Click here to view the District 2022–2023 calendar for families.

*More information in the message below

Our ISPTSA board and I would like to wish you the happiest of holidays. Safe travels and keep healthy. We look forward to seeing you in January. A couple of important messages though, we say goodbye to an extraordinary Monday Messenger Editor, Thyda Tsai. Thyda's innate sense of creating communication that was visually awesome, appealing to our readers, and always relevant made her an extraordinary editor and a joy to work with. Thyda has been training Jennifer Li to take over and she will leave it in very capable hands. Our International Market is TODAY, December 12, and I encourage everyone to help support this fundraiser/community event so we can do it again next year. Success breeds success.

TODAY, December 12, 6–8 PM

Come out and support the makers and creators who've put together amazing holiday crafts and goodies for the IS Winter Market. More than 25 tables of vendors will be there sharing their creations.

Admission is FREE. Bring a friend or two and have a great time. We have food, jewelry, decor, quilting, fused glass, and more! Make sure to bring cash to pay for your items and go home happy!

Questions? Email Melissa Richardson, VP of Outreach, or Emilie Castle and Phil Bloch, VPs of Fundraising.

Saturday, February 4, 6–10 PM

We're throwing a party to celebrate our International Community and we'd love to have you join us. There will be food and fun, a charity auction, and a chance to see some of the things that donations help support at International School.

The auction team has been hard at work, and we've received many great donations from our community for our auction. There's room for a few more—contact VPFundraising@isptsa.org to make an in-kind donation. Tickets are $60 for early birds until January 13 when prices will rise to $75. Tickets cover the cost of the venue, food, on-site parking, and wine with dinner.

Click here to buy your tickets now or sponsor teacher/staff tickets. For more information, see Auction FAQ. Email ISPTSA Community Auction with questions.

These are our brand new Top 5 Legislative Priorities! Did you know PTSA is at its heart an Advocacy organization? Your MEMBERSHIP helps our voice be as strong as possible when we speak with our legislators about upcoming bills. Want to get involved? Reach out to advocacy@isptsa.org to get connected with advocacy opportunities, including meetings with legislators and testifying in Olympia.

A great big thank you to all our IS staff and teachers for your support! We are very excited to announce that we have reached 100% staff membership! 

Dear IS families, we are over 85% toward our goal of 100% ISPTSA membership to support EVERY IS student! Please sign in to renew OR click here to join today to help us reach this 100% membership goal! Questions? Please contact Email Honglian Gao, Membership Chair.

Learn more about these positions here. Please email board@isptsa.org if you have questions or if you're interested in signing up. Thank you!

THIS Wednesday, December 14

Click here to sign up to help or contribute

The 11th-grade class will be hosting the Mexican food-themed staff appreciation lunch on Wednesday, December 14. We'll order the entrees from local restaurant Tapatio. Please join us in contributing to the funds or helping to bring the side items. Help with setup and cleanup is also much appreciated. Please contact Courtney or Sophia, 11th-Grade Class Parent Representatives, if you have any questions: Sophia Cheng (408) 892-5993 or Courtney Stanton (425) 289-9694.

Our very own PE and Health teacher, Hannah Merisko, will wed her fiancé, Ayosanya Akintola on December 29 in Seattle, Washington. We wish them all the best of happiness and joy as they begin their married life together. Congratulations to Hannah and Ayo!

For announcement questions, email Janet Towne, IS History Teacher.

Has your child lost glasses, retainer, jacket, sweatshirt, or water bottle? Please check the Lost and Found before Winter Break. Also, the main office has three pairs of unclaimed eyeglasses, a wallet, many iPod Chargers, and earbuds. Items will be donated at the end of the month. For questions, email the International School Main Office.

The 5th Grade Information Night will be held in person on Thursday, January 5 beginning at 6:30 PM and will last around an hour. It is not required to attend this event to apply for the lottery. Parking on-site will be limited and we do expect to need to utilize the surrounding neighborhood. Parking options will be posted here the week of the event. A recording will be made available on this site afterward for those who are unable to attend. A recording from last year can be accessed by clicking here (Password: ISMS). Questions? Email the IS Main Office.

Click here to apply.

