First Quarter 2014-15 - St. Mary`s International School

QUARTERLY
NEWSLETTER
St. Mary’s
International School
1-6-19 Seta, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8668
www.smis.ac.jp
(03) 3709-3411
In This Newsletter Issue
Page
Upcoming Events and Contents
Message from the Headmaster
SMA President
ES Principal
MS Principal
HS Principal
PFA President
ES Librarian
ES Counselor
60th Anniversary
Bingo
Theater
Swim Team
St. Mary’s Association
Boy Scouts
Scenes from Around School
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8-9
10-11
12-14
15-18
19
20
21
22
23
Upcoming Events
October 6
Professional Development
Day – No School for Students
October 17
Then. Now. Always. Bingo!
October 22-24
Autumn Holidays – No School
October 25
60th Anniversary Celebration
November 7
The St. Mary’s Newsletter is published five times a year,
distributed through the Families Mailing List to all registered
e-mail addresses, and posted on the St. Mary’s website.
If you have any questions or comments regarding an article
you read here, or would like to submit an article that pertains
to St. Mary’s International School academic and extracurricular programs and student services, or fundraising
activities of the St. Mary’s Association, please e-mail
[email protected].
-
Parent-Teacher Conferences
– No School for Students
November 12
Professional Development
Day – Early Dismissal
November 28
Thanksgiving Holiday – No
School
Carmen Goff, Newsletter Editor
First Quarter 2014
Page 1 of 23
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER
A recent alumnus visitor to the school brought
his two children with him. His young son
approached me clutching a plastic shopping
bag and with his mother’s approving nod
reached in and handed me a dried and
perfectly preserved Japanese cicada locally
known as an “abura zemi.” The boy’s eyes
sparkled as he proceeded to tell me how,
where and why he had picked up this treasure.
We explored the cicada together while he
explained how he would look all over on his
way home in search of another specimen or
two. His entire family was involved in this
adventure, with his sister asking about other
species, and his mother, a Seisen graduate no
less, wondering about the sounds that different
cicadas make, while the father began to
concoct ways to use a net to catch more. I
have to admit that this is not the typical
conversation that I have with visiting alumni,
whether from here or other schools. I do
recognize the wonderment and enthusiasm
when a child’s curiosity drives discovery and
learning, and when the atmosphere naturally
lends itself to exploration and unabated
questioning.
We begin the new school year with many a
cicada to discover, and the challenge of
recognizing learning opportunities when they
present themselves. We are all, in fact,
students at heart trying to figure out the world
around us, using all the tools at hand, and also
learning how to work with each other in the
process. In many ways this ties in very neatly
with the theme for the school year:
“Celebrating 60 Years of Making a Difference.”
Our concerted efforts to support learning
together are what makes the school special.
Go ahead and get involved in our learning
community at school. Get to know your son’s
teachers, find out what is happening in the
classroom, encourage participation in fine arts,
sports, and extracurricular activities, and
understand that you are more than welcome to
support and help out.
The school also encourages parents to join the
St. Mary’s Association (SMA), Parent-Faculty
Advisors (PFA), and other parent groups in its
energetic efforts to keep our students’ wellbeing and learning in the forefront.
Learning opportunities will present themselves
throughout the year. Our job is to be ready to
recognize them and encourage the joy of
learning. And the best part about this? This
educational process continues throughout our
lives, and offers growth and improvement to all
of us. Welcome back to a new school year.
Join the many events “Celebrating 60 Years of
Making a Difference.”
Saburo Kagei, Headmaster
First Quarter 2014
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Message from the SMA President
A very warm welcome to all new and returning
families at school from the St. Mary’s
Association (SMA).
This is a truly special year with the school
commemorating its 60th Anniversary. There is
celebration in the air, and the SMA will in tune
with this occasion incorporate the school theme
“Celebrating 60 Years of Making a Difference”
into all of our events.
We are now gearing up for the first major
fundraising event of the year which is the Then
Now Always Bingo!, on Friday, October 17.
Please get involved! The Bingo Committee and
the Room Parent Coordinators will need a lot of
help. If you are interested, just contact us at
[email protected]. Your help, however big or
small, goes a long way in supporting the school.
