On Thursday, April 6th, I attended one of my elementary school’s (the same one I went to the graduation ceremony for) entrance ceremony.
Ok brief intermission before that. No one actually told me when it was or that it was happening. The new staff introduction ceremony (“taking up a new post” is what the dictionary officially says but adding ceremony to that sounds awkward in english so I liberally translated it) was held in the morning, and at that school, it was held semi-virtually and online, and at first I thought that was it. I was wondering if that was all that was to the entrance ceremony, or if that was to come later, because after that happened, there was no real preparation that I saw to get ready for the first graders’ entrance ceremony. At some point, all the staff disappeared from the staff room, but I figured it was some sort of staff meeting that I wasn’t a part of. It wasn’t until one of the ladies who clean the hallways answered the doorbell and said they were in the middle of the entrance ceremony that I went, “huh? It’s happening now?”, and immediately rushed over to the gym to go watch. So no one told me it was happening, and I was slightly late. Apparently I even had a designated seat, but I didn’t know and just stood in the back.
When I made my way to the gym, it was just about when the first graders were walking in to the gym down the aisle similar to the sixth graders’ graduation. Actually, most of the decorations and signs were the exact same, keeping the “congratulations” but replacing the “graduation” with “entrance”. I found that kind of funny. Also all the kids were absolutely adorable, and they were dressed up so formally in baby suits and nice dresses.
They all took a bow at the gym door, and walked in to sit down in their seat at the front. Everyone stood up for the national anthem while it played, and then the school played the first verse of the school anthem, encouraging anyone who knew the words to sing along. Everyone sat down, and then when they’re all seated, the first grade homeroom teachers start calling the names of all the kids. Each one stands up when they’re called, faces the audience, says “hai”, and then sits back down.
Then it’s time for the principal’s speech. First, the school principal bows to the flags in the back at the bottom of the stage, bows at the podium, and then starts his speech. He first thanks and announces the Board of Education and PTA members in attendance, and then gives a speech to the first graders. When he finishes, there’s a lot of bowing: at the podium, to the flags, and to the BoE members.
Then they introduce the staff that are the most related to the first years, namely the principal, vice principal, the homeroom teachers, and the nurse. The first graders are then led by the homeroom teacher out, and then staff quickly rearrange the stage to get ready for picture taking. The first graders come back in, sit and stand in the first few rows, and the parents and guardians fill in the sides and back rows of the stands. Then they take a giant group picture, probably to go in the sixth grader yearbook six years later. That’s pretty cool.
When that’s done, everyone goes to the first grade classroom to take pictures and collect belongings, and after they leave, the staff all clean up the chairs and take down decorations. We then had a welcome lunch celebration for the new staff, with catered bentos and teas. This one costed 1100 yen.
The day after (at least, at my other school), the “real” first day of school, the first graders only have 2 periods, and then they’re walked/sent home chaperoned by a teacher. They don’t start kyushoku until a week later.
Oh, and it feels so weird saying “this year” and “last year” when referring to the new and past school years…it’s only been like 2 weeks.
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