December 04, 2017

Upcoming Events and Deadlines
12/04/2017 3:30 pm Beauty and The Beast Auditions 
12/05/2017 7:00 pm High School Band Concert 
12/06/2017 8:15 am - 1:40 pm Even Wednesday (Snowflake Assembly)
12/06/2017 7:00 pm Orchestra Concert
12/07/2017 7:00 pm Middle School Band Concert
12/8/2017 3:30 pm Beauty and The Beast Callbacks
12/9/2017 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm Tolo Dance 
FOCUS ON IS
IS HOSTS FRENCH EXCHANGE
 
IS welcomes 28 students from St. Stanislaus Catholic School in Nantes, France. The exchange students, who are in 9th and 10th grades, are staying with IS families of 9th and 10th grade students for the next two weeks. The exchange students will attend classes with IS students on Monday, December 4th and will go on several field trips during their visit, including the Microsoft Store, Downtown Seattle, The University of Washington, The Boeing Museum, The Tulalip Outlets, and Snoqualmie Falls. This Spring, the IS host students will have the opportunity to travel with their classmates to France for two weeks, visit Nantes, Paris, and other destinations, and experience life with a French family.
PTSA NEWS
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
   
Hello Everyone,
A big thanks to all who attended the teacher/ parent social.  We all had a delightful time talking with teachers and getting to know them.                It was a  wonderful IS community event and one we hope to repeat again for next year.
There was also a big turnout for our November general meeting. We had a most informative presentation from Tara Gray, discussing the 3 year school improvement plan as a draft for the 2017-2018 year.  Comments from parents were welcome and appreciated. If you would like to read and comment on the plan, please email Tara [email protected]
Linda Parrish, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, presented a sobering look at statistics and guns in youth suicide.  If you were unable to attend, please take the opportunity to view her presentation here.   I particularly think this presentation was relevant to our community.   As a community created from different neighborhoods and schools, starting the conversation with the parents of your student's friends, "if they have a gun in the house and is it locked up," should become a standard question with no embarrassment. As a community, we are all concerned about the safety of our IS students. If there are any concerns about the safety of students, please feel free to talk with the administration or you can anonymously send a concern or information using the safeschools link https://bsd405-wa.safeschoolsalert.com/.
And finally, Sara Wallick, math teacher extraordinaire, had some great links for help for your student when they are struggling in math or science. They will be sending this link out to all parents in the next week. Sara is one of the teacher liaisons to the PTSA and will be at every general meeting. 
Our next newsletter is our last until after Winter break. Look for some great ideas to do with students over break in our next issue.
We are also going to start a question of the week. This will be an opportunity to get to know our community better. Answers to that weeks question will be in the following weeks Monday Messenger.
Best,
Meribeth Nordloef-Pedersen
ISPTSA President 2017-2018
507 MEMBERS STRONG AT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Can we get to 515 members by the end of this week?
We need only a combination of the following to be at 100%:
69 Teachers/parents/students
OR 33 families
OR 5 families from each grade
Please Join Us!. Or if you would prefer to send in a check, download and fill out the form and drop it off at the office.
Want to see who is supporting our Community to Success at IS? See our listing as of 12/1/17 . Thanks to every parent and teacher and student who supported this goal.
 
Any questions, please contact Joanie Chang at   [email protected].  
ISPTSA NOMINATION COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!

What does the nominating committee do? Nominating Committee members seek out individuals within the IS community to fill the elected positions of the ISPTSA Executive Committee i.e. President, VP positions, Secretary, and Treasurer positions. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to help build a strong PTSA and International School community and be a current ISPTSA member. We have tools to help get you started! Interested in volunteering, please contact Meribeth Nordloef-Pedersen at
[email protected] for more information.  
ISPTSA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE NOW

We have four volunteer opportunities available now-- Grants Coordinator, Budget Committee, Scholastic Book Fair, and Closet Organizer. Please see descriptions below and contact the person in charge if interested or have questions. Thank you for your consideration!
 
PTSA Grants Coordinator
Volunteer needed to facilitate grants from teachers to the grant committee. Duties include checking grants folder, logging in grants in notebook, reviewing grants for completed signatures. Checking with Grants chair that electronic copy has been received and updating the spreadsheet with the log-in number. Maintaining a grants file for each grant cycle (3 a year) and providing the Office Manager a copy of final spreadsheet of grant status after each grant cycle. Suggested volunteer time is up to 5 hours per grant cycle and the ability to come to school periodically to collect grants. Any questions or interest please contact [email protected].

