中文学校每周简讯 - 9月12日

中文学校的家长们，大家好！

2014-2015新学年在一个天晴气朗的周末开始了。很高兴与许多旧交新识见面。特别欢迎新同学，新老师的加入，你们已经开始了在中文学校的旅程。

在翻过学期第一页之后，教学工作将从第二周起走上正轨。在此我和大家强调一些注意事项以及课程变化，希望大家能及时做好相应的安排，避免第二次课出现不必要的调整。

(1)    注册和学费
学校将于9月13日周六晚12点关闭网上注册。如果之后有注册变化，请与学校校务人员联系。学费按规定必须于第二次课结束前全部付清。否则学校保留取消相应注册的权利。

希望各个家庭上完第一节课后都已经作出相关决定，是否换课或退课。请及时登陆学校网页修改你的注册信息。学校才能知道每个班的准确人数。谢谢你的合作。若有问题，请联校长或陈建华先生(jchen_9898@verizon.net)

(2)    课程调整
一些文化兴趣课需要进行调整，具体如下：

-象棋班：由于学生象棋水平参差不齐，该班将分为两个班。增加一个初级班，由新老师Zackary Calderon教，教室安排在A205。Patrick Chi任教的班将针对中、高级水平的学生，仍在现有教室B108。请相关家长及时调整注册。

-舞蹈1班：根据老师要求，1班将从体育馆搬到B102教课。请家长主动帮助维持教室整洁，做到物归原处。

-舞蹈2班：从1班挪上来的学生家长，请及时在学校网页上更新注册信息。

-数学班：每个班都进行了摸底考试，评估学生数学水平。陆群老师会联系相关家长做相应的调整。如果你没有收到陆老师的通知，请及时联系、确认。

-绘画3班：该班是针对中、高级水平的学生。请家长根据自己孩子的水平调整班级注册。绘画1班和2班是针对初级水平的学生。

(3)    家长代表
学校要求每个班级选派一个家长代表，各班家长轮流值班，协助老师维持教室次序，切勿挪动教室的东西，更不能让学生独自留在教室。请家长们下星期天上课前到教室和老师取得联系，每班选一名家长代表，安排教室值日，各班家长代表请与学校家长会主席徐健先生联系(jxuonline@gmail.com)。

(4)    青少年义工团
青少年义工团主席、副主席以及秘书的选举定于第三周9月21日。为了更好的进行选举活动，明确职责，学校出台了青少年义工团执行条例，见附件。如果你的孩子准备参加选举，请仔细阅读该条例。如有任何疑问或详细解释，请与校长联系。我们欢迎每个高中生积极参与，做个好公民的代表。

学校将逐步把现有的一些具体操作程序条例化、规范化。目的是增加学校各项活动、运作的透明度、规范度。在这个过程中，不可避免的会有些遗漏，希望大家能理解并积极向校方提意见。

(5)    注册情况
截至到9月10日，共有325名学生注册中文语言课，37名学生注册中文第二语言课，以及232名学生注册各种文化兴趣课。和去年相比，略有上升。感谢各位家长牺牲周末休息时间陪同孩子们上学。相信你们的努力和奉献一定会有回报

(6)    教材
需要教科书的家长，请及时与老师或学校联系，购买教材。提醒大家不要批量复印教科书，这是违反版权使用的。学校的复印机仅限于教学使用。

(7)    华社会员
华社会员会费退款将于第三周开始。相关事宜请与在校的华社代表联系。

最后我要感谢第一天执勤的家长代表。正是你们的辛勤工作保障了校务人员能集中精力处理繁杂的校务、教务事项。

谢谢大家，星期天见！

陈峰
中文学校校长2014-2015

Dear Chinese School Families,

Welcome back to Chinese School!

The school is off to a great start and we were so delighted to see old acquaintance and new faces in the first day of school. I hope everyone now starts to settle into school routines, and your child may have made one or two new friends. A special welcome is offered to our new students, new families and new teachers, who just began their journey in Chinese school.

Now we are moving onto the second week while most students have started learning a few new Chinese characters or reading new stories. There are a few things I’d like to share with you in a hope to help you assimilate quicker into the Chinese School routines and culture.

