Dear NWCS families,

Here we are going to Week 2. There are several things I’d like to share with you.

Registration

• Feel free to update your kids’ registration and electives on the web site sis.nwcsny.org by the end of Week 2, Saturday, Sep 19. We will freeze registration
  ​shortly after​

  . My apologies if your tuition checks haven’t been deposited. I persuaded school Treasurer Ms. Chang to teach 2nd graders. So we are in the process of transitioning Treasurer functions to another parent.

• We are holding a new family Q&A session at 9:30 am in the middle school theater next to the cafeteria. Board members will be present to answer questions and share their NWCS experience.

Parents

• Please elect a class parent so we can better communicate and reflect the needs of your class. Class parents please contact each family in
  ​your ​

  class to make sure they are receiving emails from school.

• We’d also like to invite parents to come by the theater for Chinese Karaoke, after visiting our wonderful Breakfast Club. Scientific evidence suggests singing not only cheers
  ​up yourself (although not everyone around)

  but also is good for burning calories after visiting Breakfast Club. You can also take this opportunity to show your kids how a good singer you are!

Student Travel Journals

• I’d like to invite our students who visited any Mandarin speaking cities during the summer. I want to publish your travel journals on the culture, people, food, and fun things you did.

Food

• Thank you for being patient to read on the email till here. The Breakfast Club takes lunch orders from a local Chinese restaurant for your convenience. You get an entree, Wonton or Egg Drop soup, and a choice of can soda or egg roll. Please order at the school cafeteria by 10:00AM – pay CASH when ordering. Each order includes $0.50 delivery cost and $1.00 donation to the school. The menu is available online at http://www.nwcsny.org/?page_id=1010

More Food News

• On Saturday, October 3, from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, a Chinese Cultural Fair and Carnival will be held at P.S. 20, 142-30 Barclay Ave, Flushing with crafts, arts, ethnic dancing performances, variety of food snacks and bubble tea (!).

Donate to NWCS by shopping at AmazonSmile program

• Please remember to use Amazon.com through www.nwcsny.org website so we can get 0.5% of the sale proceeds from eligible purchases. The 0.5% would have been pure profit to Amazon if you do not go through our school link.

Your Principal, 
Yuan-Chi Chang 張元極

From: NWCS Principal
Date: 5/15/2015 7:49 PM

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day!  The weather definitely cooperated.  What a beautiful week we had, consistently in the 70s and 80s during the day.

So here we are at Week 12.  In case you don’t know, there are 14 weeks in each semester.  I know I have always said how time flies, but seriously it passes us by faster and faster each year  …

During the week, I got a text from a parent asking me if I had ever taken a certain airline … I said no and asked why did he want to know.  He said his son, who completed up to the 9^th grade in our school, is going to Shanghai for a 6-week study-aboard program.  He was just wondering if I knew about the airline.  I told him that it is great that his son is going to have a wonderful opportunity to use his Chinese learned at NWCS.   He continued to tell me that his son was pre-screened by his professor to assess his placement level for the class.  His son said he was surprised by the amount of Chinese he remembered!  The dad thought to himself “Surprised?  I only drove you to the Chinese School every Saturday for 10 years!”  Of course he did not do what I always do, think out loud.  :-)  Well, needless to say, the father is very pleased and proud of his son.   What surprised me was that his son is already in college … he was just a little kid … not any more!

Every time I get frustrated and discouraged with the twins’ Chinese learning attitude, I wanted to give up. Then I hear a story like this and it gets me all psyched again!  What better support group can you ask for!

Anyway, we have our General meeting tomorrow.  We will be electing some new board members, staff including Principal, Vice Principal … etc.  So I hope all of you can come join us.  We will also be sharing important information such as financials, upcoming events, our plans for future school years and to hear your feedback and ideas.

A couple of weeks ago, in my weekly email, I asked if anyone is looking for summer tutors to let me know.  I received a question about how does this work?   We have a list of teachers who are available during the summer to provide tutoring services.  You can give them a call and match up with a teacher that you will have a mutually agreed tutoring arrangement.    Some teachers will come to your house, some welcome you to their houses, and some will use skype and meet you online.   I also just received an inquiry from a parent’s friend who is looking for someone to come to Bronxville to teach a  3 year-old child Chinese.  So there are no set criteria except the love for learning Chinese.

