MONDAY MESSENGER

September 30, 2019

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THIS WEEK:

NEXT WEEK:

LOOKING AHEAD:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

PLEASE HELP YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY!

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

Click  here to learn more and sign up.

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ALL CURRENT AND FUTURE VOLUNTEERS—PLEASE READ!

New in 2019–20—Current and prospective BSD volunteers must attend a volunteer orientation at their school site. There will be three orientations in the month of October. These are intended for all current and future volunteers . 

The first orientation is Tuesday, October 8, 10:15–10:45 AM. If you are planning to attend this orientation, please R.S.V.P. by emailing Traci Sullivan at  [email protected] . 

PTSA NEWS

RAISE THE TORCH FOR THE PTSA GRANTS PROGRAM!

 

Did you know the ISPTSA is now accepting proposals for grants from IS Teachers, Staff, Students, and Parents to fund programs, supplies and activities which enhance and enrich student learning? Last year alone, the Grants Program funded $12,000 in proposals meeting this criteria. Each semester the ISPTSA makes this program available to support ideas not otherwise funded. With the grant proposal submission process currently underway for this semester,  you can  RAISE THE TORCH to encourage learning and engagement at IS with a donation to the Fall Fundraiser today.

The ISPTSA Grants program is another example of how your donation to the ISPTSA comes to life through meaningful student experiences at IS! All donations to the Fall Fundraiser you give today are tax-deductible and 100% goes back to the IS community. To see a more robust list, please check out What Your Donation Supports.

 

We invite all families to participate in this campaign, because your contribution—no matter the amount—makes a difference!  We ALL benefit from the community, academic excellence, and reputation our students were fortunate to join. This is our chance to give back and build on that legacy.  

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.     

Please, DONATE ONLINE NOW!

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

 

Questions?  Please contact  [email protected] .  

Thanks for your consideration! 

Go Titans!

RENEW ONLINE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE... RIGHT NOW!

PTSA, like any professional membership, has an annual membership that needs to be renewed each yea. Thank you to the over 360 parents and guardians who have either become members or renewed their memberships for the 2019-2020 school year! We are now over 60% of the way to our goal of full school membership—587 PTSA members. Check out our roster of supportive members.   The roster has been updated to list people uniquely.

You can become a member or renew your membership online by clicking here , or you can stop by our membership table in the next three weeks. ISPTSA membership will be represented at the following events, where we can take cash, credit, or check for you to join the ISPTSA or renew your membership:

Questions? Contact  [email protected].

2019 BELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD CANDIDATES FORUM

Monday, October 7, 12:00–2:00 PM

Wilburten Instructional Services Center, Rainier Room, 12241 Main Street, Bellevue

The Bellevue PTSA Council invites you to the 2019 BSD Board Candidates Forum . The parents, teachers, students, school staffs, and Bellevue residents are all welcome. Hear about each candidate's vision for BSD and issues critical to education. Carolyn Watson , Francine Wiest , and Jane Aras are confirmed speakers.

Please register here and submit questions on issues you are interested in. The PTSA Council will sort all submitted questions and present them to the candidates during the forum.

MESSAGE FROM ISPTSA ADVOCACY CHAIR

Hi IS Families and Teachers,  

I am the new advocacy chair for ISPTSA. My son Carson Hammer is a junior. My other son Davis graduated from Sammamish in 2017. I have degrees in political science and love advocating for kids. My parents were public school teachers, so I also have a passion for education.    

I will do my best to keep you informed about any pending legislation relating to the health, safety, and education of our children. You may already know that the Washington State PTA is the oldest and the largest nonprofit grassroots children's advocacy association in our state!

Don't forget to sign up for action alerts on the advocacy page at  https://www.wastatepta.org/focus-areas/advocacy/   

Looking forward to working with you! Email me anytime. 

Krista Hammer 

[email protected]  

ISPTSA FAMILY DINNER AND GENERAL MEETING

Thursday, October 10, 6:00–7:30 PM

Please join us for our first General Membership meeting of the school year!

It’s a great opportunity for you to connect with your IS community and learn new information about the school.

