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Daruma No Gakko 2012 established 1978 VOLUME 34, NUMBER 2 JULY 12, 2012

Daruma No Gakko 2012

We cannot believe that the

2012 session is almost coming

to a close! The faces of everyone

are becoming more familiar and

conversation more interesting

every time we are at Daruma.

The wonderful aspect of Daruma

continues to be YOU! Without

your help and cooperation every

day, we would not be able to

bring this program to life every

year so thanks again to everyone

from the Berkeley Methodist

United Church to J-Sei for

coordinating so well this year

to the volunteers, parents, aides

and kids for coming together

once a year for such a great experience! We are sure the

kids will be talking about it for a long time. That makes all

the effort worth it.

I have really enjoyed working with Julie Tsukahira who

brings such kindness and superb ability to everything she

does! We have complementary skills and that has worked to

our advantage these two years together. The board has been

stellar this year with everyone attending every meeting and

pitching in to keep things moving along. A big thank you

to every board member stepping down and welcome to the

new board members who have volunteered for 2013. Please

remember that we really do need one more co-director and

a parent participation coordinator in order to keep the

program alive and kicking. These are critical roles and do

come with some flexibility as we know that everyone has a

busy schedule. Most of the work can be done remotely and

parents and board members are always ready to help so

please step up to help Daruma! The kids will say “arigato”

for many years to come.

Daruma no Gakko continues to be a very meaningful

program in the sense because it gives kids a strong under-

standing of what Japanese culture really is and how it is

important to them. For such a superb program full of great

people, I’ve been honored to serve as co-director. Let’s look

forward to a great Gakugeikai on Friday!

Co-Director’s Corner by Alison Shimada and Julie Tsukahira

KonnichiwaDaruma Families!

Julie

Alison

Our fabulous group of talented Sensei: (front- l to r) Stephanie Iseri-Fitzpatrick, Nobue Yamada, Keiko Endo, (middle- l to r) Emiko Katsumoto, Stacy Uyeda, Heather Komure-Chan, (top- l to r) Kristin Furuichi Fong, Erika Allen, Dana Moran. (Missing: Mary Ann Furuichi)

Our awesome group of amazing aides!

2JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Kindergartenby Kristin Furuichi Fong Sensei

Aides: Ryan Masunaga and Skye Nikaidoh

It seems like only yesterday when eleven sweet, inquisitive, and enthusiastic soon-to-be Kindergarteners walked through our classroom door! It is difficult to believe that our four weeks of Daruma no Gakko are coming to a close already. The past four weeks have been filled with so many activities: making udon, o-musubi, stuffing and sewing our own Darumas, making a koi nobori, creating our own “hanabi” or fireworks in honor of July 4th, hearing many Japanese folk stories, learning about the legend of Daruma-san, welcoming naturalist Linda Yemoto, origami-maker Deb Pun-Discoe, and a Kamishibai storyteller into our class, daily Nihongo lessons with Yamada-Sensei and singing to our heart’s content with Emiko-Sensei… just to name some of what we accomplished these past four weeks together!

This was my first year teaching Kindergarten (after serving as Co-Director of the program for the past 3 years). It was a nice change of pace for me and it reminded me that my first and true love is teaching children! I look forward to returning next year to teach again! It has been an honor teaching among the other 8 stellar teachers (this includes Yamada Sensei and Emiko Sensei)!

Domo Arigatou gozaimasu!

This amazing program is run purely on the volunteer efforts of so many individuals whose collective work make Daruma no Gakko the culturally rich program that it is today. Arigatou to our 2 Co-Directors, Alison and Julie and all of the board members who helped orchestrate this four-week session and made it a suc-cess. Arigatou to all of the Kindergarten families and those whose children are graduating this year (Debbie Hayakawa-Wing and Marilyn Wong) for your dona-tions of materials, ideas, and assistance in and outside of the classroom. Thank you to the two most amazing classroom aides in the world: Ryan Masunaga and Skye Nikaidoh! Their organization, assistance, willingness to do anything to help me and all of the children, and the close relationships they established with the Kindergar-teners was appreciated and will be remembered always. Skye and Ryan are SUPER STARS!

Finally, thank you to all of the incredible Kindergarten families who drove their children to Daruma each day and faithfully helped to ensure that our Daruma Home-School notebook was returned to me each morning with reflections from their children! I so enjoyed reading all about the wonderful activities your families shared outside our Daruma day. Lastly, thank you for including our classroom Daruma-san (our stuffed mascot that went home overnight with each child once during the session) in all of your family activities and journeys! Without a doubt, Daruma-san was well fed, well loved, and travelled to destinations near and far over the last four weeks!

