Dec 23, 2007
December 30th Playdate
Don't forget the XinXing playdate on December 30th at Centennial Lakes in Edina. We will be ice skating and enjoying the winter weather from 1:00-3:00pm. Hope to see you all there!
Dec 22, 2007
Blue Sky Guide Fundraiser
We finished the Blue Sky Guide fundraiser selling 70 books and raising $560. Thank you! It was a great effort considering the last minute decision to participate. Special thanks to Connie Anderson for selling the most books!
Happy Holidays!
On the last day before break, the children excitedly delivered the group gifts to the teachers and celebrated amongst themselves with a yummy snack. Thank you for the contributions.
Winter break 12/24-1/04/08
Enjoy!
Winter break 12/24-1/04/08
Enjoy!
Dec 8, 2007
Star Day Volunteers
As you know, the children will be writing a postcard to someone they care about for Star Day next week. Five (5) volunteers are needed to help with writing these postcards. We will be working with the children from 2:00 to 2:45 PM on Thursday, December 13. We will be addressing the postcards in advance at 1:30 PM. If you would like to come help us, please let Mary Fabian ( mcfabian@hotmail.com ) know as soon as possible. Please indicate if you can can come early to help with addressing the postcards.
Dec 7, 2007
There will not be a XinXing parent meeting in December!
The next meeting is Monday January 14th.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
XinXing Open House for Parents 12/14
Be sure to attend the XinXing Open House at 2:30pm on Friday, December 14. All parents are welcome to come and visit the classroom, see the students in Music and Physical Education, and enjoy a snack together.
Chinese New Year Spectacular in Minneapolis
The Chinese New Year Spectacular is coming to Minneapolis on January 24, 2008. This program was ranked among top 10 shows in the U.S. The show features the best of traditional Chinese dance and music, as it explores the 5,000 years of Chinese history. It is produced by an independent organization in the U.S. and it has been well received around the world.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, please visit the website http://www.shows.ntdtv.com/en/node/2441
For more information, including how to purchase tickets, please visit the website http://www.shows.ntdtv.com/en/node/2441
Nov 30, 2007
Classroom Visitors
There was a special popcorn delivery today in your child's classroom. Eisenhower has two new mascots. A wolf who represents Eisenhower Elementary and a lion dragon who represents XinXing. The two mascots who delivered popcorn today were swarmed with lots of hugs.
In case you heard that monsters came into the classroom, there is a picture to the right to help you reassure your child these two are very friendly.
The mascots also delivered popcorn to the other kindergarten classes.
In case you heard that monsters came into the classroom, there is a picture to the right to help you reassure your child these two are very friendly.
The mascots also delivered popcorn to the other kindergarten classes.
Nov 23, 2007
Chinese Immersion Article in USA Today
Here's a great article from USA today about the growth of Mandarin Chinese Immersion schools in the United States. Our program is mentioned and there are quotes from parents with students at Yinghua in St. Paul. The slide show is really fun to watch.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-19-mandarin-cover_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-11-19-mandarin-cover_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Nov 19, 2007
XinXing Sunday Afternoon Playtimes - Date Changes
Two of the dates have been changed for the XinXing Sunday playdates:
December 2 (was December 9)
Indoor play 1:00 – 4:00
Maple Maze
http://www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us/
April 6 (was April 5)
Adventure Park 1:00 – 4:00
Edinborough Park
http://www.edinboroughpark.com/
Please contact Traci Meyer with any questions.
December 2 (was December 9)
Indoor play 1:00 – 4:00
Maple Maze
http://www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us/
April 6 (was April 5)
Adventure Park 1:00 – 4:00
Edinborough Park
http://www.edinboroughpark.com/
Please contact Traci Meyer with any questions.
Nov 13, 2007
Coming To Your Home in a Backpack Soon!
Blue Sky Guide
$20 and it is yours!
XinXing Fundraiser
Order forms and envelopes will be distributed soon!
To see a complete listing please visit http://www.ecometro.com/twincities/coupon-book.aspx
The new edition of Blue Sky Guide has over 400 coupons and resources for exploring our community and supporting local, sustainable businesses. Find hundreds of dollars in everyday savings, like Amtrak buy one, get one 50% off, FREE Metro Transit passes, FREE re-usable bag and chips at Lund’s and Byerly’s, buy one, get one free at the Science Museum, and up to $20 off at Patina.
Nov 12, 2007
Nov 11, 2007
Panwapa Website
"ORIGINAL MUPPETS CREATED TO CULTIVATE NEW GENERATION OF GLOBALLY RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS"
Elmo, Big Bird and Oscar are world-renowned, but it's their new counterparts, "Azibo," "Athena," and "Baabra" who are the focus of a new worldwide initiative. Children today are growing up in an increasingly interconnected world full of opportunities and challenges that require them to develop new skills and perspectives. To meet this need, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and The Merrill Lynch Foundation have created a Worldwide Kids initiative called Panwapa launching today.
Panwapa, which means "here on this earth" in the Tshiluba language, aims to foster the foundation for global citizenship and community activism in young children, ages 4 to 7. Featuring an entirely new group of Muppet characters, Panwapa consists of an interactive website, a DVD, and print materials that are available in five languages to children around the world—Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish.
http://panwapa.com/
Elmo, Big Bird and Oscar are world-renowned, but it's their new counterparts, "Azibo," "Athena," and "Baabra" who are the focus of a new worldwide initiative. Children today are growing up in an increasingly interconnected world full of opportunities and challenges that require them to develop new skills and perspectives. To meet this need, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and The Merrill Lynch Foundation have created a Worldwide Kids initiative called Panwapa launching today.
Panwapa, which means "here on this earth" in the Tshiluba language, aims to foster the foundation for global citizenship and community activism in young children, ages 4 to 7. Featuring an entirely new group of Muppet characters, Panwapa consists of an interactive website, a DVD, and print materials that are available in five languages to children around the world—Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish.
http://panwapa.com/
Thank You Fall Festival Volunteers!
The XinXing Parent Group would like to extend an enormous thank you to Doobie for organizing and carrying out a successful Fall Festival and to Megan Prindiville for heading up the XinXing Chopstick Challenge committee. The Festival proved to be a fun event for parents and children alike!
We are extremely grateful to our wonderful booth volunteers and for the fantastic response from our parents, including Betsy Auth, Ervine Douglas, Mary Fabian, Carla Kilian, Andrea Komschlies, Kara Lovell, Traci Meyer, Megan Prindiville, Melanie Randall, Beth Ross, Kimberly Ruthenbeck, Lisl von Steinbergs, and Susan Tomsche.
Thank you for making this a great year for XinXing Academy and Eisenhower Elementary!
We are extremely grateful to our wonderful booth volunteers and for the fantastic response from our parents, including Betsy Auth, Ervine Douglas, Mary Fabian, Carla Kilian, Andrea Komschlies, Kara Lovell, Traci Meyer, Megan Prindiville, Melanie Randall, Beth Ross, Kimberly Ruthenbeck, Lisl von Steinbergs, and Susan Tomsche.
Thank you for making this a great year for XinXing Academy and Eisenhower Elementary!
Nov 9, 2007
China Photography Exhibits
Two museums are featuring exhibits of photographs from China this month.
Opening November 17th at the Minnesota Center for Photography, Three Gorges, features photographs from the Three Gorges area along the Yangtze river, site of the world's largest hydroelectric dam.
Running through November 25th at the Weisman Art Museum, Documenting China, showcases the work of seven contemporary photographers as they view China starting with the Cultural revolution in the 1970's through the new millennium.
For more information please visit http://mncp.org/ and http://weisman.umn.edu/
Opening November 17th at the Minnesota Center for Photography, Three Gorges, features photographs from the Three Gorges area along the Yangtze river, site of the world's largest hydroelectric dam.
Running through November 25th at the Weisman Art Museum, Documenting China, showcases the work of seven contemporary photographers as they view China starting with the Cultural revolution in the 1970's through the new millennium.
For more information please visit http://mncp.org/ and http://weisman.umn.edu/
Nov 8, 2007
XinXing Parent Meeting Nov. 12
The XinXing parent meeting is at 7:00 and will be located in the staff lounge at Eisenhower.
(The staff lounge is through the main doors. Go past main office and all the way down the hall where you take a left.Go almost to the end of the hall and take a right. Look for staff lounge.)
Topics coming...
(The staff lounge is through the main doors. Go past main office and all the way down the hall where you take a left.Go almost to the end of the hall and take a right. Look for staff lounge.)
Topics coming...
Nov 6, 2007
Fall Festival 11/8
Please join XinXing families at the Eisenhower Fall Festival from 5:30-8:00 this Thursday. The XinXing booth will feature "The Chopstick Challenge". Thanks again to Megan Prindiville for organizing our booth and to all the parents who are volunteering. Hope to see everyone there!
Nov 3, 2007
Chinese New Year Spectacular - Jan. 24
Can I take a few minutes from you and introduce a show that features traditional Chinese dances, songs, music, and etc. It's called Chinese New Year Spectacular. It’s coming to the Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis at 7PM on Jan. 24, 2008.
