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ELL & Student Support Services
Furthering Access and Inclusion
KAS has a diverse student body with various learning profiles. Teachers and professional staff create learning opportunities and experiences for all students to have access to and be successful with the curriculum. Our Student Support Team includes teachers, specialists, and administrators who support access and inclusion through a collaborative, team-based approach and differentiation, ensuring that we meet students where they are.
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Social & Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) and wellness are vital to student growth and development. Our dedicated team of five full-time counselors plays an integral role in the development of our students. Our counselors serve as role models for the school in forming trusting relationships by supporting students, teachers, and parents in a variety of situations that may involve social and emotional growth, behavior management, and personal relationships. SEL is integrated into our classrooms through lessons, curriculum building, wellness programs, and 1:1 and small group counseling.
English Language Learner (ELL) Support
The ELL program is designed to provide a learning environment that is safe, supportive, and structured, and enables students to gain the necessary language skills to transition successfully into the main subject classes at KAS. The focus is developing the 4 domains of language learning: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Depending on the above factors, students are placed into an appropriate class with the least restrictive environment.
Learning Support
Our team of learning support teachers and assistants provide academic supports that vary based on student needs. Learning supports include push in support in the classroom, small group or 1:1 pull out instruction, 1:1 teaching assistants, and modified curriculum.
Contracted Services
Our Student Support Team extends beyond KAS faculty and staff. To ensure students have the support and access they need, we contract as needed with specialists including an Educational Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Psychiatrist, Speech Therapist, and Occupational Therapist.
Meet our Counselors
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Winnie Shen MS Counselor/Head of Counseling Department
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Winnie Shen MS Counselor/Head of Counseling Department
I stepped into the Psychology and counseling field in 2002 and hold a M.ED and an Ed.S. in Marriage and Family Counseling from the Counselor Education, University of Florida. With more than 15 years of clinical experience in working with children, adolescents, and adults at various settings including a school, a hospital, and a college counseling center, I am very enthusiastic about interacting with students as well as helping and supporting them when they are in need. I was a National Certified Counselor in the US from 2011 to 2017 and am currently a certified Counseling Psychologist in Taiwan. I was born and raised in Kaohsiung and grew up in a lovely family that enjoys travel. When I visit or live in other cities or countries, I embrace diversity and cherish every moment that I get to learn from other cultures. I am honored to be a counselor at KAS and excited to work in this great and diverse community in my hometown.
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Jean Tsai HS Counselor & Child Protection Lead
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Jean Tsai HS Counselor & Child Protection Lead
Jean (she/her) is joining the KAS team as one of the HS Counselors and the Child Protection Lead. She was a TCK born in Taiwan and attended international schools in Indonesia and Malaysia. After obtaining a Masters’s in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago, she worked as a licensed therapist, supervisor, and manager in various mental health settings in Chicago and Colorado prior to shifting to education. Jean then worked as a School-Based Therapist in a high school in Colorado prior to being a Secondary Counselor at American International School Dhaka in Bangladesh. She enjoys hearing students’ stories and seeking to understand students in order to best support them. She also believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion is part of child safeguarding.
Jean is looking forward to returning to Taiwan with her spouse Amos and their little one, Emory.
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Carly Santos HS/College Counseling
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Carly Santos HS/College Counseling
Carly Santos has been working as a school counselor since 2011. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, she completed a Bachelor of Arts – Youth Studies degree which she then complemented with a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education at Victoria University. This has enabled her to work as a counselor and educator while living in Australia and abroad.
Carly’s career on the international circuit has taken her to China, Indonesia, Korea, and now Taiwan. She will be joining KAS as one of the HS counselors. Carly views her role as a counselor to support, advocate, and empower young people. She has a holistic approach, viewing education and student wellbeing as of equal importance. She believes that both these areas are closely interconnected and can have an effect on young people’s capacities to contribute and advance in their learning, their relationships, and with feeling connected to the wider community.
Carly comes to Taiwan with her partner Steve and their daughter Lottie. In her spare time she likes traveling, cooking, reading and spending time with her family.
Meet our ELL Faculty & Staff
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Sean Butler ES English Language Acquisition
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Sean Butler ES English Language Acquisition
Sean Butler will be joining the KAS family at the start of the 2022 school year and will be the 5th Grade ELL teacher. He received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2008 from the University of Memphis and a Masters of Education in Teaching English as a Second Language from Jones International University in 2011. He has taught in an elementary school setting for the past fourteen years in China, Mexico, and the U.S. He is very excited and ready to help students maximize their learning in English. In his personal time, he loves learning languages, cooking, riding bikes, playing badminton, and reading.
