Detailed summary of the School Council Meeting on June 13, 2024

Written by the attending parents: Caroline Despres, Célia Hughes, Pierre-François Vilquin, and Pierre Morgan Riche.

This document is not an official report.

 

Number of participants: 12

Number of voters: 16

Quorum reached

Opening of the session: 16:05

Start of the session: 16:05

 

The Principal expressed regret over the excused absence of staff representatives. However, the meeting could proceed as the quorum was reached. She proposed a discussion time after the meeting for any questions the staff representatives might have.

Agenda:

 

Organization of the Institution

2.1. Activity Report of the Institution

Mme Campels presents the 2023-2024 activity report of the institution for information and thanks all the staff who contributed to the drafting of this report and to the implementation of all the educational projects mentioned in it, as well as the support provided to the students throughout the year by all the services. 

Parent representatives wonder about the long-term FLSco follow-up for some students. It is certain that after two years, the nature of the student’s difficulties must be examined, and the referring teacher will be of great help in this regard. Weekly meetings are already organized in primary school with the referring teacher, the FLsco teacher, the language coordinators, and the principal. The project and the involvement of the family are fundamental. 

Parent representatives note there is a wide variety of actions that would deserve to be better known and showcased, particularly through the LFIT’s website. Regarding absences in the secondary, it is complex to track the number of classes canceled and not replaced : some are covered prior to the canceled class, or afterwards by the teacher themselves, assignments are given, etc.. 

Student representatives highlight the difficulty of integration for some students. The reasons are multiple, and an individual case-by-case study is necessary.

2.3. Structure for the 2024 School Year

Currently, we have 1,584 students enrolled, with some adjustments to be expected based on departures, arrivals, and confirmation of enrollments after the allocation of scholarships.

2.4. New Arrangements for 6eme and 5eme  in 2024

Mr. Ragouvin, the deputy principal, presents the new arrangements for need-based groups in Mathematics and French for 6eme  and 5eme grades (first and second year of junior high school, i.e. 6th and 7th grades in the US system). An explanation will also be given directly to families at the beginning of the school year during meetings for each of the levels concerned . The supporting documents will be translated into Japanese.

2.5. Presentation of the Health and Sexuality Education Program

The program, proposed by Mme Chenevoy and Mr. Bérard, within the framework of the national education guidelines, was discussed and validated in the pedagogical council, CVCL, and secondary education council. This program will cover all levels from 6th grade to the final year. It is included in the school curricula (https://www.education.gouv.fr/education-la-sexualite-1814). 

The principal notes that the program is ambitious, and its full implementation in the first year may be complex.

 

2.6 Presentation, Implementation, and Deployment of the Anti-Bullying Program at School (pHARe)

Document Presented:

PHARE Program

Lycée Français International de Tokyo

Anti-Bullying Program at School

 

The pHARe program is a harassment prevention plan aimed at schools, colleges, and high schools, based on 8 pillars:

  1. Measuring the school climate.
  2. Preventing harassment phenomena.
  3. Forming a protective community of professionals and staff for students.
  4. Effectively intervening in harassment situations.
  5. Involving parents and partners and communicating about the program.
  6. Mobilizing school democracy bodies (CVC, CVL) and the health, citizenship, and environment education committee.
  7. Monitoring the impact of these actions.
  8. Providing a dedicated resource platform.

Resource Team of the Lycee:

Composed in 2023-2024 of 9 volunteer staff members (4 secondary school teachers, 2 primary school teachers, 1 AED, CPE, 1 nursing staff)

 

The key points for 2024-2025:

The discussion mentions training, creating a specific email address, and designating a school contact person. 

A student asks if it would be possible to put the school climate questionnaire on the school website. 

Parents remind of the existence of the LFT “living together” group (vivre-ensemble@familles-lycee-tokyo.com).

 

2.7 School trips in 2024-2025:

  1. Teissonniere presented 2 primary school trip projects to take place shortly after the September start, which were approved by the primary school council : Unanimously approved by the School Council

 

Parents request creating a school trip committee to help school staff, particularly with financial planning.

The school notes that domestic trips in Japan do not present major financial difficulties, as evidence by the numerous school trips in primary school. Besides, one of the school staff is charged, among other responsibilities, with helping set up and prepare trips. 

Foreign trips are more challenging due to the family funding cap and require seeking other sources of funding. It is doable, but more complex (it was possible to organize 2 trips this year, for a few students only). To date, only secondary school teachers have put forward proposals for trips overseas.

Mme Campels  does not favor creating an ad hoc committee outside official bodies, suggesting the existing secondary school council can fulfill this role. For the secondary school, there already exists an official committee whose remit includes examining trip proposals and providing help to staff if necessary ; it is the secondary school council (CSD), comprising parents, teachers and students representatives: this council, smaller than the School Council, can easily be gathered.

For parents, having only 3 School Councils per year seems to be constraining teachers, and this proposal is aimed at helping teachers organize trips.

Proposal by the administration : a secondary school council meeting early in the year will be dedicated to this topic.

