Fourth Quarter 2012-13 - St. Mary`s International School
Transcription
Fourth Quarter 2012-13 - St. Mary`s International School
‘Together Along the Way’ St. Mary’s Newsletter Headmaster ................................... 1 SMA President............................... 2 MS Principal .................................. 4 ES Counselor ................................. 4 ES/MS Learning Support................ 6 Nurse............................................. 7 ES Library ...................................... 8 MS/HS Library ............................. 10 Athletics ...................................... 11 Swim Team ................................. 13 Development Office .................... 15 Kesennuma Relief Effort .............. 17 SMA News and Events ................. 18 PFA ............................................. 31 Dates to Remember..................... 32 Advertisements ........................... 33 4th Quarter April 22, 2013 From the Headmaster The month of April marks the beginning of the last term of the year where the students, equipped with the knowledge they have acquired throughout the year, prepare themselves for their final projects and exams. It also coincides with the peak of organized activities for teachers, administrators, students and parents. The Raffle, Carnival and Spring Luncheon are already well organized and promise to be very successful once again. The sports and fine arts activities are in full swing and, of course, the day-to-day academics continue to give each of our students the learning they need to progress to the next grade level. I am confident that all of our students will have accomplished a great deal before they are rewarded with summer vacation in June. This is also the year for our mid-term accreditation review with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and with the Council of International Schools. During this past year, we have examined every aspect of our school. We have reaffirmed what we do well and have identified those areas where we need to improve. The Visiting Team from WASC and CIS will be with us from April 14-18. We are looking forward to this visit because we know that this process will delineate the path we will follow for the next five years. As the school year nears its end, it is important for all of us to maintain our focus because so much is happening. The spring weather and the smiles we see on so many faces bring us all the energy we need to finish the school year successfully. Thank you for your continued support for your son’s education and for St. Mary’s as we continue to move through the year ‘together along the way.’ Br. Michel, Headmaster 1 From the SMA President As we now enter the fourth and last quarter of the school year, we come to the busiest time for the school community. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank all of you, parents, teachers, school administrators and friends of St. Mary’s for the unwavering support of the SMA activities and events. A heartfelt thank you to our individual and corporate donors to the Carnival, Raffle and Game Booth for your valuable donations! I would like to especially thank the members of the St. Mary's Alumni Association for its support again this year for the donations of two of the grand prizes: A luxurious one-week trip to Nepal for two and a round-trip voucher to New York. I would also \like to call on to the parents who have not been involved with the school community’s activities: Carnival is a great time to enlist your participation, in whatever small or large capacity, as a volunteer or with your donation. As you know, many hands make the work light. SMA 3rd quarter activities and events: This past quarter was one of the busiest in the school year. We were able to celebrate the school Community with the 58th St. Mary's International Ball with great success. Thank you to the entire Ball team and collaborators, the St. Mary’s Alumni Association and the Boosters Association, led by the very capable hands of Chair Yumi Shigetake and Co-chair Ruriko Kojima. To the Room Parent Coordinators, Lia Kumar and Keiko Fukasawa, and MS Liaisons, and to Mr. Langholz and Mr. Thiesen for hosting the workshop for parents on Digital Citizenship in February. Thank you to Lia Kumar and Keiko Fukasawa and their team for organizing a very well attended HS Ice Cream Bash and a wonderful Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Thank you to Yukari Tsui and Risa Osawa and to Ms. Ramsey for organizing the JSSG Coffee morning on the theme of the ongoing School Accreditation. Last but not least, by the time this Newsletter is published, we will have had the Spring Luncheon in honor of the Seniors’ parents, organized by Therese Adachi and Aya Iwamoto. Thank you to all who have helped in the event, from set-up and decorations to emceeing, performing and directing, and to all who donated a cake for the cake silent auction. 2 Coming up on 4th Quarter for SMA events and activities: Carnival and Raffle: Preparations are also under way for our larger events of the year on Saturday, May 11. Motoko A’De Lima is chairing the Carnival with the support of Jennifer Yamamoto. Thank you to all the Country Booth chairs, co-chairs, treasurers and supporters and thank you to all the Carnival Committee chairs, co-chairs and supporters. This is the largest school wide event of the year, and a wonderfully fun day. There will be country booths, entertainment, games and vendors, and much more, so please look forward to it! Invite your friends and participate! Keiko Aoyama and Yu Kobayashi are once again is in charge of the Raffle. The Raffle ticket books were sent home on the second week of April. Please support your sons in selling these tickets and ensure once again this important fundraiser is a huge success. Funding: One of the most important tasks that the St. Mary’s Association faces at this time of year is funding. As you know, all the funds we raise benefit the students directly, whether for elementary field trips, travel for sports/fine arts teams, HS class retreats, Sakura Medal activities, Brain Bowl, the One-Act Play, the Fall Play, the “Mind’s I” student literary journal, or the annual Yearbook, School Calendar and Student Service Support. HS and ES Graduation: Lia Kumar and Keiko Fukasawa are organizing the Graduation committees to handle decorations and the receptions. Thank you to Junior parents Dionne Miyazawa and Keiko Nakamura for accepting the HS Graduation Committee Chair and Cochair positions. Thank you to all HS parent volunteers for decorating and catering for the HS Graduation on May 29. For ES Graduation, thank you to all 5th Grade Room Parents for coordinating the catering and decorations and for Rika Atobe for chairing the Committee. Thank you to all 4th and 5th grade parent volunteers for the set-up and catering help for the ES Graduation on