Tsukuba International School

Tsukuba International School (TIS) is seeking to hire a qualified elementary school teacher to start in September 2008. The successful candidate will teach all core subjects (including Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) in a multi-level classroom.

Requirements

• Native English proficiency.
• University degree in elementary education from a country with an English language-based curriculum. (A degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) is not sufficient.)

Preferences

• Candidates with experience teaching in an elementary school, or international school, particularly in a multi-level setting.
• Experience with the IB PYP.
• Experience living in Japan will be an asset.

Please note that Tsukuba International School is NOT an English conversation school. We are a full-time elementary school where children study all subjects in English. We will only consider applicants who have teaching qualifications (i.e. a degree in education, preferably specializing in elementary education). Teaching experience at the elementary level is also highly desirable.

Working Conditions

Salary: based on experience
School Year: September to June
Vacation: 10 days paid personal leave, all Japanese national holidays plus winter, spring, and summer vacation

Application Process

Submit a resume including education, employment history (including current position), and three references who can be contacted. Attach a one-page cover letter stating why you are interested in this position and what you could contribute to our school. Applicants chosen for interviews will be required to submit copies of relevant degrees and certificates. Applications can be sent by postal mail or email.

POSTAL ADDRESS

Tsukuba International School
Attn: Mr. Masayasu Kano
Kamigo 7821-1
Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JAPAN
300-2645

EMAIL ADDRESS

(PDF or plain text attachments)

Applications are due by June 10, 2008, but we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis until a suitable candidate is found. We hope to fill the position by July 31, 2008.

We apologize, but only those candidates who have been selected for an interview will be contacted. Also, documents that are submitted to the school will not be returned.

Filed under: Jobs, News on May 30th, 2008 | Comments Off

May 2008

In the Fall of 2006, I was asked to take over the management of the Tsukuba International School (TIS). In April 2008, I officially became the head of the school.

There are currently around 7200 foreign residents of Tsukuba, including many students and researchers, representing approximately 130 different nationalities. In order to provide an educational opportunity for the children of these foreign residents, the city must have an international school where classes are held in English. In addition, the continued existence of the international school must be assured, and the curriculum be up to standard, so that parents and guardians will feel comfortable sending their children to the school.

In order to respond to the needs and expectations of the parents of international children, I have worked since 2007 to obtain official school status for the school from Ibaraki Prefecture. In March of this year, the school was given permission to construct a new school building: a two-storey, 1085m2 log-house style building with 10 classrooms which is scheduled for completion in April 2009. The new building will be located in a lot adjacent to the current school facilities at Kamiyamori Finnish Log House (my personal residence) in the Kamigo area of Tsukuba.

Learning environment and teaching staff play a central role in education. TIS students receive their education at Kamiyamori, a natural wood building in Kamigo which is an area of Tsukuba that is blessed with rich, untainted landscape. We humans have been destroying our natural environment for many years now in the name of modernization and one of the most serious issues we face in the 21st century is how to foster citizens of the world who can co-exist amicably with nature. By making efficient use of the intellectual infrastructure provided by the close to 300 research institutes in the vicinity and by taking advantage of the urban amenities afforded by the city of Tsukuba, our school aims to produce students who can become the new pacesetters of the 21st century.

Our staff is comprised of qualified native English-speaking teachers who have a strong sense of their mission and many years of experience. Our teaching staff treat every child as a unique individual, and are careful to respect the various cultural backgrounds from which the children come. Students learn both tolerance of others and discipline of self. In addition, since the school is located in Japan, the children also learn about Japanese culture and their local community in Tsukuba.

Tsukuba International School welcomes children of all nations who would benefit from receiving their education in English, regardless of their race or religion. We are planning on starting classes at the middle school level in two years. We are also working towards obtaining international accreditation for our primary and middle school curricula. We welcome the enrolment of all children whose parents agree with the principles of our school. We also welcome the guidance and support from those in the community who can contribute to the educational environment at our school.