I hope that all of my Kindergarten students will re-flect on their experience at Daruma with fond memories and smiles on their faces just as I will. I look forward to seeing all eleven of my students next summer as they prepare to enter first grade! More fun awaits them1

3JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

First Gradeby Stacy Uyeda Sensei

Aides: Jessie Mano & Cara Wolfe

During the third week, the first graders worked on projects for the season of natsu, summer. We made a traditional uchiwa for our daki-ningyo (huggable dolls) and then put on our inventor caps to create unique, recycled art uchiwa.

The students also learned about the July 7th Star Festival called Tanabata. They were patient and hard-working like Daruma-san, writing their katakana names and decorating beautiful bamboo branches with tanzaku wishes, bells, stars, garlands, and cranes. Arigatou gozaimasu to the Okano/Escalante Family for providing a wonderful bouquet of bamboo branches for this project!

We were lucky to return from the Fourth of July and to have an extremely fun session with retired Tilden naturalist, Linda Yemoto. Linda Sensei always has a great way to explain nature to us. This time, we learned about the butterfly cycle and then made cho-cho kites. It turns out that the school driveway creates a very nice wind tunnel!

The final week of Daruma is filled with talk of aki, or autumn. The students learned about the beautiful fall observance, tsukimi, and made our rabbits in the moon pound the o-mochi! We sampled some of the Japanese foods of fall, and we prepared our daki-ningyo for the colder weather by sewing our dolls their own futon! We had the pleasure of welcoming Deb Pun Discoe, an extremely talented origami teacher to our classroom. Finally, we loved celebrating both Keizo’s and Kira’s summer birthdays!

Over the entire four weeks, the first graders have focused on family, particularly ancestors and elders. Thank you to all the families for sharing wonderful and fascinating photos and tidbits of family history. The students did a great job of listening carefully to their classmates’ stories. Look for a display of this work at Gakugeikai.

Due to Yamada Sensei, our class now knows the story of Tanabata and the star-crossed romance of the Princess Weaver and Cow Herder Stars. Thank you to Yamada Sensei for helping us every year with our katakana names!

The first graders have made excellent progress with Emiko Sensei and her beautiful musical arrangements. I think we’re ready for Gakugeikai! Thank you to Emiko Sensei, Alinda Togashi, and Riley Togashi for making our lovely Daruma CDs.

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu to my wonderful first grade aides, Jessie Kano and Cara Wolfe. They nurture and encourage your children and help each day to run smoothly. They are a super team! I also am extremely grateful to the Board Members and the Co-Directors for being extremely supportive at every turn. Most of all, thank you for your children. They are the present and future of Daruma no Gakko, and it has been a privilege to work with each of them.

Yatta, First Graders! We did it!

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Second Gradeby Heather Komure-Chan Sensei

Aides: Noelle McGuire, Rachel Hirota and Tai Grevious

It is hard to believe how fast the four weeks have gone. We have been very busy in second grade. During the third week we made paper with Vicki Chin. It was so much fun touching

the pulp and decorating our paper with glitter, dyes and flowers. We also enjoyed making our own envelopes. Another favorite activity this week was sushi making. The class loved making and rolling their own sushi. Spam was a popular ingredient! Thank you to Genie Yao and Tracey Kitaoka for preparing all the ingredients and guiding us through. We loved our sushi! It was oishii!!!!

During the third week we also enjoyed celebrating Elle and Mia’s birthday. Can you believe they have the share the same birthday, July 2nd? We enjoyed delcious homemade cookies and popsicles. For our craft this week, we worked on making shrinky dinks of family mons (crests). We enjoyed looking at different mons and we noticed how some are very similar and others are very different. We have also had a chance to read 4-5 books of the Little Daruma series. They have been a HUGE hit!

The last week of Daruma we plan on gearing up for our gakugeikai performance ,writing our names in hiragana and katakana on wooden planks and making mochi (unfortunately we will not be pounding the rice but making it from a mochi machine). During our Mochi making day, we had fun eating and shaping the mochi, but the best part for some was playing with the cornstarch, as you can see from the photos.

