Third Quarter 2013-14 - St. Mary`s International School

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St. Mary’s International School!
1-6-19 Seta, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8668!
(03) 3709-3411!
“A School with a Heart”!
Quarterly Highlights
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In This Newsletter Issue!
Message from the Headmaster!
SMA President! !
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HS Principal!
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MS Principal!
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ES Librarian!
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MS/HS Librarian!!
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Learning Support Services!!
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ES Counselor!
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St. Mary’s Athletics!
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Swim Team!
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St. Mary’s Association Committees!
From Our Advertisers!
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Dates to Watch! !
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international school community. Ms. Tina
Quick, a recognized expert in the area of
raising “international” children, addressed the
wonderful world of Third Culture and Cross
Culture Kids (TCK’s & CCK’s), and Mr. Joji
Tatsugi, a graduate of the school, dropped by
to see how the “Teaching and Sharing Skills to
Enrich Lives” (TASSEL) program is going at
both St. Mary’s and Seisen.!
Message from the Headmaster!
Two recent visitors to school: Ms. Tina Quick
& Mr. Joji Tatsugi (1979), remind us of the
unique opportunities we have as part of the
Third Quarter 2014
Issue No. 3 - Third Quarter 2014
Over 60 parents and staff attended two Tina
Quick workshops to share the experiences of
raising children who are often described as
“between, or the result of two or more
cultures.” As much as there was opportunity
to discuss what our students are experiencing
now, this was also a chance to best prepare our
sons and daughters for their transition to
college and university, from an emotional and
cultural perspective. More information about
Ms. Quick can be found through the
counselors and curriculum office at the school.!
Joji Tatsugi on the other hand tells a moving
story about his desire to help those in need. As
a successful scientist and businessman, Joji
was traveling to Africa to establish a nongovernmental organization (NGO) when he
made a stop in Cambodia to find a country
that had lost “a generation or more of
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professionals in the fields of medicine, science
and education.” Mr. Tatsugi felt so compelled
to help that he established a program that
enables students in Japan, Korea and the
United States to help teach students in
Cambodia using computers and the internet.
The so-called TASSEL program is now an
established NGO in the USA, and St. Mary’s
high school junior and seniors are now
actively involved in teaching students and
teachers in Cambodia. Ms. Kimberly Fradale,
who is the International Baccalaureate
Creativity Action & Service coordinator at the
school, is looking for more student volunteers
and also seeking parental involvement in this
growing and promising program.!
These two recent visitors to the school
exemplify what we experience by being part
of the international school scene. Furthermore,
opportunities to become actively involved in
service activities surround us.!
Find ways in which making a difference every
day is helpful to all.!
-Saburo Kagei, Headmaster!
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From the SMA President,!
Caterina Tanaka!
of the Donations Committee. Your generous
contribution will make this event a success!!
-Making A Difference Every Day-!
RECENT EVENTS !
The SMA continues to promote activities that
support the Titans spirit among all members
of the St. Mary’s community and increase
opportunities for the parents to meet with
each other and with the school faculty. These
were the highlights from the last quarter:!
The third quarter is a busy time for the St.
Mary’s Association as we get ready for the
major fundraisers of the year.!
The highlight of this quarter will be the 59th
St. Mary’s International Ball — PassioNight,
on Saturday, March 15. The International Ball
committee chair, Yumi Shigetake, and co-chair,
Ruriko Kojima, put together a wonderful
program that defines ‘Passion.’ Don’t miss out
on the food, entertainment and fun of this
long-standing St. Mary’s tradition, so RSVP by
March 3.!
SAVE THE DATES!
Tuesday, March 4 —Staff Appreciation
Luncheon: Organized by the Room Parent
Coordinators, this annual event thanks St.
Mary’s faculty and administration for their
contributions. Room Parents request parent
donations of food, desserts, and drinks, and
parent volunteers to help on the day as
servers. For information and volunteer
opportunities, please contact Lia Kumar and
Keiko Fukasawa at [email protected].!
Wednesday, March 19 — HS Ice Cream Bash:
The Room Parent Coordinators are also
organizing the Ice Cream Bash for high school
students. HS parents are invited to socialize
with and serve ice cream to the HS students.
For information and volunteer opportunities,
please contact [email protected].!
Friday, March 21 — Morning Program with
Mr. Langholz and MS Families: Curriculum
Changes, organized by the Room Parent
Coordinators with the support of the Middle
School Liaisons. For more information, please
contact Lia Kumar and Keiko Fukasawa at
[email protected].!
CARNIVAL AND RAFFLE!
We need you to make St. Mary’s biggest
event a success!!
Please join in the St. Mary’s Carnival Country
Booths’ Kickoff Meeting. Motoko A’ De Lima
and Mariko Woody, Carnival chair and cochair, are calling for their first Country Booths
Meeting on Thursday, March 6. For
information on how you can participate,
please contact them at
[email protected].!
Keiko Aoyama and Yu Kobayashi , chair and
co-chair of the St. Mary’s Raffle Committee,
are publishing a Wish List of raffle prizes in
this newsletter. Please also help out Miho
Nagano and Noriko Behr, chair and co-chair
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1. JSSG Parenting Seminar on November 27
and a series of campus tours led by Ms. Linda
Wayne, Curriculum Coordinator.!
2. JSSG Christmas Craft Fair on December 7
organized by Keiko Ikeda and Risa Osawa in
the MPR.!
3. SMA Welcome Back To School Morning
Tea on January 15, organized by the
Hospitality Committee chairs Aya Iwamoto
and Therese Adachi.!
4. SMA/ JSSG Seminar on January 30 — The
JSSA committee hosted a SMA/ JSSG Seminar
entitled “The ACT/ Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT) and the Road the College”, with Mr.
Aaron Ragon, HS and College Counselor, as
the guest speaker, and Mrs. Rika Atobe, St.
Mary’s parent, as the interpreter.!