We also have a Donation Team working to
support the fundraising events for the coming
year. The team members are:
Namie Yoshizue
Yukari Ko
Urara Utagawa
The main fundraising events this year are:
Bingo: Friday, October 17
60th Anniversary Reception: Saturday, October
25, at Tokyo American Club
International Ball: Friday, March 13, at Grand
Hyatt, Roppongi
SMA Board
Advisor: Saburo Kagei
President: Lia Kumar
Vice President: Therese Adachi
Secretary: Mimy Chang
Treasurer: Shinobu Harada
Assistant Treasurer: Yasuko Takahashi
Nominations: Mie Ward
Bingo Chairperson: Rika Atobe
Bingo Co-Chairperson: Mamee Kaneko
Carnival Chairperson: Mineko Inoue
Carnival Co-Chairperson: Aya Iwamoto
Donations Chairperson: Chizoba Obi
Hospitality Chairperson: Sony Kothari
Hospitality Co-Chairperson: Any Marrero
International Ball Chairperson: Motoko A’ de Lima
International Ball Co-Chairperson: Sayuki Schafer
Japanese-Speaking Support Group Chairperson: Risa Osawa
Japanese-Speaking Support Group
Co-Chairperson: Keiko Ikeda
Newsletter Editor: Carmen Goff
Publicity Chairperson: Hiroko Haller
Publicity Co-Chairperson: Aya Bedi
Raffle Chairperson: Nidarshi Fernando
Raffle Co-Chairperson: Pratiksha Sohoni
Recycled Uniform Chairperson: Keiko Fukasawa
Recycled Uniform Co-Chairperson: Tamako Nakamura
Room Parent Coordinator: Keiko Andrews
Room Parent Co-Coordinator: Bunsei Tanaka
Carnival & Raffle: Saturday, May 9
So please mark your calendars!
One of SMA’s foremost roles is to nurture the
community spirit at school. We welcome any
questions, comments or suggestions about how
we can better serve the school community.
I hope to meet as many of you as possible over
the year.
Warm Regards,
Lia Kumar, President, St. Mary’s Association
First Quarter 2014
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From the Elementary School Principal
Allow me to take this opportunity to
formally welcome you all once again to the
2014-2015 school year. We are very happy
that you have entrusted your sons to our care
and we promise to do everything we can to
help each one of them to succeed to the best
of his ability. To accomplish this task, we
have placed qualified and dedicated teachers
in the classrooms. We offer a rigorous
curriculum designed to meet the learning
needs of boys, a variety of extracurricular
activities to meet their physical needs and a
strong religion and values program to ensure
that they grow into the fine young men we
wish them to be. All together, we are very
proud of the program we offer at St. Mary’s
and are confident that all our boys will thrive
because of it.
At St. Mary’s, our educational mission is
three-fold: to Instruct, to Educate, and to
Impart Christian Values. Each of these
elements is important in its own right and all
are fundamental to our program. St. Mary's
students are instructed so as to be able to
meet their academic goals. Second, they are
educated so that emotional, social, and
personal developmental needs can be met.
And lastly, they are exposed to Christian
Values, through actions, words and our Core
Values (Respect, Honesty, Fairness,
Responsibility and Compassion), in hopes
that these may lead them towards living a life
wherein their own personal happiness
furthers the happiness of those with whom
they live.
parents, and we, the school, work together for
his education and personal growth. By
working closely together as a team, we can
make sure that your son develops to his
fullest potential. Thank you in advance for
everything you will do this year to help us
fulfill our school mission.
Now, as you know, this year we are
implementing our iPad program in the
Elementary School. With these devices in the
hands of our students, we are traveling down
a new road of learning. However, let me say
again that we are not moving away from our
strong curriculum or replacing pencil and
paper with the iPad. The boys will still learn
their handwriting skills, still write essays for
homework and still be required to meet all our
stated learning goals. But with the iPads, we
hope to transform the boys’ learning and to
prepare them ever better for the
technologically rich world in which they live.
Thank you for partnering with us and
welcome again to the new school year!
