The Lion – 15th January 2016
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MESSAGE FROM BRIAN CHRISTIAN – PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
Here’s hoping that the Year of the
Monkey will be a happy and
auspicious one for us all. I would
like to take this opportunity to
extend a very warm BST welcome to
the families of the 38 students who
are new to the school this year, and
to encourage you to come along to
the PTA welcome lunch at La Tour
Daikanyama – not far from our
Shibuya campus – in just over a
week’s time. As I am sure those of
you who attended today’s coffee
morning will testify, you will soon
find yourselves among friends.
After the marathon that was the first term, this one is something of a sprint and, for many
of our students and their teachers, the demands of exam preparation will be intense. There
is certainly no time to waste and it seems that most have already hit the ground running.
IGCSE and A Level examinations are now just around the corner, and I know that teachers
will be encouraging their students to commit to a carefully planned programme of study to
carry them through the final weeks of their courses.
Of course there is a lot more to education than examinations and, despite its relative brevity,
this term promises to be packed with opportunities beyond the classroom. There is already
a buzz of excitement about Bugsy Malone as rehearsals gather pace, and Ms Danmeri and
her team will soon be putting our musicians through their paces in preparation for a
number of concerts. Our sportsmen and women have another busy season of competition
ahead of them and, in many cases, practice is already under way.
Everyone is looking forward to the Secondary School winter trip to Hakuba at the end of the
month (fingers crossed for more snow!) and Year 5 will be off to Norikura soon afterwards.
Year 10 will again be flying to Kyushu for their annual service/cultural home-stay, and a
small advance party of Year 11 students led by Mr Travis are preparing for a particularly
adventurous visit to our UWS school in Dor Village, Cambodia. There’s a lot to look forward
to!
I know that this is a regular refrain but, on a more mundane note, perhaps I can enlist your
help with matters closer to home. At the start of any new term there is always a slight
increase in complaints from the community around both Shibuya and Showa about BST cars
being parked illegally and causing obstruction at drop-off and pick-up times. I know that it
is difficult, but can I ask those of you who come to school by car to park only in the local
car-parks? We rely heavily on the good will of our neighbours and I do not wish to put this
in jeopardy.
Enjoy your weekend – and good luck for an exciting year ahead!
Brian Christian
https://twitter.com/BST_Principal
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SECONDARY NEWS
Dear Students and Parents,
I hope you all had a restful break over the holiday and are ready for another busy,
challenging and exciting, albeit much shorter term.
It has been fantastic to return to school and see so many happy faces around the campus; it
is surely a good sign when so many students and teachers are eager to return to school.
Students have certainly ‘hit the ground running’ and I’m sure the pace will be maintained. It
was great to see so many parents of our Year 10 students on Thursday evening; we look
forward to welcoming Year 12 parents next Thursday evening.
Hopefully you have had a chance to read through some of our guidelines that I sent at the
end of last term. Can I reiterate that these are in place so that we can improve our
communication and ensure there is a continuing and rich dialogue, resulting in personalised
support for all students. If you have any questions about these guidelines then please
contact me at your convenience. Please be reminded that if your child is absent from school
through illness, then we ask you to contact the school via telephone or through the
following email address: [email protected]
This afternoon our Year 8 and 9 students are involved with Showa High School for a
Language Exchange Day and 25 of our students are departing for the Ski Club’s first
excursion of the season. There are lots of other things happening this weekend including a
‘History Bee and Bowl’, HS Boys Football and HS Girls Basketball.
We have a Coffee Morning this Monday at 9a.m. in the 5F Showa Library. This will be
followed at 10.10a.m with a session from Mr. Pye who will show parents how they can
support and extend their children in Mathematics; hopefully you have already RSVP’d and
we look forward to seeing you then.
Have a lovely weekend.
