Senior Leadership Team - Xian Liangjiatan International School

XLIS

One School, One World, One Dream

Leadership Team

Senior

Introducing Our Senior Leadership Team

XLIS offers the IB-Primary Years Programme, IB-Middle Years Programme the Diploma Programme continuum from kindergarten to high school. XLIS is the only SAT and AP test center authorized by the American College Board in the northwestern region of China.

Dr. Lily Liu – Head of School

Welcome to Xi’an Liangjiatan International School (XLIS), and thank you for your interest in one of the most attractive and ambitious schools in Xi’an.

At XLIS, our emphasis is on life-long learning. We endeavor to build a world-class school with an international perspective. We understand that in order to achieve success, students have to be committed to learning, We aim not only for the highest standards in everything we do, but also for the school to serve the global community. This begins with a highly engaging educational program that focuses on developing the academic, social, and emotional capabilities of each child.

Xi’an Liangjiatan was named after the Horse Pasture of the Great General-Mr. Liang Huafeng, form the Qing Dynasty, which is nestled between the iconic Qingling Mountain range and the Historic Feng River’ iconic scenery. As the most influential international community in Xi’an, we proudly share our vision which is “to lead education through innovation and a student-centered, community-driven approach”. We believe that with the strong support of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an City government and Xi’an High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Xi’an Liangjiatan International School will achieve greater development and success.

We are grateful to have each member joining XLIS family and let’s join hands together to depict the greater blueprint of XLIS, to make 2022-2023 another fantastic academic year and to change life through education.

Lily Liu
Head of School

Mr. Brian Lalor – Deputy Head of School

Our collective goal at XLIS is to enable confident, open-minded, global citizens, through life-long learning and a sense of community. Thank you for joining us on this mission. 2021 year was a special year in this journey as we came to the end of our first schoolwide action plan. Over the past three years we have systematically been working on five goals and I would like to take this opportunity to share our progress.

Our first goal has been to develop a shared understanding of our schoolwide learning outcomes. These are the ten IB learner profile attributes.I was delighted when we received a commendation during our IBPYP authorization visit which read,”Students are aware of their development according to the IB learner profile attributes.”I have also noticed out PTA using the language of the SLOs in their meetings as well as our teachers.

Our second goal was to train our community in child protection. During the past years we developed the XLIS Child Protection Code of Conduct. Schools usually teach the teaching staff in this important area but at XLIS we trained every staff member including all our administration staff. We went further to train all our security,ECA teachers, cleaners and other support staff. Our next goal is to create a video to share with each guest who enters the school.

Language acquisition was our third goal. We are committed to developing our language of instruction, English while still honoring mother tongue. Students made significant development this year through the careful analysis of their reading and writing. This leads to our fourth goal which is to develop a culture of data analysis. Three times a year each grade level team met to analyze student assessment results in reading, writing and mathematics. Our final goal was to further develop our dormitory program. Mr. Rambaud and Ms. Lu Liu made numerous changes to develop this program.

I am extremely proud of our entire school for the work they are done to help us achieve these first five goals. We are now in the process of developing our next three year plan.I invite you to join with us in the next phase of our development as we strive to lead education, through innovation and a student-centered, community driven approach. How you can do this is by innovating through the lens of our school vision in action, familiarizing yourself with and furthering our schoolwide action plan.

Brian Lalor

Deputy Head of School

Ms. Jaimala Quinlan – Secondary Principal

Dear XLIS Community Members,

Welcome to the new academic year 2022-2023. This year will mark new chapter In the history of XUS. We have completed a five-year review of all our IB Programmes and WASC accreditation and we are ready to embark on a new journey turning XUS from a good to a great school.

I am honoured to head the Secondary department this new academic ye The foundation has been set and we will focus on academic excellence in this new year. Our students have engaged in various activities that have developed their confidence and engagement in the community. They will continue to build their confidence serve their community, and meet the goal of our mission statement” to build confident open-minded global citizens through lifelong learning and a sense of community.

Good teaching is at the heart of a great school, and our teachers are dedicated to developing our students’ academic skills. Learning at XLIS is student-centred and the teacher acts as a facilitator to create a conducive learning environment. We have introduced several events this year which will enhance the academic rigour at XLIS. Years 1 and 2 of the MYP will engage in project-based learning, and they will present projects that will be interdisciplinary. The MYP3 will take up the Community project which the IB recognizes as the culminating project for the MYP3 students. The high school will focus on preparing for exams in May. MYP4 will complete a mini personal project, and MYP5 will undertake their Personal Project and sit for the IB e-assessments. The aim is to prepare the students for the rigour of the Diploma Programme. Our DP cohort 2023 will continue to put their effort into meeting the deadlines for the EE and all the Internal assessments.

We at XUS believe that our students should find the right balance between academics and activities. We will continue with our sporting events, Dynasties and Week Without Walls. This year the Middle School (Yrs 1-3) will have their trips for WWW in November and the High school in June. All details will be sent to parents in time. This year, we have also added the Science Fair, which will take place in March. This event has been in great demand, and we are excited to see what our young scientists can come up with. Another exciting event is the Work experience week for the MYP 5 student^ which we believe will help them decide on their future careers. There are many new happenings this year, and we hope to achieve all we have planned.

This will be a very busy year, and we hope that we will be able to go through this academic year seamlessly, without interruptions due to Covid. We look forward to another exciting year at XLIS.

