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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 Tuesday, January 16th - Friday, January 26th, 2007! 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 Winter Break, we welcomed two new students in grades 1 and 8; 1st grader Jack Whilden, who joined his sister Kathleen, who was already enrolled as a Kinder in Miss Carrie's class, and 8th grader Lesley Chess. Jack benefited from a Grade 1 departure prior to the Winter Break and he was next on the Grade 1 waiting list. Meanwhile, Lesley transferred from San Diego to the Monterey Peninsula to join her sister currently studying at CSUMB and was able to immediately join ISM as we did not have any students on a waiting list for Grade 8. Welcome, Jack and Lesley!
On Friday, December 15th , we bade "adieu" to one of our favorite staff members, Miss Annalisa Moore, who left employment at ISM to pursue some very exciting overseas educational opportunities this Winter/Spring. We wish her the best of luck and have already received some newsy emails as to her exploits, which she is greatly enjoying.
We welcomed Miss Maren Dinsmore on Monday, January 8th as the new Kindergarten Instructional Aide assisting Miss Kim and Miss Carrie and their students. Following a mid-December recruitment effort, we are very pleased to have Maren join the staff as she was already greatly familiar with our curriculum, instructors, and student as an ISM parent of a Kindergartner. She is also currently pursuing her teaching credential with a specialization in the early grades. Welcome, Maren!
: For those of you who have not yet seen our "new and improved" library, please plan on stopping by to take a look! The industrious parent volunteers who donated their time last month during the December Saturday Work Day pulled out all the stops to complete a lengthy list of tasks, to include painting, organizing furniture, sprucing up bulletin boards, and shelving new books. All these efforts left our library clean, bright, and full of shelving. Please note that donations of used children's books and teaching materials are desired and can be dropped off in the blue metal cart stationed near the door to the library at any time. In light of the success with the library, we are still asking for donations of the following:
* Fabric Left-Overs: We are in need of large pieces of fabric that can be used for covering bulletin boards. The paper we have been using tends to fade and diminishes the attractiveness of the bulletin boards throughout the campus;
* Working TV's, VCR's and DVD's: If a new flat screen entertainment system is on your holiday list and Santa complies with your "wish list", we would appreciate a donation of one TV, VCR, or DVD in good working condition. Check with either Lisa Griffin Burns, Business Administrator or Carol Evans, Curriculum Coordinator, if interested in donating such equipment.
For this coming January Saturday Work Day, much of the volunteers' efforts will be focused on attending to projects in our south classroom pod, as well as last-minute sprucing up for the afternoon's Open House (See item #9 C below). Projects include: sanding and painting shelves for the literacy center; painting the hallway; reaffixing Formica to table tops; and putting up a giant world map one of the pod walls. We will also need help with redesigning bulletin boards, testing overhead projectors, sorting lost and found items, and possibly rehanging a coat rack for Miss Basu.
Saturday Work Days are a great way to satisfy required monthly volunteer hours, while meeting other community members and finalizing necessary site-related tasks. Curriculum Coordinator Carol Evans will oversee this month's event. When coming to any Saturday Work Day, please consider bringing useful tools, such as power drills, drill bits, hammers, pliers, nails, levels, painting tools, and, of course, your individual skills and senses of humor. We always have a good time on these days and all involved really feel a sense of accomplishment when the day is done.
A. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY PARADE A special thanks goes out to all who participated in yesterday's City of Seaside Parade held in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. Nearly seventy members of the ISM community proudly marched together in support of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all for which he stood. It was a beautiful sunny day and the ISM students showed such pride and respect as they sang the ISM school song while carrying our banner ever so diligently. It was truly a wonderful sight to see and such a special event for our students to experience. The parade has grown in size over the years and many unique community nonprofit organizations and local schools, of which ISM is both, were represented. Again, thank you all for sharing in this successful day!
B. KUDOS TO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS Grade 6 instructor, Tod Spedding, has been invited to serve as a presenter at the 2007 National Science Teachers Association Conference to be held in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, Grade 7 and 8 Language Arts and Social Studies instructor, Sandy Shephard, was selected to participate in the 2007 Program on International and Cross-Cultural Studies Education at Stanford University. Congratulations to these two outstanding educators!
