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The 2006-07 calendar is now available on our ISM website at website. Click the link to view. Our school year began Monday, August 14th, 2006 and will conclude Friday, June 15th, 2007.
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Welcome to ISM's 2006-07 bi-weekly newsletter covering Monday, August 28th - Friday, September 8th, 2006! This is a change from previous years' communications, which were available each Monday. The ISM news brief will now be updated twice a month and available to ISM families on our website no later than 7:30 p.m. each second 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 583-2165 or email at lburns@ismonterey.org . To submit newsbrief contributions, forward them per email by the Wednesday prior to the publication date.
Please note: Past newsletters can be found
here.
A. LIBRARY OPENING ISM's library, located at the far end of the administrative building and staffed solely by volunteers, is set to open its doors for the 2006-07 school year on Monday, August 28th! We would like to thank Library Chairperson, Nick Trachsel, for his efforts in organizing the library schedule over the past several weeks via communication with staff and the willing volunteers. The weekly class usage schedule is as follows: On Mondays from 9-9:30 a.m.: Mr. Dvorak's 3rd grade class; 2-2:30 p.m.: Miss Kim's Kindergarten class; 2:30-2:50 p.m., the 6th-8th grade classes; on Tuesdays from 8:20-9 a.m., Mrs. St. Germain's 4th grade class; 2-2:30 p.m., Miss Carrie's Kindergarten class; 2:30-2:50 p.m., the 6th-8th grade classes; on Wednesdays from 9-9:45 a.m., Miss Sweeney's 2nd grade class; 9:50 - 10:30 a.m., Mr. Riquelme's 5th grade class; 11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Miss B's 5th grade class; 1:15-1:45 p.m., Miss Sigman's 3rd grade class; 2:15-2:45 p.m., Miss Basu's 1st grade class; on Thursdays from 9-9:45 a.m., Miss Baxter's 2nd grade class; 2:15 - 2:45 p.m., Miss Touryan's 1st grade class; and Fridays from 9-9:45 a.m., Miss Wharton's 4th grade class. We thank the fourteen phenomenal volunteers who will be assisting our students to locate titles as well as check books in and out during these times! They are: Alma Arellano, Jack Boureston, Laura Costanza, Maren Dinsmore, Andrea Eisler, Amanda Freedman, Debra Istenes, Carrie Jacobs, Shandra Post, Helen Reed, Yvette Satchell, Sally Stock, Nick Trachsel, and Suzy Worcester! Thank you! Thank you!
B. USBORNE BOOKS READ-A-THON AND WISH LIST PROCESS In a departure from previous years in which we have hosted only Scholastic Book Fairs, we will be offering a book sale later this winter featuring Usborne books (view their website at www.UsborneBooksmart.com ). To kick off this event, an exciting "Read-a-Thon" will be held for two weeks from Monday, September 4th - Friday, September 15th. A parent letter specifying the details of the program will be sent home early this week. In short, students will be encouraged to solicit pledges in support of their reading efforts over those two weeks. "Who benefits", you ask? Proceeds will directly benefit your child as well as your child's school: 50% of your child's pledges will go towards purchasing Usborne Books for him/herself; 60% will go towards purchasing books for the ISM library and your child's classroom....which equates to a 110% overall return to ISM! Now that's a win-win situation!! So, on Wednesday (8/30) and Thursday (8/31), students will visit the library during their regularly scheduled time to view available Usborne titles, develop a "wish list" of books, and hopefully get really excited to read and collect pledges during the "Read-A-Thon" time period! Note: the classes scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Friday will be able to visit the library at their regular time and check out books.
ISM is once again pleased to offer the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) on Friday afternoons from 2:00-3:10 p.m. Our first session is five weeks in length, running from Friday, September 8th to Friday, October 6th. We are interested in finding parent or community volunteers who can make a commitment to present a workshop on their personal area of expertise, hobby, or passion: this could be anything, from music to computer repair, from marine biology to billiards. A guiding principle of SEM is that workshops are generally directed toward a production of a product or service for the community or for other students. This often involves a culminating product or assembly performance. If you would be willing to lead five weeks worth of workshops on a single topic, please complete a SEM provider form available in the admin office or by contacting Carol Evans. Her email is cevans@ismonterey.org . Kindly complete this form even if you have expressed an interest to a staff member in the past. Also, please note that we require SEM instructors to find their own substitutes in the event of an absence, and that all volunteers must be fingerprinted. A small budget is available for SEM expenses. We ask you to estimate your proposed expenditures on your submitted form, and to request reimbursement by the last session. Thank you and I look forward to working with many of you during the coming year!
