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2022 SPRING EDITION

OCSI CONNECTIONS

First graders enjoyed dressing up as 100 years old and brought 100 small items for show and tell to celebrate 100 days of school

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the Head of School's Desk

Elementary Principal Update

Elementary Events

Secondary Principal Update

Business Update

Operations Update

Okinawa Christian School International

From the Head of School's Desk Megan Roe

Dear OCSI Families, This quarter has been an encouraging yet challenging season for the OCSI Community. The PTF Walkathon and Matsuri last weekend was such an amazing opportunity for the entire community to come together; we walked, we played, and we celebrated together! Through your cooperation and generosity, PTF was able to raise more than ¥1,800,000 toward the new gym floor and gym cooling system. We are looking forward to a remodeled gym that will provide a safer and more comfortable learning space for all of our students. A big thank you to all that came out to make the day special and to those who donated to our gym improvement! This month the OCSI community also mourned the passing of a 5th grade student, Iroha Ogawa. Please continue to join me in prayer for the Ogawa family as they continue to mourn the loss of their precious daughter. 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that God, in his kindness, has called us to share eternity with Him through Jesus and promises to "restore, support, and strengthen" us. キリストにあって、あふれるほど恵みを注いでくださる神は、しばらくの苦しみのあとで、あなたがたに永遠の栄光を与えてくださいます。神ご自身があなたがたを力づけ、しっかり立たせ、強めてくださいます。 (ペテロの手紙Ⅰ 5:１０)

OCSI is excited to share our partnership with RightNow Media; a gift for all OCSI families and a new tool for you and your children to be able to access Biblically based content from your home digital devices. RightNow Media is helping hundreds of Christian schools disciple families and resource teachers with the world’s largest library of on-demand video-driven Bible study resources. Watch over 2,000 kids’ episodes in the RightNow Media Kids Library. Stream them in the living room or on the go. These Bible-based shows will educate and entertain children of all ages. We know that parents are looking for safe content for their children to access. We hope this provides you with one more option for providing safe and enjoyable content.

Biblically based content on topics such as marriage, parenting, mental health, Bible studies, Christian living, Church history, and even finances are all available for OCSI families to access. If you haven't received your email invitation, please request here: https://ocsi.org/rnm/. In Christ, Megan Roe (Head of School)

Elementary Principal Update Sarah Turner

READ ALOUDS Using picture books to teach valuable lessons

Every week I go into each elementary classroom to do a read aloud. The books I usually read are picture books. As a teacher, I've discovered that picture books are like a treasure chest. Not only do picture books teach children fluency, accuracy, comprehension and vocabulary, but they also can teach valuable life lessons. Picture books allow students to connect with characters in a deep way and pave the way for good questions. You might think that upper elementary is too old for picture books, but the reality is that they are not. Even upper elementary students can connect with picture books in a way that they may in chapter books. Through read-alouds at OCSI, we have touched on issues like bullying, controlling anger, being brave, how to be a good friend, trying new things, and so much more! I hope that students at OCSI never lose the joy of reading picture books!

ELEMENTARY EVENTS KITE D AY

CS I EL

CHARACTER PARADE

TARY

R A T

RE FAIR

SI ELEM E

CULTU

Secondary Principal Update Dan Pallmann

SECONDARY EVENTS HOMECOMING While it has been difficult these past two years for sports, we have adapted the best we can. We were blessed to have a couple of basketball and volleyball games against Zion Christian Academy. On January 28th, we held our Homecoming Events and game. Students showed a lot of spirit and perseverance! Congratulations also to Alex Han and Hannah Wickens for their selection as the king and queen of our Homecoming Court!

READING BUDDIES In support of the Elementary classes, Secondary students participated in "Reading Buddies." On March 14, Secondary students met with Elementary classes to either read or be read to. It is great to have these opportunities for students to help other students. HS CAMP High school had a spring camp this year on March 16-18. Students chose from a variety of activities such as kayaking, ice skating, and a scavenger hunt at the mall. Even though they were not able to spend the night, they were able to enjoy many daytime activities. LOOKING FORWARD 8th-11th graders: Next year's course selection forms are due by 3/25 Spring Break: 3/28-4/1 MAP Testing: 4/5-4/8

HOMECOMING

OR S ENI T

T N IGH

SPIRIT WEEK

NHS INDUCTION CEREMONY

2022 NHS Inductees: Ryoichiro Arashiro

The 2022 National Honor Society Induction Ceremony was

Kayla Collins

held on March 15.

Jarin Ferido Riki Gombas

Congratulations to the 15 newly selected students!

Julian Hong Emma Jones

NHS is committed to the pillars of Scholarship, Leadership,

Jessica LeBlanc

Citizenship, Service, Character, and Spiritual Growth. NHS

Ricky Lee

students set an example of these qualities through their

Youngmin Lee

selfless service to others.

Lisa Muraki Seiya Ohkawara

It is an honor to be selected to be a part of National Honor

Nanaho Sakamoto

Society and we look forward to seeing these students in

Shoma Sekiya

action.

Aubrey Simmers Rhyme Urushibara

WALKATHON& MATSURI

What a great day to celebrate as a community and raise funds toward the gym remodel project! A big thanks to everyone who came out and donated!

Business Updates Sosro Karsosoemo The OCSI Business Office had many activities happening throughout January and March as we completed the re-enrollment process for the current students and started the process to enroll new students for the coming school year. Our accounting department has also been busy with the preparation to close the financial books, as the financial year in Japan for 2021-2022 ends in March. In April, we will begin updating your payment preferences as well as your choice of optional services such as bus, lunch, and after school services. We will be using Schools Form Online (SFO) system, the same system we used for the re-enrollment process back in January. This system significantly improved our operational efficiency last time and we are grateful for your understanding in adapting to this new system. The OCSI Business Office is committed to improve our business processes to serve OCSI families better. We welcome your feedback here at businessmanager@ocsi.org.

Operations Updates Alex Sartore

The final quarter of the school year is here! God has continued to show himself to be faithful throughout this year, and the Ops Team is excited to finish the 2021-2022 school-year strong. As we look into the summer, the biggest projects that we have on the horizon are all related to the OCSI gym. The OCSI gym has served the community so well over the last 25 years, and it is time to pour some love back into it. Our aim is to extend the gym's life expectancy so that it can continue to play an important role in the educational program at OCSI. The first item on the agenda is the gym floor. We will breathe new life into the gym floor by renovating it and laying down new lines. Next, we will install industrial-grade dehumidifiers to tackle the humidity issue. Finally, we will paint the four main pillars to give the space a new shine. We are so excited and looking forward to invest in the gym that has given so much to our kids for many many years.

Okinawa Christian School International www.ocsi.org