Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Principal

Mr. Rosenberg was a teacher at Starr King for eight years before becoming its principal five years ago, in 2003. He speaks English and Spanish and has learned to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese. He ably guides Starr King’s four strands — English, Spanish bilingual, Mandarin immersion and Special Education.

“I like helping kids construct meaning.”

Bilingual Literacy Support Teacher

(for both Starr King and Jose Ortega):

MaryAnn Skrivanich

Ms. Skrivanich has over a decade of English teaching experience in Oakland, majored in Chinese in college, and has spent the summer studying in China.

Third Grade

Chiao-li Wang

aka Wang Laoshi

Ms. Wang taught elementary school in Taiwan and specialized in early childhood education.

Sing-ing Chen

aka Chen Laoshi

Ms. Chen recently taught Kindergarten and First grade Mandarin Immersion at Ohlone Elementary in Palo Alto.

Second Grade

Yi Zeng

aka Zeng Laoshi

Ms. Zeng is a native Mandarin speaker with experience teaching in China and is a graduate of California State University-Fresno.

Esther Chau

aka Chau Laoshi

Ms. Chau is from Taipei in Taiwan. She has been a teacher for 12 years. She has taught in both private and public high schools, as well as teaching at two charter schools in the Bay area. In addition, she owned a learning center that offered science, math, art and Mandarin enrichment. This is her first year at Starr King.

“Teaching really fulfills me. I can use it to help kids, especially because Mandarin is difficult so learning it is a big accomplishment. I take education very seriously. I have a passion for education and teaching, as a way to reach out to many children.”

First Grade

Sandy Sung

Aka Sung Laoshi

Ms. Sung is from Taipei, Taiwan. She came to the United States 15 years ago and taught in Los Angeles before coming to Starr King as a Mandarin immersion teacher in 2007. She has been a teacher for seven years, teaching both Chinese and piano. In Los Angeles she taught at Hacienda La Puerta school.

“Teaching is so wonderful because you help the children and you get to . see the light bulb turn on in their head! And we learn so much from each other every day.”

Helen Tong

aka Tong Laoshi

Ms. Tong is originally from Canton, China. She speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin. This is her fourth year of teaching. Her first year in the San Francisco Unified School District was teaching at Alice Fong Yu Elementary, the Cantonese immersion school. She came to Starr King in 2007.

She loves teaching “because every day is something new. It’s so fun when the kids are trying to express themselves in Mandarin.

Kindergarten

Angelica Chang

aka Zhang Laoshi

Ms. Chang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. She’s been a teacher for ten years, three at Starr King in the Mandarin immersion program. She began by volunteering a San Francisco Saturday Chinese school. She got her teaching credential and B-CLAD four years ago.

“I like everything about teaching. I was making a big tooth as a prop for class one day and I turned to my husband and I said ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this!’”

Ina To

aka To Laoshi

Ms. To is originally from Hong Kong. She has been in the United States for 18 years, 13 as an elementary school teacher. She went to college and got her teaching certificate in New York City and then came to the Bay area.

“Children are so open-hearted!” she says of her students.