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New Year
New Opportunites
New Challenges
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Dear MIP families,
Happy new year! As we enter the Year of Rat, let’s start out with some new year greetings: 鼠年大吉! 鼠年数钱数不完!
Please have your child read it to you if you can’t understand it! LOL! Joking aside, let me provide everyone a general, perhaps rambling update about our program.
First, I’m glad to report that we’ve made some progress in our lobbying effort to expand the program. Last school year, we successfully petitioned FUSD to promote our MIP 8th graders to MSJHS so they could further pursue their Mandarin education there. This was approved initially only as a one-year pilot, but it appears that FUSD is now prepared to continue it for at least a second year. In early February our 8th grade families received their letters of intent to MSJHS. Hopefully in the near future the matriculation to MSJHS will become a permanent feature of the program, so all of us will have better clarity about our high school options. Of course, we’ll continue to strive for an official high school program, but keeping our kids together in a single school is a critical first step toward that goal.
We’ve also lobbied for adding more kinder classes to our program. In recent years the demands for our program have grown so much that now even families with sibling priority might not be guaranteed a spot in the program. Twice this school year we’ve organized parents to lobby for expansion at the school board meetings. It now appears that FUSD is finally taking notice, and we have been told that FUSD is looking at different expansion options to recommend to the school board, perhaps as early as this Spring. While I’m cautiously optimistic that the district will act soon to expand the program, getting to the finish line is, as always, an arduous and political process, and plans might change at the last minute due to many factors, including, for example, where FUSD might place the Spanish Immersion Program, the projected student enrollments at other FUSD elementary schools, and/or the availability of kindergarten classrooms (with access to restrooms) at different schools. We will keep everyone updated.
Another issue that we have been concerned about is how to provide better support for our families. This year, for some reasons, I have heard from more parents who are concerned that their their children are struggling in the program. The circumstances of every complaint are different, of course, but some believe that the program
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MIP Parent Info Exchange
Apr. 22, 2-4PM
Liberty Commons Clubhouse
Hopkins Music Info Meeting
Feb. 25, 7PM
Hopkins, Rm. M1
CIPCF Poetry Recital
Contest,
Mar. 27, 5-8PM
Azevada MPR
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PFA Meetings
First Wednesdays of every month
Hopkins Jr. High Library at 6PM
http://www.hopkinspfa.org/pfa-meetings
Visit Hopkins' Parent Faculty Association (PFA) website at :
https://hjh-fusd-ca.schoolloop.com/pfa
for student activities dates.
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Note that this is a parent-sponsored newsletter. Joseph Azevada Elementary School, Hopkins Jr. High School and Fremont Unified School District are not responsible for the content of this newsletter.
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is becoming too challenging for kids that have no or little Chinese support at home.
To address this concern, we are conducting a survey seeking to get a clearer picture of how our families are supporting our students’ Chinese studying, instead of relying on selected anecdotes. We plan to share the survey results with our parents and teachers. In addition, on Saturday, February 22 we will host a “parent information exchange workshop.” This workshop is intended to provide a forum for parents to exchange information about best practices, tips, and resources to better support our kids’ Chinese learning. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP at brian.lee@cipcf.org.
On the bright side of things, I’d like to mention that Katie Chin and Amy Wester have done a wonderful job with Math Club this Spring. The dynamic Katie/Amy duo is such a success story of parent volunteerism. In addition to managing the weekly Math Club, they also started Math in Action, a weekly math challenge open to all Azevada students. In February they also started a series of classes to help 3rd grade students (MIP and English only) prepare for the national Math Kangaroo exam in March. Singlehandedly, Katie and Amy have made math learning an essential part of the kids’ education experience here at Azevada. They are awesome!
I’d also like to mention our adorable Azevada choir, led by our choir director, JoJo McCoy. Music education has been overlooked in public education for years. In times of scarce resources, music education is often the first program to be cut. As a firm believer in the lifetime benefits of learning music, I believe it is a mistake. That’s why it has been such a special experience to work with JoJo to introduce choir singing to the Azevada kids. Through the many weeks of careful and patient instructions, our kids have thrived. The Azevada choir, along with other choirs organized by JoJo, will perform on April 3rd at Logan Performance Art Center. Don’t miss it.
Finally, I’d like to voice my support for Measure L, the controversial proposed new parcel tax of $296 a year that FUSD is asking voters to approve on March 3rd. FUSD is facing an annual budget shortfall of $26 million. The proposed parcel tax would raise $18.3 million a year and would be in addition to the existing $73 annual parcel tax approved in 2016 for a total parcel tax of $369 a year. I understand Measure L is highly contentious, and many parents don’t support it because they are frustrated with how the district has seemingly operated without accountability to taxpayers. I understand the frustration, but regardless of the reasons for the deficit, what is undisputed is that if Measure L does not pass, the district will have no choice but to make deep cuts that will undoubtedly affect the classrooms.
