Dear Tokyo Lycée families,

Writing to you at the end of each school period has become an important way for us to keep in touch… A means to keep you informed of our activities and topics that are top of mind for your parent association.

The 4th period came to an end with a final week full of extraordinary meetings for the elected parents: Conseil de la Vie Collégienne et Lycéenne (Junior High and High School Student Life), Conseil d’école (Primary school), Conseil du Second Degré (Secondary school) and Conseil d’Etablissement (board of directors) to again discuss the school calendar for next year and changed to the language curriculum.

The calendar submitted to the AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) for validation has been modified to include a 36th week, in the form of a return to school on September 1, 2023 for students rather than September 4. The year would then follow a rhythm of 7 weeks of school, alternating with 2 weeks of vacation till the end of the school year June 28, 2024.

The new language curriculum proposal from the school administration was also approved despite votes against and abstentions from parent, teacher and student representatives. The parents’ representatives recognize the positive direction taken with the language reform in secondary school, but deplore the lack of consultation with parents in primary school, the upcoming reduction in the number of hours in Section Internationale (SI) and general lack of information on the content and objectives of these reforms. The primary SIs have been reduced to 9 hours and the PARLE-Anglais and PARLE-Japonais sections to 4.5 hours. In secondary school, the 6th grade sees the creation of a bilingual English-Japanese section in addition to the SIJ; for 5th grade classes and above, the school will be keeping to the same model as in previous years for the time being. If you have any questions regarding the choice of language sections before May 13, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Since the beginning of March, we have continued to pursue our activities with:

• An Eco Team FLT workshop for 6-9 year olds on deforestation on Saturday March 18
• The board of directors meeting on March 20, of which you can read the full report HERE
• The creation of a FLT working group on tuition fees to limit future fee increases
• The OLES General Assembly on Thursday, March 23, of which the FLT is a founding member (André Salerno was elected administrator to represent the FLT)
• The lycée café on April 3rd outside the lycée which allowed us to meet parents whose children are enrolled for the next school year
• 2 meetings of the canteen commission for the menus of April and May, many thanks for your feedback  HERE
• A coffee meeting for families of children with special educational needs (EBEP) co-organized by the school and the FLT Inclusive School group on April 8 (about 30 participants, including parents, Lycée contact persons, teachers and an AESH)
• 2 meetings of the group “vivre-ensemble” with the administration of the school to engage in a work of prevention of harassment, conflict management, and more
• The 3 FLT Eco Team bee workshops on April 8, which were a great success with 50 participants
• A meeting with Samantha Cazebonne, Senator for the French abroad, to raise concerns about the massive increases in school fees and the challenge for a large number of families to continue sending their children to the Lycée
• A meeting with french Senator Yann Chantrel to again discuss the impacts of the tuition increases

Also of note in your diaries for this final period:

• The meeting to prepare the 2023-2027 school project where we will work with the teachers, students and staff of the school around 3 core themes
  • Theme 1: A French school in a multilingual context
  • Theme 2: A supportive and enabling  school
  • Theme 3: A school engaged in promoting living together
• The garage sale co-organized by the AFJ and the FLT at the school had to be postponed to Saturday, May 13 (there are still a few stands, see registration HERE)
• The FLT Eco Team’s zero waste picnic in collaboration with the ecology club on Sunday May 14 (registration https://forms.gle/YkWTZLFzW9q9kuL77)
• The co-organization with the Student life council (CVCL) and management of the international day of living together in peace on Tuesday May 16
• The long-awaited return of the school year-end party on Saturday, May 27 (postponed to June 3 in case of rain): this will be an opportunity for all primary and secondary students and their parents to share a convivial moment. See HERE to help us organize the FLT raffle and participate in the art show and sale
• Our last Lycée Café on May 31 at the Lycée (registration HERE)
• The preparation of the annual internship at the Meisho school (immersion in a Japanese school for Japanese speakers only the first week of July, FLT membership required)
• The preparation with the Lycée of the list of supplies and textbooks for next year so the LDE.fr offering (grouped purchase, delivered in individual parcels) can be proposed to all junior high and high school families.

The entire FLT team and elected representatives on the school councils are always available to listen to you. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or suggestions. We will answer to everyone, FLT members or not. Please note there is still time to join the parent association for ¥1000 per family per school year. Funds left over from the association’s operating expenses will be donated to the school’s solidarity fund.

More specifically, if you wish to get more involved with us on a particular theme, please contact us: we are always looking for volunteers to help drive initiatives, including the FLT ecoteam and the school canteen committee.

Thank you to those who have read through this entire message!

Happy vacation to the children and families who have the chance to take a few days out in the fresh air!

Best wishes,

The FLT team