November 16, 2020
MONDAY MESSENGER
UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS
THIS WEEK:
  • Tuesday, 11/17, 6:30 PM • 6th Grade Parent Night
  • Wednesday, 11/18 • First Synchronous Wednesday, Periods 5–8—Attendance to be taken!
  • Wednesday, 11/18, 10:15 AM • Virtual Turkey Day Assembly
  • Thursday, 11/19, 6:00–7:00 PM • BSD Parent Accessibility Technology Training (more info below)
  • Thursday, 11/19, 7:00 PM • Virtual High School Band Concert CANCELED
  • Friday, 11/20 • PTA Reflections Entries Due (Date Extended—more info below)
  • Saturday, 11/21, 9:00 AM • Online Practice ACT/SAT Tests from ISPTSA & Princeton Review (more info below)

NEXT WEEK:
  • Thursday–Friday, 11/26–27 • NO SCHOOL—Thanksgiving Break

LOOKING AHEAD:
  • Monday, 11/30 • Second Window to Purchase 2020–21 Yearbooks Opens (through 12/18/20)
  • Tuesday, 12/1, 6:30 PM • Middle School Parent Night
  • Thursday, 12/3, 9:00 AM • Virtual Principal Coffee
  • Wednesday, 12/9 • Student Photo Day
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
THESE POSITIONS NEED YOU!

IS and the ISPTSA are currently seeking the following volunteers:

  • ISPTSA President, current school year
  • ISPTSA President Elect, current school year
  • ISPTSA VP Communications, current school year
  • Grade-Level Representatives, current school year
  • Monday Messenger Editor, current school year or next

Please email board@isptsa.org to learn more and sign up. Thank you!
PTSA NEWS
REFLECTIONS SUBMISSION DUE DATE EXTENDED TO THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

To submit artwork:
  1. Download the entry form here.
  2. Fill out and save the form on your computer. (Typing your name for the signature fields is sufficient, so that you don’t have to print the form.)
  3. Email the filled-out form and the work or a photo/video of the work to: reflections@isptsa.org

The last date for submissions is this Friday, November 20, 2020.
Please email reflections@isptsa.org with questions.
PLEASE RENEW OR JOIN!

Thank you for the wonderful support shown by parents, students, teachers, and staff members. We currently have 250 members. Our goal is 590 members, as have 590 students this year at IS.

Please remember to renew your membership, it makes a difference to our school and community. If finances are tight this year, a single membership is a huge support to us. Go to isptsa.org, and sign up to help us reach our next goal of 50% membership. 

Please contact Meribeth at membership@isptsa.org with questions.
DIRECTORYSPOT NOW AVAILABLE!

Thank you to our school's amazing registrar, Katherine Parkin, and secretary, Ellen Stone, for supplying the ISPTSA with data. The 2020–21 ISPTSA Directory is now available online via DirectorySpot.

Download the app, available for iPhones and Android devices, and you will always have the directory with you. You can also access the directory from your computer at DirectorySpot.net. For those of you who cannot part with paper, there are options to self-print a copy of the directory (sortable by grade level) using "Download PDFs." You have edit-access to your own family's data. Please see this page for more details.
GREAT NEWS! THE ISPTSA, IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRINCETON REVIEW, IS OFFERING ONLINE PRACTICE ACT & SAT TESTS

Saturday, November 21, 9:00 AM & Saturday, February 6, 9:00 AM
Fee: $25 per test

How it works:
  1. The fee is $25 per test, and all proceeds go to the ISPTSA, which benefits our students.
  2. Princeton Review creates online accounts and enrolls students in the virtual exams.
  3. On the test day, students log in from home (or whatever location they choose) and take the exams online.
  4. Exams are digitally timed and proctored.
  5. Results are available immediately.

Note: These practice tests are open to students from any school or school district.

Registration deadline: THIS Wednesday, November 18
SCHOOL NEWS
IS MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION!

You Request, We Curbside Deliver: Textbooks, Library Books & Classroom Materials. 

