The omet

The New sletter of K. International School Tokyo
Volume 24 | Issue 2 | December 2020

In this issue...
02...Emergency Communication System
03…Staff Professional Development
04...Language of Inclusion
04...School Calendar 2021–22
07...K1 Ice Cream Number Craft
08...G5s Consider the UN SGDs

09...Childhood Cancer Fundraiser
14...Academic Scholarships
15...Art Para Fukagawa
16...G11 Day Camp
17...South Africa Interest Rate Challenge18...Design@KIST

From the Head of School

Dates to Remember

As educators, we expect that there will be occasions when
our students are not able to complete their work. While theexplanations students give for failing to complete their work
can be frustrating, or even entertaining at times, some are worthy of further
investigation. In a recent Washington Post article, it was noted that one reason
some students struggle with studying is that they simply do not know how.
James Patterson explained in his article titled Many students don’t know how
to study, here’s how parents can help, that some students lack proper study
habits and skills, or that they rely on strategies that are ineffective.
In the article, Patterson described that while some popular strategies are notas effective as previously thought, others can be very effective if utilized
properly. Based on the advice of experts, he described five strategies that are
known to assist students in studying more effectively.

1. Set it up

Setting it up refers to establishing a regular time androutine for doing homework. Choosing an appropriate
setting, free from distractions, is also important in
helping your child develop productive study habits. It is
important to note that according to research, somestudents learn better when they vary the places where
they study, so every parent should determine what is best for their child.

2. Space it out

Spacing it out refers to spending time on a
subject, taking a break, and then revisiting thesame topic. According to the author, a student
who studies a topic for one hour, three times
throughout the week, will likely learn theinformation better than a student who spends three consecutive hours on that
topic in one evening.

3. Mix it up

Mixing it up refers to practicing a variety of skills
during one study session. When a study session
involves a mix of topics or approaches, students canbetter differentiate between the types of problems andselect the best method for each.

December 2020

11 (K3-G5) LEAP classes end
11 (K1-G3) After care not available
on this day
14-16 (G9-G11) Semester 1
examinations
17 Winter celebration rehearsals
18 Winter celebration (virtual
format)18 (K1-G3) After care not available
on this day
19-Jan 10 Winter vacation
21-22 Office open

January 2021

11 School resumes for all students
11 2021-2022 enrollment
applications close
11-18 (G12) Semester 1 DP mockexaminations
14 (G5) PYP exhibition explanation
session22 (G6-G10) Mathematics
diagnostic testing (*Morning)
22 End of semester 1
22 (S) Half day for Secondary
students
25 Semester 2 commences
25 (K3-G5) Semester 2 LEAP
classes begin this week
25/26/28/29 2021-2022 enrollment
interviews
27 Japanese New Year Party(*Tentative)
29 (K1/K2/K3) School holiday (forstudents)

Continued on next page

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

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20“ T h e Co m e t ”

Continued from previous pageThe more efficient and productive our children’s study
time is, the more they will enjoy the process and havetime for other activities of their choice.

4. Bring it backBringing it back refers tostudents being quizzed about
the material they havestudied, either by themself orby others. Quick quizzes
allow students to “know what
they know” and determine thethings that they do not yet know.

5. Make it deeper

It is often said that “the best
way to learn something is toteach it.” Making it deeper
refers to having students
learn the material wellenough to teach somebody. It is common for students
to simply gather facts for quick recall rather thanengaging in deeper learning about a subject. The actof teaching a topic to someone has the ability toenhance long-term understanding of a topic anddevelop a deeper interest in it.

As we move closer to the winter vacation, I would liketo wish you all a wonderful holiday! Although many of
us may not be able to travel back to our homecountries this year, I still feel lucky to be part of such a
wonderful school community and living in such afantastic country! I wish all of you thebest this festive season and a happy
new year!
Kevin Yoshihara Ed.D.
Head of School/
Elementary School Principal

Life is busy and there will be times when students are
not able to complete their work. The main takeaway
from this article is that through the implementation ofsound study habits, the time our children put into theirstudying can become more efficient and productive.

Emergency Communication System
General school notices related to class activities, excursions, parent workshops, KIST
Community Association (CA) meeting minutes, health alerts and the like are e-mailed tofamilies through the E-Communications system. An archive of messages sent may beaccessed on KISTnet at the link below (log in required).
b
Web

E-Communications 2020–21 Archive

Important school notices related to emergency situations such as school and grade/class closures due toinclement weather conditions, health epidemics and the like, however, are not sent through E-Communications.
Instead, they are sent through our separate Emergency Communication System (ECS).
Through the ECS, in addition to your KIST parent e-mail address, families areable to register up to four personal e-mail addresses directly into the system inorder to receive emergency notices from the school in a timely fashion. As theschool is not able to update personally registered addresses, it is the
responsibility of families to do so themselves. Failure to update yourregistered addresses may result in you not receiving important
information from the school during emergency situations. If you wish tochange any of the addresses you have registered, please do so directly via the
ECS.
The ECS log in page is accessible from the school website ‘Community’ portal
at the link below (log in required). User Guides in both English and Japaneseare also available.
bWeb

https://www.kist.ed.jp/user

If you have any questions about accessing the ECS, please contact our IT support team at it.support@kist.ed.jp.

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Staff Professional Development
Staff sit DP examinations!
At KIST we place a strong emphasis on academic success and have a common understanding
among our staff that it takes a team effort from K1 through G12 to support our students. We
recognize that in order to prepare our students for the IB Diploma Programme, it is critical weunderstand what they need to know and be able to do in order to be successful.
In his book titled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, one of the seven habits Stephen Covey listed is to“begin with the end in mind”. As such, on Saturday, October 24, a number of our Elementary classroom teachers,
Japanese teachers, and ELS instructors took part in a rather unique professional development opportunity.
In this PD session, led by our Secondary English Subject Area Coordinator, Mr. Steve Otis, our staff learned
about and sat a previous DP English or Japanese exam. Understanding the skills necessary for our students tobe successful allows our staff to work towards a common goal and plan a path to reach that goal.
Here are some staff reflections:

As a previous English major, I really enjoyed the PD session. It was very
interesting to see the depth of what the students are working towards,
especially coming all the way from K1!”
—Ms. Emma (K1 teacher)
I thought that Mr. Otis was a fantastic speaker with tremendous
knowledge about his subject, and he made looking at an English exam
interesting. I was able to get a clear sense of the passion and dedication
the DP teachers have in ensuring students work towards good outcomes.”—Ms. Millican (G3 teacher)
It was an eye-opening experience that helped me understand how thelittle tools we help students build in the elementary school get used in theend.”—Ms. Christie (G1 teacher)
Participating in the PD brought back some memories of the long-forgotten
past. It was a good reminder to me as a teacher that oftentimes we ask
students to do things which are actually quite difficult to do! I am glad tohave taken the PD as I have been able to affirm that ATLs, or different
skills, are truly an important ingredient to a student’s success.”—Ms. Aya (G2 teacher)3

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Language of Inclusion
Language sets us apart as well as brings us together.
It is not a secret that K. International School Tokyo is
an IB school. Just as it is not a secret that all IB
schools rely on a concept known as “international
mindedness” to smooth the wrinkles and obstacles
that threaten the building of strong relations among its
ensemble of learners, teachers and parents.
International schools, which are by definition a
conglomeration of citizens from far and wide, consistof a variety of languages, cultural histories, ethnic
backgrounds and experiences which do not always
mesh into a conflict-free utopian dream.
In the elementary school we often find groups ofstudents who enjoy communicating in languages
other than English. Speaking one’s mother tongue
with friends around those who do not understand thelanguage is exclusionary; it can cause those who
cannot speak the language to feel shut out, alienatedand even has the effect of casting doubt on the
motivations of those who are using it.
The IB expounds the importance of “mother tongue”
which is the original language that is shared witheach child from their families as they are raised from
infancy. Our mother tongue gives us a basis for all of
our understanding in the world. It determines theperspective that we will have on new vocabulary as
we continue to learn. It also affects ourcomprehension and estimations we apply to new
languages we learn.
Mother tongues are indeed important, but as aschool, we have determined that communication andthe sharing of ideas is more important for building acommunity of diverse thinkers. At the risk of giving theimpression that one language is dominant over theother, we as administrators often find ourselves
having to give what in this case may seem to beconflicting directives. Therefore, I want to defend ourplea to students to “SPEAK ENGLISH” that you mayhear from time to time at school.
At KIST we consider English to fulfill two roles. One isas our language of instruction. All classes are taught
in English and all classroom discussions and teacher
instructions are tendered in the language. Secondly,
English is our “language of inclusion.” When we all
speak a common language, we open ourselves up to
making relationships through which we canaccomplish our goals, strengthen friendships, solve

problems, and enjoy eachother’s company. To this end, weare able to be part of aninternational community that
requires compassion for others
and an acceptance that we all
have differences.
Diversity is the one true thing we all havein common. Celebrate it every day.”—Author unknown
Clay M. Bradley
Elementary School Vice Principal

School Calendar 2021–22
To assist families planning overseas
trips, the dates of school vacation
periods for students and otherimportant dates for the 2021–22
school year are listed below.
Families are asked to makearrangements accordingly to ensurethat students are back in Tokyo readyto start school after each vacation period on thecorrect date. The complete calendar will be
distributed in June.
• First day of school for students:
August 23, 2021
• Whole school event*:
October 23, 2021
• Autumn vacation:
October 24 – 31, 2021
• Winter vacation:
December 18, 2021 – January 9, 2022
(Classes resume from Monday, January 10)• Spring vacation:
March 26 – April 3, 2022
• Golden Week vacation
April 30 – May 8, 2022
• Last day of school for students:
June 15, 2022
*Due to construction of our new school building, KISTival will not beheld in 2021–22. In its place, however, a separate event for thewhole school will be held. Details will be announced at a later date.

