Fourth Quarter 2013-14 - St. Mary`s International School

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St. Mary’s International School!
1-6-19 Seta, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8668!
(03) 3709-3411!
“A School with a Heart”!
Quarterly Highlights!
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!
In This Newsletter Issue!
Message from the Headmaster!
SMA President!
MS Principal!
MS/HS Librarian!
ES Librarian!
ES Counselor!
Swim Team!
Message from the Headmaster!
In speaking with the students at the
school, the rich diversity and multicultural backgrounds become readily
apparent. From multiple languages
spoken to extensive international travel
experience, we have the challenge of
preparing our students, the school
community and ourselves for a rapidly
changing and evolving world, and at the
same time establishing a solid moral and
academic foundation. This is indeed no
small task, and requires dedication and
coordination from all involved.!
The more you know about your son’s
education, the better. Get involved. Join
the very active and supportive St. Mary’s
Association (SMA), know the school
community, and participate in upcoming
events: concerts, the Carnival, class trips,
sporting events, SMA organizations, and
many more events between now and the
end of the year. And celebrate your son’s
school year.!
Fourth Quarter 2014
Page 1!
Page 2!
Page 3!
Page 3!
Page 4!
Page 5!
Page 5!
Issue No. 4 - Fourth Quarter 2014
Development Office!
SMA Donation Committee!
Updates from the SMA Committees!
Summer School!
From our Advertisers!
Dates to Watch!
Page 6!
Page 7!
Page 8!
Page 9!
Page 14!
Page 20!
of programs throughout the school.
Become an active member of this group,
and find multiple ways to participate in
your son’s schooling. Thank you to the
SMA for the energy and enthusiasm
which in turn helps vitalize the school.!
The school theme, “Making a difference
every day,” gives us a goal to strive for,
and as we enter our 60th year, please
mark your calendars for a stretch of
upcoming events anchored with Bingo
(Photo: SS Tokyo Co., Ltd.)! on Friday, Oct. 17, and a special 60th
Anniversary Reception at the Tokyo
I would like to focus attention on the St.
American Club on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014.
Mary’s Association, and upcoming events
Details about this week will be
in closing. SMA President Mrs. Caterina
forthcoming.!
Tanaka and the SMA Board have quietly
taken care of business throughout the
-Saburo Kagei, Headmaster!
years. This organization continues to be
an integral part of what happens at
school not only in the area of fundraising
with major school events such as Bingo,
the Christmas Fair, the International Ball,
and the upcoming Carnival and Raffle,
but also with financial and moral support !
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From the SMA President,
Caterina Tanaka!
-Making A Difference Every Day-!
Our big event for this quarter is the St. Mary’s
Carnival, and we recognize with gratitude our
individual and corporate donors who have
given valuable prizes for the Carnival, Raffle
and game booths. Proving that their ties to St.
Mary’s does not stop after graduation, thank
you to the members of the St. Mary’s Alumni
Association for its support again this year by
donating two of the Raffle grand prizes: a
luxurious one-week trip to Nepal for two, and
a round-trip voucher to New York. In
addition, thank you to Angelo, Gordon & Co.
for their prize donation of a five-night stay in
a suite for two at the luxurious St. Ermin’s
Hotel, located in central London. Lastly, all of
this would not have been possible without the
hard work behind-the-scenes of SMA
Donations Chair Miho Nagano and Co-Chair
Noriko Behr.!
Save the dates:!
Carnival and Raffle, Saturday, May 10!
Preparations are now under way for our
largest event of the year, with Motoko A’De
Lima and Mariko Woody as St. Mary’s
Carnival chair and co-chair, respectively. The
country booth committees, Carnival
committee chairs, co-chairs, volunteers, and
the entire St. Mary’s faculty, administration
and staff have all come together to create a
wonderfully fun day for everyone. You can
sample delicious foods from all over the world
at the country booths, take in entertainment
performed by students, families and friends at
the Carnival’s outdoor stage, play games and
make crafts, spend good times with good
friends, make new friends, and so much more.
The Carnival is not be missed!!
Adding to the excitement is our annual Raffle
program run by Keiko Aoyama and Yu
Kobayashi again this year. Raffle ticket books
were sent home during the second week of
April. Please support your sons in selling
these tickets to make this important fundraiser
a huge success.!
High School Graduation, Saturday, May 31!
Elementary Graduation, Thursday, June 5!
Room Parent Coordinators Lia Kumar and
Keiko Fukasawa organized committees in
charge of decorations and the receptions of the
respective school graduations. Junior class
parents Miyuki Shimizu and Kumiko Wood
and HS parent volunteers are heading up the
HS Graduation Committee. For the ES
Graduation, the 5th Grade Room Parents
coordinated the catering and decorations, and
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Mineko Inoue and Iwori Arai are committee
Chair and Co-Chair, respectively, with parent
volunteers making up the rest of the
committee.!
fine arts team travel, HS class retreats, Sakura
Medal programs, the Mind’s I student literary
journal, the annual Yearbook, School Calendar
and student community service support.!
SMA 3rd quarter activities and events:!
–We celebrated the school community at the
59th St. Mary's International Ball in grand
style and with great success. The entire
International Ball team and volunteers, the St.
Mary’s Alumni Association and the Boosters
Association were all in the very capable hands
of Chair Yumi Shigetake and Co-chair Ruriko
Kojima.!
In order to continue to provide for these
wonderful programs, I encourage you to
participate, in whatever way you choose — as
a volunteer, making a donation to one of the
SMA sponsored events such as Carnival, or
selling Raffle tickets. Large or small, your
contribution counts to our ambitious
fundraising goal so that we may continue
provide support for these excellent
extracurricular programs and the
enhancement of the school’s IT program.!
