Join Us to Celebrate the New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our families. We hope that you are all looking forward to embracing a beautiful and amazing decade!! I am not just hoping for the year 2020, I am hoping for all of 2020. And the recurring theme from families and friends is that we need more PAASSC events.

The powers that be have heard the requests and we are looking at two great opportunities to connect PAASSC youth and families.

Chinese New Year Potluck (1/25/2020):

Potluck will be held at a private home in Berkeley from 2-4pm. Youth will make pot stickers beginning at 2:30pm. This should make for a fun and socially engaging event for all. RSVP: info@paassc.com.

PAASSC Snow Day @ Granlibakken (February 1, 2020):

Youth ages four and older are able to participate in private lessons (group of five youth) at a discounted rate (approximately $100/youth). Ski or snowboard lessons include rentals, lift ticket and access to sledding. Families that want to sled can do so $20/person. Leave your sleds at home, the mountain restricts personal sleds so you have very little to pack. RSVP: info@paassc.com.

Bilingual Black History Posters:

Many of our Chinese Immersion schools have a very small population of students of African heritage. PAASSC posters provide that opportunity to enhance and increase belongingness and inclusion on your school’s campus. Please see our store for more information.

Our Mandarin Journey: Meet the Ferreiras

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This Saturday: Watch Black Panther with PAASSC under the Autumn Moon!

This weekend is the annual Autumn Moon Festival, and you’re invited to celebrate it with us, PAASSC style!

We will meet up at Dolores Park in San Francisco at 5 pm for fun and games. Light refreshments will be provided, but feel free to bring a dish.

Then at 7 pm, Film Night in the Park will host a free screening of Marvel’s Black Panther. The organizers say picnic baskets, blankets and even sleeping bags are welcome, but please avoid bringing chairs.

On the day of this event, PAASSC director Jamila will post a pic of the group’s location inside the park on the PAASSC Facebook page. You can also call or text her for more information at (510) 684-3827.

Film Night in the Park is presented by the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation.

Wakanda forever!

PAASSC Students Meet Chinese Consul General During Arts Festival Kickoff

On Friday, September 7, PAASSC students Daria Belle, Kiah Smith, and Sanaa Smith got a chance to meet Chinese Consul General Wang Donghua and his wife, Liu Bin, during the official kickoff of the “Across the Pacific: China Arts Festival” in San Francisco. Now in its 5th year, this six-week festival is held across the Pacific Northwest, in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Portland, Ore., as well as in Las Vegas, Nev.

Daria Belle, who is in the 7th grade at Yu Ming Charter School in Oakland, was even quoted by Xinhuanet, an online affiliate of China’s state news agency. “I have been learning Chinese for eight years,” she told the reporter. “I love the fantastic Chinese food and like to listen to Chinese music.” She and her sister, Zoe, presented the Consul General and his wife with artwork on behalf of Yu Ming.

In addition to Daria and the Smith girls, the kickoff was attended by Eric Peterson, principal of West County Mandarin School in Richmond, Calif.; PAASSC board member (and Daria’s dad) Randolph Belle and his younger daughter, Zoe; and PAASSC founder Jamila Nightingale, who is also Kiah and Sanaa’s mom.

According to the Xinhuanet.com article, “The festival is part of the China-U.S. cultural communication and exchange projects sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism.”

If you want to learn more about the festival events, read this article on China Daily. The San Francisco Public Library also includes information about an exhibit and films it is hosting in conjunction with the festival on page 5 of its September 2018 newsletter.

3 Lists to Help You Start the School Year Off Right

It seems like just yesterday that the school year ended. Now it’s time for another grade, another classroom, and another set of adventures in Mandarin immersion.

Whether your family is wrapping up school shopping or already getting settled back into your daily routines, please take a moment to check out these three amazing listicles from GreatSchools.org:

School Supply Lists for Every Grade. This article contains lists for pre-school through high school students. The elementary school grades are broken into lists for early and later grade levels. The authors wisely recommend cross checking these lists against those supplied by your children’s schools.
Creating the Perfect Homework Space. This article encourages parents to build a functional, distraction-free study nook by considering their children’s work habits, temptations, and needed resources among other things.
Smart Afterschool Snacks. The most effective homework space could be rendered useless if your child is too hopped up on sugar or too hangry to focus. This article provides nutritional suggestions for tasty snacks that will give your learner the energy to hit the books with gusto… or at least with focus.

Wishing you and your family an excellent school year!

Free This Weekend: African American Shakespeare Company Mini-Performance

Scene from African American Shakespeare Company’s 2018 production of Richard III.

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