Michael DiMuzio, Elementary School Principal
To fulfill our mission, we depend on the
teamwork we create between parents and the
school. Truly, our success in giving your son
all that he needs academically and personally
is fully dependent on how well you, his
First Quarter 2014
Page 4 of 23
From the Middle School Principal
Dear Parents,
What a fast, furious and fun-filled beginning of
the year it has been at the St. Mary’s Middle
School! We have lots of new student and
teacher faces and they all seem to be settling
in well with their new school.
As many of you know, I maintain a St. Mary’s
Middle School blog
(http://smismiddleschool.blogspot.com) where
I try to keep links, pictures, articles and where
I also share some of my own ideas regularly
about middle level education and related
parenting challenges.
First Quarter 2014
Please let me know your thoughts about
anything that I publish there because the more
we can work together for the good of your son
the more productive and successful we will all
be.
Thanks for your ongoing support and never
hesitate to let me know should any questions
come up.
Sincerely,
Dr. James Langholz
Middle School Principal
Page 5 of 23
From the High School Principal
It is our goal in the high school to ensure the
best student experience in the world. With that
as our focus, it is my pleasure to share the
following updates and upcoming events with
you:
observations of teaching and learning within the
IB courses. This is a prestigious tour that allows
the high school to showcase our flagship
program as St. Mary’s was the first ever IB
program in Japan.
Back to School Day: Update
Thanks to everyone that made this day a
success. I attended 95% of the presentations
that were offered and was excited to see the
exchanges that were happening with the focus
on student learning.
External Testing: Upcoming Events
The High School will offer the following
assessments to grade 9 and 10 students in
October. It is important that students get a good
night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast the
day of the exams. International Schools’
Assessment (ISA) will be administered to Grade
9 on Oct. 14 and 15. The ISA is a program
developed by the Australian Council for
Educational Research (ACER) and designed
specifically for international schools. The ISA
assesses students in Mathematical Literacy,
Reading and Writing. PSAT/NMSQT will be
administered to Grade 10 and 11 on Oct. 15.
PSAT/NMSQT is a standardized test that
provides practice for the SAT®. It also gives
students a chance to enter NMSC scholarship
programs and gain access to college and
career planning tools. The PSAT/NMSQT
measures critical reading skills, math problemsolving skills, and writing skills. Website:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ps
at/about.html
Meet the High School Principal: Update
On Sept. 18, we hosted a “Meet the High
School Principal” event in the newly opened
Titans Café. The event was hosted by the high
school leadership team that included the
Principal, Assistant Principal, IB Coordinator,
Curriculum Facilitator, Educational Technology
Coordinator, Fine Arts Coordinator and High
School Counselors. Approximately 50 parents
were in attendance and we discussed the new
learning environments, social environments,
teacher leadership structure, master schedule
implementation, and Student Services
Department relocation.
High School Retreats: Upcoming Events
Students and teachers are excited about the
opportunity that the grade level retreats present
to us to build community and foster
relationships within the grade levels.
High School Grade Level Retreats:
Grade 9: Rising to the Challenge, Sept. 25-26
Grade 10: Social Circles, Sep. 25-26
Grade 11: Students of the 21st Century, Oct 2-3
Grade 12: Leadership, Oct 2-3
Global Education Workshop
On Sept. 26, St. Mary’s High School hosted the
Global Education Workshop for 64 Principals
and Heads of Schools from Japan. The tour
included a meet and greet by high school
students and staff, school tour, and
First Quarter 2014
Professional Learning at St. Mary’s: Upcoming Event
On Oct. 6, there will be no school for students.
The professional learning for the high school
leadership will be centered on Student
Leadership Academy and Intervention /
Enrichment Program Planning. More
information will be shared with parents and
students.
Bonetta Ramsey
High School Principal
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Parent Faculty Association
As we begin a new school year, we are
delighted to extend a warm greeting to the
families of St. Mary’s and we heartily welcome
those new families starting from this year. The
60th anniversary of the school is an important
milestone and this will be a busy year
celebrating that achievement.
describe the unique strengths of St. Mary’s.
These “Top 10 Reasons to Choose St. Mary’s”
are persuasive talking points for our school’s
families to share and discuss with other families
who might be considering where to educate
their sons in Tokyo.
