Dear Teachers
Thank you very much for your continued support.
Year 12 HSC July Workshop
We will hold the workshops on the following dates:
 
6 and 7 July for Beginners students
12 and 13 July for Continuers students
15 July for Extension students
 
Further details and registration form are attached.
Places are limited and bookings will close as soon as all paces are filled.
If you are interested in sending students, please send us the application at your earliest convenience.
We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
 
Booking for Excursion
We would be very grateful if you could send us the booking form as soon as you confirm the excursion date with us.
 
If you are interested in bringing your students or have any queries, please contact us.
Term 2 and 3 are fully booked up but if you would like us to put your group on the cancellation list, please let us know.
We still have a number of dates available in Term 4. If you have any dates in mind, please contact us at your earliest convenience.
 
Should you need to cancel your booking, please inform us as soon as you find out so that we can offer the date to other schools.
Please kindly note that we require minimum 4 weeks’ notice for cancellation (The cancellation charge of $10/student, will apply if it is less than 4 weeks notice).
 
Please kindly note that our minimum number per excursion is 20 and the maximum number is 32 for high schools and 36 for primary schools for safety reasons.
If your group is smaller than 20 students, we will try to find another school to combine. We have more chance to find another school if you give us sufficient notice when submitting your preferred date.
 
We are looking for a small group (maximum 16 students) of Year 8 to combine on Monday 6th June.
If you are interested, please contact us.
 
Hope you all have a great Term 2.
 
Kind regards,
 
Mieko Shida
Coordinator
Nihongo Tanken Japanese Language Centre
Learning & Teaching Directorate
 
21 Hunter St, Kirrawee NSW 2232
T: (02) 9542 5745 F: (02) 9542 5749
E: nihongo.tanken@det.nsw.edu.au  

Teacher PD Workshop - April 29
Participants of the upcoming BOSTES workshop are encouraged to send in their queries to enquire@jtan.org.au by Wednesday 20 April. This will allow the BOSTES Officers some time to prepare responses for your questions.

Year 12 Continuers Day
Thank you to all members who have applied for the Year 12 Continuers Day. The event is now fully booked and has been CLOSED. Final payments for the day are due by Saturday 28 May. If your students missed out on getting a seat, please contact the convenor at Tsukasa.Ishida@hillsgrammar.nsw.edu.au with the names of your students. They will be placed on a waiting list and will be notified of any vacancies.
​
We hope our members are having a safe and happy holiday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the residents of Kumamoto.
 
Kind Regards,
 
Julia Zhu
Japanese Teacher | Baulkham Hills High School
Secretary | Japanese Teachers' Association of NSW

The Languages and Culture team at Secondary Education (Learning and Teaching Directorate) seeks a teacher to relieve as Language Officer for two days per week (Monday and Friday) from 27 April 2016 until 27 January 2017.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the team, and explore the role of the Language Officer.

The attached expression of interest should be submitted to Elisabeth Robertson, A/Coordinator, Languages and Culture at elisabeth.robertson@det.nsw.edu.au by 5pm, Friday 6 May 2016. Maximum length 4 pages.

​Please contact Elisabeth on 02 9244 5385 if you require additional information.

Participants of the 29 April workshop are requested to:​

• bring their own device (laptop or tablet)
• have either a printed version of the Australian Professional Teaching Standards (attached file) OR have a soft copy downloaded onto a device prior to the workshop (Wi-fi will not be available at the venue)
• organise their own lunch arrangements

Members are still able to and should submit any questions regarding BOSTES requirements to enquire@jtan.org.au.
We hope that this workshop will be valuable to our members and look forward to seeing you all.
Kind Regards,
Julia Zhu
Secretary | Japanese Teachers' Association of NSW

​Labo International Student Exchange are looking for families to host students participating in the “Japan to Australia” program from July 21st to August 14th 2016.
This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get to know a Japanese student of the same age. Exchange students will be 15-17 years old and will attend school with the host-brother or sister. Host-families are paid $200 for the 3 week home-stay.
Please advertise to students and coordinate for the application form to be completed with Principal signature and family photo to be sent to Ayako Mitsui as soon as possible early next term.
Contact: Ayako Mitsui 
Mitsui Travel
mobile 0408 442 614
ph +61 2 9232 2720
fax +61 2 9232 2705     
  