Here are some more details on this show. http://www.shows.ntdtv.com/en/node/2246
This Chinese New Year Spectacular was ranked among top 10 shows in the US. It is truly spectacular. Meanwhile, you probably have heard that last June, the Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed and the Minnesota Legislature passed an initiative for developing a statewide articulated Mandarin Chinese curriculum. I think watching this performance will be a wonderful opportunity for our kids to get some exposure to traditional Chinese culture in a fun way, which could help them get more interested in learning Chinese. (no admission to children of 3 or younger, though.) You can call the theater box office at (612) 624 – 2345 or you can call (800) 857 – 6815 for group tickets (15 or more tickets). Or you can order online at http://www1.umn.edu/umato/single.html
Please see the attached flyer for more detailed information about the show including pricing and discounts. Thank you and hope to see you at this Chinese New Year Spectacular in the Year of the Mouse in 2008! Joy
Here are some more details on this show. http://www.shows.ntdtv.com/en/node/2246
This Chinese New Year Spectacular was ranked among top 10 shows in the US. It is truly spectacular. Meanwhile, you probably have heard that last June, the Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed and the Minnesota Legislature passed an initiative for developing a statewide articulated Mandarin Chinese curriculum. I think watching this performance will be a wonderful opportunity for our kids to get some exposure to traditional Chinese culture in a fun way, which could help them get more interested in learning Chinese. (no admission to children of 3 or younger, though.) You can call the theater box office at (612) 624 – 2345 or you can call (800) 857 – 6815 for group tickets (15 or more tickets). Or you can order online at http://www1.umn.edu/umato/single.html
Please see the attached flyer for more detailed information about the show including pricing and discounts. Thank you and hope to see you at this Chinese New Year Spectacular in the Year of the Mouse in 2008! Joy
Nov 1, 2007
Halloween Fun
Thank you Andrea Komschlies and Betsy Auth
& all the awesome Moms who helped put on
a great Halloween party!
The kids had lots of fun!
Oct 29, 2007
A reminder to support Eisenhower's PTO
First...A special thanks to all who have already done lots to help!
Eisenhower's PTO has done a lot behind the scenes to help make XinXing successful. Let's not forget to show our appreciation by helping with our school events.
Eisenhower's PTO still needs volunteers for the Fall Festival and they are looking for new to gently used stuffed animals, books and small toys for prizes. There is a collection bin in the main office. Contact Doobie Kurus (952) 938-8202 if you have any questions or wish to volunteer!
The Fall Festival is Nov. 8th. from 5:30-8. Look for XinXing's booth! Thanks Megan for getting this together.
********WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*********
Stuffed animals (all sizes) Books (especially chapter books)
“Happy Meal” type trinket toys Leftover party favors Post Halloween candy
Eisenhower's PTO has done a lot behind the scenes to help make XinXing successful. Let's not forget to show our appreciation by helping with our school events.
Eisenhower's PTO still needs volunteers for the Fall Festival and they are looking for new to gently used stuffed animals, books and small toys for prizes. There is a collection bin in the main office. Contact Doobie Kurus (952) 938-8202 if you have any questions or wish to volunteer!
The Fall Festival is Nov. 8th. from 5:30-8. Look for XinXing's booth! Thanks Megan for getting this together.
********WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*WANTED*********
Stuffed animals (all sizes) Books (especially chapter books)
“Happy Meal” type trinket toys Leftover party favors Post Halloween candy
Oct 28, 2007
Moms' Night Out
Join Mary Fabian and Beth Ross for a Moms' Night Out. We plan to attend the Minhua Concert on Nov 10 and watch our very own Zhining Chin (who has done so much for our program) sing and her husband orchastrate the concert.
The music should be fabulous!
There are only a few tickets left so e-mail Zhining soon to buy a ticket for $12. It is open seating so we can meet before the concert and sit together.
Zhining's email zhining_chin@hopkins.k12.mn.us
Email Beth Ross if you plan to attend or have any questions at bross@superinfoinc.com.
You can also find out more on Minhua's web site
www.minhuachorus.org
The music should be fabulous!
There are only a few tickets left so e-mail Zhining soon to buy a ticket for $12. It is open seating so we can meet before the concert and sit together.
Zhining's email zhining_chin@hopkins.k12.mn.us
Email Beth Ross if you plan to attend or have any questions at bross@superinfoinc.com.
You can also find out more on Minhua's web site
www.minhuachorus.org
Spirit Wear - Order Now!
Are you wondering what to get Grandma and Grandpa or an Aunt or Uncle for the Holidays?
Order XinXing spirit wear by Nov. 1st and get your Holiday shopping done early!
Contact Kimberly at xinxingparent@yahoo.com if you have any questions or need an order form.
Next order won't go in until Spring!
Order XinXing spirit wear by Nov. 1st and get your Holiday shopping done early!
Contact Kimberly at xinxingparent@yahoo.com if you have any questions or need an order form.
Next order won't go in until Spring!
Halloween Party (Oct. 31) Schedule
1:30 Schoolwide Costume Parade around Eisenhower – parents
are welcome to come and stand in the halls (with cameras) to watch the
parade! Children bring their costumes in a bag at the beginning of the day.
2:00 ‐3:00 Classroom Party, including:
* Halloween Craft Projects
* Halloween Dessert Project
* Trick or Treating around the room
At conferences, parents were asked to donate $7/family for the year to cover the costs of the 3 parties that we will have during the year. The Halloween Party will be an English‐speaking event! We will have three stations with a variety of simple Halloween craft projects, and one station with a (probably messy) Halloween dessert “project.”
The party will conclude with Trick‐or‐Treating around the room, and most likely a video at 3 pm to calmthe children down before dismissal.
Volunteers are needed in three areas:
1) 1:00 – 1:30. Help children get costumes on for the parade.
2) 2:00 – 3:00. Help at the classroom party with stations.
3) We also need a photographer to document this fun event!
If you would like to volunteer, please contact your room parent.
Wang Laoshi - Betsy Auth
DongHong Laoshi -Andrea Kromschlies
are welcome to come and stand in the halls (with cameras) to watch the
parade! Children bring their costumes in a bag at the beginning of the day.
2:00 ‐3:00 Classroom Party, including:
* Halloween Craft Projects
* Halloween Dessert Project
* Trick or Treating around the room
At conferences, parents were asked to donate $7/family for the year to cover the costs of the 3 parties that we will have during the year. The Halloween Party will be an English‐speaking event! We will have three stations with a variety of simple Halloween craft projects, and one station with a (probably messy) Halloween dessert “project.”
The party will conclude with Trick‐or‐Treating around the room, and most likely a video at 3 pm to calmthe children down before dismissal.
Volunteers are needed in three areas:
1) 1:00 – 1:30. Help children get costumes on for the parade.
2) 2:00 – 3:00. Help at the classroom party with stations.
3) We also need a photographer to document this fun event!
If you would like to volunteer, please contact your room parent.
Wang Laoshi - Betsy Auth
DongHong Laoshi -Andrea Kromschlies
XinXing Sunday Afternoon Playtimes
This is an opportunity for XinXing families to connect in an informal setting outside of school. Join in the fun for all or part of each playtime!
November 4 Indoor/Outdoor 1:00 – 4:00
Westwood Hills Nature Center
www.stlouispark.org
December 2 (revised) Indoor play 1:00 – 4:00
Maple Maze
www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us
December 30 Ice Skating 1:00 – 4:00
Centennial Lakes Park
www.ci.edina.mn.us
February 3 Sledding/Tubing 1:00 – 4:00
Theodore Wirth Park
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/
March 2 Swimming 1:00 – 4:00
Chaska Community Center
http://www.chaskacommunitycenter.com/
April 6 Adventure Park 1:00 – 4:00
Edinborough Park
http://www.edinboroughpark.com/
May 3 TBA
Please check websites for information and admission prices. Please contact Traci Meyer.
November 4 Indoor/Outdoor 1:00 – 4:00
Westwood Hills Nature Center
www.stlouispark.org
December 2 (revised) Indoor play 1:00 – 4:00
Maple Maze
www.ci.maple-grove.mn.us
December 30 Ice Skating 1:00 – 4:00
Centennial Lakes Park
www.ci.edina.mn.us
February 3 Sledding/Tubing 1:00 – 4:00
Theodore Wirth Park
http://www.minneapolisparks.org/
March 2 Swimming 1:00 – 4:00
Chaska Community Center
http://www.chaskacommunitycenter.com/
April 6 Adventure Park 1:00 – 4:00
Edinborough Park
http://www.edinboroughpark.com/
May 3 TBA
Please check websites for information and admission prices. Please contact Traci Meyer.
Oct 27, 2007
Lion Dance World Championships
Lion dance (simplified Chinese: 舞狮; traditional Chinese: 舞獅; pinyin: wǔshī) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume.
