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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 week of
October 24 - 28, 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 past Saturday, October 22nd from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.,
a team of 25 parent volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got down to the
business of "school improvement". Under the calm and steady
leadership of event co-chair Steve Moore and armed with a
list of a dozen or more tasks, not to mention hammers, drills, gardening
tools, and sponges, this wonderful team of ISM supporters accomplished
a-plenty! Unlike last month's hour workday in which the participating
parents worked collectively to complete one larger-scale task, this past
weekend was characterized by small teams of volunteers focusing on one job.
Checked off the list were: cleaning tasks in the staff lounge and Miss
Basu's Grade 1 class, walls painted and a bulletin board also hung in Room
23, threshold, door, and carpet repairs - left a-dangling following our
move in December - in the pod, campus-wide trash pick up, a pulley system
installed in Miss Carrie's Kindergarten class, masks hung, bulletin boards
painted, and desks cleaned in Miss Sigman's Grade 3 class, lost and found
items sorted from one of the overflowing baskets on campus and forwarded to
students' classrooms, and new succulents planted and existing flower beds
watered.
Next month's work day is planned for Saturday, November 12th
from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. with Dan Simpson serving as
the event co-chair! The "to-do" list already includes: mounting
an aluminum threshold in Room 25, removing the related door to plane the
bottom, and repairing the damaged door molding, painting the doorway trim
for Room 22, and sanding and painting a patched wall by Room 26. For those
interested in helping, please bring tools from home, to include a
carpenter's plane for the door repair, the usual assortment of power
drills, screwdrivers, screws and nails, and pruning shears and other gardening
tools. A huge THANK YOU to all who helped this past
Saturday! Your efforts are appreciated and yet, we hope you enjoyed
yourself and met a few new friends!
: Parent
coordinator Janice Barker is finalizing ISM's Halloween
party and wanted to remind the community-at-large of the spooky happenings
planned on campus for next Monday, October 31st from 1:00
to 3:00 p.m.
New for this year is the clever TRICK OR TRUNK DECORATING EVENT
in which parents are invited to go crazy and decorate their car or van
trunks or truck beds with a holiday theme. At this writing, only 5 inspired
parents have signed up to participate and we want MORE! to
liven up the afternoon's festivities. So, grab your creativity and enter
your "spirited vehicle" in the Most Creative Trunk competition!
ISM youngsters will then have the opportunity to "Trick or Trunk"
(treat) to each car during our Halloween Festival. Please note: Parents are
responsible for their own decorations and treats to hand out to the
youngsters. Anyone interested in participating is asked to promptly contact
Janice Barker at 384-5524, 402-0303 or at barkerjf1@sbcglobal.net
HALLOWEEN
FESTIVAL: Reliable sources
say, "Ghouls, goblins and monsters are on their way! Beware! They will
be running about at ISM's Mini Halloween Carnival!
Festivities will take place from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. on Monday,
October 31st. Students are asked to come to school in their
uniforms and, following lunch, may change into their costumes for the
Halloween merriment! Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo! There will be a Costume
Contest, too with students in Grades K-4 and 5-8 competing for:
Scariest Costume, Funniest Costume, and Most Creative Costume. Great prizes
will be awarded!!
Attention: Pumpkin Carvers Needed for our annual Pumpkin Carving
Contest: Interested students may bring their beautiful, scary,
inventive, and uniquely carved pumpkins -- small or large -- to the Judging
area on the tables outside the multiuse room for contest consideration and
judging prior to 10:00 a.m. that morning. Prizes for the
funniest and scariest pumpkin will be awarded for in each age category,
Grades K-4 and 5-8, following judging at 12:45 p.m.
In order for the festival to be successful, we are asking that parents
provide donations of food and related supplies, keeping in mind that we now
have 302 students fully enrolled. We have developed a list of items needed per
grade, so please look below for your little goblin's grade. We thank you in
advance for your contri"boo"tion!
Kindergarten and Grade 5 = Home baked goodies
Grades 1, 4, and 6 = Healthy snacks
Grade 2 = Paper plates / napkins / cups
Grade 3 = Juice
Grades 7 and 8 = Haunted House materials
: Congratulations to 6th grader Jamie
Berg, who is enjoying multiple successes/achievements this week.
Jamie interviewed for the People to People International cultural exchange
program last weekend, and received the good news that he has been accepted!