: Our third SEM session will kick-off with great enthusiasm and excitement this Friday, after a brief hiatus for the Winter Break. We again have a fun array of classes available for all age groups, Grade 1 - 8, to explore for the first time or to revisit an interest area already cultivated. We would surely be unable to bring this unique curricular element to our students if we did not have the ongoing support of our parents and extended community, so thank you once again for contributing your talents, skills, and naturally, time to this program. The current session of SEM classes will be offered from Friday, January 19th to Friday, March 2nd from 2 - 3:10 p.m.. For further information regarding the SEM program, please contact Curriculum Coordinator Carol Evans at cevans@ismonterey.org. Thank you!
: In last month's newsbrief we mentioned that The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am organization has offered the ISM community an opportunity to volunteer during next month's premier golfing event, scheduled for Monday, February 5th - Sunday, February 11th, 2007.. In return for the volunteer help, the AT&T will pay ISM, rather than pay commercial drivers for the driving service. Specifically, volunteers are needed to drive mini vans back and forth from Fort Ord to Pebble Beach. The available shifts are:
* Saturday, February 10th from 7am - 5pm (10 hours) - 3 PEOPLE NEEDED
* Saturday, February 10th from 8am - 6pm (10 hours) - 8 PEOPLE NEEDED
* Sunday, February 11th from 7am - 5pm (10 hours) - 4 PEOPLE NEEDED
* Sunday, February 11th from 8am - 6pm (10 hours) - 4 PEOPLE NEEDED
At this writing, 19 ISM community members have signed up to drive for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am! Thank you so much to all of you who have committed to this volunteer effort! We do still need to recruit another 23 individuals for this effort, so check your schedule and see if you can take on one of the above listed days and times.
Parent volunteers will also receive ISM volunteer hour credit for any time donated to this event, to include travel time. Please note that parents, relatives, and friends can participate in this program on behalf of ISM. In addition, those individuals who may be financially challenged to contribute monies to the Family Fair Share program, this is an opportunity to help bring extra fundraising dollars to ISM. Please contact Coordinator Jennifer Stone at jenstone723@sbcglobal.net to let her know your interest and availability in volunteering for this program. We thank all of you in advance!
Starting last month, fresh lunch menus became available on our ISM website at www.ismonterey.org/lunchASI.html. This is a great resource for families who have a challenging time picking up forms from school or receiving information via their child(ren). Please remember that lunch orders for next week are due by tomorrow Wednesday, January 17th. Please submit orders directly to Coordinator Lisa Wichael-Loomis' box. Thank you!
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A. GRADE 7: SHEPHARD & 8: BRANDAU: WHALE WATCHING FIELDTRIP, TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The 7th and 8th graders will be going on a Whale Watching Boat science field trip on Tuesday, January 23rd. Staff and students will be away from campus for the entire school day from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Mr. David Brandau, Ms. Sandy Shephard, and Mr. Robby Fabry will be leading the 7th and 8th graders on this science field trip.
B. GRADE 6: SPEDDING: CARPOOL FIELDTRIP TO THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN SAN JOSE, TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The sixth grade is off to the Egyptian Museum in San Jose on Tuesday, January 23rd, departing at 10:00 a.m., returning by 4:00 p.m. The trip is in support of their current unit on "Ancient Egypt". Mr. Robby will also be taking part in this fieldtrip.
C. GRADE 4: WHARTON: GOLD RUSH FIELDTRIP TO COLUMBIA STATE PARK & SUTTER CREEK GOLD MINE - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST to FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND For their IPC unit on Migration, the fourth graders are focusing on the California Gold Rush and the related migration impact. Miss Wharton's class will be departing Thursday morning bright and early at 7:00 a.m. and is expected to return by 5:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
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A. GALA ART PROJECT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Parents and Teachers are invited to discuss and select art projects for the upcoming ISM Foundation Spring GALA scheduled for Saturday, April 15th. Tomorrow's meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. in the ART Room, located in the multiuse room (1st classroom on the left side of the building).