–Room Parent Coordinators Lia Kumar and
Keiko Fukasawa joined with the three MS
Parent Liaisons — Akiko Inamine, Yukari Ko
and Takako Kuo — Mr. Langholz, and Mr.
Thiessen to host a well-received Parents’ Day
in February, with insightful presentations on
the High School program from Mr. Copping
and Mrs. Ramsey.!
–Satisfied smiles were seen all around from
HS students at the popular HS Ice Cream
Bash, and also for teachers, administration
and school staff at the delicious Staff
Appreciation Luncheon. Both events were
made possible with the help of volunteers and
food donations coordinated by Lia Kumar and
Keiko Fukasawa, Room Parent Coordinators.!
–Keiko Ikeda and Risa Osawa of the Japanese
Speaking Support Group (JSSG), with the
support of the Room Parent Coordinators,
organized two sessions of the well-attended
seminars on “ACT and SAT and the Road to
College” with Mr. Ragon. Rika Atobe
interpreted for the day session, and an
evening session on Feb. 13 offered a great
opportunity for working parents to attend.!
SMA Volunteers for Board positions:!
Nominations Chair Mie Ward has done a
terrific job in filling most of the open SMA
Board positions for the 2014-2015 school year.
We continue our drive to fill all positions
before the school year ends. Previous board
experience is not necessary. Please contact us
for inquiries and information on open
positions at sma@smis.ac.jp. Many hands
make light work.!
SMA community participation and feedback:!
We invite you to participate in school and
SMA events, in sports and fine arts programs,
and in the school community. You will have
the opportunity to learn about the school,
meet faculty, administration and other
parents, and share in the work that goes into
each of the SMA programs and events. The
reward is building an even better environment
for your son’s education.!
We always appreciate your feedback. Please
send your thoughts and comments to
sma@smis.ac.jp.!
–Hospitality Chair Aya Iwamoto and Co-Chair -Caterina Tanaka, SMA President
Therese Adachi organized a lovely Spring
Luncheon to honor of the Seniors’ parents,
guardians and families. Many volunteers
helped create a successful event, from set-up
and decorations to donating lovely gifts for
the attendees and senior parents, and
delightful cakes for the popular Cake Auction.!
On behalf of the St. Mary’s Association board
members, thank you to all for their the
ongoing and unwavering support of the SMA
activities and events.!
Funding for 2014-2015:!
SMA Vice-President Jennifer Yamamoto is
working on one of the most important tasks
that the St. Mary’s Association undertakes at
this time of year. Funds raised by the SMA
provide financial support to benefit students
directly, such as ES and MS field trips, sports/
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From the Middle School Principal, From the MS/HS Library!
James Langholz!
It’s springtime in the MS/HS Library and we
There is much to celebrate about this school
year as we begin to look toward the summer.
The involvement of our students has been
exceptional in so many ways, the support of
parents of our efforts as a school are
unmatched in my many years of experience,
and teachers are embracing many changes
that will engage students in new kinds of
learning for their futures. It will be good to
take a summer break in a few weeks to reflect
on all that has been accomplished and to
recharge for beginning a new school year in
August.!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
a number of teachers who will not be
returning to St. Mary’s International School in
the fall. Mr. Ikezoe, 7th grade social studies
teacher; Mrs. Fernicola, MS/HS Librarian;
Mrs. Wayne, Curriculum Coordinator; and Mr.
Czuk, MS Design Technology and Ethics
teacher, are all heading to the USA to begin
new chapters in their lives. The many years of
commitment to St. Mary’s from these teachers
are remarkable, and their contributions to our
students and to the school will continue to
benefit many people well into the future. If
you have a chance to thank each of these
teachers personally I would encourage you to
do so.!
The turnout at our Middle School parent
meeting on March 21 was terrific, and the
afternoon talent show was a real treat. As was
heard by parents who were in attendance, we
will be having a number of significant changes
to teaching and to learning beginning in the
fall. We will be starting a “Bring Your Own
Device” expectation where each student will
be required to bring a laptop, we will be
having a period each day related to Problem
Based Learning, and we will continue to read
a common book supporting the learning in the
Middle School. Next year’s common read will
be “Mountains Beyond Mountains”, a story
that talks about the work of Dr. Paul Framer
and will provide the opportunity for all of us
to connect learning with service in the world.
More details about all of these initiatives will
be coming out in the coming weeks.!
I would personally like to thank all of you for
your support of the Middle School this year.
Together we can accomplish so much, and
your sons will benefit significantly from this
team approach. Best wishes as you plan for
the summer and as you look toward the future
as a family.!
-James Langholz, Middle School Principal!
Fourth Quarter 2014
are celebrating April as Poetry Month!!
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we are truly grateful to the SMA for their
funding support. The Library looks forward
planning more exciting programs with SMA
funding next year and in future years!!
Grade 6 students visiting the library with their
class during this month have been roaming
our stacks and creating spine poems from the
books on the shelves. It’s a great way for them
to get better acquainted with our extensive
collection, and make some poetry from the
book titles they find appealing.!
Of course, April is also the culmination of our
Sakura Medal Book Award. Middle School
and High School students have been reading
as many of the books on the lists as they can
since November, and St. Mary’s hopes to have
as many voters, if not more, as in past years,
so that we can decisively determine the
outcome. Already during the month of March
many MS students and a few HS students had
read enough books to qualify to vote. For their
efforts, the boys received a gift voucher for a
special sweet treat, which they greatly
enjoyed. Reading in the Sakura Medal
program will end on April 25 and voting will
take place in the Library on April 28, so we are
encouraging your sons to get in as many
books read as possible before the deadline!!
