2024
2024
Embedded Files
Let's make school a place where every day is fun!
On July 5th, our school held a Tanabata assembly. Tanabata is well known as the day when Hikoboshi and Orihime can meet only once a year, but many people don't know why it came to be like that or what its purpose is. There are various theories about the origin of Tanabata, but the one on the right is the most common. Aika-sensei also explained that it is better to have wishes that can be achieved through one's own efforts, such as "I want to get better at XX, I want to understand XX," rather than materialistic desires such as "I want money or I want a smartphone."
July 7th - Tanabata
July 7th - Tanabata
Orihime, a master weaver who lived on the west bank of the Milky Way, and Hikoboshi, a hardworking cowherd who lived on the east bank, were married at the urging of Orihime's father, the Emperor of Heaven.
However, the two became so happy together that they stopped working altogether.
Angered by this, the Emperor separated them by the Milky Way.
However, this caused them to be overwhelmed with sadness, and they stopped working.
So, they were allowed to meet again only on the night of Tanabata, on the condition that they worked hard. On Tanabata, they would cross the Milky Way on the wings of a magpie, which had been ordered by the Emperor, and reunite once a year.
As they could only meet once a year, one might think that the main theme of Tanabata is love, but the story of how the two were torn apart and then reunited shows that it is a story that teaches the importance of working hard at one's arts.
Students listen intently to the explanation of their wishes
May your wish come true.
Children say that if you tie it to the highest branch possible, your wish is more likely to come true. Why? Because it puts you closer to heaven.
The most common wishes were "world peace" and "an end to war." They were followed by "family health," "study well," and "friends." The children at AASO are truly kind-hearted.
What did you write? "I want to be a doctor." You can do it!
I hope everyone's thoughts reach them.
I hope your dream comes true. I want it to come true. Yes, it must come true!
Two 9th graders showing their respect for Independence Day. So cool!
Independence Day
Independence Day
Independence Day is the day to commemorate the fact that the United States gained independence from Great Britain after the Revolutionary War in 1776, and is celebrated every year on July 4th. The whole country is in holiday mode during the week of Independence Day, along with Christmas and Thanksgiving. On Thursday, July 4th, our school also held an assembly to celebrate Independence Day of the United States. Mr. Lowen and Ms. Lourdes gave a talk about Independence Day. The talk included introductions to the history, discussed ways people celebrate, as well as performances by the students, which were very exciting. We hope that we were able to spark at least a little interest in the history of the United States.
First-year students before the assembly. Each flag is cute.
The 9th graders were in a celebratory mood from the very start of the morning. What? Are they having class?
What are they listening to, and what are they thinking?
The rightmost row is of kindergarten children. I was impressed by their good listening attitude.
After the assembly, we took a commemorative photo with IU, a 9th grade student who celebrated Independence Day the most.
What' are the class flowerbeds like now?
What' are the class flowerbeds like now?
The flower beds assigned to each class in April were finally cleared of weeds in the last flower bed (Grade 9) in May (left). Currently (July 1st), there are various flower beds in progress, with some already in bloom, others with just planted flower seedlings, and some classes in the middle of making seedlings in seedling pots. We hope that this will increase the children's interest in flowers and cultivate kind hearts that will take good care of them (below).
Fifth and sixth graders use their long recess to care for the flower beds.
Every morning, Mr. Lowen comes to work a little early to tend to the flower beds. I wonder if the students know about it.
The two are such good friends. They pose with the only sunflower in the flowerbed in the background!
This is also a high pose.
The 2nd grade students are transplanting flower seedlings from pots into the flower beds under the guidance of Ms. Shinjo.
The 3rd graders listen intently to an explanation of how to grow flowers and plants.
Ms. Marichu carefully explains how to use the seedling pots. The children are very interested.
Thank you to Ms. Shinjo for the Torenia and celosia seedlings.
Torenia and celosia seedlings prepared for transplanting. These also sprouted from seeds planted by Ms. Shinjo.
