Dear Parents,
I trust that everyone had a nice summer vacation. I enjoyed our time of rest with my family and being with many of you in summer school. The fall term has begun and with it some exciting new things are happening.
Sing, Dance, Move with the Rhythm! Thursday is music day with Jiyun Kuboe. Born and raised in Korea, Mrs. Jiyun went to Shobi Music School in Japan. She plays the piano and organ professionally at weddings. She lives in Tokyo with her husband and three children. Mrs. Jiyun enjoys hula, jogging, swimming and reading.
Stretch, Shake, Roll and Tumble! Friday is gymnastics day with Mrs. Aiko. You may have seen her in the office, but did you know that Aiko Onoda participated in gymnastics for several years, specializing in floor exercises, vault and balance beam? She graduated from Fukuoka University with a degree in English literature. She combines her English and gymnastics skills in a popular weekly class for our students. Mrs. Aiko is married to Shoji Onoda (you may see him around the preschool sometimes) and has a beautiful baby daughter. She enjoys baking bread.
More Teachers in the Classroom. We are grateful to the volunteers who helped us in the classroom last term and, building on that foundation, we now have at least two teachers in the classroom all day every day.
Michiko Thicksten was born in Kumamoto prefecture. She graduated from Japan Women's University with a Master's degree in social welfare and lives in Tokyo with her husband Todd (from California) and her two children who are New Hope Preschool students. Besides her work here, she teaches at Orange English. Mrs. Michiko enjoys reading, traveling and cycling. She is in the classroom on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Ellen Yamase, an American, was born in Japan and has spent much of her life here. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and has twenty years of teaching experience. She is the mother of two teenage daughters. Some of you know her older daughter from summer school. Mrs. Ellen enjoys baking (and eating) sweets. She teaches on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Hiroko Kano (another preschool mother), born in Tokyo, received her high school diploma from Christian Academy Japan and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in California. Mrs. Hiroko has experience teaching Japanese-American and Chinese children. She worked for Duty Free Shoppers in Los Angeles before returning to Japan. You'll see her in the classroom on Mondays and in the office at other times. In her free time she enjoys bike riding, bowling, meeting people and, recently has been making our weekly bulletin boards.
Three Rs for Older Children. Our students who will enter elementary school within a year are spending time each day learning Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (the three Rs) apart from the younger children. Reading and math readiness have always been part of our curriculum, but now we are giving "upperclassmen" a more concentrated daily dose.
Afternoon Preschool. You may know this already, but we offer an Afternoon Preschool program for our own students as well as those who attend other preschools. From April we had classes on Mondays from 3:30 to 4:40, but beginning in October we will be adding Wednesday classes too. If there is enough interest, we will even add classes on Thursdays. Please let us know if you or your friends might be interested. Of course New Hope Preschool students get a discount.
We are grateful that you chose New Hope Preschool for your child. As always, we are open to questions and input from you. Just give us a call or stop by the office any time. Here's to a wonderful autumn, full of adventure and discovery!
Warmly,
Jeremy Seminoff
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