A new beginning! Our office is moving into the Friends’ Central School

Just when we were enjoying the beautiful leaves of autumn, winter has set upon us very quickly. In good news, the JLSP office will be moving on November 19th (Monday) after 21 years in our current location. During the weekday, 3 staff members conduct all business related to the school at this office. From creation and distribution of class materials to coordination with the Ministry of Education, the office has many responsibilities. We also store all computer related items and historical documents in this office. Truly the heart of the school! All this important material will be transported to a room within the Friends’ Central School, which will lessen the need to move materials back and forth between the office and the school. We believe we can service you even better with smoother and faster preparation and creation of class materials. JLSP opened 42 years ago in 1972. We moved to the current Friends’ Central School in 1989, 17 years after our opening. The Friends school is renowned for having been the home to famous Japanese educators like Inazo Nitabe and Umeko Tsuda as well as bacteriologist Hideyo Noguchi. We believe our long-lasting relationship with the Friends’ Central School is thanks to many supporters and the Friends’ Central School itself, which has a deep and rich history with Japan. With the move of our office, we want to take the time to express our deep appreciation for all our supporters, and double our efforts in providing the best educational experience. Please come visit our new office!

Fall is for learning! “Fall Learning Festival”

On November 10th (Saturday), the elementary school had their recital titled “Fall Learning Festival.” As part of their Japanese language class, 1st to 6th graders adapted the contents of their text books to perform in a creative fashion. All of the kids practiced very hard for the recital, and were rewarded with a feeling of immense achievement to be able to perform in front of a large audience. After the performance was over, some of the kids commented, “I was really nervous, but had a lot of fun” and “it was really educational to watch the other kids perform.” The picture on the left shows the 1st graders performing “Japanese is fun.”

Wonderful Haiku

Haiku by Taiga Takahashi Middle School 3rd Grade:
Upon the sunset, haza lined up in a row, like a harvest bridge
The haiku is about farm workers. The sunset signifies the end of the rice harvest season. The harvested rice is put upon the haza (a rack for drying rice). The haza looks like a bridge, which is a metaphor for the farmer’s livelihood to extend like a bridge into the next year. (This explanation was also provided by Taiga Takahashi.) Taiga-kun spent every summer on a farm during his elementary school years.

Reading Award “Yokozuna”

Congratulations in achieving the Yokozuna status!

Pre-School / Kindergarten
Pre-school: Kohki Hinchey (Class 1)
Kindergarten: Haruki Ato (Class 2) – 800 books; Emma Fair (Class 2)
Elementary
2nd grade: So Akamatsu (Class 1) – 300 books

Interested in teaching elementary school?

We mentioned we were looking for Pre-School/Kindergarten teachers in Smile newsletter # 18, but we are also looking for Elementary school teachers (primary teacher, secondary teacher). If you love children, and would like to get involved with our school, please apply. If you are interested, please contact the office. Email: staff@jlsp.us; Tel: 610-642-1202

Announcement

Found objects at the library: 2 books and 2 objects
Book: Kaiketsu Zorori no Dragon taiji
Book: Tokei book
Object: key chain of a blue star
Object: hair pin shaped like a black ribbon
If these books/objects are yours, please come to the library. If no one comes forward within November, the books will be donated to the library.

Reminder
If your child will be absent from school, please let the school know by 9am.
As the school will be closed on November 24 (Saturday), the next Smile newsletter (No 22) will be issued on December 1st.