Newsletter - May 17, 2009

Principal: Andrew Shih

• Our school has had a good relationship with Clarke Middle School largely because everyone takes good care of the school furniture. However, last week a student entered an unoccupied classroom, turned on a faucet, and let water flood a portion of the classroom. Fortunately, one of our parents noticed the running water and quickly alerted our office so that the custodian could avert damage to the entire classroom floor and to the ceiling of the classroom below. The consequences could have been very serious -- expensive repair costs for our school and potential immediate termination of the school contract. Please remind your children of the importance of our obligation and good will to Clarke School.
   
• Enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year started on May 10.  A registration discount applies for enrollment by June 14.  Please discuss any student placement issues with your child’s classroom teacher or the school staff.
   
• The election is over! Elaine Hsu will be our Principal for the 2009-2010 school year, and both Ms. Celia Chu and Ms. Sue Chiu will join the TCLS School Board.
   
• The school plans to host an Open House event on May 17, 2:30–4:30PM, for potential new students.  If you have friends or children who are interested in visiting the school, please let them and the school staff know so that we can provide adequate resources for guided tours.
   
• The school’s final graduation ceremony will be held on June 14. The event will begin at noon, with lunch being served prior to the ceremony at 1:30 PM. Luncheon tickets can be purchased in advance in the office for $5/adult and $3/child.  On Graduation Day, ticket prices will be $6/adult and $4/child.
   
• Our school will hold a Book Exchange event on May 31 to share books or other education-related resources among our families.  Interested parents can contact Ms. Su-Ju Chen (jshiau1@msn.com). 
   
• There is no school on May 24 in observance of Memorial Holiday. We wish every family a good holiday.

Vice Principal: Cho-Li Teng 

Parent Duty Assignment

The following parents are scheduled to work on 5/31/2009         

Givens, Amy 
Grillo, William & Reardon 
Hetherington-Young, Kevin & Vivian  楊柯文 楊裴雯
Carroll, Thomas & Chiang   江麗美
Sung, Francis & Anita   宋秉祥 麥杏薇

The school will send parents/guardians a reminder email a week before their assigned duty, but it is the parents’/guardians’ responsibility to check the email and newsletter.  If you cannot make it on your assigned week(s), please make arrangements with another family and notify the school.

One parent from each family should report to the office (Room 243) at 1:45 pm on each assigned day.  If you cannot attend, please contact Vice-Principal Cho-Li Teng at 781-862-8712 (choli_teng@hotmail.com) or Kai Chuang at 781-863-8213 (kaiyao_chuang@yahoo.com.) 

There is a $50 fine for absence without prior notice to the vice-principal. 

After fulfilling your parent duty on the second week, please remember to pick up your deposit check in the office at 4:00pm. 

Curriculum Director: Tung-Mei Pan

• The 9th grade will have a field trip to visit Yin Yu Tang at the Peabody Essex Museum on May 31.

Bakery: Susan Bottan

Ensure that your favorite baked goods will be available to enjoy at school or at home by placing a pre-order each week. Order forms are found on the table in the back of the cafeteria. All sales proceeds are used to fund school events and activities. Payment is expected at the time your order is placed.  (Please see Susan Bottan for more information.) 

Community:

• The Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association (GBCCA) Chinese Music Ensembles present their Annual Chinese Music Concert at Paine Hall, Harvard University, 7:30pm on Saturday, May 30.  Tickets are required for admission to the concert, and they are free. Children must be 6 or older to attend the concert. For free tickets, please contact Tung-Mei Pan in the office.
   
• Chinese Dance Summer Workshop -- The Bright Pearl Dance Group will hold 3 sessions of dance camp (7/6-7/11, 8/3-8/8 and 8/17-8/22) for students older than 6 years old.  Students will learn various Chinese dance techniques.  A final performance will be held on the last day of each session. Camp Director Na (Joanna) Zhou has a Master’s Degree of Dance in Higher Education from New York University (NYU) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Performance from the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing.  She is currently an active member of the National Dance Education Organization.  Class location: 68 West Cummings Park, Woburn, MA.  Please contact: Joanna Zhou (347) 749-5715, nazhou@ymail.com
   
• Chinese Folk Art Workshop (www.folkartboston.org) will hold its Spring Performance at Casey Theatre, Regis College in Weston MA on June 6^th (Saturday) at 7:30pm. The program includes Dragon and Lion dance, Chinese Yoyo, Drums and many beautiful Chinese folk dances. For tickets, please contact Lih-Ling Lin at 978-369-6265 or lllcubic@yahoo.com
   
• Starting in July 2009, Massachusetts will provide new and improved home-based mental health services for children and youth who are on MassHealth.  For more information, please check the following links: http://www.mass.gov/masshealth/childbehavioralhealth and http://www.RosieD.org.  Family partners are also needed to provide support and assistance to families involved in the new services.  If you are a family member of a child with mental health needs and can use that life experience to mentor other parents, please contact Chien-Chi Huang at (617)776-6820 for this job opportunity.  She is working with the Parents/Professional Advocacy League http://www.ppal.net to outreach to the Chinese community about this important issue.