2020-01-17 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO

September 7, 2021

Emily Smith

Administrative Assistant

ISLA Robotics Team

Congratulations to our Robotics team, ISLA Bilingual Thinkers, in participating in First Lego League Jr. Robotics Competition this January 11 in St. Paul. Our team did a great job and were awarded the Innovative Explorers Awards.

Team includes Anna Breyer, Lauren Breyer, Graham Johnson and Iker Coig

Join the ISLA Board of Directors!

Looking for away to support the mission and shape the future of our amazing school? Join the ISLA Board of Directors!  The ISLA Election and Nominating Committee is seeking interested community members,teachers, and parents, grandparents, and guardians to fill several upcoming vacancies on the ISLA Board beginning June 30, 2020.  No previous experience is required, but we do have a specific need for individuals with expertise in education, marketing, or fundraising. The Board is responsible for overseeing the general operations of the school, implementing policies and procedures, and long-term strategic and financial planning.  In addition, there are a number of different committees on which Board members serve. Click here for descriptions of the various committees. The Board meets in the evening on the third Tuesday of each month.

If you are interested in seeking a Board seat, please submit a Statement of Interest (available here) to the Election and Nominating Committee by February 1.  Questions about Board service and the election process can be directed to Liz Crouse, Chair of the Election and Nominating Committee, at lcrouse@isla-academy.org. The election of Board Directors will occur in connection with ISLA’s annual meeting on May 19, 2020.

PTO COMMUNITY MEETING AND PARENT DISCUSSION

Tuesday, January 28, 6:30 - 8:00 pm at ISLA

ISLA families are invited to a free parent discussion on the important topic of technology and our families.

Join a licensed parenting educator to discuss the latest information about children and technology and create a plan to make intentional decisions regarding the use of technology in your family.

Parent discussion will follow a brief update from the ISLA PTO board.

Free childcare is available for children 2 - 12, registration is required.  Childcare for children ages 2-5 will be provided by Hopkins Early Childhood staff, childcare for grades K-6 will be provided by Adventuras staff.

To register yourself and your children, please click here or call 952-988-5000.

UNIFORM EXCHANGE  

Have your kids been growing and in need of a few items to get them through the last half of the school year?  The uniform exchange will be out and available at the community meeting Tuesday, January 28th.  You do not need to bring used items to take, however if you do donate items please be sure they are in clean and in good conditions (no tears, stains, etc.)

JOIN THE PTO BOARD

Are you interested in getting more involved at ISLA? Do you like spending time with a smart, kind, funny group of ISLA parents? If so, the PTO Board may be a great opportunity for you. See below for more details on the roles that need your enthusiasm and commitment. To express interest or learn more,please email ptochair@isla-academy.org

THE HOKEY POKEY, CHICKEN DANCE & ISLA, WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE??

Los Idolos de ISLA

Calling all ISLA risk takers! Los Idolos de ISLA is coming soon! Mark your calendars for February 28th to share an afternoon full of homegrown talent and fun at ISLA’s 2020 talent show.  Student tryouts will be held during ISLA Spirit week, February 10th -13th. More information will be sent out next week in the teachers’ newsletters, but for now start tapping into your creativity and brain brainstorm ideas of what kinds of talent you would like to share with the ISLA community. All performances and music must be in Spanish and no longer than two-to-three minutes.    

The countdown begins!Our 13th annual Fiesta de la Primavera, ISLA PTO’ssignature fundraising event, is fast approaching! Mark your calendars and bookyour babysitter for Saturday, March 21. Over the next two months, you will hear not only what we have plannedbut also about the many ways in which you can help make this event a greatsuccess! Right now, we are seeking Great Gatherings, Event Sponsors andWine/Beer/Spirit Donations – keep reading to learn more!

HIGHLIGHT: What’s new this year?

