English Weblog

カテゴリ:今日の出来事

Open High School Report

On the 17th and 18th of August, Yamasaki High School held their annual open high school days, for junior high school students interested in the “Academic Course”, to come and visit the school.

The open days allow junior high school students to discover what student life is like at Yamasaki High school and they can participate in many lessons.

The open days begin with a very warm welcome by the Brass Band, and an introduction to the school. Student council members provide information about the history of Yamasaki High School, the different courses available, and all the wonderful special events and club activities they can participate in. Career development is also discussed, providing students insight into future professional paths.

 Then the junior high students can participate in demonstration lessons, in Japanese, English, Mathematics, Science, Education and Social Science.

In addition to lessons from teachers, students of Yamasaki High school’s “Education Course” also took demonstration lessons, teaching English and Mathematics displaying the teaching expertise they have learned. 

Further to the “Academic Course” open days, on the 27th of August, “The Forestry and Home Economics Course” held an open day for students interested in those specialized courses at Yamasaki High School. 

After a very warm welcome and school introduction, the junior high students were able to experience first-hand specialized units of study, provided at Yamasaki High School.

First the students were able to participate in harvesting egg plants, peppers, and other vegetables, and learned about the process of growing vegetables. 

Second the students got to participate in wood-working, and were able to make wooden mask boxes, with help from the wood-working high school students at Yamasaki High School.

Thirdly the junior high students were able to experience cooking, learning to make delicious cup-cakes by watching instruction videos on personal tablets, and with help from the Yamasaki cooking high school students!

The open days at Yamasaki High school, were very interesting and enjoyable, and allowed junior high students a wonderful insight into all the amenities Yamasaki High school provides. We hope to see all the junior high school students again, come next spring.

       

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English Presentation Report

The students of the second grade have been working on an English presentation about foreign countries. At first the students made groups and chose which countries they would like to research. They then did extensive research into the many facets of life in the countries they had chosen. These included such topics as history, famous places, culture, music, food, art, sport, education, plants, and animals etc.

Having done thorough research, the students then developed wonderfully illustrated and detailed PowerPoint presentations expounding upon the many highlights of their chosen countries. Further to this, all the presentations were required to be written and presented in English.

In order to present professionally, the students were individually instructed on correct pronunciation, intonation, and advised on elements of non-verbal communication such as gestures, and eye contact.

All the students had assessment sheets and scored each other’s presentations, using an assessment matrix.

The goal of doing presentations for the students were fourfold.

The first goal was for the students to learn more about foreign cultures.

Secondly we wanted the students to improve their communication skills.

Thirdly we wanted the students to gain some experience in public speaking so that fourthly, it would encourage them to use English more confidently in the future.

Despite the challenge of presenting in English in front of their classmates, all of the students did exceptionally well, and they can be proud of their hard work.

 

 

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Club Activities' Introduction

The first year students are now spending a very busy week, starting their "High School Years" with other friends and classmates. Our ALT, Mr. Philip Wilby, again observes and reports the special event for the newcomers, "Club Activities' Introduction" held on April 9th at the gymnasium of our school.        

On the 9th of April the first year students of Yamasaki  High School, who had only started school the day before, were treated to a wonderful introduction to all the amazing extra-curricular club activities Yamasaki High School has on offer!

Yamasaki High School offers an amazing 30 different club activities, broadly organized into two main categories; culture, and sports. In the culture category there are 17 different clubs ranging from music clubs like Brass Band, guitar and the Koto instrument, to traditional activities such as tea ceremony and flower arranging. In the sports category students can play popular sports like soccer, baseball, and basketball, but also can participate in activities such as skiing or Kendo!

In the introduction, students were given a short display from representatives of each club, to give them the opportunity to decide which clubs they would like to join. Clubs will have an open week next week, allowing new students to sample each club to help them decide. Many students are members of multiple clubs, and club participation is very high amongst all Yamasaki High School students.

  
  
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Entrance Ceremony 2019 Held !

Yesterday we celebrated the actual beginning of the new school year 2019 and welcomed 234 fresh students at Yamasaki Senior High School with the strikingly beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. Our ALT, Mr.Philip Wilby, reports below what he witnessed here at the entrance ceremony for the first time in Japan.     

On Monday the 8th of April, 2019, the new school year began at Yamasaki Senior High School. 2019 is an auspicious year for new beginnings, as Japan enters the new “Reiwa era” as the new Emperor begins his reign. With the magnificent Sakura trees in full bloom, the new students made their entrance into the assembly hall, and were introduced one by one. In attendance this year are 39 new students in the Forestry and Environmental Science department, 40 new students in the Home Economics and Lifestyle department, and 155 new students in the General academic department.

  

After the national anthem was sung, the principal addressed the students and spoke about living up to the school Motto, of Hope Wisdom and Respect, and making the most of their time at Yamasaki Senior High School through study and club activities.

The ceremony was a very formal occasion, with the principal dressed in a long-tailed formal suit, and reverence was shown to the Japanese flag which was bowed to when each speaker entered the stage. It is quite reminiscent of the traditions and formal ceremonies held in Britain. 

After the school anthem was sung, the students were officially welcomed, and with great fanfare by the school’s marvelous Brass Band, the students left the assembly hall, ready to begin their new scholarly lives at Yamasaki Senior High School !

  
  
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