Weekly Update, Monday, 1 December, 2025

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to December!

We have just three weeks of school before the winter break, and the beautiful autumn foliage and sunny weather are certainly helping to balance the busyness and high anticipation that this season brings. The past short week proved, once again, that “short” does not mean “quiet”. It often felt like we squeezed five days of work into four. Thank you for the way you continue to show up for our students and for each other.

A heartfelt thank you to Yuki-san for leading our first Positive Parenting session. Supporting parents in their role at home is one of the most powerful ways we can extend learning and well-being beyond the classroom.

Thank you also to Saiko for her support during the Principal Q&A session. The conversation ranged from mathematics and EAL to transitions within the school and how families can best support their children as they navigate the three IB programmes, starting in the PYP. Your expertise and care help make these complex topics accessible and reassuring for our community.

We are also grateful to our IKUNO partner school visitors, as well as the Grade 4 team and students, for hosting our guests so warmly last week. These exchanges continue to build meaningful connections and perspective-taking for our learners, and we look forward to continuing this partnership again this week in IKUNO.

Looking ahead, we will meet on Tuesday morning to share updates on important events, including emergency drills and other key items. On Wednesday, we will focus on developing our future writing program and assessment tools, and then dedicate additional time to report card writing as we approach the end of the semester.

As we step into the holiday and festive season, let’s continue to bring joy, calm, and a sense of togetherness to our students and to one another.

Let’s enjoy yet another week of rich, meaningful learning together!

Warmly,
Katie, Erin, and Heikki

 

Wet/ Hot weather break Student Rotation (12:35 - 13:10 on Rainy/Extreme Hot Days)  

Rainy Day #	Classrooms & Commons	Classrooms & Commons	Library & MakerSpace	ELAC Gym
First Rainy Day	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Second	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 1
Third	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 1	Grades 2&3
Fourth	Grade 5	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grades 4
Fifth	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5

Soccer Rotation

Grades 1,2 & 3	Grades 4&5	Grades 1,2 & 3	Grades 4 & 5	No Soccer
Mondays	Tuesdays	Wednesday	Thursdays	Fridays

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Mon, Dec 1 Day 2
Tue, Dec 2 Day 3	December ES Faculty briefing  Library Presentation Space
Wed, Dec 3 Day 4		Future Writing Program & Assessment Update Report Card Writing
Thur, Dec 4 Day 5	Grades 4 & 5 Overnight trip
Fri, Dec 5 Day 6

Fall Duty Roster 2025/26

Timing and Rainy Day Locations: 

Time	10:20 - 10:35	12:20 - 13:00	12:35 - 12:55	12:50 - 13:10	14:25 - 14:40
Duty Area (Rainy day locations)	Playscape Fence Playscape Shed Soccer Field Wiggle Board/Soccer Field (all in classrooms)	Line G1-2 Tables G3-5 Tables	Playscape Fence (Classrooms & commons)  Playscape Shed (Classrooms & commons)  Soccer Field Library & MakerSpace Wiggle Board/Soccer Field Gym	Playscape Fence (Classrooms & commons)  Playscape Shed (Classrooms & commons)  Soccer Field Library & MakerSpace Wiggle Board/Soccer Field Gym	Playscape Fence Playscape Shed Soccer Field Wiggle Board/Soccer Field (all in classrooms)

Future Dates: December Key Dates Dec 8 & 10: Winter Dance/Art Shows (1:40 PM) Dec 9: Parent Workshop - Reading PreK-2 Dec 11: Parent Workshop - Reading G3-5 Dec 19: ES Assembly (9:30 AM) Dec 19 (Fri): Early Dismissal (Winter Break Starts!) January Return Jan 12 (Mon): Faculty PD Day (NO SCHOOL for students) Jan 13 (Tues): Students Return

Weekly Updates, Monday, 24 November, 2025

 

Dear colleagues,

We hope the long weekend and the beautiful autumn weather gave you a chance to rest, recover, and enjoy the changing colors. With influenza and other illnesses circulating, the break was truly needed. Please continue to take care of yourselves and each other we can only do this important work when we are well.