Pictured above is Sunny Y., currently a 4th grader at ISM. This past July, he traveled to Pinehurst, North Carolina for the United States Kids Golf World Championship. The event showcased 958 players in 10 age groups from 47 U.S. states and 33 countries. Despite the wide field of competition, Sunny tied for 6th place in the 8-year-old boy's 8 years old category! During the school year, Sunny takes part in the First Tee golf program on the Peninsula, one that we are currently investigating as an Afterschool option for interested ISM students. Way to go, Sunny!
We welcome parent contributions to this section; please let us know if your child has done something of interest to the community at large, i.e., won an award, pursued a unique hobby, volunteered with a non-profit on a noteworthy project, etc. Email text and photo contributions to editor Lisa Griffin Burns at least 4-5 days prior to an updated newsbrief document.
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A. NO PENDING FIELDTRIPS AT THIS TIME
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A. DEADLINE TO SUBMIT LOGO CLOTHING ORDERS - Thursday, August 31st, 4:00 p.m.: We will be submitting our first logo clothing order for this school year in early September. All orders received by Thursday (8/31) will be included in this first school order. Details as to when the logo items will be fulfilled and returned to us will be forthcoming. We will still be accepting logo clothing orders after this date; however, they will be included in a future order - most likely submitted after Halloween. Contact Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns for more information. Thanks go out to Parent Coordinator Toni Deoudes for shouldering this responsibility area again this year!
B. BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Thursday, August 31st, 6:30 - 8 p.m.: Join us in ISM's multiuse room for a brief presentation & welcome by ISM's Executive Director / Head of School Chrissie Jahn. Following her statements, parents and students will be invited to further tour the campus and visit their respective classrooms to "meet and greet" with staff. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
C. USED UNIFORM CLOTHING SALE AT THE BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Thursday, August 31st, 6:30 - 8 p.m.: Check out the bountiful selection of gently used clothing at this uniform sale! Do not go out and buy any more new uniforms until you have checked out what is available! These items represent clothing previously donated by parents as well as uniform items that went unclaimed last year in the "lost and found" baskets. Through the generosity of several volunteers, all items have been washed prior to sale! Prices are as follows: all clothing is $1.00 per item, except for jackets, which are $5.00 each. Look for the uniform sale tables in front of the multiuse room on Thursday evening. Contact Sale Coordinator Jennifer Stone at jenstone723@sbcglobal.net or at 657-9156 for more information or if you would like to help.
D. HEALTHY EATING LIVING PRINCIPLES (H.E.L.P.) SPECIAL ASSEMBLY - Friday, September 1st, 1:00 p.m. Representatives from the HELP Farm Fresh School's program will be sponsoring a Celebration of Wellness "kick off" event! ISM was selected as one of three schools in Monterey County to participate in this pilot project. At 1:00 p.m., all students (K-4) will take part in an all-school assembly on the ISM front lawn led by Executive Director Chrissie Jahn and President/Executive Director Mike Pippi of H.E.L.P., followed by the world music / environmental vibes of local performer Juan Sanchez. At 1:40 p.m., Grades K-2 and 6-8 will be dismissed, while youngsters in Grades 3 - 5 will experience an afternoon of hands-on activities highlighting organic gardening, healthy cooking, and physical education.
E. LABOR DAY HOLIDAY - Monday, September 4th: Whew! After three weeks of school, we are rewarded with a long three-day weekend! Enjoy yourselves!
F. FREE SATURDAY RUN GROUP HOSTED BY "MR. ROBBY" - Saturday, September 2nd, 9:00 a.m.: : Last Saturday (8/26), four ISM families joined Mr. Robby in Pacific Grove (Lover's Point) for ISM's first-ever running club. They all had a "great time" and will be meeting again this coming Saturday, September 2nd at 9:00 a.m. to continue the fun! Come and join the "ever fit" Mr. Robby, ISM Instructional Aide for Grades 6-8 and an ASI leader, this Saturday - and every other Saturday thereafter -- at Lover's Point for his "Saturday Run Group". This group is open to all ISM families, staff, and friends interested in supporting one another's fitness goals through running. Come and help him build a tradition for our wonderful school!
G. SEPT SAT WORK DAY - Saturday, September 9th, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: The second Saturday of each month is an official "work party" to tackle a few campus-related projects that we simply cannot successfully accomplish during the busy school week. It is also an excellent opportunity for working families to donate volunteer hours to ISM on a monthly basis. For those interested, please come next month, bring your wonderful attitude as well as essential tools, such as a hand drill, hammer, screws, nails, a level, sponges, buckets, and similar items. Chairpersons for this event rotate throughout the months; however, Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns is the primary contact for Saturday Work Days. To register interest to serve as chairperson one month or to see how you can help, contact her at lburns@ismonterey.org.
