The Japanese Film Festival school screenings have been cancelled this year due to disruptions caused by COVID.
In their place, JFF Plus, a free online screening program will take place online between 4-13 December in lieu of the main festival.  
Among the line-up is a number of films suitable for students. Films will be released as per the schedule and will be available to be viewed within 24 hours of registering to watch the film. Please follow the instructions carefully for access.
Recommended student films:

• The Great Passage
• Sumikkogurashi: Good to be in the corner
• Lady Maiko
• Project Dreams – How to Build Mazinger Z’s Hangar

The Japan Foundation, Sydney has produced a classroom resource 'Activities Using Movies' with general ideas on using films as an educational tool.
For further information please visit the Japan Foundation website.

The Japan Foundation is offering an intensive seminar for teachers in Sydney, from 11-14 January 2021. The seminar enables teachers to develop language teaching strategies and skills which they can apply in their own classrooms. Specific focuses include 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.

​The cost of the seminar is free. 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 teacher in a NSW public central or secondary 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 11 November 2020, with the subject line “Japanese scholarship”. Successful applicants will be notified in Week 6.

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 Japanese Language Department of the Japan Foundation on 02 8239 0055.

This grant from the Japan Foundation supports schools to purchase online teaching materials for Japanese language programs that specialise in online teaching due to COVID-19.
 
Successful applicants will be eligible for the reimbursement of 100% of the purchase price of approved items up to AU$700.00.
 
Applications will be accepted throughout the application period. Each request will be considered upon submission. Please be mindful that applicants are requested to complete purchasing and should be ready to submit the related documents for the reimbursement by 30 September 2020.

• Application period ends 30 September 2020 and the final date to submit the reimbursement documents is 30 October 2020.

For further details please contact The Japan Foundation.

Video matsuri contest
A reminder to all teachers that entries for the annual short film contest for students close on 1 September 2020. Please find details on the Japan Foundation website.

Online professional learning 
The Japan Foundation will be running online professional learning sessions for Japanese teachers on 29-30 September. Three different sessions (A, B and C) will be held on both days for your convenience. There is no cost to participate in these sessions. Registrations are essential and there is a maximum of 50 participants per session. Registrations open on 7 September at 9pm AEST and close on 22 September at 10am AEST or once session capacity has been reached. 
 
Session A: Let’s apply video learning resources from “Erin’s Challenge! I Can Speak Japanese.” in class  
Target: Secondary
Presenter: Minako Kadoi, JPF Sydney Language Consultant
 
Session B: Activities for the Australian Curriculum: promoting intercultural understanding with Japanese patterns
Target: Primary/junior secondary
Presenter: Himiko Negishi-Wood, JPF Sydney Language Consultant 
 
Session C: How to have effective writing lessons
Target: Senior secondary
Presenter: Shunsuke Hirakawa, JPF Sydney Language Consultant
 
Dates and times are detailed below.

29 September 2020 (Tuesday)
Session A: 10am-11:10am AEST (70min)
Session B: 11:30am-12:40pm AEST (70min)
Session C: 1:30am-2:40pm AEST (70min)
 
30 September 2020 (Wednesday)
Session B: 10am-11:10am AEST (70min)
Session C: 11:30am-12:40pm AEST (70min)
Session A: 1:30am-2:40pm AEST (70min)
 
Further details and registration are available on the Japan Foundation website. 

The recording of this online professional learning session which was held on Friday 7 August by The Japan Foundation, Sydney will be available until 31 October 2020.
To access this video on demand please register at this link.
For further enquiries, please contact The Japan Foundation, Sydney.​

What's your J-Talent?
The Japan Foundation is holding an online talent contest titled What’s your J-Talent? Entries are open until 16 September. The contest is free to enter. There are great prizes on offer including local Japan-related experiences such as Japanese-style accommodation, and restaurant and shopping vouchers.

The contest complements the annual short film contest for students but engages with a broader audience.  Contest categories include Japanese language, pop culture, lifestyle, arts and culture.

Entries from individuals, family or small groups are welcome. Please ensure social distancing regulations are adhered to. Further information and entry requirements are available on the Japan Foundation website.

Professional learning – creating reading materials from authentic resources 
An online session for senior secondary and tertiary teachers showcasing how to use online news articles to create educational materials tailored to class levels will be held next month. There is a maximum of 60 participants for the session.  Registration is now open.

Date: 7 August 2020
Time: 4-5:10pm AEST
Session language: Japanese (simple level)
Presenter: Shunsuke Hirakawa, Language Consultant, The Japan Foundation, Sydney.
Admission: Free
Further information and registration links are available on the Japan Foundation website.  

Online elementary Japanese course
An elementary level tutor-supported course through the Minato online e-learning platform is being offered. The Marugoto A2-2 course is perfect for those who have studied beginner Japanese and want to take their Japanese to the next level, or those who just want to brush up on their reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. A level check test is available on the Marugoto website. The course will cover the following topics: Eating outdoors, business trips, staying healthy and celebrations. The course will run from 21 August to 6 December.
For more details on communication objectives and sentence structures covered in each topic, please refer to the A2 can-do checklist. Applications for the course are online via the Minato website.

