New Hope International School

Solomon's Temple Replicas

2012-01-31T16:32:00.000+09:00

We are learning about King Solomon and the temple he built. Today the students were paired up, given blocks, and asked to make the best replica they could in about 45 minutes. Look what they came up with. If you want to see an artist rendition based on the description of the temple in the Bible, see this page.

How about those cherubim around the ark of the covenant?

This group emphasized that the temple was mostly made or overlaid with gold.

"The table and bread will go here!"

Golden Lampstand in Progress

How Clean Is Snow?

2012-01-26T15:53:00.001+09:00

The elementary kids are doing a science unit about "small things." Today we looked at melted snow under the microscope. After seeing all of the floaties in the water, one student exclaimed, "I'll never eat snow again!"

Making Stringed Instruments

2012-01-21T17:29:00.000+09:00

Check out these student-made instruments! We are learning about David the psalmist and how he wrote songs and sang them with stringed instruments. The kids were challenged to make their own instruments with rubber bands and whatever else they could find. After working on them for a few days, some students were able to tune their instruments and play some recognizable music. Pretty amazing!

(And don't tell the kids, but they are pre-learning about the physics of stringed instruments)

Kids Christmas Party on Saturday, 12/17

2011-12-13T17:10:00.000+09:00

Join us for our Kids Christmas Party this Saturday, December 17. We'll have two sessions. The first is from 11AM to 12:00, and the second is from 2:00-3PM. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Waiting for Their Cake

2011-12-13T17:01:00.000+09:00

Double Birthday Party

November Birthdays

2011-11-24T13:40:00.001+09:00

Two elementary school children had birthdays in November. Happy birthday!

Group Storywriting

2011-11-21T14:24:00.001+09:00

One way that we practice writing is by taking turns adding sentences to a story. Here is one that the elementary students wrote recently.

In case you can't read it, here's what it says:

Once upon a time, there lived a big dragon. The dragon captured a princess. The dragon took the princess to a mountain. The mountain was so high. The princess looked down from the mountain. In the mountain, there was a jail. The princess put the dragon in jail. But the dragon ate the princess. An ogre killed the dragon and took the princess out. The ogre made the princess a slave. The ogre died. The princess went back to the jail. In the jail was a boy. The princess helped the boy get out of jail because the princess wanted to marry the boy. The boy saind, "Yes!" and they lived happily ever after. The end.

I like the struggle between the students who were cheering for the dragon and ogre, and the students who wanted a more typical fairy tale.

Making Paper Bowls

2011-11-21T13:51:00.001+09:00

Last we we learned about ancient China. One of China's many inventions was paper. We decided to make paper bowls to get an idea of how paper is made. We didn't make paper from raw pulp, but as you can see from the pictures below, we had a lot of fun!

First, we ripped up construction paper and catalogs into 1 by 1 inch pieces.

Then we blended them with water to make slurry ( a new word even for the teacher).

We let the slurry sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain out the excess water.

We put the slurry into a sieve and flattened it into the shape of a bowl.

Here are the finished projects. If you try this at home, remember to put a little oil on the inside of the sieve so the paper bowl comes out easily when it gets dry.

Reading to a Partner

2011-10-20T10:22:00.000+09:00

A few times a week at New Hope International School, students pair up and read to one another. Here are some highlights from today's reading.

"I like Mind Your Manners, Biscuit because there is a game in the book." -MK

"I like My Pet Turtle because I like turtles." -HO

"I like the animal in One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish that has eleven fingers." -HP

"I like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish where the animal has a cookbook on his hat and the wieners are in the fire." -MS

"I like I'm So Grumpy! because I like dogs." -MM

"I like Knut the Baby Polar Bear because I like animals." -HO

"I like Tirzah because it is about a girl who is leaving Egypt for the Promised Land." -RS

"I'm enjoying Wonders and Miracles because I like a story in it called "Milk for Wine." It is about a kind man giving money for a poor man's Passover." -TS

Planning for Sports Day

2011-10-18T17:26:00.002+09:00

We have a field day coming up and decided to get the elementary school students involved in planning the events. Here they are brainstorming games. They wrote down all of their ideas without discussion or judgement.

Brainstorming!

Then they discussed the pros and cons of each idea and voted for their favorites.

