No.8 "The Gathering of Adult Strength"

The Gathering of Strength Among Adults

　On February 15, 2025 (Saturday), the 10th anniversary ceremony of Minamiyama Elementary School was held.
　Looking back to the night before the school opened 10 years ago, many people had hopes and expectations for the birth of a new school in a society where the declining birthrate was already accelerating. Teachers from 11 municipal elementary schools collaborated to create plans for the curriculum, life guidance, and health guidance to ensure the smooth operation of the new school. In this way, everyone involved in the school was eagerly anticipating the opening. In April 2015, Minamiyama Elementary School opened as the 12th elementary school in our city, starting with a small enrollment of 18 students. At the soon-to-be-held "1st Sports Day," various activities were set up for each child to shine, and many local residents participated in the events to liven up the Sports Day, showcasing performances and helping with preparations and clean-up, making it a splendid sports festival achieved through collaboration between the community and the school. Ten years have passed since then, and our school has grown to have over 630 enrolled students, with educational activities becoming increasingly fulfilling. The remarkable achievements in educational activities, such as receiving the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for promoting career education in the 2021 fiscal year, are all thanks to the energy that local residents have devoted to the children and the school, strongly supporting their learning about the community and society.
　On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Minamiyama Elementary School, I am deeply aware that each school has accumulated its history with the heartfelt support of the local communities, gathering passionate energy and various forms of assistance as we look over the entire city once again.
　In the fiscal year 2024, there were many opportunities for the community and various individuals to work together with schools and the Board of Education to support the growth of our children. Below, we reflect on some recent events.

1. Holding of the Inagi City Community Education Forum

　On January 25, 2025 (Saturday), held at the Inagi City Central Cultural Center Hall. The program includes: "Part 1: Presentation of activity examples by local organizations supporting children's growth and Q&A session," and "Part 2: Lecture 'Children's Learning and Adult Awareness' (Speaker: Mr. Tetsuo Goda, Deputy Director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs). Although we have been promoting it as the 'first event,' it is actually an upgraded educational event of the 'General Meeting' of the 'Community Education Discussion Meeting' that has been continuously held so far.
　Since 1985, Inagi City has organized "Community Education Discussion Meetings" for each junior high school block, consisting of various organizations involved with children, such as local communities and schools. These meetings have facilitated information sharing and discussions aimed at the healthy development of children. In each block, in addition to regular activities, several discussion meetings are held annually, and to share the activities of each block as a whole, the Board of Education has held an "Overall Meeting" once a year. The role of this discussion meeting in the healthy growth of the children in our city has been immeasurable. However, challenges have emerged, such as the content of initiatives not being sufficiently communicated to citizens and a decreasing trend in participants for the weekday "Overall Meeting" over time. Therefore, in the fiscal year 2024, the name of the "Overall Meeting" will be changed to "Community Education Forum," along with several modifications. Specifically, while continuing the main program of sharing practical presentations from each block, the number of presentation blocks will be reduced from the previous six to three to allow more time for presentations and Q&A. Additionally, the meeting day will be changed to Saturday, and the participation criteria will be expanded from "only discussion meeting members" to "anyone can participate." Furthermore, to deepen learning among all participants, a "Second Part" will be set up, where a knowledgeable expert in education will give a lecture.
　On the day of the event, in the first part, we received presentations for 20 minutes each from Block One with the theme "We want to connect the community using the local education meeting!", Block Three with "Aiming for rich interactions between the community and children", and Block Five with "Fostering human resources to support the community through collaboration among early childhood education, elementary, and junior high schools and the role of the community". Each presentation showcased examples where children were placed at the "center" through innovative strategies, deepening their engagement while considering the local and social context, and also raised issues that will connect to the future. During the subsequent Q&A session, there was a two-way interaction between the presenters and the audience. Then, in the second part, Mr. Goda humorously shared his experiences, lightening the atmosphere while presenting data on the realities surrounding children, and clearly indicated the necessary skills for the future, such as "the ability to pose questions independently and produce 'satisfactory solutions' through collaboration with others" and "thinking for oneself and confronting others". He also provided profound insights on the nature of lessons and learning assessments in an era moving towards CBT (computer-based testing), how to capture social changes, and the necessity for our own consciousness reform.
　The number of participants has doubled since last year, with not only local residents but also participants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and other local governments. After the event, we received many positive feedback from everyone.
　This was the first "Community Education Forum" planned with the desire to share more widely about the actual support for children in the community and to realize deep learning among adults. We sincerely thank all the participants of the Community Education Council for their understanding and for their preparations for presentations and operations leading up to the event.

2. Holding of the "Joint Report Meeting on School Non-attendance"

　On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, it was held at Inagi Dai 4 Junior High School.
　Inagi City Public Schools are making various efforts to provide appropriate individual support for children and students who are unable to attend school or find it difficult to enter classrooms, as well as to create attractive schools that encourage children and students to want to attend. In this context, for the fiscal year 6 of Reiwa, Inagi Dai 4 Junior High School was designated as a "School with Additional Teachers for Non-Attendance Support" by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, and Inagi Dai 2 Junior High School was designated as a "School with Visiting Teachers for Non-Attendance Support." Both schools have been working to make the most of this opportunity and fulfill their responsibilities as designated schools to promote measures for non-attendance in our city.
　At this report meeting, first, the initiatives of Inagi Fourth Junior High School for this fiscal year and the practices of the visiting teachers from Inagi Second Junior High School during their school visits were reported. We received high praise from the supervising officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education's Department of Education, particularly regarding the point that "students' self-selection is respected in the 'separate room.'"
　After that, group discussions among participants were held, where active discussions took place regarding "innovative educational activities that guarantee opportunities for each child's success," "specific measures centered on 'separate room instruction,'" and thoughts and ideas from various perspectives and positions.
　On the day of the event, many participants included teachers from the city's public schools and local members such as the School Management Council, allowing for an exchange of opinions from various perspectives, including those from families and the realities of society. Additionally, the Board of Education was represented by the Director of Academic Affairs and the Director of School Lunch, while the Child Welfare Department was represented by the Director and the Director of the Children and Youth Division, as well as the Director of the Child and Family Support Center, all of whom learned together with everyone from the standpoint of involvement in the growth of children and students.

　These two projects provided an opportunity for people from various positions to come together and share their thoughts on the development and educational challenges of children, in a sense becoming a "mix". These gatherings aimed to effectively support the learning and growth of children, but I believe the adults who came together also deepened their own thoughts and felt the significance of actions and movements. This kind of collaboration is a result of the long-standing partnership between our city and schools, and can be considered a unique strength of our city.
　The involvement of more adults is, above all, connected to the future life skills of our children. In the city, various activities for children are already being developed thanks to the efforts of local organizations and others, for which we are sincerely grateful. The Board of Education will continue to enhance educational policies to further collaborate with your strong support. We appreciate your continued cooperation so that the children of Inagi City can walk forward with safety and hope.

Director of the Inagi City Board of Education, Makiko Sugimoto