| | | The 2007-08 calendar is now available on our ISM website at website. Click the link to view. | |
Welcome to ISM's 2007-08 monthly newsletter covering Wednesday, January 16th - Friday, February 1st, 2008! The ISM news brief will be updated monthly and available to ISM families on our website at their convenience, unless otherwise noted. To request hardcopy notification, please contact Business Administrator / Newsbrief Editor Lisa Griffin Burns at 583-2165 or email at lburns@ismonterey.org. To submit Newsbrief contributions, please forward contributions per email by the Wednesday prior to the publication date. On your subject line, please clearly indicate "Newsbrief contribution" and subject area, such as "Celebrating Success" or "Family Association". Thank you!
Please note: Past newsletters can be found here.
Effective last Monday, January 7th, Lou Perske, ISM's new Executive Director, has officially begun his work as head of operations at ISM. Mr. Perske is not a newcomer to this area as he began his teaching career locally in Los Gatos in 1973 and has also maintained a vacation home in Pajaro Dunes over the years, enjoying the beautiful Monterey Peninsula area when possible.
Although Mr. Perske began his early teaching career in California, he has served primarily abroad, working at seven American / international schools in seven different countries, including stints as Director of the American School of Kinshasa, Zaire and the American International School of Genoa, Italy. Most recently, Mr. Perske served for ten years as the President of the American College of Sofia (ACS), Bulgaria, a fully certified IB (International Baccalaureate) World School and international high school providing a rigorous academic program. During his tenure, ACS earned full accreditation status from the Middle Schools Association of Colleges and Schools, so he is very well versed in the process of gaining accreditation, which will be critical as ISM pursues joint accreditation by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Mr. Perske also holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from UCLA and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Mr. Perske is excited about being here at ISM and his philosophy is that "Kids come first in all decisions." He will be setting high expectations for all of us -- staff, students, and parents -- and he will be fully supporting us in meeting those goals. Together with support from Associate Head of School Larry Cummins, who will continue to oversee day-to-day school operations, Mr. Perske will be assuming school / district superintendent responsibilities as well as continuing to highlight ISM successes in the greater local and international community. Mr. Perske can be reached via his ISM email at lperske@ismonterey.org. Welcome, Lou Perske!
Another "new" face reappeared last Monday, January 7th as Dr. Neli Volante, ISM's full-time Counselor, returned to work following a leave of absence since the beginning of the school year. Dr. Volante is overjoyed to be back on campus and resuming her responsibilities as ISM's Counselor. She joined forces last week and this week with part-time, interim Counselor Andre delaTorre, who has provided invaluable counseling services in Dr. Volante's absence so far this year. Mr. dela Torre is working until this coming Friday, January 18th to ensure a smooth transition of counseling services following Dr. Volante's return to work. We thank Mr. dela Torre tremendously for his willingNess to assist us part-time this year, as he has done a fabulous job, especially given the challenge of working short term in a brand new school with all new students. Thank you, Andre and welcome back, Neli! As a reminder, Dr. Volante can be reached at nvolante@ismonterey.org.
During the Winter Break, we had a bit of movement among some of our students. As a result, we sadly say "adios" to the following students who have transferRed to other area schools: Asha Johnston (Grade 1), Zoee Johnston (Grade 4), Billy Wrighton (Grade 5), and Jeremy Ahner and Dante Gyant (Grade 6). We wish all of these students and their families the best of luck at their new schools. Thank you for being a part of ISM!
As we are fortunate to have lengthy waiting lists at most of our grades, we have successfully filled these openings and are pleased to welcome the following new students who have either joined us over the past week or will be joining us the beginning of next week. They are:
* Samuel Li -- who will be joining Miss Danae's 1st grade class at the beginning of next week;
* Misha Offenbacher -- who is now in Ms. Arnow's 4th grade class;
* Kennedy Parker -- who has joined Mr. Riquelme's 5th grade class;
* Marcus Eriksson -- who has joined Ms. Fogle's 6th grade class; and
* Kenneth Parker -- sibling of Kennedy, who is now in Mrs. Shephard's 7th grade class.
Welcome to all of these students and their families! We hope that this mid-year transition to ISM goes smoothly. We wanted to remind all community members, in addition to our new families, that we do generally have an "open door" policy and invite you to outreach to your child's teacher(s), ISM's Counselor, Neli Volante, or any front office administrator should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, the curriculum, or the school itself.
Thank you to all who have participated in the ISM strategic planning process over the past 15 months by attending meetings, sending emails, and completing surveys. Your input and the hard work of those who have served as members of the various planning teams have us very close to adopting a plan that will effectively guide our school in the years to come. The attached draft, which should be very close to final, reflects the broad and thoughtful input that we have received.
