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The 2005-06 calendar is now posted on our website
and is also available on the credenza in the front office.
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Welcome to ISM's weekly newsletter for the shortened week of
November 21 - 23, 2005! Please note that the ISM news brief is now available
to ISM families during regular school weeks via our website no later than 7:30 p.m. each Monday (Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday), unless otherwise noted. To request hardcopy notification, please contact Business Administrator / news brief editor Lisa Griffin Burns
at lburns@ismonterey.org
or call at 583-2165.
Please note: Past newsletters can be found
here.
: This will be a shortened week due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th. The admin office will also be closed on these days. In advance of the holiday, the staff and faculty of ISM extend to all members of our ISM community a joyful and fulfilling Thanksgiving holiday. We certainly have much for which to be thankful as we continue to come together as a richly diverse, talented, and supportive group of individuals who jointly champion the mission and goals of this unique public charter school. For that, we thank each and every one of you!
: For the convenience of parents / guardians who have to be at work by 8:00 a.m., ISM opportunely offers an early morning drop off service beginning at 7:35 a.m. This service is free of charge. Just a reminder that staff will not be available earlier than 7:35 a.m. and that students should not be dropped off prior to this time! Doing so, is not in the best interest of our students as there is no staff member responsible for their care prior to 7:35 a.m.! We can only reiterate this statement as is necessary; however, we need your consistent support to ensure that unattended students are not dropped off and left to wonder the campus before the arrival of staff.
In addition, once early drop off does begin at 7:35 a.m., we respectfully request that parents and students make their way to the driveway leading to the lower blacktop to sign in for the program. This is the only place that staff will be signing in youngsters so that they can easily and safely proceed onward to the lower blacktop. We appreciate your support and cooperation!
: Once again, the Charter Renewal document is available for review on our website at: http://www.ismonterey.org/Media/CharterRenewal.pdf. The charter renewal process requires that we collect signatures on the Charter Petition from 50% of our families and at this writing 170 signatures have been collected. Thank you to all who took the time to sign this petition. Due to Executive Director Chrissie Jahn's attendance at the ECIS, European Council of International Schools, conference in The Hague last week, we have not yet forwarded the Petition to Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) officials, so stop by today if you have not yet signed this document. Your signature indicates to MPUSD, our chartering agency, that you support ISM, its curriculum, governance, and programs. The Charter Petition and Renewal document will be forwarded to MPUSD for review and consideration this week.
Recently Dr. Carber attended a lecture by an educational reform leader named Willard Daggett. Among the recurring themes of Daggett's powerful message was, "Teach reading through the content areas, through the fine arts, and through specialist classes." A fine example of this charge was recently seen at ISM as P. E. instructor Julie Livingston organized a Health Fair for her Phys Ed classes. Students were challenged to research, read, and write about a health topic of personal interest. Many staff members were very impressed with the quality of the resulting posters and PowerPoints, and one wonders if the quality may have flowed in part from the fact that students were challenged to read and write in a subject area other than Language Arts!? (Certainly, some students are very interested in PE.) Indeed, things like the Health Fair are exactly what we are supposed to be doing - writing in math class, reading in science class, and so forth. Kudos to Miss Livingston for reminding us of this good practice! Stop by to see three of the highest-ranking projects on display in the admin office.
The attached photo depicts two of Mr. D's students designing and building water filters, an  activity in which the whole class participated last week. On the agenda for this week is for the students to create another filter with which to treat water from the Salinas river. This is certainly no easy task for environmental specialists, but we are certain our intrepid youngsters are up to the challenge. These activities are all part of the "Clean Water / Dirty Water" IPC unit which both Grade 3 classes are pursuing currently and which will include individual projects, field trips, presentations by water experts and much more! 
In the absence of an art teacher this quarter, Mr. D and his creative brood are working with pastels as the photo at right shows. Subject matter and technique is student-driven within the medium. On the horizon may be a student art show featuring works selected by each student.
