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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, November 6th - Friday, November 17th, 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.
Following the announced departure of two military families, the Wootens this coming Thursday and the Magedmans next Wednesday, we want to take a moment to wish them all the best in their respective relocations. We so appreciate the enthusiastic support and feedback that our uniformed services families provide to ISM. Best of luck to students Journi, DeAnthony, Thomas, Joseph, and Alicia. Keep in touch; we would love to hear from you once you reach your next posting!
With this news in mind, we would like to welcome two new students, Demar McMillan and Savana Charter, to our 8th grade class beginning today, Monday, November 6th. Both of these young ladies visited for the whole day last Monday and were very impressed with their warm welcome and with ISM, in general, and decided to join us for their 8th grade year. We are pleased to have them as part of our student body and welcome all of you to share that feeling with them when you see them!
Please note that the ISM library will serve as a Polling Site for the upcoming Consolidated Gubernatorial General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 7th, 2006. For the entire day from 7:00 a.m. until 9-10:00 p.m., the library will be unavailable for regular classroom library visits (specifically, Grades K (Turner) and 4 (St. Germain)), Grades 6-8 mentorship, as well as for the ASI program. ASI will be relocated to the multiuse room and the computer pod for that day only. We appreciate your flexibility as ISM supports citizenship and the voting process on November 7th. Remember to vote! Thank you.
: The ISM SSC is now accepting nominations for two open parent spots on the council. In short, the SSC is an elected group of teachers, parents, and classified employees who work with the Director / Head of School to develop, review, evaluate, and allocate funds for school improvement programs (SIP). Except for the director, each council member must be chosen by his or her peer group for a three-year term. To that end, we will be holding elections the week of December 12th with the position beginning with our first meeting in January 2007. If you are interested in joining Kenley Butler (father of 3rd grader Simon & Kindergartener Nora), Murali Tummala (father of 5th grader Neeli) and Kim Campbell (father of 6th grader Conor) as parent representatives, throw your hat into the ring by writing or emailing Mrs. Jahn (cjahn@ismonterey.org) by Friday, December 1st. Staff will be conducting a similar process to fill their one open spot, joining Barbara Peters (I.A. 5th grade), Caryn St. Germain (Grade 4) and Alicia Wharton (Grade 4).
We hope that many of you were able to stop by the campus on Tuesday afternoon, October 31st to witness first-hand the freakishly fun atmosphere of our annual Halloween Festival, complete with food and activity stations, costume and pumpkin carving contests (see results below in "Celebrating Success" section, item #7.), "tricked out" Trick-or-Trunk vehicles, and a middle-school dance. Naturally, there are key parent volunteers to whom we owe a huge shout of "Thanks!" They are: Carrie Jacobs who stepped up as a newbie this year to serve as overall event coordinator, taking the reins from the previous coordinator, Janice Barker, who continued to play a critical back-up organizing role. Without the efforts of these ladies, combined with the logistical and communication support of grade level room parents, this event would not / could not have flowed so seamlessly! Thank you as well to all of the parent volunteers who staffed the events and to the families who enthusiastically supported our call for healthy treats this year. As only one of four areas schools to receive a Healthy Eating Living Principle (H.E.L.P.) grant, we were thrilled to extend the goals of this program to our Halloween celebration as well! Except for a noticeable dip in temperature during the last 40 minutes of the event, making for shivering fairies, ghouls, witches, and the like, this year's Halloween Festival was flawlessly successful! We also encourage you to visit the following website maintained by parent and photographer Richard Herbert for more wonderful Halloween event photos: http://www.fathomsdeep.com/_ism/06_halloween/index.htm .
