Trustees appoint interim Head of School
August 28, 2008
Please see the announcement here.
Welcome Dr. Stephan Grasmuck!
Trustee & related updates now on-line
August 1, 2008
Please see the Board of Trustees page here.
What’s in ITK News & Information?
July 4, 2008
Duirng the school year, this section will be updated weekly with news & information for TIS families.
‘08-’09 School Calendar
July 4, 2008
The ‘08-’09 school is now available on this site. Choose “parent resources” then “calendar”.
- Linda Bonder, Marketing Director, LBonder@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x104
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.
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
SquareGator Staffing UPDATES
May 27, 2008
We at SquareGator would like to thank the International School families, friends, and staff for letting us be a part of your wonderful community.
I welcome the daily challenges, and find that I have grown immensely because of the wonderful people I meet every day.
With the growing success of our Before & After School Programs, came the NEED for an organized individual that could help keep the current programs running smoothly, and be a backbone for NEW areas of SquareGator yet to come.
SquareGator welcomes Melody Champion, our new Administrative Assistant. Melody comes to SquareGator with 20 years of experience, and she has worked in the public education field for 10 years. Melody will be working behind the scenes most of the time assisting Becky Llanes (SquareGator CEO) in the administrative duties of SquareGator. We are excited to have her join our team.
Thank You,
Becky Llanes
