The 15th Annual Aki Matsuri
September 8 & 9, 2012
Co-Sponsored by the Consulate-General of Japan in Bellevue
Bellevue College will again provide the venue for the 15th annual Aki Matsuri to be held on September 8 & 9 this year. The Consulate-General of Japan, a co-sponsor of this Japanese cultural festival since its inception, will again hold the popular “Haiku Contest.” Visitors to the booth will also have the opportunity to experience “Paro,” a robotic baby harp seal. Paro was designed to promote benefits similar to Animal-Assisted Therapy in situations where live animals cannot be used.
Visitors to the Aki Matsuri can also see the latest travel destinations in Japan and receive promotional items and informational material from Japan’s diverse prefectures. For the details of the Aki Matsuri, please visit the website of the Eastside Nihon Matsuri Association (ENMA).
Teaching World Languages in Elementary School
September 19, 2012 9 am - 4 pm
This workshop would be of greatest interest to those of you who are not teaching during the school day.
http://thelanguagelinkllc.com/pdfs/Sept_Teacher_Training.pdf
It is specifically oriented to elementary level teachers teaching in out of school programs.
Location: University of Washington
Language Learning Center (Denny Hall, Room 123)
In this hands-on training we will:
• discuss language learning at the elementary age
• demonstrate best practices in the elementary classroom
• explore lesson planning and assessment methods
• learn to use LinguaFolio Jr ® self-assessment tools.
Receive OSPI Certificate of Completion and 7 free Clock Hours!
This training is offered free of charge thanks to our sponsors! Space is limited. Half day attendance is available upon request. Contact us.
RSVP to jennifer.geist@thelanguagelinkllc.com by 9/12/2012.
Cosponsored by the Language Link, Confucius Institute of the State of Washington, UW STARTALK Program, and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction World Languages Program.
Note: The Language Link is currently hiring. Check their website: http://thelanguagelinkllc.com/contact_us.html.
Application Deadline: October 2, 2012
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is an internationally accredited language examination designed to measure a person’s Japanese language skills. Those who pass the JLPT receive a Certificate of Proficiency and, as a result, are better able to market their Japanese skills in order to further their careers and educational pursuits.
Date: Sunday, December 2, 2012
Test Site in Seattle: University of Washington
For more information and application, please visit the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles site: http://www.jflalc.org/
Contact Information: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles Office
JLPT Administration Committee
Tel: (323) 761-7510
E-mail: noryoku@jfalc.org
We would appreciate it if you could pass this information among your students and colleagues. Thank you.
October 11, 2012 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
(registration open at 8:00 am)
Location: Hilton Hotel & Convention Center, 301 W. 6th Street, Vancouver, WA 98660
The Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) is pleased to host the Dual Immersion Summit as a pre-conference event before the biennial COFLT/ WAFLT Conference in Vancouver, WA, for Oregon and Washington language educators October 11-13, 2012.
Cost: $50, which includes catered lunch and 7 free clock hours through WAFLT
Register at www.waflt.net (Go to Online Registration Form)
Audience: District and school administrators and other educators and policy makers (e.g., school board members and community leaders) interested in starting or expanding Dual Immersion programs of a variety of models (two-way dual, one-way, partial immersion, full immersion, etc.).
Topics: What do you all most want to talk about? Send me your highest priority topics and questions michele.aoki@k12.wa.us. We will plan to share the reports from the Dual Immersion Survey from this spring, among other things.
Cosponsors: Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT), Washington Association for Bilingual Education (WABE), OSPI Migrant/Bilingual Program, OSPI World Languages and International Education Programs, Confucius Institute of the State of Washington, UW Mapping & Enhancing Language Learning (MELL) project, and more.
October 12-13, 2012
We hope you are all making plans to attend the COFLT-WAFLT conference in Vancouver, WA October 12-13 at the lovely Vancouver Hilton Hotel! The bi-state conference attracts hundreds of teachers from around the region and is an excellent professional development and networking opportunity for all language teachers of all levels.
Our keynote speakers are current ACTFL President Dave McAlpine and the 2012 National Teacher of the Year Yo Azama. They will also offer a very popular post-conference workshop on Saturday. Another post-conference workshop deals with STEM and heritage speakers, by Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki and colleagues.
The program draft, with over 75 individual sessions to chose from, is now available at http://waflt.net/COFLT-WAFLT2012.pdf. Take a look to see the variety of sessions!
There are two exciting pre-conference workshops to chose from on Thursday, October 11. The first is the first-ever regional ACTFL OPI Familiarization Workshop. The second is a summit on Dual Immersion programs. For more information, visit http://waflt.net/conferences.html.
Please plan to stay at the conference hotel. We've negotiated a price of $114 per night. Please register directly through this link (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/P/PDXVAHH-COF-20121010/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG) so that COFLT and WAFLT get the credit for the nights you stay. This helps reduce the costs of the hotel spaces we use during the conference.
If you have any questions, please contact me! Please share this information with your colleagues and encourage them to attend, for the more attendees we have, the richer the conversations and learning will be!
Best - Bridget Yaden byaden@plu.edu
Application Deadline October 15, 2012
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs offers grants for U.S. primary and secondary school teachers to participate in international exchanges during 2013-2014 academic year through The Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program (FCTE) and the Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching (DA). Exchanges begin in August 2013 for one semester or an academic year.
By living, teaching or conducting research overseas, teachers gain new skills, learn new teaching methodologies and share best practices with international colleagues. They also expand their understanding of national cultures and international education systems that will enrich their schools and communities with new global perspectives. For the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program, teachers may apply for direct exchanges of teaching positions with colleagues from one of six countries (Czech Republic, France, Hungary, India, Mexico and United Kingdom). Teachers may apply for the Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching for one of eight countries (Argentina, Finland, India, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa and United Kingdom).
Teachers must have at least five years of experience, a B.A. degree and be currently employed in a full-time teaching position at a U.S. primary or secondary school. Visit the program website at http://fulbrightteacherexchange.org/ for eligibility, application information and country-specific requirements. Application deadlines are October 15, 2012 (Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program) and December 15, 2012 (Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching).
Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has funded and supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Note:
OSPI renewed the state's Memorandum of Understanding with Nantes, France, in June 2012. The FCTE program provides a valuable opportunity for a U.S. teacher to teach in France and the counterpart French teacher to teach in a school in your area. Teaching and researching abroad enriches both the teachers included in the exchange, their students and the local communities.
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