Meeting Minutes: Annual Meeting of the TIS Board of Directors
June 3, 2008
The TIS Board of Directors reported on the school year’s numerous achievements and announced new initiatives at its well-attended annual meeting May 22. The Board elected Michelle Kerin as president, succeeding Rich Read, who completed his second three-year term. The Board reelected Kim Marcus as vice president, Mark Holman as treasurer and Michael Hummel as secretary.
Some highlights from committee and staff reports:
- Tuition revenues set a record for a third consecutive year. Contributions to the Annual Fund doubled last year’s donations, with 66 percent parent participation. Full-time faculty members received a record increase in compensation. The school passed its independent financial audit with flying colors.
- Admissions applications have broken another record. Almost 200 families visited the school during the year, double the number five years ago. Student retention is up.
- The school won accreditation from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. Following training sessions, teachers are preparing to introduce the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in the fall.
- The Human Relations committee has created and revised TIS job descriptions, formalized review processes for teachers and the Head of School, prepared a broadband compensation plan and reviewed and updated employment policies.
- The school spent $312,000 to purchase an adjacent lot appraised at $800,000. The school is preparing to lease a nearby building on Corbett Street for more classrooms.
- A Strategic Planning task force is developing a 15-year vision for TIS in preparation for a campus Master Plan.
- The Board is recruiting new members and renewing some terms. Don Mazziotti, Andrea Bartoloni, Ted Welch and Binny Arcot are ending their terms.
Also at the meeting, Rich Read reported that the Board had carefully reviewed letters, emails and comments from parents concerned about faculty morale, teacher compensation, the Head’s performance and the role of the Board. He said that the Board had met and voted unanimously in favor of four initiatives to address these concerns:
- A new Issue Management Procedure, enabling faculty and staff a clear procedure to resolve issues, questions and conflicts that arise in the workplace was enacted. This policy is being translated into the three languages for staff to review. The policy was introduced to the staff at its weekly meeting on Tuesday May 27 by Phil Sylla and Board members Kim Marcus and Michelle Kerin. Staff was encouraged to review the proposal, and if necessary propose comments and revisions to ensure that the procedure was appropriate for the school.
- Human relations training for all staff and faculty.
- Cross-cultural communication training for all staff and faculty.
- Services of a mediator to address communication and conflict in the workplace.
Parents asked questions and raised points on topics ranging from the new initiatives to employee background checks and the selection of educational materials.
The Board would like to thank all of the parents and staff who attended and submitted comments and proposals. If you want to know who is on the school’s Board of Trustees, the names are located on the school’s website.
TIS Students Shine on YCT Test
June 2, 2008
On April 13th 2008 several of our Chinese track students participated in the YCT (Chinese language proficiency test) for young Chinese language learners. The results are now in, and each and every one of our students passed the test. Even better news is that they all passed with the best possible grade (A) in their respective levels.
|
Name |
Grade |
YCT Level Passed |
|
Dieudonne M. (Nina) |
4 |
2 |
|
Katherine O. (Katie) |
4 |
2 |
|
Kimber G. |
4 |
2 |
|
Kelsey D. |
3 |
2 |
|
Nicolas C. |
3 |
2 |
|
Anisha A. |
2 |
3 |
Earlier in the year, the excellent results of TIS 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students were reported. They excelled on the HSK, a test designed for older students.
Do take the time to stop by and congratulate the kids on their accomplishments. Thanks are due to the amazing teachers in the Chinese track for putting together a wonderful program that prepares our children for the many challenges that come their way. A special “thank you” goes to Yafei Liu, the Chinese track lead teacher, for working with the Confucius Institute on test organization and preparation, and for giving up her weekend to administer the test at PSU.
Head’s Corner
June 2, 2008
School Technology To Be Much Different in ’08-‘09
Plans for TIS technology changes reached satisfying closure - for this school year - with a decision last week to purchase new Apple Computers for all classrooms. The decision to switch to Apple, a major change with long-term effects, was made after discussion and input from a variety of sources.
