October Newsletter

It’s finally getting a little cooler. Our students are able to play outside, and they are loving it.   

Even with the record heat, we had a great month in September with a  lot of learning.  Student interns from the University of Yamanashi and Gakuin University visited in September and enjoyed observing American education. The intern from Finland, Suvi Manninen, is loving our school.  In case you haven’t heard, Finland is famous for having the best schools in the world. Her words mean a lot. Thanks to God, great teachers, fantastic students, and wonderful parents like you, here are her words about NLIS:

"From the very first day I started my internship at New Life International School, I was honestly surprised by how welcoming the school feels. I was greeted so warmly, both by the teachers and the students. Every day I’m still amazed by how kind, respectful, and well-behaved the students are. I’ve worked and done internships in several schools back in Finland, but I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s really special to see how much they appreciate their teachers and each other. Describing it as a family-like atmosphere really is the perfect way to explain what this school is like. I’m really grateful that I get to be part of this school and community for the coming weeks as an intern."

New Teacher

NLIS welcomes a new teacher, Martin Pretorius, from South Africa. He will start on September 30^th. He has lived in Hiroshima for two years as a JET (Japan English Teacher program). He likes surfing, skiing, and Japan.  He is a licensed, trained high school history teacher and comes with very high recommendations. Dr. Brombuela’s COE, certificate of eligibility, is still not processed, so Mr. Pretorius will teach Dr. Brombuela’s classes at this time. Dr. Brombuela continues to teach the higher math and sciences online.

Registration is open

If you have children who will be starting 1st grade at NLIS next year, please see me soon so we can begin the enrollment process.  I’m excited to see more families joining NLIS.  We now accept children up to 5th grade with limited English, something WASC encouraged us to do, so if you have older children who would like an English education, please see me.  It may not be too late.

Bus discount!

I saved the best news for last.  Mr. Imafuku helped us get a student discount for the Yamakou bus. Students must get a paper from the office to fill out before buying the tickets. A new slip  must be presented every time they buy the tickets, but students will receive at least 14% off, much more if an annual ticket is bought.

We are hoping that the students will eventually get a discount for the trains, as well, but at this time, we cannot. We won't give up!

October Calendar    (See November & December plans below.)

October is going to be a great month. We will still have visiting interns on several days. 

Monday, October 6, is a holiday for the students. The teachers and staff have a professional development day. We are currently creating a curriculum map with all the subjects in the school. It’s going to take several years to complete, but it’s an excellent program and when completed, our parents will be able to see all the standards, materials, assessments, and activities in one document.

Grades 1 through 3 celebrate 100 days of school on Thursday, October 9. 

The principal must visit Aichi International School from October 14 to 17 to conduct a WASC inspection.  If you have any questions or needs during this week, please speak to Mr. Brown or Mrs. Okuaki. They are in charge while I'm gone.

On October 30-31, the 9^th through 12^th graders are taking a two-day trip to Yokohama. They will visit the Cup Ramen Museum, the Red Brick Warehouse in China Town, and Sea Paradise.  Thanks to Mrs. Okuaki, who did all the planning, and got them very good deals.

On Friday, October 31^st, parents are welcome to come to our first National Dress Day and hear the classes sing, dance, and present projects on the countries they have been studying in full international dress. Please help your child have a great costume for this day. For ideas, please talk to your child’s teacher.

Students will have afternoon class parties on this day.

OCTOBER  1, 15, 22, 29 Teacher's Meetings 8:30-9:00

1 W                 Student Council Meeting

3 F                    Report Cards (7 -12 only); Teacher Appreciation Day;

Assembly 9:05 Ukulele songs presented by 4^th-6^th graders  

6 M                  Teacher's Workday  Students are OFF

8 W                  Board Meeting 3:30

9 TH                100 days of school celebration for grades 1-3

10 & 24 F         Library

13 M                OFF Sports Day

14-17 T-F        Principal visiting Aichi International School for WASC

21-22 T-W      Standardized Testing 2 1-8^th grades, 9-12 PreSAT testing

30-31 TH-F    High School Field Trip

31 F                 International Dress Day! 9:05; Fall Parties 1-12

November Plans  (More information will be given later)

·      On Saturday, November 1, NLIS will have an Open Campus for prospective parents. Please pass the word so that we can continue to grow.

·      Monday, November 3, is a public holiday and there are no classes.

·      On Friday, November 14, all students and teachers will walk to Midorigaoka Sports Park and Gym. We will play basketball, badminton, and other sports all day. Parents are welcome!

·      Thursday, November 20, is Yamanashi Day and school is off.

·      Friday, November 21, is the Student-led Parent-Teacher Meetings.  There are no classes on this day, but students are required to come to a 15 to 20-minute meeting to lead the Parent-Teacher meeting.  

·      On Sunday afternoon, November 23, all NLIS students are asked to sing at the Asahi Festival.  We did this last year, and it was a great opportunity.  We are already practicing the songs.

·      Monday, November 24, is a public holiday and there are no classes.

December Plans

Friday, December 12, is New Life International School’s Christmas program. 

NLIS Christmas Market will be done this year!  We will accept all goods only on Monday and Tuesday, December 15-16.  The market will open between Wednesday and Friday, December 17-19. Please place your items in the gym against the wall. 

Friday, December 19, is a half-day and students will have class parties on this day.