The JTAN Annual General Meeting (AGM) and mini-conference 2021 will be held online in a shortened format on Saturday 16 October 2021. Registrations will open at 8:45 am and the event will conclude at approximately 2 pm.
All members are invited to attend. If you are unable to attend the AGM, you may participate in the decision-makings by completing the Proxy form (click here to download).
Please express your interest in joining the JTAN Committee 2021-22 by completing the Nomination form (click here to download). Nomination forms are due by Friday 8 October, 2021.  

The Annual General Meeting will be accompanied by engaging presentations from Japanese teachers, with a keynote workshop on Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling and Comprehensible Input in the Australian Context from Mr Beau Pett, CCLT Convenor from the MLTAQ.
There will no fee to participate in this event. 
Interstate participants who are members of their state Japanese Teachers' Association are also welcome to attend. Please email enquire@jtan.org.au with proof of membership and your details to be added to the list of of participants. 
Apply for the AGM here!

​Would you like to learn how to write HSC-style questions for Japanese Beginners and Continuers? 
This workshop aims to teach members the processes involved in writing formal exam questions for Preliminary Yearly and HSC Trial examinations. Members will also benefit from the opportunity to participate in peer discussion and review what makes suitable exam-style questions in a collaborative environment.
There will be NO FEE to participate in this event.
The purpose of this workshop is to develop the skills and confidence of our members in exam writing, as opportunities to engage in professional exam writing are limited. By upskilling our members, we hope that more members would be able to contribute to the writing of our JTAN examination papers. Subsequent exam writing workshops will be held from early 2022.
Registration closes on 21 October. Should you have any questions, please email enquire@jtan.org.au with subject line ‘Exam Writing Workshop I’.
​Apply for the Exam Writing Workshop here!

Special support for COVID-19
The purpose of this grant is to support schools in purchasing online teaching materials to aid in the teaching of Japanese language programs online due to COVID-19.
Successful applicants will be eligible for the reimbursement of 100% of the purchase price of approved materials up to AU$700.00
This is a special grant where applications will be accepted throughout the application period, and each application will be considered upon submission. Please be mindful that applicants are requested to complete purchasing, and all reimbursement-related original documents must arrive at JPF Sydney by post no later than 24 February 2022.
Please note the following key dates:

• Application period: 19 April 2021 - 27 January 2022
• Purchasing period: from application approval until 10 February 2022  
• Final date to submit reimbursement documents: 24 February 2022

Further details can be found here.

Japan Foundation Teaching Resources
Please be reminded that the Japan Foundation has produced a collection of resources on their website to assist teachers in teaching and learning. Activities available cater to all levels, including primary, junior secondary and senior secondary.
Click 👉 here to start browsing  

Seeking full-time temporary teacher at Port Hacking High School, Years 7-12.
​Dates: 02/11/2021 – 20/12/2022
Approval to teach Japanese (Years 7-12) required.
Email Karen Murphy by 22 September 2021.
Phone 0413 253 693 for further information.

​The Tanken Centre is offering online group speaking sessions for new Year 12 students in Term 4.

We have the following dates available: 
6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29 October.
(We may offer more dates in November and December depending on the COVID restrictions on face-to-face excursions to the centre.)

Each session runs for 40 minutes, through Zoom.

Students will be divided into breakout rooms and the Tanken Centre staff and class teacher will spend 10 minutes with a set of questions in each room. Staff will rotate through the rooms to ensure students have the opportunity to practise with 3 different speakers.

After the speaking rotations are complete, the groups will come back together in the main room and students will be given feedback.

​These sessions are free of charge. At this stage, sessions are only available to NSW public schools.
​
If you are interested in booking a session for your students, please email the Tanken Centre with the following details:
- the course (Beginners or Continuers)
- preferred dates and times (please provide at least 2 options)
- names of all attending students.
 
Bookings will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. As there is a high chance that you will not be able to get your first preference, please send several preferred dates with times. Please note that your session is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.

We are planning to offer 30-minute online session for Year 10 in Term 4 as well. We will share the details in early Term 4.

Nihongo Tanken Japanese Language Centre
T: (02) 9542 5745 F: (02) 9542 5749
E: nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au  

Macarthur Girls High School is seeking a casual Japanese teacher to teach full time in Term 4 2021. The teaching load includes 5 x Year 8 Japanese classes (100 hours) and an elective Year 9 Japanese class. This position also requires work as an International Student Coordinator, to which teaching periods have been allocated. No roll call is required.
The Japanese teacher position is in the History/Languages faculty, which fosters a positive and supportive environment for all faculty members. Teaching programs and training sessions will be provided in Term 3 to the successful applicant.
Applicants need to have a DoE approval number to be able to teach at a government school. Relevant experience in teaching junior Japanese and in working with international students would be an advantage.
Interested applicants please email your enquiries, together with your CV, to Ms Evita Vo, Head Teacher History/Languages by 5 pm on Tuesday 17 August 2021.

