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Paving Dublin

APD Appliance Choices: Gas Or Electric Dryer?

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414

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If you are purchasing a new dryer for your home, one of the questions you may be considering is whether you should buy an electric dryer or a gas one.

Cost to run is one factor. A survey in 2004 found that electric dryers were about twice as expensive to run as gas dryers. Another source s August 2005 calculation reached a similar conclusion. However, gas dryers are also more expensive than electric dryers, usually by about $50-$80 for comparable quality. Plus, if your pre…

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If you are purchasing a new dryer for your home, one of the questions you may be considering is whether you should buy an electric dryer or a gas one.

Cost to run is one factor. A survey in 2004 found that electric dryers were about twice as expensive to run as gas dryers. Another source s August 2005 calculation reached a similar conclusion. However, gas dryers are also more expensive than electric dryers, usually by about $50-$80 for comparable quality. Plus, if your previous dryer was electric and you don t have gas lines hooked up for a gas dryer, you will have to pay for their installation. For a typical family of four with gas lines already installed, they will save the $50 extra they spent on the gas dryer in their utility bills in just under a year. Since most home inspection experts agree that a dryer should last about 10-15 years, the gas dryer is the wiser economic choice, maybe even if you have to have the lines put in.

There are other features available on both gas and electric dryers that can affect their energy efficiency, and therefore, your energy costs, as well. One is a moisture sensor. This sensor can tell when your clothes are dry and when they are, it shuts itself off. This can be a huge energy saver. Another feature to look at closely is capacity. A dryer with more cubic foot area in the drum allows more air to move between clothes and thus, dry them faster. When combined with a moisture sensor, this will lead to shorter cycles without having to keep an eye on your laundry.

Prices for gas and electricity supply may fluctuate, but these generalities should hold true in most places. When you re shopping, look for the black and yellow EnergyGuide label on dryers and other appliances. They will tell you how much it will cost to run with average usage. Check out this site for a spreadsheet that has space for you to enter your local rates for gas and electricity so you can individualize your calculations: http://www.jimcarson.com/a/2005/12/gas_versus_elec_1.shtml. The consensus seems to be that while gas prices are going up, gas dryers are still cheaper to run than electric dryers (especially since electricity rates generally rise when gas prices do), but the gap is shrinking and in some localities, may have flipped. That s why it s a good idea to enter your own numbers.

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DPC

DPC Bamboo Flooring-A New Trend

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462

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Bamboo flooring is a type of wood flooring that has gained popularity in the recent years. Bamboo is a type of grass that grows all over Southeast Asia, and China and it has become a high quality alternative to the traditional hard wood floors seen in the past. Bamboo flooring has become especially popular in the southeast and west coast areas due to its solidness and appearance. Professionals in the flooring business are always looking for good flooring materials to promote …


bamboo,bamboo flooring

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Bamboo flooring is a type of wood flooring that has gained popularity in the recent years. Bamboo is a type of grass that grows all over Southeast Asia, and China and it has become a high quality alternative to the traditional hard wood floors seen in the past. Bamboo flooring has become especially popular in the southeast and west coast areas due to its solidness and appearance. Professionals in the flooring business are always looking for good flooring materials to promote to their clients. They are looking for high quality floors that look good and withstand everyday lifestyles as well. Bamboo flooring does both these things and that is why it is a good flooring material choice.

Bamboo stalks mature in just five years and reach heights well over 50 ft. Since bamboo renews itself naturally it is an environmentally friendly alterative to using wood from trees which can take anywhere from 50 to 100 years to mature. Bamboo, a type of grass, grows into a material that is very hard and durable. Bamboo can grow in areas with fair to poor soil, making it one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Even after harvesting bamboo continues to grow vigorously, which makes it an extremely good alternative to other flooring options.

Bamboo floors are a great way of adding value to your home since they are just as hard, durable, and attractive as traditional hardwood floors. When people are looking for floors for their home, they look for durability, fair pricing, and good looks. Bamboo flooring not only looks fashionable and attractive it is also very durable, almost as hard as steel! It is also environmentally friendly which is beginning to make it more popular. More and more suppliers are starting to carry bamboo floors.

