TAIP Newsletter Issue 18.

TAIP Newsletter - Issue 18

June 21, 2024

Summer Recharge and TAIP Updates

As you savor the well-deserved summer break and gear up for the next school year, we hope you're enjoying your time off for rest and reflection.

But before you dive fully into your vacation plans, we have some news to share.  We're thrilled to welcome new members, announce an upcoming directors' meet-up, present a special offer from Associate Member Lucrea, and outline important administrative updates.

New Faces in the TAIP Community

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our newest members:

  • The Learning Circle (Associate Member): This organization specializes in creative drama, empowering children to express themselves with confidence through voice, acting, and dramatic play.
  • Sunshine School (Satellite Member): We're delighted to welcome our first member from Mie Prefecture! Sunshine School offers a vibrant international preschool experience for children aged 2 to 5 in Yokkaichi and Tsu, focusing on English proficiency and life skills development through immersive learning.

Directors' In-Person Meet-up

School leaders should have received an email about an in-person meet-up. In case you missed it, we are posting the email below. This meet-up is a fantastic opportunity to connect with your colleagues, exchange ideas, and strengthen our community.

Dear School Directors,
Back in 2020, during the height of COVID restrictions, several TAIP preschool leaders requested for TAIP to host a virtual meeting to exchange ideas and experiences related to COVID measures in schools.

After meeting a few times, we realized that meeting virtually in this way was an excellent opportunity for preschool leaders to get to know each other and talk about a variety of subjects.

During the winter of 2021, we began holding regularly scheduled Zoom meetings on Wednesday mornings for all interested TAIP preschool leaders to join.

We have now been meeting monthly for more than 3 years!  Some participants join fairly regularly, while others pop in and out as their time allows. The format allows for flexibility which is good! We will certainly continue to offer this option of virtually meeting every month going forward. We are currently on summer hiatus and meetings will resume in September.

However, some of us have yet to meet each other in person!  You may recall that prior to COVID times, TAIP facilitated an annual in-person school director event hosted by various schools, and we would like to revive that practice in addition to continuing the monthly Zoom meetings.

We would like to arrange a face-to-face meeting in late September or early October 2024 to meet and get to know each other better.

This in-person event will be open to all TAIP school leaders – whether your title is “Director”, “Principal”, “Head of School”, “Division Leader” or whatever title your school uses.

Please fill out this survey to let us know your preferences and availability to maximize the number of participants who can join our event.

Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback!

‍

Special Offer from Lucrea: KizunaFiesta

LUCREA, INC., a TAIP Associate Member, is hosting KizunaFiesta, a series of workshops celebrating Japanese art and culture. The latest event, "Experience the Art of Japanese Calligraphy," takes place this weekend. Future events will delve into Japanese flower arranging, the intricacies of kimono etiquette, and more!

You can register online to attend at full price. Or, for a special TAIP members discount entry fee of ¥1000, please contact workshop@lucrea.co.jp and mention your TAIP membership and school name to access this exclusive offer.

For more information about KizunaFiesta and its upcoming events, visit their website: https://www.kizunafiesta.com

Important Admin Updates

Next week, we'll send out updated contact forms to ensure your information is current and aligns with best practices regarding personal information in Japan. The updated forms will include fields for:

  • Internal TAIP Member Directory contact information
  • Two primary contacts for all TAIP correspondence
  • Optional finance contact for billing-related emails
  • Associate member introductions (business, services, connection to early childhood education)
  • Individual member information

We appreciate your cooperation in updating your details.

Wishing you a fantastic summer!

Stay tuned for more updates and exciting developments from TAIP. In the meantime, enjoy your well-deserved break and return refreshed for another year of inspiring young minds.

‍