2019-04-26 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO

September 7, 2021

Emily Smith

Administrative Assistant

Earth Day

The Mulfingers and Tolcks were here on Friday celebrating Earth Day at ISLA a little early.  They had a trash scavenger hunt.

Earth Day trash bash. Taking care of our planet one trash bag at a time. 

Sra. Adams and Family celebrating Earth Day with NASA in Washington DC

Earth Day is a vehicle to broaden, educate and activate the environmental movement across the globe. As a community we not only recognize this day, we intentionally nurture the values that it represents throughout the year. It is a part of the fabric of who we are as globally minded inquirers that want to know more about issues that affect how we share the finite resources of our planet. We ask ourselves questions like “What is my responsibility?”, “How can I be an informed member of my community to help create a healthier safer planet for all living things?”  

Administrative Assistant Day

Wednesday, April 24 was Administrative Professionals Day. Each year we honor these two amazing women by giving them a two-hour lunch in a restaurant of their choice away from the phones and the bustle of a busy front desk. There is not a day that goes by where the positive attitude and actions of this dynamic duo are not felt by everyone in the ISLA community. We love you Emily and Jen!  

World Book Day

The look of literacy took on a new face this year as we celebrated World Book Day on Tuesday, April 23. The walls of ISLA were transformed into a space of wonder filled with “shelfie” photos of staff and students reading in interesting places. Illustrated book recommendations draped the ISLA tree piquing the curiosity of passersby. ISLA staff wandered the hallways personifying their favorite book characters. Each classroom had a “mysterious” guest reader and to highlight the importance of being balanced and the joy of reading the entire school, stopped, dropped and read in silence for 20 minutes. It was an infectious day of imagination and creativity!

A big thank you to all students and families who sent in "shelfies" and kept track of their minutes read during the week before World Book Day/El día del libro. We had lots of great reading going on in classrooms, the library and even in the hallways. The minutes are still coming in, so hopefully next week there will be a grand total to share. ¡Gracias por su participación!

Rube Goldberg Day

Being a risk taker is one of the attributes of the learner profile that is nurtured and encouraged every day at ISLA. This morning was no different. Students who were interested created teams outside of the regular school day, with the guidance of Sra. Maldonado and several courageous parent volunteers, to design and construct a Rube Goldberg. This example of student agency was recognized at today’s assembly which was welcomed with great enthusiasm! Way to go ISLA risk takers!

Non-Uniform Day

ISLA will have a non-uniform day on Friday, May 3rd in recognition of the money that students fund raised through the penny wars for the Guatemalan effort of transporting the donation of ISLA desktop computers.

Please have your student follow the non-uniform dress code listed on the ISLA website.

PTO Leadership Opportunities

Do you have a talent to share with ISLA? Would a leadership position on the PTO be of interest to you? There are exciting available positions on the PTO for the 2019-20 school year. The PTO offers co-chair and committee positions and experienced board members are willing to partner/mentor in each role. Requested term commitment is 1 year. For more information, please contact Ginnie Pollen at PTOchair@isla-academy.org. The current board and non-board positions are as follows:

Board Positions:

  • PTO Chair
  • PTO Treasurer
  • PTO Communications/Secretary
  • PTO Fundraising
  • PTO Social Events
  • PTO Volunteer Coordinator
  • PTO LA Coordinator

Non-Board Positions:

  • Room Parent Coordinator
  • Fiesta Coordinator
  • Spirit Store Coordinator
  • Yearbook Committee
  • Uniform Exchange Coordinator

SPRING CLEANING!                                                                                                                

Putting away your winter clothes and pulling out your suitcases for spring break?!  When you discover you are done with those items, please consider donating them to the ISLA LA program!

Each spring, most of our LAs want to return home with one additional suitcase - can you imagine how much stuff they accumulate in one school year?!?!  Note: they do NOT need to be working suitcases!  There could be a rip or a broken zipper… as long as it can hold “stuff” and be duct taped up, it will work just fine!!!

And, although our snow is FINALLY melting away, we at LA HeadQuarters never stop looking for warm items to keep our future LAs warm!!! The PTO provides the LAs with their winter gear mainly from ISLA family donations.  We need men’s and women’s sizes.  Smaller sizes like our older school kids would wear (girls size 14-16) are always needed.  

Please leave any donations with Emily Smith in the front office. Please contact Meggin (megginoleson@yahoo.com)

THANK YOU to our FALL LA HOST FAMILIES!   

Our 8 LAs had a great time with their 1st MN families - their fall families.  From their welcoming pick-ups at the airport to the State Fair to the first days of school and into winter, our Language Ambassador program could not happen without our devoted families who provide fun, food and FAMILY while housing our exchange teachers.   

Thanks so much to:

  • The Roesler Family for hosting Ethel from Spain
  • The Fisher Family for hosting Rocio from Colombia
  • The Gregory Family for hosting Valeria from Colombia
  • The Halls Family for hosting JuanRo from Chile
  • The Klein Family for hosting Ruben from Spain
  • The Lauzon Family for hosting Yancy from El Salvador
  • The McCabe Family for hosting Lina from Colombia
  • The Morales Family for hosting Karla from El Salvador
  • The Salemi Family for hosting Cristian from Colombia

Will YOUR family be a host family next fall? Please contact Kim (kimgelp@gmail.com) or Meggin (megginoleson@yahoo.com) to talk about this opportunity.