  • Invites are going green!  Instead of printing and mailing invitations this year, you’ll be receiving your invitation via email.  Going green with our invites means less paper being used and reduced expenses!  
  • Going,going, gone! A professional auctioneer will be hosting our live auction and fund a need portion of the evening! We’ve been blessed with outstanding parent volunteers in years past, but this year we have an opportunity to experience a professional auctioneer.  
  • Technologyis Changing! Now it will be even easier to submit your winning bid! We are changing our online auction and ticket processing platform from Bidding for Good to Accel Events! We are excited to announce that you’ll be able to ‘Bid Early, Bid High, Bid Often!’ via text messages!

SEEKING: Great Gatherings

It's time to start planning your fabulous “Great Gatherings” for the Fiesta de la Primavera auction. Deadline for submissions is February 21, but events can be planned to occur through Fall 2020.  

Great Gatherings are one of the most popular auction items at Fiesta because our ISLA community always thinks of the most fun and creative events. These group gatherings can be open to all grade levels or specific grades and can include kids, families or adults only.

Some ideas from the past are:

●       Yoga class for ISLA moms

●       Italian dinner at your home for ISLA parents

●       Family pool party at your home

●       Soccer night for ISLA families at a local park

●       Chef’s table at a favorite restaurant

To submit your Great Gathering idea, please complete this short Parent Donation Request Form. Questions? Contact Betsey Palmgren at Betseypalmgren@gmail.com or Merrie Sjogren at Merriesjogren@gmail.com.

SEEKING: Event Sponsors

We cannot meet our fundraising goal without the support of our community and local businesses.  Event sponsors allow us to offset the costs of hosting this important fundraiser plus provide exposure and tax benefits to our business partners.

Do you own a business?  Is your employer interested in sponsoring our event?

Event sponsors will have their business details provided to over 230 ISLA families,as well as extended families and friends across the United States and beyond. 

New this year we are offering the opportunity to sponsor a specific item or activity.  If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring, please contact the Fiesta team at fiesta@isla-academy.org.

 

SEEKING: Wine, Beer and Spirit Donations

Every year, there is a highly anticipated auction item around the theme of Wall of Wine or Stock the Cellar plus a variation of a Wine Pull game.  These auction items and game are only possible with the generous donations of the ISLA community.

Have a favorite wine, beer or spirit? Have some extra bottles left over from the holiday season?Please consider donating a bottle or two to be used at Fiesta de la Primavera.  You can drop off these bottle(s) in the ISLA Office.  Or, if you’re not often at the school, please email us at fiesta@isla-academy.org to arrange a pick up.  

Would you rather just donate money to be used towards a group purchase?  The Fiesta team has established partnerships with local businesses to make a matching group purchase.  There are two ways to donate towards this group purchase;

  1. Credit Card: You can use the ‘Make a Donation’     feature on our auction website at https://www.accelevents.com/e/Fiesta2020.  Note: There is a credit card processing fee of 2.9%.
  2. Cash or Check: You can drop off a donation of cash or     check in the ISLA office.  Please     clearly label the envelope ‘Fiesta – Group Purchase Donation.’

Please submit any donations by February 21.  In order to coordinate the auction items/games, the Fiesta team will complete a group purchase in late February.

LA Ride Request

If you signed your child up for an after school activity,please consider taking an LA home after that class as well. It’s a great way to get to know them and get a glimpse at what’s happening at school!

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

Volunteer Needs

See all of ISLA’scurrent volunteer sign-ups here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?o=c.SignUpSearch&eid=0EC3CBD7F5CCFC67&cs=09B6BADC8FBF8B627B0A64745BB59BC9&sortby=l.title

Please join the funat lunch time and volunteer. See all the fun being had below!

Sibling Enrollment

Make sure that your child receives the sibling enrollment priority they are entitled to at ISLA.  Submit an online student application for the sibling of a currently enrolled student by the sibling enrollment deadline of February 10, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.  Any student applications for a sibling received after the deadline will follow regular enrollment processes. To complete an online student application, go to the ISLA website. Click on the Explore tab and then the Enrollment tab. You will find the link for the 2020-21 student application in the upper right-hand side of the page.

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!

Mabel’sLabels:  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.

Amazon Smile: 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 all your Amazon shopping needs.