Important Dates and Events at Ono Senior High School

2000 - 2001 Term Dates

Term 1: April 10 - July 19
Term 2: September 1 - December 22
Term 3: January 8 - March 23

The following information shows the yearly schedule at Ono Senior High School for:
First Term
Second Term
Third Term

First Term

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony is the first time for all the teachers and staff, including the new teachers, to assemble together. The ceremony normally takes approximately one hour. The students are greeted by the Principal and other members of the staff. After the ceremony, the students clean the school buildings and grounds.
Entrance Ceremony for 1st Year Students This is a special ceremony held for the new students. They are again greeted by the Principal and other members of the staff. Many of the students' parents attend the ceremony, welcoming them to Ono Senior High School.

1st Year Orientation Camp This four-day event is held at a nearby education centre. It is a chance for the teachers and students to get to know each other. The students learn about the school, the school rules and study skills that will be vital to their success over the next three years of study.

School Picnic Just after the beginning of term tests, the whole school goes on a picnic to a nearby lake. The students mix with the other students in their new homerooms and enjoy one day of recreation before the school year begins in earnest. The second year and third year students join groups with the first year students to give advice and answer their questions.

Culture Festival (Seireisai) The Culture Festival is one of the main events at Ono Senior High School. It is a chance for the culture clubs to display their talents and also helps the first year students to decide if they wish to join a cultural club. The culture clubs at Ono Senior High School include a tea ceremony, calligraphy, English Speaking Society, cooking, word-processing and dance club. For more information on the club activities, please view the Clubs information.

May Mid-term Exams This is the first test period for students. The tests are held over four days.

June Election of Student Council Like high schools in most countries, Ono Senior High School has a student council. However, as the third year students are busy studying for their exams, the council is made up of second and first year students. The nominated students are required to make a speech in the school gymnasium in front of all their peers. The students then vote in their homerooms to choose 12 students, including a Head Boy and Head Girl.

July End of Term Exams This is the first main series of tests for the students. The tests are held over five days. After the tests, the students only come to school until lunch time for the rest of the term.

Sports Day This is a chance for the students to relax after the tests in games of softball, volleyball and basketball. The students represent their homeroom classes and the games can become highly competitive!

Closing Ceremony The closing ceremony for the term is usually quite short. The Principal will make a speech and remind the students to take care in the summer vacation. Academic and sporting awards may also be presented.

Summer Vacation Unlike most western countries, the students will come to school for at least two weeks of the summer holiday for supplementary classes or to participate in their club activities. Many of the sporting clubs practice almost every day in the summer holiday. The students are also required to do homework which has been set for completion over the break.

Unless the teachers are on study leave or take holiday leave, they also come to school every day.

Second Term

September Opening Ceremony Similar to the first term's ceremony, everyone assembles in the gymnasium to sing the school song, listen to a speech by the Principal and other members of staff. The second term is the longest term for students. It runs from the beginning of September to the end of December.

Sports Festival This is the second main event of the year and again the students compete for their homerooms. The day includes a variety of events and competitions, from obstacle races to the traditional running races. One event that all the students enjoy is the class performance. Each class is required to make a 30 second performance with costumes, music and props based on a theme of their choice. They are judged on their creativity and choreography and lose points if they have spent over the assigned budget or go over time. The homeroom teacher must participate in this event. The students are given two minutes to dress their teacher in the costume before the performances begin.

October Mid-term Exams The mid-term tests are held over a period of 4 days. The students usually have 3 tests every day, which go for 50 minutes each.

November Cultural Event An important event for all staff and students is the cultural event. The performance may be a drama, concert, or classical Japanese entertainment. It is performed by professionals and helps to broaden the students minds' and appreciation of culture.

End of Term Tests After a long term, the students have five days of tests.

December Sports Day The students again make teams and play against the other homerooms in games of soccer, basketball and volleyball.

Closing Ceremony Before the three week holiday, everyone again assembles in the gymnasium for the ceremony. As with most ceremonies, the students are required to stand for the entire time. Of course, students who feel unwell are permitted to sit down.

Winter Vacation The students again have supplementary classes, club activities and winter homework. It is however a chance for the family to be together with most parents having a holiday from the 31st of December to the 3rd of January. Most families visit shrines, eat traditional Japanese New Year foods and visit relatives to celebrate the New Year. For more information on Japanese culture, please refer to the Links page.

Third Term

January Opening Ceremony At the beginning of January, the final opening ceremony for the school year is held. This term is a very short term. The third year students are hard at work studying for their university entrance examinations.

February Ski Trip The second year teachers and students go to Nagano for 5 days. For some students, it is their first time to ski while for the more experienced students, a time to show off their skills!

Jogging Week While the second year students are practicing their skiing skills, the first year students are improving on their running. On the first day, the boys run 10 times around the 500 metre circle of the oval while the girls run 10 times around the 400 metre circle. The next day, the students run an additional extra lap leading up to the last day, when the boys run 6.5 kilometres and the girls run 5.6 kilometres.

Graduation Ceremony With some of the university entrance exams complete, the graduation ceremony is held for the 3rd year students. It is a very formal occasion and is attended by all staff, many parents and the 3rd and 2nd year students. Many speeches are made encouraging the students to keep trying their best as their embark on their next step into their future.

March Final Exams The final exams for the year are held over 5 days. The students are tested on everything they have learned since the beginning of the year. The tests go for 50 minutes.

Chorus Contest The chorus contest is the final event of the year for the 1st and 2nd year students. The students are required to sing a set song and also one of their own choice. It is the final event for the homeroom as in the next school year, many will be moved to different classes.

School Reading Week Displays are made in the library about the students' favourite books and the students are encouraged to read to further their knowledge.

Ono High School Entrance Exams Like many high schools in Japan, entrance exams are held for junior high school students who wish to come to Ono Senior High School. As the school is known for its excellent staff and results, only the top 3-5% of students in the district will be eligible to enter the school. These students were some of the successful examinees.

Closing Ceremony In the final ceremony for the school year, the students are greeted by the Principal and other staff members. They are reminded to continue to work hard and to look after their health during the spring holiday.

Spring Vacation As with the other holidays, the students may have supplementary classes and club activities. It is a time often used by the culture clubs to work on their performances for the upcoming culture festival in May. After the festival, the 2nd year students leave their clubs so they put a lot of effort into every detail to make their last club activity event the best it can be.