Parent Handbook176

DEUTSCHE SCHULE KOBE
INTERNATIONAL
PARENT HANDBOOK

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WELCOME!

Welcome to the Deutsche Schule Kobe International!

This booklet contains information about day to day life
in school, which we do hope you will find useful. If you
have any questions about the procedures, don't
hesitate to contact the school office or staff.

We want all our new families to feel happy and
comfortable at DSKI.

TERM DATES We publish the whole year calendar on our website every year.

Please see here for the dates of school terms, holiday dates and
also the dates of events through the year.

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THE SCHOOL DAY 2.40 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.
8:45 a.m. - 13:00 p.m.
Play Group 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Pre-Kindergarten 3.45 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.
3 – 5 days a week 9.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.
Kindergarten
Monday - Friday
Primary School
Monday - Friday
Extra Curricular Activities
Monday - Friday
Saturday School
Saturday

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STAFF CONTACT EMAILS Primary Years Programme Coordinator/
Head of Administration
Administration and Leadership Alex Inman
School Office [email protected]
Office Manager
Yasuyo Masada Early Years Coordinator
[email protected] Azusa Nakajima
[email protected]
Accounting Secretary
Miyuki Inubuse Special Education Needs Coordinator
[email protected] Faye Nepomuceno
[email protected]

After School Club Coordinator
Lance Brabant
[email protected]

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Early Years Primary School
Play Group/Pre-Kindergarten Grade 1
Anita Mönch Jayshree Ramani
[email protected] [email protected]

Kindergarten Grade 2
Azusa Nakajima Lance Brabant
[email protected] [email protected]
Tina Panning
[email protected] Grade 3
Anne Barton Justin Rich
[email protected] [email protected]

Pre-School Grade 4
Heather Shirai Elena Jamandra
[email protected] [email protected]

Grade 5/6
Satya d´Amours
[email protected]

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Specialist Teachers German Language
Japanese Mother Tongue Daniela Rost
Tamiyo Oyama [email protected]
[email protected] Benjamin Huber
Katsunobu Furuta [email protected]
[email protected]
Physical Education
Japanese as a Foreign Language Lachlan Waite
Tomoko Endo [email protected]
[email protected]
Head of Music
English as an Additional Language Azusa Nakajima
Faye Nepomuceno [email protected]
[email protected]

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SUPPLY LIST

All students will need the following items.

Please replenish these supplies if needed and please don't forget to label all equipment and
clothing with your child’s name.

Pre-Kindergarten Pre-School – Grade 6

Diapers 1 pencil case

1 emergency change of clothes 1 ruler

1 eraser

Kindergarten Writing pencils (no mechanical pencils)

1 emergency change of clothes 1 set of coloured pencils

Hand towel with loop 1 pencil sharpener

Toothbrush and cup 1 pair of scissors

Box of tissues 1 set of coloured markers

Three sets of clothes 1 glue stick

Hat and sun block 1 pair of indoor shoes

Indoor shoes 1 box of tissues

Water bottle 1 drink bottle (tea or water only)

Backpack Healthy snack

Class teachers will provide notebooks and
textbooks at the beginning of the school year

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For Outside Play Swimming
Sun hat/sun lotion from May 1 – Oct. 31 (hats Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 6
stay at school) A waterproof bag
Raincoat Swimwear
Rain boots Swimming cap
Towel
Physical Education Goggles (optional)
Winter Rash vest (optional)
Warm sweatshirt
Long trousers
Sports shoes
Summer
T-shirt
Sports shoes
Hat
Shorts
School Clothing
The school has a range of clothing such as
T-shirts, hoodies, caps that are available for
purchase.
Please could all parents buy their child a polo
shirt for school events.
You can order from our website here.

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SCHOOL PROGRAMME

Here at DSKI we use the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). We have
been an authorized IB World School since 2007 and the first to use the PYP in Hyogo prefecture.