See you tomorrow!  Classes start 9pm sharp. Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!!  Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org

From: NWCS Principal
Date: 5/8/2015 8:54 PM
Wow!  I just cannot get enough of the sunshine this week.  It is like we skipped spring and went straight into summer.  Love the warmth and the fresh air; love the children’s laughter and all the kids running around on the fields playing sports…. Where are my flip flops, sandals and shorts … Oh brother, where is my tan?   Got to get out there and get me some vitamin D.

Speaking of the summer, we only have a few weeks left of Chinese school.   I am sure everyone is already making plans for their children’s summer camps and family vacation plans.  To prepare for our school next year, there are a few critical events that will take place in the upcoming weeks.

Our General Meeting will be postponed from this Saturday to next Saturday.  We are still looking for candidates to replace a couple of board positions.    We are also looking for candidates for Vice Principal.  I hope to see many of you to step forward to join this wonderful team to continue to serve our school!

During the Asian Heritage Week, our school is having a tent set up at the Asian Heritage Event and we would love for you to come and help out and man our table.  We need you to help market our school and let everyone know what a great school we have!  Please let our Board Chair, Calvin, know if you are able to lend a hand.

On May 30, we are having our annual Open House.  Teachers and kids will be starting to work on their posters to show case their work.  Please reach out to the teachers to see if they need a hand.   We have a couple of summer camp programs visiting our Open House as well.  One is run by a teacher who used to teach at our school.  Come and find out more information.  More importantly, please tell your friends and their friends about our school and help us to recruit more students.

Registration starts on May 30^th.  Please register as early as possible before the due date to avoid paying more after the due date.

Our pre-K and Kindergarten classes will be having their Moving-Up Day Ceremony on the last day of School, June 6^th.   It will be held in the small theater.  I hope you can come and give them a big round of applause for their accomplishments.

Last but not least, our annual Year End Picnic Blast is on June 6^th as well.  We are looking for people to help, and for all to join us for a fun filled event to celebrate the completion of another wonderful year.   If you are able to help, please let our Vice Principal, Shuna, know as soon as possible.  Tickets will be on sale starting next week.

As in previous years, if you are looking for tutors for the summer, please let me know.

In summary:

5/9 – Week 11 – General Meeting postponed,  please see Calvin or any of the board members or Administration staff if you or someone you know are interested in helping the school

5/16 – Week 12 – General Meeting

5/23 – No School; Memorial Day Weekend; Asian Heritage Event; Associations of Chinese School (ACS) Annual Event (our teachers will be attending to learn new fun learning stuff)

5/30 – Week 13 – Open House and Registration

6/6 – Week 14

Pre-K and Kindergarten Moving Up day

Final Exam

Registration

Annual Year End Picnic Blast

See you all tomorrow!  Classes start at 9am sharp.  Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!!  Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org

From: NWCS Principal <principal@nwcsny.org>
Date: 4/24/2015 9:37 PM

大家好，

我說話說太快了, 我以為終於可以收起冬天的衣服, 結果昨天和今天又下雪了。真的是不可思議。

上星期攝影師忘了帶他們的相機，所以我們明天將再試一次。邁克·安德魯斯先生要求每個人都穿黑色和白色的衣服，因為他說他的相機不知何只能拍照這兩個顏色。哈哈哈……事實是，他前一年忘了檢查他相機的設置, 我們班的照片都是黑白的。我們再給他一次機會 … 別擔心我會提醒大衛·奎因先生在拍照之前檢查了邁克·安德魯斯先生的相機。

在學年的開始的時候，我的朋友告訴我，雙胞胎必須連續得三次的崇高榮譽獎, 他們中學畢業時才有資格 進入National Junior Honor Society。所以，不用說，我轉身從Tiger Mom 變成Psycho Mom。我們今天收到信，他們兩個都進入National Junior Honor Society。我一個雙胞胎對我說：“你會來參加我們的畢業典禮吧 ”我說：“當然”，另一個雙胞胎接下去說：“你甚至不需要戴面具來掩飾自己”。其實我不記得我對他們的威脅 LOL 我真的相信，有一天他們會感謝他們的媽媽和爸爸所有的辛勤工作。哎! 我記得我父母以前也是同樣的。 我曾經說過，我永遠不會把他們對待我的方式來對待我的孩子，哈！

明天見！學校早上九點開始，請大家準時到!

