Community School News

President’s Message

Makoto Osawa

We have maintained a positive relationship with Richard Secord School; however, it seems that there will be some changes in their school program. Please refer to the information from the Board for details.

We are looking for board members (a 2 year commitment) for the new school year that begins in April. If you are interested, please contact current member of the Board.

Principal’s Message

Sanae Ohki

On February 3^rd we held our open class day. Parents had the opportunity to visit their children’s classes as well as classes for other grades. Many parents commented that each class has students with varying Japanese language backgrounds and that each class is more unique than they had expected. Parents also mentioned that they were impressed with how the students in all of the classes displayed excellent study habits. It is wonderful to know that after the open class day, the parents were able to see the activities and uniqueness of each class.

The new school year begins in April, so we are thinking about the grade groupings and teacher placements. Decisions regarding the groupings and placements will be made after taking into consideration various factors including the needs and capabilities of each student as well as which teacher is best suited for each class.

There are several events on the way in March: the speech contest (Mar 10); open house for classes/the school (Mar 17); and the closing ceremony and the printing of the student works booklet (Mar 24). Let’s help the teachers and keep encouraging the students during this year ending month.

In order to use the Richard Secord School library for classes, we made restrictions on the use of our library. Although this has been an inconvenience, the students have been able to study in a quieter atmosphere. We would like to continue this system for the time being. If this presents difficulties for anyone, please let us know and we will consider other options.

From the Board

Osawa Makoto

The representatives from our school for Heritage Days are Megan and Jocelyn. They will be the leaders of our group of participants. Please support them and help out as much as you can.

Here is some information about our rental situation with Richard Secord School. As the situation moves forward, we will keep you informed (thought the newsletter, etc.). At present, here is what we know:

Richard Secord is planning to start a new program (called Cognito) in September. Preparations for this program will begin in April.
They need 5 classrooms for this program, so, as of September, they want to use classrooms that we are using.
They would like us to move our library to a room in the south part of the school so that they can use the space as a classroom.
In September of next year, the Cognito program is expected to be in full implementation. There is a possibility that we will lose the space for our library.
In the future, they would like to use 14 classrooms for this program.
The principal does not mind sharing classrooms, but the teachers who use the classrooms will be asked their opinions on the situation.

In regard to time, there is no need to hurry; however, the board is thinking about making plans to move to another location if the need arises.

Speech Contest

Sanae Ohki

As in the past, we will be holding our speech contest for students in the higher grades. Students (total of 10) from grade 5, junior high grade 1, and junior high grade 3 will do speeches about their personal opinions, thoughts, experiences, and/or feelings. Each student has his or her unique topic, so please come and listen to them.

Time: March 10 (Fri) 7:30-8:40 pm

Place: Science Room (our grade 3 class)

Summer Camp

Mieko Fedrau

We are planning our first Japanese School Summer Camp. The purpose is to give the students a break from the difficulties of studying in a classroom or at home and offer them the opportunity to have a fun learning experience.

When: August 14 (Mon) – August 17 (Thurs)

Where: EJCA

Who: Students in grades 3-6

More details will be made available in the near future.

Parent Shifts (Toban) for March

Feb 24 – Liu; Takahashi

Mar 01 – Kikuchi; Lopez

Mar 10 – Kobayashi; Fedrau

Mar 17 – Jones; Stein

Mar 24 – Ito; Van

· If you need to make a change in the schedule, please contact Setsuko Dunwald (437-3457).

Information about Parent Shifts (Toban)

Please have a look at the toban rotation for the 2005 school year (posted on the bulletin board). At present, our toban duties are being shared among 33 families. We hope that the duties have been shared equally. Following a Board decision, teachers, librarians and office personnel are exempt from toban duties. Thank you for your understanding. The shift rotation is organized by Dunwald-san, so if you have any questions, please let her know. We plan to use the same system for the 2006 school year.

Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, we have been able to maintain smooth management of our school every Friday night. Please remember to look at the newsletter to see when it is your turn for toban duties. If you forget your shift, it will affect the running of the school that week and cause unnecessary troubles to others. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Community School News February 2006