Dear Parents,
Good morning! I hope that you had a lovely Labor Day Holiday and had the opportunity to enjoy some of the lovely weather we are having! Today officially marks the end of the final holiday of the year and the beginning of our final seven weeks of the 2025_2026 academic year. To say that this year has “flown by” would be an understatement. As a faculty, we will be using the final seven weeks to reflect on the year and to set our new goals for the next academic year. This is one of my favourite times of year, as an educator, because we have the chance to see the progress our students have made since they first walked through the doors in August.
I would like to use this opportunity to inform you of three special events happening next week: Student Led Conferences, our final PYP Parent Workshop of the year, and the Summer Fair.
Student Led Conferences
Last week, you should have received a notice from the homeroom teacher via SeeSaw that invited you to come to the Student Led Conferences on May 11th. This is a non-school day for students, as you and your child come to school together!
This is an exciting time of year, when our students have the chance to showcase their learning to their families! This is so exciting because it is an opportunity for your child to show you all the things he or she does in the classroom and around the school.
Student Led Conferences are beneficial for reasons such as:
· Students can demonstrate their achievements through a variety of work samples, such as journals, projects, and selections of work that show growth and skill development
· Students use the presentation skills they have learned in class
· Students develop a sense of pride in what they have learned and a feeling of ownership of their learning
· Our students build confidence and positive self-esteem by showing the responsibility they have taken over their learning
In addition to the conferences is the Primary Visual Arts Exhibition happening on the second floor! So, ensure you have your child take you to see the amazing artworks that are on display!
To come, you will need to register through the school WeChat Mini-program to receive your QR code to enter the campus.
Please remember this is not a time when you and the teacher will sit to talk about your child’s learning (unless this has been scheduled specifically). If you would like to have that opportunity, you may contact your child’s teacher to set up a meeting at another time.
We hope that you can make it!
PYP Parent Workshop
Our final workshop for this school year will be led by Ms. Julia Fan. She will introduce “Language in the PYP” and support parents to understand how language development is integrated into the Primary Years Programme (PYP) through inquiry-based, transdisciplinary learning. The workshop will highlight the role of language in developing international-mindedness, research and communication skills, while also providing practical strategies to support children’s linguistic development at home.
Summer Fair – Music Moments, and Summer Vibes
We are excited to have our final whole-school event of the year to celebrate our wonderful XLIS community on Saturday, May 16th. This is one of our most popular family events that includes performances, activities, games, a talent show, and delicious food from a variety of vendors. It is sure to be a lot of fun and a fantastic way to end the 2025 – 2026 school year.
Location: this year, Summer Fair will be hosted at our XLIS Campus to ensure the safety, well-being, and comfort of all in attendance. The time is from 9:00 – 12:00.
Parent Support: Parents are encouraged to support the homeroom during the event if possible. This could include taking some time in the booth to help run activities that the classes have designed. Please reach out to your homeroom teacher if you can help out!
Finally, May is when we give our final assessments to see just how much your children have learned throughout the year!
May Assessments
From May 18 – 22, our P2 – P6 students are taking their second round of the NWEA MAP (measured academic progress) assessment for this year. This external assessment will assess students’ growth in reading, language usage, mathematics, and science (P5-P6). You will be able to access your child’s data very soon, and our teachers will know much more about your child’s strengths and challenges when it comes to these subjects. The hope is that students demonstrate growth in each area from their starting point in September (or last year if they were here then).
Other assessments that will be taking place are: writing (Early Years to P6), CORE phonics (P1 – P3), and mathematics (Early Years to P1-IXL). These assessments are also intended to give our teachers valuable information about each child’s level in these subject areas.
When all of the data from Early Years to P6 has been collected from these assessments, our teaching teams will sit together to analyze the results to inform the teaching and learning that follows. Information will also be shared with parents by the end of the month.
Thank you all for your support this year. Partnerships between school and home are so important to ensure the students can achieve their very best. If you are a family who will be moving on at the end of this year, I would love to meet with you to learn about your experience at XLIS. Please just reply to this email and I can set up a time.
Have a lovely day,
Sincerely,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
Email: marly.song@xalis.com
