各位親愛的校長、老師、校務人員、學者專家、家長及同學們，大家好：
美東中文學校協會第四十五屆年會，將於今年五月廿六、廿七兩天在麻州(Massachusetts) Burlington 的 Marriott Hotel (One Burlington Mall Rd. Burlington, MA 01803) 舉行。此一盛會不僅是每年美國東部近百所中文學校的師生熱切期盼的大型活動，也是所有美東中文學校緊密結合、聚集一堂的難得機會，每年約有六百多人參加。
目前在全美各地的協會及聯誼會中，美東中文學校協會是規模最大的組織之一，其成立目的在於提昇中文教學的品質，並藉經驗的交流，培訓優良的師資。而本協會所舉辦的年會，係藉著教學研討、觀摩切磋及專家講授，融合創新化及科技化的教學方式，來宣揚中華文化並將華語文導入主流社會，加強美國東部各社區及新一代僑民對中華文化的認識與認同。年會亦舉辦各項學生活動競賽，諸如:青少年中華歷史文化常識問答比賽、國語演講比賽、壁報比賽、中華文化專題簡報比賽、國語歌唱比賽、扯鈴比賽等學藝競賽；以及最優教師、優良教師、資深教師、資深行政人員、優秀學生及榮譽學生等選拔項目，藉以鼓勵師生爭取最高榮譽。
本協會於一九七四年創立。會員學校分佈範圍廣泛，現今分成六個區域包括: 第一區:新英格蘭地區;第二區:紐約州北部及康州;第三區:新澤西州;第四區:賓州東部、賓州西部、德拉瓦州及南新澤西州;第五區:馬里蘭州、華府地區及維吉尼亞州;第六區:紐約市及長島。 今日，華語文教育在全球的發展，已經不侷限於華裔，漸漸涵蓋到多種族群。為了普及華語文教育，本協會利用每年國殤節的長假，集合各地華語文教育界之先進及菁英，為提昇華語文教育貢獻心力，使傳承的工作能不斷注入活水泉源。多年來推廣華語文教育的努力也逐漸得到了美國教育界及美國外語教學理事會(ACTFL)的重視，僑教在這其中扮演著舉足輕重的角色。爰此今年年會主題擬訂如下：
文化科技雙結合，華文教育再創新
美東中文學校協會竭誠邀請您闔府參加第四十五屆年會，與老師、行政人員、家長、學生共聚一堂，就推廣華語文教育再創新互相觀摩，經驗分享，一起為傳揚中華文化，提昇華文為世界語言共同努力，也趁此機會浸染波士頓地區豐富的歷史、學術與文化，與為華語文教育貢獻心力的僑胞們度過一個豐盛的週末!
耑此，順頌時祺！
美東中文學校協會會長
郭純岑
第四十五屆年會主席
陳燕貞
暨美東中文學校協會理事會全體理事
一同敬邀
二零一八年元月三十一日
Event: The Association of Chinese Schools (ACS) 45th Annual Conference
Date: A two-day conference on May 26th (Saturday) and May 27th, (Sunday) 2018
Location: Boston Marriott Burlington Hotel (One Burlington Mall Rd. Burlington, MA 01803, USA)
It’s time to welcome you to the 45th annual Association of Chinese Schools (ACS) conference. The ACS annual conference is one of its kind in the east coast of USA. It gathers officials, Chinese language experts, teachers, administrators, esteemed speakers, vendors, parents, and students coming from nearly one hundred Chinese language schools. Their participation in these exciting educational and informational activities demonstrates in volume that it is important to master a second language especially Chinese.
This always much anticipated conference is a great occasion for all participants to share and to exchange experiences in educational trends, technology enhanced teaching materials, cultures, teaching opportunities, testing options, student exchanges, federal grants supporting world languages, and best teaching practices. Each year, there are over 600 attendees participating in opening ceremony, concurrent sessions, workshops, activities, competitions, and closing ceremony designed to enhance our talented and dedicated teachers and instructors.
As one of the largest and oldest Chinese language and culture organizations in the United States, ACS with its guiding mission to reach the highest quality of Chinese teaching through the active exchange of experiences and best practices sharing is a cherished and venerable association. We maintain our excellence and longevity through never losing sight of our vital mission, to effectively promote the Chinese culture and language into mainstream society; for both future generations and those who are interested within the larger community. Through the meticulous planning and execution of the ACS 45th annual conference, there are numerous training seminars, students competitions, presentations, workshops and entertainments for all attendees. These activities provide opportunities for teachers to observe and to learn from experts, to explore new and innovative technologies and approaches, and to witness technology-driven teaching methods designed to enhance students’ learning experience that is the key to our success, as well as your participation!
One of the highlights during this conference is student competitions including speech, multimedia, culture contents, singing, poster, and yoyo contests. All participated students are awarded for their best performance. Through competitions like these, they encourage students to show off their knowledge about Chinese culture and their language skills to its peak in both serious and casual fashions.
The Conference Chair, Jennifer and Bianca, President of ACS cordially invite you and your families to join us at the 2018 ACS Annual Conference in Boston. Our expectation is that we use this golden opportunity to achieve two goals. The first goal is to gather all, to have hands-on experiences, and to share the most up-to-date education principles on Chinese teaching. After you experience mutual benefits of such sharing, the second goal is to promote Chinese culture and language programs in your community with what you’ve learned in the conference. Lastly, for those of you coming from outside of the New England area, please take time to explore the rich history in the Boston area, both academic and cultural. Wish you all a memorable and wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Regards,
Bianca Chang
ACS President
Jennifer Chen
ACS 45th Annual Conference Chairwoman
And the ACS Board of Directors