Thank you to all of the people who made
these events a success. They were all a result
of the St. Mary’s community coming together.!
SMA PARTICIPATION AND FEEDBACK:!
We welcome you to participate in school and
SMA events, and in the sports and fine arts
and community. By doing so, you make a
difference in building the best environment
for your son’s education. The St. Mary’s
Association also appreciates your feedback.
Please send us your thoughts and comments
to [email protected].!
From the High School Principal,
Bonetta Ramsey!
In the high school, there are many exciting
initiatives underway that enhance the student
experience. Below highlights three of our
initiatives in the area of technology:!
The Diplomat, which is the High School
newspaper, has been available in print at St.
Mary’s for several decades. However, this
year, the Diplomat has gone digital. Please
check it out at diplomat.smis.ac.jp.
Congratulations to the journalism students
and Mr. Kevin Donovan, Diplomat Sponsor
and Journalism Teacher, for taking the
Diplomat digital!!
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Check out or high school calendar at
www.smis.jp/high/calendars, or on the St.
Mary’s High School website under the
heading Calendar, or on the High School
Bulletin which can be also be found on the St.
Mary’s High School website. Thanks to Dan
Sharp, High School Assistant Principal, for the
design and overall coordination as well as Cris
Copping, IB Coordinator, Randy Stenson, Fine
Arts Coordinator, and Tom Molina, Athletic
Director, for keeping the calendars updated
and current.!
Finally, we recognize that technology is an
integral part of student life. This year, students
have been encouraged to bring their own
devices to school every day, and the feedback
from both teachers and students is positive.
Furthermore, as part of an overall redesign of
the way space is used in the HS computer lab
and to provide students with increased access
to computers, twelve new laptops were
purchased for student use. In order to support
this current initiative and a more formal Bring
Your Own Device program in the coming
school year, we are in the process of rolling
out a Digital Citizenship Program.!
The goal of the program is to equip students
with the knowledge necessary to utilize
computers in their learning both effectively
and responsibly. In this initial phase, our goal
is to provide students with network log-in
credentials so that they can more effectively
use the school’s network resources and
Internet access. Students will complete a series
of activities both online and face-to-face that
will serve to:!
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solicit important student input on
computer use at St. Mary’s,!
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help students in choosing appropriate
hardware and software for their studies,!
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gather data related to current computer
ownership, and!
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educate students on responsible use of
school network resources.!
Later phases of the program will address
computer skill development, troubleshooting,
computer maintenance, online privacy,
intellectual property issues, research
methodologies and more. Thanks to Doug
Sirkka, Educational Technology Coordinator,
and Tim Vanderpool, Homeroom Coordinator,
for leading this student initiative.!
Likewise, we have moved to an online
calendar in the high school that includes links
to all events for the year including IB, Fine
Arts, Athletics and school-wide happenings.
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From the Middle School Principal, From the ES Librarian, James Langholz!
Tammy Hays!
There are several changes in the works for
how the middle school will operate next year.
There will be a new schedule. There will be
several news faces in the classrooms. We are
restructuring the way the Japanese language
program is delivered. We will move forward
boldly with additional technology integration
into the classroom. We will initiate a projectbased learning class for all students in grades
6-8. Lastly, we are looking to transform the
Middle and High School Library into a Media
Center with a merging of print resources and
electronic resources available for all students.
Generally, we will look toward more fully
engaging our students in learning in
innovative and forward-thinking ways in
everything that we do. We are a middle school
on the move, and I’m very excited about what
the future holds for your sons.!
Check out here what habits innovative schools
have related to education for the 21st Century.
Related to point #3 in this article, “Innovative
Schools are Transparent,” we will have a
meeting on March 21 where I will share in
more detail the changes we have been
working on and that will be implemented in
the fall, and the reasons why these changes are
being made. In addition to this meeting about
schedule and program changes at the middle
school, there will also be a session presented
by Mr. Copping for 8th grade parents about
the IB Program at the High School and what
students can be thinking about to prepare for
it. The SMA has generously offered to prepare
a light lunch for parents on this day since you
will also be invited to stay for the Middle
School Talent show scheduled for 1 p.m. on
March 21. Although the details for this day
haven’t been finalized, it will be a full day and
I am letting you know what will be happening
should you be interested in planning your
schedule so that you can attend. More
information will be coming your way as we
get closer to March 21.!
Your continued support of what we do at the
St. Mary’s Middle School is much appreciated.
Please continue to check out my blog and the
links to other St. Mary’s Middle School blogs.
Never hesitate to come in and chat if you have
any ideas that you think would be beneficial
for the work we are doing with your sons.!
Third Quarter 2014
Recently, I heard a 2nd grade student exclaim,
“I like to read. Reading is an adventure!” How
right he is. Reading does bring adventure to
our lives. It can add a bit of mystery, broaden
our horizons, and most importantly, it can
bring a family together.!
Some of my fondest memories growing up are
of my mother reading stories to my brothers
and me. We loved to hear about the lovable
Curious George and his friend the Man in the
Yellow Hat, and to learn more about Laura
Ingalls Wilder’s adventures growing up on
the plains. I am also compelled to mention the
Murray family in Madeleine L’Engle’s book A
Wrinkle in Time. Meg and Charles Wallace are
incredible characters that truly sparked the
imagination in my family.!
I would like to challenge our families to spend
at least 15 minutes a day reading a book
together. Reading before bed or right after
dinner was always my family’s favorite time.
The best thing about it is that you can turn off
your cell phones, stop answering e-mails, and
forget about Facebook or tweeting for a little
while, and truly live in the moment with your
children. We all need time to unwind and
reconnect with our families.!
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creates a story that touched our imaginations.!
Mr. Whistler and the competition can be seen
here.!
Happily, we can even announce the winners
of our SMBA Art Contest. Please stop by the
library to see our winners’ art work.!
