Dear Springleaf parents,

We have just released the Fall 2022 Newsletter recapping the 2021-2022 school year. Please enjoy the collection of student essays and work from the school year in the newsletter. The newsletter provides a window into the continuous growth in our students’ Chinese skills and a testament to the energy and care you as parents have poured into fostering an environment for your students to grow. We would also like to express appreciation for the teachers in our community, who have continued to teach and mentor our students through the challenges of the past year. We encourage parents to share completed writing assignments and homework from class during the year with teachers, so all of the great work by students can be highlighted in the newsletter.

We would like to thank Mrs. Liao for serving the school for 5 years and teaching Chinese classes to a generation of Springleaf Chinese School students. We want to congratulate and wish her the best in her new teaching endeavors. We have invited Mr. Zheng to join our teaching team to teach Chinese for our higher-level students. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees in English and International Relations in China and also received degrees in History and Business in the United States. Since many students in the Level 11 and Level 12 classes currently are preparing for college admissions, Mr. Zheng would like to utilize the time on Saturday well to both help students learn Chinese and grow their abilities to write in the personal essay style, a style that is particularly helpful for college applications, as well as beyond in the academic and professional world.

In the past few years, we have leveraged educational technology to deliver an experiential and interactive learning experience to students. This includes using Quizlet flashcards and memory activities to enhance spaced repetition techniques for acquiring and learning new Chinese characters and Peardeck to design classes that incorporate active learning methods and formative assessments. Active learning methods promote students’ active participation in knowledge construction processes and have been shown to help students more effectively learn content and also develops students’ autonomy and ability to learn independently.

Thank you for your continued support for Springleaf Chinese School. We look forward to seeing you and your students in the new year!

Springleaf Chinese School