Quick calendar input request

Dear colleagues,

We are finalizing our conference timings for the school year 2018-2019. The calendar is almost finished and ready to go out to the community later this week.  However, given that we have just finished our 3-way-conferences, I would like to ask your input regarding the timing of the conferences in February 2019. Please, have a look at the calendar for 18-19 and complete the 1-question survey by Wednesday lunchtime this week. 
Calendar 2018-2019

Calendar Survey

Thank you,

Heikki

Health Office Communication

Dear colleagues,

Please use the generic email: health_office@canacad.ac.jp when communicating with the nurses regarding all student matters. There are currently three nurses working in the office at different times. Therefore, in order to ensure effective communication and access to any pertinent information for all three nurses, it is important to use the generic Health Office email address.

For faculty members' personal requests, you may use the individual email addresses of the nurses in the Health Office.

Thank you!

Faculty Lounge - Locked

Dear all,
Please note that we are trying to keep the faculty lounge locked in the evenings, nights and weekends. This is to secure the personal mailboxes from strangers or students who may accidentally or intentionally wonder in.

The faculty key should open and lock the doors. So please, lock the door after school hours, evenings and during the weekends if you need to visit the lounge.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Visitors in PreK - Grade 2 Next Week

Ms. Madeline Miura, the school nurse and Advancement and Development officer, will be hosting 4 graduate students who are studying children's learning in a multicultural environment, particularly focusing on international  education in Japan. They have approached us with a request to observe teaching and learning in the Early Years at CA on Friday, October 13th.

They are professionals with former education and experience in the field of health care who have decided to expand their career plans by returning to study in college.

Ms. Miura will be guiding them and will be conscious to minimize the disruptions.

Shopping for books!!

Good afternoon!

Outside Kim's office (S100) there are hundreds of books to build classroom libraries. These books are predominantly G1-3, but some may be relevant to older or younger grades.

Please bring a basket and choose any books you wish to have for your classrooms.  Any books not collected by this Friday Sept 15th, will be donated.



A big thank-you to Karen Terry for continuing the work of the Literacy committee Bookroom team to set up the new space on the first floor.  This is a big job and we are grateful to Karen for giving her time to this job. We will let you know as soon as the room is available to borrow books for students to take home.

Chie, Celia and Kim are working on setting up a room attached to the library to house book sets that can be borrowed by classroom teachers for instructional purposes.  If you are in urgent need to access sets for book clubs, please send Kim an e-mail.

Stipended Positions Available for 2017-2018

Dear colleagues,

The following stipended positions are available for the school year 2017-2018:

Grades Pre-K- Gr 2 Math Leader: A classroom teacher interested in sharing experiences, helping others alongside learning oneself about teaching mathematics in the upper elementary, as well as co-leading the conversation and professional learning with the Learning Leader regarding the new resources and implementing the revised math curriculum. Stipend 100, 000. JPY

Grades 3 - 5: Math Leader: A classroom teacher interested in sharing experiences, helping others alongside learning oneself about teaching mathematics in the upper elementary, as well as co-leading the conversation and professional learning with the Learning Leader regarding the new resources and implementing the revised math curriculum. Stipend 100, 000. JPY

Grades Pre-K - Gr 2 Balanced Literacy Leader: A classroom teacher interested in exploring, trying out, and sharing experiences of integrating and implementing workshop model and learning language. Co-leading the conversation and professional learning with the Learning Leader how to effectively implement literacy components and curriculum standards within our CA framework. Stipend 100, 000 JPY.

Grades 3 - 5: Balanced Literacy Leader:  A classroom teacher interested in exploring, trying out, and sharing experiences of integrating and implementing workshop model and learning language. Co-leading the conversation and professional learning with the Learning Leader how to effectively implement literacy components and curriculum standards within our CA framework.  Stipend 100, 000 JPY.

Elementary Drama Project (ES Play) leaders: CA teachers who are interested in leading a drama project that will culminate in a final performance - Elementary School Play. An opportunity to explore and utilize the power of drama, CA theater facilities, and the student creativity as a form of learning, thinking, and art. Stipend 125, 000  JPY/ teacher. This project requires two teacher-leaders.

Elementary School Student Voice and Leadership Leader (s): An elementary school teacher who is interested in leading the review of structures and opportunities for increasing ES students' voice in the school. This position includes regular meetings with a group of student leaders, planning events, possible fundraisers, seeking opportunities for presenting student ideas, and collaboration with the ES counselor and Principal. This position can be split between two teachers. Stipend 200, 000 JPY/leader or 100, 000 JPY leader (if two leaders).