During the four weeks, we have enjoyed getting to know each other better and learning more about our culture. We have especially enjoyed playing with our aides and are so grateful for all their help. They are the

The Second Graders are: Matthew, Kyle, Logan, Maxwell, Miles, Kai, Sophia, Conor, Kaylee, Mika N., Jace, Keira, Mia, Mika S., Melissa, Elle and Jayden

Boys!

best! Thank you Tai, Noelle and Rachel. We have also enjoyed working with Emiko Sensei. We are sounding pretty good and are looking forward to performing for you at Gakugeikai.

5JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Third Gradeby Erika Allen Sensei

Aides: Kylie Bondoc, Sachi Moran & Akira Roueche

The last two weeks have flown by at Daruma No Gakko! Our 3rd graders continued to learn, create, sing, and have fun!

In Nihongo, Yamada Sensei reviewed our vocabulary each day, but taught us many words related to the Japanese home environment. This carried into a couple of our artistic projects in our class. The first one being our personal, Japanese rock garden. We made our own miniature rakes out of wood, created patterns in the sand, and wrote descriptions of our gardens. The 3rd graders walked around our Zen ‘gallery’ to read and appreciate each classmate’s narrative.

The second project we completed was a diorama of a Japanese room. The kids were extremely creative as they turned their shoeboxes into beautiful, detailed homes with unique Japanese characteristics. Their ikebana arrangements, norens, genkan, tatami mats, zabutons, and shoji screens made out of paper and glue came out wonderful! It was a lot of fun watching them design, share ideas, and produce their final project.

In cooking, Monica Sensei taught us how to make delicious potato croquettes where we sampled and enjoyed our food. This seems to always be a favorite day for the students! We also were fortunate to have both Larry Discornia Sensei and Kimika Takeuchi Sensei teach us the art of a traditional tea ceremony. They all savored their rice candy treat and sipped on their green tea as they appreciated and learned from our guests.

The 3rd graders enjoyed the Aikido demonstration even though they were a little shy to volunteer. They definitely took pleasure in watching the Daruma students try and break the watermelon open as they were blindfolded!

Emiko Sensei’s positive energy and smiling face everyday inspired our 3rd graders to sing and learn their songs for our Gakugeikai. We appreciate all her hard work, as I know they will be ready to sing for everyone! It’s hard to believe we are at the end of Daruma No Gakko. I appreciate all of the support and encouragement from the directors, teachers, aides, and parents. It is wonderful to come to teach each morning seeing such welcoming and smiling faces! I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to teach your children this summer. Arigato!

6JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Fourth Gradeby Keiko Endo Sensei

Aides: Jared Akiyama & Celeste Furuya

It’s hard to believe our last day and Gakugeikai are approaching. We practiced Japanese songs every day with Emiko Sensei and we are really looking forward to sing at Gakugeikai.

We have been so busy with many fun projects in my class. We continued learning about Oshogatsu(the New Year) and did many Oshogatsu related activities such as making kagamimochi (mochi offered to Gods), nengajo (New Year’s post cards) collages, kadomatsu (gate pine decorations), mini Japanese kites, otoshidama (new year’s gifts) envelopes, and Ema (wish tablets). We learned to use soroban (abacus) from Mr. & Mrs. Aoki and also learned Shuji (calligraphy) to write own name in Katakana from Yamada Sensei. With Ms. Vicki Chin, it was fun and interesting to learn the process of making paper. We also learned Aikido from Bondoc Sensei. Another fun activity was the cooking class, which all of our students were really looking forward to. With smiles and laughs, our small chefs enjoyed making Chicken-Katsu, and it tasted so good! I hope they can cook it again for you at home.

Thanks to Carlos Monsalve who took many pictures and made our wonderful class photo album. We’ll remember our fun summer every time we see that album. Also thanks to Pauline Fong and all the parents who helped us in many ways. Special thanks to the co-directors and the board-members. We can’t forget to thank our aides, Celeste Furuya and Jared Akiyama for their hard work. We’re so lucky to have you all!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to teach your children. I had a wonderful time working with them. It’s a terrific class!

This year’s fourth graders are: Natalia, Aidan, Aiko, Kiara, Madeline, Peyton, Cameron, Maya, Kyle, Scott, Isabel, Kiyoshi, An-An, Katerina, Matthew, Mateo, Sean, Ariana and Taylor

Have a wonderful summer!

7JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

complete with rice, spinach, Teriyaki chicken, and a skewer of watermelons!

I’ve had a lot of fun this summer as the Sensei for this Fifth Grade Class, and I hope the students have a lot of fond memories of it as well! Thank you to all the parent volun-teers, both in and out of the classroom, for their time and help with all the projects this summer.