When our boys vote for their favorite book on
April 28, they will also vote for their favorite
Sakura Medal design. This year we have
submitted some outstanding artwork in all
four of the categories we participate in: MS
English, MS Japanese, HS English, and HS
Japanese. Good luck to our artists Nishant C.,
Leon I., Clarence S., Saeef H., Shion I.,
Raymond C., Yuta N. and Seung Hyo C. You
may see their artwork currently on exhibit in
our display case just outside the MS/HS
Library.!
Rakugo performer Shinosuke Tatekawa!
On a final note, and a personal one, I would
like to thank St. Mary’s parents, students, and
colleagues for their kind support of me and
the Library over the years, but it is time to say
farewell. After 26 years’ association with St.
Mary’s and the international school
community, it is time to return back to my
home state of Connecticut to re-join my family
and friends. I leave a little part of me in Japan,
and at St. Mary’s. The reading programs I had
a role in initiating both at St. Mary’s and at the
Kanto international schools, the St. Mary’s
Book Award and the Sakura Medal Award, are
flourishing and will continue to develop and
grow, I believe. The importance of reading,
and reading good books, cannot be overstated, for indeed it is the cornerstone and
foundation of all academic achievement.
Happy reading always!!
-Anna Fernicola, MS/HS Librarian!
We owe our sincerest thanks to the SMA for
their very generous support of the Sakura
Medal Award Reading Program since its
inception in 2006. !
SMA funding also enables the Library to line
up author/storyteller visits during the school
year. This year we were fortunate to host
young and upcoming author Adam Gidwitz
(A Tale Dark & Grimm) in October; and in
April we had the pleasure of a rakugo
performance by Shinoharu Tatekawa. Mr.
Tatekawa, a disciple of Shinosuke Tatekawa,
had us all in stitches as we took in his
hilarious tale of the “Tenshiki” (see photos).
These are truly unique opportunities that we
provide to our students to be able to come in
contact with professional writers and
storytellers from around the world
outstanding in their fields – and again, for that
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Recognizing that
students today enjoy
reading books on
their personal
devices, we have
taken the first step to
move into the world
of eBooks with the
purchase of a school subscription to Tumble
Book Library. Recently, you should have
received a Tumble Book bookmark with the
school’s username and password that will
allow you to access the Tumble Book Library
from anywhere you have access to the
internet. Just follow the following steps:!
and encouraging those who needed an extra
nudge. Mrs. Craney’s class read a total of 418
books! They each read 20 books, the
maximum amount. This is a first for St.
Mary’s! Congratulations, 3C!!
I would also like to congratulate our art
contest finalist, whose art is now part of the
All-Japan Sakura Medal Art Contest.!
English Picture Books!
Shun F., 3C
Roland B., 3A
Jinhyuk O., 3A!
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International School Librarians’ Meeting: May
16!
The ES Library will be closed all day on May
16, including after school. We will be
attending the meeting to plan the 2015 Sakura
Medal Program.!
Summer checkout permission forms due May
23!
Families must return this form by May 23 to
participate in the annual summer checkout.!
All books must be returned to the ES Library
May 23!
All books must be returned to the ES Library
by May 23 to ensure that all student, parent
and teacher library accounts are cleared before
inventory and the end of the school year.!
Inventory Week: May 26 to 30!
The ES Library will be closed during this
week so that the staff may perform the annual
inventory.!
Summer Checkout: June 3-5!
Each RP to 4th Grade 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 times for parents to join in the fun.!
Summer Reading Challenge begins June 6!
Information for this fantastic summer
opportunity will be distributed to the classes
in early May.!
I recommend taking the TumblePad Virtual
Tour to learn about all the benefits of the
Tumble Book Library.!
One class truly shined bright this year, under
the guidance of Mrs. Craney. 3C decided early
on to set goals for themselves which they all
met. They rallied around each other, praising
those students who read all 20 picture books
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Important ES Library Dates to Remember!
Last day to check out books: May 15!
The last day to check out from the ES Library
is May 15. Books checked out on this day must
be returned one week later, on May 23.!
The Tumble Book Library includes nearly
1,000 titles that are great for our RP to 5th
Grade students. Students will be able to read
along as a narrator reads the story or they can
turn off the reader and read at their own pace.
They can read fiction, non-fiction, graphic
novels and even math stories.!
Our Sakura Medal Reading Program is
winding down. I am pleased to announce that
nearly every student read at least five books.
Voting for the books and the Sakura Medal
Artwork will begin during their library class
times.!
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Their artwork is currently being displayed
near the entrance to the ES Library. Please stop
by and take a look.!
http://www.smis.ac.jp/>Libraries>ES
Library Destiny Catalog> Tumble Book!
Please let us know what you think about the
Tumble Book Library.!
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Japanese Chapter Books!
Se Ji C., 4S
Conan S., 5L
Kensei S., 4L!
From the ES Library!
The ES Library is always looking for new
ways to help our students learn to love
reading. Currently, we invite authors to speak
to our students, we run the St. Mary’s Book
Award reading program for the RP to 3rd
Grade students and we participate in the
Sakura Medal Reading Program each year.
These initiatives are generously supported by
the school community and its supporters
through the St. Mary’s Association. Let’s not
forget our always popular summer reading
challenge that engages our students during
the months when
they are away from
school.!
