Issue #10: September 2026
Read the Chinese version here.
Upcoming Events:
The virtue for October is “Good Manners and Behavior.” Polite speech reflects one’s character, while civilized behavior demonstrates one’s poise. Let’s start with a simple greeting or a smile, make politeness a habit, and let civility accompany our children as they grow.
October 1, 2026: Arts and Culture Festival
Half-day field trip to Fei Tian College Northern Campus, 65 Seward Ave, Middletown, NY 10940.
October 4, 2026: Arts and Culture Festival
Student Choir performances at Fei Tian College Northern Campus, 65 Seward Ave, Middletown, NY 10940, at 12:45 pm.
October 12, 2026: Columbus Day
School Closed.
October 29, 2026: Fall parent-teacher conference
Early dismissal.
Virtue of the Month: Respect
One activity in our kindergarten and first-grade virtue class was reading the story The Ugly Duckling and discussing the importance of respect among peers and the beauty of individuality. Then we created our own pond with all the different little ducklings in our class. The children traced their own hand and colored in their unique duckling based on individual preferences. They were very engaged, and some took their ducklings home.
—Kristina Penchoukova, English Teacher
Labor Day and Mid-Autumn Festival BBQ Party
Little Lotus would like to thank everyone who contributed their time, energy, food, and effort to make the school picnic such a wonderful and memorable gathering! It was truly abundant and joyful, and we were pleasantly surprised that almost every family could attend. Seeing so many teachers, parents, and children together made the day especially meaningful.
What touched us most was seeing how much everyone cares about Little Lotus Academy. During the picnic, many parents and teachers shared ideas and suggestions about how we can make our school even better and help it grow and flourish. It was wonderful to see everyone coming together with the same love and hope for our school.
A very special thank you to Mr. Simon and his entire family for all the work and support they contributed behind the scenes. We truly appreciate everything they did to help make the gathering such a success.
Many families also expressed that they would love to have gatherings like this at least once a year. We will cherish all of your suggestions and ideas and will do our best to listen to everyone’s needs and make these gatherings and our school community even better.
Thank you again to all of you. Your support, participation, and love for the school mean so much to us. Together, we can make Little Lotus Academy an even warmer, stronger, and better community for our children.
—Sophie Liu, Principal
Chinese Idiom Drama at the Chinese Renaissance Festival
Chinese idioms carry timeless lessons that continue to inspire us today. The Chinese idiom “Bearing Thorns to Ask for Forgiveness (Fu Jing Qing Zui)” is widely used to describe making a deep, humble, and sincere apology. Today, this story symbolizes magnanimity, humility, and the courage to admit one’s mistakes for the greater good. Students learned this play during our Summer School program. By acting out this story, students learned that true courage means admitting mistakes, and true kindness means forgiving others. Little Lotus is currently offering Chinese idiom drama as an after-school enrichment class. More information can be found here.
-Jing Liu, Chinese Teacher
Fall Fun at Kelder’s Farm
On September 18, 2026, a crisp, clear autumn day, all the teachers and students at Little Lotus Academy, along with some parents, went on a fall field trip to Kelder’s Farm, about 30 miles from the school.
The school bus left at 9:00 a.m., and even though the ride took less than an hour, the students could hardly contain their excitement. The teachers used this short time to organize a grade-level singing competition on the bus. The children’s voices were clear and high-pitched, and familiar songs such as “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Hey Let’s Go,” “Ode to Joy,” “Gazing at the Moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival—Loving Mother,” and “Little Dafa Disciples” echoed throughout the bus the entire way.
Soon, the school bus arrived at Kelder’s Farm. After quickly snapping a group photo, our first activity was picking raspberries. A tractor pulled a large trailer, creaking and swaying as it carried everyone toward the raspberry fields. After each child received a box, they ran off into the raspberry patch to pick. With a blue sky overhead and endless farmland stretching out below, a gentle breeze blew as the children ate berries and filled their boxes with their harvest. This was perhaps the most harmonious scene of children and nature.
After picking, a large arched inflatable bounce house nearby could accommodate dozens of children playing together. The children leaped high on the bounce house and performed all sorts of flips and somersaults. Some parents and teachers also joined in, jumping to their hearts’ content. The dance teacher, with her impressive skills, leaped high into the air and performed a split mid-air, a truly graceful sight! In that moment, it seemed as though all the adults were transported back to their teenage years!
Back at the farm, several teachers and parents were making fresh sandwiches for everyone, served with apple pie and assorted fruits; that was our lunch!
After lunch, we headed to a corn pit, a large, rectangular area surrounded by hay bales. It was filled with corn kernels piled about 2 feet deep, and the children rolled and romped around to their hearts’ content, having corn battles and burying themselves in the corn, leaving only their faces exposed. If the teachers hadn’t called everyone to gather, the children might have played there until dark.
Next, the children went to an enclosure near the corn pit and fed the alpacas, goats, llamas, and rabbits hay or feed.
After feeding the animals, the children went to a huge area that resembled a natural playground. They did various activities, including a cornfield maze, basketball shooting, and bike riding. Of all the activities, the tug-of-war competition was the most popular. This seems to have become the highlight of this fall field trip and a tradition of ours, with parents and teachers competing against the children! Best of three! Tensions were already running high before the match began. As the starting signal sounded, the children easily won the first round; after a brief adjustment, the teachers and parents won the second round; in the third and decisive round, the adults ultimately couldn’t hold their own against these fearless, bold children and lost the match. The children were clearly thrilled to have beaten their teachers and parents, and they jumped up and down excitedly to celebrate their victory.
Time flew by. At 3:00 p.m., the children lined up and boarded the school bus. Everyone was clearly reluctant to leave the farm and the great outdoors, and everyone was already looking forward to the next field trip!
-Simon Dong, Physical Education Teacher
Moon Festival Choir Performance
On September 19, we had a wonderful performance at the New Century Moon Festival. With the help of many teachers, we enjoyed learning and performing “Ode to Joy” in English, Spanish, and Chinese; “Mid-Autumn Moon Gazing - The Loving Mother” in Chinese; and “Hey Let’s Go” in English. The last song really fired up the audience.
—Lilian Zhang, Music Teacher
Meditation Demonstration Performances
In September, Little Lotus students proudly took part in Falun Dafa meditation demonstration performances at two local community events. One was the Chinese Renaissance Festival, and the other was the Moon Festival. Dressed in their school attire, the students stepped forward with confidence and enthusiasm, moving together with calm focus and graceful rhythm. Their peaceful presence and coordinated movements brought bright, uplifting energy to the events, giving community members a wonderful glimpse into the beauty of Falun Dafa and traditional Chinese culture. Audience members even began following the students’ movements to learn the exercises.
-Charlene Xu, 2nd and 3rd Homeroom Teacher
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