Fall 2009 Session of PECC China School

Ni Hao!

Welcome to the Fall 2009 Session of PECC China School! There are many EXCITING changes for the upcoming session that will run September 13 - November 22~

Interested in helping?

Part of the program includes interaction with a DVD. The ideal situation would be for each class to have their own setup, so we are not moving TVs and/or students room-to-room. The school is in search of TVs, DVD players and TV stands (preferably on wheels). If you have any of these items that you are not using, we can put them to use!

We are also looking for Chinese-speaking individuals that would be interested in helping out in the classroom. If interested, please let us know!

If there is a particular Chinese topic you are knowledgeable about and would like to share with the students during culture time, we are always looking for unique ideas!

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On a personal note, I am VERY excited for the changes and I hope you are too!! I believe this program will encourage the children to want to speak Chinese in a more social environment. I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon!! PLEASE feel free to respond if you have any questions or suggestions.

Lynne MacConnell

Class 11: May 3, 2009

Our Spring session came to a close on Sunday, but it was a blast! All of the students participated in a short program featuring Chinese readings and a musical performance of "Chun Tian Hao." We are all so proud of their accomplishments. Shortly after wrapping up the program, the kids had a chance to spend all of the coins they earned during the Spring session at our "store." We played carnival games out in the parking lot and had even more chances to earn coins to spend. The weather was great, we couldn't ask for a better day! Thanks everyone for all of your hard work and making this a great semester -- we'll see you next Fall!

Ni Hao China Friends!!

This week will be our last class for the Spring 2009 session. Children will attend a shortened class to review songs and/or material studied. After, there will be a program for the students to share with family members what they have learned over the semester.... don't forget your camera! We are so proud of their accomplishments and we know you will be too!!

Following the brief program, the students will have an opportunity to "spend" the coins they have earned over the semester. They will also have a chance to earn more coins playing games at the carnival planned.

We are asking each family to bring a dessert to share.....keep it simple!! Past experience tells us the children will be doing a lot of running around!!

We will also have a sign-up sheet for all those returning in the Fall. Due to limited classroom space, new students will only be accepted based on the number of previous students returning. We want to make every effort to place returning students first......... don't forget to sign up!! No classroom fee will be collected at this time.

THANK YOU for a GREAT Spring session!!

PECC Staff

Class 10: April 26, 2009

The kids had a great time learning about Chinese calligraphy. Miss Georgia taught everyone how to hold the brush straight up and down and to paint characters gracefully on practice sheets.

Class 9: April 19, 2009

Thanks to all the grandparents who attended our class! We had a special treat this week with Grandma Lin demonstrating how to make Chinese rice cakes for the older kids, and then demonstrating how to make noodles with the rest of the kids. Everyone had a chance to participate and get their hands gooey! A sampling of the rice cake and lo-mein noodles were served to all and was very yummy... thanks to Grandma Lin! For those of you missed the class or would like to try the recipes at home, you can download them here. Click here for the Noodle recipe, or click here for the Chinese Rice Cake.

April 19: Bring Your Grandparents to School Day

Hi Everyone! Please remember that all students are welcome to bring their grandparents to class this week.

April 12 - Easter - NO CLASS

Just a reminder, we will not have class this week, April 12. Classes resume on April 19. See you then!!!

Class 8: April 5, 2009

This week, we read Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding, then we made paper flowers. First, we traced our hand on a piece of construction paper. Next, we cut the outline hand shape out and created curves by rolling the finger-like ends in a pencil. We then took two strips of green paper, folded them in half, then cut them into leaf shapes and lightly rolled the ends of the leaves around a pencil so they appeared curved . Each leaf shape had a hole punched out of the center. The hand shape served as the flower which was attached to a straw using tape. We then slipped the straw through the holes in the two leaves, taped the leaves to the straw, and added a pipe cleaner in the flower as a finishing touch.

Class 7: March 29, 2009

We held our Easter Egg Hunt one week ahead to adjust for everyone's schedules. The eggs were carefully planted in the woods next to the church parking lot. There were also a few silver and gold eggs with special treats!

Class 6: March 22, 2009

This week, we read the book The Empty Pot, then the kids all had a chance to make their own pots and plant seeds. Thanks to all of the parents for keeping the mess under control! If you have a chance, plant your "newspaper pot" outdoors when the chance of frost has passed.

Please mark your calendars that the Easter Egg Hunt will be held next class, March 29 instead of April 5. We will continue with the Wedding theme on April 5. Also as a reminder, there is no class on April 12, class will resume on April 19.

Class 5: March 15, 2009

The kids are doing great with our new song Spring is Good. The boys sang with a lot of enthusiasm, especially during the "la la la la lal la" parts. Now if they only do that for the rest of the song! The theme of the week was "panda" and we read the book Watch Me Grow. The kids created a panda craft for their activity (see photo).

Class 4: March 8, 2009

Today we welcomed back Miss Georgia, but we were without Miss Jenny and Miss Lynne. Miss Lynne's daughter, Brittany, read Two of Everthing (ISBN 0-8075-8157-7) and the kids got to play ping pong for their activity. The Rabbits started Lesson 2 in their workbooks.

Class 3: March 1, 2009

For our third session, the kids continued their progress learning Spring is Good. We’ve now made it through the whole song! For culture, we read the book The Greatest Treasure. Everyone had a chance to try their hand with watercolor painting, and the results were fantastic! The Rabbits finished going through their Lesson 1 homework and turned in their “A” workbook. Miss Georgia has been gone the past couple of weeks, we miss her!

Class 2: February 22, 2009

In our second class, the theme was China. The kids started a new song for Spring called Spring is Good. We got to move the singing upstairs in the hallway, and the kids sounded great! For culture, we read We're From China and for our activity, we played Chinese-themed games. The Rabbits continued with their new workbooks checking homework from Lesson 1 - Learning Characters.

Class 1: February 15, 2009

Today was our first Spring session class. We spent the beginning of class registering the students, then reviewed songs we learned in 2008. For our culture class, we read My First Chinese New Year and I Don't Have Your Eyes. For our activity, we created a paper ox and finally we celebrated Chinese New Year with a dragon parade. The Rabbits started their new Zhongwen workbooks going through Lesson 1 - Learning Characters. The kids took home their “A” workbook for daily homework. If you would like to download the paper ox activity, click here.