Mandarin Stars: Finalist for the 2010 Business Achiever Awards! 
Mandarin Stars is interviewed for The Australian Financial Review's article on 'Mandarin for toddlers is the language of choice'. Click here for more details! ‘Attending Mandarin classes is not just for fun but also seeing Madeleine (who is very shy in the classroom) sing along to all the songs when she is at home or in the car. She was reading a book the other day and pointed out a dog and said ‘Gow’ in Mandarin, and I thought that was impressive given the fact we only attended a few classes. She has also started to say ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ and count to ten in Mandarin. Thank You Dawna and Staff. Lisa (Mum to Madeleine) ‘I am completely and utterly impressed with your program, Dawna. If the curriculum was entirely in English, I'd be impressed. But given that the class is entirely in Mandarin; I am blown away. I believe that immersion is the ONLY way to successfully learn a language (having studied 7 myself with fluency in 5). The syllabus of each lesson, brought to life by your EXCELLENT staff of teachers, and the fluidity of the subject matter presented each week into the next brings a proficiency that is unparalleled for their age group in any subject. To call it a "playgroup", while accurately attesting to its fun and enjoyability, is a massive understatement, to say the least. In all facets of early childhood education, from Suzuki to Montessori, you, Dawna, have really hit the nail on the head. Each week is a sensory experience unlike any other in the life of my son. Mandarin Stars is instilling not just a love of Mandarin or of learning or playing or music, but a love of participation and accomplishment that can only result in an addiction of culture and education. And for that, I am TRULY grateful. Xie Xie, Mandarin Stars!!’ Ali (Mum to Chille) Dear Dawna, It was lovely meeting you today and experiencing your integrated play-based language program at Mandarin Stars. I was impressed by the commitment of the staff and the engagement and obvious enjoyment on the part of the children. I spoke to a number of the Anglo Australian Mums and really got the impression that they were keen to have their children speak Mandarin and I hope that your program moves from strength to strength. It would be good to have some connection with your group and I will confer with colleagues to determine ways this might occur. Until then I want to thank you once again for your hospitality today and for letting me sit in on your play sessions. Regards, Dr. Jean Ashton, Early Education, The University of Sydney (3.7.09) ‘I've been to three different Mandarin classes and this is by far the best. My 2 1/2 year old son actually looks forward to his class, and has fun learning Mandarin. I'm looking forward to sending my 9 month old son to Mandarin Stars in a few months. Theresa (Mum to Christian and Joseph) 'My husband and I are very happy to have found Mandarin Stars. Our kids enjoy the activities, the teachers and their special hand-made panda toys. Our two-year old son has been speaking Mandarin words since the very first class. He loves the songs and appears to enjoy the language as much as his native languages, English and Spanish. For non-Mandarin speaking parents, the flash cards and at-home materials are useful tools to reinforce the learning’s properly. Overall, we highly recommend Mandarin Stars.’ Magdalena (Mum to Cassandra and Ian) ‘Every week Arthur and I look forward to Mandarin Stars because we like the warm welcoming environment and friendly staff. There's no pressure which encourages Arthur's willingness to join in.’ Rochelle (Mum to Arthur) ‘Attending Mandarin classes it not just for fun but also seeing Madeleine (who is very shy in the classroom) sing along to all the songs when she is at home or in the car. She was reading a book the other day and pointed out a dog and said ‘Gow’ in Mandarin, and I thought that was impressive given the fact we only attended a few classes. She has also started to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and count to ten in Mandarin. Thank you Dawna and Staff. Lisa (Mum to Madeleine) ‘Huzi just loves the variety of activities, singing, dancing, storytelling, art and craft and eating! All the while learning Mandarin and having it reinforced by constant repetition and having fun!’ Mandy (Mum to Huzi) ‘Thank you for providing such a fun environment for learning. I love Mandarin Stars and really enjoy bringing Emily along. I even think I like it more than her. I think you may need to run a parents class but slower for us oldies!!! We will definitely be back next term.’ Leanne (Mum to Emily) ‘We have been to mandarin stars for a month now. Having been to other more conventional Chinese class, we feel that the main attraction of Mandarin stars is that it has made learning fun. It’s very much catered for kids in this age group.’ Connie (Mum to Hayley) Mandarin Stars: Highly Commended for Outstanding Business Innovation! Click here for more details! 
Building an Asia-Literate Australia: Report released on June 10, 2009 by Professor Michael Wesley, Griffith University Click here for more details! Future depends on Asian languages: The Australian, June 10, 2009 Click here for more details! Multilingualism brings communities closer together: ScienceDaily, Feb 10, 2009 Click here for more details! Dear Dawna, It was lovely meeting you today and experiencing your integrated play-based language program at Mandarin Stars. I was impressed by the commitment of the staff and the engagement and obvious enjoyment on the part of the children. I spoke to a number of the Anglo Australian Mums and really got the impression that they were keen to have their children speak Mandarin and I hope that your program moves from strength to strength. It would be good to have some connection with your group and I will confer with colleagues to determine ways this might occur. Until then I want to thank you once again for your hospitality today and for letting me sit in on your play sessions. Regards, Dr. Jean Ashton, Early Education, The University of Sydney (3.7.09) ‘I am completely and utterly impressed with your program, Dawna. If the curriculum was entirely in English, I'd be impressed. But given that the class is entirely in Mandarin; I am blown away. I believe that immersion is the ONLY way to successfully learn a language (having studied 7 myself with fluency in 5). The syllabus of each lesson, brought to life by your EXCELLENT staff of teachers, and the fluidity of the subject matter presented each week into the next brings a proficiency that is unparalleled for their age group in any subject. To call it a "playgroup", while accurately attesting to its fun and enjoyability, is a massive understatement, to say the least. In all facets of early childhood education, from Suzuki to Montessori, you, Dawna, have really hit the nail on the head. Each week is a sensory experience unlike any other in the life of my son. Mandarin Stars is instilling not just a love of Mandarin or of learning or playing or music, but a love of participation and accomplishment that can only result in an addiction of culture and education. And for that, I am TRULY grateful. Xie Xie, Mandarin Stars!!’ Ali (Mum to Chille) ‘Huzi just loves the variety of activities, singing, dancing, storytelling, art and craft and eating! All the while learning Mandarin and having it reinforced by constant repetition and having fun!’ Mandy (Mum to Huzi) ‘Thank you for providing such a fun environment for learning. I love Mandarin Stars and really enjoy bringing Emily along. I even think I like it more than her. I think you may need to run a parents class but slower for us oldies!!! We will definitely be back next term.’ Leanne (Mum to Emily) ‘We have been to mandarin stars for a month now. Having been to other more conventional Chinese class, we feel that the main attraction of Mandarin stars is that it has made learning fun. It’s very much catered for kids in this age group.’ Connie (Mum to Hayley) Mandarin Stars: Highly Commended for Outstanding Business Innovation! Click here for more details!
Building an Asia-Literate Australia: Report released on June 10, 2009 by Professor Michael Wesley, Griffith University Click here for more details! | 