B. "INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE LEARNING & SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AT ISM" PRESENTATION BY PAMELA MOTOIKE, ISM PARENT AND CSUMB ASST. PROFESSOR OF SERVICE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 4 - 5:15 P.M.: Please join Professor Motoike for a presentation on Service Learning and how this method of teaching, learning, and reflecting can be incorporated into ISM's academic classroom curriculum, which would require "meaningful youth service" throughout the Monterey Peninsula community. Presentation will be held in Mrs. Sally Burns' portable, Portable 2. Healthy snacks will be available. Please inform Curriculum Coordinator Carol Evans of your attendance by Wednesday, January 17th.
C. SATURDAY JUST RUN WITH MR. ROBBY: SATURDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 9:00 a.m. AT LOVERS POINT: Mr. Robby is continuing to host the Saturday morning Just Run group every Saturday, so brave the cold and join fellow ISM'ers to maintain your New Year's resolution to be more fit. Mr. Robby is also training for a marathon and Saturday morning runners will help to support him in this challenging goal.
D. JANUARY SAT WORK DAY: SATURDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.:
E. OPEN HOUSE FOR INCOMING 2007-08 STUDENTS: SATURDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., multiuse room: Prospective ISM students and their families are invited to stop by the ISM campus this coming Saturday to view a brief presentation of ISM's challenging, internationally-focused curriculum, pick up registration materials (see Item #E below) in advance of the first registration deadline for the coming academic year, chat with administrative and classroom staff, as well as tour the campus. This is the only Open House event scheduled for the 2007-08 registration period, so plan on attending or extend the invitation to interested family members, neighbors, or colleagues.
F.
Several Middle School parents recently have stopped by the office with questions regarding their child's choices for high school. Most of the interest centers on Monterey High School and its MAOS Program, Marina High School, and Seaside High School. Eighth grade students will have opportunities to visit or to share presentations with all three schools. The first on the line-up is Monterey High's MAOS program. We will post here in the newsbrief other high school presentations as they are finalized.
1. MONTEREY HIGH SCHOOL/MONTEREY ACADEMY OF OCEANOGRAPHIC SCIENCE (MAOS): MONDAY, JANUARY 22ND, 6:30 p.m.: The first presentation with Monterey High Schools' Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science takes place at ISM on Monday, January 22nd at 6:30 p.m. All middle school parents and their students are invited to attend this informative session.
2. YORK SCHOOL: ADMISSION 101: THURSDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: Additionally, those community members interested in becoming informed of the private school options available on the Peninsula can stop by York School this Thursday to find out about that school's admissions process, financial aid, curriculum, athletics, life on campus, and college preparation. No RSVP necessary and everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Catha Smith, Director of Admission and Financial Aide at 372-7338 extension 115.
G. ENROLLMENT WINDOW #1 DEADLINE FOR 2007-08: TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 5:00 p.m.: This is the deadline for individuals to submit applications for the 2007-08 academic year and to be eligible to participate in the associated lottery process on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007. Any applications received after January 23rd will be applied to the second enrollment window. Letters of notification following the lottery will be distributed by Monday, February 12th.
H. GRADES 4 & 5 SPELLING BEE During the Grade 3-5 morning assembly on January 24th, eligible 4th and 5th graders will compete in an oral competition to determine two finalists and two alternates who will go on to represent ISM in the County Spelling Bee.
I. FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING: THURSDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 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!
J. FREE DRESS & PIZZA LUNCH FRIDAY: FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH:
K. ISM SKIING & SNOWBOARDING ADVENTURE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH - SUNDAY, JANUARY 28TH: CANCELLED DUE TO LOW ENROLLMENT! Unfortunately, as of today (1/16/07), the ISM ski trip has been officially cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. This trip was coordinated in conjunction with the Defense Language Institute travel agency and we needed a minimum of 50 registrants for the trip to be a "go"; only 32 people had signed up as of last Friday afternoon. Further checking the academic status of each student to determine eligibility also reduced the total number able to go due to outstanding assignments or low grades. Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns will be returning all ski trip checks, as they were purposely not deposited last week, to all families who submitted payment. We thank Ms. Livingston for organizing and coordinating all of the details of the trip and those community members who expressed enthusiasm and interest in the trip. We are hopeful that a similar trip received to date for this fieldtrip For more information, email her at jlivingston@ismonterey.org.