This year’s finalists were chosen by a varied
group of St. Mary’s staff.. Each class then
voted for the artwork that would represent
their grade in the prize package we will send
to the author and illustrator.!
The winners are:!
Takumi in RPJ!
Nathaniel in 1R!
Wujin in 2N!
Ren in 3A!
All-Japan Sakura Medal Book Bowl!
St. Mary’s hosted the All-Japan Sakura Medal
Book Bowl on February 27 in the MPR.!
This year our internal Book Bowl competition
was very close. Twelve teams of five competed
for the honor to represent St. Mary’s at the AllJapan Sakura Medal Book Bowl, but only two
teams could go on.!
St. Mary’s Book Award Winner!
This is the 15th year that we have chosen a St.
Mary’s Book Award (SMBA) book. This
popular reading program has touched the
heart of so many of our young readers over
the years. This year is no exception.!
Students in RP, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades
enjoyed listening and writing about the five
short-listed books. However, only one could
win. The 2014 SMBA winner is Mr. Whistler,
written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by
Gavin Bishop. Mr. Whistler is a happy
gentleman who always has a song in his head
and feet that must dance. He is a bit forgetful,
or perhaps I should say distracted, but he
For the very first time, our 2014 Book Bowl
team has a member from each 4th and 5th
Grade class. This year’s team is made up of
five members of last year’s winning team, all
in 5th grade, and five 4th grade members.!
They are:!
5B’s Ryo and Sho!
5L’s Aidan!
5W’s Wray and Krish!
4C’s Jo and David!
4L’s Issa!
4S’s Se Ji and Christopher!
Alternates: 5L’s Mayank and Conan!
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(ES Librarian - Continued from page 3)!
We will compete against eight schools: ASIJ,
Seisen, ISSH, YIS, TIS, Nishimachi, Makuhari
International School and Tathva International
School. With a little luck, a lot of hard work
and great sportsmanship we will do our best
to bring home the trophy for the third year in
a row.!
Go Titans!!
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From the MS/HS Librarian,
Anna Fernicola!
We are just wrapping up our celebrations for
February, Love Your Library Month, which
was a lot of fun.!
Now we are getting ready to move into March
and the Sakura Medal March incentives
begin.!
Don’t forget my challenge to read together as
a family each night for a couple of weeks. I
think you will find that after a couple of
weeks reading together will become one of
your favorite times of the day. Stop by the
library if you need some suggestions. We love
to talk about books.!
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since St. Mary’s MS/HS Library is allowed to
send in up to 12 designs this year. Last year
we had winning designs in the MS English
Book category and the MS Japanese Book
category, and those winning artworks were
presented to well-known YA authors Marie Lu
and Osamu Souda. (See our website for more
details.)!
If you would like more information on how
your son may enter this art competition,
please call me or email me
[email protected].!
The deadline for entering the 2014 Sakura
Design Competition is March 20.!
We are looking forward to receiving more
outstanding artworks from our MS and HS
kids this year too! Go Titans!!
Happy Reading!!
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While in February the focus was in reflecting
on what libraries do for us, in March we will
focus on what the MS/HS library can do to
further encourage reading and the enjoyment
of quality books from around the world, i.e,
the Sakura Medal shortlisted books. Many
students have been avidly reading from the
2014 Sakura lists. Some have already qualified
to vote in April, but we want to encourage
more kids to be eligible to vote this spring, so
the Library is offering a gift certificate to any
student who is able to read 4 books or more in
the MS Sakura list or 3 books or more in the
HS and Japanese Sakura lists by the middle
of March. Many students have already
qualified, but we hope many more boys will
take advantage of this nice incentive which
will end on March 15.!
Another way our boys can participate in the
Sakura Medal program is through their art.
The 2014 Sakura Medal Design Competition
has been announced and is now in progress.
MS and HS students are invited to design a
piece of original art to be included with the
diploma and medal awarded to the 2014
winning authors. Many entries are needed
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From the Learning Support Team!
-Please Read This-!
You can’t go a day at St Mary’s without seeing
a classroom of boys exploring books in the
elementary library or the middle school
enjoying their daily 10-minute sustained
reading time. For those that like to read,
there’s nothing more enjoyable than getting
caught-up in a good book and losing track of
time. But how often does the reading stop
after students leave school? There is little
doubt by researchers the impact that reading
has on predicting future success. Surprisingly
you don’t have to read hours on end to
become a good reader; only 20 minutes a day.
If a middle school student reads 20 minutes a
day, they are exposed to almost 1,000,000
words in a school year. Compare that to five
minutes a day, which comes out to roughly
100,000 words. Imagine what a child could
learn spending just 20 minutes per day in a
good book.!
Now a child may retort, “I don’t want to read
my textbook, it’s so boring.” Fair statement.
There is a time and place for academic
reading, but one of the greatest predictors of
reading achievement actual comes from
independent reading (Taylor & Fry, 1990). In
fact, research concludes that there is no better
way to gain higher order thinking skills than
independent reading as well as the obvious
benefits of building comprehension,
vocabulary, spelling and writing skills
(Gunning, 2008; Karshen, 2004). So how do we
encourage and build independent readers?!
Teaching children the joy of reading can start
as early as infancy. Reading to little ones
teaches babies about communication,
introduces them to concepts like numbers,
letters and colors, as well as builds listening,
memory and vocabulary. But we don’t have
many of those crawling around here, except
maybe a few siblings. In the early school years
by the third grade, most children are simply
learning to read. By the fourth grade, students
begin reading to learn. Initiatives in the US are
placing a great deal of efforts in this critical
period leading up through third grade. What
research has found is that students who
struggle at reading through third grade
generally tend to underperform throughout
their schooling. They continue to struggle
with reading to learn. But there are ways that
parents can help continue to foster lifelong
reading and lifelong learning.!
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Whether we are two years old or 90 years old,
we all want one thing: choice. Independence
or perceived independence has a profound
impact on our motivation. This is true with
reading as well. I remember being a middle or
high school student being forced to read a
novel. I dreaded it and likely didn’t read it
completely because it was forced upon me.
