Registration Open for School Year 2019 - 2020!
WHO WE ARE
40 Years of Teaching Excellence
At Ohana International School, our Tokyo Preschool, we bring unparalleled passion and commitment to your child's education everyday. Owner, co-founder and head teacher Shelley Sacks brings more than 40 years of experience in early childhood education, and each of our teaching staff is experienced, qualified, and tenured. We are proud to say that most staff members have been with us since the beginning.
BLOG
Featured
A love of learning starts with
Purposeful Play
Article
Imaginative and dramatic play mimics real life.
It gives us the freedom to be creative. When children are encouraged to explore, collaborate, express thoughts, and embrace differences, they will naturally develop a love of learning. The case for putting play first in preschool is not a theory. Learning through "Purposeful Play" is natural for children. Read our article about play-based learning in Tokyo Families magazine written by our school director, Shelley Sacks, of our Preschool in Tokyo, Ohana International School.
VIDEO FEATURE
Join us for a day-in-the-life at Ohana
Click above to learn more about our days at Ohana, our Tokyo Preschool, meet our teachers and see what we get up to everyday.
WITH COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING, WE
Embrace Differences
KEY CONCEPT
Children learn more quickly in mixed age, diverse environments.
The potential for learning is far greater in a classroom where children are exposed to many cultures, levels of ability, and various age groups. We aim to nurture each child’s unique individuality and honor their differences. This is how we structure Ohana, our International Preschool in Tokyo, and a key part of why we are an inclusive school focused on spirit, compassion and understanding. We aim to teach children how to live in community, embrace difference, and be honorable citizens in a global world.
"Our classes are all multi-age, because we live in a multi-age family, community, and multi-age world..."
CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES THAT
Make us Individual
Classes
At Ohana International, our Tokyo Preschool, each child is seen as an individual. Our teachers put a lot of thought into deciding which class best fits a child’s needs. Our three classes are grouped according to age with a curriculum specifically designed for each class. Watch each of the videos below to learn more about what goes on in each of our classes each day.
BUDS CLASS
15 Months - 3 Years
PETALS CLASS
2.5 - 4 Years
FLOWERS CLASS
3 - 5 Years
Afterschool Classes
A wide range of after-school enrichment programs are offered throughout the school year and are also open to non-Ohana International School students. After-school classes start from 2:30 onwards.
Programs include: Phonics and Literacy, Piano, Violin, Choir and Music Appreciation, Drama, Group Art and others. Program offerings are subject to change depending on the term.
SemesterS
Ohana International School
Fall Term: August to December 2019
Winter/Spring Term: January to June 2020
OPENING HOURS
Monday: 7:30am–5.00pm
Tuesday: 7:30am–5.00pm
Wednesday: 7:30am–5.00pm
Thursday: 7:30am–5.00pm
Friday: 7:30am–5.00pm
Children are born with wings
GREAT TEACHERS ARE JUST THERE TO HELP THEM FLY.
PEOPLE
Our Founder
SHELLEY SACKS, OWNER & FOUNDER
Shelley was born in Cape Town, South Africa and studied Early Childhood Education at Barkly House Teachers Training College, which specialised in training teachers for preschool and kindergarten. At an early stage in her teaching career she was awarded a scholarship by the Department of Education in Cape Town, recognising her excellence in teaching. She went to the University of Cape Town for further studies and received a Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education...
"We aim to nurture each child’s unique individuality and honor their differences. Every child in our care is valued, respected, and given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning under our guidance."
~ Shelley Sacks
Volunteering
Ohana International School and the Ohana Parent's Association are proud to be volunteering and hosting workshops in Tohoku with Place to Grow. We recently held our second art workshop for children in Minami Sanriku - check it out!
Place to Grow and Ohana International School visited Minami Sanriku in October 2016 to hold one of our monthly PTG workshops. This is the result!
Learn more, and
Get to know us
Learn More About Ohana
Pillars of Education
Play and learning at Ohana, our International Preschool in Tokyo are inseparable. In the early years, children are learning more and at a faster rate than at any other time in their lives...
MISSION
At Ohana International School, our Preschool in Tokyo, we aim to teach the children in our care how to love in the community, embrace difference, and be honorable citizens in the global world...
PHILOSOPHY
At Ohana International, our Preschool in Tokyo we: 1) Respect the fact that all children are individuals. 2) Aim to nurture each child’s unique individuality and honor their differences...
CURRICULUM
In the creation of our curriculum at Ohana International Preschool in Tokyo, we have included the ideals and philosophies of many early childhood theorists as well as new up to date information...
AFFILIATIONS
Ohana International School in Tokyo is a member of The Tokyo Association of International Preschools (TAIP). Through our TAIP membership, we attend workshops for parents and teachers...
EMPLOYMENT
Ohana International School is an English language preschool for children aged 15 months to 5 years old. Our aim is to provide innovative teaching practices and concepts in a loving and...
Testimonials
"Our daughter started her very first school at Ohana after having visits to other schools. We knew the moment we met Shelley that Ohana was her school..."
"Switching our son to Ohana’s Flowers class for pre-k has been a great decision for our family. The warm and nurturing environment, the flexibility of attending three days per week, as well as the structured..."
"Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to visit Ohana yesterday. I was extremely impressed with the way that the preschool is run; your passion..."
Media & Articles
Ohana interview in Tokyo Families
Feature article in Being A Broad
Review in Metropolis Magazine
Article in Japan School News
Listing in GISJ
Interview in Envoy
Article in Japan Today
SETUP A
First Meeting
Come and visit Ohana International School! It is the easiest and fastest way to get to know each other.
Call us today at 03-3408-8888 to arrange a school tour or fill out the contact form below:
Getting Here
Our Preschool in Tokyo, is located between 7 to 10 minutes walk from Azabu Juban station (Exit 4 or 7).
Ohana International School:
3-12-36 Motoazabu
Minato-Ku, Tokyo
Japan 106-0046
Phone: 03-3408-8888
Fax: 03-3408-8888
Open Daily M-F: 7:30AM - 5:00PM