June 6. SMA Volunteers for Board positions: We are continuing our drive to fill out Board Positions for the 2013-2014 school year. We really need you to join in. It is thought that the Board members have to wear several hats. It does not have to be that way. Many hands make the workload light. Previous board experience is not necessary. Please contact our Nominations Chair, Lia Kumar, for inquiries on open positions and information at sma@smis.ac.jp. SMA community participation and feedback: We would like to invite you to come and participate in the school and SMA events, in sports, fine arts and the community. You will have the opportunity to understand and share the hard work that goes into building the rich environment for your son’s education. And we, the SMA, appreciate your feedback. Please send your thoughts and comments to sma@smis.ac.jp. Caterina M. Tanaka, SMA President 3 From the Middle School Principal The incredible St. Mary’s Middle School Talent Show was a great way to end the 3rd quarter because of such a wide range of talent and involvement by many. The energy generated will provide a boost as we set goals for 4th quarter and as we continue to share gifts and talents in lots of different ways. I am sure that there are boys who are already thinking about what they might do next year for the talent show. I am pleased to announce that there is a new middle school community and multiple purpose room for students’ use. This room was formerly the middle school faculty workroom, but since most teachers spend their time in their classrooms during their breaks it was decided that this space could be better utilized for student activities. This space will be the center for chess, ping pong, putt-putt golf, Lego building, wellness activities, house meeting space and general conversation. Thanks to all of you who have contributed materials to make this room an exciting place for students to socialize and to further develop their problem-solving skills. It is the time of the year when we are building your son’s schedule for next year. You will be receiving a letter in the mail in the coming weeks so that you will have a good understanding of options and a clear picture of your son’s academic program for the 201314 year. It is my hope that this will allow for questions to be answered yet this spring so that your son can have a smooth transition to the next grade level in the fall. Over the summer I am asking all students, teachers and parents to read the book Wonder, a Sakura book award winner, written by R. J. Palacio. This book focuses on the power of empathy in schools and how we all have the responsibility to reach out to others and to be inclusive with all people within our school community. I will be sending out a letter to all families to indicate whether you are interested in having me order a copy of this book for you or whether you would like to purchase it on your own. This book will generate many valuable conversations within your family over the summer and within the school community in the fall. Thank you very much for all of your support this year. I look forward to ending the year strong and to beginning next year with plans in place for another good year. Jim Langholz, MS Principal From the ES Counselor Summertime Blues ... Hopefully Not! “I can’t wait, school’s almost out!” “Yes, summer is the best”. Those are some of the comments that we are hearing from our children. However, in just a few weeks, those comments will most likely change to “I’m bored” or “There’s nothing to do”. So, what can a parent do? Obviously we can’t arrange special outings and events for our kids 24 hours a day, and they can’t go to Disneyland every weekend. (Not to mention that there are things that you need to get done as well, so you can’t be a full time entertainer.) Hopefully this article will give you a few ideas to help you maintain your sanity for June, July and August. 4 For starters, if you haven’t enrolled your child in summer school yet, and you’ll be in Tokyo for June, do so now! We offer a variety of great programs for children. That leaves only 60 days to deal with! Some of you will be traveling, which helps take up some of that time, but eventually the “There’s nothing to do!” comment with emerge. When I was a child, my mother would always answer me, “Oh really, I have plenty of things for you to do!” I knew that meant some form of work, so I quickly ran away and found something ... anything ... to do (other than her chores). You could try this approach and see if it still works 30 years later. Now, in all seriousness, I do have a few thoughts that might be useful: • • • • • • • • • • • • Invite playmates over as much as possible. Find a friend that you can switch off with so everyone gets a break. Find a class or activity outside of the home that your child is interested in and enroll him. If your son is old enough, send him to summer camp. Make sure that your child plays outside and gets some physical exercise every day. Use the opportunity to teach your child something new (i.e., cooking, sewing, building, learning a new card game, etc.). Really spend some quality time with your son. Find some type of service or volunteer work that your child can do to help others. Try to have some sort of normal routine for the summer. You can have some flexibility with this of course, but children really do respond better to some type of structure and schedule (for example: having lunch at the same time everyday). Limit TV, electronic games and computer time. Decide on a daily time limit, and stick to it! Use a timer if necessary. Get lots of books and encourage your children to read! If possible, go to a library weekly. Many have summer reading incentive programs and other activities. Develop a standard set of chores and responsibilities that your child is expected to do (as part of the family, not for money). You can add some extras for the summer, since he has more time, and these can be the jobs where your son can earn some extra cash. If your son doesn’t have a hobby, the summer can be a great time to explore different options and develop one. Make sure it’s one that he enjoys (not just your decision). Do not over-burden your son with academics and schoolwork. The school year can be stressful enough for some boys. This is especially true if your son has not done well academically (some tutoring is fine as long as it’s not the majority of the day). The summer may be his chance he has to shine in another activity and feel good about himself. Ultimately your child’s self esteem is more important than his grades. If you must give him worksheets, please limit them to no more than an hour a day. Having your son read a book of his choice is probably the best academic preparation. Depending on his age, between 15 minutes to one hour daily. Overall, remember to have fun! These days will be over before you know it and our kids will be off to university. Try to remember this when your son is bored and bugging you. Once in a while just drop whatever you’re doing and go play with him! Unless it is an emergency, whatever you are doing can wait. And when he grows up and leaves home those will be some of his fondest memories ... and yours! Enjoy the break, and I’ll see you next August! Julie Gordon, ES Counselor 5 From the ES/MS Learning Support Office As we return from Spring Break, I hope that everyone enjoyed time with family and friends, and had a chance to marvel once more at the beauty of a unique, very Japanese treasure: the annual blooming of the cherry trees. Coming back to school, another wonder that never fails to amaze me is how quickly children mature and grow up in the months since we began school in August. I am always awed by how much they learn in that span of time. A new initiative at the elementary grades this April hopes to expand this learning in many other ways — in ways that have not been tried before. By now, your sons might have shared how they have been using iPads in their classrooms. Many schools all over the world have been using these devices with amazing results. And I can see why. There are many reasons; but one stands out for me. These devices make the teaching of concepts (such as very abstract and difficult concepts in chemistry, for example) very visual. And any parent who remembers how difficult it was to understand the concepts of atoms, molecules, and chemical bonds in high school (and college) would certainly wish that we had iPads during our time. I certainly wish I had! What can we do as parents to maximize this wonderful opportunity with our sons? No doubt, there is a continuum of skill and knowledge here among parents (and teachers) at school; and I’m not sure if it’s directly related to age, that is, with younger parents more familiar with technology than older ones. Perhaps it’s not. I would venture to speculate that perhaps parents who are more open, more willing to try new things, more adventurous, those who have not lost that sense of awe and wonder at anything new are those that will be ready to be with their children when they make discoveries on their iPads. And to those who are reluctant to jump right in — have no fear. Help is available. There are many things we can do: • • • • • Ask your son to show you what he has learned, which apps he has tried and liked. (Then try it yourself!) Converse with teachers. Network with other parents. Attend talks sponsored by the school about digital citizenship. Do your own research. There are many websites that provide information. One website I highly recommend is Commonsense Media which has a great Parent Media and Technology Education Program. But the most important thing of all: Be open to learn with your son; cultivate that sense of wonder we all have in us. Mitos Molina, ES/MS Learning Support Coordinator 6 From the School Nurse Typical childhood growing pains are real, and, in the vast majority of cases, the common nighttime pain children experience in their legs is not the result of a disease or other condition and will not require a physician’s treatment. The symptoms will usually be gone by morning. Bear in mind, of course, that although they are a normal part of childhood, growing pains do hurt, and your child will benefit from your reassurance, a gentle touch, and attention. The most common childhood growing pains are sharp, throbbing pains in the legs, typically occurring at night and sometimes in late afternoon. Occasionally, the pains can be strong enough to wake a child. Between 25 and 40 percent of children between three and five years, and again between the ages of eight and 12, experience these nighttime aches. And when the aches are gone in the morning — or when such pains never occur during the day — they are most likely, indeed, “just growing pains.” In fact, parents should bear in mind that sometimes their children’s afternoon and nighttime muscles aches and pains are the very normal result of a day filled with more physical activity than usual. But persistent aches in the extremities (usually the legs), pains accompanied by swelling or tenderness in a joint, a fever or rash, limping or weakness, are all signs that a more serious medical condition might exist. If your child exhibits typical growing pains, a few simple therapies can help the episode pass quickly: • • • Massage the aching area until the pain passes Apply a heating pad to the area Help the child gently stretch and flex the area until the pain passes Pay close attention to your child’s reaction to massage, heat pad application, and gentle muscle flexing. Typical growth pains are not accompanied by tenderness or sensitivity, and the child should be reassured and calmed by your touch. Typical growing pains are a muscular ache, not a joint ache or inflammation. Excessive tenderness in the joints, or a painful reaction to even gentle touches, should prompt a visit to the doctor. The pain accompanying an instance of “garden variety” growing pains can be treated with over-the-counter analgesics, but remember that children under 12 should never be given aspirin, but can accommodate ibuprofen or acetaminophen if the pain is severe enough. These classic “growing pains” are different from pain associated with the rapid growth during the time period surrounding puberty. Increased bone growth outpaces muscle and tendon flexibility, causing new stresses on attachments to certain growth areas on the bone. Pain and swelling can occur and interfere with activities and sports. Inflammation of the growth plates is called apophysitis. The most common areas affected are the knee and heel, and the pain can fluctuate during the two to three years of rapid growth. Treatment 7 includes flexibility exercises, local ice application, and altering activities during the painful days. Consult your doctor if aching legs or arms are a persistent or chronic complaint; if the pain is severe or interferes with usual childhood activities; if your child has swollen joints; if the pain is associated with a specific injury; if fever accompanies the pain; if the aching area displays redness or rash; or if your child experiences difficulty walking; significant limp; or unexpected weakness in the legs or arms. Fortunately, though, most growing pains are just that — small aches that go away quickly, and can be helped on their way by a parent’s tender touch and attention. And by bringing an informed eye and alert touch to your child, you’ll know whether a trip to the doctor is called for. Jennifer McCoy, Nurse From the Elementary School Library St. Mary’s Book Bowl Team This was St. Mary’s third year to compete in the All-Japan International School Sakura Medal Book Bowl held at St. Mary’s in the MPR on February 28. Before holding the main event, we held