Many of the conversations I have had with CAIS parents in recent months have revolved around the topics of change and continuity. Moving to our campus has created opportunities for positive change. We are also looking at two leadership transitions this year as Joe Williamson is retiring after a distinguished 12 year tenure at CAIS, and Chu Hsi is returning to her home in Taiwan to care for aging family members. I too have felt the gravity of transition this week in a very acute and personal way as our Board of Trustees has begun inviting Head of School finalist candidates to campus, one of whom will succeed me in 2027-28 (I’ll still be around for another 15 months, like it or not—that’s a bit of continuity).
In that vein, I am delighted to share important news about additional continuity. After a long and exhaustive search which yielded candidates from the US, Taiwan, and Mainland China, I am delighted to announce that our very own Teresa Jyng-Ting Shyu-Fung—Shyu Laoshi—will be our next Early Childhood Center Director, beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
Teresa is respected and adored by students, parents and colleagues (including me) for her straightforward, honest, and most of all compassionate communication style. She is a trusted colleague and a leader in both word and deed. She is always friendly, sometimes fierce, and very, very funny. Teresa is serving in her 20th year at CAIS. When I arrived at CAIS in the summer of 2010, Teresa was a Preschool teacher (we called it PreK then) at the Waller Campus in Hayes Valley. On the day I met her, she presented me with a copy of her recently completed masters thesis on teaching Mandarin in early childhood through story telling. Over 20 years at CAIS, Teresa has taught in Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade—she has a better direct, personal experience with the growth trajectory of students from early childhood through elementary school than perhaps anyone at CAIS.
In addition to deep classroom experience, Teresa has also demonstrated strong leadership in a number of ways; she has served several times as academic director for CAIS summer immersion camp, teacher trainer at Marco Polo Children’s Day School in Irvine, teacher trainer at Better Chinese, and grade band leader at CAIS for grades K, 1, and 2. Teresa has published papers and presented on early childhood topics at professional conferences on multiple occasions—she is a true scholar practitioner. She has also dedicated significant time over the past 18 years volunteering in several capacities at E-Hoops, a fully inclusive basketball program where children with typical and special needs can learn and play together.
In the end, we didn’t need to go over the rainbow to find our next ECC Director, she was right here in our own back yard the whole time—a testament to the strength and depth of our CAIS faculty.
Jeff Bissell | 毕杰夫
Head of School ｜ 校长