OCSI Connections SY 22-23 Spring Edition

OCSI

CONNECTIONS

SPRING EDITION

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Fun to learn! Field trips can be so much fun for students!

TABLE OF CONTENTS From Head of School's Desk - Mrs. Megan Roe Elementary Update - Ms. Sarah Turner

02 03

Secondary Update - Mr. Dan Pallmann Thank you PTF

07

Director of teaching and Learning Update- Mr. Brad Skarin

13

Chaplain Update- Chaplain Andy Roe

14

Student Support Team Mr. Daniel Claxton, testing Counselor Mrs. Lydie Holmes, Guidance Counselor Mrs. Norah Lopez, Counsellor Athletic Director Update - Mr. Beau Blew Business Director Update - Mr. Sosro Karasosoemo Operations Director Update - Mr. Alex Sartore

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15-18 15 16 17 19 21 22

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL'S DESK Authentic learning tasks are crucial for promoting deeper learning and helping students connect classroom learning to real-world contexts.

When students engage in authentic tasks, they are challenged to apply their knowledge and skills in realistic and meaningful ways. This type of learning can help students understand how what they are learning in the classroom can be used in their future careers and everyday life. It can also help students develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their future careers and life.

Authentic learning experiences also offer students a unique opportunity to improve language acquisition and communication skills as they provide opportunities for students to practice using the language in real-world contexts. Academic excellence is no longer enough on its own; universities are looking for students who are able to transfer their learning into the real world and who are interested in making an impact in the future.

At OCSI, our program emphasizes the importance of collaboration and service, allowing our students the opportunity to develop their own opinions, to learn how to communicate those opinions respectfully and clearly, and to use their knowledge and skills to serve others in the community. Our teachers actively look for ways to incorporate authentic learning tasks like Kid City, Author's Tea, Maker's Fair, Camps, Learning Trips, and Capstone Projects in 8th and 12th grade.

We hope these experiences will equip our students to walk with Jesus and make an impact for Him!

GREETINGS

Authentic Learning at OCSI

Megan Roe Head of School

2

ELEMENTARY UPDATE Sarah Turner

Elementary Principal

Week of Reading March 13-17

From March 13-17th, the elementary students celebrated reading by having various dress up days, Buddy Reading with a secondary class, a Book Character parade, a reading challenge, and so much more! Collectively the OCSI Elementary students read for a total of 126,245 minutes from March 1-15th.

Culture Fair and Kid City

For most of 3rd quarter, 1-5th grade students spend time building up for a big project in March.

The 3-5th graders work on Culture Fair, where they are put into small groups and are given a country to research. They have to plan out their research and decorate a trifold presentation board. Then they have to write up a presentation on the country. On March 17th, the 35th graders presented their countries to the younger grades. This projects encompasses many subjects including social studies, reading, writing, grammar, speaking, and more!

The 1-2nd graders start learning about the various members of the community in preparation for Kid City. The students learn about what happens at various places around a city and practice the conversations that happen there. On Kid City day, March 24th, the whole gym is converted into a mini town and the student take turns working, as well as shopping (with fake money), and practicing great speaking skills!

ELEMENTARY

AUTHENTIC LEARNING PROJECTS

4

Elementary

3RD QUARTER Highlights

5th Grade Learning Trip to the Okinawa World

Book Character day

Kid City

4th & 5th Grade Elementary Camp

Culture Fair

Kid City

5th grade read in

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SECONDARY UPDATE Dan Pallmann

Secondary Principal

Kyuyo High School -OCSI Science Exchange On February 20th, Kyuyo High School came to OCSI to participate in a Science exchange with our students. Many students commented on what a worthwhile activity this was!

A special thanks to Dr. Vardhini and Kyuyo for arranging this exchange.

A BUSY 3RD QUARTER

The 3rd Quarter began with a bang as Spirit Week was from January 23-27. Students enjoyed several activities throughout the week, which culminated in Homecoming Game.

