Shu Ren International School (Berkeley, CA)
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Shu Ren International School
May 2009
Hi -- I'm looking for feedback on Shu Ren's preschool and/or
after school program, particularly from parents whose children
did not already speak Mandarin upon entering the school. Did
your child learn Mandarin within the first year? Are the
teacher(s) nurturing and loving? I want my child to learn
Mandarin, but I don't want to sacrifice the wonderful, caring
environment he currently is in. Thanks!
Global Mom
My son has been in the preschool at Shu Ren since the fall and we
love it. He's been happy there since the first day and looks
forward to going to school every morning. The teachers and staff
are all nurturing and loving with the children, and it's a very
friendly, warm atmosphere for parents and students. The Pre-K
class has seen a lot of changes throughout the year since it has
grown from 2 students to almost 20, but despite the constant
stream of new students, the teacher has done a great job making
everyone feel welcome and comfortable. My son spoke Chinese
before he went there, but his comfort level with the language has
improved greatly and he now tells me he likes Chinese more than
English. I know that the children who didn't speak Chinese when
they came have learned quickly, especially those there full-time.
The teachers are very good about communicating with parents, and
they post photos and updates about what they do in class each
week on a blog. It's a wonderful school and we highly recommend it.
Happy Shu Ren parent
Neither my wife nor I speak Mandarin and so our duaghter did
not know any Mandarin starting school at Shu Ren. Our daughter
has been going to their preschool for a little over a month.
She is enrolled full time program (7:30AM to 6:00PM). So far we
have had very good experience with the school. I think they
have amazing teachers. Their main preschool teacher Meng-Pei
Chen is wonderful with kids. The school's director Jie Moore is
very knowledgeable about education. Their after-school program
is also excellent. My daughter always feels happy about going
to the school and she always seems very happy when I pick her
up in the evening. This means a lot to me. As an added
benefit, our daughter likes to try to teach us Mandarin when
she comes home.
Overall, I feel lucky that such a school exits close to where
we live. I would whole heartedly recommend it.
Nilabh
We simple love it. My son began without knowing how to speak
any Chinese and is now fluent. The transformation has been
amazing. The kids are happy and the teachers are passionate
and I can tell they care a lot about the kids they teach.
There is a regular blog that tells you about their ''inquiry''
for the week with photos of their activies and it helps us feel
involved even though we're not there.
We feel very fortunate to be a part of a community that is
growing beautifully.
Shu Ren parent
Hi,
My son started at Shuren preschool as a part-time student in January and within 2
days requested that I switch him to full-time there. I think the environment is
extremely nurturing as he loves all his teachers, especially the head pre-school
teacher Pei Pei, and has made several friends there. Although he did speak
Mandarin prior to starting there (solely with me at home), his Mandarin has
improved dramatically since starting at Shuren. I really like the constant Mandarin
exposure. In addition, there are other children that he speaks Mandarin to as well,
so he's not just getting Mandarin strictly from the adults. The times when my son
acts up, I have seen the teacher patiently distract and respectfully discuss with him
the conflict at hand and then come to a mutual agreement with him. However, what
I like most about Shuren is actually how well informed they tend to keep the parents.
I never feel like I am not a part of his education. I feel very comfortable and
welcome in the classroom which is always full of the children's art projects. Parents
get a weekly newsletter from the teacher with pictures of their activities and
descriptions of the songs they are learning, etc... In short, I can highly recommend
that you give Shuren a try. If you have more specific questions, please feel free to
contact me.
Sincerely,
Christine
Feb 2009
Re: Bilingual/Immersion Preschool that teaches Chinese
I don't know about Starlite, but I can strongly recommend Shu Ren
International School, a new Chinese immersion school in Berkeley.
