Dear Parents,
Good morning, happy Year of the Dragon, and welcome back to school! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday and are looking forward to the rest of the 2023 – 2024 academic school year as much as I am!
New Students
At XLIS we are always working on our admissions and welcoming new families to our community. Today I am very excited that 9 more new primary students have joined us in our primary school. As an inclusive school, we strive to ensure all children feel a sense of belonging and are supported in their learning. When new students arrive at our school we ensure they have a buddy who helps them adjust to their new school life and make friends. The students at XLIS consistently demonstrate they are caring, open-minded individuals as they welcome these new students and help them to settle in.
Staff Professional Development
Yesterday our students were able to enjoy their last day of holidays while the staff at XLIS participated in a day of Professional Development. The theme of the day was “Inclusion”. The staff in the primary division participated in sessions on assessment as learning and how to use testing data to inform teaching, supporting our English Language Learners and students who have learning disabilities, planning for differentiation in the classrooms to meet the needs of all children, and finally a session on what Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) for students include and how to use them. Overall, it was a day filled with collaboration and sharing of strategies that teachers use in classrooms daily to ensure all children in our care can access the curriculum and be successful.
Sports Season 3
I love sports, and it has been incredible to watch our sports program at XLIS grow over the years. It’s wonderful that we now have enough girls who are interested in playing soccer and basketball that we can now compete with other teams in the city. This week the U8 (P3) tryouts will happen on Wednesday and Thursday at lunch (playtime). This is a mixed boys and girls team. Then, our U11 (P4 – P6) girls and boys teams will also have their try-outs to make their teams. Our first games against other schools will be on March 9th for all 3 teams at XIS. Go Blue Dragons!
As always, thank you for your ongoing support for your children’s growth and development. We are so proud of all of our students and the many ways they show their confidence at school.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any time!
Have a wonderful day,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
WeChat: principal_marly
