CGK International School is an IB PYP candidate school
CGK's educational goal is to nurture internationally-minded individuals that can contribute to a better world. CGK provides an environment where children can learn the skills they need in society and expand their opportunities for happiness on a global scale.
Elementary School Features
1.World-class Curriculum
As an IB PYP candidate school, CGK Elementary School will not only follow an international curriculum, but will also teach mathematics and the Japanese language (for which learning progress tends to differ) with reference to the Japanese government guidelines for education. (*Japanese language class taught only in Japanese)
2.Language Policy for Parents
CGK Elementary school is open to students of any nationality. Although we are an international school, we also accept Japanese students (with an English proficiency requirement). Therefore, parents / guardians will not have any problem if they can communicate with the school in either Japanese or English.
3.Full EAL Support
Since most subjects are taught in English, English proficiency is required for admission to the Elementary School, but if students need help to improve their English, we offer EAL support (English as an additional language.)
Helping Students Develop a Spirit of Inquiry, Critical Thinking Skills, and Self-expression
Students are taught through inquiry. Lessons based on "inquiry" are not passive, rather students take the initiative to cooperate with classmates and deepen their learning. Through active lessons based on research, discussion, presentation, and communication, students acquire cognitive abilities and the ability to express for themselves the things they have learned.
These skills are indispensable for children to be able to carve out their own future paths and spread their wings to the world. Students will not just get high grades on exams, but the global skills needed in real life around the world.
School Information
Name
CGK International School - Elementary School
Location
2-25-2 Minaminakadori, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa (Greater Tokyo) 231-0006, Japan
Capacity
Approx. 20 per class
Class Hours
Grade 1-2: 25 hrs per week, Grades 3-5: 29 hrs per week
Vacations
Spring Break (approx. 3 weeks), Golden Week (approx. 1 week), Summer Vacation (approx. 6 weeks), Winter Vacation (approx. 2 weeks)
Kannai Campus Layout
Access
4-minute walk from Bashamichi Station (馬車道駅) on the Minatomirai Line (directly to/from the Tōyoko Line and Fukutoshin Line)
5-minute walk from Nihon-ōdōri Station (日本大通り駅) on the Minatomirai Line (directly to/from the Tōyoko Line and Fukutoshin Line)
5-minute walk from Kannai Station (関内駅) on the Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line
7-minute walk from Kannai Station (関内駅) on the JR Keihin-Tōhoku Line
Bus transportation is provided in the morning only. We have three school buses, and the following routes are subject to change. Please note that although students in the lower elementary grades are eligible, priority will be given to younger children from age 2 and up.
"Taxi Service for Childcare" may also be available. For more information, please refer to Afterschool "Taxi Service for Childcare".
Feel free to contact us, not only regarding applications for open schools or other questions, but also about observations, interviews, community interaction proposals, partnerships, consultancy requests, internships, etc.
(日本語は英語の後で) Last Sunday CGK Outdoors Club held its largest event yet with over 100 people attending😄
The day at Kodomono Nature Park started with a gentle nature walk around the lake and through the forest🌿As we came down the mountain we arrived at the large play area. There, the kids were delighted to enjoy all the activities including a jungle gym, a long slide and lots of things to climb🛝
Future CGK Outdoors Club events will be announced soon - stay tuned for news about our next exciting adventures😊!
