From: NWCS Principal

Date: 3/28/2014 8:23 PM

This is the last Saturday of March! Time flies … we are almost half way through the semester.

Speaking of half way through, some parents were asking about the midterm date on the calendar. We currently have it for week 8, some teachers and/or parents thought it should be week 7. We typically would like to have the midterm exam when we complete half of the material, to assess where our kids’ progress. It is really the teachers’ call. Why? It is because they know how much the class has achieved and when to have the midway assessment. So either week 7 or week 8 is fine (as long as we don’t have a midterm both weeks, haha). Please don’t stress over it, just follow the teachers’ lead. I remember one year I said hi to a teacher in the hallway and I said “Midterm time, huh?” She said “Actually no, I changed it to next week because this weekend is Halloween, so I wanted the kids to be able to enjoy the holiday”. Being flexible is what I love about our teachers! That said, please confirm with your teachers which week is the midterm, and be sure to study for the right week.

So what else is happening in the next few weeks … a fun event for our students at the end of April. Our Dean already sent me the rules and I just have to add the English translations to it. I promise to send it out this weekend (by Sunday night?)

In May, our teachers will be attending an ACS (Association of Chinese School) conference to share and learn teaching tips and ideas. This is going to take place during the Memorial Day weekend. Our Dean will share the details with the teachers.

We will also have our General Meeting where we will be electing a few new board members. We need to add some new blood to the team to continue to generate new ideas and work together to make our school the best one in town, or in the country :-). So please come see one of us and find out more about how you can help. This is the 5th year that I am the principal for our school and I loved every second of it … but I am looking for someone who can take on this role … come talk to me and I will share my experiences with you. No pressure, just to chat! You know me, I don’t pressure anyone ….

As the principal, I have received many email messages over the years and recently, I received this email from one of the alumni, here is what she wrote:

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Hi!

My name is Julie Yao Cooper. My parents were one of the founding families of your school – that group of Yorktown IBM researchers! It is wonderful to see the school thriving after all these years. I still have many close bonds with my Chinese School classmates.

My mom just recently passed away. We are starting to plan a memorial service for her, and as part of that, I am hoping that some of the founding families will come back for this occasion in early May (probably Sunday May 4th).

It might be fun to arrange a visit to the school on May 3rd– would the school be open to having us come by, if some of us are interested? Also, do you have any alumni records? I am trying to track down some families, in relation to this event.

Regards, Julie

P.S. I don’t know if you have this, but I have attached a picture of our first Chinese class.

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I have to admit, I had tears in my eyes when I read the letter … (I attached the picture too, the first year graduates). I replied my welcome and thanked her parents for their effort in establishing the school some 45 years ago and today, my children benefited from their hard work. There is a saying in Chinese “前人種樹, 後人乘涼” It means our predecessors plant the trees and us, the successors, get to enjoy the shade from the trees. (One sows and another reaps). Doesn’t this make you want to do your best to continue our school’s wonderful tradition?

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

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李宜蓉 Eileen Y. Lee
北威校長 NWCS Principal, 2009-2014
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GO NWCS!!!! Visit www.nwcsny.org
or email LearnChinese@nwcsny.org