H. COASTAL CLEANUP DAY - Saturday, September 16th, 9:00 a.m. - 12 Noon: Mary Welsh, mother of ISM students Anna (Gr. 7), James (Gr. 5), and Cameron (Gr. 2) is stepping up to serve as ISM's coordinator for the coming Coastal Cleanup Day. She encourages all environmentally conscious "ISM'ers" to join her and her family on the 16th. "Come early", she says, as there is more trash to clean earlier on in the morning. Participants receive gloves, a collection bag, and a clipboard to collect data. Last year's event attracted more than 1000 volunteers at 27 sites throughout Monterey County; in total nearly 13,000 pounds of trash and recyclable materials were collected. For more information on this wonderful event, give Mary a call at 644-0841 or by email at mcwelsh@redshift.com.
I. FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING - Thursday, September 28th, 6:30 - 8 p.m.: This organization, headed by parent Ellen Gaucher, assists ISM administrators and staff in coordinating all volunteer efforts on campus as well as ISM special events, ranging from the Welcome Coffees, to the Back to School night listed above, to holiday celebrations, to Schoolwide evening concert events, and more! Those of you who are new to our school have already seen an example of this group's efforts when you recently completed the "Volunteer Opportunities" form at registration. This group of parents will be reviewing these forms to see how best your individual skills and talents can best serve our campus-wide needs for volunteer support. The Family Association members are always looking for more parents to get involved in volunteer coordination at this level. Reminder, all ISM families are required to contribute three hours (plus one additional hour for each additional child) per month, so plan on stopping by this monthly meeting to contribute your talents!
J. NEXT E-WASTE EVENT - Weekend of November 17th: Help to reduce the abundance of electronic waste by dropping off your used and/or outdated TV's, computers, etc. at the next e-waste event at the Monterey Fairgrounds. Stay tuned for more information!
A. FRESH MEAL PROGRAM: ISM is pleased to have its own meal program prepared daily - and freshly - onsite by Program Coordinator Miss Lisa Wichael-Loomis. Menus are designed a month-at-a-glance and are available in our front office. To allow for adequate planning and shopping time, those families opting to take part in the program on either a monthly or a week-by-week basis are required to submit their forms and payment on Wednesdays prior to the menu week. As we are now a school of 330+ students, we simply cannot accommodate last minute submittals. Please bear this in mind when planning your child(ren)'s school meals. In addition, all lunch forms and ASI forms should be put in Lisa's mailbox at the back of the Administrative Offices.
B. SNACK BAR: Also know that students may be hungry prior to their scheduled lunch period and can satisfy their hunger pangs by either: bringing a snack from home to eat safely at recess time -- at adjacent picnic tables or by sitting on the lawn -- OR beginning this Friday, August 18th by visiting the SNACK BAR offered at ISM's multiuse room during morning recess. All items are priced at $1.00 and students may choose from items such as: bottled water, smoothie drinks, apple juice, croissants, trail mix, corn nuts, fruit snacks, and more!
C. AFTERSCHOOL INTERNATIONAL (ASI): Program Coordinator Lisa Wichael-Loomis joins forces with staffers Sarah Benbow (ISM Drama Instructor / Instructional Aide - Grade 4), Robby Fabry (ISM Instructional Aide - Grades 6, 7, & 8), Barbara Peters (ISM Instructional Aide - Grade 5) and Kristen Carlyle (returning ASI leader) to provide a daily Afterschool Program from 2:50 p.m. (for Kindergartners) and 3:20 p.m. (for Grades 1 - 8) until 6:00 p.m. daily. The fees to participate in this program depend on the number of hours per day and the number of days per week. For those meeting financial criteria, reduced fees are available. Participation in the program is on a pre-registration basis (preferably) and paperwork is available on the information credenza in the front admin office.
Should you have any questions or need any type of information at all about the Fresh Lunch program or the Afterschool International (ASI) program, it is important that you email Ms. Lisa Wichael-Loomis directly at lwloomis@ismonterey.org
or stop and see her in the library (located at the rear of the admin building). For more efficient handling of your inquiries, we request that parents do not email lunch or ASI questions to the front office via kkushel@ismonterey.org . Thank you so much!
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A. CHESS FOR KIDS : The first session of ISM's Chess For Kids program began last Wednesday and space is still available for beginners and returning students to join up. Late registration will be accepted and fees will be pro-rated. Flyers for Lev Frenklakh's Chess class are available in the front office and detail all six sessions scheduled for this school year. FYI: Session #1 concludes on Wednesday, September 20th. Full session fees are $60 per 5-week session and classes held in Mr. Brandau's Grade 8 portable each Wednesday afternoon from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Checks can be made payable to "ISM" and submitted to Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns. Fifteen percent of each session's fees are donated to ISM.