Hello Everyone,

I thought I was finally able to put away my winter wardrobe because the temperature was in the 70s … but of course, I spoke too soon. It actually snowed by me yesterday and today. I guess I have to keep those sweaters out for a little longer.

So I guess you were wondering how come the cameramen did not show up last week. Well, they forgot to bring their cameras, so we will try again tomorrow. Mr. Mike Andrews asked if everyone can wear black and white because he said his camera somehow takes the best pictures in those two colors. Ha ha ha … the truth is he forgot to check his settings and one year our class pictures all came out black and white. Anyway, we will give him another chance to redeem himself. I will remind Mr. David Quinn to check his settings before they start taking pictures.

One of my girlfriends told me at the beginning of the school year that if the twins earned high honors for the first 3 quarters of school then they could be considered for the National Junior Honor Society when they graduate from middle school. So needless to say, I turned from Tiger mom to psycho mom since the beginning of the year and I am proud to report that it all paid off. We received the letters in the mail today that they both made it to the Junior Honor Society. One of the twins said to me, “So will you come to our graduation ceremony now?” I said “Of course”, and the other twin added “And you don’t even need to wear a mask to disguise yourself”. I actually don’t remember threatening them with that but it does sound like me. LOL! All kidding aside, I truly believe that one day they will realize that we did not push them for our sake. It is all for them, and one day they will appreciate all their Mom and Dad’s hard work. Oh brother, I sound just like my parents … and to think I used to say that I will never treat my kids the way they treat me! Sigh!

See you tomorrow! Classes start at 9am sharp. Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!! Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org

From: NWCS Principal <principal@nwcsny.org>
Date: 4/17/2015 9:36 PM

Hello Everyone,

What a wonderful week, and beautiful weather we had! All the sports fields filled with kids playing all different sports. I am sure your calendars are starting to fill up with your kid’s sport and music schedules.

Last week we had some very lucky raffle winners. Special thanks for those who donated the wonderful gifts and for Francine who was in charge of the successful event. A big shout out to everyone who purchased the raffle tickets, THANK YOU ALL!

Tomorrow we will be taking our class pictures. Board members, David Quinn and Michael Andrews will be coming around to your classes to take pictures, so dress nice and neat and have a big smile for the cameramen.

Some classes are having their speech contest or writing contest during the last week of April. If your class has not decided on a date, please speak to your teacher.

The board members are also busy planning for the General meeting. We are asking you to come forward and become part of the wonderful team of board members. We are looking for people to step up and take on different roles for the school. Come and talk to any of us and find out how you can help our wonderful school.

See you tomorrow! Classes start at 9am sharp. Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!! Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org

From: NWCS Principal
Date: 4/10/2015 10:17 PM

大家好！
明天已經是我們春季學期第7週了！我希望每個人都準備好了這個星期或下個星期的期中考試。！祝大家好運！
有幾個班級已經計劃在四月或五月舉辦演講比賽或寫作比賽。我希望其他的班級趕快把比賽日子決定讓所有學生有表現的機會！另外愛唱歌的學生，請不要忘記卡拉OK大賽將於4月15日截止。請向你的老師請問更多的信息。

明天我們也將揭開抽獎獲獎者！所以如果你還沒有買抽獎票的話，早到自助餐廳買抽獎票！謝謝大家對學校的支持！
這個星期，我的雙胞胎兒子跟學校旅行到華盛頓特區。旅行之前，我們買了iPhone給他們。 小兒子無論我們問什麼，回答的都是“是啊”“是啊”（我們花那麼多錢讓他來“是啊”“是啊” 真要命！）。我的大兒子是比較貼心的，他發群體對話寄短信給爸爸媽媽，以節省時間。這是今天早上的交流與大家分享：

Dad: Buenos dias!  (Good day in Spanish)

Kyle: good mornin (as you can see, he can’t spell English)

Kyle: we at Memorial (you called that English?  UGH)

Mom: Como estas Tu?  (How are you?)

