Grades 1–3
小学校低学年, Age 6–9, 17 articles
A PTA duty note is a request from the parents-and-teachers group
PTAと保護者の活動
A PTA note (PTA当番) is from the group the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes: parents and teachers working together so that school runs…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
A sports-day notice is the school's athletic event, not a test result
運動会・体育大会のお知らせ
A sports-day notice (運動会, undōkai, or 体育大会, taiiku taikai) is the event the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes as sprints, relays, ball-toss…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
An excursion notice is a trip out of school, and the paper names the day
遠足・校外学習のお知らせ
An excursion notice (遠足, ensoku, or 校外学習, kōgai gakushū) is the trip the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes as leaving the school for an…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
An open-class notice invites you to watch a lesson
授業参観・学級懇談会
An open-class notice (授業参観, jugyō sankan) is the visit the Ministry of Education's school guidebook describes: parents come to school and see the lesson and…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Applying to a Tokyo public combined junior high: the online form, the school report and the exam ticket (April 2027)
都立中高一貫校の出願書類とインターネット出願（令和9年度）
Tokyo's public combined junior-and-senior high schools (都立中高一貫校, officially 都立中等教育学校 and 都立中学校) take applications for April 2027 mostly online (インターネット出願…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
Children clean the classroom, and clubs are for those who want them
清掃と部活動
Two things in a Japanese school day surprise families who are new to them. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children describes both as the…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Clothes, indoor shoes and the things a school actually regulates
服装・持ち物・上履き
A "please prepare these things" note (持ち物, mochimono) is the school's own list. The Ministry of Education's guidebook does not publish a national shopping…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Health-room papers and infection absence: when your child must stay home, and what to hand in after
ほけんだより・学校感染症と出席停止
The school nurse's office (保健室, hokenshitsu) sends home health papers: a health newsletter (ほけんだより or 保健だより, hoken-dayori) and notices about illnesses. The…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Home visits, parents' meetings and the one-to-one conference
家庭訪問・保護者会・個人面談
Japanese schools set aside times for parents and teachers to talk. The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children describes three of them.…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
Renrakuchō (連絡帳): phrases for absence, lateness and everyday notes
連絡帳の書き方と例文
The 連絡帳 (renrakuchō, contact notebook) is a small notebook that travels between home and school in your child's bag. The teacher writes notes in it, and you…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The class newsletter: where the dates, the things to bring and the money are hiding
学年だより・学級だよりの読み方
A grade newsletter (学年だより, gakunen-dayori) or class newsletter (学級だより, gakkyū-dayori) arrives about once a month. It reads like a friendly letter, but it is…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The emergency pickup drill: only a registered adult can collect your child
引き取り訓練のお知らせの読み方
This notice is about a drill for what happens after a big earthquake: the school keeps the children, and an adult comes to collect each one. The drill is…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The grade-6 'which junior high?' survey: what each answer means for the ward
進路希望調査（小6）と中学校入学の手続き
In grade 6, the elementary school may send a survey on where your child will go next (進路希望調査, shinro kibō chōsa, "future-path survey", or a similar title). It…
TokyoVerified Oct 7, 2026
The school-lunch allergy form is a doctor's sheet, and each school writes its own rules
学校給食の食物アレルギー対応と学校生活管理指導表
A food-allergy form from a Japanese school is not a menu and it is not a diagnosis. The Ministry of Education's page on school-lunch allergies points schools…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The summer-holiday paper: homework, the first day back, and the supplies to fix before it
夏休みのしおり・学年だより夏休み号の読み方
Before a long holiday, the school sends a guide. It may be a booklet (夏休みのしおり / 冬休みのしおり, natsuyasumi no shiori / fuyuyasumi no shiori, "summer / winter…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
The yearly school health check is required, and the notice names the tests
定期健康診断
A health-check notice (健康診断, kenkō shindan) is the check the Ministry of Education's school guidebook says schools must give regularly, because the law…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026
What a school-lunch notice is asking you to do
給食の時間と給食費
Many elementary and junior-high printouts are about lunch (給食, kyūshoku). The Ministry of Education's guidebook for foreign children starting school describes…
All of JapanVerified Oct 7, 2026