Budget Committee
3-4 volunteers needed to review the current budget and previous budgets and recommend changes to the budget for next year. Ability to review numbers on a spreadsheet. Understand the concept of a budget and why a budget is needed. Looking for a mix of PTSA members with high school students and middle school students. Work with the PTSA president and Treasurer as part of the committee. Starting in January, meeting once a month until May. Any questions or interest please contact [email protected].
 

Scholastic Book Fair Chair
1-2 volunteers needed to organize the Scholastic book fair (early February). Will have lots of support from Michele Dang (Librarian) & Tara Jones (Research Technology Specialist). Attend in-person workshop or online webinar on running a book fair; collaborate with Michele & Tara; organize, manage, and train volunteers; make sure paperwork is completed for PTSA & Scholastic. Any questions or interest please contact Li Wu at  [email protected].
 
 
PTSA Closet Organizer Extraordinare
1-2 volunteers needed to be in charge of the PTSA closet -- keeping it organized, replenishing supplies as needed, tracking down borrowed items... etc. Any questions or interest please contact Li Wu  [email protected].
STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCH IS 
DECEMBER 6TH --
 

9TH GRADE PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The 9th Grade Families of the class of 2021 will be providing a delicious Holiday Luncheon to show our appreciation to our 55 wonderful staff on Wednesday, December 6, from 11:45 am until 12:15 pm

We need volunteers to sign-up to bring food and/or to help setup/cleanup. Food should be delivered to the Staff Room no later than 10:30 am. Clean-up will take place from 12:15 pm to 1:30 pm. 

We'll be serving a traditional American holiday meal that includes turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, butternut squash soup, salad, pumpkin pie...and so much more!   

Any Questions? Contact your grade-level reps: Michelle Surkan at [email protected] or Gabriella Wyle at [email protected].
ISPTSA SPONSORS REFLECTIONS ART CONTEST
   
 
The International School PTSA is sponsoring the Reflections Art competition this year. The theme is "
Within Reach ." Applications and official rules for any of the 6 categories; Visual Art, Photography, Literature, Musical Composition, Dance Choreography and Film Production will be available in a poster board by the front entrance. Deadline for submittals is December 4th in the main office. 

Online rules can be obtained at Reflection Rules. A registration form for International can be obtained here. Any questions, contact Josephine Anderson, [email protected].

International School PTSA submittals regularly go onto State competition. Last year, Felicity Huang received the State Award of Excellence for her art "Maze Traveler". This is a great opportunity for students to express themselves artistically following a theme. Judging is based on the following: Interpretation of Theme (20 pts.), Creativity (10 pts.), Technique (10 pts.).
BSF EDUCATION CONNECTIONS SURVEY

For those of you who attended, " Education Connections: Who Pays for Public School Education in Bellevue ," please take a moment to answer a few brief survey questions to help improve future events. 

If you would like to refer back to  Melissa deVita's informative
If you would like to contact your state legislators, here's how:
Call the  Legislative Hotline 1.800.562.6000

You can  find your district by typing in your address here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder .

The  Bellevue School district includes residents in two legislative districts, the 41st and the 48th. 

41st district
Rep. Judy Clibborn [email protected]
Rep. Tana Senn [email protected]
Senator Lisa Wellman [email protected]

48th district
Senator Patty Kuderer [email protected]
Rep. Joan McBride [email protected]
Rep. Vandana Slatter [email protected]
ISPTSA TRAVEL TUMBLERS - NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

I SPTSA is selling these wonderful tumblers this year, and they are now available online. These are dual wall insulated stainless steel tumblers with our new ISPTSA logo. They carry 14 ounces of liquid, cold or hot, with a swivel lid with drink thru opening with plastic ring seal to stave off spills. The cost is $17 for PTSA members and $20 for non-members. 

If you would like to purchase a tumbler, you can pay cash, by check, or order online.  Or, you can send in cash or a check to ISPTSA 445 128th Ave SE Bellevue WA 98005 and indicate your student's name. Items can be picked up at the main office by Friday if purchased by Wednesday.  We will notify you when they are waiting to be picked up.
Questions? Contact [email protected]
CAR MAGNETS SHOW THE WORLD YOU ARE PART OF THE IS COMMUNITY

Want to Show Your Titan Pride?
 
Get a custom designed IS Magnet for only $5!
 
Purchase an 8" round magnet to go on the outside of your car and show your community spirit wherever you are. Are too many cars looking the same in the parking lot? By placing this magnet uniquely on your car, your student can locate your car in minutes and you can be on your way. Only $5.00 and stays on thru rain or shine or car washes.  