Jaimala Quinlan

Secondary Principal

Ms. Marly Song – Primary Principal

Dear XLIS Community,

Welcome to the 2022 – 2023 academic year at XLIS! We have much to look forward to in this upcoming year, as we strive work towards our mission of enabling confident, open-minded global citizens through lifelong learning and a sense of community. We have many wonderful initiatives that have been growing and developing over the years, such as the International Day of Peace, our ECA program, Student Council, Mathematics competitions, and our swimming and athletics programs, to name a few. This year will be no different as we look to continue with the traditions we have started while adding elements for improvement and advancement. As a growing community, we celebrate our diversity and encourage our students, teachers, and parents to get involved in the development of our school culture.

This year we have the opportunity to reflect on our IB authorization and our WASC accreditation from the past couple of years, and to start working towards our goals set out in our action plan. As a school, we hope to weave together our three programmes in a holistic way so our students have seamless transitions as they move through Early Years, the Primary Programme, the Middle Years Programme and finally into the Diploma Programme. To achieve this goal, more time has been built into the teacher’s calendar to allow for professional development and team collaboration that will strengthen our ability to create transdisciplinary units for our students. A second focus will be on promoting the use of English in classrooms and the purposeful use of translanguaging for students to effectively connect their learning through use of their mother tongue. Finally, we will strive to create a rigorous academic program that challenges our students, allows them to find their talents, and enables them to be confident open-minded global citizens. Together, we will work towards achieving the mission of XLIS!

I look forward to working with all of our XLIS community to make the 2022 – 2023 school year amazing!

Marly Song

Primary Principal

Ms. Echo Zhao – Head of Brand Development

Dear Members of XLIS Community,

It is my great joy and privilege to welcome you to XLIS International Community.

The Brand Development Team has been devoted to achieving the vision of XLIS, by creating a student-centered, community-driven educational context, and by changing lives through education. Our Administration Office, Public Relation Centre, Human Resources Department, and Finance Department provide whole school services for over 700 teachers and students from 42 different countries and regions.

We are grateful for all support and understanding our community provided us with during the COVID-19 pan- demic.Our experienced and qualified teachers and administration will build upon the good work and solid foundations that XLIS(XHIS) has established in its 19-year history.

We’ve been working to offer a modem and innovative campus, a well-organized management system, a multi-cultural expert team, and a multi-lingual curriculum. It is the same commitment we bring to creating a quality international education that offers your children the opportunity to foster their passions, recognize and develop their intellectual and social gifts and successfully engage the global community around them.

We welcome you to come and experience the innovation and energy of the XLIS education.

Echo Zhao
Head of Brand Development

Mr. Alex Rambaud – Head of Whole School Cultural Activities & Dormitory

Dear XLIS Community,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Academic Year at XLIS! I hope that you find the information that has been carefully compiled in this handbook, useful. I would like to invite you to find out more about how the “Whole-School Team” can support you and your department to ensure that your experience at XLIS is plenty of achievements and success.

From our exciting Extra Curricular Activities program (ECAs) to a myriad of yearly events meant to build community and enrich our cultural understanding, our team of dedicated experts are at your disposition and open to new ideas and suggestions.

In addition to also supporting the sports and all cultural events at XLIS, I have the pleasure of overseeing the XLIS Dormitory program. Our boarding students benefit from a one-of-a-kind support system that focuses on their social and emotional growth while also supporting them in their academic journey. We aim to prepare our students for university by helping them develop their self-management skills thus becoming more independent. We also work with our Whole-School Counselor to ensure that every child at XLIS gets the right type of support.

Finally, I invite you to contact me at your convenience if you were to need our team’s support at: alex.rambaud@xalis.com.

Alex Rambaud

Head of Whole School Cultural Activities & Dormitory

Mr. Kriss Parker- Head of Logistics

Dear XLIS Member,

On behalf of the logistics department, I’d like to welcome you to Xi’an Liangjiatan International School. My name is Kriss, and I’m the head of logistics here at XLIS. Our mission is to educate and develop students to become confident, open-minded global citizens, in a safe and positive learning environment.

The 2022-2023 school year promises to bring many changes as a school, with new members joining our senior leadership and senior management teams, the logistics department is looking forward to working alongside you as we strive to provide our school and students with the best educational environment, ensuring students reach their full potential.

As the head of logistics my responsibilities are to support the effective running of our school campus, ensure the health and safety of all staff and students, and provide leadership and support to our resource and IT departments, and the schools health centre.

Whether you’re returning to XLIS this year, or transitioning into a new role, the logistics department at XLIS is here to support you. It is a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated educators who have joined XLIS is achieving its vision and mission, and we look forward to working with you.

Regards,

Kriss Parker

Head of Logistics

Ms.Maria Zialcita – Head of All Staff Well-being & PYP Coordinator

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the XUS Team!

XLIS is a unique context, and we are fortunate to have a diverse community of students and staff from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Our goal is to create a culture where diversity is shared, celebrated, and promotes a sense of belonging.

The community and teamwork drive the most successful wellness programs. At XLIS, we will be guided by the five ways to well-being, namely:

· A Diet of Learning – Trying new things and challenging yourself

· Giving – Volunteering and doing something nice for others

· Taking Notice – Being aware of the world around you and reflecting on your experiences

· Connecting – Making time for relationships with friends, family, and colleagues and elsewhere within the community

· Being Active – Exercising and physical activity

We welcome anyone who wants to share their passion and interest. Your suggestions and contribution are vital in helping us create programs that will become an exciting part of our XLIS culture.

Hook forward to working with you and embarking upon this journey to better health with you.

Maria Zialcita

Head of All Staff Well-being & PYP Coordinator

Reach out to one of our advisors today,

to learn more as to why more families in Xi’an are joining XLIS

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Address

International Community, Xi’an,
Shaanxi, China, 710119

School Open Hours

Mon – Fri 8:00 AM – 16:00 PM (GMT+8)

Address

+86 (29) 85915100-8000
+86 (29) 85915100-8001

Email

pr@xalis.com