8th and 9th grade students planting flower seeds in seedling pots. Is this really okay?
These are marigold seeds. I also planted begonias, chrysanthemums, and sunflowers. I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers emerge!
The seeds planted by the junior high school students sprouted quickly and grew this much in just one week. Now, here's the important part. How will they grow?
AD, a 6th grade student, takes care of the flowers every day before school, during lunch break, or after school. This is the most well-maintained flower bed.
The sports committee members led the pre-competition warm-up exercises (top). Mr. Rowen enlivened the sports day and led it to success (bottom).
AASO Sports Day
AASO Sports Day
On Sunday, June 9th, AASO's Sports Day was held at the Ginowan City Multipurpose Hall under the motto "Let's have fun with all our might!" Although it was a cloudy and rainy day, many families came early in the morning to support the children, and the venue was filled with excitement. The children also worked hard in each event to live up to the cheers of their families. At the opening ceremony, MG and RK from student council gave speeches in Japanese and English, respectively. In the speeches, they conveyed their gratitude to their families and declared that they would do their best to make sports day a success. At the closing ceremony, NM, the student council president, and the principal gave words of appreciation to the students and thanked the families for participating in sports day. This time, we had many volunteers, which was very helpful in terms of management. They also participated in the competitions and livened up the tournament. Thank you very much. It was a really fun sports day full of smiles. We are grateful for everything.
Students and families enter the venue with smiles on their faces
Opening ceremony Student council members MG and RK giving their greetings to the audience
Red team
Blue team
Yellow team
Sprinting Everyone ran seriously until the end.
Student cheering section Your smile is nice!
Rock-paper-scissors train Both teachers and students had fun together.
Tug of war
It was a serious contest for both children and adults! You can't win unless you use your brain, courage, and body. It was a competition of knowledge, virtue, and strength. It was the most exciting event.
Parents vs. students
Let's get serious!
This is bad! Everyone help me!!
A disaster for both of them!? EJ (center) is seen helping his younger sister.
Volunteers vs. all students
The students made a fast start, but...
Everyone gather round! We'll definitely get this one!
The volunteers won!
Have you seen our power?
I did my best. Even though I lost, it was fun!
Break time Pose however you like!
Tamaire Strategy meeting? Anyway, put in as many as you can.
I'll put it in!
Put it in!
Just a little bit more, everyone do your best!
Red team, do your best!
Yay! We won! We won!!!
Time to hydrate. Everyone has a good look on their face. Some funny looks too.
Standing long jump Who can jump the furthest?
Was the landing successful?
I'm still curious about the landing.
Caught red-handed stepping out of line!
Here we go.
It's flying quite well.
Everyone is so slanted, it looks like they are diving into a pool.
Yay!
Both of us will fly with all our might.
Alright, I'll surpass you!
That's it.
Go!
Who will fly the farthest?
Floating in the air. It's definitely not CG.
The winner was WS from grade 9. Congratulations!
Five-in-one race Run→hop→skip→jump→run backwards
It's hard to run backwards
Running backwards is barely possible.
I can do it too!
It's quite difficult. I fell.
I made it to the end.
I will do my best until the end, with everyone's support.
Who is this person? Let's just ignore him.
From here on, it's time to jump. Don't look at the camera, concentrate!
The last race is junior high students.
So, who will come in first? It's a close race.
Relay: Kindergarten-grade 2, grades 3-5, grades 6-9
Cool!
No problem!
Is it a lead-off strategy?
They're coming at you from behind.
Blue team!
I run as fast as I can, my hair is standing on end.
Leave it to me!
Let's connect first!
The last event was the junior high school relay. The blue team came in first place by a long shot. RK was so fast!
Closing ceremony
Thank you for your hard work.
We have enjoyed today's sport day.
To kindergarten students：
Did you have fun? → Yeah!
To elementary students：
Did you do your best? → Yeah!
To junior high school students：
Have you fulfilled your responsibilities?
→ (In a small voice) “Yeah”.
To parents：Have your children done well?
