2025-05-08 Noticias de ISLA y ISLA PTO
Emily Smith
Fundraising Committee Corner
ONE WEEK LEFT to support the Square1Art student project! The deadline to order is Monday, May 12th.
Search for your child’s artwork on their website (School: ISLA International Academy).
We are currently at 21% participation!
Check out this adorable quilt square! It's going to look great on an ISLA memory quilt!
.png)
School Board Election - May 9-12
ISLA's annual board of directors election will be held via an online voting platform, Election Buddy, from May 9-12, with results announced at the May 13, 2025 Board meeting. All ISLA staff members and parents/guardians of ISLA students are eligible to vote for school board members.
Eligible voters should receive a unique ballot link by email on Friday, May 9, 2025 and will be permitted to cast their vote using that link anytime thereafter until 5:00pm on Monday, May 12, 2025. Please check your spam folder if you don’t see the email.
If you do NOT currently have an email address on file with the school, please contact Emily Smith at esmith@isla.school to provide a current email address to receive your online ballot. If you do not have access to email or a device for online voting, you will be able to vote in person at the school office during school hours on Friday May 9, 2025 and Monday May 12, 2025.
Biographies of the board candidates and a sample ballot can be found on the ISLA website: https://www.isla.school/board/board-candidates
Field Day!
Field Day is around the corner! It will be on Friday, May 23rd and it will take place at ISLA. The alternate day in case of bad weather will be Friday, May 30th. Field Day is a non uniform day for students and I encourage them to bring sport clothes and comfortable tennis shoes. We will have two sessions for Field Day:
- Morning session games from 10:00 - 12:00 for PreK - Second grade.
- Afternoon session games from 1:15 - 3:15 for Third - Fifth.
Please make sure your kid brings a water bottle and sunscreen. Everyone is invited to come and watch!
Come lend a hand and spend the day with your kids as they enjoy Field Day! Sr. Diaz needs help with the food/drink station. Please sign up through the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C45A9AF2EA4FF2-56772430-field
Field Day Parking Restrictions
Teatro de Torti
We have exciting news Teatro de Torti is back! This parent led extracurricular will come back with 3 camps this summer:
Morning - 1-week camps:
- July 28 - August 1 - 9:00 - 12:00
- entering kinder to entering 6th grade
- Cuentistas will read well-known favorites in Spanish and English and work together using their voice and body to bring those stories to life! While in camp they’ll develop their storytelling toolbox and learn how to be great audience members when watching others perform.
- August 4 - August 8 - 9:00 - 12:00
- entering 2nd to entering 6th
- Ease on Down the Road with the Teatro de Torti team as we follow our hearts Somewhere Over the Rainbow and learn what it means to be Dancing through Life. In this jam packed, OZ themed week we look at the different storytelling of OZ, the musicals that have been inspired by it, and remember the lessons it taught us is the true MAGIC of oz.
Afternoon - 2-week camps:
Martina y Perez: A Bilingual Tale
- July 28 - August 8 - 12:30 - 16:30
- entering kinder to entering 6th grade
- In this short, bilingual children’s musical from Bad Wolf Press campers will learn how to sing, act, dance, while also learning about costumes, props, and set design. In our final day performers will get to show off their results and conclude with a FREE public performance at Centennial Lakes Amphitheater 8/8 @ 16:00!
Sign up today on this Google form!
https://forms.gle/wqfQ6GYN1rCap5Wc6
Staff Appreciation Week!
It’s been a fun start to the week celebrating our wonderful teachers & staff… Thank you to the volunteers helping stock the kitchen and helping with set-up & tear down– We are all so grateful for your support! And we’ve heard how appreciative the staff is of their breakfasts & lunches this week!! Here’s a peek of the fun from Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday where the staff were treated to donuts, bagels, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookie decorating kits + Trader Joe’s gift cards along with a delicious Salad Bar!
Benchmark Testing
Volunteers Needed
Schoolwide benchmarking starts next week and our staff has some amazing volunteer opportunities!! Everyday from 9-11 and 1-3 for the next 4 weeks we are running schoolwide spring benchmarking. This is a heavy lift and we need all the help we can get from our supportive ISLA community (that’s YOU)! So whether it’s your first time volunteering at your child(ren)’s school or you’re a seasoned pro… Please grab a slot that works for your schedule…. Or you can accommodate even if it’s not the most convenient timing in the world, public charter schools like our school can only thrive with the help & support of our community.
Additional Community Connections Available
SPEND TIME WITH THOSE IN THE ISLA COMMUNITY
There are still a few opportunities to get in on an ISLA family or staff-hosted event!! Many are held into the late Spring and even into Summer, so even if you didn't attend Fiesta, you can still snag a ticket for some fun for you and/or your child(ren) while supporting the Language Ambassador Program!!
Check out available events here!
PTO Spring Community Meeting
RECAP + SUMMARY
The current and future leaders of PTO held an outstanding Community Meeting earlier this month, recapping a successful year and looking forward to changes for next year. You can revisit the slide deck and a summary of what was covered via the links below, but a few key details include:
- Fundraising efforts throughout the year totaled over $180K, with a record breaking $100K at this year's Fiesta
- We celebrated the successful 2-year tenure of PTO Chair, Jenner Moretto, and announced that next year's PTO Chair will be Bob Sparkins
- Grade groups will be a new way for organizing volunteers (including room parents) and sharing the workload for next year
- You're invited to raise your hand for nomination as a member of the PTO Board for next year — see the slide deck for specific roles and responsibilities
DID YOU CATCH THAT?!
We have officially hit a six-figure total for Fiesta ‘25!! That marks 2025 as ISLA’s most successful year ever!! THANK YOU!!!! To our families, staff and teachers that have hosted, attended Community Connections, to Profe Lina for coordinating the amazing staff dance and to our LAs for their fun performance, too!! What an absolutely AMAZING achievement!!!!
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AVAILABLE
The links below should lead you directly to the listed event, but if the website is giving you any issues, you can follow the instructions shown on the image below. The main website is fiesta25.givesmart.com
Please reach out to Caitlin Edstrom or fiesta@isla.school BOW-MAKING CLASS
Friday, May 9th 4:30pm
Where: ISLA
Who: ISLA Kinder - 2nd graders
Full details & tickets via this link!
MINNEHAHA FALLS ADVENTURE
Saturday May 17th, 2-4:30
Where: Minnehaha Falls
Who: ISLA Students in grades 3-5
Full details & tickets via this link!
LAKE HARRIET PICNIC & RIDE
Saturday, May 17th
Where: Lake Harriet Bandshell
Who: ISLA 3rd, 4th & 5th Graders
Full details & tickets via this link!
2ND GRADE POOL PARTY
Saturday, June 7th 10am-12pm
Where: Oak Ridge Pool
Who: 2nd Grade Students
Full details & tickets via this link!
4TH GRADE OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT
Friday, June 13th 8:30-10:30 (due to sunset time)
Where: Van Eps Family Home in Minnetonka
Who: ISLA Students in 4th grade
Full details & tickets via this link!
5TH GRADE POOL PARTY!
Saturday June 21st 1-4pm
Where: Murray Family Home in Hopkins
Who: ISLA Students in 5th grade!
Full details & tickets via this link!
MOM’S POOLSIDE ESCAPE
Saturday, July 19th
Where: Kregel Home in Bloomington
Who: ISLA Moms
Full details & tickets via this link!
2ND ANNUAL SUMMER SOCIAL
Saturday, July 26th 11-2
Where: Valley Park in Hopkins
Who: ISLA Families!
Full details & tickets via this link!
PRIVATE YOGA & POOL TIME
Date is TBD with guests
Where: The Fred in Edina
Who: ISLA Parents
Full details & tickets via this link!
MINNEHAHA FALLS SCAVENGER HUNT
Date is TBD by the winners
Where: Minnehaha Falls
Who: ISLA Parents
Full details & tickets via this link!
ISLA WINE PARTY
Date is TBD by the winners
Where: Total Wine & More (Chanhassen)
Who: ISLA Parents
Full details & tickets via this link!
SAVE THE DATES
Thursday 5.15.25: ISLA at LA Doña
We are so excited to return to La Doña for a fun night of connecting with new & old friends while enjoying some delicious food & drink. Mark your calendar & get ready for fun as this will also be Sr Izquierdo’s going away party!! https://dameladona.co
Thursday 10.02.25: 2nd annual ISLA Takeover at Great Wolf Lodge
Use Code: 2510ISLA
- $90 Room Rates !
- Resort Fee Reduced – From $34.99 down to just $9.99
- Parking Discount – Reduced from $15 to only $5
- Complimentary Group Cabana
- Reserved for us both Thursday and Friday
- 6 wristbands per room, no questions asked!
- LAs Included! – Two rooms provided for our LAs to join in the excitement with the ISLA community!
Cabana-Banquet on Thursday Evening!
Cost: $20 per person ($60 max per family) – This helps us meet our food & beverage minimum while covering tax and gratuities!
LA UPDATE
We currently have 7 Language Ambassadors hired for ‘25-’26 and 1 in the interview process. Before year-end, we aim to have a minimum of 10, with the potential for more as we work to rebuild what the LA Coordinator role looks like on the PTO Board– Exploring the possibility of that becoming a paid position.
Working from a tentative total of 10 LAs, we are now accepting applications for LA Host Families for next year!! Please know, that expressing interest in hosting does NOT rope you into being a firm YES. The image here shows the timeline & process the PTO Board goes through to ensure a good fit for both the LA and for your family!!
Surprise your child(ren) with a Lunchroom appearance!!
Volunteers can even visit with their children during their lunch period…
That is, if they won’t die of embarrassment of course.
Sign up here via the link!
Kudos to the Community
There are so many wonderful humans in the ISLA Community & we would really LOVE to give special shout-outs to those that deserve it!! Please check out the page on the PTO Website to see these shoutouts!!
If you’d like to share a positive experience you’ve had with a teacher, staff member, LA, parent, grandparent or even a student– Please complete this form (available in English & Spanish)!
Lost & Found: May 2025 Update
Courtesy of amazing ISLA parent Laci Haviland + additional support!! Thank you Laci for coordinating this!! If you would like to support Laci’s efforts with the Lost & Found, please contact Laci at HavilandSchool@gmail.com
We have some important updates regarding Lost & Found procedures. Please review the details carefully, as there are newer changes you’ll want to be aware of.
Due to the frequent overflow of items, we will be implementing a continuous rolling Random Soft Clear-Out for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year.
Full update available in both English & Spanish
PTO Quick Links
https://linktr.ee/islaptofiesta25.givesmart.com