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English Chapter Books!
George N., 4C
Bill Y., 5W
Kori O., 5B!
-Tammy Hays, ES Librarian
English Graphic Novels!
Mayank B., 5L
Se Ji C., 4S
Chris K., 4S!
Japanese Picture Books!
Liam G., 2N
Kaito S., 2N
Jei Kyoung S., 4L!
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From the ES/MS School Counselor,
Julie Gordon!
Help for the child means help for the entire
family!
Most families find that coping with illness,
loss or major changes of circumstance is
difficult. Illness in a family can be an actual
physical disease, mental illness or a chronic
disability. A loss in a family can be a death,
divorce, loss of employment or even the loss
that happens during a move when friends and
support systems are no longer around. These
are ordinary family problems that happen to
ordinary families. People in general usually
believe that other families have fewer
problems than their own. This is absolutely a
myth and can be destructive for families,
because family members think that they fall
short or are failures themselves. Although all
members of the family can be affected, it’s
often the children that manifest the symptoms
of the family problem through their behavior.
Because of this, sometimes parents and
educators try to solely focus on changing the
behavior of the child, when really the better
approach is to examine the entire family and
what is occurring with everyone. In clinical
terms, the child is often referred to as “the
identified patient”, but it is usually the family
who is the true patient.!
This concept may be somewhat confusing, so
let me give you a few examples. Perhaps mom
is suffering from depression, and her son is
having problems in school such as: lack of
concentration, not doing his homework or
getting into trouble. Often a family will focus
on the child’s behavior and fixing it, instead of
going to the root of the matter and helping
mom. Another case may be a family situation
where dad drinks too much. No one in the
family feels comfortable addressing that issue,
so the teen daughter may develop an eating
disorder or the son may become involved in
substance abuse. The family then puts all their
energy into helping their children, once again
not having to face the bigger issue. One more
case may be where the parents aren’t around
very much for a variety of reasons. The child
starts getting into lots of trouble at school as a
way of getting attention. Often the parents,
school officials and teachers then talk with the
boy in an attempt to help him change his
behavior, when in reality the solution would
simply be for the parents to spend more time
with him and give him that extra attention.!
This probably all sounds reasonable, and you
may be thinking of some family you know
right now that fits the bill. Probably most of
you aren’t thinking, “This is me and my !
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family.” That’s normal and common. As
humans it’s very difficult to examine our own
behavior. Another phenomenon called
“denial” also tends to interfere with our
ability to see ourselves. So the overall point of
this article is really just to bring awareness
and education to you if you are in a situation
where your child is experiencing some sort of
problem (especially getting into trouble
behaviorally or academically). As I said
before, all families will go through some type
of crisis or situation. You are not alone or
unusual. The important thing to remember is
to look at it as a family problem, not just your
child’s. If you take this approach, not only will
your child improve but the whole family will
benefit and get back on track sooner.!
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Sahara (13-14) 1st; Kaitlin Rossman (13-14)
1st;Naoki Nomura (13-14) 2nd; Takashi
Kanazawa (13-14) 3rd; Luka Honobe (13-14)
3rd; Jun Asano (11-12) 3rd; Ryan Fenwick
(9+10) 1st; Max Wahba (8+Under) 1st; and
Natsuki Uchino (8+Under) 2nd.!
Other swimmers finishing in the top 8 in
overall points for their age groups were
Shunichi Ichimura, Shane Brett, Coco
Yamamoto, Yuri Hayashi, Tyson Wang,
Eugene Decosse, Kota Uchino, Naoki Martin,
Neo Yoshii, Keigo Hayashi, Bien Bagui, and
Kenji Nomura.!
The Crescendo relays are always a crowd
favorite as swimmers from each age group are
featured. The Buccaneers took both the 200
meter Crescendo relay and the 400 meter
Crescendo Freestyle relay.!
-Julie Gordon, ES/MS School Counselor!
Swim Team Highlights!
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2014 March Age Group Swimming Champs at
St. Mary’s!
The Bucs played host to 19 teams at the March
Age Group Championships on Saturday and
Sunday. Championship meets always seem to
bring the best out of all. It was quite a meet,
with 473 athletes attending the annual
competition. The coaches would like to thank
all the volunteers that helped make the
weekend a success — your hard work is
greatly appreciated! The Bucs parents were
incredible, running a meet with 2,115
individual entries as well as 142 relays. The
combined effort of the parents resulted in
finishing earlier than expected despite
encountering difficulties with the timing
system on Day 2 of the competition. An
awards ceremony was held in a packed
gymnasium following the last event on
Sunday afternoon.!
St. Mary’s took the overall team trophy with
4,066 points. Setagaya-ku’s Kibogaoka Swim
Team amassed 1,855 points for 2nd place. The
Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team followed with
1,777 points to finish in the 3rd spot.!
High Point trophies are awarded to the 1st,
2nd and 3rd place finishers in each age group
based on six events over two days. Buc
swimmers took a total of 11 high point honors.
Swimmers capturing high point trophies were
Nicolas Flint (15-18) 1st; Junu Moon (15-18)
2nd; Stefano A’De Lima (15-18) 3rd; Yutaro
Keigi Hayashi (11-12), Naoki Martin (13-14),
Shane Brett (15-18) and Ryan Fenwick (9-10)
combined to win the Boys 200 meter
Crescendo relay in 2:08.05. The Bucs girls team
of Coco Yamamoto (15-18), Kaitlin Rossman
(13-14), Marta Nieto-Kuruc (11-12) and Lisa
Purcell (9-10) also took 1st place in 2:25.59.!
