The Comet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 21 | Issue 1 | September 2017

In this issue...
03...IB Diploma Results—July 2017

16...Athletics Update

04…Welcome to New Staff

17...TASSEL Report

08...My First Drawing in K1

18...Habitat for Humanity

09...SEAL Programme19...Secondary SRC

12...KIPS News

23...KIST Community Association

15...Summer Camp in Beijing

25...University Acceptances

From the Head of School

DATES TO REMEMBER

Dear KIST Community Members,
Welcome back from what I hope was a very restful andenjoyable summer vacation.
It was wonderful to welcome your children back for another school year and tosee how much some of them had changed over the summer. It was also
wonderful to welcome back our parents and guardians through our Parent
Welcome Nights. Despite the heat, I hope that you enjoyed catching up withother parents, meeting your child(ren)’s teachers, and hearing about our
successful year last year.
And what a year it was! In addition to our successful IB Evaluation visit and
KIST attaining accreditation by the Council of International Schools, once
again, our graduates attained the highest DP results in KIST history. Singapore
and the UK are two of the top performing nations for DP with recent national
averages of just over 38 and 36 points respectively. And, as I mentioned in our
Board Report at Parent Welcome Night, less than 10% of DP students aroundthe world (only 7% last year) attain 40 points or more. Our 2017 DP average of
38.03 points and 40% of our graduating class attaining 40 points or more place
KIST amongst the top IB DP schools in the world.
These statistics give a good idea of the scope of this amazing accomplishment.
But in interpreting them we must also keep in mind the level of challenge of the
Diploma Programme, one reason why DP graduates are sought after byuniversities around the world. The majority of DP schools enroll students incertificate programs and many reserve DP enrollment for only the mostacademically inclined. But at KIST, all of our students study DP courses and
95% of our Class of 2017 studied the full IB Diploma. And 100% of thempassed. But they didn’t just pass – each of the 35 students had a score that
was above the global average; in other words, even our weakest DP students
performed above the IB DP world average.

September 201716-17 Staff development days (Noschool for students)
18 School holiday
23 (G9-G12) KPASS High school
drama festival (Hosted@YIS)
25-26 School photographs
26 PYP Information session for newparents (*Evening)

October 2017
4-5 Tech day camp
7 SAT@KIST
9 School day
9 (G1-G5) Field Day
23 (G10) MYP Personal Project
information session
11 (G10) PSAT tests
14 School explanation day (forprospective parents)
16 2018-2019 enrollment
applications open
27 K.20 preparation day(K1-G5) No school for students(S) School day
28 Last day of quarter 1
28 K.20 celebration
29 K.20 clean up day
29-Nov 5 Autumn vacation

November 2017
While each of our graduates worked very hard to produce these results,
supporting them through the PYP and the MYP and preparing them forsuccess in the DP was a whole community effort. Each year, the results of ourstandardized testing and the diagnostic exam data we collect indicate that ourstudents are becoming even better prepared for their DP experience throughour PYP and MYP programming.
Continued on next page
KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life

4 SAT@KIST
6 School resumes for all students

PYP | MYP | DP

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2Continued from previous page







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Over 90% of our students in PYP Grades 2 – 5
are attaining at or above expectations on ourmathematics diagnostic testing, expectations that
we set high to prepare students for success in
successive programs.
In MYP, our ISA results are strong, with students
performing higher than the global averages in all
grades (Grades 5 – 9 sit the ISA annually) on
each component of the assessment.
Our overall PSAT scores (all KIST Grade 10
students sit the PSAT, a test written by over 3
million students each year, in the fall) were in the
top 23% of the world, with Mathematics
performance in the top 18% (56% of our students
this year attained scores in the top 10% ofworldwide scores for Mathematics).
Our IGCSE scores were impressive again thisyear, with 100% of our students in Mathematics A(Grade 10 Standard) attaining a grade of B or
above (92% attained A or A*), 100% of students in
Mathematics B (Grade 9 Extended) attaining B or
above (83% attained A or A*), and 91% of ourFurther Pure Mathematics students (Grade 10
Extended) attaining B or above.



sending off 251 KIST graduates to 236 of the best
universities around the world.

There is much more to celebrate from the past twenty
years and we look forward to doing so with all of you
at our annual festival in October. As announced, thisyear KISTival will take on the name K.20 Celebration
as staff and students host parents and other membersof our extended community to celebrate KIST’s growthand share our pride in the many ways that KIST
students and alumni are contributing to making ourworld a better place.
Once again, thank you for your support and please dolet us know your thoughts or concerns by contacting
the school, or me, directly. In closing, I would also liketo send out a BIG THANK YOU to all of our community
members who contribute to The
Comet newsletter over the year.
Happy reading!
Jeffrey Jones
Head of School(More information about KIST students’ academic
performance can be obtained through our homepage:
Learning > Academic Performance.)
From PYP to DP, these schoolwide results are truly
incredible. But this level of success doesn’t justhappen. KIST believes that ‘education is a sharedpartnership between students, caregivers and theschool’ and these results reflect the strength of therelationships that our community has collaboratively
developed between these three stakeholder groups.
Our staff and teachers are working incredibly hard, ourstudents are motivated to learn and are committed toattaining their best, and our parent support is second
to none. Thank you to everyone in our community foryour support of KIST and for all the efforts you havemade to us attaining results that bring great pride to
our school.
Last week we sent home a brochure to commemorate
twenty years since the founding of KIST. Twenty years
is relatively young for an international school; but for
KIST, the past 20 years have been a significant periodof growth worthy of recognition. Some of thesignificant events during that time include: KIST becoming the first 3 program IB school inTokyo
 continuing to grow from one full-time student in1997 to over 660 students today, despite
significant periods of global economic turbulenceand domestic natural disaster attaining accreditation by the Tokyo Ministry of
Education and the Council of International Schools achieving the highest IB DP average in Japan forthe past three years

Explanation Day 2017
For the 2018 - 2019 school year
KIST will hold an Explanation Day for parents
interested in enrolling children for the 2018 2019 school year.
Administration and teaching staff will beavailable to answer questions regarding
admissions procedures, the school
curriculum, progression to universities, andgeneral features of the school. Visitors will
also be able to view the school facilities.
Date:
October 14, 2017 (Saturday)
Session times:(1) English: 9:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
(2) Japanese: 1:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Reservations close:
October 13, 2017 (Friday)
Reservations essential!

www.kist.ed.jp

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IB Diploma Results—July 2017
During the summer vacation, the IB Diploma results were issued to students, and the Class of 2017 performed
very well. The chart below summarizes KIST performance for 2014-2017.

