The Crane, 27 August 2021

ITEMS: Class of 2021 results update; COVID-related health procedures; Event status changes; Student organized International Day; Primary math text order; Crane Club newsletter; Bento order; HIS gardeners; PTA News.

Principal’s Message

Dear HIS Community

Welcome back to a new school year. We were very glad to see our students back after a safe and happy summer. It has been a busy week as you can imagine. We welcomed many new families this year and the new students have all settled in very well which we were very glad to see. As we know, one of our greatest strengths is that our HIS community is very inclusive and we look after each other. This has been, once again, very clear in the way that our returning students welcomed and looked after their new friends.

Gr4/5 Listening to a few instructions from Ms Jessy.

We are looking forward to another successful year. Our Grade 12 class last year did exceptionally well in their Diploma Program exams and we are all very proud of them for their academic achievements. We are even more proud of the wonderful young adults they have become, kind and caring people, and look forward to hearing about the positive changes they make in the world. We have been visited by several of our alumni over the past couple of weeks as many are back in Hiroshima during the summer break and they truly are impressive young adults.

Grade 11 with Homeroom Teacher Takako sensei.

The TED Talk this week is about potential impacts that children can make if we only listen. I really like the content of this talk in relation to town planning however that bigger idea that children are more than capable of valuable contributions to not only our society but also our classrooms. This is something that is very important to us here at HIS as we foster student agency across the school. Enjoy the talk. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Kind regards

Damian Rentoule

Crane Video

Class of 2021 – Update on Results

Congratulations!

The results of the IB DP exams are out and we would like to share their success with you.

Our students have achieved astonishing sets of results that reveal not only their academic achievements but also their resilience and mental strength in uncertain times such as these. 

Both the students and teachers have demonstrated extraordinary ability to provide the best opportunity for success. 

We would like to also send our gratitude to the parents of this cohort for their unconditional support and guidance throughout their journey at HIS. 

All of our students are ready to step into their university life and we are more than certain that they will bring a great impact into their new communities. 

Here are some highlights of this year’s graduates: 

  • The HIS cohort 2021 averaged 35.6 which exceeds the world average of 33.02. It is also the best average our school has so far since 2009. 
  • Two of our students received 40 points out of 45. It puts them in the top 9% of global IB DP graduates. 
  • All of our students have completed all the requirements for graduation from HIS.
  • All Diploma candidates have passed their IB Diploma. 
  • In 10 out of 16 subjects our students’ average is higher than the world average.
  • Three students out of six achieved 7 (The highest possible score) in their Mathematics course. 
  • 50% of our students were accepted to two or more universities. 
  • One of our graduates has been offered a full scholarship. 

Ms Sasha Omukova (MYP/DP Mathematics Teacher & DP Coordinator)

COVID-related Health Guidelines

thank you everyone for being so careful with our COVID-related health guidelines this week.

The situation is quite different from this time last year with the newer Delta variant dominating new infections across Japan. As school-age children seem to be more likely to be affected by this particular variant of the virus, we all need to remain extra cautious. A good number of adults in the community have been vaccinated which helps and we all need to keep following our health procedures very carefully.

As stated in our health guidelines, if we experience a positive case in one of our classes, we will follow the local health authority’s advice and this would probably be closing sections of our school for short periods. Please keep this in mind as it could happen relatively suddenly. Thank you for all of your support.

Event status changes

Due to the current COVID situation, we have made some changes to the following events:

  • Primary Camp (All Gr4/5), originally scheduled for September 2021 has been postponed until April/May 2022.
  • Primary Swimming Classes (All KG-Gr5) have been postponed until the 2nd Semester.
  • Secondary Camp (All Gr6-12) originally scheduled for October 2021 has been postponed until May 2022
  • Peace Ride (Participating students Gr9-12) originally scheduled in October 2021 has been postponed until May 2022.
  • Parent Information Evening (EC-Gr12) Friday 10 September 2021 will be held virtually via Zoom. (i.e. No in-person attanedance)

Crane Club Newsletter

Hello everyone, 

We are the students from The Thousand Crane Club. During the summer, we continued our endeavours for peace by participating in multiple local events. Through those events, we were able to realize how grateful we are to have connections with the local community and the importance of working together to achieve a common goal. Here are some highlights from our activities…

Student organized International Day exploring culture & identity

Primary Math Text Order Form

Our Primary students use a set of workbooks to help them practice some foundational Math skills so that these can be applied in their units of inquiry. If you would like to have a copy of the text to follow along at home, you can order a copy below. Please complete the form by 8th September and we will send in the order then. Thanks.

Math Text Book Order (Primary)

Just as an aside, as you may have seen above, in last year’s Gr12 class, three students out of six achieved a DP score of 7 (The highest possible score) in their Mathematics course so this is an amazing achievement. Two of these students had been at HIS since Early Childhood (EC class 3/4-year-olds). Even though our PYP math’s conceptual focus can look a bit different to traditional math programs, it is preparation for these very demanding Diploma Program courses our students will encounter one day. It works!

Bento Order Form

Bento Order Part 1 will commence from September 6. (Sep. 6 ~ Nov.30)

Please submit this bento form by August 30.

第一期の弁当サービスは9月6日から始まります。(

9月6日~11月30日)ご希望の方は、8月30日までにこのオーダーフォームよりお申込みください。

Community Survey from Hiroshima City

We have received a survey from Hiroshima city and they would like as many international residents of Hiroshima as possible to respond. We like to support the Hiroshima City office so if you are an international resident and you have five minutes, it would be great if you could fill out this survey. It is about ways they can support the international residents in Hiroshima so it is for a good cause. I did it yesterday and it did not take very long. Thanks 

Thank you to the PTA

The new soccer balls from the PTA

Dear PTA

I would like to thank you all for spending PTA funds for HIS sports equipment.

It is essential for students to have the appropriate equipment to learn and improve their physical skills and techniques.

Now PYP students can play with new soccer balls and basketballs outside happily and enthusiastically during recess.

In PE classes, PYP students will be able to practice jumping over a vault with their appropriate height and the secondary students will be able to practice playing catch and other sports using baseball gloves. 

Thank you for your continuing support for physical activities at HIS. 
Warmest regards,

Mika Kiriake (Health & Physical Education Teacher, Athletic Director)

Our environmentally-friendly gardeners are back

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Tora and Bu who are cleaning up our gardens for us once again. They are very gentle and also extremely hard working, thanks to an impressive appetite. They will be working hard at HIS for the next month leaving this heavily sloped section of the school once again neat and tidy.

PTA News