San Francisco Schools Connect To China And Its Chinese Community

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School The Alice Fongstayed with host families and participated in classes
Yu Alternative School, one San Francisco School, isand school functions including English, art and modern
the first Chinese immersion school in the United States.dance classes. The Chinese students were able to
The school is designed as a two-way Chinese/Englishtour City College, the Chinese Consulate and many
instructional environment. The school provides aninteresting tourist destinations in the San Francisco
outstanding educational experience for children of allarea. Both the local and Chinese students spent their
backgrounds. All students at Alice Fong Yu developtime practicing English and Mandarin. Dance and Art
competency in the Cantonese and English languagesStudents from San Francisco Schools Travel to China
and use the two languages actively in the contentOther programs in San Francisco Schools have
curriculum. The school aims to have all students to beallowed students to travel to China to participate in
able to converse in and become literate in both Englishinternational exchanges and competitions. This summer
and Cantonese by 5th grade. The Mandarin languagefive students from the San Francisco School of Arts
is added after the fifth grade. The Mandarin/Englishwill travel to ShenZhen, China as representatives of
program is similar in scope and function to thethe United States at the ShenZhen International Culture
Cantonese/English program. The program is intendedand Arts Festival. As part of an Educational Exchange
to vigorously include the staff, parents, and students inprogram facilitated by Dr. Marie Lee, Director of East
cultural and language education. The Alice Fong YuWest Child Research and Development Center and
school uses parents and volunteers in a variety offormer school administrator of the San Francisco
enrichment programs such as, Performing ArtsSchools, all student expenses in China will be provided
Workshop, Poets in the Schools, and science andin full by the ShenZhen Nanshan Government. The five
library consultants. The Alice Fong Yu Alternativeselected students will perform two dances, Chant of
School's Chinese Exchange Program Created in 2000,the Sirens and Basin Street Blues. The School of the
the exchange program sends the eighth grade classArts students were the only students from the United
to Beijing to meet their Chinese pen pals. The programStates invited to the Festival in 2006. The three
gives students the opportunity to use their knowledgehundred students at the Festival represented countries
of the Chinese language and culture in a real lifefrom around the world including: Australia/ New
experience. The students travel to Beijing and HongZealand, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, India,
Kong where they meet Chinese students their ownTaiwan, Hong Kong, and others. Along with performing
age. This experience allows students to experienceat the Festival students will visit schools, attend art
the culture first-hand and put their language skills to theexhibitions, eat new foods, visit tourist locations, and
ultimate test. In January of 2005, the program camelearn about Chinese culture and language while staying
closer to being a true exchange program. Sanwith Chinese families and students.
Francisco Schools through the Alice Fong Yu SchoolPatricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12,
hosted students and teachers from The Experimentalproviding free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and
High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. Theprivate K-12 schools.
selected students and two teachers from China