Osaka International School of Kwansei Gakuin
Educator
18 January 2014
HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY CONCERT
@MAPLE HALL, 17 December 2013
1
INTRODUCTION OF
A NEW LIBRARIAN
from the desk of the head, JOHN SEARLE
My name is Joseph
Connolly. I am from Dublin,
Ireland. I worked before as
an elementary teacher in
OIS from 1991-1994. I am
now back to work as librarian
to cover a maternity leave
until the end of June. I am
very happy to be back in
Osaka again after nearly 20
years.
Mr Mecklem and I have also been thinking about the coming year while we
were away from school last week attending a recruitment fair. This was an
opportunity to meet teachers from around the world who have expressed an
interest in joining Osaka International School either from September or at
some time in the near future. At the fair we interviewed more than twenty
applicants, in addition to reviewing the resumes and applications of many
others. The selection of new teachers and subsequent retention and
development of the team are some of our most important responsibilities. It is
much like building a successful sports team (I am a former PE teacher, after
all) as we look for people who have a variety of skills and backgrounds to
offer the students the winning overall learning environment. Like any sports
team, we look for people who are unique and exceptional as individuals but
who can also work as a team with fellow teachers, students and parents to
create an inspiring and supportive school environment. In addition to meeting
many people, we also had an opportunity to make a presentation about the
school. This allowed us to outline the necessary details about life as a teacher
in Japan and to leave the audience with the clear understanding that joining
OIS reflects a desire to become part of a school with ambitions to be a leader
in international education.
K-Gr. 2
SET LUNCH MENU
- CAFETERIA
MONDAY 20 January
spaghetti with basil & tomato
TUESDAY 21 January
hayashi rice (hashed beef
with rice and demiglace
sauce)
WEDNESDAY 22 January
pork-flavored ramen
THURSDAY 23 January
fried chicken
FRIDAY 24 January
kitsune udon (Japanese
wheat noodles with deep
fried bean curd)
MONDAY 27 January
rice omelet
TUESDAY 28 January
spaghetti with meat sauce
WEDNESDAY 29 January
soy sauce-flavored ramen
THURSDAY 30 January
hot dog
FRIDAY 31 January
curry rice
MONDAY 3 February
spaghetti with meat balls
TUESDAY 4 February
hamburger meat in the stew
WEDNESDAY 5 February
pan-fried noodles
THURSDAY 6 February
teriyaki chicken burger
FRIDAY 7 February
curry noodle with cheese
I would like to extend a warm welcome back to school and wish everyone a
very Happy New Year. I hope you had a relaxing and reflective holiday with
opportunities to visit friends and family and perhaps consider some New
Year’s resolutions for 2014.
Not all teachers, however, are hired through recruitment fairs. One member of
the teaching team who joined us this week is Mr Joe Connolly, who is taking
over in the library as a maternity replacement for Ms Singh until June. Mr
Connolly is no stranger to OIS as he taught in the elementary school here from
1991 to 1994 before returning to Ireland to continue his teaching career. In
addition to a classroom teacher, he has also been an elementary principal and
worked in a number of learning support roles, bringing a wealth of experience
to this position. Mr Connolly will be with us until June and I hope you will get
a chance to meet him at some point in the near future.
The recruitment of new teachers inevitably signifies that some teachers are
planning to move next year. Despite my hope that they might reconsider we
will be saying goodbye to Ms Rennie and Mr Evans who will be moving to
Korea, Mr Meadows who will return to Australia and Mr Walker who will be
moving to China. Our opportunity to say goodbye will come later this year.
However, I would like to acknowledge here the wonderful contribution they
have all made to the lives of SOIS students, their great collegiality and their
involvement in the continued development of the school at so many levels.
The winter term is traditionally full of a wide variety of activities in addition to
our classroom work. The new sports season has already started for middle
school. Our high school teams will be involved in AISA trips to Seoul and
Yokohama. In addition, there will be a leadership conference in Yokohama
which will be attended by our student council executive and a mathematics
competition for which a team comprised of both SIS and OIS students will
participate. The Wizard of Oz rehearsals are now in full swing in preparation
for the series of performances in a few weeks time. Model United Nations
takes place in February. If we also add recitals, parent teacher conferences,
college workshops, SIS graduation and many other events that are taking place
each week, it is not doubt a busy and wonderful period of the academic year.
As a school we continue to work through the action plans for our ‘Strategic
Plan 13- 16’. I am currently meeting with a small group of teachers to redefine
our professional development possibilities. The principals and teaching teams
of each division continue to develop curriculum in line with the different
sections of the Plan and we are working hard to continue building a sense of
community at the school which best supports the learning environment. For
me this all makes for a very exciting time to be part of OIS.
