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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, October 23rd - Friday, November 3rd, 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.
We certainly hope the
break accorded everyone the chance to unwind and experience life at a
slightly slower pace. We love hearing where folks have traveled,so feel
free to share interesting travel stories! We are glad to be back and
are buckling up for the faster pace of life between now and the Winter
holiday, beginning Friday, December 22nd!
Wei Chang
Photography will be on campus TOMORROW (10/24) to take student and
class photos for Kindergartners through 3rd Graders.
For those families desiring to order a picture packet, most were
forwarded home prior to the break. If you did not receive one, please
check with your child's teacher or pick up an extra in the admin
office. We do need to receive the orders prior to your child's
picture day.
Photo shoots will begin each day at approximately 8:30ish, once Mr. Wei
and his assistant have completed their set up. On Tuesday, we will
begin with the Kinders and proceed by grades thereafter and on
Wednesday, the first classes to be processed will be Grade 4. Please
note that all students will have their picture taken, regardless of
whether parents order a picture packet as these photos will be
electronically available for use in the yearbook. Therefore, we ask
that all students wear uniform clothing
that is "photo-ready", meaning that they are clean, free of dirt or
stains, and the like. Generally, the navy-colored uniform clothing
tends to be better suited for photo-taking.
Weather permitting, we are hoping to shoot both the
class and individual photos outside, probably in the area of the ISM
garden. Mr. Wei Chang will return at a later date to shoot a whole
school photo.
This coming Thursday, October 26th, we will be sending home a short survey card to
all ISM families -- one per student -- related to the Federal
Impact Aid Program. Based on the data collected with these survey
cards, we are able to establish the number of students attending ISM
whose parents are "federally connected", meaning that they live or work
on federal property, such as the Defense Language Institute (DLI), the
former Fort Ord, La Mesa housing, and the Naval Postgraduate School
(NPS). This information is then reported to the federal government and
we receive funding for each student who is "federal connected".
To correctly implement this survey, it must be done on an established
survey date, which is Thursday,
October 26th and must be returned the following day. Please make note
of this and ask you child(ren) to forward the survey card(s) to you,
complete them, and forward them back to us by Friday, October
27th. We appreciate your support in this documentation
collection process as it directly contribute to fundraising goals.
As some of you may have noticed during the week prior to the break, we played host to
a nine-member accreditation team composed jointly of members from the
Council of International Schools (CIS) and Western Association of
Schools and Colleges (WASC). Throughout the 2005-06 academic year, ISM
staff had completed an intensive self-study report, which was available
to the team prior to their arrival. Once on campus, they then had the
opportunity to see first-hand our team in action, from classroom
instruction, curriculum planning, meal preparation, lunchroom
management, emergency and fire drill response, governance, fundraising,
etc. Through committee meetings with staff and interviews with parents,
the team members were able to further access our strengths as well as
identify areas for improvement, which were then incorporated into a
detailed report throughout the week. This report will be made available
to administrators later in the Fall/early Winter once the respective
organizations have reviewed it and agreed upon a joint accreditation
recommendation. All of the team members were a joy to have on campus,
really putting our staff at ease with their professionalism and
friendly manner. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, the accreditation
process has already been a rewarding one and will serve to further
strengthen the manner in which ISM serves its students.
We are currently confirming with the Usborne Books representative as to the
status of student-earned books relating to our successful Read-A-Thon.
Prior to the break, we had coordinated with her to order and organize
student books during the two-week hiatus so that they would be ready
for distribution early this week. We are hopeful that is the case. For
more information about Usborne Books, visit their website at
www.UsborneBooksmart.com
A. ISM STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE ISM HERMES:
7th Grade instructor Sandy Shephard reports: "Four students are working
on an ISM Newspaper, the ISM Hermes. The newspaper is named after the
mythological messenger of the gods, Hermes. Seventh graders Anna, Cobi,
Jared and Haley plan to publish their work each Monday and have it into
teachers boxes for Tuesday distribution. We will make enough copies for
grades 6-8, but to save paper, we have decided to give each teacher in
the lower grades one copy. Interested students and parents may then
request a copy from their child's teacher.
