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Language of the School

Mandarin is the language of the school. However, we are flexible with respect to each individual’s linguistic background. We help children gain their confidence by speaking English to them when necessary, and the need for this will gradually diminish with time. (Back to Top ^)

Festivals

There are three traditional festivals celebrated in Sydney by the Chinese community, and to an increasing extent by non-Chinese Australians. These are the Dragon-boat Festival, the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year.

Mandarin Preschool
Every year, there is a dragon-boat race at Darling Harbor and a moon celebration in the Chinese Garden. There are other activities such as the dragon dance and a lion dance during the Chinese New Year celebration. We participate in the festivals by story telling, puppet shows, food preparation and tasting. (Back to Top ^)

Daoist values

Daoism (formerly known as Taoism) is an ancient Chinese philosophy which is surprisingly relevant to modern times. Central to this world view is harmony with, and respect for, the natural world and the environment. We teach conservation by example and explanation - e.g. both sides of the paper are to be used; obvious wastage of food is discouraged etc. We are a secular institution and therefore do not participate in any religious activities or indoctrination. (Back to Top ^)

Food

Pack your own lunch and snacks - food is generally not provided. The exception to this is a variety of organic fruits and drinking-water, which will always be available from the centre.

Soft drinks, chocolate drinks, “energy drinks”, lollies/sweets and other sugar-laden confectionaries are not allowed.

Peanuts and peanut-containing food are also not allowed due to the possibility of peanut allergy.

There will be some sharing of foods unless parents specifically request otherwise.

We believe that establishing healthy eating habits early is important in a child's development and we encourage parents to include fruits and veggies in the lunch-box. (Back to Top ^)

Parental involvement

There is no need for busy working parents to become involved at all. However, parents are invited to help with their children, participate in festival celebrations, join the network of mandarin learning and help promote multiculturalism locally.

Donations of learning materials would be most welcome. Exchange of Chinese language learning and cultural experiences is appreciated and encouraged by publication on our website.

Parents are kept updated on this website with what the children are learning (see the Teacher's Diary). You may wish to learn with your children. (Back to Top ^)

Fees

$80 per day. (Back to Top ^)

Contact

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the director of Mandarin Preschool, Joy Yao, using the below details.

Meet the Director

Joy Yao (姚韵) received a BA in China 1994 (specialising in Chinese Language teaching) and this was complimented with a Master of Applied Linguistics at the University of Newcastle. Read More

Sample Program

A minimum of two days a week is suggested for effective Mandarin learning. Routines are subject to changes if required. Guest-shows may involve performance, culture demonstration, specialty teaching. View Courses