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THIS WEEK:

NEXT WEEK:

LOOKING AHEAD:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

LEND A HAND TO YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY!

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

Click here to learn more and sign up.

PTSA NEWS

ONLY TWO WEEKS TO THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR !

DECEMBER 3-7

The Scholastic Book Fair—open before and after school and during lunches all week long December 3-7—will be stocked with books for Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers.

Don't forget that all sales benefit the IS library !

Click here for more info about the book fair.

 

Interested in volunteering? We mostly need people to run registers, which is easy and fun. The machines are simple to use—we can get you up and running one in ten minutes—and a volunteer with register experience will always be there to help.  There is also a webinar tutorial for the Easy Scan register, which you can watch at your convenience (let Meribeth know if you would like a link to the Easy Scan tutorial).

Please click  here  to sign up. We have one-hour shifts available: 7:30-8:30 AM, 12:45-1:45 PM, and 3:00-4:00 PM. 

 

If you have any questions, please contact Meribeth,  [email protected] .

UH OH, DID YOU FORGET TO RENEW?

 

Our goal of 100% PTSA membership is in jeopardy. Did you forget to renew your membership? We have had only one member join in November, so far. That is way lower than our normal renewal rate. Our listing of member families will be available on December 3. Let's get to 425 member by that target date.

Please join today! Click  here ! $35 as a dual membership supports two IS students. $20 as a single membership supports one IS student.

Community Creates Success at IS.

 

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

BELLEVUE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2018-19 ARTS, ENRICHMENT & INNOVATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

The Bellevue Schools Foundation is delighted to announce the 2018-19 Arts, Enrichment & Innovation grant awards. Eighty-six were awarded, totaling $93,800—an increase of $18,000 over last year. BSF is thrilled to be able to support these innovative learning opportunities in and out of the classroom and appreciative of donors who help keep this program alive. To learn more about A, E & I grants, visit  bellevueschoolsfoundation.org .

Congratulations to the International School Titan Robotics Club and Jess Albrecht’s Audio Recording Station with combined grant awards of $1,400.

THANK YOU 8TH-GRADE PARENTS AND FAMILIES!

A hearty thank you to the 8th-grade parent volunteers who helped host the November Staff Appreciation Lunch! With your help, we were able to host a successful, delicious Staff Appreciation Lunch on Wednesday, November 7. The staff room was stocked with fresh flowers and yummy finger foods which staff members greatly enjoyed.

The next Staff Appreciation Lunch will be hosted by 7th-grade families on December 12 . Please stay tuned for more details and a call for volunteers. 

THREE DAYS AND THREE WAYS TO GIVE!

Put exceptional education for every student on your holiday shopping list. You can support students while you stuff stockings—it's ridiculously easy! Just use our Amazon  link  and the Foundation will earn up to 8% of the price of everything you purchase—at no additional cost to you. Bookmark it to supercharge your powers of good on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all year long. 

 

Then, kick off the giving season with #GivingTuesday , a one-day global online giving event on November 27. Generous donors will double your donation. Gifts of $100 or more will be matched—up to $5,000! Give  online, at   bsfdn.org,  or text "Kids" to 27722.

SAVE THE DATE—SPRING SOCIAL



The PTSA will host the annual Spring Social to celebrate our students, our school, and our community on Saturday March 23, 2019 at 6:00 PM . Please mark your calendars now to ensure you can join us for this fun event. Stay tuned for more information!

BELLEVUE PTSA COUNCIL: STUDENT SELF-ADVOCACY SEMINARS

The Bellevue PTSA Council invites middle and high school students to Student Self-Advocacy Seminars .

All sessions will be held at Sammamish High School, Room 216, 100 140 ^th  Avenue SE, Bellevue WA 98005, from 6:00-8:00pm. Seating is limited, so please register as soon as possible for each of the individual sessions. If registration is full, please check the website for the most up-to-date details of possible additional dates.

Register here. For more information, please email:  [email protected] .

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR WSPTA MEMBERSHIP WITH THESE BENEFIT OFFERS!

Keep checking the Washington State PTA  benefits and discounts page   as more opportunities continue to be added. 

Member benefits and discounts are available to all WSPTA members. To access them, login to   Benefits & Discount Codes  . Check the promotion codes listed for each provider in the main body of the page and the file list for time-sensitive offers.

AU SECOURS!

THE FRENCHIES ARE COMING!

The French exchange students from Nantes arrive on December 6. They will spend Friday with our students in classes, but after that they will be exploring all the wonderful things this area has to offer. 

On  Friday, December 14 , they would like to visit the Everett Boeing plant, then do some shopping at the Tulalip Outlet Mall. For this,  we need parent drivers . 

Will you be free on  Friday, December 14,  during the school day?  If so, would you be able to transport French students on this excursion? To sign up, or for more information, please contact [email protected] . Please consider driving; this Exchange only works with the support of the whole community!

HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS, BE IN THE KNOW!

Throughout your student’s high school years, school staff will send important info about college visits, application deadlines, application workshops, and scholarships via Naviance. This includes a weekly newsletter sent to juniors, seniors, and parents. 

Please make sure your email address is included in your student’s Naviance account profile and add [email protected]  to your contacts so this info does not land in your spam folder.

MICROSOFT CERTIFICATION INTEREST MEETING, OneNote MATERIALS, AND ACCOUNT SET-UP

Tuesday, November 20,   during lunch in Room 215

There will be a second interest and education meeting for students interested in earning Microsoft certifications. There will also be a OneNote setup with resources so students can access practice and learning materials as well as set up a certification account. If your student was at the last meeting and just wants access to the OneNote, he or she should see Jess (contact info below) to be added to the OneNote.

 

Notes on Certification Details:

 

Process for taking Certification Tests:

Students will be able to test in the Testing Center (Room 214) starting Monday, November 26. Tests take 50 minutes to complete. Students may request to take a test on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. In order to take the test, students must get permission to leave their 6 ^th /7 ^th  period class 30-minutes early. They must pick-up a form from Room 213 or Room 214 to present to their teacher for approval. 

Questions? Please contact Jess Albrecht, [email protected], or Crystal Aimes, [email protected].

VOLUNTEER FOR SENIOR PROJECT ADVISORY PANEL

Interested in helping IS while getting a sneak peek at what Senior Project is all about?

Tuesday, November 27, 6:00-9:30 PM

Dinner included!

IS staff is seeking about thirty-five IS adult community members for a one-evening-only commitment to participate in Senior Project Advisory Panel. You will join other IS parents, community members, and staff to review Project Proposals written by our seniors. As a group and led by a staff member, you will either approve or require changes to those proposals. This review and approval process, called Senior Project Advisory Panel, is an important first step in our seniors getting formal feedback from people other than their teachers, and also allows students to get actionable feedback from adults with experience in areas our staff may not have.

 

Staff members are recruiting panelists with experience and expertise in a wide variety of fields, and it is likely something in your background fits one of our needs. Click  here  to view categories and sign up. 

Please consider volunteering, and don't forget that in just a few short years it will be your student who will rely on a group of volunteers to help support his or her project. (Senior parents are not allowed to participate.)

Here’s how it works:



If you are able to participate, please complete this  quick form  which will help us thoughtfully create working groups based on your background.

Please email Sally Fouché , Senior Project Advisory Panel & Board Day Coordinator, with questions.

DROP OFF AND PICK-UP REMINDERS FROM SCHOOL

Parents, please remember that  when dropping off and picking up your students, you are not permitted to do so behind the school  . There are no crosswalks for students' safety. The road is narrow and you block staff and students who are permitted to park behind the school, which we limit. 

 

Also, please  do not drive through the parking lot to drop off your students . This clogs the parking lot for staff and students who are trying to get to their parking spots to get to work and class on time. Please continue around the circle and drop off your students at the crosswalk. 

Do not park in staff or student parking spots  in the morning to drop off your students or to come into the school. Please use only the visitors' spots on the outside of the circle or find a legal spot on the street.

For more drop off and pick-up info, click  here.

STUDENT NEWS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FUN DRAISING OPPORTUNITY!

Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink at Bellevue Downtown Park

November 23-December 21, 2018 and January 1-13, 2019

When you skate at Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink and mention you are with International School at the admission counter, a $3 donation will be made to our PTSA for each paid rink admission during the dates listed above!

Visit bellevueicerink.com for skating hours, pricing, promotions, and special events.

TYEE HOLIDAY BAZAAR

Friday, November 30, 5:30-8:30 PM

Tyee Middle School

The Tyee Holiday Bazaar is an evening of shopping, music, games, food, and—new this year—a Gingerbread House Contest featuring entries by Tyee students and staff. V endor registration is open through November 26, or until full. This is a free community fundraising event that supports Tyee PTSA programs. 

Registration:  BSD Family form ,  Commercial Vendor form , or online at  tyeeptsa.org

STUDENT SPORTS & OPPORTUNITIES

BELLEVUE BOYS LACROSSE CLUB—REGISTRATION OPEN

Bellevue Boys Lacrosse Club serves boys in grades K-12 who reside and/or attend feeder schools within the Bellevue High School boundary area. The Bellevue Lacrosse program is dedicated to developing players at every age and any skill level. They are committed to providing first-class experiences to players and families in our community.

In the last nine years, the BHS Varsity team has played in the state championship eight times and won the state title seven times. Visit their alumni page  to see where their athletes are playing in college. For more information about their programs click here .

Visit their website at  bellevuelacrosse.com  to register for spring season now. Early bird discounts available through December 31, 2018. Registration closes January 15. If you're still thinking about it, c heck out their website for details about their free TRY LAX day on December 9.