His mom, Susan, explained that Jamie will be touring Europe and Australia
for three weeks next summer, along with a cadre of middle school students
from around the country. We are proud of you, Jamie! Represent yourself and
ISM well next summer!
Jamie has also distinguished himself with an exceptional Architecture
Design Project, in math. His project, along with his classmates' projects,
will be on display in the admin office beginning this week. We'll begin
hanging them on Monday.
: Student-led conferences are conferences that are presided over by the
students themselves. They are common practice in overseas international
schools and increasingly in US public schools, in keeping with aims to
utilize a variety of assessment strategies beyond just the traditional
grading system or report card. Ideally, they offer a holistic view of the
child, drawing from portfolio contents such as cassette recordings of music
performances, recipes that a student cooks well, photos of the child
playing his or her favorite sport, and much more. It takes time to build a
culture of self-reflection and conference leadership in a school. Over the
last three years, it has been wonderful to watch the development of certain
children in this regard, from shaky first attempts to truly leading a
conference a few years later.
Why do we do student-led, portfolio-centered conferences?
We do them to demonstrate growth across a body of work. We do them to
instill student self-reflection, ownership and accountability. We do them
to document emotional intelligences and other intelligences that cannot be
easily conveyed in a numerical grade. We do them to document understanding,
to evidence the application of concepts or skills in new or unfamiliar
situations. For a nice article on student-led conferences, check out http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin112.shtml
 : The first quarter of the ISM 2005-2006 school year is now behind
us. Report cards will be distributed this week. ISM's goal is to provide a
learning environment, which fosters academic excellence for each and every
student. Now is a great time to address concerns regarding your child's
progress. Parents having questions pertaining to academic achievements or
behavioral effectiveness may address the students' teachers and/or the
counselor. Incorporating an Individual Action Plan (IAP) for each student based on teacher assessments is a beneficial
tool for assisting students to achieve their highest potential. Continued
partnerships with parents, students, and teachers provide a consistency
towards success and student excellence. Please feel free to contact Dr.
Volante at 583-2165 x3141 with any questions or concerns.
:
A. ISM FAMILY ASSOCIATION COFFEE CLUB - WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 26TH, 7:50 - 8:30 a.m.: The idea behind the "coffee club" is to create a space where conversations can occur with the intended results of gathering needed volunteers for different events and to promote ISM Family Association. Current, the greatest need is for lunch / recess supervision volunteers, as well as last minute volunteers for Halloween and the upcoming Spring Gala. Similar to the "Welcome Coffee" provided on the first day of school, the ISM Family Association will host a coffee complete with fruit and muffins, beginning at 7:50 until 8:30 a.m. Stop by and introduce yourself! We would be thrilled to see you on Wednesday morning. Mark your calendars as well for Thursday, November 3rd at 6:30 p.m. (note new time!) for the next Family Association meeting! More details to follow.
B. PARENTING WORKSHOP FEATURING JEAN-PIERRE LEBLANC - THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 27TH, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.: Jean-Pierre LeBlanc, a
relationship coach, assists clients to improve their personal and
professional lives. In this workshop, he will be discussing ways to improve
family relationships, to include parent-child interactions as well as
spousal relationships. A former Canadian motorcycle-racing champion,
Jean-Pierre graduated from McGill University where he studied chemistry,
psychology and business management. A serious automobile accident in the
mid-1980's contributed to his current direction as a life coach. In his
presentations, Jean-Pierre is often described as "warm, intuitive, and
humorous". He balances a rich and fulfilling personal life with his
vision for global wellness through The Alchemy Network and the Saje Natural
Wellness Stores. Please join us in ISM's multiuse room for this inspiring
presentation!
C. YEARBOOK MEETING - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 4:00 P.M.: Please join Yearbook Editor Richard Herbert this coming Friday afternoon in the computer pod to begin planning for the 2005-06 yearbook. All interested parties are welcome!
D. CHARTER RENEWAL / MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS MEETING - WEDNESDAY,
NOVEMBER 2ND, 6:30 P.M.: ISM's current charter is up for renewal
at the conclusion of this academic year. This meeting is designed to
explain the charter renewal process / re-application with our chartering
agency, MPUSD, and to solicit input from parents on the future direction of
ISM. Additionally, all parents, but particularly parents of middle school
students, are invited to hear strategies for the high school years here at
ISM. Come one, come all to ISM's multiuse room to become informed and
contribute to our forward movement.