Bamboo flooring comes in colors like lightwood, honey, dark wood, and amber which have all been known to be popular. Carbonization and pressure steaming are techniques used to create the dark colors seen on a lot of bamboo floors. Bamboo flooring panels can also be arranged in many different pattern types. Patterns that are usually seen are vertical or flat grain and bamboo floors are usually nailed down or floated. Unfinished as well as pre-finished bamboo panels are available and can be found online sold by bamboo suppliers or in flooring centers.

Bamboo floors are always a good option when you are looking to buy a new floor. Bamboo floors are cost effective, durable, stable, fashionable, and environmentally friendly. Any homeowner looking to buy a new floor should really give bamboo a chance since they really are a cheaper alternative to traditional hardwood floors and are very easy to maintain. Bamboo floors have become more popular in the more recent years and can add value to your home.

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cleaning a patio wexford

STCS Home Improvement: Ceiling Fans

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337

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Ceiling fans come in a wide variety of styles and colors to match any homeowners interior design wishes. They come with and without lighting. Three to five blades. In colors of black, white, brown, made of wood, covered with animal print fabric or styled with carved leaves.

Ceiling fans have come a long way since the industrial revolution where they were dreamed up by sweating factory workers. These workers attached wooden or metal blades to the overhead whirling shafts t…

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Ceiling fans come in a wide variety of styles and colors to match any homeowners interior design wishes. They come with and without lighting. Three to five blades. In colors of black, white, brown, made of wood, covered with animal print fabric or styled with carved leaves.

Ceiling fans have come a long way since the industrial revolution where they were dreamed up by sweating factory workers. These workers attached wooden or metal blades to the overhead whirling shafts that were used to drive the machinery they worked on.

Ceiling fans are a great way to keep cool in the summer on those nights when you don’t have to run the air conditioner. Ceiling fans are much less noisy and obtrusive than box fans that sit on your floor or in your windows. And, you know that heat rises, right? Well, in the winter months running your fan on low and in reverse speed will bring down the heat that accumulates up in at the ceiling, helping you to feel warmer.

Before you purchase a ceiling fan you’ll need to consider the blade sweep. You don’t want to overwhelm a smaller room with a ceiling fan that’s too big, but, you also want to make sure that the ceiling fan will be able to displace enough air to cool you off in a larger room. Another consideration before purchasing a ceiling fan is the length it will drop from the ceiling. A home with an 8 foot ceiling would probably use a three inch down rod for a ceiling fan, and a room with a fifteen foot high ceiling would need at least a one foot down rod, up to a five foot down rod. It is suggested that you have at least seven feet of clearance from the floor to avoid accidents.

Installing a ceiling fan yourself is a fairly easy job for most do-it- yourselfer’s. There are many online sites available to help you if you have any problems or questions.

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cleaning a patio wicklow

STCS What on earth are area rugs anyway?

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406

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An area rug is one of those items that can be more then a little difficult to define. How big are they? Where in your home do they go exactly? Let’s first take a look inside what is generally the largest room in the house: the living room.


rugs, area rug, area rugs

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An area rug is one of those items that can be more then a little difficult to define. How big are they? Where in your home do they go exactly? Let’s first take a look inside what is generally the largest room in the house: the living room.

Often times, your living room will be large enough that it may need something to “break it up” a little bit. A good way to do this is to find an area rug with a color that contrasts the color of your living room carpet (or floor). This often has the result of setting off the open area and tkaing the focus off of the vastness of the room.

Area rugs are also a great option for a home with hardwood floors. Not only can they help your home from an aesthetic viewpoint, they can also make the house feel warmer (both literally and emotionally) and can reduce echoing in smaller rooms. A good quality rug with an anti-skid backing will also make your home safer – less slippage on those hardwood or Pergo floors!

Bathrooms might be where the area rug reigns supreme. With most bathrooms being covered in cold tile or linoleum, these small rugs are the perfect compliment to this small area. Best of all they are inexpensive enough, that they can easily be replaced with something completely different if they wear out, or even if you just get bored with a particular style or color.