The PFA is a unique organization within the
school, whose emergence came about as part
of the review process of the school. To maintain
international accreditations the school regularly
undergoes stringent reviews, and as a result it
was suggested that a point of contact be
established between the parent body and the
school faculty to discuss relevant issues
impacting the families.
Our parents are our greatest advocates. The
school is keen to connect with parents who
would become “Parent Ambassadors” to
engage with the broader community about St.
Mary’s. If you would like to support our outreach
efforts and become one of those ambassadors,
please contact the PFA. Additionally, the school
will host an informational gathering later this
quarter to share more about this program with
you.
The PFA holds monthly meetings with the
school headmaster and senior faculty to
facilitate communication among parents and the
school. Parents may raise concerns and seek
answers to questions regarding school-wide
issues. PFA strives to represent the interests of
all St. Mary’s families. As hundreds of families
cannot attend every meeting, the PFA acts as a
conduit to share and address your concerns
effectively.
This is the 60th anniversary year and the
greatest enjoyment of the event will be found in
the fullest participation. The activities scheduled
during the 60th Anniversary Celebration Week
October 17-25 can be found on the school
website. Highlights include the 60th Anniversary
Gala at the Tokyo American Club on Oct. 25
and the St. Mary’s International Ball on March
13. Let’s all join these celebratory evenings and
enjoy the 60th Anniversary to the fullest.
Recently all families received in the mail a “PFA
meishi” card that outlined the role of the PFA
and noted our e-mail [email protected] and
webpage www.smis.ac.jp/community/pfa. This
card was to express that PFA is ready to listen
to your opinions, and give voice to any family
that may wish to communicate directly with the
senior leadership of the school.
The PFA is here to serve all of the families in
the school. Please participate virtually via e-mail
or in person at our meetings. In the near future
we will post a website link where you may voice
your opinion about the future direction of the
school.
Last year PFA initiated the St. Mary’s Marketing
Advisory Panel (SMMAP) to focus solely on
assisting the school with its marketing activities.
After surveying and engaging parents’ opinions,
SMMAP worked closely with the school
leadership team to define 10 key points that
First Quarter 2014
PFA Parent Officers
Jeffrey Behr, President
Greg Story, Vice-President
Larry Repeta, Secretary
Page 7 of 23
From the Elementary School Library
After a restful and fun-filled summer, our
Elementary School Superhero Readers are
back and off to an exciting start. It looks as if
our students read many books over the
summer.
listed titles during their library classes and
will vote for their favorite. They are
encouraged to evaluate the books for both
the story’s content, as well as the
illustrations.
Our “Reading Gives You Super Powers
Summer Reading Challenge” was a fun way
for our students and their families to read
together, make a great superhero mask and
even took several photos of their reading
adventures. The fun hasn’t finished. New
students will return their reading logs on Oct.
1, to add their reading to our final total.
Grades 4 and 5 will begin the Sakura Medal
Book Award Reading Program in October.
This year, thanks to a generous grant from
the St. Mary’s Association, they will get to
read from the English Chapter Book and
Graphic Novel lists and also from the
Japanese Chapter and Picture Book lists.
Grade 3 will be joining the fun by reading
books on the Sakura English and Japanese
picture book lists in November and 2nd
grade will join the fun in December. Again,
thank you, SMA!
Again this year, we’ll celebrate our summer
reading accomplishments on Oct. 10 with
our annual Reading Celebration Day. Did we
read enough? I think so. Do I know the
grand total? Not yet. We’ll all be surprised
on Oct. 10. Students will need a mask for
that day. If your son hasn’t made a mask
yet, please go to our ES Library website for
the mask template. Our goal is for each
student, teacher and administrator to wear a
mask for an Elementary School photo.
The 4th and 5th grade Sakura Book Bowl
teams are currently being formed. In all, we
will have at least 60 students participating.
We hope to have 12 teams competing in our
three internal Book Bowls. The top two
scoring teams will represent St. Mary’s in
the All-Japan Sakura Book Bowl.
The Elementary Library is filled with fantastic
masks that were submitted for our Reading
Superhero Mask competition. Each grade
level will judge the masks in the next couple
of weeks. Winners will be announced during
Reading Celebration Day.
