parts from the skit so that it is funny for theaudience and fitted in our time limit which was 5
minutes.
At the end of the day, we moved to the hall where wewould perform and performed our skit as well as watch
other performances. I think that my group did quite agood job as I did hear laughter from the audience, but
most importantly, my group and I had fun.

Throughout this experience, I have gained new friends
that I am still in contact with. I had an amazing day
where I not only got to do something different andshare my ideas, but I also got to watch other group’s
performances and gain new skills that may very wellserve me well in the future. I can’t wait to go to next
year’s high school drama festival and hope it is as
good as this one.
Sara (G8B)

The Role of Language
In September some teachers attended a 3-day IB
workshop in Yokohama titled “The Role of Language”.
Attracting PYP teachers from around Japan, China andKorea, it was a rich package of learning experiences:in-depth readings, discussion and activities related toresearch on childhood language acquisition and how
this connects to teaching and learning in PYP schools.
Since then we have presented what we learned to therest of the KIST elementary staff. The discussion that
this generated has led to great ideas for the classroom,
and a common framework that we have called “anagreement on how children learn language”. This will
help us be consistent in how we guide our students’language development and overall learning as they
move up through the elementary school.
KIST is very lucky in having so many languages
represented in our student body (and parent and staff
body for that matter). The IB document, Language
Scope and Sequence, highlights that “exposure to andexperience with languages, with all their richness anddiversity, creates an inquisitiveness about life andlearning” (p. 2). This diverse language experience, andthe curiosity it inspires, is just regular daily life for the
KIST community! Also, as the Language Scope andSequence reminds us, “development of mother-tongue
language is crucial for cognitive development” and“success in mother-tongue development is a strong
predictor of long-term academic achievement,
including acquisition of other languages” (p. 1).
All of us can take a role in developing the quality of ourdiverse languages. For example, when I hear languagethat I don’t understand, I ask, “How do you say that inEnglish?” With this simple question, our students candemonstrate their multilingual knowledge and have twoof their languages reinforced at the same time. This is
the “experience with languages”
that opens up our inquisitivenessand learning.
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator

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V ol u me 17 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 13“ T h e Co m e t ”

PTA News

Secondary SRC Updates

Events Committee

Since our first meeting in September, the SRC has
been engaged in several activities to improve ourschool community.

Bake sale
Friday, December 13
This bake sale will be sponsored by theG2 and G8 parents. The theme will be
Winter Holiday Market.

English Day at K.
We have started accepting applications for our
second English Day at K. which will be held on
Sunday, February 9, 2014.
We will accept applications for a maximum of 160
children. Please help us make this event a success byletting your friends and neighbors know about it.
To advertise the previous English Day, we: Placed an advertisement in a free town paper(100,000 published in Tokyo) where the parent of
one of our students works.
 Placed an advertisement in an English daily
newspaper; distributed fliers to English
conversation schools, cram schools and otherschools, pre-school associations and apartment
noticeboards; and promoted the event at Toyosu
Festival and other festivals.
 We also sent information by SNS and e-mail.

One of our primary duties is the presentation of thestudents’ suggestions to the school management teamthrough written proposals. To November 25, the SRC
has submitted 9 proposals and several of them havealready been approved. Currently, the SRC is working
to implement these changes that have been approvedby the management team, while writing new proposals
to fulfill its role as a communication channel between
the student body and the administration.
Based on the student voice that the SRC’s activities
aren’t directly conveyed to the students, the SRC has
founded the students’ communication board, theKISTimes. This notice board is located opposite thecafeteria, and its content includes the daily notices, a‘weekly quotes’ section, updates from the SRC andworld news.