E. PICTURE DAY AT ISM - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH: Albeit
belatedly, we will be hosting Picture Day next Friday, November 4th.
Photographer Richard Herbert has been retained to take class (campus
locations)and student photos on the stage in the multiuse room using a
backdrop. Richard Herbert took the excellent staff photos in August for our
staff ID badges and these same photos will be utilized for the 2005-06
faculty photos for the yearbook. We have received inquiries regarding the
photographer's release included on the flyer distributed last week. This is
a fairly standard release, also employed in past years by previous ISM
photographer Rich Ehrlich. It is the intention of Richard Herbert as well
as ISM staff to only use these photos for purposes of parent-ordered photo
packages, student ID cards (possibly), as well as yearbook photos. To order
photo packages, please complete the "Portrait Order" section of
the order form, attach a check made payable to "Richard Herbert"
and return to ISM in your child's folder or forward to Richard's collection
box (in the admin office by the teacher cubbies) prior to Picture Day!
Please note that class photos as well as the school-wide photo are
available for an additional fee over and above listed package prices.
F. MIDDLE SCHOOL HARVEST DANCE - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 6:30 - 8:30
p.m.: ISM's multiuse room will be transformed by the warm colors
of Fall on Friday evening for our first-ever Harvest dance. Once again, we
will be joining forces with Chartwell School to offer a festive, fun-filled
evening of dancing, socializing, and, of course, eating for our wonderful
6th through 8th graders. ISM students will be responsible for the
decorating scheme, while Chartwell organizes the hip, age-appropriate D.J.
tunes. As with previous dances, chaperones from both ISM and Chartwell
staff will be on hand to supervise the fun! Please note: Students may have
invited guests, but no more than two per student, and they will be asked to
respect fellow guests and ISM policies and procedures or they will be asked
to leave the event.
:
A. KINDERGARTEN FIELDTRIP TO "THE FARM" - WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 26TH: Both Kindergarten classes will leave at 10:30 a.m.
on Wednesday for an outing to The Farm in Salinas. This trip is a perennial
favorite, especially at this time of year. The highlight will be for our youngest
students to pick their very own pumpkin to bring home!
B. GRADES 5, 6, 7, AND 8 TO ATTEND FESTIVAL OF CULTURES EVENT -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST: We are pleased to say that our upper grades
will be enjoying a first-ever outing to Toro Park next Tuesday from 9:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to participate in the fantastic Festival of Cultures
event put on by Green Meadow Productions. To quote event organizers, the
goal is to "educate children and adults about the diversity and
splendor of different cultures from around the world" with
representation by native performers from Africa, Europe, Mexico, Polynesia
and Native America providing "powerful music, beautiful songs, and
nimble dancing". Refer to their website at http://www.greenmeadowsproductions.com/NewFiles/FstoCulture.html
for more details.
C. GRADE 4 FIELDTRIP TO SAN JUAN BAUTISTA STATE HISTORIC PARK -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD: Both Grade 4 classes will be visiting the
State Historic Park at San Juan Bautista, departing ISM at 9:00 a.m. for a
full day visit. The students will tour the adjacent California mission as
well as the Plaza Hotel, Plaza Hall and stable, blacksmith shop, granary,
jail, and the Castro Breen adobe, structures all built in the 1800's.
D. GRADE 6 FIELDTRIPS RELATED TO NATURAL HISTORY OF MONTEREY COUNTY
UNIT: - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH: Exploring basic concepts of geology
(such as plate tectonics, weathering and erosion, geologic time, rock
types, etc.), students will travel to Olmstedt, Santa Catalina, and Toro
Roads to continue their investigation of the Monterey Formation. There,
they will collect rock samples per layer. Fieldtrip will be from 11:10 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.
On Monday, November 21st, from 8:20 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,
the 6th graders will continue their studies at Point Lobos guided by former
US Geological Survey geologist Ed Clifton. All trips will include lunch out on the trail!
E. GRADE 4 OVERNIGHT FIELDTRIP TO GOLD COUNTRY - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER
17TH - NOVEMBER 18TH: As part of their "Settlers and
Explorers" IPC unit, the intrepid students of Ms. West/Ms. Wharton and
Mrs. St. Germain will be trekking to Gold Country, with visits to the
Sutter Creek mine, Columbia State Park, and Knight's Ferry. They will be
departing on Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. with a return time of 6:00 p.m.
the following day. Arrangements have already been made for an overnight
stay at the Sutter Creek Days Inn and parents are forwarding deposit checks
to Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns to fund this exciting trip.
