Hello, everyone! The weather has slowly been getting warmer and warmer, but the Grade 6 and 7 students are unstoppable: they have been working diligently on preparing for all the presentations they have been and will be hosting for their schoolmates, teachers and parent.

The students started Monday with a double-period computing lesson. Their ghost characters have received their home islands and learned to swim, and the islands have received the sea around them. After this, Grade 7 went to Japanese lessons, while Grade 6 spend their time preparing for Thursday’s school assembly, which they are in charge of organizing and leading. They planned the fun activities they wanted to do with the younger students, and the information they thing is important to share. Even for the older students, standing up and speaking in front the entire student and staff body of the school is daunting, but is an excellent change to practice their planning and communication skills, so we will take it on eagerly.

The students braved the heat for their P.E. lesson outside on Tuesday, followed by further team work on their school-wide assemly presentation to take place on Thursday, and Japanese lessons. In Math, we started a chapter on fractions, revising previous knowledge, and learning about expanding fractions, equivalent fractions, and ways of reading out fractions in English.

Lunch time on Wednesday was supported by the staff from the Matsumoto Shiga school lunch center, who made sure that the students and the staff are doing their best to adhere to the hygiene requirements. The students have been doing a great job throughout the first three months of this school year, serving lunch to their friends responsibly and with ease. A special thank you should be given to Grade 7 students, who have been teaching the little Grade 1 students how to serve properly. The new months also brought a new set of cleaning duties. The Grade 6 and 7 students have been doing a very good job responsibly guiding the younger students to clean properly.

The assembly hosted by Grade 6 on Thursday was a big hit! The students spoke confidently and delivered all the lines they have practiced, doing it in a dynamic and engaging way. Other students commented on how interesting and humorous the assembly was, and even the strictest of teachers told the students how wonderful it was. The students reflected on the good work they did and using the skills they practiced in upcoming presentations, including the Inquiry Fair, for which they started preparing intensively this past week. A plethora of fresh ideas and interesting information will be shared, so please join us on Thursday, July 16.

In the afternoon, Grade 7 students read an interesting story about growing up, discussing its challenges and rewards. We learned about meaning of “denotation” and “connotation” and why authors would sometimes choose the use certain words in specific contexts.

The students had a tiring, but fun morning outside on Friday. In their Nature activities, they learned how to make a makeshift shelter using sticks, tarp, and teamwork. The upcoming rain this weekend meant that the shelters had to be packed up, but the skills remained. Why not test them out sometime on family camping trips? After lunch, the students mainly worked on planning their upcoming 2-day trip. Our long discussion has seen some progress after a new idea suggested by a parent was introduced. The class should be ready to present their plan very soon.

In the following week, The students have spent the two days further preparing for next week’s Inquiry fair and are excited to share their work with you. An exciting thing happening on Tuesday was the start of Mr. Hirabayashi’s AI lessons. The students tried their hands at solving some deep-thinking math problems and comparing their knowledge with AI answers.

On Wednesday, the big event was the school nurse Ms. Mie’s second health lesson of the year, this time focusing on changes in puberty. Please peruse the materials shared with the students at home as well. We also had a chance to take a dip in the pool today. The water was refreshing and the students enjoyed swimming the length of the pool using various styles and fun games prepared by their classmate.

The summer heat has started and moved the majority of the students inside. We still managed to squeeze in some exercise and a game of soccer and frisbee in in the early morning, but retreated to the confines of our classroom to continue work on our projects as soon as the sun got too high up. The school will continue monitoring the students spending time outside for any signs of heat stroke, especially during the upcoming Summer school. The students may also bring their cooling rings, extra sweat towels, sunscreen and mosquito spray, but please be aware that electric, battery-power fans are not permitted.
In the last Music lesson of the term, the students started practicing a new song: “We Won’t Stop Dreaming” by Pinkzebra. Japanese followed, with students focusing on Science and Social studies.

On Friday, the students have spend the morning outside, revising what they have learned about building a nature shelter last week, then climbing up the mountain nearby (2 times!) and applying that knowledge to build an actual shelter that can be used by them or other hikers. The mountain forest was cool and the students had an enjoyable time spend playing tag and relaxing, returning to the school for lunch and the final preparations for next week’s Inquiry Fair. Have a wonderful weekend!