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PYP News
Take action!
You may have noticed recently that the United
Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
are being heavily promoted in Japan and we arealso focusing on them in Grade 5 this year in ourlead up to the PYP exhibition. The reason for somuch promotion is that 2020 is the start of the
UN’s Decade of Action where the UN have set atarget of 2030 to deliver all 17 SDGs.
At KIST, our mission is to develop compassionate
individuals who make meaningful contributions to ourglobal community, so one of the most important
aspects of our program is encouraging “action”. Even
when inspiration hits, choosing how to take action canoften be a daunting prospect, as though it must be
some kind of grand gesture, but this is simply not thecase.
While studying at KIST, our students are exposed tomany wonderful and inspirational tales of bravery andselflessness. Through exposure to the stories of
figures like Gandhi, Mother Teresa or Greta Thunberg,
our students develop an international outlook andempathy for those with whom we share this planet.
Examples of past action have included building afriendship bench to help students who feel lonely; ormaking a school compost heap; and most recently, a
G5 student set up a lemonade stand to raise money
for a children’s cancer charity. It has been amazing to
see the levels of commitment that these students have
put into their projects, but action that is small can still
be meaningful.

The IB breaks action into five categories:• Participation: contributing as an individual
or group• Advocacy: action to support social/environmental/political change• Social justice: relation to rights, equality
and equity, social well-being or justice• Social entrepreneurship: innovative,
resourceful and sustainable social change• Lifestyle choices: e.g. consumption,
impact of choices
Looking at this list, you can see that simple things likejoining an environmental club, learning about issues
and then spreading the word to your peers, switching
the lights off when leaving a room, always finishingyour food, or using less paper are also great examplesof action and are things that we can all do.

SO, HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Whether the action they take is big or small, we are
extremely proud of our students. As they develop into
global citizens, there will be many ways that they takeaction, most of which will be outside of school. Please
remember to praise and encourage your children
when you see them taking action that positively
impacts their environment and encourage them toshare these actions with their teachers. You can also
set a good example by following through with action sothat it becomes part of your life and not just a one-off.

Friendship bench

Our students—your children, have some wonderfulideas on how they can take positive action, and with alittle guidance and encouragement, we all really canmake a difference.
Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinator

G5A student,
Erika’s lemonade
stand. You canread more about
Erika’s action on
page 10.

5

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Early Childhood News
Hello KIST Families! I can’t believe that it is alreadyDecember, and soon, we will be starting off a new year!
This year got off to a very different start due to theunfortunate circumstances affecting us in Tokyo and all
around the world. Returning to school from distancelearning which ran from March until the end of the 2019–20 school year, we had to change our everyday
activities and ways of interacting with our friends andteachers to protect our health. Thank you to all ECE
families for following our school safety measures sothat we can continue learning together on campus.
Each year, we enjoy celebrating events and holidays
as a community and coming together to makememorable experiences for our children; however, it
was unfortunately necessary to cancel many of ourusual events this year, such as excursions, the DEAR
parade and more. Despite the great hurdles we arefacing, our ECE team has worked together to make anunforgettable autumn filled with new experiences for
the K1–K3 students.
One example is the Autumn Festival, which was heldby the ECE classes on October 23. The day before theautumn vacation, our ECE staff transformed theirclassrooms into magical autumn-themed spaces to

K1A

celebrate thefestival. During
the event, ourECE students spent their Friday morning enjoying funcarnival-style activities, having a costume fashion
show, taking photos and making photo frames, anddancing to spooky autumn songs! They were also able
to show off their costumes to their friends in a mini
parade! The sounds of children giggling and enjoying
themselves made me happy that we were able tocreate this chance for them to celebrate despite thecurrent circumstances. The celebration was awonderful success, and it reminds us of the true
dedication our KIST team brings each day to make
impactful experiences for our students.
Our winter holiday will begin from next weekend. This
year, it will likely be slightly different from our normal
holiday, but all of us on the ECE team wish you all an
enjoyable and safe holiday with your loved ones.
I’m looking forward to seeing you backat school in January.
Eri Ozawa
Early Childhood Coordinator (K1ꟷK3)/
K1B Teacher

K1B

K2A

K2B

K3A

K3B

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K1 Ice Cream Number Craft
5 scoops for me!
The K1 classes have been learning about numbers from 1 to 10.
This quarter, we focused on numbers 1 to 5. We have beenplaying games such as rolling dice and matching numbers tocorresponding counters or manipulatives. We have also beenplaying number scavenger hunting inside the classroom, on theplayground, and around the school building.
One of our activities was to make an ice cream craft. The
students love to eat ice cream, and after listening to a song
about counting ice cream scoops, they decided to make theirown using five scoops of ice cream! They pasted five cones first
and then added the ice cream: 1 scoop, then 2 scoops, then 3
scoops, then 4 scoops and finally 5 scoops. It was very tricky!
Some of the students chose one color for each cone; some ofthem chose different colors. They tried to copy the numbers 1 to
5 to the corresponding scoops of ice cream. Some of thestudents were able to say: “It looks like stairs,” and “It looks
yummy!”How many scoops of ice cream would you like to eat?
Claire Yoneyama
K1A Teacher“ T h e Co m et ”

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G5s Consider the UN SGDs
This semester, the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (UN SGDs) have provided a very useful lens for the grade
5 students to understand a variety of complex issues and how
they are interconnected.
The students’ interest was further piqued by our visit to the Dutch
Embassy to partake in a flag hoisting ceremony to celebrate thefifth anniversary of the ratification of the goals.
Despite the wet weather, all students were able to hoist the UN
SDG flag and speak with embassy staff, including the minister
plenipotentiary!
Afterwards, the students wrote poems to reflect on theirexperience and exploration of the SDGs. Pleaseenjoy the thoughtful poetic efforts of Mana from
G5B.
Bethan Thomas
G5B Teacher

Arriving at the Dutch Embassy

Hoisting the flag

New Face
Since the last issue of The Comet, we have welcomed a new staff
member, Luca Nagaoka, who has joined our team at KIPS as a
Preschool Assistant. Ms. Nagaoka is supporting the children in P0, P1 and P2
with various activities, and also providing administrative assistance in the KIPS
office.
On behalf of the school community, we wish Ms.
Nagaoka all the best in her new role.

Luca Nagaoka
Preschool Assistant“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 4 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0Childhood Cancer Fundraiser
G5 student helps kids in need through action
During the pandemic, I started realizing how big a
problem cancer really is to us and our loved ones. “Cankids get cancer?” It was a question that bothered mefor a while. If you’re wondering the same thing, theanswer is yes.

Can kids get cancer?
...the answer is yes.”Children are just at the start of their lives and I wanted
to try and help make it possible for every kid toexperience a better life. Just imagining what somechildren around the world are going through made me
upset and want to take action. That is why I want tohelp raise awareness and money for this cause.
We found a site called the lemonadestand-pa.jp. This
organization helps people to plan lemonade standevents, and gives the money raised to the Japan
Children’s Cancer Research Group (JCCG). Thatsounded like the perfect way for me and my family tohelp. The JCCG is a nationwide organization thatbrings together experts to help with diagnostics anddevelop state of the art therapies for childhood cancer.
Soon, we realized there was a lot of planning to do.
Fortunately, our apartment gave us permission to holda lemonade stand event there on September 26. Once
we had permission to do it, we constructed and painted
the lemonade stand, which was a lot of fun. Then we
found a recipe for the lemonade itself and started
designing some flyers about the event. The Grade 5teachers allowed me to present to my classmates
about the event, to help raise awareness.