Lottery applications for incoming 6th-grade (current 5th-grade) students for the 2023–2024 school year are open until Friday, January 20 at 4:30 PM. After the close of the application period, incoming 6th-grade (current 5th-grade) students that missed the application period may submit a waitlist application to be added to the bottom of the waitlist.

Siblings of current International School students must apply by Friday, January 20 at 4:30 PM to be enrolled in Autumn 2023.

Questions? Email Katherine Parkin, IS Registrar.

The Bite of IS is an annual multicultural potluck event where students, family members, and staff contribute and serve a culturally significant dish to attendees from their booths. Students and their guests can also perform a solo or group act (e. g. dance, song, etc.) tied to their ethnic background. This year's proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen, an organization currently supporting the people of Ukraine through food and water insecurity.

The Bite is a great chance to embrace the diversity within our community and to support World Central Kitchen too! Questions? Email Magdalena White. 

An International School Update was sent through email on Friday, December 9 to all current IS families with great updates. Questions? Email the IS Main Office.

Please stop by our library to view our festive holiday decorations and check out the new arrival books in our young adult and middle-grade Winter Reads collections. Our Winter Reads 2022–2023 collections contain more than 40 bestselling new releases. You can explore the following links to find your next best read:

Our Winter Reads 2022–2023 book collections are funded by the PTSA’s 2022–2023 budget line grant of $750. Thank you ISPTSA for your generosity! I’d also like to thank our wonderful PTSA volunteers Amanda Johnson for spending hours of her time setting up our library’s holiday display and Melissa Richardson for donating some holiday decoration items to our library. Happy Winter Reading! Email Michele Dang, IS Library Specialist with questions.

As part of Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week, Cheryl McClure’s 7th-grade 6th-period Science welcomed Amazon volunteers to class on Wednesday, December 7. Maia Viana and Rajendra Ajmani taught students some of the skills used to code for Alexa Voice Artificial Intelligence. Questions? Email Cheryl McClure, IS Science Teacher.

Please join us for a family-focused informational session. Hear from local organizations about how they provide advocacy and support to families/guardians with children with disabilities, including Arc of King County & the Bellevue Schools Special Needs PTA. Read more here. Questions? Email BSD

Melissa deVita, BSD’s Deputy Superintendent of Finance and Operations, shares information with BSD staff and families on the impact of declining enrollment. Read more here. Questions? Email BSD.

BSD will be distributing free COVID-19 at-home rapid test kits to students, staff and their families December 12-16 ahead of Winter Break. Read more here. Questions? Email BSD COVID Testing.

BSD will host two information nights on the new Arabic Language Program, launching next year. Join us online or in person THIS Wednesday, December 14, or Tuesday, January 10 to learn about the program. Read more here. Questions? Email BSD Arabic Program.

Bellevue School District will continue to host Saturday SAT testing opportunities in service of our students and families, and those in our larger community. Read more here. Questions? Email Christine Espinoza.

Puesta del Sol Elementary is moving to a new building in Bellevue and needs volunteers to help teachers and staff to pack, unpack, and organize classrooms and shared spaces. Click here to sign up! An email with details about where to meet will be sent to volunteers. All volunteers must be at least 13 years old. Questions? Email Ken from Jubilee Reach or call 425-443-4566.

Bellevue Schools Foundation published the BSF 2021–2022 Gratitude Report, Annual Report to the Community. Read it here. Email BSF with questions.

The Bellevue Youth Theatre is an inclusive recreational program for ages 5–19, with the focus on teen participants. Persons with disabilities, families, and older adults are encouraged to participate. No pre-registration! Attend an audition and complete the paperwork.

For questions, email Bellevue Youth Theater.

Watch the latest episode of Bellevue TV's Lake to Lake. This holiday special hosted by Robin Steel features the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue Ice Arena, and Bellevue's Snowflake Lane. Read more here. Questions? Email Bellevue TV.

Check out our wide variety of International School spiritwear! Hoodies, T-shirts, bags, and more, order soon for arrival in time for the holidays! You can pick up your order from Winner's Sportswear in Bellevue or have it delivered. Questions? Email Melissa Richardson, VP of Outreach.