You can purchase your magnet at the school office.
Don't miss out on this great opportunity! 
Questions? Contact [email protected]
SIGN UP FOR WA STATE PTA VOTER ALERTS

During the 2018 legislative session, WSPTA will send action alerts to members who have signed up using our Voter Voice system. These action alerts are quick, easy ways to communicate with our legislators on topics they are actively working on. To receive these alerts, and add your voice to the strong advocacy work of Washington State PTA, Sign-up for voter voice alerts here.
ISPTSA OCT. GENERAL MEETING MINUTES AVAILABLE 

ISPTSA General Membership Meeting Minutes for October are now available here
BSF ANNOUNCES ENRICHMENT & INNOVATION GRANTS

Bellevue Schools Foundation is  delighted to announce the 2017-18 Arts, Enrichment & Innovation grant(s) awarded. A listing of the grant awards can be found here.

BSF received 133 grant applications with requests totaling more than $191,623. Eighty eight (88) awards were made totaling $75,000 -- $10,000 of this dedicated to music. BSF funding supports all of the Bellevue schools. Their All In for Kids  fall fundraising event is still going on. Please consider a donation if you have not done so yetIf you see grants from other middle and high schools that you think IS should be trying for, please consider dropping a note to a teacher at IS to encourage them to apply next year for BSF grants OR apply for grants with ISPTSA. ISPTSA next grant cycle is in February.
IS FALL FUNDRAISER COMING SOON!

Community Creates Success at IS coming to your mailboxes soon. 

Help us raise $25,000.
USE AMAZON SMILE TO SUPPORT ISPTSA

Do You Shop on Amazon.com?

Support IS PTSA as you shop. The AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible purchases.
Simply link your Amazon.com account, and our students benefit!
Go to smile.amazon.com, and choose Bellevue International School PTSA as the 'charitable organization' that you would like to link your account to, and Amazon will now give a percentage of all of your eligible purchases to IS PTSA.
If you have Amazon bookmarked in your browser, change your bookmark to Amazon Smile, which allows you to shop as you normally would, but links your purchases to IS PTSA. From now on, please always shop through smile.amazon.com rather than www.amazon.com, and ask your family, and friends to also.
School News
SEEKING CHAPERONES FOR TOLO
TOLO is a formal dance for International high school students that is hosted by the sophomore class! This year it's on Saturday, 9 December from 8:30 - 11:00 pm. Traditionally, this is the only formal dance held at school. This is also when the visiting Frenchies get to experience an "American dance." If you'd like to get a  glimpse of the teenage social scene, chaperones are desperately needed. As of now, there are two chaperones signed up and this fun evening is in danger of being cancelled. If you are able to help, please contact Elysia Galvan ( [email protected]).
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST AUDITIONS - DECEMBER 4TH
School Musical - Beauty and the Beast

Auditions Dec. 4th after school, with callbacks on Dec 8th.
Student News & Opportunities
TITAN TIMES STUDENT NEWS NOW AVAILABLE TO PARENTS

Hello Parents! Did you know it's Badminton and Flag Football Season for Middle School Students?Did you know that the Green Team is helping to reduce trash, and that the Kids Care Coat Drive is running through November 20th? Here's another way to stay connected with what's happening in the school. The Titan Times contains school news and updates and broadcasts over the PA System every day at 8:15 am. The link is updated around 3:00 pm for the next day. 
Community Events & Advocacy News
RAISE MONEY FOR IS BY ICE SKATING IN BELLEVUE

Skate at the Bellevue Magic Season Ice Arena, located at the B ellevue Downtown Park, and raise money for IS!  

Mention you are with International
School at the admission counter and
a $3 donation will be made to
your PTSA for each paid rink
admission during the dates
listed below: 

FUNDRAISING DATES
  • Nov 24 - Dec 15, 2017
  • Jan 2 - 15, 2018
     
HOURS OF OPERATION
(during fundraising dates listed above)
  • Mon: 3pm-9pm
  • Tue: 3pm-9pm
  • Wed: 1pm-9pm
  • Thu: 3pm-9pm
  • Fri: 3pm-11pm (opens at 11am on Nov 24) 
  • Sat: 11am-11pm
  • Sun:11am-6pm (open until 11pm on Jan 14)
LOCATION
Bellevue Downtown Park
10201 NE 4th St.
Bellevue, WA 98004
(South of Bellevue Square)

COST:
Admission: $14, 8 & under $10
(includes skate rental)
NEWSIES MUSICAL AT VILLAGE THEATER IN ISSAQUAH

One of our own IS students is performing in Newsies, Village Theatre's Holiday Season show! Now through December 31st.

