July 30, 2019

The Owl Weekly Parent Bulletin 7/30/19

Bienvenido, Mercedes!

ISP welcomes Mercedes Lasso Garcia!  Mercedes will be teaching Kindergarten in the Spanish track. She recently moved from her home country of Spain, where she has been teaching elementary school. 

  • From Seville, Spain
  • BA in Early Childhood Education, Primary and Special Needs education, University of Seville.
  • BA in Psycopedagogy, University of Seville.
  • 18 years of teaching experience

Here is a message from Mercedes:

I love being a teacher. Since I was a child, I knew that I wanted to teach. I have a lot of fun working with children, and I have a good relationship with them. I love seeing how they grow and develop their skills. I´m so happy to be able to work in a school like ISP; it is a dream for me. I love nature, animals, photography, and traveling. My favorite hobby is drawing and painting. I also like writing and illustrating stories. 


Welcome, Sarah Burvill 

We are pleased to introduce Sarah Burvill, our new Music teacher, to ISP. Sarah has most recently spent the past three years as a Performing Arts Teacher at Aarhus Academy for Global Education, an International Baccalaureate PYP school in Denmark.

  • From the United Kingdom
  • Dalcroze Music Teacher Foundation Award
  • BA Psychology (focus on Autism), University of Liverpool
  • MA in Disability Studies, University of Leeds
  • Fluent in English and Danish
  • Six years of teaching experience

Here is a message from Sarah:

I believe that music is central to learning, and am spending my summer holidays teaching music to refugees in Greece; in a unicef school and in the refugee camps. I look forward to sharing my experiences here with ISP. I love the PYP, and collaborating with young inquirers, colleagues and parents. Teaching music, dance and drama is such fun. I feel so lucky to be coming to ISP!


Please Congratulate Tessa McCoy!

ISP is happy to welcome Tessa McCoy to our team of English Specialists! Tessa has accepted the full-time position that was filled by our long-term substitute last Spring. 

Many of you may already know Tessa, as she is a current parent at the school as well!

  • BA in English & Writing, University of California, Berkeley
  • MA in Education & Curriculum Development, Cal State Dominguez
  • National Board Certified Teacher
  • Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certified 
  • 18 years of teaching experience

Here is a message from Tessa:

I look forward to working at ISP because I believe in the program, and even after teaching for so many years, I feel I will grow and learn so much professionally and personally. 

Outside of school, I enjoy on my own are spending time with my family outdoors, gardening, hiking, biking, and kayaking. I love to read and go shopping for antiques.


2019-20 School Year Calendar

The 2019-20 Calendar is available. You can subscribe and add it to your calendar, or download a printable pdf of the General Calendar.

Global Kids Extended-Day Program Schedule will be sent out next week!

Here’s a ISP Parent Network Calendar of Events!


Summer Events

Happy Summer! Come join us for fun, family-friendly events during the break!  Events will happen rain or shine, so let’s hope for a lot of that beautiful Oregon sun. RSVPs are requested for some, but not all events:

SUMMER PICNIC IN THE PARK
hosted by the ISP Parent Network
Saturday, August 10 from 11am to 1pm
Spring Garden Park
Come one, come all! Bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy this beautiful new park!
No RSVP required

EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY PLAYDATE
Saturday, August 17 from 10:00am to noon
Sellwood Park
This is a great opportunity to meet other families – both new and returning – and staff.
For all PreK, LowK and Kindergarten families
No RSVP required

ISP NEW PARENT ORIENTATION
Thursday, August 22nd
Learners’ Hall
9am, 12pm, or 3pm
This orientation is a great opportunity to learn more about our school and approach to learning. Information about drop-off, pick-up, after-school programs, and many other ISP routines will also be provided.
RSVP here

A full list of summer events can also be found here: www.intlschool.org/summer-events


Sign Up to be a Room Parent!      

Room Parents are needed for the 2019-2020 school year! You don’t need to know your child’s class placement to sign up. See intlschool.org/room-parents for the “job” description, and intlschool.org/rp-signup to volunteer.

Questions about room parenting? Feel free to reach out to Kat Simons (Kats@intlschool.org), current room parents, or one of our Parent Network Co-Chairs, Meryl Villarreal or Andrea Long, for more information: parentnetwork@intlschool.org

THANK YOU!


Durable School Supplies Lists

Each academic year, students are asked to bring a small list of durable supplies to be kept at school. These are typically items that a student will bring home at the end of the year to be used again.  Please click to see the school supply lists for 2019-2020:

Please note that most school supplies (such as paper, pencils, notebooks, crayons, etc)  are provided by the school and included in tuition.


Parent Network Event Volunteers Needed!

The ISP Parent Network has a full calendar of events planned throughout the school year! We are looking for parent volunteers to take the lead or help out with each of them. Each event has a set date and number of volunteers requested. Many require less than 5 hours of total time.

Please click here to take a look at the list and sign up!

If you have questions about these events or volunteering in general, please contact Andrea Long or Meryl Villareal, Parent Network Co-Chairs, at  parentnetwork@intlschool.org


Save Time and Gas – Set up a Carpool!

Are you interested in setting up a carpool for the upcoming school year? Publish your request in The Owl! Simply send your name, nearest street corner or part of town, number of children, and best way to contact you to owleditor@intlschool.org. 

No need to know your exact before/after school needs yet – you can discuss this with interested families. Each carpool request will run for two weeks.

    • SE Hawthorne Area: My name is Abby Sarmac, mom to a rising 5th grader in the ISP Spanish track. We are near SE 16th and Hawthorne.  Contact: abigail.sarmac@gmail.com
    • Carpool to MAC? If you’re interested in sharing the cost of having your student driven from ISP to the MAC club after school next year, please contact ISP 5th Grade parent Virginia Adatto at v.mix@me.com.
    • Milwaukie area: I am looking for school drop off help on Thursday mornings. I can pick up in the afternoon in exchange for the morning. I have two other children under 2, so they will be in tow. I have 3 extra seats, (including the front seat) however, if a child is needing a car seat, this limits the back seat to one seat due to sizing. Contact: Lauryn McWhirter Lauryn.mcwhirter@gmail.com – 970-749-4662