Brian Platts
Head of the Secondary School
https://twitter.com/bst_secondary
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UPCOMING EVENTS
SECONDARY UPCOMING EVENTS:
Friday 15th January
Showa International Exchange Day
Ski Club 1
12:00 – 8:00 pm HS Girls JV Invitational Tournament YIS and St Maur (A)
Saturday 16th January
History Bee and Bowl
7:45 am – 11:30 am
8:00 am – 6:00 pm
8:30 am – 11:00 am
HS Boys Kanto Plains Football Vs St. Mary's
HS Girls JV Invitational Tournament YIS and St Maur (A)
Girls Pool B 1st Place vs Girls Pool A 2nd Place @YIS (A)
Monday 18th January
9:00 am – 10:00 am
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
KS3 Coffee Morning – 5F Showa Library
Bugsy Malone Production Rehearsals
Tuesday 19th January
1:10 pm – 2:00 pm
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
3:15 pm – 8:00 pm
Orchestra
IGCSE Maths resit (Edexcel) Paper 2
HS Boys Kanto Plains Football Vs ASIJ (A)
Wednesday 20th January
3:45 pm – 7:45 pm
Climbing Club
Thursday 21st January
Year 12 Subject Parents Evening
3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
MS Boys Basketball v St Maur @ St Maur (A)
Friday 22nd January
1:10 pm – 2:00 pm
2:45 pm – 7:30 pm
3:45 pm – 7:45 pm
Full Scale Choir (Y9-13)
HS JV Girls Field Hockey v YIS (A)
High School Boys Football vs French School (A)
Saturday 23rd January
8:30 am – 1:30 pm
8:45 am – 12:30
8:45 am – 12:30
MS Boys Basketball v CAJ (A)
Middle School Girls Futsal vs Seisen (A)
MS Girls Kanto Plains Futsal BST v Seisen (A)
SECONDARY PARENT DATES
Monday 18th January
Thursday 11th February
Thursday 25th February
Thursday 3rd March
KS3 Coffee Morning
MFL Coffee Morning
Expressive Arts Evening
KS5 Evening
Tuesday 22nd March
KS4 Evening
Tuesday 19th April
Monday 9th May
Thursday 16th June
English Coffee Morning
Wellbeing Coffee Morning
Student Leadership Coffee
Morning
9am 5F Library at Showa
Modern Foreign Languages
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
A Level Options Evening for
current Year 11 Parents
(I)GCSE options evening for
current Y9 Parents
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SHOWA ACCESS
SHOWA WEEKEND ACCESS Please be reminded that this weekend, Showa Women’s
University will be holding their entrance exams & will have NO ACCESS into the Showa
Campus including our BST building.
Also: Sat 24th Jan: NO ACCESS into 5th Bldg (BST Bldg)
Fri 5th Feb: SOPHIA CANTEEN CLOSED.
SHOWA PUZZLE OF THE WEEK
Look to the board out the front of room 504a at Showa for the weekly challenge and to see
the best attempts from the previous puzzle.
Solutions for the puzzle this week are due in by 25/1/2016
There is a vampire who lives in a castle with four underground vaults arranged in a line.
A vampire hunter is on the prowl and to avoid her, the vampire sleeps in a different vault every day. But
he is bound by a magic spell: he can only choose a vault that is directly adjacent to the vault he slept in
the previous day. The vampire hunter can go to one vault every day. If she finds the vampire, she'll kill
him. If not, she'll have to wait another day.
Is there a sequence of vaults the hunter can choose to guarantee she'll eventually find the vampire?
TAIKO
BST Friday Taiko class - Term 2 2015-2016
All details here: https://goo.gl/PwiBqq
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PRIMARY NEWS
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to school and a
somewhat belated Happy New
Year to those of you I haven't
seen yet this week. I hope you all
enjoyed your holidays, I am sure
you are all pleased to have your
children back to school! Special
welcome to the new staff and
families who have just joined
BST. We wish you all well as you
explore and absorb the routines
of life at BST.
We have three new members
joining the team in the Primary
School: Ms. Shivon Veal who will
be teaching music to classes
across both the Shibuya and Showa campuses until July. Ms. Marie Planchon and Ms. Ann
Hoan have joined us as Teaching Assistants, Ms Planchon in 4G and Ms. Hoan in 2R. I am
sure the first week back has been full of new experiences!
For parents new to BST Primary there will be a workshop on Monday at 9.00am in the
Shibuya Library. This will cover some of the expectations and routines to help you settle
into school and life in our community.
I am delighted to announce that at the end of last term my application to become a member
of IAPS, The Independent Association of Prep Schools, was successful. We are now therefore
an IAPS accredited Primary school. We will enjoy a range of benefits and membership offers
us another kitemark of the quality of BST. Do take a look at their website https://iaps.uk/
for more information about this association.
Finally, we are looking for any Reception to Y3 parents interested in contributing to a parent
group discussion on reading diaries as we prepare to develop this system in school. Please
do email me to express interest, we will only need a small group and it will only be one
meeting.
Have a lovely weekend.
Kirsten
Warm wishes
Kirsten O’Connor
https://twitter.com/OConnor_BST
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PRIMARY NEWSLETTERS
Nursery Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/nursery-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Reception Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/reception-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 1 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-1-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 2 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-2-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 3 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-3-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 4 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-4-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 5 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-5-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
Year 6 Newsletter
http://www.bst.ac.jp/year-6-news-friday-15th-january-2016/
FANTASY FOOTBALL
To join us:
http://fantasypremierleague.com
League code: 335195-96113
All welcome!
Team of the Week: Reece Hatwell (76pts)
Click here for all the details.
https://goo.gl/bJbfF8
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PTA
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PTA
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
NEW YEAR…NEW BST FAMILIES We have quite a few new families this term. Please be
sure welcome them!! If any of the new families would like a buddy to help navigate the
school or Tokyo over these first few weeks, please send an email to [email protected] and we
will have a Welcome Committee member contact you.
First Spring Fair Meeting of 2016 – Tuesday 19th at 8:45am in Streamer
Coffee – Meetings will be held every Tuesday thereafter excluding half-term
running up to the SF on 12th March. If you are interested in helping or just
want to know what it is all about, feel free to join us at Streamer Coffee on
Tuesdays or send an email to [email protected].