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Charlene Lin ES English Language Acquisition
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Charlene Lin ES English Language Acquisition
After several years as a KAS parent and Kindergarten teacher in Kaohsiung, Charlene joined the teaching staff at KAS in 2020 as a teaching assistant in the Literacy & Inclusion Support office. She brings a wealth of experience teaching children in primary grades, including both native English and non-native English speakers. Ms. Lin holds a BA from Shih Chien University in Recreation Management, a MA from Moreland University in Special Education, and is certified in TESOL and TCAFL. She has four kids and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading.
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Amos Ruffer MS English Language Acquisition/Head of Department: English Language Acquisition
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Amos Ruffer MS English Language Acquisition/Head of Department: English Language Acquisition
Amos Ruffer joined KAS in 2022 as the EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher in MS. He graduated from Ohio State and initially taught 5 years of Elementary PE. After gaining Learning Support certification, he taught for 4 years in the Denver area and was most recently at the American International School of Dhaka for 4 years with his partner, Jean Tsai, and 3-year old daughter Emory.
Amos loves being active, eating spicy foods, and will be ready to explore all parts of Taiwan!
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Wendy Weng MS English Language Acquisition
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Wendy Weng MS English Language Acquisition
Wendy joined KAS in July, 2004 as an elementary ELL teacher. She graduated from Fu-Jen Catholic University with a BA in English Literature and earned her MA in Education from the University of Texas. She has certification in English and ELL teaching from Montana State University and has training and experience in MYP. Wendy currently teaches middle and high school ELL. She loves working with ELL students; she is always amazed at how much progress students can make and feels proud of them. When not working, Wendy enjoys spending time with her husband and son.
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Miguel Cámara HS English Language Acquisition
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Miguel Cámara HS English Language Acquisition
Originally from Valencia, Spain. Miguel has been living and teaching overseas for the last 10 years. During his 12 years as a language educator, his experiences have led him and his family across Spain, Nepal, India, Singapore, and UAE, before coming to Taiwan. Skilled in developing and implementing effective instructional strategies and assessments to meet the diverse learning needs of students, he holds two Master’s degrees from the University Jaume I and the University of Valencia. With strong expertise in IB education and philosophy, Miguel is a DP Examiner, Team Leader, EUR Team member, and recently appointed IB Workshop Leader.
Miguel is joining his wife, Paloma Corella, who since last year is a Secondary Spanish teacher at KAS. He loves water sports, outdoor activities, and spending time with his 2 daughters. Miguel is extremely excited to take on his new role and be joining the Dragons family!
Meet our Learning Support Faculty & Staff
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Hannah McIntosh Special Education
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Hannah McIntosh Special Education
Hannah is excited to continue as part of the KAS community in a new role for the 2022-2023 school year as a Special Education/Learning Support Teacher. Originally from the southern United States, Hannah completed her BS in Psychology and MA in Counseling before moving to Taiwan. In her previous role as School Counselor in Taipei, she implemented and coordinated the Learning Support program for exceptional students.
She brings with her 10 years of experience working with children, including former positions as Refugee Program Specialist and Tutor for students with intensive academic, social/emotional, and language needs. Throughout her career, she has worked with students with the most intensive behavioral and academic challenges. Her classroom teaching experience includes AP Psychology, Introductory Psychology, and Life Skills. She is passionate about advocacy, inclusivity, and creating spaces that support all students in accessible education.
A fitness enthusiast, she spends her free time doing CrossFit with her Taiwanese partner. Additionally, she enjoys cooking, traveling, cultural experiences, as well as professional and academic pursuits.
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Laura Rollison MS Learning Support Coordinator
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Laura Rollison MS Learning Support Coordinator
Ms. Laura Rollison taught Middle School Humanities at KAS 2021-22. In the fall of 2022, she became our learning support coordinator for MS/HS. Laura is a graduate of NYU and Dartmouth College, and has been teaching English, EAL, and Humanities in international schools since 2012. Most recently, Laura taught at ICS Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and at the American Embassy School in New Delhi.
Living and working in Taiwan has brought her a new cultural awareness of East Asia, giving her a feeling of respect and gratitude for the opportunity to be here at KAS.