The Bucs easily won the 400 meter Crescendo
relay. The Freestyle crescendo features five
swimmers from each age group. Max Wahba
(8+Under – 50m), Ryan Fenwick (9-10 - 50m),
Kota Uchino (11-12 – 100m), Takashi
Kanazawa (13-14 – 100m) and Nicolas Flint
(15-18 – 100m) posted an impressive 4:08.74,
nearly 9 seconds ahead of the nearest
competition.!
The final race of the meet was arguably one of
the most exciting races of the weekend. St.
Mary’s and Nittai Ebara went head to head
over 400 meters, with the Buccaneers winning
in the end on the strength of senior Nicolas
Flint’s anchor leg. Nic got his hand to the wall
first, touching out Nittai Ebara’s anchor leg by
.03 second. Both relay teams also competed at
the recent held Japanese Age Group National
Championships.!
US Swimming AAAA standards were turned
in by Shane Brett, Nicolas Flint, Takashi
Kanazawa, Naoki Nomura and Yutaro Sahara.
AAA times came from Junu Moon, Kaitlin
Rossman, Stefano A’De Lima and Laszlo
Wenk. AA swims were produced by Shunichi
Ichimura, Coco Yamamoto, Riki Motoyama,
Naoki Martin and Ryan Fenwick. A times
came from Yuri Hayashi, Tyson Wang, Luka
Honobe, Kota Uchino, Skyler Pang, Neo
Yoshii, Keigo Hayashi, Jun Asano, Max
Wahba, Karl Bodenheimer, Kenji Nomura and
Natsuki Uchino.!
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(Swimming - from page 5)!
Japanese Age Group National Swimming
Championships at Tatsumi!
On March 27-30, 3,590 swimmers from 859
clubs packed into the Tatsumi's International
Swimming Complex for the annual JOC Cup All Japan Age Group National Short Course
Championships. It was the 36th annual spring
championships, with swimmers from 47
prefectures throughout the nation in the
competition.!
Junior Shane Brett was the first Buccaneer to
compete on Day 2 of the meet, swimming the
400 meter Individual Medley. Shane finished
in 20th place and 1st overall in Tokyo with a
solid 4:24.45 swim.!
Joshua Brown pulls the trigger and wins the
50 Free at National Champs!!
There was lots of excitement around SMST on
Day 3 of the meet. Freshman Joshua Brown
was in 4th place in the 50 meter Freestyle after
a morning prelim swim of 23.93. It was a
different story in the finals — Josh nailed his
start and had a great breakout after the dive to
take a lead that he never relinquished to
become this years' 13-14 Boys national
champion. Josh blazed a 23.63 in the finals,
ahead of Kagawa-ken's Masaya Murakami of
Sakaide Swimming School (23.77).!
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Yutaro Sahara (55.33) and Naoki Nomura
(56.78) bettered their two-week-old Open
+Area record by a whopping 3.53 seconds to
take 5th overall in the nation. It was rather
remarkable as the boys swam almost identical
splits from their earlier prelim time of 3:37.99
to qualify for the afternoon finals.!
13-14 Boys 4 x 100 meter Freestyle Relay!
1st Tokyo Swimming Center (Tokyo), 3:33.90
2nd Swim Omiya (Saitama), 3:34.68
3rd Okazaki Tatsuki (Chiba), 3:35.96
4th Konami Nishimiya (Hyogo), 3:37.89
5th St. Mary’s (Tokyo), 3:37.97
6th NEC Green Tamagawa (Kanagawa),
3:38.28
7th Sakaide Ito SS (Kagawa), 3:38.64
8th Kaneda Swim Club (Tokyo), 3:39.15!
Kazuki Martin and Takashi Kanazawa also
both competed individually in the 50 meter
Free, going 24.09 and 24.78, respectively.
Kazuki M., Shane Brett, Nicolas Flint and Junu
Moon competed in the Boys 15-18 400 meter
Free Relay and were a bit off their time from
the J.O. Yosen meet two weeks ago. It’s a
young relay team and it looks like things will
set up well for a hot relay next season.!
Shane Brett started Day 4 of the competition
off great for the Bucs with a swift 200 meter
Individual Medley race, going 2:04.38 with
splits of 26.95 in the Fly, 31.57 in the Back,36.02
in the Breast and 29.83 in the Free.!
Unfortunately, Shane was disqualified for an
illegal dolphin kick on the breaststroke leg. He
would have finished 19th without the DQ.!
Josh Brown had a grueling schedule, tackling
three races in a span of 1 hour and 40 minutes,
competing in the 100 Breast, 100 Free and the
400 Medley Relay. Josh went 1:06.04 in the 100
meter Breast before finishing in 17th overall in
the 100 meter Free with a 53.37 effort. The
final event for SMST was the 13-14 Boys 400
meter Medley Relay. The Bucs relay finished
in 18th place overall, bettering their own
Open+Area record with a very competitive
4:01.66. The splits were: Yutaro (Back –
1:02.89), Joshua (Breast – 1:05.51), Naoki
Nomura (Butterfly – 59.85) and Takashi
Kanazawa (Freestyle – 53.41).!
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From the Development Office!
Annual Giving!
We have received over 18 million yen since we
sent out the Annual Giving appeal letter in
November. We were very pleased to receive
such a positive response despite having sent
the appeal much later than we have in
previous years. To show our sincere
appreciation, we have listed below our
generous donors. We would also like to
express our earnest gratitude to the
anonymous donors.!
Kenji Amemiya!
Artemis Co., Ltd.!