The Board plans to approve the 2008-2012 Strategic Plan at its January 26th, 2008 annual retreat. Before that, we invite all members of the ISM Community to take advantage of two further opportunities for input and final refinement of the plan: (1) read the current draft (attached) and email any feedback that you have to strategic@ismonterey.org no later than Sunday, January 20th, 2008; (2) attend the Board's monthly meeting on Monday, January 21st, 2008 to provide input on the strategic plan during the designated time.
The real power of a strategic plan comes in its implementation. If you see 2008 priorities in the plan to which you would like to apply your energy and expertise, please email your interests to strategic@ismonterey.org as well. Thanks for all you do to make our school great!
Last month, on Monday, December 10th, the International School of Monterey, led by Board of Trustees Chair Prashant Gupta, held a parent/guardian meeting in the multiuse room. The following items were discussed: "recent successes; positive initiatives currently in progress including strategic planning; the 2007-2008 school leadership team; progress toward a sustainable financial business model, and the Family Fair Share campaign." Meetings of this nature represent a critical component of communication among the entire school community and as such attendance is specifically included in the Parent Participation Agreement that parents signed at the beginning of the school year.
For those parents / guardians who did not attend the December meeting, please plan on attending one of three make-up dates scheduled for:
* Monday, January 28th at 6:30 p.m., ISM multiuse room; or
* Wednesday, January 30th at 3:20 p.m. -- Meet in front of the ISM multiuse room; or
* Saturday, February 2nd at 12 Noon, ISM multiuse room.
At your earliest convenience, please choose one of the above dates to attend and respond via e-mail with your choice to ISM Foundation Chair, John Tilley, at jtilley@ismonterey.org Each of these meetings will include a replay of the December Mandatory Meeting via a DVD recording. Your attendance is appreciated and required. Thank you!
For those of you who did attend the December 10th meeting and have requested a copy of the transcript so that you can review and
share the message with fellow ISM community members, we have posted it on the ISMonterey.org homepage for easy reference. The link to this document is Parent/Guardian meeting transcript.
We are extremely pleased to announce that a total of 70 students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades qualified for Honor Roll at the conclusion of Trimester 1! As our current enrollment in these three grades is currently at 99 students, we are thrilled that nearly 71 percent of our middle school students is performing at such a high level. The breakdown is as follows:
* 37 6th graders earned High Honors (13 students), Honors (16 students), or Honorable Mention (8 students), which equates to 75.5 percent of the currently enrolled 6th graders;
* 17 7th graders earned High Honors (6 students), Honors (5 students), or Honorable Mention (6 students), which equates to 68 percent of the currently enrolled 7th graders; and
* * 16 8th graders earned High Honors (7 students), Honors (5 students), or Honorable Mention (4 students), which equates to 64 percent of currently enrolled 8th graders.
We are very proud of all these students and their determination to achieve academic excellence.
I wanted to thank the fifteen parents who participated in the Saturday Work Day last Saturday as well as the half dozen or more parents who served as information resources / hosts for the afternoon Open House event. The day was a success overall -- from accomplishing the myriad of tasks to ready the campus for Open House visitors, to include campus-wide trash pickup, sweeping of walkways, ensuring cleanliness and attractiveness of common areas (pod / pod hallways / library / multiuse room), removing larger debris to the dump, deep cleaning of the restrooms, as well as setting up for the event to having Family Association / parent volunteer support to provide Open House refreshments, assistance with visitors' questions in the multiuse room and especially in Kindergarten, as well as support at the application table. For all of you who took the time to provide volunteer support on Saturday, your efforts were valuable and once again, highlighted the amazing parent community that we are fortunate to have. Thank you!
Fifth grader Sunny Yan, son of Peter Yan and Shiela Sun, will be representing ISM at the 2008 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Charity Shoot-Out Qualifier this Saturday, January 19th, 2008 at Pebble Beach's Peter Hay Golf Course from 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.! There are 76 participants representing various nonprofit organizations. This qualifier will determine which four organizations will be represented in the Charity Shoot-Out to be held on Tuesday, February 5th. Please come out and cheer for Sunny this Saturday!
Through the efforts of 8th grade teacher David Brandau and P.E. instructor Robby Fabry, we are very pleased to announce that the fledgling ISM afterschool boys' basketball team will be competing against two area schools next month. Participating students practice every Wednesday and Friday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. under the direction of Dave Brandau. Energizing their "game" is the anticipation of playing against Santa Catalina's Lower School on Thursday, February 7th as well as Junipero Serra on Tuesday, February 26th. Game times for both these games are still being finalized for either 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. each day. Adviser Dave Brandau is still hoping to schedule one to two more games next month, with the Junipero Serra game most likely being the last game for the season. Next year's goal is for the boys' team, and possibly a girls team, to join a league for more practicing and competition opportunities. Congrats to all who have made this happen!
