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CC 06-04-2024 Oral CommunicationsCC 6-04-2024 Oral Communications Written Comments Cupertino Copertino Sister Cities Association Student Exchange Program 2024 To the Cuper tino City Council: Honorable Mayor Shiela Mohan Honorable Vice Mayor JR Fruen Councilmember Liang Chao Councilmember Kitty Moore Councilmember Hung Wei The purpose of our sister city relationship with Copertino, Italy is to promote friendship and mutual understanding between our two cultures by sending/hosting adult delegations every four to five years and by carrying out a student exchange on an annual basis. Brief history of our program: • Oldest sister city relationship – MOU signed in 1963 by our respective mayors • 1960’s - various informal visits from Cupertino to Copertino • Dormant until 2013 when the relationship was re-established by Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong and Copertino Councilmember Mauro Valentino • 2013 - adult delegation from Copertino led by Councilmember Mauro Valentino travels to Cupertino • 2015 - adult delegation from Cupertino led by Mayor Gilbert Wong travels to Copertino • 2016 - The Cupertino Copertino Sister Cities Association is incorporated as a non-profit • 2016 – first student delegation from Cupertino travels to Copertino • 2017 - first student delegation from Copertino travels to Cupertino • 2018 -19 - reciprocal student exchange between both cities each year • 2019 – adult delegation from Cupertino led by Mayor Steven Scharf travels to Copertino • 2020 – fourth student delegation cancelled due to pandemic • 2024 – fourth reciprocal student exchange between both cities Copertino is in the Puglia region of Italy, in the heel of the boot, nestled between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. It is primarily an agricultural area known for its olive trees and vineyards with an ancient history and a strong cultural heritage. There is a unique bond between the two cities as we are named after their patron saint, St. Joseph of Cupertino. This year we sent six students and one chaperone, Dawn McLeod, from St. Joseph of Cupertino School to Copertino, Italy. Prior to the trip the students attended two orientation meetings and one Italian cultural class. The orientation meetings cover various aspects of the exchange – travel, responsibilities, behavior, itinerary, etc. Our committee facilitates these meetings and creates itineraries in both countries. We do this in coordination with both schools and the host families. Our primary liaison in Copertino is St. Joseph of Copertino School Vice Principal Lorena Luperto. The students and host families start communication with each other before the trip. We create a private Facebook page to share the exchange with our committee, the families, and other interested parties. Council may contact Helene Davis at cupcopsistercities@gmail.com to gain access to the page. Our students traveled to Copertino and spent a couple days afterwards in Rome before heading home to Cupertino. April 1 – Airport welcome April 2 – Day trip to the Adriatic Coast April 3 and 4 – spending time at San Giuseppe da Copertino School Italian Class Dance Class Baking Class The Cupertino Copertino Sister Cities Association thanks the City for its support of our program and especially for hosting the Italian delegation at City Hall. April 3 - Visit to Lecce – the “Florence of the South” Farewell Party New (now best) friends Rome Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister City Association Student Exchange Program 2024 To the Cupertino City Council: Honorable Mayor Sheila Mohan Honorable Vice Mayor J.R.Fruen Councilmember Liang Chao Councilmember Kitty Moore Councilmember Hung Wei The Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister City Association,CHSCA,is pleased to present to the Cupertino City Council our Student Exchange Program April 2024 Report. Our student exchange program started in 2004 when we welcomed the first student delegation from our Sister City -Hsinchu,Taiwan.This year marked the 20th Anniversary of our Exchange Program.Our delegation of 25 students from the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD)and Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD)traveled to Hsinchu for a one week exchange from April 12th to April 21,2024.The CHSCA Student Exchange Program provides 7th-12th graders from our city and 2 school districts the opportunity to stay with a host family in Hsinchu,attend local schools to experience the education system in Taiwan,learn about the history of Hsinchu and Taiwan,and most importantly establish people-to-people connections between the two cities and lifelong friendships between our students and host families. Hsinchu is known as the Silicon Valley of Taiwan with over 300 tech companies located in the Hsinchu Science and Technology Park,and part of this exchange is to provide students an opportunity to see how connected our two cities are.Our report will highlight the major activities of our trip based on journals provided to our 2024 CHSCA Student Delegation Website by the