Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

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School EventsCarnivalHinamatsuriRokko SkiSki Camp

Class Activities - this monthKindergarten & Grade 1/2 ESGrade 5/6 ES - ActionGrade 1/3 ES - BallsGrade VS/1/2 - EFLWhole School - Bewegte SchulePE & Swimming

Important InformationCelebration of BooksProject WeekOktoberfest PreparationsCalendarPYP Information

From the Principal

The Newsletter - March Edition 2012 - 2013

Note: This newsletter

reflects the exciting events

and activities taking places in

some of the classes and

school. Each month we will

showcase ‘authentic’

learning.

Dear Parents,

This month we invite you to come and see how we celebrate books and work on Unit projects.

Our Celebration of Books will highlight reading activities and showcase the school’s emphasis on

literacy development. Many studies have pointed out the correlation between reading and

academic success. Reading is also an important factor in the acquisition of vocabulary, thus

helping the children to express themselves well. When children are read to or read themselves,

they use their imagination, which stimulates their creativity. We hope you will enjoy our displays

and talk with your child about the reading activities at school. Let me take this opportunity to once

again thank the PTA and the parents who are helping us to create a quality school library. We are

also grateful to donors who have sent us children’s books they do not need any longer.

This year’s Project Week will be a bit different from the Project Weeks of the past. Rather than

working together on a whole school one week project we will give you a glimpse of how the

children learn during their Unit lessons. The students will present projects which demonstrate what

they have learned in their current Units. We hope you can attend their presentations! We are

looking forward to meeting with you.

Best regards,

Ursula Shioji

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

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SchulveranstaltungenKarnevalHinamatsuriRokko SkiSkiwoche

Class Activities - this monthKindergarten & Gr. ES 1/2Klasse ES 5/6 - ActionGrade ES 1/3 - BallsKlasse VS/1/2 - EnglischAlle Klassen - Bewegte SchuleSport und Schwimmen

Wichtige InformationenLesefestProjektwocheOktoberfest-VorbereitungenKalenderPYP Information und Eltern mitwirkung

Rundbrief - März 2012 - 2013

Anmerkung: D ieserRundbrief ermöglicht Ihneneinen Blick auf spannendeEreignisse undAk<vitäten,diesichineinigenK l a s s en räumen und imSchulhaus abspielen. JedenMonat präsen<erenwir Ihnenim Rundbrief ‚authen<schesLernen.‘

Von der Schulleitung

Liebe Eltern,

In diesem Monat laden wir Sie herzlich in die Schule ein, damit Sie sich anschauen können,

wie wir die Freude am Lesen fördern und an Projekten der Erforschungseinheiten arbeiten.

Unser Lesefest wird Leseaktivitäten hervorheben und die Schwerpunktlegung der Schule auf

die Entwicklung von Lese- und Schreibkompetenzen deutlich machen. In vielen Studien wird der

Zusammenhang zwischen dem Lesen und schulischem Erfolg hervorgehoben. Lesen ist auch ein

wichtiger Faktor für den Wortschatzerwerb. Es hilft so den Kindern, sich gut auszudrücken. Wenn

Kinder vorgelesen bekommen oder wenn sie selbst lesen, benutzen sie ihre Fantasie, was ihre

Kreativität stimuliert. Wir hoffen, dass Ihnen unsere Ausstellungen gefallen und dass Sie mit Ihren

Kindern über die Leseaktivitäten in der Schule sprechen. Ich möchte bei dieser Gelegenheit

nochmals der PTA danken sowie den Eltern, die uns helfen eine Schulbücherei mit hoher Qualität

aufzubauen. Wir sind auch all den Spendern dankbar, die uns Bücher geschickt haben, die ihre

Kinder nicht mehr benötigen.

Dieses Jahr wird die Projektwoche etwas anders sein als in den vergangenen Jahren. Statt eine

Woche lang an einem gemeinsamen Schulprojekt zu arbeiten, wollen wir Ihnen einen Einblick

geben, wie die Kinder während ihrer Erforschungseinheiten lernen. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler

werden Projekte präsentieren, die zeigen, was sie in ihren aktuellen Erforschungseinheiten gelernt

haben. Wir hoffen, Sie können zu den Präsentationen kommen und freuen uns, Sie an der Schule

zu sehen! Herzliche Grüße

Ursula Shioji

Carnival

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

The Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten demonstrated a wonderful Venezia dance that the

whole school had an opportunity to dance. With the pretty masks and vibrant costumes it was a

thrilling opening to the Carnivale.