The Japan Foundation Teaching Materials Grant 2016 Round 1 is now OPEN.
The link is: http://jpf.org.au/grants/language.html
This grant is for schools in Australia who wish to supplement their budget to purchase textbooks and materials for their Japanese language program.
There are two grants in the program: one for schools starting a Japanese program, and one for schools with an already-existing program.
Please check the guidelines to determine which grant you should apply for.
If you have any questions, please contact coordinators@jpf.org.au.
Applications will close on Thursday 5 May 2016.

Continuers Day at North Sydney Boys High School on Saturday 18 June
Please see details on the JTAN website under the Events tab on http://www.jtan.org.au.

• Seats for the morning session have now been closed. Teachers may still register their students for the AFTERNOON session. 
• JTAN is recruiting teachers who are able to conduct HSC-style conversations with students. If you are able and willing, please send an email to the convenor at Tsukasa.Ishida@hillsgrammar.nsw.edu.au -
  ​JTAN will offer an honorarium for the morning, afternoon or the whole day.
• To teachers who have applied online already, please send the names of your students to the convenor as soon as possible.

Amy McLeod, Japanese Language Network Leader in ACT would like to let teachers know that there are workshops being held on Thursday 21 April (Primary) and Friday 22 April (Secondary) for teachers of Japanese. This professional learning will focus on the Australian Curriculum Languages; Japanese. NSW teachers are welcome to attend for professional learning purposes. Please note; NSW syllabuses are still current. BOSTES will be developing language specific syllabuses based on the consultation of the Draft K- 10 Languages Framework. Australian Curriculum; Languages will be embedded in these syllabuses. 
Please see the flyer for the link to enrol. 
For further information please contact amy.mcleod@ed.act.edu.au
​  

Dear Members of JTAN

Student Holiday Workshops (4-6 July)
Applications for Year 12 Extension, Continuers and Beginners holiday workshops are now OPEN via the Events tab on http://www.jtan.org.au. Teachers should apply on behalf of their students.

JTAN Continuers Day at Shore School (Saturday 18 June)
Please see details under the Events tab on http://www.jtan.org.au.

• Only 20 seats remain for the morning session! Please apply soon.
• JTAN is recruiting teachers who are able to conduct HSC-style conversations with students. If you are able and willing, please send an email to the convenor at Tsukasa.Ishida@hillsgrammar.nsw.edu.au - JTAN will offer an honorarium for the morning, afternoon or the whole day.
• To teachers who have applied online already, please send the names of your students to the convenor as soon as possible.

Centre Visits for Schools - Japan Foundation Sydney
The Japan Foundation, Sydney is again offering free Centre Visits for school students in 2016. The program brings Japanese to life outside the classroom and makes for a great excursion. Tailored lessons run for approximately 1-2 hours. Teachers may choose from a wide range of lesson topics and activities relevant to students' interests and proficiency levels.
 
The Centre Visit program is free of charge, but bookings are essential. For more information, please contact the Japan Foundation at coordinators@jpf.org.au.

​Music Exchange with Japanese Counterparts
International Joint Concerts are looking for joint concert opportunities and are looking to plan a tour to Japan in the future. Participation in this program would include hosting a Japanese counterpart (symphonic orchestra, wind orchestra, choir, etc.) for a few days in your own town and arranging homestays for the Japanese musicians. The program may also include planning a trip to Japan as well.
 
If interested, please contact Yohei Yamada at jointcon@vesta.ocn.ne.jp or visit their website http://www.jointconcert.com for more information.
Only one more week to go everyone! Have a great week and a great holiday.
Kind Regards,
 
Julia Zhu
Japanese Teacher | Baulkham Hills High School
Secretary | Japanese Teachers' Association of NSW