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RAISE THE TORCH

TO FILL THE GAP!

Almost there! We have a little over a week left in our fall campaign and have raised 80% of our $30,000 goal. With just $6,000 left to secure,  you can help us fill the gap by the end of October with your donation today!  Your contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference! All donations to the Fall Fundraiser you give today are tax-deductible and 100% goes back to the IS community. To see a robust list of how your donation is spent, please check out:  What Your Donation Supports .

Choose a support level that works for you:  Gold $500,  Silver $250,  Bronze $100, or define your own amount. For those families who can, we ask you to consider becoming a  Titan Torch supporter with a donation of $1,000 or more. 

DONATE ONLINE NOW!

Prefer to write a check? Fill out and mail this  donation form  to the ISPTSA.  

Questions? Please contact  [email protected] .  

DOUBLE YOUR DONATION WITH CORPORATE MATCHING!

Does your company have a Matching Gift Program?  The International School PTSA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We accept donations from individuals and corporations, and these donations are tax deductible. Local companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Google, T-Mobile & Expedia will “match” the charitable contributions made by their employees, including:

For more information, check out our website's  Corporate Matching page .

Double your generous donation through a Matching Gift today!  Thank you for taking the extra step for IS!



Please contact  [email protected] with questions .

THIS WEEK:



NEXT WEEK:

LOOKING AHEAD:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

CAN YOU LEND YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY A HAND?

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

Click here to learn more and sign up.

ON-CALL VOLUNTEERS—PLEASE SIGN UP!

ISPTSA is routinely asked by our school, sometimes at the last minute, for volunteers to help out at events. To facilitate our response, we have created a new volunteer category: on-call volunteer. It is not a fixed commitment; we will reach out to you when we have an urgent volunteer need to fill, and you can respond if you can help. Having your name on the on-call list will not obligate you to volunteer at any time.

Please consider adding your name to our on-call volunteer list! You can reach our sign-up here. We ask that you sign in for security reasons, and the "on-call volunteer" option is the second one from the bottom of the page.

Please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Sharon Sidoine, [email protected] with questions.

SUPPORT THE CLASS OF 2019!

POINSETTIA & WREATH SALES—TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

The leaves are falling and the holidays are quickly approaching. NOW is the time to place your holiday poinsettia and/or wreath orders for a December 4 delivery. 

Poinsettias, from Squak Mountain Nursery in Issaquah, (support local!) come in red, white, or shades of pink for $15 each.  POINSETTIA ORDER FORM

Wreaths, $25, are also from Squak and are 24" in diameter with ornamental pinecones. Add an optional holiday bow for $2.  WREATH ORDER FORM

 

You may order a poinsettia for a teacher/staff member as a holiday gift, too. What better way to show your appreciation for all that they do for our IS students! You may buy one for a designated teacher or, better yet, order for the staff pool, and we’ll make sure that all the teachers receive one of these beautiful plants. We need your participation!

 

 

Please make checks payable to  IS Class of 2019  and note “poinsettia” on memo line. Drop your order form and check or cash in the Poinsettia Box in the IS office. If you prefer to support the class of 2019 with a cash donation in lieu of receiving plants, your donations are welcome. 

The class of 2019 THANKS YOU for your support.

 

NOTE: All Senior Families are required to participate in this event, either by donating $125 or purchasing/selling $10 plants. Any questions, email:

Keri Cable   [email protected]   or Jennifer Pascho   [email protected]

 

PTSA NEWS

MEMBERSHIP CREATES COMMUNITY—JOIN AND SAVE!

Thank you to all the 375+ parents and teachers that have joined or renewed your ISPTSA memberships. Our goal is 585 members and we are 60% of the way there, so join now!

Membership cards were emailed to PTSA members previously, but our WA state PTA database had some technical glitches, so we needed to resend them. If you have not received your membership card, please check your junk mail folder—the email is from Ching Guo, Bellevue International School PTSA President - Bellevue International School <[email protected]>. If you don't see it there, please email Sharon Chen at [email protected].

If your teen would like to go to Fright Fest at Wild Waves, make sure you use your membership discount! If you're planning to rent a car over holiday break, remember to use your membership discount with Avis or Hertz.

Washington State PTA members can save money through member benefit providers. WSPTA collaborates with businesses and associations that support WSPTA's mission and vision. As part of that relationship, many organizations offer PTA members special discounts, including Avis, Hertz, Fed Ex, and Great Wolf Lodge. Be sure to have your electronic member card available when taking advantage of benefits and discounts. 

To take advantage of these discounts, click here. Log in using the username and password found in the welcome email to which your membership card was attached.

Please contact Sharon Chen at [email protected] with questions.

ATTENTION: 11TH GRADE PARENTS

Staff Appreciation Lunch on Wednesday, 10/24

 

Many thanks to those who have already signed up to contribute to our Italian lunch this Wednesday. If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up to bring an item and/or volunteer to set up or clean up.

 

We especially need pasta of any kind: homemade, premade, or takeout. The staff just love having a hot lunch to look forward to!

Again, you can sign up here . Thank you!

^{BELLEVUE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION'S ALL IN FOR KIDS CLICK-A-THON}

This Tuesday and Wednesday, October 23-24

Make great things happen with a click of your keyboard. Donate to the Bellevue Schools Foundation's All In for Kids 48-hour Click-a-thon this Tuesday and Wednesday, October 23-24.

Give $100 or more, and you'll double the difference you make for our students . Generous donors will match donations of $100 or more—up to $32,000!

Whether you can give $5, $100, or even $1,000, know that your gift will:

  

Click here  or text KIDS to  27722 to make your All In for Kids Click-A-Thon donation this Tuesday or Wednesday.

