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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS! 

The ISLA PTO is accepting nominations for its Executive Board for the 2021-2022 school year.  This is a great way to get involved in the school and make a difference! See attached flyer/PDF for more information and the link to nominate yourself or someone else!  Questions?  email Casie Budoflson at PTOchair@isla.schoolLink for nomination form, click here
Want to get involved, but not ready to be a part of the board??  There are many other ways you can lend your time and talents to the PTO!  Click here to fill on a Volunteer Interest Form! 

Language Ambassadors Are Coming Next Year!

The Amity Program canceled last school year due to the pandemic, but they are back up and running, and ISLA is beginning to interview some amazing individuals for next year’s Language Ambassador (LA) positions! Unsure what LAs do, or who they are? Ask your kids - they have such an amazing impact on ISLA in the classroom, and bring such joy to ISLA families. If you are interested in the program either as a possible host family or being an aunt/uncle family, or you simply want to learn how you can meet these amazing individuals, feel free to pop into our Zoom meeting Tuesday, April 27 from 6-7 pm. We only have a couple of host family positions open but there are many ways to get involved in the program. You can get involved a lot and make life-long friendships while learning different cultures and customs along the way, or just a little bit – please join us to learn more!

Link to the meeting is here:

https://zoom.us/j/99167547365?pwd=aE5YeGhRUnlkSC9JU1kvSjF6b3NHQT09

Meeting ID: 991 6754 7365

Passcode: 353249

If you can’t make the meeting, or have other questions about the program, please contact Karen Heuiser at heuiserkaren@gmail.com or Christina Toran at CToran@SafetyCall.com. Thank you!

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School Supplies

Great News! This year we will again be offering the Teacher Tailored supply kit program which offers pre-packaged, school supply boxes filled with the exact items requested by your child’s teacher. It’s a triple win: students and teachers get exactly what they need, you get to avoid the school supply rush at the stores this summer, and a portion of the proceeds goes to support the ISLA PTO. Supplies will get delivered directly to ISLA at the start of the school year.

Ordering opens April 19th and CLOSES JUNE 25.Order online at www.shopttkits.com.Enter our school’s account number 28056Enter your child’s grade for next year (school year 21/22).Questions? Contact Betsey at betseypalmgren@gmail.com Note: this is an optional service and not required; school supply lists will be posted on the ISLA website this summer.

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ISLA Annual Classroom Art Project Spring 2021

The Classroom Art Project is an annual tradition for the ISLA community. Students contribute to an art project that is then auctioned at the Fiesta de la Primavera to support the ISLA PTO. 

This Year: Even though we won’t have a Fiesta de la Primavera this year, we are keeping the tradition with a modified approach to art projects. Our theme is “Community” and students will contribute to the art by creating their piece of the art project from home and returning to school by Friday, April 23, 2021.  Please see the instructions from your room representative that was emailed to you for more information or click here for instructions and examples of art pieces. 

A group of volunteers will consolidate the individual pieces into the final artwork. Contact ISLA Volunteers, volunteer@isla.school, if you are interested in helping or have any questions. We have a goal of 450 Tiles and 100 hands!  We can do it! 

Thank you for participating!

The ISLA PTO

Examples of individual artwork:

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March 16, 2021 Board Meeting Summary:

Board member Kris Taylor provided an update on transportation.  A successful RFP process resulted in the unanimous selection of a new transportation provider.  More details will be circulated to the community soon, but the school is very pleased to offer neighborhood bus transportation to 66% of current families which is an improvement over the 49% of families who have bus transportation available to them in their neighborhood today.

Jody Johnson (ISLA Treasurer), gave a financial update and February financials will be provided next month.  You can find the Finance Committee’s notes on ISLA’s website under the Board/Board materials tabs.  

ISLA’s 8 Year Financial Model/Forecast Update & Walk-through was provided by Andres Tapernoux (ISLA Assistant Treasurer).  Andres provided a detailed walk-through   of the updated financial model/forecast.  He reviewed the assumptions that were used and took the Board through new expenses that have been identified. He demonstrated sensitivities to particular assumptions, particularly drawing attention to K-6 enrollment/attrition and Pre-K enrollment.  He explained how restricted cash,     accounts receivable, and the Finance Committee’s defined minimum operating cash amount impact the “remaining cash” line.  Remaining cash will hit a low in year 4,     the same year ISLA is projected to have its first year of positive net income, and is expected to be positive by year 6.  The expectation is that from year 6 onwards there will be more available cash to invest in some of the alternates that the Building Working Resource Group has identified and that by year 8, if enrollment meets forecast, the $750,000.00 cash that has been restricted from use by ISLA’s lender would then become available.  The overall takeaway is that the financial outlook for ISLA is far     stronger over the 8-year period than it was several months ago when the Board last reviewed the 8-year model.  A Board member requested that Jeremy start including Pre-K enrollment on his director’s report each month as Pre-K enrollment is crucial to ISLA’s financial wellbeing over the forecast period.

Key points from the Director’s Report that were presented to the Board:

• All grades are back in the school building and the halls at ISLA are again filled with children!  Current enrollment is at 319. ISLA’s new Pre-K program, El Nido, has opened for enrollment. The hours for the program will be 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and the program will run year-round. The fees will be $1340/month for full time and $984/month for part-time (M, W, F).
• Jeremy secured a Professional Development grant for $3,500.00 and is researching other available grants.

The updates to the Strategic Plan were presented to the Board.  There are four proposed sections of the plan: Section 1, “Take Learning to the Next Level for All ISLA Students”;  Section 2, “Create Innovative Spaces, Environments and Programs that Advance Learning:; Section 3, “Build a Diverse Student Body and Faculty Representing Various Races and Communities”; and Section 4, “Strengthen our ISLA Community.”

• A topic of discussion among the Board members was the level of priority being given to technology education and, in particular, the goal of computer literacy listed in Section 1 of the plan.  A Board member asked that the goal(s) in the area of computer literacy be changed to be more robust and ambitious.  
• A Board Member asked about the financial impact of Section 2 given that each line item appears to necessitate additional expenditure. It was explained that the cost of the building items are already covered as part of the current construction project and the eco themed items may be able to be funded through grants.
• A Board Member asked about the financial impact of Section 2 given that each line item appears to necessitate additional expenditure. It was explained that the cost of the building items are already covered as part of the current construction project and the eco themed items may be able to be funded through grants.
• Two Board members asked about the inclusion of a new headcount for a “Community Engagement” position suggesting that the Board may want to have more flexibility in determining where head count is most needed in the coming years. 

In the Building Working Resource Group update, Board member and BWRG Chair, Jiancarlo Ulloa, presented building interior options including color palettes, flooring, tiles, an updated skylight design, ideas for a word wall, murals, and placement of acoustic wall panels. 

Board Action: the Board unanimously approved an extension on ISLA Board member terms by one day (to June 30th)to coincide with the July 1st date, when new terms begin as prescribed by the updated ISLA Bylaws. 

Please see additional information in the Committee Reports on the ISLA website at the Board/Board Materials tabs to view all of the good work ISLA volunteers are doing to support the Board and benefit the community.

The next board meeting will be on Tuesday, April 20th at 6:30pm

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