CAIS Connections (Summer 2012)

Summer 2012

C A I S C O N N E C T I O N S

Chinese American International School Page 1

CAIS Connections is a quarterly publication with the goal of keeping the community informed and connected to the vibrant events and accomplishments at Chinese American International School.

CAIS CELEBRATES CLASS Of 2012

慶祝中美2012届學生畢業

Three words come to mind to describe the CAIS class of 2012; exuberant, creative and

original. Graduating eighth grader, Clelia Knox agrees. “We definitely like our voice to be

heard,” she said. “We aren’t quiet.”

In its 30th anniversary year, CAIS inducted its 18th graduating eighth grade class with

35 students into the school’s growing alumni network. Graduation exercises were held

on June 13, 2012 at Herbst Theater where fifth graders were recognized for completing

lower school and eighth graders were congratulated for finishing their education at CAIS.

During the ceremony, fifth grade student Evan Lim and eighth grade students Justin Kim

and Nathan Wang were awarded this year’s Citizenship Award for their extraordinary

commitment of friendship and support to their peers and the community. The award was

established by Winnie fok in memory of her late husband Norman Ng, father of 2008

CAIS graduate Alec Ng and class of 2013 student Emma Ng. Each award comprised a

$250 donation to the charity of the recipients’ choice, which included donations to the

Make-A-Wish foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

CAIS class of 2012 students will move on to different schools in San francisco, including

St. Ignatius College Prepatory, Drew School, Lick-Wilmerding High School, Urban

School, International High School, Lowell High School, University High School, Gateway

High School, Lincoln High School, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep and Bay School. A

handful of graduating students will attend high schools outside of San francisco,

including Berkeley High School (Berkeley), Gunn High School (Palo Alto), Incline High

School (Lake Tahoe, CA) and Taipei American School (Taiwan).

In the last couple of issues of Connections we told you about CAIS’s major International Program initiative – a structured

three-week academic program for all seventh grade students in partnership with School Year Abroad (SYA) and Beijing Normal

University Sanfan Middle School. We filled you in about the program itself and the academic benefits of being in an intensive

program. What we didn’t fill you in on is how our seventh graders and their families felt about the three-week stay in Beijing.

Here’s what they had to say.

Chinese American International SchoolPage 2

CAIS ConnectionsSummer 2012

SEVENTH GRADERS EXPERIENCE THREE WEEKS Of ACADEMIC RIGOR ALONG WITH SOME fUN

7年級學生經歷3星期緊密而富趣味的學術週

“China has been a changing experience, while walking through

the streets of Beijing, I see poverty, as well as wealth, I see people and animals and a

lot of smog, and traffic, and garbage.... but nonetheless I’ve become a more street smart person due to it, through navigating

through narrow bystreets of my local hutong, or the huge complex of the forbidden city. But not only in street smarts, in Beijing

I’ve been studious, and determined, and I have developed a new modus operandi for going about my schoolwork, which I will

bring back to CAIS with me. I may have missed my home, but at the end of the day I’m glad I had this experience, an experience

that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” - Seventh Grader

“I was talking to my son about something

he needed to do last Sunday when he just

returned to Sf from Beijing. He said he

wanted to return to Beijing - this sums up all the good

times and affection he received from his

host family and also from his trip (Beijing

doesn’t seem like a foreign city to him). He

gets along very well with his host buddy and

he wants to host his trip to Sf. It is quite

incredible!” - Parent of Seventh Grader

“Chinese class is really cool,

after you take the test, the

teacher has flashcards of

each of the words and we

have to respond to questions

about the vocabulary. I

have been having a great

time, and my brain is stuffed with all of the Chinese learning, like when

we interview random people at sights

about what we have been studying

in class. It is really a great trip.”

- Seventh Grader

“As a parent whose sons have participated in middle

school international programs in the past, they are all

great experiences; but the SYA program was the best

for dramatically increasing my son’s Mandarin fluency.