IT'S SPIRIT WEEK 2018!

Spirit Week is a series of events leading up to Homecoming where students show their school spirit by dressing up. Each grade level will compete and collect “spirit points” when they participate in the events. Tahe number of students participating re tallied, and the winners are announced on Friday of Spirit Week. There will be a first place for middle school grades and a first place for high school grades. Typically, the winners receive donuts!

Students are encouraged to participate by wearing their best spirit wear each day, following different themes. Please see the themes below and encourage your student(s) to dress up!

HOMECOMING HIGH SCHOOL DANCE WITH "MUSIC FESTIVAL" THEME

Saturday, October 27, 8:00-10:30 PM, International School

Theme: Music Festival

At International School, Homecoming is the first dance of the year and a big welcome back to the high school students. This dance is only for high school students. Dress attire is casual and students are encouraged to dress to it's "Music Festival" theme.

**Money raised from the Homecoming Dance will go toward the Junior Class Prom. Thank you to the Junior Class for hosting Homecoming!

Homecoming FAQs:

AMC 8 MATH COMPETITION

Remind your student(s) that the AMC 8 Math Competition is coming up!

Who: 6th, 7th and 8th graders!

When: Tuesday, November 13, 2018 during 2nd period—y ou will be excused from your class, but you MUST work with your teacher to make up the work! 

Cost: $5—Pay your money to the office

Deadline to Register: Friday, October 26, by 3:30 PM!

COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID PRESENTATION

Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 PM, IPAC

Paula Bishop, CPA and Financial Aid for College Advisor, will share strategies on “Paying for College without Going Broke.” This presentation is open to all International School families, and high school parents are encouraged to attend.

THINK BACK . . . WHAT QUESTIONS DID YOU HAVE WHEN APPLYING TO INTERNATIONAL?

The Office Would Like to Know!

The office is compiling a list of FAQs for parents of 5th grade students who are considering entering the lottery. We have our ideas of FAQs based on our experience and the phone calls we get in the office, but we wanted to touch base with our parents who have gone through this experience. What questions did you have when you were applying? Were there questions that you wished you had asked before you applied? Please share those with us. 

Please email Liz VandenBerghe at  [email protected].   

Thank you!

LOG INTO NAVIANCE WITH YOUR STUDENT

N aviance Student is a comprehensive website that can be used to explore four major areas: self-discovery, career exploration, academic planning, and college/career preparation. Students have access to Naviance all the way until they graduate. In middle school, they mostly use the assessment tools that allow them to discover their strengths, learning styles, and intelligences. It is the self-discovery part of Naviance. In high school, students continue using Naviance mostly for college preparation. There are some amazing tools in Naviance that you can explore with your student.

 

The link to Naviance is:  student.naviance.com/international

The username is your student’s BSD email address

The password is set by your student

 

For more info on Naviance, click here.

BE IN THE KNOW!

Parents, please ask your student to log into Naviance and confirm that your email address is correct. Some school communication, especially to juniors’ and seniors’ parents, is sent via Naviance.

PAPERLESS REPORT CARDS

Currently, a paper copy of each of your student's report cards is mailed to you four times every school year. Other BSD high schools have a good percentage of their schools going paperless. Let’s make our community “Go Green” too!

On your computer or tablet, log into ParentVUE and choose the  My Account tab. In the Auto Notify box click on the Go Paperless!! statement.

Please note:  both parents or guardians that live at the same address will have to opt out in order for the system to stop generating paper report cards to that address.

Questions? Contact BSD Technology department here.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT DISNEYLAND TRIP INFO NIGHT

Tuesday, October 30, 7:00 PM

IS band room

The IS Music Department is very excited to continue our every-other-year tradition of taking groups to Disneyland during Focus Week for the Magic Music Days. This is a combined trip with high school students from Band, Choir, and Orchestra.

The performances and workshops on this trip are fantastic experiences for the students!  Please attend the information meeting—Donna Kehle from Lake City Travel will be present to answer questions in addition to the music directors, Anna Silarski, Joanne Whang, and Andy Rubesch.

Note that the travel dates are Wednesday, May 22 to Saturday, May 25, 2019. See  packet for more information.

STUDENT NEWS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

DONATE GENTLY USED COATS TO BELLEVUE YOUTH LINK

Do you have any gently used coats that someone else could use? Bellevue Youth Link needs your help in collecting new or gently used coats for youth, teens, and adults in our community. You can drop off any coats you would like to donate in the box in the Commons or the box

next to the attendance window.

NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL HEALTH PRESENTS MENTAL HEALTH NIGHT

An Evening of Health Information for Parents and Guardians

Thursday, October 24, 6:00-8:00 PM, Newport Performing Arts Center

Newport students have pinpointed many challenges teenagers face today.Please join us for an evening featuring a few of our community partners to learn about resources and information that support the well-being of our youth.

Please contact Megan Feder with questions: [email protected]

STUDENT SPORTS & OPPORTUNITIES

SAMMAMISH HIGH SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS REGISTRATION OPEN NOW

Winter Sports start soon! Monday, November 12 (non-school day)

Gymnastics: 4:00 PM, Gymnastics Gym

Boys Basketball: 4:00 PM, Main Gym

Boys Swim: 4:00 PM, Bellevue Aquatic Center

Boys/Girls Wrestling: 4:00 PM, Wrestling Room

Girls Basketball: 6:15 PM, Main Gym

 

Required for ALL Sports:  

 

Winter Sports Parent Meeting: Tuesday, November 20, 7:00 PM, Main Gym



If you have questions, please contact: Andi Tomlinson, Athletic Secretary/Building Use Coordinator for Sammamish High School at t [email protected] or (425) 456-7613.