Just before the event, we
prepared the cups, utensils,
and most importantly, thelemonade. We set up the standin the morning. Sadly, it was raining, but our apartment
kindly lent us a gazebo, which saved us from getting
too wet. We wore face guards and set some markers
so people could socially distance.
We were so happy that lots of people from schoolcame to the event, and many people from school
donated even though they couldn’t make it. With otherdonations from local residents we raised ¥61,720. I
want to say thank you to everyone for your support!
Something I had not realized before this event was thatthe support you get from your family and friends isreally important, and however much you plan, thesupport from your loved ones is really powerful.
If you want to raise money for this great cause by doinga lemonade stand, you can get lots ofadvice and information on the
Lemonade Stand website at:bWeb

https://www.lemonadestand.jp/

Erika (G5A)

C

ongratulations to Erika on taking action to assist those in need; weare very proud of her efforts! At KIST, part of our mission is todevelop compassionate individuals who make meaningful contributions to ourglobal community. Erika’s initiative is inspirational and demonstrates that
we all have the ability to make positive change in our world!
Dr. Yoshihara

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Elementary ELS
Tackling figurative language
For English language learners in the PYP curriculum,
the amount of vocabulary to learn is vast. This ischallenging enough when the meaning of new words
is literal. But with figurative language the task isdoubly difficult. Oftentimes the very first step ofworking out which words in the sentence can betaken literally, and which ones are supposed to besymbolic, is where students get stuck. What’s more,this affects how well students understand both what
they read as well as the discussions and explanations
they hear in class from peers and teachers.
So figurative language needs to be tackled in adifferent way from regular, literal vocabulary. At
school, we can provide in-context guidance andpractice in identifying figurative language, discussing
its literal meaning, working out its symbolic meaning(sometimes by researching its origins), collecting
different examples of figurative language as a class,and using it in writing and speech. (By the way, forthe first step—identifying figurative language—comics
are unbeatable reading material. This is because thedifference between the literal pictures and thesymbolic words is a hint that the words must be
figurative.)

G3 students with their current favorite reading materials—many
gravitate towards comics which are a great space for learning figurative
language. From left to right: G3A’s Ren and Aayan, G3B’s Taiga, andG3A’s Yuka, Krishiv, Junyan and Nina.

Since a strong first language supports thedevelopment of our second language, you cancontribute a lot to your child’s developing
understanding of figurative language by taking any
opportunity to discuss examples of figurative
language in your home languages. Comics, movies,
song lyrics, your own favorite sayings—any chancethat is in context will be a great
learning opportunity.
Rachel Parkinson
Elementary ELS Coordinatorrachel.parkinson@kist.ed.jp

G3A students Sara (right), Akiko (middle) and Aayan (left)
share similes they wrote about classroom objects.

G5A’s Poetry Pitstop—writing poetry is a great chance to focus on using figurative language.

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LEAP News
This year we have implemented a number of changes
to our LEAP courses which we hope will better target
the individual needs of our students. The courses arestill split between English and mathematics, but there
are no longer any LEAP extension courses. The mostsignificant changes, that I will outline here, have been
the introduction of textbooks to some of our K3 andG1 courses, the start of an entirely new Verbal
Communication Course for K3–G5, and class sizes
and sign-up procedures.

Textbooks

In K3, we now have two courses
dedicated totally to phonics. At
KIST, we use the Jolly Phonics
program in K2 to build ourstudents’ reading skill; however,by K3, some students may need alittle review or new students mayneed to learn the program in its
entirety. To fill this gap, we have
set up a 3-day and a 5-day Jolly
Phonics course run by Ms. Wang
and Mr. Derek that uses the same textbooks andcovers almost the same material as in K2. The course
will also be available to new G1 students who require
this support. Textbooks are provided by KIST and thecost is included in the course fees.

Verbal communication course

Some of our students, particularly those from nonEnglish-speaking families, may struggle with
communication in English. At KIST, we place a highvalue on collaboration with our students being
encouraged to work together in pairs or groups asoften as possible. This can be extremely challenging
for some students who may have lower levels of
spoken English, may be naturally shy, or may justneed more time to organize their thoughts. For thesestudents, group activities can sometimes be overbefore they have really had a chance to share theirpoint of view.
The focus of the Verbal Communication Course is towork with such students to develop these skills. The
classes will be led by the ELS instructor for each
grade so that the topics of the classes can be matchedwith the units of inquiry for the grade. In these classes,
the students will build their confidence in speaking
aloud, improve their public speaking techniques, andbecome more familiar with topics studied in class byhaving more time to discuss and share their own
thoughts and opinions.

Class sizes andsign-upprocedures

In order to give
LEAP students asmuch contact timewith their instructor,
we have limited all LEAP classes to six students. Dueto the extremely high demand for places in semester
1, we will also be changing our sign-up system slightly.
We will now sign-up the students in three stages:
Stage 1 – Classroom teachers will recommend six
students per grade and notices will be sent out toparents with a sign-up deadline set.
Stage 2 – Following the expiration of the first deadline,
classroom teachers will make further
recommendations to fill in any empty spaces andnotices will be sent out to parents with a second signup deadline set.
Stage 3 – The LEAP admin team will fill in any empty
spaces with suitable students who have registeredwithout recommendations. Notices will be sent to allfamilies who tried to register confirming whether theirchild has a place or not.
It is a testament to our wonderful LEAP instructors that
we receive so many applications. If you want to apply
for LEAP without a recommendation, you are free todo so; however, please understand that we cannot
accept every child.
If you have any questions, please contact the LEAP
team at leap@kist.ed.jp or go to the LEAP homepage
at the link below:
https://www.kist.ed.jp/node/1128b
Web

Oliver Sullivan
PYP Coordinator

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KIPS News
From the P1 classroom...
It’s amazing how time flies—we’re almost to the halfway point of the school year
already! The P0 and P1 children have grown so much in the past few months. The
P0s, who could barely move on their own in August, are now crawling from one
place to another, exploring the classroom, while the P1s have become more
independent and now can clean up their toys and take off their socks on their own!
Recently, we held our first event of the year: the Halloween Party. Although it was
rainy that day, the children still had the chance to have fun playing games, singHalloween songs together and go Trick or Treating, all while dressed up in adorable
Halloween costumes. They also seemed to enjoy moving their bodies and making
different sounds like various Halloween characters while trying to scare each other.
At the end of the day, the children received treats, which they took home and sharedwith their families.
Despite the difficult situation in the world currently, we are glad that the children
were able to have fun with their friends and teachers without having to worry about
the pandemic. We are also grateful for the members of our community who sogenerously volunteered their time to make this event a success and make thechildren’s day a little more special.
Ma. Cielito Bautista
P0–P1 Teacher

From the P2 classroom...
It’s hard to believe that it has already been four months since the beginningof the school year, and that there are only two more weeks remaining in
2020.
The students who were new to KIPS this year have already become totally
acclimated to their new environment, and are having a blast each day trying
new things and discovering new experiences.
In October, the children enjoyed a variety of fun Halloween activities.
Leading up to Halloween, they practiced seasonal songs and dances, and on
the day of the Halloween party, they performed while wearing their
Halloween costumes. They also went trick-or-treating at various shops
around KIPS. The children were a little shy at first, but they were able to say,
“Trick or Treat!” in a big voice, and their eyes twinkled with delight when theyreceived treats and big Halloween stickers. All in all, the Halloween party
was a big success!
Now, as the days get colder, we are maintaining strict measures to preventthe spread of both COVID-19 andthe flu at KIPS. We’re looking
forward to having a great winterseason with the children as well,balancing taking
care of our healthand having fun.
Sohta Ohashi
P2 Teacher

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13

MYP News
MYP assessment for learning—A guide for families new to the MYPStudent experiences in the MYP are rich and varied.
Each student is engaged in inquiry in eight different
subjects, and all of them include discipline-specificknowledge and understanding. The students’progress in their subjects is evaluated throughout theyear. By now, parents have received a variety of
feedback—both formal and informal—on the progressof their children. This includes Quarter One Reports
and Parent/Teacher/Student interviews.
For parents with students beginning their MYP
learning, the nature of assessment in the MYP canprove to be challenging to grasp quickly. Normally,families new to the MYP are invited to attend aworkshop early in the year where these matters are
explained in a hands-on session that explores thenature of assessment in general and the mechanics ofthe process in the MYP in particular. Because of therestrictions brought about because of safetymeasures for COVID-19, this session had to be
postponed. For this reason, here is an overview of the
key ideas driving assessment in the MYP:

Each of these criteria is evaluated with a summative
assessment at least once per semester. In somecases, an individual criterion might be assessed
multiple times.

MYP reporting

MYP semester reports include a criterion score foreach of the four assessment objectives in each of thesubjects. The criterion scores range from 1–8.
Together, each subject’s score includes a total scoreof the criteria added together up to a possible score of
32.

Formative and summative assessment

Each of the MYP subjects is organized into units ofinquiry. These units collect course content, skills andconcepts into sets of experiences intended to
introduce students to the essential understanding of
the subject.
Formative work includes all the day-to-day work inwhich students learn the key and related concepts of
the unit and practice the skills necessary to improvetheir understanding. Formative assessments allow
students to check their progress in lower-stakes
situations.
Summative assessment comes after extended
periods of work. The teacher makes a final
assessment of student-understanding for the unit inthese situations. Summative assessments can comein a variety of forms. These includes tests, essays,presentations, and reports.