Of particular note for the Class of 2017:
 Of the 37 graduates for 2017, 35 of them (95%) were enrolled in the full Diploma Programme. IB global
statistics report that only about 50% of students enroll in the full DP.
 100% of KIST’s Class of 2017 attained IB Diplomas. IB global statistics report that of the 50% of students who
enroll in the full DP, only about 80% of them attain the full Diploma.
 The average score for KIST students attaining the IB Diploma was 38.03 points. Once again, our students
have attained the highest average in KIST history.
 KIST’s lowest DP score (31) was above the 2017 IB DP global average of 29.95.
 40% of students attaining the IB Diploma attained scores of 40 points or above and thereby qualify to beconsidered for the KIST University Support Scholarships. Globally, only about 7% of students attain scores of
40 or above.
 Four students attained the school’s highest score this year of 43 points; 2 students attained 42 points; 2students attained 41 points; 6 students attained 40 points.
 46% of students attaining the IB Diploma attended KIST from PYP, with 43% of the students attaining 40
points or above at KIST from PYP. These statistics reflect well on the quality of learning in our PYP and MYP
programs.
The table on the right shows how our course averages
compare against the IB world averages for each course.
 96% of courses offered at KIST had results above IB
world averages
 78% of courses (orange and green shading) had
results more than 0.5 points above IB world averages(the highest grade for each course is 7)
 52% of courses (green shading) had results more than
1 point above IB world averages
More information about student performance in IB andother standardized testing can be found on our website byclicking here (Learning > Academic Performance).
Parents who would like more general information on IB
Diploma results should go to: http://www.ibo.org/en/
programmes/diploma-programme/assessment-andexams/getting-results/
The IB publishes a “Statistical Bulletin” summarizing IB Diploma Results, a link to which is on this webpage. The“Statistical Bulletin” for the May 2017 Examination Session should be published in October/November.
Congratulations to the students on their individual successes in the external DP assessment andthank you to all the Grade 12 teachers from last year for all their hard work in making KIST a 38point DP average school!
John Rose
DP Coordinator34

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Welcome to New Staff
We would like to introduce you to our new staff for 2017-2018. Please join us in welcoming them to KIST!

Teacher

Instructional Support Staff

Heather Neill
MYP/DP English

Zoe Jeffery
Teaching Assistant(K2A)

Lowanne Perez
Teaching Assistant(K3)

Operational Staff

Miranda Liu
Administrative Assistant(Office)

Minami Nose
Nurse (KIPS)

Safety Training for Staff
Our KIST Mission
KIST provides academically motivated children from diverse
cultural and social backgrounds with high quality education
in a safe and nurturing environment to develop
competent and moral individuals who make meaningful
contributions to our global community.
KIST is committed to ensuring as safe an environment as possible
for our students and community members.
Once again this year as part of our orientation procedures during theweek before the start of school, we held another CPR and AED staff
training session in cooperation with the Fukagawa Fire Department.
Thank you to the 25 KIST staff who attended this session to learn
more about how to respond in emergency situations.
Additionally, a separate session was held with all school staff toreview the school’s emergency evacuation procedures forearthquake, fire and tsunami situations. Following the drill, staff weretrained in the use of fire extinguishers, led once again by the
Fukagawa Fire Department.

Nozomi Komatsu
Teaching Assistant(K1-K2 Japanese)

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Elementary School News
Educating moral individuals

Elementary classroom teacher changes

Welcome back to another year at K.
International School Tokyo! I hopethat everyone had a safe and happy
summer and are ready for anotherexciting school year!

This year we have had some elementary classroom
teachers change positions within the school.

In education, we often discuss the idea of educating
the ‘whole child’. The Association of Supervision andCurriculum Development defines this as an “effort totransition from a focus on narrowly defined academic
achievement to one that promotes the long-term
development and success of all children.” We have
similar goals at KIST which are reflected in our mission
to develop competent and moral individuals.
So, what does it mean to be moral? Morality is knowing
the difference between right and wrong and having theability to make right choices. Moral development
begins when children are young and morally-based
behaviors are demonstrated in children as young as
two years of age (Oswalt, 2008).
How do children learn morals? One way students learn
morals at KIST is through the IB Learner Profile.
Through these ten traits, our students learn what itmeans to be honest, to care for those around them,and to be open to new ideas. In addition to whatchildren learn at school, they need to see andexperience morality to be able to apply it. Where dothey learn this?

Teacher

New class

Ms Chung

K3B

Ms Holdaway

Secondary
SchoolMs Kurosaki

G2A

Mr Callaghan

K2B

For many children, the most importantrole models are their parents.
—The American Academy of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry

According to the American Academy of Child andAdolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), for many children, themost important role models for them are their parents.
Children look up to role models to help guide their
behavior at school, how they develop relationships,
and how they make decisions. The AACAP further
defines a role model as a person who serves as an
example by influencing others. At KIST we believe acommunity effort is essential in educating our students
and believe in the power positive role models have inshaping our students’ moral development. As thesaying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Educating the whole child is a community effort.
Children need to learn right from wrong at school, athome, and out in the community. As we move into a
new school year, we look forward to working with all
members of our school community to, as stated in our
mission, develop competent and moral individuals.

We would like towelcome Ms
Chung back to K3.
Prior to hermaternity leave
she taught K3 andwe are happy that
she has returned!
As Ms Chung has
returned, our K3
teacher from lastyear, Ms
Holdaway, has
moved into thesecondary school.
Ms. Holdaway dida majority of her
teaching degree insecondary school,
so she will be astrong addition tothat team.
As Ms Kurosaki
taught G1-G5 in
the USA, she wasinterested inmoving up a few
grade levels.
With Mr
Callaghan’s K2
and K3 experience
at KIPS, we felt hewould be a strong
addition to the K2
team.

Kevin Yoshihara
Elementary School Principal

References: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, A. (n.d.).
Retrieved August 17, 2017, from http://www.aacap.org/aacap/
families_and_youth/facts_for_families/fff-guide/Children-andRole-Models-099.aspx
 Krisbergh, A. (n.d.). Being a Role Model - The Promise and thePeril. Retrieved August 17, 2017, from http://
centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/focusparents/role-model-promise-peril/ Oswalt, A. (2008, January 16). Early Childhood Moral Development. Retrieved August 17, 2017, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/early-childhood-moraldevelopment/5

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PYP News
The learner profile and an IB education
It’s that time of year again. The students have returned tothe classroom and are becoming familiar with their newteachers and routines. Teachers have planned theirlessons and are settling in to see where the inquiries aregoing and what new discoveries the children may uncover.
With these preparations comes another set of lessons thatneed to be prepared. Ones that might not be considered“traditional” in the sense that we all might recognize, but are
essential to our lives as members of a community as well
as society in the grander scheme of international
mindedness and globalism.
In line with this thinking is our school’s mission statement
which refers to the development of competent and moral
individuals. This relates to the fact that as an International
Baccalaureate school, KIST has a responsibility to provide
for the educational, emotional, social and physical needs of
its students. Added to this list is the moral needs that guideus all on our journey through life and its trials. The IB’s
mission statement states: “The International Baccalaureate
aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young
people who help create a better and more peaceful world
through intercultural understanding and respect.”
The learner profiles contain ten basic principles that aredemonstrative of what it means to be “internationallyminded”. Those who as lifelong learners recognize theircommon humanity and shared guardianship of the planetand strive to create a better, more peaceful world. The ten
traits are: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers,
communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risktakers, balanced and reflective. These traits will be exploredfrom many perspectives over the course of students’
educational careers here at KIST. These are not limited
to the PYP but rather follow your child as they mature
thereby allowing teachers to explore new and moresophisticated nuances of these attributes to match thestudent’s ability to comprehend each meaning.
In the PYP, as your child experiences the first transition
from home to group interaction outside the family, by
teaching the learner profiles, teachers strive to make thisadjustment as successful as possible. This is one waythat the IB helps provide a framework to support
students’ to become active inquirers and lifelong learners.
The learner profiles are indeed a crucialpart of the IB PYP curriculum and all
students’ success is measured against
them.
Clay M. Bradley
PYP Coordinator /Elementary School Vice
Principal

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Early Childhood News
Welcome back to the 2017-2018 school year for ourcontinuing students, and welcome to KIST for those of
you who have just joined our school community. We hope
this will be a memorable year for you and your child, as
we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the school’s
founding. All the members of the early childhood team arelooking forward to sharing a meaningful and enjoyable
time with your children.