There is of course benefit to these types of
assigned readings and the elements the
teacher wants to pull out of it. But years later, I
would pick up that same book, read it in a few
days and enjoy it. The power of choice
enriches our motivation to want more.At St.
Mary’s, students often have the chance for free
reading and a plethora of books to choose
from. The school librarians and teachers are
excellent at making recommendations to
students based on their preferences. But the
reading should not stop at school. Students
should also have options at home, if they’re
not bringing books from school. In the past, it
wasn’t the easiest to get a wide range of
English books in Japan. Now, it’s a simple
click away. You can get physical books from
Amazon Japan for reasonable prices or a
variety of eBooks and magazines through
Kindle, Nook or iBooks.!
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By increasing the amount that students read
for pleasure, in and out of school, the better
they become at reading, which in turn
increases their understanding of academic
texts. It’s always best to start habits early and
optimally get them engaged at a very early
age. But reading as a habit can be started at
any age. Many of our younger students would
still benefit from reading together with a
parent before going to bed. Encourage older
students to power down their devices an hour
or two before bed and have them read. Of
course it is also important to be a good model
and read yourself. If students are exposed to
materials that are engaging to them, it
becomes desirable to want to read more. Time
will always be a factor, as most of us are often
wanting more. But the implications reading
has on students’ future success should make it
towards the top in priorities. This isn’t true
just during the school week but weekends,
holidays and the ever-important summer
break should not be overlooked.!
-Kris Thiesen!
MS Learning Support!
With access out of the way, we look at choice.
To get students engaged in reading, they need
material that engages them. As the popular
novelist James Patterson puts it, “The best
way to get kids reading more is to give them
books they’ll gobble up — and that will make
them ask for another. Kids say the number one
reason they don’t read more is that they can’t
find the book they like. Freedom of choice is a
key to getting them motivated and excited.
Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sport
statistics — terrific! As long as the kids are
reading” (CNN, 2011). We want to continue to
feed the passions of what kids want to read.
Novels, biographies, magazine or web articles
can all be the fuel to keep the reading fire
burning. Whether they like mysteries, video
games, sports or music, there are plenty of
sources at each age level to get them engaged.!
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From the ES School Counselor,
Julie Gordon!
-What to do (and what to avoid) when your
child tells you about problems at school-!
As a parent (and a school counselor), I know it
can be heart-breaking when your child comes
home from school and tells you that someone
has teased him, called him a name or made
fun of his soccer abilities (to name a few). The
good news is, that through these experiences
we can teach our children how to “problem
solve” and handle difficulties that they will
inevitably encounter in life. Above all,
although you may be upset, remember not to
over-react. Children can exaggerate and do
not always report the facts accurately. Stay
calm and follow these guidelines:!
Do’s!
1. Stay calm.!
2. Listen to the entire story before
commenting.!
3. Repeat back/summarize what you heard
your son say.!
4. Connect their words to their feelings; i.e.,
say, “That must have made you feel
angry/sad etc.”!
5. Ask them what they did to solve the
problem. (If they say, “Told the teacher/
supervisor,” also ask if they tried to
resolve it first on their own.)!
6. Practice/role-play with them using words
to solve the problem; i.e., stand up
straight, look the person in the eye, and
say, “I don’t like it when….” “I feel…” “I
want you to stop doing…”!
If necessary, contact your child’s teacher/
counselor asking for clarification about the
problem, but remember not to assume that
your child has reported it 100% correctly.!
Don’ts!
1. Don’t overreact or act upset (yelling,
crying etc.).!
2. Don’t contact the parents of the other
student(s) involved.!
3. Don’t assume that your son’s story is
completely correct.!
4. Don’t automatically assume that your
child has done nothing wrong.!
5. Don’t gossip or talk to other parents
about other boys.!
6. Absolutely do not post about these
problems on social media sites (i.e.,
Facebook, Twitter etc.). The boys are little
children, growing up learning and
developing. They deserve forgiveness,
privacy and safety.!
Remember that every child growing up at
some point will experience some form of
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teasing. Use it as an opportunity to practice
those problem-solving skills.!
And as always, please feel free to contact me
at [email protected]. I’m here to help and
work together!!
St. Mary’s Athletics!
The St. Mary’s Titans capped a successful
winter season in both the middle school and
high school levels, winning one Far East
championship and three Kanto league titles.
Leading the pack was our high school
wrestling team, which took its third
individual Far East title in four years. In
addition, the team won the Kanto Plain league
championship and was a top contender for the
Kanto tournament title until its cancellation
due to snow.!
Individual champions for the Titans were:!
101 lbs.! Chang Young Lee!
115 lbs.! Kentaro Hayashi!
180 lbs. ! Jeffrey Koo!
This is Jeffrey’s third consecutive individual
Far East title. He was also named the Most
Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament to
become the fifth St. Mary’s wrestler to achieve
this distinction, and the first since1997.!
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Swimming continues to make waves in the
pool, capturing its 41st consecutive Kanto
Plain swimming title. In the next few weeks,
the team will participate in a few Japanese
meets to qualify for the Japan National Age
Group championships late next month. To
date, the 400 meter free relay team of Joshua
Brown, Takashi Kanazawa, Yutaro Sahara and
Naoki Nomura has already qualified, and the
coaches are hoping that a few more swimmers
will make the cut.!
In elementary school, ball hockey continues to
be a major draw with over 30 participants,
while judo attracted more than 60 students
from grade 1 to grade 3 this season. Grade 2
Activities, the last of the winter sports to start,
are still ongoing and will not end until late
March. In the meantime, more than 20 grade 2
students have signed up.!
Congratulations to all athletes and coaches for
a job well done!!
Last but not least, the athletics department
would like to thank Mr. Adrian Jones for his
generous contribution toward the painting of
the Titans logo on the gym floor.!