Congratulations to Riki and Sho for being crowned our Homecoming King and Queen!

Our high school Camp was held at Ishikawa Youth Camp on 3/13/3. Special speaker Dr. Brian Woolery gave inspiring messages on the theme of "Pressing on with the right perspective."

There were several Learning Trips as well as Service Trips. Be sure to check out Mr. Roe's article.

We also were able to celebrate new members of National Honor Society (NHS), as well as National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).

We were blessed to have several colleges and universities come to OCSI either in person or virtually this year including:

Liberty University Ritsumeikan APU Kapiolani Community College Southeastern University Nagoya University of Commerce & Business University of Maryland Global Campus Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

SECONDARY

Opportunities to Share School Spirit

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Secondary

3RD QUARTER Highlights

OCSI SPIRIT WEEK

Senior Capstone

Service Project

2023 OCSI Homecoming King and Queen

Marine Bio Learning Trip

HS Health CPR Training

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THANK YOU PTF! The 50th annual Walk-a-thon was a great opportunity for the entire OCSI community to come together and walk for a good cause. This year, PTF raised over ¥1,700,000 to go toward outdoor lights for the campus. We are so grateful to PTF and all of the volunteers for their time and effort into making this event such a success.

Thanks.

OCSI WALKATHON

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TEACHING & LEARNING AT OCSI Brad Skarin Director of Teaching and Learning

Professional Development @ OCSI In February, teachers participated in professional development focused on data informed instruction. OCSI teachers collect data through a variety of standardized tests such as MAP, PSATs and SATs as well as formal assessments in the classroom such as with projects, papers, quizzes, and tests. Teachers also "collect data" informally through class discussions, daily homework and classwork, and even through making observations. Teachers then aim to adjust teaching based on all of this information with the intention of reaching and teaching each student to the best of their ability. It can be quite the balancing act!

THE JOY OF SERVICE Andy Roe Chaplain

Serving others brings joy and honors God, as Romans 12:11 reminds us to serve with enthusiasm and spiritual fervor. Whether it's volunteering or helping those in need, the joy of serving comes from the relationships we build and the impact we make. By serving with zeal, we can experience the joy of serving both God and those around us.

Picking Carrots The 8th graders had a unique opportunity to go and help some local framers harvest carrots. The students had such a wonderful

Cleaning Beaches The entire 7th grade, 45 students in all, took a trip to Zampa, with the purpose of cleaning the beach, coast line, and the park. It is was a big undertaking, but we divided the Zampa area into 4

time it is almost difficult to call it a service

quadrants, divided the students up, and tackled

opportunity. Never-the-less, the students

the challenge. When we arrived I heard many

were able to help harvest carrots, have an

students say, "There is no trash to clean up", but

opportunity to talk with the farmers, and

as the students went searching there was more

have a better understanding of what it

than enough trash for us to pick up. We went with

means to be a person who produces for the

10 large city trash bags, and we filled them all and

community.

more. The student went away feeling very accomplished, and had the joy of the Lord as they served.

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STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM Lydie Holmes Guidance Counselor

I am grateful to serve our students and collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, and community services to help support student development and overall success. Our aim is to help students evaluate their own interests, abilities and skills, develop personal and academic goals and create plans for their future. We look forward to equipping our students in this way to go out and impact the world for Jesus.

How can we partner to help your child achieve their dreams?

As a parent there are many ways you can partner with our counselors in the college and career planning process, we encourage you to get involved!

Sign-up for CIALFO: CIALFO supports high school students and their counselors throughout the early career exploration and college search and selection process.

With their cutting-edge technology, they help students and everyone who supports them – their counselors, parents, and university recruiters - think differently about their options in an increasingly cluttered and confusing space, so they can take the best next steps towards realizing their ideal future.

Attend a University Visit Session: As COVID restrictions begin to loosen we are excited to have more and more universities once again visit Okinawa. Please join us and your students at the school during these sessions. Don't see your university on the schedule? Send us a request and we will reach out to schedule their visit.