K1A

We have made some changes this school year: K3 students now line up with the older elementary
students on the field in the morning The K1-K3 before care room has moved from thelibrary/kindergarten playground to the gym.
Thank you to all those parents/guardians who havecooperated with these adjustments and made this verysmooth for their child, especially the K3 parents as K3children are required to stay with their parents until 8:35
due to safety reasons. Thank you for traveling with yourchild every morning promptly, as we understandsometimes this is not easy, especially in Japan for those
who use local transport systems.
At the same time, there are things that are not changing
in the Early Childhood department. One tremendous thingis the staff! I have looked around our staff and noticed
that among the 17 staff members in K1-K3, 6 have beenworking at KIST for more than 5 years – which means
only 2 new faces – and for 5 staff members, this is their
4th year. In each classroom, we have 1 or more staff
members who are also parents themselves, making 8
staff in total who have children.

K1B

K2A

This is my second year working as the Early Childhood
Coordinator, and I am very positive about the strong
bonds between our early childhood team. All our staff use
every single opportunity as an educational moment for
our young learners.
Lastly, Ms Karen – our K1and K2 music teacher – isGUITAR WANTED!
looking for a guitar to keep atschool. If you don’t mind
donating an old guitar that has
been sleeping in one thecupboards in your house,please contact either Ms Karenor myself.

K2B

K3A

Thank you always for your continued support towards
your child’s learning at school.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1-K3) /K1B Teacher
K3B

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My First Drawing in K1
This is the first drawing that the students did in K1 class. They
showed they were knowledgeable as they could hold the pensand create shapes independently. All students were risk-takers
when they tried their best to make their own drawings. The
students were communicators when they told their teachers what
they had drawn. Good job K1!
Claire Yoneyama
K1A Teacher

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SEAL Programme
Have you ever heard of the “SEAL” programme? Did you
imagine a big, gray sea animal and think, “What’s that got to dowith school??” Well, actually it has nothing to do with animals.
SEAL stands for Social Emotional Aspect of Learning, and weare introducing the programme for the community circle periodsin the Elementary School this year.
The SEAL initiative aims to support pupils in developing thefollowing personal and social skills:
Self-awarenessSelf-regulation (managing feelings)

Motivation

EmpathySocial skills

The framework is divided into six themes to be covered within aschool year as follows:

New beginnings

Getting on and falling out, and Say
no to bullying (British national antibullying week in November)Going for goals

Good to be meRelationships

Changes

There is a SEAL display next to the elementary office, whichshows what areas pupils are working on. I will be changing thedisplay for every theme, so please ask your child somequestions about the SEAL programme in order to support theirsocial and emotional skills at home.
The photos on this page show that different
grades such as K2 pupils with Mr Callaghan
and Grade 3 pupils with Ms Watanabe areable to use the same programme.
Kana Furnival
Elementary School Student Care Coordinator“ T h e Co m et ”

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Elementary ELS
Inquiry is universal
Significant and universal – that’s how our PYP units
of inquiry are designed to be, leading us (students,
teachers and parents) to “explore the commonalitiesof human experience” (Making the PYP Happen, p.
19). Besides the design of our units, the fact that
KIST is lucky enough to have so many languages
represented in our community makes our learning
even more universal.
So our students can encourage each other to takeadvantage of all their languages when learning, wehave a new space outside the elementary officecalled “Inquiry is Universal”. This display is going tobe created by the K3 to G5 students with theirparents’ help. Don’t worry, parents! All you need to dois what you are already doing. When you discuss UOIwith your child at home, encourage them to teach you
the new English words they have started learning intheir unit, then help them learn those words in yourhome language(s). Next, write down the homelanguage words so your child can bring them toschool, and we will add them to our “Inquiry is
Universal” board. Over the 6 weeks of each UOI, K3
to G5 will build up a web of their unit’s key vocabulary
in all the languages they know.

Helping yourchild bring in
UOI words forthe “Inquiry is
Universal” board
covers all thosepoints. Even justa quick
discussion canbe effective. As
the display
grows, we will
see how UOI is
being discussed
at home, and theFollow these steps to help yourimpact of yourchild participate in the “Inquiry isconversations on
Universal” board.
our language
learning and breadth of conceptual understanding will
be felt in the classroom, too.

Learning this high-level vocab in their home language(s) through talking with you will help our students truly
understand and remember the English vocabulary,
too. As the research tells us:“If your native language is not English, we hope
you continue to speak and read to your child inyour home language. Speaking in your native
language will not make it more difficult for yourchild to learn English. In fact, an important partof language development is learning a first
language well.” (Campbell Hill, 2001, p. 446)
When you have discussions with your child in yourfirst language at home, you are helping them learn
skills and concepts that make it easier for them tolearn English when they are at school. Campbell Hill’sdocument is a great guide on how to help with yourchild’s language learning at home. It will be on yourclass’s Moodle in English, Japanese and Korean
again this year.
Among the tips she lists are these three: Find some time every day to listen and talkwith your child about his or her school day inyour home language.
 Explain challenging concepts to your child inyour native language.
 Allow your child to teach you English.

Introducing our Elementary ELS team for 2017-18 (left toright): Mr Norwood (G2), Ms Rachel (G5), Ms Joanna (K3B),
Ms Wang (K3A), Ms Katie (G1B), Ms Bonus (G1A), Mr Green(G4), Ms Kana (G3) and Mr Arnold (G3). Your child’s ELS
instructor will help your child put up on display the homelanguage vocabulary that you teach them at home.

Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinator /G5 ELS Instructor
References: International Baccalaureate Organization. (2009). Making PYP
happen: Curriculum framework for international primaryeducation. Cardiff: Author.
 Campbell Hill, B. (2001). Developmental continuums: A
framework for literacy instruction and assessment K-8. Norwood,
MA: Christopher-Gordon.

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LEAP News
Hello KIST Family! It’s that time of year
again. LEAP is starting up for the 20172018 school year.
We will once again be implementing thenewsletters in place of the portfolio toshow you, the parents, what your children
are doing in their LEAP lessons.
Last year, we also implemented a new
way of admitting students into LEAP
classes by using the diagnostic testing.
We will be using this same method ofusing the data to allow admissions into
LEAP classes this year, as well.
In an effort to keep the class sizes as
small as possible to ensure we offer thebest support to our students, only thosestudents (G2-G5) who have received“Below” or “Just Below” on theirdiagnostic tests and/or have received arecommendation by their homeroom
teacher will be admitted into the support
courses.
Also, only those students (G2-G5) who
have received a score of “Meeting” and/or “Above” on both the Reading andWriting diagnostic tests and/or havereceived a recommendation by theirteacher will be admitted into the English
Extension course.
For the K3-G1 English Support courses,
as well as the G1 English Extension andMath Support courses, we will take into
account both their teacher’s
recommendations as well as each
student’s English support needs.
If you have any questions regarding anyof these criteria, please feel free tocontact the LEAP Coordinator, Amber
Guarente, at leap@kist.ed.jp.
Thank you all so much, as always, for allof your support. We all look forward toworking with you and your children again
this year. Let’s learn together!
Amber Guarente
LEAP Coordinator /K1B Teaching
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KIPS NewsKIPS has started our second year, and we arevery excited to have this opportunity to continue
making wonderful memories with all of you!
We are grateful that our parents have entrusted their children
to us, and we are looking forward to watching them learn andgrow this year. We enjoy watching the children meet theirgoals, and we relish the challenge of meeting and exceeding
each child’s daily needs.
Each day, the children have many opportunities to learn
through our class routines, specific subject lessons, and bycommunicating with their friends and teachers. Play-based
experiences are vital for young children in many different
ways. Through play, children can engage in activities thatinterest them. They learn to share and make friends, and areable to develop at their own pace.
This year, we are pleased to introduce the latest addition to
our interactive environment: ‘play walls’ which are located ineach of our two classrooms, and are specially designed topromote our students’ perception and precision motor skills.
Children are encouraged to explore their sense of sight, touchand hearing, as well as a sense of physicality.
At KIPS, our staff constantly strives to provide the safest andmost nurturing environment possible for your children. We areproud of the role we play in the KIST community, and we ask
for your continued support as we develop new educational
opportunities for our students. We arevery much looking forward to anothersuccessful year!
Stephanie Pae
KIPS Coordinator