As of the writing of this article, FUSD is considering a wide range of cost-saving measures, including, for example, cutting zero period at Hopkins, which would save the district $50,000 a year, but would deprive MIP students’ ability to take an elective like orchestra, bands, robotics, etc. Of the 120 students that take zero period at Hopkins, 60 are from MIP and 30 from SIP. Zero period is the ONLY way for immersion students to take electives that are available to non-immersion students. Many of those that take zero period participate in Hopkins’ nationally recognized and highly acclaimed music program. Eliminating zero period would literally gut the music program, deny our kids of their electives, and only save the district $50,000 a year (less than 0.2% of the projected deficit). The fact that FUSD is considering it, despite the minimum savings, shows how desperate it is in dealing with the budget shortfall. Nobody likes new taxes, but without Measure L passing, the losers will be Fremont students.
Sorry about the hodgepodge of issues being discussed here. Please feel free to talk to me or any other officers and/or trustees if you have any questions concerning any of the above. Happy new year.
Brian Lee
CIPCF President
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District Changes that Could Affect You
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Measure E Update
By Jeff Bowen, CIPCF Co-Founder, Trustee Pres.,
Member of the Measure E Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee
Part of the funds raised by Measure E to upgrade and repair Fremont schools were earmarked for the Hopkins middle school conversion Due to costs overruns, the district mentioned the possibility of there not being enough money to complete the conversion in a timely fashion. There are also rumors that MIP could be relocated from Hopkins and Mission to other schools. Although I personally have been reassured from district staff that the Hopkins conversion will be completed as scheduled, the district is still considering changes that will affect the MIP and SIP programs.
This could happen as soon as next fall. We expect to hear from the District over the next few weeks of their plans for the Mandarin and Spanish immersion programs.
Please stand by as we may ask all MIP families to write to the school board to voice their opinions to the district.
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Source: Fall 2019 Measure E Bond Projects Update Newsletter, posted 11/15/19
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Summary
- As of 1/6/2020, the total budget for Measure E amounts to $669,664,161 ($650M bond plus accrued interest)
- Completed projects: $109,785,475
- In-progress projects (including Hopkins Conversion): $189,625,215
- Not started projects (being held in the event that more funds are required to complete the Middle School conversions): $61,324,094
- There is a contingency (reserve) fund of $13,037,698
Middle School Conversion Status
You will see some rather obvious budget overruns on most of the following projects. Most, if not all, of this is due to much higher material and labor costs, caused by the many disasters (fires, hurricanes, floods) that have hit California and the rest of the US over the past several years. Not only are materials harder to find and procure, finding available labor is also problematic. Some of the construction workers are coming in from out-of-state to complete the work.
Walters Middle School (the first and only one to be completed so far) original budget: $40,811,221 Projected final budget: $40,811,221 (it will finalize once the final walk-thru is complete)
Horner Middle School (nearing completion) original budget: $67,523,185 Projected final budget: $98,111,347
Thornton Middle School original budget: $61,822,985 Projected final budget: $76,002,985
Centerville Middle School original budget: $67,333,142 Projected final budget: $87,233,148
Hopkins Middle School original budget: $68,100,344 Projected final budget: $84,061,263
The construction at Thornton, Centerville, and Hopkins has not started yet. They are in various phases of design and design approval (the state of CA has to approve all school architectural plans). Once they start, I would expect there to be some additional escalation costs for each of them, which is why the board/district is putting a hold on many of the remaining projects.
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Rex Minor is an 8th grade Mandarin Immersion Program student.
Hopkins Jr. High is not only known for academics, but also band. We asked Rex to tell us about the social activities that is offered at Hopkins.
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I am Rex Minor, an 8th grader at Hopkins. I’ve been a student in the Chinese Immersion Program since kindergarten which was the second class started in the program at Azevada. Most of the kids in my class have stayed in the program since the beginning and we’ve all helped each other learn Chinese.
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Hopkins is the school that continues the Chinese Immersion Program into junior high. I think that the homework load is easy as long as you don’t procrastinate. I like having different teachers for all the subjects because they all have different methods of teaching and that keeps things interesting. I took Zero period to take band as an extra elective. Zero period is nice because of the lack of traffic going to school around 7 AM and during fall and spring, I don’t have to run in the afternoon heat. I think the teacher in Chinese is really good because she gives a lot of help to prepare for the Chinese Placement test. In the Chinese classes, we have plenty of books and study guides to work from and the lessons are well prepared. We also continue to use iChineseReader for supplemental reading practice.