(日本語は英語の後で) We were excited to have our first family parties since the pandemic😄 The always lovely Primo🇮🇹 Italian restaurant were gracious hosts as some of our students and their families enjoyed a special full course meal🍽 Our CGK students certainly had a great time experiencing the pleasures of eating fine food as well as the joys of sharing a meal with even finer company✨ Thank you to the families who braved the cold to come and to everyone at Primo for helping us organize such a great event😊
(日本語は英語の後で)Last week, what a surprise, the ogres came to CGK👹! The preschool children were learning about Setsubun during their Japanese class, such as the meaning of Setsubu and Ehomaki culture. While we were saying, “Ogres would probably not come because they have all become older brothers and sisters and are being very good,”.... the ogres came into the class‼️ Everyone said loudly “Oni wa soto!” and “Fuku wa uchi!” which they had been practised together! The bean throwing was filled with tears and laughter😂
During the lunch break at the elementary school, the children had a lot of fun with games they came up with😄! The first game was a kind of dodgeball style, where the children threw fake beans at each other’s court. The team that throws the most beans into the other’s court wins. The second game was to put as many beans as possible into the box above the heads of Ms Anna Ogre and Mr Facundo Ogre, who were moving around. Mr Facundo Ogre got more beans in the box than Ms Anna Ogre and lost the game😲
Everyone worked hard together with their friends and the ogres went home👹 We wish you a happy and healthy year!✨
(日本語は英語の後で)This week, CGK Elementary School had Parents Day! Kids were happy to share what they are learning with parents and they mentioned how happy they felt after😄 The growth that we have witnessed from the Parents Day in Term 1 and the Parents Day in Term 3 is quite remarkable👏 Parents were invited to join Coffee Hours in the afternoon☕ They had a chance to talk with teachers to have better understanding about lessons.
(日本語は英語の後で) In January, there is Japanese New Year’s custom called Oshogatsu (New Year’s)🎍The Mountain Class and the Sky Class children`s lesson was based on this.
One of the things the children were looking forward to was making rice cakes. At the start of the month, before the teacher told them, the children checked the monthly calendar themselves and were very interested, saying “Are we going to make mochi⁉️“.
Until the day of the event, the children looked enjoyed some activities related to rice cakes, such as reading the picture book ‘Baba Baba’s rice cake making’ and a hand clapping game called ‘Making rice cakes (for the New Year)’😊
Today was finally the day! They placed cooked glutinous rice into a bowl, and grinded it into a mochi shape with a wooden pestle. Gradually the students pounded the rice into mochi shape. It was a good way for them to use their muscles as well✊ When it came time to eat the mochi, they dipped it in a topping of their own choice, such as sweet red bean paste, kinako (soybean flour) or sugar and soy sauce.
Thank you to everyone for your cooperation! The children really enjoyed the event✨
(日本語は英語の後で) You`re invited to join our CGK Outdoors Club event - enjoying beautiful Oike Park🏞️CGK Outdoors Club is originally designed for CGK community for hiking and other outdoor activities🥾For this event, we invite other friends or family members who may not be members of the CGK community. This event will start with a gentle nature walk through the forest to the large children’s play area🛝The children’s play area is fantastic - the kids certainly won’t be bored! We hope you will be able to join us😄
Oike Park/Children’s Nature Park Sunday, the 18th of February, 2024 10.30am-1.30pm
(日本語は英語の後で)CGK and HelloWorld (the operator of Machinaka Ryugaku), have signed an agreement to work together to promote the development of global talent🌎
HelloWorld offers a program called Machinaka Ryugaku. Instead of travelling overseas to experience a different culture, you can experience a new culture and spend time with an international family living in Japan by staying studying at their home for the weekend with homestay options from Kanto to Okinawa!
CGK will work closely with HelloWorld to further promote the development of global human resources both internationally and domestically.
Thanks for everyone who joined our Yokohama International Family(YIF)’s first-ever event - YIF Get Together😄 It was great to see kids have fun and make new friends👫 Hopefully we will see you again at our next event! ※今回はイングリッシュオンリーのイベントでした!
(日本語は英語の後で)Last week, we held "North American Boarding School Study Abroad Information Session" at CGK International School🌎 This time we invited Mr.Mihara, a representative of Field Across, who specializes in providing support for boarding school study in North America✨ Mr.Mihara introduced the 2024 summer programme, not only in the United States, but also boarding schools in Hawaii and Canada. He shared us a valuable talk about the local schools!
At CGK, long-term study abroad (one year) is mandatory from the summer of Grade 7. CGK also offers a wide range of short-term study abroad plans to support students so that they can make their own decisions about where to study. In addition to North America, we are also planning short-term study abroad plans in New Zealand and Australia.
(日本語は英語の後で)At CGK Afterschool we have a program called ‘Student Choice’ where students work together to decide the driving question they wish to explore, and the entire direction of their project is led by them. For the last Student Choice project, the students decided to create their own Charity Christmas Market🎉 to raise money for children affected by the war in Ukraine.