The Bae and Kuo Families!
The Banov Family!
Juan Borga!
Julian Cho!
Raymond Cho!
Mr. Czuk's Mechanical Drawing Class!
Stephen Decosse!
Mitsuo Harito!
Katsuhiko Hirota!
Homecare Clinic Yokohama Konan!
Md. Rashidul Islam!
Chance Jeong!
Adrian Jones!
Tomohiro & Maki Kamisaku!
Kwang Suk Kim!
Motoyuki Kumagai!
Lee Buchol Accountant Office!
Yeonsu Lee!
Yue Liu!
Yoko & Eiji Makiguchi!
Motomachi Suzuki Co., Ltd.!
Yoshiaki Murakami!
Keiichi Nagaoka!
Kenichi Nakano!
Seijiro Nozaki!
Tessai Ogata!
Adrian & Masumi Pizer!
Shigeru Ro!
Ryu An Co., Ltd.!
SK Hynix Japan!
Sarata Sahoo!
The Tronsen Family!
Akihiko & Hiyumi Yamada!
Chunhua Zhang!
The Age Group Nationals were televised
nationally on April 12th.!
Less than an hour after Josh's win and award
ceremony presentation, a pumped-up group
threw down a combined 3:37.97, good enough
for 5th place in the Boys 13-14 400 meter
Freestyle relay. The quartet of Takashi
Kanazawa (54.07), Joshua Brown (51.78),
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Fourth Quarter 2014
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(Development Office - from page 6)!
As we will be celebrating our 60th anniversary
next school year, we have accelerated the
schedule for completing the Multi-Purpose
Hall. St. Mary’s appreciates any type of
contribution to help achieve this.!
St. Mary’s Alumni Association!
SMAA will have a booth at the St. Mary’s
Carnival on May 10, selling shaved ice and
beverages. The Smoothies will be here again
this year at the Carnival. Please come and
enjoy shaved ice and cool drinks in the
sunshine.!
St. Mary’s Alumni Parents Association!
SMAA and SMAPA will have their Carnival
booths side by side. In addition to the
mimosas and champagne of years past, Mr.
Weber will join us to sell gin and tonic.!
SMAPA will also be selling custom-made,
insulated “Titans Bottles”.!
You may be surprised to see familiar faces this
year, as Mr. Warfield, Mr. Galles and Mr. Doug
Ofstedal are planning to join the Carnival!!
Until May 2, you can reserve a bottle to ensure
you receive your first choice. Please refer to
the instructions in this flyer.!
!
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From the St. Mary’s Association
Donations Committee
Thank you to all of the people who generously
donated prizes, goods and funding for the
59th St. Mary’s Annual International Ball,
which was held on Saturday March 15.!
We are delighted to report that the
International Ball was a tremendous success,
and would not have happened without your
help.!
The funds raised from this event will provide
financial support that will directly benefit St.
Mary’s students, such as in field trips, student
travel for athletic and fine arts events, the
school libraries’ Sakura Medal Program, and
publication of the Mind’s I student literary
journal, to name a few. The St. Mary’s
Association’s mission is to assist in providing
an enhanced educational experience for all St.
Mary’s students, and we sincerely appreciate
your continued support towards achieving
that goal.!
The 59th AnnualInternational Ball Patrons!
Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuo and Mari Harito!
Mr. Seijiro Nozaki!
Mr. Taro Matsuo!
Mr. Yoshiaki Murakami!
Mr. Tomohiro Kamisaku!
Mr. Ichiro Asano!
Ms. Annie Chang!
Mr. and Mrs. Mataitoga!
Mr. and Mrs. Akihiko and Hiyumi Yamada!
Mr. Alex Jampel!
Barbacoa Grill Aoyama!
Mr. and Mrs. Yuji and Keiko Fukasawa!
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth and Keiko Andrews!
Mr. and Mrs. Alejandro Nieto and Ana Kuruc!
Mr. and Mrs. Arata and Keiko Ikeda!
Mr. and Mrs. Jon and Caterina Tanaka!
Mr. and Mrs. Takeshi and Therese Adachi!
Mrs. Yukari Shiraki!
Mrs. Keiko Tronsen!
Mr. Jong In Bae!
Mr. and Mrs. Makoto and Chiaki Hayashi!
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Corporate Sponsors!
Mori Living (Mori Building Co.,Ltd.)!
Tokyu Construction Co.!
EDWARD SUZUKI ASSOCIATES!
Roppongi Hills Nishibori Dental Office!
Donors!
All Nippon Airways Co.Ltd.!
ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort!
The Peninsula Tokyo!
Bayside Marina Hotel Yokohama!
Mr. Edward Suzuki, Architect!
Mr. Sei Shimura, Graphic Pop Artist!
Akasaka Hills Dental Office!
Asian Tigers Premier Worldwide Movers!
Barbacoa Grill Aoyama!
Beauté Absolue!
Dale Carnegie Training Japan!
Elle International Co., Ltd!
Escada Japan Co. Ltd!
How Inc.!
Jinro Inc.!
Miele Japan Corp.!
Niki Resort, INC.,!
Ningyocho Imahan Co,. Ltd.!
Ms. Mamiko Nishiyama!
Richemont Japan Limited/Piaget division!
Socie World Co., Ltd.!
The Gotoh Museum!
Tokyo American Club!
Vieni!
Wakaba Clinic!
Warner Entertainment Japan Inc.!
Mr. and Mrs. In Jip Yang!
Ms. Mayumi Yasugi, jewelry artist!