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Secondary School News
I hope that the year has started well for your child; thatthey are enjoying learning and feeling comfortable inthe school environment!
I am now entering my second decade at KIST and amvery excited about the year ahead. From my own pointof view, I am not teaching a class this year so am
looking forward to getting into even more classrooms
to see how your children are learning and to also
being able to do more for parents, both informally andformally. Naturally, we are very proud of our IB DP
results, but I am also energized by otherdevelopments this year. For example, many year
groups in the Secondary School are now full or almost
full, whilst for the first time in my memory, Secondary
clubs for Semester 1 have been hugely
oversubscribed.
I would like to thank parents for their support of theirchild’s learning so far. Overall, students look very
smart, well-resourced and happy as they move aroundthe school. If I can emphasize with parents theimportance of putting their child’s name on all theirbelongings – our lost and found section is alreadygrowing for the start of the year! If I can also ask
parents, especially of grade 6 to 8 students, to ensurethat their child(ren) have the correct supplies every
day for school. The supply list was sent to all parents
on June 23 via E-Communications.
Please find on the right some pictures of two newthings at the start of this year: the team building/icebreaking activities on the first day and also A4 ringbinders that G6 students and all MYP Math students
need to have for 2017-2018.
To finish, I hope that you found the Secondary Parent
Welcome Night informative and useful, and look out
for a small number of E-Communications from me in
September linking to initiatives
mentioned at this event. As usual,please don’t hesitate to contact mewith questions!
Mark Cowe
Secondary School Principal

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MYP News
Students explore learning in the MYP tostart the year
During the first week of school, students are always
nervous and excited. This year, as things got
underway, students in Grades 6 – 8 took part in special
workshops focusing on essential elements of the IB’s
Middle Years Programme.
In Grade 6, students were introduced the basics of
how student performance is assessed in the MYP.
They investigated the methods that teachers andstudents use to make judgements and apply
standards.

G7s do a warm-up activity before setting goals for the year.

As they move through their first year in the program,students will have a better sense of how teachers use
a variety of learning experiences to assess student
progress.

Students explored how semester grades are calculated in the MYP.

In Grades 7 and 8, where most students have previous
MYP experience, the focus for the opening sessions
was on goal setting. In the IB’s framework of important
Approaches to Learning Skills, personal and academic
goal setting is crucial to bringing about meaningfulchange.

A personal goal from a G7 student.

In a series of activities, students reflected on their past
successes and failures, and they drafted goals for theupcoming year.
As the year continues, students will
have other opportunities to continue
to deepen their understanding of the
MYP.
Robert WhiteMYP Coordinator

An academic goal set by a G8 student.

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15Summer Camp in Beijing
KIST students participate in the International Students
Summer Camp – Beijing
In July, 777 students from around the world met in Beijing to participate in acamp sponsored by the Beijing International Education Exchange. Among themwere five KIST students from Grade 10: Akino, Mai and Hinako, and from
Grade 11: Yohdai and Shimpei. Akino and Mai offer their reflections below.

Hinako (left), Akino (2nd from right) andMai (right) with a teacher at the camp.

Mai (G10A)

N

ot only was this my first chance to participate in such an event, but as well it was the school's first invitation fromthe Chinese embassy to get involved as part of the BIEE summer camp. When I’d first seen the email on theinvitation from the BIEE, I was really motivated in participating in the summer camp and representing my school at
Beijing. I was fortunate to be selected as part of the 5 students. In contrast to my excitement to visit China, I felt anxiety
about how Japan is viewed by China due to an edgy relationship that has existed for so long. It was rewarding to seethat many of my new Chinese friends I made at the summer camp respect and love Japanese culture. This was amoment when I deeply understood the exaggeration and the misleading information of the media.
Throughout the 10 days of summer camp, I really enjoyed interacting with new friends from all over the world, attending
all sorts of Chinese cultural activities and getting to know new things about China. The second-to-last day was probably
one of the best experiences I had. It was the closing ceremony where at night, all the 777 students performed such
spectacular traditional dances. Representing Japan, we, the KIST students and the rest of the 16 Japaneseparticipants performed the Soran-bushi and the Koi-dance wearing our kimono and happi.
All in all, it was a great, brilliant opportunity to participate in the Beijing summer camp, fulfilling new experiences andcultures in China. I appreciate the BIEE and the school for the invitation and would surely wish to be selected as part of
the 5 students again next year!

Hinako (G10A)

T

his camp was hosted by BMCE and BIEE, at the Beijing Royal School for 10 days, and there were 33 countries
and around 800 people who participated in this event. In this camp, we visited many places such as the Beijing
National Stadium, Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, and many more. Also, during this experience, we got to learnmuch more about Chinese culture such as trying calligraphy, Tenon Joint, and ink painting.
In this camp, I met so many amazing people, and I had some of the most amazing experiences there. There werepeople from all over the world and we ended up being best friends by the end. We didn’t bring up any political agenda
or international issues at all. We left it all behind, and got to know many great individuals, and just enjoyed it. Many of
us stayed in the field getting to know each other at night, and we taught each other language, and culture, and I neverrealized how connected we all were. I’d sit with some Chinese kids at the cafeteria and then run into Nepalese kids inthe hallways, and start a conversation about anything. These memories were incredible, and I would not exchangethese for anything. It was also amazing how these 10 days had a great impact on many individuals, such as to learn
another language, or making a choice to go to a university in America, rather than going to a university in theirhometown.
During the closing ceremony, many countries performed a variety of programs, which were full of their national andcultural characteristics. Our country performed soranbushi and koi-dance, the first of which is a traditional folk songfrom Hokkaido, and the other one is a dance from a TV drama. This closing ceremony ended the 2017 International
Students Summer Camp Beijing with a very enthusiastic ending.

Camp members visited landmarks in Beijing
including Tiananmen Square.

At the great wall of China.
Continued on next page

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V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 1 | S ept em b er 20 17“ T h e Co m e t ”

Continued from previous page

Akino (G10A)

T

he 2017 International Student Summer Camp – Beijing was just wonderful.
Through the ten days, we explored China’s rich culture, tradition, lifestyle, art andlanguage, and visited historical landmarks.
When 777 students from all over the world gathers into one school, it’s intimidating. I
was initially nervous and worried as to whether I could make it through ten days of
being in a country I barely know, with people I’ve never met. At our first dinner, we atealone in the corner of the canteen, avoiding eye contact with other students and sticking
together. But the next day, we knew two more people. As the days progressed, we
knew more faces, we ate with different people, and we sat in the middle. By the lastday, the canteen was filled with crying, hugging and goodbyes.
Participating in this international summer camp not only gave us the opportunity totravel to Beijing, but also to build friendships that will last forever, and I will be eternallygrateful for that.