Fifth Gradeby Stephanie Iseri-Fitzpatrick Sensei

Aides: Mari Masunaga & Courtney Tamaki

Wow! I can’t believe Daruma no Gakko for 2012 is already almost over!! We’ve been working hard and having lots of fun. We have finished the Sachiko pillows and I’m sure you will be amazed to see how their simple stitching created such a beautifully artistic pattern on the blue cloth. We also made traditional Tanabata decorations, which are wishes written on colorful strips of paper and hung on bamboo branches. The shaved ice was a big hit, even though it was made on a cold morning! Brrr! We also did some painting and made colorful family fans. And last but not least is their hand-made Otedama (bean bags with real adzuki beans inside!). During the Japanese lessons, the Fifth Graders have been continuing with their work on maps, and they should be able to name a few countries and maybe even a few of the oceans around Japan-IN JAPANESE. And during Taiko lessons, the Fifth Graders have been practicing hard for their performance at the Gakugeikai. DON DON HUP!!

We’ve also had many great guest speakers come and talk to the class. The Aikido demonstration with Gen Bondoc was a big hit-literally! We were able to participate a bit and practice our balance, rolling, and shiko (knee-walking), and Bondoc Sensei demonstrated a few wrist locks on student volunteers (although they were quick to hide their hands after the first demonstration!). It ended with an exciting watermelon cutting game, where blind-folded students were asked to strike open a watermelon with a Bokken (wooden sword). HI~YA!! We also had an Origami Specialist, Deb Pun Discoe come in and teach the class how to make a spinning top out of three pieces of origami paper. She showed us some amazing projects she had done herself, and the students were able to see examples of what a true origami enthusiast could create, including a multi-colored, NINETY PIECE kusudama (a decorative “medicine ball” made entirely of origami).

In the Cooking Department, the Fifth Graders made bento boxes, as promised. Although some of the students said the raw chicken they prepared “felt really yucky”, the end product was far from it! They were able to take home delicious, traditional-looking bento boxes, Doomo Arigatou gozaimasu!

8JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Sixth Gradeby Dana Moran Sensei

Aides: Bradley Kitaoka & Kelsey Hirota

The 6th grade continues to be a whirlwind of activity, with guest speakers almost every day! Students also got an in-depth look at the 442nd regiment by watching the documentary Honor Bound, and discussed the sacrifices and accomplishments of the all-Japanese American unit. We also had a guest speaker on Peruvian internment, something most people know little or nothing about (ask your students if you don’t know!).

We started our third week with a walking tour of the neighborhood surrounding the Daruma site, since this was a thriving Japanese neighborhood before the war. Our tour was organized by Jill Shiraki, a former Daruma parent, who has been taking people on these tours for a few years. Students got to see many features of the old neighborhood including family markets, churches, Japanese gardens, and the childhood home of author Yoshiko Uchida. George Furuichi and Jim Koide, who grew up in the neighborhood, acted as docents and shared their childhood and teenage memories which made the tour come alive for the students! Reverend Ken Yamada at Berkeley Higashi Honganji (AKA Berkeley Ohtani) also explained the history and significance of the temple buildings.

We ended the third week with a field trip to San Francisco Japantown, one of three Japantowns left in the entire United States. We got more lessons in history during a walking tour with the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), learned about how some Sansei began community service organizations like Kimochi Senior Services and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), and of course everyone also went shopping! A big Thank You to the parents who helped drive and chaperone: Darren Fong, Jeff Norman, Dean Yakushiji, Lili Suzuki, Brian and Julie Weitz, Bess Williams and Stephanie Iseri-Fitzpatrick.

Reverend Michael Yoshii of Buena Vista United Methodist Church also visited to talk about the legacy of the Sansei generation and their contributions to the redress movement. Reverend Yoshii reminded the students to remember the experiences of our ancestors when current fear and hysteria leads to attacks on immigrants and/or those who look like the “enemy” such as Latinos, Arab Americans and Muslims, and asked

students to treat people today how we wish people had treated our ancestors back then. We also learned about the Asian Law Caucus, a public interest law firm that focuses on civil rights issues for Asian Americans such as immigration and workers’ rights.

There is so much to learn and so little time! We have been charging through Japanese American history, and all our guest speakers and tour guides have been impressed with the amount of knowledge our students already have. Thanks to parents and families who have shared your stories, we have all learned a great deal from them.

Special thanks to our tireless aides Kelsey Hirota and Bradley Kitaoka whose heroic efforts will result in very special graduation crane leis and family history books for students.

9JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Cookingby Monica Mori Sensei

Cooking this year has been a treat. Kids are so focused and willing to learn.

Next up were the 3rd graders. Their dish was the famous potato croquettes with ground turkey and Teriyaki sauce. They started out pealing their potato, mashing them, seasoning them, adding meat, and breading them. Great job 3rd graders.

Next up to the chopping block are the 2nd graders. They had to produce tasty gyozas and make onigiris. Amazing job guys!

The amazing 5th graders were up next. The traditional Bento boxes was their task. Their bentos consisted of Chicken Kara Age, onigiri, shoyu spinach, cucumber, and skewer watermelon. These items involved a lot of different tasks with knives. Job well done.

Last but not least were the 4th graders. The ever so delicious chicken Katsu. They pounded and tenderized their chicken. Then seasoned them and dipped them into the flour, egg, and panko mixes. Chicken was also served with tonkatsu sauce and grapes. What a nice meal they made. Excellent job.

THANK U all for making my last cooking session a great one. It has been a pleasure to teach your kids for 6 years. It has been rewarding to be able to accomplish my duties on the board. I will miss doing it, but must move on with other adventures.

I also would like to thank Tokyo Fish for all their hospitality. They ROCK!!!!

Gochisou sama!

Here is the recipe that everyone has been asking for.

Potato Croquette3lbs. Of ground Turkey, chicken, beef, or pork (whatever you may desire)

1 onion chopped to a dice10-12 potatoesFlour1 doz eggsPankoSalt, pepper, garlic granularTeriyaki sauceTonkatsu sauce

Brown your meat with onions ,dash salt, pepper. Drain off oil . Season with teriyaki sauce.

Boil potatoes till soft. Peel them and mash.

Mix potato with meat.

Next form potato to a patty shape with your hands. Squeeze them to make them firm.

Coat them in flour , then egg, and panko.

Fry in oil till golden brown.

Serve with tonkatsu sauce.

ENJOY!!!!1220 SAN PABLO AVENUEBERKELEY, CA 94706

510.524.7243

10JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Graduating Class of 2012

“My favorite memory of Daruma was making

sushi, because I rarely get a chance to eat it.”

- Liam Fitzpatrick

This year we have seventeen fabulous 6th graders graduating this year. When asked “what they liked most” or “will remember most” about Daruma, here’s what they had to say,

“One of my most memorable experiences at Daruma was having Ricky from Pixar, come to our class and demonstrate how to draw anime! Another favorite memory was having Fred Furuta come in to teach us how to play Goh. Goh is a Japanese game

where you try to capture your opponent’s territory and tiles.”- Ryan Furuichi Fong

“My favorite memory is learning how to do new things like how to play the taiko drum and making bento boxes. I liked learning about the internment camps and learning about lives

of people in Japanese culture.”- Naomi Furuya

“My favorite memory at Daruma -No-Gakko was in 5th grade

with Sensei Furuichi. She taught us taiko drumming and we got

to make our own drums. We practiced everyday and perform

at Gakugeikai. Then we got to take our drums home!”

- Garrett Hill

“My favorite memory of Daruma is mochi pounding, cooking,

and making snow cones. Also, making sushi was fun.”

- Maddie Kaneko

Graduating Class of 2012

“My favorite memory of Daruma is making yakisoba. It tasted good.”- Ryan Aguila

“My favorite memory in Daruma was making all the different kinds of food and eating shaved ice.” - Faith Crow

“Every year at Daruma no Gakko we have a picnic, (Undokai) with a lot of fun games.

That was the best, but I also liked cooking bento in fifth grade. I liked when we made

embroidery pillows in fifth grade with a Japanese design. I also liked the mochitsuki

taiko assembly. Those were my favorite memories of Daruma no Gakko.”

-Jared Fukumae

11JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

“My favorite memory of Daruma is learning how to play the taiko drum. I liked learning how to make sushi. It’s fun to learn about the internment camps. It is really interesting. I’ve

never known so much about what actu-ally happened.”-Malia Kobayashi

“My favorite memory of Daruma was painting our shirts in Kindergarten. I felt so artistic.” - Lauren Yakushiji

“My favorite part of Daruma was playing taiko drums.” It was fun.- Miles Kaneko

“My favorite memory of Daruma was snow cone making and

taiko. I also liked sushi making.”- A.J. Nihei

“My favorite memory is Gakugeikai in 5th grade when

we played the taiko drums. I made good sushi and I am

not going to share it.”- Brennan Norman

“I enjoyed making snow cones in 5th grade because it was fun. I also enjoyed the field trip to Japantown in 6th grade.”- Tracy Weitz

My favorite memory of Daruma no Gakko was when we learned to drum for Gakugeikai. It was fun to make the taiko drum and practice it every day. I also enjoyed cooking Japanese foods like sushi.