The lion costume may be operated by a single dancer, or more frequently by a pair of dancers. The single dancer springs about while energetically moving and shaking the head and operating the jaws and eyes. The pair of dancers, forming the back and fore legs of the beast, mimic the motions of a single animal as they move between platforms of varying elevations. The dance is traditionally accompanied by gongs, drums and firecrackers, representing the descent of good luck. (to read more and blurb source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_dance)
Watch videos of amazing lion dances.
http://www.genting.com.my/en/live_ent/2000/liondance/video2000.htm
The lion costume may be operated by a single dancer, or more frequently by a pair of dancers. The single dancer springs about while energetically moving and shaking the head and operating the jaws and eyes. The pair of dancers, forming the back and fore legs of the beast, mimic the motions of a single animal as they move between platforms of varying elevations. The dance is traditionally accompanied by gongs, drums and firecrackers, representing the descent of good luck. (to read more and blurb source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_dance)
Watch videos of amazing lion dances.
http://www.genting.com.my/en/live_ent/2000/liondance/video2000.htm
Oct 15, 2007
Directory going to print on Friday
The XinXing directory will be printed at the end of this week. Please send directory updates or pictures by Friday. If you did not get a return e-mail that mentions your new information has been added, I didn't see your e-mail.
Hopefully, the directory will be ready for the Thursday folders following break.
Beth
bross@superinfoinc.com
Hopefully, the directory will be ready for the Thursday folders following break.
Beth
bross@superinfoinc.com
Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network - Oct. 25
We have been invited to attend MAIN (Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network) parent group. They meet monthly to address issues of interest and concern to immersion parents from the structure of the PTO to teacher trainees.
Their next meeting will be at Normandale French Immersion on Thursday, October 25, from 9:45-11:30 am.
The invitation is open to all XinXing parents.
Their next meeting will be at Normandale French Immersion on Thursday, October 25, from 9:45-11:30 am.
The invitation is open to all XinXing parents.
Oct 13, 2007
Children and Conferences
Conferences are next week and parents will meet with the teachers in the classrooms. There will be a table set up in the hallway by the classroom for children who come along and need a place to sit and read or color.
More learning Mandarin web sites...
More learning Mandarin web sites...
If you go to the bottom of the page, there is a chart where you can select different pinyin and hear how it is pronounced. There are also some matching games that the kids might find fun. http://www.newconceptmandarin.com/support/Intro_Pinyin.asp
Numbers: http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/games/numbers/chinese/one.html
Colors: http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/stories/xinxin/saving/colorc.html
If you go to the bottom of the page, there is a chart where you can select different pinyin and hear how it is pronounced. There are also some matching games that the kids might find fun. http://www.newconceptmandarin.com/support/Intro_Pinyin.asp
Numbers: http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/games/numbers/chinese/one.html
Colors: http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/stories/xinxin/saving/colorc.html
Oct 1, 2007
An Introduction to Mandarin Chinese
BBC offers a lively introduction to Mandarin Chinese in ten short parts. View them at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=fx5ljdcab.0.0.8mdcbyn6.0&ts=S0273&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Flanguages%2Fchinese%2Freal_chinese%2F&id=preview.
First XinXing Parent Group Meeting
The parent meeting will be located in the staff lounge at Eisenhower. (The staff lounge is through the main doors. Go past main office and all the way down the hall where you take a left.
Go almost to the end of the hall and take a right. Look for staff lounge.)
On October 8th, the Xinxing parent group will be meeting at 7 pm. Some of the topics we will be discussing include the role the XinXing parent group, our support of the Halloween party, the addition of a Chinese event to the Imagination fair, website creation and opportunities to volunteer beyond the PTO.
Go almost to the end of the hall and take a right. Look for staff lounge.)
On October 8th, the Xinxing parent group will be meeting at 7 pm. Some of the topics we will be discussing include the role the XinXing parent group, our support of the Halloween party, the addition of a Chinese event to the Imagination fair, website creation and opportunities to volunteer beyond the PTO.
Sep 30, 2007
Muzzy
BBC language dev. program now has a Mandarin Chinese program. More info at http://www.early-advantage.com/product/MuzzyChineseTrialOptin.aspx.
Ging says she has the Spanish version that her kids have been watching for years and they love it. She mentioned they have learned quite a bit of Spanish from the videos.
Ging says she has the Spanish version that her kids have been watching for years and they love it. She mentioned they have learned quite a bit of Spanish from the videos.
Sep 21, 2007
Nickelodeon Schedules 'Ni Hao, Kai-lan' Preschool Animation
Nickelodeon Schedules 'Ni Hao, Kai-lan' Preschool Animation
July 27th, 2007 1:52 PM by Aaron H. Bynum
http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1433
Kai-lan's Adventure Begins
This fall Nickelodeon will be offering the preschool demographic something new and different in relation to learning-based television animation. With goals of expanding the viewer knowledge of Eastern culture and integrate lessons common to the audience, Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a new multi-cultural program. An original television animation scheduled to air on the Nick Jr. programming block, Ni Hao, Kai-lan will connect Kids 2-5 with the Chinese culture and Mandarin language like never before… mostly because this is in fact the first preschool television animation to have done so for western audiences. Nickelodeon's first series about a Chinese-American intergenerational family, Ni Hao, Kai-lan follows a five-year-old girl named Kai-lan Chow as she grows to learn more about her cultural history, its many unique languages and much more.
A television animation with the explicit focus of introducing and teaching lessons related to understanding and growing up in the social and emotional world, as a play-along and think-along half-hour television series, Ni Hao, Kai-lan uses its energetic lead character to focus on issues relevant to the target demographic. Issues such as understanding disappointment, engaging differing cultures, building relationships and much more are each grappled by the bi-lingual Kai-lan's determination.
See link for more...
July 27th, 2007 1:52 PM by Aaron H. Bynum
http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1433
Kai-lan's Adventure Begins
This fall Nickelodeon will be offering the preschool demographic something new and different in relation to learning-based television animation. With goals of expanding the viewer knowledge of Eastern culture and integrate lessons common to the audience, Ni Hao, Kai-lan is a new multi-cultural program. An original television animation scheduled to air on the Nick Jr. programming block, Ni Hao, Kai-lan will connect Kids 2-5 with the Chinese culture and Mandarin language like never before… mostly because this is in fact the first preschool television animation to have done so for western audiences. Nickelodeon's first series about a Chinese-American intergenerational family, Ni Hao, Kai-lan follows a five-year-old girl named Kai-lan Chow as she grows to learn more about her cultural history, its many unique languages and much more.
A television animation with the explicit focus of introducing and teaching lessons related to understanding and growing up in the social and emotional world, as a play-along and think-along half-hour television series, Ni Hao, Kai-lan uses its energetic lead character to focus on issues relevant to the target demographic. Issues such as understanding disappointment, engaging differing cultures, building relationships and much more are each grappled by the bi-lingual Kai-lan's determination.
See link for more...
Lecture Series at Hamline-October 6 and November 3
Below is information on a lecture series that will be held at Hamline Univ
about the history and culture of China. The series is being presented by Dr.
Yali You, a music professor at Hamline, and a native of Xian, China.
All lectures are given at Sundin Music Hall on Hamline University campus in
St. Paul, MN. All lectures are free and open to the public. The dates in
2007 are set for the first Saturdays in October and November on Oct. 6 and
Nov. 3 at 1: 30 pm. The future dates in 2008 will be announced at a later
time. A native of Xian, China, Dr. Yali You, Professor of Music at Hamline
University, will be the lecturer.
About the Shaanxi, China Lecture Series
Yali You
Fall 2007 Spring 2008
Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University
Shaanxi Province has a special significance in Chinese history. It is the
birthplace and cradle of Chinese civilization and culture. In 5000 years of
Chinese history, 13 different dynasties established their capitals there,
lasting over 1180 years all together. It has left an extremely rich
cultural legacy in this centrally located province in northern China.
The lectures in this series will uncover the splendors of cultural and
historical events which shaped the Chinese as a whole. The details will
focus on the Bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), the
Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty
(221-206 BC), the largest territory in Chinese history of the Han Dynasty
(206BC-220AD), the prosperity and flourish of poetry, arts, culture, and the
golden age of Chinese history in Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The origin of the Chinese herbal medicine and agriculture, the association
with dragon, the creation of writing, movable printing, paper-making, the
Silk Road and China¹s connection with the world, the arts and architecture,
poetry, music, customs and traditionsS will be included in the lectures.
The ancient city of Xian, capitol of Shaanxi province, many historical sites
in and around the city and in the province will be focused in the later
portion of the series. Power point presentation of actual images will
accompany the lectures.
This lecture series is given in honor of the 25th anniversary of the
sister-state relationship between the state of Minnesota and Shaanxi
province.
about the history and culture of China. The series is being presented by Dr.
Yali You, a music professor at Hamline, and a native of Xian, China.
All lectures are given at Sundin Music Hall on Hamline University campus in
St. Paul, MN. All lectures are free and open to the public. The dates in
2007 are set for the first Saturdays in October and November on Oct. 6 and
Nov. 3 at 1: 30 pm. The future dates in 2008 will be announced at a later
time. A native of Xian, China, Dr. Yali You, Professor of Music at Hamline
University, will be the lecturer.
About the Shaanxi, China Lecture Series
Yali You
Fall 2007 Spring 2008
Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University
Shaanxi Province has a special significance in Chinese history. It is the
birthplace and cradle of Chinese civilization and culture. In 5000 years of
Chinese history, 13 different dynasties established their capitals there,
lasting over 1180 years all together. It has left an extremely rich
cultural legacy in this centrally located province in northern China.
