Summer 2012 CAIS CONNECTIONS 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).
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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.
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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
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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!
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CAIS ConnectionsSummer 2012
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.
Chinese American International School Page 5
CAIS Connections Summer 2012
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.
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CAIS ConnectionsSummer 2012
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.
Chinese American International School Page 7
CAIS Connections Summer 2012
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.