From the Scholastic website:

Pam Muñoz Ryan has written over 25 children’s books. Each of her celebrated novels tells the story of a strong character in a specific time and place. Esperanza Rising is about a young girl who flees from Mexico to California to work in a labor camp. Riding Freedom is an account of little-known heroine Charlotte Parkhurst, a girl in the 1800s who is determined to become a horse rider but faces obstacles because she is female. Muñoz Ryan’s newest book, Becoming Naomi León, focuses on a girl whose mother reappears after a 7-year absence.

Who will be the first TIS student to read these new books?

Mar 1 (Mon) – Spring Break (school closed to 5th)
Mar 8 (Mon) – Classes Resume
Mar 11 (Thurs) – Parents Workshop – Violin
Mar 13 (Sat) – National Spelling Bee
Mar 17 (Wed) – Open School Day
Mar 22 (Mon) – School Holiday
Mar 26 (Fri) – Third Quarter Progress Reports

Also, here are some important dates that are coming up in April and May.

Apr 5 (Mon) – Headstart Program Starts
Apr 29 (Thurs) – School Holiday
Apr 30 (Fri) – Classes as Usual
May 3 (Mon) – Golden Week Break (school closed to 7th)
May 10 (Mon) – Classes Resume

Our school year starts in September, but we also accept students into our Headstart Program in April. This gives students a chance to get used to the school environment and gives non-native English speakers the opportunity to develop their English language skills before starting in September. The Headstart Program is available to all students from Grade 1 to Grade 6.

In fact, as many foreign residents arrive in Japan at times other than April and September, we are able to accept students at any time during the school year. Please contact us to arrange for mid-year enrollment.

Tsukuba International School develops critical thinkers and lifelong learners by providing opportunities for inquiry, creativity, and discovery, where respect for self, others and the environment is a core value.

TIS is located in the western area of Tsukuba, in a forested area which lets the natural environment become a part of the classroom. The school is a 15-minute drive from the center of Tsukuba, a nine minute drive from Kenkyu Gakuen Station (future site of the new Tsukuba City Hall government building), and a seven minute drive from Banpaku Kinen Koen Station. We currently offer bus services from Banpaku Kinen Koen Station and we are looking to offer pickup points in the central area of Tsukuba in the near future. Please inquire for more details.

TIS is a full-time elementary school (Grades 1 to 6) for children of all nationalities. We will introduce a junior high school program in September 2010 and will eventually offer up to Grade 10. The school was founded in 1992 in response to the need for an English-based educational opportunity for students in the Tsukuba area.

All of our homeroom teachers are native English speakers who are certified teachers in their countries of origin. Our staff consists of six homeroom teachers (from Australia, Canada, and the US), six volunteer teachers (from Japan and the US), one school administrator (from Canada), and a principal (from Japan).

We are currently a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and we are developing a curriculum that will follow the standards and practices of the IB’s PYP. (Please note that our candidate status does not imply that we will automatically receive authorization from the IB.)

Please see the tuition page on our website for information about our fees. Also, if your children are in need of a scholarship to support their studies, please contact us to discuss your options.

If you are interested in learning more about Tsukuba International School, please have a look at our website or contact the school directly. We also have open school days once a month where you can observe the school in action.

Thank you for your interest in our school and we look forward to your visit!

At Tsukuba International School, we have a large garden that is tended by our principal/chief gardener, Mr. Kano. We had a wonderful crop of red (azuki) beans this year, and Mr. Kano suggested that we use the beans to raise money for helping Haiti recover from the massive earthquake that struck the country on January 12, 2010. Since we couldn’t send the beans directly to Haiti, this seemed like the next best thing!

On January 29, students used their lunch hour to sort the beans into piles of “good beans” and “bad beans” based on Mr. Kano’s criteria. Then, the good beans were divided up and placed in plastic bags to be sold to the parents. Luckily, we had our annual student-parent-teacher conferences that week, so many parents visited the school and picked up a bag of beans. In fact, we ran out of beans before the week was out, so one family donated a few bags of ginkgo nuts so that the families coming later in the week would also be able to participate. Then, when we ran out of ginkgo nuts, some families just donated money anyway!

By the end of the week, we had raised a total of 24,000 yen which we donated to the Students Helping Haiti initiative of the World Food Programme. (You can see our school logo on the front page of the Students Helping Haiti site. Scroll down to the bottom.)

Here is the letter that we received from the World Food Programme in response to our donation.

Dear Tsukuba International School,

The help you have just given to earthquake victims in Haiti means we can not only respond more quickly and effectively, but also reach more people in need.

We are so grateful to know we can rely on your generous support. Your donation of JPY24,000.00 on Feb 22, 2010 will nourish those already suffering the loss of homes, jobs, friends and family members. They shouldn’t have to suffer from hunger too.