- Luke Williams

“My favorite memory of Daruma was getting to take the Daruma home in Kindergarten, because

I felt special. I loved doing things in Daruma.”

-Elisabeth Wing

“My favorite activity was the mochi making.I will always

remember the time I pounded the mochi in 5th grade.”

-Justin Wong

no photo release

12JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

(Everyone, Let’s Sing with SPIRIT! )

As of this writing, we are preparing for our Gakugeikai program. The students are all singing so beautifully and have almost memorized all their words. I hope you have all received your practice CD’s by now (one per fam-ily). These CD’s were organized and produced by Alinda and Richard Togashi, and I am greatly indebted to them for taking on this monumental task. Many parents have reported that these CDs are played throughout the year post-Daruma, and this makes me really happy to know that our students have and keep enjoying the songs.

As was done last year, songs will be introduced by students who will also explain the essence of the songs. We hope this will add to the enjoyment of the program and also will provide more public speaking opportunities for our students. We are fortunate to have and very much appreciate the artistic talents of Mary Ann Furuichi Sensei, who has again taught taiko to the 5th graders and will accompany many of our songs for Gakugeikai.

Our goal for Daruma’s music program has been to encourage all students to sing their songs in Japanese, hoping that some appreciation for the language will develop. Certainly singing has reimforced a sense of

Musicby Emiko Katsumoto Sensei

BERKELEY BUDDHIST TEMPLE & BERKELEY OHTANI JOINT BON ODORI Saturday, July 14, 7:00 pm (Dancers should arrive at 6:30)Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple

1524 Oregon St., Berkeley (between Sacramento St. and California St)

Final Practice at Higashi Temple 7:30-9 pm this Thursday, July 12

All ages are welcome and everyone is invited to participate.

Sa, Minna de Genkini Utaimasho!

pronunciation and hopefully some familiarity with basic vocabulary. If you would like to suggest some new fun songs, I would definitely appreciate your input. If I can make them sound fun and rhythmic, I will be happy to add them to our Daruma repertoire.

Thank you to all who make this program possible. I extend special thanks to our wonderful co-directors, teachers, board, staff, and aides who make this program run so effortlessly. I would especially like to thank Riley Togashi who made Daruma very possible for me this year by taking charge of my keyboard and helping with general mobility issues. Thank you, Riley!

Hearing your children sing certainly continues to be the highlight of my summer!

(Let us meet again next year)!!!Mata Rainen!!!

13JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

こんにちはIt has been a fast 4 weeks as usual.

After the first week, students learned; IRO (colors; AKA, SHIRO, KIIRO, AO, SHIRO, KURO---),

DOOBUTSU (animals; INU, NEKO, USHI, UMA, BUTA, NIWATORI, SARU,----),

TENKI (weather; HARE, AME, KUMORI,YUKI---),

OSHOUGATSU (New Years; AKEMASITEOMEDETOOGOZAIMASU. KAGAMIMOCHI, KADOMATU, OSECHIRYOURI, FUKUWARAI, KARUTATORI----), KIMONO, SHUUJI (brush writing) NIHONCHIZU (map of Japan), and more. Daruma students learned bowing very well. Please continue learning Japanese after Daruma no Gakko.

MINASAN “ OTSUKARESAMA-DESHITA “ (close meaning might be; everyone, well done and you must be tired)Have a great rest of the Summer. See you next year／ MATA RAINEN AIMASHOO. OGENKIDE (be well),

さようなら／SAYONARA (good-bye).