Kyle: Sigh

Kyle: Stop speaking Spanish!

Mom: Porque no?  No habla el espanol? (Why not, you don’t speak Spanish?)

Dad: Pero solo hablo espanol (But I only speak Spanish!)

Kyle :….

Mom: 好吧  我們說中文 (fine, let’s speak Chinese)

Dad:

結果從上午十點到現在都沒有消息了！貼心的大兒子不理爸爸媽媽了！
明天見！學校早上九點開始，請大家準時到!

Welcome back Everyone!  I hope that you enjoyed the school break!

Tomorrow is already our week 7 (out of 14)!  You have reached the half way point for the Spring semester.   Some classes will be having their midterm exams this week or next week.   I hope everyone is ready! Good luck to all!

Several classes have planned their speech contest or writing contest for April or May.  I hope that all classes will have the event!  Also, for those who love to sing, please don’t forget that the Karaoke contest is due April 15.  Please speak to your teachers for more information.  You can sing along with the recording!  Please participate and represent the school!

Tomorrow we will also reveal the Raffle winners!  So get to the cafeteria early and buy the tickets if you have not done so already!   And thank you to those who have purchased tickets!  Every penny goes to help our wonderful school!

This past week my twins went on a school trip to Washington DC.  Right before they left, we made sure to get them new iPhones so that they could text us and keep us informed of every stop they made.  (Yes, every stop).  Anyway, one answers all of our texts with “Yep” “Yep” and “Yep” (to think we paid all that money for this …).  My other son is more responsive and he actually texted mom and dad as a group conversation to save time.  Attached is the exchange this morning and I would like to share it with you … Remember this is a group conversation:

Dad: Buenos dias!  (Good day in Spanish)

Kyle: good mornin (as you can see, he can’t spell English)

Kyle: we at Memorial (you called that English?  UGH)

Mom: Como estas Tu?  (How are you?)

Kyle: Sigh

Kyle: Stop speaking Spanish!

Mom: Porque no?  No habla el espanol? (Why not, you don’t speak Spanish?)

Dad: Pero solo hablo espanol (But I only speak Spanish!)

Kyle :….

Mom: 好吧  我們說中文 (fine, let’s speak Chinese)

Dad:

And that was the last we heard from him since 10am this morning!  Oh well!

See you tomorrow!  Classes start at 9am sharp.  Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!!  Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org

From: NWCS Principal
Date: 3/27/2015 8:36 PM
Hello Everyone,

Finally we saw some nicer weather in the 50s, even though it was raining most of the time, I will take it!  Outdoor sporting events are starting also. You see kids trying out for different spring sports (provided the snow has melted off the field and it is not too soggy).  It brings a sense of liveliness to the air!   I feel like everyone has been hibernating with all the snow that we had. (Don’t we wish!)

Tomorrow is our last day for the Raffle Ticket Sale!  When we return on the 2^nd Saturday in April we will find out the lucky winners of the wonderful prizes.  If you have not yet purchased your tickets, please see Francine!

Important reminder, please help the school and discuss with the kids that we are not to touch the equipment in the classrooms.  Unfortunately there has been another incident reported in one of the classrooms.   Our counselor, Kenny and previous board chairperson, Benson, have been diligently double checking the rooms after classes each Saturday. I am asking everyone to lend a hand by reminding our children the importance of respecting the hosting school’s property.  Thank you all in advance, I know I can count on all of you for your help!

Another reminder: Next Saturday, school will not be in session.

Reminder #3: The annual speech contest and writing contest will take place in late April.  Check with your teachers for details.

Good luck to all the students.

See you all tomorrow!  Classes start at 9am sharp.  Please be on time.

——————————————————-
李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2015
——————————————————-
GO NWCS!!!!  Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org