Yew Chung Intl School

My two kids have attended preschool here and my older one is now in elementary, despite our initial plans to go to our local school. I was really impressed by the quality of teachers and especially the Chinese. Preschool is more play-based, but the elementary school is much more academic. When my sister visited me from Singapore, she examined my son's school work and told me that he was on par with Singapore schools in terms of Chinese and other subjects. I was happy to hear that, but perhaps that is not surprising considering that the school is based out of China and probably follows the same curriculum as their schools in Shanghai and Hong Kong. My personal experience of the school has been very positive. There is a new principal this year who has replaced the interim one. He used to be the principal of an international school in Europe, and he is very kind and hands on with the children. He's at the main gate greeting the kids every morning and every afternoon when school is over. Because I pick up my younger child at noon, I often pass through the playground and I see the principal is also there at every recess, watching the kids and talking to them. He knows all the children by name, sorting out their disputes, and also visits the classrooms. When my son threw up after too many turns on the tire swing, I was surprised that when we were leaving school, the principal knew all about it and asked him how he was feeling. Yesterday, I saw a kindergartener run and up and take the principal's hand, walking along with him and telling him something. The other teachers are also good, but my son also likes that there is such a positive male figure at school. more

This is our son's third year going to school at YCIS. It is the first with the new principal (that makes 3 principals in 3 years). I can say that IMO he's been a disaster for a school that already was in a bad place to begin with. This is how bad it is: on Friday I met with the principal and my son's teacher to discuss my concerns with the stability (I've now been told that last year's principal, who was liked by all of the parents, was fired because he refused to go along with the Chinese administrations plan to turn it in to a Christian school) and my son's curriculum (they *literally* would not give him harder math because they didn't think his correct numbers were written with acceptable handwriting). I was civilly disagreeing with his teacher, who out of nowhere starts to yell and get very emotional. The principal asks her to stop screaming, and then threatens to call 9-1-1 if I don't leave the campus!?!?!? If you find this unbelievable, I don't blame you. I'm still trying to get over the shock. Next, when I notified the parent organization about it, some of the parent leaders asked me to keep quiet about it so that it wouldn't further damage the school's reputation. And don't take my word for it. Out of my son's class of ~20 from last year, only 5 returned. That says a lot. And I regret that my son was one of those 5. :( Is this the environment you want your children to be educated in? ,Wil Pros: Some of the teachers are great. Cons: No stability, lackluster curriculum, no transparency more

If you are looking for a English/Chinese Mandarin bi-lingual immersion school in the Bay Area - Yew Chung is definitely the best. The school has very low student to teacher ratios. The school is really focused on children loving school and uses a thematic play-based curriculum. Music and art is very strong and starting in kindergarten, all kids learn violin. We've been at the school for a couple of years and plan to continue. The school is also really diverse with kids of all backgrounds (chinese native, english only, mixed) and from all over the Bay Area attending. Pros: Teachers and staff are caring and dedicated. Great Chinese Mandarin immersion. Cons: Facilities are a bit older more