Click here to view the District 2021–2022 calendar for families.

* More information in the message below

FOR DÉJEUNER EN BLANC

Friday, June 10, 9 AM–1 PM

This year, Déjeuner en Blanc will be made extra special to celebrate in style International School’s 30^th anniversary! International School French Honor Society and the 30th Year Anniversary Club are looking for parent volunteers available between 9 AM and 1 PM on Friday, June 10, to help set up tables, tents, decorations, and games for the school’s annual event, Déjeuner en Blanc. Parent volunteers will be invited to enjoy lunch with students at 1:00 PM if they wish to stay. Use this link to sign up if you can volunteer.

Additionally, we are asking families if they have lawn games, tents, or large water dispensers (Igloo style) to share for the day, or white flowers to donate. Thank you! For questions, email Madame Gwen Geslin, IS French Teacher.

Hey, IS Parents, it's time to pay it forward! Our seniors are graduating, and we need volunteers from all classes to help make it happen. It's a tradition for the underclasses to volunteer at the graduation events so the senior parents can enjoy the students' ceremonies and celebrations. Please click here to sign up to help at one of the Class of 2022 graduation events. There are time slots for Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18. If you have any questions, please email Katie Artz.

These candidates will be voted on at the May 25th General Membership Meeting. Additional candidates can be nominated at the meeting. For questions, email the Nominations Committee.

THIS Wednesday, May 25, 6–7 PM

You don't want to miss this important meeting! For questions, contact Emilie Castle, ISPTSA President.

Applications Due THIS Friday, May 27, midnight

Exciting news, Seniors! Our very own ISPTSA will be once again awarding four $500 Scholarships to the IS Class of 2022 to help celebrate and honor our graduating seniors. We thank all the PTSA members that contributed to support this scholarship and our school. Click here for the ISPTSA Scholarship application in Word format or as a PDF.  Any questions, please contact the ISPTSA Scholarship Committee.

These are some of our past Golden Acorn recipients, nominated by parents, teachers, and friends. Do you not know someone who works for the success of our IS students and community? Golden Acorn is a high honor awarded annually by the ISPTSA since 1994 to a school or community volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth. Please take a moment to nominate a parent or teacher for this award by sending an email to golden-acorn-nomination@isptsa.org.

The committee will be accepting nominations until Wednesday, June 1. Questions? Email the Golden Acorn Committee. 

THIS WEEK: Monday, 5/23–Friday, 5/27

During Focus Week, there will be NO TUTORIAL. Teachers and staff will be focused on the new learning experiences offered during the week. Students should plan to leave at the end of the regular school day. For questions, email the IS Main Office.

Applications Due THIS Friday, May 27

The International School French Department is delighted to announce that we will be resuming the French exchange program in the 2022–2023 school year. Thirty applicants will be selected via lottery to host thirty French students from Lycée Saint Stanislas in Nantes. The following May, our students will travel to Nantes to stay with the families of the students they hosted in December. It is a two-week trip that includes a homestay in Nantes and an extended class field trip in Paris. The trip is open to all upcoming 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. Click here to apply. If you have any questions, please email Joe Kheriaty, IS French Teacher.

Each year, International School welcomes our incoming 6th-grade students at our 5th Grade BBQ. Incoming 6th-graders tour the school and have lunch while parents learn more about our school and meet other parents. This is an optional event, and we realize that it is during the school day. Parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged. Save the date! If you know any families with incoming 6th-graders, please help us make sure they know about the BBQ. Read more here. For questions, email the IS Main Office.

Seniors and Juniors! International School Prom is coming Saturday, June 4, 6–10 PM, held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle. The theme this year is Hollywood, and dress attire is formal. The cost is $70 or $65 with ASB. Get all the details here.

Tickets are limited and available for sale on Touchbase. Students can bring one guest who is under the age of 21.

If students choose to bring a guest who does not attend International School, they need to submit the BSD Guest Dance Request Form by Thursday, June 2. Make sure to have the following filled out: 

Covid-19 rapid tests will be available in the front office for students who have purchased a ticket. Testing is not required for attendance but is available by request. For questions, email ASB Advisor, Matt Lyon.

Some important reminders for Juniors:

For questions, email Jill Follett, IS High School Counseling Secretary.

Parking a student car on International’s campus is a privilege. To gain and maintain this privilege a student must register his or her car in the office, obtain a parking permit, and drive safely! Parking permits cost $100.00 per year. Complete the application by Friday, June 3. Students and guardians must sign the IS Parking Guidelines. Click here for complete details, and make sure to sign in using your BSD student email account. For questions, email the IS Main Office.

International School 7th-grade science students participate in the Cubes in Space program, a global STEM program for students 11–18 years of age. Cubes in Space provides two suborbital flight opportunities on NASA Missions. Students research, design an experiment, and then write a proposal that connects to a real-world space or earth-based problem. If the proposal is accepted, then the cube experiment is flown on a NASA sounding rocket or on a NASA research balloon and will be launched from a NASA facility in the summer of 2022. This year, the proposals from three teams from International School were accepted by Cubes in Space for spaceflight this summer! Read more about the proposals here. 