For example, an individual student might receive thefollowing scores on his or her semester report:

These total scores are then placed on a scale used by
the IB to calculate the final semester score. The scale
is used in both the MYP and in the Diploma
Programme. It produces a score from 1–7:

MYP assessment criteria

The MYP is organized in such a way as to balance
the individual areas of focus for subjects and toharmonize the approach to assessment across the
program. Each subject identifies four assessment
objectives that serve as the criteria for assessment.
These are the assessment criteria for each of thesubjects.

As the year continues, students and parents will
receive lots of feedback on their work. Better
understanding of the structure of this feedback canhelp students make use of theinformation to help them to take action
to improve as much as possible.
Robert WhiteMYP CoordinatorV ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20“ T h e Co m e t ”

14

Academic Scholarships
KIST Scholars’ Awards
KIST Scholars’ Awards are available for students in Grades 8 to 11 who meet certain
criteria. There are four categories of Scholars’ Awards that recognize students who
exemplify our mission by making significant contributions to our school community throughacademic excellence and by acting as role models for other students.
This year, we are pleased to announce that a total of nine students have received awards. Congratulations to allawardees and their families!

Gold Award(75% tuition discount)

1 student

Silver Award(50% tuition discount)

2 students

Bronze Award(25% tuition discount)

6 students

KIST ‘Learning for Life’ University Support Scholarships
KIST ‘Learning for Life’ University Support Scholarships are awarded
to Grade 12 students who attain 40 points or more as their final DP score,provided they meet certain other selection criteria and demonstrate
responsible conduct. These scholarships are in place to recognize student
commitment during their final year of study, to celebrate highaccomplishment, and to support students with their tertiary education as
they continue ‘learning for life’.
A total of 23 graduates have been awarded ‘Learning for Life’ scholarships
in 2020. Congratulations students and families, and all the best with yourcontinued studies!
b

Web

Silver Award
43-44 points¥1,000,000

5 students
Bronze Award
40-42 points¥300,000

18 students

Click the link below for more information about academic scholarships and how and when to apply.
http://www.kist.ed.jp/node/197

Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics CertificatesIn the last school year, the G10 students and the G9 Mathematics Extended class sat
the Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics examinations. These examinations were school-based
due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite this, the results were submitted to the Edexcel
organization for checking, and students were still able to receive internationallyrecognized certificates for Mathematics that will help with their university applications in
the future.
Congratulations to the 2019–20 G10 Mathematics Standard classes for receiving their IGCSE Mathematic A
certificates, the G10 Mathematics Extended class for receiving their IGCSE Pure Mathematics certificates, and theG9 Mathematics Extended class for receiving their IGCSE Mathematics B certificates!
John Rose
IGCSE
Coordinator/
Secondary School
Vice Principal

The current G10 Mathematics Extended class receiving their Mathematics B certificates.

V o l u me 2 4 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0

Art Para Fukagawa
Over the past few months, our G6, 7, 8 and 9 students have taken
turns helping out a local charity, Art Para Fukagawa. The purposeof the project was to encourage a welcoming
society where we can live together in harmony forpeople with disabilities or special needs. Students
helped out by braiding ribbons into kumihimo whichwere used to hold the art pieces created by
students with disabilities, as well as those by somefamous artists.
Presenters from Art Para came to KIST to teachthe students how to braid kumihimo and taught us
about the mission of the project. They also taught some of ourstudents some Japanese sign language while we worked.
We would like to thank Art Para Fukagawa for opening ourstudents’ hearts and minds to new perspectives. We hope that they
continue this wonderful exhibition for many years to come.
You will find some reflections from students who
participated below.
Anna Holdaway
Student Care Coordinator (G6–G8)

I

decided to volunteer for Art Para Fukagawa because its aim of creating
an accepting and inclusive society was something I wholeheartedly
agree with. As I live near the Fukagawa area, I was glad that the community
was trying to create an inclusive community and I was amazed at all the
beautiful artwork the participants had created. When I was explaining theartwork to the visitors during my volunteer hours, I could seethem becoming more interested in the artwork, and I felt more
people were able to build awareness. I hope that even after thisevent, our community will be celebrate and accept diversity.”—Sara (G10A), who volunteered directly with the organization

I enjoyed making kumihimo with everyone! I’m happy that
I was able to help Art Para!”—Yuma (G6A)
I think it is amazing that Art Para is helping to spreadawareness around the community about people withdisabilities. It is an important issue and I was happy to help
and be a part of it.”
—Uta (G6B)
I was happy to help the community by making kumihimo
and putting it on the mikoshi with the emas. I enjoyedmaking the kumihimo, although I was struggling at thestart.”—Halona (G6B)
I felt happy that I could help the people with disabilities. I
liked how we worked together with classmates onsomething that many people can see. I went to see themikoshi and it looked good with the emas that the disabled
people made.”—Rena (G6B)“ T h e Co m et ”

15

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“ T h e Co m e t ”

G11 Day Camp
G11s travel to Chiba for a day of adventure
The G11 camp was the highlight of our first DP year. Due to thecoronavirus outbreak, the G11 camp was replaced with a day
camp to Forest Adventure Chiba. During the day camp, we did
numerous activities that required coordination and teamwork tocomplete, such as getting a hula hoop around while holding hands
and guiding another student using only voice while they wereblindfolded.
The day camp was held on September 11. The summer heat had
subsided to some extent, but it was still considerably hot for a day
in September. We set off to the Forest Adventure from school bybus, and after around 45 minutes, we arrived. Once we stepped
outside, all that we saw was nature. The cicadas were buzzing,
and red dragonflies were flying elegantly. For many of us, it was
the first time to see nature on this scale for a long time.
After reaching the Forest Adventure Chiba’s facilities, the staff
greeted us warmly. After doing warmups and some icebreakers,
we split into two groups, each doing a different activity. The firstactivity was getting a hula hoop around while holding hands. This
activity required us to coordinate our motion so that the person in
the middle could transport the hoop quickly. Oneof the groups excelled at this activity, beating theother groups by a large margin. The second
activity was to find the correct path across a 5 by
10 square sheet. This required us tocommunicate and memorize the correct path
while helping other students get across. The
difficulty and the complexity of the route
increased every round.
After all the activities were completed, we had alunch break and proceeded to doing the athletic
course, which was the main facility of Forest
Adventure Chiba. There were more than fivedifferent courses, as well as a special course that
required us to jump off while wearing a harness.
All courses were entertaining and allowed us toforget about the coronavirus and other sources ofstress, as well as brighten our mood.
All the activities helped us develop in one way or
another and helped us to relieve our stress, andimprove communication skills and teamwork
needed to successfully complete the DP. Without
a doubt, this one-day trip to Forest
Adventure Chiba will be
remembered as an unforgettable
experience in our minds, marking
our first step into the DP journey.
Shiro (G11B)

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20

“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 4 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0

17South Africa—The Interest Rate Challenge
G12 Economics students were asked to analyse theeconomic outlook of South Africa and recommend, as
members of the monetary policy committee (MPC) of
the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) what the next
rate of interest should be for the country. The students
had to look at the following:• What evidence is there that shows that theCentral Bank should increase the interest rate?
• What evidence is there that shows that theCentral Bank should decrease the interest
rate?
• What evidence is there that shows that theCentral Bank should keep the interest rate as itis?
• What is the final decision?
• What does the success of the decision dependon?
The presentations concluded with a recommendation
on exactly what interest rate the team would set inorder to achieve the government's inflation target of
3.6%. The students made a 15-minute presentation
and were judged by school staff. The judges asked
questions about what had been presented and asked
the students to justify or clarify certain aspects of theirinterpretation of the economic conditions.

The presentations took placeon November 17, and on
November 19 the South
African Reserve Bank (SARB)
revealed its decision, which
was to keep interest rates
unchanged at 3.5%.
All groups chose the same and correct outcome. Welldone! The decision as to which group would win thecompetition came down to which group had been themost convincing. The finalists were Sujin and Michiko’sgroups. Tough decision; lots of positives from bothgroups. The eventual winner was the group thatcollected and presented the most convincing andreliable data, and who would be trusted to make thedecision on a country’s rate of interest; basically, thegroup that, in addition to economic data, focused moreon the impact of COVID-19.
Congratulations to Michiko, Leah andNoah!
Edwin Gombya
DP Economics Teacher

The groups (teams) included the following students:• Sujin, Ishaan, Shreeya, Sidaarth• Mika, Ethan, Kevin, Sneha• Shreya, Shirley, Preston, Malini, Dharmik• Noah, Riju, Leah, Michiko

N o a h (G 1 2 B ), M i c hi k o ( G 1 2A ) an d Le ah (G 1 2A )

18

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20“ T h e Co m e t ”

Design@KIST
Here is a roundup of whatsome of our MYP students
have been doing in Design
so far this year.
Timothy Smith
MYP Design Teacher

Grade 6, Unit 1...
Digital citizenship

Grade 6 students researched anddesigned an informative set of digitalcitizenship posters illustrating toyounger students the advantages anddisadvantages of social media.
Some great
advice forgrown-ups
too?