The people of Haiti need our help, and together we won’t let them down. You can follow the latest developments on how people are being helped during this crisis by visiting this page.

Sincerely,

Nancy E. Roman
Director of Public Policy, Communications & Private Sector Partnerships
World Food Programme

If you are interested in donating to this cause, please click on the banner below.

Thank you to everyone who donated their time and money to help the people of Haiti.

Tsukuba International School (TIS) offers an international education for children in Grades 1 to 8. We are currently seeking a certified elementary school teacher to start in September 2010. The successful candidate will teach all core subjects (including Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) to Grade 3 students and will share responsibility for additional subjects (including Art, Physical Education, Music, and Media Studies) with the other teachers at the school. As TIS is currently a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate, experienced PYP teachers will be given preference, although certified teachers with a strong interest in the PYP will also be considered.

Requirements

The following are non-negotiable credentials for applying for this position.

• Native English proficiency.
• University degree in education (preferably with elementary specialization, i.e. ages 6 to 12) from a country with an English language-based curriculum. (A degree in “Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language” is not sufficient.)
• Qualifications to teach in a jurisdiction with primarily English-based education. (This means that the candidate must be a certified teacher in a country such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, or the United States.)

Preferences

We hope to find a candidate with the following range of experience.

• Experience teaching in an elementary school.
• Experience teaching at an international school, or in a multicultural environment.
• Experience teaching non-native speakers of English.
• Experience teaching the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate.
• Familiarity with inquiry-based learning.
• Experience living in Japan, or living abroad.

Qualities

As we are a growing school, we are looking for a special kind of teacher who can help us move into the next stage of our development.

• Able to manage a dynamic classroom setting.
• Possess the flexibility to deal with new students and new teaching paradigms gracefully.
• Have a clear understanding of the importance of professional development, through workshops/seminars and independent learning.

Working Conditions

Salary: based on experience
School Year: September to June
Vacation: 10 days paid personal leave, all Japanese national holidays plus winter, spring, and summer vacations
Visa sponsorship: available
Relocation: will pay for flight to Japan (for applicants who are currently residing overseas) and assist in finding accommodations

Please see our page on Tsukuba to learn more about living and working in the city.

Application Process

Submit a resume outlining your education and employment history (including your current position), and give three references who can be contacted. Attach a one-page cover letter stating why you are interested in this position and what you could contribute to our school. Applicants chosen for interviews will be required to submit copies of relevant degrees and certificates. Applications can be sent by postal mail or email. Interviews may take place in person or by web conference. If you have a web camera and a Skype account, please mention that in your cover letter.

POSTAL ADDRESS
Tsukuba International School
Attn: Mr. Masayasu Kano
Kamigo 7846-1
Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JAPAN
300-2645

Please write: “Teacher Application” on the envelope.

EMAIL ADDRESS

Please submit your documents as PDF files or in plain text. Use the subject “Elementary Teacher: September 2010″.

Applications are due by March 15, 2010, but we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is found. We hope to fill the position by March 31, 2010.

Please note that Tsukuba International School is NOT an English conversation school. We are a full-time elementary school where children study all subjects in English. We will only consider applicants who have proper teaching qualifications (i.e. a degree in education, preferably specializing in elementary education). A TESL/TEFL certificate and/or Bachelor degree in a subject other than Education would not be enough to meet these standards.

We apologize, but only those candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. Documents that are submitted to the school will not be returned.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Open School Day for March 2010 will be held on
Wednesday, March 17, 2010.

Schedule

9:30am: Introduction to Tsukuba International School
10:00am: Visit TIS Language Arts Class
10:30am: Talk to teachers during recess time
11:00am: Visit Tsukuba International Preschool and/or TIS Math Class
11:30am: Finish

Future Dates

• Tuesday, April 13, 2010
• Wednesday, May 19, 2010
• Tuesday, June 1, 2010

These dates can also be seen on our school calendar.

If you are interested in attending one of our Open School Days, please contact us to make a reservation. Also, if you would like to see the school, but you are not available on those days, please call us to set up an appointment.

Snow is very rare for us here in Tsukuba, so when it snows we want to play in it!

Here are some books about snow that you can find in our library. How many have you read?

On the same day, we also measured the students’ height and weight. How much bigger will they be next year at this time?

Feb 1 (Mon) – Second Semester Begins
Feb 1 (Mon) – Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences (to 5th)
Feb 1 (Mon) TIP Art Gallery (to 5th)
Feb 9 (Tues) – Open School Day
Feb 11 (Thurs) – School Holiday
Feb 17 (Wed) – TIS Spelling Bee
Feb 26 (Fri) – Indoor shoes go home for cleaning

Also, please don’t forget our Spring Break in the first week of March.

Mar 1 (Mon) – Spring Break (school closed to 5th)