Join Shaolin monk Master Chen and fellow TIS parents for gongfu (k’ung-fu) classes on the TIS playground on Tuesday or Friday mornings from 8:00-9:00 beginning after Spring Break.

Increase flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, and concentration by learning this 1,400 year old tradition, which originated at the Shaolin Buddhist monastery in China and is featured in countless films. You will soon be impressing your spouse and children with your formidable skills. Beginners welcome.

Please contact Anais Tuepker anaistuepker@preciva.com for details.

The Kid’s Dash is a 1/2 mile sprint. Some of the fun things to do include a booth for face painting & other activities.

The unique 5K and 8K courses (run or walk) are on and around the Portland International Raceway track, and they are flat and fast.

WHEN & WHERE

Sunday, March 28
Portland International Raceway
1940 North Victory Blvd

You can take the Max directly to Portland International Raceway.

For more info and to register, go to www.runforthecheetah.org or contact TIS Parent, Leslee York lesleeyork@comcast.net

Where did this thing called March come from? The days are flying past, but they should return to something less than time lapse now that our dearly missed colleague, Maria Abad, has returned from Ecuador. Welcome back, Maria!

Today in School Council meeting, I addressed my young colleagues in leadership and urged them to get moving on the Chile relief project. They should all be writing to you shortly via the classroom email group. Remember, the students’ donations needn’t be large, but the students should earn their donations. NO COINS please.

A couple of parents have pointed out to me that Friday elective classes have been unduly decreased by our Fridays off. During the remainder of the year, we will be recovering some of those Fridays by following a Friday schedule on some Mondays, Tuesdays or other days of the week. (Watch for announcements.)  On next year’s calendar we will split more Professional Development days and report card days to Mondays and we will put on the calendar in advance some Friday and Monday recovery days sprinkled throughout the weeks, too.

My sense is that parent teacher conferences went quite well last Friday. However, the specialist teachers are either on the verge of being inundated with appointments or already there. We will have to either add appointment times or limit appointments somehow. We will work on this in a meeting next week.

Achieve, the company who works on our database and report cards, has fixed the grade reporting system and Lauren has fixed erroneous specialist grades on report cards. If you need a reprint, Lauren is happy to oblige.

And speaking of report cards, please take a few minutes to fill out the annual evaluation of us and our school. Your feedback helps light our way forward. Please go to www.intlschool.org/survey.

It seems as though we got a reprieve on the previous forecast of hail for today, but it still promises to be chillier in the remainder of this week. Please be sure that students dress accordingly.

Jennifer Zhu writes that our students have arrived at school in Suzhou, China and are enthusiastically immersed in the experience. I expect to hear from our friends in sunny Mexico….mañana.

Reminder that the PTO meeting will be this Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm and we will look at some information about our budget, as well as other items of interest.

Finally, an image for your week from the beatific Brazilian, Joabim:
And the river bank talks
Of the waters of March
It’s the end of all pain
It’s the joy in your heart

Alfonso

Latino Festival is coming! Friday, April 30 from 9:30 to 11:00am at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland’s Pearl district.

• All Spanish Track students will need to be in the downstairs student waiting area by 9:10am. Please plan for this like you would for any Streetcar-accessible field trip.
• Chinese and Japanese Track students in grades 2-5 are invited to the performance at the theater.  Please plan for this like you would for any Streetcar-accessible field trip.
• Chinese and Japanese Track students in PK, LK, K & 1st are invited to the dry run performance earlier that week (PK dry run will be in the PK building. The others will be in the gym.)

Questions? Please ask your child’s teacher or Ellen Savaria, EllenS@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x250

“Today was Welcoming Day at Blue Tassel School in Suzhou, China! The Chinese track 5th-grade students arrived at BT School and met their pen-pals, gave a presentation to their Chinese counterparts about Life in the USA, settled into their dormitories, and went to class…. We wonder—will they be warm enough? Will they feel homesick? Will they be able to understand the Chinese teachers? Will they have a great time?” – Chinese track Parent

Click here for the full blog!

Click here for the full blog!

Please – tell us what you think at www.intlschool.org/survey! THANK YOU!

• Perform administrative duties associated with the Summer Camp Program
• Make class schedules for each camp session
• Provide information to the school community and to the public in summer
• Work in partnership with parents
• Advocate and promote the camp
• Care for summer students, providing assistance as needed
• Work collegially with summer administrators and fellow teachers
• Use Excel and Word computer programs

Please contact me for more information or to apply for the position. Thank you!

