Half Day ASI care at ISM For April 22nd, 2009

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 is a half-day at ISM.
After School International will be providing childcare for students on this day. Students will be able to come to the program and have pizza lunch and a fun filled afternoon. The cost for this one-day of care is $35.00 per student for the day and care will be available until 6:00 pm.

All students must pre-register. No sign ups will be accepted on the 22nd.

Regular ASI students need to sign up for this program as it is not a regularly scheduled day on your Parent Contract.

All checks should be made payable to ISM and put in Miss Lisa's office box directly.

For questions please contact Lisa Wichael Loomis, ASI program coordinator, at lwloomis@ismonterey.org.

ISM 2008-2009 Online Yearbook

We have made a decision to have an FREE online yearbook this year! We are very excited about this option in today's economy. This will be a by email invitation only yearbook, from which you can order pictures printed as you wish! In order to have a successful ISM 2008-2009 Online Yearbook available, we need volunteers and support.

We are very fortunate that Marc Dyer (ISM Staff) has agreed to be the Online Yearbook Coordinator. THANK YOU SO MUCH MARC!

Submitting Photos
If you have any photos that you would like to submit, you may upload them (and captions) using the following "ISM Yearbook Photo Upload" tool:
http://www.coastclick.com/welsh/yearbook/

Thanks,
James Moberg, 4th Grade Communications Room Parent

April Saturday Work Day Cancelled!

Please note that in consideration of family travels / celebrations related to the Passover and Easter holidays this coming weekend, the April Saturday Work Day scheduled for Saturday, April 11th from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. has been canceled.

We also want to give staff and parents attending Saturday evening's World Neighborhood Gala plenty of opportunity to prepare for the "big event". Congratulations to all the room parents, volunteer parents, and especially Gala Coordinator Carrie Miles, for their amazing efforts on behalf of ISM's biggest annual fundraising event!

Have a great weekend!

Regards,

Lisa Griffin Burns
ISM Operations / HR Manager

Big Sur Marathon Volunteer Sign-ups Closed! Sign up for the Artichoke Festival!

The Big Sur Marathon, once again, proves to be the most popular outside-school event for ISM parent volunteers. We have more than 50 volunteers signed up. To keep the number of volunteers manageable, no further sign ups will be taken.

But there is another chance to help ISM raise funds, and we still have many volunteer spots to fill. The Artichoke Festival will be held on May 16 and 17, and we need volunteers to work from 9-2 or 1-6. We are in great need of adult volunteers. If we cannot find enough volunteers, we will not be able to do a good job. The e-mail sent out on Monday about this event is included below.

ARTICHOKE FESTIVAL
We have the chance to raise as much as $2,400 for ISM by working with the Artichoke Festival again this year (May 16 & 17). We will be in charge of the children's inflatable activities (e.g. slide, jumping house) this year. We will sell and collect tickets, keep the kids under control, and in some cases help with safety harnesses (inflatable company staff will also be there to help).

There will be two shifts on both days -- 9am-2pm and 1pm-6pm on Saturday, 9am-2pm and 1pm-5pm on Sunday. We need at least 12 adults at all times so we can make sure the operation runs smoothly.

Unfortunately, ISM students will not be allowed to work as volunteers. In order to work at the Festival, a student HAS to be at least entering their Freshman year of High School. So, if you have a child in high school, you can bring him/her! Any family members that are too young will not be allowed to hang out with you while you are working, so you are not distracted. Non-volunteer family members have to purchase entrance tickets to get in if they want to come along.

To sign up, please e-mail Clara Wang at clarawang@comcast.net ASAP. Please indicate the shift and day (or shifts and days!) you'd like to work.

Volunteers Needed for 7th Annual Field Day (6/18/2009)

ISM is hosting the 7th annual Field Day on Thursday, JUNE 18TH!

Please help by volunteering for our fun-filled day! You will receive volunteer hours, a free picnic lunch AND provide students with a lasting memory!

FIELD DAY SCHEDULE
8:30-9:30 Set-up

KINDERGARTEN – 5TH GRADE MIDDLE SCHOOL (6-8TH)
10:00-1:00 All events + lunch 12:30-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:00 Field + Water Events

If you can help with this enjoyable event, please fill out the bottom of this form and return it to Mr. Robby by Friday, April 27th.

If you have any questions or special requests please email me at:
rfabry@ismonterey.org. I really appreciate your help in making this a fun-filled day
for our students at ISM!

