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Japanese Teachers' Association of NSWABN 94 045 344 808 |
November 2007 Newsletter
Hi Everyone,
There are many things to report to you in this month's newsletter.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our AGM was held at the Japan Foundation Multipurpose room on 20 October, following the Beginners workshop. Last year's President (Teruko Sharif), Treasurer (Paul Apostolou) and Exam Director (Angela Lam) gave a report on their work at the AGM. You can see all the reports on our website http://www.jtan.org.au/agm.php
Many issues were also discussed and decided, including the review of the JTAN Constitution and the election of this year's JTAN executive committee. It is necessary to change the Constitution because some positions in the committee needed to be created while some positions can be amalgamated to better meet the operation of JTAN. In that regard, the job description for each committee member was also re-written. If you would like to read the replaced Constitution, you can find it on our website. http://www.jtan.org.au/constitution.php
After the AGM, all JTAN members who attended the meeting had dinner together at the Matsuya Japanese Restaurant, just 2 minutes walk from the Japan Foundation. All enjoyed the collegial communication and Japanese dishes.
Last Year's Committee Members
Some committee members from last year have decided to step down and other enthusiasts have gladly taken up the executive positions to serve our JTAN members. We thank the outgoing committee members, Shoji Matsuura, Naoko Abe and Paul Apostolou for their contribution to JTAN in the last 12 months. We must also acknowledge the tremendous contribution and dedication of our inaugural President, Teruko Sharif, who has also decided to step down from her presidency, for the last 3 years.
2006 JTAN Executive Committee
Back row (from left): Liz Sugimoto, Paul Apostoulou
Front row (from left): Naoko Abe, Naoko Henschke, Teruko Sharif, Shoji Matsuura, Helen Sarantopoulos
Greeting from the New President
My name is Miki Alves. I am a Japanese teacher at St. Scholastica's college and I am your new JTAN president for 2008.
I follow on from Teruko who was the founding president of the Association. I am rather apprehensive of being able to adequately carry on the extraordinary and remarkable work that Teruko has done over the past three years. This will be a whole new experience for me.
First of all, on behalf of all the members of JTAN, I would like to express our appreciation to all the outgoing Committee members for all the wonderful work they have done. In particular I acknowledge Teruko's great contribution and devotion to JTAN. We all appreciate her tireless hard work, but I am especially grateful to be able to rely on her knowledge and skills during my term in office.
With the support, cooperation and understanding of all our members and in particular the wonderful people who have decided to take up office in the Committee, I will be able to handle whatever comes our way.
I would like all the JTAN members to feel that the association is accessible and dependable.
The first committee resolution of the year has been that we will provide all in-services, student workshops and exam papers only to JTAN members.
I, therefore, would encourage all Japanese teachers to become members of JTAN to make JTAN strong and to enable as many as possible to share the beneficial and useful information and opportunities that we provide.
I will do my best to ensure that JTAN continues to flourish. Everyone's support is appreciated and we Committee members are eager to hear your voices. All of your suggestions and requests about our activities are welcomed.
Miki Alves
President
New Committee Members
| President | Miki Alves (St Scholastica's College) malves@scholastica.nsw.edu.au |
| Vice President | Helen Sarantopoulos (Penshurst Girls HS) helen.sarantopoulos@student.uts.edu.au (Please send your request and comments relating to regional matters and JTAN website) |
| Secretary | Elizabeth Sugimoto (North Sydney Boys' HS) esugimoto@optusnet.com.au PO Box 419, Belrose, NSW 2085 (Please send all correspondence either by email or post) |
| Treasurer | Teruko Sharif (St Aloysius' College) teruko.sharif@staloysius.nsw.edu.au |
| Communication Officer | Angela Lam (Sydney Girls HS) enquire@jtan.org.au (Please send your membership password request) |
| Workshop Coordinator | Mami Izuishi (Pymble Ladies' College) mizuishi@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au (Please send your requests and comments relating to workshops) |
| Exam Director | Naoko Henschke (Kambala School) nhenschke@kambala.nsw.edu.au (please send your interest in the position as an exam writer and your comments relating to JTAN exams) |
We welcome your involvement, contribution and comments. We work together with you to promote the teaching and learning of Japanese.
2007 JTAN Executive Committee
Back Row (from left): Liz Sugimoto (Secretary), Mami Izuishi (Workshop Co-ordinator), Miki Alves (President), Helen Sarantopoulos (Vice President), Angela Lam (Communication Officer)
Front row (from left): Naoko Henschke (Exam Director), Teruko Sharif (Treasurer)
Activity Preview
We are planning a lot of activities, thanks to our Workshop Co-ordinator, Mami Izuishi, in the next 12 months. They include, but are not limited to, the Year 10 Japanese Day, Year 12 Beginners Speaking Day, Year 12 Continuers Speaking Day, Year 12 Extension Workshop for the new extension syllabus. If you have any suggestions for workshops, please email Mami mizuishi@pymblelc.nsw.edu.au
It has been decided that from now on, all JTAN activities can only be participated in by JTAN members, primarily for tax purposes. Therefore, please encourage your colleagues to join JTAN if they have not already joined so that they do not miss out on the great professional development opportunities and learning experiences for their students. Your school may be able to pay for your membership fee. Otherwise, professional membership is fully tax deductible.
Lastly, I have taken up the job from Liz to send you newsletters from now on because the Secretary's workload is just getting too heavy.
Bye for now...
Regards
Angela Lam
JTAN Communications Officer
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