MONDAY MESSENGER
December 2, 2019
Please Note: This newsletter may be truncated by your email program. Please click VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE at the bottom to read the full newsletter.
UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS
THIS WEEK:
  • Wednesday, 12/4, 7:00 PM • All School Orchestra Concert
  • Thursday, 12/5, 7:00 PM • Middle School Band Concert
  • Friday, 12/6, 7:00 PM • Middle School Social

NEXT WEEK:
  • Tuesday, 12/10, 7:00 PM • Middle School Choir Concert
  • Wednesday, 12/11, 11:40 AM • Staff Appreciation Lunch Hosted by 10th-Grade Families
  • Thursday, 12/12, 7:00 PM • High School Choir Concert
  • Saturday, 12/14, 8:00–10:30 PM High School Tolo (Please Note: the start/end times have been changed back to the later times! More info below.)

LOOKING AHEAD:
  • Monday, 12/23–Friday, 1/3 • Winter Break
  • Wednesday, 1/8, 2:00 PM • Auditions for Spring Musical
  • Friday, 1/10, 4:00 PM • Call-backs for Spring Musical
  • Thursday, 1/16, 8:00 AM • BSD Middle School Jazz Festival
  • Monday, 1/20 • NO SCHOOL—Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Monday, 1/21–Friday, 1/24 • Finals Week
  • Wednesday, 1/22 • World Competency Language Testing
  • Friday, 1/24 • End of 1st Semester
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP OUT

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

  • Two 7th-Grade Parent Representatives, current school year
  • On-call Volunteers, current school year

PTSA NEWS
SUPPORT ISPTSA WHEN YOU SHOP THROUGH AMAZON!
   
Support ISPTSA as you shop for the holidays and beyond.  AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible purchases. It’s easy to sign up and costs you nothing !  

Simply follow these instructions to link your Amazon.com account to AmazonSmile, and choose “Bellevue International School PTSA” as your charitable organization. Whenever you shop on Amazon, open your browser to  smile.amazon.com , shop as you normally do, and our students benefit!   AmazonSmile has all the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The only difference is that AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% for eligible purchases to ISPTSA when you shop through smile.amazon.com .

To learn more about AmazonSmile, click  here .
ADVOCACY NEWS

Here is one more  new  resolution that will guide long-term PTSA advocacy in the upcoming Olympia session and beyond. If this is an area that you are passionate about, please get in touch with me .  

Thanks, 

18.38 Equitable Education Opportunities to Close Gaps Across the Achievement Spectrum 

Resolved , that Washington State PTA (WSPTA) and its local PTAs ... believe great educational outcomes are possible for all students, including, but not limited to: 
  • students of color 
  • students of diverse cultural or linguistic backgrounds 
  • students of lower-income status 
  • students of high mobility (e.g. homeless, foster care, migrant, incarcerated, and military families) 
  • and students with special needs; and be it further 

Resolved , WSPTA ... shall ... support equitable access to high quality: 
  • health care 
  • preschool and early learning 
  • K-12 schools 
  • post-secondary and higher education 
  • effective and diverse educators that represent the students and communities they serve and expanded learning opportunities; and be it further 
Resolved , that WSPTA and ... shall support research-based instructional supports and best practices shown to close gaps, including, but not limited to: 
  • multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) 
  • positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) 
  • professional development on unconscious bias, cultural competence, social emotional learning, and school to prison pipeline impacts of disparities in discipline for educators and administrators, including academic and disciplinary intervention staff 
  • culturally relevant and responsive curriculum, instruction, policies, attendance policies and school calendars 
  • meaningful language access and dual language programming 
  • social emotional learning (SEL) instruction 
  • trauma-informed care and healing centered engagement 
  • deficit-based dropout prevention and intervention systems and practices and alternative pathways 
  • metrics based on adult accountability rather than student achievement 
  • and authentic family and community engagement; and be it further 

Resolved , that WSPTA shall advocate for allocation of funding for education and other services that close opportunity and achievement gaps for Washington’s most vulnerable students so that they may all reach their highest potential.
ATTENTION STUDENTS!

Applications are now open for serving as a  page in the Washington State Legislature.  Students from across the state are selected for one-week sessions.  





Contact me if you have questions or would like to talk to an IS student who served as a page a few years ago. 

Thanks, 
SCHOOL NEWS
NEWS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL TOLO!

Tolo Start/End Times Moved Later

Please note that Tolo will start at 8:00 PM and end at 10:30 PM on Saturday, December 14. Students will not be allowed entry after 9:00 PM.
Tolo Chaperones Needed!
 
For this dance, we are hoping to have at least eight parent chaperones to be located around the dance for assistance and supervision. Chaperones will need to arrive by 7:45 PM stay until 10:30 PM.  Please help us by volunteering and making this dance possible for our students!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance,
ASB
ATTENDANCE NOTIFICATION

Beginning December 2, International school will be using School Messenger to send phone message notifications regarding unexcused absences. This new system helps to streamline prompt communication and brings us into alignment with best practice in the Bellevue School District.

