YCIS-SV Community Connection

Dear YCIS Community,

As we move into the heart of spring, we continue to celebrate the spirit of learning together. In recent weeks, our students have been engaged in many joyful and meaningful experiences — designing the yearbook cover, celebrating Read Across America Week, exploring gardening, and participating in field trips, along with many other moments of discovery and growth across our campus.

Our teachers cannot wait to connect with you next week during the Teacher–Parent Conferences, where they will share stories, reflections, and insights about your child/children’s learning journey and development.

Here, we would also like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who joined our Co-Principal Coffee this morning. These gatherings, held on the first Friday of each month, are a wonderful opportunity for conversation, connection, and sharing ideas as a community. We truly appreciate the thoughtful dialogue and partnership that families bring to these mornings.

(Please note that April’s Co-Principal Coffee will not take place, as it falls during a school holiday. Our May gathering will be a special one, as we will host it together with a Common Ground Speaker Series recording watch on campus. The topic will be decided later , and we look forward to welcoming you for what promises to be a meaningful and engaging learning and discussion.)

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and for being such an important part of the YCIS community. It is a privilege to learn and grow together with our students and families each day.

Warm regards,

Kevin & Vivian

Yew Chung International School is thrilled to partner with Treering yearbooks again this school year. Treering plants a tree for every yearbook purchased!

Yearbooks are $38.64 soft cover or $45.80 for a hard cover

Pre-Purchase your ECE-8th Grdae Yearbook here:

https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1015525824993591

If prompted for a passcode: 1015525824993591

Front Cover: Naomi Taylor - 8th Grade

Back Cover: Darren Guo - 2-B Class

As the clocks spring forward (soon) and the days stretch longer, the Seahorse class dove headfirst into the spirit of the season. The children have developed a keen interest with flowers and the magic of seeds, transforming their curiosity into action. Recently, they moved their learning outdoors to the garden bed, carefully tucking seeds into the soil to begin their own patch of green. Now, "garden duty" has become a cherished part of the morning routine, as the students take time each day to observe small changes, water their work, and learn the patient art of nurturing a living thing. We're excited to see what will pop up and bloom!

April 7-10, 2026 Mini Camp Registration Opens Monday, March 9th at NOON (12pm). Spaces fill fast! If registration for your class is full, you are welcome to join the waitlist and should a space become available, you will be added from the waitlist based on order and class availability. The link to register is: https://ycis-sv.regfox.com/ycis-2025-26-ece-campus-mini-camp-sign-up

Our 1st grade students are exploring sound and light through a Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit. They are investigating the question: “How does observing and experimenting with sound and light help us understand how our world works?”

Through hands-on activities and experiments, students are building their understanding that sound is made when something vibrates, and that we can change sound by changing how something vibrates. They are also learning that light helps us see objects, and that objects can block light and create shadows. Throughout the unit, students discover how people use light and sound to communicate and solve problems, just as scientists do when they observe, test, and explain patterns.

To deepen their learning and connect these ideas to real-world experiences, students visited the Palo Alto Children's Theater to explore how sound and lighting work in a performance space. Teachers also introduced the application of these concepts in traditional Chinese culture through shadow puppetry (皮影戲).

Guided by their teachers, students experimented with shadow puppets, observed how light creates shadows behind the screen, and even participated in short performances. By exploring both the science behind light and sound and their cultural applications, students were able to understand these concepts in a variety of meaningful ways.

Our ASB will be selling pizza this Wednesday and Thursday at lunch. Slices are $3 for a small and $5 for a full slice. Cash only, so send your child with exact change if you can!

On Wednesday, our students had the chance to meet Crystal Lee, a bilingual author who has written A Unicorn Named Rin, Kai the Dancing Butterfly, Pei's Pineapple Cakes, and more.

Crystal talked with students about her path to becoming an author and encouraged them to write the stories they wish existed. She shared what it was like growing up in Taiwan, including time spent at the Eslite Bookstore Ximen Store, a 24-hour bookstore that played a big part in her love of reading.

She read from Pei's Pineapple Cakes, which moves between English and Chinese fluidly — not as a translation, but as two languages woven together throughout the book. It was wonderful to see that bilingual celebration reflected so naturally in Crystal's work and resonate so well with our students.

If your child is interested in purchasing an autographed copy of one of Crystal's books, we've included an order form with this newsletter. Books are available at a discounted rate if you order through the school. Please send cash or check to the office in a sealed envelope with your child's name on it. Books will be delivered to school and distributed to students.

Link to order form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-4bYb6Thd05nKkFG6HTFBFN-GSdNY8YD/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=113172279855536284840&rtpof=true&sd=true

Students in the Business Builders elective recently explored the real-world decision of buying a car as part of their unit on financial literacy and smart consumer choices. The lesson began with a discussion about wants versus needs, helping students think critically about what is truly necessary when making a large purchase. They then examined several factors that influence car buying decisions, including lifestyle, hobbies, weather and location, maintenance costs, brand reputation, reliability, and personal income. Students also compared the pros and cons of owning a car versus using public transportation, considering convenience, cost, and practicality. In a hands-on activity, students analyzed the total cost of vehicle ownership, including purchase price and estimated annual maintenance, and worked to determine which car would be the better financial decision in the long run. Through this activity, students practiced applying financial reasoning and critical thinking to a decision many of them will face in the future.

Early Bird Reminder has been extended to March 16!

Register early and save $50 off each session.

Visit our summer camp page to learn more

If you're cleaning this break (before CNY following CNY customs!) Please save your stuff and bring it to our Goodwill fundraiser event on March 14.

Isabelle Hau

Love to Learn: Early Education in an AI Driven World

Wed, March 11; 7pm-8:15pm

In-person at The Girls’ Middle School, 3400 W Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto

In her recent book, Love to Learn, Isabelle Hau, the director of Stanford University’s Accelerator for Learning, argues that strong, loving relationships are the foundation for healthy brain development, resilience, and lifelong learning. Relational intelligence (RQ) will become ever more crucial for our children in both social and academic settings as technical tasks become increasingly driven by AI. In this talk, Ms. Hau will share her blueprint for relational learning in the early years and beyond.

Register Now!

Sign up for the Common Ground newsletter to be informed of all our speaker events.

📚 3/10-3/12: Scholastic Book Fair

🕐 3/12: Early Release @1pm for K-8 | 🕒 3pm for ECE

🔕 3/13: ECE - 8th - No School for Parent-Teacher Conferences

👪 3/11: CGSS: Love to Learn: Early Education in an AI-Driven World

💙 3/14: Goodwill Donation Drive

📸 3/23: Spring Picture Day for K-8 Campus