I wanted to thank the ISM community for its diligence in completing and returning the Federal Impact Aid Survey cards last October 26th. The response was impressive, although we did not quite achieve a 100 percent response rate from all parents / guardians; therefore, I will be sending out a second round of cards to those families from whom I did not receive a card on the original survey date. Assessing the documentation received to date last week, it does look like we have 10 percent or more of our community members who are "federally connected", meaning they live or work on federal property, which gives us the "green light" to proceed with the funding application process. I am hoping that additional members of the community who may not have yet responded will increase our eligibility numbers and thereby increase the potential amount of federal funding available to us. So, if you did not complete a card - on for each student -- on the above date, I will be forwarding out another card(s) this week. As requested initially, please complete both front and back sections of the card and return to the admin office immediately the next day. Again, thank you to those who completed this process in late October.
Wei Chang Photography was on campus Tuesday, October 24th and Wednesday, October 25th to capture individual and class photos. During those two days, we were fortunate to have sunny and mild weather during the outdoor photo shoots, assisting Wei in creating beautiful photographs. For those families who pre-ordered photo packets, we anticipate that you will be satisfied with your child's photos, due to arrive prior to the Thanksgiving break. However, should you be disappointed in the quality or composition of ordered photos, Wei Chang Photography guarantees its work and make-ups can be easily arranged at Wei's Lighthouse Avenue studio. Feel free to contact him following receipt of the ordered photos to discuss make-up details. As a reminder, all students had their pictures taken, regardless of whether parents ordered a picture packet or not as these photos will be used for the 2006-07 ISM yearbook.
September's Usborne Read-A-Thon was an amazingly successful event and although we were originally planning on holding an Usborne Book Fair this Fall, we wanted to offer students, parents, and teachers with a choice of titles that would not be available through Usborne. Additionally, the Read-A-Thon success also meant that we "tapped out" the breadth of choices we would have for an Usborne Book Fair. So.....mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 15th through Tuesday, November 21st to visit the ISM library which will be transformed into an exciting jungle-themed shopping experience! Bringing the Book Fair to reality again this year will be co-chairs Janice Barker and Yvette Satchell supported by such a dedicated team of library volunteers.
These Book Fair dates are arranged to coincide with the Fall Arts Evening scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 20th. This event celebrates "all things arts" on campus, led by Ms. Laura Allen (Music), Ms. Karen Welch (Art), and Ms. Sarah Benbow (Drama). All students will be participating on this night, so plan on joining us for another evening of student entertainment! The schedule is as follows: at 6:30 p.m., Ms. Laura Allen will rev things up with K-2 music performances, followed by intermission at 7:30 p.m. During that time, parents can enjoy Grade 3 - 5 art displays and meet / greet Art Instructor Ms. Karen Welch. Drama performances by our ever entertaining 6th - 8th graders under the direction of Ms. Sarah will round out the evening. Parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and neighbors are then invited to stop by the Book Fair to get an early start on holiday shopping. All proceeds from the Fair directly benefit the library as well as classrooms. Spread the word!
A. GRADES 3 - 5 HALLOWEEN DOOR DECORATING CONTEST WINNER: Tasked to spread the Halloween "spirit" and compete with their fellow 3rd - 5th grade classes, three classrooms took up the challenge: Mr. D's 3rd graders, and Mrs. St. Germain's and Miss Wharton's 4th graders. Although all the entries were unique in their design, use of color, texture, and holiday themes, the winning door entry was Mr. D's class for their unified design, which incorporated the theme of "health" by featuring a fresh and tasty "Spooky Salad", and ghosts participating in the "Just Run" program, just to name a few design elements. Congratulations to Mr. D's health-minded students!
B. K-5 AND 6-8 COSTUME CONTEST WINNERS: The competition was stiff, but here are the winning students: In K-5, the Scariest Costume winner was 5th Cristian Johnson, the Funniest Costume winner was 4th grader Riley Gaucher (a very clever Apple iPod), and the most Creative Costume winner was 2nd grader Alan Bedell. In Grades 6-8, 6th graders Raven Compagno and Cyrus Ruediger, and 7th grader Anna Welsh took top costume honors. Congratulations to these clever students and to all who took the time to develop a unique and fun costume this Halloween.