This time, we are seeking corporate advertisers tocontribute advertisements (20,000 yen for an A5-sizedad; 10,000 yen for a half-A5-sized ad). We are also
looking for PR leaders, room leaders and Volunteers towork on English Day event itself.
For more details about English Day:
englishday2014@family.kist.ed.jp
For other PTA-related inquiries:
pta.events@family.kist.ed.jp

Library Committee
Book club
Our first Scholastic book order of the year was a huge
success! Your support provided over US$400 of newbook purchases for our libraries, including
new volumes of the Alex Rider, Geronimo
Stilton, Gallagher Girls, and My Sister the
Vampire Series. A big THANK YOU to all
KIST parents that ordered books andcontinue to support our libraries!

International Mother Language Day
Planning for the International Mother Language Day to
be held on February 21, 2014, has begun! Parent
storytelling is always a major highlight of the day and
we are looking for parent storytellers in ANY language.
Any parent interested in reading a book to the little kids
in their mother tongue, please contact:p-444@family.kist.ed.jp

Furthermore, due to a considerable number ofstudents and staff who disliked the sound of the newly
established school chime, the SRC has conducted asurvey to reflect the students’ voices to thefundamental facility of school life. Other actions the
SRC is planning to take for the school community’s
benefit include: organization of an SRC logo designing
contest, improvement in toilet hygiene, enhancement
in locker security, etc.
Apart from the submissions of proposals, the SRC hasorganized events to enrich student life here at KIST.
Most notable among these is the school dance hosted
by the SRC, Under the Stars, which took place on
November 28. Also, based on a suggestion from theadministration, the SRC has been engaged in themorning greetings to welcome students at the schoolgate every Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Though only 3 months have passed since thebeginning of the school year, the SRC has had asuccessful record so far. Therefore, we are determined
to continue to act as the students’ representative bodyin order to achieve motives which can benefit
everybody in the KIST community.
Kouta (G11B)

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19College Guidance News
Applications for the fall 2014 university admissions in
the Northern Hemisphere started from September andthe College Guidance Office has been busy in assisting
our current and former students with the application
processes with tasks such as: making the final list of
universities/colleges for application with students andparents, asking teachers to write letters ofrecommendation, preparing and sending schooltranscripts to universities and colleges in US, Canada,
UK and Japan through various methods such as theCommon Application online for US universities and
UCAS for UK universities. We have already received acouple of acceptance letters from Canadian universities
to which a student applied very early. Congratulations!
We are sure that more and more good news will be
coming in February, March and April for students who
apply during the regular application periods. Thank you
for your support and let’s keep our fingers crossed for
great results.
College fairs and presentations
The peak season for college fairs and presentations isalmost over. We are very pleased to see many students
and parents attending the events scheduled both insideand outside of KIST. We will continue to invite university
representatives throughout the rest of this academic
year. The second KIST Spring Fair, open to the whole
KIST community, is scheduled on Friday, March 21,
2014. More detailed information, including college lists,
will be sent out in February.
College application FAQs:
In this section, we present answers to some frequently
asked questions regarding college and university
application procedures. We hope this helps give you abetter understanding of your child’s future choices forhigher education.
Q: I heard that the IB diploma isn’t recognized as acertificate of high school graduation in some countries
such as the USA and Japan so students need to take astandardized test such as SAT or Daiken. Is this true?
A: This is not true. The IB diploma is recognized asa certificate of completion of high school education inmost countries around the world, including the USA andJapan. Most US universities, however, do require thatyou submit SAT scores as part of the application
process, so you may need to take SAT tests if you areplanning to apply to US universities. An increasing
number of US universities (e.g. American University inWashington DC, Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma,
WA), however, do not require SAT scores forinternational students. For Japanese universities,
Daiken is not required if you have graduated with a full
IB diploma.
Q: I would like to continue my education in Japan, but I
heard there is a limited choice of universities which offer
classes in English.
A: This was true for many years, but recently, anumber of new programs taught in English have been
introduced at Japan-based universities and this has

