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Letter from the Director

“February days are a marketing gimmick; love happens every day.” – Randeep Hooda

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Queridas Familias,

I hope this finds you doing well and staying warm. The cold weather was certainly challenging this week, as we actually had to have indoor recess three out of the five days as we followed our protocol for severe cold weather and wind chills. That is unusual---even for Minnesota winter. However, while the weather outside was chilly, inside the school there was a bustling of activity the past few weeks--from 3rd grade innovation fairs, to pirate activities in 2nd grade to hone their mapmaking and geo-location skills, to citizenship studies in 5th grade in preparation for the trip to State Capital--just to name a few.

We look forward to seeing February 16th and 17th for student led conferences at the school. Student-led parent teacher conferences are a signature part of the IB PYP experience, as they allow students to reflect deeply on their learning experiences and put themselves in the position of guiding parents through their learning process. I always marvel at how sometimes even the shyest students really shine in this activity, and glow with pride as they have the agency to express their many accomplishments.

I would like to put forth a call to action today. Do you have capacity and interest to join our Strategic Planning Committee? Are you interested in helping track our progress on our ISLA Strategic Plan and influence how we are fulfilling our mission? Each of the meetings will be monthly for one hour and could be conducted virtually or in person as folks prefer. Once we make some traction on our objectives, meeting quarterly is normally sufficient for a Strategic Planning committee.

This will be our approach:

Review the strategic plan and look for any necessary edits.
Look at the timeline for completion for each item/ determine feasibility.
Look at the ownership of action items to see if the item was placed with the correct committee or owner.
Track the progress of each item on tracking software.
Determine what resources are needed to bring specific goals to fruition.

Please email me at jperrin@isla.school if you are interested. Don’t miss this opportunity to help ISLA bring our mission to fruition.

Atentamente,

Jeremy

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Third Grade Innovation Fair

The enthusiasm was contagious as our innovative third graders rounded out their third unit of inquiry on Monday and Tuesday at the Innovation Fair. Guided by the central idea, Innovation is driven by the need to solve problems, students developed an understanding of the concepts of innovation and change by choosing an invention from ancient or modern times and examining how technology influenced its development. Using the design thinking process they not only worked on being able to identify what problem the invention solved and how it transformed over time, but they also added the challenge of adapting their invention to take care of a favorite toy. It was a wonderful celebration of learning!

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Lunch Ordering

The window to order lunch for March is now open until Tuesday,

February 21st, 2023 at midnight. The system won't open after the deadline date. Please make sure to order for the whole month of March or preferred days.

There's also an option for "only milk" to children that bring lunch from home.

Link:

https://secure.boonli.com/

Spirit Week

Spirit week is coming up February 21-24. Here are the themes for the week:

Tuesday, Feb 21: Día cómodo - Comfy Day: Come to school in your coziest gear! Pajamas, sweats, and hoodies!
Wednesday, Feb 22: Cambio de identidad - Identity Swap: Students come dressed as one of the ISLA staff or LA's and staff/LA's dress as the students! Wacky Wednesday!
Thursday, Feb 23: Gorro/Pelo loco - Crazy Hat/Hair Day: Come in your favorite hat or craziest hairstyle!
Friday, Feb 24: Día bigote y barba - Fake Facial Hair Day: Draw or wear a silly mustache, beard, eyebrows or sideburns! Let's celebrate being silly risk-takers. This is also our Obsta-Jog celebration.

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Calling Art Fans!

Are you a fan of visual art? Do you want to help beautify ISLA's new space? Do you want to help ISLA raise money at the same time? We have the opportunity for you!

ISLA's Fundraising Committee is looking for someone to lead the Paint the Tiles project. This project will allow alumni to connect with / leave their mark on our wonderful new space by purchasing a ceiling tile to paint with their own design. A project lead(s) is needed to set parameters for the project, communicate to alumni, and then work with staff to execute (e.g. approve designs and ensure appropriate materials are available). This is the perfect opportunity to engage our alumni in our new community. If you are interested in this opportunity, please reach out to Lida Etemad at letemad@isla.school. Our current and former students will love you for it!

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Summer School at ISLA

As families are making summer plans, some have inquired about summer school at ISLA. Summer school is by invitation only, based on assessment data and teacher input. For students invited to summer school, families will be notified in late March, with a registration deadline at the end of April.

Summer school will be scheduled for incoming 2nd-6th graders the mornings of July 17-28. While it is ideal for students to attend both weeks, families may register for one or both weeks.

