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更新日:2022年7月19日

 Life at Hamamatsu City Schools

Life at Hamamatsu City Schools

School Term and Vacation

The academic year starts in April and ends in March of the following year. One year is divided into three terms. From April to late July is the first term and the summer vacation follows it. The second term starts in September and goes on until the winter vacation begins in the middle of December. The third term is from January to the middle of March, and the spring vacation starts after that.
Holidays are Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and spring, summer and winter vacations. The spring vacation is about 2 weeks (mid-March - beginning of April), the summer vacation is about 6 weeks (late July – late August) and the winter vacation is about 2 weeks (late December – beginning of January).

Starting and Dismissal Time

The starting time varies at each school. Usually students are instructed to be at school 10–30 minutes before the morning activities start. When a student doesn’t show up by the time school starts, he or she is considered tardy. If the child will be late or absent, parents/guardians must inform the school. The dismissal time varies by the day, and depends on the timetable. However, in case of school events, the schedule may be changed, and as a rule guardians will be informed beforehand.

School Zone and Group Commuting

Students’ route to school might be designated by the school. This route is called “Tsugakuro”. There are schools that conduct group commuting, or “Shudan Toukou”. Students meet, and go to school together for their safety. It is important to confirm when and where to meet.

School Lunch / Lunch Box / Rice

Both elementary and junior high schools have school lunch from Monday through Friday. If a child attends school in the Old Hamamatsu or Hamakita area, there are days in the week when they have to bring their own cooked rice. Check the menu every month to ensure that they bring cooked rice with them to school on the specified days.
At the beginning and the end of terms and special occasions, children will be asked to bring lunch. Parents/guardians should be informed beforehand, so please make a lunch box and have your child bring it. Parents/guardians should also inform the school if their child has allergy of some kind.

Cleaning

There is cleaning time called “Soji no Jikan” during which students and teachers clean classrooms, hallways, stairs, and the school grounds. At Japanese schools, students clean the places that they themselves will use.

Club activity (junior high)

At junior high schools, there are club activities. Every student joins either a sports or an arts club that interests him or her and practices after school and on holidays under instruction of advisory teachers.
There might be morning practices and games on holidays. When a student goes to a practice or a game, expenses should be covered by the individual. Also items needed for club activity, such as uniforms and goods, should be paid by the individual. The number and the variety of club activities are varied in each school. Please inquire to the school teacher about the club activities.

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Example one day schedule at elementary and junior high school in Hamamatsu

The starting and dismissal time and number of classes per day are different each school. One class is usually 45 minutes in elementary school and 50 minutes in junior high school.

Elementary School
Start ~8:05
Morning session 8:20 - 8:30
First class 8:30 - 9:15
Second class 9:25 - 10:10
Third class 10:30 - 11:15
Fourth class 11:25 - 12:10
Lunch 12:10 - 13:00
Lunch recess 13:00 - 13:20
Cleaning time 13:25 - 13:40
Fifth class 13:50 - 14:35
Closing session 14:35 - 14:50
Club activity / Home time  
Junior High School
Start ~8:00
Morning session 8:15 - 8:20
First class 8:30 - 9:20
Second class 9:30 - 10:20
Third class 10:30 - 11:20
Fourth class 11:30 - 12:20
Lunch 12:20 - 12:50
Lunch recess 12:50 - 13:20
Fifth class 13:20 - 14:10
Sixth class 14:20 - 15:10
Cleaning time 15:20 - 15:40
Closing session 15:50 - 16:10
Club activity/Home time  

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School Event

The Japanese school starts in April and ends in March of the following year. One year is divided into three terms. The first term is from April to July, the second term is from September to December, and the third term is from January to March. There are many school events throughout a year. The guardians will be asked to come to school for some of these events, such as an open school and an interview. In that case, the school will inform you beforehand in writing.

