Yesterday, 3-4 Beckett-Butler were very fortunate to have a visit from Ms Akiko Ikeda who teaches at an elementary school in Launceston’s sister city of Ikeda in Japan.

Our students had written letters to the students in Japan, and we presented these to Ms Ikeda to take back to Japan with her. Our students watched a video presentation made by the students at Ms Ikeda’s school to learn more about school life in Japan. Our students were also very lucky to be shown some origami. They were taught how to make paper hats, and they learnt how to use a kendama which is a wooden Japanese toy.

We also received some kendamas to enjoy in our classroom. We are extremely grateful to the Launceston City Council for assisting in organising this visit and to Ms Ikeda for teaching us more about Japan and providing us with lovely gifts. We look forward to building our relationship with Ms Ikeda’s school in Japan and are planning on making a video in the coming weeks about our school to send to the students in Japan.