The summer-holiday paper: homework, the first day back, and the supplies to fix before it

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 holiday guide") or a special issue of the grade newsletter (学年だより夏休み号). The one below carried four things: the homework, a pointer to the holiday rules, the first day back, and what to fix or buy before then.

It is the grade-6 summer issue of Nakahara Elementary in Kawasaki (川崎市立中原小学校), dated 15 July 2026. Your school's version may differ.

The homework (夏休みの課題)

The paper listed three kinds of work:

1. Review on the tablet. The school tablet (ギガ端末, giga tanmatsu) has a drill app. The child uses its review of the achievement test (総合学力調査) to go over everything up to grade 5. A printed maths drill was also handed out.
2. Kanji. A 50-question kanji test after the holiday (夏休み明けに、「漢字５０問テスト」を行います。), covering a set range of the kanji drill book.
3. Free projects, marked 自由課題（取り組みたい人だけ） ("free projects, only for those who want to"): research, a book report, art or crafts. Social-studies and science projects might go to an exhibition. Write the child's name on the work.

Nothing on the paper was labelled "required". Only the third item said, in brackets, that it was optional. Read that part closely: another school may require a free project.

The holiday rules

A separate letter, "Summer holiday life" (夏休みの生活), had been handed out. The newsletter asked parents to read it with the child, to agree rules for tablets and smartphones, and to check use from time to time.

The first day back

On the paper	Meaning
授業再開、朝会、防災引き渡し訓練	(Monday 31 August) lessons restart, morning assembly, emergency pickup drill.
給食開始	(Tuesday 1 September) school lunch starts again.
８月３１日（月）の持ち物	Things to bring on Monday 31 August.

The list for that day was: disaster hood (防災頭巾, bōsai zukin), indoor shoes (上ばき), the tablet and its charger, writing things, and the holiday work. The tool box could come by 1 September. The tablets were being exchanged after the holiday, so the tablet and charger had to come on 31 August, and families who had lost the charger were asked to tell the teacher.

The first day back was not a normal day here: no lunch until the next day, and a pickup drill with its own letter. Read the first-day line twice.

Supplies to check before the holiday ends

Everything came home before the holiday, and the paper asked for a name on every item (すべてに名前をお願いします！). It listed the pencil case for grade 6: five B or 2B pencils, one plain eraser, one red pencil, a ruler of about 15 cm (not folding), and one black oil-based pen. Then: refill the tool box (glue, tape), wash the paint palette and replace missing colours, wash the calligraphy set and replace a damaged brush, wash the recorder. Many children had no pencil board (下じき), contact notebook (連絡帳) or contact pouch (連絡袋); the paper asked families to get them.

Things this paper did not have

There were no pool days, no mid-summer school day, and no daily-life chart in this issue. Your school's guide may have them. If it does, look for プール or 水泳 (pool, swimming), 登校日 (a school day during the holiday) and 生活表 (a chart the child fills in), and put every date in your calendar.