About Us
The School is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity and we are a non-denominational, non-partisan and independent institution. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, nationality, religion, physical condition, or scholastic ability.
The School was originally founded as part of the Organization of Chinese Americans chapter for Fairfield County, Connecticut (now the OCA-FC) in 1975 by the parents of Chinese-American students living around lower Fairfield County. Since that time, we have attracted students from all over Connecticut, as well as from Westchester and Rockland counties in New York. Over the last thirty-five years, we have graduated over a thousand students from our School. Currently, we offer Chinese language courses for pre-K to high school students and our students have the choice of whether to learn Chinese using the simplified or the traditional writing systems. A typical non-adult student attending our school will, upon graduation, have received sufficient instruction to permit him/her to sit for the on-line Chinese Language SAT II test the following academic year. However, we want to be more to our students than a place of language instruction - we seek to have them enjoy their time with us and to look upon their classmates as friends who are bound by a mutual desire and interest in learning Chinese.
The Academic Curriculum Please click here to learn more about our academic curriculum.
Extra-Curricular Activities We believe that as a living language, Chinese cannot be taught in isolation from its cultural background. As part of the School’s programs, we offer our students the opportunity to participate in cultural classes in Chinese arts & crafts, calligraphy, chess, painting, songs (chorus class), folk-dancing and martial arts. Many of these classes are guided by instructors specially hired for the purpose.
The OCA We continue to be proudly affiliated with the OCA-FC, which is the local chapter of the OCA, a national organization for all Asian-Americans and that has been involved in civil rights activities since its inception. Each year, the School organizes and participates in numerous activities together with the OCA-FC.
Other Affiliations. The School is a member of, or is affiliate with, various national organizations focused on the teaching of the Chinese language in North America.
Our Teachers and Administrative Staff Our teachers and administrative staff are all University or College level graduates from China, Taiwan and/or the U.S. and they come to us dedicated to the highest teaching standards, with the same goals and aspirations for our students as our students have for themselves. Each teacher is designated to teach either a simplified Chinese or traditional Chinese class at one academic level, and each teacher is responsible for no more than 15 students.
Our Board We are managed by a combination of the School administrators (most of whom are also teachers in the School) and our board. Our board members include parents of current students and past graduates. All of our board members serve the School on a pro bono basis and are dedicated to the goal of furthering the mission of the School. Our board members bring experience and provide input for the management and operation of the School from a variety of backgrounds and professional experiences.
The PTA Our success will not be possible without the continuous and dedicated involvement of our students' parents. The PTA of the school is an invaluable and essential element of the School's administration and operations. All parents are automatically enrolled in our PTA, and we welcome parents involvement in the activities of the school from supervising breaks and providing instruction for cultural activities, to attending parent meetings and providing suggestions for the continued improvement of the School.