Weekly Update, Monday, 27 January, 2025

Grade 8 students compare design cycles between ES and SS and share their projects with grade 2 students.

Dear Colleagues,

The weekend brought back some wintery weather. However, it didn’t stop the community from celebrating the New Year at the Shinnenkai party organized by the PTA. Thank you to Rob and the parents for organizing such a fun night filled with dancing and great company.

A special thank you to the Student Council members and the guest panelists for the ES Town Hall. Their contributions served as important reminders for us all: belonging to our community inspires us to be responsible, safe, and respectful members.

This Wednesday, we will receive training from Kay (Toddle) and Kae-san on evidencing, portfolios, and utilizing the Thinking Routines already embedded in the Toddle framework. Meanwhile, Samantha and Satsuki will use the time to prepare for their Friday music concert and art exhibition with Grade 5.

Let’s have a wonderful final week of January!

Erin, Trevor, and Heikki

This week’s duties:                                 Duty Roster 24-25

Time	10:28 - 10:40	12:25-12:50	12:40-13:00	13:00-13:20	14:15-14:30
Duty Area (*Rainy day area)	Playscape Soccer fields (In classrooms)	Line G1-2 Tables G3-5 Tables	Shed-Playscape (Gym) Playscape (fence) & Soccer field #1 (Classroom) Soccer fields 2&3 & Wiggle board court  (Classroom)	Shed-Playscape (Gym) Playscape (fence) & Soccer field #1 (Classroom) Soccer fields 2&3 & Wiggle board court  (Classroom)	Playground Soccer fields (In classrooms) Note:  Shed kept closed
Who	Meghan Nicole Gene	Heikki Trevor	Noriko Emi Kieran	Rose Yoshiko Priyanka	Meghan Nicole Gene

Wet break location rotation:

Venue /order	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Classrooms and Commons	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4
Classrooms and Commons	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5
Library & Makers’ Space	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1
ELAC Gym	Gr 5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3

This Week's Schedule:                                                                                                 ES Schedule 24-25    

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon Jan 27 Day 1	Semester 2 begins
Tue Jan 28 Day 2
Wed Jan 29 Day 3		Wednesday Learning: (Library) Toddle Portfolio & Evidencing Purpose of the portfolio Concert/Art Exhibition Prep
Thu Jan 30 Day 4	8:00 Head of School Meeting
Fri Jan 31 Day 5		14:15 Grade 5 Concert & Art X

Future Dates Positive Parenting Workshop #4 Feb 4th, Tues 8:45-10:00 Japanese Parent Workshop  Feb 6th, Thurs 8:45-10:00 February Assembly Feb 6th, Thurs 10:45 CA Talent Show Feb 7th, Friday, 18:00-20:00 PYP Japan Network Meeting Feb 14th, Friday, 9:00 - 15:00 (Lib) February Break Feb 17 - 18th, Mon-Tue 3-Way Conferences Feb 27 - 28th, Thurs-Fri PD Day Beth Skelton Mar 10th, Mon Positive Parenting Workshop #5 Mar 20th, Thurs G1&2 Dance with the MS Band Mar 20th, Thurs

Wednesday Learning Feb 5th (Library) Bridges 3rd Edition (K-5 homeroom)     - Differentiated for ELAC & Single Subjects UDL (All) Feb 12th (MPR) CPOM Guideline  POI Review Feb 19th  SEEDS #5 ES Data Dialogue & 3-way Conference prep Feb 26th (Lib) Conference prep (both sessions) Mar 5th (MPR) Reflection & Unit Planning on Toddle WIN Pilot Sharing Mar 12th  EAL Beth Skelton (both sessions) Mar 17th (Lib) Jen Bulson Prek-G5-EAL-LS  (both sessions)    - Differentiated Single Subjects

Weekly Updates, Monday, 20 January, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter the first full week of 2025, let us draw inspiration from Mark Church's work on connecting high-quality learning and the cultural forces that nurture thinking dispositions. Together, we continue our journey to create an environment where students and educators thrive.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to honoring the memory of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Your thoughtful preparation ensured our students could show their respect for this significant event in Kobe's history.

