Skywriter- August 2020

August

What’s Inside...

Public Affairs Officer Howard Sam Samuelson Deputy Public Affairs Officer Greg Mitchell

DODEA Back To School Safety Plan Against Covid-19

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Editor Greg Mitchell Skywriter Staff MC3 (SW) Jacob Smith MC3 Olivier Clement MCSA Rafael Avelar Public Affairs Staff Ikumi Tanaka Maika Fujisaki

Thrift Savings Plan Expands L Funds Page 10

Facebook.com/naf.atsugi

Youtube.com/NAFAtsugi @NAFAtsugiJP www.issuu.com/nafatsugi

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On The

Cover

Front: Photo by MC3 Jacob Smith

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showing a stack of books in preparation for the new school season.

Back: Graphic from MyNavyHR enforcing use of face mask.

CMDCM CORNER With Command Master Chief Daniel Irwin

Shipmates, Greetings. Time sure is flying by rather quickly as I cannot believe we are more than half way through the year. Being that it is August, this means the start of a new school year is right around the corner. With COVID-19 still actively around us, there are a couple options for you to choose from for this upcoming school year. This is a difficult decision for all of us to make in these uncertain times. From the briefs we have been given, I can say that DoDEA is going above and beyond to make each school safe and healthy. Whichever choice you make for your children, I am sure this will be another exciting year. We need to stay flexible, as we never know what our posture may look like from day to day.

Now that the rainy season is behind us, the weather is getting extremely hot and all of us have to be careful while we are outside. Please drink plenty of water and be mindful if you are participating in any strenuous outdoor activities. But with the warm weather comes a great opportunity to get out and experience what Japan has to offer.

Please enjoy the beauty and sights, but do remember to keep your face coverings on, stay away from crowded areas, wash your hands frequently and maintain your social distancing as much as possible.

The coronavirus is still out there. That’s it for this month.

Thank you for all you do. Remember, if you have any questions...

ASK THE CHIEF!

August 02, 1943

August 21, 1965

(PT 109), commanded by Lt. j.g. John F. Kennedy, is rammed by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri, which cuts through the vessel at Blackett Strait near Kolombangara Island. Abandoning ship, Kennedy leads his men to swim to an island some miles away. With the aid of a Coastwatcher and local residents, they return to Rendova PT base on Aug. 8.

Gemini V is launched. Astronauts are Gordon Cooper, Jr., USAF, (Command Pilot) and Lt. Cmdr.

Charles Conrad Jr., USN, (Pilot). They complete 120 orbits in almost eight days at an altitude of 349.8 km. Recovery is by helicopter from USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39).

August 12, 1898

August 30, 1945

USS Mohican and USS Philadelphia (C 4) crew members take part in official ceremonies marking the assumption of sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands by the United States.

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Rear Adm. Robert B. Carney and Rear Adm. Oscar C. Badger accept the surrender of Yokosuka Naval Base. The Headquarters of Commander, Third Fleet is then established there. Also on this date, USS an Juan (CL 54) evacuates Allied POWs from Japan.

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U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Smith

Naval Air Facility Atsugi Girl Scout branch donates Girl Scout Cookies to Ayase City of Social Welfare Council and One Piece School for Challenged Children as part of a community relations outreach.

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Despite COVID-19, 2020 DODEA School system to exercise ‘safety first’ plan du Story by NAF Atsugi Public Affairs

ATSUGI, Japan - Parents of prospective students from elementary to high school can expect to see the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Pacific East District go all in on the complete safety of their children for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, which officially begins Aug. 24.

All middle and high school students who attend school at Camp Zama will begin the school year using remote learning with their assigned classroom teachers within their school due to the base’s current status of Health Protection Condition “Charlie”, which indicates “sustained community transmission” of the virus.

All conditions are subject to change at any given moment.

Outside of studying remotely, students were also given the option to study by way of the virtual learning program, which parents had until July 30th to enroll their children in. With this program, children would be taught virtually by selected teachers from DoDEA schools throughout the DoDEA Pacific region.

Photo provided by DoDEA Onboard NAF Atsugi, due to Bravo status, Shirley Lanham Elementary will open its doors as a “brick and mortar” program for children to physically attend school.

With the presence of students means that safety measures have been put in place to ensure that the school does its best to provide a safe environment for children to receive their education.

Social distancing and regular handwashing are precautions that will be emphasized to prevent virus spread. With regards to smaller children, particularly in kindergarten through third grade – plastic barriers around desks will be provided. Older students will not be provided such mechanisms due to them having more self-control, and social distancing will be encouraged.

All students will be required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible. Children do not have to wear masks during recess but will wash their hands before recess and after and be told to avoid touching each other.

BACK TO

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Year in full steam ahead mode School uring battle against coronavirus DoDEA is providing two cloth masks to each student, to include all staff members.

Students will be required to bring their own lunch. If parents choose to buy lunch for their children, they must enroll in the Free and Reduced (FARM) Lunch Program. Plastic barriers will be also installed in cafeterias, and custodians will clean the cafeterias after each group of students rotates through. These barriers will also be present in sections of the school such as the library and media center areas.

Dismissal schedules will be adjusted with the intent of minimizing the amount of traffic throughout the hallways, which again will require masks. Common areas that have items which may be considered hard to clean will be removed.

Social distancing will also be applicable to students who will ride buses, to include distancing at bus stops.

Masks will be worn on the bus and once students are ready to depart, they must disembark while exercising social distancing. Routine cleaning and disinfecting will be performed as well.

