New Link Added: Poetry 4 Kids

We are currently reading poetry and choosing poems to present at the speech recitation. Several children asked to know the website from which I chose several poems to read. I’ve added the link in Students–>Literacy (English)–>Poetry4Kids. Please have a look and read some poems with your kids!

Poetry4Kids

New Link Added: Online Children’s Dictionary (www.wordcentral.com)

I’ve added a new link in the parent’s section. I’ve added another online dictionary to use. The new link features an online dictionary for kids produced by Merriam-Webster. I hope you will find it useful for helping your child with spelling bee words, but also for studying spelling words in general. All the spelling words for the rest of the year are also already uploaded on Spelling City as well. Spelling City is a useful and fun way to practice the spelling words at home.

Children’s Online Dictionary (Merriam-Webster)

Spelling City

Starfall

I have added a new section and link in the English/Literacy section. I have made a Phonics section. Starfall is a great website for beginning readers and for review for Phonics. It has many tunes as well, so it is great for kids who enjoy music too.

This week’s newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I’m sorry to inform you that the printer in the office is not working as it should, so I was not able to print out the newsletter for this week, or print a letter to send home regarding the newsletter. I will print one out on Monday and send it out with your child. I’m sorry for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Kazuhiro Kitaoka

New link added: Videos

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I’ve added another link on the website called The Kid Should See This under the Video tab, which is in the Students section of the website.

I love the fine arts, especially art and music. I also love nature and technology. I love all of these things because they show me that God is real. Human creativity shows me God’s amazing design of the human body, and nature blows my mind at how great an artist God is. This is a website made by a mother who collects cool videos for kids. Not all the videos portray a Christian perspective, so please watch it with  your kids and explain what the people in the video may or may not believe in. I think it is a good way to share with your children what your perspective is too. If not, these videos are just fun to watch. Maybe you’ll enjoy them too!

Sincerely,

Kazuhiro Kitaoka

Online Bibles

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Recently, I’ve been spending more time reading the Bible, and am recognizing the power of God’s word, and I wanted to share it with you and to provide easier access to it. I also understand that many of you are not Christians, and may not be familiar with the Bible. I hope that this will help you understand what we teach in Bible class at OCSI. My prayer is that you will also feel the power of God’s word.

I have added a new page called Online Bibles to our website. I have included a link to Bible Gateway, which allows users to search through a variety of different translations of the Bible. If you would like to read the same translation that your child, it is the New International Redear’s Version. I’ve also included a link, which includes the Japanese Living Bible (リビングバイブル） translation in PDF format. Each PDF file includes one book of the Bible. I hope these links will help you.

Sincerely,

Kazuhiro Kitaoka

Changes to the website / new links for parents added

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I have decided to separate links for students and links for parents. I would like to develop the website more for parents this year, not just the students. I also think that this would help the website to be less confusing.

I have added two new links for parents. First is an online dictionary for kids (Online Children’s Dictionary). This would be useful to use for helping your kids study their spelling words or their Bible verse, if they include words they do not know.

I also included a website that includes general questions parents may have about 2nd grade in a typical American school setting (Q&A about 2nd grade). OCSI generally follows an American curriculum, but because we are a Christian school, and in Japan, some of the information may not be relevant to our school, but I believe that it is a good resource to get a brief overview of what 2nd grade is like.

I hope this helps. If you have any suggestions or requests regarding the website, please let me know. I would be more than willing to make changes/additions on the website if it will better suit your needs.

Sincerely,

Kazuhiro Kitaoka

Friendship Friday T-shirts / Red shirts for this Friday

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I just wanted to remind you that this Friday, September 2, 2011, is the last day to turn in Friendship Friday T-shirt orders and money. There will also be an all school photo this Friday. Unfortunately, we do not have our Friendship Friday T-shirts yet, so we will be unable to wear matching shirts. However, to promote class unity, I would like your child to wear a red t-shirt this Friday since red will be our class color this year. Please email me if you have any questions at kazuhirokitaoka@ocsi.org

Sincerely,

 

Kazuhiro Kitaoka

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

My name is Kazuhiro Kitaoka. I am your child’s 2nd grade teacher this year. I would like to give you a brief background of who I am.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in Hong Kong, attending International Christian School for 13 years.  Through the loving support of the teachers at the school, I became a Christian and became interested in the teaching profession, especially working with children with multicultural backgrounds like myself. After my secondary studies, I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where I pursued a teaching license in Elementary and Special Education.

This is my second year as a teacher in Okinawa Christian School International (OCSI). Last year, I was also the 2nd grade teacher. I also helped coach the High School Boy’s Basketball and Soccer team last year.

I believe that God has called me to Japan, specifically Okinawa, to use my passions for His work. I am extremely excited to be working with you and your child. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at kazuhirokitaoka@ocsi.org.  I will try my best to reply emails as soon as possible. Our class website will be accessible from the school website, or you can directly access it at http://ocsikitaoka.wordpress.com. I look forward to meeting you soon!

Sincerely,

Kazuhiro Kitaoka