YCIS-SV Community Connection

Dear YCIS Community,

Thank you for making our Chinese New Year celebration such a meaningful and joyful occasion. It truly went beautifully, and it was heartwarming to see our students, families, staff, alumni, and friends come together to celebrate, reconnect, and begin the year with so much warmth and joy.

It was especially wonderful to welcome so many familiar faces back “home” and to feel the strength of our community across generations.

As we welcome the Year of the Horse—a year that symbolizes strength, perseverance, and moving forward together—we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who joined us and helped make this journey possible.

Our deepest thanks go to our Chinese New Year Committee members, volunteers, and school staff, with special appreciation for our Chinese teachers. Your dedication, creativity, and countless hours of planning and preparation brought this celebration to life. From cultural learning and performances to behind-the-scenes coordination, your efforts created an experience that was both meaningful and memorable for our entire community.

Moments like this remind us how special it is to belong to YCIS—a community built on learning, culture, care, and a shared commitment to our children.

Thank you all for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to continuing this journey together in the year ahead.

Warm regards,
Kevin & Vivian

Experience the entire 1.5 hour program in under 6 minutes by checking out the reel that’s up on Facebook and Instagram. Remember to tap LIKE to show your support.

If you would like to re-watch our entire program with timestamps, use this unlisted Youtube link.

Enrollment portal: https://ycis-sv.fsenrollment.com/users/sign_in

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

Guidelines for the cover:

• Use 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper used vertically
• Design must include the school name and school year. (Yew Chung International School or YCIS) & (2025-2026)
• Any art medium may be used - crayons, paint, pastels, markers, color pencils, etc.(Using materials that create texture give added dimensions to the design).
• This year’s theme is “Galloping Into Greatness!”
• Your design must be in color (The darker/brighter the better). Avoid leaving the background blank or white to create a more visually appealing cover.
• Keep what’s important in the design (eg. school name) away from the paper edges to avoid the artwork being cut in the trim process.

Due Date: No later than Wednesday Feb 25, 2026

The winners will be announced on Friday, February 27

• Winners will receive a Free hardcover YCIS yearbook 2025-26.
• 1 winner for the back cover (Grades K-2nd)
• 1 winner for the front cover (Grades 3rd-M.S.)

Our hearts are full of pride after watching our youngest learners shine on the big stage for this year’s Chinese New Year Celebration! For our Sea Turtle and Octopus classes, this was likely their grandest debut yet, and they handled the spotlight with such wonder and courage. We were equally thrilled to see the growing confidence of our Starfish and Dolphin performers, while our Seahorse and Jellyfish classes took to the stage like seasoned veterans. It was a true joy to share this festive milestone together as a community, bidding a fond farewell to the Year of the Snake and galloping with excitement into the Year of the Horse!

We are excited to celebrate Read Across America Week, March 2–6, 2026! Students will enjoy themed spirit days, Mystery Readers, an Author Visit, the Extreme Reading Photo Contest, Tournament of Books, daily giveaways, and more—all designed to spark a love of reading and bring our community together through stories. We can’t wait for a fun week celebrating books, creativity, and the joy of reading!

Submit Photos here:

K-2 Album

3rd-8th Album

Staff Album

Chinese New Year is a time to reflect on the past, appreciate the present, and welcome the future with a positive mindset. As part of the tradition of “letting go of the old and welcoming the new,” our school organized a whole-school spring cleaning activity.

Although some students were hesitant at first, many soon began to enjoy the process. Cleaning and organizing their classrooms brought a fresh, excited feeling and a sense of accomplishment. Through this activity, students learned that tidying up is not only about keeping spaces clean, but also about reflecting on their emotions and preparing themselves for a new beginning.

With renewed classrooms and refreshed spirits, our students are ready to embrace the future with hope and confidence.

Enjoy the 3rd grade Spring clean video : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IqIKBuHErs6dOBklofij1HujfVKAfJHC/view?usp=sharing

Our school proudly hosted a series of Chinese academic contests, including the Reading Aloud Contest, Speech Contest, HanYu Pinyin , Pencil Calligraphy ,and Drawing Competition. These events provided students with valuable opportunities to showcase their language skills, creativity, and confidence in learning Chinese. Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding performances, and heartfelt applause to every participant for their effort and courage. We are incredibly proud of each child and their dedication throughout their Chinese learning journey—every step forward is an achievement worth celebrating.

The 7th and 8th grade class's trip to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco went smoothly from start to finish. Students enjoyed safe and easy transportation and were excited to explore the museum’s rich collections. During the visit, they engaged with the South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, and China galleries, where they made meaningful connections to their classroom studies. Students reviewed key ideas from the Golden Age of India and traced the spread of religions across different regions of the world, examining how these belief systems evolved and influenced one another over time. This experience inspired new discoveries and provided students with a valuable opportunity to deepen and reinforce their learning beyond the classroom.

The 5th graders spent time conducting the sugar and water lab. During the investigation, the students carefully followed written instructions step by step, which is an important skill as they continue to build independence and strengthen their procedural competency in science. The class also engaged in meaningful discussions about percent error, examining possible reasons for why experimental results may differ from expected outcomes. The students analyzed where these errors might come from and discussed why reflecting on error is a critical part of the scientific process. Understanding and evaluating errors help students improve their methods, think critically about the results, and draw more accurate conclusions.

This week, classes buddied up together for a special Cultural Crafts Exchange in celebration of Chinese cultural traditions during the Lunar New Year holiday. Older and younger classes buddy paired, with each class showcasing a different Lunar New Year tradition. Our older students took the lead in teaching and guiding their younger buddies through hands-on activities like paper cutting and other festive crafts. It was a meaningful opportunity for leadership, cross-grade connection, and joyful cultural learning!

We’re thrilled to announce YCIS’s very first Student Spring Business Fair! This exciting new opportunity invites students in grades 3 and up to showcase their creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. Participants will develop a business idea, create a product or service, and gain hands-on experience with real-world skills like budgeting, marketing, and customer service. More information will be shared with students and families on Monday, 2/23—we can’t wait to see our young entrepreneurs shine!

For your child, it's engaging projects, sunshine Fridays, and familiar friends. For you, it's the same project-based learning approach, safe environment, and professional teachers and caring office staff you trust.

What’s new for 2026?

• STEAM Spark: Where science, art, and cultures merge
• Tasty Adventure: Journey of discovering world culture through cooking and journaling
• Future City Builder: Hands-on projects to design the "Smart City" of the future

Register by March 1st to save $50 off each session. We want to ensure our YCIS families have the first opportunity to secure their spots before spaces run out.

Visit our Summer Camp Website and be sure to download our new 2026 camp brochure to learn more.

Coming in February

Skills For a Successful College Transition

In-person Workshop at Children’s Health Council, Palo Alto

Wed, February 25, 6:30pm-8pm

Nearly all freshman experience overwhelm at some point, facing new expectations to manage academic and social demands independently for the first time. With a focus on essential executive function skills, learning specialists from the Schwab Learning Center at CHC will instruct parents of high school seniors how to prepare their students for the big leap to college and independence.

This hands-on workshop is open to 50 Common Ground members who are parents of seniors.

A $30 registration fee is required to hold your seat and will be reimbursed after check-in.

Registration is open.

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.

🏂 2/13 - 2/20: President's Day/ Winter Break (No School)

🧒 2/17 - 2/20: ECE Mini Camp Available