Support China Education working group had a meeting on 7-19-14. Thanks to everyone’s hard working and made this year’s program another success!
Author Archives: Shirley Chen
Day 4 & 5 – Report from 2014 Trip Team Leaders Jackie and Peter
Day 3 – Report from 2014 Trip Team Leaders Jackie and Peter
Day 2 – Report from 2014 Trip Team Leaders Jackie and Peter
Day 1 – Report from 2014 Trip Team Leaders Jackie and Peter
On Sun, Apr 20, 2014 at 11:28 PM (Beijing Time), Jackie Zhou wrote:
Hi all,
I am unable to get on WeChat as there is no WiFi. So we’ll do e-mail update for now. I’ll type up the Travel Update later. Here is Day 1 morning update:
Day 1 – 4/21 Morning
We arrived in YiZhong at around midnight and got a few hours of good sleep after quickly unpacking. The Dorms provided to us were very simple but nice and clean with bunk beds, a living area and our own bathroom. Although the girls are in a separate section from the boys, we are all in a connected building which makes it convenient for us. The school prepared everything we need including hot water thermo, slippers, towels, soap and even hangers. The kids had to get used to the bathroom but everyone was very quick in getting a handle on how it works.
There was no need for alarm clock as the roosters awakened us all at around 5:30am. It is the first time in their lives to hear roosters and some plan to tell their children about this experience in the future. The kids were all excited about the first day. After a hearty breakfast of rice noodle with eggs and tofu, we headed out to the classroom building where all are scheduled to make their presentations and teach. Buddies paired up in the classroom as well. Except for a few technical gliches, all went well and you can feel the excitement in the air. Both our kids and the students in YiZhong are curious about each other and eager to get to know one another. The teachers at YiZhong are so supportive in giving our kids the platform to present, exchange, and communicate. We are so proud how our kids handled themselves in the classrooms. They were mature, enthusiastic and engaging.
More to come…
Jackie & Peter
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(on Apr 21, 2014,10:50 PM, Beijing Time)
Hi all,
Here are more updates. I only have access to internet at the teacher’s office in the moring so I’m typing up and sending what I have. Enjoy!
Jackie & Peter
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Day 1 – 4/21 Afternoon & Evening
After finishing 3 hours of classroom activities, we were treated for a nice lunch by the Principal of YiZhong. We had some free time between lunch and afternoon agendas but the kids were too excited to take a nap. Instead, everyone did a little bit more unpacking & organizing and played cards. We huddled to talk about our morning experience and lessons learned or what went well and what can be improved so that future classes can be better. Everyone was happy with their classes although each one is unique. All of our kids instantly gained hundreds of admirers in one morning.
One of the afternoon activities was paper cutting with YiZhong students who are part of the paper cutting club. We were each paired up with a YiZhong student under the guidance of the art teacher. The outcome was a deck of masterpieces representing Chinese culture: dancers, snowflakes, flowers, cartoon characters, families. Our talented Isabelle got everyone’s ahhhs. It’s going to be a challenge with packing but we’ll make sure that we bring these art pieces back intact for all to admire.
We then had a session introducing Chinese calligraphy: its history, different styles and meanings. Following the introduction is a real practice using a special calligraphy pen that simulates the brushes. The kids had a field day with that. Even though they got black ink all over their hands, they seemed to be enjoying their very own pieces as it “represents their own character”. One of the characters written by Michael earned great praise from the teacher. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know the charater he was writting. They cheered when told that they get to keep the pen. So be ware you might be seeing black ink at some unusual places in their luggage.
The kids were invited to watch the school championship basket ball games which happened to be going on this week. They went out despite the drizzling rain. With some encouragement, a 3-on-3 basket game was put in place. Justin, Sam, Ryan, Brian, Savannah and Michael took turns playing. As hard as our team tried, the YiZhong team won over us 22 – 8. Well, they have the home court advantage. It was a lot of fun.
We had dinner at the dining hall. There were special tables set for our group but the kids prefer to be sitting at regular tables as the other students. All dishes were specialties representing local favorites. The roasted port dish “hong shao rou” disappeared in just a few minutes. Everyone including Peter and I also enjoyed the fresh bamboo shoot with shredded pork. I alone consumed pretty much all of the sweet patato flower chunk “hong shu fen kuai” dish, my childhood favorite.
In the evening, we watched a vedio showing the history of YiZhong to get to learn more about the school. It was a bit challenging for our kids to understand, but we got the essence of it.
After a tiring and exciting day, the kids went to bed early and all fell asleep before 9:00pm. They were shocked to hear the school bells/music of the night study classes (zi xi ke) and felt lucky that they don’t have to go to school to study at night.
