Fall Alumni Office Update Greetings from the Falcons Nest! 1) Message from the Alumni Office Dear Alumni and Friends of Canadian Academy, After a successful centennial celebration CA now moves into its second century. We were pleased to see enrollment increase in all three schools as we start the new academic year with a total enrollment of 590. This year will be one of transition as Mr. Condon, our head of school, has decided to leave CA in June 2015. The Board of Trustees has begun the search for a new head of school. You can read more below about the head of school search. Even though we have just begun the school year a number of activities are already on the horizon. In just a couple of weeks the middle school students will go off on their annual fall trips. In October we will have our annual sports day on October 13. Sports Day will be followed by Japan Days, a four day celebration of Japanese culture. The highlight of those days will be a performance of traditional Japanese puppet theater, bunraku. After the completion of Japan Days the high school students will go off on their fall trips which includes the seniors on their hiking trip run by CA alumnus Tom Stanley 64. October will draw to a close when we host two sporting tournaments at CA: tennis and baseball. Our volleyball teams will travel to China for their season ending tournaments. In an effort to introduce our students to our alumni and their accomplishments we have begun an Alumni Speaking Program. We are also continuing two key projects the internship program and the merit based scholarship. See below for more information on these projects. As always for the latest news about CA please visit: canacad.ac.jp Bob Hengal Director of Alumni Relations 2) CA REVIEW The 2014 Spring REVIEW is now available online. You can view the REVIEW at canacad.ac.jp. If you dont have a username/password, contact the Alumni Office giving your name and the years you were at CA. If you want a printed copy of the REVIEW please make sure that the Alumni Office has your current mailing address. Beginning with this school year the REVIEW will only be published once a year in spring. 3) A Message from our Headmaster David (D.J.) Condon Dear Friends of CA: If you had the chance, would you be willing to help provide a CA student or alumni with an authentic learning experience that could make all the difference in their choice of college and career path? Would you be willing to help these students develop self-confidence and lifelong professional and interpersonal skills? Are you part of a forward-thinking business, cultural or academic organization? If you have answered yes to these questions, we would like to ask for your help. As part of its on-going commitment to provide students with high quality educational experiences, Canadian Academy is excited to announce the inauguration of an Internship Program. Intended for both current high school students and alumni, this program seeks to: Provide a real life experience that can help current and past CA students choose a college major and potential career path; Offer an experience that will support the college application process for current students; Allow students to connect, apply and integrate concepts and theories learned in the classroom to a real-world professional experience; Develop and enhance strong working relationships between CA and CA affiliated business, cultural and academic organizations both inside and outside Japan; Develop and enhance skills and competencies in a particular field; Increase self-confidence and interpersonal skills. CAs role in this process is to act as a clearinghouse between CA students and graduates and CA alumni affiliated organizations, matching CA student skills and interests with participating organizations, and then making introductions between the two. Requirements for the two sets of interns will differ slightly. Current students will be required to submit to the designated CA Internship Program Coordinator the following: Cover letter Completed Application Resume (CV) Four well-thought out journal entries (reflections) during the internship A formal thank you letter to the mentor A job description of the internship Alumni students are encouraged but not expected to write reflective journal entries. Both current students and alumni are expected to: Commit to four to six weeks of full time-work during the summer or at another agreed upon time; Follow the prescribed hours and dress code established by the mentor; Work at assigned tasks to the very best of their ability; Conduct themselves in a way that reflects positively on themselves and on CA. We ask that sponsoring organizations designate for each intern a mentor who will commit to: Provide a clean and safe work environment; Set times and dates for work with clear boundaries for acceptable behavior; Set specific and concrete goals and assign meaningful and appropriate tasks; Meet with intern to assess work, discuss possible areas of study and career paths; Provide feedback on progress to the intern and Internship Program Coordinator; Provide a letter that can be used as a part of the students college application or CV. Our goal is to place students into internships for this coming summer. To achieve that goal, we need companies and other organizations to volunteer to serve as sites for these internships. While most sites will likely be located in the greater Kobe area, anywhere is possible. If you would like to get involved, please email me at [email protected] or by calling the school at 078-857-0100. Meanwhile, I will also reach out to local organizations to talk about this exciting opportunity. I hope we will have a chance to talk soon. All Good Wishes, David (D.J.) Condon Headmaster 4) CA Centennial Book, A Century of Inspiration, is Now On Sale Purchase your copy today from the Admissions Office in the first floor of the ELAC or by emailing Kirsten Welbes. The book covers the history of the school from 1913 to present day and is filled with photos and recollections of former students and faculty along with stories and photos of current students. Special thanks to James Brown 66 who worked on the text and photo selection for the book. The cost of the book is ¥2000 if you buy from the Admissions Office and ¥5000 yen if you need the book shipped. Please stop by and pick up your copy today or email Kirsten Welbes your shipping address. If you are out of town, you can pay for the book online. Please put the donation down as Endowment Fund and in the description write the CA Centennial Book, or you can make a bank transfer for the amount using the information found here. There is a limited supply of books, so act now! 5) Search for New Head of School Mr. Condon, our present head of school, announced that he will be leaving CA in June 2015 to take up a position as headmaster at the Le Jardin Academy in Kailua, Hawaii. Applications for head of school are being accepted until October 15 and the Board of Trustees hopes to make an announcement regarding head of school before our winter break in December. 