Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • Mandarin immersion in San Diego

    Chinese, It’s the New Spanish

    By Elizabeth Salaam | Published Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012

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    Chinese, It’s the New SpanishPhoto by Alan Decker

    Robert Dorsey is not Chinese, but he drives 25 miles from El Cajon to Point Loma every morning so his two daughters can learn to speak, read, and write in Mandarin.

    “In my culture, it’s English, Ebonics, and maybe a little bit of Spanish,” says Dorsey, who is African American. “About ten years ago, my wife was in college, and her professor told her Chinese was the language to learn. I want to give my kids a little bit of an edge in life.”

    His daughters, in first and third grade, attend Barnard Elementary, a Mandarin Chinese full-immersion magnet school. In kindergarten, students spend 80 percent of their day (about four hours) reading, writing, and listening to Mandarin. The other 20 percent, they spend on English Language Arts. In first grade, it’s 70 and 30 percent, and second grade, 50-50. Third through sixth graders attend a 45-minute pull-out Mandarin class each day, but as the program, now in its fourth year, grows, those grades will conduct half of their lessons in Mandarin.

    Please read more here.

  • French still more popular than Mandarin in Vancouver, Canada

    Class Notes

    BY NAOIBH O’CONNOR, VANCOUVER COURIER JANUARY 18, 2012
    KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

    January means one thing for parents of children starting kindergarten in September-deciding what school to enrol their child in. The deadline is Jan. 31 to be given first consideration over those who apply later. Neighbourhood schools remain popular, but many families opt for specialty programs that can be tough to get into such as French immersion, Montessori, Mandarin immersion or Fine Arts.

    French immersion programs are particularly sought after, according to the Vancouver school district. Parents apply to their neighbourhood French immersion school and if it’s oversubscribed a lottery is held. Those who don’t win seats are placed on a waitlist for a district draw for remaining seats in the system.

    The waitlist for all French immersion programs totaled 342 last year, which dropped to 169 for the district draw likely because families registered in other programs after not qualifying for their local one.

     

    Read more:http://www.vancourier.com/Class+Notes/6012879/story.html#ixzz1jptCZ3KO

  • Families who are arguing for Mandarin immersion in NJ

    This is clearly such a divisive issue in New Jersey. Have Mandarin programs been that elsewhere, or is it simply because this is a charter? There was opposition in Palo Alto to their program, because it wasn’t available to everyone (though not everyone wanted it.) Has anyone seen this level of opposition before?

    Who’s Interested in a Mandarin Charter? Three Families Give Their Reasons

    Amidst vociferous opposition, three proponents of the Hua Mei Charter School tell their stories.

    When the proposed Hua Mei charter school held an informational meeting last summer at the Maplewood Library, seven interested parties showed up. When opponents held a rally on Jan. 6, more than 150 people attended.

    Indeed, dueling petitions for and against the charter show a decided majority expressing opposition.

    But founders of the charter — which will either be approved or rejected by NJ State Acting Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf on Tuesday — assert that the charter is drawing support and interest from within and without the West Orange, South Orange and Maplewood communities.

    Marcus Leon and his wife came across information about Hua Mei as they considered a move from Brooklyn to the Maplewood-South Orange community.

    Leon is a systems analyst and his wife a graphic designer. They have a 20-month-old daughter named Olivia.

    “We’d like Olivia to have an awareness of other cultures, and learning a language is one of the best ways to develop this,” said Leon. “China is on the way to having the world’s largest economy so kids who can learn Mandarin now should have a leg up in their lifetimes.”

    Leon also said that immersion seemed to be the way to go with Mandarin education. “We really like the immersion model. Hearing a language day in and day out is the best way for anyone, especially kids, to learn another language.”

    Leon said that he and his wife are looking to move out of the city to a family-friendly area where their daughter can attend an immersion program.  “Maplewood and South Orange seem like great places to raise a family. With the addition of a Mandarin immersion school Maplewood/South Orange would be an extremely attractive place for us to move to.”

    Please read more here.

  • One of Chinese American Int’l School founders was a Freedom Rider

    Lt. Col. Harold Hoskins from left with Freedom Riders Carol Ruth Silver and Claude Albert Liggins at a 2011 NAACP gala.
    Courtesy Freedom Riders Foundation

    Freedom Riders to speak in Bend

    Participants in the Civil Rights movement will talk at COCC

    By Breanna Hostbjor / The Bulletin

    Published: January 14. 2012 4:00AM PST

    If you go

    What: A Conversation with 1961 Freedom Riders: Carol Ruth Silver and Claude Albert Liggins talk about their experiences during the rides.
    When: 6 p.m. Jan. 24
    Where: Central Oregon Community College, Wille Hall, 2600 N.W. College Way, Bend
    Cost: Donations accepted
    Contact: 541-383-7257
    Documentary film
    Central Oregon Community College is also presenting several screenings of the PBS documentary “Freedom Riders,” which provides a history of the civil rights activists.
    All screenings are free. Contact: 541-383-7257.
    • 6 p.m. Tuesday at Becky Johnson Center, 412 S.W. Eighth St., Redmond.
    • 5 p.m. Thursday at Central Oregon Community College, Hitchcock Auditorium, 2600 N.W. College Way, Bend.
    • 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Central Oregon Community College, Campus Center, 2600 N.W. College Way, Bend.
    • 4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Central Oregon Community College, Madras Campus, 1170 E. Ashwood Road.

    On May 4, 1961, an interracial group formed by the Congress of Racial Equality boarded a bus in Washington, D.C., and headed for New Orleans. The group comprised 12 people divided between two commercial buses. The group’s goal was to ride into the Deep South, challenging Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation in transportation terminals.