Please note that coming up next month, we have an early release day scheduled for Thursday, February 14th in which students will be released at 11:30 a.m. In addition, on the following day, Friday, February 15th, school will not be in session as our staff will be taking part in Professional Development training. A representative from First Steps will once again be on campus to continue staff training in this Language Arts curriculum, which we currently implement. This follows on the heels of a full day First Steps training provided earlier in the school year on Friday, October 5th.
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A. GRADE 4: ARNOW: TRIP TO THE PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT, TUESDAY, JANUARY 22ND, 8:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. As part of their current unit on Geology, Ms. Arnow's 4th grade class will visit the Pinnacles National Monument on Tuesday, January 22nd. The outing will include a hiking tour with a park ranger to explore landforms and ecosystems of the Pinnacles, including (weather permitting) an actual cave visit. There is no charge for this fieldtrip; however, we ask that participating students and their families consider making a donation to the National Parks Conservation Association. Students should plan on bringing a backpack with: a sack lunch, water bottle, sunscreen, 2-3 pencils, a flashlight or headlamp, warm and waterproof layers in case of cold or rain, and sturdy shoes. For any questions, please contact Ms. Arnow via email at larnow@ismonterey.org larnow@ismonterey.org.
B. GRADE 7 & 8: SHEPHARD & BRANDAU: CARPOOL TRIP TO SAN JOSE TECH MUSEUM / BODYWORLDS EXHIBIT, (Revised Date) THURSDAY, JANUARY 24TH, 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. On Thursday, January 24th, the 7th and 8th graders led by Sandy Shephard and Dave Brandau will spend the day at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation. For the 8th graders, this fieldtrip will support their recently completed science unit on Astronomy; and for the 7th graders, this field trip will support their upcoming Human Body Systems science unit. Students and chaperones will also have the option to view the rather amazing "BodyWorlds 2 & The Three Pound Gem—Gunther von Hagens’ Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies " exhibit, soon to depart from the Tech Museum on January 26th. Students and chaperones will depart campus at 8:00 a.m. and return to ISM by 4:30 p.m. on this day. Students are asked to either bring a sack lunch or money to buy lunch at the Tech museum cafe.
C. GRADE 3: BROWN & MILLS: TRIP TO POINT LOBOS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. Both 3rd grade classes will be venturing to Point Lobos late next month in connection with their IPC "History of Fishing" unit. In addition to exploring the beauty of Point Lobos, students will see the extremely interesting Whalers Cabin Museum, which overlooks Whalers Cove and Carmel Bay, just as it has for over 140 years. Students will gain further insight and understanding as the whaling industry and the impact that the Rumsien / Ohlone tribes as well as the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Sicilian fishermen have had on the Monterey Peninsula. Students will leave at 9:00 a.m. and return to school by 3:00 p.m.
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A. FRIDAY, JANUARY 18TH: 6-8 WINTER DANCE, 6:00 - 8:30 P.M., MULTIUSE ROOM
The ISM Student Council will be hosting a Winter Dance this coming Friday, January 18th from 6 - 8:30 p.m. in the multiuse room. The event is open to all ISM students in grades 6 - 8 and the fee is $5.00 per student and guests are allowed. As with all evening dances, this event will be chaperoned by a combination of ISM staff and parent chaperones. For this dance, parents Elizabeth Hutchins, mother of Victoria, and Patrick Tregenza, father of Harry, will be assisting Mr. Robby and Ms. Fogle with chaperoning duties. A photographer will also be on-hand to capture the special moments for a fee of $3.00 per picture. Student council members will be responsible for set-up and decorations, checking in students at the door, and assisting with post-event clean-up. Sorry, no guest participants allowed for this dance.
B. MONDAY, JANUARY 21ST: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY Federal Holiday // No School
C. MONDAY, JANUARY 21ST: MONTHLY ISM BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING AT 7:00 P.M.
The ISM Board meets the third Monday of every month, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with roll call and closed session, with the exception of certain holidays. The public session begins each meeting at 7:00 p.m., so plan on participating to stay current on Board planning and decisions. Due to the Presidents' Day holiday, the February 2008 Board meeting will be held on Monday, February 25th. See you there!
D. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22ND AT 5:00 P.M.: ENROLLMENT WINDOW #1 DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR 2008-09 SCHOOL YEAR
For those individuals interested in applying for the 2008-09 academic year, either as first-time applicants or as repeat applicants (currently on our 2007-08 waiting list), the deadline to do so is next week on Tuesday, January 22nd at 5:00. All applications received by this deadline will qualify to be included in the Enrollment Window #1 lottery, which will take place on Monday, February 4th at 5:00 p.m. The lottery process determines placement in our school, based on the available openings for next year, as well as numerical waiting list positions. The lottery is a public lottery, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with Grade 8 openings drawn first. The process moves in reverse grade order ending with Kindergarden at the end of the lottery.
E. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 6:30 - 7:30 P.M.: MONTEREY ACADEMY OF OCEANOGRAPHIC SCIENCES (MAOS) INFORMATION EVENING, ISM MULTIUSE ROOM
All interested members of the ISM community who would like to know more about Monterey High School's MAOS (Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Sciences) program and the related application process are invited to join us for an Information Night on Wednesday, January 23rd from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the multiuse room. The presentation will consist of several members of the MAOS organization and they will conduct a 20-30 minute presentation followed by a question and answer session at the end. We specifically encourage interested 7th and 8th grade families to attend.
F. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23RD: HOT LUNCH REGISTRATION FEES DUE FOR FEBRUARY HOT LUNCH
G. FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH: FREE DRESS FRIDAY // PIZZA HOT LUNCH BENEFITING GRADE 1
H. FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH - SUNDAY, JANUARY 27TH: ISM SKI AND
SNOWBOARDING ADVENTURE
This popular weekend activity is open to all students (and their families) in Grades 5 through 8. Participating students must be in good academic standing and be maintaining a "C" average at the evaluation date of Wednesday, January 16th or they are ineligible for the trip. P.E. instructor Robby Fabry will be communicating final trip details to families re: student eligibility, boot fittings, etc. He can be reached at rfabry@ismonterey.org.
I. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31ST: FAMILY ASSOCIATION MEETING, ISM LIBRARY, 6:30 P.M.
J. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST: CHARTWELL SCHOOL'S VALENTINE DANCE, OPEN TO ISM STUDENTS, CHARTWELL'S MCMAHON HALL (FORMER FORT ORD), 6:00 - 8:30 P.M. This dance is open to Chartwell School students, ISM students, Junipero Serra School students and their designated guests. The admission fee is $5.00 at the door and "DJ Freddy" from DNA DJs will be spinning the age-appropriate tunes. Chartwell School faculty will chaperone the dance and they ask that parents please pick up their children no later than 8:45 p.m. Please note that dress code restrictions include no bare shoulders, exposed midriffs, ripped or torn clothing or visible undergarments. Skirts and dresses should be of a tasteful length and boys' pants should secure at the waist, not lower. The McMahon Hall is located at 2511 Numa-Watson Road (on the former Fort Ord).
K. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH AT 5:00 P.M.: PUBLIC LOTTERY #1 FOR 2008-09 SCHOOL YEAR The Enrollment Window #1 lottery, for all applications received between November 1st, 2007 and January 22, 2008 for the 2008-09 will take place on Monday, February 4th at 5:00 p.m. The lottery process determines placement in our school, based on the available openings per grade for next year, as well as numerical waiting list positions. The lottery is a public lottery, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with Grade 8 openings drawn first. The process moves in reverse grade order ending with Kindergarten taking place at the end of the lottery process.
L. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH: SATURDAY WORK DAY, 9:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Join us for the February Saturday Work Day, bring your tools, brooms, garden rakes, cleaning supplies, and a great attitude and help us tackle some projects around the campus! Your help is invaluable!
M. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH: STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY See item #7 above for details.
N. THURSDAY, APRIL 12TH: WORLD NEIGHBORHOOD GALA, HYATT HOTEL, 6:00 P.M. This year's World Neighborhood Gala will be held at the Monterey Hyatt Hotel with a reception starting at 6:00 p.m. As in year's past, the event will also include a silent and live auction. After the exciting live auction, attendees may enjoy dancing the night away to the smooth sounds of the Mike Marotta Band. Tickets are $100 per person and invitations will be mailed out in the next few weeks.
 : A gentle reminder to parents participating in Afterschool programming at ISM, specifically Chess, Chinese, Jewelry, and now Soccer classes. Payment can be made to "ISM" and checks MUST be accompanied by a registration form! We will no longer accept payment without registration forms. Thank you for your support!
