Despite the fact that the school was officially closed for the summer holidays, we still had a busy month.
STUDENTS
Student Enrollment
We are currently expecting 72 students to enroll in Tsukuba International School for the 2011-12 school year. In addition, there will be 12 students at Tsukuba International Preschool.
Summer Program and Summer Camp
During the summer, we ran three weeks of special activities: the Summer Program (which only includes Tsukuba International School students) for one week (July 11-15) and Tsukuba International Camp for two weeks (July 25-29, August 1-5). All three weeks were filled with special activities and learning experiences for the campers. In addition to the regular programs, students also experienced a few special treats. During the Summer Program, students visited the Geological Museum on July 14, and at Tsukuba International Camp, students were able to participate in a professional theatre workshop by Gekidan Kurie and be coached by professional soccer coaches from Aseno Soccer Club.
PARENTS
Informal Get-Together
Our parents organized an informal family get-together on July 17 at Doho Park. A few parents of our younger students were in attendance, along with one staff member.
TEACHERS
Hiring of Teaching Staff
The final staff lunch was held at Milky Way in Kamigo. We are all sad to see some of our teachers go, but we are looking forward to meeting the new teachers in September. We will have eight full-time teachers and six part-time teachers.
SCHOOL
Donations and Volunteering
We received large donation of books from Mr. Michael Chartier and the Weisburd family.
The staff of Tsukuba International School has continued to help with the tsunami recovery efforts in the Watanoha area of Ishinomaki, Miyagi. From July 6 to 10, TIS staff and other friends from Team Tsukuba donated several appliances and dug the debris out of ditches in the neighbourhood. From July 18 to 19, two staff members made another trip to donate several large appliances and a car. Future trips are planned for August (2 trips) and September (1 trip).
During the first week of Tsukuba International Camp, we received a large donation of nokogiri kuwagata (stag beetles) from a local breeder. These insects were shared amongst the campers.
School Tours, Open School Days
As we do not hold Open School Days or School Tours during the summer, we arranged for private visits for families who were interested in seeing the school. We welcomed two such families this month, on July 21 and 26.
Facilities
The preschool received some repairs over the summer. One window was replaced, we put in a new floor in the bathroom area, and the building received a new coat of paint.
Power Conservation
We continued to have energy saving measures in place during the summer. We have kept the air conditioners set to 28C and used them only for short periods of time and then shut them off. We used fans and the natural breeze from the cross-winds in the classrooms to stay cool.
COMING UP
Here is what we have in store for the future.
August
August 1-5 – Tsukuba International Camp – Week 2
Auust 3 – Kurie Drama Club at Tsukuba International Camp
August 5 – Aseno Soccer Club at Tsukuba International Camp
August 5-7 – TIS Staff volunteering in Ishinomaki
August 13-14 – Ms. Suzuki and Ms. Wheat will attend a literacy workshop in Nagoya
August 22-29 – Teacher Work Days
August 24 – Parent Volunteer Day
August 26 – Parent Orientation / Violin Sizing (10am to 12 noon)
August 30 – First Day of School (bring school supplies, indoor shoes, new emergency supplies)
August 30-Sept 5 – Student Orientation at Tsukuba International Preschool (half days)
September
September 12 – Open School Day for current parents, Parent Circle
September 14 – School Tours for prospective parents
September 17-18 – Mr. Dano, Dr. Kolba, Ms. Crawford attend MYP In-School Workshop
September 17-18 – Ms. Suzuki, Mr. Breithaupt attend workshop at Yokohama International School
If you have any questions about this report, please feel free to contact us.