→ A big round of applause.
Thank you very much for coming today, and staying at the ending ceremony. We are happy!
Amerasian School in Okinawa 26th Anniversary Celebration
Amerasian School in Okinawa 26th Anniversary Celebration
On Friday, May 31st, we held an assembly to celebrate the 26th anniversary of AASO in our school picnic table area. The Student Council took the lead in preparing for the assembly in the 30 minutes before school began in the morning. Before the assembly began, the PTA officials added decorative balloons and other decorations. They also got a lovely commemorative cake, which instantly created a celebratory mood throughout the school. At the assembly, after a commemorative photograph was taken for each grade, I (the principal) and two of the student council officers each gave a congratulatory speech. After the assembly, everyone enjoyed the delicious cake. Happy 26th Birthday to AmerAsian School!
Adding the finishing touches - flowers on the banner!
Hmm, it's not coming together easily.
Leave the number pasting to me!
Minako-sensei: "Oh, that looks good! All that's left is the balloons."
The decorations are finished. The flowers were handmade by the students, simple but full of emotion. The banner was made by Mr. Shinjo. Thank you!
A present from the PTA. Yay!
This is great. I want to eat it soon!
Kindergarten and Grade 1
Grades 2 and 3
Grades 4 and 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grades 8 and 9
Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" together!
The principal is giving his speech as everyone listens intently.
RK, an 8th grade student, expressed his gratitude to his seniors and teachers.
MG, another 8th grade student, looked back on her memories of AASO and talked about her hopes for the future.
The cake was cut into 100 pieces. Let's all celebrate!
Happy birthday. It's delicious!
RK, an 8th grade student, is a little unsociable, but actually a kind older brother. He carefully reads the book that 4th grade student RN has chosen.
Reading buddies May 29th
Reading buddies May 29th
In our school, we have a reading buddies program where older students read with younger students twice a month in order to help them develop reading habits. Children in grade 4 and under have their favorite books read to them by their reading buddy in grade 5 and up. At first, we were worried about whether the students would be able to do it, but they are surprisingly serious about it.
Everyone's reading buddy was chosen for them in advance. AT, a 7th grade student, is in charge of reading aloud, and DW, a 4th grade student, is in charge of turning the pages. Is this a new style of reading aloud? It might be good!
IU (left), a 9th grade student, often teases his classmates, but is a very kind older brother to the younger children. Next to him (right) is energetic BL (an 8th grade student). He is reading carefully, tracing the words with his finger.
AD, a 6th grade student, is a reliable older sister. In a quiet place (the picnic table area), she senses the author's thoughts in her own way and conveys them to HT, a 1st grade student.
NY, a 6th grade student, reads aloud in front of the bookshelf. She doesn't usually have a chance to play with the younger students, but she gets to spend this time with them.
LS, an 8th grade student, is a very talented girl who is respected by everyone. A mischievous 2nd grade student, YM, is also listening intently.
HK, an 8th grade student, is a boy who loves basketball, but during reading time he reads the book chosen by HN, a 3rd grade student, until the end of the class.
Mr. Lowen actively participates in reading aloud. His voice is loud and powerful, so the children are overwhelmed. He looks so cool!
Mr. Travis helps with reading aloud. He is like a kind father. The teacher behind him is Vice Principal Ms. Katherine. She is looking around the school to check on everyone's progress. Thank you!
New efforts to improve reading comprehension May 27th
New efforts to improve reading comprehension May 27th
This year, we are implementing ReadWorks readings as an English version of Tenseijngo. One of the purposes of Tenseijingo is to improve writing ability, but ReadWorks is aimed at improving reading ability.
With ReadWorks, students read a 5-paragraph 20-line English text and answer questions about its contents. There are 8 questions, 5 of which are multiple choice and the remaining 3 are written questions. The feature of these reading comprehension questions is that they are accessible to anyone. In other words, the difficulty of the questions is varied to motivate students.
Students will learn from each other and receive support from teachers.
LI said that he has already finished everything. His English is perfect.