If you are not a homeowner, and are currently renting, area rugs are a fantastic way to personalize your living space without jeopardizing your security deposit, or other cleaning fees after you leave. And when you do leave, you get to take your rugs with you to your next home!

Whether you are renting, or own your home, there is no denying the benefits of using area rugs in a child’s room. At 1/10th the cost of the carpet in the room, you can often prevent juices, crayons, and other hazards from ever reaching the far more expensive carpeting.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the area rug lies in the ambiguity of its description. As the “jack of all trades” rug, you can find a near limitless number of sizes, colors, materials, textures and more to choose from. There is something out there for every room in your home – no matter what the design, colors, or theme is in each.

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pilates exercise

Diabetic Eye Disease Can Cause Blindness, Gives No Early Warning Signs ARA Content

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date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:10
category:health
article:

Annual Eye Exams Crucial to Early Detection and Treatment
(ARA) – Loss of eyesight in people with diabetes is a national health problem. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than those without diabetes, and diabetic eye disease can cause as many as 25,000 new cases of blindness every year, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the Federal government’s National Institutes of Health.
Nearly half of the nation’s estimated 16 million people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetic eye disease, and the leading cause of blindness in American adults. Diabetic retinopathy damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye.
The disease does not have any early warning symptoms such as pain, and vision may not change until the disease becomes severe. “This is one of the most frightening things about diabetic eye disease,” says Dr. Paul Sieving, director of NEI. “People with diabetic eye disease do not realize that their eyesight is slowly deteriorating.”
The only way to diagnose diabetic eye disease in its early stages is with a dilated eye exam. Using eye drops to enlarge the patient’s pupils, a dilated eye exam allows the eye care professional to see more of the inside of the eye to check for signs of the disease. People with diabetes need to make annual dilated eye exams a priority. Ignoring the importance of an annual eye exam could lead to trouble later on, when diabetes begins to affect a person’s eyesight.
Vision lost from diabetes cannot be restored. Yet in about 90 percent of those who would otherwise become blind, the early detection of diabetic eye disease, combined with laser surgery when needed, and appropriate follow-up, has helped preserve vision. Laser surgery can shrink the abnormal blood vessels caused by diabetic retinopathy.
Sieving notes that “the longer a person has diabetes, the more likely it is that person will develop diabetic retinopathy. However, studies have shown that people with diabetes who keep their blood sugar levels as normal as possible slow the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy and lessen the need for laser surgery. This may also help reduce other complications from the disease, such as kidney disease, stroke and nerve damage.”
Individuals with diabetes are also at risk for other eye diseases. Studies show that they are twice as likely to get a cataract as a person who does not have the disease, and that cataracts develop at an earlier age in people with diabetes. Glaucoma may also become a problem. A person with diabetes is nearly twice as likely to get glaucoma as other adults. And, as with diabetic retinopathy, the longer someone has had diabetes, the greater the risk of getting glaucoma.
Much research is being done to learn more about diabetic eye disease. For instance, the National Eye Institute is supporting a number of research studies in the laboratory and with patients to learn what causes diabetic retinopathy and how it can be better treated. This research should provide better ways to detect and treat diabetic eye disease and prevent blindness in more people with diabetes.
A free brochure, “Don’t Lose Sight of Diabetic Eye Disease,” is available by writing to Diabetic Eye Disease, 2020 Vision Place, Bethesda, MD 20892-3655. NEI’s Web site, http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/index.htm provides additional information about diabetic retinopathy.
ZZZZZZ

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Online Pilates

3 Simple Steps To A More Restful Sleep Tonight

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Picture this: It’s 5:27 PM. You’re hungry after a busy day at work, itching to get home to see your family, and now you’re stuck in traffic. Frustration sets in. But you’re used to it since this is an every day occurrence.

So you finally stroll into your house at 6:04 PM, your 2 young children are clamoring for your attention, and they’re hungry too. You pop some frozen dinners in the microwave knowing full well they’re not healthy, but also knowing that you just don’t hav…

sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, insomnia

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Picture this: It’s 5:27 PM. You’re hungry after a busy day at work, itching to get home to see your family, and now you’re stuck in traffic. Frustration sets in. But you’re used to it since this is an every day occurrence.

