MONDAY MESSENGER

December 9, 2019

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THIS WEEK:

LOOKING AHEAD:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP OUT

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

Click here to learn more and sign up.

PTSA NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO BSF GRANT AWARDEES!

   

Congratulations to the following IS teachers and staff on being awarded BSF grants. These grants directly impact the student experience at IS.

 

 

We are currently seeking a BSF ambassador for IS. If you are interested in keeping our community apprised of BSF events. Please contact [email protected].

PARENT SUPERHEROES

The Washington State PTA is the  largest volunteer child advocacy association in Washington State!  Thank you to all the IS parents who have joined ISPTSA this year. Together with over 130,000 Washington parents, we act together as superheroes for our kids. We impact legislation enormously, and we need outstanding membership numbers to retain this superpower.  

Did You Know...

When you join ISPTA, you are also joining your state PTA and National PTA.

Haven't joined ISPTSA yet?  It's not too late! 

 Click here to join now!

NOT EVEN 100 MEMBERS TO GO—PLEASE JOIN!

We now need fewer than 100 members to join ISPTSA in order to reach 100% membership and reach our goal of meeting Full School Membership!  

It is very powerful for a high school to say that it is the #1 high school in the state and every student is supported by an ISPTSA member. 

If you are one of the fewer than 100 parents/guardians who hasn't yet joined ISPTSA, please join now and help us reach our goal!

TOLO CHAPERONES STILL NEEDED !

Thank you to the two parents who volunteered to chaperone at this Saturday's Tolo, but we still need SIX MORE!

If there aren't enough chaperones, the dance can't be held, so please step up if you can! (This dog in a sweater is pleading with you to volunteer! Just try to tell him no!)

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 and stay until 10:30 PM on Saturday, December 14.  Please help us by volunteering and making this dance possible for our students!

Contact Arty Christianto if you can help!

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.

IS SNOWFLAKE DONATION DRIVE ENDS THIS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10!

International School's annual Snowflake donation drive is happening! During this time, our entire community gets together to collect food donations and other goods to benefit Hopelink , a local organization supporting homeless and low-income families in King and Snohomish counties.

Historically, International’s Snowflake donation is Hopelink’s largest annual donation of the year. Please help us make this year the best year ever by donating food and other items. See the links below for more info.

The last day to donate is Tuesday, December 10! Thanks for donating!!!

List of Items and Points for Hopelink  

Snowflake Flyer 2019  

FOCUS WEEK 2020!

Mount Rainier is calling…

Love the outdoors?

Curious about the environment?

Sign-up for this Focus Week starts now!

Open to 7th & 8th Grade. May 18–22.

Price: $370 (Deposit = $70)

The Mount Rainier Institute Program is four days and three nights at the University of Washington’s Pack Forest (cabins) and Mount Rainier National Park. Contact Tamara Truax  [email protected] .

AMC 10/12 PART A

Why: To fulfill the Mu Alpha Theta requirements or outscore Timmy

When: January 30 during 5th period (students will be excused from 5th period classes)

Cost: $10 paid to office before 3:30 PM on December 12

For more info, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

COMPUTER SCIENCE WEEK, DECEMBER 9–13

 

Come join us for some fun computer science activities in the library December 9–13  during lunch and tutorial ! Click here for more info .

 

Thank you to BSF, I SPTSA, and WEA-Sammamish Uniserv Council for supporting the IS Makerspace and students!

MAKERSPACE DONATIONS —STILL NEEDED

 

The library’s makerspace is requesting donations of supplies to support projects. Donations can be placed in the large yellow box marked “Makerspace Donations” by the top of the gym stairs in the Commons. Thank you in advance for donations!

 

 

Thank you for everyone who has donated so far! Please contact  Tara Jones  with questions.

BSD MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILY TECHNOLOGY NIGHT

 

Tillicum Middle School

Tuesday, December 10, 6:00–8:00 PM

 

Interested in exploring technology? Come to BSD Middle School Family Technology Night! Microsoft, DigiPen, Step Academy, Coding with Kids, SAM Labs, Seattle Advocates, Middle School CTE Clubs, Newport Robotics, Newport Rocketry, Sammamish Robototes, Newport Deca, Bellevue School District Assistive Technology, and the Bellevue KCLS Makerspace will provide a fun range of activities for you and your family to engage in.  

 

This event is open to all middle school families in the Bellevue School District. Please remember to bring your charged laptop. $1 pizza slices available for purchase from Tillicum PTSA.  

 

Please  RSVP here .

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  [email protected]  or 425-456-6545.

  

ATTENDANCE QUICK TIPS

Appointments

Illness

Contact Attendance by phone or email if your student will be absent due to illness: 425-456-6545 or   [email protected].

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,

Andrea Olsen, IS Attendance Secretary 

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

WE NEED YOUR CLEATS!



Soccer is beloved by people around the world. Unfortunately, many kids around the world cannot afford soccer gear such as cleats. You can help! When you donate your used cleats to  Kleats for Kids , you are giving the gift of soccer to kids who love the sport but cannot afford to buy cleats.  Kleats for Kids  is a club at Bellevue High School that collects used cleats and donates them to children in Peru. This year, we are expanding our reach to all other high schools in the district, including International School. We will have a box near the Front Office with a "Kleats 4 Kids" sign attached to it and will be collecting every two or three weeks.

 

We are working with the Peru consulate to help the kids in need. Last year, we collected about 100 cleats with your help! We will be delivering our first batch of cleats in February, and we hope that we can collect even more soccer gear this year.

Please put your used cleats and soccer gear to a good use. Rather than throwing it into a trash can, throw it into our bin! Thank you!

UPCOMING SCHOOL BOND: FEBRUARY 11

A capital bond will be on the ballot February 11, 2020! 

Bond passage would replace aging school buildings ( including International School ). It would increase safety and security for students in Bellevue 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 STILL 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  [email protected]*  

* My apologies for a typo in the above email address last week. Please try again if you tried last week and it didn't work.

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...

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 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. We are committed to providing first-class experiences to players and families in our community.

Visit our website more information about our programs and to register for Spring Season—just click on the orange REGISTER NOW button! 

Early bird discounts available through December 31, 2019. Registration closes January 20.