students.This website includes student journals where each student was asked to chronicle the time and reflect on the activities participated in Hsinch and a photo gallery.Council members may contact our group to gain access to the website. This year ’s delegation consisted of 25 students,8 from FUSHD and 17 from CUSD,and 2 teacher Chaperones,Ms.Tanya Kamau from Miller,and Ms.Grace Lin from Muir Elementary, as well as our CHSCA members:President Angela Chen,Vice President Janice Sung,Vice President Chia-Ching Lin,and Student Activities Coordinator Angelo Noguera. Prior to our trip in April,our students participated in 6 cultural training sessions to learn about Taiwanese culture,prepared several skits and dances to highlight student life here in Cupertino,and connected virtually with their host families before arriving in Taiwan.Our meetings were facilitated by members of our group who worked with city and education officials in Cupertino and Hsinchu,and acted as primary contacts for all family members.These meetings help ensure our students are prepared for their time in Hsinchu as they attend schools and spend time with their host families. Official Delegation Visit to Hsinchu City Hall and Meeting with Mayor Gao on April 15,2024 Though our student exchange was only a week long,thanks to the Hsinchu City Education Officials and our host school for this year,Hulin Junior High School and Principal Hsieh,students were able to experience various aspects of student life in Hsinchu.The week consisted of our official delegation meeting with Hsinchu City Hall Officials,a day trip to Taipei and its surrounding areas,3 days of school with their host student,and time to explore Hsinchu with their host families.Throughout our entire trip,our students were able to engage with various members of the Hsinchu community who also helped make sure our students enjoyed their activity packed week in Hsinchu. Welcome Celebration at Hulin Junior High School on April 14th,2024 A major component of our program is having students experience school life in Hsinchu. Throughout the week our whole student delegation was able to visit several schools in the area to experience unique classes and electives Hsinchu junior and high schools have to offer while joining their host students in class.Our students first spent the morning with their host students in school and then in the afternoons traveled to another school to experience classes as a group.During our first school visit to Fuli Junior High School on Monday,April 17th our whole delegation participated in classes on glass blowing and archery.We are very fortunate to have created a strong relationship with Fuli over the years to help provide our students with this unique opportunity of working with students at the school to create glass charms and decorations in one of the only glass blowing classes in Hsinchu for middle school students while learning archery from a team coached by an Olympic Medalist. Student Delegation visit to Fuli Junior High School on April 15th,2024 The next school our students visited as a delegation was Chien Hua Junior High on Tuesday,April 16th,where students participated in several of the school’s art classes including creating preserved flowers,Chinese calligraphy,and watercolor.Many of the schools are well known for unique and special programs,such as Chien Hua for their art program,so school staff create special schedules to give our students opportunities to experience these courses first hand.From each of these classes,students were able to bring home their creations as a special souvenir from their time there.. Student Delegation visit to Chien Hua Junior High School on April 16th Our final school visit was to Yu Hsien Junior High School on April 18th where we were greeted by the school’s dance team.The dance team not only performed a traditional dance but also taught the routine to our students who then joined the dance team to perform!After the performance,students joined the school's percussion ensemble to learn and play a Taiwanese Classic Song “Bang Chhun-hong”(Longing for the Spring Breeze)and ended their day with learning to throw a frisbee from a member of the national Ultimate Frisbee team. Student Delegation visit to Yu Hsien Junior High School on April 18th In all of these school activities our Cupertino students interacted and learned with local students which provided our students first hand experience of school life in Hsinchu.Our students share how on the first day many local students greeted them when arriving on campus, sharing social media profiles,and helping our students navigate the school.Even though our students'time was short in their host schools,many of our students express how they always felt welcomed by all members of the school community and we are thankful to all our host schools who made our students feel like true members of the school community. As well as attending class at their host school,our students have a chance to immerse themselves in Taiwan and Hsinchu’s culture through living and exploring Taiwan with their host family for the week.On Wednesday,April 17th,along