Closing ceremonies for the camp.

Athletics Update
This year, as in previous years, KIST willcontinue to participate in interschool athletics asa member of the International Schools of Tokyo Athletic
Association (ISTAA). We look forward to student participationand parental support during the 2017-18 season! In theSecondary School, we have boys’ and girls’ teams for Grades 6– 8 (U-14) and Grades 9 – 12 (U-18) in the following sports:
volleyball (September – November), basketball (November –March) and soccer/futsal (March – June).
2016-17 U-14 boys basketball champions

The Elementary School has soccer (Grades 3 – 5) and basketball(Grades 4 – 5) clubs that practice throughout the year and participate in one tournament. Additionally,outsourced opportunities such as the cheerleading dance club and the AC Milan soccer club are available on
Mondays at KIST over the course of the year.
Other athletic clubs include cross-country, badminton (Secondary),
the Olympics (Elementary) and possibly others. We encourage
students to participate on teams and clubs for many reasons, but fun
is the biggest one!
KIST holds the ISTAA cross-country invitational event at Arakawa
every year and students from KIST have the chance to run against
students from 10 to 12 other international schools. This year, theevent is planned for April 20, 2018. We will be looking for parent
volunteers to help with this event again this year. Thank you to those
who volunteered their time last year and in previous years!!
Finally, congratulations to the KIST COMETS U-14 Boys Basketballteam for winning the ISTAA Championship held at BST this past
year and the Grade 5 team for winning the ISTAA
Elementary Championship!!
Dennis Ota
Extra-Curricular Clubs and Athletics Coordinator
2016-17 Grade 5 Elementary basketball champions

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TASSEL Report
TASSEL is a non-profit
organization specialized insupporting underprivileged children
in Cambodia socially andacademically. Many Cambodians
have not yet recovered from thetrauma of the Khmer Rouge. As aresult, Cambodia remains one ofthe poorest countries in the world
with a lack of schools and teacherswith the ability to teach the children
English. TASSEL aims to bringCambodia out of the grasps ofpoverty by providing free English
lessons. At KIST, we also havehosted many successful
fundraisers such as the rose
campaign and tie-dye shirts, raisinga total of ¥417,190 which has been
donated to local Cambodians.
During the summer, some of the
KIST TASSEL members visited
Cambodia to meet and teachCambodian children.
Many of Cambodia's issues stemfrom its horrific and tragic political
history, which began with the reignof the Khmer Rouge, a communist
party that aimed to return thepeople to primitive and classless
lives, where they faced hard labor,
torture, and famine. On the first dayof the trip, we visited the Tuol
Sleng Genocide Museum andlistened to the truly horrific stories
that many innocent Cambodians,
including the friends and relativesof those we soon taught, hadendured.
Meanwhile, in Phnom Penh, theKhmer Rouge arrested anyone
they believed were remotely
educated, including those whowore glasses and had soft hands.
Many were brought to Tuol Slengwhere they were tortured on a daily
basis to make them confess towhatever crimes they wereaccused of committing. Once a
sufficient amount of crimes had
been documented in the name ofthe prisoner, they were transported
to the Killing Fields where they
were executed. Remains from the
20,000 mass grave sites indicatethat at least 1.3 million victims were
killed. Even today, a little over 30
years later, new remains continue
to resurface from the soil of thekilling sites.
Before we started teaching, we
visited some families who are
currently sponsored by TASSEL,
meaning that they are provided
money each month for food,medication and rent.
One of the families we visited wasof a boy named Doesch, who lives
with his older cousin, aunt,
grandmother and grandfather. The
mother, who had been supporting
the family financially, ran away. A
TASSEL teacher realised Doesch
needed support when he wasspotted drooling while watchinganother child eat. After sponsoring
his family, Doesch and his brotherstarted smiling more, and the older
cousin joined. The grandmotherwas very supportive and evensuggested learning English withthem.
By visiting the families, we could
see what conditions some of theTASSEL students were living inand how much they need our help.
Joji (Founder of TASSEL)
constantly made sure that thesponsoring was used for food, toensure the health and wellbeing of
the families. By personally meetingthe families and understanding theimpact teaching at TASSEL andsponsoring can make, we wereable to fully understand theimportance of this organization,and connect personally to thestudents we taught.

online classes/writing instructing.
We prepared lesson plans every
day and played a quiz on the 4thday, based on what they havelearnt. Their cheers during classmade the classroom a warm andlighthearted place. Their handmade
gifts, letters, tears and smiles on
the last day, made us not want toleave.
During the trip, we had a special
opportunity to teach Cambodianteachers. With hearty cheers andgenerous smiles, they participatedin class so passionately that theyeven resisted taking breaks tocontinue studying. They wereexcellent role models of students tothe children who demonstrated
great motivation for learning.
The objective of the classes was toimprove their pronunciation andgrammar so that they can provide ahigher quality of English education
to the children. For this reason,
they appreciated the opportunity tolearn from foreign teachers during
the trip. They even gifted us lettersand photos to thank all the foreignteachers although theircontributions to TASSEL wereincomparably greater than ours.
It is hard to believe how muchsome people have endured,particularly when they are the ones
who continuously smile and work toplease others. Experiences likethese teach you to be more awareof issues, to do what you can tohelp others, and to always be alittle bit kinder than you need to be.
Sara, Hyunjeong, Taimu, Ibuki,
and Nikita

Teaching Cambodian children was
the main goal of the TASSEL trip.
We taught in two villages, Samrangand Banan, for 3 days. It was truly
a wonderful experience to teachthe enthusiastic students. Some ofus got to meet their students from

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Habitat for Humanity (HFH)
What is HFH?
HFH is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation established in the USA
in 1976. The members of HFH from 80 countries, alongside volunteers
located across the globe, work towards helping those in poverty indeveloping nations, through the careful construction of houses for families.
KIST has been working with HFH since 2006.

What did we do?
During the 2016-2017 school year, the 2017 KIST Habitat for Humanity Team has worked extremely hard to raisemoney to cover part of the participation costs to build a house in Vietnam.
Some of the fundraising activities the students did include: running KISTival
game and information booths, and securing corporate sponsorship throughdelivering presentations in English/Japanese and organising charity eventswith sponsored companies such as delivering MYP English lessons to theparticipants of Café Eikaiwa and the AC Milan Soccer event.
Through these fundraising activities, the 2017 KIST HFH Team was able toraise a total of 4,131,943 yen, exceeding our ambitious goal of 2,500,000 yen.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the school community and thesponsoring companies for their enormous support.
During the 10-day trip itself, 10 KIST students worked as a team to build a house for an impoverished family in
Vietnam. It was a lot of work but the students (and teachers) enjoyed the rewarding experience.
Habitat for Humanity was one of the best decisions I made in my life! Our trip to Vietnam was something
J oiningvery special and meaningful to me. The days of construction which consisted of working under the scorchingsun for hours, was extremely tiring and we were all fatigued by the time we were finished every day. But I cansay with confidence that it was all worth it. Working together with the local HFH staff and interacting with thosefrom the local neighborhood was very, very heartwarming as well. The whole team truly worked hard, but also
enjoyed ourselves a lot in Vietnam. It was an amazing trip! Aska (G12A)T

his Habitat for Humanity trip was an important activity for me as it gave me an opportunity to build a housein Vietnam and interact with local people which is not a common experience that you can have in your daily
life. Even though this experience was challenging, I was able to learn so many valuable life lessons. Jiu (G12B)