Nihongoby Nobue Yamada Sensei

In addition to our wonderful teachers, what makes our school so enriching are our guest speakers who share their stories and talents with our students year after year. We appreciate the generosity of our guest presenters and thank them for being a part of keeping our important Japanese traditions alive. Special thank you goes to the following:

Resourcesby Sallie Yoshida

Gen Bondoc, Aikido with 3rd, 4th & 5th grades

Kimi Kodani-Hill, Art Curator with 6th grade

Deb Pun Discoe, Origami with K, 1st, 5th grades

Elizabeth Overmyer, Kamishibai with K & 1st grade

Eloy Maoki, Internment with 6th grade

Vicki Chin, Paper Making with 2nd & 4th grades

Takako Miyashita, Ikebana with 2nd & 3rd grades

Mas Aoki, Soroban with 4th & 5th grades

Dee diSomma, Shibori with 4th grade

Fred Furuta, Go with 5th & 6th grades

Linda Yemoto, Naturalist with K & 1st grades

Larry Discornia/Kimika Takechi, Tea Ceremony with 3rd grade

Jill Shiraki, JA Walking Tour with 6th grade

Chizu Omori, Internment with 6th grade

Reverend Michael Yoshii, Internment with 6th grade

Emeryville Taiko, All school Assembly

14JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Taikoby Mary Ann Furuichi Sensei

And that’s what Stephanie Sensei’s children did! On their individual drums, they played Matsuri Daiko slowly and Hidano’s Doko Doko Song faster. Although the class had a short time to learn and to practice these pieces, with both interest and determination, they succeeded. We had the excellent assistance of student aides, Courtney Tamaki, Mari Masunaga and Stephanie Iseri-Fitzpatrick Sensei.

It’s been a privilege, fun and a delight teaching taiko again to a new group of wonderful children, and it’s nice knowing that my previous students still have their handmade drums. They’re being recycled or handed down to their siblings and hopefully this will be a family tradition. It’s such a pleasure for me to accompany our talented pianist, Emiko Katsumoto Sensei, and to watch each class perform beginning with the kindergartners to the graduating sixth graders under her direction.

I feel at home with all of you, and thank you giving me the opportunity to be with the children, teachers, student aides, parent volunteers, Co-Directors and staff. I’m very proud knowing and telling others that I’m part of Daruma No Gakko’s special summer school program.

Beat it!

GAKUGEIKAIEnd of session school performance.

See you all there!

This year Gakugeikai will be held at:King Jr. Middle School

1781 Rose StreetBerkeley, 94703

This Friday, July 13, 2012, 7pm

Theater style with plenty of seats!Hopefully, you won’t have to run

down the aisle just to catch a glimpse of your child on stage.

Parking will be available on the asphalt yard. Enter gate on Grant

Street, southeast corner of school.

With a final beat And with appreciation,

Don!

Practicing “air taiko”, the 5th graders master the beat!

If you are interested in having your child take taiko lessons, Emeryville Taiko has children’s classes on Saturday mornings. ET’s web site for more info is www.etaiko.org

15JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Parent Participationby Margaret Megumi Wolfe

Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to work on-site and help provide support to our teachers and students. The longevity of Daruma-no-Gakko is a tribute to everyone’s dedication and the parent participation commitment from every family!!

Many, many thanks to the many families who volunteer in additional ways…

Doumo Arigatou for feeding our hungry aides and on-site staff: Cindy Sakai Kim, Frances Donovan, Carol Newberger, Karen Miya, Suzanne Furuya, Barbara Leivonen, Alinda Togashi, Christine Sullivan, Debbie Hayakawa-Wing, Natalie Yakushiji, Lisa Nakamura, Sara Kashima, Kate Shimamoto, Amy Mass, Judy Fukumae, Julia Ishimaru, Pauline Fong, Michelle Garabedian, Carmelita Llamas, Genie Yao, Erin Wakida, Michele Yost, Patty Katsura and Marilyn Wong.

Doumo Arigatou for providing wish list items for our teachers: Nancy Kawase, Debbie Hayakawa-Wing, Carmelita Llamas, Marilyn Wong, Stephanie Mizuhara, Mariko Oshiro, Jodie Liu, Erin Wakida, Lynne Yee, Sara Kashima, Cindy Sakai Kim, Kate Shimamoto, Michele Yost, Mia Yamaguchi, Jenny Berten, Lisa Nakamura, Alyson Mitchell, Aaron Escalante, Carol Newberger, Pauline Fong, Genie Yao, Takashi Nikaidoh, Christine Sullivan, Karen Miya, Grant Din, Joan Aoki, Julie Weitz, Suzanne Furuya, and Bess Williams.

Doumo Arigatou for being room parents and organizing thank yous for all our teachers and student aides: Carmelita Llamas, Joanne and Aaron Escalante, Carol Newberger, Alinda Togashi and Jenny Berten.

Doumo Arigatou to Cindy Mekjian for providing our student snacks, Mia Yamaguchi for being our supply shopper, Alinda Togashi for putting together our wonderful Daruma music CD, Lynne Yee for being our photo day photographer, Tracey Kitaoka for assisting Nobue Sensei and Craig Ishimaru for building and installing a wall between our 1st and 2nd grade classrooms.