The lectures in this series will uncover the splendors of cultural and
historical events which shaped the Chinese as a whole. The details will
focus on the Bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC), the
Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty
(221-206 BC), the largest territory in Chinese history of the Han Dynasty
(206BC-220AD), the prosperity and flourish of poetry, arts, culture, and the
golden age of Chinese history in Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The origin of the Chinese herbal medicine and agriculture, the association
with dragon, the creation of writing, movable printing, paper-making, the
Silk Road and China¹s connection with the world, the arts and architecture,
poetry, music, customs and traditionsS will be included in the lectures.
The ancient city of Xian, capitol of Shaanxi province, many historical sites
in and around the city and in the province will be focused in the later
portion of the series. Power point presentation of actual images will
accompany the lectures.
This lecture series is given in honor of the 25th anniversary of the
sister-state relationship between the state of Minnesota and Shaanxi
province.
Sep 17, 2007
Curriculum Night- Monday September 24th at 6:30 pm
Please note that the time has been changed to 6:30 pm to 7:25
Sep 14, 2007
Chinese Fables
Here is a fun website to introduce Chinese fables along with learning to read.
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/chinese-fables/load.htm?f
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/chinese-fables/load.htm?f
Sep 11, 2007
XinXing reported by MPR
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/10/immersion/
Click paragraph titles to see pictures.
New Chinese immersion programs in the Twin Cities
by Laura McCallum, Minnesota Public Radio
September 11, 2007
More Minnesota students are taking Chinese this year. The number of schools offering Chinese language classes has grown to about two dozen, in response to rising demand from parents. This year, two suburban school districts began offering a more intensive Chinese language instruction, with immersion programs in elementary schools.
Hopkins, Minn. — At XinXing Academy in Hopkins, kindergarten students spend their entire school day immersed in Mandarin Chinese. That means they don't hear one word of English from their teacher.
Teacher Qiuyue Wang tells her students to take their folders and put them in their backpacks, because it's almost time for lunch. She gestures and points, and some students figure it out. Others look around for clues, unsure and confused.
Giving instructions
Then again, it's only day three of their immersion into Chinese. And already, they're learning some of the basics, like how to count to five and say hello in Chinese.
In the next room, teacher Donghong Wang is reading a short storybook to her class, and they've already memorized some of the words.
Wang says by the middle of the school year, her students will be speaking to her in Chinese, and by the end of the year, they'll be able to read short children's books in Chinese. They'll learn some of the strokes needed to write Chinese characters.
But the first few days of an immersion program can be a little rocky.
"Sometimes they confuse their snack time, they bring lunch. They eat their lunch, and then at lunch time, they eat their snack!" Wang laughs. "But yesterday is better. I think today, no problem!"
Story time
Wang taught last year at Minnesota's first Chinese immersion school, Yinghua Academy. The St. Paul charter school, now in its second year, isn't alone now.
Along with Hopkins' XinXing Academy, two Minnetonka elementary schools now offer Chinese immersion programs. Excelsior Elementary and Scenic Heights Elementary in Minnetonka have Chinese immersion for kindergarten and first graders. The program has already drawn about 100 students.
At XinXing Academy, more than 40 kindergarten students are enrolled, and the school plans to add one grade level each year. Principal Rosemary Lawrence said the district heard from Hopkins parents who wanted their children to learn Chinese.
"One of the moms that was particularly interested has adopted a daughter from China, and her daughter will be coming to XinXing next year," said Lawrence. "So she was really working on the program a year in advance, because she believed a lot in it and thought it was a great idea. And we were really impressed with the interest that surfaced almost immediately in the community."
Principal
Lawrence said Hopkins worked with the University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, and decided that an immersion program was the best way for children to learn the difficult language.
Lawrence traveled to China this summer with about 800 educators from around the country, and found that Minnesota is a step ahead of many other states in developing Chinese immersion programs.
"We're offering something that they're hoping to offer. They see the value," Lawrence said. "Sitting in schools in China and having first-graders speak to me in English when they've just almost begun -- it was very powerful in saying, this is a great experience we're giving kids."
State Education Commissioner Alice Seagren agrees.
"We certainly hope that as many students as possible will have this experience," Seagren said.
Chinese immersion
Seagren believes that more Minnesota students should learn a second language, and that it's beneficial to study the language spoken in the world's most populous country. She believes the exposure to another culture alone is valuable.
"Particularly a culture that we're probably going to be working very closely with, either through business connections, or through just many, many different ties," said Seagren. "Our kids may end up living and working over there, going to school over there, if we continue to have these partnerships."
This year, the Minnesota Legislature approved $250,000 in grants for school districts to establish world language programs, and $50,000 of that is earmarked for a Mandarin Chinese program at one district. But many districts aren't waiting for state money to offer Chinese.
While the number of Minnesota schools teaching Chinese is growing rapidly, the state has a history of offering Chinese language instruction. Both South High School in Minneapolis and Highland Park Senior High in St. Paul have taught Chinese for more than two decades.
Click paragraph titles to see pictures.
New Chinese immersion programs in the Twin Cities
by Laura McCallum, Minnesota Public Radio
September 11, 2007
More Minnesota students are taking Chinese this year. The number of schools offering Chinese language classes has grown to about two dozen, in response to rising demand from parents. This year, two suburban school districts began offering a more intensive Chinese language instruction, with immersion programs in elementary schools.
Hopkins, Minn. — At XinXing Academy in Hopkins, kindergarten students spend their entire school day immersed in Mandarin Chinese. That means they don't hear one word of English from their teacher.
Teacher Qiuyue Wang tells her students to take their folders and put them in their backpacks, because it's almost time for lunch. She gestures and points, and some students figure it out. Others look around for clues, unsure and confused.
Giving instructions
Then again, it's only day three of their immersion into Chinese. And already, they're learning some of the basics, like how to count to five and say hello in Chinese.
In the next room, teacher Donghong Wang is reading a short storybook to her class, and they've already memorized some of the words.
Wang says by the middle of the school year, her students will be speaking to her in Chinese, and by the end of the year, they'll be able to read short children's books in Chinese. They'll learn some of the strokes needed to write Chinese characters.
But the first few days of an immersion program can be a little rocky.
"Sometimes they confuse their snack time, they bring lunch. They eat their lunch, and then at lunch time, they eat their snack!" Wang laughs. "But yesterday is better. I think today, no problem!"
Story time
Wang taught last year at Minnesota's first Chinese immersion school, Yinghua Academy. The St. Paul charter school, now in its second year, isn't alone now.
Along with Hopkins' XinXing Academy, two Minnetonka elementary schools now offer Chinese immersion programs. Excelsior Elementary and Scenic Heights Elementary in Minnetonka have Chinese immersion for kindergarten and first graders. The program has already drawn about 100 students.
At XinXing Academy, more than 40 kindergarten students are enrolled, and the school plans to add one grade level each year. Principal Rosemary Lawrence said the district heard from Hopkins parents who wanted their children to learn Chinese.
"One of the moms that was particularly interested has adopted a daughter from China, and her daughter will be coming to XinXing next year," said Lawrence. "So she was really working on the program a year in advance, because she believed a lot in it and thought it was a great idea. And we were really impressed with the interest that surfaced almost immediately in the community."
Principal
Lawrence said Hopkins worked with the University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, and decided that an immersion program was the best way for children to learn the difficult language.
Lawrence traveled to China this summer with about 800 educators from around the country, and found that Minnesota is a step ahead of many other states in developing Chinese immersion programs.
"We're offering something that they're hoping to offer. They see the value," Lawrence said. "Sitting in schools in China and having first-graders speak to me in English when they've just almost begun -- it was very powerful in saying, this is a great experience we're giving kids."
State Education Commissioner Alice Seagren agrees.
"We certainly hope that as many students as possible will have this experience," Seagren said.
Chinese immersion
Seagren believes that more Minnesota students should learn a second language, and that it's beneficial to study the language spoken in the world's most populous country. She believes the exposure to another culture alone is valuable.
"Particularly a culture that we're probably going to be working very closely with, either through business connections, or through just many, many different ties," said Seagren. "Our kids may end up living and working over there, going to school over there, if we continue to have these partnerships."
This year, the Minnesota Legislature approved $250,000 in grants for school districts to establish world language programs, and $50,000 of that is earmarked for a Mandarin Chinese program at one district. But many districts aren't waiting for state money to offer Chinese.
While the number of Minnesota schools teaching Chinese is growing rapidly, the state has a history of offering Chinese language instruction. Both South High School in Minneapolis and Highland Park Senior High in St. Paul have taught Chinese for more than two decades.
Sep 1, 2007
Parent Questions
Parent Questions
Q - What about pickup and drop off?
One of the two teachers will be at the classroom door and the other will meet the buses and take to the buses. One of the paraprofessionals is at the main door at 8:30 for those dropping off.
Q- Should the parent pack a snack?
A note on Sept 7 mentioned that there will be only milk for the morning snack followed by lunch and an afternoon snack. Parents should avoid sending juice for snack time.
Q- How do the teachers know which days the child will be getting a school lunch? Who gets milk?
There are large popsicle sticks, 2 for each child, with her name written on both. There are 2 cups for lunch and 3 cups for milk selection. The child should place one of her sticks in the bag lunch cup or the school lunch cup and then place the other stick in the chocolate, plain or no milk cup. There are pictures on the cups representing each selection.