B

eing able to be part of 2017 KIST HFH Team was one of the greatest experiences I ever had. Also, not only
did we contribute to Vietnamese community by building a house for a family, we were able to learn about
their culture. Although we worked more than 8 hours each day in Vietnam, we enjoyed the local food and shops
too. I am truly honoured to have had the chance to be part of an amazing group that helps and gives a variety ofopportunities to people in need. Moe Min (G12A)T

he Habitat for Humanity trip was a very memorable experience. The building process was challenging andtough due to high temperature and humidity but I learnt a lot from this experience that can be useful in ourlife. The people in Vietnam were so kind and friendly that we could work comfortably and the sense ofachievement after the work was beyond words and I am glad that I could help people in the world suffering frompoverty with my teammates directly by building a house for them, not just indirectly donating money. I would liketo participate in the trip again if there is an opportunity. Rinchin (G12A)

T

he 10 days that I have spent during the Habitat for Humanity trip to Vietnam was definitely one of my mostmemorable and valuable experiences in my life, which I believe is the same for all the other team members
who participated in this trip. Building a house under a very humid and hot environment for days was truly achallenging task to accomplish. However, I felt that it was a great opportunity for us to interact with the local
people at Vietnam and allowed us to realise how we, even as students, could make action to support others.
Yurika (G12B)
We are currently accepting members for the 2018 KIST HFH Team which open to Grades 8 to 11 students. If you
are interested in constructing houses for people in need, or experiencing various fundraising activities such as
finding corporate sponsors and organising charity events with the sponsored companies, this service program is foryou. For more information, please contact Ms Hamano at hitomi.hamano@kist.ed.jp.

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19

Secondary SRC
SRC class representative election
Class representatives are responsible for voicing the opinions of students andcommunicating ideas to the SRC. Being a part of the SRC is a great opportunity, notonly to interact with people from different grade levels, but to learn to be a better
communicator and much more open-minded. While for many students, speaking out
may be rather scary, the SRC is filled with students who will help you in overcoming
this challenge. Being a part of the SRC will provide you with many life-long skills thatwill not only help you in terms of your academics but in your social life as well. We
encourage all of you to come and join us!

Let your voice be heard

The SRC class representative election
was held on Friday, September 1. We
are pleased to announce that the newclass representatives are as follows:
G12A: Ji Hye G12B: Amina
G11A: Ayan
G11B: Natasha
G10A: Akino G10B: Marlinah
G9A: Dharmik G9B: Den
G8A: Armaan G8B: Hanna
G7A: Tomoko G7B: Heet
G6A: Diya
G6B: Arnav
Here are your new class representatives!

What are the SRC’s goals this year?
This year we hope to accomplish more of what is suggested to us by the students. To start off this year, we will be
investing in a few shelves to place in several bathrooms in the Main Building. This was suggested to us by a coupleof G12 students and suggested it will be helpful when they utilise the bathroom during the 5-minute crossover
between classes.

What we accomplished last year
Last year the SRC contributed to funding the graduation party, purchasing futsal jerseys for the Girls U-14 team,purchasing sports equipment for student use during lunch recess, and providing funding for the TASSEL group topurchase tie-dye t-shirts for a fundraiser. The SRC also contributed to the school community through the middle
school dance, sponsoring free dress days, holding several bake sales and, through the Arts Committee, several
lunch concerts.

No more class officers
This year, the class officers position has been discontinued. However, there are many new positions available.
Take a look!

New positions!!!
Starting this year, there will be four different specialized committees supported by the SRC: Arts Committee: run seasonal competitions, coordinate with the music and art teachers tohost concerts and support visual arts events
 Sports Committee: run intramural sports events, promote and support KIST ISTAA events,
coordinate the use of sports equipment with the PHE department
 Service Committee: promote, support and participate in service activities, present funding
requests, review service programmes at KIST Media Committee: coordinate with librarian and SRC to produce videos and visual media,
contribute to the completion of the KIST yearbook

Let’s have a fun year!!!

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Secondary ELS

Staff 10!

Hello KIST Community! I am honored to be tasked withintroducing this year’s secondary English Language
Support team. This year, we have three ELS instructors
responsible for teaching Academic Writing andsupporting students in classes from grades six to ten.

In this month’s Staff 10!,
we are pleased topresent Kimberley
Biggs who joined us in
August 2016 as ateacher in the
Ms Biggs enjoying the natural
Secondary School.
wonders of the world.
Originally from New
Zealand, Ms Biggs teaches MYP Sciences and DP
Biology and is currently the homeroom advisory
assistant for Grade 8B.

My name is Michael
Davignon and this is myfourth year working as an
ELS instructor. This year, I
am serving as ELS
coordinator for the first time.
I am a qualified teacher ofEnglish and social studies in
the U.S., where I am from,but have been teaching in Japan in one form or
another since 2003. I will be supporting G6 andG10 again this year, so if I turn up in yourclassroom, feel free to say hello or to ask me aquestion; that is what I am here for. I am looking
forward to another great year with the ELS team,
about whom you can read below.

My name is Anna Holdaway,
and this is my sixth year at
KIST. I am originally from
Melbourne, Australia. This
year I will be working closelywith G8 students in theirEnglish and I&S classes, andteaching Intensive English
and Academic Writingclasses. In addition to my ELS role, I am also
looking after G6 to G8 students as the Student
Care Coordinator.

My name is Douglas
McGillivray and I am the
ESL instructor for grades 7
and 9. Born and raised in
the Chicagoland area, I
studied the arts and got myteaching certificate at
Dominican University in2013. I have taught a variety
of subjects ranging from technology integration tofine art courses. I moved to Tokyo in 2015 andacquired my ESL certification towards the end of
2016. I have a passion for recording andproducing music and also love staying active. I
look forward to getting to know all of the students
this year and working closely with them in
Academic Writing and also in their English andIndividuals and Societies classes.

1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
My hometown is a small city near the top of the North
Island in New Zealand. It is a smaller city surroundedby beaches and farms. It is sometimes called the‘gateway to the Winterless North’ as we have a lot ofsunny days compared to the rest of the country.
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
My favourite place would have to be my home in New
Zealand. I have been fortunate enough to travel tomany amazing places around the world, but there’s
nothing quite like coming home (the sunshine,
beaches and good food all help!).
3) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
I would love to meet Sir David Attenborough. He has
been a pioneer in the promotion of environmental
awareness and has been a key influence for helping
people to understand and respect the natural world. I
would love to be able to talk to him about some of theamazing things he has seen and done.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
Cake tasting!  I am an expert at tasting all cakes andhave years of experience!
5) Please share a little known fact about yourself.
I have studied Maori.
6) What is your most prized possession?
In Tokyo, my bike!! It gets me everywhere 7) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Caring. I have always been someone who likes tointeract with people and one of the best aspects ofbeing a teacher is to be able to help students excel inschool and find which subjects they are passionate
about.
8) If you could live your life again, would you doanything differently?
I don’t think there is anything I would do differently. I
have made a lot of mistakes, but I hope these haveallowed me to learn, and grow and have therefore
made me a better and wiser person.
9) Is there anything you are trying to learn/improveabout yourself at the moment?
Survive the Japanese summer! And also, improve myJapanese reading and speaking.
10) Do you have any special message for yourfans?
Care about the planet; travel as much as you can;treat all people with equal respect; seize every
opportunity!

