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Japanese Language Program for High School Students | |||||||||||||||||||
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Three outstanding high school students of Japanese were selected to
travel to Japan in July, participating in the Japanese Language Program
for High School Students. Ms Ishita Acharrya (the MacRobertson Girls’
High School, Victoria), Ms Rebecca Chen (Strathmore Secondary College,
Victoria) and Mr Andy Lau (North Sydney Boys’ High School, NSW) were
among only 31 students worldwide to be selected to participate in
the course, held at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute,
Kansai, from 29 June to 13 July. While in Japan, Ishita, Rebecca and Andy attended Japanese language and culture classes, participated in a home stay and interacted with Japanese high school students, and were escorted on field trips to other areas of Japan including the ancient capital Kyoto, and Hiroshima. The Kansai Institute’s high school student program aims to equip young students of Japanese with a greater understanding of Japanese language, culture and society by providing them with a firsthand experience of life in Japan. It is hoped that participating in the program will nurture the students’ interest in Japan, and encourage them to pursue their studies in Japanese. |
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| Teacher Training in Urawa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Three teachers of Japanese recently returned from a two month teacher training course conducted by the Japan Foundation. Mr Tin Maung Swe (Open High School, NSW), Ms Mary Simmonds (Para Hills West Primary School, SA) and Ms Lynette Rumsey (Charleville State High School, Qld) attended the Spring Short Term Training Program at the Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute, Urawa, from 6 May - 25 June. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese Language Speech Contests | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| The 35th Annual
Japanese Language Speech Contests, held by the Japan Foundation, Sydney
in conjunction with the Japanese diplomatic missions and Speech Contest
Committies in each state and territory, will be conducted between
August and October 2004. The contest, open to secondary and tertiary
students of Japanese as well as people studying Japanese independently,
consists of four divisions - High School Senior, Open Beginners, Open
and Background Speakers - in each state or territory, with the winning
speaker in each division proceeding to the National Final contest
in Sydney. The Japan Foundation, Sydney, will host the NSW State Final Contest on Sunday 5 September, and the National Final Contest on Sunday 17 October. Full details of the contests, including speech contest committees, dates and venues for each state and territory, and entry guidelines, can be found on our website (www.jpf.org.au). Enquiries about the Japanese Language Speech Contests should be directed to the speech contest committee in your state or territory, or for NSW and the National Final contest, to Nanayo Kato- Wilder (email: Nanayo_Kato-Wilder@jpf.org.au) |
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With 381,954 students currently studying Japanese in Australia, we
expect many will want to test their skills at the annual Japanese
Language Proficiency Test. This year’s test will be held on Sunday
5 December. Examinees can sit for the test in one of six Australian
cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is divided into four levels, Level 4 being the most basic and Level 1 the most advanced. The examinee chooses which level to sit for when applying for the test. The test guide supplied with the application form contains information to help examinees choose the level they feel most comfortable with. Sample questions from past tests are also available from the Japan Foundation Library. For further information including test fees and application deadlines, please contact your nearest Japanese diplomatic mission, test centre (see below) or the Japanese Language Proficiency Test page of our website: www.jpf.org.au/slc |
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| Your students
don’t have to pass Level 1 to express themselves in Japanese - they
just need to enter the 8th Annual Japanese Language Performance Day
and 5th Creative Art Exhibition. The Performance Day is a fun, non-competitive
event for children of all ages from pre-school to secondary, who may
be studying Japanese. Students can express their feelings about Japan and Japanese culture in a creative way by presenting their own performances and artwork. In the past, students have presented skits, songs (traditional and modern), folk dances, recitals - the only limit is their imagination! This year, the Performance Day and Art Exhibition will be held on Sunday 28 November. We encourage all children who are interested in Japan, as well as Japanese-language teachers and students to be involved in this event. For those who are unable to come to Sydney, it will be possible to submit artwork or video presentations to be presented on the day. For further information, please contact Nanayo Kato-Wilder on (02) 9957 5322, or email Nanayo_Kato-Wilder@jpf.org.au. |
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