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Day 0 – 顺利抵达崇仁一中
我们的领队周津平和张志武老师在下午1点14分(美国东部时间)通过电话告知:经过漫长的旅行,团队已抵达崇仁一中。一切都很顺利,学生们正在休息,为明天的活动储蓄精力,做好准备。
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Day 0 – 4/19 – 4/20 Travel (by Jackie Zhou)
4/19: All families arrived on time and no one forgot their passport! A little chaotic at the self-checkin place as Delta seems to want everyone to do self check-in. After taking group pictures and saying farewells, we headed toward the security check and gate.
Flight from Boston to Detroit was delayed a bit but the spirit was high among the kids. The kids had such a fun time while awaiting to board, playing card games, sharing food, reading books and even studying for AP! The boys took the opportunity to pose creatively for the camera just to show the parents that are having a lot of fun. Michael showed up in each of the group pictures for the girls (photo bomb?) Finally we boarded the plane at 9:50am. We were lucky to be able to switch seats so everyone is sitting together. Time to share the food again as everyone seemed hungry. Isabella’s grages, Ryan’s beef jerky and Yukun’s M&Ms were a big hit. Now we just had to sit tight until we get to Detroit. The flight was a little bumpy but the sky was really blue with pure white clouds floating beneath the plane.
It worked out fine in the end as we had more than 30 minutes to run to the connecting flight in Detroit. We used a divide and conquer strategy to get the kids boarded while getting them some food with Peter taking care of buying food and Jackie taking the kids going through boarding. We were all sitting together on this flight also. The flight was long but made short by the big selection of movies, non-stop food and beverage supplies and nice conversations with each other. Most of us got some sleep during the flight. Yukun however stayed awake the entire flight. We all envied his energy.
Everyone was smooth going through customs and connecting to the domestic flight to Nanchang. We took group pictures at the immigration & customs without knowing cameras were not allowed. Glad we didn’t get into trouble but just got a verbal warning by the security guard. Hewww! We enjoyed some rest time with ice scream at the terminal in Beijing. The flight to Nanchang was uneventful. When we landed in Nanchang, we saw the six representatives sent by YiZhong waiting for us at the exit. The bus ride to YiZhong was about 2 and half hours.
We arrived at YiZhong at last! It was just before midnight. More school officials waited for us at the school to welcome our arrival. We were led to the dorm rooms where everything we need were prepared for us.
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Below is the picture of the team at Logan Airport Saturday morning 4/19/2014.
Fundraising Event – Craft Fair / Yard Sale / Bake Sale – Sunday, 1:30pm-5:10pm, 3/9/2014
Dear parents, students, staff and teachers:
The annual fundraising yard sale for Support Education Project will be held in NCLS at the Day Middle School Cafeteria on March 9, 2014. We welcome all NCLS families to participate in this meaningful event. Please donate items and label your items with your suggested prices. In addition, please bring some pocket money to buy things from the yard sale. When you buy items at very reasonable prices, you also support some disadvantaged young kids to complete their high school education in China. All yard sale items will be sold at customer prices (means you price the items yourself) except labeled items. Business owners can register booths to conduct businesses at the yard sale (one day only). The registration fees will go to the Support Education Project, while business profits belong to owners.
If you have any questions, please email to supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org
Craft Fair / Yard Sale / Bake Sale
Fundraising for NCLS Support Education Project
How:
• Donate all kinds of gently used, still valuable artistic toys, decorations, paintings, crafts, paper cuts, sculptures, sweaters, wallets, scarf, pottery, electronics, clothes, shoes, children’s books, CDs, sportswear, kitchenware…;
• Come to the fair and buy what you like at a very reasonable price;
• Business booth should register one week before. One registration per company / family;
• Items for donation should be brought to school cafeteria on the day before 1:30pm;
• Parents on duty or volunteers will help with donation sale;
• Unsold items will go to Charities such as Churches;
• Raised funds will go to the Support Education Project;
Who: All NCLS members (teachers, TA’s, staff, parents, grandparents, students…)
Where: F.A Day Middle School Cafeteria, NCLS.