The decision was the culmination of an active year for the Technology Committee that resulted in a number of school “firsts:”
- Earlier in the year, 10 PCs were purchased of which 5 were designated for the Library–Media Center;
- the school’s first Technology Survey provided solid data about technology needs;
- school databases were researched and the first School-Purpose-Design database was selected for teacher, Admissions Office, Development Office, Marketing, and Administrative use;
- school telephones and switchboard were updated to provide intra-school telephone service to all buildings.
During the late winter, an investigation was launched to determine the relative merits of the PC and Apple platforms in the TIS classrooms. Last Wednesday, as part of the investigation, three Apple representatives provided a demonstration for teachers, staff, and Tech Committee members. Teachers loved the iMacs.
Apple Computers turn out to be the best choice for TIS. They are user (child) friendly. The company has an entire division dedicated to developing technology for schools. Teacher training is part of the purchase. Computers will arrive loaded with software, and $4,500 worth of Apple Service (which we’re getting for free) is part of the deal.
A $9,681 discount made Apple highly competitive. Affordable financing makes it possible for TIS to place the maximum number of computers in the classrooms by August 2008 by deferring partial payments to the ’09-’10 and ’10-’11 budgets. Finally, the new computers are compatible with TIS’ server, new database, Windows, and Outlook.
The Apple Equity option enables a school that owns its own equipment to trade in that equipment for credit toward new systems or for cash. Apple’s Trade-In Program provides for responsible equipment disposal. Many schools have used this program to recover past years’ budget dollars to pay for a portion of their next systems deployment.
One or more iMac computers will be set up in every classroom before the August arrival of teachers. A half-day Teacher Training Session will be scheduled during Pre-Service Training so teachers will be iMac users immediately before the start of the school year.
Tech Committee Co-Chairs Scott Urbatsch and Jim Abeles deserve special thanks for leadership. Hugh Mackworth and Rob Timmons provided vision and financial advice. “Thank you” to the others on the Technology Committee who got the projects rolling early in the school year. And, “Thank you” to everyone who contributed so generously to the 2007 Auction Special Appeal that provided funds for school technology and library-media center.
Limited Space Begs Caution
During Friday’s Talent Show, the fender of a teacher’s car, facing downhill on the south side of Sherman Street, was pushed against the wheel. Presumably the offending vehicle was backing out of a parking spot on the north side of the street. No note was left, and, I imagine, the driver of a large vehicle may not have realized s/he had made contact with another car. Please be extra careful on Sherman Street - if you drive a large vehicle, please park on Water Ave instead of Sherman Street.
Summer Projects Start Next Week
TIS Facilities Manager Frank Bojanowski has scheduled 22 projects over the summer and the list is still growing. The bigger projects are:
- Classrooms with real walls on the top floor of the Main Building
- Improved security throughout the campus
- Relocate Main Building entrance, offices, and Reception Desk to the ground floor
- A new Portico to the Main Building student secure area
- New floor coverings in Modular 2
- New floor in the gym
- Window shades on Stearns Hall east windows
- Increased English instructional space on the Mezzanine
- A new, large home for the library on the Mezzanine
- Classrooms, playground, and security at the new building, 2717 SW Corbett St.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Phil Sylla
Head of School
psylla@intlschool.org
503-226-2496 x109
Library Media Center Thanks TIS Community for First-Year Support
June 2, 2008
A few short months ago, TIS had no library media center. Today, the school has a professional librarian, a thriving library program, and a 5,000-item-strong multilingual collection which continues to grow every day. Thank you to all who have participated in this accomplishment. The library provides diverse learning and enrichment opportunities for the students and staff and demonstrates the school community’s commitment to literacy and information literacy in a multilingual environment.
