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 Online Chinese Dictionaries Tips for working with kids at home 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	THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHINA RESEARCH RESIDENCY PPS Mandarin Immersion Program Why a China Trip (or China Research Residency)? It has long been a goal of the parents and staff of the PPS Mandarin Immersion Program (MIP) to enhance classroom instruction for our students with the real life experience of going to China. An overseas academic trip or "Research Residency", in which students are immersed in the culture and language they study and conduct research for a year-end school project is a cornerstone of other language immersion programs here in Portland (such as the PPS Japanese Immersion Program and private language schools) and throughout the United States. Fluency doesn't develop through classroom instruction alone. The K-16 Flagship Grant that supports our program emphasizes the benefits of learning through real life experiences or "experiential learning" as a critical part of immersion education, and provides resources for developing an annual middle school trip, or a "Research Residency". The grant operates on three basic educational principles: Explicit language instruction Content-based instruction Experiential learning What would the Research Residency entail? The Research Residency is a district-sponsored academic trip for all MIP students who continue through to the 8th grade. The trip is for students who demonstrate a commitment to an overseas travel experience through their academic performance and behavior, as determined by PPS staff. The trip is voluntary. No student has to go, but all the 8th graders must participate in the research project since it is integrated into the 8th grade curriculum as a whole. Students will be accompanied by PPS staff and parent chaperones. The trip would take place in the spring and last about two weeks. The first trip, which occurred in May 2008, will be for all students in mixed 7/8 grade MIP class at Hosford. (This class has 27 students: including 24, 7th-graders, three 8th-graders. The students who stay with the program and will be in high school in 2008 are included in all planning and related curriculum development.) What are the goals of Research Residency? bring relevance to classroom instruction explore daily life in China conduct a research project that's integrated into the 8th grade curriculum empower the students and build their language and cultural competence reward the students for their years of hard work and launch them into the high school program How will the trip be funded? There are three sources for funding: The K-16 Flagship Grant: The Flagship grant provides money for trip planning and development, and possibly for PPS staff travel expenses in the initial years. The grant will not cover plane tickets, visa and passport fees and other costs for the students and parent chaperones. To make the trip affordable and sustainable, private fundraising by immersion parents must continue. The annual Shu Ren Gala, and individual family contributions: Families will also need to pay a percentage of their child's trip expenses, anticipated to be in the range of $300-$600/student, depending on costs. Actual cost for travel expenses are in the 2,000 range. (these prices do not reflect the cost of planning and coordination) Parent escorts will need to pay their own way. Children/families are encouraged to start saving now, and individual classes can always conduct their own trip fundraisers to reduce the per-family cost. Scholarships will also be available through Shu Ren. For the past three years, the annual Shu Ren Gala/Auction has raised money for the Research Residency. Gala income has been divided this way: 25 percent goes to the Shu Ren general fund to benefit all MIP students (with classroom materials, cultural enrichment, exchange teacher sponsorship and other program support) and 75 percent goes into the Research Residency Fund. The Shu Ren board has invested much of the money in the Fund in short-term Certificates of Deposit. How will future Gala income be divided and used? The China Research Residency Committee of Shu Ren developed this proposal for equitably dividing Gala income. Several committee members also met with PPS immersion coordinator, Michael Bacon, who has planned and escorted middle school trips to Japan and will assist in planning the China Research Residency. In drafting the proposal, committee members considered trip funding formulas used by other schools and parent groups, identified our primary goals and attempted to balance these goals, which are: To ensure that the trip is sustainable and affordable for all students committed to going To ensure that each child who takes the 8th grade trip is funded equally (not including scholarships); To ensure that each class fund is large enough to support the trip. Under the Gala income distribution proposal (see graphic on the next page), each K-6th grade class builds its own individual class fund each year, and each 7th grade class gets a large lump sum payment that meets the needs of that class, which will travel the following year. This way, when the 7th grade class moves into 8th grade, they will know how much Shu Ren money they have to work with and can plan accordingly. The Gala from the year preceding the trip will be the last Gala to benefit the 8th grade. Because class sizes fluctuate, especially from elementary to middle school, the committee decided to base the proposal on individual classes rather than students. The proposal assumes that Gala income will grow each year as classes grow and more parents get involved. As the program moves into high school, Cleveland MIP families will also contribute to the Gala, even though they won't receive a direct benefit. The China research Residency Committee proposes the following formula as a framework for using the existing China Trip Fund, and for allocating future Gala income, starting with the 2006 Gala: Financial Proposal for Gala Income: 1. The existing China Trip Fund (about $26,000 as of 2/2/06) will be set aside as a China Research Residency Reserve and Scholarship Fund. The Fund will be replenished each year from the Gala, from unused individual class funds, and through earned interest. The Reserve Fund will be used in this way: Each class can use Reserve Fund money to make up gaps between their individual class trip fund and the amount that parents must pay. Scholarships for students/families who apply for financial assistance. No single class can use more than 10% of the Reserve Fund. 2. The annual Gala income will be distributed as follows:

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHINA RESEARCH RESIDENCY
PPS Mandarin Immersion Program

Why a China Trip (or China Research Residency)?