three internal Book Bowl competitions between 12 teams made up of five students each from the 4th and 5th grades. After some extremely close competitions, our team was formed. The two highest scoring teams became our St. Mary’s official Book Bowl Team. This year’s team of students from 4B, 4C, 4K and 5L took on the challenge of knowing 20 books extremely well. Each team member was responsible for reading four books from the list and knowing the details of each book. I can without a doubt say that this year’s team worked well together. They each played off of their individual strengths and they put in the time necessary to meticulously learn their books. This year’s team competed against Seisen, ASIJ, Sacred Heart, TIS, Makuhari, Nishimachi and YIS. We all had a great time competing and getting to know students from other schools. I am proud to announce that St. Mary’s took first place for the second year in a row, followed by TIS in second and Seisen in third. We kept the trophy. It will remain at St. Mary’s until the next competition. Congratulations to Nikita, Hyun, Joey, Moinak, Mayank, Aidan, Sho, Aayush, Wray, Krish and Ryo! 8 Summer’s Almost Here It’s time to think about the Summer Check-out and the Summer Reading Challenge. We will send home a letter with all the fun details of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge in May. In the meantime, I would like to invite parents who have not registered to use the library to register before May 24. This will help to cut down on the amount of time parents and students will need to stand in line during our three-day Summer Check-out extravaganza. Destiny Online Catalog Parent Registration Again this year, we will not print out a list of items checked out to you for the summer checkout. Instead we invite parents to create their own online account in our Destiny Online Catalog. It’s simple and takes only a couple of minutes to do. The advantage of having your own account is that you will be able to see what you have checked out from the comfort of your own home. No more guessing how many books you have or wondering if you have forgotten a book. We hope to offer some special times for you to register, but please feel free to come in anytime we do not have a library class. Ms. Twohig, Mrs. Langholz and Ms. Hays will be happy to help you create your account. Important ES Library Dates to Remember May 16: Last day to check out books The last day to check out books from the ES Library is May 16. Books checked out on this day must be returned one week later, on May 24. May 17: International School Librarian’s Meeting The ES Library is closed all day. The library will be closed after school as well. We will plan the 2014 Sakura Medal program. May 24: All books must be returned to the ES Library All books must be returned to the ES Library by May 24 to ensure all student, parent and teacher library accounts are cleared before the end of the school year. May 27 to June 3: Inventory Week The library will be closed during this week so that the staff may perform the annual inventory. June 4-6: Summer Check-out Each class will be assigned a date and time during which only their class will check out books. More information will follow. Don’t worry: we will have plenty of open slots for parents to join the fun. June 7: Reading ’Round the World: Summer Reading Challenge Information for this fantastic summer opportunity will be distributed to the classes in early May. Our goal is to read 500,000 pages this summer. Tammy Hays, ES Librarian 9 From the Middle School/High School Library April is the month when the Sakura Medal Award program comes to a happy reading conclusion and in international schools throughout Japan we get ready to vote for our favorite books. At St. Mary’s MS/HS Library, Voting Day will take place on April 29. Reading participation was strong this year and many students were further encouraged to read and thus become eligible to vote by the enticement of some nice incentives provided by the Library. You can see more photos of eligible young voters receiving their special rewards up on our website. For those students who have not yet reached the minimum number of books required, it is still not too late to qualify to vote. Students have until April 26 to read and to turn in their feedback forms. They know that they must read a minimum of four books on the MS English list or three books on the HS or Japanese lists to qualify — so please encourage your sons to keep reading, turn in their feedback forms by Friday, April 26, and get out the vote on Monday, April 29! Meanwhile, as the excitement for voting mounts, it is a pleasure to announce that the following MS and HS students have submitted qualifying artwork which has been entered into the all-Japan Sakura Art Competition: Nishant C., grade 6; Yukhei H., grade 6; Kouki W., grade 6; Saeef H., grade 6; Taekyun L., grade 6; Clarence S., grade 7; Shoju S., grade 8; Yuhki K., grade 9; Kazuho K., grade 9; and Hergie M., grade 12. View their entries here. A huge congratulations to these boys for being selected to represent St. Mary’s Middle School and High School, and good luck to all of them in the competition! Voting on the books and the artwork will take place simultaneously at all participating international schools by the end of April. 10 We will keep you posted on this year’s winning Sakura Medal Award books and artists. Please check next month’s issue of the newsletter and our library website for all results and updates. Happy Sakura Voting! Anna Fernicola, MS/HS Librarian From the Athletics Department Spring Sports The spring sports season is finally here with us! At the elementary school level, two sports are now being offered. Tumbling and wrestling is a new activity and is open to grades 2 and 3 students every Wednesday and Friday. Intramurals, on the other hand, has been around for many years and is open to grades 4, 5 and 6 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both activities take place in the gym. If your child is interested in joining either of these programs, please see Mr. DiMuzio. At the Middle School level, interest in sports is high, with a large number of students trying out for the baseball and track and field teams. Track and field will have their meets on weekends at the Oi Futo track in Haneda and at Yokota airbase. The season ends on May 4 with the Kanto Plain Tournament at Oi Futo. Baseball, on the other hand, will have most of their games on Saturdays at home, with a possible game or two at the Yokohoma Country and Athletic Club. Teams in the league include Aoba, St. Maur’s and the Yokohama International School. In the high school, the track and field team just returned from Okinawa after participating at the Petty Memorial Invitational Meet. Cai Philips, a junior, won the long jump with a leap of 5.51 meters. Track meets are held every Saturday, and the season culminates with the Far East tournament in late May at Yokota. Baseball, meanwhile, has had a rough start with only one victory in three games. But the team is young with only two seniors, and is expected to keep improving as the season progresses. Winter Sports Review The winter sports season ended with Varsity Soccer capturing the Kanto Plain Invitational Tournament with a thrilling victory over archrival ASIJ in penalty shootout. JV Soccer meanwhile finished second in the JV tournament. Wrestling also took second in both Kanto league and tournament competitions. In the Far East tournament, the wrestling Titans placed third in the Duals, and fourth in the Individual tournament with two champions in Ryan Vasconcellos (122 lbs) and Jeffrey Koo (168 lbs). 