C. K-5 AND 6-8 PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST WINNERS: Two K-5 students walked away with awards for the pumpkin-carving contest; limited participation in the upper grades voided that competition. With his phenomenally entertaining "Regurgitating Pumpkin", 4th grader Jeffrey Edmonds, took first place, followed by 5th grader Alexis Olmo's "Baby" pumpkin. We had a super selection of pumpkins in this contest and appreciate all who participated.
D. ISM 3RD GRADERS SUCCESSFULLY COMPETES IN PEBBLE BEACH HORSE SHOW: Chase's mom, Shannon, writes: ISM 3rd grader Chace Simmons and her schooling horse, Fresh Paint (a.k.a., Trooper), competed yesterday, Sunday, November 5th, at the Pebble Beach Championships Stirrup Cup. This weekend's show was only Chase's second horse show; she entered four classes and placed very well in each! Her best score was Second Place in the Hunter/Hack class, followed by Third Place in the Walk/Trot Equitation and Equitation over poles classes. This is a big score for a little girl - as the youngest in the classes, she competed against adults as well as older youth riders. Way To Go, Chace!!
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.
A. AFTERSCHOOL INTERNATIONAL (ASI): Parents, please remember to mark your calendars for Student-led conferences on Wednesday, November 29th and to make appropriate childcare arrangements for this day. There will be no school for students on that day, nor will there be any scheduled ASI day camp offered. Please also see item #11 H below.
B. FRESH MEAL PROGRAM: In an effort to reduce the number of lunch menus received after the weekly Wednesday deadline (reminder menus are due the Wednesday prior to the upcoming full week to allow for adequate shopping time), Program Coordinator Lisa Wichael-Loomis, for the first time ever! returned late menus to ISM community members last week. Although this potentially irritated and inconvenienced those whose menus and money were returned, it did send out a clear signal that the meal program deadline does need to be respected, especially since we are now a school of nearly 340 students. In prior weeks this year, it was not unusual for 20-30 lunch menus to flow in after to the deadline, with the expectation that they would be incorporated into the following week's count. Please note: this accommodation will no longer be made and any menus/payments received after Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. will be returned. Feel free to make the necessary accommodations to the menu / check and resubmit orders for the following Wednesday. We hope that families will be understanding of this firm deadline, based on the sheer size of the school and the solitary staff member responsible for overseeing the fresh meal program. Thank you!
Should you have any questions or need any type of information at all about the Fresh Lunch program or the Afterschool International (ASI) programs, 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. GRADE 6: SPEDDING GEOLOGY / ARCHEOLOGY FIELD TRIPS - OCT. THROUGH NOV. 2006: Please note the upcoming Grade 6 archeology related field trips:, November 7th, 8:30 a.m. -3 p.m. (destination: Chateau Spedding, Carmel Valley); and Tuesday, November 14th, 11 a.m. -3 p.m. (destination: Capitola Beach).
B. GRADE 8: BRANDAU: CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO SAN JOSE TECH MUSEUM, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th, 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The 8th grade class, accompanied Mr. Brandau and Mr. Robby, will take to the road on Election Day to visit the San Jose Tech Museum. Highlights on the trip will be experiencing the Space Exploration Gallery and viewing the IMAX film,"Roving Mars." This trip supports their "Environment of the Universe" 8th grade science unit. The 8th grade class will be away from the ISM campus between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
C. BOTH GRADE 2 CLASSES: BAXTER / SWEENEY: CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO SEACLIFF STATE BEACH, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Related to their upcoming IPC units on "Dinosaurs" and "Rocks", both 2nd grade classes will explore the fossil remains on Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. Ms. Sweeney's class will depart promptly at 8:30 a.m. that morning, while Miss Baxter's class will take off later at 10:00 a.m. Both are expected back in the early afternoon. All students should bring a sack lunch on this day.