Please contact me for more information or support: lydieholmes@ocsi.org

STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM Daniel Claxton Testing Coordinator

More colleges are abandoning the SAT and other Standardized Tests from their applications. However, Standardized Tests still play a significant role in the college application process because it can help strengthen a student's overall application. Students with a weaker GPA or lack of extracurriculars can take a Standardized Test to have a stronger application.

Students who already excel can further prove their achievements with a high score on their Standardized Tests. We offer the ACT and SAT at OCSI.

Does my child need to take the SAT? OCSI will offer the SAT six times for Academic Year 2023-2024 (August, October, November, December, March, and May). Not only have we increased testing dates, but we also increased seats to respond to increased demand. As COVID restrictions are loosening, please keep in mind that we may see an increase in registration from out of the country as well. This may mean that registration will become competitive. Students are advised to register for the SAT well in advance. OCSI only hosts the SAT and we cannot guarantee a spot for our own students due to College Board’s non-discriminatory policy.

As many of you know, all international SATs are fully conducted on an electronic device and the testing experience is significantly shorter. All tests will be taken on College Board's Bluebook App. The test format and required materials are different from the previous paper tests, so please check College Board's website for more information. The SAT is held on the 2nd Floor of the Middle School Building. Both the ACT and SAT start tests at 8:00 AM SHARP and late comers are denied access. Please make sure students arrive by 7:45 AM latest!

What to Expect: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/digital/what-to-bring-do/what-to-expect

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CHILD SAFETY Norah Lopez Counselor

Your child’s safety is of the utmost importance. As parents, we do many things to ensure their physical safety, but we must also pay attention to their mental well-being by being sure they’re safe online. We’ve been so pleased to partner with TELL counseling services to host an informational session for OCSI families. Dr. Minamoto-Wood and her team provided a researchbased lecture on online safety for your children. Here are some of the highlights:

Online safety means protection from harm or risk that interferes with wellbeing. Children and adolescents are at risk of being exposed to inappropriate content or harassment from strangers or people they know. Signs of this may be a change in behavior or isolating themselves in their room with their device.

We are our children’s role models and must model appropriate behavior with regard to the use of technology. We can protect our children by being aware of games, apps, and sites your child uses, use technology to filter content, check our child’s devices, and have them use them in public parts of the home.

STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM

Advice for your children includes: set a timer and limit the time you spend on your device, never send photos of yourself to people you don’t know, do not post full profiles of yourself online, set any social media to private and never arrange to meet with someone you’ve met online.

Advice for parents includes: educate yourself about the digital world of your children, monitor and limit your child’s screentime, discuss these issues with your child and take time to listen to what their online life is like, and help support them to become good digital citizens, and ask for your child’s consent to post photos of them on your social media.

OCSI holds digital citizenship lessons for students throughout the school year and we appreciate your partnership in helping them be responsible in their digital life.

We’re so grateful to partner with you to keep our children safe!

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SOAR HIGH! Isaiah 40:31 Beau Blew Athletic Director

As we enter into our last quarter of OCSI Athletics for 2022/2023 we take a moment to reflect on our first seasons' post-lockdown.

It’s important to remember the resilience our athletes have shown coming back from years without full seasons and the amount of dedication and effort our staff put into ensuring that last spring they had opportunities to engage in athletic endeavors.

This fall saw a return to our Volleyball Team competing against Zion Christian Academy, Kubasaki High School, and Kadena High School in a full season of matches and meets. Our Volleyball team’s individual and team skills grew by leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Coach Lynn and Coach Graham. The Lady Eagles took to the court as a young inexperienced team at the beginning of the year and grew into a cohesive unit that will continue to improve over the coming years.