6:00–6:30 PM: Free Taco Bar Dinner s ponsored by ISPTSA will be provided

6:30–7:30 PM: PTSA General Meeting, Agenda as follows:

– Review and approve Minutes from June 13 General Meeting

– Review and Approve Standing Rules for 2019-2020

– Approve 2019-20 Budget and Financial Report

– President's Report to the General Membership

– Principal Tara Gray to address the General Membership

– Committee reports:

– Introduction of French Intern to the General Membership

– Any other business

Please RSVP here.

If you can volunteer at this event, we could use your help! Please sign up here.

EDUCATION CONNECTIONS

The Community Engagement Committee (a joint venture of BSF, PTSA, and BSD) is excited to announce our first  Education Connection  of the 2019-2020 school year.

Hear our resident expert, Melissa deVita,   Deputy Superintendent for Finance and Operations of the Bellevue School District, discuss state funding, the impact on the Bellevue School District, and your property taxes.

Two sessions are available for this special program, b oth will take place at the Wilburten Instructional Services Center, Rainier Room, 12241 Main Street, Bellevue.

Thursday, October 10, 11:30 AM–1:00 PM 

A light lunch is offered at this session from 11:30 AM–12:00 PM. The program is from 12:00–1:00 PM. Click here to register for this session.

Monday, October 14, 7:00–8:00 PM

Click here to register for this session.

REFLECTIONS SUBMISSIONS DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

 

The 2019-2020 theme is  Look Within . Submit original works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: dance choreography, film, literature, music, photography, and visual arts. Only one art submission per category. All International School submissions are  due by Friday, November 15 . 

Students can stop by the Commons Area on Tuesday, October 1, during lunch to pick up registration forms and rules for their artistic endeavors. All forms and rules will be available at the Reflections bulletin board. Please send questions to  [email protected].

PLEASE SUBMIT GRANT PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS TO ISPTSA

The International School PTSA invites grant proposal submissions for the first half of academic year 2019–20. There will be two opportunities to apply for ISPTSA grants: once at the beginning of each semester. The grant proposals are  due by October 4, 2019, at 3:30 PM  and  MUST  be  emailed to [email protected]  with the required signatures. The next opportunity will be in January 2020.

 

The ISPTSA grants support and supplement programs and activities that enhance and enrich student learning at International School and will be prioritized in alignment with the International School Goals & Key Strategies from the 2018-19 IS School Improvement Plan (excerpt below): 

 

“International School provides opportunities for every student to develop essential knowledge and skills:

 

International School teachers, staff, students, and parents are eligible to submit grant proposals. The funds for the grants are generously made available by the ISPTSA for encouraging learning and engagement at our school.

 

The details on the grants process and the application forms can be found on the ISPTSA Website's grants page .

 

The ISPTSA Grants Committee will review and recommend proposals to ISPTSA board for final approval at their meeting in October 2019. The grant applicants will be notified of the ISPTA board's decision by end of October 2019.

 

Your grant proposals are a fantastic way to help us highlight and prioritize how the ISPTSA allocated funds are spent. We look forward to your proposals.

 

Thank you

ISPTSA Grants Committee

ATTENTION: MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS

If your middle school st udent would like to be paired up with a high school math tutor , please have them fill out this form and turn it in to Regen Lorden. Please email her at [email protected] with questions.

POINSETTIA & WREATH SALES

It’s that time of year again! The leaves are falling, and the holidays are around the corner. It’s time for our ANNUAL SENIOR CLASS POINSETTIA & WREATH FUNDRAISER!

Poinsettias from Squak Mountain Nursery in Issaquah come in red, white, or shades of pink for $20 each.  POINSETTIA ORDER FORM

Wreaths, also from Squak Mountain, are 24 inches in diameter with ornamental pine cones and sell for $25 each. Add an optional holiday bow for $2.  WREATH ORDER FORM

These beautiful plants are the perfect holiday gift for friends, neighbors, and co-workers! They also serve as festive holiday decor for your office or home in bunches, or as a table centerpiece to last throughout the holiday season!

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

All proceeds go to the IS Senior Class to help with costs of Graduation Festivities!

Deadline for orders: Monday, November 4 (the sooner the better for teacher orders to ensure all staff receive a gift!)

