Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

recent posts

about

  • Two China trips for Mandarin immersion families

    Tim Hurley was part of the beginning cohorts of students in our Mandarin immersion program in San Francisco. For years he ran a really great bicycle camp for kids and of course he’s been to China with families from Starr King Elementary and other schools. So he’s a great guy to organize this. They’ve got Mandarin immersion teachers coming along to help facilitate actual Chinese use along the way. I don’t do much advertising on this blog, but for Tim I’ll make an exception because I know he’s creating exactly the kind of trip our families got to take when our kids were young. The photos are from the trip our youngest daughter’s class took to China.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Mandarin Immersion family trips to China

    Gather your family! Gather your friends and classmates! Enhance your child’s Mandarin Immersion education with hands-on learning at the source: China. Two Mandarin Immersion oriented travel opportunities have been planed for the MI community, scheduled for 6 – 19 June 2026 (rescheduling to 13 – 26 June may be possible to accommodate later school schedules). Details are available and reservations are being accepted through 15 Dec. Space is limited, but the fun and adventure are not.

    Ancient Capitals of China This is the perfect introductory trip to the country and culture of China. This trip will explore past and present political and cultural capitals of the country, from Beijing to Datong to Pingyao to Xi’an. Not to be missed highlights include Bejing’s historic Forbidden City, two contrasting areas of the Great Wall, the stunning Yungang Grottoes of Shanxi, and the Terracotta Warriors and ancient city wall of Xi’an. This trip is perfect for first-time China travelers and families with younger kids (rising 4th grade and younger), though any experience level and age is welcome.

    Great Wall and Hexi Corridor Dive into Chinese history with an exploration of the Great Wall and a stretch of the Silk Road. With hikes on both restored and “wild” segments of the Wall, and a travel route that parallels the westward reach of the Wall to its terminus at Jiayuguan Fortress, this trip will reveal the many characters of the Great Wall and the regions it protected. From cultural icons to natural wonders, this itinerary explores the impact of the desert and loess plateau on the history and development of China, and beyond. This trip includes longer travel, less developed destinations, and physical activity, and may be better for experienced China travelers and those with older kids (rising 5th grade and above).

    The two trips will run simultaneously and overlap in Xi’an to ensure opportunities for sharing stories and meeting up with friends. It is intended that a MI teacher will accompany both trips to assist with language skills practice and cultural instruction. Scheduled and spontaneous opportunities for engaging in language and cultural exchanges with native Mandarin speakers are embedded in both itineraries. In-country travel will include high speed rail, tour bus, and airplane. Hotel accommodations will be four star. Opportunities for free time and independent exploration are included and encouraged.

    These trips were organized by Access Asia Tours, a travel company specializing in Asian tourism and bespoke itinerary planning. Tim Hurley, a San Francisco-based former MI parent, designed the itineraries and will serve as on-trip liaison. Tim has traveled to China on numerous occasions, as a student, professional, MI parent, and adoptive parent. His family was part of the pioneering San Francisco public school MI cohort, with two daughters leading the way through the elementary-middle-high school pathway.

    Images of similar trips can be found here

    Capacity

    Ancient Capitals: up to 25 travelers

    Great Wall: up to 19 travelers

    Costs (exclusive of international airfare and other independent expenses; based on 6 June departure, later travel dates may incur different rates)

    Ancient Capitals: $3,200 adult and age 12+, $3,000 under age 12; double occupancy

    Great Wall: $4,100 adult and age 12+, $3,900 under age 12; double occupancy

    For trip details and reservations, contact Tim at tim.hurley4616@gmail.com

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    The above photo is kids complaining it’s too hot in Beijing. Just so you know none of this is staged….

  • Hawaii’s only Mandarin immersion program now 8 years old.

    No English allowed: Inside Honolulu’s bold new classrooms

    Story by Sandy Harjo Livingston

    HONOLULU (KHON2) — In classrooms across Honolulu, bilingual education is reshaping how students learn, connect and see the world.

    At Kamehameha Schools, Maryknoll School and St. Louis School, language is more than a subject. It’s a tool for global citizenship and cultural understanding.

    Mandarin immersion takes root at Maryknoll

    Maryknoll School launched its Mandarin immersion program nine years ago. For Shana Tong, president of Maryknoll, it was a natural extension of the school’s global mission.

    Back to school: Inside Hawaiʻi’s childhood education crisis

    “Our first class, the current 8th grade, started in kindergarten,” Tong said. “You spend 50% of your day in only Mandarin. They don’t even know their teacher speaks English.”