When: March 9th 2014, Sundays, 1:30pm-5:10pm
2014 年义卖
时间:二零一四年三月九日,1:30pm – 5:10pm
地点:F. A. Middle School 餐厅 (NCLS)
捐赠各种使用过的,但仍然有价值的艺术品,装饰品,日常生活用品,陶瓷器具,电子产品,衣物鞋帽,玩具,儿童书籍,厨房用具,运动用品, 光碟,录像带, 或其他。请将捐赠物标上你的估价,送到 F. A. Day Middle School 餐厅, 由我们的工作人员卖出去。所得额全部交NCLS支教项目。未售出的物件送去慈善机构。
欢迎商家摆摊设点。注册费将归NCLS支教项目,营业利润则属于业主。详情请联系NCLS支教工作小组supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org
Announcement and Fundraising Events – 1st Adult Tennis Tournament 10/20/13 & 8th Talent Show 11/3/13
1. Announcement of school year of 2013 – 2014 NCLS Support China Education Program
Dear teachers and parents:
As we start the new school year of 2013 – 2014, NCLS Support China Education Program has kicked-off its planning phase. This marks the 8th year of the Program. We will be providing support to students at Chong Ren Yi Zhong in Jiang Xi province(崇仁一中, 位于江西省抚州市崇仁县西部农村)。More information about this school and the students will be available on the NCLS web site. To keep this year’s program successful, we are recruiting new working group members. The number of working group members is not limited. Any parent, teacher or staff who is interested in supporting and contributing is welcome to join. The working group members are all volunteers, but we would like you to take a look at your schedule before you apply, as we do need certain amount of commitment to the program as a team member. We will run fund-raising activities, have meetings and organize the students’ trip to China. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org before Friday October 5th, 2013.
We are also forming a student’s volunteer group again this year. Every NCLS student above 8th grade is eligible even if you are not planning to go on the trip to China in April and your volunteer hours will be recognized. For those students who would like to apply as a member to go to China in April 2014, volunteer work prior to the trip is required. We especially welcome our program alumni to volunteer again this year as a way to give back to the program. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org as soon as possible.
Thanks!
NCLS Support Education Program Working Group
http://blog.newtonchineseschool.org/supportchinaeducation/
2. NCLS First Adult Tennis Tournament for Support Education Program
Newton Chinese School will be holding its first adult tennis tournament (牛顿中文学校网球锦标赛) this fall. Tennis players of all levels are welcome to participate. All you need is to sign up. A voluntary donation of any amount is welcome but we suggest at least a $20 donation from each player ($40 if you play both singles and doubles). All proceeds will go toward the 2013 – 2014 Support China Education program supporting students in Chongren Yi Zhong, Jiangxi province (江西省抚州地区崇仁县一中).
Tournament Detail is as follows:
1. When: Sunday 2:00pm – 9:00pm in October (weather permitting), starting Sunday, October 20th.
2. Where: Tennis courts behind NCLS (FA Day Middle School, Newton) next to the baseball field. Additional courts: Newton North High School tennis courts
3. How:
a. Either pro sets or 24-point games depending on the number of players who sign up
b. 2 levels: Level A: USTA 4.0 and above; Level B: USTA 3.0/3.5. If you don’t know your level, you will be placed at level B.
c. Doubles and singles (Men’s and Women’s division)
To sign up, please contact Hongxing Wang (王红星) at hongxing.wang@hotmail.com and Jackie Zhou (周津平) at jackiejpzhou@yahoo.com by Friday, October 18. Indicate which level and whether you are playing doubles or singles. If playing doubles, please provide partner’s name and e-mail.
Thank you for your support!
3. Talent show fundraising event on November 3rd:
随着又一个金色秋天的来临,牛顿中文学校支持中国教育事业和资助中国贫困学生交流计划进入了第八个年头。我们热忱期望勤学苦练各项才艺的同学们,和拥有十八般武(舞) 艺的家长们投身到这个大舞台来,参加今秋举办的青少年和家庭募捐才艺表演。我们将选送优秀节目参加学校的演出。希望通过这个机会,让更多的家长和同学了解牛顿中文学校的支教计划。才艺表演的具体安排如下:
时间: 2013年11月3日, 星期日 4:00pm – 7:00pm
地点: Auditorium, F.A. Day Middle School, (牛顿中文学校礼堂)
报名办法: 请填好报名表(下载附件), TalentShowAppForm2013-Fall于11月3日前投入报名箱. (报名箱放在中文学校入口处)或网上报名,
请电邮supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org
售票办法: 票价: 个人 $10,家庭 $20 (欢迎其它捐款, 数目多少不限)
时间: 10月20日, 10月27日和门口售票
地点: 牛顿中文学校一楼入口处
请所有有兴趣的同学和家庭积极报名参加, 也恳请老师, 家长们关心, 支持这项活动。在我们一起享受精彩的才艺表演时,我们没有忘记我们远在中国的贫困学生,我们的心连在一起。如果你有什么问题的话,请联系牛顿中文学校支教工作小组supporteducation@newtonchineseschool.org
谢谢大家的共同参与!

