Hello to the wonderful XLIS community! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Marly Song. Starting in the 2022-2023 academic year I am pleased to begin my role as the Primary School Principal.
My journey to this point in my career has led me through several different positions and learning experiences. I am from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and when I went to university to become a teacher, I joined the international program, completing a portion of my studies in Oaxaca, Mexico. I was immediately drawn to international education and began my teaching career in Dalian, China. For the past 17 years in China, I have taught children at each of the primary stages, assumed a variety of leadership positions, completed my Master’s Degree in Education and learned from my colleagues and students.
Through my professional development, I have discovered a passion for leading learners through language and literacy learning. I have gained such enjoyment and fulfillment from working with children who are learning English as their second or third language and watching them learn to read and write and communicate with others. I am constantly amazed by the resilience, determination, and dedication the students at XLIS have demonstrated as they have navigated through new languages, new teachers, new peers, and all through a global pandemic. We, as adults, have much we can learn from the adaptability and open-minded attitudes of our students.
Looking ahead, I am excited and honoured to have been given the opportunity to join an incredible leadership team at XLIS. Together, we will continue to grow as a school and community. We have so much to celebrate, as each year we have new achievements such as the development of our sports program, our successful IB authorization visits, and our WASC accreditation. Every school has areas for improvement, and as a community we have identified areas we will focus on in the coming years. Our vision is to lead education through innovation and a student-centered, community-driven approach. Over the last three years, I have been impressed by the commitment of the whole XLIS community to this vision and watched us consistently work towards achieving our vision. It is at the heart of everything we do.
Finally, I would like to say thank you – for giving me such a warm welcome to the school in 2019 and for your support now and moving forward. I look forward to working together and getting to know you all better in the next academic year!
Marly Song
Primary Principal (start from Aug 2022)
