The is an SBS Radio initiative to encourage and celebrate a love of learning languages in Australia. Visit to enter.
Modest beginnings
The Sydney Japanese School, the SJIS' predecessor, was established in May 1969. Set up in a church, the school began with just one classroom and 33 students, and was the first overseas Japanese school in a developed country. Fifty years on, SIJS now has about 230 students in total.
The school was relocated to its current site in Terrey Hills in 1971, originally offering education only from the Japanese Government Curriculum to cater for predominantly Japanese families. In 1975, SJIS started its second stream of education, the International Division which is based on the New South Wales’ Curriculum. Children from any nationality are welcome at the SJIS.
Sydney Japanese School, the former name of the Sydney Japanese International School, opened in a church hall, Lindfield on the 15th of May, 1969 Source: Sydney Japanese International School
Having both Japanese and Australian curriculum under one roof is a key point of the SIJS' uniqueness and strength. Of the world's English-speaking countries, SJIS is the only Japanese school which has both the Japanese curriculum and the local English curriculum within one school. At SJIS, students can change their division as their circumstances change.
“We can have mixed lessons such as music, physical education, arts and crafts without missing requirements in both curriculums," says Mr. Shinya Ikawa, the principal of SJIS, of the school's bilingual approach to education.
The first graduation ceremony held at the Sydney Japanese International School Source: Sydney Japanese International School
"Also, the two divisions do events together like sports days, school concerts and school excursions and such."
Ms. Masayo Hanaoka, who is in charge of Japanese classes in the International Division, says students can learn Japanese at the school even outside the classroom by having lunch together with students from the Japanese Division and enjoying Japanese cultural events together.
Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko's visit to the school in 1973 Source: Sydney Japanese International School
“You can learn Japanese etiquette, traditions and social customs in everyday life too. Students can learn from each other. I think that is wonderful,” Ms. Hanaoka adds.
Through boom and bust in the '90s
Mr. Allan Meadows, who runs English classes in the Japanese Division, is a local. He grew up in St. Ives and taught in Japan at university level for five years. After coming back to Sydney, Mr. Meadows started working for SJIS and has been there for the past 26 years.
“When I came in 1990s, the number of Japanese people was much larger,” Mr. Meadows recalls. According to him, at one stage, the number of students in the Japanese Division exceeded 500. The Japanese bubble economy, which encouraged many Japanese companies to set up their businesses in Australia, had bust in the early 1990s.
Ms. Hanaoka, who has been working at SJIS for more than 10 years, noticed the change too.
Source: Sydney Japanese International School
“Today, many students of the International Division are the second and third generations of Japanese immigrants. Also, we continue to have Japanese expats’ children and children without Japanese heritage. So, the students’ levels of Japanese vary. That’s the difference I notice,” she says.
Connecting with communities
Mr. Ikawa says that as a school, building a strong bond with the local community is important.
“For the international sports day, which was started by one of our teachers 10 years ago, we invite neighboring German and Italian schools and play sports together in mixed groups. Our students do work experience at local businesses such as aged-care facilities, horse farms and cafes. That requires good communication between the school and the local community. I don’t have a good command of English, but I go to see local people and do my best."
“To celebrate our 50th anniversary, the mayor of Northern Beaches Council came to the school for the first time and attended today’s memorial ceremony. Our school has to be community-based,” Mr. Ikawa says.
Mr. Meadows has been trying to bring more Australian culture to SJIS as well.
“We’d like to introduce Australian sports, Australian music and different aspects of Australian culture.”
Family Fun Day held at the Sydney Japanese International School to commemorate their 50th anniversary Source: SBS
Flourishing alumni
Rising Australian baseball player Joshua Gessner attended SJIS from kindergarten to year six. The 18-year-old recently signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in the US Major League. His mother is Japanese and he became interested in baseball when he was eight during a one-year stay in Japan.
Yoko Harada, who attended SJIS from 1972 to 1976, is an expert on Australia and teaching at university, while Yohei Harada, who was a SJIS student from 1989 to 1991, is an award-winning marketing analyst in Japan and regularly appears on TV in Japan.
Another notable alumnus of the school is Junko Moriya, a renowned jazz pianist in Japan. She attended SJIS from 1974 to 1977 and told Australia’s Japanese community newspaper Nichigo Press that her time with her piano teacher in Sydney decided her future.
Source: Sydney Japanese International School
The next 50 years
Emi Sheather and Keira Sullivan, both bilingual year six students at SJIS, say that they enjoyed the school's recent family fun day held to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Emi says she likes her Japanese classes as the teachers make them fun, and Keira is looking forward to continuing Japanese at high school.
Mr. Ikawa said that he doesn’t want to just mark the anniversary by celebrating the past. He also would like to make it an opportunity to show what SJIS will do in next 50 years.
“I’d like to see students who learned at SJIC become Kakehashi (bridges) which connect different communities and cultures. Our education is not solely about bilingualism. The ability to understand different cultures is important too,” Mr. Ikawa said.
The SBS National Languages Competition 2019 is an SBS Radio initiative to encourage and celebrate a love of learning languages in Australia. This year we encourage Australians of all ages who are learning a language, including those learning English and AUSLAN to participate by sending us a drawing or writing that shows us ‘How does learning a language make a world of difference?’.
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