RZ is concentrating really hard. WS and LS behind her are also working hard. I wonder if the boy next to her has finished yet?
IJ always likes to tell jokes and make people laugh. He was concentrating and working very hard during this lesson.
Relaxation time
Relaxation time
At our school, we have long breaks after the second period and after lunch time. Children make good use of their free time, moving their bodies and playing as they please. (May 17th)
Children having fun playing with balance balls. The children must adhere to the end of recess time and return the used balls to their original locations, so next time they can have fun again.
This space has become a special playground exclusively for younger students. It has become a place for girls to sometimes exchange information. I wonder if SI is waiting for AA?
Kindergarten teacher Ms. Kripa acts as a playmate for kindergarten children and helps them develop social skills through play. Nice!
Junior high school students are enjoying table tennis in the picnic table area. They follow the rules and have fun. These are the basics of play.
There is a basketball court on the rooftop of the facility next door, which is large enough to enjoy basketball. The rules are followed here, too, so children can have fun regardless of their grade level.
Sometimes students get so carried away that they end up bumping into each other under the basketball hoop, but they quickly get back to the game by calling out to each other, "Are you OK?" Everyone is in good spirits and gets along well.
Every day is a serious one-on-one battle! Sometimes in the classroom, sometimes on the bench, the place where they meet to study changes every day.
Early morning study session
Early morning study session
Our school provides Eiken preparation guidance. This photo shows a 25-minute session from 8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. of a student receiving private instruction for the Eiken Pre-1 Level test. WS took initiative and asked Mr. Lowen to help him study. I think this is good! (May 2nd)
After school learning
After school learning
After-school Eiken preparation guidance is held every Wednesday from 3:40pm to 4:30pm as part of the Eiken Club. Participation in this Eiken club is voluntary on the student's part. "Independence" is an important element related to improving children's academic ability. (May 8th)
This year as well, we are holding "Tenseikodomogo (approximately 340 characters)" and "Tenseijingo (approximately 610 characters)." Grades 4-9 participate in this. The objectives are ➀～➃ on the right, and the duration is 30 minutes. Most children work on "Tenseikodomogo", but some middle school students try "Tenseijingo."
Tenseijingo writing practice
Tenseijingo writing practice
Cross the river of patience!
If you keep at it, you will definitely get stronger!
Tenseijingo writing practice:
➀ Improves concentration
② Wider range of words
③ Gain the ability to write letters
➃ Gain the ability to read texts carefully
After graduating, students will have the skills to work anywhere in the world.
Good luck, test takers!
All students are taking the entrance exam!
I check the letters and kanji in each student's sentences and give words of encouragement such as "Excellent!", "Very good!", "Good!", "Let's write more carefully", and "You'll be able to write it all in a little while!". (May 7th)
LS, an 8th grade student, is working on tenseijingo. She was able to transcribe it in careful handwriting until the end and within the time limit. "Excellent!"
HH, a 5th gradestudent, is working on tenseikodomogo. She had a good attitude and was able to write neatly until the end. "Excellent!"
All the 6th grade students concentrate hard on their work . Each person concentrates quietly on their work.
EK, SH, AT, and AB are 7th grade students. Their writing ability has improved and they are able to copy everything out in about 15 minutes. Their handwriting is beautiful. This time may be the most concentrated!
In the 8th and 9th grade class, there are 4 students who can copy the entire tenseijingo text within 30 minutes. The students' vocabulary has expanded and their Japanese language skills have improved.
The 4th grade students are the most studious group in our school. I had a class with them last year, and they were very understanding and I enjoyed teaching them every time. By working on tenseikodomogo, we can fully expect that their writing and reading abilities will further improve.
Ms. Jenna, the 5th grade homeroom teacher, also participates. This will ignite the children's motivation. Chibariyo!
2024 Welcome Ceremony, Entrance Ceremony, and Opening Ceremony
2024 Welcome Ceremony, Entrance Ceremony, and Opening Ceremony
2024 Opening Ceremony
At the end of the ceremony, the class teachers and staff were introduced.