Q - What about pickup and drop off?
One of the two teachers will be at the classroom door and the other will meet the buses and take to the buses. One of the paraprofessionals is at the main door at 8:30 for those dropping off.
Q- Should the parent pack a snack?
A note on Sept 7 mentioned that there will be only milk for the morning snack followed by lunch and an afternoon snack. Parents should avoid sending juice for snack time.
Q- How do the teachers know which days the child will be getting a school lunch? Who gets milk?
There are large popsicle sticks, 2 for each child, with her name written on both. There are 2 cups for lunch and 3 cups for milk selection. The child should place one of her sticks in the bag lunch cup or the school lunch cup and then place the other stick in the chocolate, plain or no milk cup. There are pictures on the cups representing each selection.
Aug 31, 2007
Hopkins' XinXing Academy primed to kick off school year
Hopkins' XinXing Academy primed to kick off school year
BY Marc Ingber - Sun Newspapers(Created: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:10 PM CDT)
Marc Ingber - Sun Newspapers
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/08/31/news/fw30xinxing.txt
A few years ago, Kimberly Ruthenbeck tried to get her oldest daughter into a metro-area Spanish immersion program, but had no luck because it was filled up.Now, Ruthenbeck's younger daughter, Claire, has reached kindergarten and this time she was more fortunate getting into a language program - and she didn't even have to leave the district.Claire will be attending XinXing Academy, Hopkins Public Schools' first immersion magnet program, which opens its doors along with the rest of the district next week. The Chinese academy, which is located in Eisenhower Elementary, 1001 Highway 7 in Hopkins, will start this year with two sections of full-day kindergarten and add an additional grade each year up through sixth grade."I was excited that the Hopkins School District had taken the leap to put an immersion program in," said Ruthenbeck, a Golden Valley resident. "I thought it would be an asset for her to learn Chinese."XinXing means "new star" in Mandarin Chinese. Eisenhower principal Rosemary Lawrence, who also heads XinXing, said Chinese is a practical language to learn since China is the world's most populous nation and it has many political and economic ties with the U.S."People see the value in learning Chinese," she said. "It's a language that has a lot of interest around it."At XinXing, all subject matter will be taught in Mandarin Chinese for the full day. Students will never hear their teachers speak English. The academy's two teachers and two teaching assistants all are native Chinese speakers.Forty-five students are enrolled at the school - about half come from within the district and half are open-enrolled. Lawrence said parents had different reasons for enrolling their children in a Chinese-immersion program. In some instances, one of two parents is Chinese. Other parents have no specific connections to China, but want their child to know a second language. "It is parents that are interested in giving their children the best opportunity possible in education," Lawrence said.Beth Ross, who will be sending her daughter, Rachel, to XinXing said that learning a language like Chinese will have benefits down the road."Chinese is a hard language to learn as an adult," she said. "It's good to have them learn when they are young, when it comes easier."Ruthenbeck agreed - she said learning a variety of subjects in a second language makes students flex their brain muscles."It challenges them in different ways," she said. "It's amazing to watch how quickly they pick it up."Lawrence said one of the challenges of a Chinese-immersion program is that the language and characters are often completely foreign to parents. The academy has a strong group of dedicated parents who want to be involved in their children's education, but they have to find ways to do that without speaking English while at the school."They're going to want to be involved," she said. "We have to harness that energy in ways that makes them feel valued."She said parents would be asked to provide their children with experiences that will help develop their English-language skills. They will be asked to read to them daily in English and engage them in activities where they need to apply what they are learning in class.Ruthenbeck said she has to recognize that her daughter is going to know something that she doesn't."It is an adjustment," she said.Those enrolled at XinXing are considered Hopkins students - they will have contact with other students at Eisenhower in assemblies and other programs. Lawrence said the school will hold Chinese cooking classes and other activities for all students so that they will be able to learn more about the culture."It's exciting because we can add things to Eisenhower," Ruthenbeck said. "It's going to be really good for both sides."In preparation for the school year, XinXing's teachers participated in a weeklong training session offered by the University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) program. Lawrence said XinXing would use resources from the CARLA program throughout the year to ensure that its academic program is as rich in Chinese as it would be in English."We're confident this is going to be an excellent program," she said.It's not just the teachers and parents who are looking forward to XinXing's first year."Claire is completely excited," Ruthenbeck said. "She keeps asking me how many more days until I go to Chinese school."The tuition cost for XinXing is $3,402 per year, or $378 per month. For more information on the academy, go to the district's website, www.hopkins.k12.
BY Marc Ingber - Sun Newspapers(Created: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:10 PM CDT)
Marc Ingber - Sun Newspapers
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2007/08/31/news/fw30xinxing.txt
A few years ago, Kimberly Ruthenbeck tried to get her oldest daughter into a metro-area Spanish immersion program, but had no luck because it was filled up.Now, Ruthenbeck's younger daughter, Claire, has reached kindergarten and this time she was more fortunate getting into a language program - and she didn't even have to leave the district.Claire will be attending XinXing Academy, Hopkins Public Schools' first immersion magnet program, which opens its doors along with the rest of the district next week. The Chinese academy, which is located in Eisenhower Elementary, 1001 Highway 7 in Hopkins, will start this year with two sections of full-day kindergarten and add an additional grade each year up through sixth grade."I was excited that the Hopkins School District had taken the leap to put an immersion program in," said Ruthenbeck, a Golden Valley resident. "I thought it would be an asset for her to learn Chinese."XinXing means "new star" in Mandarin Chinese. Eisenhower principal Rosemary Lawrence, who also heads XinXing, said Chinese is a practical language to learn since China is the world's most populous nation and it has many political and economic ties with the U.S."People see the value in learning Chinese," she said. "It's a language that has a lot of interest around it."At XinXing, all subject matter will be taught in Mandarin Chinese for the full day. Students will never hear their teachers speak English. The academy's two teachers and two teaching assistants all are native Chinese speakers.Forty-five students are enrolled at the school - about half come from within the district and half are open-enrolled. Lawrence said parents had different reasons for enrolling their children in a Chinese-immersion program. In some instances, one of two parents is Chinese. Other parents have no specific connections to China, but want their child to know a second language. "It is parents that are interested in giving their children the best opportunity possible in education," Lawrence said.Beth Ross, who will be sending her daughter, Rachel, to XinXing said that learning a language like Chinese will have benefits down the road."Chinese is a hard language to learn as an adult," she said. "It's good to have them learn when they are young, when it comes easier."Ruthenbeck agreed - she said learning a variety of subjects in a second language makes students flex their brain muscles."It challenges them in different ways," she said. "It's amazing to watch how quickly they pick it up."Lawrence said one of the challenges of a Chinese-immersion program is that the language and characters are often completely foreign to parents. The academy has a strong group of dedicated parents who want to be involved in their children's education, but they have to find ways to do that without speaking English while at the school."They're going to want to be involved," she said. "We have to harness that energy in ways that makes them feel valued."She said parents would be asked to provide their children with experiences that will help develop their English-language skills. They will be asked to read to them daily in English and engage them in activities where they need to apply what they are learning in class.Ruthenbeck said she has to recognize that her daughter is going to know something that she doesn't."It is an adjustment," she said.Those enrolled at XinXing are considered Hopkins students - they will have contact with other students at Eisenhower in assemblies and other programs. Lawrence said the school will hold Chinese cooking classes and other activities for all students so that they will be able to learn more about the culture."It's exciting because we can add things to Eisenhower," Ruthenbeck said. "It's going to be really good for both sides."In preparation for the school year, XinXing's teachers participated in a weeklong training session offered by the University of Minnesota's Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) program. Lawrence said XinXing would use resources from the CARLA program throughout the year to ensure that its academic program is as rich in Chinese as it would be in English."We're confident this is going to be an excellent program," she said.It's not just the teachers and parents who are looking forward to XinXing's first year."Claire is completely excited," Ruthenbeck said. "She keeps asking me how many more days until I go to Chinese school."The tuition cost for XinXing is $3,402 per year, or $378 per month. For more information on the academy, go to the district's website, www.hopkins.k12.
Aug 30, 2007
Minhua Chorus to Perform on November 10th
Please go to the following link to find out about the performance of the Minhua Chorus. Zhining Chin is a part of the choir and will be performing.
www.minhuachorus.org
www.minhuachorus.org
Aug 8, 2007
Q&A
Q&A
Is there a supply list parents are to purchase?
Yes. A letter is being sent out to all Eisenhower kindergarten families and should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
A supply list was recently put on Eisenhower's web site. XinXing's will be slightly different. You should wait until the letter arrives.
When is Open House?
Open House is Aug. 30th from 5:00-6:30 with a kid-friendly dinner following. The dinner is open to all of Eisenhower.
Where will the XinXing kindergarteners eat lunch?
It has been decided that the children will eat in the cafeteria. School lunch will be available. Parents can also have their children bring a lunch.
Lunch
$2.35 for elementary students
$2.60 for junior high students
$2.85 for high school students
$3.35 for adults
$3.50 for adults at Hopkins High School
Milk
50 cents
How should parents communicate with the teachers?