(1)    Registration and Tuition Payment
Registration will be closed by end of this Saturday 9/13/2014. Any registration change request after 9/13 will have to be handled by a school staff. Tuition needs to be paid full before and during the second school session. According to school registration policy, if full payment is not received after two school sessions, school reserves the right to cancel associated registration to allow students on the waiting list to register.

I hope after the first class most families have settled and made their decisions. Please take a moment to log into your account to update your enrollment information. We are relying on your prompt actions to have a better count of class size. If you have problem in updating enrollment, you can always reach out to me or Mr. Jianhua Chen(jchen_9898@verizon.net).

(2)    Class Updates
There are a few adjustments regarding some culture classes. The affected classes are:

-Chess class: due to wide range of levels, the chess class will be split into two classes. A beginner’s chess class has been added for current students of entry level. This class will be taught by Zackary Calderon in room A205. Patrick Chi will remain as instructor of current chess class for intermediate and advanced levels in room B108. Please adjust your enrollment accordingly.

-Dance class-1 (7 and under): per request of the teacher, this dance class will take place in B102, instead of gym. Parents of this class: please help keep the classroom in order after the class is done.

-Dance class-2 (8 and above): a few students registered to dance class-1 have switched to this dance class upon recommendation of teachers. Parents: please reflect this change in your account so school can keep track of class size.

-Math class: a series of pre-test has been given to evaluate the levels of registered students of all math classes. Recommendations and adjustment will be handled by Ms. Qun Lu who is in charge of Math classes. Hope at this point you have received communications from Ms. Qun Lu. If not, please contact her (shen4@yahoo.com) to confirm the status.

-Art-3: this art class is for intermediate and advanced level students. A separate communication has been sent to parents of this class to adjust class registration based on their child’s level. Art-1 and Art-2 are designed toward entry level students.

(3)    Classroom Home Parent
As we are getting to know each other, each classroom needs to have a home parent to help the teacher organize classroom parent duty assignment, and a few other things. Just like in public school, being a classroom parent is a privilege to serve the classroom and be a role model for your child to follow. Please consider volunteering the role, particular for classrooms of new teachers. They will need you to step up and work together for your children’s education. Please contact PTA chair Jian Xu (jxuonline@gmail.com) to register as home parent.

I can’t stress more for the importance of keeping the classroom clean and neat. No food and beverage is allowed in the classroom and hallways. We have had a good record last year with just a few complaints. Sustaining and improving the record will require each one of us to pay attention to what we do everyday. The first day is a good example that I’ve not heard any complaint from North Colonie School District, which is a good sign. I have belief in you, particularly home parents who lead the effort.

(4)    Youth Team Election
The Youth Team election is planned on the 3rd week of school 9/21. To help guide the election and clarify responsibilities, the school has established a Youth Team election policy as attached. If your child is planning to throw the hat into the ring, please read through the policy carefully with him/her. If you need any help or have questions, please reach out to me directly. We welcome all senior students to participate and demonstrate a good sense of citizenship.

There is an initiative in the school administration to put best practice into words of guidelines and policies to help clarify the rules and avoid misunderstandings. As we start to push toward better operation and transparency, we realize we may not be able cover all the corners. If you have suggestions, please do not hesitate to share with us.

(5)    Enrollment Update
As of September 10th, we have 325 students enrolled in Chinese language classes, 37 students enrolled in Chinese as Second Language classes, and 232 students enrolled in culture/enrichment classes. Thank you all for your commitment to your child’s education. We all wish it is another fruitful year.

(6)    Textbook
Textbooks are available for purchase at school at the same cost as online purchase. The school makes no profit out of textbook sale. Please do not use copied textbook, which violates the copyright rule. The copy machines at school can only be used to make copies of excerpts for class use.

(7)    CCC membership
CCC membership refund will start from 3rd week of school. For those of you making a separate donation to the CCC, please stop by the CCC table and ask for more information.

Lastly, I’d like to extend many thanks to parents on PTA duty in the first day of school. They did a wonderful job in keeping many things in order amid a huge crowd and allowing school staff focus on what they should be doing. Please keep the good work up.

Thank you all for your attention.

Sincerely,

Feng Chen
Principal, Chinese School (2014-2015)