10 January, 2025

Quick Find
According to the Principal…
Spotlight on Learning
Kindergarten Spotlight on Learning
Spotlight on Learning
Primary Spotlight on Learning
Spotlight on Learning
Secondary Spotlight on Learning
Sports
Extracurriculars (ECA)
Student Council Tutor Program
From the Art Room
University Guidance Program:
UIA MUN
Lost and found
Letters of the Week

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According to the Principal…
Welcome to 2025 everyone. I trust everyone has enjoyed a
relaxing and fulfilling time over the winter break. There are so
many exciting things to look forward to in the Year of the Snake.
In Japan the snake is associated with rebirth, resurrection,
prosperity and good fortune. Therefore in the Year of the Snake the
expectation is ‘…considered to be a year of change and development,
during which one’s hard efforts will come to fruition.’ (Kyoto City Travel
Guide) With the upcoming Academic Year, our time for change has
aligned with the zodiac and all the signs point to a great year ahead.

The first two days back, after the Winter Break, all the UIA staff
participated in our internal conference ‘Inspired’. We worked on some
digital citizenship; we planned our cultural celebration (mark the date -
March 01); and we continued to prepare for the three semesters of
2025-26. Staff were asked their ideas on opportunities and challenges for
the year. You
can see a
word cloud of
the responses
respectively.
This began
an excellent
number of
sessions
where staff
collaborated
and planned to explore more inquiry learning and account for ways to

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maintain motivation. There will be many more sessions like this so that
our hard work does indeed come to fruition!

It is a memorable day when the students return to school. On a chilly

Wednesday this week, bathed in sunshine, UIA students walked back
through the doors for the first time in 2025. Some students even ran!
Lots of smiles, plenty of laughter and a few ‘sleepy heads’ but overall a
great start.

UIA staff day one ‘Inspired’ conference

Have a good 2025 everyone.

Michael​

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Welcome back to school！
I hope you had a great time with your family.
First, I will repost the article I wrote before the holidays.
Please be sure to report to school if a student will be absent. Unauthorized absence is
prohibited.
Reporting location- ManageBac Attendance
Time to notify- 8:00am
Contents- Family reason/sick. If sick leave, what is the diagnosis

The number of influenza cases is at an all-time high！！Please be sure to report in

order to confirm the safety of students and grasp the spread of infectious
diseases.This is one of the criteria for deciding whether to close a class.

Wearing a mask when visiting the nurse room

Students with high fever and vomiting are staying indoors.

Masks are required when entering the room to prevent
infection. Be sure to keep a spare mask in the student's bag.Due
to the environment inside the bus is closed space, crowded place
and close-contact setting, we are considering requiring masks when riding the bus
depending on the situation too.

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Start of height and weight measurement
Students in G1-9 will have physical measurements next week.
For G10 and above, only those who wish to participate.
Parents who would like to know the actual measurements can
contact [email protected]. I will report accordingly.
For Kindergarten, Jan.21st. Please refer to the diary record
page.

I hope all of you have a healthy year!

Emergency Stairwell

Over the past several weeks, Mr. Mark of the

emergency committee along with the school
janitors, Ms. Noriko and Mr. Matsushima, put in
some very hard work to help improve safety
measures within the school. The three of them set
out to clean and mark the external stairwell of the
building with emergency tape to help guide
teachers and students out of the building in a safe
and organized manner. Well done to the three of
them as we continue to find ways to improve school safety!

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 Spotlight on Learning
Kindergarten Spotlight on Learning

Class: Whole Kindergarten

Teacher: Whole Team

Subject: After Care

キンダーガーデンのアフターケアについてご紹介します。
2時以降はアフターケア（預かり保育）の時間となり、生徒たちはお昼寝の後に
スナックを食べ、宿題を済ませた後、遊びの時間を楽しみます。
この時間は、学年を越えたお友達と交流する貴重な機会でもあり、
異なる年齢のお友達との関わりを通じて、社会性や思いやりが自然に育まれます。
たとえば、大きい学年の子供が小さい学年の子供の面倒を見たり、小さい子が大きい子の遊び方を学んだりする
中で、時には自分の意見を伝えることの大切さを学ぶ場面もあります。

