Extracurricular Activities Welcome back to school! This booklet is intended to give students and parents information regarding the extracurricular offerings at Seisen this academic year and help with planning your schedule so that choices are well informed and suitable for each student. Please note that dates may be subject to change. Keeping in line with Seisen’s mission, extracurricular offerings cover Academics, Athletics, Fine Arts, and Service allowing students breadth of choice and many opportunities to develop diverse skills. Students are encouraged to find experiences in which they are truly interested and want to develop or further their skills. Seisen’s activities are open to all students; however, some may require a certain ability that students must demonstrate through auditions and tryouts. Criteria are set out by the supervising teachers who can also provide advice to students who may not qualify but want to work towards joining those clubs in subsequent years. We emphasize that keeping a balance with other responsibilities is important. Students should not be burdened by their extracurricular choices. Please see the changes being made to extracurricular activities this year on the following pages. We hope these changes will help you and your daughters make suitable decisions and also ensure that students show growth and success across everything that they are doing at Seisen. Good luck with all your choices! Things to remember before you sign up for any activities: ● ● ● ● ●
participation in an extracurricular activity at least once over your grade 9-12 years is required for graduation choose things that interest you you have homework and school assignments to complete; you also need time to rest – balance is important. CAS does not require overloading on activities – choose things that can be double counted in several of the three strands. some students find joining the DofE a useful way to manage their activity load and gain enough variety of experiences to satisfy university and scholarship requirements.
CHANGES TO EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR: ● ●
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To help students make good choices and avoid burnout during the year, students should not be involved in more than three activities at Seisen at any one time. Monitoring student involvement in extracurricular activities will continue and parents will be informed of any concerns the school has. ○ Permission forms will be sent home to ensure parents are fully informed of the activities their daughters are enrolled in. ○ Bimonthly meetings are held with the HS principals, activity supervisors, and the Student Projects Coordinator to discuss and find assistance for students who are overextended in their choices. Parents are informed if there is any concern. ○ With each quarterly reporting period students who are receiving a grade of C or below in any subject will be monitored and involvement in extracurriculars will be evaluated. ○ Students who are failing any courses may be withdrawn from all extracurriculars to a point where it will not interfere with CAS. ○ The school nurse or counselor may withdraw a student from an extracurricular if there is a health concern. Students should pay close attention to scheduling conflicts between family events, other activities, or classes. Some excursions and practices are required for students to succeed in an activity, and students may let down their classmates if they are not fully committed. It is not possible to rearrange activity schedules to accommodate students who have conflicts. We highly encourage students to choose activities they know they can work into their schedules. Students whose attendance is not sufficient in an activity, may be asked to withdraw and they may risk having it removed from their CAS portfolios. The Duke of Edinburgh Award isn’t a separate activity but rather an Award programme that students can join and use their current activities to fulfill its requirements. At the end of the Award, they receive a certificate validating their involvement in their chosen activities.
Activities Codes: (Y) - Year long (F) - Fall Season (Aug - Nov) (W) - Winter (Nov - Mar) (S) - Spring (Mar - Jun) (D) - Drop in (due to the infrequent nature of the meetings, these activities will not count towards the extra-curricular loads of students).
(Y) DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL AWARD CAS Strands: C,A,S Supervisor: Mr. Skulmoski
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: 10 minutes every two weeks with your Award Leader Location: TBD: see Award Leader for info Excursions: Each level of the Award has a practice journey to learn the skills needed for the qualifying journey at a later date. Bronze Practice Journey: 14-15 October, 2017 Bronze Qualifying Journey: 17-18 March, 2018 Silver Practice Journey: 4-5 November, 2017 Silver Qualifying Journey: 16-18 March, 2018 Crunch Time: Meetings will increase a month before the journeys. The Award is widely recognized around the world and has three levels (bronze, silver, and gold). Students choose the activities they would like to complete in the service, physical and skill categories at each level and will go on a camping trip as well. Prereqs: A sense of adventure and challenge. Registration fees.
* The DofE Award is a framework and does not count towards the extra-curricular activities limit; however, the activities chosen to complete it that occur at Seisen, will.
STUDENT RUN CLUBS AND INITIATIVES C AS Strands: depends on club Supervisor: Mr. Skulmoski
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: At least one time each week Location: Agreed on with the Student Projects Coordinator and Supervisor Excursions: Agreed on with the Student Projects Coordinator and Supervisor Crunch Time: All activities should be pre-approved one month before they run. Students are highly encouraged to develop their own clubs and initiatives that are not currently offered through Seisen’s current offerings. A formal application must be made to the Student Projects Coordinator and a faculty supervisor must be willing to work with you. Students will be asked each year to submit their goals to the Student Projects Coordinator. Prereqs: Application form and supervisor needed. Good organization skills, team work, and commitment will help you be successful with your club. All student clubs need to follow Seisen’s policies.