How to apply:
Please email to Heikki by June 2nd the latest, if you are interested in any of the positions above.
For further information about the roles, please contact the following people:
Math Leader: Kim and Trevor
Balanced Literacy Leader: Kim and Trevor
Drama Project: Toyoko Miller
Student Voice and Leadership: Heikki

Graduating Class March, 1 June at 3 pm

Dear ES teachers,

On Thursday 1 June, the senior class will be back in school for a transition and graduation rehearsal day.  

At the end of that day, from about 3pm, the graduating class will march around the school, covering all of the corridors of ES, MS, HS and ELAC areas.  They will be wearing graduating caps and music will be playing.

We would be very happy if you and your students would like the corridors and make lots of noise, cheering for them when they come past, much like for an APAC opening ceremony.  If your class has time to make a banner to congratulate the class of 2017, that would be great, but please don't feel obliged.  The main thing would be to make lots of noise and cheer for them as they go past.

We will let you know by early next week roughly what time you can expect the class of 2017 to process past your area of the school.

The grade 12 students will really appreciate your support and good wishes.

Liz Durkin

Report Card Survey for ES faculty

Dear colleagues,

This is definitely a year of surveys! Thank you for your continued support in making the report cards more effective and manageable tools for communicating student progress.

We are reviewing how we could improve our current elementary report card.
Your feedback is vital in this process. Please click on the link below and complete the survey by the next week, 24 March.

Faculty - Report Survey

Regards

Report Writing Committee

IB Diploma Mock Up Exam Time

Dear colleagues,

The IB Diploma Exams are soon here and it is time for the mock up exams. In order to ensure the best possible test taking conditions for our grade 12 students, we are asked to avoid the use of Atrium during that time. This will also be the case at the time of the actual exams in April.

The mock up exams take place between Monday to Friday (20 - 24 of March) next week at 8:45 - 15:35 every day. Please, avoid using the Atrium.

Should it rain during next week's lunch playtime, the grades 1-3 are in the Gym and grades 4 - 5 either in their classrooms or in the library.

Thank you

Visitors from Hyogo University on the 18th of November

Dear colleagues,

On Friday, November 18, the three CA counselors are hosting a Hyogo University of Teacher Education (Hyokyo-dai) visit. This annual visit started 8 years ago when Prof. Darryl Yagi was trying to establish their career education course. Their purpose is to observe our international education system and to see what kind of roles school counselors are taking.

This year, 9 graduate students and one professor will arrive at 9:00 in the morning and stay with us until 3:30. They will be divided into small groups and will observe some of our classes. We will also give them information about career development at CA.

Thank you so much in advance to those who would like to accommodate their visit in your classroom. We truly appreciate your flexibility. We will try not to disrupt your routine, but please welcome them if you happen to see them around.

INVITATION - Master Facility Plan Steering Committee

Looking for volunteers for the Master Facility Plan (MFP) Steering Committee.  Please read on.

As you know, the school has committed to renewing the 10-year MFP.  

Strategy 4 of the school's new Strategic plan reads "We will provide creative and collaborative spaces and practices for flexible teaching and learning opportunities to meet diverse student needs".

Leading out of Strategy 4 my goal, taken from this year's strategic plan reads, "The creation of a new 10-year Master Facilities Plan involving input from all CA stakeholder groups".

I am delighted to inform everyone that the school has secured the services of Fielding Nair International as our MFP facilitators. Fielding Nair will be visiting the school in February to begin the process.   Although the dates are still yet to be confirmed I am looking for volunteers who would like to be involved in a steering committee lead by me to help Fielding Nair learn about our school, our students, our needs and future direction of the school's facilities.  The steering committee will be no more than 15 people and represent early leaning, elementary, middle and secondary faculty and include leadership.  The committee will meet at least twice a month until June 2016 and then continue as and when need in 2016-17 and beyond.  If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know by Friday, January 29th.  If there are too many volunteers, I will make decisions based on finding a balanced representative group.

Even if volunteering does not appeal to you, your voice will be heard during an all faculty meeting with Fielding Nair, date to be announced.  Furthermore, if you would like to join the School Design Pinterest Board, to share ideas, please do.  Here you can 'pin' ideas that you may want to be considered.  The Pinterest board will be shared with Fielding Nair.

Kevin Elliott

Assembly - PINK T-SHIRT DAY, 23 February, 2016

At this assembly, we would like to promote the Pink T-Shirt Day that takes place on February 24. Pink T-Shirt Day is an anti-bullying campaign started by high school students in Nova Scotia in 2007. The idea arose when a boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. A couple of students decided to use the situation to help spread awareness about bullying. The following day, everyone in the school was wearing something pink. An excerpt from the official Pink T-Shirt Day website said, “As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes.  It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,” (pinktshirtday.ca, 2015).

