| What grades are offered? |
The school offers PreK (4 years old) to 9th grade. |
| What curriculum and textbooks are used? |
The AASO curriculum takes a double immersion approach. A double immersion approach means that all core academic instruction is simultaneously conducted in two languages where the core subjects are language arts, math, science, and social studies. At AASO, this means that teachers teach Japanese and English language arts in the respective languages, and math, science, and social studies in both English and Japanese. All non-core academic instruction takes place in English only. The underlying goal of this approach is to develop high levels of proficiency in both languages without diluting grade-specific academic requirements.
Historically, more than 90 percent of students graduating from AASO have chosen to pursue secondary education in the Japanese public school system. Since students must pass a standardized entrance examination to start high school in Japan, test preparation continues to be at the forefront of our academic priority. As such, we follow the Japanese curriculum standards set by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) for most of the core subjects regardless of the language of instruction. These subjects are Japanese language arts, math, science, and Japanese social studies (life skills for Grades 1 and 2).
In contrast, we adhere to the curriculum standards designed by the US Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) for English language arts and American social studies. As for the non-core subjects, we endeavor to combine the best of both worlds to create lesson plans that are fit for the bicultural ethos of the school.
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| What entrance examinations are there? |
No entrance exams are administered for admission at AASO. Students will however be required to attend a trial week (5 school days). Prior to the trial week, parents come for a campus tour and are interviewed so that AASO can gather pertinent information regarding English/Japanese abilities and reasons for wanting to attend AASO. After the student/s have completed the trial week, another interview will be conducted between the parents and administration team. In this meeting, the administration team will share observations gathered by teachers during the trial week.
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| What afterschool options are available? |
AASO offers before school care from 7:00 – 8:00 and after school care from 15:40 – 18:00. During the after school program, teachers assist students with their homework. At the moment, AASO offers a weekly art club and Eiken preparation club. Students in grades 5-9 may also join Student Council. |
| What are the different nationalities of students represented? |
The majority of students are binational with one parent being Japanese and the other being American. We have some mononational students, and some students whose other parent’s nationality is something aside from American.
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| What big school trips are available during the year? |
Each class will conduct local trips throughout the year. There are no wider school trips organized. |
| What additional support is provided for students? |
AASO provides literacy support for students who need support in English or Japanese. Additionally, if students have special learning needs and are diagnosed by a doctor, an individualized education plan (IEP) can be developed for the student by AASO’s special education coordinator.
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| What are the student numbers for each section? |
As of July 2024: Kindergarten – 8, Elementary – 55, Middle/Junior High School - 26
Please see the breakdown of each class below:
PreK-Kindergarten - 8 students
1st Grade - 15 students
2nd Grade - 7 students
3rd Grade - 11 students
4th Grade - 7 students
5th Grade - 9 students
6th Grade - 6 students
7th Grade - 12 students
8th Grade - 10 students
9th Grade - 4 student
Total: 89 students (as of July 2024)
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