Students worked very hard over the weeks to make merchandise, create games, work on original food and drink items, and put together musical and story reading performances all in the name of charity. Students invited family and friends not only from CGK but from their various elementary schools too, to share their festival with as many people as possible.
From the very start of the festival everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was great to stand back and watch the students run the whole festival by themselves😊 Through their had work and effort they rose over 15,000 yen for charity👏 They should be very proud of what they achieved.
(日本語は英語の後で) 【CGK Elementary School Open Schools】 We have 1 more open school left in Year of 2023-24. 🕘Sunday, January 28th 9:00AM(JP) / 11:00AM(EN) / 2:30PM(JP) *The last group session on weekend in 2023-24. Individual sessions remain available on weekdays.
For students who are eligible for enrolment in April 2024 are invited to attend the Elementary School Orientation on the 17th of February. To ensure a smooth enrolment process, we recommend that prospective students attend our open school in January😊
Whether or not you have a definite intention to enrol, please feel free to participate. This invitation extends to those who have attended in the past or those targeting enrolment from the 2025 academic year onwards!
Children are welcome to join on the day👫 It’s also an opportunity to interact with elementary school teachers, so please join us!
(日本語は英語の後で)On Sunday the 14th of January, CGK Outdoors Club went on a hiking trip from Jochi-ji Temple to Kuzuharaoka Shrine and finally to the Great Buddha of Kamakura🏃♂️!
It was a perfect day for hiking with clear blue skies and a cool breeze☀ We made our way up the trail until we reached Kuzuharaoka Shrine. There, we had a delicious lunch, exchanged some sweets, played some tag and were visited by some wild squirrels🐿✨!
At this point on the trail families could decide if they wanted to return to Joichi-ji temple or continue to the Great Buddha. Even though it was a longer trail to keep going, our three year old Jungle class friends all wanted to finish! Everyone made it to the end of the trail and were able to enjoy the site of the Great Buddha of Kamakura👏
Everyone is looking forward to our next CGK Outdoors Club event at Oike Park. It should be another wonderful day😊
On the 1/20, we will have Yokohama International Family (YIF) first event “YIF Get Together”👨👩👧👦 *This event will be held in ENGLISH ONLY. Please be aware of there would be no Japanese translation assistance on the day.
Open to everyone (outsiders are welcome too), this laid-back gathering is a chance for you to meet and mingle with families from Yokohama`s international community. Kids can enjoy some rhythmic fun with music, percussion instruments, and dance🥁🎼💃
For more info and registration, please check our Facebook and Meetup event page. Facebook: fb.me/e/1jPOsmAbS Meetup: meetup.com/yifcgk/events/297879894 If you don’t have any of above accounts, please contact us by DM for registration. *This event invites people from other sources so the RSVP count on above page is only partial.
Please feel free to invite your international friends-family😊
(日本語は英語の後で) Although we had originally planned to open only one class for 2-year-olds, we have revised our plans and decided to open two classes starting April 2024. We are pleased to announce that we will continue to accept new students for the 2-year-old class for the 2024 school year. In addition, we regularly hold open school sessions (next one: Jan 13) for those interested in enrolling. We have some openings in other classes as well, so please check our website and join our open school session.
(日本語は英語の後で) Yokohama Spring Homeless Patrol (YSHP) is a volunteer group that relies on volunteers and donations to serve the homeless and needy in Yokohama. Rain, hail, or shine, every two weeks YSHP gather at JR Kannai station where around one hundred people wait for over an hour beforehand to receive much-needed food and supplies. Some of the CGK teachers have been volunteering with YSHP in 2023.
But for the very first time, we invited CGK families to join YSHP on their latest homeless patrol😊!
Check out the blog post available on our website for more details.
(日本語は英語の後で) The videos of the 2023 CGK Sports Day are now available🏅Check out the rest on our YouTube channel. Take a look at the blog for highlights of the Preschool Sports Day too! This year’s Sports Day was a very first Sports Day for elementary school. And it was a little different from previous editions for preschool as it reflected the implementation of the IB curriculum at CGK. The children were given more agency in planning Sports Day such as choreography and planning and modifying their games👫 As we mature as an IB school, events such as Sports Day will demonstrate the agency that the children have. This makes our Sports Day more exciting and unique than other sports days that you have been to.