The Japan Foundation's intensive 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 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. Teachers and preservice teachers are welcome to apply.​ Completing this seminar will contribute 19 hours of NESA registered professional development for proficient teachers in NSW.　　　
 
Date: 28 September to 1 October 2020 

Venue: The Japan Foundation, Sydney 

Teacher participants must:
* be an Australian junior secondary level teacher of Years 7-9 (teachers of Years 5-6 and Year 10 may apply)
* be currently teaching Japanese a minimum of 3 hours per week
* not be a native or near-native Japanese speaker
* be able to read Hiragana and Katakana without any difficulty
* be at least JLPT N5 level of Japanese language proficiency – please consult the JLPT samples
* be able to attend each day in full.

Preservice teacher participants must:

• * be currently studying towards to be a junior secondary level Japanese teacher in Australia, or have graduated from a teaching course for junior secondary level in Australia within the past 2 years and be actively seeking teaching work
• * not be a native or near-native Japanese speaker
• * be able to read Hiragana and Katakana without any difficulty.
• * be at least JLPT N5 level of Japanese language proficiency – please consult the JLPT samples
• * be able to attend each day in full.


• Fees: There is no cost to participate in the seminar. All travel and accommodation costs are the responsibility of the participants.


• Application deadline:  2 August 2020

Enquiries: Email or phone The Japan Foundation
​
Additional information can be found on the website. 

The Japan Foundation Sydney is offering five types of sessions for enhancing skills in ICT. Please take this opportunity to challenge yourself to use applications you have been hesitant to try. We encourage you to try any sessions that look appealing or stir your curiosity after reading the session description. The sessions are structured so that the applications can be learned in just one session. Each session will be held online.  
 
Session 1 – utilise online tools to create an interactive class.  
June 11 2020
3:30pm-4:30pm AEST
 
Session 2 – create an automatically scoring quiz using Google Forms.
June 10 or June 18 2020
3:30pm-4:30pm AEST
 
Session 3 – make videos with ease.
June 17 or June 25 2020
3:30pm-5:00pm AEST
 
Session 4 – creating Japanese resources with PowerPoint.   
June 24 or July 2 2020
3:30pm-4:50pm AEST
 
Session 5 – ThingLink for beginners. Make interactive images using ThingLink   
July 1 or July 9 2020
3:30pm-4:30pm AEST
 
There is no cost to attend these sessions but registrations are essential. There is a maximum of 25 participants for each workshop. 
 
Registrations open – Monday a week before each workshop date at 4pm AEST.
Registration deadline – 2 days before each workshop date or once capacity has been reached.
 
Further details and workshop registrations are available at the Japan Foundation website.

VOD (video on demand) for TJF online workshops
The Japan Foundation held two online workshops in April. These workshops are currently available via video on demand (VOD) until 30 June 2020.
 
The workshops are:
Session 1: “Enjoy Japanese lessons using ZOOM” 
Session 2: “Using resources effectively for online teaching”.
   
To access the VOD, please register on The Japan Foundation website. 

Teaching materials grant – special support for COVID-19
This grant supports schools to purchase online teaching materials for Japanese language programs that specialise in online teaching due to COVID-19. Successful applicants will be eligible for the reimbursement of 100% of the purchase price of approved items up to AU$700. This is a special grant where applications will be accepted throughout the application period. Each request will be considered upon submission. All applicants are requested to complete purchasing and have all related documents submitted for reimbursement by 30 September 2020.

Application period: 15 May 2020 – 31 August 2020
Final date to submit the reimbursement documents: 30 September 2020

Further details are available on The Japan Foundation website.

Teaching materials grant – special support for natural disasters
This grant supports schools that have been affected by natural disasters such as bush fires and floods in 2019 and 2020 by providing financial support for the loss of Japanese language teaching materials. Successful applicants will be eligible for the reimbursement of 100% of the purchase price of approved items up to AU$1000.

2020 timeline
Applications open: 15 May 2020
Application deadline: 22 June 2020
Outcome notification: 6 July 2020
Purchasing period: 6 July – 14 September 2020
Reimbursement deadline: 5 October 2020

Further details are available on The Japan Foundation website.

As part of the 2019 Japanese Film Festival Australia, The Japan Foundation is organising exclusive screenings for high school students of ‘Bento Harassment.’
 
Movie: 今日も嫌がらせ弁当 (Kyou mo iyagarase bento) Bento Harassment directed by Renpei Tsukumato
Venue: Event Cinemas George Street, 505-525 George St, Sydney NSW 2000 
Time: Friday 22 November 2019 @ 10:00, 10:20 and 10:40am
Fee: $8 plus $2 booking fee
 
Tickets available at The J​apan Foundation website. When prompted, enter ‘bento’ as password.