MAATJ December Newsletter

Announcements:
1. Otsukare sama deshita to our Co-President, Abrams sensei!
2. Haiku Coordinator
3. MAATJ Karaoke Contest (12/19)
4. AATJ Nengajo Contest (12/27)
5. 2015 Governors Japanese Academy (1/12)
6. The application deadline for the National Japan Bowl (Deadline 1/16)
7. The Japanese Language Assistant Program (J-LEAP) (Deadline: 1/21)
8. Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Awards 2015 Call for Applications (Deadline: 2/1)
9. Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Language teaching (deadline: 2/6)
10. The Ito En Oi Ocha New Haiku Contest Application (2/10)
11. AATJ Joint Online Course: Evaluating and Integrating Technology for Japanese Language Teaching
12. AJALT Workshop (RSVP Deadline: 3/6)
13. AATJ/MAATJ Membership Renewal
Reports:
1. Karuta: Reported by Moorman-sensei of Whitman High School
2. Japanese National Honor Society Annual Oshogatsu Fest: Reported by Otani-sensei of Thomas Jefferson
High School
Announcement from the Webmaster:
Please visit MAATJ website: http://maha-iatj.weebly.com/newsletter

ANNOUNCEMENT:
1. Otsukare sama deshita to our Co-President, Abrams sensei!
Keiko Abrams sensei (Lake Braddock SS) will be her role as the MAATJ Co-President at the end of this
month. Our new Co-President will be Aiko Kitamura sensei (College of William & Mary). She has been an
integral part of MAATJ for many years. She has attended FLAVA board meetings and organized the sessions
for us. She also took care of the Haiku contest, too. We appreciate her dedication and hard work to connect
Japanese teachers in the northern Virginia area.
2. New Haiku Coordinators
We are pleased to announce that Yumi Lawless sensei and Kyoko Vaughan sensei will be the Haiku
coordinators after Tomoko Geiser sensei and Keiko Abrams sensei have been doing this for a while.
Thank you, Abrams-sensei and Geiser-sensei for being Coordinators for a number of years!
3. MAATJ Karaoke Contest deadline now extended! (-1/31)
Due to the busy time of the year overwrapped with the deadline of the karaoke contest, we have decided to
extend the deadline till the end of January. Please let your students know about it! Please contact
Koji.otani@fcps.edu for any questions.
Please contact Koji Otani (kotani@fcps.edu) for any questions.
4. AATJ Nengajo Contest (Deadline: 12/27)
The AATJ Nengajo Contest is a nationwide contest for students in elementary school, middle school, high
school, and university. All participants receive a certificate of participation. Winners at each level in each
category also receive certificates and prizes from AATJ.

For more information, please go to http://www.aatj.org/nengajo-contest/2015-invite

5. Application for the 2015 Governors Japanese Academy
The information on the 2015 Governor's Japanese Academy is now available at:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/foreign_language/language_academies/
It is very important that this school year each secondary school with more than 750 student enrollment may
nominate two students for the Academy. Therefore, all the Japanese language teachers are strongly
encouraged to nominate their well-qualified students.
There is also information about the GJA staff positions on the website. We are searching for
Japanese language teachers and resident assistants. Application review will begin on January 12, 2015.
6. 2015 National Japan Bowl (Deadline: 1/16)
The 2015 National Japan Bowl registration is now open. The 2015 National Japan Bowl will be held
Thursday-Friday, April 9 and 10, 2015 and the Sakura Matsuri Street Festival will be held on April 11, 2015.
The application deadline for the National Japan Bowl is January 16, 2015.
The 2015 National Japan Bowl Study Guide, Administrative Guide and Application Forms can be
downloaded at www.japanbowl.org. If you have any questions, please contact JASW of Washington DC at
japanbowl@us-japan.org.
7. The Japanese Language Assistant Program (J-LEAP): (Deadline: 1/21)
The Japanese Language Assistant Program (J-LEAP) is currently seeking institutions teaching Japanese
which are interested in hosting an assistant teacher from Japan for up to two years. J-LEAP is co-organized by
the Japan Foundation and the Laurisian Institute.
Please click on the link below and scroll down to the J-LEAP section. You will find links to a downloadable
program prospectus and the application on the right. http://www.laurasian.org/Programs.htm
Should you have questions, please contact Mari Maruyama via email at mmaruyama@laurasian.org.
8. Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Awards 2015 Call for Applications (Deadline: 2/1)
Eligibility Requirements
The award is open to current full-time K-12 classroom teachers of any relevant subject in the United States.
There are two award categories, one in the humanities and one in Japanese language. Previous award
recipients often have over 10 years of teaching experience and have been engaged in teaching their students
about Japan for a substantial period of time. Candidates must demonstrate sustained commitment to
improving mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese, and must have made a significant
contribution to enhancing students knowledge of Japan. Applicants for the Japanese language category must
have excellent command of the Japanese language and may be contacted by members of the selection
committee to verify this.
Nomination Procedures
Applicants for the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award need not be nominated to apply. However, the
Foundation is always seeking to encourage the nation's top educators to consider applying for the award.
Therefore, we welcome nominations of individuals qualified to apply for the Award. Letters of Nomination