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21

Library News
Welcome back!
The KIST Libraries staff hope you had a relaxing
summer vacation, and the opportunity to read somegreat books! Was there one book you really loved (orhated)? Email us the title, author and a three sentencemini-review for a chance to be featured on the Library
Moodle blog! Your review should include… What was
the book about? Why did you like it? Who would enjoy
it? Reviews should be sent to library@kist.ed.jp.

We received responses from 105
students. Thank you! Mr Tim and Ms
Erika have read every single one, andalready we have made improvements to the LMC, withmore to come. Here are some examples:

Library programs“I feel that it might be better if the books in a series
were kept in order as I find it difficult to find thefirst book.”

If you haven’t had theopportunity to visit the
new and improved
Elementary Library,stop by and say “hi!”The tables are gone,
replaced with great
open reading spaces,book boxes, andcomfy fruit cushions.
new K1 and K2 book boxes
And your favorite library The(on wheels!) in the spacious
programs will be backElementary Library ready forand better than ever!
decorating by elementary students.
Keep your eyes andears open for information about Sakura Medal, DEAR
and World Cultures Day.

Online resources
Did you know, students
and parents can accesslibrary materials 24/7?
It’s true! Although librarystaff have to go homesometimes, the Internet
never sleeps. From
September 19, you’ll beable to access a host offamiliar and new online
resources through the
Elementary Library
Moodle, LMC Moodle,
Destiny Discover (new)Destiny, and Destiny
Discover (new), anytime, anywhere.

LMC student survey
At the end of last term, we asked every secondary
student two questions in an online survey:

1 From a G9 student:

Great idea! LMC Action:
 Books that are in a series are now grouped together.
 We are buying extra copies of popular books inseries.
 Shelf edge labels show the series.

2 From a G8 student:“Nobody knows the password of the computer onwhich you can search books.”LMC Action:
We have removed the password! It is ready for use at
any time.

3 From a G7 student:“It is generally not so hard, but there are no extra
things to help (most of the time I have to find abook by walking around).”
LMC Action
 Clearer library signage.
 The English department teachers visited the libraryto help organize books into the categories that will
help students with their studies.
 Destiny Discover: browse all library resources
digitally – type in the title of a book you haveenjoyed and the computer will suggest others like it!
KIST Library Team How easy is it to find a fictional bookthat you would like read in the KIST
Libraries?
 How can we improve the KIST Libraries
to help you with your studies, orreading for fun?
Mr Tim

Ms Leslie

Ms Erika22

V ol u me 21 | I s s ue 1 | S ept em b er 20 17“ T h e Co m e t ”

Office Updates
Absences, late arrivals, early departures

School closures

All instances of student absence, latearrival and early departure must bereported directly to the school office(not to individual teachers) by e-mail to
info@kist.ed.jp. Absences and latearrivals should be reported before thestart of school. Where notification is not received,
we will contact you by e-mail at your Office 365
account to verify your child’s attendance.

There may be times during the year
when the school is forced to close due
to inclement weather conditions (e.g.
typhoons, heavy snowfall), medical
epidemics and the like. At such times,
the school community is notified as earlyas possible by e-mail through E-Communications
and also on the top page of the school website. We
understand that closures may create difficulties forsome families; however, we ask for yourunderstanding that these situations are beyond theschool’s control and cannot be foreseen. We
therefore ask for your cooperation in making
alternative arrangements for your children on thesedays.

Allergies and health issues
If your child develops any allergies orhealth issues that you were notaware of at the time of his/her initialenrollment at KIST, please be sure to
inform the office by e-mail to
info@kist.ed.jp. It is important that you keep us
informed of changes in your child’s health status.
Similarly, please also be sure to notify us of any
changes to your contact details—in particular,
telephone numbers—so that we have the mostrecent details registered in order to reach you or
your nominated emergency contact persons in caseof an emergency.

Community resources







This is a reminder to families that various
resources are available in theCommunity section of the school
website. Some of the resources available
include:Family Handbook
Provides a guide to the school’s policies,
procedures and expectations. Also includes theProgression Criteria and Graduation
Requirements document that outlines therequirements for students to advance to higher
grades and programs.
Faculty Directory
A list of classroom and subject teachers andtheir direct e-mail addresses.
DP Handbook
Contains information about the IB Diploma andhow it is organized at KIST.
Career and University Guidance Handbook
Contains information on how to prepare for andapply to universities.

Online sign ups for various activities (e.g. schoolsupport program duties, student health checks, KIST
Community Association committee participation etc.)
are also conducted here.
As the Community section contains information thatis designed for the KIST community only, it ispassword protected. To access the information, youwill therefore need to log in to your Office 365 school
online account.

School e-mailWe would like to remind you that it is an
expectation that all families use their
Office 365 school e-mail accounts for all
school-related communications. While
you are free to use other systems suchas LINE or WHATSAPP to communicate
with other individual parents, some parents choose
not to use these systems. For this reason, in order toensure the inclusion of all parents within our schoolcommunity, we ask that you use only your schoolprovided account as a means of contacting otherparents for the purpose of arranging school events,
class gatherings and the like. We also ask that you
check your account regularly for information sent toyou by your child’s teacher and notices sent from theschool via E-Communications.
For further information about the use of school email accounts, please see the School E-Mail
Accounts section in the Family Handbook (log inrequired).

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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KIST Community Association (CA)
Welcome back to the new school year! The KIST Community Association (CA) supports
and fosters the partnership between students, parents and the school in accordance withthe school’s mission, vision and guiding beliefs through planning and implementing eventsand providing services, equipment, materials or resources which directly enhance theeducational experiences and well-being of students.
In order to achieve this objective, the CA organizes several committees that provide assistance in various areas
and are open to all parents. It is not necessary to participate in every committee activity, or to attend every
committee meeting; however, we hope that as many parents as possible will become familiar with the activities of
the CA by signing up for a committee. This year, there are five committees as follows:
Service Committee
Student Events Committee
Library Committee
Communications andCommunity Relations Committee
Social Committee
Online sign-up forms are available at http://www.kist.ed.jp/node/781. In order to access the forms, please sign into your Office 365 school account. We are really counting on your enthusiastic participation and look forward towelcoming YOU as a committee member!
Finally, we would like to introduce the CA Officers for the 2017-18 school year as follows:

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Mika Shindo

Shika Li

Naoko Takizawa

Noriko Nogami

If you are interested in joining a general committee or finding out more about the CA, please contact the Officers
by e-mail at ca.officers@family.kist.ed.jp.
CA Officers

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University Guidance NewsThe “Class of 2017” final destinations
 32 students applied to universities during G12
 5 applied to universities after graduation (Australia:
2, Japan: 1, US: 1, Gap year: 1)
 Matriculation from fall 2017 (Japan: 8, USA: 8,
Canada: 6, UK: 5, India:1, Ireland: 1,UAE: 1)
We are very pleased to announce that KIST has had
another successful year for university applications.
Please see the separate list of colleges anduniversities where the Class of 2017 received offers/
acceptances from.
Highlights of the final destinations for this year include: Canada became popular among our students (6students in 2017 vs. 1 student in 2016)
 Most students who enrolled in US universities
received partial or full scholarships and financial aid
to cover up to100% (US$ 60,000 per year) of
required costs (tuition fees, books, board etc.)
 First student from KIST to Yale-NUS in Singapore
 First student from KIST to a medical school in
Ireland First student from KIST to St Andrews in the UK(the third oldest university in England after Oxford
and Cambridge)
 Second student from KIST to NYU Abu Dhabi in
UAE (full scholarship + allowances)

university tour with a groupof counselors from aroundthe world. The tour started
at McGill University inMontreal. Then we visited
Concordia University in
American University
Montreal, Carleton
University in Ottawa, Queen’s University in Kingston
and Trent University in Peterborough. After the tour
ended in Toronto, I also visited the main campus of the
University of Toronto. During my stay in Toronto, I hada chance to meet a happy KIST alumni couple, Heisei(Class of 2008) and Junko (Class of 2006) who were
married earlier this year in Toronto. Before returning toJapan, I stayed a couple of days in Washington, D C tovisit American University and my alma mater school,
the George Washington University.