I hope to see you all very soon at one of the school events or please feel free to
stop by the office to catch up or share your observations about school
whenever you are on campus.
2
from the desk of the middle/high school principal, KURT MECKLEM
Thank you to those parents who were able to respond on the Parent/Teacher Conference form. While we didn’t hear
from everyone a good number did respond with some constructive feedback. As you may recall, we moved the
annual Parent/Teacher Conferences this year to November to coincide with the end of the first trimester.
Overwhelmingly, those who responded to the survey saw this as a positive move since the report card was able to
form the basis of the discussion. Most people also supported the open appointment system although some felt that
the system did result in some long waiting times to see the teachers. Overall, your responses were very positive but
we will take your feedback and comments into account as we make plans for next year. While the form is now
closed, if you have feedback about Parent/Teacher Conferences or anything else, please drop me a note or stop in to
see me.
Prior to the vacation, I sent letters about camps to your school email account. If you did not receive the letter, please
check your school SOIS mail account to ensure that messages are being forwarded to your regular account. As in
the past, camps will occur on the three days prior to the spring vacation which this year is March 12, 13, & 14.
Grades 6, 7, and 8 have class trips planned, while students in grades 9 & 10 will have the choice of a couple of
different options. Grade 11 this year will be doing a service trip that they have organized to Bali and, like in the
past, grade 12 will spend the camps days doing a required science project for the IB diploma. Camps are an exciting
time and it is important that you stay informed about your child’s class and its plans. The camps are considered
school days so special arrangements need to be made if your child cannot attend. Please feel free to contact me with
any questions.
I hope everyone’s New Year has started well! I am looking forward to a good year and working with you
throughout 2014!
UPDATED SIS TRANSFER POLICY
Occasionally, OIS families ask to transfer to SIS. The procedures for transferring are changing this year. From
now on, OIS students will take the regular SIS admissions exam that students applying from overseas schools
take. The next transfer exam will be administered in June. If you would like your child to take the exam please
contact the SIS admissions office. It is important to remember that OIS is not a preparatory school for SIS as
their admissions and curriculum are quite different. Families should also keep in mind that if they have decided
to pursue a Japanese education they should also consider other Japanese curriculum schools in addition to SIS.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
from the desk of the elementary principal,
VIRGINIA SUTTON
Happy New Year! So many of our students were talking this week about New Year's resolutions and it made me
wonder what about making resolutions connected to learning. The start of a new year is a great time for making
resolutions.
Here are some ideas to consider:
 Make reading a part of everyday life. Set aside time when everyone in the house reads.
 Involve your child in mathematics. Recognize number in everyday life while shopping, cooking, reading the
paper, on the internet and solve problems together.
 Use the computer together to find interesting facts or publish a story together.
 Keep reading aloud to your child. Bedtime is a natural time for readalouds, but families find other ways to fit it
into their schedule. You can read aloud while your child eats breakfast. Or have one person read while
everyone else cleans up after dinner. Always ask those important comprehension questions about the
characters, themes and setting.
 Keep fitness part of your family's routine. As the winter weather is upon us try to think of some ideas to keep fit
inside the house.
 Use some time to make some Art together using materials in the home.
These are only a few examples. Try to work together with your child to make the resolutions that mean the most to
your family.
Now that you have your resolutions, here are some tips on making sure you can keep them. First, make a plan.
Without a plan, you may want a daily reading time, but you may not find a way to fit it in.
Next, track your progress. Mark the calendar for every day you read aloud. Then reward yourselves.
Calendar Reminder
21st January the elementary school is in session.
3
ELEMENTARY
WINTER CONCERT
13 December 2013
Stephen Frater’s TECH CORNER
Backing up important files
Best wishes for a happy New Year to everyone from the Technology Support
team at SOIS!
Many of you will have taken a lot of photos and videos of family and friends
over the festive period. It is therefore a good time to think about how
frequently, and how securely, your important computer files are backed up.
Computer hard drives, whether they are disk drives with moving parts or
flash-based storage, can all experience mechanical failure or become
corrupted at any time, frequently without warning. Mobile devices can also
be lost. It always pays to invest in a backup system, therefore, whereby a full
set of your important files, such as pictures, letters, videos, accounts, and
passwords, etc., are copied onto a separate hard drive and updated on a
regular basis. (To be really safe, I always copy my files to a backup disk at
home once a day, and make a second backup once a week to an internet-based
storage site – just in case anything ever happens at home and both my
computer and the backup disk are lost.)