Video of the Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6WE1dc7juM

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

School Events - Rokko SkiKindergarten and Preschool took at trip to the Rokko Ski area to celebrate and find out more about winter and winter activities. The children enjoyed their wonderful winter day on the mountain.

R i n a - R o k k o Mountain sliding and snow play! Very, very cold!!!

Anika - It was very cold! Sledding down the hill!

Yuma - Yuma and panda hat! This is me, went ski! Cold, cold cold!

Tarang - Snowy! It goed fast like that down the hill! All the way down to Mr Mayer and then back up the hill again.

Sena - Sena and Pierre playing slide on snow together.

Hinoka - I ski and slide. Snow play and make snowman.

Minori - Sliding! So happy, so much fun!

Gabriel - Too cold! Fast with Mr Mayer!

Ryuki - Arvid and me! Yahoo!!! Sl ide on snow!

Pierre - Snow! Make snowman and throw snow with Ryuki

Patrick - Snowman! Nieve cold!

Sara - I cold!

Junsei - Snow, snow, snow! Cold!Lisa - It was cold! Hands, nose, all cold!

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

School Events Kindergarten and Preschool

On March 1st, Kindergarten and Preschool went to Shoei Kindergarten in Rokko to celebrate Hinamtsuri and the beginning of spring with the children of Shoei Kindergarten, a Chinese Kindergraten from Kobe and a Korean Kindergarten from Kobe. Each of the groups shared dances, songs and games and had a wonderful time together. We also were fortunate enough to hear "Hinamatsuri" and "Sakura" played on a traditional Japanese instrument called Koto. Here are some photos of the day and videos can be found on the school's facebook page. The event was also covered by the Kobe Shinbun and can be found at this link: http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/kobe/alacarte/201303/0005779480.shtmlSchool Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dskobe.org

SKI CAMP - GRADE 3/4/5/6

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

The Hachikita trip was an exciting

and fun filled trip. There were lots

of activities during the day . In the

evening it was time to warm up and

eat Nabe. We also had a chance

to write in our journals.

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Classroom Activities

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

At DESK there is a long standing tradition between the Kindergarten and the European Grade 1/2 class, where the 1/2 children bring their reading books down to the Kindergarten and read with the children once every two weeks. However, this week we decided to change our session. Instead of "Reading Buddies" we had "Game Buddies" and instead of the grade 1/2 class leading the session, the Kindergarteners became the leaders of the session, in line with their current unit of inquiry on using play to express and communicate our feelings and ideas.The Kindergarten classrooms were set up with a variety of board games that they have been playing throughout their current unit. Grade 1/2 came down to the Kindergarten and were given a Kindergarten buddy. The Kindergarten children then took their partners to play the games. It was great to see the Kindergarten children explaining the games to the children.

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Classroom Activities

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Grade 5/6 ES

We are doing an experiment with a new type of composter. We put the waste from our own composter into the trays of the new composter. We put a new tray on top of the full one and put compost into the new tray. This is important because the weather is cold and the worms do not move fast. The worms are slow and the composter needs to hold more. We learnt that teamwork is fun and work is fun. If you do both together, it is very fun. By Ely

Environmental Action

In the PYP, students are encouraged to ‘take action’ (or to consciously ‘decide not to take action’) as an outcome of their learning. Further to personal, local, and global action, another way to think about the types of action that students can take, one can consider the following four categories:

• Direct Action – person to person• Indirect Action – benefits a community• Advocacy for Action – creating awareness• Research for Action – finding, gathering and reporting

informationFurther Information: http://www.helptakeaction.com/

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Classroom activities

At the end of February the students found

that they could not access any of the balls

on the playground. The students had to

make a plan on what they could do instead

without this everyday resource.

We asked lots of questions and discussed:

- Why do we need a ball?

- What do we use it for?

- What can’t we do anymore if we don’t

have it?

We started asking more questions.

What does a ball need to do?

Why does it need to do it?

What materials can we use to make a ball?

Bounce

Roll

Be Kickable

Be Catchable

Be Safe

So it can move

easily for people to

play games

From our questions and discussions, we

made a plan to make our own balls. We

made a list of materials needed and began

the process of making our balls. After we

made our balls, we experimented and

discussed how balls are different. Some

bounce, some are better for throwing and

others are best for kicking.

When the upper grades returned from their

winter t r ip, t hey began us ing our

homemade balls. The students have been

creative and coming up with new games

and activities using these balls. This has

been a good opportunity for the students to

be without an everyday resource at school

and come up with some new ones.

