Dear Parents,
I have just returned from a five-day trip to Bangkok for the EARCOS Leadership Conference that brings together school leaders from all over the East Asia Region. I learn so much every year that I attend this conference, and this year’s highlights include best practices for supporting multilingual learners and the application of AI in education. I was, however, sad to miss connecting with our parent community during the Parent-Teacher Conferences last Wednesday. I hope that you and your child’s teacher were able to have good conversations about your child’s learning at XLIS.
Literacy and Culture Week ~ (October 27 – October 31)
This week is a special one for our school as we celebrate Literacy and Culture Week!
Monday (yesterday) – Pajama Day
I love seeing all of the students dress up in their pajamas, remembering how they fell in love with stories, curled up beside their mom or dad, reading to them at bedtime. Here are some photos from the day with many guest readers in classrooms!
Tuesday / Wednesday – Book Fair
Outside of our library, a book fair has been set up. It was a busy place yesterday, the interest in new books is high! This is a chance for our students to purchase books in English that they may not normally have access to.
Thursday – Book Character Dress Up
This is one of my favourite days, because I get to dress up like a character from my favourite books and share that with the students. Last year I was “Anne of Green Gables”! I love to see all of the creative ways our students represent different characters from books they have read.
Friday – Storyteller
We are excited to welcome Mr. Usifu Jalloh from Sierra Leone to lead storytelling sessions with our primary students! Please read more about him below:
Hailing from Kamakwie in the Karene District of northern Sierra Leone, The Cowfoot Prince has gained global recognition for his exceptional talent as a performer and educator for over two decades. His deep roots in multicultural Sierra Leone and his close association with artists and audiences from diverse cultures have shaped his unique storytelling style, which incorporates international languages, music, dance, and a wide range of story themes.
There are many other activities planned throughout the week that have been communicated through SeeSaw. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher.
This year, to encourage participation at home, you and your child can work on this “Reading BINGO”. These were shared on SeeSaw by Ms. Nicola.
EARLY YEARS
LOWER PRIMARY
UPPER PRIMARY
Upcoming Events in November
November 4th – Swimming Competition to mark the end of the swimming unit for PSPE that runs for the first nine weeks of the year. The PSPE teachers will be in touch with participating students.
Wednesday, November 5th: Early Release PD – students will be dismissed at 2:30 pm and teachers will have Professional Development that is aligned to our schoolwide goals.
Monday/Tuesday, November 17th and 18th: Staff Professional Development days, no school for students. Our Primary Team will be working for a second year with Erin Kent Consultants (EKC) to learn more about current best practices in reading instruction and language learning for multilingual children.
Colder Weather, Dress Code
Now that the weather is turning colder, please ensure your child is wearing weather-appropriate clothing. At XLIS we value the children’s play time outside. Students will continue to play outside in cold weather, light rain or snow. If the air quality is good, we want them outside playing. If it is raining heavily or the AQI is above 170, our students will play indoors. Please take note of this and ensure your child is wearing the right clothing. I also recommend writing your child’s name into their school jackets/sweaters so they are not easily lost or mixed up with others in their class.
Please review our Dress Code Policy that is located in the Student Handbook.
Book Recommendation List
As promised, here is the final list of recommended books from our School Library for our P6 students.
1. Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Rick Riordan
3. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Fablehaven – Brandon Mull
5. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
6. Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
7. Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer
8. The Maze Runner – James Dashner
9. Holes – Louis Sachar
10. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
11. Refugee – Alan Gratz
12. The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan
13. When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead
14. The Crossover – Kwame Alexander
15. Ghost Boys – Jewell Parker Rhodes
I hope your child enjoys the rest of this week, celebrating all things literacy! I also hope that it continues beyond this week and becomes part of each student’s daily routine.
Enjoy the rest of the day and please reach out with any questions at any tme!
Sincerely,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
Email: marly.song@xalis.com
WeChat: principal_marly