A. CHESS FOR KIDS : Lev Frenklakh, a longtime Chess instructor at ISM, is currently offering Chess instruction on Wednesday afternoons from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. in Room #1. The current Winter/Spring 2008 session #1 begins Wednesday, January 16th and continues through February 13th . We are still accepting registrations for this session and the fees are: $75 per session or $195 if registering for all three Winter/Spring sessions. The upcoming sessions are:
* #2 - February 20th through April 2nd, excluding Spring Break dates of March 19th and 26th;
* #3 - April 9th through May 7th
Please note that chess participants must accompany their classes down to the front lawn for afternoon pick-up and Mr. Lev will collect them from there at approximately 3:40 p.m. Lev generously donates fifteen percent of session fees to ISM. For further information or to learn more about Winter/Spring 2008 session dates, contact Lev at 384-1116 or by email at Belquest51@yahoo.com.
B. FIRST TEE PROGRAM: The First Tee of Monterey County and ISM are pleased to announce the continuation of the new Golf and Life Skills class! All ISM students ages 7 years and older are eligible for this class, which is held at the Laguna Seca Golf course on Tuesday afternoons from 3:45 - 5:15 p.m. These golf classes are FREE, based upon paying a $35 First Tee (TFT) membership fee. All members receive a hat and t-shirt as well as discounted green fees and range balls at Twin Creeks Golf Course, located in Salinas. To sign up for the 2007-08 school year, complete a "Membership Application" form available on the information credenza in the front office or with ASI Program Coordinator Lisa Wichael-Loomis at lwloomis@ismonterey.org . Please note that parents are responsible for arranging transportation to Laguna Seca; ISM will not be providing transportation!
C. JEWELRY CLASSES ON MONDAY AFTERNOONS : Jewelry-maker
Nick Trachsel is offering a January 14th through March 10th session of his popular afternoon jewelry class, which is held on Monday afternoons from 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. in the Art room. However, at this writing enrollment is extremely low and although Mr. Trachsel started class last week in hopes of increasing enrollment, he will unfortunately have to cancel the class if he does not have 8 students registered for his class. So, if your child has expressed an interest in this class, now is the time to sign them up so that it is able to be offered this session. Both boys and girls have taken this class and very much enjoyed it!
The fee is $80 per student. This Afterschool jewelry class is designed for students ages 9 and up as well as adults. 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 or to learn more about Winter/Spring 2008 session dates, contact Nick at 372-7865 or by email at njtrachsel@sbcglobal.net.
D. MANDARIN CHINESE LANGUAGE LESSONS AT ISM : Throughout the 2007-08 school year, instructor Yu Chuen has been offering instruction geared for third year students. Class time is from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Students will learn simple Chinese characters and everyday phrases, sing Chinese songs, learn Chinese folk dance, as well as play games in Chinese. Registration is currently being accepted for the January session (1/7, 1/10, 1/14, 1/17, 1/24, 1/28, and 1/31 at a cost of $84. Flyers are available on the information credenza in the front admin office. Please return all 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. AFTERSCHOOL TAEKWONDO PROGRAM : Master Daniel Rogers of Okada Martial Arts offering a flexible two to four day per week after-school alternative to traditional childcare. Master Rogers teaches a Taekwondo class in the multi-use room here on the ISM campus directly after school until 5:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays as well as operating a Taekwondo studio on nearby Fremont Avenue.
Kindergartners who participate in this afterschool class will be picked up at their classroom by Master Rogers, but ALL other students are directed to come to the multi-purpose room either by themselves or with parent assistance. Once enrolled, please inform your child's teacher that s/he will be taking Taekwondo and the days involved. Also, all students will need to sign in when arriving to class, and parents are required to sign them out at pick up time. This is to ensure student safety!
Program costs vary depending on the number of days per week a youngster is enrolled. For further enrollment options and schedules, please stop by the front office to pick up a brochure, visit the multi-purpose room after school on Tuesdays through Fridays, call Master Rogers at: 641-220-5503, or e-mail him at: MasterR@mac.com .
Please note that ALL students must be picked up or forwarded to the ASI program by 5:00 p.m. every day. For any child who is not picked up by 5:10 p.m., Master Rogers will send them to the ASI program and parents are responsible for any charges incurred. Master Rogers will be departing campus at that time daily to attend to managing his Fremont Taekwondo studio. Thank you for your understanding.
: Listed below are a few things desired by community members:
1) Empties 4 Cash RECYCLED PRINTER CARTRIDGES: UPDATED INFORMATION: This program regularly generates revenue for ISM, so we definitely want to encourage as much participation as possible! Feel free to drop off your cartridges with Karen in the front office or alternately, we do have postage paid mailing envelopes available at the front desk so you can forward your cartridges to Empties 4 Cash directly, if that is more convenient. Please spread the word to family members, colleagues, neighbors, and forward their used inkjet cartridges to ISM! 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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