So you finally stroll into your house at 6:04 PM, your 2 young children are clamoring for your attention, and they’re hungry too. You pop some frozen dinners in the microwave knowing full well they’re not healthy, but also knowing that you just don’t have time to think, much less cook. After a quick dinner consisting of Salisbury Steak you’re day’s not even close to over.

Now it’s time to do laundry, read with the kids, and of course a day’s work left over from the office. When do you have time to rest? At night you keep telling yourself.

But every night it’s the same old story. You flop into bed past 1 AM and close your eyes. Your mind is still racing from the day that just passed and the busy day ahead. So you toss and turn, hoping that you’ll be able to get at least a little shut-eye before your 6:00 AM wake up call (an annoyingly loud alarm clock
you’ve had for 15 years).

And the next day it starts all over again. You’re tired at work, you don’t have time to eat, you’re stressed, and you can’t get out of the vicious cycle.

So what do you do?

First thing’s first: take a deep breath. You’re probably stressed out just reading this far.

To get a more restful sleep tonight do the following:

1) Get a notebook and take 5 minutes right before laying down to free write. What you want to do is get every thought from the past, present, and future out of your head and on paper where it’s safe and secure. This will free the clutter from your head and allow you to rest easier.

2) Get a new alarm clock that wakes you up gradually with classical music. This will do absolute wonders for your morning routine. What you want to do is set the alarm to go off 15-20 minutes earlier than you usually wake up. It will turn on very quietly and slowly bring you out of your slumber.

3) Add a few very healthy snacks to your daily routine. One of my favorites is a 2 oz pre-packaged bag of baby carrots. They taste good, they’re good for you, and they take no prep-time. When you’re hungry at work or on the way home, munch on these. Another great snack is raw almonds. Eating healthier works
amazingly well to help you sleep better.

Please use these 3 simple tips to enjoy a more restful sleep tonight.

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DPC

DPC Bamboo Blinds Pizzazz!

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450

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Bamboo Blinds Pizzazz! If you haven t considered bamboo blinds as a classy addition to your home, read on! You will discover some of the many benefits of bamboo blinds.


bamboo blinds, bamboo, blind

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If you haven t considered bamboo blinds as a classy addition to your home, read on! You will discover some of the many benefits of bamboo blinds.

These blinds are economical, naturally elegant, and smart- looking. As home-makers lean more and more towards a contemporary and natural appearance, bamboo blinds have become very popular recently.

Bamboo blinds are an inexpensive way to dress up your room in various shades of wood. And they add a warm texture and depth to your room. The basic color of bamboo is enhances and complements the color of curtains and furniture to give the room a naturally trendy look. Woven bamboo blinds make a particularly distinctive addition to the traditional house and give a stylistic flavor to modern houses. They also become a practical solution for light control from doors and windows that let sunshine in throughout the day.

A great advantage of this style of blinds is that they provide a relatively clear view of what is going outside without allowing intrusive eyes to see into your own room. This is caused mainly due to a unusual effect that is a natural by-product of the play between light and shade. If your house faces a busy street or you are close to your neighbors, this feature is handy.

Bamboo blinds are also popular because of they are easily cleaned. You only need to wipe the blinds clear of any dust and they are as good as new. Adding drapery can also add softness and color to the room, while preserving the cleanness of the natural, outdoors appearance.

It is important that the blinds you install in your home match the overall feel and d cor of the room. For instance, a beautiful old Victorian home cannot use PVC Vertical Blinds. But bamboo blinds can match well with almost any d cor.

Windows that have east or west exposure have to deal with sunlight and heat control as well. Plentiful sunlight is great, but not when you are watching the television or when your child is fast asleep in the cot. So if you want to move the light intensity down, we recommend bamboo blinds. Once the blinds are closed, the room becomes incredibly cool and shaded. Blinds made from Bamboo also stand up to harsh sunlight conditions over an extended period. You don’t have to worry about paint peeling off.