Follow the Titans at http://twitter.com/
smtitans!
Let’s go, Titans!!
At the middle school level, our wrestlers took
-Tom Molina, Athletic Director!
part in three exhibition tournaments during
the season and produced some outstanding
results. While there are no titles at stake at this
level, the middle school team continues to
provide a solid feeder system for our high
school wrestling program.!
Varsity soccer clinched a tie with ASIJ for the
Kanto League championship with an exciting
2-1 victory over the Mustangs in late January.
However, the Kanto Tournament champions
will not be determined until late February
after rescheduled finals due to snow. Both
finals (JV and Varsity) will be between the
Titans and the Mustangs.!
In high school basketball, our JV and varsity
teams remained in contention throughout the
season before settling for a second-place
finish. The highlight of the season was the
record-breaking performance of Andrew
Jones, who drilled 7 triples and scored 44
points in a game against Kinnick to set two
new school records.!
Middle school basketball, however, stole the
show with all three teams going undefeated in
league play the entire season. The grade 8
team was especially dominating with an
average margin of victory of 14 points over
their opponents.!
Third Quarter 2013
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Swim Team Highlights!
-Tokyo-to Winter Swim Meet at Tatsumi!
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The Tokyo-to winter swim meet is always an
exciting one and a huge one as well — the end
of the season is near and folks are ready to
swim fast. The two-day meet was held at the
International Swimming Complex at Tatsumi
and was run in a trials and finals format —
swimmers attempt to qualify for a spot in the
afternoon top eight finals. Some races were set
as timed finals. Thirty-six swimmers from the
St. Mary's Buccaneers Swim Team competed
along with 2,954 competitors from 152 clubs
throughout Tokyo. The Bucs set seven new
records and had six swims that were under
Japan’s Age Group National qualifying
standards. There was also lots of excitement
around the pool with 2013 World Champion
Daiya Seto of Waseda University in the
competition.!
Junior Shane Brett broke Miguel Molina's 400
Individual Medley OPEN + AREA record
from 2002 with a 4:23.26 effort, taking 3.19
seconds off the old mark. The IM is always
fun to watch as it combines the four
competitive strokes — Butterfly, Backstroke,
Breaststroke, and Freestyle — into one race.
The 400 meter IM is considered to be
swimming's most grueling event. Shane took
1st place overall in the 15-16 boys division and
was well under the national qualifying
standard with stellar splits of 1:00.34 (Fly),
1:06.20 (Back), 1:15.35 (Breast) and 1:01.37
(Free). Shane also qualified for nationals in the
200 Freestyle with a swift 1:52.06, capturing
2nd place.!
Freshman Kazuki Martin capped off a great
first day for the Bucs, making his first
nationals with a 24.02 in the 15-16 Boys 50
meter Freestyle. Kazuki took 2nd place in the
finals after just missing the cut in the
prelims.It’s always great to see the guys go
faster in the finals! Joshua Brown finaled in
two events, finishing 2nd in the 13-14 50 meter
Free and 7th in the 200 Free. His 24.36 time in
the 50 was just off his best and under the “nats
cuts”. Takashi Kanazawa finished 8th in the 50
Free (25.31) — his prelim time of 25.13 was a
scant .07 off the nationals.!
Third Quarter 2013
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BUCS 13+14 medley relay qualifies for the
JOC Cup!!
The quartet of Joshua Brown, Takashi
Kanazawa, Yutaro Sahara and Naoki Nomura
had already qualified for the nationals in the 4
x 100 Free Relay last December. The boys took
3rd place overall in the Free Relay on Saturday
afternoon and added the 4 x 100 Medley Relay
to their repertoire for nationals, bettering the
cut and placing 3rd overall. Splits on the
medley relay were Yutaro — Backstroke
(1:03.98), Joshua — Breaststroke (1:04.26),
Naoki — Butterfly (1:00.14), and Takashi —
Freestyle (54.03). The boys obliterated the old
OPEN + AREA record of 4:09.48, blazing a
4:02.41, more than two seconds under the
national standard.!
Shane Brett stayed hot on Sunday, breaking
the 15-18 Boys 100 meter Butterfly AREA
record twice. In the prelims, Shane took down
Miguel Ortiz’s 2009 mark with a 55.75 swim to
qualify 2nd. Shane took another .15 seconds
off the newly established standard in the final,
going 55.60, also a national cut. Joshua Brown,
Kauki Martin and Takashi Kanazawa made it
to the finals on Sunday. Joshua finished 5th in
the 200 Breast (2:23.53), while Kazuki and
Takashi were 7th and 8th in the 100 Free with
times of 52.66 and 55.20, respectively. !
Seisen Freshman Kaitlin Rossman set three
records, breaking her own OPEN + AREA
mark in the 13-14 girls 50 meter Breaststroke,
throwing down a 35.26 swim. Kaitlin also set
AREA marks in the 100 + 200 Breaststroke,
going 1:17.00 and 2:46.76, respectively.!
The 15-18 Boys 400 Freestyle relay was 5th
overall and was again close to making the
national time. Kazuki M., Shane B., Nicolas
Flint and Junu Moon combined to swim a
3:31.90. The last chance to punch a ticket to the
March 27-30 national championships will be at
the J.O. Yosen meet at Tatsumi on March 1-2.
The team is well positioned to continue on a
roll at the Yosen meet next week. So far it is
Shane Brett, Joshua Brown, Kazuki Martin,
Takashi Kanazawa, Yutaro Sahara and Naoki
Nomura that will represent St. Mary’s at the
March annual classic.!
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-Winter 2014 Kanto Plains Championships at
St. Mary’s !
The pool was abuzz for the Winter Kanto
Plains Swimming Championships, with St.
