Starting this year, St. Mary’s will start the “Summer Adventure” program from August, made specifically for Elementary school boys and girls (Grades 1-6) attending Japanese schools. This program will allow even more people to experience what life at an international school, and will also foster English skills. Special thanks to Mr. Ichikawa, the coordinator for summer adventure, for sharing information.
The program will be divided into two sessions. Session A is from July 28th to August 1st, and Session B is from August 4th to August 8th. The courses available will be arts and crafts, sports(swimming, field games, etc.), music, drama, cooking, and science experiments. These courses are designed specifically for elementary school students and are made so that all students, regardless of whether they speak English or not, can enjoy the course. The theme of the program is “building their Ship”. This program will be focused on Sportsmanship, friendship, and leadership. Just like a ship, every student will have an opportunity to be the “captain” of the ship. The school will also be recruiting assistants from High School and alumni. Mr.Ichikawa explained that the “Summer Adventure will need a lot of help from the current and former students to “edutain” (educate and entertain) the program, and we refer to the counselors or assistants as “boosters’ as they are well presented as volunteers at St. Mary’s.” Although this year will be a pilot program and limit the number of students to a hundred, over 70 families have already applied, and Mr.Ichikawa
predicts that the slots will fill up by the end of June. “This summer adventure is not about studying, but learning through playing. We welcome students from different schools with different backgrounds who would like to go on a fun and exciting journey together. サマーアドベンチャーは一般的な勉強をする学習塾ではなく、遊びながら学べる場所です。 この夏、みんなと一緒になって、力を合わせて楽しくワクワクするような冒険へ出かけてみませんか。”
Overall, the summer adventure program promises unforgettable experiences, and students will be able to gain valuable insights into global learning.