Great Wall Chinese School (GWCS) is a non-profit organization registered in the state of Pennsylvania. It is a member of CSAUS (Chinese School Association of United States). It is currently located at Rosemont College which is 20 miles west of Philadelphia. It was founded in January 1996 by a group of Chinese parents for the purpose of teaching their children the Chinese language and culture. The school grew rapidly from initially about twenty students to currently over 400 students. Enrollment is open not only to children from Chinese families, but also to children and adults whose native language is not Chinese. Currently, about 5% of the students are from English speaking families. An administration team, consisting of 5-13 parents who serve voluntarily, runs our school currently. All important policy issues are determined based on the decisions of the administration team. A school principal and the team members manage the routine operation of the school. The school also utilizes its Parents-On-Duty system to maintain low cost. Parents are encouraged to get involved in all school-related activities.
The mission of the Great Wall Chinese School is to provide a learning environment for students to study the Chinese language. It teaches simplified Chinese characters, PinYin (a Chinese phonetic system), and Mandarin. The school encourages students to cherish Chinese values and heritage, foster and enhance friendship among the Chinese-American community, contribute to the mutual understanding and appreciation of Chinese and other cultures, and enhance cultural exchange between China and the U.S.
长城中文学校是在美国联邦和宾州注册的非盈利机构。学校由家长中的自愿者管理。学校的决策机构是理事会,由理事长负责。学校的管理机构是校委会,由校长负责,有副校长数人,及其他工作人员。十五年来,所有学校管理人员都是义务无偿服务。
长城中文学校的宗旨是推广中华语言文字,弘扬中华文化传统, 促进中美文化交流。教授以汉语拼音、简体汉字、普通话为主的现代汉语。学校积极参与社区活动,努力成为华人文化信息的传播中心,东西方文化交流的桥梁。
长城中文学校位于费城的西北郊Rosemont College校园内。设有中文、绘画、中国画、 民族舞蹈、及太极等与中国文化相关的课程,另外还有美国大学入学考试复习班。现有学生400多人。学校每周日上课,上课时间从上午10点至下午六点,学校的互联网主页是www.greatwall.org。
学校以中国暨南大学编写的教材-《中文》为主体,附加其他与中国文字及文化有关的辅助材料。学校现有从幼儿班到十二年级,以及中文提高班的29个教授中文的班级。其中成人口语班和少儿汉语班是为母语非汉语的学生开办的,主要教授汉语基本口语及对话的班级。为帮助学生更好地准备美国的大学入学考试,学校近几年还开设了美国大学入学考试SAT的辅导课。学校专门聘请了现在美国高中教书的教师或在SAT方面有教学经验的专业人才对学生进行辅导。
学校的师资主要来源于曾在国内从事多年中文教学的老师及爱好中文教学的学生家长。文化班的老师都是受过专业训练的教师。其中绘画班是最受家长和学生欢迎的文化课,共有11个绘画班。其中包括家长绘画班和国画班;5个儿童舞蹈班和家长舞蹈班;家长舞蹈基本功班是近年来新开设的文化课。另外,我们还将开设太极拳和少年太极剑班、
长城中文学校校刊《彩虹》自1997年创刊以来,至今已出刊二百一十多期。《彩虹》以发表学生作文,发布学校信息,和选登学生和家长感兴趣的文章或中文考试试题等为主。《彩虹》为双周刊,由主编及数名编辑共同出版发行。