2019-10-11 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO

September 7, 2021

Emily Smith

Administrative Assistant

Letter from the Director

October 10th, 2019

Queridas Familias:  

I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying this “fall” weather.  Here at ISLA, students and staff have again fallen into a welcome routine, and it is wonderful to see the smiles and hear the sounds of laughter and learning from all around the school and campus. It is hard to believe that most classes are in the process of winding up their first Unit of Inquiry, and that MEA weekend is right around the corner.  

Today, I am writing to you to ask for your help.

As you know, we have an extremely active and effective PTO at ISLA which contributes in a big way to our success as a school and community.  The PTO drives our volunteer program, organizes and funds events and programs for our school community, including our Language Ambassador program, ISLA family nights such as Dia De los Muertos, and the Spring roller skating night, the ISLA back to school picnic, “Yahoo Boo hoo”, the Fiesta de la Primavera, and much, MUCH, more. 

The PTO operates on a lean budget of around 100k to fund all of this programming, and up to now has been largely dependent on the Fiesta de La Primavera and Give to the Max for the bulk of its revenue.  As costs go up from year to year, and we have increased the number of LA's here at ISLA, the PTO board has come to the conclusion that the PTO needs another source of funding to maintain fiscal sustainability.   As you know, our Language Ambassador interns make a huge impact on our teaching and learning here at ISLA, and it is vital that we maintain that same level of programming support. 

So how can you help?  ISLA and the ISLA PTO will have a Jogathon fundraiser called ¡A correr, ISLA!, on October 31st here at ISLA. Students will run and walk 200 meter loops in the ISLA parking lot in three different sessions according to grade: Grades  K-1, for 20 minutes, Grades 2-3 for 25 minutes, and Grades 4-6  for 30 minutes. Pledges will be for a total contribution only, but laps will be counted and considered in conjunction with other factors (such as the best representation of the IB profile at the jogathon) to determine participation in a special pizza party and game night with Sr. Diaz.  Additional awards and recognition will be given to classes which raise the most funds.  In case of inclement weather, the jogathon will be held in the gym and modified to fit our scheduling needs. 

This week, students will bring home a pledge sheet for this event, attached to an envelope for pledges.  Together, with your ISLA student(s), please reach out to your friends, neighbors, and family members over the next few weeks and see who can contribute.   Cash or checks (made out to ISLA PTO) should be placed in the envelope and returned on the day of the jogathon (10/31/19).   

Thank you for supporting the ISLA PTO!   ¡A correr, ISLA!

Atentamente,  

Jeremy Perrin
Executive Director  

Dress for the Weather…

It is time to wear warm jackets, hats, mittens and maybe even boots. Students go outside every day for recess unless it is raining or the outside air temperature is less than 0º or the wind chill is -10º or below.  Exercise and physical activity helps children release their muscle tension after several hours in school and contributes to overall wellness, including cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance.  Recess also provides an opportunity for students to play and relax outdoors and to socialize.

Fiesta de la Primavera Auction Survey

We need your input! Please take this survey to let the Fiesta planning committee know what you’d like to see in this year’s auction:

https://forms.gle/Jy5gzqhAJicZbtPs6

We are looking forward to seeing some major bidding wars this year—help us make sure we have must-have stuff! In fact, you can let us know right on this form if you have items to donate or know a business who does.

Greetings from the Media Center!

Since we have a short week next week, the classes that normally have book check out on Wednesday will have it on Monday. Tuesday book check-outs will remain on that day.

Thanks for helping your student to remember the change!

Have a great break!!

Sra. Yepes

¡A correr, ISLA! is coming up on October 31st!

This is a JOG A THON FUNDRAISING EVENT that students will participate in during the school day on October 31st around our ISLA parking lot track.

Awards will be given to the classes that raise the most money and also to the top lap count kids in every classroom.