The following people have been instrumental in this endeavor through their tireless volunteerism:
The TIS Library Committee members
| Kim Braun | Chris Higgins |
| Junxi Huang | Arkady Mak |
| Janet Olson | Akiko Soehl |
| Elizabeth Wolf |
and others who have covered books, performed data entry, catalogued books, organized shelves, helped with library classes and so much more:
| Bobbi Wolf | Emiko Menasco |
| Frank Petrillo | Jamie Anderson |
| Katie O’Rourke | John Annand |
| Juliana Gellman | Leslie Hall |
| Machi Ito | Mai Teherani |
| Margaret McConnell | Kristine Sommer |
| Lorraine Andre | Tori Canton |
| Marc Peters | Chinese track teachers, especially Yu Yen Lee |
| Noriko Tamura | Susan Gianotti |
And a big thank you to all the parents, students and teachers who donated books and other materials to the library. WE MADE IT HAPPEN!
Tamara Fornell
Librarian
library@intlschool.org
Japanese Capstone Trip Presentation
June 2, 2008
The Japanese Capstone “ was a great experience for me. I had a great time learning about a different country and I am glad to have many friends in Japan.” By Kindra
“A great trip that shows the elegance and nature of Japan.” By Kento
“The most memorable time during the Capstone was the last day of school. I passed out presents and shook hands with friends to say good bye. I have great memories.”
“I loved having a homestay. The family was so nice, and it was great to experience real Japanese family life.” By Zeami
These are the voices of our fifth graders who just returned from Japan. They are going to share their experiences and pictures from Japan this Wednesday at 2:30 p.m at the Gym . Please come and join them!
Yukako Owen, 5th grade Japanese teacher, yukakotis@yahoo.com
Auction Fun Never Stops
June 2, 2008
The Auction Committee would like to thank the TIS community for their ongoing support, even months and months after the actual auction.
The Post-Auction Bazaar was a great success with $489 earned. Money earned during the auction and at post-auction events go toward the operating budget of TIS.
If you didn’t get an opportunity to sign up for the auction party “Backyard BBQ,” there is still room at this fun summer event. It will be held on Saturday, August 9th at the West Linn home of Kate and Matt Schweitzer. The cost of tickets is $40 per person. If you would like to attend email kate@northrimpdx.com.
Finally, it’s never to late to start thinking about next year. Make sure the save the date on November 8, 2008 for next year’s auction. If you are interested in getting into the action behind the scenes, consider being on
the Auction Committee. It is a great way to fulfill those volunteer hours!
Contact Kate@northrimpdx.com.
Italian Language Classes Offered at TIS Next Fall — Reserve Your Space Now
June 2, 2008
The Scuola Italiana di Portland will be offering a new Italian language and culture enrichment course for beginning students ages 3-5 beginning in September 2008. The class will meet twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 3:30-4:30.
Classes are lead by a native Italian-speaking elementary school teacher. Our classroom environment is inspired by the Reggio-Emilia approach to early childhood education which emphasizes creative thinking and exploration.
We will also offer our regular slate of language enrichment classes on weekends for beginning to advanced* students of Italian, ages 3-11.
Please visit our website www.scuola.us for more information.
For questions or further info, contact info@scuola.us .
*For possible placement of advanced students, please contact us at info@scuola.us .
New Classrooms and Location for Pre-kindergarten in September
June 2, 2008
After months of negotiations with the owners and the City of Portland, the school has secured a lease and planning permission to convert 2717 SW Corbett St into five classrooms. Work will start next month and is scheduled to be completed by August 1, which will give us plenty of time to create warm and welcoming rooms for our youngest students.
The building is located a short walk away from the main campus. Water Street (where Stearns Hall is) turns into Corbett St once it passes under the freeway and 2717 is a couple of blocks beyond the bridge. Along with the new classrooms we will convert part of the parking lot into an outside play area for recess.
The move will allow us to accommodate new Chinese and Spanish upper grade classrooms at the main campus, remodel parts of the main building and move the Library into a larger space for next year.
If you have any questions, please contact me either through e-mail at jwilliams@intlschool.org, or phone at 503-226-2496 ext 209.
Jan Williams
Director of Admissions