increased opportunities for our students to study inJapan. For example, the University of Tokyo is offering
two programs of study in English through their PEAK
program; one of our KIST graduates has started her
freshman year from this fall in the PEAK Environment
Science program. We also have another student in
Waseda University’s Faculty of Science andEngineering program and two students in Waseda’s
Political Science program. There is a group of
universities offering English courses under a Japanese
government initiative called ‘Global 30’. Moreinformation about this initiative can be found at the
Global 30 website:
http://www.uni.international.mext.go.jp/global30/
To apply to these and other English language programs,
including liberal arts programs in Sophia, Waseda, ICU,
Meiji Gakuin, Doshisha, Ritsumeikan and Osaka etc.,
students do not need to sit the regular Japanese
university entrance examination. Usually, admission
procedures resemble those of US universities; students
are requested to submit school transcripts, IB predictedgrades, an essay, and teacher letter(s) ofrecommendation. There is also no need to send
standardized test scores from tests such as SAT to
Japanese universities.
Q: I would like to be a doctor in future. What are my
options after KIST?
A: Medical education systems vary among
countries. In the UK, Australia and Japan, medical
education starts from the undergraduate level programsof study, which you can apply to with your high school
diploma. In the USA, medical education starts from thegraduate level of study, therefore you need to finish anundergraduate level program and then apply to medical
schools. For the UK and Australia medical courses, you
might be asked to sit a medical aptitude test. US
medical schools require candidates to take the MCAT, astandardized test for medical school in US.
In Japan, all medical courses are taught in Japaneseand you need to sit the National Center Test andentrance examinations in Japanese at each university towhich you apply. However, Juntendo University, one of
the top private medical schools, announced this year thestart of a new admission system called the International
Clinician - Scientist Entrance Examination from the April
2014 intake. Although this new system still asks you tosit the Center Test for Japanese students or EJU forinternational students, other criteria such as an interview
and an essay will be used to measure a candidate’s
competence to become a doctor in our global society.
If you have any questions regarding college guidancecounseling, please feel free tocontact us in the office bytelephone or e-mail.
(Mrs) Keiko Okude
College Guidance Counselor
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp

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V ol u me 17 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 13“ T h e Co m e t ”

Inter-house Cross Country
Congratulations to the following
students who were winners in theirrespective categories at this year’s
Inter-house Cross Country
Championship held on Friday,
November 15.

Inter-school Cross Country
Boys
Grade 1
1) Killian (G1B)
2) Ryo (G1B)
3) Arthur (G1A)
Grade 2
1) Kaito (G2B)
2) Daiki (G2A)
3) Ethan (G2B)
Grade 3
1) Keanu (G3A)
2) Sho (G3A)
3) Soma (G3A)
Grade 4
1) Kaiser (G4B)
2) Ross (G4A)
3) Kishore (G4A)
Grade 51) Den (G5B)
2) Jun (G5A)
3) Joe (G5B)
Grade 6
1) Michael (G6B)
2) Kenzo (G6A)
3) Tomohisa (G6A)
Grade 71) Keina (G7A)
2) Shin (G7B)
3) Kevin (G7A)
Grade 81) Ke Yi (G8B)
2) Hikaru (G8A)
3) Moe Min (G8B)
Grade 91) Haruto (G9B)
2) Ken (G9B)
3) Hiromasa (G9B)
Grade 101) Tyson (G10B)
2) Liam (G10B)
3) Jisang (G10B)
Grade 111) Maung Wai (G11A)
2) Mikio (G11B)

Girls
1) Mano (G1A)
2) Hana (G1A)
3) Lingfei (G1B)
1) Homare (G2A)
2) Rio (G2B)
3) Hina (G2A)
1) Sola (G3B)
2) Aimi (G3A)
3) Elena (G3B)
1) Rina F. (G4B)
2) Zoe (G4A)
3) Se Young (G4B)
1) Saki (G5B)
2) Sato (G5B)
3) Maki (G5B)
1) Yi Jen (G6A)
2) Emily (G6A)
3) Reina (G6A)
1) Ayumi (G7B)
2) Emiri (G7A)
3) Ruiran (G7A)
1) Seina (G8A)
2) Leia (G8A)
3) Riko (G8B)
1) Lin (G9B)
2) Kotone (G9B)
3) Moana (G9A)
1) Ayaka (G10B)
2) Nino (G10A)
3) Lavanya (G10A)
1) Mina (G11A)
2) Sakura (G11B)