-Miho Nagano and Noriko Behr
Donations Chair and Co-Chair
smassociation@smis.ac.jp
!
Fourth Quarter 2014
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Update From the St. Mary’s
Association Committees!
From the International Ball Committee!
The International Ball Committee would like
to express our appreciation to all who
attended the 59th St. Mary’s International Ball.
This year, guest attendance was up by 70
guests over last year, and we were fortunate to
have dazzling Tango and Flamenco dance
performances, as well as performances from
the ever-talented International Show Choir
and St. Mary’s Jazz band. Guests were also
able to kick up their heels and dance the night
away to DJ Jimmy Kan’s excellent choices in
music. Bar sales at the Ball reached 550,000
yen, and this was possible due to the generous
individuals who donated quality wines.!
The International Ball would never gotten off
the ground without the help of many
volunteers. In addition to our generous
donors mentioned in the the program, there
were many other people on hand to help us
prepare. I would like to especially mention
those individuals who volunteered to make
this event a success:!
Hiromi Abe, Yoko Morikuni, Nobue Valeo,
Misayo Fujii, Kaoru Yamashita, Kiyomi
Kunita, Eiko Taniguchi, Keiko Fukasawa, Risa
Osawa, Keiko Ikeda, Yoko Kadoi, Kanami
Katayama, Mineko Inoue, Miho Nagano,
Sauiki Schafer, Mariko Woody, Saori Asano,
Motoko Harada and Keiko Andrews!
Lastly, we would like to extend a special
thank-you to the following individuals whose
collective effort made for a great school
community event:!
St. Mary’s International Ball Patrons and
Donors, Mr. Karl Studnicka (layout plan), Mr.
DJ Feldmeyer (PR), Mr. Robert Martens
(Photography), Mr. Kubo and his staff (set-up
and tear-down), Mr. James Montalto (MC),
Mrs. Rachel Stenson (Show Choir), Ms. Sydnie
Reynolds (Jazz Band), Mr. Suzuki of Bistro
Popcorn (Food Catering), Mr. Jimmy Kan (DJ),
Ms. Haruna Samejima (Poster Design), Ms.
Asako Takatsuki (Table flowers), and the
members of St. Mary’s Association.!
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From the Hospitality Committee!
SMA Bus Tour!
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the SMA Hospitality
Committee together with the Seisen Social
Events Committee hosted a day trip for 50
parents to beautiful Kamakura. We had
perfect weather and visited the famous
Daibutsu. After a stroll down Komachi-dori
and tea at Orindo, it was already time to head
back to Tokyo. It was a great day for all. We
extend our warmest thanks to our bus driver,
Mr. Saito.!
Spring Luncheon!
The SMA 2014 “Blossoms and Bows” Spring
Luncheon was held on Wednesday, April 16,
in the school gymnasium. The luncheon, in
honor of the senior parents, is an annual event
made possible by the generosity of many
volunteers and the cooperation of the St.
Mary's administration, faculty, office and
maintenance staff. The stellar performances by
the students, taking lunch with friends, and
congratulating our senior parents made it a
day to remember!!
-Aya Iwamoto and Therese Adachi
SMA Hospitality Chair and Co-Chair!
From the Nominations Chair!
Thank you to all the St. Mary’s Association
board members of for your hard work this
year. Out of 28 positions on SMA board, I am
delighted to report that we managed to fill 22
positions for the 2014-15 school year.!
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From the Raffle Committee!
Student Incentive Prizes for Raffle 2014!
All ES, MS and HS are eligible to participate!!
Pizza Party:!
The top three classes in raffle sales and classes
with 100 % class participation will earn a class
pizza party. To earn 100% class participation
pizza party, each student (in your homeroom
class) must sell at least one booklet (20 tickets). !
Top Individual Seller:!
Receives as Amazon card worth 6,000 yen!
No. 2 Individual Seller:!
Receives an Amazon card worth 4,000 yen!
Top 3rd Individual Seller:!
Receives an Amazon card worth 2,000 yen!
Sales of over 5 booklets:!
Receives a gift card worth 1,000 yen!
Sales of 3-4 booklets:!
Receives a gift card worth 500 yen!
Sales of more than 1 booklet:!
A student must sell at least 1booklet (20
tickets) to earn a St. Mary’s pencil.!
Thank you to all and good luck!!
-Raffle Committee 2014!
All parents and guardians of boys attending
St. Mary's are part of the St. Mary's
Association. We work together to make school
life special for all St. Mary’s boys.!
If you would like to volunteer or nominate a
person for a SMA board position, please send
me an e-mail at miefward@gmail.com.!
Thank you very much for your assistance.!
-Mie Ward
Nominations Chair!
!
-Yumi Shigetake and Ruriko Kojima
International Ball Committee Chair and CoChair!
!
8
Fourth Quarter 2014
Welcome to St. Mary’s
Summer School 2014!
June 9-24
St. Mary’s International School
1-6-19 Seta, Setagaya-ku
Tokyo, Japan 158-8668
Tel.: (81) 3 3709-3411
Register at http://summer.smis.ac.jp
Fourth Quarter 2014
St. Mary’s International School
2014 Carnival
Making A Difference Every Day
SATURDAY MAY 10TH
10 AM -­ 4 PM
Entertainment Raffle
Country Booths Games
Police Box
Kaminoge Sta.
Ticket Booth Side
No Parking Available
For more information please call St. Mary’s International School 03-­3709-­3411
Fourth Quarter 2014
Fourth Quarter 2014
USA Booth 2014
Dear American Families of the St. Mary’s Community,
The St. Mary’s Carnival, one of the biggest fund raising events of the year, is
coming up on Saturday, May 10th. Thanks to the many volunteers and donors
from our community last year, the USA booth was very successful despite the
bad weather on the day of the carnival.