Mary’s Buccaneers Swim Team capturing their
41st consecutive league title. The team
amassed a total of 1,492 points. The British
School came in 2nd place with 654 points,
followed by the Yokosuka Junior Seahawks
with a total of 518.50 points. Heats were run as
mixed events, with both boys and girls
competing together regardless of age.
However, events were scored by gender and
age. The coaches would like to thank all
volunteers for keeping a meet with 11 teams
and 285 student/athletes running smoothly.
There were 1,014 individual entries and 92
relays! It was the first time a St. Mary’s swim
meet has been streamed live, and the team
would like to give a big thank you to Mr.
Sirkka and his crew.!
The Kanto Plains Champs challenges
swimmers with a full day of racing.
Swimmers compete in four individual events
as well as two relays in the one-day meet.
High Point trophies were awarded to the 1st,
2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each age group
based on four individual events. Buccaneer
swimmers captured 19 out of a possible 30
high point trophies. Swimmers on the
following page garnered trophies in their
respective age groups.!
Buc swimmers continue to compile new
records: Freshman Joshua Brown set two new
records in the Boys 13+14 200 meter
Breaststroke (OPEN + AREA) and the 400
meter Individual Medley (AREA), throwing
down times of 2:22.68 and 4:44.25,
respectively. Seisen Freshman Kaitlin Rossman
bettered her own team record in the 13+14
Girls 200 Breast, going 2:49.20. In the 8+Under
age group, Lisa Purcell was a mere .49 seconds
off the team record in the 25 meter Free. The
quartet of Philipp Steck, Kenji Nomura, Max
Wahba and Karl Bodenheimer came within
striking distance of the AREA record in the
100 meter Freestyle Relay, blazing a 1:10.89.!
Buc swimmers producing US Swimming
AAAA times were Nicolas Flint, Shane Brett,
Personal bests were the norm for the
Joshua Brown and Naoki Nomura. AAA
weekend. Shane B., Kazuki M., Joshua B.,
swims were turned in by Junu Moon, Shunichi
Nicolas F., Junu M., Shunichi Ichimura,
Ichimura, Kazuki Martin, Kaitlin Rossman,
Stefano A’De Lima, Takashi K., Naoki N.,
Stefano A’De Lima, Yutaro Sahara, Takashi
Yutaro S., and Keigo Hayashi all popped AAA Kanazawa and Keigo Hayashi.!
standards or better. Other Buc swimmers with
US swimming A/AA time standards were:
Other swimmers bettering US Swimming AA
Riki Motoyama, Coco Yamamoto, Luka
+ A times were Riki Motoyama, Coco
Honobe, Naoki Martin, Kota Uchino, Jun
Yamamoto, Yuri Hayashi, Yu Kunita, Naoki
Asano, Ryan Fenwick, Max Wahba and
Martin, Kota Uchino, Neo Yoshii, Skyler Pang,
Natsuki Uchino.!
Jun Asano, Ryan Fenwick, Lazlo Wenk,
Aisa Takahara, Max Wahba, Kenji Nomura,
Natsuki Uchino and Lisa Purcell.!
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Nicolas Flint
15 - 18 Boys
High Point Winner - 36 points
Shane Brett
15 - 18 Boys
2nd High Point - 34 points
Kazuki Martin
Coco Yamamoto
15 - 18 Boys
15 - 18 Girls
3rd High Point - 31 points
High Point Winner - 36 points
Yuri Hayashi
Joshua Brown
15 - 18 Girls
13 + 14 Boys
3rd High Point - 31 points
High Point Winner - 36 points
Yutaro Sahara
Takashi Kanazawa
13 + 14 Boys
13 + 14 Boys
2nd High Point - 33 points
3rd High Point - 32 points
Kaitlin Rossman
13 + 14 Girls
High Point Winner - 36 points
Yu Kunita
11 + 12 Boys
High Point Winner - 36 points
Naoki Martin
11 + 12 Boys
2nd High Point - 30 points
Kota Uchino
11 + 12 Boys
3rd High Point - 30 points - tied
Neo Yoshii
11 + 12 Boys
3rd High Point - 30 points - tied
Keigo Hayashi
9 + 10 Boys
High Point Winner - 36 points
Ryan Fenwick
9 + 10 Boys
2nd High Point - 28 points
Aisa Takahara
9 + 10 Girls
High Point Winner - 36 points
Max Wahba
8 + Under Boys
3rd High Point - 30 points
Natsuki Uchino
8 + Under Girls
2nd High Point - 32 points
Lisa Purcell
8 + Under Girls
3rd High Point - 30 points
-Annual Swim-a-thon at St. Mary’s!
The Swim Team held their annual Swim-AThon on January 18. Both coaches and
spectators were inspired to see swimmers give
their all in the team’s annual event. It’s hard to
think of another exercise that demands
simultaneous full and constant use of the
arms, legs and core muscle groups. Building
the aerobic base is key — crunch the numbers
— 1,320 breaths are taken when you swim
5,000 meters and take six breaths per lap. The
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road to success is always under construction
and the laps churned out will pay off when it’s
championship meet time.!
It was only the second time that two
swimmers completed over 200 lengths in an
hour: both Kelly Moodie and Ryutaro Kamiya
topped the 5,000 meter mark in 2010. Junior
Shane Brett and Senior Nicolas Flint put in
splendid performances — Shane posted the
2nd best all-time performance for 15-18 Boys,
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swimming 205 lengths (5,125 meters), and
Senior Nicolas Flint went 202 lengths (5,050
meters), achieving a tie for the all-time 4th
place. Freshman Joshua Brown was equally
impressive, completing 190 lengths — 4,750
meters — good enough to tie for 4th place alltime for 13–14 Boys. Scores of team members
showed marked improvement over last year’s
results. (See next page for complete results.)