ACADEMIC CLUBS (F) VARSITY BRAIN BOWL CAS Strand: C Supervisor: Mr. Stern
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W & F 4:00-5:00 (Aug - Oct) Location: Rm. 408 Excursions: Kanto Plains Tournament: Oct. 12 Crunch Time: Extra practices needed Oct 1 - 12 Brain Bowl is the ultimate trivia contest in the Kanto Plains. Teams of four try to rapidly answer a range of academic and pop culture questions. The team with the most points wins. Weekly practices will help increase general knowledge and speed for competitions. Prereqs: Open to all students
(W) DEBATE CAS Strand: C Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W & TH 4.00-5:00 (Nov - Feb) Location: Rm. 455 Excursions: Four Practice debates held at St Mary’s W 5pm-7.30pm during season JV Tourney February at Seisen. Varsity Competition February at ASIJ Crunch Time: Mid November – Mid February Being able to come up with a well-constructed and justified argument is a skill everyone should learn. The Kanto Plains Debate season offers the chance to learn how to debate and participate in competitions with other international schools. The season is short but intense with daily practices close to competitions. Prereqs: Varsity teams announced prior to winter break, previous debating experience desired. Prior debating experience not required for JV.
(Y) FIREBIRD SCIENCE TEAM CAS Strand: C Supervisor: Mr. Nitu & Mr. Lee
Open to Students in Grades: 9-11
Meets: One day each week – TBD (all year) Location: Labs 2 & 3 Excursions: Japanese Engineering and Science Challenge (JESC)/Conrad Spirit of Innovation Summit (if we qualify)/JAXA Excursion (Saturday-all day in October) Local projects: Firebird Weather station second year - creating a personalised app to start forecasting weather from Seisen campus/Optimization of the renewable energy system (solar panel system) from Seisen campus to increase collected energy Crunch Time: Mid-September, mid-February and mid to late April (for CONRAD team) August and September for JESC team The science team will participate representing Seisen in several international contests and will run several local projects. Prereqs: Passionate and motivated about science and related fields. Strong communication and collaborative teamwork is required. The team has 12 places, so interviews will be hold for all candidates.
(Y) MODEL UNITED NATIONS CAS Strand: C
Supervisor: Ms Maekawa
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: F 7:20 - 8:00am (all year) Location: Drama Room Excursions: Shanghai Concordia International School (End of January 2018 / 4 days); KIST MUN (November 2017 / 1 day); Kanto MUN (April 2017 / 1 day); Kobe Marist Brothers International School (End of February / 3 days). Crunch Time: N/A Model United Nations members learn to practice skills in diplomacy, discussion, and debate on issues that matter to our world, as well as to write UN draft resolutions. Members role play as a country’s delegate to the United Nations and simulate UN committees as they represent their country. Members collectively attempt to find truly viable solutions, just like the United Nations. Students learn and practice at school, and apply their skills at conferences. Prereqs: Open to all students. For Shanghai Concordia International School MUN and Marist Brothers MUN, delegates must have 1 year of MUN experience and attend weekly meetings until the conference. KIST and Kanto are opened to every member.
(F) SPEECH CAS Strand: C Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: Auditions: early September, Practice times vary (Sept – Nov) Location: TBD Excursions: Speech Competition - November 19 - St. Maur Crunch Time: N/A Students develop individual and group speeches to be performed during a Kanto Plain competition in November.
Prereqs: An interest in growing as a public speaker and performer.
FINE ARTS Art (Y) POTTERY CAS Strand: C Supervisor: Ms Lamy-Beaupre
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: W 3:25-4:20 (all year) Location: Pottery Room Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: N/A Students will develop skills throwing pottery on the wheel Prereqs: Limited space. Patient and responsible students only as students have to clean up their working station after each session. No previous experience is required.
Bands
(Y) HS LARGE ENSEMBLE / BAND C AS Strand: C Supervisor: Mr. Doherty
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: TBD Location: Music Room Excursions: Concerts: KPASSP Festival; Christmas concert; Spring concert in April Crunch Time: pre-performance week Play Pop, Movie, Marches, Classical … music with 30 other students
Prereqs: Commitment to excellence in playing one’s music part
Choirs (Y) HS Choir CAS Strand: C Supervisor: Ms Handel-Johnson
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: TBD Location: Music Room Excursions: Concerts: KPASSP Festival; Christmas concert; Spring concert in April Crunch Time: Leading up to performances
Prereqs:
(Y) INTERNATIONAL SHOW CHOIR* CAS Strand: C
Supervisor: Paul Mitchell
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: SMIS Location: Excursions: Crunch Time:
Prereqs: * This activity is run by St. Mary’s, but it counts towards the total number of extracurricular activities students can do at Seisen. It will follow the St. Mary’s calendar, so students should check to see if there are any conflicts before signing up.