Coming up, students in the RP to Grade 2
will participate in the annual St. Mary’s Book
Award (SMBA) program beginning in
October. The SMBA, a children’s choice
award, is an important part of our library
program. Students will hear the five shortFirst Quarter 2014
Page 8 of 23
From the Elementary School Library, Continued
On November 3, we will host Ross Kinnaird,
a well-known New Zealand illustrator. Many
of our students will get to hear him talk
about being an illustrator and watch him give
live demonstrations of his abilities. We are
looking forward to meeting Mr. Kinnaird.
We are also looking forward to how iPads
will transform and enhance our learning in
the library. We have some great ideas for
our 3rd to 5th grade students. We will help
them log into their Destiny Quest app, which
will link them to their Destiny Online catalog
account. No more late books!
Parents are invited to stop by and see what
your library has to offer. The ES Library is
open Monday to Friday from 8:10 a.m. to
4:15 p.m. Parents are welcome to use the
library before and after school. Students
may use the library when library classes are
not in session. They are also invited to use
the library after school to complete their
homework, finish their research projects or
simply enjoy some quiet reading time. RP
students may use the library with an
accompanying parent. First grade students
and up may use the library without their
parent as long as they can work without
disturbing others. Occasionally, the library
will be closed after school. We will do our
best to inform you of any closures in
advance.
you will also have the added benefit of being
able to check out books from the MS/HS
Library, which has a superb collection of
parenting books and so many more
treasures to find!
Remember to spend time reading together
as a family. Just a few minutes a day can
really make a difference towards your son’s
academic achievements and can foster a
love of reading that will help them reach
their potential.
We look forward to seeing you in the ES
Library!
Tammy Hays
Elementary School Librarian
I invite all parents who have yet to register
to use the ES Library to stop by before 9
a.m. or after 3:10 p.m. to register. It only
takes a few minutes and will allow you to
check out up to 20 books. Once registered
First Quarter 2014
Page 9 of 23
From the Elementary School Counselor
Welcome back to School
As the new school year begins, we all want to encourage success for our children. However,
getting books and backpacks can sometimes overshadow the little things that make for a smooth
and successful start to the school year. Please remember to contact me, Ms. Gordon, at
[email protected] with any questions or concerns. I’m here to help. Here’s an alphabetical guide
to the 26 details not to forget this Back to School season.
A. Ask questions. Ask your child about his day at school. Try to ask questions that encourage more
than yes-or-no answers. What did you learn? Who did you sit with at lunch? What books did the
teacher read to you?
B. Breakfast. Kids learn best when they’ve had a nutritious breakfast. Schools often remind parents
of this on testing days, but it’s important for kids to get off to a good start every day.
C. Communication. Communicate with your child’s teacher. Share your concerns, what you feel is
working well for your child, and ask for clarification if something is unclear.
D. Dates. Check dates of school holidays and plan accordingly.
E. Effort. Praise your child’s best efforts. Not every child is a straight-A student. Let him know how
proud you are when your child has truly done his best.
F. Friends. Get to know your child’s friends, and encourage relationships with those who are a
positive influence.
G. Guidance counselor. Ask the school guidance counselor to talk with your child if he seems
stressed by the birth of a sibling, the loss of a family member, or school relationships.
H. Homework. Provide a quiet place that is free of distractions, and help your child as needed,
without doing the work for him.
I. Illness. Keep your child home if he is sick. Germs spread quickly in a classroom, and one sick
child quickly becomes 25 sick children.
J. Jot a note. Be sure to send a written excuse when your child is absent. Too many unexcused
absences can affect your child’s grades, or raise concerns of truancy.
K. Know the rules. Be familiar with school rules, policies and dress code.
L. Listen. Really listen when your child talks to you. Put down the newspaper, turn off the TV, close
the laptop and listen.
M. Make choices. With your child, choose which after-school activities are the most important. Kids
need downtime, time for balanced meals and plenty of sleep.
N. Newsletter. Read school and classroom newsletters regularly.
O. Open House. Attend your school's open house (called back-to-school) Find out what’s going on in
your child’s class, get to know the teacher and look over your child’s work samples.