Doumo Arigatou to Tracey Kitaoka for always lending a hand without being asked and never hesitating to help sweep, vacuum, or empty the trash…to Debbie Hayakawa-Wing and Alyson Mitchell for your willing to switch jobs when scheduling conflicts arose…and to Joanne Okano and Judy Fukumae for showing up to help when it wasn’t required. We greatly appreciate your willingness to help out.

And lastly, doumo arigatou to Alison Shimada and Julie Tsukahira for being our co-directors for the past two years, thank you for ALL your parent participation!!

Otsukaresama!thanks for your hard work!

12 new books plus a new DVD! Thanks so much to the following families for their generous support:

We hope that you have enjoyed our library this summer. We will post a list of our books on the web site so if you didn’t get a chance to check out a book this summer you can look for them in your local library. If you come across any books or DVDs that you think would be a nice addition to our library throughout the year, please email me at dawntaketariordan@hotmail.com.

Library by Dawn Taketa Riordan

Aguila/Suzuki Fukumae Kashima Kitaoka Kobayashi

Mass Newberry Okamura/Yee Omori Shimada Wolfe

Thanks and have a great rest of the summer!

16JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

Board Position Openings!All board members attend board meetings in the winter and spring, in addition to any and all duties specific to their positions.

Parent Participation Coordinator Any parent interested in volunteering can contact Margaret at meg@ohwolfe.com or talk to one of the Co-Directors. Here is a brief description:

Parent Participation manages the various volunteer opportunities available, making sure that every family is assigned two positions for each of their students, and that every position is filled with a volunteer. The vast majority of the workload for this position occurs in May-July starting in preparation for the parent orientation and ending with the end of the school session.

Co-Director (1)The three Co-Directors are appointed for two-year overlapping terms. This is the only board position that has a standard term associated with it. Co-Directors are responsible for planning and scheduling board meetings; the registration process for both students and aides; the teacher selection process; coordinating setup and storage of program materials; oversight of the daily functions of the Daruma no Gakko session; and all other administrative needs of the program.

Benefits: 1. Discounted tuition for children during the two-year term 2. Exemption from parent participation duties 3. Satisfaction of knowing that you helped to move such a great program forward!

Daruma no Gakko is only made possible with the help and support of our parent volunteers! And we need you! If you are able to assist with any of the above, please see one of the Co-Directors or contact us asap at dngreg@gmail.com. Thank you!

You can do it!

Remember those old time community picnics? What etter day than Grandparents Day to host a 21st century, multi-generational community event? Please join us Sunday, September 9, from 11:00am to 3:00pm, at the El Cerrito Community Center. This community-wide, free Family Festival will feature Japanese cultural activities, demonstrations, food and fun for all ages. Planned indoor and outdoor activities include:

• Sushi Making • Sake Tasting• Origami Making • Anime Drawing• Gyotaku Fish Rubbing Art • Furoshiki Tying• Martial Arts Demonstration • Food Booths• Ikebana Demonstration

We hope you will celebrate Grandparents Day by making this a multi-generational family tradition.

J-Sei Family FeStivalSunday, September 911:00am to 3:00pm

el Cerrito Community Center

7007 moeSer Lane

eL Cerrito, Ca 94530

Save the Date!

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18JULY 12, 2012Daruma No Gakko 2012

J-Sei Administrative Office 2126 Channing Way Berkeley, CA 94704 Phone: (510) 848-3560 Fax: (510) 848-3631 Email: j-sei@att.net www.j-sei.org

Vickie Kawakami, Site Coordinator J-Sei Senior Center

1710 Carleton Street Berkeley, CA 94703

(510) 883-1106 vickie@j-sei.org

Contact

S e n i o r C e n t e r a n d L u n c h P r o g r a m

Volunteer Opportunities

Kitchen Helpers

Drivers

D e s c r i p t i o n : Home-delivered meal drivers are responsible for following a daily route to bring meals to the homes of homebound seniors who are enrolled in our program. Volunteer lunch drivers use their own vehicles and can be reimbursed for mileage. Hours: 11am to 1pm

D e s c r i p t i o n : Kitchen volunteers are responsible for setting the tables prior to lunch, serving lunch, packaging home-delivered meals, and assisting with clean-up after lunch. Hours: 9:30am to 12:30pm

H o m e - D e l i v e r e d M e a l D r i v e r s