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.
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
All Library Materials Due May 27
May 12, 2008
After a highly successful first year, the library media center will close to library classes May 23 to allow the librarian time collect and inventory materials before the end of the school year. Please return all library materials no later than May 27. Materials not received by this date will be billed. Some materials were reported as lost earlier in the year or were returned in damaged condition. If you found your child’s lost book, please return it now and avoid being billed. Please contact the Librarian if you have questions.
Tamara Fornell
Librarian
library@intlschool.org
Literacy Fair
April 28, 2008
The English Literacy Fair is next week on Tuesday, May 6th. All 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have prepared wonderful entries for the fair, showcasing their literary interests, creativity, written work, poetry, interpretations, and so much more. The Literacy Fair will be from 8:30 to 11:45am in the gymnasium. A detailed schedule of presentations is located in the English classrooms, In the Know, as well as copies that were sent home in your child’s blue English folder. Come celebrate with us on May 6th.
Join us at the TIS International Pot Luck
April 28, 2008
Final PTO Meeting of the Year, Wednesday May 14th
The first International Pot Luck is happening May 14th at our last PTO meeting of the year, and everyone is invited to bring a dish! The PTO has graciously agreed to share time in it’s agenda for us to eat and mingle. Don’t worry about dinner; come to the meeting!
TIS has such a wealth of culture between families and our teachers. What better to celebrate it than with food. So, draw upon your repertoire of recipes. Maybe you have a favorite family recipe, or something you have always wanted to try cooking. Maybe you are curious about the foods from any of the Latin countries, Japan, or China and want to try cooking an authentic dish. May 14th is the day! Share it with your TIS community at the PTO meeting. It can be anything from the simple to the sublime. All you have to do is make a dish that can serve 6 people and bring a serving spoon.
Look for further notice next week. If you have any questions feel free to contact Ellen Goldsmith at ellengoldsmith@mac.com
The International School State Testing Schedule
April 28, 2008
May 12 – May 20