: Afterschool International youngsters have successfully organized and sponsored our canned food drive this year. We are pleased to announce that at this writing we have overfilled nine barrels, which most likely will equate to twelve nicely full Food Bank barrels. Although our original goal was to fill fifteen barrels, we still have today and tomorrow to reach that goal before Food Bank personnel collect our donations. Tomorrow (not last Tuesday as incorrectly list in last week's news brief) is Tuna Tuesday and ASI Program Coordinator will make the rounds tomorrow morning to determine the final tally of non-perishables. The winning grade(s) will be announced at tomorrow's K-4 assembly and will get to enjoy a "Holiday Movie and Popcorn Night" on a future occasion. As the food drive will end tomorrow, please do not continue to send non-perishables to ISM after Tuesday; rather look for Monterey County Food Bank barrels available at local grocery stores, such as Albertsons, Safeway, and Whole Foods. Please email ASI / Fresh Lunch Program Coordinator Lisa Wichael Loomis at lwloomis@ismonterey.org with any questions or comments.
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A. FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 6:30 p.m.: For those interested in assisting organizers with ongoing volunteer needs at ISM as well as on upcoming special events, please join chairperson Ellen Gaucher and fellow parents at this organizational meeting. This group has already provided parent mixers to kick-off the school year, Coffee Club refreshments last month during morning drop off, and identified active and enthusiastic event co-chairs for next month's holiday concert. Stop by to see how you can become more involved!
B. FAMILY ASSOCIATION AFTERNOON REFRESHMENTS - MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, 2:30 - 3:50 p.m.:To further encourage "mixing and mingling", the Family Association invites you to stop by their refreshment table the first Monday in December during afternoon pick-up. Enjoy the tasty morsels, meet new friends, and sign up for an ongoing or upcoming volunteer need.
C. DECEMBER SATURDAY WORK DAY - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 9:30 a.m. -
1:00 p.m.: Take a break from holiday shopping and stress by stopping by ISM the second Saturday in December to "lend a hand" on needed school-wide projects, to include possible repainting of playground lines on the lower blacktop. The holiday season is made richer and more fulfilling by generously giving of one's time and effort as well as thoughtful gifts. We look forward to seeing many of you there! The event co-chair for this month will be parent volunteer Marco Poehner, parent of Caterina, Grade 5, Natalia, Grade 3, and Andreas, Grade 1.
D. KIDS YARD SALE SPONSORED BY GRADE 5 - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.: The enthusiastic students of Mrs. Sally Burns' 5th grade class are organizing a Yard sale on December 10th for ISM students of all ages to sell unwanted toys, clothing, furniture, books, etc. Fifty percent of the event proceeds will go to benefit U.N.I.C.E.F. and the American Red Cross, student entrepreneurs will retain fifty percent of their sales revenue. In advance of the holiday season, this is a great opportunity for youngsters to go through their closets and recycle / resell items they no longer use, benefiting the environment and another happy buyer. Flyers will be distributed later this week and interested participants are required to pre-register as table space is limited. Doors will open at 8:00 a.m. for sellers to set up their wares and the event will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Participants are asked to contribute to the post-event clean up after 2:00 p.m. Refer to the upcoming flyer for more information or email Sally Burns at sburns@ismonterey.org.
E. WINTER HOLIDAY SHOWCASE / SCHOLASTIC BOOK SALE - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 6:00 p.m.: Please note revised start time of 6:00 p.m. from originally listed time of 6:30 p.m. Staff coordinators Miss Anna and Mr. D are already in hot pursuit of "class acts" for the December holiday program. As we are now a school in excess of 300 students, the design of the concert will be unique, incorporating multiple indoor and outdoor performance venues -- a Main Stage, Garden Stage, and classrooms -- highlighting multiple performances. All classes Grades K - 4 will have two performances, held 15 minutes apart, in different locations. Grades 5 - 8 will perform back-to-back on the main stage at the end of the evening, to allow for more drama and other types of performances. This schedule also allow concertgoers to easily access the Book Fair while traveling from venue to venue as well as provide an opportunity for older students to participate in a volunteer, "open mike" activity in the pod. More exciting details to follow.
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A. GRADE 6 FIELDTRIPS RELATED TO NATURAL HISTORY OF MONTEREY COUNTY
UNIT: CARMEL VALLEY, ARROYO SECO, RELIZ CANYON - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21st - 8:20 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Continuing their exploration of geology, 6th graders traveled to Carmel Valley, Arroyo Seco, and Reliz Canyon to continue their investigation of the Monterey Formation. There, they collected fossils at two of these sites. Students will also be introduced to faults and faulting.
