Chinese Language Core Team Meeting
April 28, 2007, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Attendees: Sharon Gao, Lotus Perry, Catherine Pease Barnhart, Adam Ross, Michele Anciaux Aoki
Highlights of the Meeting
1. General discussion of Pam Roach bill and recent press release from Roach’s office. For bill information (it did not pass out of the House): http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5714
2. Discussion of Confucius Institute Initiative:
Michele: Peter Wang, PLU donor to Wang Center, philanthropist. Will support CI initiative. Thinks agreement between Gregoire and Hu was for a center more expansive than a traditional CI. Perhaps CI could be under the umbrella of a more general non-profit entity for International Education.
Catherine: Mention of FIUTS at UW model, completely self-sustaining organization located at a university campus, but not a part of the university.
Michele: we can’t put all of our eggs in one basket for CI. We also need to see what we are able to give back to China in this model of educational exchange.
Michele: Mention of May 9th meeting to follow up on CI with stakeholders.
Michele passed around letter (dated April 3) from Gov. Gregoire to Hu Jintao restating commitment to CI and how the state has surveyed various stakeholders for their input on the format of the CI.
3. Discussion of formalizing Core Team as CLTA-WA and future events in the coming academic year
What is involved for connecting to CLTA? Are we non-profit status? Does CLTA work on establishing non-profit for us? Could be an intense process?
Lotus: need to connect to all schools offering Chinese in WA, and have more people involved at different levels. We need to teleconference via Skype or Yack-Pack to involve more people more easily for future Core Team meetings.
Adam: we need to follow up to learn more about CLTA-FL model to establish CLTA-WA
Adam: Contact Mary Cingcade (EARC) about late-September meeting for funding, promulgation. Arrange to have Fu Haiyan come for all. Estimate of $1500 for inviting Fu Haiyan to Tacoma.
Lotus: We have an outstanding balance of $379.52 in the UPS account.
Discussion to invite Fu Haiyan to come either September 22 or September 29 for an all-day workshop. As a back-up, we will suggest September 15.
Michele: idea to have start a Chinese program
workshop on the Friday before, and have a program for heritage schools
later in the afternoon. Maybe a discussion of AP again.
Ask Peter Wang to host a dinner? Bring someone from Asia Society,
Department of Education?
4. Review of funding, grant funds for Core Team from State Innovations grant
Michele: On State Innovations Grant (handout),
$2000 grant for Core Team activities. (See
Projects 2007>
Chinese Core Team.)
Fiscal agent is Alliance for Education (not-for-profit supporting
Seattle Public Schools), which will allow us to collect money and
deposit it with them (only through the end of 2007)
5. Additional items for discussion
Michele: WAFLT Connection – have a presentation there for their October meeting in Wenatchee? (October 11-13, workshop theme is “From the Classroom to the World”) This is the same weekend as PNAIS at Catlin-Gabel in Portland. Michele will try to get interest in having Chinese teachers go to the workshop and perhaps offer a panel or workshop.
Sharon: Discussion of her contact with Qiaoban (Office for dealing with Chinese abroad)
Discussion to draft a letter to Gov. Gregoire and Randi Schaff urging the State to go forward with promises to form a CI as soon as possible. Core Team members will review over notes from Randi Schaff and identify roles of the CI that we want to stress in a letter to Governor Gregoire, urging the state to proceed with this initiative as soon as possible.
ACTION ITEMS:
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Lotus: Set up a Yack-Pack account to host next Core Team “meeting” with several members online.
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Catherine: Talk to Annie Wright about lodging possibilities for Fu Haiyan
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Adam: Talk to EARC about scheduling of next workshop and additional funding support
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Lotus/Chunman: Make arrangements with Fu Haiyan
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Adam: Talk to Peter Wang/Wang Center to see if they will sponsor a dinner
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Lotus: Check into lunch boxes at UPS for September workshop
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Adam: Adam will forward notes from the CI workshop to Core Team for review
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Adam: Draft letter to Randi Schaff and Governor Gregoire on behalf of the Core Team.
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Michele: Check with WAFLT about Chinese strand at Fall Conference in Wenatchee
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ALL: review CLTA-FL website and investigate what needs to be done to formalize the Core Team as a local chapter of CLTA. Much information about this organization, its membership, board and by-laws can be found on its website: http://www.clta-fl.org/.
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ALL: review Randi Schaff’s notes and highlight areas we would like to focus upon in a Core Team memorandum back to Randi and Gov. Gregoire.
-- submitted by Adam Ross, May 13, 2007