Pilar Arias, Summer Camp Director, PilarA@intlschool.org

As many of you know, 8 year-old Stella Monteverde-Cakebread, a former student at The International School, has been diagnosed with Leukemia in February 2010. Stella has a great support network, including many current TIS families. This group is starting several fundraising events to help Stella’s family cope with the costs of her medical treatment.

A special Stella Cut-A-Thon on March 21, (Sunday)  will be one of the fundraisers. Schedule your cut or color at any of the participating salons in Portland and Seattle and 100% of the proceeds from your salon service will benefit Stella and her family. Check out the Participating Salons in Portland.

For more information about Stella and other ways to help,  go to www.rockstarstella.com

For more information, please visit our website at www.intlschool.org/japanese . To make a reservation, please contact Keiko Buckendahl, Japanese Marketing at KBuckendahl@intlschool.org or 503-226-2496 x305.
*Children under 12 years-old must be accompanied by an adult.

Click here for flyer. Thursdays, 3:45 to 4:30 starting April 8. Cost is $7 per class. A minimum of 3 students is required to begin the class, it will be capped at 8 students. For more information or to sign up for the class contact Kristie at kristiew@intlschool.org.

The class will be offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30. Cost is $12 per class. Please let me know if you are interested in one or both days, or if you have questions and would like to see samples of curriculum I would use. With 4 student minimum sign up, class will start Monday after Spring Break.

Brandi Duke, Parent of a Kinder and 1st Grader, Chinese Track. alexbrandiduke@gmail.com or 503.617.7683.
Private tutoring is also available

I also want to extend a warm welcome home to Major Jerald Block,M.D., father of two of our TIS students. Jerald has just returned from a tour in Iraq. Welcome back Jerald and we are grateful for the support you have given to so many others. Through his work in counseling soldiers, Jerald has seen first hand the consolation that a letter from home can bring. If you or your child would be interested in writing to a soldier, information has been given to the three receptionists.

Today you will be receiving an email communication from me about tuition and budget for next year, as well as an email communication from Board Chair Michelle Kerin regarding the Custom House. At the PTO meeting on Wednesday March 10, I will be on hand with board finance committee members to answer questions about budget, tuition and anything else people would like to know. Mark your calendars. Please read both of these letters carefully and completely. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Within the next week you will also receive from Jan and Linda a packet with information on the curriculum of your child’s next grade at TIS.

We have also just opened our annual parent survey. This crucial survey will include evaluations of me, of admin staff, of homeroom and other teachers, and of various aspects of the school.  PLEASE TAKE 10 MINUTES TO FILL THIS OUT at www.intlschool.org/survey. This year our goal is 100% participation in the survey. Do not be afraid of hurting our feelings (unless you make comments about thinning hair!). Constructive, honest comments can only help us.

Congratulations to TIS students Ian, Spencer, Sumner, Zane, Cy, and Mackenzie, whose team, the Toros, were successful in the championship game of the MJCC soccer league this past Saturday.

Our Chinese and Spanish Capstone trips head out later this week, and we wish them a wonderful journey. We are confident that they will be great TIS ambassadors to the big world. You can follow their journey on the Capstone blogs that will start next week.

One little girl, smiling knowingly, said to me this morning. “Tomorrow’s your birthday!” After a moment to understand, I replied “No, sweetheart, that’s Doctor Seuss. I am Doctor Orsini.” So happy birthday, Dr. Seuss, and, dare I say it, happy birth of Spring.

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

Jan Williams, Director of Admissions, jwilliams@intlschool.org, 503-226-249 ext. 209

Agenda
6:30 – 6:45  Committee Updates
6:45 – 7:00  PTO Update and Upcoming Officer Elections
7:00 – 7:05  Parking/Driving Etiquette
7:05 – 7:35  Dr. Orsini “Show Me the Money” (explanation of the school budget for ‘09-’10)
7:35 – 8:00  New Business

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Childcare during PTO meetings is offered for any current TIS student.
If you would like childcare during the PTO meeting on Wednesday, March 10 – please RSVP by this Friday, March 5 to Jessica Duke at jessica@urbatsch.com with your name and number of children needing care. Please RSVP for childcare whether or not your children will be doing TrackTales.

The library will be offering TrackTales storytime during the meeting:  Registered students will be escorted to the Library Media Center at 6:40 pm and returned to childcare after storytime at about 7:20 pm. Preregister by emailing Librarian Tamara Fornell at library@intlschool.org. Drop-ins are welcome, but preregistration is helpful so we know how many students to expect.

