Itano
Nishi Elementary School
Itano
Nishi Elementary School is located in Itano cho, the northern part of Tokushima, Japan.
Itano cho is surrounded by
blessed rich nature, Asan Mountains in the north and
Yoshino River in the south.
Tokushima is located on the
island of Shikoku, which is famous for eighty-eight pilgrimage site.
Temple 4 Dainichiji
and Temple 5 Jizoji are near the school, and students
clean the area around both temples every spring.
Founded in 1874, Itano
Nishi Elementary School has been proud of its traditional history of education.
The school motto is “Independence,
Volunteering, and Friendship.”
Teachers’ goal is to foster each
child, with the spiritual foundation of respect for others, to be healthy in
both mind and body, and to be intelligent and creative.
The school size is quite
small, from Primary to Grade 6, 115 students in all.
On a typical day, students assemble in their
classroom by 8:15. The first class of the day starts at 8:35 to
9:20; class periods are 45 minutes each. The subjects students study are Japanese, math, science, social
studies, music, PE, home economics, English, and many
other topics.
Lunch is from 12:20 to 12:50. Students,
teachers and school staffs eat school lunch “Kyushoku”
every
day. At the classrooms, students serve their own
meals and eat together.
After lunch, students clean
up their classroom, hallways and even the bathrooms.
The final period usually ends
at 15:30.
Students from different
grades form teams, called “Waku Waku Kids.” They make
8 groups and enjoy various activities, for example, assemblies and cleaning the
pilgrimage route. Through these activities, older students support younger students
and younger students respect and adore the older students. Strengthening friendship
with each other, students learn many things that they can’t study at the
classroom and can grow up more fully together.
Every morning, from 8:15 to
8:25, they have a reading time. Students bring their favorite books from the
library or their home, and enjoy reading. Also, once a month, parents and
people in the community come to school to read books as volunteers.
Grade 5 and 6 students have
English classes every week. At Itano Nishi Elementary
School, students from Primary to Grade 4 also have English classes once a
month.
Students try to do their
school broadcasting both in Japanese and in English every day.