Wednesdays 12:30–2:30 PM

Contact us!
YEABOOK NEEDS PHOTOS OF YOUR TITAN IN ACTION!

The IS Yearbook team has been hard at work creating our 2020–21 book, but we need your help as parents to feature as many members of our community as possible!

This year has been unprecedented in so many ways. In the past, your students may have seen Yearbook staff members weaving through the halls to capture every photo possible of our IS community. This year, however, we are relying on your submissions to showcase our wonderful student body. In just a couple of seconds, you can preserve a memory for a lifetime.
 
Unsure what to photograph? We would love images of the following:
  • Your student hard at work on their laptop
  • Your student working on an art project
  • Your student performing a lab for science
  • Your student relaxing during asynchronous time
  • Any other photos of your student having fun! 
 
If you have a camera to take a photo, that’s fantastic! If you don’t, no worries either! High quality photos taken on your phone will work just as well.

To submit a photo, please upload it directly via our IS eShare link. The code is gotitans.
 
We can’t wait to see all of your fantastic submissions! Yearbook is counting on you!
THE TITAN TIMES IS BACK!

International's Titan Times is up and running again. Check in to find out what's going on "at school" each week.
BSD PARENT ACCESSIBILITY TECHNOLOGY TRAINING

Thursday, November 19, 6:00–7:00 PM

Join Research Technology Specialists Tara Jones and Maria Pickering to learn about accessibility tools for your students (such as immersive reader, dictation tools, translator features) and some other technology tips.
 
Join Live Teams Link: http://bit.ly/BSDParentTech2

The presentation and video link will be posted here after the presentation.

Check out the following video to learn how to navigate a Live Event:
 
DISTRICT NEWS
BSD COMMUNITY FORUMS ON MENTAL HEALTH

The Bellevue School District strives to support our parent community. Mental health continues to top family concerns as we face unprecedented times and unexpected hardships. In partnership with the district counseling program, social-emotional curriculum developers, family engagement team, and community mental health partners, the district is developing another series of forums to inform, support, and empower families on issues of mental health.

Wednesday, November 18, 4:00–5:00 PM (General Session) 
How to support my worried/anxious student

Thursday, November 19, 3:30–4:30 PM (Mandarin Speakers Session) 5:00–6:00 PM (Spanish Speakers Session) 
How to support my worried/anxious student

Wednesday, December 16, 4:00–5:00 PM (General Session) 
How to recognize and support my student experiencing depression

Thursday, December 17, 3:30–4:30 PM (Mandarin Speakers Session) 5:00–6:00 PM (Spanish Speakers Session) 
How to recognize and support my student experiencing depression

Wednesday, January 13, 4:00–5:00 PM (General Session)
Relaxation strategies to support students and adults during stressful times 

All live sessions will be recorded and conducted over TEAMS. Teams Links for each session will be posted on the BSD website and sent out one week prior to session date.
COMMUNITY EVENTS & INFORMATION
BSF'S MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE: HELPING STUDENTS COPE WITH COVID

Thursday, November 19, 12:00–1:00 PM
Online Event

Join us to hear Kerince Bowen and Jared Taylor present how Bellevue School District's Mental Health Assistance Team has helped students suffering from depression, anxiety, and social isolation during COVID. Their presentation will include data from the first semester followed by powerful student stories that touch the heart.

Kerince and Jared will speak about the importance of mental health screenings, discuss the tools and resources available to students with mental health needs, and provide guidance on how parents can support their children during this challenging time.
MASTHEAD / DIRECTORY / LINKS
President
Azfar Moazzam/OPEN 
Secretary
Ann Ross-Clarke
Treasurer 1
Tony Wang
Treasurer 2
Zena Heywood
VP of Communications
OPEN
VP of Community
Melissa Richardson
VP of Fundraising
Emilie Castle
VPs of Outreach
Beverly Ni & Hao Sun
Membership
Meribeth Nordloef-Pedersen
Advocacy
OPEN
Monday Messenger
Julie Molinari/OPEN
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.
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.
Visit the International School PTSA Store. Proceeds benefit the International School PTSA.
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.
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.