1. The first thing you will need is a separate destination for your backup.
External USB hard drives now cost around ¥9,000 for 1TB of
storage – that’s just ¥9 per 1GB of storage space, which is a very
reasonable investment if you want to protect your memories and
important data. Ideally choose a disk which is twice the size of your
computer’s hard drive.
2. Secondly, you will need a backup software programme that manages
the process for you; all the major operating systems have automatic
backup solutions built in to the operating system. Windows 8 uses
‘File History’, Windows 7 uses ‘Backup and Restore’ (see Control
Panel/System and Maintenance), whilst Mac OSX uses ‘Time
Machine’ (see System Preferences). Other commercial and freeware
programmes, usually with more options and features, are widely
available too.
3. These programmes will give you options of which folders and files to
include, which to exclude, and how often to schedule the backup to
run automatically. You should also look at any options it offers for
encrypting your back up; after all, many backup disks are easily
portable, and you want to make sure the files are protected should the
drive ever go missing.
4. Another option is to look for an online backup and storage solution.
There are many sites offering this service; a limited amount of storage
is usually free, then a monthly or annual subscription charge applies
for more space. Some services also offer applications for your
smartphone or tablet. The advantage is that the backup is in a different
location from the original files, and accessible from wherever you are.
The disadvantage is that backups can take more time, depending on
the speed of your internet connection. Dropbox and Google Drive are
file sharing services that also work well as backup destinations,
however several other highly regarded dedicated backup solutions are
also listed at the bottom of this article.
Whatever your choice, make sure you review your backup strategy today, and
spend a few minutes (and perhaps a few thousand yen) guaranteeing the
safety of those important files.
For more information, see:
Windows 8:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/how-use-file-history
Windows 7:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-files#1TC=windows-7
Mac OSX:
http://www.apple.com/support/timemachine/
.
Some leading online backup services:
http://www.backblaze.com
https://www.code42.com/store/
http://www.carbonite.com
http://www.sosonlinebackup.com
4
http://www.bitcasa.com
COMMUNITY SERVICE by Lyn Melville-Rea, community service coordinator
In last month’s Educator, we mentioned the ongoing work to help set up reading centers in The
Philippines. This project was started by last year’s seniors but continues thanks to the Nagasaka family
(Chiharu OIS gd.2). Here is a letter from the Ambit Foundation about that…
Osaka Senri International School Supports Setting up
of Budlaan GK Village Reading Center
Developing self-reliance,
with a preferential option
for the poorest of the poor
January 6, 2014
Dear Ms. Lyn Melville-Rea:
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Ambit
Foundation, Inc.- Cebu, I would like to
thank you for your continuing support to the
organization.
The reading centers that you supported
last year are benefitting from the books that
you continue to send. The latest batch of
donations was turned over last month.
We are happy to inform you that the
support you provided to AMBIT has been a
major motivation for the residents of
Budlaan village to study and read more,
and to strive for academic excellence.
Attached (on the right), are pictures of the
turnover made last month by our AMBIT
President, Dr. Jean Dy, and AMBIT
member, Engr Liloy Undaloc, who was
instrumental in the building of the houses in
this village as well as the renovation of the
reading center that now houses the books
you donated.
We look forward to our continuing
partnership with the Fooundation, as we
continue to work for educational assistance
to more underprivileged students.
(above) Shows student residents of Budlaan GK Village visiting the center
to learn to read.
(above) Ms. Merlinda R. Batiancila
(left), GK School teacher with Engr.
Cirilo Undaloc (right), a very active
AMBIT founding member. He was
also a builder of GK villages in
CEBU.
Sincerely yours,
AMBIT FOUNDATION, INC.
Joyce Natalie Yang
Executive Director (Founding President)
(right) The books shown in the
photo left are the combined
donations of Osaka Senri
International School and personal
collections of Ambit
members and their friends, donated
to the Budlaan Reading Center.
Please donate more books (any books that will be
popular in a public reading center) and Mr
Nagasaka will take them to Cebu for us.
Let’s go 一合
Grade 1 students collected 60 kg of rice for Osaka's homeless. The
Let's Go 一合 campaign was a great success. Thank you for your
support. (Please see the photo on the right.)
Yomawari
The next Yomawari is January 18. Students who would like to make
onigiri and show concern for those in our community who have had
the misfortune to become homeless can join this monthly event.
Please email or phone Ms Melville-Rea <lmelvillerea@senri.ed.jp> or
phone 090 9612 8364
5
(above) Shows a young boy coming
to the center to read and to play!