School events at elementary schools (example)

  • School trip・・・One-day trip to visit parks and historical places outside of school
  • Open school・・・The guardians visit school and observe how students are doing at school.
  • PTA meeting・・・Parents and teachers get together and discuss school administration.
  • Student-Parent-Teacher meeting...Discussing student’s performance at school with student, parent and teacher
  • Home visit・・・Home-room teachers visit each family and discuss how students are both at school and at home.
  • Home-room meeting...Home-room teacher and parents discuss classroom situation and school life.
  • Lodging training・・・Staying 1-2 nights at a lodge and experiencing things you can’t learn at school
  • Evacuation drill・・・Practicing evacuation in case of fire and earthquake.
  • Study presentation・・・Opportunity to introduce what students have learned during the year.
  • Excursion・・・Six graders go on a one-day trip and deepen their friendship through experiences. (Many schools go to Tokyo.)
Apr. Entrance ceremony,The beginning of the year ceremony
School trip
Evacuation drill
Open school, PTA meeting
May Road safety training
Lodging training
Home visit
Jun. Swimming pool opening
Jul. Student-Parent-Teacher meeting
The end of the term ceremony
Sep. The beginning of the term ceremony, Evacuation drill
Oct. Sports day
Nov. Excursion
Dec. Student-Parent-Teacher meeting
Musical concert
Jan. The beginning of the term ceremony
Feb. Study presentation
Open school, Home-room meeting
(Student-Parent-Teacher meeting)
Mar. The end of the year ceremony, Graduation ceremony

School events at junior high schools (example)

* School event schedules are varied each school.

  • Open school・・・The guardians visit school and observe how students are doing at school.
  • PTA meeting・・・Parents and teachers get together and discuss school administration.
  • Evacuation drill・・・Practicing evacuation in case of fire and earthquake.
  • Excursion・・・Third-year students go on a two-day trip and bound their friendship through experiences. (Many schools go to Kyoto, Nara and Oosaka)
  • Outdoor training・・・Staying at an institution in nature and experiencing things you can’t learn at school.(Many schools go to public institution in Kawana and Mikkabi)
  • Student-Parent-Teacher meeting・・・Discussing student’s performance at school with student, parent and teacher.
  • Establishment examination・・・Hold an examination to verify what students have learned.
  • Sports day・・・Spend one day competing for track and field and mass games.
  • Home-room meeting・・・Home-room teacher and parents discuss classroom situation and school life.
  • Farewell party・・・Whole school celebrates graduation of third-year students with play and games.

*School event schedules vary from school to school.

Apr. Entrance ceremony, The beginning of the year ceremony
Open school, PTA meeting
Evacuation drill
Excursion
May Home visit
Jun. Swimming pool opening
Outdoor training
Jul. Student-Parent-Teacher meeting, Establishment examination
The end of the term ceremony
Sep. The beginning of the term ceremony、Evacuation drill
Sports day
Oct. Cultural presentation
Dec. Student-Parent-Teacher meeting, The beginning of the term ceremony
Establishment examination
Jan. The beginning of the term ceremony
Feb. Establishment examination
Open school, Home-room meeting
(Student-Parent-Teacher meeting)
Mar. Farewell party
The end of the year ceremony, Graduation ceremony

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Subject

Subjects learnt in elementary school

1 & 2 grade Japanese, Arithmetic, Living, Music, Art, and P.E.
3 & 4 grade Japanese, Social Studies, Arithmetic, Science, Music, Art and P.E.
5 & 6 grade Japanese, Social Studies, Arithmetic, Science, Music, Art, Home Economics, and P.E
* Other than these, there are Moral Education, Class activities, General Education and School events.

 

Japanese

Acquire Japanese language skills such as speaking, listening, writing and reading.
Social Studies Learn basic social matter and Japanese geography.
Arithmetic Learn basic knowledge of quantity and figure.
Science Acquire scientific point of view through observation and experiment.
Living Think about the society and nature around us and acquire knowledge and manners needed to live life (combination of Science and Socials).
Music Learn basics of music by singing, playing instruments and listening to many kinds of music.
Art Bring up artistic sentiment and creativity by working on and enjoying pieces.
P.E. Encourages the healthy growth of body and mind through various kinds of exercises such as track and field, swimming, and gymnastics.
Home economics Acquire knowledge, skills relating to clothing, food, and housing.
Moral education Learn manners and the way of living based on humanism, and acquire strength to practice it.
Class activity Learn how to act as a member of a class or a school.
Student body activity Students’ independent activity to make school life better.
General Education Bring up ability to find the issues, to learn, to think, to judge and to solve problems by oneself.

Subjects learnt in junior high school

Japanese, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Music, Art, P.E., Home Economics, English, Elective Subject
*Other than these subjects, there are Moral Education, Home-room activities, Student body activities, General Education, School events and Club activities.