The teachers will never speak English in front of the students. To communicate with the teachers it is possible to step out in the hall, schedule a talk time when your child is not around, call them directly or use e-mail. The teachers will also be sending home a weekly newsletter to inform the parents what is happening in the classroom.
Why will the teachers never speak English in front of the students?
How children learn a language is magical. The teachers want that magic to exist in the classroom. To introduce English and let the children know the teachers speak English would break that magic. The teachers however are fluent in English and if your student is saying she needs to use the restroom the teachers will be able to fully address the situation.
Are the Children required to speak Chinese?
The children will not be required to speak Chinese until somewhere near the middle of 1st grade. The teachers will be instructing and asking questions in Chinese. They will also be playing games and singing songs to encourage the children to speak Chinese but the children are free to respond and talk to each other in English.
More Q&A to come…
Is there a supply list parents are to purchase?
Yes. A letter is being sent out to all Eisenhower kindergarten families and should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
A supply list was recently put on Eisenhower's web site. XinXing's will be slightly different. You should wait until the letter arrives.
When is Open House?
Open House is Aug. 30th from 5:00-6:30 with a kid-friendly dinner following. The dinner is open to all of Eisenhower.
Where will the XinXing kindergarteners eat lunch?
It has been decided that the children will eat in the cafeteria. School lunch will be available. Parents can also have their children bring a lunch.
Lunch
$2.35 for elementary students
$2.60 for junior high students
$2.85 for high school students
$3.35 for adults
$3.50 for adults at Hopkins High School
Milk
50 cents
How should parents communicate with the teachers?
The teachers will never speak English in front of the students. To communicate with the teachers it is possible to step out in the hall, schedule a talk time when your child is not around, call them directly or use e-mail. The teachers will also be sending home a weekly newsletter to inform the parents what is happening in the classroom.
Why will the teachers never speak English in front of the students?
How children learn a language is magical. The teachers want that magic to exist in the classroom. To introduce English and let the children know the teachers speak English would break that magic. The teachers however are fluent in English and if your student is saying she needs to use the restroom the teachers will be able to fully address the situation.
Are the Children required to speak Chinese?
The children will not be required to speak Chinese until somewhere near the middle of 1st grade. The teachers will be instructing and asking questions in Chinese. They will also be playing games and singing songs to encourage the children to speak Chinese but the children are free to respond and talk to each other in English.
More Q&A to come…
Aug 2, 2007
XinXing/Eisenhower Open House
Mark your calendars
At 5 pm on Thursday August 30th is the XinXing and Eisenhower open house. Dinner will be available in the Wetlands cafe at 6:30 pm
Lili Cai Dance Company At Ordway in October
Lily Cai Dance Company will be at the Ordway Center on Friday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
Here is the blurb from the Ordway program:
"With spellbinding theatricality, Lily Cai and her attractive company blend modern dance idioms with Asian performance traditions and Chinese classical dance. Cai, a former principal with the Shanghai Opera, melds her cultural lineage with American aesthetics in a living mosaic of jewel-toned ribbons and fans, ornate costumes, candlelight and music from Chinese opera to gamelan to Mahler's fifth symphony."
Here is the blurb from the Ordway program:
"With spellbinding theatricality, Lily Cai and her attractive company blend modern dance idioms with Asian performance traditions and Chinese classical dance. Cai, a former principal with the Shanghai Opera, melds her cultural lineage with American aesthetics in a living mosaic of jewel-toned ribbons and fans, ornate costumes, candlelight and music from Chinese opera to gamelan to Mahler's fifth symphony."
www.ordway.org
Jul 31, 2007
XinXing Academy Teachers Train at CARLA-Hear Their Stories!
On June 25 to 29, 2007, all of the teachers and teaching assistants from XinXing Academy in Hopkins school District attended a seminar hosted by Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota, designed specifically for Chinese and Japanese immersion teaching . The following are some comments from them after the training:
Qiuyue Wang- Kindergarten Teacher
Although I have been teaching Chinese in China , Singapore and America for over 16 years, I’ve never been fully involved with a full Chinese immersion program. This training for me has been truly beneficial. The five-day training courses covered a broad range of immersion education: history, principles, goals and disciplines. We also discussed some topics that specifically related to Chinese immersion, such as teaching of Chinese characters and literature.
During this training, one best thing for me was the interactions with a number of teachers that have years of experiences in immersion instruction. Although these veteran teachers did not teach Chinese, they were rich in other language experiences, and introduced a lot of their own ideas on teaching in immersion program, from which I learned a great deal. Some parents and students who participated in immersion program also came to our panel, and what impressed me the most was their belief in and support of immersion education. Most of the parents of Chinese, French, or Spanish immersion students do not know much of their respective languages, but they fully support schools and teachers in the immersion teaching, firmly trust in the immersion program they involved. From the conversation with the children, I also learned that the first time they go to school, it is more challenge for them than those go to the regular kindergarten. Because the immersion students don’t know nothing about the language that is being spoken to them, and that lend greatly to the confusion and fear of the young children. As they described some experiences that only after they returned home, hearing their family talking in English , they found the speech being “normal” to their ears. This reflects new language environment mentality at the beginning days. This information really helped us immersion teachers to understand the students’ feelings at the beginning stage. We also learned ways such that we can establish an environment where students feel safe, comfortable, and being relax, then they can absorb the new language much easier.
At the end of the meeting, listening to the children singing Chinese songs without difficulty, enunciating fluent French, and seeing the parents’ proud smiles on their faces, I was moved deeply.
Through this training, I have established a new vision, a new perspective, and a confidence in our success. Our Chinese immersion program in Hopkins has strong support of the district, coupled with the resolute support of parents, along with the hard work of our teachers, our efforts will indeed shine with the light of success.
LiJun Fang- Teaching Assistant
Late June, as a teacher assistance of XinXing Academy in Hopkins schools, I fortunately participated the training from CARLA with other teachers in our school. In this five day training, two outstanding languages experts Tara Fortune and Diane Tedick provided us both challenges and the rich experiences of the immersion language instruction.
The first two days, mainly we were give lectures about the development of immersion education history. Instructors analyzed the main characters in theories, and provided a deep understanding of teaching methods.
In later days, we passed through discussion when observing experienced teacher's teaching, It helped us to see how the theory and actual applied in practice. I understood better from the basic classroom management and the skills and responsibilities for a teacher.
In last day of training, Amy Egenberger, a immersion teacher demonstrated her instruction, that impressed me deeply. The topic she talked was: Week one, Day one, What are some effective ways to build the immersion classroom community? She let us discuss "how classroom climate be established " in groups. From the discussion, I understood more about using imagination and creative development method. It is clear that they will give the students the enlightenment through seeing and hearing directly. It establishes interactive atmosphere in classroom, and stimulates students the interests of learning Chinese. In this way it improves the quality of learning Chinese.
Some parents and students of Twincities immersion programs were invited to classroom, face-to-face talking to us about their attitude and the feeling towards immersion. Their positive attitude gave us great encouragement.
On that day, four beautiful kids from YingHua Academy sang a school song in Chinese. Some Spanish and French immersion teachers shared their experiences. One of the trainee, Kai Li demonstrated a Chinese lesson, instructor Michale Bacon leaded us to sing the Japanese song with body movement to stimulate us after lunch... ...
Everything offered make a happy, unforgettable impression to me.
Although five days training studies is short, but I learned a lot. My job will start soon, I engaged in even more to fill the deep love and the confidence on Immersion Chinese education.
Meyer Qin, Teaching Assistant
In the beautiful summer of Minnesota, I was very pleased to attend the training for Chinese and Japanese Language Immersion Education hosted by The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota (CARLA). This one-week training benefits me a lot!
Before attending the training, I have read many articles about foreign language immersion education, knowing that full immersion education is the most effective foreign language education instruction form. The students become mostly likely as proficient in immersion language as those native language speakers, I am very curious to know about Immersion education, yet I never have a chance to meet any full immersion teacher or student!
This training gave me the opportunity. The first time, I met immersion teachers and students, who benefit from immersion education. A blonde girl named Elizabeth impressed me a lot! She has learned Chinese language for only one year, she can talk with me in Chinese and spoke Chinese fluently! I asked her some questions such as what’s your name? how old are you? what year were you born in? Etc. Not only can she understand each of my questions correctly, but also she answered them quickly, in standard mandarin, and with Chinese words precisely.
During the training, the lectures provided instruction in both theory and practice. The immersion teachers demonstrated their teaching vividly and fun, which gives me better understanding about full immersion education! Students learn the language through songs, games and other activities they like. The students learned both the language and culture, and the parents stop worrying: “What we should do if kids couldn’t understand what the teacher is talking about?” I also learned many useful teaching methods suitable for kindergarten kids.
You can tell very easily those parents were satisfied the good progress their kids have made. You also can tell that those parents all have high expectations for full immersion education. The students were proud of themselves for talk in Chinese with their teachers - native Chinese speakers.
I’m grateful for Hopkins School District giving me this opportunity to attend the immersion education training, I’ll work hard to make XinXing Chinese School the best Immersion Education school of the nation!
Qiuyue Wang- Kindergarten Teacher
Although I have been teaching Chinese in China , Singapore and America for over 16 years, I’ve never been fully involved with a full Chinese immersion program. This training for me has been truly beneficial. The five-day training courses covered a broad range of immersion education: history, principles, goals and disciplines. We also discussed some topics that specifically related to Chinese immersion, such as teaching of Chinese characters and literature.
