Sitero Francisco MNHS SPFL- Nihongo

📢 ATTENTION: CONTINUING GRADE 8 SPFL-NIHONGO STUDENTS 📢

Konnichiwa, Nihongojins! The time has come to officially secure your slot and continue your Japanese language journey for School Year 2026–2027.

Please take note of the urgent re-enrollment details below:

📋 Requirements & Process
To maintain your status in the program, ensure you complete all the necessary re-enrollment steps.

📄 Where to get the form: You can secure a physical copy of the enrollment form directly from Ma'am Collen.

⏱️ Strict Deadline & Slot Limit
Deadline for Submission: On or before June 11, 2026

Class Limit: Strictly accommodating 25–30 students only.

⚠️ CRITICAL NOTE: There will be absolutely no extension of the deadline. Because we can only accommodate a maximum of 30 students for this class, late submissions will not be accepted. Make sure to submit on time so you don't forfeit your slot!

📢 Announcement of Final List
Once all submissions are processed, the official list of confirmed Grade 8 participants will be posted right here on our official page.

Don't wait until the last minute—secure your form today and lock in your slot. Let’s make this upcoming school year another amazing chapter of learning. Ganbatte! 🇯🇵✨

🎒✨ Welcome back to school, Siterians! ✨🎒

The school is buzzing with energy once again, and we are so excited to see everyone ready for a brand-new year of learning, friendship, and success.

A special, enthusiastic welcome goes out to all the students joining the SPFL-Nihongo family! 🇯🇵🌸 You are about to embark on an incredible journey exploring the beautiful language and culture of Japan. We can't wait to see your skills bloom!

学校 へ おかえりなさい！
(Gakkou e okaerinasai! — Welcome back to school!)

Let’s make this a fantastic and unforgettable year together! 📝💚

Omedetou gozaimasu to all the winners! 🥳

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 "𝗪𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗶" 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿: 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁

Creativity and culture took center stage today as the results of the 10th Philippine Digital Kana Art Competition were officially announced!

In a heartwarming celebration of art and language, Jan Airis Adie Samosino secured a spectacular 2nd place finish in the highly competitive Junior Category. Making the victory even more historic, Sitero Francisco Memorial National High School was the only public school to break into the winners' circle in the junior division, standing tall alongside the country's top young artists.

Hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University Japanese Studies Program (JSP), this year’s milestone 10th edition challenged young digital artists across the country to bring Japanese Hiragana characters to life. Back in April 2026, contestants submitted original artworks featuring creative mnemonics for the characters わ (wa), を (wo), or ん (n).

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽
The competition was fierce this year, making Samosino-san's victory all the more impressive:

-18 initial entries were submitted nationwide in the Junior Category.

-Only the Top 10 advanced as semi-finalists.

-From there, an elite panel narrowed it down to the Top 3 winners.

The entries were meticulously evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, consisting of Filipino and Japanese language and art professors from various top universities and language centers.

𝗔 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 "𝗪𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗶"
Samosino-san captured the judges' hearts and imaginations with a brilliant entry titled "Wodori"—a clever and visually stunning play on the character を (wo).

The big moment unfolded earlier today, June 7, 2026, during a lively awarding ceremony broadcast via Facebook Live on the official JSP Kana page. The livestream was warmly hosted by Junilo S. Espiritu, the President of the Association of Filipino Nihongo Teachers (AFINITE), who kept the energy high and the audience cheering from behind their screens.

Aside from well-deserved bragging rights and a beautiful addition to their art portfolio, Samosino-san and the fellow top winners will be receiving their well-earned cash prizes via GCash.

Congratulations to Jan Samosino and all the talented young artists who bridged culture and creativity through digital art!
おめでとうございます (Omedetou gozaimasu)!

🎉 Facebook recognized me as a consistent post creator this week!

🎨 Kizuna Workshop Day 3- May 6, 2026: The Ultimate Kana Challenge 🎨

The energy reached a whole new level on Day 3! Our participants proved that hard work pays off as they moved from games to high-stakes challenges and creative projects.