My son skyped with his father on day three, “I now think

in Mandarin,” he told his father. I am very impressed

with the program and thrilled that it is most generously

funded and required for all seventh graders at CAIS. It is

a life changing event and essential to the CAIS experience. I am excited

for my younger son to experience this program next year.”

- Parent of Seventh Grader


CAIS Connections Summer 2012

SHOWCAIS 2012: OVER THE DRAGON GATE

二零一二年中美輝煌之夜：躍過龍門

This year’s “Over the Dragon Gate” fundraising gala was nothing

short of philanthropy, glamour and a lot of fun! On May 12 over

375 guests showed up to ShowCAIS at the fabulous Ritz-Carlton,

San francisco for a memorable evening that celebrated CAIS

culture and community. The night began with two different silent

auctions; a wine cellar auction that included different collections

of vintage wines and liquor, as well as generous

donations and merchandise from the community. Parents, staff, alumni

and community members warmly greeted each other, sipped on signature

“dragontini” cocktails, admired the two amazing ice sculptures of a carp

and a dragon, perused the silent auction items and nibbled on passed hors

d’oeuvres before getting seated for dinner.

The sound of a drum and cymbals played by CAIS alumus Wesley Yee

(’10) and Arts Program Director Susan Kennedy filled the venue as the

ballroom doors opened for guests to sit down. CAIS parents Ed Han and

Gilman Louie co-hosted the evening and introduced a rousing karaoke

rendition of Pink’s “Raise Your Glass,” Rob Bass’s “It Takes Two,” and a

flash mob to Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” to begin the seated dinner

program. Guests dined on an Asian-inspired menu while they watched a

video where our head of school explained his absence--Jeff was at his

son’s graduation—followed by another video that showcased the history of

CAIS’s 30 years.

The highly anticipated live auction was a big hit, with the highest grossing items coming from a

week-long villa stay in Thailand and a day of golfing with Mayor Ed Lee and Assemblywoman

fiona Ma. This year’s fund-A-Need for technology raised over $100,000 thanks to the contribution

of many generous donors. CAIS parent Billy Shen and his band Pulse entertained the remainder of

the program with live music for a crowded dance floor.

We are happy to report that ShowCAIS grossed

more than $300,000. We would

like to extend a heartfelt thank

you to everyone’s generosity

and support. The amount of

volunteer hours, donations from

the community and generosity at

the event all contributed to the

success of our school’s largest

fundraiser. Thank you!



CAIS CLASS Of 2008 HEADS TO COLLEGE

二零零八届畢業班預備上大學了

Class of 2008 grads are going places. This is a quick glimpse at where a few of the class is heading for college.

Keep in touch with CAIS and let us know what you’re doing!

REYLON YOUNT2012 graduate of International High School

College in the fall: Harvard University

Reylon has won international acclaim for his mastery of the yangqin, and for his talents was

named among this year’s 18 Davidson fellows, a national scholarship program that

recognizes gifted youth. He will receive a $10,000 scholarship for college.

Keep us in your networks! #callingallalumni

Follow us!

@CAIS_SF

Like us!

FACEBOOK.COM/CAISSF

ALExANdER MASSIALAS2012 graduate of Drew High School

College in the fall: Stanford University

With fencing in his genes, (dad, Greg is a three-time USA Olympian) Alexander is headed to the

London Olympic Games to compete on the U.S. men’s foil team. He is currently ranked number

two in men’s foilist in both junior and senior points in the U.S. and number 14 in the world.

When the Olympics are over, Alexander will start his collegiate life at Stanford.

ALExANdRA WONG2012 graduate of St. Ignatius College Prepatory

College in the fall: Princeton University; women’s golf team;

majoring in political science and international affairs

This past spring Alexandra took the S.f. Golf Championships title at the 95th San francisco Golf

Championships. She has numerous golf accomplishments under her belt, including a win at the

AJGA Aspen Junior Classic in 2011 and a top 20 at Junior World.