The USA Booth 2014 team is excited and ready to make this year another
huge success. To make this happen, we need your help!! We need donations
of beer, wine, and candy (see below).
Thank you for your continued support!
USA Booth 2014 Chairs
Akiko Inamine (4C & 6V), Chiharu Kirch (4S), & Jennifer Yamamoto (5L)
smcarnivalusabooth@gmail.com
USA BOOTH DONATIONS NEEDED
Beer
• Dark beer, craft beer, & IPA’s are always very popular (eg. Sam Adams,
Longboard, Big Wave, Anchor Steam, Brooklyn Lager, etc)
American Wine
• Table wines and box wines are welcome!
American Candy
• Individually wrapped candies, please.!
• Gummy bears, lollipops, small candy bars, small boxes of Nerds, etc.
Please drop off donations at the Main Office in the USA Booth box from
April 21st.
Cash Donations
• Any amount welcome!
Please send cash donations in a sealed envelope with your name and son’s
class to the Accounting Office (next to the Main Office).
Fourth Quarter 2014
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
We have you covered this summer at Keiki with our fantastic courses.
For ages 1.5 years old to 9 years old we have
Summer School 2014. With different levels for tots,
preschool and elementary.
For older students aged 7~11 who want to explore
we have the
Young Adventures’ Club.
Young Adventures’ Club
July 28th ~August 22nd 2014
Filled with lots of fun experiments, a chance to
discover a different way of looking at the
World. Theme related field trips each week.
9:30 ~2:30 Monday~Friday
For children from 2nd grade+
Weekly Fee ¥55,000
Including field trip, pool fees, materials and
insurance
Nakamachi 4-5-8, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-0091
www.keikipre school.com
Telephone/Fax (03) 3703 8778
Please call us on 03-3703-8778 or email us at admin@keikipreschool.com for more information.
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
NANBO DISCOVERY !
CAMP
!
Presented by &
Chikura, Japan&
www.discoverjapan.co.jp& &
Discover Japan
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
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."
- newly enclosed and very private
shower/toilet area "
!
!
Equally important, they will be building confidence
and relationships, overcoming challenges and
working together in a positive camp environment. "
!
Journal writing and drawing are daily activities at
Nanbo Discovery Camp that allow us to reflect on
the day through discussion, writing and sketching.
Campers will bring their journals and art work home
at the end of camp."
!
We are up early every morning and on our way by
6:30am, starting the day with fun exercises at the
beach and more. Campers o,en 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 - 2014
&
OUR 16th SEASON&
Since 1999&
SUMMER DISCOVERY
Our campers enjoy an adventure of swimming,
snorkeling, cycling, sports, hiking, exploration,
science, cooking, discovery, arts and cra,s and more.
Whether they are learning about life in a tide pool,
collecting shells, cycling over the next hill, preparing
meals, or body surfing at the beach, all campers will
have an active, positive and fun summer camp
adventure. "
&
- caring residential program"
- low camper/staff ratio"
- designed for elementary "
and MS students"
Camp Schedule - 2014&
1. July 20 - 24 mini&
2. July 27 - August 1&
3. August 3 - 8&
4. August 10 - 14 mini&
5. August 17 - 21 mini&
Camp sessions are six days/five
nights or five days/four nights.
- 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 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
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
"
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St. Mary’s has no direct relationship with services or events in this section of the newsletter.
Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
Pacific Aikido is registered organization of the Aikikai Foundation-Aikido World Headquarters and has
been teaching Aikido to children and adults in and around Tokyo for over 22 years, 17 of those were at
St. Mary’s. Classes are open to boys & girls from aged 5 and adult classes also take place.
Details on all aspects of the program can be found at www.pacificaikido.com
The following classes are planned for this coming summer and places are now available:
Term name
Term dates
Times
Notes
Fees
June Saturdays
June 14, 21, & 28
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
All ages welcome
￥12,000
BST Kids’
Summer Intensive
July 7 to July 16
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
10 days in a row
All ages welcome
￥28,000
*adult evening classes might be possible during the July 7 to 16 dates at BST*
TAC Kids’
Summer Intensive
June 16 to June 27
Monday to Friday
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
2 weeks
TAC members
only
￥28,000
TAC Adult evenings
June 10 to July 10
Tuesdays & Thursdays
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
5 weeks
TAC members
only
￥28,000
Regular term classes take place on Saturday mornings at The British School in Tokyo Shibuya Campus
that are open to students from all schools and run throughout the school year. Classes also run at TAC
on Wednesdays and Sundays. The spring term has started and will run through to the beginning of June.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Paul Neuman, Chief Instructor
Pacific Aikido
Tel/fax:
03-3350-5434
E-mail:
contact@pacificaikido.com
Website: www.pacificaikido.com
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
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Dates to Watch !
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May 5! !
!
!
!
National Holiday - No School!
May 10! !
!
!
!
St. Mary’s Carnival!
May 12! !
!
!
!
Carnival Recovery - No School!
!
!
!!
!!
!
St. Mary’s International !
School Newsletter!
!
The St. Mary’s International School publishes this
newsletter five times a year, and distributes it to all
families registered with the Families Mailing List, and
posts it on the school website.!
For advertising opportunities, please e-mail Josie
Schmidt, Newsletter Editor,
smis.newsletter.jschmidt@gmail.com.
20
Fourth Quarter 2014