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As the end of the year comes upon us in a few days, I hope to convey that we have made it through another year!
it has been very busy, productive, interesting actually! Filled with many ups and downs, changes and blessings.

I hope we can take a moment to appreciate, the lessons we have learned this year, both in the classroom and in life.
Please have fun and enjoy the Holidays! The flu has been making it's way across Hiroshima,
so please be careful! Have a wonderful New Year!

- Khanya (Kay) Sensei

12/29(日)～1/4（土）までの期間は、アミティーは年末年始のため休校いたします。
通常レッスンも、セミナーレッスンもございませんので、お間違えのないようお願い申し上げます。

Dear students and readers.

Wishing you all a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas.

"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.'" (Luke 2:10)

Best wishes,

Michael.

Today, my friends, is Christmas Eve,
In many countries this night can be just as important as the day of christmas itself, there are many traditions attached to this night.

In my family for example, Christmas Eve is when we all gather together with our most important people, We eat a traditional roast dinner with delicious meat and vegetables, then we light candles, eat christmas sweets and sing christmas songs.
Even when I had become an adult and moved into my own home, I went back to stay with my parents, Brother and Sister on christmas Eve and spend time with them.

Now that I am living in Japan, I`m not able to go home and spend this time with them, this makes me feel a bit sad, even though I can still talk to them over Video Call.

Traditions can be wonderful things that make us feel warm and loved and close to our loved ones, however they can also leave us feeling lonely when we are on the outside of them, and it can be difficult to see others doing these wonderful fun things without us.
Remember to take the time to appreciate the loved ones who are close to you, while they are close to you.

-Jordan Sensei

As we approach the end of the year, many of my students tell me more and more "Oh, I`m so sleepy" or "I am tired from studying" when they come to class.

Around winter time many people will begin to feel more tired more often, It takes more energy to stay warm, more energy to keep working hard when all we want to do is be cozy in our homes. It is important to keep working towards our goal but it is not the only important thing.

It is also important to take care of ourselves and know where our limits are. there comes a point when it is too cold for too long and we are too tired when we simply have to decide "That is enough, I am at my limit, I need to rest" and at that time the best thing we can do for ourselves is to stay home, eat someting tasty, drink something warm, be with people who make us happy and rest.

This winter season, please take time to feel your limits and recharge your own battery.

-Jordan Sensei

CLILという言葉はあまり聞きなじみがありませんが、クリルと読みます。
ｱﾐﾃｨｰではこのCLILを採用しています。ヨーロッパの学校では第２言語を習得する際につかれます。
CLILとは「Content（コンテンツ）、Communication（コミュニケーション）、 Cognition（思考力）、
Culture またはCommunity （文化・コミュニティ）」の4つの特長を持つ、英語学習の主流となった教育方法です。
アミティーでは、この教育方法を「 i Lesson® 」導入以前から採用しており、
グローバル時代に羽ばたく子供たちにとって、今後の英語学習のカギとなるカリキュラムをご用意しています。

Q: Why are there only 25 letters of the alphabet at Christmas time?

A: Because the angel said Noel!

ノエルは天使が話す挨拶です。　ノエルは　"No L" のように発音されます。

It's a great gag!

- Michael.

Now that the weather is cold and christmas is close, we are inviting our students to come and do some warm seasonal crafts.

This week I worked with a student of mine `K` to make some puppets, some christmas cards, and even a letter to Santa. These are all popular seasonal crafts in America and Australia, but there are many winter crafts all around the world that are also so amazing.

One popular, and very tasty christmas craft is gingerbread cookies, they can be iced and decorated to look like people, animals, and some people even build them into beautiful houses!

Another fun craft is knitting colorful scarves, gloves or sweaters to give to the people we love, to remind them to stay warm and take care of themselves.

Possibly one of my favorite Christmas crafts though is making snowflakes, If you live in A country where it does not snow, or a place like Kure where it will only snow a very little, this can be a great way to get your very own White Christmas.

What is your favorite Christmas craft?

-Jordan Sensei

Sometimes in life we get caught up in what we`re doing we forget how to see everything else.

One of my students is studying for the Eiken Pre 1st Grade, which is already an incredible achievement, but he has been practicing for so long that he had lost sight of his progress.

During our last class I decided to pull out his practice results from early in his practice, to show him how he has gotten so good at answering what he once lamented as "Demon Questions!"

The other thing that I did was give him a sneak peak of his goal post, I showed him a small section of the 1st grade test so he could see where we were going, however, his reaction was to pick through a few of the vocabulary that, admittedly, even I did not know some of, and then ask "Who can pass this?!"

Focusing closely on our current work can help us to see all the details and produce good work, but sometimes we need to step backm see how far we still have to go, and more importantly, how far we have already come.

-Jordan Sensei

The character of Santa Claus is based on the life of Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian bishop and patron saint of children:

Saint Nicholas was born in Patara, Turkey around 280 AD. He was known for his kindness, generosity, and helping the poor and sick.
Legend says that Nicholas dropped money down a chimney for two younger daughters whose windows were closed. This started the tradition of Santa Claus delivering presents at Christmas.

The name Santa Claus is thought to come from the Dutch nickname for Saint Nicholas, Sinter Klaas. The image of Santa Claus originated in North America in the 19th century. It was influenced by Dutch immigrants who brought the legend of Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). The Coca-Cola Company's Christmas advertising helped cement the image of Santa Claus in people's minds.

The character of Santa Claus was also influenced by:
The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Moore, which described Santa as a tiny man with a sleigh pulled by eight miniature reindeer
The Victorians, who wanted a more domesticated Christmas with a generous, jolly, and child-dedicated figure.

- Khanya (Kay) Sensei