私の息子が小学1年生の時、一緒に遊ぶお友達との関係に悩むことがありました。
その時、私は『嫌だと思ったら、ちゃんと伝えてもいいんだよ」と教えました。
でも息子は「言うと相手が悲しい顔をするから、言えない」と答えました。
その言葉を聞いて、私は息子の優しい気持ちにとても感動しました。
そして、その気持ちを大切にしながらも、「確かにそうだね。でもね、言わないと相手が気づかないこともあるかもし
れないよ。」と伝えました。
優しいことは素晴らしいことですが、自分を守るためには、時には強さも必要です。

この話を思い出すたびに、私はトーベ・ヤンソンのムーミンシリーズに登場する『目に見えない子』の「ニンニ」という
女の子の物語を思い出します。
ニンニは皮肉屋の叔母さんに育てられ、心が傷つくような言葉を繰り返し聞かされるうちに、自信を失い、姿が見え
なくなってしまいました。それはまるで、彼女自身が自分という存在を少しずつ消してしまったかのようでした。

しかし、ムーミン一家の優しさと温かい接し方を受ける中で、
ニンニは少しずつ自分を取り戻していきます。
それでも、顔だけは最後まで見えないままでした。

ある日、ムーミンパパがムーミンママを海に落とそうとしていると勘違いしたニンニは、勇気を振り絞ってムーミンパ
パに立ち向かいました。その瞬間、ニンニの顔は完全に見えるようになったのです。
この出来事は、自分の気持ちを表現することの大切さを教えてくれると同時に、それが自分自身を取り戻し、さらに
は大切なものを守る力になることを示しています。

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冬休み明けには、より成長し、もっと優しく、そして自分の意見をきちんと言えるようになった子供たちに出会えるこ
とを、心から楽しみにしています。

Introducing the Kindergarten After-Care Program After 2:00 PM, the after-care
(extended care) program begins. After their nap, students enjoy a snack, complete
their homework, and then have playtime. This period provides a valuable opportunity
for children to interact with friends across different grade levels. Through
interactions with friends of different ages, social skills and empathy develop naturally.
For example, older students often look after younger ones, while younger students
learn new ways to play from the older students. Through these interactions, they
sometimes encounter moments where they learn the importance of expressing their
own feelings and opinions.
When my son was in first grade, he struggled with his relationships with friends. At
that time, I told him, "It's okay to let others know when you feel uncomfortable." But
he replied, "I can't say it because it will make them look sad." Hearing that, I was
deeply moved by his kindness.
While respecting his gentle heart, I said, "Yes, that's true. But you know, sometimes
others won't realize how you feel unless you tell them.
" While kindness is wonderful, sometimes strength is also necessary to protect
yourself.
This story always reminds me of "The Invisible Child," a character from the Moomin
series by Tove Jansson. Ninny was raised by a sarcastic aunt, and after repeatedly
hearing hurtful words, she lost her confidence and became invisible. It was as if she
had hidden her existence from the world.
However, through the kindness and warmth of the Moomin family, Ninny slowly
began to rediscover herself. Still, her face alone remained invisible until the end.

One day, when Ninny misunderstood that Moominpappa was trying to push
Moominmamma into the sea, she summoned her courage and stood up to
Moominpappa. At that moment, Ninny's face became completely visible. This

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incident teaches us the importance of expressing our feelings-it helps us reclaim our
sense of self and, ultimately, gives us the strength to protect what truly matters.

After the winter break, I truly look forward to meeting the children who will have
grown more, become kinder, and developed the ability to properly express their own
thoughts and feelings.

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 Spotlight on Learning
Primary Spotlight on Learning

Class: 3A

Teacher: Mr Bradley

Subject: English

Welcome and happy new year to everyone. I hope everybody has a wonderful and
exciting 2025. Class 3A has returned refreshed and raring to go with the end of the
academic year in sight. So as we look ahead, students are reflecting on how they can
shape their future. We are writing some resolutions for this new year. One particular
activity that we have engaged in is the “One Word Resolution” task. Students will pick
only 1 word to describe their goals and resolutions for 2025. They will write down an
explanation of why they chose this word, what it means to them and how they will
achieve their goals with this word in mind. What is even better for them is that they
get to decorate their one word banner and hang it up in the classroom once
completed!