The students, cleverly, (and all on their own initiative I might add,
thanks to the newspaper SEM previously offered by 4th grade instructor
Caryn St. Germain ) are planning to create a web page for the
newspaper. Stay tuned for more information. Submissions to the
newspaper can be made via e-mail to ismhermes@gmail.com . This
is the preferred method of submission as students are on a tight time
schedule for typing and publication. I would personally like to commend
Anna, Cobi, Jared and Haley for their initiative and drive in producing
The ISM Hermes.
B. RATTLING AND ROLLING ON THE BIG ISLAND: While
vacationing on the Big Island of Hawaii last week, Executive Director
Chrissie Jahn as well as the Spooner / McLaurin family found themselves
rudely awoken early morning on October 15th by a 6.7 magnitude
earthquake. Both families were staying in condominiums near the town of
Kona at the time and fearing a tsunami following the sizable
earthquake, whose epicenter was just ten miles off the western coast of
Hawaii, they made quick headway to higher ground. Many aftershocks were
felt, including a 6.0 magnitude rumble just shortly after the initial
quake.
Luckily,
neither
group sustained any physical injuries, although other condiminiums in
the complex in which the Spooners were staying experienced serious
post-quake water and structural damage. One can imagine, however, that
a sizable earthquake such as this one does put a damper on one's
vacation, especially for younger children. We do have great news to
report that - six days later -- Ms. Jahn and her mother cheered on her
brother as he competed in his fourth consecutive Iron
Man Triathlon world championship competition -- a truly inspiring
experience!
Traditionally,
we will 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): ASI bills for
the month of October are now due for ASI parents. All payments were due
by Friday, October 6th. However, if payments were not
forwarded to the ASI Program Coordinator by this time, unpaid accounts
will incur the normal $5.00 per day late fee beginning today,
Monday, October 23rd. When making payments, please clearly mark on the
check's memo line what the payment is for and the student or students
to which it applies.
As a reminder, all payments for either the ASI or Fresh Meal programs
should be made payable to "ISM".
B. FRESH MEAL PROGRAM Lunch menus for November 2006
are now available and will be due this coming Wednesday,
October 25th for next week. Please remember all menus need to
have the student's name, dates marked, and money attached. Each month
several menus arrive without one, or more of these very important
things, which often results in the student missing out on their
favorite lunch. 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!
A. GRADE 6: SPEDDING GEOLOGY / ARCHEOLOGY FIELD TRIPS - OCT.
THROUGH NOV. 2006: Please note the upcoming Grade 6 archeology
related field trips: CANCELED FOR TOMORROW: Tuesday,
October 24th, 11 AM-3PM (destination: Jack's Peak/San Benancio);
Thursday, November 2nd, 11 AM-3PM (destination: Chateau Spedding,
Carmel Valley); Tuesday, November 7th, 8:30 AM-3PM (destination:
Chateau Spedding, Carmel Valley); Tuesday, November 14th, 11 AM-3PM
(destination: Capitola Beach).
B. KINDERGARTEN CLASSES: REIMER / MOORE (subbing for Ms.
Turner): CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO THE FARM: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26th, 10:45
a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ISM Kinders accompanied by Miss Kim, Miss
Anna, and substitute Miss Elaine will travel to The Farm in Salinas to
collect their own unique Halloween pumpkins and see what other items
are grown in the dirt. This trip is always a perennial favorite!
Students will depart at 10:45 a.m. and return to campus by
2:30 p.m.
C. BOTH GRADE 3 CLASSES: DVORAK / SIGMAN: BUS FIELDTRIP TO
PARTICIPATE IN "FARM DAY": THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26th, all day
Sponsored by the Monterey County Agricultural Education organization,
area students, to include ISM 3rd graders, are invited to the Farm Day
Experience held this coming Thursday at the Monterey County
Fairgrounds. Students will take part in numerous hands-on activities
that teach students about current agricultural practices and food
production.