Third Quarter 2013
The 2014 “How far can you swim in 1 hour?” Challenge top finishers were:
15-18 Boys
1st
Shane Brett
2nd Nicholas Flint
3rd
Shunichi Ichimura
15-18 Girls
1st
Coco Yamamoto
13 + 14 Boys
1st
Joshua Brown
2nd Takashi Kanazawa
3rd
Ryan Shimizu
13 + 14 Girls
1st
Kaitlin Rossman
2nd Luka Honobe
3rd
Amelia Steck
11 + 12 Boys
1st
Kota Uchino
2nd Naoki Martin
3rd
Jun Asano
11 + 12 Girls
1st
Marta Nieto-Kuruc
9 + 10 Boys
1st
Keigo Hayashi
2nd Ryan Fenwick
3rd
Lazlo Wenk
9 +10 Girls
1st
Aisa Takahara
8 & under Boys
1st
Kenji Nomura
2nd Max Wahba
3rd
Phillip Steck
8 & under Girls
1st
Natsuki Uchino
2nd Lisa Purcell
16 yrs.
18 yrs.
17 yrs.
205 lengths
202 lengths
176 lengths
5,125 meters
5,050 meters
4,400 meters
15 yrs.
158 lengths
3,950 meters
14 yrs.
14 yrs.
13 yrs.
190 lengths
168 lengths
161 lengths
4,750 meters
4,200 meters
4,025 meters
14 yrs.
14yrs.
13 yrs.
158 lengths
150 lengths
150 lengths
3,950 meters
3,750 meters
3,750 meters
12 yrs.
12 yrs.
11 yrs.
154 lengths
153 lengths
152 lengths
3,850 meters
3,825 meters
3,800 meters
12 yrs.
141 lengths
3,525 meters
10 yrs.
9 yrs.
10 yrs.
139 lengths
130 lengths
127 lengths
3,475 meters
3,250 meters
3,175 meters
10 yrs.
127 lengths
3,175 meters
7 yrs.
8 yrs.
8 yrs.
117 lengths
114 lengths
104 lengths
2,925 meters
2,850 meters
2,600 meters
7 yrs.
8 yrs.
120 lengths
116 lengths
3,000 meters
2,900 meters
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Update From the St. Mary’s
Association Committees!
From the International Ball Committee!
The International Ball is coming up soon and
we are looking for volunteers. We need people
to decorate the gym, wrap prizes, be
bartenders, cloak room clerks, and help as the
clean up crew.!
We’re using VolunteerSpot (the leading online
signup tool) to organize the volunteers.!
1.
Click this link to go to our invitation
page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/
xYAucG!
2.
Review the activities listed and choose
the one(s) you like.!
3.
Sign up! It’s Easy — you will not need to
register an account or keep a password on
VolunteerSpot.!
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Thank you!!
International Committee!
Yumi Shigetake and Ruriko Kojima!
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From the Japanese Speakers’ Support Group!
The Japanese Speakers Support Group (JSSG)
would like to thank all of the attendees who
came to the seminars on January 30 and
February 13. Over 120 participants came to the
seminar entitled “The ACT and the SAT and
the Road to College,” presented by Mr. Aaron
Ragon, High School Counselor. St. Mary’s
parent Rika Atobe acted as interpreter for our
Japanese speaking parents. The JSSG thanks
Mr. Ragon and Mrs. Atobe for their time and
effort towards this successful event. We hope
that you will join us for future events and
seminars to enhance your knowledge of St.
Mary’s and the education offered here.!
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From the St. Mary’s Carnival Committee!
Country Booths Needed!!
The St. Mary’s Association will host the
Carnival on Saturday, May 10. This is our
main fundraising event of the year.!
One of the great attractions of the Carnival is
the wonderful variety of food we offer to our
attendees. Last year we had booths hosted by
Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, Great
Britain, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea,
Latin America, Nepal, New Zealand, Overseas
Chinese, USA, Canada and Myanmar.!
To continue this tradition we need people to
organize and run the Country Booths. If you
are interested or have any questions, please
contact [email protected]!
Don’t miss our First Country Booth meeting!!
Date: Thursday, March!
Time: 9 a.m.!
Place: Maple Room.!
Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone.!
If you are interested in helping us decorating
the gym the day before (March 14) and
wrapping prizes, please contact us directly at
[email protected] for the
specific date and time.!
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Japanese Speakers’ Support Group!
Kay Ikeda and Risa Osawa!
We look forward to working with you.!
St. Mary’s Carnival Committee!
Motoko A’de Lima and Mariko Woody!
From the Raffle Committee!
St. Mary’s Raffle is just around the corner. We
have the tickets. We have the boy power to sell
those tickets. We need your donation to make
it a 100% success! Please see our “wish list”
flyer in this newsletter.!
Thank you very much for your support!!
Keiko Aoyama and Yu Kobayashi!
Raffle Committee!
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Third Quarter 2014
RAFFLE 2014 WISH LIST
*Airline Tickets
*Hotel Accommodation Vouchers
Travel Vouchers
*Brand New Car/Scooter
*Tickets
Cruise, Concert, Movie, Amusement Parks, Musicals, Sporting events
*Electronic Goods
Flat TV, Audio Player, Digital Video Camera, Digital Camera, I Robot
Roomba, Laptop PC, Wii, DS 3D, PS3, iPod Touch, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle,
iPad, PSP, Headphones
*Sporting Goods
Ski & snowboard goods, soccer ball, tennis racket, basketball, golf goods,
skateboard, baseball goods, bicycle, sports bags, sports T-shirts, sports
watches
*Gift Certificates
Department stores, VISA, JCB, Music Store (Tower Records, HMV),
Bookstore (Toshoken), Tokyu Hands, Loft, IKEA, H&M, Forever 21, Amazon,
Toys’R’Us, iTune Cards, Starbucks, McDonalds
*Dinner Vouchers
*Lunch Vouchers
*Facial Massage Coupons
*Manicure/Pedicure Coupons
*Jewelry
*Bags
*Perfumes
*Towels and Soap sets
*Coffee and Tea sets
*Toys
*Stationary Sets
*CASH!!