Calls will go out at around 6:00 PM each weeknight, if your student has been marked unexcused absent in one or more classes for that day. Please note, any excused notes or phone calls that have been sent to the attendance office may have yet to be processed at that time. 

To view your student’s attendance, go to  https://wa-bsd405-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx

Attendance questions can be directed to Andrea Olsen, Attendance Secretary at  isattendance@bsd405.org  or 425-456-6545.
  
ATTENDANCE QUICK TIPS
Appointments
  • Late arrival: Students must sign in with Attendance when they arrive. *Parent confirmation by email/phone/note or parent signature is required.
  • Early dismissal: Students must pick up an early-release slip from Attendance to be excused from class. *Parent confirmation by email/phone/note or parent signature is required to excuse the release.
  • Mid-day: Students must sign out when leaving for appointment and sign back in when arriving. If leaving in the middle of class, student must pick-up and early release slip to be excused from class. *Parent confirmation by email/phone/note or parent signature is required to excuse the appointment.

Illness
Contact Attendance by phone or email if your student will be absent due to illness: 425-456-6545 or   isattendance@bsd405.org.

District Sports/Activities
Notify Attendance by phone/email/note if your student will be missing class time due to a District-affiliated sport or event. Mid-day early release requires a slip from the Attendance Office.

Vacations and Non-School Activities
Please have your student fill out a Pre-arranged absence form and turn it in with a parent/guardian signature as well as teacher signatures. The District allows up to five excused days for vacations/non-school activities. Over five days is considered unexcused, unless a special circumstance has been approved. Forms can be found in the Attendance office.

Thank you for your continued support!
Kind regards,
PLEASE HELP US FIND OUR NEXT TESTING CENTER COORDINATOR!

A big thank you to Crystal Aimes, our fantastic GSA (General School Assistant) for the work she has done at IS in creating amazing systems to support our Testing Center! Crystal will be moving on to Clyde Hill to take a position as a para-educator. While we will certainly miss her, we are glad that her talents will continue to serve students in our district. 

Do you know anyone that would be interested in applying for this GSA role? 
 
Hours are as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:15 – 3:45
Wednesdays from 8:15 – 2:30
 
Duties include:
Maintaining our Testing Center online sign-up system, communicating directly with teachers, supporting students in small group and one-on-one testing, supporting standardized testing in the spring, general support in the office, and lunchtime supervision. 
 
This role includes health, vision, and dental benefits. Students of full-time employees also have the option of attending International School. Please share this information with any qualified candidates that might be interested in the position.   

HELLO SENIOR FAMILIES!

The IS Class of 2020 Graduation Committee is hard at work making arrangements and securing venues for our Seniors’ graduation festivities in the Spring.  If you have not done so already, please
send in your Fall Commitment of $150 as soon as possible.  The Graduation Committee is counting on 100% participation from our Senior families! There is a Class of 2020 box in the IS Office for your checks. Thank you and Happy Holidays!!!
STUDENT NEWS & COMMUNITY EVENTS
UPCOMING SCHOOL BOND

Our School Board approved a resolution asking the community to consider a capital bond in the February 11, 2020 election to ensure our students have enough room in high-quality learning spaces, improve the safety of our schools, and plan for the future.

The February 11 bond provides students high-quality learning spaces by replacing aging school buildings ( including IS ) and adding classrooms and student support spaces. It increases safety and security for students and schools. The bond also designates funding to purchase property for future school locations to plan for growth.

School districts rely on voter-approved funding measures to cover costs that are not funded by the state, including major construction projects. If approved in February, the local tax rate for our schools will increase by 3 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of less than 1 percent.

Please learn more about the bond and how it affects you and your students by checking out the district's 2020 bond information page. And don't forget to vote on February 11!
PARENTS NEEDED: CITIZEN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

The Citizen Campaign Committee (also named Bellevue Quality Schools) will run the upcoming campaign for the 2020 Capital Bond for school rebuilds and remodels in Bellevue. The election will be February 11, 2020. Are you interested in joining this team of 18–20 organized and enthusiastic people to help coordinate the campaign?  

Do you need more information?  
Please Contact Krista Hammer  advocacy@isptsa.com  
STUDENT SELF-ADVOCACY SEMINARS 

Students: learn how to advocate for yourself with your teachers, principal, district superintendent, or board members. Even learn how to advocate for yourself with your House Representative and Senator in Olympia.

Bellevue PTSA Council invites middle school and high school students to four seminars on student self-advocacy. Parents are also welcome to attend. Also, a group of BSD students, teachers, and PTSA members have plans to advocate on behalf of the Bellevue School District on January 20, 2020 in Olympia, Washington. Please join us!

Click here to see dates and sign up.  Multiple dates are available for each session. There are no prerequisites to complete a specific session before taking another session. Stay tuned for possible additional sessions after the new year...
BELLEVUE SCHOOL BOARD HOSTS COMMUNITY FORUM ON STUDENT WELL-BEING

Tuesday, December 3, 7:45–9:00 PM (during regular School Board mtg)
Wilburton Instructional Service Center, Rainier Room
12241 Main Street, Bellevue 98005

The Bellevue School Board invites students and families to a community forum to share your thoughts on the District’s strategic goal related to student well-being. Information gathered will help inform future board work. Each board member will host a table where participants can meet and discuss ideas in an informal setting.