University of Sydney

University of Toronto

Alumni talk by Sara (Class of 2016)
On September 5 during lunch, KIST alumnae, Sara
(Class of 2016) returned to KIST to talk about her
experiences as a first-year sociology student at
London School of Economics and Political Science(LSE). She spoke with a group of current KIST
students and gave them some advice on applying touniversities in the UK. Thank you, Sara! (Please see
Sara’s article in this issue of The Comet.)

McGill University

George Washington University

Counselor Week at the University ofSydneyAt the end of July, by invitation, I attended the SchoolCounselors Professional Development Week at the
University of Sydney. It was a busy but fruitfulexperience for me to explore their programs and thecity of Sydney and its culture with a group ofcounselors from Asia and the Pacific.

University guidance calendar

Alumni talk by Sara in the LMC

Mrs Okude’s visit to Canadian and US
universities
Immediately after the last day of school in June, I
departed from Narita Airport for a two-and-a-half week
trip to eastern Canada and Washington, D C to visit
several universities. First, I joined a Canadian

There are a number of events, university presentations
at KIST, college fairs and information sessions aroundTokyo scheduled during the fall. Please check the
University Guidance Calendar to obtain updated
schedules and detailed information about the eventsand universities.
Mrs Keiko Okude
Career and University Guidance Counselor
Office hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10:00-17:00
keiko.okude@kist.ed.jp

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College and University Acceptances and Offers
KIST Class of 2017( )=Number of students accepted#=Matriculate from autumn 2017
UK
Cardiff University
HULT International Business School London
King’s College London# (2)Loughborough University
Newcastle University*
Queen Mary, University of London
St. George’s University
University of Bath
University of Birmingham (2)University of Bristol (2#) (1*, 2)
University College London (2)University of Edinburgh (2)University of Exeter (2)University of Glasgow (5)University of Hull
University of Kent
University of Manchester (1*, 1)
University of Nottingham
University of St. Andrews#
University of Sheffield (2*, 1)
University of Southampton (2)University of Surrey (3)University of Sussex
University of Warwick (3)University of Westminster

IRELAND
National University Ireland Galway Medicine#

NETHERLANDS
Maastricht University
University of Amsterdam

USA
American University*
The College of New Jersey*
Colorado State University*
DePauw University*
Earlham College*
Fordham University*
The George Washington University*#
Lawrence University*
Mills College*
Northeastern University*#
Parsons the New School
The Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University (3)Rochester Institute of Technology*
St. John’s University*
Savannah College of Arts and Design# (2*)
Scripps College
Smith College
Suffolk University*
SUNY Buffalo*
SUNY Stony Brook||*=Scholarship offered
As of August 25, 2017
UC Irvine
UC San Diego
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Illinois, Chicago
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign#
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of Pittsburgh#
University of Rochester (2#) (2*)
University of San Francisco (2*)
University of Washington (3)University of Wisconsin-Madison# (2)
Virginia Institute of Technology (2)CANADA
McGill University# (2)Ryerson University
University of British Columbia (2#) (1*, 2)
University of Toronto (1*, 2)
University of Waterloo# (2)JAPAN
International Christian University (ICU) (2#) (3)Keio University SFC GIGA#
Sophia University# (4)Temple University Japan
Waseda University Culture, Media and Society
Waseda University Political Science and Economics (2)Waseda University Science and Technology
Waseda University SILS (3#) (3)Waseda University Social Science

HONG KONG
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong University of Technology and Science (5*)
SCAD Hong Kong*
The University of Hong Kong# (2)INDIA
National Institute of Fashion Technology#

MALAYSIA
Penang Medical College - Royal College of Surgeons in
Ireland

SINGAPORE
Lasalle College of Arts
Yale - NUS# (1*, 1)

UAE
New York University Abu Dhabi*#

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Alumnus ReportSara is an alumnus of KIST’s “Class of 2016.” She is currently
in her first year of the Bachelor of Science in Sociology course
at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
“Monday mornings” has becomesuch an unpopular concept –leaving the bed early, thinking
about the work you have to do forthe next 5 days! However, waking
up in my dorm room for the past
year went by without me relating to
all the memes about feelingdepressed on Monday mornings.
Though, I did occasionally need acup of coffee.
The past year was a year full of
inspiration in every aspect of life.
Living in London and studying at
the LSE has not only made me
more knowledgeable, independentand outgoing, but gave me an ideaof what kind of person I want tobecome in the future. I am very
lucky to say that going to the LSE
was the best decision for me, and I
am grateful to all the KIST
teachers who have supported mein this process.
The LSE is a university located incentral London, known for its
strong focus on the social
sciences. Entering the LSE library,
I see unlimited numbers of books
on economics, management,sociology, philosophy… but not
many for biology or chemistry. The
professors I have are leading
figures in their fields; one of myprofessors designed the electoral
system for Tunisia after the ArabSara (right) and friends exploring thestreets of London.

Spring. Angelina Jolie was recently
appointed as a visiting professor
for my faculty, after working with
the UN to protect women’s rights.
As a student who has always beenfascinated by the social sciences –in fact, I took psychology HL andbusiness management HL in the
Diploma Programme – the LSE
has provided me with the best
resources possible for me to keep
pursuing my interest. Not tomention, the people around me
have a strong curiosity in the social
sciences as well; the highlight waswhen we all stayed up until 6 a.m.
to watch the US presidential
election, while casual coffee
breaks easily turn into passionate
debates. The skills I developed in
the IB – writing structured essays,
critical thinking, referencing, andpublic speaking in particular help
me a lot to succeed in such an
intensive environment.
Of course, things can get difficult –a series of 3 hour exams that
determine 100% of my grade for a
module was something that I havenever done before, or reading
pages and pages of classicalsociological texts, which take mean hour to go through 10, if not 5
pages. I’m telling you, sociologists
aren’t the best writers. But one
thing I know for sure is that hard
work pays off – I have been
awarded as the student with thehighest overall grade in thedepartment of sociology.
But, the biggest challenge for me
was to figure out who I am andwhat characterizes me as aperson. At the LSE, being
intelligent and politically aware is agiven. Looking at my friends whoare so talented in the arts, chosen
as “the ones to watch”, or havetheir own startup companies mademe eager to find my specialty,
what I am passionate about.
The number of opportunities I am

Sara (3rd from left) and friends.

exposed to made it a little bit
easier for me to go through thisprocess. I have always beeninterested in fashion, so I interned
at a fashion brand during theLondon Fashion Week. I became
the marketing manager of theFashion Society. I interned at a
strategic consulting firm when I
came back to Tokyo, and looking
to do one in another company aswell. Through these experiences, I
am looking forward tounderstanding myself better andbecome a person who can inspireothers.
I understand that the IB program
can be very demanding, especiallywhen it comes to the DP. But I am
hoping to show that striving for thebest can open up multiple
possibilities and opportunities foryou. I wish you all the best, andcongratulations to KIST for the
20th anniversary!!
Sara
KIST Alumnus, “Class of 2016”