Information Letter 2

Dear 6th grade families

Final preparation for the grade 6 Intermission program is under way! We would like to share a summary of the most important information with you.

Day 1 - Wednesday January 29

• Please be sure students have a good breakfast so that they are ready for the hunger banquet.

• If your child has not paid 600 yen to their advisor to participate in the hunger banquet, please kindly send it to school with them.

• Students should also bring pens/pencils and a laptop

Day 2 - Thursday, January 30

Students are visiting the Chofu Farmer’s Market and Mitsuki Farm, followed by a soba lunch at Jindaiji. Please consider discussing with your child, your weekly meal menu so that their shopping supports your family meals. Students are encouraged to purchase locally grown seasonal products at the market.

What to bring on this day:

• A pair of gardening gloves or working gloves (gunte).

• Eco shopping bag

• Money to buy local vegetables or groceries (￥1000)

• Money for soba lunch (￥1500)

• Water bottle

• A small daypack to carry things listed above

• A laptop computer (this will be only used at school)

Day 3- Friday, January 31

Exchange with Chofu Dai Ichi Elementary School

• Students should bring their own lunch, or they can buy their lunch at Cafeteria as usual. There will be no access to the kiosk on this day.

• Laptops can stay home unless their advisory activity with Chofu Daiichi requires it.

Thank you so much for your support to make this program successful for our 6th graders.

Best regards,

6th Grade Team

Information Letter 1

Dear sixth grade families

The sixth grade Intermission program is scheduled for January 29 - January 31, 2020. While the grade 7 class are at Hiroshima and the grade 8 class are on their ski trip, grade 6 classes will participate in an alternative educational program as described below.

During the three days of Intermission, students will have the opportunity to experience new and challenging activities that will expose them to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Out of 17 goals, our activities focus on; Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Responsible Consumption and Production. The program is designed for students to better understand these goals and to explore the issues that exist globally and locally. All the activities will be done within the school day and students will leave campus at 3:00 p.m. There are no after school activities during Intermission. Students should bring their computer to school everyday during Intermission.

Schedule: Wednesday, January 29:

Prior to Intermission students will be guided to choose an inquiry question to explore with their group. On our first morning, students will gather to research and investigate, setting the stage for their learning during Intermission.

In the afternoon, students will learn about the Kodomo Shokudo, kids’ diner or children’s cafeteria. This is a grassroots movement, non-profit organization in our neighborhood where children can come and eat dinner for free or for a small cost.

Hunger Banquet:

The Hunger Banquet allows students to experience a simulation of the imbalanced food distribution in our world. Students will enter the MS gym and receive a ticket at the door that assigns them to either a high, middle, or low-income tier. The students then receive the corresponding meal type. The 15 percent in the high-income group are served a sumptuous meal of chicken cutlet, rice, salad, juice and ice cream by waiters. The 25 percent in the middle-income section eat a simple meal of pasta and tomato sauce with a drink. The 60 percent in the low-income tier help themselves to small portions of rice and water. These numbers are meant to simulate the current proportions of people living in poverty worldwide.

If your child has any specific dietary considerations, allergies, or health issues for us to consider as we organize this event, please communicate this with your child’s advisor. Additionally, after the winter break, 600 yen will be collected from each student to participate in this event. This cost will cover lunch and a small donation to help with world hunger. Please understand that students will not have access to snacks until 3 p.m. on the day of the Hunger Banquet, so a hearty breakfast is suggested on this day.

Schedule: Thursday, January 30:

Morning activities on the second day focus on food systems and sustainability, from production to consumption, by visiting a local farm and a farmer’s market. Students have opportunities to experience farming and to see where and how food is produced. We will then travel by bus to Jindaiji Temple in Chofu City. Jindaiji Temple is the second oldest in Tokyo and is famous for its soba noodles. Students will enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants. Students will also work on a second round of inquiry into the UN S.D. Goals on campus.

What to bring on this day:

• A pair of gardening gloves or working gloves (gunte).

• Eco shopping bag

• Money to buy local vegetables or groceries (￥1000) Consider discussing with your child, your weekly meal menu so that their shopping supports your family’s meals

• Money for soba lunch (￥1500)

• Water bottle

• A small daypack to carry things listed above

• A laptop computer (this will be only used at school)

Schedule: Friday, January 31: On Friday students will participate in an exchange with Japanese students from Chofu-Daiichi Elementary School. This exchange has been a long-standing tradition of our Intermission program for over 20 years. In the morning, we will venture out of school by bus to participate in special activities with Japanese sixth graders at the Chofu-Daiichi School. Then we will return with our Japanese exchange students for lunch at ASIJ and participate together in fun games and activities on our own campus.

Following the winter holiday, students will be introduced to the Intermission program and will begin working with their teachers to establish areas of inquiry related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We look forward to a fun and meaningful learning experience with our grade 6 students.

Please feel free to contact your child’s advisor if you have questions.

Best regards,

6th grade team