should briefly highlight the qualifications of the candidate and must include his/her name, contact
information, and indicate the school at which the candidate currently teaches. The Foundation will accept
Letters of Nomination at any time and will inform candidates that they have been nominated for the Award.
Those nominated must submit a full application as indicated below. Nominators should keep in mind the
deadline for applications is in early February. Therefore, it is recommended that nominations be submitted by
early December in order to provide potential candidates the time needed to compile their applications.
Letters of Nomination should be sent to: Mr. David Janes, Director of Foundation Grants and Assistant to the
President The United States-Japan Foundation 145 E. 32nd Street New York, NY 10016 or via e-mail at
djanes@us-jf.org
Please check the Foundations website at: http://us-jf.org/programs/elgin-heinz-teacher-awards/ for additional
information.
9. CHAPLIN MEMORIAL AWARD for Excellence in Japanese Language Teaching
The Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award will again be conferred in 2015, administered through the
Association for Asian Studies. In accordance with the wishes of the Chaplin family, each year a prize of
$1000 will be awarded to either a current graduate student or a full-time instructor of Japanese for excellence
in Japanese language teaching. A full-time instructor who has completed graduate study within the last 3
years in an area that directly involves Japanese language teaching is eligible. Possible academic fields of
specialization are Japanese language pedagogy, linguistics, anthropology, or literature. Current graduate
students must demonstrate their intention to enter the teaching field in a North American university. Professor
Priya Ananth (Middle Tennessee State University) serves as Chair of the Selection Committee, Professor
Laurel Rasplica Rodd (University of Colorado Boulder) serves as representative of the Northeast Asia
Council of AAS for the committee, and Professor George Chaplin serves ex-officio.
Individuals interested in applying (self-nomination) and faculty members interested in nominating an eligible
graduate student (nomination) should download an application form at the following site: Hamako Ito
Chaplin Award Application Form 2015
Completed applications must be received by February 6, 2015 at the following address: Dr. Priya Ananth,
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTSU, P.O. Box 79, 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro,
TN 37132, USA
10. The Ito En Oi Ocha New Haiku Contest Application (Deadline: 2/10)
Please find the attached file.
11. AATJ Joint Online Course: Evaluating and Integrating Technology for Japanese
Language Teaching
The JOINT online course Evaluating and Integrating Technology for Japanese Language Teaching will be
offered in Winter 2015. Get details on the course at http://www.aatj.org/joint-tech-course. The number of
participants is limited, so apply soon if you are interested.
12. AJALT Workshop: (AJALT)
(AJALT)

Lake Braddock Secondary School (room C204)

March 11, 2015 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
No fee but need RSVP: email to: Keiko Abrams (kiabrams@fcps.edu) by March 6.

Oral Japanese Dictionary

13. AATJ/MAATJ Membership Renewal

Its time to renew your AATJ membership for 2015! Take a moment today to renew online or download a
membership form at http://www.aatj.org/membership.
Reports:
1. Karuta: Reported by Moorman-sensei of Whitman High School
Japanese classes at Whitman High School had an opportunity to invite Ms. Stone, a Karuta expert, in the
level-2,3,4 5 and AP classes yesterday, Dec. 4. She explained the rule of Karuta using Haykunin-isshu and
small three to four groups of students played the game and enjoyed. Last year Ms. Stone was in our
classroom and explained about the poems and Karuta. This year our students played the game. I will give
lesson on the Japanese poem, Tanka, Chouka, Haiku relationship later our students, followed by writing their
own Haiku. I explained to our students about Tanka which was ancient form of text message young men used
to meet girls thus majority of Hyakunin-isshu is about love and broken heart. Our AP students will research
on internet about Hyakunin-ishhu collection and select two poems with English definition; who wrote the
poem and under what circumstance. Then each student shares his/her finding of the poems, and recite two
poems in the classroom from Hyakunin-Isshu collection.

2. Japanese National Honor Society Annual Oshogatsu Fest: Reported by Otani-sensei of Thomas
Jefferson High School
Please find the attached.

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