Pickup: Monday, November 25, 3:00–5:00 PM (no need to pick up teacher/staff gifts; we will deliver for you!)

The Class of 2020 thanks you for your support!!!

NOTE: All Senior families are asked to participate in this fundraiser, either by contributing $150 or purchasing/selling 10 plants. Please email Christina Terterov at  [email protected]  or Susan Ryder at  [email protected] with questions.

CLASS OF 2020: COLLEGE APPLICATION WORKSHOP!

Saturday, October 5, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

Students can drop in when it works for their schedule. This is a FANTASTIC time to do dedicated work on applications and get support from Melinda and Jill.

AP EXAM REGISTRATION IS IN PROCESS!

This year, students are registering online with College Board for exams during their AP courses. 

Does your student want to take an AP exam for a subject not taught at IS? Notify Jill ASAP at  [email protected] .  

Fees are available to pay online through   Touchbase , and exams will be ordered based on payments collected through 11/1. Late orders incur a $40 late fee per exam from College Board. This is three months earlier than in the past, due the College Board’s new exam registration deadline.  

Contact Melinda Breeze at  [email protected]  for information about scholarships by October 15.    

For more information, visit:  AP 2019-20 .

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN EARN CREDIT FOR TAKING THE MICROSOFT EXAMS!

Interest meetings:

Tuesday, October 1, during lunch or tutorial, in the library

 

Students should email Tara Jones at [email protected] with questions or for more information if they can't attend. Click here to see the  flyer .

IS TECH TEAM INTEREST MEETINGS

Monday, September 30,  during lunch or tutorial, in the library

 

To join the Tech Team, students need to get a  permission form signed  by their teachers, counselor, and parents/guardians. Students need to see their teachers during tutorial (NOT during class) to get this form signed. The permission form can be accessed here.

 

Once the form is submitted to  Tara Jones’ mailbox in the office , students will be added to the Microsoft Teams and OneNote.

 

Students should email Tara Jones with questions or for more information if they can't attend:  [email protected].

CLUBS ARE STARTING!

Students can find out more information from the daily announcements and posters around the school, and parents can check out  Titan Times .

Some clubs already had their interest meetings last week; here's a sample of what's happening this week:

NEED HELP PAYING FOR SCHOOL EXPENSES?

Click here  to a pply for assistance and opt into sharing on Option 5 to be eligible for fee waivers. You must re-apply every school year.

DO YOU HAVE TRANSPORTATION QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS?

Please feel free to call Casey at the district office: 425-456-4512 .

NEW TO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TECH INFO NIGHT

Thursday, October 3, 5:30–6:30 PM in the Library (before Curriculum Night)

 

Please bring your student(s) and their laptop(s) to learn about the technology used at IS.

 

Note : If your student can’t attend, please bring their school laptop, username, and password, so you can interact during the event!

STUDENT NEWS & COMMUNITY EVENTS

BELLEVUE GIFTED ALLIANCE FALL EVENT

Monday, October 7, 2019, 6:30–8:00 PM

Wilburten Instructional Services Center, Rainier Room

12241 Main Street, Bellevue

Dr. Duran will be speaking at BGA's Fall Event:An Update on our Advanced Learning Vision. We will also address: The Dos and Don'ts of How to Help Your Child Succeed in the Bellevue School District.

STUDENT SPORTS & OPPORTUNITIES

JAVA CLASSES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Seattle Advocates for Education, a youth-led nonprofit by high schoolers, is providing java classes for middle school students at a small fee for beginners and intermediate-level students. We have qualified high-school instructors with years of experience and are excited to work with students!

If you’re child is interested in programming and wants a head-start before high school, check our programs at  seattleadvocatesfe.org .

BELLEVUE BOYS SOCCER INFORMATION MEETING

Wednesday, October 2, 2:30 PM, BHS Library

 

Interested returning and new players, please join coaches Steve, Seth, and Tao for a meeting this Wednesday. Players only, please—t here will be an information meeting for families at a later date. 

If you (or your student) were not in the program last year and want to receive information about tryouts and the upcoming 2020 spring season, please contact  [email protected] , or Margot Schwartz ( [email protected] ) with the names, email addresses, and student's graduation year.