News from All School Production
2013-2014 SOIS All School Production will present “The Wizard
of Oz” (RSC version) at the school theatre on February 13, 14, and
15, 2014. “The Wizard of Oz” will be performed in English along
with Japanese subtitles. The following is the performance
schedule. The duration of the actual performance will be
approximately two hours, and we will have an intermission.
Thursday, February 13 4:30 pm
Friday, February 14 6:00 pm
Saturday, February 15 2:00 pm (Matinee)
Saturday, February 15 6:00 pm (Last performance)
Tickets for the public will be available from Thursday, January 23 in the business office area on
the second floor.
On Thursday, January 23 and Friday, January 24 tickets will be on sale from
3:30 to 4:30PM.
After that time, tickets are available when the business office window is open.
Based on the feedback from the past musical productions, we have decided to reserve tickets
ahead of time for the participants’ families. Those seats will be selected prior the public offering
on January 23.
Tickets for children under 12 and SOIS students cost 500 yen, and general admission tickets are
1500 yen. Specific seats are assigned at the time of ticket purchase.
We will limit the number
of tickets for the Saturday performances to 5 at a time for one person.
Please note that there
will be no changes to seat selections or performance dates after tickets have been purchased
except under extenuating circumstances.
All the proceeds will be used to defray part of the expenses for this year’s production. Please
consider this as a donation. When the reserved seating is booked up, you can still get tickets at
the door on the day of the performance, but your entrance will be after all of the advance ticket
holders. Unreserved tickets will be available 30 minutes prior to the performance in front of the
theatre. The seats are limited, so please get these tickets early.
Please refer to our school’s homepage for more information about the combinations of double
cast, orchestra, and staff. If you have any questions, please send an email to asp2014@senri.ed.jp
or call the main school number at 072-727-5050.
Please enjoy this year’s All School Production “The Wizard of Oz” with your family and friends.
We look forward to seeing you all in the school theatre.
On behalf of Production Team,
Nakae Osako
6
オールスクールプロダションからのお知らせ
2013-2014年度のOIS/SISオールスクールプロダクションは、『オズの魔法使い』を上演いたしま
す。公演は、2014年2月13日（木）より2月15日（土）までの3日間、4回公演です。なお本公演は英語
公演（日本語字幕付）になります。公演予定は以下の通りで、上演実時間は約２時間強と思われます
が、幕間に休憩が入ります。
2月13日（木） 午後4時半開演
2月14日（金） 午後6時開演
2月15日（土） マチネー 午後2時開演
2月15日（土） 最終公演 午後6時開演
一般向けのチケットは、1月23日（木）より発売いたします。1月23日（木）と1月24日（金）は午後3
時半～4時半のみ、学校の2階の事務室エリアにて発売いたします。それ以降は事務室窓口が空い
ている時間に事務室窓口にて取り扱いますので、そちらでお求めくださいますようお願い致します。
過去の反省をふまえて、今年度も出演者のご家族に席を保障するという試みをとっております。ど
うぞご了承ください。この出演者のご家族用の座席は23日までに決めさせていただくことになります。
チケットをお求め頂く際には、本行事への協賛金を頂戴いたします。協賛金は本校生徒および12
歳以下の小学生が500円、一般が1500円となります。また混雑が予想されます土曜日の公演につき
ましては、一度にお求めいただける枚数をお一人様1回につき５枚までに限らせていただきます。どう
ぞご了承くださいますよう、よろしくお願いします。また、チケットご購入後の座席変更・公演日時の変
更は、原則的にはいたしませんので、ご承知おきください。
なおチケットの収益はすべて本公演を支える諸費用の一部として使用させていただいておりますの
で、どうぞ寄付としてお考えくださいますよう、お願い申し上げます。
チケットは、皆様の入場時の便宜を図るため、前売り券は指定席となります。指定席券完売の場合
は当日券（自由席）が公演30分前よりシアター前でお求めいただけます。なお当日券でのご入場は
着席をスムーズにするため前売り券をお持ちの方が入場されてからの入場となりますこと、ご了承く
ださいますようお願い申し上げます。
キャストはダブルキャストになっているところがあります。キャスト
の組み合わせ・オーケストラ・プロダクションスタッフのリストなどは学
校のホームページでご覧になれます。公演に関するご質問がありま
したら、学校の代表番号072-727-5050又はasp2014@senri.ed.jp
へお問い合わせください。
ご家族、お友達、お知り合い等、お誘いあわせの上、今年度ASP
『オズの魔法使い』に是非ご来場くださいますようご案内申し上げま
す。
大迫奈佳江（プロダクションチーム代表）
7
SCHOOL CALENDAR
SABERS UPDATE
by Peter Heimer, activities director
Sabers website: sabers.senri.ed.jp
Remember, you can find much information about Sabers athletics at
sabers.senri.ed.jp. In particular, be sure to click on the “calendar” tab to find
out game dates, times and locations. Schedules are subject to change; coaches
will communicate final details to players.
