TheThe Newsletter of K.Comet International School Tokyo Volume 15 | Issue 1 | September 2011 Since 1997 In this issue... “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with Welcome to New Staff…p. 3 KIST Group 4 Project 2011…p. 15 an open one IB Diploma Results…p. 7 Brain Humanities in Borneo…p. 16 .” IE Junior Advisory Board…p. 7 Leap into LEAP…p. 17 —Malcolm S. Forbes Library News…p. 8 Young Leaders Conference…p. 18 College Guidance News…p. 10 Asian Science Camp 2011…p. 19 PTA News…p. 12 A Taste of University…p. 20 From the School Director DATES TO REMEMBER I would like to extend a very special welcome to all new families joining the KIST community for the first time this year, and also a warm welcome back to our continuing families. During the 12-month period of the 2010-2011 school year, people in many countries around the world, including Japan, experienced the devastating effects of an unprecedented number of natural disasters. These in turn affected our school community in various ways. As we move into the second month of 2011-2012, the mood around the world remains somber; however, I would like September to highlight some of the positive aspects that make KIST a very special place 19 School closed (National holiday) to be. 20 Short Tuesday 20-22 Live@edu Training Sessions East Japan earthquake disaster relief 22 (G5) Camp Explanation Meeting On March 11, 2011, an earthquake, the size of which is said to occur only once 23 School day 23 PTA Coffee Morning / Library every 1,000 years, struck the Tohoku region of East Japan causing devastating Committee Meeting damage. Immediately after the disaster and in the period that followed, with the 23 MYP Parent Information Session generous support of the school and local communities, we were able to send a 24 High School Drama Festival total of five trucks carrying relief supplies to the affected areas. We also 27 (W) Free dress day conducted five successful trips to the region to serve meals to those affected 28 *Date changed* PYP Parent and assisted with efforts to clean up the coastline. Information Session #1 28 *Date changed* (S) College For our first relief trip to the affected areas, a total of 24 school representatives, Information Night including two students, departed Tokyo on March 25, two weeks after the initial 28-30 (G8) Camp disaster. We delivered supplies and served hot lunches to the people of October Takajou City in Miyagi Prefecture. For our second visit on April 16, 23 1 School Explanation Day members joined us. For our third visit on April 30, a total of 36 members, 3 2012-2013 enrollment including 13 students, joined us and worked under a very grueling schedule, applications open departing Tokyo during the night and serving hot meals at three different 4-5 School photographs locations before returning to school next morning. Next, 36 representatives, 4 Short Tuesday including 20 students, were a part of our fourth trip on June 22 – 25, and 5-7 (G5) Camp finally, 31 representatives, including 9 students, made the trip again on July 28 10 School day – 30 during the summer holidays, staying overnight and helping with the 11-13 (G3/G5/G7/G9) ISA testing cleanup efforts being carried out in the area. 12 (G10/G11) PSAT tests 14 KISTival preparation day During the period these five trips were conducted, the parents and other 15 KISTival 2011 16-23 Autumn Break members of the KIST community served approximately 7,000 hot meals to 24 (W) School resumes evacuees in a total of nine different locations and assisted with the cleanup at 25 Short Tuesday two beaches, school gyms being used as evacuation centers, and also 28 (S) SRC dance delivered much needed aid and supplies to those in temporary housing. November Continued next page 3 Parent/Teacher/Student interviews KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life KIST Learning for Life 3 Board of Directors meeting 2 “The Comet” Volume 15 | Issue 1 | September 2011 Continued from previous page I would like to take students all choose to take the full DP. As such, I am this opportunity to delighted with this year‘s results. You will find more express my sincere details of the results on page 7. gratitude to all those who provided Other initiatives assistance in any This year, we are exploring various new initiatives to way, from those who help strengthen our numeracy/mathematics curriculum prepared hot meals across the school from the PYP through to the DP. We and supplied are also reviewing our language curriculum throughout donations, to those the school. Additionally, the implementation of the new who helped with the PowerSchool student information system will enable cleanup. Your support was greatly appreciated. Thank both parents and students to check student progress on you