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A. STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION SPEECHES: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH Student Council Speeches will take place during the respective assemblies for Grades 3rd - 5th graders and 6th - 8th graders on Wednesday November 8th and Thursday November 9th, respectively. Students running for the Student Council position of President will be sharing their leadership and change ideas with fellow students. The student who comes in as the second runner up in the elections will take over the role of Student Council Vice President.
B. VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY - Friday, November 10TH
C. STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH One week following the CA Gubernatorial Election, ISM will hold Student Council Elections for 3rd - 8th graders; elections will be conducted during the students' lunch periods in the multi-use room. Election results will be announced at the respective 3-5 and 6-8 assemblies on Wednesday, November 15th and Thursday November 16th .
D. SPIKING DOLPHINS GEARING UP FOR PLAYOFFS: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH : The ISM adult co-ed volleyball team has a bye this week and are preparing for the playoffs on Tuesday, November 14th. With a 3:3 record, the team feels there is a fair chance they can repeat their championship performance of Spring 2003. Gooooo Dolphins!! >.
E. STUDENT COUNCIL K-2 MOVIE NIGHT: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 6:30 - 8:00 P.M. The student council would like to invite all K, 1st, and 2nd graders to a Movie Night on Friday, November 17th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the multi-use room; cost is $5.00 per student. Event Flyers and entry forms will be distributed on Wednesday, November 8th, and they will be due first thing the following Wednesday, November 15th by 9 a.m. Entry Forms and payment must be submitted on time for entry to the Movie Night. The next movie night is slated for Friday, December 1st from 6:30 - 8:15 p.m. for 3rd - 5th graders!
F. NEXT E-WASTE EVENT - Weekend of November 18th: 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!
G. FREE SATURDAY RUN GROUP - Saturday, November 18th, 9:00 a.m.: More and more ISM families continue to join Mr. Robby's free Saturday morning run program at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove! He is thrilled to help initiate new members to this supportive morning walk/run group! As a reminder, youngsters who participate in this Saturday morning running club are eligible to earn double "Just Run" points if they come with a parent. Once again, this group is open to all ISM families, staff, and friends interested in supporting one another's fitness goals through running. Come and help build a new tradition for our wonderful school!
H. STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - Wednesday, November 29th, ALL DAY! Instructors will be available by appointment on this day for student-led conferences. Please make specific arrangements with your child(ren)'s teacher(s) for a conference time. Per item #8A, please also make the necessary childcare arrangements as we will not be holding school that day.
I. FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING - Thursday, November 30th, 6:30 - 8 p.m., ISM library: 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 holiday celebrations, to Schoolwide evening concerts, and more! 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!
We are currently looking for volunteers to help ensure student safety during morning, lunch, and afternoon recess periods. If you happen to be on campus during these times or are looking for ways to fulfill your volunteer hours, please refer to the playground rule sheet that will be available in all classrooms. Preferably, we would like parents to volunteer at a set time each week. Please contact Michelle Pattawi at 899-9009 for more information or to sign up. Thank you!
J. NEXT SAT WORK DAY - Saturday, December 9th, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Due to staff illness and a Work Day the previous weekend, the November 4th work day did not take place. We apologize for any inconvenience to those families that may have shown up last Saturday as there was not a formal announcement that the Work Day was not being held.
Following the Thanksgiving Break, mark your calendars for 12/9/06 and come to the December Work Day. More details to follow on the pressing projects for that day. We are still interested in recruiting Chairpersons for this event to rotate responsibility throughout the months! Please contact Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns to discuss the possibility of "hosting" a Work Day; the support is much desired! Contact Lisa at lburns@ismonterey.org.