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the
new year.”

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 Spotlight on Learning
Secondary Spotlight on Learning
Class: Grade 9, Grade 11 /G12

Teacher: Deepa Sebastian

Subject: Homeroom/Computer Science

​
Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year! ​
​
It was wonderful to see the students back on campus, ready to embark
on another exciting chapter of learning and growth. The hallways were
buzzing with laughter as everyone caught up and shared fun vacation
stories. ​

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​

​
For Computer Science AS and A Level students, it was back to business
as usual with Chapter review tests kicking off the first week of school.
Despite the fresh start to the new year, they jumped straight into
academic routines. The tests were a great way to reinforce what they
learned before the break. It’s clear they’re ready to tackle the challenges
of the term ahead!​
​

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 ​

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Sports
Middle School and High School Boys Basketball. ​
​
Happy New Year! 2025 looks to be a breakthrough year for our rapidly
growing Middle and High School Boys basketball teams. On Thursday,
the boys eagerly gathered for our first practice of 2025, as we look to
build on the foundations of last year. In our first year of basketball, we
saw impressive growth with players developing their skills and forming a
strong team dynamic. This year, both coaches and players are
determined to take this next step and translate our energy and
excitement into great results for the upcoming season.
“Strive for progress, not perfection.”

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Extracurriculars (ECA)

~ The UIA Study Date ☕☕~

Happy new year from the Student Council!

This academic year, the Student Council

introduced The UIA Study Date, an after-school
lounge for grades 9 and up taking place every
Friday where students are free to relax, study, or
showcase their talents in a laid-back setting.

Always held in the MPR or music room, it

features cozy seating for studying or playing
group games like cards or monopoly, a refreshments corner, a small
stage for performances, and even a face painting corner. Occasionally,
we gather to watch democratically-selected movies too!

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Our goal was to create a space where the upper secondary section
students could unwind, destress, and connect with peers after school.
Its growing popularity certainly highlighted the need for such initiatives,
but importantly, it also allowed us to collect proceeds which are to be
donated to charity.

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The Study Date truly brings our community closer together, and we hope
to see more of our upper secondary students continue the upward trend
of joining us for a cup of tea at UIA’s little nook that comes to life every
Friday. :^)

From the Art Room

This week, the reflective people from g7B were imagining innovative
ways to create 3D objects that represent aspects of their lives that they
would like to balance.

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Some things they feel they do too much (eating junk food) while other
interests (traveling to new places) are abandoned.

Eventually, they will design a hanging mobile that includes these

personal objects, bobbing up and down in harmony together.

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University Guidance Program:
Students Explore University-Level Learning Through Projects

This Academic Year, students at our school have worked on exciting projects that
let them think like university students. They were asked to choose a topic in their
subject and imagine how they would approach it at a university level. Teachers
have been impressed by the way students applied their high school knowledge to
more advanced academic tasks.

The projects encouraged students to think critically, research deeply, and present
their findings in a formal way. Whether it was history, science, or literature,
students were challenged to use university-level resources and study methods. “It’s
been amazing to see students think beyond what’s expected,” said Mr.Frederic, a
Biology Teacher. “They’re practicing skills they’ll need in higher education, like
research and analysis.”

Students also learned important skills like time management and independent
learning. They were encouraged to work on their own, collaborate with classmates,
and dive deeper into their topics. “I used academic journals and focused on writing
a research paper like university students do,” explained a Grade 12 student.

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The interdisciplinary approach many students took was also impressive. For
example, a group working on a biology project connected their work to
environmental science and chemistry, showing their ability to link different
subjects.

Interesting Reads:

Forging your new pathway @ NYU

Exploring Engineering Pathways @ NYU

Collaborative Arts: An Art program made for the Future

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Lost and found
Items can be picked up from 3FL reception

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