The International School

Dear Friends,
I hope you have had some time off during our break but I fear many may have been working during this time. In any event, I am pleased to be back and to welcome you and your children back, especially all those of you who recently returned from China and Mexico. Now we are in the home stretch.

At assembly on the Thursday before break, students all handed in the money they had earned or collected for the Chile relief fund. They raised over $514, and the quarters have yet to be tallied. I was impressed by students like Shea and Nasra who raised $82.54 by selling camellias and rosemary from Shea’s garden as well as lemonade at a stand they set up. Sisters Kiana and Elise, along with classmates Cate and Kaya R. raised $60 at their hot dog and Chili for Chile stand. I am proud of all the students who raised money by doing chores or being entrepreneurs.

More than 290 of you have responded to the annual survey and that is fantastic!!! I sincerely thank you. If you have yet to respond, tomorrow is the last day. Be heard!!!

Regarding my request for families to host a Chinese teaching intern or a Spanish intern, I wanted to point out that families who volunteer provide room and board for the visiting interns. If you are interested please do email me.

On April 22 and 23 students will do their on line practice State tests here at school, and they will take the actual tests during the week of May 3. A mailing regarding state tests will soon be sent home and you may indicate in writing if you would prefer your child not to participate in the testing.

Finally, just prior to the holiday you received a packet regarding the Annual Giving Campaign. I want to exhort you to give and to bear in mind that no gift is too small. Please contribute whatever you comfortably can. It is crucial that we attain 100% participation so that we have a stronger basis from which to ask money of foundations and individuals beyond the TIS family.

We have a rainy week ahead of us but we’ll be fine – we are in quite good shape.

Warm regards,
Alfonso
AOrsini@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x109

Most TIS classes are now into a new IB theme, having started it just before break or starting it this week.
PK classes study four thematic units per year, LK classes do five, while kinder through 5th grade classes study all six themes. For each theme, TIS teachers in each grade have worked together to create a central idea and core concepts to guide the study.

The IB’s trans-disciplinary themes are:

All classes within one grade study the same theme with the same Central Idea and guiding concepts at the same time. The different grades may study the themes in different orders from one another.

The themes currently being studied by TIS students are:

Questions? Please ask your child’s teacher, IB coordinator Teresa Wirsching (TeresaW@intlschool.org), or Principal Maria Abad (MAbad@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x122).

Participation is the key
That means you, that means me
When that happens, we can say “We”.

The time is now. The time is here.
To make a reach, and support those who teach

Your gift can be BIG,

or it can be small.

To keep TIS strong, takes a gift from us all!!!

I can write a check with my left hand.
I can write a check with my right.
To help balance my time
I can donate online
This makes me feel good every time

How about YOU?

Kelsey Cleveland, Development Director, Dev@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x107

Join the PTO for coffee and treats Wednesday, March 31st. Stop by and chat with old and new friends, learn about PTO Officer elections, and upcoming volunteer opportunities. Meet outside Stearns in the morning 7:30 to 8:30 or at the playground after school, 3-4.

Robert Bondark, PTO Treasurer

We are still looking for volunteers to help with the Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award Challenge Party the afternoon of April 15th. This will be a big party held in the TIS gymnasium with a reading certificate presentation, ice cream, carnival games, and prizes. We have 9 volunteers so far but need 3 more to make the party run smoothly. Thank you to those who have already volunteered. Please email Chris Higgins at higgins1000@msn.com or Kate Schweitzer at kate@northrimpdx.com if you are interested in helping

Foxy, generous, noble, mellow, luscious, funky.

What do these words have in common? These are all words used to describe wine. Knowledge of wine terminology is not required to attend or enjoy The International School Wine Tasting on Saturday, May 1.

To learn more and to purchase tickets at the discounted price of $35 per person, go to www.intlschool.org/wine.

If you have questions, please contact event chair Susan Marcus at wine@intlschool.org

Update on results of the Books, Learning Resources, and Technology Special Appeal
Staff and volunteers are busy working on incorporating all the Books, Learning Resources and Technology purchased with the money generously contributed to Special Appeal.

BOOKS: Librarian Tamara Fornell is busy purchasing and cataloging materials for each of the 44 units of inquiry. You can see the work in progress if you visit her desk. In addition, the library committee has started creating “digital bins” with packets or information with websites, relevant information and activities for students to accompany the bins.

LEARNING RESOURCES: Maria Abad and IB Coordinator Teresa Wirsching conducted an inventory and assessment of learning resources to determine our greatest needs at each grade level. Teresa is now researching and purchasing learning resources.

TECHNOLOGY: The MacBook laptops have arrived! Hugh Mackworth, head of our technology committee, has assembled a group of volunteer parents to work on setting up the laptops as well as setting up a Mac mini server and upgrading our wireless network. Rob Timmons researched laptop carts in which to store and charge the MacBooks.
As you can see, the process is time consuming and slow because we are being very careful stewards of the donations and need to ensure that the rollout of these wonderful new materials is done correctly. Further updates will appear in In the Know and in the Annual Report.

Special Appeal 2010
It is hard to believe, but plans for next school year’s auction and the Special Appeal are already underway. We are trying to determine what next year’s Special Appeal will support. In the past, funds contributed to the Special Appeal have funded the PE program, music program, physical campus enhancements, new student desks and chairs, playground equipment, the new library, and a gym renovation and field. If you have any ideas, please send your thoughts to auction@intlschool.org or dev@intlschool.org with “Special Appeal” in the subject line.

Thank you, Kelsey Cleveland, Development Director
Dev@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x107

May: Walk + Bike to School Challenge Month
Oregon’s Walk + Bike program is coordinated by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) to encourage children, youth, and families to use safe, active, transportation to get to and from school and throughout their communities throughout the year. This statewide event is a friendly competition that encourages students to walk and bike to school for the whole month of May. In 2009, 60 schools and over 4,000 individuals participated in the event.  (Click here for more info about the statewide program.)

The TIS Green Committee is working to help TIS students participate! Each student will receive a tally sheet where they can tabulate each of the 20 possible days they can participate. Anyone taking transit already will qualify for their daily commute tally.

We need your help to arrange four meeting spots for “bike buses” & “walking buses” to finish the commute to school together. All “buses” would meet at 7:40 AM (unless otherwise suggested). We need volunteers at each location on every school day in May to greet and get the “bus” on its way to school. Sign up for a week or a month! We have identified those locations as follows (open to other suggestions):

• “bike bus” South to meet at Williamette Park (daily volunteer, Phil Richman)
• “walk bus” South to meet at S Waterfront (daily volunteer, NEEDED)
• “bike bus” North to meet at Eastbank Esplanade by Vera Katz statue (daily volunteer, NEEDED)
• “walk bus” North to meet at Riverplace circle (daily volunteer, NEEDED)

We’d love to have 2 “big” prizes for the winners of the challenge – please let me know if you can help with that.

Phil Richman, PhilRichman@coloradoalum.org, 503-522-8025

Be on the lookout for Scholastic Book Club flyers in your parent folders by March 12th. Due to spring break,  the deadline for submitting orders has been extended. Please have your orders in the blue TIS folders on the teacher’s bulletin board by April 2nd.

Remember, everyone wins with Scholastic Books. You, the parents, get books at a greatly reduced rate, and the school earns points that the library uses to purchase books.

Thanks,  Denise Biencourt, denisebienco@ccwebster.net

Your response is important. Decennial census only happens every ten years. Now is your chance to help government to make informed decisions on what your community needs. Your community needs an accurate count. 2010 Census, Fill it out. It does matter. Mail it back today! www.2010census.gov