The new school year has officially started! After a week of rain, the cherry blossoms have bloomed, the temperatures have risen, and the sky has cleared for our students―both old and new―ushering them into their next levels and challenges. We’re so proud of everything our students accomplished last year and excited for what is to come!

*Achievement Unlocked!*

Last week we ended our school year with a three-day Spring School and Princeland event! We had seven students attend and everyone agrees that it was so much fun!

On the first day we spent the morning learning some verb conjugation and ended the day doing relays to gather ingredients and then making burgers and pancakes. The school smelled so delicious!

Then, on day two we learned how to talk about our likes and read about a go-kart race. We finished the day by playing mini games to repair a spaceship and then decorated pots for planting our own flowers to take home!

On our last day we tried our hands at engineering! Our students were challenged to build a tent with only tarps, ropes, tape and chairs. It had to be rain proof too! They did an amazing job at troubleshooting the weight of the tarp―finding new ways to solve the issue as well as fixing holes to keep out water. We even tried our hand at using a balloon shooter to see if we could survive hunting for food on a desert island. And while perhaps our aim wasn’t good enough to get fish in the real world, our students were able to take their shooters home to keep practicing. Even so, we’re hoping no one gets trapped on any desert islands in real life. How would we eat yummy burgers on a desert island?!

*A Round of Applause!*

The start of the new school year brings with it many changes and new routines for our students. Quite a few of our students have become upper classmen in their schools, and that means they’ve also advanced in their clubs! On Fridays alone we have three students who are now important mentors for freshmen this year in their respective school clubs―ranging from softball, tennis and kendo. This year they will use their skills to teach a new class of students how to succeed! A big congratulations to our students for their firm dedication to their clubs and all the hard work they’ve put into training to get so far! We’re proud to have such talented students in our school!

*Coming Soon!*

This year we have a new memory challenge! We have two rounds the children can complete for a prize. Round one runs until July and round two ends March of next year. Just like last time, students will create sentences using unit vocabulary and then read and try to remember it. An update this year is the special booklet! This time, students can find their memory challenges within their curriculum books. Good luck everyone! Let’s work hard to learn our vocabulary and master the memory challenges together!

For more information on our exciting new curriculum books and events, ask one of our teachers! All of us at Shin-Maruko are looking forward to seeing our students again. Let’s try English together!