Re-opening CAj

Modifications to schedule already decided

We have already modified the calendar in some very specific ways. There may be other modifications to follow. These are not just enrichment options; attendance is expected for students. Please notify the office if your children will be absent on any of these days Attendance

• Friday, April 15 is now a full day of classes instead of a half-day (PTA has re-scheduled Thrift Shop)
• Friday, April 22 (Good Friday) is now a full day instead of a half-day.
• Friday, April 29 is now a half day for all students and is the new Thrift Shop date.
• Thursday, May 5 is now a full day of school instead of a holiday (Golden Week).
• Elementary field day will be moved to Saturday, May 21 (involves many high school students as well)
• Friday, May 20 (formerly field day) is now a regular day of classes for all students (both for elementary and for high school students that would have helped with field day)
• Thursday, May 26, is scheduled for senior comprehensive presentations. We have added a half-day of classes for all students except seniors (K-11). All high school students will be expected to attend presentations in the afternoon.
• June 8 is now a full day of classes rather than a 1/2 day (culminating assessments for HS).
• The last day of school (1/2 day) is extended to June 9.

Future modifications

We are in the process of a careful examination by grade level and by individual class section of the virtual schooling that we implemented early on. We are delighted at the creativity and efforts of our staff, but we understand that this is not an equal replacement for the classroom experience. Some families and students have not responded to their teachers, and they should understand that the work assigned is an expectation. We will work with those students who were unable to keep up due to lack of Internet access or other factors, including stress.

Based on that analysis, we may be adding class and grade specific expectations of additional work or classroom times. We are also exploring possible optional enrichment opportunities.

For those not able to be here when we re-open

Please notify the academic office or your principal as soon as possible if you will not be back at school on April 4 (or when we are able to open) Registrar If students are not able to return on time for our re-opening day, we will continue to offer distance-learning options for a reasonable amount of time. Please contact your divisional principal to discuss special accommodations if they are needed beyond April 11.

Other Activities

We are in close communication with the other international schools in Japan, and we will be making collaborative decisions about league sports and other activities. A number of schools are already cancelling activities this spring, and some of those cancellations will affect our students. Whether there are spring Far East tournaments for the high school will be determined by the US military as they host these events. Math Field Day on April 6 has been cancelled.

We are likely to move some testing and other events listed on the calendar. AP (Advanced Placement) tests in the high school are internationally fixed dates. Most of our AP teachers already provide additional opportunities for study groups outside of classroom time, and much test preparation can be self-directed using the study guides we provide students. AP students should be maximizing their study time right through spring break.

Thrift Shop is a PTA event. Announcements will be coming from the parent leaders soon as they prayerfully consider next steps.

Stewardship

We want to do everything we can to be good residents of Japan and for the sake of Creation care. There will be minimal heating, air conditioning and non-essential lighting through at least the end of the school year. Please dress accordingly and appropriately. Some evening activities and those requiring travel may be restricted.

Student’s readiness to learn

By any definition this qualifies as a traumatic event for students, staff and families. We will be working to provide students ample opportunities to reflect, process and work with our guidance and other staff. We are concerned for students overall well-being, but it is also essential that we meet their emotional, psychological and spiritual needs so they can focus on their studies. We have provided some resources for families to use at home as well, and they can be found here: Crisis Followup

Additional information

If you would like more details about how decisions about the schedule and modifications are being made, please follow this link: Additional Information About Modifications

Sources used for decision making

The following is the primary list of sources we are using to assist us with our decisions.

The Japanese federal government

• Public news briefings
• Regularly updated radiation readings: http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioactivity_level/detail/1303986.htm

Local government

• Official websites
• We have had regular contact with city hall by phone regarding power outages and the status of Japanese schools.
• The water authority for this area by phone contact (our water source, Musashi-Murayama Water Purification Plant, was not affected by the recent downtown warnings but we confirmed that information just to be sure)

The World Health Organization: WHO

• http://www.who.int/en/

The International Atomic Energy Agency: IAEA

• http://www.iaea.org/
• They are providing regular updates here: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

The US embassy

• http://japan.usembassy.gov/
• A place to sign up for their email updates: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-newsletter-signup.html

• And you can read through their reports here: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-arch.html

• We also get occasional information from other countries embassy sites

Other international schools

• Regular email contact,
• A meeting on Monday, March 21
• Each of these schools is also doing careful analysis using their own experts and expertise and we are sharing that information as well as details about our respective re-openings and programs.

Trains and power:

• Seibu and other train line websites
• Published TEPCO information about blackouts
• Higashi Kurume city hall website and phone contact

Miscellaneous

• Regular synthesis and comparison of both Japanese and international news. Both more established and reputable sources and those less so. If I could offer one piece of advice to those consuming news right now it would be: read the entire article carefully - do not rely on just the headlines or lead paragraphs.
• Articles, often quite technical in nature, by experts in the field as well as articles by medical professionals that are increasing in number.
• Stars and Stripes - the US military's magazine: http://www.stripes.com/ both for the situation at local bases and the future of school activities
• We have scientists and experts in our community who are helping us interpret the numbers and data.