I think at Hopkins you will experience more diversity of people and have many opportunities to make friends. Band is a good example of a large group where you can make friends. Mr. Conway, the band director, somehow is able to motivate kids to practice and get better at music. His passion for music is infectious to the students and his energy level is evident by his 16-hour workdays full of continuous classes along with before and after school programs. I’m looking forward to band trips which include Disneyland in Los Angeles, NCBA Honor Band in Stockton, and two other festivals. During spring break, a history teacher is leading approximately 60 eighth grade students including me on a tour of Washington, DC.
I believe the Chinese Immersion Program will help me in the future because in High School I can start Chinese at level 3 or 4 in ninth grade. This will provide me more options for electives in later years of high school. I’m glad I was part of the Chinese Immersion Program because the program prepared me for high school and gave me the opportunity to participate in an amazing band at Hopkins.
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Multicultural Night at Azevada
By Emily Pugh, 5th grade
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(Dec. 13, 2019)
The multicultural night is an event at Azevada where you can experience different cultures from around the world. It was on December 13 from 6-8 pm. At multicultural night there was a potluck, a kung fu demonstration, Bollywood dancing and a Choir performance from the Azevada Choir.
There was a potluck where you bring your favorite dishes that represent your culture. There were many different types of food. There was Chinese food, donuts, different varieties of juice, ham and cheese croissants, cupcakes, Hanukkah bread, apple pie, tea eggs, pizza, fruit, chips, water and more.
There was also an amazing kung fu demonstration by the great Thunder Kung Fu Academy. “We practiced 4 hours a week for 3 weeks,” said Aiden, a performer. There were lots of acrobatics, sword fighting, self-defense, and whip defense. Besides, Kung fu there was a wonderful Azevada choir performance to “ Yesterday’s Dream” and “Have a Little Love in your Heart”. Ziena, a singer said,” It was nice performing on stage". Lastly, there was also an amazing Bollywood dancing performance. The dancers from Kennedy High School were so talented and did an amazing job.
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Top: Azevada Choir lead by Jojo McCoy; Middle: Thunder Gongfu, with Azevada's Aiden J. and Kylie J; Bottom: Kennedy School Bollywood Dancers.
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Old Mission San Jose
By 4th grader Audrey Tseng
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This year, the 4th grade class took a fieldtrip to Mission San Jose. We asked Audrey to tell us about her experience.
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Have you seen a mission before? Well, the fourth grade classes, led by our teachers Ms. Jen and Ms. Joost and parent volunteers, went to California’s 14th mission, Old Mission San Jose, right here in Fremont! Mission San Jose was founded June 11,1797, by the Franciscan order. We learned a lot about the history and the church.
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During the trip we learned a lot about California history. For example, we learned that the Spanish people wanted to use the missions to recruit Native Americans to work for them. Also, the missionaries would teach the Native Americans how to build missions. We also learned that in the 1800’s the missionaries and the Native Americans at Mission San Jose raised cattle, horses, and sheep. Mission San Jose was one of the most prosperous of all of the California missions.
We also learned a lot about the church’s ups and downs. For instance, we learned that all missions have a priest who led the church. Also, the missions were important trading centers. Some of the products in the church were traded from other countries. At one point, Mission San Jose owned thousands of cattle and all of the nearby lands. But after Mexico became independent in 1821, the church lost its wealth and prestige. The church went through three periods of management. First, during the Rancho Period guide by Father Jose Gonzalez Rubio, the Mexican government took away many of the lands owned by the mission. Second, during the period when California became a state of USA with the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, the church was damaged in an earthquake and fell into ruin. Finally, in the present day, the mission was restored and converted into a museum, and Mission San Jose is now part of Fremont.
In conclusion, Mission San Jose was a fun trip. We learned a lot about California’s missions and its history. This trip makes me want to visit all of the California missions some day and learn more about California history.
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Chinese New Year Carnival
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(Feb. 5, 2020) To celebrate the Year of the Rat, CIPCF hosted the Lunar New Year Carnival at Azevada. With more than 20 games and activities, students tested their skills at picking up marbles with chopsticks, made glutinous rice balls and created Chinese Blossom Cards and New Year Bookmarks. Thank you to the many parents that volunteered. We could not have done this event without your support.
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F.U.N. Mothers' Club Preschool & Enrichment Fair, Sat, 4/22 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Hearts and Hands Preschool (4111 Alder Ave, Fremont). Free event for families in Fremont, Union City, and Newark. CIPCF will have a booth at this event.
MIP Parent Information Exchange Workshop, Sat. 4/22 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Liberty Common Clubhouse (3500 Taylor Common, Fremont / gate code: #7716). This workshop provides a forum for parents to exchange information about best practices, tips, and resources to better support our kids' Chinese learning. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Brian at brian.lee@cipcf.org.