It has long been a goal of the parents and staff of the PPS Mandarin Immersion Program (MIP) to enhance classroom instruction for our students with the real life experience of going to China. An overseas academic trip or "Research Residency", in which students are immersed in the culture and language they study and conduct research for a year-end school project is a cornerstone of other language immersion programs here in Portland (such as the PPS Japanese Immersion Program and private language schools) and throughout the United States. Fluency doesn't develop through classroom instruction alone.

The K-16 Flagship Grant that supports our program emphasizes the benefits of learning through real life experiences or "experiential learning" as a critical part of immersion education, and provides resources for developing an annual middle school trip, or a "Research Residency". The grant operates on three basic educational principles:

Explicit language instruction

Content-based instruction

Experiential learning

What would the Research Residency entail?
The Research Residency is a district-sponsored academic trip for all MIP students who continue through to the 8th grade. The trip is for students who demonstrate a commitment to an overseas travel experience through their academic performance and behavior, as determined by PPS staff. The trip is voluntary. No student has to go, but all the 8th graders must participate in the research project since it is integrated into the 8th grade curriculum as a whole. Students will be accompanied by PPS staff and parent chaperones. The trip would take place in the spring and last about two weeks. The first trip, which occurred in May 2008, will be for all students in mixed 7/8 grade MIP class at Hosford. (This class has 27 students: including 24, 7th-graders, three 8th-graders. The students who stay with the program and will be in high school in 2008 are included in all planning and related curriculum development.)

What are the goals of Research Residency?

bring relevance to classroom instruction
explore daily life in China
conduct a research project that's integrated into the 8th grade curriculum
empower the students and build their language and cultural competence
reward the students for their years of hard work and launch them into the high school program

How will the trip be funded?
There are three sources for funding:

The K-16 Flagship Grant: The Flagship grant provides money for trip planning and development, and possibly for PPS staff travel expenses in the initial years. The grant will not cover plane tickets, visa and passport fees and other costs for the students and parent chaperones. To make the trip affordable and sustainable, private fundraising by immersion parents must continue.
The annual Shu Ren Gala, and individual family contributions: Families will also need to pay a percentage of their child's trip expenses, anticipated to be in the range of $300-$600/student, depending on costs. Actual cost for travel expenses are in the 2,000 range. (these prices do not reflect the cost of planning and coordination) Parent escorts will need to pay their own way. Children/families are encouraged to start saving now, and individual classes can always conduct their own trip fundraisers to reduce the per-family cost. Scholarships will also be available through Shu Ren.
For the past three years, the annual Shu Ren Gala/Auction has raised money for the Research Residency. Gala income has been divided this way: 25 percent goes to the Shu Ren general fund to benefit all MIP students (with classroom materials, cultural enrichment, exchange teacher sponsorship and other program support) and 75 percent goes into the Research Residency Fund. The Shu Ren board has invested much of the money in the Fund in short-term Certificates of Deposit.

How will future Gala income be divided and used?
The China Research Residency Committee of Shu Ren developed this proposal for equitably dividing Gala income. Several committee members also met with PPS immersion coordinator, Michael Bacon, who has planned and escorted middle school trips to Japan and will assist in planning the China Research Residency. In drafting the proposal, committee members considered trip funding formulas used by other schools and parent groups, identified our primary goals and attempted to balance these goals, which are:

To ensure that the trip is sustainable and affordable for all students committed to going
To ensure that each child who takes the 8th grade trip is funded equally (not including scholarships);
To ensure that each class fund is large enough to support the trip.

Under the Gala income distribution proposal (see graphic on the next page), each K-6th grade class builds its own individual class fund each year, and each 7th grade class gets a large lump sum payment that meets the needs of that class, which will travel the following year. This way, when the 7th grade class moves into 8th grade, they will know how much Shu Ren money they have to work with and can plan accordingly. The Gala from the year preceding the trip will be the last Gala to benefit the 8th grade.

Because class sizes fluctuate, especially from elementary to middle school, the committee decided to base the proposal on individual classes rather than students. The proposal assumes that Gala income will grow each year as classes grow and more parents get involved. As the program moves into high school, Cleveland MIP families will also contribute to the Gala, even though they won't receive a direct benefit.

The China research Residency Committee proposes the following formula as a framework for using the existing China Trip Fund, and for allocating future Gala income, starting with the 2006 Gala:

Financial Proposal for Gala Income:
1. The existing China Trip Fund (about $26,000 as of 2/2/06) will be set aside as a China Research Residency Reserve and Scholarship Fund. The Fund will be replenished each year from the Gala, from unused individual class funds, and through earned interest. The Reserve Fund will be used in this way:

Each class can use Reserve Fund money to make up gaps between their individual class trip fund and the amount that parents must pay.
Scholarships for students/families who apply for financial assistance.
No single class can use more than 10% of the Reserve Fund.

2. The annual Gala income will be distributed as follows: