(Report by – Evan Shi) On October 25, 2025, five students from various high and middle schools — Evan Shi, Jasmine Gu, Tony Wu, Alex Wang, and Lucas Shi—who attend Newton Chinese Language School, visited Maplewood Senior Living in Weston, MA, as part of the SEP Senior Home Initiative.

Maplewood Senior Living in Weston is the third senior living center that SEP students have connected with. Having previously visited Stonebridge in Burlington and Maplewood earlier this year, this was the students’ second visit to Maplewood. The group was delighted to reconnect with familiar residents and meet new ones, making the afternoon both meaningful and joyful.

The visit took place around noon, while residents were enjoying lunch and socializing. The students distributed handmade greeting cards created by SEP participants to all the residents, bringing smiles and warmth throughout the dining hall. During the visit, students engaged in conversations with the residents—listening to their personal stories, life experiences, and heartfelt advice.

Revisiting Maplewood was a wonderful and rewarding experience. The SEP students look forward to continuing their outreach by visiting more senior living centers in the future, spreading kindness, love, and positivity to the community.

As many of you already know, the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) was paused earlier this May. In response, Newton Chinese Language School is proud to introduce a new and prestigious award that recognizes and honors individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to volunteer service.

As the largest nonprofit weekend language school in New England, NCLS has served as a certifying organization since 2015. Each year, we carefully review all applications and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students.

The application for the 2025 ELSA is now officially open! Please see below for detailed guidelines:

1. Please click the ELSA Guideline for details.
2. Submit your application materials to ncls_elsa@newtonchineseschool.org by 10/30/2025.
3. When you send us the application materials:
   1) Email subject line should be in this format: ELA + your name;
   2) In the email body:
   a) Write a short application statement summarizing what you did, why you did them, and what you learned.
   b) Provide a list of all the attachments.
   3) The attachment file name format: Your name + list index number + organization name + hours (Example: Victor Li – 1- NCLS TA—39hr).
4. Attach all the supporting documents including the ELSA Activity Summary Sheet to the email.
5. Fill out this google form https://forms.gle/QtATuzic8V6DFn9e9

Date: September 14, 2025
Location: Room 221, FA Day School, Newton, MA
Time: 1:00 PM – 1:55 PM
Minutes prepared by: Christina Lu
Attendance
• In-person attendees: Over 50 students and parents
• Note: Approximately 1/3 are new student members

Leadership Introductions
Parent Leadership Team
• Board Director: Eric Shi
• SEP Directors: Jing Wan, Hua Fang
• SEP Associate Directors: Peng Feng, Ling Chen, Xiaofei Chen
• Advisors: Shirley Chen, Helen Cao
Student Leadership Team
• Co-Presidents: Henry Fang, Jasmine Gu
• Vice Presidents: Christina Lu, Anna Wang, Evan Shi
• Fundraising Directors: Julian Yang, Allison Sham, Sophia Fortuin
• Event Directors: Ella Luo, Jiarong Cui, Jiayi Cui
• Community Service Directors: Evan Shi, Jasmine Gu, Christina Lu, Anna Wang, Margaret Liu

Meeting Highlights

1. Welcome and Overview – Presented by Eric Shi
   Key Announcements:
   • NCLS Emerging Leader Service Award (ELSA)
   • China Trip (Spring Break: April 18–25, 2026)
   • Recruitment Drive
2. Upcoming Event – Presented by Peng Feng
   • Annual Year Opening Event: September 20, 2025, at Regis College
3. SEP Projects Overview – Presented by Student Leadership Team
   (Presented by Henry Fang, Jasmine Gu; with additional insights from Christina Lu, Anna Wang, Evan Shi, Julian Yang, BenXiao and Parent leaders: Ling Chen, and Jing Wan)

• Weekly Bake Sale (Every Sunday, 12:30–5:00 PM)
• Online Tutoring (Ongoing, Weekly)
• Cards for Seniors (Year-Round; Planned Event: October 19)
• Digital Literacy Outreach / IT Support (Year-Round)
  Additional Events (2025–2026 Overview)
• 10 events
  Member Self-Introductions

• Adjournment
  • Meeting concluded at: 1:55 PM

【编者按】8/31/2025, SEP三位学生暑假里自己联系，带着手工自制的慰问卡，去访问第二家老年中心Stonebridge at Burlington，请看 Jasmine Gu的报道。

On August 31st, 2025, three high school students—Jasmine Gu (顾思敏), Evan Shi (史一明), and Christina Lu (陆颖文)—from Newton Chinese Language School had the opportunity to visit Stonebridge at Burlington, a senior center in Burlington, MA, as part of the SEP outreach initiative.

Stonebridge is the second senior center that SEP students have reached out to. After a successful visit to Maplewood at Weston in July, we were excited to continue building meaningful connections within the local senior community by visiting Stonebridge.

Our visit took place just before the residents’ much-loved bingo game, filling the community room with a lively and warm atmosphere. We brought along 45 handmade greeting cards, thoughtfully crafted by students from NCLS, to share with the residents.

During this special hour together, we enjoyed heartfelt conversations with the seniors, sharing stories, laughter, and learning about their diverse life journeys. Many of the residents’ faces lit up with joy when receiving the cards, and several shared touching personal stories, making the experience truly memorable.

For all of us, this visit was heartwarming and meaningful, leaving us with smiles and gratitude. We are already looking forward to the next chance to return to Stonebridge, to continue spreading kindness and nurturing the friendships we’ve started.

On July 20th, 3 high schoolers Evan Shi（史一明）, Jasmine Gu（顾思敏）, and Christina Lu（陆颖文）from Newton Chinese Language School, visited Maplewood at Weston, a vibrant senior center in Weston, MA.

As part of the SEP outreach initiative, we brought 30 handmade greeting cards, which made by students from NCLS.

During the hour-long visit, we had in warm and meaningful conversations with the residents. The seniors enjoyed the cards and were thankful for the kindness of the students from NCLS. Several residents shared personal stories and life experiences, giving us a chance to learn about their experiences and build connections with them.

The visit was a memorable experience for us. We look forward to returning in August to continue to show gratitude and get to know more seniors. （by Christina Lu）

（供稿：Huili Shao 海报制作：Jasmine Gu & Christina Lu）

牛顿中文学校（NCLS）的SEP团队近期推出了一项新活动，旨在帮助师生和家长提升智能手机使用技能。这项名为”SEP Digital Literacy Outreach”的活动由支教学生Jasmine Gu和Christina Lu发起。她们多年参与中文学校和SEP的活动，深刻了解许多家长因母语非英语而在使用智能手机和数字技术时面临额外挑战。正是这种洞察激发了她们为社区服务的热情，提出创建“SEP Digital Literacy Outreach” 的活动。

活动想法得到了SEP团队负责人万劲和方华会长的大力支持。在多次深入讨论后，Jasmine和Christina投入大量时间收集资源、制作演示文稿。经过两个月的精心准备，团队于2025年3月9日在牛顿中文学校一楼成功举办了首次活动。

首次活动重点展示了智能手机的无障碍功能，如何更便捷地使用手机。例如，通过语音助手和屏幕朗读功能，用户可以轻松获取信息和操作手机。团队还演示了AI技术如何增强无障碍体验，比如使用AI聊天机器人提供实时翻译和辅助功能。首次活动得到了中文学校师生，家长和祖父母的热烈响应，也吸引了更多地SEP学生加入志愿者行列。

在首次活动中，团队积极收集社区反馈，为后续活动制定了详细计划。在接下来的周日中文学校课程时间，团队将推出一系列主题活动，内容涉及：

·       智能手机基础操作：介绍如何调整字体大小、使用语音助手等无障碍功能，以及智能手机电池管理和性能优化技巧。

·       社交媒体与智能应用：Instagram入门指南、Zoom会议主持技巧，以及利用AI工具优化社交媒体内容。

·       在线支付与安全：移动支付和数字钱包使用指南、在线信息保护方法，以及提高网络诈骗防范意识。

·       人工智能科普：AI基础概念介绍、AI在日常生活中的应用（如翻译、图像生成），以及AI辅助旅行规划和智能导航。

·       互动问答与个别辅导：解答个性化问题、提供一对一技术支持，并鼓励参与者提出疑问。

“SEP Digital Literacy Outreach” 活动为志愿者们提供了服务社区的新视角，创造了与社区深入互动的宝贵机会。团队将持续改进方法，收集反馈，了解社区需求热点，致力于帮助中文学校社区更好地适应数字化时代的挑战。通过这些努力，SEP团队不仅提升了社区成员的数字素养，也为志愿者们提供了宝贵的领导力和沟通技能培养机会。

由牛顿中文学校 SEP 团队和 iCan Fly 携手合作的 Hands & Hearts —特需儿童的系列爱心手工活动，在学校相关部门的大力支持下，于2024年11月至2025年2月，如期举办了四期，圆满收官。请看来自iCan Fly Hui Zhu女士的报道:

Hands & Hearts——特需儿童的系列爱心手工课

Hui Zhu iCanFlyGroup  2025年02月08日 19:38

       “新年快乐！” “蛇年大吉！” 伴随着一句句温暖的祝福，牛顿中文学校董事 Eric Shi、SEP 会长万劲以及 iCan Fly 的董事兼主席庄茜，为参加活动的孩子们和志愿者们送上一个个装有金币巧克力的红包，寓意新年的美好祝愿与好运。