Please email us at [email protected] for donation.
*Donation forms, just click the address below:
English form: http://public.smis.ac.jp/sma/2013-14/donation-form-2013-14.pdf
Japanese form: http://public.smis.ac.jp/sma/2013-14/donation-formjp-2013-14.pdf
Thank you very much for your support!
2014, 3/24-4/4
Spring Study Program
See website for details
The spring is near! That means that are Spring Study Program is coming back.
It will be held on March 24th to April 4th.
Spaces are limited and early enrollment is recommended！
Spring Campaign
If you sign up for the Spring Study Program before March, we will take off 2000yen from
the original price.
50% off our registration fee to any new students who join before the end of February.
Free 30 minute trial lesson for to any student that is interested in our school. If you
introduce a friend to our juku, your friend will receive a trial lesson. Also you and your
friend will receive a book voucher, as a special thanks from us.
Juku
☆無料体験レッスン ：塾 レギュラーコース ３０分 無料体験 実施中です。
☆大人向け 英会話 無料体験 ：英会話を始めてみようかとお考えの方ぜひお試しください
新たに入会された生徒さんのご両親どちらか １回無料体験出来ますのでご希望の方は、お知ら
せください。
www.juku-inter.com
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
SPRING SCHOOL
SCHOOL
SPRING
AT KEIKI
KEIKI
AT
Come join us in our program
where kids have FUN
& use their IMAGINATION
24th to 28th, March, 2014
9:30AM – 2:30PM
For kids 2-9 years old
Program:
Seasonal Themes Arts & Crafts , Drama
& Theatre Activities,Tiny Chef Kitchen,
Magical Science Experiments,
Outdoor Activities and More.
Tuition & Fees:
NO REGISTRATION FEE
Tots (18 months ~30 months)
¥50,000
Preschool (2.5 years old~6 years old) ¥49,000
Early Elementary 1st grade ~ 4th grade ¥53,000
ADVERTISEMENT SECTION
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
NANBO DISCOVERY
CAMP
Presented by
Discover Japan
Chikura, Japan
www.discoverjapan.co.jp. .
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SUMMER DISCOVERY
Equally important, they will be building confidence
and relationships, overcoming challenges and
working together in a positive camp environment.
Journal writing and drawing are daily activities at
Nanbo Discovery Camp that allow us to reflect on
the day through discussion, writing and sketching.
Campers will bring home their journals and art work
at the end of camp.
We are up early every morning and on our way by
6:30am, starting the day with fun exercises and
sports activities. Campers o2en help prepare meals
in small groups with our staff. The day ends with
activities around the campfire, in the Discovery
Room or on a night hike. Campers sleep in one of
four bunk rooms with a Nanbo counselor.
SUMMER FUN
.
Summer - 2014
OUR 16th SEASON
Since 1999
Nanbo Discovery Camp, our residential summer
camp for elementary and middle school students is
located in Minami Boso, Chiba, two hours southeast
of Tokyo. The language of our camp is English.
Our campers enjoy an adventure of swimming,
snorkeling, cycling, sports, hiking, exploration,
science, cooking, discovery, arts and cra2s and more.
Whether they are learning about life in a tide pool,
collecting shells, cycling over the next hill, preparing
meals, or body surfing at the beach, they will have
an active, positive and fun summer camp adventure.
.
- newly enclosed and very private
shower/toilet area
- caring residential program
- low camper/staff ratio
- designed for elementary
and MS students
Camp Schedule - 2014
tentative
1. July 20 - 24
2. July 27 - 31
3. August 3 - 7
4. August 10 - 14
5. August 17 - 21
This season all camp sessions
are five days and four nights.
- six-day/five-night sessions
- four-day/three-night mini-camps
- large grass activity field
- outdoor “dining” deck
- 4,500 tsubo/almost four acres of
private camp ground
- new facility opened in 2007
- healthy and plentiful food
prepared at camp
- Discovery Room for campers
- community-based, camper
centered
- journal writing/reflections
- snorkeling, boogie boarding
- transportation to and from
camp provided
- science science science
- counselor-in-training
program (CIT)
The Nanbo Discovery Camp senior staff consists
of experienced international school educators. Our
junior counselors are senior high school and
university students, mostly bilingual, all mature,
responsible and caring young adults. We have a
counselor- in-training (CIT) program that allows
younger high school students the chance to develop
leadership skills, gain in confidence and have fun as
campers at the same time.
- 200 meters from white
sand beach
Our campers are usually between seven and 14 years
old and are grouped together for most activities.
We do accept a limited number of non-English
speakers into our immersion program. Campers stay
for one, two, or more sessions. Our camper/staff
ratio is about 4:1, reflecting our strong commitment
to a safe camp environment.
- “sibling” discounts
- “multiple weeks” discounts
Go to our photo gallery to see photo albums
of summer camp, our lodge, and much more. Learn more about Discover Japan at
http://discoverjapan.zenfolio.com/nanbo
Please join us this summer!
- large campfire area
- 25 Trek mountain bicycles
- senior staff certified
international school educators,
first aid/CPR trained
- “early bird” discounts
Please contact David Green
for information and our
registration material.
[email protected]
or call
090 7716 0102
Featured on NHK-TV
August, 2006
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Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
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St. Mary’s has no direct relationship with services or events in this section of the newsletter.
Please contact advertisers directly for more information.
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Dates to Watch !
!
March 5!
Ash Wednesday — Early Dismissal!
March 15!
St. Mary’s International Ball!
March 24-28!
Spring Holidays!
April 18!
Good Friday — No School!
April 20!
Easter Sunday!
!
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!
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St. Mary’s International !
School Newsletter!
!
The St. Mary’s International School publishes this
newsletter five times a year, and distributes it to all
families registered with the Families Mailing List, and
posts it on the school website.!
For advertising opportunities, please e-mail Josie
Schmidt, Newsletter Editor,
[email protected].
Third Quarter 2013
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