2024 Kindergarten Entrance Ceremony/Entrance Ceremony
We introduced the new kindergarteners, first graders of elementary school, and first graders of junior high school to the whole class. We received warm blessings from many parents.
Orientation
Orientation was conducted by the homeroom teacher for each class.
Nice to meet you. My name is Masahiro Higa and I will be serving as the principal starting this year. I am humbled to take over the role from Principal Nakada. I would like to do my best to further develop this wonderful Amerasian School, which has been built by Principal Nakada, the school staff, and the parents.
On April 8th, our school held three ceremonies: welcome ceremony, entrance ceremony, and opening ceremony, as well as orientation. Even though it was a weekday, many parents attended and blessed their children. The children looked a little nervous, but their eyes were shining and full of hope. This was also reflected in the children's clothing. All children dressed appropriately for the ceremony. I believe this is the result of the passion for school education that the staff and parents have shown. Thank you very much.
In this way, this year has gotten off to a great start. Throughout this year, all of us at AASO will work hard to meet the expectations of our students and parents. Thank you very much for your support.
Lastly, please read the principal's message from the entrance ceremony.
Congratulations to all the kindergarteners and first graders of elementary school for entering kindergarten. Congratulations to all first-year junior high school students on entering junior high school. Congratulations to all the students who have been promoted to their respective grades. Also, to everyone who has transferred to our school this year, welcome to Amerasian School! Let's all work together to make school a place where every day is fun.
Well, have you ever thought about what a fun school is? Does that mean you just play and don't study? Not really. If you study hard and play hard, you will have fun every day at school. You need a goal to work hard. Goals are born from dreams. What is a dream? This is something you want to do in the future. People are motivated when they have dreams and hopes. When people feel motivated, they make an effort. Effort makes people stronger. That's why people who work hard are strong.
If you don't have a dream yet, find one as soon as possible. To have a fun school life. (shortened for brevity)
April 8, 2024
Masahiro Higa
Classroom assignment
Classroom assignment
I gradually removed weeds from the flower bed on the fence side of the parking lot and planted flowers. I started doing this around November last year, and it finally looks like a flower bed. It is said that the environment nurtures people. When the environment is good, people feel refreshed and become kinder to others. It is also said that growing flowers is good for emotional education. In any case, keeping the school environment clean is good for children.
When I was weeding after school, several students came up to me and asked me, "Mr. Higa, Can I help you?" and helped me many times. I'm sorry that I don't have any photos, but there are many kind students at AASO.
Then, in April, when I was making class name plates to divide the flowerbeds by class, BL came over and said, "Mr. Higa, can I help you?" and started to help me in making the plates. After a while, AN and HK joined us and the work was over in no time. Thank you! The letters were handmade by a student's father. Thank you! When you come to school, please look for these plates, see what is going on in your child's classroom, and encourage your child. Thank you.
Although it was not the best saw for cutting wood, all three of them cut it carefully.
Completed classroom name plates
Please come take a look in person!
Transformed from grass field to flower bed?!
Class name plates from grade 1 to grade 9
"Where is my daughter's flower bed?"
I wonder what kind of flowers are blooming in my son's flower bed?
独立記念日に敬意を示す中学３年生の二人。カッコいい！
Independence Day
Independence Day （ アメリカ合衆国 における） 独立記念日 。 1776年 、 アメリカ合衆国 が 独立戦争 を 経て イギリス から 独立 を 果たした ことを 記念する 日で、 毎年 7月4日 である。 独立記念日の一週間はクリスマス、感謝際と並び全米が祝日モードとなる。
７月４日（木）、本校でもアメリカ合衆国の独立記念日を祝うための集会を持ちました。ローエン先生とローデス先生が独立記念についての講話を行いました。講話の中では歴史やパーティの様子などの紹介や生徒によるパフォーマンスで盛り上がりました。アメリカ合衆国の歴史に少しでも興味関心がもてたのなら幸いに思います。
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