Our school year consists of four units of inquiry in the early years and six in primary school, taught
through an inquiry and conceptual way. The units have all of the traditional subjects included, in a
meaningful transdisciplinary way, enabling the students to make sense of how the subjects fit together,
rather than each subject being taught separately.

We encourage the students to take responsibility for their own learning and to become independent
and confident life long learners.

We want to create students who will be -

Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers

Communicators Principled Open-Minded

Caring Risk-Takers Balanced

Reflective

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SCHOOL LUNCHES The school is happy to provide a school lunch for students who
would like to order one.

Every term we publish the up coming menu on our Weekend
News blog, as well as a sign up sheet for families who would like
to order.

We work with a local supplier who provided us with a healthy
balanced menu, with both European and Asian food.

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AFTER SCHOOL We are please to offer parents a wide range of after school clubs.
CLUBS Every day we have different offers, with examples such as
dance, basketball, crochet, cooking and skateboarding.

At the start of every term we send a link for you to sign your child
up. We also and host a club fair for students as well as sending
information to parents.

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COMMUNICATION BLOGS

Main Office Blog

Every week we will update our school blog, the DSKI Weekend News. This has all of the information
for the next two weeks, with events, happenings, dates, times and places. Please bookmark it, and
we will also send an email from the office every Friday afternoon when it has been updated.

Class Blogs

The site also has links to our class blogs, which each homeroom teacher keeps up to date for all of
our grades. You can read about unit work, class events and news.

Parent Teacher Association News

The PTA publish their monthly meeting minutes on our office blog site. Check it out for the latest
information!

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PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION

We are very happy to have an active parent community. Our Parent Teacher Association is involved
in all school life and events, especially our annual Oktoberfest.
At the start of every new school year each class hold elections to vote for the new class
representative to join the monthly meetings.
So please feel free to get involved!

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SCHOOL BOARD All our families become members of the Association of the
German School, and so you also become eligible to join the
school board.

The board sits once a month, with each member elected for two
years. It is responsible for the managerial and financial oversight
of the school as well as long term strategic direction.

If you would like to have more information or are interested in
joining please come along to our Annual General Meeting every
September.

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2

WEATHER
WARNINGS AND
EMERGENCY
PROCEEDURES

In this chapter you can find out what happens in
the event of school closure due to bad weather
and emergency protocol.

EMERGENCIES AND SCHOOL EVACUATION

Fire
In the event of a fire the school will assemble outside of school on the land next to the school.

Earthquake
In the event of an earthquake warning, students will assemble outside of school on the land next to the
school. We hold regular drills and all students practice duck and cover plus evacuation.
If the school area is unsafe, we will go to one of the official evacuation sites (Rokko Island Elementary
School, Koyo Elementary School, Koyo Junior High School).
Rokko Island Elementary School
Phone 078-857-3121  Fax 078-857-3122
Koyo Elementary School
Phone 078-857-2450  Fax 078-857-2451
Koyo Junior High School
Phone 078-857-2481  Fax 078-857-2482

Tsunami
In the event of a Tsunami warning, the school will evacuate to the Kobe Fashion Museum.
Our congregation zone can be accessed from stairs (located between the Kobe Fashion Museum and
Kobe Plaza Hotel) across the street from the school building.
Children will stay with the teachers until they are picked up by parents/guardians.

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WEATHER WARNINGS

Weather Warnings Due to Typhoons or Storms
If bad weather is forecast in the medium term, we will monitor it on a daily basis to see if a weather
warning (Keihou Warning) has been issued or is likely to be issued by the Japan Meteorological
Agency website.
24 Hours in Advance
A warning email will be sent to all families, advising of the possibility that the school will close due to a
weather warning, and that a further email will be sent out the next morning to either confirm closure or
otherwise.
6.00 a. m. of the Warning Day
The principal will make a closure decision. This will be made based on any weather warning in place
and also the current local conditions. All families will be emailed confirming the school will be closed
for the day and the school bus cancelled
or
that the weather is not as severe as expected and the school will be open as usual.