If you would like to get more information about our school, please visit our website (www.tsukubainternationalschool.org) or contact us to arrange for a school visit.

Mr. Masayasu Kano
Principal,
Tsukuba International School

Filed under: News on May 27th, 2008 | Comments Off

Since we moved to our new location, we have been able to enjoy many new activities. Last week, Mr. Kano installed volleyball net posts on the school grounds. When the concrete at the base of the posts dried, we finally got the go-ahead to use the new equipment. Mr. Kano put the net up for us and we started to learn how to receive (bump) the ball over the net.

As you can see from the photo, even on our first day ever, we were getting some good height!

Filed under: News on May 21st, 2008 | Comments Off

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry, but students in English-speaking countries usually study it during their Language Arts classes. Trying to say something meaningful with a limited number of syllables is a good exercise in word use, no matter what language is used.

Today, our junior and senior students went outside to get inspiration for writing haiku poems in English. The students wrote about many different topics, including the colours of nature, the trees, and changing of the seasons. It was challenging for some of our students to count the syllables in English words. The students learned to clap their hands as they spoke to help them “hear” the concept of syllables in English.

Filed under: News on May 16th, 2008 | Comments Off

This year, the moms of TIS children are getting their Mother’s Day present on a Tuesday! Our school closes for Golden Week, so our students were away the week before Mother’s Day. To make up for it, we baked some cookies yesterday and we decorated them for Mom today.

I think we will have some happy Moms this year!

Filed under: News on May 13th, 2008 | Comments Off

Today we got to see what it is like to plant rice in a rice paddy. Some of our neighbourhood farmers were kind enough to leave one section of a rice paddy unplanted so we could come and plant it ourselves.

First, we had to get our “super-special plastic bag boots” on. Mr. Kano came up with the idea of covering our legs with these boots so we wouldn’t get too wet or dirty.

Then, we got into the rice paddy and started planting.

Have you ever wondered how farmers can make nice, straight rows, even when they don’t use a machine to plant the rice? Well, we discovered the secret today! The farmers strung up a wire with red beads on it at equal distances apart showing where we had to plant the baby rice plants. The wire was in the water, so we had to look carefully to find it. (Can you see the bead just in front of the plant in the picture below?) As long as we planted the rice in the place where the bead was, we could keep our lines straight.

Once we finished planting one row, the farmers moved the wire back towards the edge of the field and we started planting the next row. We planted about six rows in total.

As an added bonus, we found a worm in one of the plants!

We are excited to see how our plants grow over the next few months!

Filed under: News on May 12th, 2008 | Comments Off

Tsukuba International School provided some entertainment at the Tsukuba International Exchange Fair on Sunday, May 11, 2008.

With the help of “Amigos de TIS”, the students performed the Do Re Mi song from the Sound of Music. The audience joined in the fun and sang along to the children’s actions.

Amigos de TIS is comprised of Luis Sartor, who hails from Argentina, Junichi Tanaka, a music teacher at Meikei High School, and Akehide Yoguchi, a former student of Meikei. In addition to accompanying the kids’ performance, the band played a collection of Latin American favourites that got the audience clapping and singing along, warming up the crowd nicely for the performers that followed.

Filed under: News on May 11th, 2008 | Comments Off

The Kamiyamori Cultural Foundation has hosted 28 performances since its inception. As the second event this year, we have invited Australian Mr. Lawrence Moore (baritone ), Meikei music teacher Mr. Junichi Tanaka (flute), and Meikei graduate Ms. Junko Mori (piano) to give a performance of arias, songs from popular broadway shows, and traditional pieces on May 25, 2008 from 2pm. The performance will take place at Kamiyamori Finnish Loghouse in the Kamigo area of Tsukuba. (Tsukuba International School is currently located in Kamiyamori Finnish Loghouse.) If you are interested in attending, please contact the school.

Filed under: News on May 1st, 2008 | Comments Off