Theatre (F) FALL PLAY - ACTING CAS Strand: C
Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: Location: Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: Performing a full scale play in conjunction with SMIS. Flex your acting and performance skills through focusing on line delivery, dramatic performance, and physical movements. Prereqs: * Fall play is not tentatively scheduled to run this year.
(F) FALL PLAY - TECH CREW CAS Strand: C
Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: Location: Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: Tech crew are required to create props, sets, costumes etc as well as design and implement lighting, sound, and multimedia. Prereqs: Be interested in learning how things in a theatre work and be willing to move sets and props on and off stage!
* Fall play is not tentatively scheduled to run this year.
() ONE ACT PLAY - ACTING CAS Strand: C Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: Location: Excursions: Crunch Time: Much like the Fall Play, the One Act Play is shorter and performed purely with Seisen students. Flex your acting and performance skills through focusing on line delivery, dramatic performance, and physical movements. Prereqs: * One Act Play is not tentatively scheduled to run this year.
() ONE ACT PLAY - TECH CREW CAS Strand: C Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: Location: Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: Tech crew are required to create props, sets, costumes etc as well as design and implement lighting, sound, and multimedia. Prereqs: Be interested in learning how things in a theatre work and be willing to move sets and props on and off stage!
* One Act Play is not tentatively scheduled to run this year.
(S) INTER-SCHOOL MUSICAL* CAS Strand: C Supervisor: Mr. Mitchell
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: TBD Location: TBD Excursions: Crunch Time:
Prereqs: * This activity is run by the Kanto Plains, but it counts towards the total number of extracurricular activities students can do at Seisen. It will follow its own calendar, so students should check to see if there are any conflicts before signing up.
SERVICE CLUBS (D) ADVENTURERS CAS Strand: S Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: 2nd Su of each month, 9:00-10:00am Location: 2nd Su of each month: Franciscan Chapel Centre, Roppongi 2nd S of alternating months: Missionary Brothers of Charity, Minamisenju Excursions: Each outing Crunch Time: N/A Join the Adventurers and help feed the homeless in Tokyo. We work with two churches. Signups happen each month to help prepare meals for those in need. Prereqs: Compassion and an open mind.
(Y) HOUSE CAPTAINS CAS Strands: C & S Supervisors: Ms Canham, Ms Jury, & Ms Brittany
Open to Students in Grades: 10-12
Meets: Varies ~1 time per cycle (all year) Location: Varies: see supervisors for info Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: All School House Day (Oct), week leading up to House Events Help plan four house events for the year, keep House information up to date to students, and contribute ideas for House lunches. Prereqs: Good attitude and enthusiasm about the House System!
(Y) SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE CAS Strands: C & S Supervisor: TBD
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: TBA (all year): see supervisor of info Location: Varies: see supervisor for info Excursions: Christmas, Talent Show (Feb), and St. Raphaela Day (May) Crunch Time: prior to major events Social Justice reps assist with school-wide social justice activities, mobilizing efforts at the grade or homeroom level. Prereqs: None
(Y) STUDENT COUNCIL (STUCO) C AS Strands: C & S Supervisor: Mr. Mitchell
Open to Students in Grades: 7-12
Meets: W 7:30-8:15am (all year) Location: Drama Room Excursions: StuCo meet-ups with Kanto Plains schools. Crunch Time: N/A Plan events and discuss student-related initiatives within Seisen. Prereqs: Executives are elected in the spring for the following year, but at the start of each school year, anyone can run for class rep, and will need to be voted in to join StuCo. No prior StuCo experience is necessary.
(Y) TASSEL CAS Strands: C & S Supervisor: Mr. Stern
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: 1 hour a week Location: Seisen rooms assigned at later date, usually Rooms 402, 404 and 406; no teaching at Seisen after 5:00 PM; see supervisor Excursions: None Crunch Time: None TASSEL uses VSee to connect with local students in Cambodia. Seisen students get to teach English to classes of Cambodian children. We also do some fundraising to help the community. Prereqs: Students need to apply but only a limited number can be accepted due to space. Commitment is very important.
(Y) WOMEN’S EDUCATION SUPPORT COMMITTEE (WESC) CAS Strands: C & S Supervisor: Ms Ross
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: 1 hour a week Location: TBD Excursions: ASIJ Women’s Conference Crunch Time: N/A Raising awareness and funds for charities in relation to women’s education around the world. Prereqs: You must be willing to attend meetings, listen to and share ideas and participate in
awareness and fundraising activities.