TEACHER/STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

Let's shower our wonderful ISLA staff with appreciation and special treatment throughout Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week (May 6-10th). There are a few specific things needed to pull off these efforts. Parent & Student involvement encouraged and Spanish is not required to volunteer.

Don't see a fit on the signup? Parents and students are also encouraged to send in thank you notes, pictures, letters, and drawings to ISLA staff throughout the week.

Help the PTO pull of an outstanding week of special surprises for ISLA’s outstanding group of teachers and staff! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-teacher

Thank you!

ISLA Board Elections

Election for directors for ISLA's board for the 2019-2020 year will take place on May 21, 2019.

For the slate of candidates go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gwy24tIGi5tE7f0SAXuCSAbR6ULoiTBd/view?usp=sharing and to see their biographies go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPYiBBBhHg-0NTh0mWPI_52yfA01BfFB/view?usp=sharing).

UNIFORM DONATION & EXCHANGE DAYS

Has your child outgrown a few of their uniform pieces? Donate clothes on May 6-7. Drop off spot will be labeled with “Uniform Donation” in front entry. Any questions, contact volunteer@isla-academy.org

Uniforms ready for a refresh? Pickup & refresh uniform items at the PTO meeting on May 14. All families are welcome and clothing donations are not required to participate.Any questions, contact volunteer@isla-academy.org.

 

Spring Music Programs

The spring music program dates have been set. You will receive more information about these programs as the time gets closer.

May20 – 4th grade, 2 pm
May 24 – 1st grade, 2 pm      
May 28 – 2nd grade, 2 pm
May 31 – 3rd grade, 2 pm
June 5 – 6th grade, 6:30 pm
June 6 – Kinder, 9:30 am
June 6 – 5th grade, 6:30 pm

Box Tops are going digital!  As of this June, you will start to see the new digital Box Tops and with that will be a brand new app with which you will simply be able to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to ISLA’s earnings online!  Parents will be able to see the school’s earnings through the app at any time. This should serve as a great motivator as each one of us will be able to see the earning grow firsthand. We will keep you posted once the new app is available.

In the meantime….  Please continue bringing in your clipped Box Tops. All Box Tops will continue to be accepted until their expiration date. If you happen to spot the new digital Box Top icon on packages before the new app is available, you can download the current Box Tops Bonus app, select the bonus offer and scan your receipt.Thanks parents and let’s earn extra $$ for our great school!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

IMMEDIATE/BIGGEST NEEDS INCLUDE:

Day time volunteers are needed for classroom exploration and library support. Spanish is not required. Have you considered volunteering? Sign up for a shift on the sign ups below and give it a try! Still not sure? E-mail us your questions - Sarah and Julia at volunteer@isla-academy.org

Exploration - We need your help! April and May spots remain open for every grade level! April dates listed by grade level below. Volunteer time is 12:50-2:50 pm.

  • Kinder - 5/10
  • First - 4/29, 5/24
  • 2nd - 4/30, 5/14, 5/30
  • 3rd - 5/3, 5/16
  • 4th - 5/6
  • 5th - 5/7, 5/20
  • 6th - 5/9, 5/21

Description: You will be assisting the students participate in the projects and other hands on activities that Sra Maldonado has set up. Volunteer in your child’s class. The sign up identifies the grade and rotating exploration day, with 2 volunteers needed per day for grades K-2,and 1 volunteer needed per day for grades 3-6: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-exploration

Library - We still have a need for volunteers to assist classes during library time. Spanish is not required.Thank you for considering! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4fa4a62aa1ff2-library

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:

Go to the Volunteer Interest Form to learn about more ways to get involved: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4fa4a62aa1ff2-volunteer

Questions about Volunteering? Contact us at volunteer@isla-academy.org

MORE WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PTO

Looking for more easy ways to help support the great work that the PTO does for our kids and their school? Here are two great options!


:  You can find your child’s things easily in the lost and found by marking them with bright, durable, Mabel’s Labels. Go to https://campaigns.mabelslabels.com/ and click on Select your School/Organization and choose International Spanish Language Academy.  A portion of your purchase will support the PTO.

: Shop at Amazon? You can have a portion of your purchase donated to the PTO!  Go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and search for International Spanish Language Academy.  Then just make sure to bookmark Amazon Smile and use it for your entire Amazon shopping needs.

Fourth Grade Business

Hi ISLA families,

We are going to have a Fourth Grade business called La Gran Fair. We are doing this to raise money for Wolf Ridge in 5th Grade and to donate to Feed My Starving Children. We have four businesses called:

  • Luces! Camara! Squish!

We sell squishies, bracelets, drawings, and take photos in funny costumes.

  • Naco Games!

You can play games and eat food.

  • Deportes Mundiales

Play your favorite sports.

  • Super Spa Jr.

We do hair, nails, massages & face paint.


This will happen on May 2nd & 3rd from 1:20 to 3:00 PM.

Do not bring money until May 2nd.