Democracy in Action!

It's going to be a great sports day!

Happy Birthday M

2011-10-05T18:00:00.000+09:00

New Hope International School had its first birthday party in the new elementary division. Everyone enjoyed cake, singing, and having some "Japanese OK" time outside of Japanese class.

Happy Birthday!

Rainy Day Games at New Hope School

2011-10-05T17:09:00.000+09:00

Because of the rain today, we had a short PE class and spent the rest of the hour playing games. These girls are learning to play chess with Quick Chess. It's basically a series of chess games that leads beginners through the process of learning how each piece moves and takes opposing pieces.

Learning with Quick Chess

These boys are playing a version of marbles on small whiteboards. They stagger the whiteboards and make traps between for the marbles to make the game more challenging.

Modified Marbles Game

These girls are playing Shoots and Ladders. It's a fun game and great for working on numbers through 100.

Shoots and Ladders

What do you like to do on rainy days? We'd love to hear from you in the comments.

ニューホープ・スクール・ニュースレター

2011-09-27T18:04:00.001+09:00

小学校：
新学期最初のニュースレターを読んでいただきありがとうございます！ご存じの通り今月からプリスクールと同施設にて小学校が開校しました。5カ国籍・計8人の生徒が在籍しており、本当の意味でインターナショナルな学校になりました。最初の数週間は古代エジプトを中心に勉強してきました。余談ですが、ミイラを作る過程で、脳は鼻から取り出す事をご存じでしたか？生徒たちはこの最も古く、偉大な文明のうちの一つである古代エジプトについてこのようなたくさんの雑学も知っています。

プリスクール：
プリスクールには6カ国籍・計18人の生徒が在籍しています。今週は”Me Book”（自分についての本）をつくり、私たち個々がそれぞれユニークで特別な存在だということを学びました。

先生・スタッフについて：
日本語の先生、音楽・美術の先生を新しく迎えました。また、キッズイングリッシュとアフタヌーンプリスクールは先生が増えました。互いに学びあいながら良い時を過ごしています。新しい先生に会いましたら是非声をかけて見て下さい。

キャンペーン：
只今秋のキャンペーンを行っています。今入会されるとコースによっては最大29,400円～55,125円お得です。また、在籍中の生徒さんは新しくお友達を紹介頂けると10,000円のギフト券がもらえる紹介キャンペーンも随時行っております。詳細はご連絡ください。

子育て・教育に関するオンライン情報を紹介します。

・東京アート・ビートでは東京近辺で行われる子供向けのイベントを紹介しています。

http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/list/event_kids.ja　（日本語・英語）

・エデュケーション・イン・ジャパン・コミュニティー・ブログでは日本での子供教育に関する記事を集めて記載しています。最近では原発による放射能に関するニュースや日本にいる子どもたちへの影響を問題にした記事が多く見られます。http://educationinjapan.wordpress.com/　（英語のみ）

近頃急に涼しくなってきましたね。体調管理にお気をつけください。
スクールへのお問い合わせはお気軽にご連絡下さい。

New Hope School News - September 2011 (English)

2011-09-27T18:02:00.003+09:00

Welcome to our first letter of the new school year! As you may know, we opened an elementary school this month in the same facilities as our preschool. We have eight students representing five nations! Our school is indeed international. The first few weeks we have focused our studies on ancient Egypt. Did you know that in the process of making a mummy, the brains were removed through the nose? Yuck! Our students know that bit of trivia as well as many other things about one of the oldest and greatest civilizations.

Preschool is also in full swing with 18 students from six nations. We are making “Me Books” this week and learning about what makes each of us special and unique.
Our staff has increased to include a Japanese teacher, a music/art teacher, and another Kids’ English and Afternoon Preschool teacher. We are having a great time learning from one another and from our students. If you see a new face, say hello and introduce yourself!

We are running an autumn campaign now. New students can save from ¥29,400 to ¥55,125 depending on which course they sign up for. As always, current students who introduce a new student receive ¥10,000 worth of gift cards. Contact us for details.

Here are some online resources you might be interested in.