Bamboo blinds are available in a range of shades for indoor as well as outdoor use. Most blinds have automatic cord locks and are easy to install. Dyed bamboo blinds that suit the d cor and color of your room look even more beautiful as they add splashes of color to the room.

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Driveways Dublin

QDD Beautiful Dining Room Decorating Ideas Don t Need To Cost A Fortune!

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309

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Dining room decorating ideas are so vast that your room can have a great deal of potential without costing a lot of money. Dining room decorating can begin in places that are as simple and inexpensive as yard sales, vintage stores, clearance sales, and even warehouses. As long as you re willing to take the time to hunt for your dining room interior decorating, then the sky s the limit for your style and d cor.

You ll be able to find dining room ideas for decorating in ever…


dining,room,decorating,ideas,advice,furniture

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Dining room decorating ideas are so vast that your room can have a great deal of potential without costing a lot of money. Dining room decorating can begin in places that are as simple and inexpensive as yard sales, vintage stores, clearance sales, and even warehouses. As long as you re willing to take the time to hunt for your dining room interior decorating, then the sky s the limit for your style and d cor.

You ll be able to find dining room ideas for decorating in everything from Victorian to renaissance Italian, as well as more contemporary and modern styles. It all depends on what you like, and how you like decorating a dining room.

One of the best tools at your disposal is the internet. When decorating in a dining room, shop the world, as well as close to home, using auctions, sales, clearance sites, discount sites, and warehouse sale sites. The internet is teeming with websites that can offer you amazing discount rates for dining room decorating. You ll also find that they have lots of information for dining room ideas for decorating. This will help you to match your precise design, style, and price range with the furniture and accessories that you want.

Just remember that when you re using the internet for dining room decorating, you ll need to factor in the cost of shipping. Because dining room decorating ideas commonly mean large and often breakable or fragile items, shipping can be quite costly. Try to find sites that also offer discounted shipping, free shipping, or that simply tell you about all of the greatest deals within your neighborhood so that you can pick up the items yourself.

As long as you do your homework, decorating in a dining room can be an entirely affordable experience, as well as being elegant and appealing.

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Driveway cleaning dublin

L2LLAdding Stairs Into Deck Railing Plans

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620

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Most deck railings are completely designed unlike interior stair railings, which are a simple way to get from a floor to another. You can create an extension of your personal likes in decoration, with ornamental parts of wood, iron and other material easy to install that will increase the value of your home at the same time. If you think that the stair railing is one of the first tings that people see when they come in, you should think as well that, for building a new stairc…


deck railings, deck railing plans,

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Most deck railings are completely designed unlike interior stair railings, which are a simple way to get from a floor to another. You can create an extension of your personal likes in decoration, with ornamental parts of wood, iron and other material easy to install that will increase the value of your home at the same time. If you think that the stair railing is one of the first tings that people see when they come in, you should think as well that, for building a new staircase or just a new remodelling, ask always for the advice and good service of a qualified person who will give you some good ideas for.

When something never goes out of style is unique. Choose wood stairs.

Nowadays there a wide variety of materials to build a stair railing. Long time ago and still today .houses had stairs wood railings, as wood is a nice material to work with. Especially beautiful are which are made of oak wood with wonderful red colour and knocks that are unmistakable. The star of the house will be an oak wood balustrade, without any doubt. If we try to match the colour of the stairs with the wood flooring it will give beauty elegance to our homes. Although it can be a difficult task due to the many stair parts that we need to have in account to choose like balusters, handrails, treads, and ornamental trim pieces.

On a staircase the first part we notice is the railing. It has its important use, one is to provide security for going up and down the stairs, and the other is to hold up the balustrade of the staircase. These elements must be kept in mind when the staircase is going to have a railing design. Unique, are wood railings. They are charm, grace, and soft, the perfect end for your house, improving the look of it and of course increasing the value of it. They are durable and strong. Wood is the choice that never goes out of style.

Oak wood, elegance and charm to your home.

The oak wood isgenerally used to build the stairs traditional commercial buildings such as libraries, office buildings and houses. It gives charm and elegance to any room whit its unmistakeable smooth and warm colour.