Students who are registered for summer camp will be able to adjust their registration if they receive a summer school invitation. We encourage families to sign up for the summer camp(s) they are interested in. Students attending summer school have the option to stay in the afternoon for summer camp programming.

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You are invited to…

Ice skating with ISLA
Sponsored by PTO

Join us for ice skating and creating valentines for patients at a local hospital.

February 12th 4:30 - 6:30 PM

St. Louis Park Recreation Outdoor Center

3700 Monterey Drive St. Louis Park

RSVP HERE for skate time to ensure adequate space and skate rentals

*skate rentals available

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Last Chance for Donations!!

TODAY is our deadline for donations for Fiesta de la Primavera! Host a great gathering or advertise your business with an item in our auction! Themed gift baskets, tickets to a local sporting event or complimentary cupcakes are all great donation ideas!

Great Gatherings can be just for kids, parents or both!! Some ideas are hosting a bike ride or play day with pizza at a local park to a themed picnic or pool party. Maybe a yoga class or spa day for ISLA moms or even a grill out for Dads. You could even consider co-hosting the event with another family! These events are a great way to get to know others in the ISLA community while you help fund the Language Ambassador program!! These are just ideas for a starting point. We’d love to see what unique idea you come up with! If you need help working out the details of your donation, please email us at fiesta@isla.school

The deadline for submissions is TODAY February 3rd, however, events can be planned through Fall 2023.

Donation Forms

Community/Parent Donations - Click here!
Gift Basket Donations - Click here!
ALL donation forms are available here!
Tickets on sale now…

Want to participate?!

We need volunteers to make Fiesta a success! If you are available the day of the event (March 4th) please click here to sign up for a shift!!

Thank you for your help in making this year’s Fiesta de la Primavera a great event!!

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Kindergarten Welcome Committee

ISLA is creating a Kindergarten Welcome Committee whose primary purpose will be to connect with and offer support to incoming kindergarten families for the 2023-24 school year. Volunteers would connect with incoming families through phone calls and emails in an effort to answer any questions they might have and ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten. The Marketing and Communications Committee is guiding the work of the Welcome Committee. If you’d like to be part of the Welcome Committee, email Tad Johnson at marketing@isla.school.

Morning Drop off Reminders

Please help us keep morning drop off running smoothly. As a reminder:

Entry/exit off of East Bush Lake Road is not to be used for the drop off line. Use East Bush Lake entry for parking only.
Do not park in disability parking spaces at any time without displaying a disability parking certificate.
We must keep the entryway off of 78th street clear for buses to enter from the West. Traffic attendants will direct vehicles to line up from the East along 78th street as needed. If you must arrive for drop off from the west on 78th street, be prepared to safely turn your vehicle around and join the drop off line when necessary.
In the drop off line, be sure students are ready to quickly exit the vehicle as soon as you come to a stop in the drop off zone.
Do not keep your children waiting in the vehicle to shorten their walking distance.
Parents/caregivers, please do not exit your vehicle in the drop off line. Students in the drop off line must be able to exit the vehicle on their own. If you would like to get out of your vehicle for any reason, please park instead of going through the drop off line.
Parent/caregivers are welcome to park and escort their K-6 students to the school entrance. Please encourage/allow your child to make their way to the classroom on their own.
Parents/caregivers arriving at 9:00 or later must check K-6 students in at the main office.
When exiting the parking lot, yield to buses.

Our traffic attendants are members of our staff who want your morning to go smoothly and your family to stay safe. Thank you for following their instructions.

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Sibling Enrollment

To be eligible for enrollment into Kindergarten, a student must be five years old on or before September 1 of the enrollment year. ISLA gives preference for enrollment to students who:

Meet the application deadline
Is a sibling of a currently enrolled pupil or foster child of the pupil's parents
Are a child of an ISLA staff member

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 (4:00 pm on February 15, 2022). Any student applications for a sibling received after the deadline will follow regular enrollment processes.

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Spring Student Led Conferences

Welcome to the sign up for our Spring Student-Led Conferences! Each 30 minute spring conference includes a 15 minute student-led session followed by 15 minutes with your child’s classroom teacher. Please use the links provided to schedule a conference for your child.

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Pre-Kinder/El Nido: Kinder:‍

(20 minute conferences) Srta. Doris Bonifacio

Srta. Barbara Seño Silvia Herrero

Srta. Marisol Sra. Maryann Najera

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1st Grade 4th Grade

Profesora Bonyin King Profe Irene Martinez

Sra. Edily Sanchez Sr. Roberto Izquierdo

Srta. Erika Leal

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2nd Grade 5th Grade