Your child will come home on Friday with an envelope to collect donations from friends and family. Included will be a letter explaining more information about this event.We encourage each student to reach out to people in their community to sponsor their run. Please help us to raise money for our school and have a great time jogging our wiggles away on Halloween Day!

Calendar of Events

  • Oct 15 ISLA Board Meeting, 6:30
  • Oct 16 Teacher Workshop, no school
  • Oct 17-18 Education MN Workshop,  no school
  • Nov 1  Dia de los Muertos Family Night, 6:30 – 8 pm
  • Nov 4-5  Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, no school
  • Nov 12  PTO Community Meeting, 6:30pm
    Hopkins North Jr. High & High  School Juntos Presentation
  • Nov 14  Give to the Max
  • Nov 19 ISLA Board Meeting, 6:30 pm
  • Nov 27-29 Thanksgiving Holiday, no school

Marketing/Communications Committee

The ISLA Marketing/Communications Committee is looking for members interested in helping promote ISLA within the community, developing and maintaining the ISLA brand,and coordinating with the Executive Director the communication process to the ISLA community.

If you are interested in finding out more information regarding this committee, please contact Sarah Markus at smarkus@isla-academy.org.

LA Ride Request

Want to get to know the LA in your child’s classroom a bit more?Or are you interested in taking your car ride home to the next level?! Sign up to take an LA with you on your way home, or wherever you may be heading. They are often heading your way and just need to catch a ride with someone. Sign up by clicking the link below. Your kids will get an extra bit of time speaking Spanish with a native speaker, and you’ll get to know these fabulous LAs a bit more!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4FA4A62AA1FF2-isla6

Rides will be updated over the weekend, with new requests popping up regularly. 

SUPPORT THE PTO

Looking for 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 AmazonSmile and use it for your entire Amazon shopping needs. 

LA Winter Gear

We are still in need of a few women’s size 7 boots and 3 pairs of men’s snow pants. If you are able to help, please drop off these items in La Bodega (in the area marked for LA donations - not the area for the  Spirit Store/Uniform Exchange). Many thanks for helping keep these LAs warm!

 VOLUNTEER NEEDS

Library Volunteer Request

The ISLA library is seeking volunteers to work with ISLA's media specialist on a weekly or monthly basis to assist in the school library in a variety of ways. Spanish is not required for these volunteer roles.Opportunities available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

These are some of the tasks that may be done by library volunteers:

  • Maintain the order of the book shelf, shelving books when they are returned
  • Help students locate and select books
  • Prepare new books to go out—tagging and stamping new books
  • Help with book repair—repairing damaged returned books

Thank you for your interest in helping our students in the library!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4fa4a62aa1ff2-isla8

Spirit Store

The Spirit Store is closed.  It will be open again for our “spring” order January 13-26 with delivery during the week of February 10th.  This will be the final spirit store opening for the year so will be the time to order the next size up if your student’s shirt is getting snug.  Also, this will be the time to order if you need a shirt for the spring concert.

What to do if you didn’t purchase shirts during the back to school or fall order windows and would like one now?

  • Check the uniform exchange.  It will next be out at the November 12th PTO community meeting.
  • Make a request on the ISLA families Facebook page to see if anyone has one to borrow or that their student has outgrown.

ISLA Uniform Exchange Information

The ISLA Uniform Exchange is available to all ISLA families. There is no cost to the clothing and there is no obligation to make donations in order to make use of the clothing we have to offer our students. We collect new and gently used school clothes that your student has outgrown or no longer uses. Clothing must adhere to the ISLA dress code and should be:

  • laundered and clean
  • (mostly) stain free
  • free of pet hair
  • please no holes in pant knees

The clothing bins, ranging in sizes from x-small (4/5) to large (10) and even some size 12+, will be available a few times throughout the school year during PTO Community meetings. We will communicate those dates in the PTO news.

Thank you for making this service to our school such a success! Questions? Contact: pto@isla-academy.org