• About Pomona Valley Chinese School (PVCS)

1. What kind of organization is PVCS?
2. Where is PVCS located?
3. What kinds of classes are offered?
4. When is class in session?

• Admissions

1. Do I or my child need to be Chinese to attend PVCS?
2. How old do I or my child have to be to attend PVCS?

• Attending PVCS

1. Where can I get a schedule of holidays and events?
2. Is there a dress code?
3. Can parents drop off their children at PVCS on Saturday morning and go run errands?

• Academics

1. What kind of Chinese characters are taught at PVCS?
2. Is there some kind of political reason for choosing the Simplified Chinese character set?
3. Will you offer any supplementary classes for students who wish to learn the Traditional character set?
4. What textbook do you use?

• Getting involved

1. I'd like to help out the school. What can I do?
2. I don't have any talents / I am too busy to donate my time. What else can I do?
3. In this economy, I can't afford to pay tuition and donate to PVCS at the same time. What else can I do?

About Pomona Valley Chinese School (PVCS)

For more information please see this page.

1. What kind of organization is PVCS?

PVCS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donations are tax deductible! Most of our administrators and staff are parents of students volunteering their own time to the operation of the school.

2. Where is PVCS located?

PVCS utilizes the classrooms of the two junior high schools in Upland, CA. Every three years we rotate between Pioneer Jr. High School and Upland Jr. High School. For driving directions to our current location, click here.

3. What kinds of classes are offered?

•  General classes: students typically are already able to understand conversational Chinese. Students are assigned to individual classes based on their age and ability level.
• Accreditation classes: for high school level students. Up to 5 credits per semester can be earned for students in the Upland and Claremont school districts.
• SATII preparation class: for students who are taking the Chinese language proficiency SATII subject test.
• Bilingual classes: for students starting from scratch! Instruction is done in English.

4. When is class in session?

Our school year follows the calendar of the Upland Unified School District (UUSD). You can view the UUSD calendar here. PVCS holds classes each Saturday morning from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (accreditation program classes are dismissed at 12:30 pm).

Admissions

Please see this page for more information on admissions.

1. Do I or my child need to be Chinese to attend PVCS?

Absolutely not! PVCS welcomes students of all ethnic backgrounds and language ability. In fact, we offer bilingual classes where instruction is done in English. 

2. How old do I or my child have to be to attend PVCS?

We accept students who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1 of the school year. There is no upper limit; you are only as young as you feel!

Attending PVCS

1. Where can I get a schedule of holidays and events?

A calendar of events can be found in the student handbook, which will be provided to all students at the beginning of the school year. Alternatively, you can check for PVCS events on the PVCS online calendar.

2. Is there a dress code?

We ask that students wear a PVCS uniform. This is for the students' safety, so that teachers and staff may easily identify our students. Standard uniforms are available from the school office when classes are in session. More fashionable uniforms can be obtained online from the PVCS Apparel Store. Support PVCS with your purchase!

3. Can parents just drop off their children at PVCS on Saturday morning and go run errands?

We understand that everyone has busy personal schedules. However, we encourage parents to come hang out and socialize with the staff in the school office during school hours. The staff are all parents of PVCS students too! We'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions, and even more, we would love for you to get involved.

Academics

 1. What kind of Chinese characters are taught at PVCS?

PVCS focuses on the Simplified Chinese character set （简体字）. For phonetics, we teach the HanYu Pinyin（汉语拼音）method. 

2. I'm from Taiwan, and I'm unhappy that PVCS has chosen to focus on Simplified Chinese characters. Is there some kind of political reason for choosing the Simplified Chinese character set?

No. The PVCS Charter specifies that PVCS shall be non-religious, non-partisan non-profit organzation. In fact, as of the 2009-2010 academic year the majority of families attending PVCS (including PVCS Board of Directors board members) are of Taiwanese origin. The decision to teach the simplified Chinese character set was made after long and contentious deliberations by the Board of Directors. In the final analysis, the decision was made based on practical considerations (there are more users of Simplified Chinese than Traditional Chinese worldwide) and for accreditation purposes. 

3. I'm still not happy. Will you offer any supplementary classes for students who wish to learn the Traditional character set?

We are unable to offer any such supplementary class due to limited resources. However, if you are interested in volunteering to teach such a class, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We may be able to provide you with classroom space.

4. What textbook do you use?

As of 2009-2010 we are using the Meizhou Chinese textbook system. This textbook has been designed with American-born Chinese kids in mind and emphasizes developing a practical working knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. Please see this article for more details.

Getting involved

 1. I'd like to help out the school. What can I do?

We are always looking for parents with various talents that are interested in getting involved with the day-to-day operations of PVCS. All Board of Directors board members, PVCS officers, and PTA officers are parent volunteers. If you have any expertise in web design/site administration, graphic design/desktop publishing, finance and accounting, database administration, education, business administration, advertising, public relations, cooking (!), Chinese cultural activities, sports, or ANYTHING, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2. I don't have any talents / I am too busy to donate my time. What else can I do?

• Support PVCS with your pocketbook! PVCS is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization. Donations may be tax deductable; consult your tax professional. Cash or gift donations (e.g., for office equipment or for student prizes) are happily accepted, and receipts for tax purposes will be provided on request. 
• Make online purchases at Amazon.com. Make sure that you browse to Amazon.com using links on our webpage, and then search for products. A percentage of Amazon.com's profits are donated to PVCS.
• Buy PVCS apparel and schwag! 100% of profits go to support PVCS.

3. In this economy, I can't afford to pay tuition and donate to PVCS at the same time. What else can I do?

Tell all your friends about us! Follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter, and tell everyone who might be interested in learning Chinese to contact us.

This page is still under construction. If there are questions you would like answered and entered into the FAQ please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .