International Chinese School

Dear NSW Government,

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonards.

My daughter has attended the school since 2018 (Kindergarten) and is now in year 1. She is 3rd generation Australian born Chinese (we do not speak any mandarin) and yet she is picking up the language fluently now. We are delighted at the school as she is flourishing in so many ways in this unique school (the only bi-lingual English/Chinese primary school in NSW). Incredibly the school fees are not much more than the community pre-school costs (equivalent 5 days a week) and the school is providing top quality education.

I feel that the bilingual education provided by ICS is not only successful, it is hugely impacting in helping the children and families have a greater appreciation of Chinese culture. As Australia continues to build relationship with China economically, ICS is at the forefront of raising the generation that will enable Australian children much greater opportunity in the future to help build these cultural and economical bridges between East and West.

The site at 211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the School because it is accessible, in the ideal area for this cultural match with a large Chinese/Australian born Chinese population, and enables the school to grow to a critical mass. There is access to more space to run around and play, as well as being close to transport.

I need to stress that there is the urgent need for ICS to relocate in 2020. Since it's inception 5 years ago, the School has been searching for a suitable site and the current site does not allow for further growth. 2020 already has enrolments for kindergarten that require significant growth in student numbers from this year. Moving to 211 Pacific Highway will secure the future of school.

Thank you for your consideration of this submission, and please help us secure 211 Pacific Highway as the school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.

Yours Sincerely

Deb Fung

11/717 Blaxland Rd
Epping NSW 2121

22/10/2019

Re: State Significant Development - International Chinese School SSD-10260

Major Projects,

Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment,

NSW Government,

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.

This is Minggang Li. I am the parent of Jinbo Li who is year 1 student at International Chinese School. The ICS principal and teachers are very kind and helpful, and my son had a very good time there.

As you know, my son can learn Chinese in the school. I believe that is very important for his future. I am appreciated that he can learn both Australian and Chinese culture.

I support the school’s decision of relocating to St Leonard. One of the benefits is that there has a bigger play ground to play, and my son will enjoy running around.

I hereby as a school parent to request the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.


Yours Sincerely

Minggang Li

I am writing to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.

My son has recently moved to International Chinese School since term 3. And he’s been so happy every day after the move that he wouldn’t stop talking about school at home. The staff and teachers were very supportive and helpful through the transition. And he already made many friends at his new school.

We are a Chinese family that values our cultural heritage. Therefore, it is crucial for my child to learn Mandarin as well as English at both advanced levels, which is hard to find in Sydney’s day schools currently. Fortunately, International Chinese School is offering that through its bilingual program. And it is also important for children to face future challenge with Australia’s increasing trades with China.

I believe 211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the School. It is close to public transport, and it is surrounded by green and leafy parklands. Students will get access to oval and parklands. And there is service to significant local Chinese population, as well as regional plans for educational precinct and projected urban growth.

Meanwhile, there is an urgent need for ICS to relocate in 2020. With new kindergarten students coming in next year, student numbers will raise significantly next year. The current premises will become too cramped. Also, the school has been searching for a suitable site for 5 years. If the relocation was successful, the future of school would be secured.

It is nearly the end of 2019, and for all the above reasons I urge the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.

Yours Sincerely,
Ran He

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write to express my strong support for the International Chinese School (ICS) proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway, St Leonards.

My daughter is currently enrolled there in Year 4 as the school is the only one of its kind in NSW that offers bilingual education in Mandarin. I enrolled my daughter as soon as I discovered this school because:

1. Being half Chinese, this was a valauable opportunity for her to learn Mandarin during standard school hours, as opposed to weekend classes offered by other organisations.
2. The school also has an active focus on teaching students about Chinese culture, including celebrating all major festivals, in addition to Australian festivals and major holidays.
3. It caters for non-native Chinese speakers, kids who might struggle at weekend Chinese language classes because they don't speak Mandarin.

Since transferring to this school in Year 2, my daughter has gone from non-existent language abilities to being able to converse in Mandarin and recognising characters and reading basic text. This demonstrates that the teaching at ICS is effective and I strongly feel it will be a great loss to the community if such an institution were not supported in its efforts to establish itself and grow further.

In today's geopolitical environment, it is important that our children grow up with an awareness of other cultures, both for their personal development and future career prospects. Having an additional language capability, especially one such as Chinese, would be a valuable asset. ICS provides a great starting point to learn the langauage and culture of an undeniably important and influential neighbour in our Asia Pacific region.

The proposed site of the new school is centrally located and close to a number of transport amenities. The existing building facilities will allow the school to establish itself in readiness to accept stidents into the new site as soon as possible with reasonable cost. When so many suburbs seem to be choking under dense apartment developments, the establishment of a school like this in the locality adds some diversity to the landscape, as well as mark St Leanards as the suburb that hosts an international bilingual school, much like Terry Hills is associated with the German International School etc.

The school urgently needs to relocate as it is almost bursting at the seams and the approval of this submission will ensure that students have a different option should they wish to pursue language studies. It would be a great pity for the school to get a set back from being successful in their bid to relocate to St Leonards. Student numbers have increased steadily year after year and the school needs certainty to flourish.

Thank you in advance for your favourable consideration of this submission.

Yours Sincerely

Hyejin Lee

Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment,
NSW Government,

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.

My daughter Elsa joined ICS in 2017 and she really likes the school.

The reason why we sent our daughter to ICS was because this school teachs students by bilingual Mandarin educational program. This can help student to maintain some of the Chinese cultural heritage and to boost the interest to learn a second language.

Besides, due to the increasing number of new student enrolled at ICS over the last two years, the size of the current ICS campus is really small for all the students, there are not sufficient playground and classrooms available for the students . However, the location of 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard is close to train station and there is a really big oval next to it, this is why i suggest 211 Pacific Highway is a perfect site for the School.

Hence, we really appreciate relevant departments approve the school relocation for the coming 2020 academic year.

Yours Sincerely
Ming

Re: State Significant Development - International Chinese School SSD-10260

Major Projects,
Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment,
NSW Government,

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.

Our son Harrison is starting kindergarten at ICS in 2020. We are very much looking forward to him getting the best start in life, with access to a bilingual Christian education.

We feel that as Chinese Australian, it would be a wonderful opportunity for Harrison to maintain our family's cultural heritage, especially given Australia's increasing economic ties with China, and a need to respect and understand other cultures.

211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the school due to its proximity to the station, access to the newly renovated oval, as well as access to RNSH if necessary. It is also a growing suburb.

Given the limited space at their Chatswood site, it is imperative that the school secures a suitable location at the earliest opportunity (ideally in 2020), given the growth experienced by the school. We would very much recommend the approval of the site for ICS at the earliest opportunity so the school may be prepared for the start of the 2020 school year.

Yours sincerely,
Isaac and Sarah Wong

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's
I'm from Thailand and my husband is an ABC. My husband's parents originally came from Taiwan. My husband is the only son in the family and he speaks Chinese both Mandarin and Cantonese. Unfortunately he didn't have much opportunity to spend time and talk to our children much as he has to work and I'm Thai, so we end up speak English at home. And it's a shame if our children will not knowing any of his dad's language.
Until we heard about International Chinese school. We were very excited that there's a school that can teach how to do writing, reading and speaking in Chinese, so we enrolled our son in for Kindy 2018. Our son was not knowing any Chinese at all, so we were hope that ICS can teach him. Now he is in year 1 and his reading, writing and speak was excellent. His grandparents are very impressed about how the school have taught him.
The school also teach the kids about the great culture of Chinese and we as a parent can see our children's future with Australian's increasing economic ties with China

211 Pacific Highway St.leonards is a good location for the new site. It's very easy access and friendly environment. There is an oval near by where the children can go play and explore.

The urgent need for ICS to relocate in 2020. The School has been searching for a suitable site for 5 years. Current premises cramped. Significant growth in student numbers next year. The future of school will be secured.

Summary stressing the need, urging the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.

Yours Sincerely
Ruthai Tsung

To whom it may concern,

I object to the development of a school at 211 Pacific Highway, St Leonards in the strongest possible terms. I struggle to envision a less appropriate development for this site - a foreign language school with a strict religious affiliation serving primarily out-of-area students, on a site that is entirely inappropriate, whilst denigrating a heritage listed cemetery for access. It is almost farcical.

The proposed site lacks any amenity as a school. A 1500m2 site for 210 students sandwiched between a six-lane road and a heritage listed cemetery... It has no space for a playground, assembly hall or sufficient space for outdoor gatherings of students. The notion that this school can simply take over the adjoining public playground and oval for their own private use is presumptive and flies in the face of what public spaces are all about. If a school is having to overrun a public playground and facilities to the detriment of the general public simply to provide enough space for its students, then it's pretty clear the site is not appropriate.

Traffic access to the site will be a nightmare. Most children will undoubtedly be dropped off in a car as they will be travelling from out of the area, and so you can safely assume a minimum of 80-100 cars vying for drop-off space in the 15 minutes before school commences when staff are on site to supervise them. The logistics do not work - there is not sufficient space and the impacts upon the T3 and bus lanes will be huge.

I understand that more schools are needed in the area, but this development does not even satisfy this basic necessity - it will service a strict denominational and language group, not the broader local population. There is absolutely no benefit being offered here to the local public.

This proposal makes no sense and I strongly feel it should be rejected.

Sincerely,
Chris Southwood

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard’s

Our daughter is currently studying Kindergarten in ICS. We find ICS is a wonderful school for the children to learn Mandarin as there isn’t any other Mandarin school across NSW that uses Mandarin to teach other subjects as well.

I have always been wondering why there’s isn’t any Mandarin International School across NSW while there is Japanese, Korean, German, French and lots of other languages school and some of them already have a long history. I strongly believed that children should maintain their mother language, because it provides knowledge about their heritage culture and provides more opportunities for children’s future with increasing economic ties with China.

I have been to the school site at 211 Pacific Highway personally, and I really think that it is the best available option for the school to expand to. Firstly, the site is right next to gore hill park and the oval, it will be great for the children to have their sports class or excursion. Currently the school is crammed in a church site, where children only get to exercise indoors or outdoors on artificial grass. Secondly, classrooms won’t be enough for the academy year 2020 with significant growth in student numbers next year. Thirdly, 211 Pacific Highway is very accessible, regardless by train or bus, there is also a large parking next to the site.

We sincerely hope that ICS to relocate to a larger space/building next year as the current premises cramped and shared with church which is not suitable. Furthermore, the school has been searching for a suitable site for many years since they establish 5 years ago, and this is the best option so far.

Yours Sincerely
Kuan

To whom it may concern,

I'd like to express my support for the proposed move of the International Chinese School to the St Leonards site, of 211 Pacific Highway.
I am planning to send my child to this school in the new year and have been encouraged by it's unique position as a bilingual chinese language school in Sydney. One that follows NSW board of education curriculum and ensures standards of education and teach quality are maintained.

I really think having a strong understanding of the mandarin language in today's day and age is an advantage for the future for our children.

I'm advised that the school has been searching for a proper home for the last 5 years . Certainly the current location is both cramped and does not offer easy access. Where as the St Leonards site, is well located near public transportation and with reasonable vehicular access that should not disturb residential patterns of traffic. It's also very lucky to be next to a park and oval.

I truly hope that the school can relocate to St Leonards in 2020 ready for the school year to commence and with any uncertainty over it's fate removed.

Sincerely

A prospective ICS parent for 2020

Objection from GSL Action Group.

My family came to Sydney from Korea. My family decided to take ICS as my daughter's school with the introduction of a Chinese friend.

I think the value of the bilingual Mandarin educational program on offer through ICS. Maintaining cultural heritage, opportunities for children's future with Australia's increasing economic ties with China, increased respect and tolerance for other cultures.

I think 211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the School.Because
Proximity to public transport, the green and leafy setting with surrounding parklands, access to oval and parklands, service to significant local Chinese population, regional plans for educational precinct, projected urban growth.

The School has been searching for a suitable site for 5 years. Current premises cramped. Significant growth in student numbers next year. The future of school will be secured.

If you possible the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.

Yours Sincerely

Dear all

Subject: State Significant Development Application - International School, St Leonards

I write in relation to the State Significant Development (SSD) NO.10260 and object to this Development.

I have the following comments to make.

I have only recently been aware of this development which is located across my street. I was not notified nor advised of the Council DA nor the SSD. I would have hoped that since I am heavily impacted that the planning system would have afforded me the courtesy to advise me of what is taking place in my front yard.

There are a large numbers of residents in the surrounding streets that are not aware if this SSD (nor the DA). There are other residents who live in very close proximity who are severely impacted and yet have no voice. As such there should be an extension of the community consultation and the submission period in order to allow the community a chance to comment on such a considerable change of use and development in such a historically significant site.

I was even more surprised of the extent, scope and purpose of this development. The fact that this is a State Heritage significant site is more alarming. The development is within the Gore Hill Memorial Cemetery, a state heritage site with great significance to the community and the larger Lower North Shore and Sydney area. This is a well-recognised site of the former Sexton Cottage and the “Avenue” which has such importance that altering or interfering in any way would result in a large deterioration of reputation, significance and structural integrity in the future.

There are several characteristics that should be preserved and not destroyed for this existing site. The SSD is not in line with the existing character or the surrounds of this area and the result will be more pressure on an already intensified and overwhelmed community due to over development.

The alterations and additions to the existing site including the office building with first floor addition to replace existing mezzanine is an extreme modification and alteration to that should not be accepted. The associated works will affect the Gore Hill Memorial
Cemetery and deny the rest of the community enjoyment of such a place due to the
impact and change in use.

The Gore Hill Oval is the only available space in the area. It is not a large usable open
space but is frequented by many residents. The SSD for the school should not rely solely
on the use of this oval and Gore Hill cemetery for kids recreation and private purposes.
Since the school kids will be allowed to use such a space for private use then this will
ease to be a public open space for all. Public access should not be restricted to benefit
private use to the determinant of the community.

The Gore Hill Oval should not be the only playground for school. This cannot be
acceptable for the school children or the community. There must be a better quality
outcome for the students to enjoy. Furthermore the school is not providing a good
solution to lead a healthier lifestyle for school kids by optimising school outcomes.

Also the Gore Hill Cemetery is to be enjoyed by the whole community but based on the
number of students there will be a conflict in use for the two purposes then the public
will be excluded at certain times.

The SSD is contributing to the problems that have faced the community for so many
years in relation to depleting the amenity, services and infrastructure in St Leonards.
The SSD fails to consider the impact of more traffic, motorists, cars, density, movement,
noise, pollution, public transport, medical care, pedestrians flows and congestion
especially at school pickups and drop offs.

The level of community facilities/amenities as noted in the SSD is insufficient to cater to
the proposed level of school children for this institution. All community facilities and
services should be in place, provided within the school development itself, not ’piggy
backing ‘of already existing low levels of infrastructure already ear marked for other
high density developments in the area i.e. not taking its requirements from other
sources (public funded) that are earmarked for use by the community.

Such resources cannot be double counted. These facilities will not have dual purpose
serving the school needs and the community needs. All facilities and school children
requirements should be provided by the SSD in its entirety and in full before any plans
are even proposed. As such the SSD fails on this account.

The residents in the near vicinity (especially in the Lane Cove LGA) and streets will be
the first to be significantly affected and faced with diminished availability of amenities
and services. Yet they have not been consulted nor heard.

The impact from the SSD for traffic, less open space, pedestrian movement and flows,
noise, public transport, kids loitering around, kids picks ups/drop offs, less parking
spots due to visitors and service vehicles to the school, rat run with more chaos in St
Leonards that is already chaotic is extensive. The SSD does not mention the cumulative
impact of the recent developments in St Leonards including in Lane Cove, North Sydney
and Willoughby Council LGAs. Adding a school will exacerbate the situation further.

The SSD ignores the fact that the St Leonards area should be geared towards medical /
commercial. St Leonards needs a collaborative approach as the consequence of
introducing a school will potentially curtail other vital commercial and medical use.

Community voices are missing from this SSD and there is very limited acknowledgment
of the effect on the residents in the nearby street as the St Leonards, Greenwich,
Naremburn and Crows Nest community have been excluded from taking an active role
in deciding a better outcome for the site.

St Leonards is already exhausted with more density and loss of services and
Infrastructure. The DPIE has no plans to supplement these depleting resources and will
take years to supplement.

The historical and state heritage significance should not be underplayed as these are
significant to the community. Gore Hill Cemetery and the “Avenue” are frequented by
the residents and should be left alone without any interference. Public use versus
private use for one group in the community should not override the right of the others.

Yours faithfully

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonards.

My older son is currently enrolled at the school, and my younger son is due to start kindergarten in 2020. I have chosen to send my children to ICS as it offers a bilingual program. As such, it provides my children education about their cultural heritage, as well as giving them a foundation in Mandarin. I believe this will be beneficial for my children's future as Mandarin is the language of Australia's largest trading partner - China.

211 Pacific Highway is a great site for the School, as it has easy access to green space. It also has proximity to public transportation and to the large local Chinese population on the North Shore. I understand that the Department has also designated St Leonards as an educational precinct, so the location is ideal for the School.

The School has been searching for a suitable site for 5 years. With current premises cramped and significant growth in student numbers for 2020, there is an urgent need to relocate the school for 2020 for next year.

 I urge the Department to expedite the approval of  211 Pacific Highway, St Leonards as a school site to be used by the International Chinese School in time for the start of the 2020 school year.

I am writing to express my support for the International Chinese School's proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.
I have 2 children enrolled at the school and greatly value the school's unique offering of a bilingual Mandarin education in NSW, as it is not offered anywhere else within NSW (or Australia). My kids enjoy the stimulating education and nurturing Christian environment provided by the school, and look forward to attending school every day. The principal and teaching staff go over and beyond their responsibilities as educators, and some of the ways their dedication has been reflected is the increasing enrolments year-on-year as well as excellent Naplan results. As a tightly knit school community, we also enjoy supportive relationships amongst parents and teachers. 
As the future of Australia lies in its ties with Asia, we strongly believe in the value of the bilingual education the school provides for NSW and Australia. It is vital in maintaining the cultural heritage of those with chinese backgrounds, as well as educating the next generation of Australians to enable them to seize the opportunities offered by the 'Asian century', given Australia's increasing economic ties with China and the rest of Asia. 
The site that has been identified for the school's relocation is an excellent location as it is close to public transport, has access to St Leonards oval and is in line with the regional plans for St Leonards to become an educational hub.The current school site in Chatswood is getting cramped as student numbers grow, hence the school has been searching for a suitable site for the last 5 years to enable its expansion. With the increasing yearly demand for enrolments, this need is even more urgent as we are expecting a huge growth in student numbers in 2020.
As a parent with 2 children attending the school, I would greatly appreciate your consideration of my submission and grant a speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway, St Leonards for the school's future site, so that we are able to commence the 2020 academic year in the new site, and the future of the school is secured.
Yours sincerely,
(name withheld)

I am wanting to express my strong support for the proposed relocation of the International Chinese School ("ICS") to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.

I have two daughters who attend ICS, Skye aged 8 who is in Year 3, and Kristen age 6 who is in Kindergarten. I also have a third daughter who is aged 1 who we plan on sending to ICS as well.

The school was in start up phase at the time we chose to send Skye into Kindergarten back in 2016, with that Kindergarten intake being the second year of the school's operation. We chose for Skye to attend ICS notwithstanding the school was in its infancy, as ICS was the only school in the north shore region that offered bi-lingual English and Mandarin education together with it being a Christian school. As for alternative Christian schools alone, the nearest options for us would have been in the Hills District or Northern Beaches areas, which would have been simply too far away from our home.

Since Skye started, my wife and I cannot express how impressed we have been with the quality of the bi-lingual education Skye has received, the level of care from the teaching staff, the strength of community among the families who attend the school, and the commitment to teaching and upholding the Christian values which underpin the school's foundation. We were more than happy for Kristen also to join ICS this year for Kindergarten, and both our girls have enjoyed attending school and have grown so much.

My wife and I value strongly the fact that our two girls are learning Mandarin in such an accelerated fashion. I myself was born in Australia with Cantonese speaking parents, but over time the quality of my Cantonese speaking has deteriorated. It is important for our girls I believe to learn Mandarin given our Chinese cultural background, and the growing opportunities for business and other economic ties between Australia and China in the coming decades. Today, both girls have surpassed me in their Mandarin speaking ability, which I am very proud of.

