| Press
Releases
March 2001
We realize that in the past specific information about the progress
of the school has, at times, been difficult to obtain. As a result
of your feedback, we have created an electronic newsletter. Our intention
is to create the newsletter at least monthly, with the hope of having
bimonthly issues
delivered to your desktop! We feel this medium will allow us to quickly
update you of the many steps that have been completed, and communicate
what still needs to be done in order to make the International School
of Monterey a reality. Through our updates we want to talk to that
place in you that believes in creating something wonderful for your
children, so that you will feel compelled to join in the process of
building the school. We are proud of how far we have come and are
excited about the future. Please read on and if you know someone that
is interested in the school and does not have e-mail, print them a
copy.
Charter Status Update
A bid hurdle was crossed this past winter with King
City Unified School District agreeing to sponsor our Charter. With
months and months of legal preparations and number crunching, King
City gave us a great start...a chance to move forward! As we are
moving forward a wonderful new door has opened. There is now a chance
that we can transfer our Charter to MPUSD! We are in the process
of exploring this option. One of the biggest advantages for ISM
to be with MPUSD is that we would be located in the same district
as our sponsoring district. An important administrative advantage.
We will keep you posted as this process evolves.
Site Update
St. James: We have decided to keep the space at St.
James Church on Franklin Street in Monterey as a meeting and gathering
space. We will continue on a month to month basis.
David Avenue School: We are currently negotiating
for space at David Ave School in Pacific Grove. There are three
other schools looking for space at David Ave and according to the
Pacific Grove Unified School District there will be enough room
for all four schools. Our intention is to open in September of 2001
with K-2, a total of three classrooms. Chrissie Jahn and Paul Gaucher
attended a neighborhood meeting on March 5, 2001, arranged by PGUSD
where a group of David Avenue residents asked questions of the prospective
tenants. Chrissie explained our vision and answered questions about
what we are creating. The neighbors embraced our vision and were
reassured that PGUSD had taken their concerns into account when
writing the lease document. The biggest challenge we are facing
with regard to signing the lease is funding. Which leads us to the
next topic!
Fundraising
The International School of Monterey is a 501 (c)(3)
nonprofit tax-exempt organization. State funding of the We have
a goal to raise $500,000 by the end of July 2001, so that we can
become operational in September of 2001. There have been several
volunteers willing to help support a fundraising team, yet we still
do not have someone to coordinate the project. We are looking for
a person that can hold a team on course. Organizational skills as
well as grant writing experience are big plusses. $500,000 might
seem like a large sum of money, yet compared to the many high hurdles
that have been crossed in the last year, it is a manageable task
for a person that can
manage and motivate a team. Call or e-mail Chrissie Jahn (484-8080,
chrissie@worldnet.att.net). We need your help today!
Other Specific Needs
Dorothy Lank, our previous Board President, was transferred
with her husband out of the country in August 2000. As a result
ISM no longer has a lawyer on the Board of Directors. We are actively
searching for a replacement, and would appreciate any assistance
to help find a candidate for the position. It may sound like we
just want a generic "lawyer" on the Board, quite the contrary,
we a looking for someone that feels compelled to help build the
school. A legal degree just so happens to be the skill set that
we, as a Board, are lacking, and could put to good use. If you have
skills or would like to learn more about; public relations, grant
writing, or social planning we are also looking for assistance in
these areas to round out our pool of talent.
Thank You and Good-Luck to Keith and Kathryn
Kathryn had been our Managing Director since September
1999 and was very instrumental in establishing our Charter with
King City and all that was involved in that project. She had been
very involved in many other projects as well. Keith was also very
helpful as a Board member and business plan guide. They both have
offered ISM many of their talents and have now decided
to pursue another project. Good luck to you both and thank you for
all your past efforts.
Who is Who on the Board of Directors
Chrissie Jahn chrissie@worldnet.att.net
Lisa De Mondesir ldemondesir@earthlink.net
Gordon Freedman Gordon@knowledge-base.com
Chris Hasegawa chris_hasegawa@monterey.edu
Grant Miles GRANTMILES@aol.com
Joanne Storkan Joanne1015@aol.com
As our momentum is growing and our dream is becoming
a reality, we have asked for more participation on the Board, and
following people have graciously volunteered to be considered for
the Board.
Prashant Gupta
Paul Gaucher
Also, Ali Rodgers has agreed to Head the Curriculum Committee.
Next Meeting
We have scheduled our Board Meetings for the 4th Wednesday
of the month. We are meeting next on March 28th in McGowan House
at St. James Church, 381 High Street, Monterey. The meeting starts
at 7:00 PM and please bring your energy and ideas. For more info
got to http://www.ismonterey.org
In Closing
The path to knowledge is seldom simple, and is always
taken one step at a time. We hope this newsletter will be helpful
in keeping you engaged in the process. By keeping our communication
open and consistent we hope you too will find a place inside that
wants to join in and build something amazing and exciting for our
children!
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