Spring 2020 Newsletter
We Can Do Hard Things
Ni Hao, Mandarin Immersion (MI) Families – what a school year it has been. As a collective group we are navigating through a global pandemic, learning how to adopt new technologies to help our children learn from home, traversing the hard work of showing up and standing up to social injustices and perhaps having difficult but necessary conversations with our children, but above all – we are showing up as a united front. In the past few months we’ve seen families rally in support of teachers to finish the school year virtually, friends show up for socially distanced birthday parades and Zoom parties, families attend Black Live Matters protests, our community finding creative ways to stay healthy, sane, and connected – all from a safe 6-foot distance.
We want you to remember throughout this summer – You. Can. Do. Hard. Things. You are doing a GREAT job. Our children will continue to thrive through the challenge, and we look forward to what the new future will look like. Whatever it is, however different it may be, here at DragonSprouts we plan to continue the momentum we built as an organization in the last school year in support of our children’s Mandarin education.
Founded in 2012, DragonSprouts was affectionately named after the diverse roots we planted when the first MI Program was started in LAUSD's Local District-West. Today, DragonSprouts supports the MI Programs at Braddock Drive Elementary School, Broadway Elementary School, Mark Twain Middle School, and Venice High School and offers students the opportunity to become bilingual, biliterate and multicultural citizens starting in kindergarten through high school. Funding raised by DragonSprouts provides curriculum materials, teaching staff, community pathways, and resources for students and their families.
You can learn more about DragonSprouts on Facebook and Instagram.
Elections
Your Voice Matters! Nominate 2020-21 Board Members here. Nominations close Sunday July 12 and we are filling the following positions:
Vice President, Board Member: Collaborates closely and shares duties with the President. Helps to oversee Annual Fund pledge or membership dues collection. Oversees communications to the parent body and supports all fundraising activities.
Vice President, Donor Relations: Responsible for running the Membership/Annual Fund Drive and overseeing any other fundraising activities. This may include corporate sponsorships and grants.
Treasurer, Board Member: Responsible for keeping track of all donations, sending tax receipts to donors, tracking disbursements and filing taxes. (Knowledge of non-profit tax preparation not needed.) A solid bookkeeping background (such as a CPA) is highly recommended for this position. The Treasurer is a co-signer on the DragonSprouts bank account.
School Representatives, Advisory (Non-voting) for Broadway ES, Mark Twain MS and Venice HS: In order to ensure needs at the three Mandarin Immersion programs are heard, additional advisory non-voting positions are available. The representatives should make their best effort to attend Board meetings during which they may communicate the needs and challenges faced by their respective programs. Representatives will work with Board members to devise and implement solutions to improve the MI program at their school sites.
Elections Timeline
Monday, July 6th: Nominations open.
Sunday, July 12th: Nominations close.
Sunday, July 19th: Deadline for nominees to accept or decline.
And deadline for nominees to submit their personal statements to the Elections Committee.
Monday, July 20th: For positions that are contested, electronic ballot sent to room parent contacts at all three schools. Voting begins.
Friday, July 24th @ 6PM: Voting ends.
Monday, July 27th: Nominees notified of election results by email.
Thursday, July 30th: Election results announced in via Broadway, Braddock and Mark Twain parent contacts.
Events / Fundraising
For many of us, the last time we congregated as a full community was the Chinese New Year performance. We have such fond memories! Waiting in the rain, an epic Lion Dance, and the most adorable performances by our children. It was a record-setting performance in many ways – held in a beautiful, professional location, highest amount of funds raised in the past three years, and access to the full performance on vimeo.com. Just search for “DragonSprouts.”
While we raised enough money this year to cover basic expenses for next school year, we are still short of being able to hire more Mandarin teachers, which is our biggest support task as an organization and the most direct and significant beneficiary for our children. Expect to hear from us over the summer to prepare for a super successful and engaging 2020-21 school year! In the meantime, we accept donations year-round, so if you are in a position to give, please consider DragonSprouts as your tax-deductible charitable organization of choice.
How to donate
New school: Paypal – https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1448575
Old school: Checks – please make out to DragonSprouts and mail to PO Box 661613, Los Angeles, CA 90066
How does my individual child (children) benefit from DragonSprouts?
Mandarin libraries – we purchase books so MI students have access to hard-to-find Chinese books.
Mandarin software – we purchase instructional software for our children to enhance their Mandarin. Some examples are Skritter and Better Chinese, which help students learn proper tone and stroke order.
Mandarin teachers – in the past we’ve paid for teachers’ salaries. In addition, we’ve also contributed to the cost in processing teachers’ visas.
Xie Xie, Mandarin Immersion community,
~Your 2019-20 DragonSprouts Board
Board of Directors
President: John Liu
Vice President: Martha Pao
Treasurer: Vicky Chang
Secretary: Lynn Lee
Vice President of Communications: Jen Warren
Board Member: Michelle Wang
Board Member: Fonda Chang
Advisory Board Members
Representative for Mark Twain Middle School: Rich Lin
Representative for Braddock Drive Elementary School: Andrea Goldman
Representative for Broadway Elementary School: Wayne Hun Lee