L. MIDDLE SCHOOL (GRADES 6 - 8) MASQUERADE DANCE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH FROM 6:30 - 8:30 P.M., ISM MULTIUSE ROOM
: A gentle reminder to parents participating in Afterschool programming at ISM - for the Chess, Chinese, and Jewelry classes in which registrations and checks are collected in the admin office, please only submit payment attached to a registration form. We will not longer accept payment without registration forms. It is too easy to misplace payments received in this manner and we are unable to efficiently track important payment information without a relevant registration form. Thank you for your support. Please do not hesitate to contact Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns for more information regarding this registration policy.
A. CHESS FOR KIDS : The third session of ISM's Chess For Kids program is currently winding down with this Wednesday as the last day of the session; however, registrations are still being accepted for Session #4 from Wednesday, January 24th - February 21st, 2007. The program is offered on Wednesdays from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Flyers are always available in the front office and detail all 06-07 sessions. Full session fees are $60 per each 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. INTRO TO PIANO AT ISM WITH KATHERINE SAGE: THIS IS A NEW OFFERING!: By popular request, Katherine Sage is offering group piano instruction for beginning learners, ages 7 and up. The first session was to begin last Wednesday, January 10th at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. The registration fee is $160 per session due before the start of class. Please complete a piano registration flyer, available on the information credenza in the admin office, include a check made payable to "Katherine Sage, and forward them both to Katherine directly in the music room on Monday, Wednesday, or Fridays between 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. The registration fee includes information sheets and starter books at the first class. The maximum enrollment for this new class is limited to 20 students, so sign up early!
C. JEWELRY CLASSES OFFERED BY NICK TRACHSEL : Nick Trachsel's third session, January 16th - March 6th, 2007, of his popular 8-week long jewelry class will kick off this afternoon! At this time, the class is full and we are no longer accepting any further registration for Session #3; however, registrations are still being accepted for Session #4, which runs from Tuesday, April 10th - Tuesday, May 29th at a cost of $90. This Afterschool jewelry class is designed for students ages 9 and up as well as adults. It is held on Tuesday afternoons from 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. in Sally Burns' Portable 2. 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. 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. Students will learn simple Chinese characters and everyday phrases, sing Chinese songs, learn Chinese folk dance, as well as play games in Chinese. The cost for the January 2007 session (January 8, 11, 18, 22, 25 and 29) is either $10 per class, per student, payable per class or $60 per session. In addition, a February session is also slated for February 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 22 and 26 at a cost of $10 per class or $70 per session for each student. Flyers are always available on the credenza in the front admin office. Please return registration forms and fees directly to the ISM office. Questions can be directed to Yu Chuen at 224-6470 or www.mandarinorange.org/index.htm . Space is limited to 10 students per class.
E. TAIKO DRUMMING AT ISM: ISM's multiuse room continues to rumble on Monday afternoon, greeting the week with wholesome energy and good vibes! 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 .
F. 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) CARPOOL ASSISTANCE REQUESTED: One of our hard-working mothers, Ms. Erin West, is requesting carpool assistance for her 1st grader, Damon. She is currently juggling multiple responsibilities of mothering a newborn, in addition to Damon, as well as pursuing her education in Santa Cruz, so we are eager to find a willing carpool resource for her to give her some transportation relief. If any ISM community members who live in Marina are able to help with this carpooling situation, please contact Erin directly at 883-9931 (home), 594-0616 (cell) or via email at erinwest@ucsc.edu. Erin and Damon live in Preston Park in Marina and their address is 668 Horn Court, Marina. Also feel free to mention interest in helping to either Administrative Assistant Karen Kushel or Business Administrator Lisa Griffin Burns during your next visit to the Admin office.
2) RECYCLED PRINTER CARTRIDGES: To date, this program has been extremely successful, so we definitely encourage the ISM community to continue to support it by turning in your used printer cartridges to the front office. The monies we receive from this program help to offset office products purchasing, which directly supports student learning through availability of photocopy paper, toner, etc. So, please spread the word to family members, colleagues, neighbors, and forward your used cartridges to us! 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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