🎮 Katakana Kickoff
We started the morning with a high-energy Katakana Identification Game led by Kian-san and Thera-san. It was a tight race, but a huge congratulations to Group 1 for taking home the win! 🏆

💡 Mnemonics & Mastery
We officially tackled the latter half of the Katakana script! By using creative mnemonics, participants found fun ways to memorize those tricky characters.

⚡ The Kana Challenge
After some intense review time, it was time for the Kana Challenge. Collen-sensei flashed Japanese words in Hiragana and Katakana, and participants had to quickly translate them into Romaji.

A massive shoutout to Shammah-chan, who crushed the competition with the highest score! 🌟👏

🔖 The Bookmark Project
To wrap up the day, everyone tapped into their inner artist for the Bookmark Project. Participants carefully wrote their names in Katakana, decorating them with unique designs.

The most creative bookmark with the most accurate Katakana writing will earn the title of Shodo (Calligraphy) Artist, to be officially awarded during the finale! 🖌️✨

We are so impressed by the dedication shown in Day 3. From fast-paced games to beautiful calligraphy, our students are truly embracing the language. 🌸🎌

🌸 Kizuna Workshop Finale: The Amazing Race & Graduation (May 7, 2026) 🌸

Day 4 was the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable journey! It was a day filled with high-energy competition, heartfelt reflections, and well-deserved recognition.

🏃‍♂️ The Amazing Race: Kana Edition
The workshop kicked off with the ultimate test of speed and knowledge! Participants raced through four stations designed to challenge their mastery of Hiragana and Katakana:

Kana Dance: Expressing characters through movement! 💃

Writing Blitz: Speed-writing characters with precision. ✍️

Reading Challenge: Decoding words in real-time. 📖

After a thrilling battle of wits and agility, Group 1 proved their dominance once again, taking home the gold! 🥇🏆

🎓 Celebrating Achievement
With the challenges complete, we transitioned to our formal awarding ceremony. We were honored to present:

- Certificates of Completion for all our dedicated participants.

- Special Awards for those who showed exceptional skill and creativity

- Certificates of Recognition for our generous donors and our hard-working Grade 8 facilitators.

🎤 Heartfelt Reflections
We heard moving words from those who made this workshop special:

Shammah-chan of Grade 7 shared that she gained much more than just language skills; she found new friends and had many misconceptions about Japan cleared away.

Kian-san, Grade 8 Facilitator, reminded everyone that while awards are wonderful, a certificate doesn't define your proficiency. His inspiring advice? "Speak and continue practicing even outside of school!"

🤝 Strengthening our Kizuna
To close the event, Collen-sensei expressed her deep gratitude for everyone's hard work. Her greatest hope is that the participants leave not just with new knowledge, but with lasting kizuna (bonds) with their new friends and their senpai.

Thank you to everyone who made the Kizuna Workshop a resounding success! This is just the beginning of your Japanese language journey. お疲れ様でした! Otsukaresama desh*ta! 🇯🇵✨

🎏 Kizuna Workshop Day 2: Samurai Spirit & Script! (May 5, 2026) 🎏

Day 2 was a whirlwind of creativity and focus as we celebrated a very special Japanese holiday while doubling down on our language skills!

🏮 Celebrating Children’s Day (Kodomo no Hi)
In honor of Children’s Day in Japan every May 5th, we kicked things off with a hands-on cultural session! Using old newspapers, Collen-sensei guided everyone through the art of folding Samurai Hat (Kabuto) Origami. The result-- our participants transformed into a room of modern-day warriors! ⚔️🗞️

We also had an energetic practice game for the students to familiarize themselves with the hiragana characters led by Jade-san and Airis-san. Group 1 won the game.

🌸 Meet Hanako-chan!
The highlight of the day was the official introduction of the adorable Hanako-chan, the mascot of our SPFL-Nihongo program! 🎀 She instantly stole hearts and definitely gained a whole new group of fans. It’s safe to say she’s the new favorite member of the team!

✍️ Conquering the Scripts
Our participants are officially becoming masters of the Japanese writing systems! Led by our dedicated facilitators, we reached some major milestones: We successfully finished the latter half of the Hiragana alphabet and we’ve already started diving into the first half of Katakana! 🚀

The kizuna (bonds) are growing stronger every day. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for Day 3! ✨