Dear Parents,
Good morning! I am so happy to be sending my first letter of the 2026 – 2027 academic year to our wonderful primary parent community! I hope your child has enjoyed their first full week of school and is enjoying getting to know their new teacher and classmates!
For those new to the XLIS community, I want you to know that, as the primary school principal, my first priority is ensuring our students are safe at school. This does not only mean physically safe, but also that they feel safe in their classrooms, that they feel they are a part of a community, and that they feel like they belong. Only when these things happen can they be ready to learn.
In today’s letter, I would like to highlight the primary division’s focus on two learner profile attributes, introduce the first event of the school year, and encourage you to join our parent workshops!
Learner Profile Attributes as our Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (SLO’s)
As an IB World School, the IB learner profile attributes are a core component of how we help your children develop into internationally-minded global citizens. We have also adopted these attributes to be our schoolwide learner outcomes (SLO’s) which means we teach, monitor and assess the development of these attributes in our students all the way from the Early Years to the DP.
One of our goals in the primary school this year is to support our students to strengthen their English communication skills while encouraging them to make more cross-cultural friendships. This goal embodies two particular SLOs – communicator and open-minded. We will celebrate the development of these two attributes in the first couple of months of school, focusing our learner profile certificates given at assemblies on them.
I encourage all parents to read through the definitions of the learner profile attributes that are attached, and to have conversations about what they might look like in practice. In this way, we are all committed to helping our students become confident, open-minded global citizens through lifelong learning and a sense of community.
Primary School Calendar
If you made it to our Community Day on August 13th, you would have received the Primary School Calendar in your child’s envelope. This calendar will guide you on the important dates of our school, events, and holidays. Please be sure to book any vacations throughout the year during our school vacation periods to ensure your child(ren) get the most out of their school year. We have noticed that when children miss many days of school, their academic performance is also impacted.
You will see that we have our first event of the new semester ~ Meet the Teacher Night ~ coming up! This is on Friday, August 28th, from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. This event links to our first Primary Learning Principle: “Powerful learning happens when students feel safe and supported.” To start, upon arrival, parents will join all Primary Teachers in the Blue Dragon Theatre for our faculty introductions and then proceed to your child’s classroom. While there, you will meet your child’s classroom teacher and TA, learn about the important routines and expectations in the classroom, and understand how to communicate with your homeroom teacher when you have questions or concerns. When parents are clear about the classroom expectations and routines, they are better able to support their children at home.
Please note that, as all teachers and TA’s will be busy preparing for the event, children cannot remain at the school to wait for parents (between 3:30 and 4:30). They will need to be picked up or take the school bus home as normal. It’s important to attend the event, but only one parent is enough. You may register for the Meet the Teacher Night via the XLIS WeChat Mini Program. Once the registration is approved, a QR code will be generated. On the day of the event, you can scan the QR code at the gate for entry.
Parent Workshops
Thank you to all parents who joined the workshop last Friday, led by our Head of School, Dr. Liu. Over 60 parents attended, and it was wonderful to witness our true learning‑centered community in action.
We will host more parent workshops and parent‑talk sessions this academic year. If you are interested in initiating a parent‑talk and would like to propose topics, please feel free to email our PR (pr.xalis.com). Let us work together to build a vibrant community of lifelong learners.
Our first workshop that is specifically for primary parents will be on September 3rd. It will be led by Ms. Nicola, the PYP Coordinator, and will introduce the digital platforms that our parents and students need to use (such as ManageBac, Seesaw, IXL, and RAZ Kids). Please keep an eye out for a registration email from our PR.
I would like to end today’s letter with thanks. Thank you for trusting XLIS for you and your child, and thank you for being a partner in their learning journey.
Please reach out at any time to let me know how your child is doing, to ask any questions or give feedback. Please, when you send me a message, include your child’s name and class so I know who I am communicating with.
Sincerely,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
Email: marly.song@xalis.com
WeChat: principal_marly
