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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
January 3 - 6, 2006! 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.
A. DEPARTING STAFF MEMBERS: As is characteristic of an international school, we experience transition among both our staff and student body at varying times throughout the school year. It is with sadness and support that we say "adios and good luck" to departing staffers Senőrita Candia, ISM Spanish instructor, and Beth West, Grade 4 instructor. Both of these talented women are relocating out of the area; Ms. West and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Autumn, have already transferred to the East Coast following Paul's recent completion of his studies at the Naval Postgraduate School, while Senőrita Candia undertakes a new professional challenge in her native country of Bolivia! As she will be departing at the end of January, we may still see her about campus for those of you that did not get a chance to say goodbye. We will miss both of these lovely ladies, who have been so committed to ISM over the years and who have directly contributed to the success of our programming!
B. DEPARTING STUDENTS: In a flurry of departing student activity, last Friday, December 16th, was the last day of school for the following seven students: Grade 1: Abdullah Abdul-Haq, Grade 3: Ishaq Abdul-Haq, Grade 5: Jalsa Hilber and Sophy Sorenson, Grade 7: Jared Gensel, and Grade 8: Kelsey Hughes and Candice Kennedy! A number of these students, to include the Abdul-Haq / Hilber family and Candice Kennedy, moved from the Monterey Peninsula area to experience life elsewhere....in Mexico and Arizona, respectively. The other students are transferring to area schools. We wish each of them individually the best of luck in their future endeavors and thank them for giving us the opportunity to contribute to their education!
We are fortunate to have healthy waiting lists at most of our grades, so that we are able to outreach to the next family on the waiting list to fill vacancies as they become available. We are pleased to welcome to ISM three new students in grades 3, 5, and 7. They are Gina Sakoda in Miss Sigman's class, Mark Kim, sibling of 6th grader Luke Kim, in Mrs. Sally Burns' class, and Alicia Magedman in Miss Shephard's class, respectively. Please join us in making their early days on campus especially "warm and welcoming"! Contacts have already been made to fill the remaining spots in Grades 1, 5, and 8 and we will notify you once placement has been made.
: As we begin Quarter 3, we are pleased to say that Lisa Wichael-Loomis, our Program Coordinator for ISM's Fresh Lunch and Afterschool International (ASI) programs is back on campus following last month's emergency surgery. Although we had the best of support in Lisa's absence from staffers Miss Barbara, Miss Sarah, Mister Robby, as well as ASI team-members Miss Kristin Carlyle and Richard Wagner, she will be issuing ASI monthly bills effective tomorrow (1/4/06). With regard to any questions concerning December bills or payments for either the hot lunch or ASI programs, please contact Lisa directly. We ask for your flexibility as she reconciles her records with that of the payments made for both of these programs forwarded to the admin office in December 2005. Thank you for your flexibility in advance.
SPANISH PROGRAM: Additionally, due to a critical family issue, Spanish teacher Moises Santos returned to the Dominican Republic last month and are in the process of confirming his status at ISM. In his absence, we will be trying to fill the void with substitute instructors. Senőr Santos, who provides Spanish instruction for students in Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th grades, was able to complete his grades prior to departing, so students in those classes will receive a report card grade for Spanish for this quarter.
: Report cards for Quarter 2 should be completed by this coming Friday, January 6th and will be mailed out to parents Friday or Monday. For those students whose parents reside in two residences, each parent will receive his/her own copy of their child's report card. We do ask that parents take a moment, once they receive the report card, to sign the backside by the "Quarter 2" signature line and return it to ISM. By doing so, we have a signed record of parent receipt. Thank you!
: The ISM SSC is accepting nominations for two parent spots on the council. In short, the SSC is an elected group of teachers, parents, and classified employees, who work with the Director to develop, review, evaluate, and allocate funds for school improvement programs. Except for the director, council members must be chosen by their peer group. To that end, we will be holding elections the week of January 16th. If you are interested in joining the SSC as a parent representative, throw your hat into the ring by writing or emailing Mrs. Jahn (cjahn@ismonterey.org) by Wednesday, January 11th.
: Each year in advance of our first enrollment deadline, we open our "school room" doors to welcome families who are interested in ISM's unique internationally-oriented curriculum. This year we will be offering an annual Open House on Saturday, January 14th, 2006 from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. following our January Saturday work day. This is an opportunity for folks to have a chance to visit our campus, find out more about our curriculum, meet faculty and staff, and consequently, decide whether to apply to ISM by the first application deadline of Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 by 5:00 p.m. for the 2006-07 academic year. All applications for Grades Kindergarten through Grade 8* applications received between November 1st, 2005 and January 17th, 2006. Subsequent application deadlines are available on our calendar on our website.
*Please note that during the December 2005 ISM Board of Trustees meeting, the board members voted to maintain ISM as a K-8 school for the coming 2006-07 academic year. We will offer two classes per grade for grades Kindergarten - 5th** (**based on the rising 4th graders currently in two classes) and one class each for grades 6-8. Any questions regarding this board decision may be directed to Executive Director / Head of School Chrissie Jahn at cjahn@ismonterey.org .
: The winners of our student government elections, held the week of December 12th, are.....drum roll please: Kindergarten - 4th grade President - Miss Dakota Matthews, a third grader in Miss Sigman's class. The 5th-8th grade President, also recognized as our student body President, is 6th grader Iljin Cho. Receiving the second highest number of votes for the position of President was 8th grader Adrien Melac who will consequently serve in the role as Vice President. Congratulations to these students for their success and their willingness to serve in a leadership role on behalf of their classmates.
: As mentioned briefly above, the January work day is slated for January 14th, 2006 and a goal of the day's activities will be to spruce up the classrooms and campus in preparation for the Open House being held later that afternoon from 2 - 4:30 p.m. We welcome all levels of enthusiasm, support, and help; stop on by!
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