“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 1 7 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 1 3

Asakusa
The sweet sounds of the wind chimes, the loudgreetings of shopkeepers, and the curious tourist andyes we’re talking about the lively streets of Asakusa. Asakusa is
one of the really rare places in Japan where they have bothancient and modern aspects. In the streets of Asakusa there area lot of rental kimono shops, traditional Japanese rice crackers,
mochi, unique flavored ice cream…
On October 17, Grade 7 went on a field trip to Asakusa, toresearch and interview about Japanese beliefs and values. On
this field trip, Grade 7 got to do the Amazing Scavenger Hunt.
As soon as Grade 7 reached Sensoji, they went crazy.
Everyone was split up in their groups and started theirscavenger hunt, taking all sorts of photos in their mission. As
time passed by, some groups joined with the others around thepond areas. We took pictures with many tourists and alsointerviewed a variety of people, including tourists, Japanesepeople and store owners. After lunch we all split into smallergroups and then we went to gather information on our own
research question. From this excursion we were able tocomplete our inquiry project in how Japanese beliefs and values
are important in society. When we finished our research webought souvenirs.
Krisha and Emiri (G7A)

The Volunteering Spirit
Our mission at KIST is to nurture individuals who makemeaningful contributions to our global community.
Volunteering in our local community is a great way tomodel our mission in action and develop student
understanding.
KIST would like to extend a very warm thank you to allof the community members who contributed to themost recent bake sale on September 27. The event
was a great success – everyone present was able toenjoy some snacks while watching our students share
their many talents at the talent show. Through thebake sale, a total of 90,000 yen was raised to support
the school in purchasing simultaneous interpretationequipment. Thank you to everyone who made thisevent such a success.

We would also like to thank all thedancers who contributed to make thewine and cheese party a very
entertaining event. It was wonderful tosee parents and students alike sharing their talentswith the community.
We hope everyone is looking forward to the next bakesale on December 13. With the theme ‘Winter Holiday
Market’, we will be able to enjoy an international
selection of baked goods while celebrating theupcoming winter holidays together. We hope to see
you there! More details to come via ECommunications.
Thank you once again to all our volunteers!

Talent show volunteers
Emiko S., Keun Woo L., Yutaro N., Michael P., Ana Margarita S., Sae Lim K., Emika O., Hamish K., Vasu J., Jiei S., Leo S., Malini W.,
Sonakshi D., Zoe W., Kiana C., Manaka N.
Students of parents who donated baked items
Kyo O., Fuwa Y., David A., Lisa K., Liwei Z., Hal H., Riu Y., Edward S., Haruka N., Wenhui W., Renzo L., Sumire M.J., Hikaru W., Shota K.,
Ryo Y. Yusei O., Riku H., Diana S., Nicolas & Alyssa T., Ai M., Haruto & Tsubasa T., Mariko M., Emiko S., Ricky U., Kota Y.H., Mai M., KemoR., Zoe W., Minagi W., Yuri F., Daichi H., Rei M., Makana F., Vasu J., Rina F., Miyabi K., Daphnee S., Max H., Asami K., Reina & Daiki H.,
Emiri & Shuntaro K., Taisei H., Qifei H., Hikaru I., Marcus A., Eimi O., Liam S., Mina H., Rikako T., Vidihika K., Rei K., Taisei I., and also to
Mr & Mrs Komaki and Mr & Mrs Naito
Wine and cheese party dancers
Parents of Homare K., Hanna I. (and Hanna herself), Sara V., the dancers from Sandii’s Hula Studio and the Jawhara Belly Dance Team21