6) Alumni Speaking Program In an effort to introduce our present students to alumni we would like to invite any alumni living in the Kobe area or visiting to stop by and share your experiences both as a CA alum and what you are doing now. You can speak to a small group of students in any grade or if you prefer to a larger audience in a more formal setting. If you are interested please contact the alumni office. 7) CAs Goals for the 2014-15 School Each year CA establishes goals for the year. This years goals are: The implementaiton of highly effective, varied commmunication practices to gain CA community understanding of the CA educational program, its aims and its achievements. Further implemenation of IB World School principles and practices within the CA context. Demonstrated improved student learning through systematic use of data, goal-setting, and implementation of best practices in instruction and assessment. The articulation of a new six-year community-based Strategic Plan. You will be able to read more about the new strategic plan in the REVIEW to be published in spring 2015. 8) Merit Scholarship for Grades 8-12 We know how much you treasure your memories of Canadian Academy. The alumni stories we heard during our Centennial Celebration weekend all testified to the enduring value of the CA experience for students. Indeed, it would seem that in many cases, these experiences were life-transforming. So I ask you, given the opportunity, wouldnt you like to help another generation of students benefit from the CA experience as well? That opportunity is here now. CA is pleased to announce the inauguration of a CA Merit Scholarship program for new students. Based on merit, scholarships of up to ¥600,000 will be awarded to a limited number of highly deserving new students in Grades 8 to 12, beginning during the 2014-2015 school year. To be considered for a CA Merit Scholarship, student applicants must meet the following criteria: Excellence demonstrated in previous academic classes or in such areas as the arts, sports, or service Willingness to contribute this talent to the life of the school, as evidenced by a personal written statement Successful personal interview with CA admissions and scholarship personnel Outstanding letters of recommendation from previous teachers, administrators, and others Exemplary record of behavior For more information or to apply for this scholarship please visit here. CA alumni can support these highly deserving students by donating to the Endowment Fund, designating the CA Merit-based Scholarship program. All donations are eligible for tax deduction in Japan and the United States. Please visit here or contact [email protected] for further information. To learn more, please contact Mrs. Kirsten Welbes, CA Director of Admissions and Community Relations. 9) Spaces in the CA Dormitory Available! CAs Dormitory, which serves students in grades 8-12, meets the needs of many families who live in other parts of the world, but want their children to experience English education in the Japanese culture. The dorm also acts as a great stepping stone for students in grades 11 and 12 who may need a more structured dorm experience before going off to the freedoms of college life. In addition, the CA dorm provides an alternative for families who are being relocated, but want their teenager to graduate from Candian Academy. Many CA alumni wish to have their own children or grandchildren experience all that CA has to offer. Whatever the reason for choosing the CA dorm, the students that live there experience a family atmosphere while receiving an outstanding international school education. For more information about the dormitory please visit canacad.ac.jp/boarding. 10) Class Representatives Do you know who your class representative is? If not, check at canacad.ac.jp and make sure to update your email with them so that they can keep you informed about the latest alumni happenings. 11) Call for Volunteers The CA Advancement Committee is looking for alumni who would like to become more involved in fundraising at CA. To get the word out, we appreciate your sharing this information with members of your class and encourage anyone who is interested in participating to contact the Advancement Office. 12) Update addresses Anytime we conduct a group mailing from CA to alumni about 5% of the items mailed are returned because of addresses that are no longer valid. Our list of addresses is also incomplete. Therefore, please help us keep our records up-to-date by letting us know not only of email address changes, but also of snail mail address changes! Thank you! 13) Support CA! As with previous generations of the CA community, it is imperative that we continue the commitment to providing the wonderful opportunities that have existed at CA for 100 years. We welcome your support as CA alumni and encourage you to donate now here. Please remember that you can support CA in non-monetary ways as well. We are always looking to enrich our school through guest speakers. If you live in the Kobe area or are going to be visiting and would like to share your experiences with our students, please contact the Alumni Office.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 03:59:07 +0000
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