11 Varsity Basketball, on a building year, ended up fifth in the Kanto League and traveled to Okinawa for the Far East, where they placed 12th. Below is a list of recipients of the various winter sports awards: Varsity Basketball MVP: Coach’s Award: Most Improved: Top Rebounder: Hayden Griffiths Matt Miyazaki Andrew Jones Yudai Atsumi JV Basketball MVP: Coach’s Award: Most Improved: Top Defender: Nate Klein John Atanacio Chai Koo Likai Wu Varsity Soccer MVP: Coach’s Award: Most Improved: Most Promising: Kanto Tournament All-Stars: Daniel Hedemann Steve Ito Jeremy Woffinden Shinya Daniel Hedemann, Yusuke Kobayashi JV Soccer MVP: Coach’s Award: Most Improved: Issey Kishi Ken Gallego Andy Kim High School Wrestling Most Outstanding: Most Improved: Most Valuable: Most Spirited Wrestler: Most Academic Wrestler: Far East Champions: Ryan Vasconcellos Riku Osawa Jeffrey Koo Kazuho Kawashima Riku Tabata Jeffrey Koo (168 lbs), Ryan Vasconcellos (122 lbs) Middle School Wrestling Outstanding Rookie: Most Improved Wrestler: Most Technical Wrestler: Most Inspirational Wrestler: Coach’s Awards: Outstanding Wrestler: Most Valuable Wrestler: Ranmaru Yamamoto Kaito Hoshi Ryo Osawa Kaito Taira Tatsuhito Matsumoto, Kento Taira Ryo Osawa Chang Young Lee 12 Grade 8 Basketball Most Valuable Player: Big Man Award: Most Dedicated: Most Improved: Hustle Award: Thomas Woods, Kouki Wiley Kazuki Martin Jun Woo Hwang Abe Kim Taisei Kitahara Grade 7 Basketball Most Valuable Player: Most Dedicated: Most Improved: Tommy Kim Josh Sparling Sam Wilson Grade 6 Basketball Most Valuable Player: Most Dedicated: Most Improved: Billie Sheikh Leonard Musahl Ryusei Aomi Congratulations to all! Thomas Molina, Athletics Department From the Swim Team Japanese Age Group National Swimming Championships at Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture A total of 3,305 swimmers from 859 clubs packed into the Daiei Phoenix Pool for the annual JOC Cup — All Japan Age Group National Short Course Championships on March 28-31. At the coaches meeting on the day prior to the competition commencing, there was a short ceremony to recognize teams having competitors in the meet for over 10 years and 20 years. The St. Mary's Swim Team was awarded a club excellence plaque (最優秀 クラブ) for having swimmers qualify to the spring classic for 20 years. The venue for this years' JOC Cup was moved to Niigata due to the renovation of Tatsumi's International Swimming Complex. Buc swimmers started out fast and furious on day one of the meet! Mokhtar breaks the Japanese national record in the 50 Free! Sophomore Mokhtar Al-Yamani set a Japanese national record for middle school students. Although a 10th grader at St. Mary’s, by age Mokhtar is in the third year of middle school in the Japanese system. Mokhtar blazed a 22.79 in the finals of the boys 15-18 50 meter Freestyle to make it onto the awards podium with a bronze medal. The devil is in the details and Al-Yamani nailed the start and turn in the finals to better his seventh place (23.15) from 13 the morning preliminary heats. Mokhtar's 22.79 erased Bruno Ortiz's Open + Area standard from 2010. Eighth grader Joshua Brown competed in the 13-14 Boys 50 + 100 meter Freestyles. Joshua had two impressive swims going: 25.29 in the 50 and a personal best 55.56 in Swimming’s marquee event — the 100 meter Freestyle. In the 15-18 Boys 100 Freestyle the Buccaneers placed two swimmers in the A final. Peter Arnet and Mokhtar both qualified, placing fifth (50.02) and eighth (50.30), respectively. Positions changed in the final with Mokhtar's 50.10 (sixth place) and Peter's 50.22 (seventh) effort. The final event for SMST was the 4 x 100 Freestyle relay — an event St. Mary’s has a tradition of excelling at on the national scene. After the preliminary heats the Bucs team of Mokhtar Al-Yamani, Peter Arnet, Nicolas Flint, and Shane Brett finished in ninth place out of 37 teams. A disqualification for an early take-off by perennial powerhouse Toyokawa High School of Nagoya bumped SMST into the finals. The frenzy of the afternoon finals saw Moku, Peter, Nic, and Shane step up their game and improve their time by 1.18 seconds and their rank to seventh in the nation! 4 x 100 meter Freestyle Results 1st NEC Green (Kanagawa) 2nd Itoman (Osaka) 3rd Mitsubishi Yowa (Tokyo) 4th Swim Saitama (Saitama) 5th Swim Omiya (Saitama) 6th Swim Daikyo (Saitama) 7th St. Mary’s (Tokyo) 8th Taisei Gakuin (Osaka) 3:19.04 3:20.92 3:20.94 3:21.51 3:24.86 3:24.92 3:25.21 3:25.97 March Age Group Swimming Champs at St. Mary’s The Swim Team played host to 15 teams in their major event of the year March 9-10. It was a huge meet with 475 athletes competing. Nine new Open records were established. The Buccaneers finished the two-day invitational in second place. Setagaya-ku’s Taiyo Kyoiku Sports Center captured the first place team trophy, and Shindaita Swimming School finished in third place. There was a plenty of activity around the pool with 475 athletes attending the annual competition. The coaches would once again like to thank all the volunteers that helped make the weekend a huge success — your hard work is greatly appreciated! The Bucs parents were incredible, running a meet with 2,595 individual entries as well as 173 relays. An awards ceremony was held in a packed gymnasium following the last event on Sunday afternoon. There was lots of fast swimming, with personal best times the norm and numerous nationally ranked swimmers present. 