Happy Holidays!

Dear colleagues,

Thank you for the amazing fall. It is such a privilege to work alongside with such a amazing professionals and fun colleagues. I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing, energizing and fun three weeks of holidays🎄 and all the best in the new year 2017!🎇

Safe Travels!

Heikki

Some positive notifications from graduate students

November 2016

Graduate school students at the Hyogo University of Teacher Education visited CA classroom and here are their answers to questions Yoshiko-san asked them afterward.

Q1. What did you find most interesting?

• CA has its own curriculum
• Math 6 task. Students predicted the height of the school building. When they were informed of the actual figure, they discussed why the difference occurred. I felt that they are learning things in a really good way.
• It was easy to see what was regarded important in class.  Since the thinking process is considered most important, I could see that their behavior (having to sit at the desk throughout the class, having to calculate on their own) were considered not so important. I think that is exactly why they can focus on the thinking process.
• Compared to regular Japanese schools, CA seemed to focus on problem solving. The way teachers give tasks and directions seemed to highly motivate the students. Teachers and students seemed to enjoy casual, friendly communication and yet teachers appeared to be well respected by the students.
• Teaching method (IB), roles of school counselors, and how lessons were conducted & what was being taught
• Class observation, guidance lesson by the ES counselor, and Q&A with the students
• How CA’s teaching philosophy differs from regular (Japanese) schools was interesting, but what was wonderful was how CA students were so lively and independent thinkers.
• The school system, how students were learning, how the classes were taught... everything I saw was interesting.
• Everything I saw was interesting; facilities, education system, classes, children…
• In Math 6 classroom, posters on the wall didn’t show math formulas but rather they showed thinking/learning processes. It was very interesting to see how getting a correct answer and/or providing knowledge wasn’t deemed important compared to how to approach problems.
• Giving students longer vacation and less homework seemed to elicit students’ interests in a variety of fields. Japanese kids are too busy with after-school activities (including cram school).  Giving kids free time will expand their dreams.

Q2. What do you think is the biggest difference between Japanese schools and Canadian Academy?

• ES students and SS students study in the same building on the same campus. It creates interactions between children of different age groups.
• There didn’t seem to be too many (strict) rules. I find it quite unique and interesting that an ES teacher came to pick up his/her students with coffee in one hand and popcorn in the other. It left a big impression on me.
• Layout of the classroom and other rooms
• How class is taught. In Japan the focus is always on “right or wrong” but at CA, the focus is on the thinking process and the reason behind the right or wrong answers. Even middle school students have a HR teacher.
• Freedom, independence, active learning. Children seemed to be enjoying learning and I found it impressive.
• What it means to “think.” The education method at CA, where students are thinking in a way that the word “think” truly means, is so different from that at Japanese schools, where they seem to have concluded that memorizing means thinking.
• Each child seemed to be responsible for his/her own studying,
• Teaching at CA is up to the teachers, which allows them to be driven by their passion. At Japanese schools, teachers can’t focus on the thinking process as much no matter how much he/she wanted to, due to the curriculum guideline.  Often times they get transferred, which makes it difficult for teachers to spend enough time with the same children.
• Lots of artistic and unique paintings were displayed on the wall. In some classes students were painting/drawing with music in the background. These put me under the impression that teachers had more freedom to create their own lessons. The big difference is, the school environment at CA seemed to be allowing teachers to teach class in a way he/she wanted.

Q3. What did you find unimportant or uninteresting?

• Everything was interesting. If anything, I wish I had more time to observe classes.
• Everything was so different compared to Japanese schools that I was blown away, but I hope to learn from what I saw today, even if it’s only one point.

Q4. Do you have any comments/ideas you’d like to share with us?

• It was interesting to see the students having various projects including Thai Kids Fundraiser. Thank you so much for having us today.
• Everything I saw today is quite useful. Thank you so much.
• Children at CA appeared to be quite expressive. They seemed to be learning the importance of word and perspective-taking, which left me a big impression.
• I would love to learn more about the materials used at CA or CA’s approach to creating curriculum. It will be great if such information is available to Japanese schools. Thank you for everything today. I learned so much.
• Thank you for the valuable learning opportunity.
• I wish I could learn a bit more about how exactly to evaluate students’ essays and how to utilize the results for the future learning . Thank you for the precious learning opportunity. (I am quite interested in Konosuke’s future. I would like to know how CA graduates turn out and what Japanese education fails to provide students by comparing CA graduates to regular high school graduates students in Japan.)
• Thank you for the valuable experience.
• It was great to hear about various things. I observed while comparing everything to how they are at Japanese schools. It was great that I could talk to the teacher in math class. I enjoyed talking with the students too.
• Do CA students have any interactions with Japanese public school students? Do you think CA students feel a gap between what they are used to and the social norms in Japanese society?  

Assembly Starts at 9 am

We look forward to welcoming you to the assembly!