Light refreshments will be served. Spanish and Mandarin Chinese interpreters will be provided. For additional interpretation services, send requests to  board@bsd405.org .
PTA PARENT EDUCATION EVENT: SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY

Thursday, December 5, 6:30–7:30 PM
Tillicum Middle School Library
Co-hosted by Tillicum and Highland Middle Schools
 
Is social media taking up a big part of your child’s life? Do you want to know what problem signs to look out for? Do you need ideas on how to engage with your teenagers more and be less dependent on their cell phones? You are not alone! Please join Tillicum’s School Resource Officer (SRO) David Wright as he discusses social media safety, internet crimes against children (ICAC), cyberbullying, and ways that parents can be more engaged with their middle schoolers.

EDUCATION CONNECTION— SCREENAGERS: NEXT CHAPTER

Friday, December 13, 6:30 PM
Sammamish High School

The Bellevue Schools Foundation and the Sammamish High School PTSA invite you to join us for a special screening of the new documentary  Screenagers: Next Chapter, Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience.
 
Filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston takes the conversation around screens and teens to the next level with a 70- minute film that examines the science behind teens' emotional challenges, the interplay of social media, and most importantly, what can be done in our schools and homes to help them build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety, and depression in our digital age.

Admission is free and open to the public.  Advance registration is requested. 
BELLEVUE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

3 Ways in 3 Days: Black Friday 11/29, Cyber Monday 12/2, and #GivingTuesday 12/3

This holiday season, buy the gift that will last a lifetime. Click this link for your Amazon  Black Friday & Cyber Monday  shopping, and up to 8% of your profits will go toward helping homeless and low-income children attend pre-school in Bellevue!

#GivingTuesday  is a global day of online giving. Kick off the holiday giving season today by helping a homeless or low-income child in Bellevue go to one of our top-notch preschools. Economically disadvantaged children in our preschool programs realize a 39% increase in literacy and a 33% increase in math skills. Be a hero to a child in need.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL  FUN  DRAISING OPPORTUNITY!

Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink at Bellevue Downtown Park

November 29, 2019–January 20, 2020

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.
STUDENT SPORTS & OPPORTUNITIES
BELLEVUE WOLVERINES GIRLS LACROSSE  

Registration for the 2020 Bellevue Girls Lacrosse spring season is now open! We offer teams for 3rd–8th grades, the season runs March–May, and all skill levels are welcome!  

MASTHEAD / DIRECTORY / LINKS
President
Azfar Moazzam 
Secretary
Zena Heywood
Treasurer 1
Tony Wang
Treasurer 2
Nancy Chung
VP of Communications
Li Wu
VPs of Community
Qiong Chen & Rachel An
VP of Fundraising
Dori Kelleran
VPs of Outreach
Meribeth Nordloef-Pedersen
& Beverly Ni
Membership
OPEN
Advocacy
Krista Hammer
Monday Messenger
Julie Molinari
Website
Li Zhang
IS Staff Liaison
Marrene Franich & Wesley Hung
PTSA
Website: www.isptsa.org
Newsletter Submissions: news@isptsa.org
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.
CONFUSED ABOUT SOMETHING?
The ISPTSA is always here to help answer your IS questions.

Email us here , and we'll help you find the answers you need.
SCHOOL DIRECTORY & LINKS
Attendance 425-456-6545
Main Office 425-456-6500 
MS Counseling 425-456-6546
HS Counseling 425-456-6542 
Registrar 425-456-6535 

SUPPORT YOUR PTSA
Donate Anytime

Write your check to the International School PTSA and send it to:
ISPTSA
445 128th Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98005
Or, even easier, donate
via PayPal .
ISPTSA TUMBLER
Support your school community and the environment by buying an ISPTSA Tumbler

 These great-looking 14-oz dual-wall insulated stainless-steel tumblers have a swivel lid with drink-thru opening and a plastic-ring seal to stave off spills. With the ISPTSA logo, it will keep your drink hot or cold while you look cool handling the morning commute or afternoon pickup, and your purchase will benefit the International School PTSA!

Visit the International School PTSA Store . Proceeds benefit the International School PTSA.

MONDAY MESSENGER
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • Please submit articles by FRIDAY at 12:00 PM (noon) to news@isptsa.org.
  • We encourage submissions that align with our mission.
  • Submissions are subject to review by the ISPTSA and may be accepted, rejected, or edited.
  • Please use a separate email for each article submitted.
  • Documents in plain text are preferred, however, you are welcome to include an image or icon as a separate attachment—please do not include them in the body of your email or document.
  • If you need to link to a registration form or document, send us either the address of the link or a pdf copy of the document.
  • If you would like your article to repeat in successive Monday Messenger editions, please resubmit it for each edition in which you would like it to appear. If you do not resubmit it, it will not be republished.
  • Note: you will receive an automatic confirmation email response once you submit material to the Monday Messenger.