This week, we have several key events to look forward to:

• Tuesday: We will gather in the ELAC MPR for our first faculty morning briefing of the year. During this time, we’ll review important dates and events post-winter break.

• Wednesday: Jen Clark will lead a session on effectively using the School Cam to capture learning moments while adhering to Japan’s data protection laws. In the second half, we’ll reflect on the previous unit, collaborate with grade-level teams and specialists, and plan for the next units of learning and designing transdisciplinary units of inquiry.

• Friday: Our Elementary School Student Town Hall will focus on the "CA Way," fostering a sense of community and strengthening student belonging.

It’s shaping to be an exciting week as we re-establish our learning routines and re-energize our learning communities. Let’s make it a great one!

Erin, Trevor, and Heikki

This week’s duties:                                 Duty Roster 24-25

Time	10:28 - 10:40	12:25-12:50	12:40-13:00	13:00-13:20	14:15-14:30
Duty Area (*Rainy day area)	Playscape Soccer fields (In classrooms)	Line G1-2 Tables G3-5 Tables	Shed-Playscape (Gym) Playscape (fence) & Soccer field #1 (Classroom) Soccer fields 2&3 & Wiggle board court  (Classroom)	Shed-Playscape (Gym) Playscape (fence) & Soccer field #1 (Classroom) Soccer fields 2&3 & Wiggle board court  (Classroom)	Playground Soccer fields (In classrooms) Note:  Shed kept closed
Who	Kris Kae Kieran	Heikki Erin	Jessie Esther Rose	Megan Miyuki Alex	Kris Kae Kieran

Wet break location rotation:

Venue /order	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Classrooms and Commons	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4
Classrooms and Commons	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5
Library & Makers’ Space	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1
ELAC Gym	Gr 5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3	Gr 1	Gr  5	Gr 4	Gr 2-3

This Week's Schedule:                                                                                                 ES Schedule 24-25    

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon Jan 20 Day 5
Tue Jan 21 Day 6	7:50 January Briefing
Wed Jan 22 Day 7		Wednesday Learning: (Library) School Cam Demo/PD - Jen Clark Reflection & Unit Planning on Toddle
Thu Jan 23 Day 8
Fri Jan 24 Day 9	9:30-10:00 ES Student Town Hall - CA Way	18:30-21:30 Shinenkai

Future Dates Semester 1 ends - Semester 2 begins Jan 24th Friday - Jan 27th Monday Grade 5 Concert & Art X Jan 31st, Friday from 14:15 Positive Parenting Workshop #4 Feb 4th, Tues  Japanese Parent Workshop  Feb 6th, Thurs 8:45-10:00 February Assembly Feb 6th, Thurs 10:45 CA Talent Show Feb 7th, Friday, 18:00-20:00 PYP Japan Network Meeting Feb 14th, Friday, 9:00 - 15:00 (Lib) February Break Feb 17 - 18th, Mon-Tue 3-Way Conferences Feb 27 - 28th, Thurs-Fri Positive Parenting Workshop #5 Mar 20th, Thurs G1&2 Dance with the MS Band Mar 20th, Thurs

Wednesday Learning Jan 29th (MPR) Toddle Portfolio & Evidencing Purpose of the portfolio Concert/Art Exhibition Prep Feb 5th (Library) Bridges 3rd Edition (K-5 homeroom)     - Differentiated for ELAC & Single Subjects UDL (All) Feb 12th (MPR) CPOM Guideline  POI Review Feb 19th  SEEDS #5 ES Data Dialogue & 3-way Conference prep Feb 26th (Lib) Conference prep (both sessions) Mar 5th (MPR) Reflection & Unit Planning on Toddle WIN Pilot Sharing Mar 12th  EAL Beth Skelton (both sessions) Mar 17th (Lib) Jen Bulson Prek-G5-EAL-LS  (both sessions)    - Differentiated Single Subjects