PTA Meeting – Monday 25th January at 9:00am in BST Library
On the Agenda for the 25th January meeting is a bid submitted by Primary for a climbing
wall that would be installed in the BST Shibuya gym. This item was presented at the 12th
November bid meeting but was tabled for further discussion as the PTA did not feel it had
enough parent representation at that meeting to make a fair decision. The estimated cost of
the climbing wall, including protective mats and installation, is ~¥950,000. Following is a
link to the bid form for your review in advance of the meeting. https://goo.gl/3IDd98
Money used to fulfill these bids comes from fundraising events such as the Spring Fair and
Second Hand Uniform Sales which are almost exclusively supported by BST parents. Please
come to the meeting and have your say in how this money is spent.
BST MUMS & DADS FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK
Be sure to join the “British School in Tokyo Mums (and Dads)” Facebook
page!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BSTMumsandDads/
S
PTA TOURS
UPCOMING TOURS FOR TERM 2 - 2016
Thursday 28th January
Prado Exhibition at the Mitsubishi
ichigokan museum
Monday 8th February
Tableware Festival in Tokyo Dome
Tuesday 1st March
Machida Flea Market
Wednesday 16th March Gotokuji Temple followed by a
walk to Daikanyama along the
canal (a great walk in sakura
season)
R.S.V.P [email protected] - We look forward to meeting
new friends and catching up with old friends.
Monica and Sandra (M&S)
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
British Fan Gathering - Sat 16th & 17th Jan 2016 11am-5pm
Tokyo Homes Collection – (up the road from Shibuya Campus before Beacon)
Flyer is here: https://goo.gl/Hqr0ed
http://www.tokyoamericanclub.org/index.php/en/event-calendar-top/event/5649-tokyo-here-now
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BURNS SUPPER 2016
St Andrew Society
Yokohama and Tokyo
Burns Supper 2016: Tickets available
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.
The St. Andrew Society of Yokohama and Tokyo is pleased to bring you the
2016 Burns Supper, to be held in the splendid surroundings of the
Tokyo American Club on Friday 5th February.
Date: Friday 5th February 2016
Place: Tokyo American Club
Dress: Black tie, kilt-wearers welcome
Time: 18:30 - 24:00
Map: Click here
Booking: Register here
Full flyer here: https://goo.gl/Rlbqfq
Please visit www.st-andrews-society.com for further information and to book your table.
IKEBANA LESSONS AT BST
Ikebana Lessons at BST by 5 Senses Co.
Full flyer here: https://goo.gl/vxOH9h
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REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL JAPAN
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EMERALD BALL TOKYO
The Emerald Ball is celebrating its 24th year in Tokyo on Friday 18th March 2016 at The
Tokyo American Club.
This black tie event is a celebration of the friendship that ties between Ireland and Japan.
The Ball is an important means for the Irish community to help others via the various
charities we have supported over the years.
You can find more information on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/TheEmeraldBallTokyo/
If you are interested in buying tickets for this amazing night of tradition Irish craic please
contact us on [email protected]
Ticket prices:
Early bird - 23.000 yen
Normal Price - 27.000 yen
Please come join us for a genuine Irish celebration among friends.
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Ex BST Mum Yuka Hayashi Brock [email protected]
http://www.ven-paca.com/
Back in Japan performing Flamenco on the special events
Video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7csDCPMHlys
Full flyer here https://goo.gl/tXL7tP
Oxfam Charity Pub Quiz
British Pub, THE FooTNiK in Ebisu
Tuesday 19th January
8pm – 10.30pm
Free shots and food for special Shooter
Questions…
Grand Prize bottle of Bubbly!
Many question categories!
1000 yen entry fee
(all proceeds to Oxfam)
Max 5 people per team
Individuals & small teams welcome!
Location: www.footnik.net/english/location
/
http://www.footnik.net/english/location/
Email: [email protected]
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https://www.facebook.com/bikudesigns/posts/10156409662980434:0
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MOSCOW STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra will perform in concert in Tokyo this February.
Discount tickets for selected performances are available to the BST community, courtesy of
Mr Tezuka, Director of Koransha (Concert and Planning Agency).
Venue: Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall
Ticket Type: ‘S’ Seat
Date: Saturday 6th February
Time: 2.00pm
Cost for BST: ¥5000 (usually ¥14,000)
Deadline for 6th Feb = Jan 25th.
Venue: Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
Ticket Type: ‘S’ Seat
Date: Sunday 21st February
Time: 2.00pm
Cost for BST: ¥5000 (usually ¥14,000)
You can find out more about the Orchestra’s visit to Japan by clicking the link below:
http://hapfind.com/event/fb/moscow-national-symphony-orchestra_1527552
For tickets please email Mr. Tezuka [email protected] or Maki Fushii-McIntosh
[email protected] stating that you are a part of the BST community.
The following information is needed.
1) Name, 2) contact number, 3) email address, 4) numbers of the tickets and 5) which date
(either February 6th at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, or February 21st at Yokohama Minato
Mirai Hall).
BOOKS FOR SMILES
Books for Smiles
Are you having a clear out after the New Year?
https://www.bccjapan.com/community-section/books-smiles/
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