School Handbook 2006

Chicago Futabakai Japanese School

-Saturday School-

　

1.  General Background

    As the number of Japanese businessmen and their families living in Chicago area increased during the 1960's, so did the demand for an institution where their children could receive standardized education in their native language. Recognizing such needs, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of & Industry Chicago (JCCC) and the Consulate General of Japan founded Chicago Futabakai Japanese School in May 1966 with the support of the local Japanese-American community.
   The Chicago Futabakai Japanese School, the first Japanese school in the Midwest, had a modest start with three teachers and forty-nine students renting rooms in a Baptist church located on the north side of Chicago. Later, in 1978, the JCCC also established a full-time school, Chicago Futabakai Japanese School-Day School, and reorganized Chicago Futabakai, the administrative/ supervisory organization for both schools.
   The Chicago Futabakai Japanese School is an assigned educational facility by Japanese government. It is a not-for-profit organization organized under Illinois law. The School is registered with Illinois State Board of Education as a non-public School. Tuition represents the primary source of revenue. The school also receives assistance from the Japanese government by assigning administrative faculty for three-year terms, providing free textbooks and other teaching materials, and granting financial assistance for the rental of the school buildings.
    The school now offers a comprehensive curriculum of subjects in Japanese for all grades, K through 12. The enrollment has flourished from just 49 in 1966 to approximately 800.

 

(1) History

May  1966	Establishment of Futabakai Saturday School for grades 1 - 9 by JCCC.
May 1974	Publication of "Futaba" Vol. 1, a collection of Japanese composition by students.
Sept. 1975	First Sports Day.
April 1979	Organization of PTA.
June 1979	First open house.
March 1989	Implementation of school anthem and school flag.
June 1991	Celebration of the 25th anniversary.
April 1993	Extensive curricular changes to meet the individual needs of students.
March 1994	Publication of "Summary of Research on International Education"．
June 1996	Celebration of the 30th anniversary.
April 1997	Appointed as a Cross-Cultural Education School by Japanese Ministry of Education.
March 1998	Relocated to Arlington Heights.
May 2001 June 2002	Celebration of the 35th anniversary.   Approved as Ethnic School Foreign Language Program by ISBE.

 

(2) School Location

Chicago Futabakai Japanese School
2550 North Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
  　Tel: 847-590-5700
  　Fax: 847-590-9759
  　Homepage: http//:www.chicagohoshuko.com
  　E-mail: hoshuko@chicagojs.com

(3) Administration

　　　　 Administrative Organization: 　Chicago Futabakai
　　　　President:　 Tatsunosuke　Goto
　　　　Administrator: 　Kikuo　Miyamoto
　  　　Principal: 　Masaru　Sakai

 

(4) Enrollment (as of May 2006)

Grade	K	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Number	75	107	97	81	68	74	76	44	38	24	15	21	4	724
Classes	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	1	1	1	33

 

 

2. School Philosophy and Educational Goals

 

Chicago Futabakai Japanese School offers a sequential educational program for kindergarten through high school.

So that the students will have less difficulty adjusting back to the Japanese society and school in particular after they go back to Japan, our mission is to provide students with opportunities to:

-         develop Japanese language skills appropriate to their age;

-         foster growth of well-rounded and diligent personalities;

-         acquire knowledge in Japanese customs and traditional values;

 

The educational goals of the school include the following:

1.      To ensure students' mastering of basic academic skills by placing emphasis on carefully extracted essential concepts in each subject;

2.      To encourage students to learn independent study skills and to promote enthusiasm in learning;

3.      To help students develop sensitivity to others and foster personal growth as well as to become productive members of society;

4.      To provide the opportunity for students to develop a responsible and cooperative attitude toward others through participation in school activities other than classroom instructions;

5.      To provide students with a safe and healthy study environment by promoting accident prevention and health maintenance.

　

3. Curriculum

(1) Distribution of School Days

Apr.	May	June	July	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Jan.	Feb.	March	Total
4	4	4	2	2	5	4	3	3	4	4	3	42

　

 

(2) Subjects / Hours of Education

Subjects	Unit / Year
<Kindergarten> Safety and Health Social and Communication Skills Japanese	248
<Grades 1 - 5>　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Japanese Mathematics Class Activities	(1 Unit　=　40min.) 160 80 8
<Grades 6 – 9> Japanese　　　　Advanced  /　Intensive Mathematics　　 Advanced  /　Intensive Social Studies Class Activities	126 84 30 8
<Grades 10 - 12> Japanese   Reading �T，�U 　Writing(Basics, Advanced) Language Arts      Reading Comprehension Math 　　�T,�U,�V English:   TOEFL / SAT  Prep. Class Activities	(1 Unit　=　80min.)   124

 

 

 

4. Class Schedule

Grade	K	1 - 12
General Faculty Meeting	08:30 - 08:40	08:30 - 08:45
Home Room	09:00 - 09:40	09:00 - 09:15
1st Period	09:40 -10:35	09:15 - 09:55
2nd Period		10:00 - 10:40
3rd Period	10:50 -12:00	10:50 - 11:30
4th Period	12:00 - 12:15	11:35 - 12:15
Lunch Recess	12:15 - 12:45	12:15 - 13:00
5th Period	12:45 - 14:00	13:05 - 13:45
6th Period	14:00 - 14:25	13:50 - 14:30
Home Room	14:25 - 14:35	14:30 - 14:45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. School Calendar for April 2006 – March 2007

Apr. 8	Classes Begin; Opening Ceremony for First Term,  Freshman Entrance Ceremony
May 1	School Anniversary
May 13	Open House for Parents
May 27	Open House for Parents
June 3	Open House for Parents
June 17	A Fire Drill
June 24	Competition for Japanese Composition
July 8	End of First Term; Closing Ceremony
Aug. 19	Classes Resume; Opening Ceremony for Second Term
Aug. 26	Competition for Japanese Composition
Sep. 16	#31 Sports Day
Oct. 21	Open House for Parents
Oct. 28	Open House for Parents
Nov. 4	Open House for Parents
Nov. 11	A Tornado Drill
Nov. 18	Kindergarten Concert,  Parent-Teacher Conference for High School
Nov. 25	Thanksgiving Holiday; No Classes
Dec. 9	Winter Holiday Party (Kindergarten)
Dec. 16	End of Second Term; Closing Ceremony
Jan. 6	Classes Resume; Opening Ceremony for Third Term
Jan. 27	Orientation Meeting for New Kindergartners
Mar. 10	Graduation Ceremony
Mar. 17	End of Third Term; Closing Ceremony