*************************************************************************

Childcare will be provided for your TIS students while you are in teacher conferences, Friday March 5 & Tuesday March 9. Childcare will be in Room 25 in Stearns Hall (last classroom near the music room at the end of the hall) for all students on both conference days. Please arrive early to allow extra time to get your child to the room and settled.

Jhoanna Co, Administrative Assistant, JCo@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x103

Please join us in the TIS library during lunch for a slice of birthday cake. Students, parents and staff may pop in to the library or Stearns Hall on Tuesday March 2 between 11:45am-1:00 pm to recite a favorite passage (4 lines, please!) from a Dr. Seuss book in exchange for a slice of cake, stickers, bookmarks and more. Special arrangements have been made with prek teachers to hold an event at the Arthur Street building as well. Parents of prek students should check with your child’s teacher for more information.

Visit Seussville here. (www.seussville.com). See you on March 2.

Tamara Fornell, Librarian, library@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 ext. 102 ]]> http://www.intlschool.org/archives/7287/feed 0 http://www.intlschool.org/archives/7598 http://www.intlschool.org/archives/7598#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:42:47 +0000 LBonder http://www.intlschool.org/?p=7598 With wine and hope, anything is possible.
- Spanish Proverb

We hope you will join us as The International School Wine Tasting on May 1 at 7pm. All proceeds benefit the TIS Library Media Center.

To learn more, go to www.intlschool.org/wine or look for the Save the Date postcard in your mailboxes this week.

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.

• You can bring a friend from outside TIS since any fluency level is welcome in Yellow Preschool/Kindergarten Camp and in Blue Standard Camp (grades 1-4).
• For campers in grades 2-5 who can read, write and speak the chosen language (TIS students!), we have Green Advanced Language Camp – a slightly more academic camp with all the same fun activities.

Check out www.intlschool.org/summer for all the details!

This coming Saturday, the Board and I will meet to finalize the budget I have proposed for next year, including the tuition. We will also be making a final decision on the Custom House.

When I arrived here, the Board generously gave me an opportunity to live with the Strategic Plan for a few months to see how doable I felt the target dates and priorities are. I think the strategic plan is a spot-on road map for our future, and I think that we (and that means the teachers, the staff, you, the board and I) are already making great headway in reaching many key objectives. The approved plan will be mailed to you this week.

In about another week, we will be putting on-line the annual school evaluation (previously known as the All-Parent Survey). This year we want to do the evaluation early enough so that we can still improve things for the remainder of this school year. We have cut some of the more general questions and we have added sections to specifically evaluate my work, the work of my admin colleagues, and the work of my teaching colleagues. I will be assiduously harping on you to fill out that survey as it will provide all of us valuable feedback. Please watch ITK for that announcement.

I’d like to remind everyone that, as stated in our handbook (p. 36), because of CCD regulations, pets should not be brought into the school or onto the playground. Please be mindful of this.

A reminder also that there will be no school this Friday as it is report writing day and the following Friday will be Parent/Teacher conferences.

Finally, our thoughts are with Maria Abad and her husband. Maria’s mother in law is seriously ill in Ecuador and they are in the process of preparing to go and take care of her. Assuming that they can get their passports quickly renewed, Maria could be out for some time. We will limp along without her and keep her and her family in our thoughts.

See you at the corner,
Alfonso
AOrsini@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x104

See slideshow below or, if reading this from e-mail, click here to see photos!

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

Congratulations to the students for all your hard work and this terrific accomplishment! Thank you to the teachers!

See slideshow below or, if viewing this from e-mail, click here to see the photos.

If you would like to have someone added to our list, please send their mailing address to Lauren Hostetler at LaurenH@intlschool.org. Thank you!

Superpages.com, DexKnows, Greatschools.net, UrbanMamas, Kidzlist.com, Portland CitySearch, The Savvy Source – a web site for preschool parents, Portland Business Directory – preschools, Portland Oregon Business Directory – elementary schools

Linda Bonder, Marketing & Communications Director, lbonder@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x104

First and foremost, please get your Custom House Pledge/No pledge form in today. Be heard!

Nothing lifts the spirits like a bit of sun in Portland February. It was a pleasure to see our Chinese dancers perform at the New Year celebration at the convention center over the weekend. They were excellent and the music worked! Thanks to Mae and Winnie and all the dancers for representing us so well in the community!

