Shu Ren of Portland


Home About Us ---> About Shu Ren History of Program About Immersion Program About the Flagship Grant Financial Information Board Members Shu Ren Programs ---> Fundraising ---> T-Shirt Sales Dumpling Festival Gala China Research Residency ---> RR Scholarship 8th Grade CRR Blog What is it? Join Shu Ren Learning Tools for HOME ---> Online Printables/Flashcards ---> Kindergarten 1st Grade Chinese Resources Tips from Teachers Online English Tools School Community ---> Parent e-Community (listserv) Shu Ren Members Forum PTA Website Get Involved School Contacts Site Map Shu Ren Online Store	How We Came to Be (a brief history of the "WO AI" Mandarin Immersion Program) In the late 1990s, Portland Public Schools was looking for ways to expand their educational options, including adding another language immersion program. The district already had a commitment to second-language learning and proven success with two immersion programs, in Japanese and Spanish. Due to Oregon's position on the Pacific Rim and China's growing political and economic power (and at the urging of a school board member of Chinese heritage) the district chose Mandarin as the focus of its third immersion program. The curriculum was modeled after the Spanish and Japanese programs. Students would spend a half day of instruction in English, and a half day of immersion in the target foreign language. Woodstock School, in southeast Portland, was chosen to host the program since the school had declining neighborhood enrollment and available space. While a number of private Mandarin immersion programs existed throughout the United States at the time, the Woodstock program became the nation's first public school Mandarin immersion program to teach the simplified form of Chinese writing. Cheryl Johnson, a veteran PPS educator and former Woodstock teacher who had been principal at Skyline Elementary School, became Woodstock's new principal for the 1998/1999 school term. In July 1998, the district directed Cheryl to start the immersion program that September, so she scrambled to hire staff, develop curriculum and recruit families and students for a beginning class. Cheryl asked Sherrie Love to serve as a part-time program coordinator. Sherrie had been teaching at Woodstock since 1979 and had traveled to China on numerous occasions to teach during the summers. Together, Cheryl and Sherrie interviewed Mandarin language teachers and hired Shen Yin for the critical position as the program's first instructor. The first class - a kindergarten/first-grade blend - started in September 1998 with 24 students. Enrollment doubled in 1999 when 24 new kindergartners entered the program. In 2000, enrollment was at about 73 students, and Jessica Sun Bucknam joined the staff to teach the 2nd/3rd grade class. Enrollment in fall 2001 was 87. In 2002, when the initial blended class reached 4th/5th grade, Liduan Hugel joined the staff and enrollment was 116, with the kindergarten class full at 30 students. Cheryl Johnson retired at the end of the 2002/2003 school term, as did Karen Genzer who was the English teacher for immersion kindergartners since 1999. In fall 2003, enrollment reached about 125, and the immersion students comprised about one third of the student body at Woodstock. The current principal, Mary Patterson, joined the program that fall. Woodstock immersion parents began to organize in 2000 and formed a nonprofit organization, called Shu Ren of Portland, to support the Mandarin program through networking, advocacy, volunteerism, and fund-raising. Hosford Middle School in southeast Portland was designated as the school for continuing immersion students in the 6th-8th grades, with the program articulating to Cleveland High School. Middle school students receive about two hours of Mandarin instruction daily, including an hour of language instruction and an hour of social studies taught in Mandarin. By the 2006/2007 school year, about 200 children were attending Woodstock, and about 45 students were at Hosford. The high school program will be launched in 2008. Woodstock has benefited from a sister-school relationship with the Suzhou Experimental School in Suzhou, China. For the past three years, Woodstock has hosted a Suzhou exchange teacher through the U.S.-China Relations Committee. These exchange teachers are an invaluable resource to our students, staff and greater school community since they teach all Woodstock students about Chinese language and culture. The "WO AI"(Woodstock's Outstanding Awareness and Immersion) Mandarin Program draws visitors from the United States and China to observe the instruction in our classrooms. Being on the cutting edge of second-language learning is exciting and challenging. This program is an outstanding example of the possibilities that can be realized through the innovation, commitment, and hard work of teachers, parents and administrators.

How We Came to Be

(a brief history of the "WO AI" Mandarin Immersion Program)

In the late 1990s, Portland Public Schools was looking for ways to expand their educational options, including adding another language immersion program. The district already had a commitment to second-language learning and proven success with two immersion programs, in Japanese and Spanish. Due to Oregon's position on the Pacific Rim and China's growing political and economic power (and at the urging of a school board member of Chinese heritage) the district chose Mandarin as the focus of its third immersion program.

The curriculum was modeled after the Spanish and Japanese programs. Students would spend a half day of instruction in English, and a half day of immersion in the target foreign language. Woodstock School, in southeast Portland, was chosen to host the program since the school had declining neighborhood enrollment and available space. While a number of private Mandarin immersion programs existed throughout the United States at the time, the Woodstock program became the nation's first public school Mandarin immersion program to teach the simplified form of Chinese writing.

Cheryl Johnson, a veteran PPS educator and former Woodstock teacher who had been principal at Skyline Elementary School, became Woodstock's new principal for the 1998/1999 school term. In July 1998, the district directed Cheryl to start the immersion program that September, so she scrambled to hire staff, develop curriculum and recruit families and students for a beginning class. Cheryl asked Sherrie Love to serve as a part-time program coordinator. Sherrie had been teaching at Woodstock since 1979 and had traveled to China on numerous occasions to teach during the summers. Together, Cheryl and Sherrie interviewed Mandarin language teachers and hired Shen Yin for the critical position as the program's first instructor.

The first class - a kindergarten/first-grade blend - started in September 1998 with 24 students. Enrollment doubled in 1999 when 24 new kindergartners entered the program. In 2000, enrollment was at about 73 students, and Jessica Sun Bucknam joined the staff to teach the 2nd/3rd grade class. Enrollment in fall 2001 was 87. In 2002, when the initial blended class reached 4th/5th grade, Liduan Hugel joined the staff and enrollment was 116, with the kindergarten class full at 30 students. Cheryl Johnson retired at the end of the 2002/2003 school term, as did Karen Genzer who was the English teacher for immersion kindergartners since 1999. In fall 2003, enrollment reached about 125, and the immersion students comprised about one third of the student body at Woodstock. The current principal, Mary Patterson, joined the program that fall.

Woodstock immersion parents began to organize in 2000 and formed a nonprofit organization, called Shu Ren of Portland, to support the Mandarin program through networking, advocacy, volunteerism, and fund-raising.

Hosford Middle School in southeast Portland was designated as the school for continuing immersion students in the 6th-8th grades, with the program articulating to Cleveland High School. Middle school students receive about two hours of Mandarin instruction daily, including an hour of language instruction and an hour of social studies taught in Mandarin.

By the 2006/2007 school year, about 200 children were attending Woodstock, and about 45 students were at Hosford. The high school program will be launched in 2008.

Woodstock has benefited from a sister-school relationship with the Suzhou Experimental School in Suzhou, China. For the past three years, Woodstock has hosted a Suzhou exchange teacher through the U.S.-China Relations Committee. These exchange teachers are an invaluable resource to our students, staff and greater school community since they teach all Woodstock students about Chinese language and culture.

The "WO AI"(Woodstock's Outstanding Awareness and Immersion) Mandarin Program draws visitors from the United States and China to observe the instruction in our classrooms. Being on the cutting edge of second-language learning is exciting and challenging. This program is an outstanding example of the possibilities that can be realized through the innovation, commitment, and hard work of teachers, parents and administrators.