 

2.8 Video Surveillance

Request from Parent Representatives

 

 

Opinion of the CE:

For: 10 Against: 0 Abstention: 2

 

3. Questions from Representatives

3.1 Questions from Parent Representatives

Response:

It is not possible for the institution to sponsor personnel who are not already in Japan with a work authorization for this type of position. Only a professional already established in Japan (for example, either a French-speaking Japanese psychologist or a French psychologist with a dependent visa – allowing employment on a 28-hour weekly basis – or a Japanese spouse visa – allowing full-time employment) could be recruited by the institution.

Contact has been made with other international schools in Tokyo: one of them has hired a full-time psychologist (40 hours) since April, no responses yet from others or negative responses.

A clear definition of the missions of this personnel must be made.

Mr. Roussel reminds that he has been making this request for several years.

 

  1. Creation of a Maths/Science club

Response:

It is perfectly possible for such a club to be created if there is student demand and adult supervision. The presence of parents may be possible, subject to verifications (skills, liability, insurance).

 

  1. Kangourou des Maths

We would like to warmly thank the mathematics teachers who, through their time and commitment to the students’ interests, managed to organize the Kangourou des Maths in record time. We would like this competition to be organized again next year, but with more advance planning this time.

We believe that communication from LFI Tokyo to the parents (and not just to the students, as was done this year) would be more effective, as only the parents are able to handle the registration and payment for their child.

What is planned to congratulate and highlight our students, some of whom have achieved exceptional results?

Response: As with all educational projects, it must be submitted, if the teachers wish to continue it, in early September for review and approval by the administration. This is the best way to anticipate communication.

On Tuesday the 25th (communication will be made quickly, it has already been done internally to list the students), an evening is planned to honor the students who have distinguished themselves this year in multiple actions or projects, including the Kangourou des Maths.

 

4.Integration of Newcomers / Living Together

Regularly, we receive testimonies from children arriving from France or other countries who have been disturbed upon arrival here by seeing a divisive atmosphere between groups of students speaking different languages. They note that it is difficult to create bonds with groups whose language they do not speak. This increases the discomfort that any student may feel when arriving at a new school. What message could the educational community convey to all students, and what measures can we take to improve the integration of new students and encourage the older students at LFIT to use a common language to include the newcomers? It is not about “forcing” students to speak French but rather teaching the important values of living together.

Response: The fact that different languages are spoken is a reality in all French schools abroad and contributes to their cultural and linguistic richness. This is a dimension that new arriving families largely integrate. The French language is naturally the common language used by all teachers, ASEM, and AED. At the beginning of each school year, we ask the older students to ensure that the newcomers are integrated and taken care of.

5.Inclusive School

Thank you very much for all the initiatives put in place to develop a more inclusive school (FLSCO, Speech Therapists at LFIT, Recruitment of a referent teacher, etc.). It is a real plus to welcome and support students with special needs. Does LFIT plan to open ULIS classes (elementary, middle school)?

Response: The ULIS system (and not ULIS class) is an option present on the national territory in direct connection with the CDAPH, which assigns students to it. This system does not exist abroad.

 

  1. Payment of AESH Scholarships

We would like to alert you to the delay in the payment of AESH scholarships for the 2023-2024 school year. As of today (May 26), we are still waiting for payments to cover the AESH invoices we have paid since September 2023. Despite our numerous reminders to the embassy and the LFIT, it seems that the AEFE has not yet released the scholarship payments. We also understand that other families are experiencing the same delays. This is causing a difficult financial situation for most of the families concerned.

Response: This question is not within the competence of the CE.

 

  1. School Calendar

A few years ago, the school year ended after the first week of July, as is logically the case in France as well… (Combined with the summer camp, the high school operated until mid-July). Why is this no longer the case?

Response: The school calendar is discussed and voted on by the school council, which rejected the proposed calendars that included school days in July. Regardless of the start and end dates of the school year, students have the required number of weeks and hours of classes mandated by the national education system. The 2025-2026 calendar has not yet been developed or voted on, but the issue of school days for students in July 2026 will certainly be considered by the representatives on the school council.

 

  1. Secondary School Class Councils

To promote communication between teachers, student and parent representatives, could we consider holding secondary school class councils in person or in a hybrid format for the 2024-2025 school year?

Response: Yes, the matter will be reviewed for the next school year.

 

  1. Student Schedules

With sometimes more than 8 hours of free periods per week, not counting the lunch break, it seems essential to improve the schedules to avoid an excessive number of free periods for students in certain classes. 

The parents propose to help optimize this using dedicated programs that are much more efficient than the tools available in French schools.

Response: The administration thanks the parents for their proposal but will not follow up on it. The software used for scheduling is particularly effective (one of the best currently on the market, if not the best, as it takes into account many specific parameters of French schools), renowned in all schools, and mastered by the administrative staff. It is absolutely not conceivable to change it. The design of schedules is a very technical and complex task, assigned solely to the administrative team, in which parents cannot interfere. 

Moreover, on a normal schedule (excluding absences or class relocations), it does not seem that students have up to 8 hours of free periods in the school, unless the hours at the beginning and end of the day are included.

FLT-Fapee : LFI Tokyo Families Association