COMMUNITY HELPS fUND NEED fOR TECHNOLOGY

中美大家庭幫助科技基金籌款

An important part of educating our students to embrace Chinese, become their best selves and create a place in the world,

is imparting the skills that will allow them to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. Cutting edge technology makes

it possible for students to explore the world with the flick of a finger and share their discoveries and ideas in real time with

students across the world. However, filling our classrooms with iPads and interactive whiteboards is not sufficient. Use

of technology must blend seamlessly with classroom instruction. To that end, CAIS is undergoing a major cultural shift in

technology education.

Many things are happening behind the scenes in order for this shift to take place, including full time Chinese and English

technology staff, new programs, new equipment and professional development. All of that involves budgeting, planning

and implementation, and because of the generosity of our community during the fund-A-Need portion of the live auction at

ShowCAIS 2012, we raised more than $100,000 to help make these initiatives a reality.

The community’s fund-A-Need donations help not only for funding new equipment, but also the crucial training and support for

our teachers as they adopt new ways of weaving technology into the everyday lives of their students.

Starting next year, there will be no weekly computer class. Instead, technology will be integrated into the core curriculum. Our

technology coordinators Kerri Willa and Xiaoqing Chen will help teachers design projects that mobilize technology in the service

of learning. Students will learn to use technology creatively through project-based exploration.

We will keep readers posted as the changes in the ways in which technology is taught at CAIS evolves. Until then, thank you

for your support of funding the need for technology at CAIS. Your generosity helps in ways that will help increase student

engagement and allow technology to become a ubiquitous tool for solving problems and improving teaching and learning.



With the transition from complex to simplified as the main script for Chinese instruction, CAIS

Chinese faculty have been working to build a catered math program for first through fifth grade

students. The opportunity to consider alternative math resources has given faculty the chance to

create something tailored for CAIS students that incorporates vocabulary and real life situations

that our students experience in day to day life. “By incorporating vocabulary that students in each

grade level are learning and including it into a math story problem, students will hear the words in

different contexts, helping to reinforce literacy development in both math as well as words they are

learning in different subjects,” Chinese Program Director, Kevin Chang said.

Teachers are using resources based on our past curriculum as a guideline and foundation to

formulate new lessons that incorporate simplified script. Units will include common core math

standards and the new lessons will help define student learning expectations. Questions and

language used will also be refined to fit the knowledge of CAIS students. “We want our students

to read and be able to look at a math problem and have it relate back to their knowledge base,”

fourth Grade Teacher, Annie Liu said.

This project has been collaborative in nature with all first through fifth grade Chinese teachers

working after school and into the summer to bring this project to the classroom starting in the fall.

CHINESE TEACHERS BUILD A CATERED MATH CURRICULUM

中文老師建立個性化的數學課程

HEAD Of SCHOOL RECGONIzED BY ASIANWEEK fOUNDATION

校長獲亞洲週刊基金會頒發的教育家年獎

Congratulations to our Head of School, Jeff Bissell, who was recently recognized as one

of six finalists at the 8th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration School Award in May.

As part of the 8th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC), each year the Asian-

Week foundation recognizes individuals in education from around the Bay Area. Jeff was

honored for his ideas and strategies in bringing together the community to celebrate and

promote cross cultural diversity and awareness.

What Were your thoughts after you kneW that you Were a finalist?

Jeff: It was great to know that I can represent CAIS and have our school be recognized for

the work it’s been doing for the past thirty years.

Why is it important to promote cross cultural diversity at school and outside of cais?

Jeff: Our world is constantly changing, and the option to function in a mono-cultural world is no longer an option. Our

multi-cultural world, therefore, must reflect in our multi-cultural school environment and our curriculum.

Having finished his second year as CAIS Head of School, Jeff has made an impact both inside and outside the halls of

CAIS. Thank you to CAIS parent florence Kong for the support and nomination.



