The Crane 18 November 2016

1. Principal’s Message

Dear HIS Families

We have been wondering how best to communicate information to our diverse HIS community and thought that you may be interested in the breakdown of languages that our families speak. As you can see, English-only and Japanese-only are significant groups and our English bilingual families is the largest, which may not be a surprise. We also have members of the community who speak neither Japanese nor English and others who speak Japanese and another language. A rich array.

Navigating this linguistic diversity is one of the challenges of being part of an international school and it is excellent preparation for all of us, adults and children, in our futures as global citizens.

Kind regards

Damian Rentoule, Principal

2. The Crane Video

3. Festive Eve (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) December 16th

* If EC, KG-1 students wish to stay at school and NOT ride the bus, they will need to contact Makkie.  Bus routes and times will be rearranged for this day so to anticipate a change in the bus arrival times.

4. Invitation to the Hiroshima Shogyo Kouto High School – Commerce Fair 10/11 December, 2016

• Sunday 11 December at 10:00am (Meet at Genkan)
• Hiroshima Shogyo Kouto High School, 6-7-11 Funairiminami, Naka-ku, Hiroshima

Hiroshima Shogyo Kouto High School has invited HIS to their Commerce Fair. They are looking for non-Japanese speakers to provide some ‘authentic’ experiences selling goods in a more international setting. I met with the Principal last week and we talked about some ongoing connections between our schools that we would like to foster. They have a very strong club program and there may be a possibility that our HIS students could access some competitive training and games in our local community through this connection. We will invite their students to our HIS Festival and hope to build a strong relationship over the next few years.

We are hoping to gather as many HIS students and families as possible to join them for a few hours on the Sunday morning (11th) day. We will gather at 10:00am and families can stay for as long as they want. It is a big event, often on TV, and it sounds like a fun day. It doesn’t matter if you speak Japanese – on this day, we will pretend that we cannot and interact with the students in any language that is not Japanese. This will be a valuable experience for these students learning about commerce.

5. HIS Open Campus – Next Wednesday November 23

Next Wednesday, we have our open campus and we have asked students (Grades 4-12) to help us out as student tour guides. If you are coming along and are bringing your child and they would be prepared to help out, please let me know. Some students have already signed up, however we need some more help. Prospective families will be very happy to meet our wonderful students, our greatest asset.

6. DP Information Sessions – Next Wednesday November 23

Secondary parents are encouraged to attend HIS’s Open Day on Wednesday 23 November from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. G10 & G11 parents are strongly encouraged to attend the sessions recommended in the letter attached. Primary families are also welcome. There will be 5 workshops taking place. We hope that you will consider joining us to learn more about the DP program, College Counselling and SAT. If you have questions in advance of the Open Day sessions, please contact Ms. Pechhold.

7. Geihoku, Kita-hiroshima Snowball Fight  

On the 22nd of January 2017, there will be a snowball fight event held in Geihoku, Kita-hiroshima. To promote this event, on Wednesday, the 16th of November, some staff members and coordinators of the event came to let the students of HIS engage in a simulation, first explaining the rules, and then, trying it out.

    It includes barriers, helmets, referees, prepared snowballs, and flags, all put together as part of a semi-formal tournament. Each team consists of seven players, and teams from all around the Chugoku region come to play. If any classes from HIS are interested in playing as one of the teams, stay tuned for more information coming soon! (By Daichi, Grade 10)

8. Mid-year Reporting Date 

The mid-year reports will be issued on Friday, January 27 2017. This is our 91st day of school and half-way point in the school year. We send home a report at mid-year and end-of-year, with interim reports in between.

(Translated)

9. News from the PTA (18 November 2016) (日本語は以下にあります)

1. Survey on recent PTA Events

In order to improve our events next year, we invite parents and guardians to give us feedback on the Halloween Dance / Parade and Bonfire Night.  Kindly take a few minutes to write some comments, using the form below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_QInY5hJnl85-yhphrOaCtbAi10MTdRXoart0Shev2c/edit?usp=drive_web

2. Donations

We know that many parents are too busy to volunteer for PTA activities.  However, you can help in other ways!  We are looking for donations of the following items leading up to Christmas.

• Cleaning products for the HIS kitchen
• Coffee, tea and other products for use by teachers and parents visiting the school
• Christmas gifts for teachers (edible but long-lasting, such as packed cookies or chocolates)

Please use the following form to indicate where you can contribute.   Any donation will be much appreciated!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YVejCmeLcQuldFRlmA_29wbTvHJ5UZub8tpDuEXHsdU/edit?usp=drive_web

3. Volunteers for Lunch Boxes (Obento)

We are looking for volunteers who can help to distribute and collect lunch boxes for Primary school children on Fridays.  Volunteers are kindly invited to sign up directly on this sheet:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nFEv2FCIl_lugidFQnTu-MoBCTK8IRu8A4AOoQYi8r4/edit

4. Next PTA Meeting (Wednesday 30 November)

The next PTA meeting will be held on Wednesday November 30, from 9 to 11 at the Peace Café in Kami-Hachobori.  We will discuss next year’s activities, particularly the International Festival. 

PTAからのお知らせ （１1月1８日）

１．アンケート記入依頼

来年度以降のため、今年のハロウィンとボンファイアの感想をお尋ねしたいと思います。　参加されたお子さんに聞いて添付のアンケートに記入お願いします。　保護者の方の意見もあればお願いします。

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_QInY5hJnl85-yhphrOaCtbAi10MTdRXoart0Shev2c/edit?usp=drive_web

２．ドーネーションについて

ＰＴＡのイベントなどのお手伝いをしたいけどなかなかできない方、ドーネーションという方法でご協力できることもあります！

今回、３種類のドーネーションを募ります。自宅にあるものでも未使用なら構いません。食品に関しては保管状態が良く、賞味期限が長いものでお願いします。

◎学校のキッチンで使用する備品

◎先生方や保護者等が利用するコーヒーなど

◎先生方へのクリスマスギフト

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YVejCmeLcQuldFRlmA_29wbTvHJ5UZub8tpDuEXHsdU/edit?usp=drive_web

３．デリバリー弁当の配布ボランティア

毎週金曜日、お弁当を小学生のクラスに配布する（回収も）ボランティアを募集します。

１２時３０分に学校のｷｯﾁﾝに集合。１４時１０分には終了します。初回は4名で対応しますが、１０月２１日からは２人または３人でいいと思います。

ボランティアできる方、お願いします。以下のサインナップシートに直接お名前をご記入してください。

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nFEv2FCIl_lugidFQnTu-MoBCTK8IRu8A4AOoQYi8r4/edit?usp=drive_web

4．次回のミーティング

１１月３０日（水）９時から１１時予定. 場所は上八丁堀のピースカフェにて. 議題：来年度のイベントについて（特にインターナショナルフェスティバル）

宜しくお願いします。

10. Lost Mac Power Charger

Just in case you have noticed a spare Mac notebook charger at home (like the one in the photo below) one of these has gone missing in the secondary and as they all look alike, it is possible that it has been taken home by accident. Please check and let me know if you find a spare that may not belong. (They cost about ¥10,000 to replace!) Thanks – Mr Rentoule

11. Community Events  (Click for more information)

• Hiroshima Shogyo Kouto High School – Commerce Fair 10/11 December, 2016
• Snowball Fight – 22nd of January, 2017
• Presentation by UN High Commissioner for Refugees – 27 November, 2016Presentation by Prof. Kajita, the winner of Nobel Prize for physics – 29th November, 2016
• Career Seminars for Students – 19th November, 2016

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The Crane Japanese Summary