On September 5th, the first day of the 2024-2025 academic year, the Chinese Parents Association, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education District 25 and the Flushing Library, announced on August 27th that they will be hosting the annual Back to School Day event to assist Chinese students and parents in preparing for the new school year. This event will provide guidance for students and parents and offer various learning resources to welcome the beginning of the new academic year.
During the event, Michael Dantona, the District 25 Superintendent, will introduce an overview of the public school (K-8 grades) curriculum and activities to students and parents. Zhu Baoling, the Chairperson of the Chinese Parents Association, will provide insights on how parents can help their children prepare for the new school year. The library will also showcase educational resources available at the library.
This marks the eighth year that the Chinese Parents Association and the Flushing Library are hosting the Back to School Day event before the start of the fall semester. Council Member Sandra Ung encourages parents and students to take advantage of this opportunity to interact face-to-face with the superintendent and seek guidance if needed.
Superintendent Michael Dantona highlighted in an interview that improving students’ reading abilities is a crucial aspect of the Department of Education’s work. They are vigorously promoting the “decodable text” project from pre-kindergarten to second grade, which helps students grasp phonetic knowledge and apply phonetic skills to texts. Starting from third grade, efforts will be made to help students acquire all reading skills.
Superintendent Dantona also shared that District 25 offers a popular “free adult education – English as a Second Language (ESL) course,” with over 800 parents showing interest according to recent surveys.
Chairperson Zhu Baoling mentioned that the Chinese Parents Association, established in 1986 with a 38-year history, has been dedicated to assisting students and new immigrant parents in understanding and adapting to the American education system over the years. The lecture will cover preparation for the new school year, communication with teachers, parent coordinators, and school administrations to help new immigrant parents adjust. The lecture will take place from 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm in classrooms A&B on the lower level. Furthermore, a session on college application and scholarship assistance will be held at the Flushing Library on October 13th from 1 pm to 3:30 pm.
Library Director Zhang Yang suggested that parents acquire library cards for their children as utilizing library resources to the fullest is essential. The library offers free homework assistance (students can access homework help on the library website after closing); the library’s databases can provide references for writing papers. If a child loses a library book, there will be fees, but the library offers the “Read Down Your Fees” program – for every hour spent reading at the library, $2 can be deducted from the fees, with more reading equating to greater discounts. More information will be presented from 1 pm to 2:30 pm in classrooms A&B on the lower level.
Additionally, from 2:30 pm to 3 pm, there will be a children’s storytelling session, origami, and tabletop games; from 3 pm to 3:45 pm, there will be the game “Adventure for the Lost Treasure,” located in rooms A&B on the lower level; from 3:45 pm to 4 pm, free giveaways will be distributed (while supplies last).
Back to School Day Lecture and Activities Timing: September 3rd (Tuesday) from 1 pm to 4 pm Location: Flushing Library (41-17 Main Street Flushing, NY. 11355).