Grade 7, Unit 1...
T-shirt design

Students were asked to research and design a t-shirt that could havebeen worn to the Grade 7 camp. The theme was tree conservationand students were encouraged to provide readers of the t-shirt withan action to take. Students studied various printing techniques.
Each student was provided with a plain white t-shirt image file. T-shirt
artwork was produced in Adobe Spark Collage. The lossless png
image was then conformed to the plain t-shirt surface using adisplacement map in Adobe Photoshop (giving the artwork wrinkles
that match the t-shirt). Background lighting and shadows wereT-shirt design byapplied.
Noritaka (G7A)

Grade 7, Unit 2...
RoboJousting

In their current unit on RoboJousting, all Grade 7s
are building robot versions of medieval knights
and horses in Lego. They will code their robots totake part in a fierce and challenging jousting
contest in December.
In previous years, KIST hosted the inter-school
RoboJousting event, but sadly, due to COVID-19,
it will take place only within the class this year.

“ T h e Co m et ”

V o l u me 2 4 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0Mathematics Diagnostic Testing
Mathematics diagnostic tests are coming up soon on
January 22, 2021 for students in Grades 6 to 10.

Have students covered all the topics thatare on the diagnostic tests?
For the diagnostic test, we use past papers of Key
Stage 3/IGCSE tests and these are the tests thatstudents in other schools normally take at the end ofeach course (i.e. G8 for Key Stage 3 and G10 for
IGCSE). This means that the tests usually containtopics that students have not covered in class.

I would like to take this opportunity to answer somefrequently asked questions regarding mathematics
diagnostic tests and class allocations in theSecondary School.

What is the purpose of the diagnostic
tests?

The diagnostic test results are not only used formathematics class allocations; they are also used tomeasure students’ progress. The mathematics
department analyzes the data to check if there are
any trends, and uses these findings to develop
strategies to help students further improve inmathematics.

But is it possible to meet KIST
performance expectations without
knowing all the topics in the tests?

How are class allocations determined?

Why do you keep these topics in the
diagnostic tests instead of removingthem?

The school’s expected level is set so that if students
can do most of what has been covered in class, theywould be at expected level.

Math classes for Semester 2 are determined basedon the results of the August and January diagnostic
tests, class performance and the recommendation of
the math teachers. When making decisions, themathematics department places emphasis on themost recent diagnostic test (January) results but also
considers factors such as the semester test and unit
test results. For this reason, students who focus only
on doing well on the diagnostic tests by studying past
papers may not be successful in moving to or
remaining in the extended class as we take a more
holistic approach when determing class allocations.

Until when can students move fromStandard Level to Extended?

We purposely keep these questions as we want toprovide opportunities for students who excel in mathand/or are passionate about studying math toexercise their knowledge.
We encourage all parents and students to review the
KIST Performance Expectations: Mathematics
document at the link below (log in required) and set
their learning targets accordingly for the January test
sitting.
b
Web

The final opportunity for students to move from theStandard Level class to Extended is at the beginningof Semester 2 of G8. After this time, students may
not move up to the Extended level class. The reason
for this is because by this point, the G8 Extended
Level class will have already started covering the
IGSCE Mathematics B curriculum and they will betaking the official IGCSE assessment in May in
Grade 9. The students will not have enough time toprepare for this assessment if they join in G9.

Progression Criteria and Graduation
Requirements

Happy studying!
Nanami Sakuma
Subject Area Coordinator—
Mathematics (Secondary)

REMINDER!
Math diagnostic tests
G6–G10January 22, 2021

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“ T h e Co m e t ”

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20

Science Department News
Experimental investigations in the DP
It might be of interest to the school community toknow that our DP students have been extremely
successful in their experimental work for the last few
years. This was especially evident in the previous
school year, when their final grades were based solely
on their internal assessment (IA), their predictedgrade, and our school’s historical data.

Our Grade 12 Chemistry
students have finishedtheir IAs, and despite thechallenges of the pandemic, they were all able tocomplete meaningful and exciting investigations. The
Biology and ESS students are currently doing theirIAs, and the Physics students are planning theirs, too.

You may be wondering what internal assessments inSciences and ESS are, and what students are trying
to accomplish? IAs are compulsory experimental
investigations for students, assessed by the scienceteachers at KIST and moderated by the IB. More
importantly, they are opportunities for students todemonstrate the application of their skills andknowledge and pursue their individual interests,
without the limitations or other constraints that areassociated with written examinations.

With this in mind, we asked our next graduates toshare with everyone their experience. You will findsome reflections below. If you meet a G12 student,
please ask them more about theirinteresting experiments!
Cesar Cely
Subject Area Coordinator—Science(Secondary)S

ince Acids and Bases is one of myfavourite topics we covered in our
Chemistry course, I decided to conduct aninvestigation in this area for my IA.
Specifically, I chose to investigate how
fermentation temperature affects the lactic acidconcentration in sauerkraut, a dish my familyeats weekly. Considering my mother is lactose
intolerant, this IA allowed me to put my
Chemistry knowledge to practice to better help
my mother; this was my main motivation.
Despite spending long hours in the labs making
constant adjustments to my procedure, my IA
truly enabled me to quench my scientificcuriosity. It provided me the opportunity to thinkbeyond the textbook and practically appreciate
the beauty of Chemistry.”—Leah (G12A)

T

his year, I decided to explore thedegree of unsaturation in the various
types of oils used in cuisines globally.
Unsaturated fats are considered “healthy”
and the results of my exploration have given me
extensive and relevant knowledge that I canuse in my daily life. Although the process was
bumpy, I look back on my month of work withpride, and relief that it is over. Chemistry has areputation of being a “hard” subject, but if you
approach it inquisitively and eager to learn, it isa very rewarding experience.”—Ishaan (G12A)
Continued on next page

“ T h e Co m et ”

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21

Continued from previous pageFor my Chemistry IA, I determined theactivation energy of glow sticks of different
colors. When I began the IA, I thought it would bea simple and fun investigation, but when I researched thereasons why the glow sticks illuminate, the reason was
so much more complex and interesting. Although it tooka while to get the hang of conducting the experiments,
completing the experiments became easier and easier.
By the end of the IA, I was happy with the outcome andwas glad I learnt the chemistry behind a fun toy.”—Sneha (G12A)

I

researched how the pH affects the growth ofbeans. The first half of my investigation was
mostly gathering samples and setting up theexperiment. As I was changing the pH of thesolution, I had to make a great effort to control the restof factors that could affect plant growth which was morechallenging than expected. Once that was done, therest was just consistently watering the samples
appropriately and consistently observing the plants.
Overall, experiments like these could be a hit-or-miss.
Hence, preliminary trials are important. Though I did not
get the results I was particularly expecting, the overall
experience and getting to see physical and tangible
results of plant growth was satisfying.”—Dong Hee (G12B)

Seven Golden Rules

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Tips for completing your IGCSE and DP Science exams
1. Always, always, always make sure toread the questions properly.

For example, if the question asks you to state andexplain, then make sure to state and explain! If thequestion asks you to give an answer in mm, don’t givethe answer in cm.

2. Show each step in your calculation.

You are less likely to make a mistake if you write things
out in steps. And even if your final answer is wrong,
you’ll probably pick up some marks if your teacher can
see that your method is right. You also need to makesure you’re working in the right units – check before
you put any number in your calculators.

3. Look at the number of marks a question
is worth.

The number of marks gives you a pretty good clue of
how much to write. So if the question is worth fourmarks, make sure to write four decent points. And there
is no point writing an essay for a question that’s only
worth one mark – it’s just a waste of your time.

4. Use specialist vocabulary.

You know the words, you have learnt them all the timein class. Use the vocabulary! Teachers love them.

5. Write your answers as clearly as you
can.

If a teacher can’t read your answer, you won’t get any
marks, even if it’s right.

6. Be prepared and try not to panic.

Exam day can give anyone a case of the jitters. So
make sure you have everything you need for the exam
ready the night before. Eat a good breakfast, sleep welland try to relax.

7. Pay attention to the time.

Don’t spend ages staring at the question paper. If you
are totally stuck on a question, just leave it and moveon to the next one. You can always go back at the end
if you have enough time.
Obeying the golden rules will help you to get as manymarks as you can – but the rules are not of use if you
haven’t learnt the content in the first place. So makesure you revise and do as many practice questions as
you can.
Cesar Cely
Subject Area Coordinator—Science (Secondary)22

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20“ T h e Co m e t ”

Athletics Update
Fall season 2020
Kanto Plains cross country

Despite COVID-19, KIST had 32 runners
Cross country MS girls at Niiza
participate this season: 8 JV boys, 3 JV girls, 15
MS boys and 6 MS girls. KIST students participated in the first ever ‘virtual race’that included international schools from all over the world. The high school
students were able to participate in two races near the end of the season at
Kinuta track and Ajinomoto stadium, and the middle school students
participated in one final race at Niiza track. Congratulations to all who
participated as many ran their best times.

