PC 121008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Nan Leng voiced support for Ivy League and said he believes the school is good for students and for Pleasanton. Yi Yang shared her child's education experience, stating she moved to Pleasanton in 2002 for better schools and academic focus in after school programs. She stated that her nine-year-old daughter is now able to write in Chinese through attendance at Ivy League. She noted that her younger, seven-year-old daughterwent to Kids Club for two years, but she did not learn enough; she then joined Ivy League this last summer and has made great progress. She asked the Commission to approve the application. John Dieffenbach stated that he has a daughterwho is enrolled in John Green in Dublin and that he and his wife needed a tutoring center in Kindergarten. He indicated that they tried a couple of programs that did not work before they found Ivy League. He stated that she received tutoring at the school and received one-on-one training, and they saw significant improvement in the first three weeks. He noted that they are very pleased with the school and asked the Commission to support the application. Stephanie Lin introduced his son, William Fang, who had spent time writing his speech to the Commission. She echoed comments of the other parents and indicated that she believed the school is offering a very comprehensive program, is consistent in its teachings, and offers caring cultural programs and education. She asked the Commission to support staff's recommendation for approval. William Fang stated that he has been in Ivy League for three years and that they have Chinese class every day, language arts like writing, reading, and spelling, accelerated reading tests after reading a book, accelerated math, homework time of 45 minutes, and if they do not finish, they go to homework club to finish. He stated that they get all the free time they want from 6:10 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. He noted that today, 20 percent of the world speak Chinese, and 15 percent speak English; he noted that this school teaches both languages. He added that the school evolved from a small school of 30+ students to a 60-student school, and now the students need more space so they can have more fun and education. He asked the Commission to vote yes so they can move to their bigger and better building. Rachel Tu stated that she and her husband moved to Pleasanton last year and that they have a special needs child. She voiced concern about the level of academia in public schools, discussed her research in supplemental education, and stated that she believes Ivy League is perfect. She stated that the school is very structured and offers advanced math, Chinese language, culture, and writing skills and that six months later, herson's skills have improved, and he can now talk with his grandparents fluently in Chinese. She stated that she can see the program expanding for the benefit of the entire community. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, December 10, 2008 Page 16 of 35