ABOUT SORA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Committed to Education
中内 玲子
Reiko Nakauchi
Founder
カリフォルニア州シリコンバレー在住24年のトライリンガル（英語、中国語、日本語）。
日本で幼稚園教諭と保育士の資格を取得。フレーベル理論を専門的に学ぶ。
米国に渡った後、モンテッソーリ教育の国際免許(AMI)と音楽の学士を取得。
パロアルトのモンテッソーリ幼稚園では主任を務めるとともに、10年以上にわたりピアノと合唱を指導している。
2007年Sora Classic Artsを創立し、カリフォルニア州シリコンバレーにてSora International Preschoolを含め、過去合計5校を運営。数々の優れた教育理論に新しい視点を加えたユニークな指導法で子どもたちの可能性を高め、シリコンバレーの最先端企業に勤める親たちの支持を集める。モンテッソーリやフレーベル、レッジョをはじめとする先人の優れた考えに新しい視点を加えたユニークな指導法をデザインし、子どもたちの学びと成長のために理想の時間と環境を作るように努めている。
2023年、日本では初となるSora International School つくば校を開校。今後、さらに多くの国や地域でスクール展開を予定している。
「創始者の想いとスクールの特徴」
シリコンバレー発・本当のグローバル教育
Amazon教育３部門で１位獲得「シリコンバレー式『世界一の子育て』」の著者。
日本の子どもたちにもグローバルなバイリンガル教育を届けたいと願い、つくば校を開校しました。シリコンバレー本校のカリキュラムをベースとした、のびのびと楽しく英語を学べるプログラムを用意しています。
グローバル教育とは、語学スキルの習得だけではなく、多文化、多人種を抵抗なく受け入れられること、自分の意見や考え方をちゃんと伝えられることをも目指すものです。
完璧でなくても、英語という語学ツールを使ってコミュニケーションができるようになると、子どもたちの世界はぐっと広がっていきます。
長く米国で暮らしている中内は、「日本は本当にすばらしい国なのに、なかなか外（世界）に出られないのがとてももったいない」と感じてきました。
たしかにことばや文化の壁はあります。でも、グローバル教育を受けた子どもたちは、そんな壁などすいすい乗り越えていけるのです。
子どもたちが幼少期からグローバルスキルを身につけて、将来は世界中どこへ行っても活躍できるように、Sora International Schoolはカリフォルニアで培ってきた教育プログラムを日本でも展開することにしました。
「話せる・伝わる アウトプット型教育」
従来の日本の語学教育はインプットが中心となっています。
6～8年の英語教育を受け、単語をたくさん暗記し文法も理解しているはずなのに、なかなかしゃべれない――これは、アウトプットの練習が足りないからだと考えられます。
Sora International Schoolでは、アウトプット重視の語学教育を行います。
ことばはコミュニケーションツールです。目的を持って英語を「使う」ことで、体にしみこむように英語を習得することができます。
たとえば、ボール遊びをするときに繰り返し使う単語があります。
「赤いボール」「投げるよ！」「どうぞ」「あ、転がっちゃった！」など、お友だちとコミュニケーションを取りながら使った単語は体感で覚えることができ、自分のことばとして無意識で話せるようになります。
また、楽しいとき、居心地がいいときにはリラックスして学習効果が高まることが知られています。そのため、Soraでは楽しくて居心地のよい環境や空間作りを大切にしています。
学校の教室とは違う、ワクワクする学習タイムをぜひ体験してみてください。
Introducing our founder, Reiko Nakauchi.
Reiko is trilingual (English, Chinese and Japanese) and has been living in Silicon Valley, California for 24 years.
She is a licensed kindergarten teacher and nursery school teacher in Japan and has also studied Froebel Theory professionally. After moving to the U.S., she obtained an International License in Montessori Education (AMI) and a Bachelor's Degree in Music. She was the head of a Montessori preschool in Palo Alto and has been teaching piano and choral music for over 10 years.
She founded Sora Classic Arts in 2007 and has operated a total of five schools, including the existing Sora International Preschools in Silicon Valley, CA. Her unique approach to teaching, has helped to raise the potential of children and has gained the support of parents working for some of the most advanced companies in Silicon Valley. She designs unique teaching methods that add new perspectives to the excellent ideas of Montessori, Froebel, Reggio, and other predecessors, and strives to create the ideal time and environment for children to learn and grow.
In 2023, Sora International School Tsukuba will open its first school in Japan. This is just the first step in a plan to open schools in countries and regions across the globe, to spread the warm glow of Sora Schools’ unique educational style.
The Founder's Thoughts and the School's Distinctive Characteristics
True Global Education from Silicon Valley
Reiko is the author of "Silicon Valley Style: The World's Best Parenting," which was ranked No. 1 in three education categories by Amazon. This book details the approach taken to raising children that is adopted in Sora Schools.
Reiko opened the Tsukuba School with the hope of bringing global education to children in Japan. Based on the curriculum of the main Silicon Valley school, we offer a program that allows students to learn English in a relaxed and fun environment.
Global education is not only about acquiring language skills, but also opening one’s heart to accept a truly multiracial and multicultural society. It is also important to be proud of one’s own culture and want to share this with the world. We want to help children find their ‘voice’ and be able to communicate their own opinions and ideas.
The children's world will be expanded if they can communicate using English, even if it is not perfect. As we know language and communication are not the same thing, we will learn language but we will also build the confidence to enable communication.
Reiko has always felt that "Japan is a truly wonderful country, an absolute treasure of unique culture and an extremely high-functioning society. If we can enable Japanese people to become more globally minded this treasure can be shared with the world”.
Yes, there are language and cultural barriers. However, children who receive a global education can easily overcome such barriers.
Sora International School has decided to expand the educational program it has developed in California to Japan so that children can acquire global skills from an early age and play an active role anywhere in the world in the future.
Alex Lund-Lack
School Director / English Teacher
at Sora International School of Tsukuba
School Director / English Teacher at Tsukuba Campus
We are thrilled to introduce Mr. Alex Lund-Lack as our new school director and English teacher. He is deeply passionate about the field of education. With over seventeen years of experience in teaching, he is committed to fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment where every student can thrive. He is a Masters graduate and experienced researcher and holds specialization certificates in Early Childhood Education, School Health (including ADHD & Autism), psychology, Montessori teaching and more.
A message from our director:
“Taking this position at Sora was not a difficult decision; I feel that my whole career has been leading up to this point. All of my experience gained while teaching in the classroom, my work with young people, through my studies and through the research projects I have undertaken can be directly applied at the school we will build at Sora.
Reiko and I made an instant connection when we first met and we knew that our educational philosophies were strongly aligned. The partnership with Reiko promises great things, we are both committed to creating a fun, relaxed, playful, nature-rich, cozy, homely, structured and creative environment that will embolden the existing spirit of the child. Our multi-faceted approach will best cater for all of the needs of our pupils.
As Reiko says, Japan is a treasure, Japan has so much to share with the world and I agree; as much as I want Japan to embrace a multicultural society, I also want the next generation of Japanese young people to act as ambassadors to spread the treasure of Japan with the world.
I am very excited to meet everyone in April 2024.”
米国カリフォルニア州シリコンバレーにあるSora International Preschool 各校
www.SoraPreschool.com Instagram:Sora International Preschool
San Carlos 校
Campbell 校
Daly City 校