Cross country MS boys at Niiza

A special shout out for exemplary performances below:
Cross country JV at Ajinomoto• JV Boys: Daigo (G11B) finished 11th and Shin (G10A) finished 15th of 50 runners
in the JV finals• JV Girls: Tomoko (G10A) finished 13th
• MS Boys: Shota (G8B) gained 5th and 6th best season time, and made the all-stars (Top 10)• MS Girls: Arista (G6B) finished 5th and Riko (G6A) finished 8th; both made the all-stars (Top 10)
Massive thanks to Coaches Cobbs, Thomas and Buck for their organization and time.

ISTAA U-18 girls’ and boys’ volleyballDue to COVID-19, KIST volleyball teams
started three weeks later than usual but werestill able to play a couple of games against
Columbia and one at BST. Both teams lost to
Columbia though there were some very close
games, particularly with the boys losing 2 sets to 1 on
both occasions and losing a very close 3rd set. The
girls beat BST 2 sets to 0 and the boys tied BST 2
sets apiece.

Volleyball teams

Volleyball seniors

A special thanks to all the seniors who have been part of the KIST volleyball team for a number of years:
Saki (G12B), Izumi (G12B), Alia (G12B), Sidaarth (G12A), Den (G12A) and Min Seung (G12B)
Fantastic effort!!

Kanto Plains varsity boys’ tennis team

Despite the COVID-19 safety measures adopted by all
schools, the nature of tennis allowed a KPASS HS
tennis season to take place, even if somewhat reducedin scope and size than normal. KIST joined four otherschools, ASIJ, St. Mary’s, CAJ and YIS in fielding ateam. KIST played three of these schools in interschool games,
playing CAJ and YIS strong only to lose out 3 matches to 2 inboth games. Special mention to Noah (G12B) and Abhinava (G12B) who each won 2
KPASS allof their 3 singles games in these matches. End of season tournaments were held atstar, NoahASIJ and St. Mary’s in mid-November where students competed as individual singles(G12B)and doubles players. Competition was tough for the KIST players, many of whom are in
G9 and were facing players in G10 or even G11. Noah, however, made it to the semi-finals of the
KPASS boys singles finals only to lose out to possibly the strongest player in the tournament.

Boys’ tennis

Well done to the 11 KIST students who represented KIST at tennis this year. Although the KPASS
season is not scheduled to start again until next September, we plan for the KIST HS boys’ tennis team to startpractice again in the Spring to prepare for competition to resume!
Coach Cowe
Winter season teams started practices a couple of weeks later than usual. The only games thathave been scheduled are the Kanto Plains JV boys’ football team with one December match and
two January fixtures. Other teams that have started up are the Kanto JV girls’ football, ISTAA HS
boys’ and girls’ basketball, Kanto (and ISTAA) MS boys’ basketball, and Kanto MS boys’ baseball.
Dennis Ota
Athletics Coordinator“ T h e Co m et ”

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23

Library NewsLMC news
The Library Media Center (LMC) is open for students in
G9–12 before and after school.

COVID-19 preventive
measures in the LMC

There has been a striking increasein new COVID-19 cases due to thethird wave recently. To ensure thesafety of students, the LMC has
implemented the following
preventive measures:• All students are required to wear
a mask that fully covers theirmouth and nose.
• Library staff recommend thatstudents sanitize their hands
before and after using resources.
• A limited number of students areallowed to enter the LMC toborrow books and use theresources.
• To maintain social distance,
three students are encouraged
to sit at the tables in the main area, and two
students per table in the quiet study areas.
• Students are strongly encouraged to disinfect theirworking tables by using a disinfecting liquid which isreadily available in the LMC.

New laptop system

This academic
year, the LMC has
been equippedwith new laptop
computers and as
a part of oursafety measures,
we have been
asking students
not to leave powercords on the floor
to ensure that thelaptops charge efficiently, and chargers are not in theway.

Magazine subscriptions

To support students as much as possible in finding
resources other than books and online materials, KIST
stocks popular magazines to keep students updated
and help them explore new ideas and inventions. The
magazines provide crucial information regarding news
updates and current affairs, which is useful for projectwork or assessments. The Library Team recommends
that students and staff check out a magazine over the
weekend or read during recess time or after school.
We have subscriptions to the following magazines:
The Economist – a weekly news magazine that
focuses on current affairs, business, politics andtechnology
Wired – a monthly magazine that focuses on emerging
technologies that affect culture, economy and politics
National Geographic – a monthly magazine thatprimarily publishes articles about science, geography,
history and world cultures
Scientific American – a popular monthly magazinethat includes articles on different scientific inventions,current technology trends in science and opinions offamous scientists/professors
CDQ – a quarterly magazine for illustrators, artists,
animators and character art enthusiasts that offers
inspirational and educational art articles and tutorials
from art professionals to help with design and enhance
art skills

LMC Team24

V ol u me 24 | I s s ue 2 | Dec em b er 20 20“ T h e Co m e t ”

Secondary SRC
The past few months have been quite productive for the SRC. Our bigger projects
included Staff Appreciation Day—an event in which the students provided small
appreciative letters to the teaching and office staff. The project was a big successdue to the support and involvement of the students, and as such, we are very
thankful for the student body’s support.
We are also pleased to announce that we have set up relations with TELL, anorganization that provides support for mental health, to allow students to reach out
if they feel they want extra support.
We also had a great free dress day on Friday, October
23, with over 100,000 yen raised—50% of the revenue
went towards Second Harvest Japan. Furthermore, the
SRC Media and Arts Committee was pleased toannounce the results of the Onigiri Action contest. The
SRC asked students to send in photos of onigiri. Eachphoto was then sent to Table For Two, a charity that
donates five meals for every photo submitted to school
children in need. We had over 70 applications, which
equated to 360 meals. The final three winners of thecontest at KIST were awarded Amazon vouchers. You
can see the winners and their photos on the right.
We have also made a few school-wide changes; forexample, changing the basketball nets on the blacktop,
which the students are already enjoying—we received
positive feedback for that.

Jia Hang (G9A)

Lastly, we have set up an SRC bulletin board by thecafeteria in the school to lift the spirits of students. The
board will include various student-related posters andartwork.

Shreyas (G9A)

SRC members near the bulletin board

We are quite happy with our progress so far, but we still have many
more plans, which we look forward to sharing with you very soon.
Stay safe! We hope you have a productive and enjoyable new year.
On behalf of the SRC,
Ravi (G12B)
Public Relations Officer
Anya (G12A)

V o l u me 2 4 | I s s u e 2 | De c e m b e r 2 0 2 0“ T h e Co m et ”

25

Secondary ELSEnglish language resources
In the interests of supporting all KIST students, the ELS
Department has collated a new resource for the whole
school community. Located under the ‘Extras’ tab on
PowerSchool Learning, English Language Resources is
a collection of curated materials that provide further
guidance about grammar issues frequently experienced
by English language learners.
The English Language Resources section is accessible to all members of the KIST community and will be
continually updated by the Secondary ELS department throughout the school year. While at this stage the area’s
main focus is on grammar, we look forward to expanding the collection of resources based on feedback fromstudents and teachers.
While not a replacement for in-person support, these resources have been collated so that students can practicewriting skills and solidify their understanding of English grammar on an as needed basis. Should any
teachers or students wish to see further resources in a particular area, please e-mail me.
Jade Bonus
Secondary ELS Coordinatorjade.bonus@kist.ed.jp

Staff 10!
In this month’s Staff 10!, we are pleased to present
Yukiko Yamazaki who joined us in January 2018 as
our school nurse.
1) Tell us something interesting about yourhometown.
Akiruno city is in the west of Tokyo, about 60 km awayfrom Kiyosumi-shirakawa, so my daily commute to work
is four hours long. Akiruno is a great place to go hiking
and fishing, have a BBQ, and visit hot springs. I preferto live in the countryside rather than the city. There aremany fruits (kiwifruit, grapes, Japanese citrus andpersimmons) in my garden. One day a raccoon visitedthe garden and enjoyed eating grapes at midnight. I
found a huge brown gift from the raccoon the nextmorning. ☺
2) What is your favorite place in the world?
Melbourne! I used to live there for 8 years when I wasin my 30s to study English and nursing. Melbourne has
the 10th largest immigrant population in the world, so
there are many nice international cafes and delicious
restaurants.
3) Where else would you like to travel to and why?
I have been to many archaeological sites and one of
the most amazing historical places was Egypt. The
opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled
for 2021, so I would like to visit the largest
archaeological museum in the world after COVID-19
has ended.
4) Do you have any special skills or talents?
I started learning palm reading when I was 13 years old
and have read the palms of more than 1,000 people,
but I have stopped doing this because discoveringsomeone’s bad luck made me feel stressed.
5) What was your dream when you were a child?
I love taking care of animals and visiting the zoo, so I
wanted to work in safari parks or zoos.