D. GRADE 4: ST. GERMAIN: CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO
CENTURY CINEMA, DEL MONTE MALL: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27th, 12:00 noon - 3:20
p.m. Mrs. St. Germain's 4th grade class successfully filled
their Reward
Marble Jar and will be celebrating with an outing on Friday to the
Century Cinemas in Del Monte Mall. Students are effectively building
and maintaining a successful learning environment in their classroom
and are being rewarded with this outing. They will be leaving at
approximately 12 noon and will return by 3:20 p.m.
D. GRADE 8: BRANDAU: OVERNIGHT FIELDTRIP TO FREMONT PEAK STATE
PARK: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH TO SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28th, Departing Friday
by 12:00 p.m. and returning Saturday by 12:00 noon. As part of their
"Environment of the Universe" science unit, the 8th grade will embark
on an overnight field trip to Fremont Peak State Park on Friday, Oct
27th at 2 p.m. to return on Saturday Oct 28th by 12 p.m. Mr. Dave
Brandau and Mr. Robby Fabry will lead this hardy crew of young
astronomers as they gaze at the far away planets, stars, and galaxies
through the night with the expert guidance of the Fremont Peak
Observatory Association. This hardy crew will be tenting the night at
Doe Flat group camp sight in Fremont Peak State Park.
E. BOTH GRADE 2 CLASSES: BAXTER / SWEENEY: CARPOOL
FIELDTRIP TO BORCHARD FARMS, MONDAY, OCTOBER 30th, 8:45 a.m. - 12:15
p.m. To celebrate Halloween and explore a related IPC Science unit,
both Grade 2 classes will be traveling to Salinas to visit Borchard
Farms to pick out pumpkins. Students are asked to bring a sack lunch on
this day. Students will be departing at 8:45 a.m. and returning by
12:00 p.m.
F. GRADE 8: BRANDAU: CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO THE SAN
JOSE TECH MUSEUM, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The
8th grade class, along with Mr. Dave Brandau and Mr. Robby Fabry, will
take a field trip to the San Jose Tech Museum on Thursday, November 2nd
to experience the Space Exploration Gallery and view the IMAX film
"Roving Mars." This trip supports their "Environment of the Universe"
8th grade science unit. 8th grade Drama class will be canceled on this
day.
G. 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.
Our first SEM session is well underway and it's time to think about Session 2! The
next Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) session will be five weeks in
length, running from Friday, November 3rd to Friday, December
15th. SEM classes take place on Friday afternoons from 2:00
p.m. until 3:10 p.m.
We are interested in finding parent or community volunteers who can
make a commitment to present a workshop in their personal area of
expertise, hobby, or passion. We have student requests for sessions
centering on sports, hands-on science, computers, photography and
woodshop. We also have two eighth grade girls interested in teaching a
cheerleading SEM to second graders, who are in need of an adult
"assistant". The girls have promised that the class will be "very
safe". No cheerleading experience is required!
If you are willing to lead a SEM class, please forward the following
information to Carol Evans at
cevans@ismonterey.org
by Tuesday, October 24th: name, title of class,
desired grade range (from Grade 1 - 8), class limit, estimated
expenses, phone number, and email. A small budget is available for SEM
expenses; however we do ask that you estimate your proposed
expenditures when submitting a class proposal, and to request
reimbursement by the last session. Thank you!
A. FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING - Thursday, October 26th, 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!
B. FREE DRESS FRIDAY - Friday, October 27th, all day:
C. OCTOBER SAT WORK DAY - Saturday, October 28th, 9:30 a.m. -
1 p.m.: This October work day, due to the Fall break, will
take place on the fourth Saturday, not the second Saturday, of the
month. It will still serve as 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.