We had our first school council meeting last Monday with 3rd through 5th grade students elected by their classes. These students will serve for two months, then the classes will elect other representatives. The group brainstormed ideas for a service project and a school social event. We also determined that even though the council votes for ideas, the Head of School has a right to veto, in case the council votes, for example, to close school for an extra month.

This Friday, the Japanese track will have a Sakura Matsuri celebration and performance. Students in lower primary will attend rehearsals on Thursday and grade 5 students will join on Friday in an audience that will include, among other guests, the Consul General of Japan.

TIS will host an open house evening for prospective parents next Tuesday. Tell all your friends to come and learn about our wonderful school.

If you would be interested in hosting an intern teacher from China next year, please let Jhoanna know (JCo@intlschool.org). It would presumably be for the whole year. The intern, who would be provided through the Confucius Institute, could be a great asset to the school. We are also looking into the possibility of a full time resource teacher from China through the same program.

Finally, please remember that school policy calls for no candy at birthday parties. Of course a good goal for treats is always to make them as healthy as possible.

Stay well and have a good week.

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

First, please complete your pledge form regarding the Custom House. The level of support and parent enthusiasm for the project is critical to the Board in making a final decision on whether to go forward with the Custom House. Please take the time to complete it. Your comments and insights are valuable to us. If you do not support the Custom House or have questions or concerns about the Custom House, please complete your pledge form as there is a space for you to indicate those as well. Click here for the pledge form. If you want to comment directly, please email the board at board@intlschool.org or customhouse@intlschool.org. All emails are made available to every trustee and will be considered when making our final decision.

Second, as a way to educate the Board on your thoughts regarding the Head of School’s performance, the Board will distribute a comprehensive survey to you via email to evaluate Alfonso Orsini’s performance in his first several months as Head of School. We will ask teachers and staff to participate and provide feedback to the Board as well. While ultimately it is the Board’s responsibility to evaluate and hire the Head of School, input from the entire community will give the Board a better idea of how effective the Head of School is with the various constituents. I would like to thank Alfonso, because the idea to receive input from across the community at the interim performance review was his and he has insisted on it. Alfonso has shown a great willingness to include staff, teachers and parents at all levels of decision making. Thank you Alfonso. Look for the survey early next week and please participate.

Finally, the Board recently elected Lynda Wannamaker as a trustee. Lynda brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in planning and consulting. She has worked closely with many state and local agencies in transportation, building and other improvements–a useful skill for an urban school like TIS. Lynda led the school’s Strategic Planning sessions and prepared the final Strategic Plan with the assistance of a dedicated Board committee (that included many non-trustee parents and was led by Trustee Paula Prince). Lynda donated hundreds of hours of her own time as well as her employee’s and vast resources of her consulting business. The end product was an incredibly thorough and professional Strategic Plan of which we can all be proud. She will be a wonderful addition to the Board. Welcome Lynda!!

Michelle Kerin, Board President, board@intlschool.org

O Custom House
O Custom House
Will you be our future home?
O Custom House
O Custom House
Will you be our future home?

The board will soon vote to to stay or go
They ask ALL parents to let them know
O Custom House
O Custom House
Will you be our future home?

Please fill in and return your Custom House form to me by Tuesday February 23 at the very latest. The form has room to specify whether or not you support the Custom House and we’d like to know your feelings either way. Thank you!

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

Linda Bonder, Marketing & Communications Director, LBonder@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x104

Don’t forget to complete your profile in Volunteer Counter. Click on My Profile and the list of volunteer opportunities will pop up. Please select the the activities in which you wish to participate. The beauty of Volunteer Counter is that allows us to match volunteers with opportunities in addition to tracking hours of service.

No more paper + no more notebooks = Hundreds of trees saved + one happy PTO Volunteer Coordinator,

Sara Shah, PTO Volunteer Coordinator, swspdx@yahoo.com / 503-830-3038

Novels

2010 Newbery Medal Winner
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, “The $20,000 Pyramid,” a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

Picture Books

2010 Caldecott Medal Winner
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.

Tamara Beecroft-Fornell, Librarian, 502-226-2496 x102, library@intlschool.org

If you enjoy stories of freedom and of survival, then you’ll love Kensuke’s Kingdom. The main character, ten-year-old Michael, has a fairly normal life. He goes to school, plays soccer and hangs out with his friends. All of that changes, however, when his parents both lose their jobs.

After searching unsuccessfully for new jobs, Michael’s family decides to live out their dream of sailing the world. They spend a year visiting far away places and weathering storms at sea before Michael
and his dog Stella are tossed overboard by a unexpected wave. Washed up on a small island, Michael must learn to survive.