Due to the current restrictions in place and the impact COVID-19 is having on our ability to move around, the Japanese Teachers’ Conference has been postponed until a date to be advised (2022) when things become more stable.

We thank those who have already registered, you will be contacted by VMS with further information about your registration.

A huge special thank you to our presenters who have worked so hard to bring valued professional learning to us in very difficult circumstances and we look forward to these presentations when the conference goes ahead.

​We hope you all stay safe and well and look forward to seeing you in person in 2022.

Applications for 2021 September intensive seminar are now open.

The Japan Foundation is offering an intensive seminar for teachers in Sydney, from 27-30 September 2021. 

• The target group for the seminar is junior secondary teachers (Years 7-9). Teachers of Years 5-6 and Year 10 may apply, or a New Zealand junior secondary level teacher of Years 9-11 (teachers of Y7-8 and Y12 may apply). 

The seminar enables teachers to develop language skills, gain confidence using Japanese, and to develop language teaching strategies and skills which they can apply in their own classrooms. Specific focuses include the Australian Curriculum and ICT-based learning. Participants will be immersed in a Japanese language environment suited to their level and will have ample opportunity for networking. 

Date: Monday 27 to Thursday 30 September 2021
Venue: Japan Foundation, Sydney
Fees: No participation fee
Applications close 9 August 2021.

The Languages and Culture team is offering partial scholarships of $300 for travel and/or accommodation expenses for teachers who live outside the Sydney metropolitan area. Applicants must be a temporary or permanent language teacher 7-9 in a NSW public school, with a teaching load of at least 50% Japanese.

To apply for the partial scholarship, please complete the expression of interest form, and email it to Evia Kyriacou by 5pm on 4 August, with the subject line “Japanese scholarship”. Successful applicants will be notified by 6 August.

Participants will need to apply directly to the Japan Foundation to attend the seminar
https://jpf.org.au/language/for-teachers/professional-development/intensive-seminar/.

For further enquiries about the seminar and enrolment information, please contact the Japan Foundation via email or phone on 02 8239 0055.

Year 11 and 12 students of Japanese are invited to participate in the annual NSW Japanese speech contest.

This year the contest will be held online, enabling more students from across NSW to participate. 

The contest will be held on Sunday 22 August.

Students, including those with a Japanese background, will enter the high school senior division. 
​
Further details about the contest and the information on how to register are in the attached guidelines. 

2021 exam availability
The 2021 exams are now available for download from the JTAN website. If you have not purchased a 2021 exam and still wish to do so, you will need to email JTAN as exam sales have now closed.
Instructions on how to access exams are attached. A reminder that you must be logged in to access exams, and the exams are only available in the account of the purchasing member. 

Japanese Extension monologue practice day
Presentation: Tuesday 17 August 7:00 - 8:00 am 
Practice sessions: Saturday 21 August 9:00 - 2:00 pm 

This day is an opportunity for students to practise 3 unseen monologues under exam-like conditions and receive instant feedback. The event will be held online, and will be similar in format to our online speaking days with students allocated a one-hour time slot. Teacher participation is required for the day to enable students to participate. A presentation session on monologue planning and delivery will be included as part of this event and will be held on 17 August to give students time to process the advice before putting it into practice on the Saturday.
 
The event timing has been changed to be after trial exams and the Continuers speaking exam, and with 2 weeks to go before the Extension exam to allow time to continue working on responses.

These days will be advertised on the JTAN website shortly.

We are very excited to announce that registration is now open for the NSW Japanese Teachers’ Conference 2021. The conference will be held on Friday 10 September at the Novotel Hotel in Parramatta. This is a cross-sectoral conference and all teachers of Japanese are welcome to attend.

​The conference theme is Inspired teaching, vibrant classrooms, engaged learners.

Places are limited so please register early to avoid disappointment. Registrations close on Friday 27 August or when places have been filled. The conference agenda and registration are available online.

2021 JTAN exams purchases
2021 JTAN exams are available to purchase now. Please note that the exam files will be made available from July, but orders must be made prior to the end of June to allow time for administrative checks to be completed. The purchase and use of JTAN exams are subject to specific terms and conditions outlined on the information page when purchasing exams in addition to normal JTAN terms and conditions. In 2021 the exam declaration will be completed digitally. 

Year 11 Beginners $115
Year 11 Continuers $115
HSC Trial Beginners $115
HSC Trial Continuers $115
HSC Trial Extension $70
 
Japanese speech contest
The Japanese language speech contest is held annually at state and national level. The aims of the contest are to encourage learners who are studying Japanese to showcase their language skills in a challenging context and to advocate Japanese language learning in general. The NSW Japanese language speech contest is organised by the NSW Japanese speech contest steering committee, consisting of members from NSW universities and high schools. This year the NSW contest will be held via Zoom on Sunday 22 August. The shift  to online delivery in 2021 opens doors for learners in schools and universities located away from Sydney CBD to participate in the contest.
 
Information regarding the contest format, eligibility, divisions, judging criteria and prizes can be found on this document. Applications must be lodged via the registration website. Please email any enquiries about the contest to the organisers.