Colorado State Board of Education member Jane Goff will travel to Japan Nov. 6-14, 2010, as part of the Japan Foundation’s third annual Invitational Group Tour Program for U.S. educators.
The purpose of the program is to further Japanese-language education by promoting an understanding of Japan, nurturing an affinity toward the Japanese culture and expanding and improving the quality of Japanese-language education at the elementary and secondary levels in the U.S.
“I’m excited to be given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Goff. “I am hopeful this trip will provide me with first-hand knowledge of the Japanese culture and educational system so I can return to the U.S. and share this experience with others around the state.”
Many group activities are scheduled in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities during the tour. Lectures, visits to the Japanese Language Institute and various cultural facilities, school visits, discussions with school principals and other education officials, open training time and the opportunity to attend a Kabuki play are a few items on the nine-day itinerary.
Goff, a resident of Arvada, represents the 7th Congressional District on the Colorado State Board of Education. She retired from teaching in 2006 after 34 years in Jefferson County Schools, where she taught middle and high school French and Spanish and served as Jeffco’s coordinator of world languages and international student exchange.
Goff serves as the state board's liaison to the State World Language Advisory Council. She provided valuable insight and advice to the world language teachers as they wrote the new Colorado Model Content Standards for World Languages.
Students at Landmark academy at reunion celebrate first annual latin culture week
Landmark Academy at Reunion , a tuition-free public charter school, recently hosted their First Annual Latin Culture Week, a week focused on educating students on the various aspects of Latin culture, from music and art to sports and celebrities, through unique activities. During the week-long celebration, students were able to step into the lives of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans with Latin culture lessons through piñata making, cultural crafts, songs, traditional foods and more. Students made maracas and learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance; created Aztec suns working with metal tooling; and studied different countries in Mexico , Central America and South America . Aztec dancers from the Colorado Folk Arts Council also visited with students and educated them on the spiritual and traditional aspects of Aztec culture through dance. “We reside in a community with strong Latin and Hispanic roots,” said Matt Carlton, principal of Landmark Academy at Reunion . “Our community culture is important to us at Landmark. By providing unique ways for our students to learn the various backgrounds of our diverse community they are able to understand and appreciate different cultures.” For more information about Landmark Academy at Reunion , please visit www.landmarkacademy.org.