14 High Point trophies are awarded to the first, second and third place finishers in each age group based on six individual events over two days. The toughest competition for the high point was in the 15-18 age group, with a number of national qualifiers in the mix. Taiyo Kyoiku’s Keiichiro Hasegawa took top honors with a total of 113 points, while Nittai Ebara’s Hayato Mimura (108.5) captured the second high point. Buccaneer Mokhtar Al-Yamani (101) grabbed the third place High Point award. Relays are always fun! In the finale to Saturday’s events, SMST’s 15-18 Boys Medley Relay nipped Nittai Ebara at the finish to win by .08 seconds. Nittai Ebara touched out the Bucs on Sunday’s 4 x 100 Freestyle relay. In the 13-14 Boys age group, Joshua Brown captured the second place high point trophy (111 points). Teammate Stefano A’De Lima finished third overall with 104 points. Seventh grader Naoki Nomura was the class of the competition in the 11-12 Boys division, winning the High Point award with six individual wins and a perfect 120 points. Naoki narrowly missed records in multiple events. Third grader Ryan Fenwick took the second High Point in the 8+ Under division with a total of 108 points. The Crescendo Relays are a crowd favorite, featuring one swimmer from each age group — the Bucs took first place in both the Medley and Freestyle Crescendo relays. US Swimming AAAA times were turned in by Mokhtar Al-Yamani, Nicolas Flint, Toshiki Takahashi, Joshua Brown, and Naoki Nomura. Junwoo Moon, Shunichi Ichiura, Stefano A’De Lima, and Takashi Kanazawa provided AAA efforts. First time AA All-star times were produced by Ryan Fenwick and Laszlo Wenk. Other first time A standards were swum by Kei Takahashi, Neo Matsuyama, Roland Bridgman, and Torajiro Someya. Dave Moodie, Swim Team Coach From the Development Office Annual Giving This school year, we have received more than ¥8 million in response to our Annual Giving letter. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our generous donors, listed below, as well as to the anonymous donors. St. Mary’s appreciates any type of contribution to help achieve our dream for the Multipurpose Hall for student activities. 15 The Bae Family The Banov Family Julian Cho Mr. Czuk's Mechanical Drawing Class Eric Gasqueres Interasia Links & Co., Ltd. Chance Jeong Hajime Kanda Yeongsu Lee Yoko & Eiji Makiguchi Akiyoshi Minakawa Mr. & Mrs. Murakami Toshiya Nagata Tessai & Michiko Ogata Masashi Ogino Sarata Sahoo Sato Rating Strategy Institute G.K. Tasuku Sekine Takumi Sekine Sho Sen Caterina & Jon Tanaka The Tronsen Family Rei Ueno Keiko Yamamura Chunhua Zhang St. Mary’s Alumni Association (SMAA) SMAA will have a booth at the St. Mary’s Carnival on May 11, selling shaved ice and beverages. The “Smoothies” return again this year to the Carnival. Please come and enjoy shaved ice and cool drinks in the sunshine. St. Mary’s Alumni Parents Association (SMAPA) SMAA and SMAPA will have their Carnival booths side by side. In addition to the mimosas and champagne of years past, SMAPA will be selling custom, insulated “Titans Bottles”. Until May 3, you can reserve a bottle to ensure you receive your first choice. Please refer to the instructions in the flyer. SMAPA insulated Titans bottle reservation form 16 International Alumni Council Japan (IAC Japan) IAC Japan, an organization of alumni from 17 international schools in Japan, will host the Natsumatsuri 2013 on Saturday, June 15, at International School of the Sacred Heart in Hiroo. Details will be disclosed soon, but we will have food booths, a game corner and entertainment from various alumni bands. Please come and enjoy a day of fun! International Alumni Council Japan home page Development Office Kesennuma Relief Effort Our heartfelt thanks for your continued support for the Tohoku charity here at St. Mary’s, most recently at Easter time. 17 SMA News and Events SMA is a volunteer organization whose aim is to provide opportunities for parents to meet on a common platform. It encourages parents to develop ideas, in partnership with the faculty and administration to foster a spirit of learning, harmony, creativity and joy. SMA invites all parents to participate in this process of learning and be involved. You can help by donating your time, sharing your skill or providing a donation for any of our events. We look forward to hearing from you soon. From the International Ball Committee On Saturday March 2, the St. Mary’s International School Gym opened its doors to its 58th Annual International Ball with the theme “Prom Nostalgia.” It was an evening to celebrate the arts and music with an exciting Live Auction and entertainment by the very talented St. Mary’s Jazz band. The entertainment for the evening continued with foot tapping music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. It was a pleasure to see guests reliving their high school and college days and dancing away to their favorite songs. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our guests who made the evening a grand success, and to the St. Mary’s Alumni Association for their huge support and contribution. Also, the evening would not have been possible without all the people who worked tirelessly to make it a perfect event. The International Ball Committee would like to thank the following people: Table preparation: Kaoru Yamashita Yoko Morikuni Nobue Valeo Motoko Harada Cho YeonHee Choi HyumIn Kim NaYoung Song SungHoon Yu Kunita Layout: Gym Decoration: Cloak: Auction: Bar: Set-up and Clean-up: Park EunHa Sinhwa Lee Hiromi Abe Shoko Prescott Miho Dixon Kanami Katayama Misook Asai Yukiko Ishida Karl Studnicka Kaoru Yamashita ,Nobue Valeo Margarita Yoshida St. Mary’s Boosters, Kaoru Yamashita Steve Nagasawa, Rick de Leon, Junji Sekine, Cilio Rocha St. Mary's Boosters, Mr. Kubo and staff 18 MC: Music: Posters and program: James Montalto Andre DiMuzio, St. Mary's Jazz Band, Jimmy Kan, Joi Okada Aya Bedi We look forward to seeing you again next year. Yumi Shigetake and Ruriko Kojima, International Ball Committee 19 From the Room Parent Coordinators The Room Parents hosted two events: the High School Ice Cream Bash on March 5 and the Staff Appreciation Luncheon on March 19. We would like to thank the volunteer parents for donating toppings for the ice cream, and food and drinks for the staff appreciation luncheon. We also gratefully acknowledge every parent who helped us serve the ice cream to the boys and also every parent who came to help on the 19th to set up, serve and clean up. Without the support of the St. Mary’s families these events would not be possible. As always, we are very grateful to the office staff and Mr. Kubo and his team for their constant help and cooperation! Lia Kumar and Keiko Fukasawa, Room Parent Coordinators Ice Cream Bash 20 21 Staff Appreciation Luncheon 22 From SMA Hospitality The SMA Hospitality team, together with the SMA members, would like to express their warmest thanks to the administration, faculty, office and maintenance staff for their wonderful support at the Spring Luncheon. Thank you also to all those who attended or donated their time to help make this event a special one for the senior parents. Warmest thanks to the St. Mary's students whose artwork and performances were a major contribution to this event. Therese Adachi and Aya Iwamoto, SMA Hospitality 23 24 Hospitality Outing On February 27, St Mary’s parents were delighted to take part in a special tour of the Japanese Diet Building arranged by our friends at Seisen. The group of 50 parents was met by DPJ member and fellow Seisen and St. Mary’s parent Ms. Hiroe Makiyama and her staff. Ms. Makiyama, who holds a prestigious seat with the National Diet of Japan, generously made time to give a very informative presentation in English about the Diet as well as a tour of her office. After being guided around this magnificent building, participants enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Diet members’ cafeteria. Thanks again to Ms. Makiyama, our bus driver and the Seisen Hospitality Committee for this wonderful opportunity. 