Yours in fun and fitness for kids,
Robby Fabry
ISM PE Instructor

---

YES! I am available to volunteer for Field Day on Thursday, June 18th!
Please return this form to Mr. Robby’s mailbox by April 27th.

VOLUNTEERS NAME:
Phone number:
Email address:
CHILD'S NAME:

___ I am available from 10-1 to help in the Water stations (you will probably get wet)
___ I am available from 10-1 to work in a very dry Field stations
___ I am available from 10-1 to help with the BBQ Lunch (set-up, grilling, serving, cleanup)

Extra Hours
___ I am available from 8:30-9:30 to help with set-up
___ I am available from 1:00pm-2: 15pm to help with the middle school stations

Math Study Guide Plus

Thank you to our wonderful parents who chaperoned our field trip to Colton Hall and the Monterey Library. We were very lucky with the weather and had some new experiences for some like riding the city bus and getting one's first library card. The docent at Colton Hall was great and very informative, we also learned a lot about the resources at the Monterey Public Library. Those of you with Monterey Library cards can use them to tap into their numerous online resources such as World Book online, the library catalog, and even have some books read to you called "Tumblebooks". We also visited the "California Room" at the library which might be a good resource for the migration project or next year when the 5th graders work on History Day projects.

I would like to get a count of how many families have video cameras that can be used for the migration interview project. We will need to get the films on a DVD or "thumbdrive" to bring to the Apple Store - April 29th. Some digital still cameras have video capability. You might want to check that out if you have one. You can just email me your response on the cameras. I know there are several people that do not have a video camera so maybe we can work on a way to do this together.

I am attaching the study guide for the math unit we are studying now. One family suggested I get it to you all at the beginning of the unit which is a great idea so you can know what to focus on. I apologize for forgetting to do that until now. It looks like our test for Unit 8 will be on Monday. I hope this gives you a little time to look things over with your child.

Thanks all,
Mary Welsh

Volunteers Needed for Big Sur International Marathon

Once again, we will be able to help at the Big Sur Marathon and earn cash for our school. We need volunteers on Sunday, April 26th, from early morning to a little after noon. This is a fun event, and students fourth grades and up are welcome to help! Our job is to serve water and energy drink to the runners.

Our captains are Anu and Murali Tummala, parents of 7th grader Neeli Tummala. We will meet at the Barnyard shopping center around 6:30 am (exact time to be confirmed later), and carpool to our aid station, which is about 6 miles south of the shopping center. We will carpool back to the shopping center around 12 or 1 pm, depending on when the race is over. Traffic will be closed, so you will not be able to drive to or from our aid station on your own.

To sign up, please e-mail Clara Wang at clarawang@comcast.net as soon as possible. Please also indicate the T-shirt size you prefer, S, M, L, XL or XXL. I will send the volunteers more specific information after the captains' meeting the weekend before the event.

Report cards, field trip

Dear Parents,

Report cards were sent home today with your student. They are in an ISM envelope and should arrive to you sealed.

The students were also given the migration project information today. I am attaching another copy here for you just in case. Please let me know if you have any questions. This is the first time the 4th grade has tried a project like this so there are bound to be some ups and downs with figuring it out. Your feedback is helpful.

Our field trip to Colton Hall and the library via the MST bus is tomorrow. Please send your child to school with a lunch and drink, a backpack and a book to read on the bus. They will need to wear their regular uniform. Thank you to the parents who will be joining us as chaperones. I think we will all be learning a lot.

Our class art project is on display in the office along with some of the other class works of art. Stop by and check them out. They are all quite fun to see.

All the best,
Mary Welsh

Community Update - 4/7/2009

Dear ISM parents,

At last night's meeting our ISM Board of Directors explained how the State's financial crisis has affected and continues to affect ISM. The State has cut some of the revenue that we were to receive this school year. The State has deferred payments that ISM was to receive in February until July and funds we were to receive in July, August and September are being deferred until October.

ISM's financial obligations and the date each is due remain the same.
To meet the challenge:

• The Board froze all nonessential expenditures in December.
• At the request of the Board the Foundation energized the ISM community and successfully raised the level of Family Share donations.
• The Board successfully negotiated a bridge loan.

The Board made it very clear that we must continue to look for ways to create new sources of funding for ISM and it asked for the ISM communities' help.

Some very good news was shared at last night's meeting. ISM is not moving. The Board has been in negotiations with MPUSD for several months now. The District presented ISM with a letter on Friday stating that it was their intent that we stay at the Manzanita Campus through the end of the 2010-2011 school year.

Negotiations with the district will continue to determine the number of classrooms that we will have for all of our programs.