Balloons, plastic

bags, paper,

cotton, string,

tape, glue

Grade ES 1/2 & Grade DS VS/1/2

Central Idea: Our actions affect the Earth’s Resources and people.

Grade 1/2 !00 day Celebration Link http://goo.gl/tnGv7

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Classroom activities

Shapes

and Colours. The

students

used

different

colours and

shapes to create a

unique art piece.

DS

VS/1/2 class

learnt a variety of

shapes and colours

during their

lessons.

EFL

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

School wide activities

As part of the Bewegte Schule - School in Motion initiative we have purchased a ‘Rock Pod’ that allows the students to choose and play music in their breaks and lunchtimes.

The initiative has at its core these elements: Learning by moving Learning with movementLearning through movement

The playtime and lunchtime breaks are further opportunities for the students to hear and respond to music of all genres.

Wet Play time becomes a synchronized dance time!!!

The Rock Pod is very portable. It can be wheeled out to

where it is needed and set up in seconds. The new school

iPod is building a bank of music that the students can

access. The DJ Tech runs from a rechargeable battery.

Students can access the song playlist themselves

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Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Classroom activities PE and Swimming

The sw imming p rogram i s

designed to develop and extend the

students’ swimming ability as well as

being taught how to be safe in and

around pools.

The Grade 1/2 Class is split into two

groups:

With Mrs. O’Neill they are building up

their confidence in the water as well as

working on basic strokes, gliding,

floating and general water safety.

With Mr. Mayer they are fine tuning

their strokes as well as learning news

o n e s w h i l e b u i l d i n g u p t h e i r

endurance.

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Events

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Celebration of Books

Project Week

The theme of our Celebration of books is to look at the Learner profile and for the students to

identify and reflective on the profiles displayed in the book they read. During the week the

school community will find connections to the Learner Profile and the stories they read. On the

final day the children will be asked to dress up as a favourite character from a story and reflect

on the Learner Profile this character portrays.

Learner Profile: Thinker, Inquirer, Caring, Reflective, Balanced, Risk Taker, Principled, Open

minded, Communicator, Knowledgeable

For example:

After reading a book, spend some time considering how the people in the book acted. Was

someone in the book caring? All of the time or just some of the time? Were all of the characters

in the book caring or just some of them? Some books to consider:

Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, Kevin Henkes

The Project week this year will focus on showcasing the learning that is happening in the Unit of

Inquiry. It will be an opportunity for all the students to participate in creating a variety of

presentations that can be shared with the parent community and peers. It will offer the students

a chance to create a ‘Mini Exhibition’ of their ideas and knowledge on their class inquiries.

On the Friday, 22nd of March parents will be invited to come to look around the school and

view the presentations and work the students have made. Please look out for the Project week

letter that will have more information.

4th - 8th of March

18th - 22nd of March

Oktoberfest Preparations

Dear Parents,

We need you!

2013 we will celebrate Oktoberfest again, it has become an integral part of our school tradition.

Last year we celebrated our 60th Oktoberfest and it was successful in many ways. Besides delicious food and drinks, great music, perfect weather and lots of fun we generated a profit of 1,500,000 Yen.

We donated a major share of the money to the school to improve the accessibility to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and invest in further 21st Century technologies. In addition, the PTA used the money support a number of the school events including St. Martin and the Schools’ Christmas Market. These events provided unforgettable experiences for the students and wider school community.

The Oktoberfest team has already begun to prepare for this year's festival. The date is now set on Saturday, 19th O c t o b e r 2 0 1 3 . H o w e v e r , t h e Oktoberfest team is still looking for support to create nine working groups: Public Relations, Sponsoring, Music, Tombola, Decoration/Entrance, Kids Room, Drink, Cake and Food.

You are interested, aren't you? Then, please contact us directly at the school or email the following addresses. marketing@dskobe.org or mable-leung@i.softbank.jp.

You may also stop by at our next team meeting in the school on Monday, 15th April at 9 am in room 4. A great chance to share ideas and to get to know each other. Everybody is welcome! The Oktoberfest last year has shown that if everyone at our school - parents, teachers, staff and students - work together, we can make the Festival a huge success.

We are already thinking about how to invest this year's funds: Enhancing our playground area for our students. To develop around and outside the school further creative movement opportunities for the students.

Thank you for your always support. We hope to see you on April 15th. We need you! Warm regards, have a wonderful Spring Break.