P. Praise good behavior. It’s easy to take positive behavior for granted, but good kids need to be
praised for following the rules.
First Quarter 2014
Page 10 of 23
From the Elementary School Counselor. Continued
Q. Quality time. Busy lives make quality family time hard to find. Eat dinner together, go for a walk or
play a game with your child.
R. Read your child’s textbooks. Glance through the table of contents to find out what will be taught.
Then talk about what your child is learning to help build excitement and make connections with the
topics.
S. Smile. Mornings can be hectic, and a lot of kids bring this stress into the classroom with them. Try
to send your child off with a smile and a hug to set a positive tone for the day.
T. Tardiness. Help ensure that your child gets to school on time!
U. Update the teacher. If there are things going on that are effecting your child, let the teacher know.
Kids react to separations, friends moving away and the loss of a pet. Teachers can offer extra
sympathy, understanding and support.
V. Volunteer. Offer to help and volunteer for events, field trips etc. A parent’s involvement in the
classroom promotes success in school.
W. Website. Check out the school website. You’ll find important information, photos, etc.
X. Don’t focus on the X’s. When graded work is returned, don’t focus on the problems that are
marked wrong. Rather than saying, “You only missed 7,” say, “You got 93 right!”
Y. Yell and shout. Be your child’s biggest cheerleader when your child scores on the soccer field,
participates in the science fair or recognizes all of the letters of the alphabet. Your praise is more
precious than any prize or sticker from the teacher.
Z. Zip your mouth. When you disagree with the teacher, go to her directly to discuss your concerns.
Venting these frustrations in front of your child will undermine the teacher in your child’s eyes, and
cause confusion. Work out your differences privately.
– Adapted from an article by Diane Milne
Classes in
Action
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Dear Parents,
October 17 kicks off the year with Then Now Always Bingo, our first fundraiser for the year, and
our reunion week commemorating 60 years of St. Mary’s. With only a few weeks to go, the Bingo
Committee is busy at work to start the year off with a Bang!
Entrance Fee (with one bingo card) is ¥1,200 at the door. Pre-sale tickets will be sold at ¥1,000
during ES Sports Day and the three days leading up to the event.
In making this event another success, we need your continued support!
Here is how:
(1) Donate Prizes: In-kind and cash.
and/or
(2) Volunteer with us with behind-the-scene preparations
but most importantly
(3) Come and Enjoy the Fun!
For any inquiries please contact the Bingo Committee at [email protected].
Thank you.
Rika Atobe & Mamee Heo Kaneko
Bingo Committee Chairs
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On Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., Seisen and
St. Mary’s will be producing a live play version of the movie
Casablanca. If you loved the movie or only have just heard about it,
come on down to see the action at 'Rick’s Cafe American’. We are
planning a full play version of the movie complete with live musical
numbers. Tickets are available in advance and also at the door.
Space may be limited. For information contact St. Mary’s director,
Mr. Martens, at [email protected].
First Quarter 2014
Page 19 of 23
Swim Team Highlights
Japan Age Group National
Swimming Champs at Tatsumi
The Swim Team has been training since the first
day of school and is well positioned to have another
banner season. The team will take a large group to
the Top Dog meet at Yokosuka on Sept. 28. The
SMST Bucs are excited about the upcoming season
and look forward to the Taipei American School
Tigershark Invitational in November.
Fall Swim Season Kick-off Time-Trial at St. Mary’s
The annual Fall Kick-off team time trial was a low key
affair on Sept. 13. Expected results are already
beginning to show after almost one month of practices.
The meet gave veteran swimmers an opportunity to
ease into the season. The coaches had a chance to get
a good look as well as become better acquainted with
new members to the team. Most of the experienced
swimmers contested the Individual Medley as well as
non-specialty events.
Freshman Yutaro Sahara had the only US Swimming
AAAA standard with a stellar 2:16.92 effort in the Boys 13
+ 14 200 meter Individual Medley. Seisen 3rd grader
Natsuki Uchino set a new AREA record in the girls 8 &
Under 25 meter Butterfly with an 18.93 swim.
