Summer Newsletter 2025 (July & August)

Hello,

If you don’t have a Facebook account, I encourage you to visit the school’s Facebook page to see the many activities NLIS has had over the last month.  We had a lot of activities!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/884886678264764

Things that happened in June: 

• Math Races with the following winners: Hiroto Makino, Hikari Yoshida, Yuji Shinohara, Gen Koller, Taiyo Ichinose, and Shuto Ookubo.  They will receive a certificate and a small bag of treats on July 4 during our school assembly.  We are very proud of our hard-working students!

• Kofu Police officers toured the building and provided the school leaders with safety suggestions, then trained us on how to respond to an intruder carrying a knife.  We bought two sasumata and a doorbell with a camera for the front gate.

• Kofu Police officers visited the students during Personal Safety Week. They observed as the school conducted a lockdown drill, provided us with good advice on how to address strangers visiting the school, spoke to both elementary and secondary students, and even brought a patrol car, allowing the students to get in.  The kids were thrilled. 

• We had many visitors this month who came to look at our school. At least nine are planning on coming to NLIS from next April.

• We held an Open Campus on June 20 at NLIS and another on June 23 at Shiobe Kindergarten.

• The Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Imafuku, of Yamanashi, visited us for a long talk. We asked for his help with many things. He got to work right away, calling people for a building, but there were no empty school buildings within a 25-minute perimeter of NLIS. He said he would keep looking. He was very kind. 

• PSE met on June 27 for a tea time. The 2nd and 3rd graders sang to them with gusto.  They were so cute!

• Erin made new school IDs for the high school students.

• The Eiwa High School principal, along with two Eiwa teachers, visited to discuss potential collaboration between our schools. We are considering several ideas, including exchanging students for a day. 

• Ten students went to Joy Bible Camp in Okutama.  They came back tired but happy.

• A wonderful parent donated ￥1,000,000 to the school.  I am ordering Chromebooks from America, and hope to buy 30 computers. What a blessing! We are very thankful for this parent!

• Thank you for donating food for the Yamanashi Food Bank. 

• Observation Day is Monday, June 30.  Parents are encouraged to visit their children's classrooms and observe their learning.  If you see other classrooms, please only stay a few minutes to allow room for others.

• We will get a vending machine that serves water, tea, juices, coffee, and Calpis.  All drinks will be priced from ￥100 to ￥130 to help cover the monthly electricity cost.  Students now go across the street to purchase drinks. Besides being a safety issue, the drinks in that vending machine are ￥130 to ￥180. 

Here are the events in July. 

JULY  2 & 16   Tchr. meetings 8:30-8:50

30 M               Observation Day

30-4 M-F         ART FAIR   Everyone is welcome to view the students' artwork!  If any catch                   your eye, please leave them a "fan" letter.  The students love your encouraging               words! 

Suggested Viewing Times for Parents are as follows:

Parents of children in 1st through 4th grade: 

Monday and Tuesday  月 火

·      8:40 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. 

·      2:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  

Parents of children in grades 5 through 12:

Wednesday and Thursday 水 木

·      8:40 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.

·      2:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.   

2 M                 NPO Board Meeting 3:30

4 F                   Report Cards (1-6);  School Assembly 9:00-9:30

8 T                   Teacher's Workshop Meeting 3:35  5/6 grade room              

9W                  NLIS Board Meeting 3:30   

11 F                 Library (return books)  

18 F                 Half Day School Party    (outdoor water fun!)   No lunch on this day!  School                    is out at noon.  Have a wonderful summer break!

JULY 28-AUGUST. 1  M-F    SUMMER SCHOOL THEME: BEACH DAYS AT NLIS! 

9:00 to 3:15: The regular price is ￥30,000; NLIS students can join for ￥25,000.

Students will do the following:

• science experiments

• crafts

• math games

• Read beach theme books

• music

• outside and inside playtime

• water games

• daily movie time (about an hour) with snacks provided

• and more!       

Students do not have to speak English to join, but they must be willing to be in an all-English atmosphere. Some NLIS students have invited friends from outside the school to join them for our summer school.

Please remember to have your kids do their summer homework. 

We will come back on Monday, September 1. 

Have a great summer!

Suzy Brown