25 2012-2013 2012-2013 The 58th Annual St. Mary’s International Ball The 58th Annual St. Mary’s International Ball Pat ron s Ca sh Donors M r. S e ijir o No z a k i Asian Re pre s e n t ati v e Offi ce – T o k y o M r. Je ff re y Ko o J r. M r. Yoshiak i Mu ra k a mi M r. Un ry u Ha k u Mr . an d M rs. John an d An to n i a Bo a rd ma n M r. Yu kihiro Ya ma mu ra Dr. Ka rl Ch e M r. S ho S en Mr. To sh iya Nagat a S u p p ort ers A Cu t Above Bea u t é abs ol ue Mrs. S etsuko Noda Th e Fo rei g n Buyers ' Club Th e Go to h M us eum Th e Pen i n s ul a T okyo T o mo e Co l l ection Co., Lt d. W a rn er En terta i nment Japan Inc. S p o ns ors M o ri Bu i l d ing Co ., Lt d. To k y u Co n struct i on Co ., Lt d. Ed wa rd S u z u k i As s oci at es Inc. Rop p o n g i Hi l l s Ni shibori Dent al Of f ice Du sk i n Co ., Lt d. We are deeply grateful to all of you who have already generously sent in your donations to the Carnival and Raffle 2013. We are still accepting donations to make this event a big success! Please take a minute to consider donating an item listed below. Thank you! Carnival 2013 Wish List Dear St. Mary’s Families, For a successful Carnival on May 11, the St. Mary’s Association still needs your generous donations of raffle and game booth prizes. Below are some suggestions for donations. Electronic Goods: digital cameras, video cameras, laptop computers, Wii U & games, Xbox & games, 3DS & games, PS3 & games, iPads & iPad Minis, tablets, iPod2s, iPod Nanos, headphones, etc. Sporting Goods: soccer balls, tennis rackets, basketballs, golf goods, skateboards, baseball goods, bicycles, etc. Toys: If you have new toys that have never been used or opened, please consider donating them for the Carnival. Cash Small items for the Game Booth: Super Balls, stickers, tattoo stickers, pencils, pens, notebooks, stuffed dolls and animals, Legos, Slime, erasers, snacks & candies, board games, etc. — items that kids would love to receive at the game booth. We will have a donation box at the Main Office and in the Elementary School hallways. Please provide your donations by May 3 so that we have time to include them. Your support is very important for the success of the Carnival! Thank you for anything that you can give! For raffle donations: Please understand that it is no longer possible to acknowledge your donation on the Raffle tickets (which have already been printed). We will acknowledge all donations separately. If you are able to donate, kindly take a moment to fill out the donation form. English: http://public.smis.ac.jp/sma/2012-13/donation-form-2012-13.pdf Japanese: http://public.smis.ac.jp/sma/2012-13/donation-form-jp-2012-13.pdf For more information, please contact: Miho Nagano, Donations: smassociation@smis.ac.jp Motoko AdeLima, Carnival Chair: smcarnival2013@gmail.com Keiko Andrews, Raffle Chair & Yu Kobayashi, Raffle Co-Chair: raffle2013@yahoo.co.jp From the SMA Treasury The St. Mary’s Association Treasurer Report as of April 9, 2013. SMA Income from January 29 to April 9 Donations FBC sale donation International Ball Hospitality Outing JSSG Christmas Craft Fair JSSG Recycled Uniforms Room Parents Coordinator Newsletter Adv. Carnival Vendor fee Bank Account Interest International Ball Raffle Tickets Program Advertisements Auction Wine Corsage Kappabashi National Diet Used book Seminar participants fee Ice Cream Bash Total 20,000 257,000 4,395 1,481,000 340,000 421,750 344,200 37,500 15,350 6,900 2,130 55,000 49,280 310 29,500 152,000 1,435 ¥3,217,750 SMA Expenses from January 29 to April 9 International Ball Students Allocation JSSG Raffle Room Parents Coordinator HS students allocation Sports Allocation Performers Drinks Food and others Flowers Program and poster printing Rental for table equipment, others Auction, decoration Postage Corsage G4 school trip Seminar expenses Ticket printing fee Ice cream bash Staff Appreciation Luncheon Sophomore retreat HS Wrestling Swim Team Total -57,052 -178,256 -520,131 -63,420 -46,035 -374,892 -14,767 -1,750 -16,200 -204,000 -5,250 -189,210 -44,490 -7,500 -168,000 -180,000 -625,000 ¥-2,695,953 Thank you for your supporting SMA! Tomoko Ajeesh and Rei Ueno, SMA Treasury smatreasury@gmail.com 30 SMA Recycled Uniforms Uniform Collection Please drop off school uniforms that your sons will no longer use at the Main Office. Kindly clean or dry-clean them before donating them. The collection dates are from Tuesday, May 14, to Friday, May 24. Thank you for your support! Contacts Keiko Andrews: Recycled Uniform Chairperson Mineko Inoue: Recycled Uniform Co-Chairperson recycleduniforms2012@gmail.com From the Parent-Faculty Advisory Group Facilitating communication within the St. Mary’s community The Parent-Faculty Advisory Group provides concerned parents the best opportunity to meet directly with Br. Michel and other administrative staff and parents to discuss the full range of school-wide topics concerning their boys’ experiences and education at St. Mary’s. PFA consists of current parents of St. Mary’s students, teacher representatives and school administrators. While maintaining an advisory role, PFA strives to facilitate communication and cooperative action between the St. Mary’s community and the school. PFA meetings are organized to be attentive to concerns of the St. Mary’s community and to cover a range of topics such as facilities, resources, curriculum and education, the community at large, school calendar and events, etc. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend these meetings and/or make agenda submissions by e-mail to the PFA president or any member of the group listed in the school directory. Please contact us with your comments or questions. Interested parents can read the Constitution of the PFA here. PFA remaining meetings for 2012-13 May 16 All meetings are held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in room 263, the Maple Room. Every St. Mary’s Parent is Welcome! E-mail the PFA: pfa@smis.ac.jp Agenda: You may request the agenda by e-mailing PFA. 31 PFA parent officers for the 2012-13 school year: President Jeffrey Behr Vice President Sirsij Peshin Secretary Larry Repeta Dates to Remember May 11 -------------- Carnival May 28-------------- Year-End Newsletter Publishing! June 7 --------------- Summer holidays begin June 10-28 --------- Summer School at St. Mary’s Advertising Section St. Mary’s has no direct relationship with service or events advertised in this section of the newsletter. Please contact advertisers directly for more information. 