It is in his search for survival that Michael meets the only other inhabitant of the island, an elderly Japanese man named Kensuke. The story of this relationship between Kensuke and Michael is frustrating, fantastic and full of surprises!

I would recommend this book to third (strong readers), fourth and fifth graders who like realistic fiction about sea travel, or wilderness survival. Though the novel is fiction, there are some historical connections for those who like making connections between fiction and the real world. The book is Kensuke’s Kingdom; check it out!

Available in the TIS Library.

Thank you to TIS parent Hugh Mackworth (Spanish 4th) for this article.

Nancy Merchant, TIS parent & Haiti volunteer

(www.whitebird.org/performance/u-theatre)

U-Theatre is Taiwan’s most revered dance, theatre and music troupe blending movement with martial arts and drumming.  The company will make its Portland debut with its magnificent Meeting with Bodhisattva, a 80-minute dance-theatre work that depicts an individual’s journey toward becoming a Bodhisattva or “enlightened being” in Buddhism.

This is a fantastic performance for the family, and White Bird is offering special ticket prices to the International School Community.  Please enter the discount code INTL

Check out our family packages here - http://www.whitebird.org/u_theatre_family

If you are interested in individual tickets, please contact Ashley Cartmel – ashley@whitebird.org

Please don’t forget to express your opinion about the Custom House by submitting the Custom House Pledge / No-pledge form.

I’d like to mention a few important community points. First, if your child has any disagreements or conflicts with another student, please do not approach the other student yourself. I know that the protective instinct in parents is very strong. However, it is the job of the teachers and Maria and me to deal with such issues between students. This is explicitly stated in the family handbook for good reason. If you think there is an issue, bring it to the teachers’ attention and if it persists, to my attention.

Second, you are all doing a great job on pickup and drop off. I am proud of the care with which most of you approach this task! However, don’t park the wrong way on ANY street; and when you park face-in on the hill, pull all the way in so that your car is not sticking out. I should also point out that the space right in front of the Stearns hall entrance is the space purchased in the auction. When there is an orange cone there please do not take that space. Once that family has dropped off or picked up and the cone is removed, then others can park there. Finally, when driving around campus, go SLOWLY, and don’t get into altercations with others. We need to be considerate and civilized at all times, and it may look like someone is trying to take our space when in fact it is just a misunderstanding. Be aware that many people get very nervous about driving and parking on the hill.

When I am unable to be out at pick up or drop off (on days when I have meetings or am at Corbett/Arthur Street) I want you to be very kind and respectful to my colleague Michael Kelly who usually fills in for me. Every person in this school and beyond deserves respect regardless of his or her job!

Reminder that next Monday, February 15th, we will have no school in observance of President’s Day. Take good care and enjoy those days ahead this week that promise to be only partially cloudy.

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

Kelsey Cleveland, Development Director & Custom House committee member, dev@intlschool.org, 503-226-2496 x107

Volunteer Counter is an on-line tool designed to match volunteers with opportunities, opportunities with volunteers, and to record the number of hours given in service to the TIS community.  It replaces the volunteer log notebooks presently in every classroom. TIS families will simply need internet access to log on to the system to record volunteer hours on-line.  Emails were sent to all TIS families in January requesting you to activate your account.  If you did not receive an email, please contact TIS parent, Richard Foote at VolunteerCounter@gmail.com.

Once in the Volunteer Counter website, please:

1. Review your information and make any corrections
2. Add your phone number if you wish to be contacted by phone in addition to email
3. Choose a new password if you wish (or you may continue to use the password generated by the system)
4. Important - Select the volunteer opportunities you would like to participate in (or have already participated)
5. If you have volunteered this year, but have not recorded your hours in the notebook, please record your hours on Volunteer Counter
6. If you have recorded your hours in the notebook, please remove your sheet from the notebook and enter your hours on Volunteer Counter

Thanks to everyone for your service to our school. Your efforts help make TIS an amazing learning community!
Sara Shah, PTO Volunteer Coordinator, swspdx@yahoo.com or 503-830-3038

If you go to a library, community center, coffee shop, playgroup or other place that may post or distribute our postcard invitations, please come get some from any receptionist (or let me know and I’ll put them in your parent folder).  If you know anyone who may be interested in sending their child to TIS, please let them know or let me know so we can invite them. Thank you for your help!

Linda Bonder, Marketing & Communications Director, LBonder@Intlschool.org, 5032-226-2496 x104

Dan Pack, English specialist, DanP@intlschool.org