Faculty & Staff Directory

Began at CAIS in 2022

Jenny has a B.A. in Art History from San Francisco State University and most recently was the Membership Coordinator for the Asian American Women Artists Association. Jenny brings a positive personality and a strong administrative skill set to the position.

Began at CAIS in 2012

Hsu Laoshi has taught Chinese in K–8 immersion programs for 11 years in the US. and has been with CAIS since 2012. A member of the CAIS Curriculum Committee, she has made presentations at ACTFL, CLTA, NCLC, and STARTALK conferences for the past nine years, and also gave a one-week workshop on immersion school teaching at National Taiwan Normal University. She has served as a master teacher at the Virginia STARTALK Chinese Teacher Academy at the University of Virginia for four summers.

Began at CAIS in 2021

Hu Laoshi was born and raised in Mainland China. She graduated from San Francisco State University with both a B.A. and an M.A. degree in Chinese: Concentration in Chinese Literature &​ Linguistics. She has been an early childhood educator for over 5 years. Working with children has always been a passion and she loves seeing smiles on the children’s faces when they learn something new. Things she enjoys outside of work are spending time with family, traveling, clay molding, and trying different cultural cuisines.

Began at CAIS in 2014

Began at CAIS 2024

Xinyi (Cindy) Huang is from Yangzhou, China. She has teaching experience from PreK to 12th grade and also worked as a full-time music teacher in Maryland, responsible for general music, choir, band, and orchestra instruction. She holds a Maryland teaching certificate and has Orff and Kodály music teaching certifications. Her primary instrument is voice, and she has performed many opera pieces and art songs. In her free time, she loves traveling, trying new things, tasting different cuisines, watching sports, and playing pool. She is particularly fond of Yoga, Pilates, and dance, and is currently learning African dance. Making life interesting is one of her favorite things. As an ENFP personality type, she enjoy making friends and socializing. Furthermore, she is passionate about her work, loves building relationships with her students, and enjoys sharing the joy of music with them. 

Began at CAIS in 1999

Originally from Taiwan, for more than two decades Sophia Jang has been one of the first faces greeting families interested in CAIS. She speaks three languages (English, Mandarin, and Cantonese) and has guided many hundreds of families through the CAIS admission process.

Began at CAIS 2022

Began at CAIS in 2018

Proud of her mother’s Shanghai and Hong Kong roots, Mrs. Kaz studied Chinese at Brown University and at the Beijing Institute of Education. She earned her master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Literacy: Reading­-Language Arts. At Tsinghua International School 清华大学附中国际部, she taught English and music and started a golf team. At Sheridan, an independent school in Washington, DC, she taught second grade, fourth grade, and 8th grade geometry, and she helped develop curriculum, including a social studies unit on the Silk Road. At Georgetown Day School, another independent school in Washington, DC, she was a third grade lead teacher and the Chair of the national Asian Educators Alliance Conference. Mrs. Kaz is an experienced practitioner and mentor with Readers and Writers Workshop as well as with Responsive Classroom. In her practice as a teacher, she has shown deep commitment to engaging with issues of social class, gender, race, and social justice.

A Chinese and German speaker, she is also a:
• soprano with the International Orange Chorale and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
• golfer
• triathlete
• skier
• SCUBA diver (PADI-certified rescue diver)
• certified emergency first responder

Began at CAIS in 2019

Ms. Kras, known as Ms. K. to the little learners, is excited to begin her fifth year teaching kindergarten with this group of young minds. She holds a BSc in Mathematics Education for Elementary Grades and a Masters in Elementary Education, and has a passion for instilling a deep curiosity and love of learning in young children. She believes children learn in many different ways, and works to create an inclusive learning environment where children can approach learning from a multitude of entry points in a joyful way. She looks forward to singing, dancing, exploring, and creating with your children this year!