D. BIG SUR 5K, 10 MILER, AND HALF MARATHON - Sunday, October
29th, 7:00
a.m.: Mr. Robby would love to encourage community members to
join in on one of the Big Sur Marathon sponsored events this coming
Sunday. Choose either the Run Forrest Run 5K, the 10 mile walk, or the
half marathon! The 5K kicks off later at 9:00 a.m. from the
intersection of Wave and Irving Streets in Monterey, while the 10 miler
and half marathon get going earlier at 7:00 a.m. from the intersection
of Del Monte and Tyler Streets. Register online at www.bsim.org or call 625-6226 for
more information or to register.
E. HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION - Tuesday, October 31st, after lunch
at 1:30 p.m. Once again this year, the ISM campus will be
converted into a ghoulishly fun Halloween zone, complete with Halloween
costume and pumpkin carving contests, trick-or-trunking stops, seasonal
activities sure to bemuse and possibly, befuddle, and -hold the
presses- an emphasis on healthy snacks. As ISM has been chosen as a
pilot school for the HELP (Healthy Eating Lifestyle Principles)
program, we will be extending the notion of healthy eating to our
Halloween plans. Room parents have graciously agreed to help inform
fellow parents on the needs for the event, specifically healthy food
snacks (juices, fruit, vegetable quick breads, cheese and crackers,
etc.) and parent volunteer help to support Halloween activities! For
those planning on participating in the pumpkin-carving contest, please
drop off carved pumpkins -- labeled with student's first and last name
and grade - by 10 a.m. Start planning your costume and pumpkin
designs now, however!
F. FREE SATURDAY RUN GROUP - Saturday, November 4th, 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!
G. CONSOLIDATED GUBERNATORIAL GENERAL ELECTION -
Tuesday, November 7th, 7:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.: 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 that day, regular classroom library visits for Grades K
(Turner) and 4 (St. Germain), and Grades 6-8 will not be taking place.
In addition, the Afterschool International program may be relocated to
the multiuse room and the computer pod. Thank you.
H. STUDENT COUNCIL DANCE (GRADES 6-8): FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 9TH, 6:30 - 8:30 P.M. The student council would like to invite
all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade ISM students to a Halloween Dance on
Friday, November 3rd from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the Multi-Use room. More
details to come!
I. 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. CHESS FOR KIDS : The second session of ISM's
Chess For Kids program is scheduled for September 27th through
November 8th (no class October 11th and 18th) . The program
operates on Wednesdays from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. and late registrations are
still 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 held in Mr. Brandau's Grade 8 portable. 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 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 class or $70 per session. The September sessions
began last week; however registrations are still being accepted! 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, beginning October 24th
is already 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. 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 is once
again reverberating with the drum rhythms of Taiko drumming! The
program cost is $30 and 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!
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) DOCUMENT SCANNER: Tod Spedding, 6th grade teacher,
is looking for the use of a document scanner for converting paper
documents into .pdf files. This is not a flatbed scanner, but a new
piece of technology used by businesses going fully digital (as a
medical clinic might convert patient charts entirely to digital). The
ideal would be to use it on an ongoing basis, particularly for
converting handwritten student writing to .pdf format. Contact Tod at
tspedding@ismonterey.org
if you can assist.
2) SCIENCE NEEDS: Please help us to turn your
discards into treasures for our science classes. We are in need of used
science magazines: Natural History, Ranger Rick, and Smithsonian, to
name a few. (Teachers are especially asking for magazines with pictures
of many different kins of animals.) Our Bottle Rocket SEM team needs
used film canisters...as many as you can spare. The
Middle School also wants used golf balls and used tennis balls
(preferably not ones chewed by the family pet). We are also looking for
syringes (without needles) for lessons about air pressure. Additional
items desired: old scales, toy cars (similar to Matchbox cars), and
non-leaky aquariums. See Curriculum Coordinator Carol Evans if you can
help with any of these items.
3) Recycling of Printer Cartridges Yields Payoff: To
date, we have received over $700 through this innovative,
earth-friendly program! 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. New this year: we can also provide parents with
individual mailers for home use, so there is no need to bring
cartridges into the office. These empty cartridges that we - as a
community - typically throw away can be recycled and re-manufactured.
ISM then benefits by getting paid up to $4.00 for each empty ink jet
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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