B. MANDARIN CHINESE LANGUAGE LESSONS AT ISM : For the 2006-07 sessions, instructor Yu Chuen has added a Level 2 class for second year students on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Beginning students may register for class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, also at the same time. The cost is either $10.00 per class, per student, payable per session or $60 per session. The August sessions start this week, so register now! Fliers are also available on the credenza in the front admin office; please return registration and fees directly to the ISM office. Questions can be directed to Yu Chuen at 224-6470.
C. JEWELRY CLASSES OFFERED BY NICK TRACHSEL : Library Chairperson and SEM provider (Jewelry-making classes), Nick Trachsel will be providing an Afterschool jewelry class for students (age 9 and up) and adults beginning Tuesday afternoon, August 29th from 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. This first session is already full with twelve students and registration for Session #2 is already half full with six sign-ups! Participants will need to be pre-registered prior to each session, so sign up now for Session #2. Nick will also generously donate fifteen percent of collected fees to ISM. Fees for the remaining 8-week sessions are $90. Please note that a $10 materials fee is included in the price for each session. For further information, contact Nick at 372-7865 or by email at njtrachsel@sbcglobal.net.
D. TAIKO DRUMMING : This year the coordinator for this exciting Afterschool program will be 5th grade instructor, Mrs. St. Germain, who enthusiastically advocates adult and student participation in this discipline. One class for both age groups will be offered again on Monday afternoons, to begin shortly. Stay tuned for more details.
E. AFTERSCHOOL TAEKWONDO PROGRAM : Master Daniel Rogers of Okada Martial Arts offers a flexible two to four day per week after-school alternative to traditional childcare. Master Rogers teaches a Taekwondo class in the multi-purpose room here on the ISM campus directly after school until 5:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Students learn the Korean Martial art of Taekwondo along with the traditional values and discipline renown in the study of martial arts. Studies have shown that students who pursue martial arts tend to develop improved self-esteem, character, self-discipline, and higher grades in school!
Master Rogers has been providing this program at ISM for the past two years, he is highly qualified not only in the art of Taekwondo, which he studied and promoted to 4th degree master in Seoul Korea, but also possesses a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology, Sport Psychology and Higher Education. For enrollment options and schedules, please stop by the multi-purpose room after school Tuesdays through Friday...or call Master Rogers' cell phone at: 641-220-5503 or e-mail him at: MasterR@mac.com . Thank you!
The Boys and Girls Club, located nearby at 1332 LaSalle Avenue in Seaside, provides another Afterschool care possibility for ISM families. The fees are phenomenally reasonable, priced at $10 per year per child. The program operates from 2:30 - 7:00 p.m. daily. Per ISM parent, Reina Romero, the facility is "clean, well supervised, and healthy snacks are provided daily at 3:40 p.m." Registration takes place every Tuesday and participants can chose from: a computer room, science room, homework help, a library room, arts and crafts, and a basketball gym. If 14 or more ISM students are interested in attending the Boys and Girls Club, ISM will qualify for free bus transportation for the Seaside site. For more information, call Reina Romero at 241-4529 or visit the Boys and Girls Club website at www.bgcmc.org .
: Listed below are a few things desired by community members:
1) SOFA OR FUTON: Miss Carrie, ISM Kindergarten instructor, is looking to purchase a gently used sofa or futon. She moved residences over the summer and is still in need of some items to complete the "homey" look. Please contact her at cturner@ismonterey.org .
2) CARPOOL DESIRED: Kim, the mother of 6th grader, Chung So, writes: "We are looking for a car pool after school, from ISM to our home at 1014 Wainwright Street in Monterey. We can drive your children to school in the morning. If you are interested, please contact us per phone at home: 831-655-3610 or via cell: 392-5277. Thank you!
3) BABYSITTER WANTED: "Hello, ISM community! We are looking for a kind, cheerful, responsible young adult to watch our 6 1/2 year old daughter and our 4 year old son in our home a few times a month - one or two weekend days and some Tuesday evenings. We live in Marina near Tate Park. The salary is $10 per hour." If interested, contact Heidi de Bellis at 384-3574.
4) Recycling of Printer Cartridges Yields Payoff: This program was extremely successful for us last year, so we are most definitely interested in continuing it again this year. Monthly contributions checks averaged $125+ most months! The monies we receive can then help to offset office products purchasing, which directly supports student learning through availability of photocopy paper, toner, etc. We are super enthusiastic to continue this program, so please spread the word to family members, colleagues, etc and forward your used cartridges to the admin office. The empty cartridges that we - as a community - typically throw away can be recycled and remanufactured. ISM will then benefit 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!
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