32 ―Corsage & Boutonniere Making Class― Would you like to make Corsages & Boutonnieres for your child’s prom by yourself ? It’ll definitely be fun to make your own and would also be a good memory for your son/daughter. Both the Corsage and Boutonniere will be made out of fresh flowers only! It takes about 1.5 hours to make them. Where ? When? The class will be held at my studio which is only 3 minutes walk from Denenchofu station (Toyoko-line). If you have 3-4 people ,Classes will be held at the student’s house upon your request. The date and time will be discussed directly over the phone. Flower arrangement materials will also be prepared Fee ¥5,000 per lesson (including all the materials) For further information, please contact me at the address listed below Maximize 世界で活躍する Your 国際人になるために Potential 1 2 インター面接対策・編入コース インターナショナルスクールへの編入を目指される親御さま 生徒さまの面接対策をサポートします。 編入後の英語対策も。 インター生・帰国子女コース インターナショナルスクールに通われている生徒さまや 帰国子女の生徒さまの勉強面・生活面をサポートします。 BILINGUAL ACADEMY ☎:03-6868-4086 9:00∼18:00 バイリンガルアカデミー 検索 NANBO DISCOVERY CAMP Presented by Discover Japan Chikura, Japan www.discoverjapan.co.jp SUMMER DISCOVERY Since 1999 Our campers enjoy an adventure of swimming, snorkeling, cycling, sports, hiking, exploration, science, cooking, discovery, arts and cra2s and more. Whether they are learning about life in a tide pool, Camp Schedule - 2013 collecting shells, cycling over the next hill, preparing meals, or body surfing at the beach, they will have All Camps have Mini-Camp option! an active, positive and fun summer camp adventure. Families can choose 5-night or 3-night Equally important, they will be building confidence option for camps 2 - 4 and relationships, overcoming challenges and 1. July 21 - 24 (mini-camp) working together in a positive camp environment. 2. July 28 - 31 or August 2 Journal writing and drawing are daily activities at We are up early every morning and on our way by 6:30am, starting the day with fun exercises and sports activities. Campers o2en help prepare meals in small groups with our staff. The day ends with activities around the campfire, in the Discovery Room or on a night hike. Campers sleep in one of four bunk rooms with a Nanbo counselor. SUMMER FUN Summer - 2013 OUR 15th SEASON Nanbo Discovery Camp, our residential summer camp for elementary and middle school students is located in Minami Boso, Chiba, two hours southeast of Tokyo. The language of our camp is English. Nanbo Discovery Camp that allow us to reflect on the day through discussion, writing and sketching. Campers will bring home their journals and art work at the end of camp. 3. August 4 - 7 or 9 4. August 11 - 14 or 16 5. August 18 - 21 (mini-camp) - **newly enclosed and very private shower/toilet area** - caring residential program - low camper/staff ratio - designed for elementary and MS students - six-day/five-night sessions - four-day/three-night mini-camps - large grass activity field - outdoor “dining” deck - 4,500 tsubo/almost four acres of private camp ground - new facility opened in 2007 - healthy and plentiful food prepared at camp - Discovery Room for campers - community-based, camper centered - journal writing/reflections - snorkeling, boogie boarding - transportation to and from camp provided - science science science - counselor-in-training program (CIT) The Nanbo Discovery Camp senior staff consists of experienced international school educators. Our junior counselors are senior high school and university students, mostly bilingual, all mature, responsible and caring young adults. We have a counselor- in-training (CIT) program that allows younger high school students the chance to develop leadership skills, gain in confidence and have fun as campers at the same time. - 200 meters from white sand beach Our campers are usually between seven and 14 years old and are grouped together for most activities. We do accept a limited number of non-English speakers into our immersion program. Campers stay for one, two, or more sessions. Our camper/staff ratio is about 4:1, reflecting our strong commitment to a safe camp environment. - “sibling” discounts Go to our photo gallery to see photo albums of summer camp, our lodge, and much more. Learn more about Discover Japan at http://discoverjapan.zenfolio.com/nanbo Please join us this summer! - large campfire area - 25 Trek mountain bicycles - senior staff certified international school educators, first aid/CPR trained - “early bird” discounts - “multiple weeks” discounts Please contact David Green for information and our registration material. info@discoverjapan.co.jp or call 090 7716 0102 Featured on NHK-TV August, 2006 Th e o n l y j u k u fo r i n t e r n a t i o n a l st u d e n t s ! ! O n e M i n u t e w a l k fr o m M e g u r o S t a t i o n ! ! • • • • • • International Students Course International Kindergarten International School Preparation Course Adult Lessons University Preparation Course Private tutor course FREE TRIAL LESSON www.juku-inter.com info@juku-inter.com Tel: 03-6408-5206 Fax: 03-6408-5207 Kindergarten to 6th Grade 10..00 to 12.30 Grammar Vocabulary Reading Writing Math Middle / High School 12.30 to 14.30 12.30 to 14.30 SAT, PSAT, IELTS,TOEFL College Application Essay Reading Writing ActivityTime Swimming Park Crafts Board Games June 10th to August 9th Choose any session you like!! 9 x 1 week sessions Kindergarten to Grade 6 ¥35,000 per week ¥60,000 for 2 weeks ¥88,0000 for 3 weeks Middle / High School ¥30,000 per week ¥55,000 for 2 weeks ¥83,0000 for 3 weeks www.inter.juku.com Tel: 03 -6408-5206 info@juku-inter.com an Invitation to Join Us Since 1992 over 700 participants have shared experiences and the excitement of summer camp in beautiful Izu-Oshima. The Oshima Summer Camp is designed to provide an opportunity for youngsters to enjoy many outdoor activities in a residential camp setting. Summer Camp is full of wholesome fun with plenty of learning that helps develop self-esteem and self-confidence and lets all achieve their full potential in the community of a residential camp. Children need to run, get dirty and sweaty and most of all, access their imagination through play. The outdoor playground is a wonderful avenue for such explorations. A summer camp experience allows children to be themselves, to find their own identity and thrive in a healthy environment. Many parents find the Oshima Camp to be an ideal opportunity to have their youngsters take their first trip away from home. Camp Dates: Camp 1: Camp 2: July 4th - July 8th August 1st - August 5th Should you be interested, we would be pleased to hear from you .... phone/fax e-mail: web site: (03) 5491-4674 bucsdave@gol.com http://www2.gol.com/users/bucsdave/ David Moodie - Camp Director