6) Why did you become anurse?
I was interested in school
health committee activities
since my childhood, so I
enjoyed spending most of
my secondary student life
doing such activities. Also,
I had opportunities to
The always fit and healthy
participate in volunteer
Nurse Yukiko, climbing her way
to new heights in life.
nursing experiences at a
hospital during the holidays
and I realized that nursing is a very rewarding job.
7) Have you had any difficult experiences as anurse?
I had a patient who had decided with their family towithdraw care to allow for a natural death. At the time, I
was a young nurse with limited work and life experienceso I felt that I wasn’t able to properly support thepatient’s quality of life and the family.
8) Which IB learner profile attribute do you mostclosely identify with and why?
Caring. I think it is natural for me to have become anurse because other people's happiness makes me
happy. But I feel that I should strive to be morereflective and more of a risk-taker, too.
9) How do you enjoy spending your free time?
I enjoy practicing yoga because it gives me a chance torelease stress from ongoing dilemmas and brings
positive energy.
10) Who would you like to meet if you had thechance and why?
I would like to meet Kuranosuke Sasaki, a veteran actor
who portrayed 20 characters alone in a Japaneseversion of Macbeth. It would be great if I could ask him
about his mental strength in overcoming the pressuresof staging a one-man play.

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Nurse’s Notes
How to stay healthy, fit and safe during the 2020–21 winter season
With winter almost upon us, many people areconcerned about the upcoming peak season forcontagious diseases, such as the common cold,
influenza and coronavirus. This winter in particular
may be a challenging time for us; however, proper
preparation can help us resist infectious diseases tostay safe as the pandemic stretches into the coldest
months.

Safety measures
Get into a routine of wearing a mask when aroundothers: Masks should be used as part of acomprehensive strategy to reduce transmission ofgerms and bodily fluids.
Wash your hands frequently: Washing hands withsoap and water is the most effective way to get rid of
germs in most situations. Lather the backs of yourhands, between your fingers, and under your nails forat least 20 seconds with warm water.
Use hand sanitizer effectively: Use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that is effective against bacteria
when soap and water are not available. Hand
sanitizer kills germs but does not clean your hands.
Use disinfectant at home regularly: Disinfectfrequently touched surfaces such as door handles,
tables and remote controls to prevent infection.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth: Your hands
touch many surfaces and can easily pick up viruses.
Touching your eyes, nose and/or mouth withcontaminated hands will transfer the virus into yourbody, so it is important to avoid touching your facewith unwashed hands.
Avoid the 3 Cs (closed space, crowded space, closecontact settings): Avoid creating closed spaces byventilating frequently. Open windows completely in
two different directions for a few minutes each time.
Do this at least twice every hour so that the air canflow through, carrying germs outside. Maintain social
distancing (at least 1-meter distance between you andothers). Avoid sitting face-to-face to reduce or
eliminate transmission of germs and bodily fluids.
Get the flu vaccine: Recent studies show that flu
vaccines reduce the risk of influenza between 40 to
60 percent. Influenza and COVID-19 share some
symptoms such as fevers, coughing, sore throat,runny nose, and fatigue. It may be difficult to confirm
the difference between them based on symptoms
alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm adiagnosis. Also, be sure to stayhome if you are unwell.

Stay healthy and fit
Eat nutritious food to support your immune
system: Eating probiotics, such as yogurt andfermented foods, encourage more beneficial bacteria
to grow in your gut and aids the functioning of yourimmune system. Also, eating a balanced diet withvegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains can
support your gut.
Keep hydrated: Some people get less thirsty in chilly
weather, so they drink less fluid in the winter than in
hot weather. If you are dehydrated, your respiratory
secretions are hard to clear from your lungs and maylead to infections.
Sleep well: Get adequate sleep can benefit yourimmune system. Sleep deprivation weakens the
body’s defense system and makes it more vulnerable
to infections.
Keep active: Winter is a challenging time to stick toyour exercise routine, but moderate physical activity
helps to improve your immune system and mood.
Get some sunlight: Spending only 10–15 minutes
outdoors helps your feelings of well-being by
releasing serotonin in your brain and producing
Vitamin D to maintain strong and rigid bones.
Seek medical care early if you feel unwell: Somepeople may fear getting exposed to contagious
diseases, so they decide to avoid visiting the hospital.
But doing so might be putting themselves at higher
risk.
Seek professional mental health: The spread of
COVID-19 not only causes physical health concerns
but also impact the mental health of people. Feelingsof stress and anxiety are natural response to thisunusual and scary situation, but if yourstress seems to be taking over yourlife, it might be helpful to seek
professional support.
Yukiko Yamazaki
School Nurse

References:• Johns Hopkins Medicine: Flu prevention during Coronavirus pandemic. (November, 2020) Retrieved fromhttps://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Health/Conditions-and-Diseases/Coronavirus/Flu-Prevention-And-Coronavirus-Infographic

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27

University Guidance News
Scholarships
KIST ‘CLASS OF 2020’ TOPS 100 MILLION YEN IN
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING! CONGRATULATIONS!
At KIST, we pride ourselves on our high IB scores, notonly because it shows off the academic capability of ourschool, but more importantly, it provides benefits to ourstudents for their further educational goals. This is seenin university applications where our current Grade 12
students have already been receiving offers fromuniversities since October. It is also seen in scholarshipaward potential. From the surveyed graduates last year,
our students received 37 scholarship offers (and still
counting) for a total of 102,163,000 yen. Amazing job
Class of 2020!

The scholarship issue

Being part of a high performing IB school provides many
benefits. Few curricula offer the combination of breadthand depth that the IB has, making it a respected option atuniversities worldwide; for example, the highly ranked
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST) awards guaranteed scholarships to IB students(as shown in the table below) and offers more money thanother international curricula.

*Suggestion: Students may be very busy with theirassignments and exams. Finding scholarships as afamily is something that can benefit everyone.
Scholarships are for EVERYONE, not just the students
at the top of the class.

University-specific scholarships
The easiest method is to search for scholarships that are
offered from the university directly. Students are often
eligible for a scholarship simply by submitting theirapplication before a certain date. Many universities will
have entire pages dedicated to all the different options
they have available and these can be found by doing aquick Google search of “(insert university name here) +scholarships”. A great example would be the university
UBC, which has an extensive page just forinternational student scholarships.
*Suggestion: Making a list of universities to consider
before Grade 12 will make searching for scholarships somuch easier. I suggest making a workbook within Excel
to list possible universities, application deadlines, andscholarship deadlines so that applications can be easily
managed during your last year of high school.

Large and full-tuition scholarships
Although rare, we do have a few students who receive
these each year at KIST; last year we had three full-tuition
scholarships offered. There are sites, such as
PrepScholar that list some universities that will offer thesevery competitive awards. Best results are had whenadvanced preparation has been done by students applying
to universities they discovered before Grade 12.
The IB also provides a list of 50 scholarships that are
specific to IB graduates around the world.

Moving into the future

KIST is trying to find new ways to increase these numbers
so that our graduates can be successful as soon as
possible. This is a team effort and is best done whenteachers, families and students are working together.
Below is a list of awards and suggestions on how
families can prepare.

KIST Scholars’ Awards
This is an award within KIST for current students that
also benefits students on their journey into university.
Students finishing with an IB score of 40 points are higher
are eligible.
*Suggestion: Keep your main focus on your classes
each year (not just Grade 11–12). Your grades are morevaluable than your SAT/TOEFL scores, so they shouldbe the priority!

Global scholarship searching
Scholarships are available in almost every country
worldwide. There are thousands of scholarships available
that depend on your background and where you intend to
apply. Websites such as internationalscholarships.com
will allow you to search globally about some of the morewell-known scholarships, and US News has also compiled
a list of scholarship search sites to use. For those looking
to stay in Japan, JASSO and JPSS are popular resources.

*Suggestion: Consider options off the main path; forexample, great universities that are private, lesscompetitive for applications, and are in less popularregions will have much more potential for most
students to receive large financial awards compared tothe most famous schools located in London, New York
city, etc.

In summary*Suggestion: Being an IB student opens opportunities
for scholarships that are not available to thosestudying other curricula. Finding all the options foryour child can take time. Planning early and following
these steps can help increase our scholarship
opportunities.
1. Focus on doing well in class. Grades are themost important part of university entrance
requirements and merit scholarships.
2. Plan early. The sooner you know the countries/
universities you want to apply for, the sooner
scholarship planning can begin.
3. Ask questions. The university counseling teamis here to help. If answers are not immediately
available, the research will be done
for them as soon as possible!

