Summer camps abroad: Play with pandas in Chengdu

An interesting summer camp opportunity for your preteen:

Sino Language & Beyond has been a responsible and reliable immersion Chinese program provider for more than ten years. We take care of every detail of a summer Chinese camp to provide a great and safe learning experience to students. We remain dedicated to promoting cultural and educational exchange for young people between China and the U.S.

In the summer of 2015, students will have three options with two different locations to earn community service credits or to explore Chinese learning:

1. Volunteer with Pandas in Chengdu- Students can earn 55 community service hours.

2. Leadership & Service in Beijing- Students can obtain up to 80 community service hours.

3. Chinese Language & Culture, Beijing- Intensive Chinese learning at all levels and daily one-on-one oral practice with local students.

In addition, if there are more than EIGHT students in your school to participate one of our summer camps in 2015, the teacher/leader will be able to accompany students with the same trip free of charge. We will be very glad to provide more details about our summer camps in China, tailor-made school trips, as well as our TOTAL SOLUTION SERVICE.The relevant camp information, introduction and news about SLB are sent as attachments with this email.

Dear Vice Presidents, we appreciate your valuable time to view our outstanding summer camps in China, and to share this activity information with your students and parents through UMIC newsletter and by posting the camp information on your resource links.

Meanwhile, in order to convey our sincere support in your Chinese immersion program, Sino Language & Beyond will made a donation to your Chinese Immersion Program according to your students’ successful registration to our summer camps in China.

Please feel free to contact us (1-408-360 9958) at any time for any further information. And wish you have a wonderful working day and looking forward to hearing from you soon!!

Cultural exchange for elementary immersion students

Amanda Conklin, a parent at Wasatch Elementary is planning a trip for immersion students to Taiwan. Students can get penpals prior to going and they will be meeting at schools and doing other great activities. Please see the following for more details:

Dear Chinese Immersion Parents,

Su Ma Ma Chinese Club has initiated several large projects, with great success. Currently, one of these projects is the International Pen Pal Program. Students who participate in this program have fun sharing the culture with each other, not only by writing but also through themes that we talk about in class. Recently, one of our Taiwan Pen Pal Schools (Sagor School) visited Wasatch Elementary and Aspen Elementary. During this visit, the students from Taiwan participated in English classes and visited Chinese Immersion classes at the schools. Students from both countries enjoyed learning from each other. The teachers from Taiwan brought amazing lessons into the Chinese Immersion classes with storytelling and sciences. We are creating a similar experience for our students in Utah, and are planning a trip to Taiwan in June 2015. You can learn more about us by following us on Facebook at Su Ma Ma Chinese Club.

Benefits of this program trip to Taiwan:

• We will visit most of our pen pal schools (Currently there are 8 Taiwanese schools participating).
• Your children will be able to personally meet their pen pals.
• Pen Pal Schools provide a safe learning environment and nice host families.
• We will visit many beautiful national parks and cities.
• We are providing a longer cultural experience with a very fair price.
• Taiwan is a very safe and friendly country to visit. Taiwan has kept many Chinese traditions while adopting a westernized lifestyle.
• Due to our Pen Pal School resources, we will be visiting Taiwan for 2015. In the future, we will provide similar program to China.

LEAF Cultural Exchange, LLC will help provide travel assistance by arranging airfare, transportation, food, host family, etc. The estimated cost of the trip will be approximately $2,850.00 to $3,400.00 for 4 weeks. A bigger group could help cut down the cost.

You are invited to attend a 90 minute informational meeting held at Provo School District Office PDC on Thursday, March 12^th, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

(280 West 940 North, Provo, Ut, 84604)

If you are interested in this incredible cultural opportunity, please contact us and plan to attend this meeting.

Amanda ConklinSu Ma Ma Chinese Club amandasuconklin@yahoo.com 801-979-3451

Dorian ConklinLeaf Cultural Exchange dorian@leafculturalexchange.com 801-921-2303

This trip is not a school district or state sponsored event.

Su Ma Ma Chinese Club, LEAF Cultural Exchange and Pen Pal Schools in Taiwan are organizing this trip.

Study abroad in China this summer

The University of Utah’s Confucius Institute is now taking registrations for its summer abroad program. The Summer Scholars Study Abroad (June 5^th-July 4^th, 2014) is open to High School Students (9th-12th grade) who will have completed at least 2 years of Chinese by the time of the trip.

Participants will fly in to Beijing and spend the first two weeks studying either at Beijing No. 4 High School (a highly prestigious High School) or Nankai University in Tianjin, then spend two more weeks at Sichuan University in Chengdu. Students will participate in intensive Chinese study Monday through Friday, with recreational/educational excursions on the weekends.

The trip is estimated to cost $3700 (not including food; with the current exchange ratio 1:0.16). Scholarships are available for students at the Annual BYU Language Fair in April. The Confucius Institute is applying for a grant funding in January to subsidize student costs. There will also be service opportunities in the summer working as teacher aides for elementary Chinese language summer camps for those who choose to participate, which will also offset costs.  The institute also encourages students to work with their school community or Chinese class for fundraising; for example, a Chinese New Year activity with charged admission.

Spots are limited to 15 students, and will be granted on a first come first serve basis to qualified students. Students will also need to provide a teacher recommendation from their current Chinese teacher.

Register now!

Host a student from China

The Center for High School Global Alliances is looking for families in the Murray/Sandy area to host high school age students from China from July 25 – August 8, 2013

Introduction to Hosting a Chinese Student
The Chinese students are coming to practice their English and to learn about American culture. The most effective way for these students to get this experience is by living with an American host family.

What does a host family do?
• Provide a safe, comfortable environment for a student who would live with your family for 15 days while he or
she visits Utah from July 25 – August 8, 2013.
• Provide meals* such as breakfast and dinner with your family most days and all 3 meals during the weekends.
Students will be home during the evening and on the weekends.
• Drop off and pick up students at Murray/Sandy (SLCC Miller Conference Center 9750 S 300 W, Sandy) each week day and make sure they are able to attend any other scheduled activities. During the day, the student will be attending English classes and other activities. You will receive a schedule of the student’s activities should you decide to host.

In general, you will go about your life as usual. The students are here to learn about American culture and to see how real American families live, so you don’t need to make any special changes in your life or schedule. Of course, since the students will only be in Utah for just over two weeks, and for many of them this will be their first time visiting the United States, they will be grateful to you if you plan a few family activities during their stay with you.

How can you become a host family?
1. Contact David Morgan (below) and request an application.
2. Schedule a time for a quick (5-10 minute) in-home visit by a Host Family Coordinator.
3. A Host Family Coordinator will contact you to provide you with more detailed and updated info. Keep an eye out for updated information and official schedules via email. (Occasionally an email may end up in your junk mail.)
4. If you have any questions or need more information contact our Host Family Director:

David Morgan
801-808-0564
utahdavidm@gmail.com

Thank you for considering this opportunity to serve and to be enriched!

*Gas and food reimbursement available upon request.
Center for High School Global Alliances hostfamilies@highschoolalliances.org 1-801-979-9804

$300 million scholarship opportunity for studying in China

From the New York Times:

“HONG KONG — The private-equity tycoon Stephen A. Schwarzman, backed by an array of mostly Western blue-chip companies with interests in China, is creating a $300 million scholarship for study in China that he hopes will rival the Rhodes scholarship in prestige and influence….

The Schwarzman Scholars program will pay all expenses for 200 students each year from around the world for a one-year master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The program’s creation underlines the tremendous importance of China and its market to Wall Street financiers and corporate leaders, who have become increasingly anxious as security and economic frictions grow between China and the West,” reports the New York Times.