HOW DO CAIS TEACHERS SPEND THEIR SUMMER MONTHS?

中美老師如何度過暑假？

CAROL HSIH Third-Fifth Grade Science

三-五年級科學

Science teacher, Carol Hsih will

attend the Exploratorium summer

institute The Unwired Pier. She will

explore the environment through

hands-on investigations using

data-gathering tools to learn

about the changing atmospheric and aquatic conditions

of the Exploratorium’s new spring 2013 location at the

Embarcadero. The new location on the water lends itself

to developing many new exhibits and classroom activities

designed to explore the bay. “Exploratorium institutes are

always full of content that is intended to bring back to the

classroom. I’m looking forward to integrating web-based

info with hands-on learning to teach my students about

what is happening locally in the bay,” Carol commented.

JAKE SPROULL Sixth Grade English and History

六年級英文和歷史

Jake Sproull will be participating in a

three-week institute hosted by the New

York Public Library. Recipe for America:

New York, Immigration and American

Identity through Culinary Culture will

teach immigration, assimilation and

food culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Jake will learn through a consideration of ethnic foodways,

moving from early European immigration to recent

experiences of African-American, Caribbean, Chinese and

Asian communities. “I’m confident I’m going to come back

to CAIS with a lot of great ideas, and I’m already thinking

about a cookbook that integrates students’ cultural family

recipes that they will work on using their iPads as part of

our new 1:1 iPad program,” Jake said.

The myth of teachers sitting around doing nothing during the summer months is just that – a myth. Aside from the 16 CAIS

faculty members teaching during CAIS summer session, teachers at CAIS spend their summer months in a variety of ways.

KELLY REIMER Seventh and Eighth Grade Social Studies

七,八年級社會科學

Kelly is one of 150 educators from

around the world attending the Google

Geo Teachers Institute held in London

in June. Kelly will get hands-on

experience with Google’s Geo products

including Google Earth, SketchUp and

Maps and will learn about innovative instructional strategies.

“I’m excited to bring more technology into my classroom

next year and deliver information to my students in a

compelling and fun way,” Kelly said. While she’s in Europe,

Kelly will also travel to Turkey to learn more about the

religion of Islam firsthand to enhance her world religions unit

that covers both eastern and western religion in her seventh

grade social studies classes. “I know I’m going to have so

many great things to share with my students next year.”

MICHAEL HSU Fifth Grade Chinese

五年級中文

With the intention to foster 21st

century learners, Michael Hsu is

excited to do exactly that. for ten

days starting July 23, Michael will

be attending a CLTA-STARTALK

Workshop at the College of the Holy

Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. “I am a firm believer

that learning should extend beyond the regular classroom

setting,” said Michael. “It is an educator’s responsibility

to create the channels and opportunities for students to

expand their learning.” Teachers will be trained to develop

web-based materials using computer-based learning

technologies that support the acquisition of literacy skills in

foreign language learners.

150 OAK STREET, SAN fRANCISCO, CA 94102TELEPHONE: 415.865.6000 fAX: 415.865.6006WWW.CAIS.ORG

aBout cais CAIS is an independent, not-for-profit school founded by a small group of multi-ethnic San Francisco Bay Area visionary leaders and educators in

1981 as the first school in the U.S. dedicated to Chinese-English dual language immersion with a deep understanding of Chinese culture. From an enrollment of under 10

students in its inaugural year, CAIS now enrolls nearly 500 students from Pre-Kindergarten through grade eight and spans across two campuses in San Francisco’s Hayes

Valley. Since its founding, CAIS’s commitment to dual language and dual culture education, international perspective and diversity has remained at the core of its vision

and program. The school community is proud of its leading role in preparing culturally sensitive young people for an increasingly globalized world.

LIKE US! fACEBOOK.COM/CAISSf

fOLLOW US @CAIS_Sf

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CAIS Connections (Summer 2012)