Service Trips (S) VIETNAM SERVICE TRIP CAS Strands: C & S Supervisor: Mr. Skulmoski
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: One hour each week Location: See supervisor Excursions: Love School in Vietnam Crunch Time: Fundraising and trip preparations increase as we approach the trip. The Love School and Seisen have been deepening their ties for the past three years. Students who join the trip to Vietnam will help raise awareness of the Love School’s needs throughout the year and work on projects to help address them. Prereqs: Students need to have a sense of adventure and hard work as well as an open mind. Service is about building meaningful lifelong connections to the communities we work with and students need to be mindful of equal partnerships.
Human Rights (D) Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) C AS Strand: S Supervisor: Miss Delbridge Meets: Location: See supervisor
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Excursions: Crunch Time:
Prereqs:
SPORTS
(Y) GIRLS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (GAA) C AS Strands: C & S Supervisor: Ms Jury
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: One hour each week Location: TBD: see supervisor for info Excursions: N/A Crunch Time: Major events including Pep Rallies (3x per year), Festival of Nations (Oct), Cafe Noel (Nov), Bingo (March/April), Sports Banquet (May) GAA reps assist with school-wide GAA activities such as home game concessions, helping at Festival of Nations, helping at Bingo, Cafe Noel, organizing Pep Rallies, and passing
information along to your homeroom class. Prereqs: None
(W) HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL C AS Strand: A Supervisor: Ms Jury & Ms Brittany
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S after school (winter) Location: Gym Excursions: Games 2x a week, end of season JV tournament on a Saturday in Tokyo, Varsity tournament @ ASIJ mid-season, 3-day Chiang Mai Invitational in Thailand Crunch Time: 2nd week in November until mid-February Students develop their basketball skills and represent Seisen in the Kanto League. Prereqs: It is best if you have played Middle School basketball and have basic skills, but anyone can try out. We have a select number of spots (24) and usually have to make cuts. A willingness to work hard and try your best is a must!
(F, Y) HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY C AS Strand: A Supervisor: Mr. Granger & Ms Allen
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S mornings (fall) Location: Meet by bus stop and go for a run Excursions: Cross-country race every Saturday from mid-September until end of October top runners attend Asia Pacific Invitational for a 2-day race in Guam mid-October.
Crunch Time: Start of school until end of October Students develop their endurance skills and represent Seisen in the Kanto League. Prereqs: It is best if you have some running experience, but anyone can come out. A willingness to work hard and try your best is a must!
(S) HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER CAS Strand: A Supervisor: Mr. Nitu
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S mornings (spring) Location: Futsal Field and Kinuta Excursions: Games 1-2x a week, end of season jamboree for both JV and Varsity, Varsity team attends a Tournament Crunch Time: Mid-February through end of April Students develop their endurance skills and represent Seisen in the Kanto League. Prereqs: It is best if you have played Middle School futsal and have basic skills, but anyone can try out. We have a large number of spots (40) and if necessary will make cuts. A willingness to work hard and try your best is a must!
(F) HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS CAS Strand: A Supervisor: Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Stern, Ms. Masuyama
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S after school (fall) AM practices for JV, PM practices for Varsity Location: Tennis Courts Excursions: Fixtures 1x a week mostly, end of season JV tournament in Tokyo, Varsity Kanto Finals 1-day tournament, Varsity team attends 4-day Far East.
Crunch Time: Start of school until 1st week in November Students develop their tennis skills and represent Seisen in the Kanto League. Prereqs: It is best if you have basic skills, but anyone can try out. We have a select number of spots (18) and usually have to make cuts. A willingness to work hard and try your best is a must!
(S) TRACK AND FIELD CAS Strand: A Supervisor: TBA
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S (spring) Location: Futsal Field; Along the canal, Kinuta Park Excursions: Fixtures 1x a week mostly, end of season, Far East qualifiers attend 2-day Far East Crunch Time: Most Saturdays from spring break to the end of the year Participants compete in one or more of the following: middle distance running, short distance running, hurdles, long jump, high jump, discus, and shot put Prereqs: Good attitude and perseverance!
(F) HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL CAS Strand: A Supervisor: Ms. Jury & Ms. Brittany
Open to Students in Grades: 9-12
Meets: M, T, W, TH, F, S after school (fall) Location: Gym Excursions: Games 2x a week, end of season JV tournament on a Saturday in Tokyo, Varsity tournament @ ASIJ mid-season, Varsity team attends 4-day Far East tournament. Crunch Time: Start of school until 1st week in November Students develop their volleyball skills and represent Seisen in the Kanto League.
Prereqs: It is best if you have played Middle School volleyball and have basic skills, but anyone can try out. We have a select number of spots (24) and usually have to make cuts. A willingness to work hard and try your best is a must!