2009 - 2010 Welcome Letter:

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Dear Parents, Students and Faculty, 

All of us know why we send our children to Westside Chinese School and what we expect them to gain from the experience: 
-    a high school foreign language credit
-    a leg up in the college application process
-    an advantage in the job market post-graduation
-    cultural enrichment and exposure to Asian traditions and culture
-    a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the world's next superpower

I'd like to reflect for a moment, however, on the special community of parents, students and teachers that we have created in our school - the uniquely nurturing and self-sustaining organism that is CLSSC. 

As I sit and observe the classes, I must commend our teachers for embracing the curriculum changes that we recently instituted. It has been anything but easy for them.  I am continually amazed at how much extra effort our instructors put into each class and how hard they work to include Chinese cultural experiences and history into every lesson they teach.

From Joanne Tsai's tea ceremony to Angela Fang's spirited karaoke and Huei-Chung Jaw's moon cake baking, each of our teachers strives to enrich and enlarge the learning experience by including Chinese culture. Our parent volunteers and our PTA play a large role in enhancing our school experience as well. Have you tried Richard Davis's tea eggs yet?  Richard runs our snack program and makes the eggs himself every week.  How about his wife Marianne's mango jelly pudding?  You can find it for sale at the snack tables, and it's delicious!  

The primary focus of our school is academics, as of course it should be.  But it is the combination of this academic focus and our impressive array of cultural offerings that make the Westside Chinese School such a unique and wonderful destination - a community of like-minded teachers and families with a passion for learning and experiencing Asian culture. 

Thank you for participating. 

Best, Jean Huang
CLSSC Principal

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