Tokyo Art Beat has a listing of kid-friendly art events in the Tokyo area. (bilingual) http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/list/event_kids

The Education in Japan Community Blog is a collection of posts related to kids and education in Japan. Recently, it has featured lots of news about the nuclear situation and how it is affecting children in Japan. http://educationinjapan.wordpress.com/

Please take care as the weather cools off. Feel free to contact us any time. We love to hear from you.

Ukulele Lesson

2011-09-26T14:34:00.000+09:00

Our school was recently given several ukuleles from Hawaii. In Hawaii, the ukulele is taught in elementary schools. It's just the right size for little hands, and the nylon strings are easy to press. Today, Miss Lauren, our music teacher began to teach the ukulele in our school. Can you tell by the smiles and looks of concentration that the kids loved it?

Don't Be Mottainai!

2011-08-08T18:21:00.002+09:00

Today in the Graduates' Class, we read a picture book called Mottainai Grandma. It's about a grandma who scolds a boy about all the wasteful things he does. It was originally written in Japanese, but there is a bilingual version available now.

After reading the book together, we thought about ways we can conserve resources. It's timely for us here in Tokyo with the energy shortages related to the nuclear situation. Anyway, here are some of the students' ideas about how not to be wasteful.

"Turn off the light if you don't need it." M. K.
"Don't cut down trees." T. M.
"Don't put things around the refrigerator." R. Y.
"Don't leave the TV on when you're not watching." Y. T.
"Don't leave the air conditioner on too long." T. M.
"Use a reusable bag at the supermarket." R. Y.
"Ride a bicycle instead of driving a car." I. T.

Please add your conservation ideas in the comments and I'll share them with the students next time we meet.

New Hope School News - June 2011

2011-06-08T16:10:00.000+09:00

Dear Friends of New Hope School,

The rainy season is coming and we are enjoying school very much. The big news this term is that Summer Preschool is coming in August. This year we are dividing summer school into two parts. Part 1 is eight days long (August 1-5, 8-10). The theme is “Daily Life: Clothing, Food Housing, and Transportation.” Part 2 is seven days long (August 18-19, 22-26). The theme is “The World of Nature.” Both parts will feature lots of games, crafts, activities, songs, and stories--all in English. Summer Preschool always fills up fast so sign up soon. You may sign up online.

The elementary division of New Hope School opens in September. We couldn’t wait to begin, so we jumped the gun with a prestart from this April. This term we are working on academic English so the students are prepared to start full-on in September.

Summer vacation is fun, but children sometimes forget what they have worked hard to learn at school. To keep your children learning all summer print out this summer activity calendar from Scholastic and do activities from it every day in July or August.

Reading is also very important, not to mention fun! Make a point of reading to your children in English this summer or provide some good books for them to read. New Hope students can borrow books from our library to read over the summer. Most public libraries have a surprisingly good selection of English children’s books. Also our friends at Columbia International School in Tokorozawa are holding a big book fair on June 25 and 26. See their website for more information.

We still have space in some of our Kids’ English, Afternoon Preschool, and Mommy and Me Classes. Please let us know if you or a friend might be interested.

Have a great summer! Let’s stay cool as we all try to save energy.

ニューホープスクールニューズ　2011年6月号

2011-06-08T16:08:00.001+09:00

ニューホープスクールより皆様へ、

雨の季節になりましたが、私たちはスクール生活を楽しんでいます。今回のお知らせは、８月に行われるサマープリスクールです。今年はサマースクールを２つのパートにしました。パート１は８日間（８月1〜5日、8〜10日）です。テーマは毎日の生活：衣食住と交通です。パート２は７日間（８月18〜19日、22〜26日）です。テーマは自然の世界です。どちらのパートでも、すべて英語で、ゲーム、クラフト、アクティビティ、歌、お話をします。サマープリスクールはいつも人気がありすぐに定員になりますので、希望される方はオンラインでお申し込みください。

９月にはニューホープスクールの小学部が始まります。私たちは待ちきれずに、４月からプリスタートしました。この期間は英語を中心に学び、生徒たちが９月から英語教育を始められるように準備しています。

夏休みは楽しみですが、子ども達はスクールで一生懸命学んだことを忘れてしまいます。夏の間お子さんの教育のためにスカラスティックよりアクティビティカレンダーをプリントアウトして、７月と８月の毎日アクティビティをすることをお勧めします。