We all so witnessed our Cross-Country Team shock those same schools with their speed and endurance under the leadership of Coach Mahaffie and Coach Packet. Many of our runners went the distance this fall and found themselves with times that placed them among the fastest runners competing in the DODEA meets this fall. This includes runners in Okinawa and Mainland Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore. We hope to see our returning runners achieve greater heights and new PRs this fall.

ATHLETICS The winter sports season saw us take to the courts once again as our boys' and girls' basketball teams were joined by our cheer squad against opponents from all over the island as well as abroad. Our girls' team under the watchful eye of Coaches Mahaffie and Wickens grew together as they faced tough competition including facing some local high schools. Their growing skill saw them win the local DODEA Junior Varsity tournament and bring home our first post-lockdown trophy.

Coach Graham and Coach Packett took our squad from rough but promising beginnings to pulling stunts and performing complex routines. These athletes were essential to the student and fan support of our basketball teams both at home and playing at our opponents' courts. We look forward to seeing their skills and routines grow in the coming years.

Our boys' basketball team, under the guidance of Coaches Mahaffie and Adams, increased their team cohesion and individual skill. We saw them fight through injuries and a sometimes shifting roster to some hard-fought wins and some heartbreaking

losses.

This

season

also

saw

our

boys

participating in the DODEA Far East Division 1 tournament for the first time and coming away with some great experiences to build on next season.

That brings us to our current season, where we are getting to see our Track and Field athletes develop their skills and prowess in preparation for upcoming meets under the leadership of Coach Baker and Coach Rodriquez. Our Soccer teams have shown incredible growth as we enter into the back half of the season and we look forward to seeing their performance increase with each passing week as Coaches Mahaffie, Coach Logan, Coach Cusamano, Coach Harris and Coach Heisey refine them at practice.

BUSINESS UPDATE Sosro Karsosoemo Business Director

At OCSI, our mission is to ensure a topnotch education experience and a safe environment for our students. From January to March 2023, we focused on two key areas: recruitment and parent support.

Recruitment-wise, we aimed to secure a strong faculty and staff for the 23/24 school year. So far, our recruiting efforts have led to 126 applications, 43 interviews, 12 job offers, and ultimately, 9 new contracts signed (plus 1 pending). Although we continue the recruiting process for several remaining positions, we are encouraged by our prospect of securing the best educators for our community.

From the technology side, we continue to support students and families with using technology effectively and safely both on campus and at home. To help parents navigate the challenges of online safety, we partnered with TELL Therapists for an Online Safety Presentation on February 10th. We tackled cyberbullying and shared valuable resources, including TELL's lifeline phone and chat. Additionally, we're proud to offer OCSI's Employee Assistance Program in collaboration with TELL, providing confidential counseling and support to OCSI employees. Together, we're building a brighter future for our students and their families; thank you for your continued partnership!

OPERATIONS UPDATE Alex Sartore Operations Director

The last quarter of the 22-23 school year is here, which means summer is right around the corner! During the school year, the Operations Team keeps busy maintaining the campus facilities and grounds, facilitating the lunch program and making sure the bus program runs smoothly, amongst many other things. However, when the students go home for summer break, we shift gears and focus on big projects around the campus to help improve the school for the future.

Let There Be Light!

When the students go home for the summer at the end of this school year, we have many projects that I am looking forward to. We are renovating thirteen classrooms (fresh paint, new tile floors, weather-sealing for the windows), painting the second and third floor hallways, and replacing the stairway railings.

In addition to the building and classroom improvements, we are investing in lights to brighten up the campus at night. After the sun sets, the OCSI campus gets extremely dark, especially in the parking lot. As such, we are installing lights in the parking lot to increase visibility. I am particularly excited about this, as the genesis of this project stemmed from parent feedback. I want to thank the Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF) for their support of this project, as they have designated the funds raised through the Walkathon for this project. Let there be light!

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OCSI CONNECTIONS 2023 Spring Edition ©2023 Okinawa Christian School International All Rights Reserved www.ocsi.org | info@ocsi.org