We are excited to host another fun opportunity for your child to explore their second language outside of the classroom.

On Sunday, May 6th @ 2pm, we are hosting a Mandarin Language Play Date that is targeted for children Pre-K to 2nd grade. This play date will be an opportunity for children to gather and sing Mandarin language songs and play games using their Mandarin language. We will have snacks and prizes for the youth. This event will take place at Totland Playground (Virginia and McGee, Berkeley, CA) from 2pm – 3pm.

Also, on May 6th, we will host a Bowling Party for our older children at Albany Bowl (540 San Pablo Avenue, Albany, CA 94706) from 4pm – 6pm. We will start at 4pm with a brief lesson in which the children will learn each other’s names, review the vocabulary that will be used during out the event and get ready for a few fun rounds of bowling.

RSVP by emailing info@paassc.com to confirm which event you would like to attend and the number of children that will be participating. This event is open to all youth that are interested in and/or learning Chinese.

We hosted our first Pumpkin Carving party and I have to admit – IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!

I don’t remember pumpkin carving as a tradition in our house. Which is why I didn’t know that a carved pumpkin rots in a few days. We will host this event closer to Halloween next year but it was still SO MUCH FUN!!

What I enjoyed the most was getting to know other parents. The goal of this year’s PAASSC MeetUp’s is to provide entertaining activities for the children while parents have the opportunity to mix and mingle.

Here are a few pics from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch in 2012! It’s fun to see how much the kids have grown.

• Building Friendships

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• Circle Time

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• Mandarin Language Instruction

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• Fun Activities

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• Silly Times

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• Parent Volunteers

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Hansel and Gretel

Fairy Tale and Classical Music for The Entire FamilyEnjoy this Mandarin language family friendly version of the classic fairy tale with orchestral music, pre/post-show children’s activities and multimedia visuals. This performance is appropriate for children five years and up. The wicked witch flies out the window at the end of the story in this more upbeat re-imaging of the classic children’s fairy tale.
	Live orchestra
	Storytelling
	Multimedia visuals
	Pre/post-show children activities:
	–	instrument petting zoo
	–	dance demonstration
	–	cookie decoration
	Four performances in different languages:English, Russian, Mandarin and Hebrew
About Ming Luke The orchestra is led by San Francisco Ballet conductor maestro Ming Luke. In constant demand as a conductor, pianist and educator, Ming Luke is known for his energetic performances. This past year alone, he has worked with ensembles in Moscow, London, Vienna, Salzburg, the Czech Republic and the U.S. Locally, he has worked with the San Francisco Ballet, Opera San Jose, Sacramento Opera, Napa Regional Dance Company, Sacramento Philharmonic and Napa Valley Symphony.
More about Ming Luke

Date:	Sunday, September 29
Times:	10:30 AM:  English 11:30 AM: Russian 1:30 PM: Mandarin 2:30 PM: Hebrew
Location:	Schultz Cultural Arts Hall
Fee:	$15 Members, students & children ages 14 & under | $18 Non-Members | $20 at the door, space permitting

I subscribe to a few blogs and a few of them sent out thank you notes to their subscribers. I have no idea why I didn’t think of that. And now that I have I wanted to send out a quick thank you for all of you that take the time to read about what’s happening with our organization.

I love PAASSC. I know what motivates me to keep it going and I know why my children continue to look forward to each event but I would love to hear more of why it works for you and your family.

Top 5 Reasons I love PAASSC!

1. Great Kids: Most of the kids have no idea what PAASSC is – especially the younger ones. They just show up for a play date, meet the teacher and are again immersed into the Chinese language for about an hour with students from all of the bay area (from Berkeley to the Peninsula). I anticipate that PAASSC outings will continue to help our youth build their confidence and comfort in speaking Chinese in the community.
2. Excellent Volunteers: I don’t know where we would be without our volunteers. My daughter has fallen in love with Tian Qian Laoshi (and her husband). Tian Qian brings a warm and caring presence to her instruction and has has made significant contributions to our lesson plans. An additional hats off to Lynn & Justin. They have been an amazing asset to our organization with their enthusiasm for what we are building at PAASSC. Their  commitment and support has been amazing. Xinfeng’s participation last year helped to raise the bar. She pulled out all the stops to engage the children and for that we continue to be thankful. Our Mandarin speaking volunteers are one of the most valued assets of our organization.
3. Enthusiastic Members: While membership is lower than we had hoped we still have super excited members. I love the phone calls, texts, check ins and the “rotating” participation – you may not all show up to the same event but you do show up. In addition to members the subscribers to our site have been a wonderful inspiration to me. We average a new subscriber every other week. I always get a little smile when I receive an email confirming a new subscriber. And so far we have not had one person “unsubscribe”.
4. Supportive Administrators: Every time I have an opportunity to speak with a school administrator I receive a significant amount of support and encouragement. It continues to be difficult to identify the specific direction that PAASSC will take over the next year because there are so many options. The feedback from administrators has been very helpful in exploring these options as we are narrowing/expanding our focus.
5. The Hanban (Chinese Ministry of Education): There is nothing that can compare to my trip to China. A heartfelt thank you to the Hanban and the Collegeboard for sponsoring an incredibly informative and inspiring trip. While it was a very difficult time to be away from family, it was an extraordinary excursion and has widened my perspective of the Chinese culture and has definitely influenced the PAASSC planning process.