At CA, the MS students took an initiative to start this movement last year. We want to extend the Pink T-Shirt day into the ES section and to our community. Prior to the event, the middle school SBC members will be happy to visit the ES classrooms and introduce this movement as well as what we can do to prevent bullying and how to help the victims (targets). Please help spread awareness that bullying is not part of CA’s culture.  

The assembly will start at 11:15 on February 23.

We are looking for the following:

- MCs (Leadership Club or other students who can step into the role)

- Sharing of student learning: (Possibly related to bullying prevention, showing compassion, having empathy, etc.)

- Musical, art, dramatic or dance, exhibition/performances (Grade 4, girls?)

- Message from the Principal

- MS SBC member announcement to promote the Pink T-shirt Day= (Confirmed)

- Birthday video= Confirmed (Yoshiko)

Please, let Heikki or Yuko-san know, who would like to perform and we will organize a small audition if needed, and a practice session before the assembly.

* Bailey’s idea from the CA website under the ‘Pink Day’

Bailey Shoemaker (Class of 2019):

“CA wears pink shirts to stand united against bullying. Pink T-Shirt Day is a worldwide campaign started by high school students in Nova Scotia in 2007.  The idea arose when a boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school.  Several students decided to use the situation to help spread awareness about bullying.  The following day, everyone in the school was wearing something pink.  An excerpt from the official Pink T-Shirt Day website said, “As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes.  It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,” (pinktshirtday.ca, 2015).

At CA, we wanted to extend Pink T-Shirt day into our community.  The middle school SBC promoted this event by having Hannah Duan, create a specially designed t-shirt for the event.  These t-shirts were then sold to the middle school students and faculty members for them to wear on “Pink T-Shirt Day.” On the day of the event, we were very pleased to see the majority of the middle school students wearing something pink.  Though we were very happy to have such great participation, we wanted to make sure that main focus of this event wasn’t to wear pink, but to help spread awareness that bullying is not part of CA’s culture.  …”

Important Lunch Time Information and Action in Grades 1-5

Dear colleagues,
There seems to be a need to have a conversation about the healthy and balanced lunch particularly in Grades 1 -5 classrooms. Furthermore, it is important that we all take an action to support students with their lunch choices. We all know how nutrition has an impact on student alertness, ability to stay focused and stamina. Parents and faculty are noticing a trend of poor choices arising during lunch time including rice-only-meals, no-salad-meals, overuse of desserts, additional purchases of cookies, salty nori, sugary drinks etc. The direct consequence is that student learning is negatively influenced.
Please, address this in the classrooms as soon as possible by designing learning experiences focusing on the importance of healthy and balanced nutrition. To apply the learning, we need to provide a step-by-step scaffolding and guidance on how to make it happen. Please, discuss with your grade level partner as well as vertically what steps you would like to take. Thank you for your flexibility and cooperation in this important matter.

Our current recommendations include the following:
Packed lunch:
Students are expected to bring a balanced and healthy lunch from home. Furthermore, please encourage students to have a discussions at home with their parents about the different healthy packed lunch to ensure that students will actually eat their lunch at school. During lunch time, students with packed lunch are not allowed to purchase cookies, sugary drinks or other sugary items. Fruit can be purchased as an addition to the packed lunch.
Hot lunch:
Students are expected to choose a balanced combination of carbs, meat/vegetarian option, salad and dessert as informed in the menu. During lunch time, students are not allowed to purchase cookies, sugary drinks or other sugary items. Additional fruit can be purchased after the students have finished their lunch.
Supervision
The kitchen staff is monitoring and reminding the students about their choices at lunch time. Additionally, we will establish the cafeteria line supervision duty for the next few weeks; four weeks before Christmas and two weeks after. The duty is for 10 minutes and this time, the focus is on guiding students making healthy choices in the cafeteria. We will start on Tuesday, and the duty rota can be found here.
Addressing the healthy lunch matter at the whole school level
Finally, Jon will be working with the Cezars Kitchen, some faculty members and a group of parents to ensure that our students continue to have access to, and utilize the healthy and balanced lunch every day.

Friday Fruit Cup - reminder

Please come by the Elementary School Office on Friday 20 November, from 8:15 onwards to collect a cup of fruit salad to give you a healthy boost for the day and the long weekend ahead. Even if you are not a big fan of fruit, come by to say good morning to those colleagues you rarely see during the busy days.

Personal Preparation Kit for emergency

Dear colleagues,

Just to remind you. Please, ensure that every student will have their Personal Preparation Kit for emergencies at school. Thank you for being so persistence if that is already the case.
Have a great week!