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POLICIES AND
PROCEEDURES

In this chapter you can read about our more
formal procedures.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP

For security reasons the front gate door will only be open at arrival time and at pick-up times -
8.30 a.m. – 9.00 a.m.
12.50 p.m. – 1.15 p.m.
3.20 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.
For safety it will be locked at all other times. If you need entry please just press the buzzer.
Parents of school children are asked to drop off and pick up their children outside the front gate.
Parents of kindergarten children please drop off and pick up their children at the gate of the
kindergarten area.
When bringing children to school by car, please don't park cars for an extended time at the side of
the street or let children cross the street without using the zebra-crossing. It is illegal in Japan to park
outside of a designated parking area.
Please notify teachers if a child travels to and from school independently.

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BUS GUIDELINES

For school bus families. we are glad to be able to provide a comfortable and reliable way to travel to
school. Please could we ask you to follow our points below.
• Please assist children in understanding safety rules and encourage them to abide by them.
• Please support safe riding practices and reasonable discipline efforts by the bus attendant and bus

driver.
• Please teach children proper procedures for safely crossing the street before boarding and after

leaving the bus.
• Please call the bus attendant if their child will not be using the school bus in the morning. The call

needs to be placed before the scheduled departure time.
• If parents and children are delayed in the morning and cannot catch the bus, parents would need

to arrange the children’s transportation to school.

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• If parents are delayed and cannot pick up their children, for safety the children will return to school
by bus.

• If you cannot pick up your children in person and send someone else instead, please inform the
school in advance.

• Day-tickets can be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, if seats are available.
• Children need their bus passes every day. Children without a bus pass may not board the bus. The

children or their parents should give the bus card to the bus attendant prior to getting on the bus. If
your child loses the bus pass, please notify the office immediately for a replacement.
• Children need to board and leave the bus at their regular stop location unless a prior written
request is approved by the Principal. Requests for transportation to or from a different stop can only
be considered if the request is permanent in nature.
• A month into the beginning of each semester a review of the bus routes takes place to see if they
should be adjusted to make the use of the busses more convenient. If parents would like to suggest
a new bus stop, they can contact the office prior to the bus route review. While the school always
tries to accommodate parents' wishes, we may not be able to do so in every case because of
safety concerns, time management or reasons of fairness.
• Drivers are not permitted to make any changes to our established routes.

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STUDENT ABSENCE Illness

If a child cannot come to school due to illness please call the
school office before 8.00 a.m. The office will then inform the bus
driver and the teachers about the child’s absence.

If a child is absent for three days, then they should just return as
normal. If a child is ill for more than three days then medical
evidence about the illness will need to be submitted to the school
office.

Application for Absence

Absence during term-time can be applied for using the
Application for Absence form which you can get from the school
office.

The application form should be submitted to the school office for
approval by the principal.

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STUDENT If you know that your child will be late (doctors appointment, traffic etc) please
LATENESS inform the school office as soon as possible.

If they have not arrived at school by 9:15 a.m. and we have not received any
information the school will call parents to make sure everything is okay.

Upon arrival at school, students who are late need to sign in at the school
office and receive a late slip which should be handed to the class teacher.

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STUDENT MEDICATION AND ALLERGIES

Administering Medication at School Allergies

Our teachers are not allowed to administer The school takes all precautions to ensure a safe
medication to children as they are not trained environment for children with allergies. Parents
medical staff. If your child needs to take any are please asked to work with staff and other
medication, please make sure they can parents to reach agreements on
self-administer, with a teachers supervision if accommodations.
needed.
• Please notify the school of your child’s
If your child gets a headache, a stomach ache, a allergies.
tooth ache or a fever, we will call you to pick
them at the earliest time possible. • Provide a description of the child’s past allergic
Non-prescribed medicines cannot be reactions (including triggers and warning
administered in any case. In an emergency, first signs).
aid will be given and an emergency doctor will
be called. • Work with the school to develop a plan that
accommodates the child’s needs in the
In life-threatening incidents (e.g. asthma, classroom, during breaks, during school
allergies etc.) emergency medication from the activities and in the school bus.
child’s personal emergency kit (sprays, inhalers
etc.) can be administered if the staff have • Provide medical documentation, instructions
received appropriate training. and medications as directed by a physician.