    They were called Freedom Riders. They expected conflict, but only in moderation.

    In the weeks that followed their departure, one of the buses was set ablaze in Anniston, Ala., and the passengers nearly burned to death. Riders were repeatedly swarmed and beaten by violent mobs. The government sent federal marshals to protect protesters and supporters (which included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) when rioters looked ready to burn the church where they were gathered in Montgomery, Ala.

    The rides continued.

    And after the bus burned in Anniston, volunteer riders began to pour in from across the country to bolster the protesters’ ranks. Among the new arrivals were Carol Ruth Silver and Claude Albert Liggins, who will speak in Bend on Jan. 24 (see “If you go”).

    ‘I have to strike out’

    Silver, now of San Francisco, was in her early 20s and working as a clerk typist in New York when she heard about the events in Anniston. She had a background in civil rights activism and picketing in Chicago, where she had just received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago.

    Please read more here.

  • High school summer camp in Beijing

    Please note that for all the camps et al I post, I don’t have personal knowledge of them and am not vouching for them, I’m just passing along the information.

    Beth

     
    Plan Ahead for one of the Best Chinese Language Programs in China; Live on Campus and Earn College Credit.

    Presented by CLERC since 1994
    Contact us

    Tel: (425)576-8880

    Fax: (425)576-8881

    Email:

    clerc@clercabroad.org
    Find me on Facebook

    第十八届北京大学暑期中文班

    进最著名大学,学最标准中文, 看最精彩北京城

    July 2nd – August 10th, 2012

    CLERC has been working with Peking University, the most prestigious university in China, for 18 years on the summer Chinese Language program. With strong cooperation and consistent improvements of both sides, this program has grown to be one of the most popular summer programs for U.S. college students.

    The 2012 Peking University Summer Chinese Language Program will offer six weeks of intensive Chinese language study at Peking University, from July 2nd to August 10th.  more info

    • Six weeks of intensive Chinese language study at China’s most prestigious university – Peking University
    • Three elective cultural courses in Tai-Chi, Chinese Calligraphy and Traditional Chinese Painting
    •  Practice language skills with Peking University student language partner and establish international friendship
    • Visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and the Bird’s Nest, Water Cube to see Beijing in both tradition and modernity
    • Immerse in Chinese culture and local life by becoming guests in a Hutong family, watching Peking Opera and Kung-Fu Show, tasting famous Peking duck
    • Earn college credits while studying in China

    Website

  • National Chinese Language Conference registration open
    State of the Field:
    Proficiency, Sustainability, and Beyond
    April 12–14, 2012 | Washington Marriott Wardman Park

    Register Today!

    Be an Early Bird and register by February 1 to get the most savings.

    The National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC) is dedicated to encouraging dialogue in the field of Chinese language education and ensuring its wide-scale success. 2012 will mark NCLC’s 5th anniversary, an appropriate opportunity to reflect on the State of the Field – the past, the present, and the future of Chinese language education.

    By attending NCLC, you will:

    • Join this important conversation together with hundreds of colleagues
    • Hear from U.S. and Chinese thought-leaders
    • Attend 60+ expert-led breakout sessions
    • Take part in a rich array of preconference activities
    • Experience Washington, DC in the spring

    As part of this year’s conference program, we invite you to join us for a special evening with the artists of I SING BEIJING, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to advancing vocal arts and relationships between artists in China and around the world. On Friday, April 13, following dinner in the grand ballroom of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, you will be among the first in the U.S. to hear professional singers perform modern Mandarin opera and also view scenes from a new film that documents the I SING BEIJING 2011 inaugural program.

    Find out why 1,200 teachers, school leaders, policymakers, and international participants joined the conference last year!

  • Conference: Exploring Approaches to Cultures & Languages Across the Curriculum

    Register now for the Sixth Annual CLAC Conference!

    HURRY–EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 19! 

    Exploring Approaches to
    Cultures & Languages Across the Curriculum    CLAC logo

    March 9-10, 2012
    Radisson University Hotel
    Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA


    This conference provides an opportunity for faculty, graduate instructors, and administrators to share expertise in building and managing CLAC programs. The conference will address the practical issues related to developing successful pedagogical models for the use of world language and culture learning across the post-secondary curriculum.

    Conference Focus

    A specific focus of the 6th annual conference on Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) will be on presenting and discussing a variety of models and aspects of post-secondary programs implementing world languages and cultures across the curriculum. Seasoned CLAC practitioners, those in the process of implementing programs, as well as prospective CLAC program developers will come together to share ideas and best practices in our evolving and unique field of education for global citizens.  Attendees at the CLAC conference will learn how CLAC programs are implemented at other institutions and will have a rare opportunity for extended discussions examining design and delivery of a CLAC curriculum.

    Plenary Topics and Speakers

    • CLAC in a Nutshell
      Tanya Kinsella, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • From First- and Second-Year Foreign Language Instruction to CLAC: A Quantum Leap or a Well-Trodden Path
      Gwendolyn Barnes-Karol, St. Olaf College
    • Modeling Collaboration between Foreign Languages and Sustainability Studies
      Frances Matos-Schultz, University of Minnesota
      Charlotte Melin, University of MinnesotaConference Attendees
      Patricia Mougel, University of Minnesota

    In addition to an exciting line up of sessions, panels and posters, the CLAC conference is also offering three pre-conference workshops for an additional fee:

    • Fostering Critical Thinking and Academic Language through Visual Images: A Hands-On Approach
    • How to Design and Implement a CLAC Program that Works for Your Campus
    • Preparing Graduate Students to Teach CLAC

    Register now—Early bird registration deadline—January 19, 2012!

    More information about the conference program and registration can be found at:
    www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/clac/