This year I was on "osewa gakkari"--the committee who helps out with field trips. Most importantly, the committee who is fully responsible for the graduation party.
Our team of four started preparing for the party back in December. There were many things to do. We collected money, took pictures of all moms & kids, had kids draw a picture for the teacher, had kids write a personal note to each classmate, made a yearbook for each kid, memorized songs in Japanese to sing at the party, handmade all the decorations for the party, crocheted a blanket for the principle, chose the obento lunch for moms and kids, handmade gifts for all teachers, donated a gift to the school from our class, made cookies and rice paper flowers to give all guests, planned & performed all entertainment for the party, handmade desserts for the party... and that doesn't cover the half of it!
The day before the party, it is a tradition for the mothers of the graduates to clean the whole school...and then set up for the party. Being on osewa gakkari, I was relegated to the bathroom cleaning team. Oh joy! I scrubbed toilets, urinals, sinks, floors, walls, windows, with a smile on my face. I have one word to describe the experience: yuck. We cleaned from 11:30am until 5:30pm. The school was literally sparkling after we were through (*note: it is NOT a Japanese tradition to enslave mothers to clean their kid's schools prior to graduation. No other Japanese moms had heard of such a thing).
Luckily, not only our committee set up for the party. The other moms and kids all helped too. Here we are putting the finishing touches on the place settings and cup holders.
Here's our program of events.
Sensei Arigato! Thank you teachers!
Remember, all decor was handmade...
...including placemats, cup holders, chopstick covers, and center pieces.
We practiced our singing with one mom accompanying us on piano.
My favorite entertainmnet was a story board that moms did as we sang a song about all the fun things our children did throughout the year. One of the moms had a degree in art, and it sure shows in her drawings.
Some things highlighted on the story board are: the class slumber party at school, pounding rice into o mochi (a delicacy here), throwing beans at the oni (tricky devil), pool time in the summer, making round dirt balls called o dongo, falling down on sports day, flying fish flags for Children's Day,roasting sweet potatoes, making cotton candy at our school fair and in the center you see kids wearing the backpacks they will use for 1st grade.
Matsumura Youchien, you have made our stay in Japan unforgettable! (especially those toilets!)
1 comment:
Altho it sounds like a lot of work, it also sounds fun. Being that connected to a school and the other parents is a dream!
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