ICS has now reached capacity in its current site in Chatswood. Since its inception, it has operated out of a renovated side facility of St Paul's Anglican Church in Chatswood (off Fullers Road). With the school now spanning Kindergarten to Year 4, and pushing out to Year 5 next year, we are in urgent need to relocate to a new premises in 2020 as we will no longer fit at the Chatswood site. The school has been avidly searching for new premises for the past 5 years, and had identified a number of possibilities, but over time it was only the St Leonards Site at 211 Pacific Highway that remained open. I understand the school applied for Government approvals for operating on the site quite some time ago. Obtaining Government and council approval for the school's operation at the St Leonards Site is critical to the future of the school.

The St Leonards Site is a very suitable site for the vision of ICS as a primary school in the North Shore region. It is very close to St Leonards Train Station, and has surrounding parklands in a green a leafy setting. St Leonards remains in the heart of a part of Sydney with a significant Asian background populace (I understand it may be up to 50%), who would be a key driver of demand for a Mandarin bi-lingual primary school. In addition, were the Government to be willing to give consent, the St Leonards oval would also be an absolutely great place for children to play on. Having the primary school adjacent to the St Leonards cemetery is also in my mind an asset for a primary school, as children would be taught the wisdom of living out their lives noting they will not live forever - it will cultivate in them an appreciate for generations who have lived before, and a passion to make the most out of the one life they get to live.

In summary, I am in very strong support of the school's proposed operation out of the St Leonards Site, both for my immediate family but also for the sake of the north shore region and Sydney as a whole. Being the only Mandarin bi-lingual primary school in Sydney, I believe ICS will provide a strategic and key educational opportunity for a large number of students in the decades to come.

Yours sincerely

Sean Lee

I write to express my support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.
My son is currently studying in International Chinese School. It's a Christian school in the Anglican tradition learning is delivered through a distinctly Christian worldview. All the teaching staffs are christian and really embracing the chrisitan value. The school also offers a bilingual Mandarin educational program, which is benefit the children's development. We enjoy be part of the school.
The current premises of the school is within St Paul's anglican Church. It cramped and it's not suitable for the growing school. We hope the council can approve that the 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year.

To whom it may concern,
I would like to express my strong support for the relocation of the International Chinese School (ICS) to the proposed St.Leonards location.

ICS has a growing number of students enrolled and its present location will not be able to comfortably fit the increase in students. The move to larger premises is crucial to student well-being, comfort and safety.

The Lower north shore is home to a vibrant and large Chinese-Australian community, which ICS serves admirably.

The school offers a unique opportunity for students to learn in an environment that offers 50% of its curriculum in Putonghua Mandarin Chinese. This allows Australian children with Chinese heritage to maintain linguistic links with their culture. It also provides an almost immersive language experience for non-background speakers. This is not offered by other schools in the area.

It is imperative that the school moves to the 211 Pacific Highway location as soon as possible. I strongly urge all parties to work to ensure the school is able to relocate in time for the start of the 2020 academic year.

Re: State Significant Development - International Chinese School SSD-10260

Major Projects,

Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment,

NSW Government,

I'm writing to express my strong support for the International Chinese School proposed relocation to 211 Pacific Highway St Leonard's.
My family speaks at least 3 languages at home, and we like to send my preschooler to the International Chinese School because it continues at least 2 languages we speak to our child.
I, being a graduate of trilingual education overseas and a 4th generation Chinese diaspora, value the bilingual Mandarin educational program on offer through ICS to maintain my family's cultural heritage and respect for other culture.
The current site of the school is cramped and I'm urging the speedy approval of 211 Pacific Highway as a school site for use by ICS in time for the 2020 academic year. Thanks
Kind Regards,
Parent of kindy 2020

As a mother whose children go to a bilangual school I understand the importance and the necessity for a school like ICS to move to an area where it will be easier to access for many families with a chinese heritage or for parents who love to give their child the unique opportunity to learn chinese at an christian school and doing this in an area where its safe and convenient.
I feel that St leonard would be a much better choice for many people due to travel times etc to and from Chatswood.
This school has a very unique and caring way in teaching their children and I feel they are very inclusive which is why it would be a logical and also much needed step for both this school as well as future children to be able to access in a more suitable environment.