During this training, one best thing for me was the interactions with a number of teachers that have years of experiences in immersion instruction. Although these veteran teachers did not teach Chinese, they were rich in other language experiences, and introduced a lot of their own ideas on teaching in immersion program, from which I learned a great deal. Some parents and students who participated in immersion program also came to our panel, and what impressed me the most was their belief in and support of immersion education. Most of the parents of Chinese, French, or Spanish immersion students do not know much of their respective languages, but they fully support schools and teachers in the immersion teaching, firmly trust in the immersion program they involved. From the conversation with the children, I also learned that the first time they go to school, it is more challenge for them than those go to the regular kindergarten. Because the immersion students don’t know nothing about the language that is being spoken to them, and that lend greatly to the confusion and fear of the young children. As they described some experiences that only after they returned home, hearing their family talking in English , they found the speech being “normal” to their ears. This reflects new language environment mentality at the beginning days. This information really helped us immersion teachers to understand the students’ feelings at the beginning stage. We also learned ways such that we can establish an environment where students feel safe, comfortable, and being relax, then they can absorb the new language much easier.
At the end of the meeting, listening to the children singing Chinese songs without difficulty, enunciating fluent French, and seeing the parents’ proud smiles on their faces, I was moved deeply.
Through this training, I have established a new vision, a new perspective, and a confidence in our success. Our Chinese immersion program in Hopkins has strong support of the district, coupled with the resolute support of parents, along with the hard work of our teachers, our efforts will indeed shine with the light of success.
LiJun Fang- Teaching Assistant
Late June, as a teacher assistance of XinXing Academy in Hopkins schools, I fortunately participated the training from CARLA with other teachers in our school. In this five day training, two outstanding languages experts Tara Fortune and Diane Tedick provided us both challenges and the rich experiences of the immersion language instruction.
The first two days, mainly we were give lectures about the development of immersion education history. Instructors analyzed the main characters in theories, and provided a deep understanding of teaching methods.
In later days, we passed through discussion when observing experienced teacher's teaching, It helped us to see how the theory and actual applied in practice. I understood better from the basic classroom management and the skills and responsibilities for a teacher.
In last day of training, Amy Egenberger, a immersion teacher demonstrated her instruction, that impressed me deeply. The topic she talked was: Week one, Day one, What are some effective ways to build the immersion classroom community? She let us discuss "how classroom climate be established " in groups. From the discussion, I understood more about using imagination and creative development method. It is clear that they will give the students the enlightenment through seeing and hearing directly. It establishes interactive atmosphere in classroom, and stimulates students the interests of learning Chinese. In this way it improves the quality of learning Chinese.
Some parents and students of Twincities immersion programs were invited to classroom, face-to-face talking to us about their attitude and the feeling towards immersion. Their positive attitude gave us great encouragement.
On that day, four beautiful kids from YingHua Academy sang a school song in Chinese. Some Spanish and French immersion teachers shared their experiences. One of the trainee, Kai Li demonstrated a Chinese lesson, instructor Michale Bacon leaded us to sing the Japanese song with body movement to stimulate us after lunch... ...
Everything offered make a happy, unforgettable impression to me.
Although five days training studies is short, but I learned a lot. My job will start soon, I engaged in even more to fill the deep love and the confidence on Immersion Chinese education.
Meyer Qin, Teaching Assistant
In the beautiful summer of Minnesota, I was very pleased to attend the training for Chinese and Japanese Language Immersion Education hosted by The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota (CARLA). This one-week training benefits me a lot!
Before attending the training, I have read many articles about foreign language immersion education, knowing that full immersion education is the most effective foreign language education instruction form. The students become mostly likely as proficient in immersion language as those native language speakers, I am very curious to know about Immersion education, yet I never have a chance to meet any full immersion teacher or student!
This training gave me the opportunity. The first time, I met immersion teachers and students, who benefit from immersion education. A blonde girl named Elizabeth impressed me a lot! She has learned Chinese language for only one year, she can talk with me in Chinese and spoke Chinese fluently! I asked her some questions such as what’s your name? how old are you? what year were you born in? Etc. Not only can she understand each of my questions correctly, but also she answered them quickly, in standard mandarin, and with Chinese words precisely.
During the training, the lectures provided instruction in both theory and practice. The immersion teachers demonstrated their teaching vividly and fun, which gives me better understanding about full immersion education! Students learn the language through songs, games and other activities they like. The students learned both the language and culture, and the parents stop worrying: “What we should do if kids couldn’t understand what the teacher is talking about?” I also learned many useful teaching methods suitable for kindergarten kids.
You can tell very easily those parents were satisfied the good progress their kids have made. You also can tell that those parents all have high expectations for full immersion education. The students were proud of themselves for talk in Chinese with their teachers - native Chinese speakers.
I’m grateful for Hopkins School District giving me this opportunity to attend the immersion education training, I’ll work hard to make XinXing Chinese School the best Immersion Education school of the nation!
Jul 17, 2007
Reminder - Parent Q&A July 25 and August 7
Parent Q&A
July 25 and August 7 from 6:30-8:00
Wetlands Café in the Eisenhower Community Center.
You are welcome to join us for one or both of the Q&A sessions.
This is an opportunity to learn ways you can support your child in an immersion program. There will be a principal from a local area immersion program, a parent and student who have experienced immersion learning and staff with expertise in early child development. They will join us to share ideas, answer questions and help us learn from their experience.
July 25 and August 7 from 6:30-8:00
Wetlands Café in the Eisenhower Community Center.
You are welcome to join us for one or both of the Q&A sessions.
This is an opportunity to learn ways you can support your child in an immersion program. There will be a principal from a local area immersion program, a parent and student who have experienced immersion learning and staff with expertise in early child development. They will join us to share ideas, answer questions and help us learn from their experience.
Next playground gathering at Alice Smith July 26
We decided to move the next playground gathering to Alice Smith Elementary due to construction concerns. I hope to see many of you on July 26th at 6:30.
Alice Smith Elementary School
801 Minnetonka Mills Rd.
Hopkins, MN. 55343
Alice Smith Elementary School
801 Minnetonka Mills Rd.
Hopkins, MN. 55343
XinXing Academy Wardrobe Coming Soon
It was great to see everyone at the picnic on Tuesday eve. All students that were there received their XinXing t-shirt. If you could not make it, we have t-shirt for everyone and will have them at the next few events. A big thank you for the donations to the t-shirt fund!
Many parents asked if they could buy a t-shirt or other items. On August 30th at the XinXing and Eisenhower Open House, we will have samples of other items you can order. There will be t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and backpacks. Order forms will be available at our table in the cafeteria.
Many parents asked if they could buy a t-shirt or other items. On August 30th at the XinXing and Eisenhower Open House, we will have samples of other items you can order. There will be t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and backpacks. Order forms will be available at our table in the cafeteria.
Jul 11, 2007
XinXing School Announcement in StarTribune
This article from StarTribune.com
Inside Your Schools: Chinese immersion program to begin in Hopkins schools
Patrice Relerford,
XinXing Academy, Hopkins School District's new Chinese immersion program, will hold an information session for parents at 6:30 p.m. today at Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins.
Hopkins School District spokesperson Eileen Harvala said the district has hired two teachers and two teaching assistants for the program, which will open with two kindergarten sections in the fall. The program has 44 students registered and can handle up to 50.
The instructors, Dong Hong Wang and Qiuyue Wang, and teaching assistants Lijung Fang and Qin Meyer, are all native speakers from China with extensive backgrounds in ed! ucation, music and the arts, the district said.
XinXing staff members and Hopkins foreign language coordinator Molly Wieland have been working as a team since mid-June and will receive instruction from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, or CARLA. The program is run by the federal Department of Education and seeks to improve the United States' capacity to teach and learn foreign languages effectively.
For more information on the Chinese immersion program or to request an information and registration packet, call 952-988-4000 or e-mail rosemary_lawrence@hopkins.k12.mn.us.
Inside Your Schools: Chinese immersion program to begin in Hopkins schools
Patrice Relerford,
XinXing Academy, Hopkins School District's new Chinese immersion program, will hold an information session for parents at 6:30 p.m. today at Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins.
Hopkins School District spokesperson Eileen Harvala said the district has hired two teachers and two teaching assistants for the program, which will open with two kindergarten sections in the fall. The program has 44 students registered and can handle up to 50.
The instructors, Dong Hong Wang and Qiuyue Wang, and teaching assistants Lijung Fang and Qin Meyer, are all native speakers from China with extensive backgrounds in ed! ucation, music and the arts, the district said.
XinXing staff members and Hopkins foreign language coordinator Molly Wieland have been working as a team since mid-June and will receive instruction from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, or CARLA. The program is run by the federal Department of Education and seeks to improve the United States' capacity to teach and learn foreign languages effectively.
For more information on the Chinese immersion program or to request an information and registration packet, call 952-988-4000 or e-mail rosemary_lawrence@hopkins.k12.mn.us.
Family Picnic On July 17th
The XinXing family picnic will be July 17th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The school will be providing drinks and dessert Families are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic dinner.