Your Oktoberfest team

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Kalender

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Wich%geEreignisseundAk%vitätenimMärzWich%geEreignisseundAk%vitätenimMärzWich%geEreignisseundAk%vitätenimMärz

1 Fr BesuchimShoeiKindergarten(Pre‐KG–Vorschule)

4 Mo Lesefest

5 Di Lesefest6 Mi Lesefest7 Do Lesefest

FußballspielgegenRIS8 Fr Lesefest18 Mo Projektwoche

KeinSchwimmunterrichtVorstandssitzung

19 Di Projektwoche20 Mi Projektwoche21 Do Projektwoche22 Fr Projektwoche25.März–1.Apr.201325.März–1.Apr.2013 Frühlingsferien

Wich%geDatenimAprilWich%geDatenimAprilWich%geDatenimApril

2 Di ErsterSchultagnachdenFrühlingsferien

3 Mi Ostereiersuche(KG)24 Mi Assembly(DS1/2)

25 Do Pyjama‐Party(VorschuleundKlassen1und2)

29.April–7.Mai29.April–7.Mai GoldeneWoche

Wich%geDatenimMaiWich%geDatenimMaiWich%geDatenimMai

8 Mi ErsterSchultagnachderGoldenenWoche

15 Mi TagderOffenenTür25 Sa Interna<onalKids’Day29 Mi Assembly(ES1/2)

29.April–7.Mai29.April–7.Mai GoldeneWoche

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Calendar

Deutsche Schule Kobe – European School3-2-8 Koyochonaka Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0032 Japan

Tel.: 078-857-9777・Fax: 078 857- 9775・http://www.dskobe.org/・mail@dskobe.org

Important Events and Activities in MarchImportant Events and Activities in MarchImportant Events and Activities in March

1 Fri ShoeiKindergartenVisit(KGandPreschool)

4 Mon CelebrationofBooks

5 Tue CelebrationofBooks6 Wed CelebrationofBooks7 Thu CelebrationofBooks

SocceragainstRIS8 Fri CelebrationofBooks18 Mon ProjectWeek

NoswimminglessonsBoardMeeting

19 Tue ProjectWeek20 Wed ProjectWeek21 Thu ProjectWeek22 Fri ProjectWeekMarch25–Apr.1,2013March25–Apr.1,2013

SpringHolidays

Important Dates in AprilImportant Dates in AprilImportant Dates in April

2 Tue FirstdayofschoolaftertheSpringHolidays3 Wed EasterEggHunt(KG)24 Wed Assembly(DS1/2)25 Thu Sleepover(Preschool,grades1/2)April29–May7April29–May7 GoldenWeek

Important Dates in MayImportant Dates in MayImportant Dates in May

8 Wed FirstdayofschoolafterGoldenWeek15 Wed OpenDay25 Sat InternationalKids’Day29 Wed Assembly(ES1/2)April29–May7April29–May7 GoldenWeek

PYP Information and Parent Involvement

Parent Workshops

We will be offering a Parent PYP workshop soon and would like parent and school community input on any

burning questions or information that is needed to help you understand the program. This information will

allow the workshop to be tailored to specific areas. For example:

How are the subjects of mathematics and language connected to the Units of Inquiry?

We will also be offering a more informal Coffee ‘n’ Cake discussion that will allow for Questions and Answers

in a more relaxed setting.

The new look Newsletter offers a snapshot of the Inquiry process in the classes and often has the Inquiry

process and the concepts fleshed out with students work. There is also a back page in the Newsletter called

‘PYP Information’ that provides more general information about the Primary Years Programme and the Inquiry

process. It has also connected to examples from the classroom to show the authentic inquiry process.

IBtv - International Baccalaureate Television

The International Baccalaureate also have an interesting Internet TV channel called IBtv. It can be found here:

http://blogs.ibo.org/ibtv/

Please browse through these videos as they are very informative. Particularly on the videos related to the IB

Mission and Values.

The following video on the Learner Profile showcases the role they play in driving the IBO mission statement

through Action.

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

Learner Profile activities for parents

http://schools.roundrockisd.org/chandleroaks/LP_IB/IB%20Learner%20Profile

Review of the Mission Statement

We wish to develop a new Mission Statement that  reflects  the  school’s aims, values and philosophy. This  is  in

keeping with the IB evaluation we  had in 2010 and it was a recommendation to review our current Mission

Statement. As a school community we wish to invite all the stakeholders: students, parents, school board and

staff  to have a voice in creating a new Mission Statement together.

To this end we will be sending out a Parent form to allow you to express your opinion and ideas about what the

mission statement should incorporate. Please spend some time to contribute 3 words/phrases that reflect your

personal feeling about the schools mission. You can also contribute further thoughts in a larger text box. There

will be a physical post box as well to add contributions (in Foyer). We will be emailing the parent form soon.