very much. line. I believe that these improvements will help us continue to build an even better IB World School and The evacuation centers were closed at the end of July, ensure success for our hardworking students. so for now, we will not be making any more relief trips; however, I hope that together we will continue to look Finally, I am pleased to be working with the members of for ways to support those affected by the earthquake our Administration Team who are all highly qualified and kindly ask for your continued support. educators with a rich experience in the IB curriculum. Further, together with our continuing teachers who have Diploma Programme (DP) 2011 results led our students to great success, we welcome a large Results of the Diploma exams held in May were group of highly skilled and enthusiastic new staff. One of released on July 5. All 16 of our graduates challenged the distinguishing features of KIST is that our students themselves to take the full DP exam, and I am very are highly motivated to succeed academically, with pleased to report that 14 passed successfully. This pass parents who are dedicated to their children‘s education. rate of 87.5%, together with a 90% pass rate from the It is my sincere hope that through a strong three-way 2009-2010 school year, continues the exceptional partnership, we are able to provide even greater support success of our students. The DP exam is extremely for students‘ education, and together make 2011-2012 a challenging and at a large number of IB schools, only year of great progress. around 50% of students take the full Diploma, with the average worldwide pass rate remaining around 70%. Yoshishige Komaki KIST is one of only a limited number of schools where School Director/Acting Head of School East Japan Earthquake Relief 5th Trip July 28 - 30, 2011 Volume 15 | Issue 1 | September 2011 “The Comet” 3 Welcome to New Staff We are pleased to introduce our new qualified and experienced staff to the school community! This year, in addition to a number of new teachers and assistants hired locally, we have a large group of teachers joining us from overseas. For many, this is their first experience living and working in Japan. After arriving in Tokyo during the peak of the summer heat wave, all have made a smooth transition and have begun the year with energy and enthusiasm. We welcome all our new staff to KIST and wish them all the best for the year ahead. E-mail addresses for all faculty, new and continuing, are available on the Contact >> Staff Directory page of the school website. Faculty… Marina Babaeva Christian Baker Mridula Bardhan Brooke Boldon Alice Cheung MYP/DP Music MYP Math DP Chemistry / MYP MYP English Grade 2A Science Bruce Duxbury Jim Erber Keith Erickson Benjamen Fishman Megan Geshel MYP Design MYP PE MYP/DP English, Student Welfare Grade 3B Technology Humanities Counselor Wendy Gore Kara Haines Elizabeth Heard Wyn Hughes Andre Ito MYP English, MYP English, PYP Coordinator DP Psychology, MYP/DP Math Humanities Humanities Economics Taichi Komiya Chee Lee Jay Leroy Sindy Leveel Ferdinand Licuanan Elementary English MYP PE PYP PE MYP/DP Math Teacher-Librarian Language Support Wilhelm Merchel Carolina Murgado Kevin Murphy Divya Okubo Rachel Parkinson K1 MYP English, Secondary English K3B Elementary English Humanities Language Support Language Support 4 “The Comet” Volume 15 | Issue 1 | September 2011 Eric Patterson Vedrana Pavletic Allison Rabenau Kim Riemer Robin Scardino PYP Music MYP Coordinator / Elementary English Grade 5A MYP Math, Science MYP Art, Music Language Support Katrina Sentgeorge Aidan Siddall Michael Steele Agnes Theilen Anthony Theilen PYP Art Grade 5A MYP English, Grade 4B Grade 2B Humanities Jennifer Thomas Paige Venturino Rob White MYP Math, Science K3A MYP/DP Language B New teachers making yakisoba with the help of our Japanese staff. Other staff… Catrina Christian Robert Collins Darina Dubenko Leslie Hynes Mari Nameshida Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant School Nurse K1 K1 / K1, K2 Music Grade 1B Grade 1A Eri Nomura Mackensie Roland Jude Ross Tyler Silvasti Ai White Elementary Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant Teacher‘s Assistant Administration Assistant K3B K2 / K1, K2 Art K2 K2 We wish all staff the best for a great year! Volume 15 | Issue 1 | September 2011 “The Comet” 5 Elementary School News Three C’s for our students How can you determine the quality Curriculum of a school? I believe it is Building on the work that has been determined by the choices the done each year to improve the school makes. Great schools Programme of Inquiry, this year we consistently make decisions have taken the curriculum planning focusing on what is best for their and documentation even further.