"Seize the Day" with the newsboys of New York as they become unlikely heroes and stand up for what's right in this Tony Award-winning and Grammy-nominated hit full of classic Disney magic and theatricality.

Tickets online, by phone (425-392-2202), or limited availability Groupon.
Student Sports & Opportunities
BELLEVUE BOYS LACROSSE CLUB - REGISTRATION OPEN

Lacrosse is a fast-paced sport that has grown exponentially over the past decade. Bellevue Boys Lacrosse Club serves boys in grades K-12 who reside within the Bellevue High School boundary area .  

The Bellevue Lacrosse program is dedicated to developing players at every age and preparing them for a successful high school experience -    for more information about our programs click here.  Over the past 8 years the BHS Varsity team has played in the state championship 7 times and won the state title 6 times.   Visit our alumni page to see where our athletes are playing in college. 

Visit our website at www.bellevuelacrosse.com to register for spring season now - just click on the orange REGISTER NOW button!  Early bird discounts available through Dec. 31, 2017. Registration closes January 15th. 

Not sure if you want to play?  Check our website for details about our free TRY LAX days coming up in December and January. All youth families are also welcome to attend our Youth Kick-off Meeting on January 11th to learn more about our youth program and the coming season.

Youth practices start in February (March for K-2) and high school tryouts start February 26th. High school players must also complete the BHS Athletics Department sports packet and be cleared to participate.
JUBILEE REACH SPONSORS FREE FLAG FOOTBALL AT IS

Hey parents! Is your kid interested in Flag Football? Jubilee is offering a free Flag Football league going from November 13th through January 26th. 

Practice will be Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm to 4:15pm. Games will be on Wednesdays starting at about 2:45pm and go until 4:15pm. If you have any conflicts please let us know we would love to talk and work around these if possible. We want to develop a solid community here at International revolving around strong academics and team building. If you would like to sign up you can at http://jubileereach.bonzidev.com/athletics. If you have any questions please email Brock at [email protected] or Sterling at   [email protected]. 
KING COUNTY SPORTS RESULTS

Check King County Sports results here.
Messenger Submissions
MONDAY MESSENGER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • Please submit your information by FRIDAY at 12:00 (noon)  to  [email protected].
  • We encourage submissions that align with our mission. Click here for the PTSA mission statement.
  • Submissions are subject to a review by the IS PTSA and may be accepted, rejected or edited.
  • Please use a separate email for each article submitted.
  • Subject line should include the Section Header where you want your information and the title: Here's a list of sections:  
    • PTSA News
    • School News
    • Student News & Opportunities
    • Help Wanted
    • Sports News & Opportunities
    • Summer Camps & Opportunities
  • Plain text is preferred, although you are welcome to send along an image or icon to include.
  • Need to link to a registration form?  Send us the link to include or a pdf copy.
  • For the "Help Wanted" session, feel free to also contact the IS PTSA to ask for support.
  • Note: you will receive an automatic confirmation response when submitting.

Visit our website keep informed about what is going with ISPTSA including meetings, programs and community events and activities. We hope it will be your home for joining the ISPTSA, volunteering, signing up for the Messenger weekly newsletter and keeping current on what is happening at the school.  
In This Issue
Color Key
Content titles are colored coded for easy navigation:

GREEN New Content
RED : Changes to Content
BLACK: Repeat Content
Contact Us:
President
                 President-Elect                       Ching Guo       
                     VP - Community               
                          Li Wu                        
          Sylvia Abrahamsson
VP - Communications
Treasurer 1
Treasurer 2
Secretary
Membership
  Advocacy
  Monday Messenger 
Website
IS Staff Liasons
PTSA
Website: www.isptsa.org
Newsletter Submissions:  [email protected]
 
School Directory and Links
ATTENDANCE                 425-456-6545
MAIN OFFICE                  425-456-6500 
COUNSELING                 425-456-6542 
REGISTRAR                    425-456-6535 

Supporting PTSA 

Donate at any time. Write your check to the International School PTSA and send it ISPTSA at 445 128th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98005


 

Or even easier - Donate via PayPal!

  

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International School Store
Show your school spirit! Shop for sweatshirts, t-shirts, duffel bags and more! Visit the International School Fieldhouse store. Proceeds benefit the International School ASB
  
Shop for the Bellevue Schools Foundation

Enter Amazon.com through this link and Amazon will donate 8% of every purchase you make to support Bellevue students, including those at IS! Share the link and spread the word to family and friends anywhere.