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A. CHESS FOR KIDS : The third session of ISM's Chess For Kids program is scheduled to start November 15th - January 17th, 2007, excluding Nov. 22, 29, and Jan. 10.. The program operates on Wednesdays from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. and registrations are being accepted for all skill levels for Session #3. Flyers for Lev Frenklakh's Chess class are always available in the front office and detail all 06-07 sessions. Full session fees are $60 per 5-week session and classes are now being held in Mr. Dvorak's Room #1. Chess participants accompany their classes down to the front lawn for afternoon pick-up and Mr. Lev will pick them up from there at approximately 3:40 p.m. Please make checks payable to "ISM" and submit 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 offers two levels of Chinese instruction : second year students on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. and beginning students on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, also at the same time. The cost for the November session (Nov. 2 -30) is either $10.00 per class, per student, payable per class or $80 per session. Registrations are still being accepted for this session! Flyers are also available on the credenza in the front admin office. Return registration forms and fees directly to the ISM office. Questions can be directed to Yu Chuen at 224-6470.
C. JEWELRY CLASSES OFFERED BY NICK TRACHSEL : Nick Trachsel's jewelry class has proven to be very success with Session #1 filling quickly and Session #2, which began October 24th also full! This Afterschool jewelry class is designed for students ages 9 and up as well as adults. It takes place on Tuesday afternoons from 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. in Sally Burns' Portable 2. Participants will need to be pre-registered prior to each session, so sign up now for Session #3; the cost is $90. Nick also generously donates fifteen percent of collected fees to ISM. 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 AT ISM: ISM's multiuse room continues to rumble on Monday afternoon, greeting the week with wholesome energy and good vibes! Currently, students are participating in Session #2 (Oct. 30th - Nov. 20th) at a cost of $40. Registration flyers are available in the admin office for future sessions. Class is held from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. and under the direction of Sensei Ikuyo Conant who is the founder of Shinsho Mugen Daiko in Monterey and the Artistic Director for Watsonville Taiko. She brings 14 years of Taiko experience to the International School of Monterey program! For any questions regarding this program, please direct them to Grade 4 instructor Caryn St. Germain at 583-2165, ext. 3126 or via email at cstgermain@ismonterey.org .
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! 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!
: Listed below are a few things desired by community members:
1) RECYCLED HALLOWEEN COSTUMES: Wondering what to do with your child's Halloween costumes from this and previous years? Are they clogging up precious storage space in your closets. Well, consider recycling them to the ISM Drama program. Miss Sarah would welcome any and all contributions of old costumes. Contact her at sbenbow@ismonterey.org for more information or to donate. Thank you!
2) ART SHIRTS NEEDED: Art instructor Karen Welch would appreciate donations of any old men's shirts for reuse in the art program as art smocks. Please forward any donations to the art room (located in multiuse room, first room on the left-hand side). Feel free to contact Karen at kwelch@ismonterey.org if you can assist.
3) STUDENTS WHO NEED A GOOD TUTOR: PRIVATE TUTORING LESSON OFFERED: CA Certified Teacher and ISM staff member, Miss Chantel Touryan, offers private tutoring lessons in all subjects for students in Grades K-5. Her specialization is in reading instruction. Her rates are: $30 per hour, discounts are available for multiple kids. Hours of availability are 4 - 8 p.m., weekdays, and 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on weekends. Contact Miss Touryan via her email at ctouryan@ismonterey.org for more information.
4) MEMBERS FOR A CRAFTER'S CLUB: Attention all knitters, cross-stitchers, croshayers, needle-pointers, embroiders, etc! ISM parent, Laura Costanza, would like to arrange a once a month meeting group for those crafty people who enjoy working with needle and thread. The purpose is to share ideas and projects, as well as to make a new friend or enjoy spending time with old friends, a good cup of java or tea, and nice conversation. The proposed meeting time is 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the new East Village coffee shop and cafe located in Monterey, previously Morgan's Coffee at 498 Washington St. If you are interested in forming a group or would like more information, please email Laura Costanza at laura@xp-media.net . Sounds like a great idea and a super stress-buster!
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