• If medication has to be used, staff need to
receive appropriate training and support from
the child’s doctor

• Please provide the name and telephone
number of the child’s primary carer and
allergist.

• Please provide signed consent to share all
information with other school staff.

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4

FINANCIAL AND
RE-ENROLMENT

In this chapter we present some financial
information and how to leave DSKI.

FINANCIAL AND RE-ENROLEMENT

Payment Options • School events

We have different options for payment of tuition • Periods during which the students and visitors

fees. are on the school premises

• Yearly • Periods while commuting to school (traveling
back and forth between residence and the
• Twice yearly school by a logical route and means)

• Quarterly Bank Account

• Monthly Account Name: Deutsche Schule Kobe
International
Please contact the school office for more
information. Please note we have a 10% penalty Sumitomo Mutsui Banking Corporation
fee for payments received 15 days later than the Rokko-Island  Branch
due date of the billing invoice.Students whose
tuition is outstanding 30 days after the beginning Account No 3393642 (Savings Account)
of the year may be suspended from classes. The
school reserves the right to withhold any report Swift Code: SMBCJPJT
cards, transcripts or diplomas if there are unpaid
balances. Payment dates are July 15 and
January 13.

Fee Reduction

A fee reduction application can be looked at by
the school board. Consideration is given based
on the financial situation of the family supported
by all relevant evidence submitted to the school
board.

School Insurance

Deutsche Schule Kobe International school
insurance is taken out by the school for all
students covering -

• Periods during which the student attends
regular classes, field trips and outings related
to the curriculum

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the Board) in order to obtain a postponement of
deadlines.

If a student has to withdraw due to unavoidable
reasons (temporary residence abroad due to
parents` work obligations, medical reasons),

Leaving Us

Procedure for resigning: After entering school temporary leave of absence may be granted, if
the existing contract will be automatically the child returns to the school within the school
extended, if parents do not resign by written year in which they withdraw. The parents or legal
notice, using the form provided by the school, at representatives must apply in writing for
least 3 months prior to leaving the school (last temporary leave of absence at least 3 months
day of school before end of 1st term and last day prior to temporarily leaving the school; an
of school before summer break at the end of 2nd exception may be made only in cases of
term). The notice of withdrawal must straddle a emergency such as accidents or hospitalization
full three months, either latest October 31st in the due to illness. If the time of their absence is
1st term to resign from 2nd term and April 30th in longer than 3 months, students on temporary
the second term to resign at the end of the leave are charged a reduced fee of 200,000 yen
school year. Provisional or conditional notice of for the time of their absence. Building and
withdrawal is not accepted. If parents withdraw development fees, insurance and membership
their children from the school without notifying fees and PTA membership fees must be paid in
the school 3 months prior to leaving, according full. In case of absences up to 3 months, tuition
to the information above, a penalty lump sum fee fees are not reduced.
of 200,000 yen must be paid to the school.

If the date of withdrawal is not set, the withdrawal Recommendations and Reports
notice will be considered insufficient. Parents or
legal representatives must agree and consent We are happy to provided recommendations for
that all fees shall be forfeited in full, if insufficient, students which have been requested by the
provisional or conditional notice of withdrawal is school being applied to.
given. An exception can be made if there is a
possibility that a student may have to withdraw We are also happy to provide two paper copies
due to parents’ work obligations and if the stamped by the school. We do have a an
employer fails to inform the parents in time to administrative charge for additional copies of
meet the deadline. In such cases parents must 3000yen per report.
apply to the Board, stating all details, and
provide further documentation (to be decided by

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