        2024年秋天，在沈安平教授的积极推动下，牛顿中文学校与 iCan Fly本着服务社区、服务特需家庭的愿望很快达成了这次合作意向：由牛顿中文学校提供场地和文具经费，SEP 负责提供志愿者支持，由 iCan Fly 负责宣传、报名、文具准备、课程设计及现场教学。2024年11月，Hands & Hearts 系列手工活动正式启动，并连续举办四期，于2025年2月圆满收官。

        在这四次活动中，每期均有 8-10 个特需家庭积极报名参加。波士顿的冬天一会大风一会下雪，但家长们每次都准时带着孩子前来参与。牛顿中文学校 SEP 团队也秉持着“一对一”配对的原则，为每位特需儿童安排专属志愿者。如遇志愿者因临时课程冲突无法到场，学校领导、老师及 SEP 学生家长们也都会主动伸出援手，确保每个孩子都能在温暖而细致的陪伴下，享受创意手工的乐趣。

2月2日主题：好运连连迎蛇年

        蛇年当然少不了一条象征好运的小蛇！在老师的引导和志愿者的陪伴下，孩子们利用手工纸、彩笔、剪刀和胶棒等简单工具，发挥创意，一条条精美的蛇年手工作品应运而生，寓意新的一年好运连连、福气满满。

1月12日主题：立体窗花迎新年

       贴窗花，迎新年，满屋喜气洋洋！孩子们挑选自己喜爱的颜色，耐心剪裁、拼贴，精心制作出一幅幅别具匠心的立体窗花。当一个个五彩缤纷的窗花被举在手上，映照着窗外的冬日暖阳，孩子们的脸上也绽放出欢乐的笑容。

1月5日主题：新年日历迎新年

       新的一年即将启程，如何记录专属于自己的美好时光？老师带领孩子们一起展望一年中的美好时刻——一月的皑皑白雪、三月的纸鸢满天、八月的野外露营、十月的感恩丰收……随后，孩子们按照自己的喜好，在日历的每个月份空格里绘制下这些美好回忆，制作出独一无二的个性化新年日历。

11月24日主题：感恩火鸡感恩情       

    感恩的季节里，小小的手掌化身为独特的创作元素！孩子们在志愿者哥哥姐姐的帮助下，在彩纸上勾勒出自己的小手印，拼贴出色彩斑斓的感恩节火鸡。在牛顿中文学校的教室里，在 iCan Fly 手工老师的带领下，孩子们全神贯注地完成每一项制作，感受手工创作的乐趣，也在欢声笑语中表达着对生活的感恩之情。

       在各期活动期间，所有课程内容均由活动策划与Hui Zhu设计并主持，iCan Fly董事兼主席庄茜、董事Melody Jiang, Esther Zhang与牛顿中文学校校长员玉娟、宣传部长梁楠亲临现场并恳切交流，探讨如何进一步提升对特需群体的支持与服务。同时，他们也为每一个完成手工的特需孩子加油欢呼，鼓励他们勇敢尝试，享受手工的乐趣。

        此外，校董事 Eric Shi、SEP 会长万劲和方华、校刊主编李青俊等也多次到场，不仅关心志愿者的签到情况，还亲自陪伴特需孩子，与他们互动交流，并与家长们耐心沟通，倾听他们的需求与建议。每一次的到访和关怀，既是对特需家庭的温暖支持，更是着眼未来，思考如何为这个群体提供更加细致、周到的服务，让每一个孩子都能在充满关爱的环境中茁壮成长。

后记：

        iCan Fly的每一次活动都离不开各方的建议与反馈。正是这些宝贵的声音，让我们的活动不断优化，让每一位特需儿童都能在温暖、包容的环境中收获成长与快乐。

    牛顿中文学校董事Eric Shi对iCan Fly的活动组织者说：“我个人非常支持这个公益活动，也非常愿意牛中和iCan Fly长期合作。”

        SEP志愿者学生家长看了活动照片后说：“活动组织得很好，看得出SEP的大哥哥大姐姐们非常有爱心，great team work！”

        iCan Fly的董事兼主席庄茜说：“特殊需求孩子的活动实在太少，因此 iCan Fly 将持续为大家提供丰富的活动，让孩子们在学习新技能的同时结交朋友。同时，我们也希望为家长们打造一个安全、开放的交流空间，让大家能够相互学习、彼此支持。特别感谢牛顿中文学校与我们的合作，共同为孩子们创造更多成长与互动的机会！”

    最后，当然少不了那些从各个镇专程带着特需孩子前来参加活动的家长们的肯定和鼓励，给予了所有活动组织者无比的信心和动力。期待下期活动再见！