Portland Japanese School

Portland Japanese School (PJS; ポートランド日本人学校 Pōtorando Nihonjin Gakkō) is a Japanese weekend supplementary school located in the Portland metropolitan area.[1] The school has its office in Park Plaza West in Beaverton, and its classes are held at Hazelbrook Middle School in Tualatin.[2] The Japanese Business Association of Portland (ポートランド日本人商工会 Pōtorando Nihonjin Shōkōkai), also known as the "Shokookai," oversees the school, which serves levels PK through 12.[3]

History

It was founded in August 1971. During the 1980s the school was meeting in Twality Middle School in Tigard as the PJS began its relationship with the Tigard-Tualatin School District. When Hazelbrook Middle School opened in 1992 the Japanese school moved its classes there.[1] In 2000 the school had about 280 students.[4]

Curriculum and operations

The school teaches kokugo (Japanese language) and mathematics.[1]

Every summer the Japanese school sends some Tigard-Tualatin school employees to Japan so they can study Japanese culture.[1]

Student demographics

As of 2011 the school had 363 students. Students originate from the Portland area, with a portion coming from Salem, Oregon and Longview, Washington. Many of their parents are businesspersons temporarily residing in the United States.[3]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "日本人学校沿革" (Archive). Portland Japanese School. Retrieved on February 14, 2015. ""ポートランド日本人学校(補習授業校)" - Despite the official name Nihonjin Gakkō, the "補習授業校" in parentheses is Hoshū jugyō kō clarifying that this is a weekend school and not a day school - Also "ポートランド日本人学校(補習授業校)は、1971年8月にポートランド商社会(進出日系企業25社により構成)によって設立されました。"
  2. ^ "学校所在地・連絡先" (Archive). Portland Japanese School. Retrieved on April 9, 2015. "商工会事務局(月~金) 教育委員会事務局(火~金) Park Plaza West, Suite 600 10700 S.W. Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy Beaverton, Oregon 97005" and "日本人学校(土) Hazelbrook Middle School 11300 S.W. Hazelbrook Rd. Tualatin, Oregon 97062"
  3. ^ a b Florip, Eric. "Every weekend, Tualatin's Hazelbrook Middle School becomes Portland Japanese School, where it's all math and language" (Archive) The Oregonian. June 2, 2011. Retrieved on April 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Kajita and Hayashi, p. 20 (English abstract).

45°23′35″N 122°47′31″W / 45.392993°N 122.792078°W / 45.392993; -122.792078