Thomas Waterfall
University Guidance Counselor
thomas.waterfall@kist.ed.jp

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Alum Interview
Interview with KIST alum, Yui (Class of 2020)
Mr. Thomas:
Thanks forspeaking withme today.
You are a graduateof the class of 2020;
could you please
introduce a few things about
yourself to the community?
Yui:

My name is Yui and I joined
KIST in Grade 11. I spent two
years doing the DP at KIST
and now I am a first year undergradestudent at the University of British
Columbia (UBC), in Canada double
majoring in Computer Science andBusiness.
Mr. T: That sounds great so far!
Can I ask why those two majors?
Y: Originally, I wanted to study
physics in university because that is
the subject I enjoyed most in the DP.
However, I didn’t get accepted
directly into the engineering programat UBC. My second choice was the
Sauder School of Business (Thefaculty of Commerce at UBC). I
found out about a program in Saudercalled “BUCS”, allowing students to
do a double major in Computer
Science and Business. Only 50 outof the 700 students in that college
can enter this program. It’s very
competitive as it’s the only double
major program that the Sauder
School of Business offers.
I have always been interested inbridging tech and business and thathasn’t changed since my time in highschool. Originally, I was planning tograduate with engineering and thengo on to do something that bridges
tech to business, but now I am able
to approach it both from the businessand science perspective during myundergrad.
Mr. T: Speaking of applying touniversities, UBC was not yourfirst choice that you wanted to get
into is that correct?
Y: Correct. It was actually one of mysafety schools and I hadn’t strongly
considered going there until I got
rejected from my other schools.
Mr. T: How did you cope withfacing the rejection from the otherschools that you applied to?

I got rejected from most of my top
choices at competitive US schools. It
was tough. I was facing university
rejections, dealing with COVID, andbeing stuck at home. It just hurt ingeneral. It felt like I wasn’t goodenough for the universities and they
were rejecting me personally.
The second thing was the
expectation that I set for myself andthe expectations from family,
teachers and peers. At KIST I spokewith many teachers and university
advisors to receive feedback. I didn’t
feel like I was making bad decisions
in applying; I was expecting at least
one or two offers from my higher
target or reach schools. That nothappening was very painful to deal
with and that feeling was stuck in mymind for more than a month afterfacing my rejections.
I later realized that these schools
were really competitive with some
acceptance rates lower than 5%. I
didn’t set my sights broad enough.
Even schools that I thought were
“safety schools” in the US had
acceptance rates in single digits lastyear. Afterwards when I thought backon it, my safety schools were notactually “safety schools”. I came tofind even my program at UBC had an
acceptance rate of around 10% only.
Mr. T: Who did you turn to forsupport in these cases?
Y: My university counselor andteachers helped me to accept myrejection alongside my family. They
helped me to look at things in a morelogical way and helped to move past
my feelings and look at UBC as what
it is, a great university. The mostimportant thing was that they helpedme realize that I now had anamazing opportunity that not every
student has the chance for. It helped
to change my mindset. When I wasable to start thinking of the positives
is when I started to look more closely
at what I could do within my new
school and stop thinking about what I
might be missing at schools I didn’t
get into.
Mr. T: I’m glad to hear that yourteachers and family were there foryou, but how about otherstudents?
Y: At first I found It hard to open up
to my peers about my rejections

because they all expected I would
get into such famous schools and I
felt that pressure on myself; I couldn’t
open up to them for a long time.
Once I finally decided to talk to them,
I was very surprised. They gave me
positive feedback and reminded meof the amazing things I had done inlife. They congratulated me forgetting into the school that I did.
Don’t hesitate to talk to your friends,
they will be supportive no matter
what! Don’t try to carry everything by
yourself. This is what inspired me
and boosted my confidence to apply
for the double major within UBC.
After my acceptance during thesummer, my mood continued
improving and I was back to myself.
Mr. T: So after going through all of
those emotions, what advice
would you give to current KIST
students?
Y: It’s okay to be disappointed bynegative outcomes you have; it’scompletely normal. You may getreally excited about something only
for it not to go as planned. But otherpaths may open that you didn’t lookat before. Once you decide on one
path, try to find the best thing you
can while on it. You’ll realize that inthat place, you can make it yourhome and you can find somethingthat may be an even better
opportunity than you would have hadin other schools, but just didn’t lookat closely or consider before.
Mr. T: It seems you are quite busy
after finding your focus within
UBC. However, I know you haven’t
been able to go and study on the
UBC campus in Vancouver. How
has that been?
Y: Of course, we are missing a big
opportunity as first-year students not
being on campus to adapt to school
life in a new environment.
Continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

Having a personal life outside ofstudies has also been hard forstudents across the world. However,in terms of the classroom lectures
themselves, it isn’t too difficult toadjust because most of us havenever experienced what a university
lecture is like on campus anyway; itdoesn’t feel as if we are missing
anything, so the adaptation into
university has been simple for me.
My professors are also pretty techsavvy and have been able to present
all different types of things for us tointeract with, using multiple camera
angles, interactive whiteboards, andinteractive sessions amongst otherthings. Everything that has beenpresented by the professors has
motivated the students and theircontinued efforts have madeeveryone feel welcome, challenged
and wanting to cooperate.
For me, 80%+ of my lectures havebeen synchronous (live lectures, notre-watch pre-recorded ones), but for
the re-watch lectures, I really try hardto keep up the pace as it can be very
easy to fall behind and you would noteven realize that until the exam.
As for the personal side, because I
am not on campus, I cannot easily
make new friends and it can bedifficult with timings across the world
to arrange extra sessions, such as
meeting professor office hours.
Mr. T: Have you been able to meet
new friends virtually though?
What have you been doing for anygroupwork or study sessions?
Y: At first, I felt that meetings with mynew “online only” friends andclassmates was a bit weird, but after
having multiple online study
sessions, I found that I could learn a
lot from my peers. I have even beenable to make UBC friends that live inTokyo and can meet in person. It’s
the closest thing I can have to auniversity social life at this time, but
it’s been helping me to meet a lot ofdifferent students from a lot ofdifferent majors. In a way it feels alittle bit like being in a dorm. Even
though we are together in one city
instead of a hallway, this has beensomething that has helped me enjoy
my university life so far.
Mr. T: Outside of university life,
you have spoken about a few
other opportunities that you havebeen pursuing to improve yourself
and make the best use of thesituation you
have. What arethese exactly?
Y: I have two main
opportunities
outside of my main
academic studies.
The first is called
the UBC BizTechclub that I joined
within the first weekof university. I
applied to be amentor in the trimentorship program
which allows you to
be matched with a different
professional or upper-level students
each week to get to know them andask about career or academic
questions of what you would like to
do. Thanks to that, I have been
having Zoom conversations withupper-level students andprofessionals. Now I have a mentor
who is a graduate from UBC lastyear and was also a BUCS student
like I am now. She has been helping
me with a variety of things I am
planning for my future such as
internships I want to do, questions onwhat field I should go into, and how
to make best use of my major.
Talking to her and otherprofessionals has helped lead me to
my second opportunity.
I will be part of a co-op program formy major, giving me 16 months of full-time employment during university.
With that being said, the co-op
program only starts in second year.
Because I have been in Tokyo during
COVID, I felt at the beginning I was
losing an opportunity; however, after
speaking with my mentor andthinking again, I realized being inTokyo may be much better than I
thought. There are actually so many
internship opportunities here! So, I
found myself wanting to make thebest of living in Japan during thistime and found an internship to takeadvantage of during this time.
Mr. T: How exactly have you been
going about searching foropportunities in Tokyo such as
this?
Y: Several ways. Upper-year
students that I met introduced me todifferent ones and I foundconnections like that. There werealso recruiting websites that had
many options. There are almost too
many types of internships available I
realized: short-time, long-term, part-time and full-time. Trying to decide
which one of these internships would
be most suitable would be the firststep into searching and finding
something that matches. Then the
research becomes a bit easier. Now I
will do an internship with a startup
company in Japan in the Reuse
industry to try to make an effort tobridge connections to sell different
products and goods from Japan tooverseas.
Mr. T: Lastly, is there any advice
you have for students who areapplying to university this year
and worrying that they willcontinue facing the samedifficulties that your class isfacing now?
Y: It’s very important to have goodcommunication. Keep cameras on,
smile, and don’t be afraid to express
yourself. At the end of the day that’s
what’s going to give you the most outof your online experience.
Don’t be afraid to reach out.
Making the most out of online
classes is on you. It’s very easy to beisolated in this type of situation. You
only have university for three to four
years. You don’t have time to waste.
Even if one year doesn’t go
according to plan, try to make themost of it. In 50 years you can say
we were the “first” to go online likethis. So, we are special!
Mr. T: Thank you for your time,Yui, and I hope you continue tohave success whether here in
Japan, in university in Canada,
and wherever you find yourself
afterwards. We are proud to haveyou as part of our KIST Alumni.
Thomas Waterfall
University Guidance Counselor