Dear HIS Community,

Spring Break is almost upon us, and these sunny snowy March days have been a lot of fun.  As I write, I can see our students outside my window enjoying the snow in our backyard at the Sapporo campus.  Experiencing the Hokkaido outdoors is of course one of the special highlights of being a student at HIS, and whether through Husky WOOF (Sapporo secondary), SnOlympics (Sapporo elementary), or full class mountain trips (Niseko), our staff have been making sure that students don’t miss out on it, despite the challenges of the pandemic.

We have been grateful to see more signs of progress as Japan continues the fight against Covid-19.  With lowered alert levels and initial vaccine distribution underway, there are good reasons for optimism.  We will be beginning a limited re-opening of after-school activities and some athletics after Spring Break.  However, it is important to note that this could change at any time based on conditions, and we will still be continuing with vigorous safety protocols, including mandatory mask use and daily temperature checks, most likely for the remainder of the school year.  In addition, the school will remain closed to unscheduled non-student visitors and, with the exception of limited teacher-supervised activities, closed at the end of the school day.  

Looking towards April, we are looking forward to hosting a WASC mid-cycle visit.  We are proud to be able to report a number of significant upgrades and improvements since our last accreditation visit three years ago, including child safety procedure revisions, a new dormitory building, a new website, and much more.  We appreciate the continued collaboration of the whole school community as we work to make HIS the best school it can be. 

I wish you all a safe and rejuvenating Spring Break!

Sincerely yours,

Tim Schlosser
Head of School