See you at the playground behind Eisenhower!
See you at the playground behind Eisenhower!
Jun 30, 2007
XinXing Book List
This list was generated by the librarian at Katherine Curren from the books in the school library. This is generally age appropriate books that introduce a child to Chinese culture and stories
Click on the link to view or print.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfhrffbf_0dnmsks
Jun 16, 2007
Speaking in Tongues
Here is a video clip from a movie still in production. It is called Speaking in Tongues and contains information on immersion education.
http://www.patchworksfilms.net/coming_soon.html
http://www.patchworksfilms.net/coming_soon.html
Jun 15, 2007
Zhining Chin Talks about her tour of MIA with XinXing Families
A MIA Tour for Young Children
Written by Zhining Chin
Written by Zhining Chin
It has been seven years since I worked as a Tour Guide in the Chinese Gallery of the Minneapolis Institutes of Arts. It is a volunteer job, yet I felt it is the most rewarding work among all the other volunteers I have done. A tour guide is somewhat different from a docent. MIA trained the local supporters as tour guides that they only focus on one culture. This is an innovative way to get the community involved in the museum program. I was trained in year 2000, the first focus group for Chinese Gallery.
Every month, I gave one or two tours for visitors only in the Chinese Gallery. I was trained for 6 months by the MIA experts, such as Bob Jacobson, and other professionals from University and MIA staff. Every time in a tour, I would be challenged by the questions that visitors asked. I am a Chinese and thought that I knew Chinese cultural and arts very well. Yet MIA Chinese gallery collected such a broad range of Chinese art; to given a decent tour, it involved in-depth of knowledge. I never feel confident for introduce any item displayed in the gallery without a good preparation. To meet the expectation of the visitors, I spent quite some time to read the books from the museum library and also pay more attention the details of Chinese Arts when I read Chinese books or watch TV, particularly when I went back to China for a visit.
After 7 years of practice, I felt much better to give a tour of my routes. I can present a variety of art items including browns, jade, painting, ceramic and porcelain, etc. Most of the time, I gave tours to adults. This spring, I had a real challenge to give a tour to younger children like 4 or 5 years old. How can this happened, it has to start with our Hopkins XinXing Academy, a Chinese Immersion school which will be opened in this Fall.
When Hopkins school board decided to open a Chinese Immersion school, as an Hopkins employee, I was involved in the Immersion School steering committee to help recruiting Chinese teachers and promote XinXing to the community in a variety of ways. Pretty soon, XinXing Academy had enrolled sufficient students. The parents want to know more about Chinese culture. I thought it will be a good idea to give parents a tour in Chinese gallery. So the email sent out, I got some responses and telling me they will come to the tour with their 4year old. At the beginning, I thought that I did not make myself clear that this tour is designed for adults. I did response to some of the families and indicated that. However, I keep on getting more emails from families that they want to come with their 4 or 5 year olds. Now I have to really think about this. Should I refuse the family with young children? No, I abolutively not. However, I have never given a tour only for young children like that age. I do not have the skills to handle young children. It is a challenge for me.
I started to look for some help and called the Museum tour office. The only response I got is to ask Amenda for some techniques. Amenda is the MIA focus group program coordinator, she is very experienced in giving tours. She gave me quite a lot of strategies and ideas to handle young visitors. I really started to gain some confidence, and decided to give it a try.
The tour was schedule on a Saturday, I came to the Museum a lot more earlier than the starting time, to wait for my visitors. Families came gradually; some came with the 4 year old and the younger siblings sitting on a wheeler, so they had to take elevators. The start point of the tour was designed in the Shang Dynasty. It seemed to me that I have to change my plan to meet for all families came from different direction. So I waited them in the Tang Dynasty room which is right in the center of the Hall way on the second floor.
When all the families arrived, 6 of them, the first thing I said was that this tour will be more focused on younger children, adults may have to help and be patient. All parents were very supportive, and nodding their head.
I started with the horse and camel in Tang Dynasty since there are a beautiful pair of three color ceramic horses and camels displayed in this room. Immediately, our young visitors got excited because they can tell me what the name those animals are even though these animals were made eleven hundred years ago in China. I also tell them how to say” horse” in Chinese: “Ma”, I said, they all followed me including the adults. The next thing I show them are two different camels from Tang Dynasty made in earth clay, and some other types of horses from the similar period of time.
Children were not only follow me closely, and when they looked the horse from Hang Dynasty, the brown horse, they can say “Ma” much easier. This time it made me happy.
When we stop by the Library from Ming dynasty and looked all the garder rocks carried from China, they were amazed by those Taihu Lakes rock, their shape and those big holes. I told them that the similar holes on the rock can be found in Minnesota, the Talor’s fall. On the out side of Library, there are some Chinese characters on the wall: “清风徐来” (meaning the breeze come slowly and softly) . I explained what these words means and taught them how to say it. That was fun and they were glad when I said they did a good job.
All of the children seemed very interested in those court robes with many hand embroidered dragons. They even counted how many dragons on the ropes. I taught them how to say dragon in Chinese :”long”. Of course I also taught them how to count in Chinese.
“It is not that bad “, I thought ,when I saw those kids’ happy faces, and also observed that the parents are pleased and followed the younger ones without any complaints. It was a big relief when the tour is done. As a matter of fact, I am very happy: I did it, I did it. I would’ve never thought of giving this tour. Now I am confident of giving a tour like this. I even planned to give our parents tours regularly all year around. In that way, the families will know more about Chinese arts, and they can also learn some Chinese related to the arts and the culture. That is exactly what me, the tour guide and the MIA are here for.
Parent Information Meetings Scheduled
Experts from immersion, child development and kindergarten will be on hand to answers your questions about this exciting time in your child's life. All question and answer sessions will be held at Eisenhower Community Center.
July 25th and August 7
6:30 to 8 pm
More information about content and speakers to come
Jun 12, 2007
Peony Festival June 23rd
Peony Festival 2007 will feature an exciting market
experience where families will be magically transported by
the smells, sounds and tastes of China. It will feature Chinese
cuisine, a silent auction, and provide an opportunity to
participate in traditional Chinese cultural activities. The event
will be educational and fun for people of all ages.
Tickets: $20/Adult $5/Child
CHINA AIDS ORPHAN FUND 3RD ANNUAL Peony Festival
Coffman Union
University of Minnesota
300 Washington Avenue S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0110
All proceeds will benefit the
China AIDS Orphan Fund, a 501(c) (3) charity.
Time: 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Date: June 23, 2007
The name of Henan Province (which means “south of the river”) comes from its geographic location to the Yellow River. It is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization and boasts a very rich heritage. The peony is the official flower of Henan Province, where it is considered “The greatest beauty under heaven.” An annual peony festival is held in Henan’s capital city and lasts for ten days in the spring. Please join the China AIDS Orphan Fund as we celebrate this rich tradition and help improve the lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Henan Province. To learn more about our mission and the very valuable work we do, please visit our web site: www.chinaaidsorphanfund.org.
Jun 7, 2007
School Start Times Announced
XinXing will begin at 8:48 am and end the day at 3:20 pm. This is great because it is only ten minutes different from the Eisenhower Elementary program. Actual bus arrival times of 8:33 will be around the usual 15-minute window and departure time will be 3:25 with the usual 5-minute loading/departure time. The busses will be scheduled throughout the district with our students’ rides falling within the regular range of between ten and forty five minutes. Rosemary Lawrence will plan to have a map at the July 17 picnic for open-enrollment families who want to catch the bus at an existing stop.
May 23, 2007
Another MIA Tour Added
On Sunday June 24th from 3:30 to 4:30, Zhining Chin will host a tour of the Chinese exhibit at the Minneapolis Intitute of the Arts. There is room for 20 people. If you are interested, please send an email to Zhining_chin@hopkins.K12.mn.us.
May 15, 2007
Beijing Olympics
With the Summer Olympics being hosted in Beijing, China in August 2008, we have the opportunity to incorporate the theme into the school over the next year. There are many opportunities to incorporate the Olympics into Art, Phy Ed, Reading, Celebrations, etc.
We would love to hear your ideas and how to build on this opportunity. Please post your ideas below.
Museum Trip This Sunday May 19th
At 1 pm this Sunday May 19th, Zhining Chin will host a tour of the Chinese exhibit at the Minneapolis Intitute of the Arts. If you are interested, please send an email to Zhining_chin@hopkins.K12.mn.us.
Here is a link to more information about the collection http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/
Play Dates Set
An informal playgroup has been set for the last Thursday of each month at the Eisenhower playground. We will be meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 each night allowing our children to make some new friends before school begins. Since the XinXing student body will be coming from many different communities, the playgroup are a step to create our own school community and ease the transition of the kindergartners.
The playgroup dates are May 31, June 28, July 26, Aug. 30.
Please note:
If construction does not allow us to use the playground during the summer we will meet at
Alice Smith Elementary School
801 Minnetonka Mills Rd.
Hopkins, MN. 55343
The playgroup dates are May 31, June 28, July 26, Aug. 30.
Please note:
If construction does not allow us to use the playground during the summer we will meet at
Alice Smith Elementary School
801 Minnetonka Mills Rd.
Hopkins, MN. 55343
