Since the beginning of this school year, the PTSA board members have been working together with teachers to carefully review and arrange for reusable kit materials for the science event, which is part of the Science Fair and targeted at elementary students in G4 to G6. These kits were delivered in late November.
We are pleased to report that the inspection process has been completed, and preparations for donating the kits to the elementary school are now finished. The science event is scheduled to take place in February.
The PTSA supported the event in various ways, including providing pumpkins for lanterns used in each class, snacks for all students, and prizes for the costume contest and pumpkin contest. Additionally, PTSA members participated in organizing the elementary and kindergarten events, served as judges and presenters for the contests, and contributed to ensuring the event’s success and safety.
On October 10th, a Halloween event organized by the student council was held for middle and high school (G9-G12) students. The PTSA provided funding for snacks and other expenses.
Regarding the Organization of the Elementary Library Corner Continuing from the first semester, several PTSA board members and spot volunteers have been visiting the school every Friday to assist with book organization and registration under the supervision of Ms. Amanda, the library coordinator.
We are pleased to report that the Grades 1 to 3 corner has now been complete.
Below is a message from Elementary teachers to guardians and students.
以下は、エレメンタリーの先生から保護者・生徒へのメッセージです。
The lower elementary library for students in grades 1-3 is now finished! All of the 4,200 books available to students have been sorted into 5 different sections.
・The first section offers students a variety of leveled reader books and quick reads.
・The second section is full of non-fiction books that are sorted into categories such as "animals" and "weather".
・The third section is full of books by popular authors such as Mo Willems.
・The fourth section has picture books that are sorted alphabetically by author.
・Finally, the fifth section has a variety of chapter books, sorted by series or author.
Thanks to efforts of Ms. Amanda, various PTSA members, and some high school students these books have been labelled with stickers and uploaded to the online library catalogue. The stickers on the books help students know where books belong on the shelves and also what the book is about. For example, a non-fiction book about ocean animals will have a number 2 sticker on the book's cover (to show it is non-fiction) and an ocean themed sticker on the book's spine. The online library catalogue gives students the chance to check out and return books, just like they would at a public library. The system also gives teachers access to information about what books students' are currently reading, their reading progress, their favourite subjects, and also what books the system recommends they read next!
Now that the lower elementary library has been completed our efforts have moved on to the upper elementary library. So far 107 books have been added to the online catalogue but there's still lots to do. Our goal is to finish the upper elementary library by winter vacation so that students in grades 4-6 can have a new library for the new year!
The school Open day was held on Saturday, September 21st. This autumn, we once again welcomed many visitors to our school. After the principal's welcome speech, the visitors eagerly observed the school's atmosphere, facilities, and the students' learning during classroom visits.
On Thursday, July 4th, JAPANADA DAY (Japan+Canada day) was held under sunny skies.
As usual, the Kinder and elementary, junior and senior high school students were divided into groups for various activities.
The Kinder and elementary students participated in water fights and face painting on the field, while junior and senior high school students enjoyed performance events on the gym stage.
They enjoyed each event very much.
PTSA provided
① "Poutine", a traditional Canadian dish of french fries topped with gravy and cheese
②500 ml of bottled water
③Bandanas ,trophies and lots of water balloons for use at the junior and senior high school events"spirits cup and JAPANADA DAY".
For this event, PTSA board members mainly contributed in planning and preparing for this event, as well as helping the teachers run the event on the day.
PTSA役員は今年も企画から事前準備、当日のイベントの運営補助等多岐に渡って参加しました。
We hope everyone enjoyed the last event before the summer vacation.
PTSA will continue the efforts to provide better support for the students.
We sincerely appreciate the ongoing understanding and cooperation of all parents.
The Art Club held a small exhibition during the last week of this semester. Additionally, students who worked hard and produced high-quality works were recognized. PTSA provided the following prizes.