毎日の本読みはとても大切で、とても楽しいものです。夏休み英語での本読みを行ってみませんか。また私たちは良い本を提供することができます。ニューホープの生徒はスクールの図書館より夏休みの間本を借りることができます。公共の図書館にもとても良い英語の本があります。また所沢にあるコロンビアインターナショナルスクールでは６月２５日、２６日にブックフェアーが行われます。詳しいことはこちらのホームページをご覧ください。

私たちの行っている、キッズイングリッシュ、アフタヌーンプリスクール、マミーアンドミーのクラスにはまだ空きがあります。興味のあるお友達がいましたらご紹介ください。

それでは楽しい夏をお過ごしください。夏の節電中もなんとか涼しく過ごしましょう。

Mini Concert

2011-06-03T23:06:00.000+09:00

One of our student's moms is a musician. She gathered some other musicians (including her daughter) and put together a mini concert for New Hope International School this afternoon. Performances included a string quartet, a piano-cello duet, and some violin solos. Several of our students' parents attended as well.

Besides enjoying the music, the students learned about the relative sizes of the string instruments, and that violin bows are made from horse hair, and violin strings of sheep's gut.

How big is a cello?

Young violinist with a bright future

Violinist

Violist (had to look that word up)

Cellist

String quartet playing Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik

Can you tell the children enjoyed the music?

Family Day

2011-05-14T17:41:00.000+09:00

Today was the New Hope Preschool and Elementary School family party. We played a play dough word-guessing game, had snacks (including cookies baked by the students) and shared what we've been learning.

Mixing Cookie Dough

More Cookie Dough

Guess the Word Being Modeled with Play Dough

Play Dough Word Guessing Game

Preschool students share what they've been learning.

Kids' Easter Party 2011

2011-05-14T17:14:00.000+09:00

April 23 was the Kids' Easter Party at New Hope Narimasu. About 80 children braved the wind and rain to come for games, egg-dying, face and hand painting, an Easter story, and an egg-hunt (indoors this year). Thanks to everyone who participated!

Easter Hand Paint

Easter Story Time

Easter Egg Dying

Easter Face and Hand Paint

Kids' Easter Party This Saturday

2011-04-17T18:09:00.001+09:00

The annual Kids' Easter Party and Egg Hunt is coming this Saturday at New Hope Narimasu. See the details on our web site.

Congratulations Graduates!

2011-04-16T22:14:00.000+09:00

Today was graduation day for the class of spring 2011. It was a month late due to the earthquake and several families temporarily leaving Tokyo. We're proud of the children's achievements. These kids will be missed in the preschool, but thankfully, most are continuing on with us in New Hope Elementary School or one of our after-school classes.

Congratulations!

Last Circle Time for Spring 2011 Graduates

Graduating Class of Spring 2011

Preschool Students and Teachers

Spring School - Day Five

2011-04-01T17:42:00.000+09:00

Today was the last day of Spring Preschool. We finished up "My Five Senses" with the sense of smell. We read a book about the five senses, and let the children smell eight different things from the kitchen without looking. Several kids were able to identify quite a few of the smells. (In case you're interested, the smells were chocolate, coffee, lemons, oranges, vinegar, soy sauce, grapes, and peppermint candy).


Smell Samples

"I recognize that smell!"

The children designed their own flowers with cotton in the middle. They chose from among several aromatherapy scents and put a few drops of aroma on the cotton so that their flowers would smell nice.

Cutting Flower Petals

We gave the children certificates of participation and said good bye. It was a little sad, but several of them are in our weekly classes or will be joining soon, so we will get to see one another again.

Spring School - Day Four

2011-03-31T16:30:00.000+09:00

Today's "My Five Senses" topic was taste. We read Eric Carle's Pancakes, Pancakes! and then sampled pancakes with two toppings, honey and whipped cream.

Yummy pancakes!

We graphed the children's topping preference.

Whipped cream was more popular than honey.

The kids each sampled three clear liquids and tried to describe them. The liquids were sweet sugar water, salty salt water, and sour lemon juice.

Sweet? Salty? Sour?

After lunch as always, the children had some free time to play whatever they wanted. These children played memory.

Free choice time

Time is flying. Tomorrow is already the last day of spring school. We'll explore the sense of smell.