Frequently Asked Questions
Open HouseWhat is Open House and when will it be?Open House is a time when the school office will be open to help answer questions from prospective parents and students. It is also time for registration. New students may also have the opportunity to visit classrooms and observe how classes are carried out.
For Fall 2016, Open House was held on August 19 and August 26. Each session included a docent-led observation of classes, followed by Q&A with staff. Who can attend Open House?Any parents or students interested in attending school for the new school year are welcome to attend our Open Houses.
How do I sign up for the Open House?When is the Open House sign up deadline?The Open House sign up deadlines were as follows:
Do we have to sign up to attend Open House?
Yes, prospective parents and students interested in attending must sign up to attend Open House.
Only one representative per family need to sign up. Can I register for the 2017-2018 school year at Open House?Online registration for new students is already available, so yes, you can register even now if you so choose.
If you attend Open House and might consider registering, and you are registering MPK, MK, CSLPK, CSLK or CSL1 students, we recommend that you bring your student's proof of date of birth at the same time to the Registration Group for verification of the student's age. Accepted forms of proof include birth of certificate or a passport. We missed the Open House. Can we arrange a time to observe one of the classes?
Open House is the only time we open classrooms for observation. We would not be able to make other arrangements.
RegistrationWhen will registration start for admission to school year 2017-2018?New student registrations are closed now for the school year 2017-2018.
What language curricula do PACS offer?
PACS offers two language curricula, a Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) curriculum and a Mandarin (M) curriculum. Each curriculum has its own focus and target audience. Please see the respective sections for either curricula on this page for more information about them.
Which level should the student be registered in?
For CSL, new students who are 5 or older can register for CSLK. New students who are 6 or older can register for CSL1.
Students who are 7 or older and would like to register for CSL2 or higher level would need to take a placement test. On the registration form, “TBD” will be the level for these students who need to take a placement test. For Mandarin classes, new students who are 4 years old can register for MPK. New students who are 5 or older (for students who do not know Bopomofo phonetics symbols) can register for MK. Students who would like to register for M1 or higher would need to take a placement test. On the registration form, “TBD” will be the level for these students who need to take a placement test. Is a competency or placement test required before a new student registers?
No, new students can register for the school with “TBD” as the class level first. Placement tests are usually administered the Friday before the first class of the school year. Registered students will be notified to come in for the placement test.
What do I need to bring to register a new student?
MPK, MK, CSLPK, CSLK and CSL1 parents need to bring and show your student's proof of date of birth to the Registration Group during Open House or on the first day of school for verification of the student's age. Accepted forms of proof include birth of certificate or a passport.
If your student is transferring from another Chinese school, you may bring an official school transcript for the student to help us assess the student's appropriate grade level. The student may need to have a placement test still at the discretion of the Instructions Group of Palo Alto Chinese School. Do you have a summer program?
We do not offer a summer program at this time.
Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) CurriculumWho should take the CSL Curriculum?
The focus of the CSL curriculum is to enable students who do not speak the language natively or fluently to be able to converse in Chinese around topics in daily life.
For beginning levels, students will learn to converse in simple Chinese phrases; the focus is on listening and speaking skills. Students also will learn to recognise Chinese characters. For more advanced levels, students would learn more phrases and vocabularies, slowly building up their reading skills. PinYin will be introduced in mid level classes. For advanced level classes, students will start to learn writing and composition. The CSL curriculum generally uses multimedia and interactive tools in the classrooms; it involves many class and group activities to engage students in learning the language. Who will need placement tests to be placed in the CSL curriculum?Usually new students enrolling in CSL level 2 or above will need placement tests.
Do you teach in the traditional Chinese character set or simplified?
We teach the traditional Chinese character set. However, we provide both simplified and traditional Chinese for replacement tests.
Do you teach PinYin or Bopomofo phonetics?
We teach PinYin.
Mandarin (M) CurriculumWho should take the Mandarin Curriculum?
The Mandarin curriculum is for students who speak Mandarin Chinese at home, who speak Chinese as their first or native language, and who are fluent in speaking the language.
For the K level, students will learn the Bopomofo phonetic symbols. For level 1 and above, students would be expected to read paragraphs of Chinese text using the help of phonetic symbols. Students with a native speaking background would be expected to be able to read and understand paragraphs of Chinese text as they learn class material. For students who do not speak the language fluently, they would more likely not be able to understand paragraphs of Chinese text even if they can sound out the characters. Hence for students who do not speak the language natively or fluently, we recommend the CSL curriculum. Do you teach in the traditional Chinese character set or simplified?
We teach the traditional Chinese character set. However, we provide both simplified and traditional Chinese for replacement tests. Simplified Chinese will be added and introduced to students in 7th grade.
Do you teach PinYin or Bopomofo phonetics?
We teach Bopomofo phonetics for MK to M3 students and PinYin for M4 and higher levels.
Do you administer the AP Chinese test?
PACS does not administer AP tests. Please inquire about openings in your neighborhood high schools.
Do you offer AP Chinese?
PACS does not offer AP Chinese classes; however, we do help prepare our students to be able to take the AP Chinese test, and in our experience our students tend to do very well.
More questions? Send email to us.
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