:
A. CHESS FOR KIDS: The second session of Chess will resume
next Wednesday, November 2nd at 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. in Mr.
Brandau's Grade 8 classroom, Portable 6. Parents of returning students
interested in continuing on in the program are asked to re-register before
next Wednesday. Additionally, new students are warmly encouraged to join
this popular class! The cost is $60 per session with instructor Lev
Frenklakh generously donating 15 percent to ISM. Please submit check made
payable to "ISM" with a completed application form available on
the credenza in the admin office to Business Administrator Lisa Griffin
Burns.
B. CHINESE LANGUAGE LESSONS: Sign up now for session 3 of
ISM's Afterschool Mandarin Chinese language lessons, offered on Monday and
Thursday afternoons. Classes are scheduled for November 14th, 17th, 21st,
24th, 28th, December 1st, 5th, and 8th and will be held in Room #22 (Mrs.
Augustine's Grade 2 classroom). The cost is $80 per student. Registration
forms are available at the ISM office. Please make checks payable to
"ISM", attach to the registration form and forward to Business
Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns.
C. TAIKO DRUMMING LESSONS AT ISM: Hello to all present and
past Taiko participants! Classes will continue to be offered on Monday
afternoons in the multiuse room from 3:30 - 4:15 p.m. for Grades K-2 and
4:15 - 5:00 p.m. for Grades 3 - 8 and adults. The future dates for this
program are as follows:
Session 3: Nov 21, 28, Dec 5, 12 at a cost of $40.
Session 4: Jan 9, 23, and 30, 2006 at a cost of $30.
Please note that a minimum of 14 paid registrants are required to ensure
that each session is offered, so please register early if interested. This
program offers participants both mental and physical benefits and
encourages new friendships within our ISM community. If interest continues,
further sessions may be scheduled in the spring, with committed
participants performing at the Spring Music concert and perhaps the
International Festival in June 2006. Wouldn't that be great? Contact Denise
Hasegawa at dthasegawa@aol.com for more
information or to sign up!
:
The November lunch menus are out as well as
being available online! All meals are prepared fresh daily, which requires
weekly shopping for proper quantities to be on-hand based on orders
submitted. Once again, please note that the deadline to submit menus to
Program Provider Lisa Wichael-Loomis is the Wednesday prior to the coming
week. Late menus will not be accepted after Wednesday as
shopping is conducted by staff each Thursday and Friday. Any late menus
will be returned to families to be adjusted and can be resubmitted for the
correct timeframe.
All orders for the entire month of November or the first week of November
are due by this Wednesday, October 26th to ensure that
proper quantities are purchased in advance. An important reminder when
completing the menu: please complete all important information, to include
the full name and grade of your child (as we do have multiple children on
campus with the same name) as well as the dates for which you are paying.
We are regularly trying to decipher forms lacking this critical info, which
makes tracking students' individual orders extremely difficult.
Flyers and signup sheets can be found here.
:
Any students who have not been picked up by
3:45 p.m. by an authorized family member or friend will be forwarded to the
Afterschool program for further caretaking. Parents/guardians will then be
responsible for paying the $10 per hour fee, payable at the time you
retrieve your child from the ASI program. Checks may be made payable to
"ISM". Thank you for your cooperation!
:
Listed below are a few things desired by
community members:
1) Carpooling Help for Salinas area: ISM Parent Gabrielle
Perez, mother of 2nd grader Giovanny Perez, has recently lost her son's
former carpooling resource. If you live in Salinas and are interested in
forming a carpool with Gabrielle, please contact her directly on her cell
phone at 277-3732.
2) Home for a Few Good Fish: Julie Rauch, mother of
Kindergartner Jillian, writes: "The black molly in our fish tank has
had babies. We have about ten (hard to count them) and need to give them to
a good home or two." Families are needed to adopt these fish as well
as a possible ISM classroom interested in taking care of them and watching
them grow. Additionally, if adopted by a classroom, a fish tank would also
be needed. Julie would be willing to set it up for the class and possibly
the adopting family. Contact her at jar00agr03@sbcglobal.net.
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