B. GRADE 6 FIELDTRIPS RELATED TO NATURAL HISTORY OF MONTEREY COUNTY
UNIT: POINT LOBOS 2 - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28th - 11:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
During this trip, the 6th graders will return to Pt. Lobos and guided by former US Geological Survey geologist Ed Clifton, they will learn about and practice geologic mapping. All trips will include lunch out on the trail!
C. GRADE 3: MR. DVORAK FIELDTRIP TO DESALINATION PLANT - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER
29TH - 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.: Continuing their Water unit of study, 3rd graders will also travel by parent carpool to the Desalination plant located next to Marina State Beach to learn first-hand how ocean water is transformed into drinking water. Using the process of reverse osmosis, the plant then makes the water suitable for drinking and other household uses for the residents of Marina.
D. GRADE 2: MISS SWEENEY FIELDTRIP TO SEACLIFF STATE BEACH VISITOR CENTER - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1ST - 8:20 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.: Seacliff State Beach has a visitor center where the students will look at different fossils and rocks. They will also be able to dig their own fossils and learn how they are formed as well as see different rock layers visible in the cliffs.
E. GRADE 6 FIELDTRIPS RELATED TO NATURAL HISTORY OF MONTEREY COUNTY
UNIT: PINNACLES / HOLLISTER - MONDAY, DECEMBER 5th - 8:20 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The aim of this trip will be to introduce students to the geology of the Pinnacles National Monument and the San Andreas Fault, guided by a Park ranger. They will also visit Hollister, a South County town, to observe the effect of faulting on construction codes.
: Greetings all! Due to our expansion in enrollment this year, and the increase in size of some of our students (they get so tall so fast!), the P.E. department is in need of additional equipment. Specifically, we are looking for people to recycle / donate their older, yet safe, sporting goods equipment, such as:
1. Tennis racquets (all sizes);
2. Golf putters (any size) and golf balls:
3. Two mini basketball nets and stands - the ones that stand about 4-5 feet tall; and
4. A foosball or air hockey table!
If you have other oddities just laying around, please email Miss Julie Livingston at jlivingston@ismonterey.org.
JUST A REMINDER! Field day is scheduled for the last school day of the year on Wednesday, June 7th. We are going to need LOTS of
parent / community volunteers, so we would like to put the request out early for support! I am not yet accepting particular positions, but start thinking about how you might be interested to help!
: The student directories are here! If you have ordered a directory (or two or three), they were distributed yesterday (11/22/04) via your oldest child's teacher to be distributed prior to the Thanksgiving hiatus. Please make sure to ask your child for the directory(s) when you pick them up today (11/23/05). Please note that any directories that have not yet been paid for will NOT be sent home with the student, but will be held in the office pending payment and distributed once payment is received. A separate individual email will be sent to each family today indicating the amount due.
If you did not pre-purchase a directory, we have a limited number of them available for purchase in the front office. Please see Administrative Assistant Karen Kushel if you would like to purchase a directory; they are available for $5.00 each.
-- An addition / correction update sheet will be printed in approximately one month. So, for those who did not submit a form for inclusion in the directory, or find an error in your listing, please email or submit this information directly to coordinator Tara Clark at calbeartara@yahoo.com by Friday, December 9th. We heartily thank Tara for her amazing efforts in making this year's directory a reality. We encourage thank yous be directed her way at the email listed above!
: Listed below are a few things desired by community members:
1) Printer Cartridges: ISM is now participating in an inkjet cartridge recycling program with the help of a company called Empties4Cash. The empty cartridges that we - as a community - typically throw away can be recycled and remanufactured. We ask that you bring your empty cartridges to school and put them in the collection box in the front office. ISM benefits by getting paid up to $4.00 for each empty inkjet cartridge that has a print head. Acceptable brands include HP, Lexmark, Xerox, Compaq, Brother, Dell, Canon, and Apple; however, Epson print cartridges cannot be accepted as they are produced without a print head. If possible, please submit cartridges either in their original packaging or a Ziploc bag to keep it safe from damages and spills. Thank you! If anyone is interested in heading this project as the volunteer coordinator, please contact Lisa Griffin Burns.
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