US Swimming AAA standards or better were turned in by
Joshua Brown, Kazuki Martin, Shunichi Ichimura, Stefano
A’De Lima, and Naoki Nomura. AA swims were produced
by Junu Moon, Takashi Kanazawa, Kaitlin Rossman, Jun
Asano, Naoki Martin, Ryan Fenwick, and Max Wahba.
Other A swims came from Riki Motoyama, Coco
Yamamoto, Ryan Shimizu, Naoki Martin, Ian Takahara,
Aisa Takahara, Alex Platzer, Natsuki Uchino, Bastien
Bagui, and Kenji Nomura.
First Quarter 2014
Aug. 26-30 2014
Congratulations to both senior
Shane Brett and sophomore
Joshua Brown for their
performances at Japan's Summer
Age Group National
Championships. The Age Group
Nationals are contested twice a
year, in late March in a short
course 25 meter format and in
August in the Olympic-sized 50
meter pool. 3,913 athletes from
47 prefectures throughout the
nation competed in the five-day
annual classic.
Shane placed 22nd in the 17-18
boys 400 meter Individual Medley
(4:39.42). He also finished 25th in
the 200 meter Individual Medley
(2:11.76). Joshua Brown went 53.73
in the 15-16 Boys 100 meter Free
for the 24th spot. He also took 29th
place in the 50 meter Free with a
24.92 effort.
The Bucs will take a large
contingent to Yokosuka’s
long course 50 meter Top
Dog swim meet on
Saturday, Sept. 28.
Page 20 of 23
News from the SMA
SMA Welcome Tea
SMA Hospitality would like to take the opportunity
to thank everybody who attended the Welcome Tea
on Wednesday, Sept. 10 in the Cafeteria. We had a
very good attendance and it was wonderful to see
many new faces as well as familiar ones amongst
the guests.
Special thanks to Mr. Kagei and the administration
team for joining us, and to Cezars Kitchen, the
office and maintenance staff for their invaluable
support. Finally, heartfelt thanks to the SMA Board
Members for their help and support in making the
event so successful.
School Pocket Calendars for Sale –
¥500
Sony Kothari & Any Marrero
SMA Hospitality Team
SAVE THE DATE!!
St Mary's 60th Anniversary Ball
Join us to celebrate 60th anniversary in style.
The evening of Friday, March 13,
at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Motoko A' de Lima
Sayuki Schafer
International Ball Committee
First Quarter 2014
Page 21 of 23
Boy Scout Troop 15
Welcome back to you all for another school and Scouting
year. Troop 15 held its annual registration and we are
now about 26 Scouts strong – a few of them are moving
towards Eagle, Scouting’s highest rank, with others
ready to start that final stretch of the trail.
Three Troop 15 Scouts summited Mt. Fuji in early
September, with beautiful weather for 95% of the day
and a “little” rain at the end, but our Scouts and adults
were off the mountain by that time.
We had our first campout of the year in late September
at Tama Hills, with fellow BSA and Japanese Scouts.
Thanks to all from the FEC who organized this event as
it was a huge success. The weather was with us and we
all enjoyed our time in the woods! BSA Scouts got to
team up with their Japanese counterparts for games,
skills stations, and other competitions. Our Scouts were
fortunate to be members of two patrols (teams) who
placed!
For information or questions, contact Scoutmaster Striegl
or any Troop 15 Committee member, or e-mail us at
[email protected] anytime.
Now get out there and enjoy some time out in nature!!
Yours in Scouting,
F. Striegl
Scoutmaster, Troop 15
First Quarter 2014
Upcoming Events
October 18
Cycling Event
October 21
Court of Honor
October
Campout – more details
coming soon
November
Merit Badge Day – location
and date TBD
Interested??
Drop by any Tuesday
evening (6:15-8 p.m.) that
school is in session to visit!
Look for us (you’ll probably
hear us first) either in the St.
Mary’s cafeteria or in one of
the high school classrooms.
Check with anyone in Troop
15 uniform for that week’s
location. Best bet is to let us
know that you are coming so
we can roll out the red carpet
for you!!
Page 22 of 23
Back to School Day
Sports
Scenes from Around School
Emergency Evacuation Simulation
First Quarter 2014
Page 23 of 23