Sincerely,

Eric Pearlstein
Interim Executive Director
(831) 583-2165
epearlstein@ismonterey.org

Staff Appreciation Day Volunteers Needed

International School of Monterey
Staff Appreciation Lunch – Spring Theme
Wednesday, May 20, 12:00-1:00

This year the staff will be treated to lunch prior to receiving further professional development on our minimum day in May. This is a way for parents to express their appreciation for all of the significant efforts contributed to our children by the amazing staff at the International School of Monterey.

We are asking for four parents to volunteer as Table Hosts. This obligation entails providing a centerpiece for your designated table and a party favor for each guest table (9 guests per table). The table decoration should be reflective of Spring. We will provide the food, tablecloths, utensils, etc. The goal is to make each table special and unique.

Table Hosts should be available to set up their Table decorations at 11:00 am on May 20th. Table decorations will be returned to the Table Hosts either immediately following the event, or the next day.

Please contact Jeannine Nale if you are interested in volunteering as a Table Host. She can be reached at 214-3940 or jjnale@comcast.net.

Artichoke Festival Volunteers Needed! Saturday May 16th andSunday, May 17th

We have the chance to raise as much as $2,400 for ISM by working with the Artichoke Festival again this year (May 16 & 17). We will be in charge of the children's inflatable activities (e.g. slide, jumping house) this year. We will sell and collect tickets, keep the kids under control, and in some cases help with safety harnesses (inflatable company staff will also be there to help).

There will be two shifts on both days-- 9am-2pm and 1pm-6pm on Saturday, 9am-2pm and 1pm-5pm on Sunday. We need at least 12 adults at all times so we can make sure the operation runs smoothly.

Unfortunately, ISM students will not be allowed to work as volunteers. In order to work at the Festival, a student HAS to be at least entering their Freshman year of High School. So, if you have a child in high school, you can bring him/her! Any family members that are too young will not be allowed to hang out with you while you are working, so you are not distracted. Non-volunteer family members have to purchase entrance tickets to get in if they want to come along.

To sign up, please e-mail Clara Wang at clarawang@comcast.net ASAP. Please indicate the shift and day (or shifts and days!) you'd like to work.

Weekly update - 4/5/2009

Dear Parents,

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. The weather has been beautiful.

Yesterday, I drove up to Los Altos to pick up the vases with our class artwork for the Gala auction. They are just great. The vases are quite large and the ocean artwork looks great. Some of the students' art are on each vase though inadvertently 3 of our students were missed in the application of the art. If you go to the gala next Saturday, you'll be sure to see them. They are lovely and fun.

Gala 50/50 tickets need to be in this week. Please have your child turn them in to me or you can bring them directly to the wooden mailbox near the teacher mailboxes in the office.

We have a field trip to Colton Hall and the Monterey Library this Wednesday, April 8th. We are taking the city bus. If your child has not yet turned in their field trip form or the $2.00 for the bus, please send them in on Monday. Thank you!

On Thursday, April 23rd, we have a field trip to the Monterey Symphony at Sherwood Hall in Salinas scheduled as part of music class. I will get field trip forms out at the end of the week (one trip at a time!). We will need drivers for this trip and need to arrive at Sherwood Hall by 9:15 am. I assume the program only goes an hour or so but will let you know as soon as I hear.

We have begun working on our unit on Migration. As part of the unit each student will interview someone they know who has migrated to California. The students will write up this interview and we are hoping the students will videotape each of these interviews so we can teach them to edit the film and upload the final draft onto a website called We Are California. I need to know how many families have a digital video camera that they can use to tape the interview. Please let me know as soon as possible. We may be able to partner up and film for one another if agreeable. I will send home the information on the assignment this week. Check out the website: www.weareca.org

This Friday, we will be doing some activities on the Gold Rush with both the 4th grade classes. It should be a fun learning time for all.

Homework this week:

Monday:
Math: Study Links 8,5
Spelling: Sort and write words
Handwriting pg. 54
Reading: 20 minutes and record title, pages and minutes in planner

Tuesday
Math: Study Links 8,6
Spelling: Sort and write words
Handwriting pg. 55
Reading: 20 minutes and record title, pages and minutes in planner

Math: Fact Triangle practice
Spelling: Sort and write words
Handwriting pg. 56
Reading: 20 minutes and record title, pages and minutes in planner

Math: Study Links 8.7
Spelling: Sort and write words
Handwriting pg. 57
Reading: 20 minutes and record title, pages and minutes in planner

Enjoy your week,

Mary Welsh