Sabers Athletics Facebook group
Also, to you Facebook fans, please join the Sabers Athletics Facebook group
to receive updates on Sabers activities.
Middle school winter sports season II begins
The start of the new year marks the start of the new winter sports season II
for Sabers middle school student-athletes. Both the MS girls basketball team,
coached by Ms. Entwistle and Mr. Mecklem, and the MS boys soccer team,
coached by Mr. McGill and Mr. Stone, have started practice, Tuesdays and
Thursdays, 3:45–5:45. Each team has more than 40 players, showing the
popularity of our middle school sports program. We have a no-cut policy at
SOIS, meaning that all players who want to join a team are allowed and
encouraged to do so; no players are cut from a team due to limited ability or
experience – come one, come all! MS sports seasons last about six weeks
with competitions on most Saturdays, culminating in a two-day WJAA
championship tournament. All players should submit a “medical and
permission sheet” before participating (available at the AD office or on the
Sabers webpage), if they haven’t done so already.
High school basketball season continues
The Sabers boys and girls basketball teams continue their successful seasons.
The junior varsity teams are now in Yokohama this weekend for their
season-ending tournaments. The varsity teams are getting ready for their
season-ending AISA tournaments in Seoul, January 23–26.
AISA math mania and leadership
On January 23, several SOIS student leaders and math whizzes will travel to
Yokohama International School to participate in two AISA events: a math
mania competition and a student leadership conference. Four Sabers
“mathletes” – Ryoko Izuta, Ryotaro Kabai, Natsuho Oura, and Jim Jiang –
will compete against math students from the other three AISA schools: Korea
International School, Seoul International School, and Yokohama International
School. The math mania competition unites mathematicians from the AISA
schools to challenge and expand their understanding of mathematics, to
engage in friendly competition, and to have fun. The event showcases
individual math skills and develops team-building math skills.
21 January
*SIS/OIS MS/HS - No classes
ES - School in session
24 -25 January
*SIS/OIS G8 science excursion to
Nishi-Harima Astronomical
Observatory (NHAO), Hyogo
Prefecture
29 January
*G9-11 college workshop, 6:30pm
@3F conference room
5 February
*PTA meeting, 8:45-10:00am
@3F conference room
*G10 parent IBDP information
session
Lost & found items to be displayed
in the 2F showcase area, 20-31
January
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
John Searle, head
072-727-5080
jsearle@senri.ed.jp
Kurt Mecklem, MS/HS principal,
IBMYP coordinator
072-727-5050
kmecklem@senri.ed.jp
Virginia Sutton, ES principal,
IBPYP coordinator
072-727-5050
vsutton@senri.ed.jp
Melissa Lamug, counselor
072-727-5061
mlamug@senri.ed.jp
Mike McGill, admissions director
072-727-5070
mmcgill@senri.ed.jp
Steve Lewis, business manager
072-727-5090
slewis@senri.ed.jp
At the same time, four SOIS student council members – Rion Mukaiyama,
Eugenie Shin, Kaori Momoki, and Arisa Mizuno – will take part in a
collaborative, non-competitive leadership conference in which students
develop team-building skills, share common student leadership experiences,
and explore practical ideas and plans for promoting school and community
spirit.
Caroline Rennie, IBDP coordinator
072-727-5050
crennie@senri.ed.jp
These are great AISA events that provide special opportunities for our
students. Special thanks to the teachers who have prepared the students these
events: Mr. Bertman, Mr. Dupont, Baba-sensei, and Munemasa-sensei.
Natsuko Inoue, school nurse
072-727-5050
ninoue@senri.ed.jp
Next high school sports season
Next up for Sabers high school student-athletes, after the basketball season, is
boys and girls soccer, girls softball, boys and girls swimming, and boys and
girls badminton. First official practices will be held during the last week of
January. Busy times ahead.
Student attendance
072-727-2305
Thank you
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Sabers activities
program. Please contact me any time you need help. Please visit the AD
office, room A-240, near the business office. Contact me at
pheimer@senri.ed.jp or at 072-727-2137.
8
Peter Heimer, activities director
072-727-2137
pheimer@senri.ed.jp
The next Educators will be
published on Friday, 7 February
and Friday, 7 March 2014.