2011-12

Thank You Mr. Barton

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Charles Barton, former headmaster at NIS from 1991-2007, who died on April 23rd, 2012 in Vietnam. Mr. Barton will be remembered by many, as can be seen in these photos of his time at NIS.

Middle School Rocket Launch!

(4.18) Middle school rocket scientists tested their PET bottle rockets on the field - some more successful than others, but everyone enjoyed a chance to finally test their rockets!

HS Girls Softball & Boys Baseball @ NIS

(4.14) Marist teams visited NIS for games with the high school girls softball and the high school boys baseball teams (enhanced with several middle school teammates!)

PTA Game Night FUN!

(4.13) Thanks to all of you, parents, teachers, and staff, who helped us prepare for the evening and to everyone who attended the event by all accounts Game Night was a huge success! We had over 76 cakes donated to the Cake Walk and plenty of prizes for those children who didn't win a cake. The evening had just the right amount of excitement to make it fun for the kids and enjoyable for the parents.

ELC K: Collaboration & Compromise

(3.5-3.23) The ELC Kindergarten students completed a PYP Unit of Inquiry (UOI) called "Working Together", with the central idea being: when we work together we achieve more. The students chose to build an outdoor cob oven, which was also connected to their previous unit on using and exploring natural materials. Students learned how to work with a variety of friends as they were assigned to work with someone they wouldn’t normally work with. They created sketches, built models, discussed how to work with clay, grass, glass, sand, soil and rock. Throughout the process, they learned to compromise and collaborate, as can be seen in their work outside to actually build the oven. Great job ELC Kindergarten students!

Elementary Library Sleepover Fun!

(3.16-17) Elementary students enjoyed a night at the library, and fun was had by all. Special thanks to middle school and high school volunteers from the NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) who joined to help as well.

HS Girls Soccer Tournament @ NIS

(3.9) The girls played brilliantly in their final league soccer tournament. They started the tournament off in pouring rain and managed a tie against a strong MC Perry team. With the rain still coming down, they played a close game against CA but lost 5 to 2. The next day the girls won against YIS JV 6 to 0 and then won against EJ King 3 to 0. The final tally was 2 wins, 1 draw, and one loss. Considering they only have one senior on the team, they should be a strong contender next year. Great job Dolphins!

HS Boys Soccer "Dolphin Cup"

(2.24-25) The Dolphin Cup Soccer Tournament did not turn out quite the way the boys wanted. The boys played several close games, losing by one goal to EJ King and CA JV. Unfortunately they were held without a win in the tournament. Good effort by all players!

HS Boys Basketball WJAA Champs!

(1/28) The NIS boys had a rough road to the finals. After a good start to the tournament, the boys played KIUA, the reigning champions the last two years. During the game our shooting guard took a spill and ended up breaking his wrist. We lost in overtime by one point and took second in our pool. In the warm-ups before going up against the #1 team in the other pool, our other point guard busted his lip and had to go to the hospital. But our captain took over the game and we won by seven points, putting NIS in the final against KIU. This time the guys would not be denied - the final score was 45–33. Great job guys!

HS Girls Basketball Finish Strong

(2.4) The NIS girls played hard at the International tournament in Osaka on Feb. 3-5. They won their first game against Korea International School but lost to Osaka. On Saturday they played two very close games but ended up on the losing side in both games. This marked the end of their basketball season. Good job Dolphins! (photos courtesy of B. Munro of Marist)

Middle School Dolphin Sports

(12.3) The middle school boys basketball and girls soccer teams welcomed teams from Osaka for a series of friendly Saturday games.

2011 Elementary Winter Concert

(12.9) The elementary school celebrated the completion of the year with their annual Winter Concert and Arts Night.

ELC Garden Growers Get Dirty!

(11.10) The ELC preschool continued working on their garden and had fun getting dirty at the same time!

Elem Halloween Fun at NIS!

(10.31) The Hgh School Student Council (HSSC) organized an afternoon of fun and games for the elementary students.

NIS Sports Day Fun! (1)

(10.10) NIS held our annual Sports Day on the field for a day of fun and games for the ELC and elementary school students. Middle school students joined for the afternoon. Thank you everyone for making the day a memorable one!

NIS Sports Day Fun! (2)

(10.10) More photos of our annual Sports Day.

NIS Habitat in Ishinomaki

(10.23-26) A team of 43 from NIS Habitat and other staff and supporters made our second relief-trip to Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas hit hard by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11. We again worked to support "Team Kobe" with their efforts to provide volunteer relief work for the citizens of Ishinomaki, and revisited the same areas we worked in June. We were able to continue clean-up efforts for a temple and cemetery, and street gutters/drains in residential areas. We hope to visit again in spring, and thank everyone who helped make this trip possible by volunteering and supporting our trip!

ELC Parents/Grandparents Day

(10/21) Parents and Grandparents were guests one morning in the ELC (for those that were able to come!). We hope they enjoyed time with us in the ELC!

3B Students Interview Staff

(9.30) The Grade 3B students invited staff into the classroom to interview them for information on their cultural background. This was meant to bring to life the central idea of the Unit of Inquiry (UOI) that they are currently working on - "Communities give us a window into other cultures". Thanks interviewees!

2011 Walkathon Funds Distributed

(9.22) 12.7 million yen raised through the 2011 ACCJ/NIS Walkathon were distributed to over 25 organizations on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011. 7.7 million was raised for Chubu, and 5 million yen was donated to support efforts in Tohoku. Thank you everyone for supporting the Walkathon!

Dissecting in Gr. 4 & 5!

(9.22) As part of their unit on the body, the grade 4s and grade 5 students dissected parts of several pigs to learn more about the functions of the body system.

Open Houses for Parents Held

(9.19 & 9.23) NIS held Open Houses for all parents on two separate days - the Early Learning Center and middle school on one day, and the other for elementary and high school.

PTA Potluck Dinner

(9.9) Everyone was invited for the annual PTA Potluck - a chance for NIS families and staff can get together to share foods from their culture(s) and conversation! Thanks PTA for organizing this scrumptious event!

Kendo Masters in Grade 4 & 5!

(8.29-30) The grade 4 and 5 classes learned the finer art of Japanese swordsmanship - or Kendo - with PYP-coordinator Bishop-sensei and other helpers! (video also available at: http://vimeo.com/nagoyais)

First Day of School!

(8.22) NIS opened classes on Monday, August 22 - the school's 48th opening day. Welcome back to school everyone!