with our host students and staff from Hulin,our whole delegation took a day trip to Taipei to visit Dihua Old Street,the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial,The National Palace Museum,and view the city from the top of Taipei 101. Seeing our students laugh,eat local foods,and bond over common interests with their host students as they explore the new and old of Taipei highlights the major goal of our program in creating lifelong friendships through travel together. Student Delegation visit to Taipei with host Students on April 17th While the adult delegation participated in many of our student activities,our CHSCA members also visited many of the schools in the area,including reconnecting with many past host schools,principals,and staff who have hosted our students in the past and visited Cupertino.Our teacher chaperones also had the opportunity to observe,share,and learn about the educational system in Taiwan.This included visiting Special Day Classes at Yu Hsien Junior High School and observing a PE lesson at the National Experimental School at Hsinchu Science Park,NEHS. NEHS also hosts the International Bilingual School at Hsinchu Science Park and in collaboration with the Hsinchu Science Park offers a mix of Western and Taiwanese education systems to support the science park and families who work at the companies headquartered in Hsinchu.CHSCA started our student exchange with the school over 7 years ago and our visit this year was special since Grace Lin,one of our teacher chaperones,was returning to IBHS where she was a teacher for over 9 years and who we met during our first exchange with the school.It is moments and relationships like this that we have grown over the years that help keep our program going and we hope that our students are able to do the same in the future. We remind our students at the end of each exchange to keep these relationships alive as they never know where it will take them in the future.We hope the bonds students create here develop into life long relationships like we have with many of our friends in Hsinchu. Our Friday Farewell Dinner is our final opportunity to celebrate as a whole delegation with our host families,school leaders,and members of the Hsinchu City Government.Comedy skits,song performances,and line dancing was our students'way to share our culture here in Cupertino and to express our thanks to our hosts for all they have done for us this week.It was during this dinner that we exchanged gifts and recognized each of the host family members for welcoming our students with open arms and taking them in as their own.We are also very grateful for Mayor Gao’s special gift of facemasks to each member of our delegation in connection to the student’s Q and A session during our visit to Hsinchu City Hall.It is acts like this and special moments between students,families,school and government leaders that as an organization we are extremely grateful for and make all the work all members put in so worth it in the end. Farewell and Recognition Party on April 19th,2024 Though our student exchange lasts just a little over a week,our students were able to experience so much thanks to the help from our hosts in Hsinchu.Many of our students will be welcoming their host students in October 2024 and we look forward to working with many of the school and government offices who supported us in our trip.Our goal is to develop and establish lifelong friendships and partnerships between our two cities and much of that comes from the experiences our students are able to have as members of the CHSCA Exchange Program.In order to accomplish our mission,we are extremely thankful to all the volunteers, school leaders and teachers,and families both here in Cupertino and Hsinchu.We would also like to extend our appreciation and gratitude for the support from the City of Cupertino and our two school districts,CUSD and FUHSD,in ensuring a positive and healthy program for students.We look forward to continuing to share our students'experiences in years to come. Sincerely, Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister City Association From:Santosh Rao To:Kirsten Squarcia; City Council Cc:Pamela Wu; Sheila Mohan; City Clerk; Bill Mitchell Subject:Enabling hybrid meetings for commission meetings. Date:Friday, May 31, 2024 10:51:38 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Council, Mayor Mohan and Manager Wu, Cc: City Clerk I look forward to staff and council considering input on the hybrid remote comment enablement for commission meetings. At a minimum please enable hybrid meetings for parks and rec, audit committee and public safety commission. Public must be able to offer remote public comment. A webcast is not the same as a hybrid meeting. A webcast does not permit resident engagement via public comments. Hybrid meetings affirm your commitment to community engagement. Parks and rec used to accept remote public comment but no longer does. I urge you to resume hybrid meetings at the earliest for at least parks and rec and also audit committee, public safety commission. Thank you. Thanks, Santosh Rao