Thank you, once again, for stepping in to cover for one another last week. Your flexibility and willingness to help ensured that every child continued to experience high-quality teaching and learning, despite the many absences. It is no small thing to hold the timetable together under pressure, and you did it with professionalism and care. What a faculty we have!

A special thank you to our EAL team for leading a successful, well-attended workshop for K-12 parents on supporting multilingual learners at Canadian Academy. Your expertise and clarity help our families understand how we honor and leverage languages as a strength in our community.

This week continues that partnership with parents. On Tuesday, Yuki will lead her first parenting workshop, and on Thursday, I will host a Q&A session for parents. Thank you in advance to Saiko for providing Japanese translation and helping us make these conversations accessible and inclusive for more families.

During Wednesday’s PD, we will focus on data dialogue and revisit the reporting guidelines as we prepare to write the school year's first reports. This is a chance to align our language, sharpen our focus on what matters most for learning, and ensure that families receive clear, honest, and hopeful messages about their children’s growth.

If you are curious about the Robotics program at CA, please take a moment to visit the VEX Robotics Kansai Regional Scrimmage 2025 taking place in the Atrium. It is a wonderful window into how our students apply problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration in authentic, future-ready ways.

Finally, please note that this weekend Erin is off campus, leading an IB PYP workshop in Yokohama and joining the regional PYP Coordinators Network meeting on Friday. She will be back with us on campus on Monday, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives to enrich our work here.

Let’s step into this shorter week with energy, compassion, and a shared commitment to making the Elementary School a place where every child and every adult feels seen, supported, and inspired to learn.

With appreciation,
Katie, Erin, and Heikki

Wet/ Hot weather break Student Rotation (12:35 - 13:10 on Rainy/Extreme Hot Days)  

Rainy Day #	Classrooms & Commons	Classrooms & Commons	Library & MakerSpace	ELAC Gym
First Rainy Day	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Second	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 1
Third	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 1	Grades 2&3
Fourth	Grade 5	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grades 4
Fifth	Grade 1	Grades 2&3	Grade 4	Grade 5

Soccer Rotation

Grades 1,2 & 3	Grades 4&5	Grades 1,2 & 3	Grades 4 & 5	No Soccer
Mondays	Tuesdays	Wednesday	Thursdays	Fridays

Day	Morning	Afternoon
Tue, Nov 25 Day 7	Parent Workshop: Positive Parenting
Wed, Nov 26 Day 8		Wednesday PD:  Data Dialogue & Report Card Guidance  Venue: Library Presentation Space
Thur, Nov 27 Day 9	Parent Workshop: Q&A with the ES Principal
Fri, Nov 28 Day 1

Fall Duty Roster 2025/26

Timing and Rainy Day Locations: 

Time	10:20 - 10:35	12:20 - 13:00	12:35 - 12:55	12:50 - 13:10	14:25 - 14:40
Duty Area (Rainy day locations)	Playscape Fence Playscape Shed Soccer Field Wiggle Board/Soccer Field (all in classrooms)	Line G1-2 Tables G3-5 Tables	Playscape Fence (Classrooms & commons)  Playscape Shed (Classrooms & commons)  Soccer Field Library & MakerSpace Wiggle Board/Soccer Field Gym	Playscape Fence (Classrooms & commons)  Playscape Shed (Classrooms & commons)  Soccer Field Library & MakerSpace Wiggle Board/Soccer Field Gym	Playscape Fence Playscape Shed Soccer Field Wiggle Board/Soccer Field (all in classrooms)

Future Dates:

December Key Dates

• Dec 2: December Faculty Briefing (7:50 in the Library Presentation Space

• Dec 8 & 10: Winter Dance/Art Shows (1:40 PM)

• Dec 19: ES Assembly (9:30 AM)

• Dec 19 (Fri): Early Dismissal (Winter Break Starts!)

January Return

• Jan 12 (Mon): Faculty PD Day (NO SCHOOL for students)

• Jan 13 (Tues): Students Return