This term, our Level 5 and 6 students are participating in the Australian Olympic Connect ともだち (Tomodachi) Project. The Japanese word tomodachi means friend. A couple of weeks ago, we were introduced to our ともだち (Tomodachi) school in Japan: Sekiya Elementary School, which is located in Nara - a city near Osaka. Sekiya Elementary School opened in 1971 and has 413 students. We have been working hard between the two schools to find dates and times where we can meet virtually, as our Japanese day and their English day differ. 

Last week, we emailed a simple self-introduction in Japanese by following a model we learned in class. In reply, our Level 5 students participated in a cultural exchange via Google Meet this afternoon. Our ともだち (Tomodachi) class, Level 6 - 1 asked each student a question. These were prepared in their English class. 

Our next online interaction will be with our Level 6 students and Level 6 - 2 students in Japan, which is planned for Monday 21st June 2021. 

We would like to acknowledge Ms Yuka Yuasa and the children at Sekiya Elementary School for their enthusiastic participation in this project, as well as Mrs Carmel Donlon for adjusting our Japanese timetable to accommodate the time difference between the two countries.