    The program follows a 50/50 model in the early grades. Students learn core subjects like math and science in Mandarin, then switch to English for literacy and religion.

    Please read more here.

  • Bay area Mandarin immersion program named among best schools

    The Mandarin immersion program at the school is also expanding, from one class per grade up to three per grade, beginning with its transitional Kindergarten next year.

    From the Redwood City Pulse

    by Neil Gonzales / ContributorSeptember 15, 2025 10:38 am

    Orion Alternative School in Redwood City recently garnered top honors for its programs, particularly the popular Mandarin-language immersion offering.

    Orion nabbed a gold award from Bay Area Parent magazine for being among the best public or charter schools on the Peninsula for 2025. The award noted that Orion houses the Mandarin Immersion program for elementary students.

    The magazine also listed Orion MI itself as taking gold this year for being among the best language-immersion schools in the region.

    Please read more here.

  • San Francisco rejects charter Mandarin immersion school

    Note that San Francisco Unified says it’s going to create its own K-8 Mandarin immersion school, which parents have long advocated for. Read about that here.

    San Francisco Chronicle, 8-26-2025

    The San Francisco school board Tuesday unanimously rejected a parent-led effort to open a Mandarin immersion charter school in the city, angering families tired of waiting for the district to meet the demand for Chinese language programs.

    The petition for the Dragon Gate Academy, according to district staff, failed to adhere to legal standards outlined by federal and state laws relating to qualified teachers and raised questions about how the school would address the needs of English learners and students with special needs.

    In addition, district officials said the charter would have a negative financial and educational impact on city schools, siphoning students and state funding when the district is at risk of fiscal insolvency, which is a reason cited under state law to deny the charter.

    Please read more here.

    Also the San Francisco Standard has this:

    SFUSD rejects Mandarin-immersion charter school proposal 

    Brian Hollinger, a leader of the parent coalition behind Dragon Gate Academy, said the group will appeal to the state. “We are not dead yet.”

    https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/26/dragon-gate-charter-vote/

    And local public radio station KQED has this:

    San Francisco’s school board unanimously rejected a petition on Tuesday to open a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade Mandarin Immersion school in the city next fall, citing concerns with the parent-led effort’s educational model and the new school’s financial impact on the cash-strapped district.

    After two hours of debate, the board voted 7-0 to deny the charter, following the recommendation of San Francisco Unified School District staff, which said they didn’t believe the plan was “workable.”

    In addition to concerns about the educational model and feasibility of the plan, staff also wrote in a report earlier this month that the school could siphon away funding the district can’t stand to lose.

    https://www.kqed.org/news/12053745/sf-school-board-to-vote-on-new-mandarin-charter-school-facing-likely-rejection

  • Wisconsin Mandarin immersion school ranked 7th in state

    From: The Verona Press

    The Verona Area International School (VAIS) was recently named #7 in Wisconsin Elementary Schools and #2 in Wisconsin Charter Elementary Schools for 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. 

    VAIS is a public, tuition-free charter school founded in 2010 as a Chinese immersion school. Located at 400 N. Main St. in Verona, VAIS is part of the Verona Area School District (VASD) and serves approximately 120 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. 

    Please read more here.

  • A lovely story about a Chinese typerwriter

    For your summer reading pleasure, here’s a great and fascinating story about a long-lost Chinese typewriter that was discovered through Facebook.

    Several outlets picked it up: The New York Time, NPR and a nice video. You can also read about it in the Stanford Report.

    And should you want to really go down a rabbit hole, here’s a book about The Chinese Typewriter.

  • Some immersion programs in Utah losing students

    Utah is a leader in language immersion schools. This year the state boasted 344 elementary, middle or high schools offered dual language programming, which includes 172 in Spanish and 99 in Chinese. Other languages offered include French, Portuguese, German and Russian. While the schools referenced in the article below are losing students in French and Spanish, it’s an interesting trend to watch.  Utah recently approved a measure that will establish an every-five-year evaluation of the state’s dual-language immersion programs.


    By Tim Vandenack, KSL.com | Posted – July 21, 2025 at 6:05 p.m.

    BOUNTIFUL — Davis School District officials are evaluating the future of two dual-language immersion programs in district schools because of low participation.

    School representatives cited falling participation in the French dual-language program at South Davis Junior High School in Bountiful and limited longevity among participants in the Spanish dual-language program at Lincoln Elementary in Layton. Possible outcomes once the studies are complete, according to school officials, include closure of the programs or consolidation with similar programming in other schools.

    Please read more here.