Where: Black Box Theatre
When: start at 9:00am (please arrive before then and allow time for seating)

Assembly Line-up:

8:50-9:00 Welcome students 

#1 KB Dance

#2 Grade 2 Video

#3 Dancers G5

#4 Announcement for Japan Days

#5 Quiz

#6 Teacher show

#7 Heikki Holiday Message

#8 Whole Group Dance

Seating and Dismissal:

**Please see below for a seating map. It will be very tight in the BBT, so please have children sit in 2 rows on the risers.

*The last part of the program is a dance for everyone. This means dismissal will be a bit chaotic.
So we will try to get everyone to sit on the floor and dismiss one class at a time.

-- 

Dear colleagues,

Congratulations for hitting the last week before the winter break! We can all feel very fortunate of the amount of dedicated professionals, innovation, and inspiration surrounding us every day. Additionally, we are very lucky with the students we have. They work hard and are willing to take risks to learn something new. We will all get together on Friday for the Winter Holiday Assembly lead by Kim and Trevor.

Please, continue to supervise the students as vigilantly as possible to avoid as many as possible before-the-holiday-emotional-crashes. Check out the blog post from the past week to see the guidelines for supervision as well as guidelines for the coming report card writing. Enjoy the last week of the year with your wonderful students and colleagues before wishing all Happy Holidays!

Important posts to check out from the previous week in case you missed them:

Supervision, transitions and getting ready for holidays

Leave of Absence with a short notice

Japan Days in January 2017

Supervision:                                          Links to: Supervision Schedule 16-17    Supervision Protocols

Time	12:15-12:40	12:25-12:55	12:25-12:55	12:15-12:40	12:25-12:55
Duty	Cafeteria Tables	Playground / Gym	Playground / Atrium	Cafeteria line	Indoor recess ELAC Gym
Dec 12	Emi	Aimee	Celia	---	Maiko, Kaight

This week's schedule:

Day	Morning	Afternoon - After School
Mon	8:45 ES Student Support Team Meeting
Tue	10:00 School Leadership Team Meeting
Wed		14:40 Town Hall (All Faculty) Meeting
Thu
Fri	9:00 Holiday Assembly	School Day Finishes at 11:30

Professional Learning Opportunities

Registration is still open. Check Stephen Taylor's email for the link to apply.

Literacy:

1. Hong Kong Literacy Conference 2016 (Jan 21st and 22nd)

http://blog.hkis.edu.hk/HKISLiteracyInstitute/

Mathematics:

1. Foundations in Math: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades K-5 Sara Garrett Jan 28&29 Bangkok Thailand
2. Concept-Based Mathematics: Teaching for Deep Understanding, By Jennifer Wathall, 16th - 17th March 2017, Hong Kong

How to apply for PD

Coordinator's Meetings:                                 ES Team Planning Meeting Schedule

• UOI Collab: Meetings will focus on reflection for UOI #2 and unit links with specialists.
• Literacy:  Focus for meetings this week is to build up current units (#3).  Suggested focus is assessment tools (rubrics, checklists, continuums) unless there are  more pressing matters  

Future Dates:

9 Jan  First Day of School

14 Jan Shinnenkai

20 Jan End of Semester 1

23 January Report Card Comments to Heikki, Kim and Trevor

3 Feb Semester 1 Report Cards open to parents

Leave of Absence with a short notice

Dear colleagues,

Here is the protocol for organizing and communicating a leave of absence with short notice.

Feeling suddenly sick the day/night before:
You may contact a sub from the substitute list
In case it doesn't work you can email to Remi-san
Remi-san will read sub-request emails until 9:00 pm

Feeling suddenly sick in the morning
Between 6:00 - 7:30 Email  Remi and cc Heikki.
Remi-san will try to find the sub and then communicate with the relevant teachers
Between 7:30 - 8:00 Email Heikki and cc Remi

In all cases please:

• Fill in the leave request form (Can be also found on the CA website)
• Email Remi, Heikki, and colleagues who you were planning to collaborate or co-teach the next day.
• Provide Sub plans either by forwarding them to the ES Office, emailing them directly to the substitute teacher or leaving a hard copy in the classroom.

Japan Days are approaching!

Hi all,

Posting the Japanese Department message here as well. Check out the wonderful displays in the second-floor landing and ES office in the main building.