And . if you think that metal railings can improve and give more style to your staircase, use it.

They have many decorative options and display themselves beautifully. Lots luxury and high homes are decorated with iron railings. They display grace, elegance and a special luxury. A style that nowadays is being used in most of the modern buildings all around the world. Iron railings are used for many residential and commercial staircases. They offer as which are made of wood, safety and functionality. Iron decorates your home. They have a wide variety of design, assuring that you will find a special one for display at home. The metal stair railing fit in any environment. What you need is just the good advice and work of a qualified person.

Is not an easy task but the results will give you satisfaction.

Very complicated can be making stairs. First priority in this type of project is to make it safe and functional. After it comes style. A few things, the rise between treads, the number of treads and the total run of the steps, the horizontal distance between bottom and the top of the stairs. Following these steps will assist you in creating a successful staircase. Be creative. Your inner spirit will help you on the creation of your stairs. Lots of styles, modern, traditional or contemporary. Spirit and design to have a work of art at home.

Categories
Maths Tutor Ireland

san_francisco_schools_connect_to_china_and_its_chinese_community

Title:
San Francisco Schools
Connect to China and its Chinese Community

Word Count:
548

Summary:
The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, one San Francisco School, is the first Chinese immersion school in the United States. The school is designed as a two-way For the best Maths Tutor In Ireland company, call Ace Solution Books. Chinese/English instructional environment. The school provides an outstanding educational experience for children of all backgrounds. All students at Alice Fong Yu develop competency in the Cantonese and English languages and use the two languages actively in the content curriculum.

Keywords:
school, schools, san francisco, san francisco schools

Article Body:
The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, one San Francisco School, is the first Chinese immersion school in the United States. The school is designed as a two-way Chinese/English instructional environment. The school provides an outstanding educational experience for children of all backgrounds. All students at Alice Fong Yu develop competency in the Cantonese and English languages and use the two languages actively in the content curriculum. The school aims to have all students to be able to converse in and become literate in both English and Cantonese by 5th grade. The Mandarin language is added after the fifth grade. The Mandarin/English program is similar in scope and function to the Cantonese/English program. The program is intended to vigorously include the staff, parents, and students in cultural and language education. The Alice Fong Yu school uses parents and volunteers in a variety of enrichment programs such as, Performing Arts Workshop, Poets in the Schools, and science and library consultants.

The Alice Fong Yu Alternative School’s Chinese Exchange Program

Created in 2000, the exchange program sends the eighth grade class to Beijing to meet their Chinese pen pals. The program gives students the opportunity to use their knowledge of the Chinese language and culture in a real life experience. The students travel to Beijing and Hong Kong where they meet Chinese students their own age. This experience allows students to experience the culture first-hand and put their language skills to the ultimate test.

In January of 2005, the program came closer to being a true exchange program. San Francisco Schools through the Alice Fong Yu School hosted students and teachers from The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. The selected students and two teachers from China stayed with host families and participated in classes and school functions including English, art and modern dance classes. The Chinese students were able to tour City College, the Chinese Consulate and many interesting tourist destinations in the San Francisco area. Both the local and Chinese students spent their time practicing English and Mandarin.

Dance and Art Students from San Francisco Schools Travel to China

Other programs in San Francisco Schools have allowed students to travel to China to participate in international exchanges and competitions. This summer five students from the San Francisco School of Arts will travel to ShenZhen, China as representatives of the United States at the ShenZhen International Culture and Arts Festival. As part of an Educational Exchange program facilitated by Dr. Marie Lee, Director of East/West Child Research and Development Center and former school administrator of the San Francisco Schools, all student expenses in China will be provided in full by the ShenZhen Nanshan Government. The five selected students will perform two dances, Chant of the Sirens and Basin Street Blues. The School of the Arts students were the only students from the United States invited to the Festival in 2006. The three hundred students at the Festival represented countries from around the world including: Australia/ New Zealand, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and others. Along with performing at the Festival students will visit schools, attend art exhibitions, eat new foods, visit tourist locations, and learn about Chinese culture and language while staying with Chinese families and students.