Hopkins Music Info Meeting, Tues 2/25 at 7:00 PM in Room M1 of Hopkins Junior High School (600 Driscoll Rd., Fremont). Hopkins is holding an information session for parents of all incoming 7th graders who are interested in joining the Band or Orchestra Program in 2020-21. Whether or not your students have ever played an instrument before, there will be a class for anyone wishing to join the Hopkins Instrumental Music Program - among the best in the state and in the nation!
CIPCF Poetry Recital Contest, Fri 3/27 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Azevada MPR. It is time to select your poem! CIPCF will host its fourth annual poetry recital contest at the end of March. More details about contest rules and sign-up will be provided via CIPCF emails.
Lunch Get-Together, Fri 3/6 11:45 AM
It's time to have another Get-Together at MW Chinese Gourmet Restaurant. 36659 Fremont Blvd. Come and join the fun, hang out with other MIP parents. This is a no-host event.
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2019-2020 CIPCF Donations Drive
Thank-you for your Donations
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Agnes & Darrian White
Alan Shao
Alex Chen
Amy Wester
Brian & Yee-Ann Lee
Chi-Ying Lan
Christine and Kean Chew
Cindy Su
Cody Schwebke
Duc Ha & Maggie Hung-Ha
Elie & Emery Wasser
Heng family
James & Liz Cheng
James Kong
Jason & Sandar Hu
Jenny & Wesley Joe
Jenny and Wesley Joe
John & Melissa Yu
Jonny Soedomo & Fransisca Carolina
Julie & David Fan
Karen & Albert Li
Ken & Christina Yeung
Kristina & Binh Tran
Lauren Lim
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Mai & Jimmy Chen
Michael & Lilian Tseng
Patricia Bacon
Robert Lee
Sean Huang
Sherisse Ho
Shlomi Bachar
The Fan Family
The Juang Family
The Jung Family
The Kuo Family
The Wu Family
Thien Khuu & Diep Nguyen
Tim Chiu
Vicky Guo
Wei-Lin Tong
Wendy Lu & Warren Tse
Will & Jamie Chi
Yan Zhou
Ying Fang
Zheng Chai
Zijun Liu
3 Anonymous Donors
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Amy Ho
Andson Tung
Ben Tsui & Trinh Nguyen
Benjamin Wilde
Chris & Kathy Thomas
Chris Chen
Connie Hodgeman
Doris Min
Eileen Lo
Henry & Katie Chin
Jennifer Cheung
Kenny Chen & Qian Wei Feng
Kevin Lim
Lily Garipova
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Linda Yu
Tahamaki Kao
Thomas Liang
Tien Ho
Tim & Angela Hsu
Ting Li Koay
Tom and Grace Wang
Tony & Vivian Wan
Willie Ku
Wing Hui
Yinkee Yee
Yu-Ming Chang
3 Anonymous Donors
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Amy Peng
Chau Lam
Ching-Jyh Wang
Christine & John Pak
Chung Wu
David Bui and Winnie Chu
Devin Chang
Eamonn Kent
Ellena A Mar
Enya Shen
Fengling Shih
Gefeng Liu
Glenn Cai
Henry Fadillah & Melanie Ngai
Ian Chen
Jiezhen Yi
Jimmy Chen & Mai Doan
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Joanna Leong
Junjie Shen
Karen Pimentel
Lin McCarthy
Mary Ann Lin
Michael Ling
Molly Kuang
Nan Zhou
Osborn Chan
Patty Tom
Raymond Chiu
Rose Lau
Shen Shen Pan
Trevor Jones
Walter Chang
Wenqiang Shang
Ying & Betty Li
5 Anonymous Donors
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On Sale - Get your CIPCF t-shirts on Amazon featuring the winning design from last year's contest. Our new CIPCF t-shirts come in both short and long sleeves. On Amazon, type in the search term, "mandarin immersion program" or click on the links below.
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Support CIPCF for Chinese books for the library, computer equipment, iChinese reader and MIP expansion - not fully funded by FUSD
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Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to CIPCF every time you shop.
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Simply register by following the steps below, then shop as you would. Make sure to go to smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com to make sure your donations are registering; it’s the same products, same prices, same services, but you will support CIPCF!
To register your Amazon account with Chinese Immersion Parents' Council of Fremont:
1. Visit smile.amazon.com
2. Sign in with your normal Amazon login information. If you don’t already have an Amazon account, click “Create new account.”
3. When you’re logged in, the first screen you see will ask you to select your charity. In the search box, type in “Chinese Immersion Parents Council of Fremont” and then hit search. CIPCF should come up as your first search result. Then, hit “select” to the right of the organization name.
4. You have officially registered your Amazon account with CIPCF, and 0.5% of every purchase you make through Amazon Smile will be donated.
5. Make sure to bookmark this page so that every time you make an Amazon purchase, you make the transaction through smile.amazon.com (rather than amazon.com). Only purchases made through the Amazon Smile portal will be applicable for donation.
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