Japanese Acquire Japanese language skills such as speaking, listening, writing and reading.
Social Studies Learn basic social matter, geography and history of Japan and the world.
Arithmetic Learn basic knowledge and principle of quantity and figure.
Science Acquire scientific point of view through observation and experiment.
Music Learn basics of music by singing, playing and listening to many kinds of music.
Art Bring up artistic sentiment and creativity by working on and enjoying pieces.
P.E. Encourages thehealthy growth of body and mind through various kinds of exercises such as track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, also, gaining physical knowledge.
Home economics Learn basic knowledge and skills for daily family life through activities on food, clothing and housing.
English Gain basic knowledge and ability to understand and express in English.
Elective Subject Start from second year. Second year students can choose from P.E., Music, Art and Home Economics. Third year students can choose from subjects they want to study in depth and learn deeper.
General Education Bring up ability to find the issues, to learn, to think, to judge and to solve problems by oneself.
Moral education Learn manners and the way of living based on humanism, and acquire strength to practice it.
Class activity Learn how to act as a member of a class or a school.
Student body activity Students’ independent activity to make school life better.

Grades ("Ayumi" or "Tsushinbo")

At the end of each term, the grades are given by the home-room teachers. This grade which is called "Ayumi" in elementary schools and "Tsushinbo" in junior high schools is the record of establishment of study and school life in general. In many cases, details will be discussed.

If a translator is needed, inquire to school. Board of Education will send a Foreign Student Counselor to help you out.

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Information guardians need to know before starting school

Expenses need to be covered by guardians

At public elementary and junior high schools, admission fee, class fee and texts are free. A guardian needs to cover expenses come up with school supplies other than texts, school lunch, sub learning materials, year book, outdoor training (or lodging training), excursions and so on. The ways of payment may vary each school, but most of schools charge directly to your bank account. Please make sure to have enough money in your account by a stated day.In case that your income dropped off and have difficulty paying for school expenses, schooling support may be applied, so please consult with your school.

Opportunities to have a consultation with the school

In Japanese schools, there are opportunities for parents to discuss their children's education with schools. In case of urgency, you can always consult with your school teacher. If a translator is needed, Board of Education will send a Foreign Student Counselor and help out. Also, consultation opportunities such as a home visit, a home-room meeting and a student-parent-teacher meeting are scheduled each term. So if you have any worry over your child’s study and life, talk with your school.

Home visit A home-room teacher visits each student’s home and discusses child’s life at home and school.
Home-room meeting Parents visit school and discuss matter of school and each home-room with a principle (or a grade manager) and a home-room teacher.
Student-parent-teacher meeting Student’s school performance is discussed. You can have meeting either with or without your child. It is the best opportunity to discuss personal matters.

* Schedules for the meetings mentioned above will be informed in writings, so please participate in. A student-parent-teacher meeting is chiefly important, so if a stated date is inconvenient, please inform to school in order to change the date. In case that you ask for a translator, a date might be designated according to a translator’s schedule. Please accustom to it.

Parent-Teacher Association (P.T.A.)

P.T.A. is an association constituted of parents and teachers, and the purposes of this association are: 1) to improve children's education, 2) to gain support for school, and 3) to build up partnership between the members. When your child enrolls a school, you become a member of P.T.A. automatically and need to pay a membership due through your school. Selection of the officials are conducted differently each school, and the officials organize various kinds of committees. These committees plan and practice many educational activities, cultural and sporting activities and community service activities. P.T.A. news will be distributed through your school, so please read them and participate in.

How to Help Your Child Enjoy School

Japanese schools may be different from the ones in your own country. Please take notice on the following points and discipline your child in order that he or she can enjoy school life in Japan.

(1) Don't be absent nor be late.
(2) Don't forget to eat breakfast.
(3) Make sure to contact the school by 8 am if your child will be absent.
(4) Use the assigned route to go to school. Don't leave school after arriving without your teacher's permission.
(5) Bring only permissible clothing and items to school. For safety reasons, do not let you children wear jewelry such as earrings and rings to school.
Most of elementary schools don't have rules on clothing or the items you can bring but you must change into gym wear for physical education classes.
Junior high schools have school uniforms. Also they have designated training wears for P.E. class and school activities.
(6) Don't bring food, drinks and things which aren’t needed for school such as toys and money.
(7) School shoes may be designated. Also, shoes need to be changed when entering a school building.

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