Most sports activities are canceled, but the school is exploring offering low-contact sports such as cross country, tennis, cheer and golf. Other activities, such as dance or outdoor volleyball, may be offered as afterschool clubs. Further details will be provided before the start of the school year.

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Once HPCON Charlie is lifted at Camp Zama, the students will effectively return to school - while embracing predominately most of the measures implemented by Shirley Lanham.

All parents can stay abreast of potential changes that will be included on the command’s official social media Facebook page, as well as the DODEA website: https://www.dodea.edu/returntoschool.cfm.

Included on the website are items of interest such as; DoDEA guidelines for reopening athletics, extracurricular and physical activities and music, hand sanitizer safe use and storage, and prescreening protocol and acknowledgment for both adults and students, amongst other areas of concern.

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The Thrift Savings Plan Expands Offerings of Lifecycle Fund

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any of our financial goals in life may involve borrowing; purchasing a home or vehicle, paying for higher education expenses, perhaps starting a business. Retirement on the other hand stands alone – none of us will receive a loan to retire.

approach to retirement planning is through the use of the Lifecycle or (L) Funds.

Lifecycle Funds, (often referred to as target date funds in private 401(k) plans), offer an investment model based on time left until retirement. Investors determine the year when they anticipate retiring or beginning to withdraw funds from their TSP and invest in the according fund. Over time, as the target date nears, investment allocation is automatically rebalanced on a quarterly basis. Allocations start out in a growth-oriented model, and become gradually more conservative as the date of retirement nears.

In July 2020 an expanded offering of Lifecycle Funds was released for TSP investors. Expanding the previous lineup of five funds to a total of ten, the L funds now provide an extended range of investment models. From current retirees, to those planning to retire in 2065, there now is an L Fund designed with your time horizon in mind.

If you are interested in a personalized retirement checkup to make sure you are on track, please, contact Atsugi Personal Finance Manager Nikola March for an appointment at 264-4173.

With Social Security and traditional pensions playing a decreased role in income replacement, and increased longevity extending the duration of retirement, now more than ever one must take individual responsibility when accumulating one’s nest egg.

The investment allocation of retirement accounts can play just as large a role in reaching our retirement goals as making sufficient contributions in the first place. Due to the effect of compound interest, by the time we retire, interest earned often makes up a larger portion of total account value than our original deposits. Conversely, if an account is not appropriately invested, the value of our savings is eroded over time by inflation.

So how can we be confident our investment allocation is in line with our risk tolerance and retirement time horizon? One way the Thrift Savings Plan offers participants a straightforward

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Japan to make speed limit change to sections of some expressways

Story by NAF Atsugi Public Affairs

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Rafael Avelar

ATSUGI, Japan - The National Police Agency will amend the expressway speed limit rule, raising from the current 100 kilometers per hour to 120 kilometers per hour on certain sections.

Japan’s first expressway opened in 1963, and the current speed limit has been in place since.

New standards in question will be applied to sections of expressways that are designed to be safe even when used at 120 kph and have low accident rates. Large vehicles like trucks will be excluded from the change and will continue to be required to drive at below 80 kph.

The change comes after trials conducted since 2017 found that the number of accidents did not change greatly when the higher speed limit is applied.

With the modification, service members, Department of Defense (DOD) civilians, contractors and their families will be expected to abide by the change as well.

“I think that with the increase of speed limits on these major highways, there should be an extra

incentive for us as ambassadors to our country to drive with an even more sense of awareness of our surroundings,” said Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi Security Officer, Lt.j.g. Trucquynh Hua. “I have personally witnessed some excessive driving here on the highways but no matter where you drive, be it the United States or in Japan, it is extremely important to maintain a sense of safety while driving. Safe driving will reduce your chances of being in an accident.”

The speed limit change will potentially apply to the Tohoku expressway between the HanamakiMinami interchange and the Morioka-Minami interchange, the Joban expressway between the Kashiwa interchange and the Mito interchange.

Also included are the Tohoku expressway between the Urawa interchange and the Sano Smart interchange, the Higashi-Kanto expressway between the Chiba-Kita interchange and the Narita junction, and the Shin-Tomei expressway between the Gotenba junction and the Hamamatsu-Inasa junction.

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CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

School break this year has been a different experience for students, parents and teachers. One of the biggest ways to ensure students maintain their academic interest during uncertain times is how positive behaviors are modeled around them. Although this can be hard at times, it is essential for parents and teachers to take time to reevaluate personal current emotions and experiences to avoid compassion fatigue or anxiety. Care givers, as well as educators, are also navigating the sudden routine changes and therefore need to be intentional about taking care of their emotional health. The ones in your care will be thankful you are able to be present for them with supportive feedback to develop their resiliency skills by seeking to coach them to reach their potential.

These are some resources you can use to manage compassion fatigue and anxiety:

A. U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs (2020). Five Things You Didn’t

Know About Compassion Fatigue. doi:https://navymedicine.navylive.dodlive.mil/archives/10435

B. Military OneSource counseling services are available 24 hours a day. 800-342-9647 or 703-2537599 (OCONUS)

C. Dealing with stress, anxiety, or seeking to navigate conflict?

Email us at M-AT-NAF-CHAPEL@OCONUS.NAVY.MIL or contact us by phone 080-5026-6358/ Facebook Page NAF Atsugi Chaplains

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Branch Health Clinic Atsugi For Appointments: 264-3311 or 0467-63-3311

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