Hello everyone,

Did you enjoy your new holiday on February 23rd? We have a new emperor, so that means his birthday is a new holiday. The old holiday, on December 23rd, is gone. It felt different to have two holidays in January.

Tomorrow the final tests of this year start. It is a chance for you to show your teachers, and yourself, what you have learned this year. I hope that you get a good rest tonight so that you have your best effort tomorrow. Grade 2 students, last year you had no final tests, so this is a new experience for you. I’m cheering for you!

Also, graduation is on Monday. I can’t believe it has been a year since the last ceremony already. When I think about last year’s ceremony, it felt like a miracle that it happened before school shut down. So much has changed in Japan, and around the world, that I think we should be thankful that we could finish this year. Seniors, please give thanks to your parents for their support over the last year.

Please stay safe, stay well, and stay strong as we push through the rest of the school year. Good luck!

Hello everyone,

Yesterday afternoon was a little scary. During lunch, and then in long home room, there were many small earthquakes. There was no damage to our school, but some of them made the windows and doors shake. I looked at the Japan Meteorlogical Association website to see what was happening.

The site shows the location, time, and power of each earthquake. You can see how busy it was in Wakayama just during long home room. There is also one in Fukushima, which had amuch larger earthquake on Sunday. In fact, that earthquake was an aftershock earthquake to the big one in 2011.

We are almost at the ten year anniversary of that earthquake. Most of you were small children at that time, but it is a day I will never forget. I hope none of us have to experience an event that terrible again.

In the mean time, be safe and be prepared. Have a good week.

*aftershock: a smaller earthquake that comes after a big one. It can come moments, days, or even years later.

Hello everyone,

Did you enjoy your day off yesterday? I did. I woke up early, walked my dog, started my laundry, and called my grandmother. These are the things I do every Sunday morning. But wait! Yesterday was Thursday! All day I thought that Monday was coming. However, you only have school today, and then you have two more days off!

So, it feels like I have a second chance at another Sunday. For you, your final tests are coming soon. If you enjoyed yesterday but didn’t study much, you have a second chance starting tomorrow too. Make a plan, do your best, and try to avoid the feeling of…

deja vu…

Do your best! See you on Monday!

Good morning everyone,

Recently I have been doing a crossword everyday. Sometimes I forget some English words, so I want a fun way to remember them again. Also, as my brain gets older it needs some training!

There is a big crossword to do every day, and also a mini crossword. Today I challenge you! I have started the mini crossword, can you finish it?

Here are some hints!

• 1 down – how much something costs is the: p _ _ c _
• 3 down – binary code it for computers. it uses zeroes and o _ e s
• 4 across – do you remember your chemistry? O is for Oxygen and B is for: b _ _ o _
• 8 across – R.E.M. when you are sleeping is Rapid E _ _ Movement

Did you get any answers? If you do, let me know!