International School Library is honored to receive the 2021–2022 Art, Enrichment & Innovation Award from Bellevue Schools Foundation. With this $1500 grant, more than 90 graphic novels were added to our library collection. These graphic novels are great tools to engage our students in reading, and they support many classroom projects, such as all 6th to 10th grade IRB activities and our Focus Week’s Graphic & Animation class. Click here to explore our new BSF graphic novel collection. Thank you, Bellevue Schools Foundation, for your generosity! For questions, email Michele Dang, IS Librarian.

BSD joins in paying tribute to the generations of Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success. Read more here. For questions, email BSD.

2022 K–12 SUMMER PROGRAMS

We welcome our K–12 and Transition Program students to summer programming this year! Bellevue School District will be offering a robust summer program, focused on providing academic and social-emotional support to our students across the district. This summer, registration for all summer programs K–12 will only be open to current BSD students. Click here to learn more about Bellevue School District summer programs. For questions, email BSD Summer School. 

Five BSD high schools were recently ranked by the U.S. News World Report as the Best Washington High Schools. Rankings were determined by assessments of college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rate. International School ranked #2 in the state!  For questions, email BSD.

Weekly COVID-19 case counts have been rising in King County since mid-March — though they are significantly lower than the numbers we saw in January (King County COVID-19 Dashboard). COVID-19 case counts in BSD schools have also seen an uptick since spring break, as found on the BSD COVID-19 Dashboard. Because of this, the district is strongly advising students, staff, and families to consider using layered protections to keep our schools safe. See this message from Superintendent Dr. Art Jarvis regarding mask-wearing. For questions, email BSD.

Have you moved in the past year? Are you planning to move over the summer? In the event of an emergency, it is important for the district to have an up-to-date address for your students. If you have moved or if you will be moving over the summer, please submit a change of address form. Student Placement will work with you regarding your student’s school. Please include the documents needed to establish residency. Email BSD Student Placement Residency with questions.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in Le Grand Concours (French Contest) on March 17. The results are in! International School is proud to announce that several of our students ranked with the highest scores and received an award this year. Click here to read the results announcement.

Le Grand Concours is a national contest sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Despite the pandemic, nearly 43,000 students in all 50 states competed in the 2022 event. For more information, visit the National French Contest.

Every student who took part in the contest will receive a printed certificate of participation regardless of their score. Thank you to all and félicitations! For questions, email Madame Geslin, IS French Teacher.

Submissions Deadline: THIS Friday, May 27

Your voice matters! We need your stories, we need your voice, and we need you! PTA’s legacy is strong because of passionate advocates just like you building our legislative platform, one resolution at a time. The window for submitting a proposal for consideration at the 2022 Legislative Assembly is now open. Online submissions are due May 27 and supporting documents are due June 1. Submit your topic to support children today! For more information, email the WSPTA Advocacy Director.

Clean out your house and garage to support the Newport Lacrosse (NLAX) youth program! We're accepting clothes, shoes, books, household items, linens, small electronics, rugs, toys, lamps, and furniture no bigger than a side table. E-waste recycling, computers, peripherals, televisions, and monitors are welcome donations. No big appliances are accepted (e. g. washers, dryers, etc.). Please presort your donations, keeping clothing and shoes separate from other items. Click here for sorting guidelines.

Also, we need high school volunteers to help sort donations and help the event run smoothly. Sign up here to volunteer. For questions, click on this link to send a message to Andrea Wohlan.

Please join us for a short reception to celebrate with other Spiritridge Panther alumni and former teachers and staff. Bring your cap and gown for a group picture!

Please pass this invitation to other classmates who might be graduating from schools outside of BSD. Questions? Email Annie Vanderkolk or Christie Brown.

Nature-lovers, rejoice! Bellevue has nearly 80 parks and 2,800 acres of open space that benefit greatly from extra care that supports healthy forests and outdoor recreation. After being on hold for two years during the pandemic, Bellevue Parks & Community Services once again invites individuals and groups to participate in Eco Friday and Stewardship Saturday volunteer projects at parks throughout the city. Learn more here. Details are also available at Eco Fridays and Stewardship Saturdays. For questions, email City of Bellevue Park Stewardship.

ISPTSA has partnered with Smith Brothers to raise money for our organization! Click here and use our code InterPTSA at checkout to set up a new account with home grocery delivery. YOU get $15 off your first delivery order and International School will receive a gift of $50! You'll even get the iconic porch box with your first delivery. For questions, email Wendy Clough of Smith Brothers.

Let your community share in the celebration with an 18" x 24" yard sign! Signs are weather-resistant and include a metal stake. Click here to shop for this and more! Orders can be picked up from Winners Sportswear Bellevue for free or delivered. Proceeds benefit ISPTSA. Email Melissa, VP of Community, with questions.

Raise funds for ISPTSA with the Box Tops for Education app. By scanning your grocery and office supply store receipts, qualifying products will be instantly credited to our school. It's easy and adds up fast! Download the app on your phone, and select IS by searching zip code 98005. Questions? Email ISPTSA Fundraising.