PresidentÕs Message
By Makoto Osawa
The
3rd term has started.
How was your winter holiday?
We were able to conclude the year 2005 without any serious problems at
school. We would like to thank teachers and all members of the school for their
effort and cooperation. We wish to
receive your continued support again this year. The executive members, with Oba-san as a leader, have been
discussing the school reorganization and redefining of school events over the
past year. By doing this, we
believe that we are able to continue operating the Japanese school for a long
time. We are about to complete the
final draft of the project.
Completion of the transfer of roles and responsibilities will be happening
throughout the 3rd term.
We will keep you posted with its progress on the school newsletter.
The
Gakugeikai was a great success under Tsuneda sensei and Motoda-sanÕs
leadership together with everyoneÕs cooperation. Did you enjoy the event? The Gakugeikai photos and video clips
(DVD format) taken by Chen-san are available for borrowing at the library. They are excellent, so please have a
look. Thank you, Chen-san. If you have any comments about the Gakugeikai, please let
the Executive Committee know so that we can consider them in future planning.
PrincipalÕs Message
By Sanae Ohki
With the record-breaking warm winter weather and the days getting
longer, it feels like spring is around the corner, doesnÕt it. To all the
parents and teachers, thank you in advance for your support in helping the
students as they finish their studies for this
school year.
The schedule for the 3rd term is as follows:
Jan 27 Calligraphy
(grade 1 and up)
Feb 3 Open
classrooms
Mar 1 (Wed)
instead of Mar 3 (Fri)
Mar 10 Speech contest
(grade 5 and up)
Mar 17 Trial/Open
classes for those who will be
entering
kindergarten/grade 1
Mar 24 Closing ceremony
As reported
by the Board, I will finish my work as Principal at the end of March. Since its
start, I have been involved with the school, both as a teacher and as the
principal (actually, I took five years off in the middle). Last year as I was
thinking about preparing to pass the baton to the next generation, the Board
decided to restructure the organization.. As of April, Tsuneda-sensei will be
taking over as Principle of the school. In order to make the transition, I will
be working with Tsuneda-sensei through the 3rd semester.
Open Classes / Classroom Observations
We will have open classes on February 3rd. This is one
opportunity to share what is going on in the classes and what kinds of learning
activities the students are doing. Parents may know what is going on in their
childrenÕs classes, but this is a chance to also see what is happening in other
grades and to talk about the aims of the school. There will be two class times
for this day. Parents can observe during both times, but please do so for 30
minutes each. Also, please be on time for the classes.
6:30-7:00 Junior/Senior
Kindergarten,
Grades
1 and 2
7:30-8:00 Grades
3, 4, 5 and JH 1 and 3
New
Students
The following students have joined our school. Please make them
fell welcome.
Natsumi Lopez Grade
3
Mizuki Lopez
Kindergarten
(Sakaguchi-sensei)
Richard Secord School – Warning
Richard Secord School has brought it to our attention that there
has been some scribbling on desks. They have asked us to warn students to stop.
Also, there
are often children running in the hallways. In Canadian schools, running in the
hallways is not allowed. Students are taught to walk quietly. Please talk about
this with your children at home.
Changes in the School Use
Since January, Junior High Grade 1 and Senior Kindergarten are
using the Richard Secord School library as a classroom. We are trying this
system as a way to improve the learning atmosphere - until now these grades
shared the same classroom and the distraction was not good for the students.
When we asked Richard Secord about other classrooms, they said there were none
available, but they said that we could use the library.
Onegai
Please do not go to the library during class times. Parents and
members who wish to borrow and/or return materials should go between 5:30-5:40
and/or between 7:00-7:15. Please be quiet and do not bother the students as
they are studying. Classes take breaks at different times, so there are classes
going on at all times. The door leading to the library is closed during
classes. If you need to use the washroom in this area, please go there quietly.
In particular, students in the junior kindergarten class have been
playing around the library. Children should only play in the gym, and this
should be done under parent supervision.
Also, there are many parents/members who chat in the library.
Please use the staffroom as a place to talk. Especially now that we are using
the Richard Secord School library for classes, people who come and go to and
from the library are a distraction to the students.
Sanae
Ohki, Principal
Ohki Kocho-senseiÕs Retirement /
New School Organization
In March, our long-serving Principal, Ohki-sensei, will be
retiring. Since the establishment of our school almost 30 years ago,
Ohki-sensei has been instrumental, not only as a teacher and as the principal
but also in the overall management of the school. Since it would be extremely
difficult to replace such an individual, we have decided to ease the
responsibilities by dividing the work up into two positions: Principal and
Administrative Director. The main responsibilities of the director include
administrative duties and liaison with the Edmonton School Board. Yumiko McLean
will undertake this position. Tsuneda-sensei has agreed to act as Principal, and
her main responsibilities include acting as leader regarding education issues,
teaching staff, and the improvement of the quality of our program. This
reorganization will take effect in April.
Ohki-kocho-sensei, thank you for all of your hard work over the
years. Tsuneda-sensei and McLean-san, thank you in advance for taking on the
challenging work.
Masahito
Oba
Heritage Festival
We
received various inputs regarding our participation in the Heritage
Festival. The Executive Committee
and the EJCA members continued their discussion and reached to an agreement as
follows:
1.
The Japanese school will not provide the Festival with
financial support.
2.
The Japanese school members will participate in the Festival
on a volunteer basis (No enforcement as happened previously).
3.
The Festival will be led by a committee consisting of 2 EJCA
reps, 3 reps from variety of Japanese community groups, and 2 Japanese school
reps. The Japanese school reps
will join the schoolÕs Executive Committee. Their mandate is solely on the Festival planning and operation.
The
rational for the above agreement is:
1.
Purpose of the schoolÕs participation in the Heritage
Festival has changed – our previous participation style does not fit the
current conditions.
2.
The purpose is now to introduce Japanese culture at the
Festival. It is not fundraising
any longer.
3.
The school wishes to continue participating in such an event
to introduce the culture.
LetÕs
make the Heritage Festival an enjoyable event with a new style of participation
from this year forward. Unlike
previous festivals, we will be involved in it from its planning stage. We are currently looking for a Heritage
Executive. If you are interested,
please contact Osawa or Oba-san.
Looking for New Board Members
We are looking for board members for the new school year that
begins in April. If you are interested, please contact current member of the
Board.
Looking for Teachers
We are looking for teachers for the new school year that begins in
April. If you have a teaching license, or if you would really like to try
teaching children, or if you have a strong interest in teaching, please contact
Ohki-kocho-sensei.
Parent
Shifts (Toban) for Jan/Feb/March
Jan 27 – Osawa; Kawamoto
Feb 03 – Kaide; Kobayashi
Feb 10 – Chen; Kondo (Rei)
Feb 17 – Fedrau; Masuda
Feb 24 – Liu; Takahashi
Mar 01 – Kikuchi; Lopez
Mar 10 – Ramsey; Takita
Mar 17 – Jones; Stein
Mar 24 – Ito; Van
- If
you need to make a change in the schedule, please contact Setsuko Dunwald
(437-3457).
The Community School News is printed
in the fourth week of each month. If you have any questions and/or comments, please
let us know.
Translated by Terry McLean