★ Prepare for update emergency preserved food／災害保存食の更新準備 ★
On Saturday, June 1, 2024, we prepared to distribute last year’s emergency food supplies to students as part of the annual update funded by PTSA membership fees.
We hope this will help that students become more aware of disaster preparedness and gain a better understanding of the importance of stocking and maintaining emergency food supplies.
The PTSA board members and volunteer members will continue supporting the elementary school's "library project" this school year.
PTSAでは、今年度も引き続き小学校の図書プロジェクトのサポートをしています。
Under the elementary teacher’s guidance, the members of "Library Project " participate three to four times a month;
・Assisting with tasks such as categorizing the books
・Data entry
・organizing the bookshelves
★ Report on Donation to Junior and High School Students／中高生へ寄付の報告 ★
As part of this year's Christmas profit, there were requests from junior and high school students to purchase instruments to replace damaged ones and to enhance opportunities for students to engage with music further. After consideration and approval by the board, we are pleased to report that a portion of the PTSA's funds has been donated towards the purchase of instruments.
We received a thank you message from Mr. Lucier, the teacher of the Music Club, written below.
Hello PTSA,
Here is a photo from our last Music Club practice. Your generous donation allowed us to get the musical gear we needed! Please know that items have been labelled with a PTSA sticker.
The Science Fair was held for the first time in several years on Friday, February 2nd, 2024.
2024年2月2日、サイエンス・フェアが数年ぶりに開催されました。
At the school organized Eco-Science booth, students collaborated in groups to compile their research, engage in panel discussions, and deepen their knowledge together.
In the magic show, magic tricks that utilized everyday items in an eco-friendly way were shown, as well as science magic incorporating visual illusions. The students enthusiastically participated in the interactive experience.
The PTSA is continuously recruiting parents who would like to participate in proposing and preparing activities to make school life better for the students together!
★ From the Sophia University student circle／上智大学学生サークルSRSG ★
Thank you for your cooperation and donations at the Christmas Fiesta. We have received appreciation from the Sophia University student circle and Professor David Slater, would like to share it with you.
First of all, we would like to thank the Columbia Family for all of your kind donation of clothes and food items.
We were able to distribute your donations during our December refugee cafe, one of our main activity events that we have in our support group. It was a treendous success and our refugee friends were overjoyed and very thankful for all of your support. We were able to give out most of the clothes and thanks to the Columbia family, our refugee friends can spend a comfortable time through the cold Japan winter.
Dear Columbia International School Family
This is David Slater, professor of cultural anthropology at the faculty of liberal arts at Sophia University. I just wanna tell you how hugely grateful we are for the wonderful effort and great results that you guys made on behalf of Sophia refugee support group.
When Hinano brought all of those clothes I couldn’t believe it. Your generosity is so impressive. Please know that your efforts meant that many many refugees are going to be much warmer this winter than they would’ve been otherwise.
I wish I could thank you in person but for now I will just have to say by text. Thank you so much.
The Christmas Fiesta 2023 was a resounding success!
12/10(日)良いお天気の中で今年のクリスマスフィエスタが開催されました。
With 15 dedicated PTSA board members and 9 enthusiastic volunteers, they assisted in;
・Uniform Bazaar
・Charity Shop sales
・Advance preparation for food drives and the Fiesta
・Safety management during the Fiesta
【Uniform Bazaar】
At the Uniform Bazaar, we sold school uniforms donated by current and former students, raising a total of \115,500. Thank you for making it a hit again this year!
【Food Drive】
For this year’s Food Drive, we continued our support for "和田子ども食堂(Wada Children’s Kitchen)" in Tokorozawa and "Sophia Refugee Support Group" at Sophia University.
Thanks to your generosity, families and refugees benefited from regular food provisions.
Amidst the relaxed atmosphere filled with cheerful Christmas songs, diverse events unfolded, bringing the Fiesta to a successful close.
We hope everyone had a fantastic time!
Event 2024-2025 
★ Donate STEM kits for Elementary／エレメンタリー寄贈品 ★