My son is in the pre-school (pre-k) there and we have been
extremely happy with the teachers, his language development, and
the community that is being built up around the school. The pre-k
classes are 100% Mandarin; English will be gradually introduced
in Kindergarten and higher grades. The teachers are warm,
knowledgeable and creative, and it's been a very stimulating and
loving environment for our son. Teachers communicate very well
with parents and even keep blogs where they update parents every
week on what the kids do in the classroom and post photos. Their
website is http://shureninternationalschool.com/ and phone number
is: (510) 981-0320. I recommend you check it out.
shu ren parent
Oct 2008
We are asking parents' input on Shu Ren International School. We
visited the school with our 4-year-old daughter and really liked
their environment. But since it's new, we would like to hear from
Shu Ren's parents about the teachers and the kind of progress
their children are making. We are hoping this would help with our
decision making.
looking for info
My son has been at Shu Ren in the Pre-K class since it opened in
September and we are extremely pleased with the school so far. He
has been very happy to go to school every day. Overall, it has
been a very creative and stimulating place for him and he has
been thriving there.
The curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate
Primary Years Program, which is centered around themes, and so
all the day's activities are interconnected and relate to the
particular theme they are working on (right now the theme is My
Body and so they learn songs, do art projects, read stories, play
games, etc about various parts of their bodies.) The day is quite
structured (compared to play-based pre-schools) but they seem to
have plenty of time for free play and to play outside. But the
best part is the Chinese immersion. Even though my son was fluent
in Chinese before entering Shu Ren, he was always more
comfortable speaking English in new situations, but his Chinese
has really taken off since he's been there. The teachers are
warm, thoughtful and making a good effort to create an active and
dynamic environment, even with just a few students. They also are
great at communicating with parents. Our son's teacher writes up
a summary of what they did in the classroom each week and posts
it on a blog with photos for parents to see. I've also heard
great things about the kindergarten/1st grade teacher.
The one downside is that enrollment is low (there are currently
six students in the pre-k class, some of whom are part-time), but
that is changing as new students have been enrolling almost every
week. I highly recommend Shu Ren to anyone who wants their child
to learn Mandarin, or just wants a small, warm, creative
environment.
shu ren mom
Our son has been attending Shu Ren for about a month and a half
now and it has been a remarkable experience. Friends of ours
who speak Mandarin are so surpised to hear him speak in
beautifully pronounced Mandarin because they know that he
didn't speak a word of Chinese just a couple months ago.
He absolutely adores his teacher and comes home singing songs
everyday. In fact, he likes the songs so much that he sings to
himself while we're in the car or running errands. I have no
doubt that he will soon be completely fluent in the language.
Our kindergarten teacher, Kai Yao is amazing and just a natural
at teaching. She laughs a lot with the children and seems to
enjoy their company as much as they enjoy her's. We are
delighted and grateful to have such a supportive and engaging
learning environment for our child.
Shu Ren Parent
Our daughter started part-time at Shu Ren a few weeks ago, and we
have been pleased with her experience so far. The teachers and
administration are very committed, smart, and enthusiastic. They
have been flexible about enrollment (full-time, part-time,
half-days, full days, etc). Class size is small so far. We would
love to see more students so the school will be successful and
sustainable!
camille
Oct 2008
Re: Chinese school in Albany?
There is a new Chinese immersion school in
Berkeley, Shu Ren International School, which also has after school
Chinese classes that are open to the community. Our son is
currently a student there and it is a great school with wonderful
teachers and a friendly, warm atmosphere. They are having an open
house next Wednesday, October 29. Their website is:
http://shureninternationalschool.com/ and phone number is (510)
981-0320. The address is 1333 University Avenue, Berkeley.
Shu Ren parent
If you're interested in a very
good Mandarin language program, you may want to check out Shu Ren
International School at 1333 University Avenue in Berkeley, which also offers
after
school classes. My daughter goes there for a beginning Mandarin Chinese class
twice a week. Because the school is new, their enrollment is pretty low right now,
so it's like getting a private class for the cost of a group class.
You can contact them at 510-981-0291 or 510-981-0320.
Their website is shureninternationalschool.com.
Amy
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Last updated: Jun 27, 2009
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