Japan Days Dear all Did you know that we have Japan Days this year? It’s during the first week after we get back from winter break! Here are the activities we have been planning. We need your support for some of the activities. Please take a look at the schedule and let us know if you have any questions. January 9th Monday - 11th Wednesday Ema card writing, New Year calligraphy, Japanese games KA&KB students will work only on ema card writing, and Grade 1- 5 students will experience all of these activities in Japanese class. *Classroom teachers, if you would like to fill in your wish in an ema card, please let us know, and we will deliver one to you.  January 12th Thursday All School Dress Up Day Please wear something “Japanese” for this day! It doesn’t have to be a full set of kimono. It can simply be a T-shirt of a Japanese sports team or something about Japan printed. Japanese lunch prepared by Cezar’s Japanese lunch will be available for purchase in the cafeteria. Noh Performance Grade 1 - Grade 5: 1:00pm - 1:45pm Prek - KB: 1:25pm - 1:45pm *Classroom teachers, please bring your students to the theater. January 13th Friday Mochi Pounding Students will do mochi pounding during Japanese class. Teachers are welcome to join! We will decorate the staircase of the second floor (next to Suki’s classroom) with kimono. It would be very helpful if you could remind students to keep their hands off from the decorations in case you see them touching. Also, if you have any Japanese decorations  (such as shimenawa from prior Japan Days) and would like to put them up on your classroom door, that would be very nice! Thank you very much for your support in advance! ES Japanese Department

Supervision, transitions and getting ready for holidays

Dear colleagues,

The last week and a day before the holiday and both students and us educators are getting anxious about the holidays and we are all a bit tired for good reasons. The last thing we need is a conflict that creates negative emotions, additional meetings with students or similarly tired parents, etc. This time of the year is often inviting few emotional breakdowns. Below you can find few gentle reminders of the areas we want to be focusing on.

One way to prevent the above is to be extra vigilant in the playground. Please, move around in the playground and observe, guide and spread positive spirit amongst the students. Our presence and words help students to make positive choices and decisions. Follow-up carefully every situation students are reporting to the supervisors to make sure that things don't get escalated. Please, come and pick up your students from the lunch break to follow-up any potential conflict.

Transitions are another area of attention. Many of you do this already, but if you suspect that the students may be running, having heated discussions or arguments or just being noisy as they move, please accompany them to keep the peace.

Additionally, in the classroom, it is good to spend some time discussing and reminding students about behavior expectations and holding everybody accountable for what has been agreed before.

Thank you all for chipping in on this.

Heikki

Tuesday Morning, Faculty Meeting notes December 6, 2016

Dear colleagues,

We met this morning to recap what has happened this year so far and what are the plans for spring.
The purpose of the meeting was to make connections what we do and our action plan as well as giving everyone a heads up of what is coming.

The slides with information about the meeting can be found here.

Weekly Update, Monday 5 December, 2016

Dear colleagues,

We hope you had a great time at the faculty winter holiday party. This week will be setting us for the season spirit by launching the Secret Santa. On Tuesday morning faculty meeting we will review what has happened this year briefly and look ahead for the time in the new year. Kim will be away this week, and Heikki is away on Monday. More detailed Wednesday afternoon Professional Learning time focus will be shared on Tuesday in the meeting as well as here in the blogger. Please, remember to update your class websites about the new UoI, Literacy, and Math foci. Enjoy the week!

Supervision:                                          Links to: Supervision Schedule 16-17    Supervision Protocols

Time	12:15-12:40	12:25-12:55	12:25-12:55	12:15-12:40	12:25-12:55
Duty	Cafeteria Tables	Playground / Gym	Playground / Atrium	Cafeteria line	Indoor recess ELAC Gym
Dec 5	Angela	Saiko	Yoshiko	---	Maiko, Kaight

This week's schedule:

Day	Morning	Afternoon - After School
Mon	ES Student Support Team Meeting	15:30 Tech Talk in the Library Sign up and spread the Holiday Cheer-Secret Santa
Tue	7:50 Tuesday morning meeting in the ELAC MPR with donuts and tea/coffee
Wed	Holiday Cheer starts!	Wednesday PD 14:40-15:00 15:00-16:30 Tankyu
Thu
Fri

Professional Learning Opportunities

Registration is still open. Check Stephen Taylor's email for the link to apply.

Literacy:

1. Hong Kong Literacy Conference 2016 (Jan 21st and 22nd)

http://blog.hkis.edu.hk/HKISLiteracyInstitute/

Mathematics:

1. Foundations in Math: Developing Mathematical Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in Grades K-5 Sara Garrett Jan 28&29 Bangkok Thailand
2. Concept-Based Mathematics: Teaching for Deep Understanding, By Jennifer Wathall, 18th - 19th March 2017, Hong Kong

How to apply for PD

Coordinator's Meetings:                                 ES Team Planning Meeting Schedule

• UOI Collab: Meetings will focus on reflection for UOI #2 and unit links with specialists.
• Literacy: Meetings should focus on reflection for Reading Unit #2 (put resources and anchor charts in folders) and continued planning for new Reading and Writing Units (including pacing guides). Kim is away on a WASC/CIS visit and will not attend meetings.

Future Dates:

14 Dec Town Hall Meeting and Holiday Cheer Partner revealed

16 Dec Winter Holiday Assembly @ 9:00-10:00 in the BBT

16 Dec Last day before Winter Holiday finishes @ 12:00 for all

9 Jan  First Day of School

14 Jan Shinnenkai

20 Jan End of Semester 1

23 January Report Cards to Heikki, Kim, and Trevor

3 Feb Semester 1 Report Cards open to parents