About CAIS

Welcome from Head of School Jeff Bissell

毕杰夫校长欢迎辞

Welcome 欢迎 (huānyíng), to the Chinese American International School, the oldest Mandarin immersion school in the nation. Founded in San Francisco in 1981, CAIS is a leader in its field and prides itself on being a life changing, world changing institution.

While chaperoning CAIS’s 8th grade program in Guilin, China this year, Head of School Jeff Bissell interviewed students about their experiences for a series of dispatches back home.

For 42 years, CAIS has prepared students to navigate the interconnected world they will inherit. At CAIS, we have created a challenging educational program which provides students with the academic skills and core social emotional competencies that will serve them across American and Chinese language and culture. We envision new generations of passionate, engaged, and reflective learners who lead meaningful and impactful lives across languages and cultures—and it is our commitment to foster this future.

If this vision interests you, I encourage you to visit our school and get to know us better. Familiarize yourself with our educational programs and the group of talented, dedicated and creative students, educators, parents and friends who comprise our inclusive community. 

Best,
Jeff

Jeff Bissell | 毕杰夫
@cais_hos)_jeff_bissell


The pandemic-prompted need for more frequent communication led to the creation of the Head of School Newsletter, which changed in frequency from weekly to biweekly and finally monthly based on the flow of information that was critical to share with families. Past issues, along with Special Bulletins, linked below chart the progress of CAIS’s response to the pandemic and other important developments in the life of the school, such as the 19th Avenue Campus project. 

2023-2024 Messages

June 27, 2024 issue of CAIS Moves

June 2024 issue 19th Ave News

May 2024 issue 19th Ave News

February/March 2024 issue 19th Ave News

January 2024 issue 19th Ave News

December 2023 Issue of 19th Ave News

November 2023 Issue of 19th Ave News

2024-2025 School Calendar Announcement

October 2023 Issue of 19th Ave News

August 24, 2024


2022-2023 Messages

March 21, 2023

January 18, 2023

December 16, 2022

November 10, 2022

October 15, 2022

September 12, 2022

August 23, 2022—Updated COVID Protocols 2022-2023

July 11, 2022—Update on 19th Avenue Campus Timeline


2021-2022 Messages

June 18, 2022 — Vaccinations Now Available for Childen Six Months+

June 10, 2022 — End of the School Year

May 25, 2022: Resources for Families Following Texas School Shooting

May 6, 2022 — Masks: Keeping Kids in School

April 1, 2022

March 11, 2022

February 4, 2022

January 21, 2022

January 12, 2022 – Enhanced Masking and Understanding Weekly Screening Protocols

January 7, 2022

January 1, 2022 – Return to School Protocols Following Winter Break

December 16, 2021 – Spring Global Programs Announcement

December 10, 2021

November 19, 2021

November 12, 2021 — COVID Vaccination Guide for Ages 5+

November 5, 2021

October 27, 2021 – Special Bulletin Celebrating Transfer of Ownership of 19th Avenue Campus to CAIS

October 22, 2021

October 8, 2021

September 24, 2021

September 10, 2021

August 27, 2021 – Welcome to the Start of School

August 12, 2021 Community Message

August 6, 2021 Community Message